Current Affairs

1. NAVROZ 2024 –

• March 20th, 2024, marks the celebration of Navroz 2024, an ancient festival deeply rooted in Persian culture and celebrated by millions worldwide.
• As the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Iranian calendar, Navroz holds significant cultural and spiritual importance for people of Persian or Iranian descent, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil and the renewal of nature.
• Navroz, derived from the Persian words “nav” meaning new and “roz” meaning day, is celebrated on March 20th, 2024, aligning with the spring equinox in Tehran, Iran. This date is recognized globally as the International Day of Nowruz by the United Nations, underscoring its cultural significance and widespread observance.
• In India, the Parsi community celebrates Navroz on two dates, adhering to different calendar traditions. While the global celebration occurs on March 20th, 2024, the Indian Parsi community also marks Navroz on August 15th, 2024, according to the Shahenshahi calendar.

 

2. RBI MADE ITS LARGEST GOLD PURCHASE SINCE JULY 2022, ACQUIRING 8.7 TONNES –

• In January, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) made its largest gold purchase since July 2022, acquiring 8.7 tonnes of gold. This brought the RBI’s gold holding to 812.3 tonnes, up from 803.58 tonnes in December 2023. The central bank’s move is aimed at diversifying its forex reserves and hedging against foreign currency risks.

World Gold Council (WGC)-

• Founded in 1987 as a nonprofit association. Comprises leading gold mining companies globally.
• Aims to promote gold usage and demand through marketing, research, and lobbying.
• Headquartered in London, with presence in India, China, Singapore, and the USA.
• Advocates for increased gold consumption and growth in the industry.
• Sets standards, proposes policies, and ensures fairness and sustainability in gold mining.
• Promotes gold usage across individuals, industries, and institutions.

 

3. FOREST FIRES IN INDIA:    STATISTICS, CAUSES  IMPACT, INITIATIVES, AND WAY FORWARD –

• Wildfire, also called forest, bush or vegetation fire, can be described as any uncontrolled and non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants in a natural setting such as a forest, grassland, brushland or tundra.
• Forest Fires in India: According to the biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019 published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), more than 36% of India’s forest cover was prone to frequent fires.
• About 4% of the forest cover was ‘extremely prone’ to fire, and another 6% was ‘very highly’ fire prone.
• Vulnerable States: The eleven main states with frequent occurrence of forest fires in recent times are: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telengana Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
• Human activities trigger 95% of forest fires in India, such as burning agricultural practices, deforestation, firewood burning etc.
• Forest Fire Season in India: November to June is considered to be forest fire season in India especially from February onward as summer approaches. April-May are usually the worst fire months across the country.
• Forest Fire Situation in 2024: During March 2024, the highest number of forest fires were reported from Mizoram (3,738), Manipur (1,702), Assam (1,652), Meghalaya (1,252), and Maharashtra (1,215), as per FSI data.
• Lightning: Lightning-caused forest fires are caused by thunderstorms where the lightning strikes combustible materials on the ground under conditions that support combustion.
• Anthropogenic Causes- Fire is caused when a source of fire like naked flame, cigarette or bidi, electric spark or any sour.