Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC - 4th February 2024

1. BJP to launch 'Qaumi Chaupal for minority outreach in U.P. 

• The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) minority wing in Uttar Pradesh will launch its 'Qaumi Chaupal' campaign in roughly 4,100 Muslim-dominated villages across the State with special focus on 23 parliamentary seats which have a sizable number of Muslim voters. 
• The outreach will begin on February 10 from Mu- zaffarnagar, a communally sensitive district in western U.P. which had witnessed Hindu-Muslim riots in 2013. 
• "Our aim is to initiate a dialogue with the Muslim community and sensitize them about the welfare schemes initiated by the double-engine BJP government," BJP's State Minority Morcha president Kunwar Basit Ali told The Hindu. 
• The party has been reaching out to the Muslims through various initiatives and had recently organized a 'Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyan' in Lucknow. The BJP also doubled the number of its Muslim candidates during last year's local body polls, offering 395 tickets to Muslims in comparison with just 180 tickets in the last local body polls. 
• It had also nominated former Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor to the Legislative Council. 

2. 30 Indian fugitives were located abroad in 2022: govt. report

• As many as 278 fugitives wanted in other countries were located in India in 2022, says the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), 2022-23 annual report. 
• The number of such individuals in 2021-22 and 2020-21 was 136 and 84, respectively. 
• The report said 30 Indian fugitives were located abroad and 24 others were deported in 2022. 
• Interpol shared 304 reports on "foreign terrorist fighters" with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2022, the report says. 
• Interpol maintains a database of suspected foreign terrorist fighters. 
• The data, which includes intelligence on the capabilities, means and emerging trends of foreign terrorist fighters, are analyzed and shared with member countries. 
• The reports received by the CBI are forwarded to the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) under the Intelligence Bureau and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). 
• India uploaded data relating to 22,49,822 lost, stolen or revoked Indian passports to the Interpol SLTD (stolen lost travel document) database till December 31, 2022. The report stated that 1,333 cases of use of STLD-recorded Indian passports were reported or detected by agencies in other countries. Law enforcement officers around the world can check the validity of a travel or identity document in seconds using Interpol's SLTD database. 
• In the same year, as many as 114 Letters Rogatory (LRs) were received from various countries requesting assistance in the investigation of criminal matters, the report said. Four other requests under mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) were also received. 
• Of the 124 LRs sent to other countries by India, seeking assistance in criminal matters, only 38 were executed in 2022. 

3. Apurva Chandra appointed Health Secretary; Sanjay Jaju is the new I&B Secretary 

• Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra was appointed Health Secretary as part of a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle affected by the Centre on Saturday. 
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Mr. Chandra's appointment as the Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said. 
• Senior bureaucrat Sanjay Jaju has been appointed Information and Broadcasting Secretary in place of Mr. Chandra. 
• Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, a 1988-batch retired IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, has been named Secretary to the anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal on contract for a year, it 
• Apurva Chandra said. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, will be Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation. Senior bureaucrat Raj Kumar Goyal has been appointed Secretary, Department of Management. Border 
• Legal Affairs Secretary Niten Chandra will now be Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, and K. Moses Chalai has been named Secretary of Inter State Council Secretariat under the Ministry of Home Affairs. 
• Senior IAS officer Anil Malik has been appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Women and Child Development. 
• Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (Logistics) in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, will now be Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Labour and Employment. 
• Vijay Kumar, Special Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation, has been named as Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India. 
• The ACC has approved appointment of Reeta Vasishta, in-charge of Central Agency Section, Ministry of Law and Justice, as the Member Secretary, 22nd Law Commission of India, the order said. 

4. Dusted Apollo sighted for first time in Himachal's Chamba 

• Dusted Apollo (Parnassius stenosemus), a rare high-altitude butterfly, has been sighted and photographed for the first time in Hima chal Pradesh, indicating the flourishing diversity of Apollo butterflies in the region, bringing cheers to butterfly enthusiasts. 
• The butterfly was sighted and photographed in September 2023, during a trek to Manimahesh Lake in Chamba by Gajinder Verma and Abinash Tha kur, both forest guards of Chamba Forest Circle, Himachal Pradesh Forest Department. The species was discovered in 1890. 
• The distribution range of Dusted Apollo extends from Ladakh to west Nepal and it flies between 3,500 to 4,800 meters in the inner Himalayas. 
• Dusted Apollo is extremely rare and has never been photographed before in Himachal Pradesh. 
• Lovish Garlani, a butterfly expert and researcher associated as a technical consultant with the State Forest Department, told The Hindu, "The Dusted Apollo species closely resembles Ladakh Banded Apollo (Parnassius stoliczkanus). But the discal band on the upper fore wing in Dusted Apollo is complete and extends from costa to vein one, whereas the discalband is incomplete and extends only up to vein four in Ladakh Banded Apollo. Moreover, the Dark marginal band on the hind wings is much narrower in Dust ed Apollo while it is broad 
• Rare species Regal Apollo, protected under Wildlife Protection Act, was found at Manimahesh 
• Regal Apollo (Parnnasius charltonius), which is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, was also photographed at Manimahesh, he said. 
• After it was photographed in Chamba, its identification was confirmed a month ago after thorough scientific examinations.`` 
• Another rare species, "It is an encouraging indication of the flourishing diversity of Apollo butterflies in the region. Apollos are considered commercially important butterflies and they fetch high prices in the poaching industry. 
• There are 11 Apollo species recorded from Himachal Pradesh and five of them are declared as Scheduled species. Most of the Apollo butterflies are now endangered and need immediate attention for their conservation and protection," Mr. Garlani said. 
• Concerned over the declining trend of the number of butterflies in the State, Mr. Garlani said. there was an immediate need to protect these rare butterfly species. "Com- munity awareness about poaching and the importance of these species may play an important role in their conservation. Also, establishing butterfly parks and conservation reserves in the State should be on the priority list of the government," he said. 

5. Indian Navy Declares 2024 As ‘Year of Naval Civilians’ 

• Indian Navy has declared 2024 as ‘Year of Naval Civilians’ to improve administration, efficiency and well-being of Naval Civilians by addressing all facets of Civilian HR Management in a time bound manner. 
• Major focus areas towards maximising administrative efficiency, digital initiatives, generic and specific training programmes and welfare activities have been identified for implementation in 2024. 
• Naval Civilian Personnel constitute about a third of the Indian Navy’s total workforce and contribute significantly to its operational effectiveness across all domains. 

6. Govt to focus on vaccination against cervical cancer 

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced the government’s plans to focus on vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged 9 to 14 as part of her Interim Budget 2024. 
• The FM also announced multiple other health-related schemes in her speech, including extending Ayushman Bharat cover to all Asha workers and Anganwadi workers and helpers. 
• Cervical cancer, which develops in a woman’s cervix, is the second-most common cancer among women in India. 
• It is caused by persistent infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV). India accounts for nearly a quarter of all cervical cancer deaths in the world. 
• Presently, the Serum Institute’s made-in-India vaccine against cervical cancer, CERVAVAC, is available in the private market for about Rs 2,000 per dose. 
• MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck Sharp and Dohme (known as Merck and Co, Inc in the US and Canada) continues to sell its HPV vaccine Gardasil 4 (quadrivalent vaccine) in India which is currently priced at Rs 3,927 per dose. 

7. President Murmu inaugurated 37th Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2024 

• President Droupadi Murmu has inaugurated the 37th Surajkund International Crafts Mela – 2024 at Surajkund in Faridabad district, Haryana. 
• Tanzania is a partner country for the mela, which reflects India’s strong ties with the African Union. Gujarat is the theme state. 
• The Surajkund Fair will continue till February 18. 

8. 4 February – International Day of Human Fraternity 

• International Day of Human Fraternity is observed every year on 4 February. 
• The day serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty of unity and the strength found in diversity. 
• On December 21, 2020, International Day of Human Fraternity was established by the United Nations General Assembly.