Daily Current Affairs MCQs : 20 April 2024 - Humanities/Arts MCQ

Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), Bihar’s sole tiger reserve, utilizes green energy for watering wild animals, including tigers, and their prey in scorching summers. Established in 1990 and declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1978, VTR encompasses Valmiki National Park and Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary. Situated on the Gandak riverbanks, it shares borders with Royal Chitwan National Park and Parsa Wildlife Sanctuary of Nepal. The Bihar government awaits NTCA approval to declare Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary as the state’s second tiger reserve after VTR.

Vinay Kumar, an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1992 batch, is appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Russia, currently serving in Myanmar. The Ministry of External Affairs announced his new assignment, reinforcing the longstanding partnership between India and Russia. The move highlights the strategic importance of diplomatic ties between the two nations amidst recent elections in Russia. Kumar is expected to assume his new role shortly.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations’ (UN) climate agency, releases the State of the Global Climate report. The 2023 report confirms that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature 1.45 °Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 °C) above the pre-industrial baseline. The report also confirms that 2023 was the warmest 10-year period on record. The WMO also said there is a “high probability” that 2024 will be another record-hot year.

In the 2024 World Happiness Report released by the United Nations on March 20th, Finland claimed the title of the happiest country for the seventh year in a row. The report highlights Finland’s consistent high levels of happiness, affirming its status as a global leader in well-being. According to the 2024 World Happiness Report, India ranks 126th out of 146 countries, this is the same as last year. India’s neighbors, however, rank higher than India, with China ranked 60th, Nepal ranked 93rd, Pakistan ranked 108th, Myanmar ranked 118th, Sri Lanka ranked 128th, and Bangladesh ranked 129th.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in New Delhi in March 2024 to combat human trafficking in India. The MoU’s key objectives include working together to prevent human trafficking and rescue trafficked women.

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) transferred swine fever vaccine technology to BioMed Pvt. Ltd. The vaccine targets classical swine fever virus prevalent in states like Bihar, Kerala, and northeastern regions. Developed using a recombinant vector, the vaccine is non-infectious to humans. IIT Guwahati’s reverse genetic platform facilitated its creation. The collaboration aims to address the significant gap in India’s swine fever vaccine technology, safeguarding pig populations in affected regions.

India achieved a Guinness World Record on World Kabaddi Day, March 24, with 128 players participating at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula. An MOU between HIPSA and Haryana Govt. facilitated the event, aiming to promote Kabaddi globally. Guinness set a benchmark of 84 players, but organizers aimed for 154. This historic feat highlights India’s commitment to Kabaddi’s growth and global recognition.

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awards the 2024 Abel Prize to Michel Talagrand from CNRS, Paris, France, for his contributions to probability theory and stochastic processes. Talagrand’s work illuminates the role of randomness in various phenomena, crucial for fields like weather forecasting and business logistics. Central to his research is the understanding and application of the Gaussian distribution, evident in seemingly random events such as birth weights, academic performance, and athlete retirements.

Senior Indian diplomat Abhay Thakur, a 1992-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), has been appointed as India’s next ambassador to Myanmar. This was announced by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on March 26. Thakur, currently an Officer on Special Duty in the MEA, previously served as sous-sherpa for the G20 process during India’s presidency. His appointment comes amid Myanmar’s ongoing unrest following a military coup in February 2021, marking a crucial time for India-Myanmar relations.

The India Employment Report 2024, co-published by the ILO and IHD, underscores the ongoing challenges for Indian youth in finding jobs. Alarmingly, around 83% of the unemployed are young individuals. Particularly troubling is the rise in educated youth among the jobless, with those possessing secondary education or higher comprising 65.7% of the unemployed youth, up from 35.2% in 2000. This trend indicates a pressing need for interventions to address youth unemployment and skill development.