Daily Current Affairs Quiz: June 18, 2024

ANSWER : B

Celebrated on 19 June.

• Theme : “Hope Through Progress: Advancing Care Globally.”
• World Sickle Cell Day is recognised by the United Nations.
• The UN General Assembly passed the measure in December 2008, recognizing SCD as a public health threat and one of the world’s leading genetic diseases.

ANSWER : B

Celebrated on 19 June.

• The goal is to urge individuals to relax and appreciate life instead of racing through it.
• This day is meant to serve as a reminder to everyone to take a break from their hectic schedule, embrace a slower pace, and fully engage in the moment at hand.
• The idea of sauntering is based on the art of going for a casual walk.

ANSWER: A

Current Context : “Divya Drishti” is an advanced AI tool developed by the woman-led start-up Ingenious Research Solutions.

ABOUT 

• The tool integrates facial recognition with gait and skeleton analysis to enhance identification accuracy and reduce false positives and identity fraud.
• This dual-approach biometric authentication system has versatile applications across various sectors, including defence, law enforcement, corporate, and public infrastructure.
• Developed with technical guidance from DRDO’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (CAIR) in Bangalore, “Divya Drishti” signifies a significant advancement in biometric technology.

ANSWER : B

Current Context : Armenia becomes the 43rd signatory of the Artemis Accords, a set of principles for global space exploration cooperation led by NASA.

ABOUT ARTEMIS ACCORDS:

• The Artemis Accords, established in 2020 by NASA and seven founding member nations, including the US, are a set of non-binding principles aimed at guiding civil space exploration.
• With 43 signatories, including India (signed in 2023), the accords promote peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation in space, grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.

Armenia: a landlocked country in the mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe.

Capital: Yerevan

ANSWER: C

Current Context : The Ministry of Textiles has approved Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT) schemes for startups in technical textiles.

ABOUT GREAT SCHEME

• It is part of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).
• Under the GREAT scheme, grant-in-aid, typically up to INR 50 lakhs, over 18 months will be provided.
• The scheme aims to harness India’s talent and expertise in the technical textiles sector to introduce innovative products and technologies to the market.

ABOUT NATIONAL TECHNICAL TEXTILES MISSION

It was approved in 2020, and aims to elevate India as a global leader in technical textiles and boost domestic usage from USD 40 billion to USD 50 billion by 2024. Operated under the Ministry of Textiles, it spans four years with key components focusing on research, market development, exports, and education.

ANSWER : A

Current Context : Union Jal Shakti Ministry launched an e-flow (Environmental Flow) ecological monitoring system.

• E-flow refers to the flow that is required to meet the ecological functions of the flora and fauna present in the water body.

ABOUT E-FLOW MONITORING SYSTEM

• It is developed by National Mission for Clean Ganga (Namani Gange).
• The Namami Gange program involves cleaning the Ganga and now includes its tributaries.
• It will allow real-time analysis of the water quality of the Ganga, Yamuna, and their tributaries.
• It will also allow monitoring of the Namami Gange program activities at the central level

ANSWER : B

Current Context: The Montreal Protocol has successfully reduced radiative forcing and equivalent effective chlorine from hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) since 2021, indicating progress in mitigating climate change and ozone layer loss, as per a new study published in the Nature Journal.

ABOUT

• The Montreal Protocol, enacted in 1987, is a global treaty designed to phase out the production and use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
• This treaty operates under the framework of the Vienna Convention (adopted in 1985).
• A significant addition to the Protocol came with the adoption of the Kigali Amendment in 2016, which became effective in 2019.
• This amendment specifically targets the reduction of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which serve as non-ODS alternatives to previously phased-out substances like Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

ANSWER: D

Current Context : Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and State Bank of India signed an MoU for digital payment services on eMigrate portal.

It will integrate SBIePay with eMigrate portal to provide digital payment services to Indian migrant workers, recruiting agents (RAs), and other users of eMigrate portal.

ABOUT EMIGRATE PORTAL

• Launched in: 2014 for the online emigration process. Initiative by Overseas Employment Division of MEA to automate emigration processes and create a seamless ecosystem.
• It assists mainly blue-collar workers going to Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries.
• Allows ECNR (Emigration Check not Required) passport holders’ voluntary registration.