Current Affairs Exam

• El Niño: Warmer-than-usual SSTs.
• La Niña: Cooler-than-usual SSTs.
• ENSO-Neutral: Neither El Niño nor La Niña dominates.

Why in News: Jyotiba Phule’s birth anniversary was observed on April 11th.

Birth and Background: Born April 11, 1827, in the Mali caste. An incident at a Brahmin wedding motivated him to fight caste oppression.

Educational Reforms:

• Cofounded India’s first school for girls with his wife Savitribai in 1848.
• Established 18 more schools in the following three years.
• Started night schools for workers, farmers, and women in Pune by 1855.

Social Reforms & Opposition to Orthodoxy:

• Opposed caste system and criticized figures like Chiplunkar and Tilak.
• Favored working with the British government for the upliftment of oppressed castes and women.

Satyashodhak Samaj:

• Founded in 1873 as an alternative to upper-caste dominated reform movements like Brahmo Samaj.

Critique of 1857 Revolt: Viewed it as an upper-caste effort to restore Brahmin rule.

Views on Slavery: Compared caste oppression in India to American slavery in Gulamgiri.

Economic Upliftment: Advocated compulsory education and economic empowerment for lower castes.

Religious Freedom: Defended Pandita Ramabai’s right to convert to Christianity in Satsar.

Farming Reforms: Critiqued the exploitation of peasantry in Shetkaryanche Asud, advocating for constructive governmental approaches and farmers education.

Rationalism: Sarvajanik Satya Dharma Pustak promoted a just society with a rational view of God, rejecting sectarianism. He stated that the caste is a human invention.

Influence: Inspired by Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man and Age of Reason.

Recognition: Bestowed with the title “Mahatma” in 1888.

Daily Practice MCQs: The post promotes daily multiple-choice questions (MCQs) for practice, focusing on current affairs and general knowledge.

Vitamin D Deficiency (Q1): This MCQ assesses understanding of Vitamin D deficiency in India, exploring prevalence in urban vs. rural areas, the role of skin tone and dietary intake limitations.

“Bluewashing” (Q2): The question probes the understanding of a term often found in news, focusing on ethical and social responsibility misrepresentation by organizations.

Long-Range Glide Bomb ‘Gaurav’ (Q3): This MCQ tests knowledge about a specific defense technology, covering its development, capabilities, and guidance system.

Focus on Current Affairs: The MCQs are designed to test the audience’s knowledge of current events and general awareness.

Answers Provided (Indirectly): The answers to the MCQs will be revealed the next day, alongside the Daily Current Affairs. This encourages consistent engagement and learning.

104 Stations Complete: Railway Minister announces completion of 104 stations out of 1,300 being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. This signifies tangible progress in the large-scale modernization project.

Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS): Launched in February 2023, it aims to modernize and enhance railway stations across India. The goal is to improve passenger facilities and integrate stations with surrounding city areas.

Extensive Redevelopment: The scheme involves upgrading 1,300 stations with amenities such as improved access, waiting halls, toilets, lifts/escalators, cleanliness, Wi-Fi, and better passenger information systems. This is intended to transform stations into vibrant city centers.

Localized Approach: The scheme tailors development to each station’s unique requirements, drawing inspiration from local culture and heritage. This ensures stations reflect their regional identity.

Maharashtra Progress: 132 stations in Maharashtra are included in the scheme, with significant progress reported. This indicates a focused effort on upgrading railway infrastructure in the state.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT): Mumbai’s CSMT is being redeveloped as a world-class facility with an estimated cost of Rs 1,800 crore.

Modern Amenities: The scheme equips stations with amenities such as waiting lounges, food courts, clean restrooms, lifts, escalators, and digital facilities. These are aimed at enhancing passenger experience.

Gondia-Ballarshah Line Doubling: The Centre has approved the doubling of the Gondia-Ballarshah railway line with an investment of Rs 4,819 crore. This will strengthen Maharashtra’s rail links.

Cryptocurrency as a New Threat Frontier: The report highlights the increasing targeting of cryptocurrency exchanges, with attacks on WazirX and Bybit resulting in significant financial losses. Hackers are migrating to various cryptocurrencies, including Monero (XMR).

Emergence of New Malware: A new malware variant scans for and steals crypto wallets/keys within infected environments, allowing unauthorized access to crypto assets.

Deepfakes and AI-Generated Content Risks: The report emphasizes the use of deepfakes and AI-generated content as powerful tools for social engineering attacks, mimicking voices and appearances.

Prompt Hacking Concerns: Prompt hacking vulnerabilities are more common in AI applications that host LLMs locally.

Jailbreaking of AI Systems: The report highlights the successful jailbreaking of even secure AI systems like ChatGPT, enabling circumvention of safeguards.

Malicious LLMs: Malicious LLMs, such as WormGPT and FraudGPT, are capable of creating convincing phishing emails, malware, and automating exploit development.

Policy Recommendations: The report urges policymakers to implement clear AI regulations and mandate security testing of APIs used in AI applications.

Government Initiatives in Cybersecurity: The Indian government is actively working on cybersecurity through initiatives like the National Cyber Coordination Centre, Cyber Surakshit Bharat, and CERT-In.

PLFS 2024 Released: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2024, providing insights into India’s labour market. Data collected during July 2023 – June 2024.

Urban LFPR Increase: Urban Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) rose for males (74.3% to 75.6%) and slightly for females (25.5% to 25.8%), increasing overall urban LFPR to 51.0%. All-India LFPR remained stable at 56.2%.

Stable WPR: All-India Worker Population Ratio (WPR) was nearly unchanged at 53.5%.

Marginal UR Changes: Rural unemployment fell slightly to 4.2%. Urban male unemployment rose, female UR declined, keeping overall urban UR at 6.7%. All-India UR dipped from 5.0% to 4.9%.

PS+SS Stability: LFPR remained largely stable nationally, with a slight decline from 59.8% to 59.6%.

Slight WPR Decline (PS+SS): All-India WPR declined slightly from 58.0% to 57.7%.

Slight UR Increase (PS+SS): All-India UR rose slightly from 3.1% to 3.2%.

Gender Disparity: Female LFPR remains lower than male.

Stagnant Employment: WPR and LFPR show minimal year-on-year change, indicating slow job creation.