Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2024

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2024 held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
The event is organized jointly by the Payments Council of India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC). The GFF is considered one of the world’s largest gatherings of fintech startups, investors, experts, bankers, and regulators from around the globe.

Notes:
Kerala Tourism won the PATA Gold Award 2024 for its ‘Holiday Heist’ online contest in the Digital Marketing Campaign category. The campaign, launched in July 2023, used a bidding game on the WhatsApp ChatBot ‘Maya’ to attract tourists. Over 80,000 bids were made by travellers across India to visit Kerala’s prime destinations at low prices. The campaign generated more than 45 million impressions and over 13 million video views. Some participants won tour packages worth ₹30,000 for just ₹5. Kerala Tourism received the award in Bangkok on August 28, 2024.

Notes:
Poba Reserve Forest in Assam’s Dhemaji district will soon become a wildlife sanctuary. It is a rainforest in northeastern Assam, created in 1924, covering 10,221 hectares. It is located near the Himalayan foothills. The forest is bordered by the Siang, Dibang, and Lohit rivers, Brahmaputra, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, and Jonai villages. Ethnic groups like Mising, Bodo, Sonowal Kachari, and Hajong inhabit the area. Rich in flora and fauna, including slow loris, capped langur, and wild boar. Home to 45 species of birds and reptiles, and diverse fish species. Important migratory route for elephants, connecting other wildlife areas.

Notes:
The 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah began from 1 September at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, focusing on nutrition awareness and well-being. Union Minister Annpurna Devi, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, and other officials attended the event. The day started with a nationwide tree-planting drive called “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam,” promoting nutrition and environmental sustainability. Union Minister Annpurna Devi outlined Poshan 2.0’s pillars: good governance, convergence, capacity building, and community participation. Nutri-baskets were distributed to mothers, and schemes like Vahli Dikri Yojna were highlighted. The campaign will focus on issues like anemia, growth monitoring, and complementary feeding, supporting the vision of a ‘Suposhit Bharat.’

Notes:
Poachers killed two chitals in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and stole a rifle from a forest guard. It is located in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Bahraich districts. It lies near the India-Nepal border, in the foothills of the Himalayas and the Terai plains. The Gomti River originates from Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, with other rivers like Sharda also flowing through it. The reserve has a North Indian moist deciduous type of vegetation. It experiences a hot and dry climate with dry teak forests. Chitals, common in Indian forests, inhabit subtropical grasslands and forests across South Asia.

Notes:
India should be given a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for its rightful place, according to former Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani. The UNSC is one of the five main organizations of the United Nations, responsible for maintaining global peace and security. All UN member states must follow UNSC decisions. The UNSC identifies threats to peace, urges peaceful dispute resolution, and may impose sanctions or authorize military action. It has 15 members: five permanent (P5) with veto power (UK, China, France, Russia, USA) and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. UNSC headquarters is in New York City.

Notes:
Indian shooter Dhanush Srikanth won three gold medals at the 2024 World Deaf Shooting Championship. World Deaf Shooting Championship 2024 being held at Hanover in Germany. The championship, organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, is being held from August 29 to September 8, 2024.

Notes:
“Vishanu Yuddh Abhyas” is a mock drill conducted under the National One Health Mission (NOHM) to prepare for pandemic situations. NOHM focuses on the “One Health” approach, integrating disease control across human health, animal husbandry, and wildlife sectors. The exercise aimed to assess the readiness and response of the National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT). A simulated scenario of a zoonotic disease outbreak was created to mimic a real-world situation. The drill involved multiple national and state agencies, including ICMR, AIIMS Jodhpur BSL-3 Lab, and state administrations.

Notes:
The Digital Bus initiative has impacted over three lakh beneficiaries across India since its launch in 2017. It is a joint venture between the National Digital India Mission and the NIIT Foundation, aiming to bring technology to remote areas and foster innovation. The initiative seeks to reduce the digital divide, connect people to government programs, enhance learning interest, promote collaborative learning, and develop interpersonal skills. The solar-powered, 5G-enabled buses serve as mobile classrooms with computers, internet access, and preinstalled e-courses. The courses focus on basic digital skills and offer career programs to help beneficiaries find jobs in nearby cities or towns.

Notes:
The Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) in Gandhinagar published the first fully mapped genome of the Chandipura Vesiculovirus (CHPV). CHPV causes encephalitis, leading to brain swelling, and was responsible for several cases during the July-August outbreak in Gujarat. Genome mapping identifies the locations of genes and key sequences on a genome. It helps understand a virus’s origin, mutations, and potential changes in transmissibility or severity. There are two types of genome maps: genetic maps, showing relative gene positions, and physical maps, showing absolute positions based on DNA base pairs.