This is the current affairs of 7 & 8 March 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 player made the record of bowling the fastest ball in women’s cricket?
a. Shabnim Ismail
b. Runuka Singh
c. Harleen Deol
d. Shefali Verma
Answer: a. Shabnim Ismail
– Shabnim Ismail is from South Africa and is part of the Mumbai Indians team in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India.
– She set the record for the fastest delivery in women’s cricket on March 5, 2024.
– She bowled at a speed of 132.1 kilometers per hour against the Delhi Capitals.
– Her delivery was facing the Capitals’ Meg Lanning.
– Prior to this, Ismail had bowled at a speed of 128.3 kilometers per hour.
– The record for the fastest delivery in international cricket also belongs to Shabnam. She bowled at a speed of 128 kph against the West Indies in 2016.
– When asked about the record after the match, she said, “I don’t look at the screen while bowling.”
– Shabnim Ismail bid farewell to international cricket in May 2023.
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2. Dry ice was in the news, after eating which people started bleeding from the mouth in a restaurant in Gurugram, what is this?
a. solid form of methane
b. solid form of carbon dioxide
d. solid form of oxygen
d. solid form of nitrogen
Answer: b. solid form of carbon dioxide
Why the Discussion on Dry Ice?
– On March 2, 2024, a case emerged of five people falling ill after consuming a mouth freshener in Gurugram.
– Six people had gone to dine at a private restaurant in Gurugram.
– After dining, the waiter at the restaurant offered them a mouth freshener, which only five people consumed.
– After consuming the mouth freshener, the mouths of the five individuals began to burn, and blood started to come out.
– One person did not consume the mouth freshener. When asked, he showed a polythene bag.
– The sick individuals were admitted to the hospital, and they took that polythene bag with them. Then the doctor found that there was dry ice in the polythene.
– In this case, an FIR has been filed against the restaurant owner and staff.
What is Dry Ice?
– Dry ice, also known as solid carbon dioxide (CO2), is a solid form of carbon dioxide.
– It is kept at a minimum temperature of approximately -78 degrees Celsius.
– It is used to freeze or cool things and does not become wet like ordinary ice.
– Dry ice looks white like regular ice. Generally, ice used is made by freezing water (H2O) at a certain temperature, but dry ice is a solid form of carbon dioxide and continues to release smoke due to reaction with air.
What are the harms of Dry Ice?
– Experts say that generally, dry ice is safe, but due to its low temperature, if it comes into contact with the skin, problems such as frostbite or cold burns (skin burning due to cold) can occur.
– Dry ice is very cold, so when it goes into the stomach, it can create holes there, which can be quite dangerous.
– When normal ice melts, it turns into water, and when you burn water, vapor comes out.
– However, when dry ice melts, it directly turns into gas instead of water. If it remains in large quantities in a confined space, it can be harmful.
What is dry ice used for?
– Dry ice is used to create an attractive effect by showing smoke to the food items in restaurants to make them look appealing. Similarly, it is also used to create an effect through fog during the entry of the bride or groom at weddings or events.
– However, if dry ice smoke is used in closed rooms, it can lead to oxygen deficiency in the body, increased levels of carbon dioxide, and a condition similar to unconsciousness.
– Dry ice is also used to preserve items for a long time.
– Doctors say that the use of dry ice was initially for industrial purposes because it is an excellent cooling agent.
– Now it is also being used to preserve food items because it can lower the temperature to -30 degrees Celsius.
– Doctors say that dry ice or liquid nitrogen is being used to make food items attractive and tempting, but it should not be used in beverages or dishes.
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3. Nepal’s PM ‘Prachanda’ broke the alliance with Nepali Congress and formed an alliance with which former PM’s party CPN (Unified Marxist-Leninist), which is considered pro-China?
a. Sher Bahadur Deuba
b. Bhakta Bahadur Shah
c. KP Sharma Oli
d. None of these
Answer: c. KP Sharma Oli
– Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has once again changed sides.
– In March 2024, Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) broke the alliance with the Nepali Congress and formed a coalition with Nepal’s China supporter and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
Prachanda: Sometimes Here, Sometimes There
– In the general elections of 2022 in Nepal, there was an alliance between the Nepali Congress and Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). However, after the elections, Prachanda formed an alliance with Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
– However, in February 2024, Oli’s party broke the alliance with Prachanda. Prachanda’s party supported Ramchandra Poudel, the leader of the Nepali Congress, in the presidential elections of Nepal.
– Now, once again, the alliance has changed.
Is this change not in India’s favor?
– Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli openly played a role in favor of China during his tenure. He also made anti-India remarks.
– Analysts say that after the formation of a new power equation in Nepal, the government’s stance towards its neighboring countries India and China could change.
– Just about 13 months ago, India was comfortable with the alliance between the Nepali Congress and Prachanda’s party.
– Since Nepal’s constitution adopts a non-aligned foreign policy, even if the government changes, a ‘balanced’ foreign policy will be maintained. This will especially be the case regarding neighboring countries.
– However, it is true that in the past, when the communists were united, China had given a positive response.
– It’s not new for Nepal to have frequent changes in government. Since the end of monarchy in 2008, Nepal has seen the formation of 11 governments.
Nepal:
– Capital – Kathmandu
– Prime Minister – Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda
– President – Ramchandra Poudel
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4. The country’s first underwater metro track is located under which river, which has been inaugurated by PM Modi?
a. Ganges River
b. Brahmaputra River
c. Narmada River
d. Hooghly River
Answer: d. Hooghly River
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s first underwater metro train on March 6, 2024.
– The construction of Kolkata’s underwater metro rail has been done under the Hooghly River.
What is this project?
– The underwater metro tunnel is a part of the Kolkata Metro’s East-West Metro corridor, which is constructed under the Hooghly River.
– There are a total of 12 stations on this route. – The four main stations of this metro route are Esplanade, Mahakaran, Howrah, and Howrah Maidan.
– The work on the metro tunnel started in 2017. Along with this, Howrah metro station has become India’s deepest metro station.
– This underwater metro tunnel is between the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section.
How deep is the tunnel?
– The East-West section is 16.6 kilometers long. It will run 32 meters below the ground and 13 meters below the surface of the Hooghly River.
What is the cost of the project?
– The cost of this project is approximately 8,600 crore rupees. Japan International Cooperation Agency has invested 48.5 percent of the project cost.
What is the tunnel made of?
– To make the tunnel suitable for underwater use, its concrete is designed with fly ash and micro-silica, making it watertight.
West Bengal
CM – Mamata Banerjee
Governor – Jagdeep Dhankhar
Capital – Kolkata
Border with neighboring countries – Bangladesh
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5. In which of these sports competitions did the Central Government declare the medal winners also eligible for government jobs?
a. Khelo India
b. Street Cricket
c. online games
d. None of these
Answer: a. Khelo India (Youth, University, Para and Winter Games)
– Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on March 6, 2024 said that medal winners in all Khelo India competitions will also now be eligible for government jobs as per the revised criteria.
Who will be eligible?
– This is an unprecedented step for Khelo India athletes.
– It makes medal winners in Khelo India Youth Games (for participants aged 18 and above), Khelo India Winter Games, Khelo India Para Games, and Khelo India University Games eligible for government jobs.
Khelo India Games:
– Khelo India Games are one of the government’s major initiatives to promote sports and showcase the youth sports talent of India.
– It was launched in the year 2018.
– These are multi-disciplinary grassroots-level sports at the annual national level in India.
– Under the Khelo India Games, the government organizes Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), Khelo India University Games (KIUG), Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG), and Khelo India Para Games.
– The Khelo India Para Games started in the year 2023.
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6. Which state government launched India’s first government-owned OTT (Own the Top) platform ‘C Space’?
a. Bihar
b. Punjab
c. Kerala
d. Rajasthan
Answer: c. Kerala
– On March 7, 2024, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the government OTT platform ‘C-Space’.
– Shaji N. Karun, the film director and chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), stated that C-Space is primarily a response to the growing disparities and diverse challenges in the OTT sector regarding content selection and dissemination.
– This platform aims to ensure revenue sharing along with providing space for low-budget, independent films, making it the first initiative of its kind by the state government.
Kerala:
– Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
– Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
– Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
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7. Central government changed the age limit for postal ballot voting for the elderly, tell the new age limit?
a. over 80 years
b. over 85 years
c. over 90 years
d. over 95 years
Answer: b. over 85 years
– The central government on Friday amended the electoral rules to allow citizens aged over 85 to use postal ballots in elections.
– Until now, citizens aged over 80 were eligible to avail of this facility.
– This amendment came just a few days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha and assembly election schedules for four states.
– For this purpose, changes were made to the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961.
– Under this rule, postal ballots, meaning voting through postal ballots, have been provided for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, election duty personnel, and military personnel.
Changes in electoral patterns in 11 states after review
– The government has decided to increase the age limit for voting through postal ballots from 80 to 85 years, taking into account the voting patterns of the elderly in the past 11 assembly elections.
– In these elections, 97 to 98 percent of voters aged above 80 preferred to exercise their voting rights by going to the polling booth rather than using postal ballots.
Chief Election Commissioner – Rajiv Kumar
Election Commissioner – Arun Goyal
(Note: The second position of Election Commissioner is vacant)
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8. Who became the new President of Hungary?
a. Tamas sulyok
b. Robert Alfano
c. Arj Makano
d. none of these
Answer: a. Tamas sulyok
– Prior to this, Catalin Novak was the President of Hungary. On February 10, 2024, he pardoned an individual convicted of child sexual abuse, which sparked widespread opposition across Hungary. Consequently, he had to resign from his position.
Hungary:
– Capital: Budapest
– President: Tamas Sulok
– Currency: Forint
– Population: 9.5 million
– Neighboring countries: Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Czech Republic
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9. Which country’s team won the UEFA Women’s Nations League 2023-24?
a. France
b. Germany
c. Japan
d. Spain
Answer: d. Spain
– UEFA: Union of European Football Associations
– In the UEFA Women’s Nations League, Spain defeated France to clinch this victory.
– The women’s team of Spain achieved this victory for the first time in this championship.
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10. Name the winner of National Youth Parliament Festival, 2024?
a. Yatin Bhaskar
b. Vaishna Pichai
c. Kanishka Verma
d. Rohit Das
Answer: a. Yatin Bhaskar
– The National Youth Parliament Festival, 2024 was organized from February 9th to March 6th, 2024.
– This festival was conducted at three levels, encompassing 785 districts of the country.
– The final competition was held in the Central Hall of Parliament in Delhi.
– The aim of this festival is to encourage youth participation in parliamentary processes and democratic discussions.
– Yatin Bhaskar Duggal from Haryana won the first prize in this festival.
– The award was presented by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur.
Awards:
– First Prize: Yatin Bhaskar Duggal (Haryana)
– Second Prize: Vaishna Pichai (Tamil Nadu)
– Third Prize: Kanishk Sharma (Rajasthan)
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