• Mobile World Congress 2024 (MWC) 2024 started recently.
• The connectivity event is being hosted by GSMA and was organised at Barcelona, Spain.
• The event is hosted every year and brings people from companies that deal in mobile and wireless technologies.
• The theme of this year’s MWC is “Future First” and most of the discussion will revolve around the same.
  • The event is also divided into six sub themes, which includes Humanising AI, 5G and Beyond, Connecting Everything, Manufacturing DX, Game Changers, and Our Digital DNA.

ABOUT GSMA

• The GSM Association is a lobby organisation that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide.
• More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem are associate members.
• Headquarters- London, UK
• GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile network that is widely used by mobile phone users in Europe and other parts of the world.
  • GSM digitizes and compresses data, then sends it down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot.
  • It operates at either the 900 megahertz (MHz) or 1,800 MHz frequency band.

• Central Excise Day is celebrated in India on 24^th February every year.
• This day is dedicated to the establishment of the Central Excise and Salt Act of 1944.
• This act was a combination of 11 acts regarding excise duties, and it was passed to make changes in the law related to salt and central duties.
• The day was first observed in 1944, and it is celebrated to commemorate the contributions of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to the country.
• In 1966, the Central Excise and Salt Act underwent a name change to “The Central Excise Act 1944,” specifying values and rates of excise duties in Schedule 1 and 2 of the act.

About CBIC

• The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBIC) is responsible for administering indirect taxes in India.
• The CBIC was established in the year 1944 to oversee the levy of central excise duties on goods and services produced or manufactured in India.
• Central Board of Excise and Customs was renamed the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in 2018.
• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes, under the Ministry of Finance, includes the Department of Revenue.
  • This board significantly contributes to formulating laws and policies related to Customs, Central Goods & Services Tax, Central Excise duties, IGST, and prevention of smuggling.

• The Odisha state extended the cash assistance scheme, Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) for farmers to overcome distress, by three more years with a proposed expenditure of ₹6,029 crore.
• The scheme exclusively meant for small and marginal farmers as well as sharecroppers will be operational till 2026-27.
• The state has been implementing the KALIA scheme since 2018-19 as a majority of the population of the state is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.
• It has been synchronized with PM-KISAN to provide annual benefit of ₹10000 to small and marginal farmers (₹6,000 from PM-KISAN and ₹4,000, from KALIA).
• In addition to the financial assistance component and interest subvention, KALIA offers subsidies for insurance coverage.
  • Life insurance coverage of ₹2,00,000 at a premium of ₹330 per annum (of which the state government will bear ₹165) to all savings bank account holders aged between 18-50 years.
  • Personal accident cover of ₹2,00,000 at a nominal premium of ₹12 per annum (half borne by the state government) targeted at all savings bank account holders aged between 18-50 years.
    • For beneficiaries in the age group of 51-70 years, the entire annual premium of ₹12 is borne by the state.

• In a significant step forward towards eliminating Kala Azar, India has achieved the target of reporting less than one case per 10,000 population across all blocks in 2023.
• It is the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria in the country.
• In India, the disease is endemic in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
  • In October 2023, Bangladesh became the first country in the world to be officially validated by the WHO for eliminating Kala Azar as a public health problem.

About Kala Azar (or visceral leishmaniasis)

• It is a protozoan parasitic disease, spread by sandfly bites.
  • Sandflies are brown in colour and have hairs on their bodies. The flies are infected with the parasite called ‘leishmania donovani’.
  • The vector sandfly is known to live in cracks and crevices of muddy houses, especially in dark and humid corners.
• According to the WHO, there are 3 main forms of leishmaniases of which kala-azar is the most serious form.
• Symptoms- It causes fever, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement.
• Left untreated, it can be fatal in 95% of cases.
• PKDL or Post Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, is a well-recognised complication which causes scaly skin patches and nodular lesions in people who have been apparently cured of Kala Azar up to two years of the initial infection.

• PM Modi inaugurated a newly installed statue of Sant Ravidas on his 647th birth anniversary, in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.
• Ravidas Jayanti is celebrated every year on the full moon day of Magh month to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidas.
• A great Saint, philosopher, poet, and social reformer of the 15th century, Guru Ravidas is well-known for his contributions to the Bhakti Movement.

ABOUT SANT RAVIDAS

• Guru Ravidas is popularly known by different names like Raidas, Rohidas, and Ruhidas.
• He was born in 1377 CE in Seer Govardhanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
  • His place of birth is now known as Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan.
• He is one of the most famous personalities of the nirguna sampradaya (sant parampara) and was one of the prominent leaders of the North Indian Bhakti movement.
• He also became a symbol of opposition to untouchability in society by the higher caste people for lower caste people.
• His compositions have also been included in Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
• He is considered as spiritual Guru of Meera Bai.

• After a gap of 75 years, an endangered female Indian Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) was spotted in the Bishwanath stretch of the Brahmaputra under Kaziranga Tiger Reserve.

ABOUT GHARIAL                                       

• Indian gharial is one of the largest river-dwelling crocodile species of the world that grows up to 8 metres in total length and weight around 160 kg.
• Habitat
  • It is also the most aquatic of all crocodilians for it never moves far from the water.
  • Females lay their eggs in steep, sandy river banks.
• Their major population occurs in three tributaries of the Ganga River: the Chambal and the Girwa Rivers in India and the Rapti-Naryani River in Nepal.
• The Gharial reserves of India are located in three States – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• Adult gharials exhibit a strong association with river systems, often displaying seasonal migratory patterns.
• Although primarily fish eaters, some individuals have been known to scavenge dead animals.
• Threats include habitat fragmentation and degradation, poaching etc.
• It has been placed under the IUCN Red Data list as critically endangered and listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 due to massive decline in its population.

• Albania is all set to open up its Embassy in New Delhi soon in reciprocation to India’s plans to establish a mission in Tirana.

ABOUT ALBANIA

• Albania shares a border with Greece (South and South East) along with Montenegro (North West), Kosovo (North East) and North Macedonia (East)
• Albania is strategically positioned to contribute to and benefit from emerging connectivity projects bridging India and Europe.
• Approximately 500 kilometers of coastline touching Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea.

• India pacer Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of IPL 2024 due to a left ankle injury which would require surgery in the UK, a BCCI source said.
• Shami was the leader of the pace attack of the Gujarat Titans.
• Gujarat Titans will take the field under new captain Shubman Gill’s leadership.

• Jacintha Kalyan has become the country’s first woman curator.
• Over 30 years with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has seen her switch roles; from receptionist, to administration to accounts to preparing pitches for the second season of the Women’s Premier League.

• Every year, people across the globe celebrate World Peace and Understanding Day on 23^rd
• The World Peace and Understanding Day also termed as Special Day, has its own importance as it encourages harmony, compassion, and collaboration among individuals hailing from different religions, cultures and geography.
• The day commemorates the first meeting of Rotary International —an NGO dedicated to humanitarian service, peace, and goodwill across the world —that took place in Chicago, US.