Daily Current Affairs Quiz: February 19, 2025

Answer: C

• Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as India’s 26^th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
• He is a 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre.
• He is an IIT Kanpur graduate in Civil Engineering, also studied Business Finance at ICFAI and Environmental Economics at Harvard.
• The Chief Election Commissioner heads the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body responsible for administering elections to the Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President.

Answer: B

A recent study has shown that coral reefs in the Gulf of Eilat underwent a 3,000-year period of halted growth because of global cooling, but eventually made a natural recovery from deeper waters.

• The Gulf of Eilat, also known as the Gulf of Aqaba, is a northern extension of the Red Sea, positioned between the Sinai Peninsula to the west and the Arabian Peninsula to the
• The Gulf of Eilat shares its borders with four countries along its coastline:
• Egypt – Northwest
• Israel – North
• Jordan – Northeast
• Saudi Arabia – East and Southeast
• The Gulf of Aqaba is known for its coral reefs, which are some of the northernmost in the world.

Answer: C

Meta launched Project Waterworth, a subsea internet cable to improve connectivity in the U.S., India, Brazil, South Africa, and other regions, which was announced following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. and is expected to be operational by 2039.

• The Artificial Intelligence(AI)-powered subsea cable system spans 50,000 km across five continents, connecting the S., India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions.
• It will be the longest and highest-capacity subsea cable, with cables laid at depths up to 7,000 meters and protected in shallow waters using advanced burial techniques.
• India will invest in maintaining and repairing undersea cables in the Indian Ocean for the project.
• The project will create three new oceanic corridors, boosting the scale and reliability of internet networks and fostering international cooperation, digital inclusion, and technological progress.

Answer: C

The Indian Navy’s INS Shardul and Long Range Maritime Surveillance P-8I aircraft arrived at Benoa Port in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia to participate in the International Fleet Review (IFR), which is scheduled from February 16 to February 22, 2025.

• This year’s theme is “Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability,” focusing on natural disaster management and humanitarian aid.
• The International Fleet Review (IFR), is a prestigious international event in which participating navies showcase their ships in a parade, typically reviewed by an incumbent head of state or military dignitaries.
• It also marks the 80th anniversary of the Indonesian Navy’s formation.
• Exercise Komodo 2025 will gather 15 nations for multilateral maritime training, including a joint maritime search and rescue scenario.

Answer: B

• To mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11, UNESCO launched the “Imagine a world with more women in science”
• The campaign emphasizes the value of diverse perspectives in science and encourages greater women’s participation using the hashtag #EveryVoiceInScience.
• The UNGA declared the day in 2015to reduce the gender gap in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine)
• In India, 43% of STEMM enrollment in higher educationconsists of women, but only 6% of scientists in the country are women.
• UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) was founded on November 16, 1945, to promote international cooperation in education, science, and culture.
• UNESCO has 195 member countriesand is headquartered in Paris, France.
• It publishes important reports like the Global Education Monitoring Reportand the Gender Parity Index.

Answer: A

India’s first zoo-based biobank has been established at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in Darjeeling, West Bengal.

• The facility, also known as a ‘frozen zoo,’became operational in July 2024 as part of a collaboration with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• The biobank collects and preserves DNA materials, cellular and tissue samples from endangered animals, as well as reproductive cells from deceased specimens.
• The initiative supports wildlife conservation, genetic research, and potential revival of critically endangered or extinct species.
• Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, established on August 14, 1958, is known for breeding high-altitude herbivores and pheasants.
• The zoo gained international recognition for its red panda conservation program, which was shortlisted for a global conservation award by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in October 2024.

Answer: B

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Bharat Tex 2025 event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on February 16, 2025.
• Bharat-Tex is a global textile event that brings together the entire industry, from raw materials to finished products, under one roof.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi set ambitious goals for India’s textile exports, aiming to triple them from ₹3 lakh crore to ₹9 lakh crore by 2030.
• Bharat Tex 2025 is the second edition of an annual exhibition organized by twelve export promotion councils with support from the Ministry of Textiles.
• Featuring over 5,000 exhibitors, it showcases India’s textile strength on a global stage, covering 2.2 million square feet.
• Sustainability is a key focus of Bharat Tex 2025, highlighting eco-friendly innovations and responsible practices in the textile industry.
• On the sidelines of Bharat Tex 2025, the European Union (EU) and India’s Ministry of Textiles unveiled seven new projects aimed at supporting the textile and handicraft sector. These initiatives are being funded by the EU with a contribution of €9.5 million (₹5 crore).
• India’s textile sector employs 45 million people, with women making up 60% of the workforce.