This is the current affairs of 25 & 26 February 2024. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Which country’s parliament approved a law granting private and government employees the ‘right to ‘disconnect’ (permission to not respond to calls or emails from their boss after work hours)?
a. Australia
b. Japan
c. America
d. China
Answer: a. Australia
– Law Name: ‘Right to Disconnect’
– The Australian Parliament approved this law on February 12, 2024.
What is ‘Right to Disconnect’?
– Under this law, an employee has the right to ignore calls or emails from their boss after their shift ends.
– This law is aimed at protecting an employee or worker from being penalized for ignoring calls, messages, or emails that come from the office outside of regular working hours.
– Furthermore, if a company penalizes an employee for not responding to work-related communication outside of working hours, they may have to face consequences.
– As a result of violating the law, employers may face fines of up to 18,000 Australian dollars.
Companies Opposing the Law
– Some major business groups in Australia have also opposed this law.
– These business groups argue that this law will affect work productivity.
– Additionally, concerns have been raised about potential criminal penalties.
Countries with Similar Laws to ‘Right to Disconnect’
– France (the first country to implement this law in 2017)
– Italy
– Belgium
– Spain
– Ireland
– Portugal
Progress on such laws in India:
– Supriya Sule, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has proposed similar legislation multiple times.
– Supriya first introduced a private member’s bill in the Lok Sabha in 2018 and has since been advocating for workers’ rights.
– This bill also included provisions for the ‘Right to Disconnect’.
– However, the bill lapsed with the end of the term of the house.
– Supriya Sule reintroduced the bill in 2022, but it did not progress further.
Australia
– Capital: Canberra
– PM: Anthony Albanese
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2. Trilateral exercise ‘Dosti-16’ was held in the waters of which country in February 2024?
a. China
b. Maldives
c. Sri Lanka
d. India
Answer: b. Maldives
– This military exercise was held in the Indian Ocean region near Male, the capital of the Maldives, from February 22nd to 25th.
– Named ‘Friendship-16’: because it is the 16th edition.
– Tripartite meaning: involving three parties (India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives).
Ships Participated from India:
– ICGS Samarth
– ICGS Abhinav
– ICGS Dornier
Note:
– Sri Lanka’s naval ship Samudura participated.
– Bangladesh participated as an observer.
When was the event first organized?
– The Friendship Exercise initially began between Maldives and India in 1991.
– Sri Lanka first participated in the exercise in 2012.
– The last edition of this exercise was held in 2021.
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3. During the joint naval exercise of India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives, which country’s spy ship “Male” arrived?
a. USA
b. France
c. China
d. Japan
Answer: c. China
– On February 22, 2024, the Chinese surveillance ship ‘Jiang Yang Hong 03’ arrived in Male. However, the Maldives government did not provide any information about this.
– It arrived on the same day when ships from India and Sri Lanka arrived in Male for trilateral naval exercises.
– ‘Jiang Yang Hong 03′ is a research/survey vessel.
– It has been present in the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for almost a month.
– This ship has been conducting surveillance for China for nearly eight years.
– The sighting of this ship in Male is seen as straining relations between India and Maldives and increasing proximity between China and Maldives.
– In January 2024, the President of Maldives, Muizzu, also visited China.
Sri Lanka:
– President: Ranil Wickremesinghe
– Prime Minister: Dinesh Gunawardena
Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Legislative) and Colombo (Executive and Judicial)
– Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee
Maldives:
– Capital: Male
– President: Mohamed Muizzu (considered pro-China)
– Population: 515,000
– Currency: Maldivian Rufiyaa
China:
– Continent: Asia
– Capital: Beijing
– President: Xi Jinping
– Currency: Chinese Yuan
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4. ‘World’s Highest Frozen Lake Marathon’ was organized in which state/union territory of India in February 2024?
a. New Delhi
b. Uttarakhand
c. Ladakh
d. Himachal Pradesh
Answer: c. Ladakh
– The highest frozen lake in the world is “Pangong Tso Lake”. During winters, this saline lake freezes with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius.
– The Marathon was organized jointly by the Adventure Sports Foundation of Ladakh, with the assistance of the Ladakh administration and the 14 Corps of the Indian Army.
– Held amidst heavy snowfall at an altitude of around 14,273 feet with temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius.
‘Marathon at the World’s Highest Frozen Lake’:
– First edition in 2023
– Second edition in 2024
– Marathon had two categories: 21 km and 10 km.
– Date of the event: February 20, 2024
– Number of participants: 120 runners from seven countries
– Participants run atop the frozen lake.
Note: The inaugural marathon held in 2023 is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Objective of the Marathon:
– The aim is to promote sustainable winter tourism in remote villages and enhance development pace.
– This program is part of the central government’s ‘Vibrant Village Program’.
Pangong Tso Lake:
– Pangong Tso is a 135 km long landlocked lake.
– Its altitude is approximately 14,000 feet above sea level.
– India controls about three-fourths of it, while China occupies the rest.
– The Line of Actual Control (LAC) passes through it.
Ladakh:
– Capital: Leh
– Lieutenant Governor: Brigadier B.D. Mishra
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5. Reached which country with a 22-member Indian delegation for the public display of the sacred relics of Lord Buddha and his disciples?
a. China
b. Nepal
c. Thailand
d. Bhutan
Answer: c. Thailand
– A solemn and grand ceremony was held in the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, to welcome the sacred relics.
– According to the PIB, the event will be held from February 22 to March 19, 2024.
– The relics will be returned to their respective places on March 19.
– A 26-day historic exhibition saw a delegation of 22 members from Thailand arrive with the sacred relics of Lord Buddha and his two esteemed disciples – Arahata Sariputra and Arahata Maudgalyayana.
Note: This is the first time that the sacred relics of Lord Buddha and his two esteemed disciples have been displayed together.
– Prior to this, some parts of the sacred relics have been taken to Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.
Who included the 22-member delegation?
– In this delegation, respected monks from Kushinagar and Aurangabad, officials from the Ministry of Culture in Ladakh and the Madhya Pradesh government, the curator of the National Museum, as well as artists and scholars are included. This delegation is being led by the Governor of Bihar, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, and the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Veerendra Kumar.
These relics date back to:
– The relics belong to the 4th-5th century BCE.
– These relics were discovered during an excavation by a team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the Piprahwa area of Siddharthnagar district in Uttar Pradesh in the 1970s.
– It is considered a part of the ancient Kapilavastu site.
Thailand:
– It is a country in Southeast Asia.
– Capital: Bangkok
– Prime Minister: Prayut Chan-o-cha
– Currency: Thai Baht
– It shares its eastern border with Laos and Cambodia, its southern border with Malaysia, and its western border with Myanmar.
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6. Name the longest cable bridge of the country, Which has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024?
a. Gandhi Setu
b. Divya Darshan Setu
c. Sudarshan Setu
d. Atal Setu
Answer: c. Sudarshan Setu (Gujarat)
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this cable bridge on February 25, 2024.
Where is the bridge located?
– This bridge is situated in the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat.
– It connects the Bet Dwarka island to the mainland at Okha (town).
– Bet Dwarka is an island near the Okha port.
It is approximately 30 kilometers away from the city of Dwarka.
– Where the famous Dwarkadhish Temple of Lord Krishna is located.
– The construction of the bridge will help devotees to travel to Bet Dwarka at any time, whereas previously they could only travel by boat during the day.
Approval was given in the year 2016
– The construction of this bridge was approved by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in the year 2016.
– PM Modi had laid the foundation stone of this bridge in the year 2017.
About the Sudarshan Setu:
– It is approximately 2.32 kilometers long.
It includes a 900-meter central double-span cable-stayed portion and a 2.45-kilometer long approach road.
– The total width of the bridge is 27.2 meters (89 feet).
– There are 2.50 meters (8 feet) wide footpaths on both sides of the bridge.
– The footpaths are adorned with verses from the Bhagavad Gita and images of Lord Krishna.
– It is a four-lane cable-stayed bridge.
– It was constructed at a cost of ₹979 crore.
– The Sudarshan Setu was previously known as the Signature Bridge.
Important Questions:
– Country’s longest cable bridge Sudarshan Setu, Gujarat (February 2024)
– The longest sea bridge of the country is Atal Setu, Mumbai. (January 2024)
– The country’s longest steel bridge, Mahatma Gandhi Setu (Bihar), was renovated in the year 2022 and constructed in the year 1982.
Capital – Gandhinagar
Chief Minister – Bhupendra Patel
Governor – Acharya Devvrat
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7. Which social media platform issued a statement expressing disagreement with some of the Indian government’s executive orders to shut down several accounts?
a. Facebook
b. X
c. Instagram
d. Snapchat
Answer: b. X [Formerly Twitter]
What accounts did the Indian government ask to block?
– According to the newspaper The Indian Express, most of these accounts were tweeting in support of ongoing farmers’ protest.
– X has expressed disagreement with certain executive orders of the Indian government.
X’s Global Government Affairs shared a post on its official page on February 22, 2024, providing information about this.
– In this post, X wrote, “The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring action on specific accounts and posts, which are subject to potential penalties and imprisonment.”
– In compliance with the orders, we will only block these accounts and posts in India;
However, we disagree with these actions and believe that freedom of expression should extend to these posts.
– Consistent with our position, a legal challenge against the Indian government’s blocking orders is pending.
– We have also informed affected users of these actions in accordance with our policies.
– Due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders, but we believe transparency requires them to be made public.
– This lack of transparency may result in a lack of accountability and the ability to make arbitrary decisions.
What is the reaction of the Government of India on this statement of X?
– According to the newspaper The Indian Express, a senior official from the Ministry of Information Technology stated that the government is reviewing X’s statement and will respond soon.
Regarding previous cases of blocking X users’ accounts, the Indian government has faced legal action:
– In 2022, X filed a case in the Karnataka High Court challenging the government’s intervention in blocking users’ accounts.
– However, this case was filed against X.
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8. What percentage of FDI has been approved by the Union Cabinet in several parts of the space sector under the automatic route?
a. up to 104%
b. up to 103%
c. up to 102%
d. up to 100%
Answer: d. up to 100%
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Routes in India:
– Automatic Route: Under this route, foreign entities do not require prior approval from the Indian government or RBI (Reserve Bank of India).
– Government Route: Under this route, foreign entities must obtain permission from the Indian government.
– On February 21, 2024, the Cabinet approved amendments to the Foreign Direct Investment Policy (FDI Policy) for the space sector.
– Under this, investment up to 100% is permitted through three categories of entry routes.
– The approved FDI policy changes are in line with the Indian Space Policy 2023.
Investment up to 100% is permitted through the following three categories of entry routes:
1. Up to 74% under the automatic route: Satellite manufacturing and operations, satellite data products, ground segment, and user segment. Beyond 74%, these activities come under the government route.
2. Up to 49% under the automatic route: Launch vehicles and related systems or subsystems, spaceports for launching and receiving satellites. Beyond 49%, these activities come under the government route.
3. Up to 100% under the automatic route: Manufacturing components and systems/subsystems for satellites, ground segment, and user segment.
FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) [Foreign Direct Investment Policy]
– When a company invests in a business unit in another country, it is known as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
– India regulates FDI based on the industry through its FDI policy.
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9. Name the first person of Indian origin who became the Chairman of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)?
a. Vikram Shah
b. Rakesh Verma
c. Vinod Das
d. Sameer Shah
Answer: d. Sameer Shah
– In December 2023, the United Kingdom government appointed Sameer Shah as the chairman of the BBC.
– He commenced his role as chairman in February 2024.
– He is a 71-year-old media executive.
Born in Aurangabad, he moved to Britain in 1960.
– With over four decades of experience in the media industry, Shah has worked in various positions, including a tenure as a non-executive director at the BBC.
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10. When is World NGO Day observed?
a. 25 February
b. 26 February
c. 27 February
d. 28 February
Answer: c. 27 February
– World NGO Day is celebrated every year on February 27th.
– Its objective is to raise awareness about the contributions of NGOs to society.
– The United Nations, the European Union, and international organizations declared this day in 2014.
Theme
– Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of NGOs in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
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