Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
The Halda Festival is celebrated in January in Lahaul-Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. It honors Shiskar Apa, the Goddess of Wealth, to seek blessings for prosperity and a good harvest. Celebrations are most prominent in the Pattan, Gahar, and Chandra valleys.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs launched the toolkit for the 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS), the world’s largest urban cleanliness survey. A new category, the “Super Swachh League,” has been introduced to recognize cities excelling in cleanliness. Cities are now categorized into five groups based on population, with awards for top cities in each group. Assessment will focus on parameters like waste management, sanitation, and cleanliness at tourist spots. The field assessment phase will run from February 15 to March 2025.

Notes:
The Forest Department is urging residents of Sheribikanahalli Tanda, in the Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary, to relocate due to the area’s ecological sensitivity. Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Kalburgi District, North Karnataka, and spans 134.88 sq.km. It was declared a sanctuary in 2011. It is the first dry land wildlife sanctuary in South India and is also referred to as the Ooty of Telangana. The sanctuary is home to the Chandrampalli dam and four smaller dams. It also shelters the Lambani Tandas, a protected tribal community living in the forest.

Notes:
Assam police chief Gyanendra Pratap Singh is appointed as Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The CRPF, India’s premier central police force under the Ministry of Home Affairs, ensures internal security. It was established in 1939 as the Crown Representative’s Police during political unrest in princely states.

Notes:
Union Minister Jayant Singh Chaudhary launched Solar Mobile Van Training Units in New Delhi to enhance financial and digital literacy in rural areas. Two new solar-powered vans equipped with modern technologies were flagged off to serve rural areas in Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The vans provide training on financial literacy, digital skills, cyber security, technical knowledge, and generative AI. By FY 2025, the program will expand to 7 more districts, benefiting 58 lakh people, including students, women, youth, and ex-servicemen. The project aims to make rural India self-reliant and empowered through technology and partnerships.

Notes:
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is hosting its Annual Meeting from January 20 to 24, 2025, in Davos, Switzerland, with the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age.” WEF was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. It introduced the concept of stakeholder capitalism. WEF fosters dialogue, debate, and action among organizations and leaders to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economies and societies.

Notes:
The Philadelphi Corridor is a 14 km stretch between Gaza and Egypt, critical for Hamas’ smuggling activities. It includes the Rafah crossing and runs from the Mediterranean Sea to the Kerem Shalom crossing. After Israel’s 2005 withdrawal, it became a demilitarized zone managed by the Palestinian Authority and Egypt. Hamas’ control of Gaza in 2007 led to increased smuggling via tunnels. In the 2023 ceasefire, Israel’s withdrawal from this area became a key issue. The corridor has been vital for Hamas’ weapon supplies and operatives’ movement.

Notes:
Entity Locker, developed by National eGovernance Division (NeGD), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is a secure cloud-based platform for managing and verifying business documents. It caters to organizations, MSMEs, startups, trusts, and societies. The platform integrates with government systems for real-time access and verification. It offers legally valid digital signatures and ensures secure document management. Entity Locker aligns with India’s Digital Public Infrastructure and vision for enhanced digital governance.

Notes:
Taiwan will deploy advanced National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) in North Taiwan to protect Taipei. NASAMS is a medium-range, ground-based air defense system developed by Raytheon (USA) and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (Norway). The system defends against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, UAVs, and air-to-surface threats. It protects high-value assets and population centers and has been part of the US capital’s air defense since 2005. NASAMS is the first networked short- and medium-range system, integrating with other defense equipment.

Notes:
Nepal’s Yala Glacier, a key glacier in the Langtang Valley, is projected to disappear by the 2040s. It is part of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region and is extensively studied in the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) database. Yala Glacier is the only Himalayan glacier on the Global Glacier Casualty List. Globally, there are over 275,000 glaciers, covering 700,000 sq km and storing 70% of Earth’s fresh water, including ice sheets. Yala Glacier is crucial for studying the cryosphere and understanding climate impacts on Himalayan glaciers.