Daily Current Affairs Quiz: January 24, 2024

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: C

• For the year 2024, 60 Parachute Field Hospital, Uttar Pradesh, in the Institutional category, has been selected for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar-2024 for its excellent work in Disaster Management.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

• The Government of India has instituted an annual award known as Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar to recognize and honour the invaluable contribution and selfless service rendered by individuals and organizations in India in the field of disaster management.
• The award is announced every year on 23rd January, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 51 lakh and a certificate in case of an institution and 5 lakh and a certificate in case of an individual.

ABOUT 60 PARACHUTE FIELD HOSPITAL

• 60 Parachute Field Hospital, Uttar Pradesh, was established in 1942.
• It is the sole airborne medical establishment of the Indian Armed Forces, recognized for its exceptional service in various global crisis.
• The primary mission includes Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations during natural calamities, nationally and internationally, both in time of peace and war.

ANSWER: C

• Japan achieved a significant milestone as its spacecraft, Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), successfully landed on the lunar surface, making it the fifth country in history to reach the moon.
  • The first four are- India, USA, China and Russia.
• SLIM’s mission priority was to achieve a pinpoint landing, a technology promising greater control than previous moon landings.
• The lightweight spacecraft, about the size of a passenger vehicle, utilized precision landing technology, aiming for a target of just 100 meters (330 feet).
• The mission, nicknamed “the Moon Sniper,” was the result of two decades of precision technology development by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

ANSWER: D

• The Indian Army contingent comprising 25 personnel reached Egypt to take part in the 2nd edition of India-Egypt Joint Special Forces Exercise CYCLONE.
• The Exercise will be conducted at Anshas, Egypt.
• The Indian contingent is being represented by troops from The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) and Egyptian contingent comprising 25 personnel is being represented by Egyptian Commando Squadron and Egyptian Airborne Platoon.
• Exercise CYCLONE is designed to develop bilateral military cooperation and strengthen bond between two armies through conduct of discussions and rehearsal of tactical military drills.
• Aim of the Exercise is to acquaint both the sides with each other’s operating procedures in the backdrop of Special Operations in desert/ semi desert terrain under Chapter VII of United Nations Charter.

ANSWER: C

• Residents of Kanniyakumari district have objected to the Union government’s plans for oil exploration under HELP (Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy) off the Kanniyakumari coast, as it could severely impact the Wadge Bank Ecosystem.
• Wadge Bank, a 10,000 square kilometre area of the sea south of Kanyakumari is rich in biodiversity and considered India’s richest fishery resource.
• Low intensity of currents, waves and tides make it an ideal place for building a wealth of nutrients and fish food.
• Wadge Bank was one among the handful of such rich biodiversity spots in the world and
• It is also the mainstay of marine resources for fisherfolks of the southern districts adjoining Kanyakumari.

ANSWER: A

• The Odisha government has sought assistance of Tamil Nadu for making kumki elephants and mahouts available in the wake of worsening human-elephant conflict in Odisha.
• Kumkis are trained captive elephants used in operations to trap, rescue and tranquilise wild elephants.
• Kumki elephants can be deployed strategically to help manage and drive wild elephants thereby reducing damage to crops, human habitations and the potential loss of both human and elephant lives.

ANSWER: C

• Russian energy company Novatek was forced to suspend some operations at Ust-Luga, a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and processing complex, due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack.
• The attack is the third on Russia’s large energy infrastructure facilities.

Ust-Luga is a settlement and railway station in Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, near the Estonian border, situated on the Luga River near its entry into the Luga Bay of the Gulf of Finland in Baltic Sea

ANSWER: D

• The Union Home Minister recently inaugurated Centre of Excellence in Digital Forensics at National Forensic Sciences University in Gandhinagar.
• The ultra-modern Centre of Excellence in Digital Forensics has been endowed with state-of-the-art tools and infrastructure.
• The Centre will provide investigators with digital weaponry against cybercrime and also help in addressing crimes that are powered by the abuse of technology.

ANSWER: A

• The Halda festival celebrations began in the Gahar and Tinan valleys of Lahaul and Spiti district.
• To celebrate the festival, villagers cut thin cedar branches into pieces and tie them into bundles to make a torch called ‘halda’.
• The torch is lit at a house where villagers gather to perform various rituals, besides singing and dancing.
• The aim of the festival is to appease local deities, seek better crop yield and ward off evil spirits.
• The Halda festival is similar to Diwali and starts on a full moon day.
• It is dedicated to Shishkar Apa, who is believed to be the goddess of wealth in the Lamaistic pantheon.

ANSWER: C

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will widen the strategically important Sumdo-Kaza-Gramphu highway at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore to ensure better connectivity to the Spiti region of Lahaul and Spiti district from Manali and Lahaul.
• It will be a double-lane highway.
• The BRO has already started the exercise to widen the road after getting approval of funds from the Central Government.
• The Spiti region of Lahaul and Spiti district shares border with China.
  • So, the Central Government is keen to ensure better road connectivity to the region from Manali and Lahaul to ensure an easy access for the Indian Army to border and also provide access to common civilians to promote tourism.
• The 211-km-long road has been in a pathetic condition for many years.
• The BRO has divided the road project into four sections, namely Sumdo-Kaza, Kaza-Losar, Losar-Batal and Batal-Gramphu.