This is the current affairs of 24 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. Name the world’s first private company, which successfully landed a moon lander on the lunar surface?
a. Space X
b. Intuitive Machines
c. Skyroot
d. Godrej
Answer: b. Intuitive Machines
– For the first time, a private American company has made history by landing its moon lander on the surface of the moon.
– During the descent of the lander onto the moon, the controllers lost contact with it for a few moments, but then signals started coming in quickly.
– Prior to this, only 5 government space agencies (USA, Russia, China, India, and Japan) had managed soft landings on the moon.
Important Facts:
– Company Name: Intuitive Machines (an American company)
– Moon Lander Name: Odyssey
– Type of Soft Landing on the Moon: Southern Pole
– Date of Soft Landing on the Moon: February 22, 2024
– Date of Launch from Earth: February 15 (via SpaceX rocket)
– Distance Traveled to Reach the Moon: Three hundred eighty-four thousand kilometers (238,855 miles)
– The USA had previously landed on the moon in: 1972
Where the Lander Landed on the Moon:
– The moon lander, Odyssey, landed towards the South Pole of the moon, at 80 degrees south.
– This is the first craft to have reached this close to the pole.
– It landed near a crater close to the Melapert Mountains, which are five kilometers high.
– This is the region where America aims to land space travelers under its human mission.
– America is working on the Artemis mission, under which humans will be landed on the moon, and arrangements for long-term stay will be made.
– There are many deep craters on the moon where sunlight never reaches. These areas remain perpetually dark.
– Scientists believe that these craters might contain water deposits or evidence of them.
– Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science, says, “Ice is crucial for us because if we find ice on the moon, we can utilize it. We would need to carry less material there.”
– She said, “We can convert that ice into water and use it as drinking water. We can extract oxygen and hydrogen from it for fuel and to provide air for space travelers. This exploration for human habitation on the moon will be very important.”
What NASA Said:
– NASA has sent six scientific instruments to the moon through the Odyssey lander.
– NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the company and called it a significant victory.
– He said, “America’s return to the moon has happened. Today, for the first time in human history, a commercial company, an American company, has completed a journey to the moon. Today’s day shows how strong and ambitious NASA’s commercial partnership is.”
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2. When is Central Excise Day observed?
a. 22 February
b. 24 February
c. 26 February
d. 28 February
Answer: b. 24 February
– Central Excise Day is celebrated every year on February 24th.
– On this day in the year 1944, the Central Excise Act was enacted.
– The objective is to honor the employees serving in the Central Board of Excise and Customs, which deals with central excise and customs duties, for their service to the nation.
Central Board of Excise and Customs
Established: January 1, 1964
Headquarters: New Delhi
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3. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved the deal (about Rs 19,000 crore) to purchase which missiles for the Indian Navy?
a. Akash
b. BrahMos
c. Nirbhay
d. Surya
Answer: b. BrahMos
– The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approved a deal worth approximately 19,000 crores in a meeting on February 21, 2024.
– With this substantial amount, more than 200 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and related equipment will be purchased. They will be deployed on our warships.
– Note: The first international customer of the BrahMos missile is the Philippines.
What Percentage of Indigenous Capability Has Been Achieved?
– The BrahMos project has marked a long journey towards indigenous capability.
– By March 2023, the BrahMos missile project had achieved 75% indigenous capability, which was 30% in 1998.
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)
– It is a Cabinet Committee of the Government of India, which discusses, debates, and makes final decisions on senior appointments in national security institutions, defense policy, and expenditures, and all matters related to India’s national security.
– It is headed by the Prime Minister of India and includes other members (Defense Minister, Home Minister, Finance Minister, and Foreign Minister).
– In addition to these, the National Security Adviser, Cabinet Secretary, and Defense Secretary also participate in CCS meetings.
BrahMos Missile
– It is a supersonic cruise missile.
– It can be launched from land, sea, aircraft, or ground.
– This missile has been handed over to all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces, Army, Navy, and Air Force.
– The name BrahMos is a combination of the names of India’s Brahmaputra and Russia’s Moskva rivers.
– When launched from land or sea, the BrahMos missile, with a range of 290 kilometers, can hit its target at a speed of Mach 2 to 3 (2500 kilometers per hour).
– The BrahMos missile can be launched from underwater depths of 40-50 meters using a submarine. The testing of launching BrahMos missiles from submarines was conducted in 2013.
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4. Former Chief Minister of which state Manohar Joshi passed away on 23 February 2024?
a. Bihar
b. Uttar Pradesh
c. Maharashtra
d. Odisha
Answer: c. Maharashtra
– They served as the Chief Minister under the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition and held this position from 1995 to 1999.
– Manohar Joshi was counted among the most trusted allies of Shiv Sena’s founder, Bal Thackeray.
About Manohar Joshi:
– He was born on September 2, 1937.
– He was 86 years old and hailed from Maharashtra.
– He began his career as a teacher.
– Joshi entered politics in 1967.
– He served as a member of the Legislative Council from 1972 to 1986.
– He was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999.
– He served as the Union Minister for Heavy Industries from 1999 to 2002.
– He was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2002 to 2004.
– From 2006 to 2012, he was also a member of the Rajya Sabha.
– He remained associated with the Shiv Sena for over 40 years.
Maharashtra:
Current Chief Minister: Eknath Shinde
Governor: Ramesh Bais
Capital: Mumbai
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5. The Central Government has sent the names of 12 forts of which ruler of the Maratha Empire to the United Nations (UN) for UNESCO World Heritage recognition?
a. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj
b. Chhatrapati Rajaram Pratham
c. Maharani Tarabai
d. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Answer: d. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
– On 19th February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the founder of the Maratha Empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on his 394th birth anniversary.
– Union Minister Kishan Reddy informed that the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India has sent a list of eight forts associated with Shivaji to the United Nations (UN) for UNESCO recognition in Maharashtra.
– Born in 1630, Shivaji fought against the Muslim rulers of his time, including the Mughals, to establish his empire, which became one of the most powerful kingdoms in the coming years.
– In January, the government announced the nomination of ‘Maratha Military Architecture in India’ for UNESCO’s World Heritage List for 2024-25.
– Out of over 390 forts in Maharashtra, only 12 have been selected under the Maratha military landscape.
– Among them, only eight forts are named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, all of which are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 42
– Agra Fort
– Ajanta Caves
– Ellora Caves
– Taj Mahal
– Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram
– Sun Temple, Konark
– Kaziranga National Park
– Keoladeo National Park
– Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
– Churches and Convents of Goa
– Fatehpur Sikri
– Hampi Monuments
– Khajuraho Group of Monuments
– Elephanta Caves
– Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
– Sundarbans National Park
– Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
– Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
– Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi
– Qutub Minar and its Monuments, Delhi
– Mountain Railways of India
– Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya
– Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
– Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
– Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)
– Red Fort Complex
– Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
– Western Ghats
– Hill Forts of Rajasthan
– Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area
– Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
Nalanda, Bihar
– Khangchendzonga National Park
– Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement *
– Historic City of Ahmedabad
– Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai
– Jaipur City, Rajasthan
– Dholavira: A Harappan City
– Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana
– Santiniketan, West Bengal
– Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala (Group of 3 Temples)
UNESCO
Headquarters- Paris, France
Established- 1945
Director-General- Audrey Azoulay
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6. On which Artificial Intelligence (AI) model did the Central Government issue a notice to Google for giving misleading information about PM Modi?
a. Chat GPT
b. Gyan (Knowledge)
c. Gemini
d. Marshal
Answer: c. Gemini
– Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has warned Google India against the generated responses of Gemini AI regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
– Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated that Google has violated the provisions of the IT Act and several provisions of the Criminal Code.
– Rajeev Chandrasekhar reshared a post on X, which explained how Google’s Gemini AI provides incorrect information on questions asked about prominent global leaders, including PM Modi.
Google has violated the provisions of the Criminal Code: Rajeev Chandrasekhar
– In his post, Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote, ‘This directly violates Rule 3(1)(B) of the Intermediary Rules of the IT Act and also violates many provisions of the Criminal Code.’
Google is working on fixing issues with Gemini: Google
– In response, Google stated that they are already working on resolving the issues with the image generation feature of Gemini. By doing so, they will prevent the generation of images of people and will soon release a better version.
– Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has warned the company regarding Google’s Gemini AI.
– Rajeev reshared a post on X, which explained how Google’s Gemini AI provides incorrect information on questions asked about prominent global leaders, including PM Modi.
– The Central Minister stated that Google has violated the provisions of the IT Act and the Criminal Code.
– Google launched its new Artificial Intelligence (AI) model, Gemini, in December 2023 to rival ChatGPT.
– This AI tool is designed to behave like humans.
– Google claims that Gemini performs better than other models in understanding, reasoning, coding, and planning.
Large language models are trained from large datasets
– Large language models are a type of deep learning algorithm.
– They are trained using large datasets, hence they are called “large”.
– They are capable of translating, predicting, and generating text and other content besides.
– Large language models are also known as neural networks (NNs), which are computing systems inspired by the human brain.
– Large language models can be trained for various tasks such as understanding protein structures, writing software code, and many more.
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7. Maratha Reservation Bill was passed in the Maharashtra Assembly on 20 February 2024, what percentage of reservation is there in it?
a. 10 Percent
b. 15 Percent
c. 20 Percent
d. 5 Percent
Answer: a. 10 Percent
– The Maharashtra government has passed a bill to provide 10 percent reservation to Marathas under the socially and economically backward classes in education and jobs.
– After the passage of this law, reservation in the state will be 62 percent. Adding EWS, this reservation has become 72 percent.
– Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, presenting the Maratha quota bill in the assembly, said, “We have proposed to provide reservation to Marathas without disturbing the existing quota.”
Reservation in the state:
– After the State Reservation Act of 2001, the total reservation in the state was 52 percent.
– Scheduled Castes (13%)
– Scheduled Tribes (7%)
– Other Backward Classes (19%)
– Special Backward Classes (2%)
– Vimukta Jatis (3%)
– Nomadic Tribes B (2.5%) C-Dhangar (3.5%)
– Nomadic Tribes D-Vanjari (2%).
Activist Manoj Jarange Patil raised questions:
– Manoj Jarange Patil, who led the agitation and hunger strike for providing reservation to Marathas based on caste, welcomed the bill.
– However, he argued that we should provide reservation to those people under OBC category.
Capital: Mumbai
Governor: Ramesh Bais
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8. When is the Foundation Day of Mizoram celebrated?
a. 21 February
b. 20 February
c. 19 February
d. 18 February
Answer: b. 20 February
– The 37th State Day of Mizoram was celebrated on February 20, 2024.
– Like many other northeastern states of India, Mizoram was a part of Assam until 1972.
– In 1972, it became a Union Territory.
– On February 20, 1987, Mizoram was granted statehood, making it the 23rd state of India.
– It is a northeastern state of India.
Chief Minister: Lalduhoma
Capital: Aizawl
Governor: Hari Babu Kambhampati
Neighboring States: Manipur, Assam, and Tripura
Neighboring Country: Myanmar, Bangladesh
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9. When is the Foundation Day of Arunachal Pradesh celebrated?
a. 22 February
b. 21 February
c. 20 February
d. 19 February
Answer: c. 20 February
– Arunachal Pradesh attained full statehood on February 20, 1987.
– Until 1972, it was known as the North-East Frontier Agency.
Capital: Itanagar
Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
Governor: Kalraj Mishra
Neighboring Countries: Bhutan, Tibet, China, and Myanmar
Neighboring State: Assam
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10. In which country will the 5th edition of the International Geeta Mahotsav (IGM) be held in March 2024?
a. Pakistan
b. China
c. Nepal
d. Sri Lanka
Answer: d. Sri Lanka
– The 5th edition of the International Gita Mahotsav (IGM) will be organized in Sri Lanka from 1st to 3rd March.
– This event not only celebrates the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita but also serves as a symbol of cultural exchange and harmony.
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