Daily Current Affairs Quiz: May 24, 2024

ANSWER: A

Celebrated annually on 25 May.

• Aim : to raise awareness about this crucial gland in the body.
• The theme of World Thyroid Day (WTD) 2024 is “Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)”.
• Members of the Thyroid Federation International declared World Thyroid Day in 2007.
• The date was chosen to honor the birth of the European Thyroid Association (ETA), which was formed on May 25, 1965.

 ABOUT THYROID:

• Thyroid disease is a medical conditions that do not allow the thyroid gland to produce a sufficient amount of hormones.
• The thyroid gland is a tiny gland near the base of the neck.
• This butterfly-shaped gland is responsible for producing two hormones such as thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which are essential for the body’s normal functions such as metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction.

ANSWER: C

Current Context : Government appointed Shri Ramesh Babu as a Member in Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.

ABOUT

• He holds Tech Degree in Thermal Engineering and B. Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• He held the post of Director (Operations), NTPC from May 2020 till his retirement, before which he served in various positions in NTPC.

ABOUT CERC

• The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) was established by the Government of India under the provisions of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998.
• The Commission consists of a chairperson and three other Members.
• Additionally, Chairperson of Central Electricity Authority is the ex-officio Member of the Commission.
• Functions : to regulate the tariff of generating companies, to issue license for inter- state transmission and trading.
• Objective : to promote competition, efficiency and economy in activities of electricity industry; and to promote investment in electricity industry.

ANSWER: D

Current Context : Spain has officially joined the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as its 99th member.

• The Instrument of Ratification was handed over by Spain’s Ambassador to India.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE (ISA):

• The International Solar Alliance was jointly launched by India and France during COP21 in Paris.
• Aim : to accelerate the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement through the extensive deployment of solar energy technologies.
• Mission : to enhance energy access, ensure energy security, and drive the energy transition in its member countries.
• Currently, 116 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement, and 94 have completed the ratification process to become full members.
• Headquarter : Gurugram, Haryana, India

ANSWER: C

Current Context : Pitchbook  recently released its 2024 global startup rankings for the best cities.

• 3 Indian cities secured ranking in the top 50 list of PitchBook’s report as the best startup cities around the world.
• It ranked Mumbai at 32nd place, Bengaluru at 34th and Gurugram at 48^th place.
• San Francisco of USA secured 1^st place followed by New York and Beijing as 2^nd and 3^rd place in best startup cities in the world.

ABOUT STARTUP :

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under Ministry of Commerce & Industry recognized business as a startup.
• It is an entrepreneurial venture working towards innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services with a scalable business model.
• India has 3rd largest startup ecosystem in the world after USA and China and record of 114 unicorns as of March 2024.

ANSWER: A

Current Context : Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan attended ‘Exercise Cyber Suraksha’ on May 22, 2024 and emphasized the importance of strengthening India’s cyber defence capabilities.

• Conducted by Defence Cyber Agency from 20 – 24 May 2024.
• Aim : to improve the cyber defence skills of all cybersecurity organizations in the country.
• It will empower participants by enhancing their cyber defence skills, techniques and capabilities, share best practices, and work towards a unified and robust cyber defence posture.
• It will promote joint Manship and synergy in planning and preparation of a Cyber Defence Framework.

About Defence Cyber Agency

• It is an integrated tri-services agency of the Indian Armed Forces.
• The agency is tasked with handling cyber security threats and draws personnel from all three branches of the Armed Forces.
• Established in 2019.
• Headquarter : New Delhi

ANSWER: B

Current Context : Srinivas R. Kulkarni, an Indian-origin U.S. scientist has been awarded the prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy for 2024.

• He has been served as the George Ellery Hale Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Caltech.
• He has been awarded for his ground-breaking discoveries on millisecond pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and other transient astronomical phenomena.

ABOUT SHAW PRIZE :

• It is Instituted by the late Hong Kong philanthropist Run Shaw.
• The Shaw Prize consists of three annual awards in Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences.
• Shaw Prize is awarded by monetary award of $1.2 million.

ANSWER: D

Current Context : DD Kisan is set to launch two AI anchors AI Krish and AI Bhoomi on 26th May 2024.

• DD Kisan will become the first government (AI) TV channel of the country.
• These news anchors are a computer, which works exactly like a human.
• They can read news 24 hours and 365 days without stopping or getting tired.

ABOUT

• DD Kisan is the only TV channel in the country, which has been established by the Government of India and dedicated to the farmers.
• Established on 26 May 2015.
• Objective : to keep the farmers informed about the changes in weather, global and local markets.

ANSWER: B

Current Context : Australia has confirmed its first human case of avian influenza A, in a child.

• This is the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza found in Australia.

ABOUT : H5N1 VIRUS

• The H5N1 virus, also known as avian influenza A or bird flu, is a highly pathogenic strain of the influenza virus that primarily infects birds.
• It is divided into subtypes on the basis of two proteins on the surface of the virus: Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA).

ANSWER: C

Current Context : Indian Army’s Trishakti Corps celebrated Saga Dawa festival in Sikkim a sacred Buddhist festival commemorating Lord Buddha’s milestones.

ABOUT SAGA DAWA FESTIVAL :

• It considered the most sacred Buddhist festival and holds great significance for the Buddhist community in Sikkim.
• The festival is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the fourth month of the Northern Buddhist Calendar.
• It pays homage to the 3 pivotal events in Lord Buddha’s life – his birth, enlightenment, and passing away into Nirvana.
• The day is also known as the Triple Blessed Day and marks these milestones that occurred in different years of his life.

ANSWER: A

Current Context : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 22 approved a ₹2.11 lakh crore dividend payout to the central government for 2023-24.

• The decision was taken at the 608th meeting of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India, presided under the chairmanship of Governor Shaktikanta Das.
• It is more than the double amount that paid in 2022-23 financial year (₹87,416 crore).
• The committee suggested that the RBI should keep aside funds for unexpected risks, known as the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB), which should be between 5 per cent and 6.5 per cent of the RBI’s total assets.
• In FY 2022-23, the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) was increased to 6% and the Board has decided to increase the CRB to 6.5% for FY 2023-24,”.

ABOUT CONTINGENT RISK BUFFER (CRB):

• The contingency risk buffer is a specific provision fund kept by the central bank primarily to be used during any unexpected and unforeseen contingencies.