Daily Current Affairs MCQs : 2 January 2024 - Humanities/Arts MCQ

Dr. Arvind Panagariya, a former Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog and Professor at Columbia University has been appointed as the Chairman of the Sixteenth Finance Commission. The commission's responsibilities include the distribution of tax proceeds, principles governing grants-in-aid to States, and recommendations for improving disaster management financing arrangements under the Disaster Management Act, of 2005. The report is expected by October 31, 2025.

Power Minister RK Singh inaugurated Power Grid's Vishram Sadan in Bengaluru, a 2-storey facility with 270 beds and 55 rooms, designed to provide comfort to patients' attendants. This initiative is part of Power Grid's CSR efforts contributing to rural development, education, healthcare, and more, with a total investment of around Rs 1000 crores.

IIT Guwahati collaborated with the Assam Government Arohan Scheme to enhance STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) education. The initiative, led by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, focused on career progression for government school students in classes 9th to 12th. The collaboration involved mentoring, exposure trips, and competitions, benefitting over 3300 students, including a significant number of girls.

Talented Indian squash player Anahat Singh has performed brilliantly and won the Girls Under-19 title in the 2023 Scottish Junior Open Squash held in Edinburgh. In the final match, he defeated Robin McAlpine by a margin of 11-6, 11-1, 11-5. In the girls' under-11 category, Divyanshi Jain was the runner-up.

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment launched the SHRESHTA (Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas) scheme, targeting educational service gaps in SC-dominant areas. Supporting 2,564 SC students in 142 private schools, the scheme emphasizes high-quality education, socio-economic upliftment, and overall development. Eligible students from SC communities in classes 8th and 10th, with an annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh, can benefit.

The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has recently approved the appointment of Gujarat cadre IPS officer Vivek Srivastava as Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defense and Home Guards. Fire Services, Civil Defense and Home Guards function under the Ministry of Home Affairs.  

The Arjuna Award for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games 2023 was bestowed upon Naorem Roshibina Devi in recognition of her exceptional performance and contributions to the sport of Wushu over the previous four years. This award highlights her remarkable athletic abilities, sportsmanship, discipline, and leadership qualities within her discipline.

Lt. Governor Shri Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Composite Regional Centre (CRC) in Samba-Jammu, marking a crucial step towards skill development, rehabilitation, and empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) in the region.

Houthi rebels, suspected in the drone attack on MV Chem Pluto, are believed to be based in Yemen and are engaged in a decade-long civil conflict with Yemen's government.

The New York Times (NYT) has taken legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of unauthorized usage of its copyrighted content for AI model training, notably ChatGPT. This legal dispute highlights the broader debate on intellectual property rights in the generative AI era.