Daily Current Affairs Quiz 14th February 2024

” Notes: researchers have documented brumation, a reptilian form of dormancy, in various species during colder months. this period of slowed activity allows reptiles like box turtles and snakes to retreat to sheltered areas, conserving energy and enduring scarce resources. metabolism significantly decreases, enabling them to go weeks without eating. brumation is crucial for survival in adverse environmental conditions, allowing reptiles to reemerge in more favorable climates for feeding and reproduction.”

It is India’s smallest tiger reserve in wardha district and neighbours pench nagzira navegaon karhandla tadoba andhari melghat and satpura reserves the region boasts dry deciduous forest vegetation and includes the bor dam drainage

” Notes: Niti Aayog launched the “greening and restoration of wasteland with agroforestry (grow)” initiative, unveiling a portal for universal access to state and district-level data. hosted on the bhuvan website, grow employs advanced technologies like remote sensing and gis to assess agroforestry suitability across India. it aligns with national goals, aiming to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and create a carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes. the initiative utilizes a developed agroforestry suitability index (asi) for national-level prioritization, considering parameters like land use, wasteland, slope, water proximity, and soil organic content.”

” Notes:odisha cm naveen patnaik has raised monthly pensions for 36.75 lakh beneficiaries, including elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities, unmarried women, aids patients, transgender individuals, orphans, and widows of covid victims, under madhu babu pension yojana. the new amounts are rs 1,000 for those up to 79 and rs 1,200 for those 80 and above. this move aims to offer vital financial support, ensuring the well-being and dignity of vulnerable groups in the state.”

” Notes:the inaugural meeting of the global biodiversity framework fund (gbff) in washington dc, united states set guidelines for implementation, proposed during cop15 in 2022. gef’s member governments committed $1.1 billion for global initiatives addressing biodiversity, climate change, nature renewal, and pollution control. the meeting approved $918 million for 45 projects from the global environment facility trust fund and endorsed $203 million for 21 climate change adaptation projects from the least developed countries fund and special climate change fund. the council also approved resource allocation policy and project cycle policy for effective donor fund allocation.”

Its spread is resistant to fungicides and induces bleaching lower yields and poor seed quality leading to crop burning as a preventive measure

” Notes:the ghar (go home and re-unite) portal, developed by the National Commission for protection of child rights (ncpcr), facilitates the digital monitoring and repatriation of children under the Juvenile Justice Act. it expedites repatriation by tracking cases, transferring them to relevant authorities, and facilitating communication with state governments for translators or experts. child welfare committees use the portal’s checklist to identify children in need, linking them to government schemes for family strengthening during restoration.”

” Notes:the indian navy commissioned its latest survey vessel, ins sandhayak, in vizag, the first in a series of four survey vessels (large). constructed at grse, kolkata, its primary purpose is hydrographic surveys for port approaches and navigational routes. the vessel covers the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, gathering oceanographic data. with limited defence capabilities, it can serve as a hospital ship. equipped with advanced tools, ins sandhayak, measuring 110m, displacing 3400 tons, and powered by two diesel engines, emphasizes indigenous content and multifunctional capabilities.”

” Notes: Telangana police conducted operation smile-x, rescuing 3,479 child labourers state-wide. Hyderabad police alone saved 718 children, reuniting 526 with parents. 329 were from the state, 389 from other states. of the rescued, 640 were from child labour, and one was a reported missing child. throughout the operation, 2,947 children were reunited with parents, involving 676 police personnel working in teams coordinated with various departments and ngos. the operation resulted in 254 registered cases in the Hyderabad commissionerate.”

” Notes:world cancer day, observed on february 4th, highlights the global challenge of cancer, affecting millions with its diverse forms. the 2024 theme, “close the care gap: everyone deserves access to cancer care,” underscores the disparities in care, emphasizing accountability with the sub-theme “together, we challenge those in power.” this annual event advocates for advancements in research, prevention, and patient care to address the formidable health challenges posed by cancer worldwide.”

” On 8th february 2024, assam chief minister(cm) himanta biswa sarma launched the logo, anthem, mascot, jersey, and torch of the 4th edition of the khelo india university games (kiug 2023) in an event held at the karmabir nabin chandra bordoloi indoor stadium in guwahati, assam. kiug 2023 is set to be held from 19th -29th  february 2024.  the mascot of the kiug 2023 is ‘ashtalakshmi’, a butterfly.”

” Axis bank limited has received approval from insurance regulatory and development authority of india (irdai) to infuse the capital of rs 1,612 crore in max life insurance company limited, the subsidiary of max financial services limited (mfsl). the transaction is subject to approval of competition commission of india (cci).i. for this transaction, max life insurance will issue 14.25 crore shares at the price of rs.113 per share to axis bank.”

The government of maharashtra signed a memorandum of understanding mou with search engine giant google to utilise innovative and scalable artificial intelligence ai-led solutions across sectors including agriculture healthcare education etci google also announced the launching of a state-of-the-art

Bandhan financial holdings limited bfhl received the final approval of the irdai insurance regulatory and development authority of india to acquire the 100 paid up share capital of aegon life insurance companyi aegon life insurance is a joint venture between aegon nv and bennett

” The chief minister (cm) of telangana, anumula revanth reddy in his 1st cabinet meeting decided to replace the prefix code of vehicle registration from ts to tg, proposed to adopt a new state emblem, and a redesigned telangana talli (mother) statue.i. the cabinet also approved ‘jaya jaya he telangana, janani jaya ketanam’, as telangana’s official song written by ande sri.ii. changes in the emblem and statue will be made after consultation with stakeholders, poets, and people.”

” The Indian women’s team along with Bangladesh has been declared the joint winners of the south asian football federation (saff) under19 (u-19) women’s championship 2024 title.i. the 5th edition of the saff u19 women’s championship was hosted by Bangladesh and held from 2nd-8th february 2024 at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal (bsssmk) stadium, dhaka, bangladesh.”

” Hdfc bank limited has raised USD 300 million through its first-ever sustainable finance bond issue as a part of its overall raise of USD 750 million through regulation s bonds.i. in addition to a usd 300 million bond, it also raised USD 450 million through senior unsecured five-year dollar bonds with an interest rate of 5.180%.ii. the USD 300 million bond has a maturity period of three years at an interest rate of 5.196%.”

” The Reserve Bank of india (rbi)’s 6th bi-monthly monetary policy committee (mpc) met on 6th, 7th and 8th february 2024 and decided to retain the repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (laf) at 6.50%.i. for the 6th consecutive time, the repo rate was retained at 6.5% to maintain a tight surveillance on inflation. repo rate6.50%fixed reverse repo rate3.35%marginal standing facility (msf) rate6.75%standing deposit facility (sdf) rate6.25%bank rate6.75%cash reserve ratio (crr)4.50%statutory liquidity ratio (slr)18%”

” President of the indian olympic association (ioa) and indian sprinter pilavullakandy thekkeyparambil usha (p.t. usha) was conferred with the lifetime achievement award with gold medal by sports journalists’ federation of india (sjfi) in an event held at the national sports club of india (nsci), new delhi, delhi.i. the programme was co-hosted by delhi sports journalists’ association (dsja), one of the affiliates of sjfi. pt usha is the fifth recipient of the sjfi gold medal.”

” Justice nawaf salam from lebanon was elected as the president of the international court of justice (icj), the principal judicial organ of the united nations(un), for 3 years with effect from 6th february 2024.nawaf sala succeeds judge joan e donoghue from the united states of america(usa) who served as president of icj from 2021 to 2024.i. justice julia sebutinde from uganda was elected as the vice president(vp) of icj for 3 years with effect from 6th february 2024. she succeeds kirill gevorgian (russian federation), who served as vp of icj from 2021-2024.”