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General Awareness

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Daily G.K. - Top Stories

26 Mar 2020

DAILY G.K. TEST

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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Protecting Peatlands Can Help Attain Climate Goals: FAO-UN Report

  •  In accordance with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) report, Peatlands are facing degradation and need to be urgently monitored. The report authored by 35 experts comprised information as well as recommendations to countries on restoring and managing peatland. Peatlands are wetlands with a thick layer of organic soil. Peatlands cover only 3% of the global land area, but they store 30% of the world's soil carbon.
  • When peatlands are drained, they become net sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contribute up to 1 Gigaton of GHG emissions per year through oxidation.
  • Countries can use System for Earth Observation Data Access, Processing and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) platform developed by FAO for peatlands mapping which contains a number of tools for land use and land-use change monitoring.

UN Launches COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan

  •  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a 2-billion-U.S.-dollar global humanitarian response plan to fight COVID-19 in some of the world's most vulnerable countries.
  • On March, 25, 2020 at the United Nations headquarters in New York participants attended  the launch of the COVID-19 global humanitarian response plan via video teleconference. 
  • The response plan will be implemented by UN agencies, with international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and NGO consortia playing a direct role in the response, said Mark Lowcock, the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs.
  • The plan will be coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which Lowcock heads.
  • The plan will deliver essential laboratory equipment to test for the virus, and medical supplies to treat people; install handwashing stations in camps and settlements; launch public information campaigns on prevention; and establish airbridges and hubs across Africa, Asia and Latin America to move humanitarian workers and supplies to where they are needed most, said Lowcock.

US Senate Passes $2tn Disaster Aid Bill

  •  The US Senate has passed a $2 trillion (£1.7tn) coronavirus aid bill that is the largest economic stimulus in US history.
  • The vote was delayed by a last-minute row between Republican and Democratic senators over unemployment benefits.
  • The plan includes direct payments of $1,200 to most American adults and aid to help small businesses pay workers.
  • US coronavirus deaths are around the 1,000 mark and there have been nearly 70,000 confirmed infections.
  • More than 21,000 people with coronavirus have died across the world since it emerged in China's Hubei province in December, while the number of infections is racing towards half a million.
  • Southern Europe is now the centre of the pandemic, with Italy and Spain recording hundreds of new deaths every day.
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ENVIRONMENT

Glaciers in Sikkim Are Losing Mass Faster Than Other Parts Of The Himalaya

  •  Scientists from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun an autonomous research institute for the study of Geology of the Himalaya under the Department of Science and Technology, have found that glaciers in Sikkim are melting at a higher magnitude as compared to other Himalayan regions.
  • The study published in Science of the Total Environment assessed the response of 23 glaciers of Sikkim to climate change for the period of 1991-2015 and revealed that glaciers in Sikkim have retreated and deglaciated significantly from 1991 to 2015. Small-sized glaciers in Sikkim are retreating while larger glaciers are thinning due to climate change.

Great Barrier Reef Suffers Third Mass Bleaching In Five Years

  •  Australia's Great Barrier Reef has suffered another mass bleaching event - the third in just five years.
  • Warmer sea temperatures - particularly in February - are feared to have caused huge coral loss across the world's largest reef system.
  • Scientists say they have detected widespread bleaching, including extensive patches of severe damage. But they have also found healthy pockets.
  • Two-thirds of the reef was damaged by similar events in 2016 and 2017.
  • The reef system, which covers over 2,300km (1,400 miles), is a World Heritage site recognised for its "enormous scientific and intrinsic importance".
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

India Bans Export Of Hydroxychloroquine Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

  •  The Indian government on 25 March, 2020 that it is banning the export of hydroxychloroquine and formulations made from the medication, as experts test the efficacy of the drug in helping treat patients infected with COVID-19.
  • There are currently no approved treatments, or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, the highly contagious, sometimes deadly respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus. Researchers are studying existing treatments and working on experimental ones, but most current patients receive only supportive care such as breathing assistance.
  • Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug, is among the medications that are being tested, as a potential treatment for patients with the disease.

ARCI Develops Technology To Improve Fuel Efficiency Of Internal Combustion Engines

  •  International Advanced Centre for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous R&D Centre of Department of Science and Technology (DST), has developed ultrafast laser surface texturing technology, which can improve the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines.
  • Laser surface micro-texturing, which offers precise control of the size, shape and density of micro-surface texture features has gained momentum as a way to control friction and wear. In this technology, a pulsating laser beam creates micro-dimples or grooves on the surface of materials in a very controlled manner. Such textures can trap wear debris when operating under dry sliding conditions and sometimes provide effects like enhancing oil supply (lubricant reservoir) which can lower friction coefficients and may enable reduced wear rate.
  • The texture surfaces were created on automotive internal combustion engine components, piston rings and cylinder liners using 100 fs pulse duration laser. The micro dimples of 10-20 μm diameter and about 5-10 μm deep which have been created with laser beams had a regular pattern.  The created textures were tested in an engine test rig under different speeds and temperatures of coolant and lubrication oil, and it was observed that there was a 16% reduction in the lube oil consumption with the use of texture on the piston rings. The 10-hour lube oil consumption test shows that the blowby substantially reduced with textured rings.

CCEA Approves Rs 1,340-Cr Recapitalisation For Weak Regional Rural Banks

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a Rs 1,340-crore recapitalisation plan for the weak regional rural banks (RRBs) to help improve their capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) during 2020-21. RRBs are mandated to maintain a minimum CRAR of 9 per cent by the regulator.
  • Of this, Rs 670 crore each would be provided by the Centre and sponsor banks, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. This is, in a way, an extension of the recapitalisation plan that was to end this financial year (April 2019 to March 2020, of FY20).
  • The release of the government's share of funds would be contingent upon the release of the proportionate share by the sponsor banks
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Govt To Launch CoWin-20 App To Help Curb Spread Of Coronavirus

  •  The Indian government is reportedly working on a smartphone app to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The app called "CoWin-20" is currently in beta testing and it will launch for both Android and iOS platforms.
  • CoWin-20 app will track users through their smartphone location to stop the community spread of coronavirus. The app will also record the user's travel history to determine if they're at risk of Covid-19 and people they may have come in contact with.
  • In addition to this, users will also get to know the location of coronavirus testing centres and quarantine sites in India. The CoWin-20 app will also host government advisories and information on coronavirus. Users will be alerted on all the latest coronavirus updates issued by the Indian government.

First Made-in-India COVID-19 Test Kit By Mylab Gets Commercial Approval

  •  Pune-based molecular diagnostics company Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd, which specialises in molecular diagnostic kits has developed first made-in-India test kit for COVID-19 in a record time of six weeks. The kit -- Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit -- is the first one to receive commercial approval from the Indian FDA/ Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Besides, Mylab is the only Indian company to have achieved 100 per cent sensitivity and specificity in the ICMR evaluation.
  • Mylab has several years of experience in manufacturing RTPCR kits. It manufactures a range of kits at the facility approved by Indian FDA/CDSCO and is compliant with MDR 2017 regulation for manufacturing medical devices of Class C and D, the most stringent and regulated products by the government.

Scientists of ARI, Pune Develop Biofortified, High Protein Wheat Variety

  •  Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, have developed a biofortified durum wheat variety MACS 4028, which shows high protein content.
  • The wheat variety developed by the ARI  scientists group on Wheat improvement, shown high protein content of about 14.7%, better nutritional quality having zinc 40.3 ppm, and iron content of 40.3ppm and 46.1ppm respectively, good milling quality and overall acceptability.
  • MACS 4028, the development of which was published in the Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, is a semi-dwarf variety, which matures in 102 days and has shown the superior and stable yielding ability of 19.3 quintals per hectare. It is resistant to stem rust, leaf rust, foliar aphids, root aphids, and brown wheat mite.
  • The MACS 4028 variety is also included by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) programme for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to alleviate malnutrition in a sustainable way and can boost the Vision 2022 "Kuposhan Mukt Bharat", the National Nutrition Strategy. An endeavor to tackle the hidden hunger in the rural areas of India is being continued using traditional plant breeding approach to achieve "Kuposhan Mukt Bharat."
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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

NPR, First Phase Of Census Postponed Due To The 21-Day Lockdown

  •  The updating of the National Population Register (NPR) and the first phase of the Census 2021 have been postponed due to the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Both the exercises were supposed to be carried out from April 1 to September 30.
  • In a statement, the home ministry said Census 2021 was scheduled to be conducted in two phases -- house listing and housing census during April-September and population enumeration during February 9 to 28.
  • The updating of NPR was also proposed to be done along with the Phase I of Census 2021 in all the states and union territories, except Assam.

NPR, First Phase Of Census Postponed Due To The 21-Day Lockdown

  •  The updating of the National Population Register (NPR) and the first phase of the Census 2021 have been postponed due to the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Both the exercises were supposed to be carried out from April 1 to September 30.
  • In a statement, the home ministry said Census 2021 was scheduled to be conducted in two phases -- house listing and housing census during April-September and population enumeration during February 9 to 28.
  • The updating of NPR was also proposed to be done along with the Phase I of Census 2021 in all the states and union territories, except Assam.
View Month Wise

PERSONS IN NEWS

Freedom Fighter Nagorao Deshpande Dies At 90

  •  Nagorav Vitthalrao Deshpande died of prolonged illness in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district.
  • Deshpande (90) was severely ill for the past four months, the deceased's son Suresh Deshpande.
  • A native of Partur tehsil in Jalna, Deshpande took part in the Hyderabad freedom struggle in 1948, when he was in his teens.
  • He led the Satyagraha movement, organised under leadersip of late Swami Ramanand Teerth and Govindbhai Shroff in Marathwada.
  • Deshpande was the founder secretary of Marathwada Janta Vikas Parishad and Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada Research Centre in Aurangabad.
  • He was conferred with the first 'Granth Mitra' award by the Maharashtra government in 1996.
  • Deshpande also worked in the field of adult education in rural areas here, Suresh Deshpande said.

Satyajit Ray's Associate, Veteran Photographer Nemai Ghosh Dies At 86

  •  Veteran photographer Nemai Ghosh, who had a long association with filmmaker Satyajit Ray, passed away at a hospital in Kolkata on March 25, 2020 his family said. He was 86.
  • Nemai Ghosh had been suffering from age-related ailments for the past few years.
  • He was known for working with Satyajit Ray as a still photographer who captured the master craftsman in different moods at sets besides framing actors as they faced camera for over two decades. Nemai Ghosh made his debut with Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (1969) and was with Satyajit Ray till his last film Agantuk (1991).

Acclaimed Playwright Terrence McNally Dies At 81 Of Complications From Coronavirus

  •  Terrence McNally, one of America's great playwrights whose prolific career included winning Tony Awards for the plays "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Master Class" and the musicals "Ragtime" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman," has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 81.
  • McNally died Tuesday at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida, according to representative Matt Polk. McNally was a lung cancer survivor who lived with chronic inflammatory lung disease.
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GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES

Cabinet Approves Extension Of Rebate In Taxes On Export Of Garments And Made-Ups

  •  Expect to make textile sector competitive by rebating all taxes/levies which are currently not being rebated under any other mechanism
  • The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has given its approval for continuation of Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) from 1 April 2020 onward until such time that the scheme is merged with Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP).
  • RoSCTL scheme for apparel and made-ups will be continued with effect from 1 April 2020 without any change in scheme guidelines and rates as notified by Ministry of Textiles till such time that the RoSCTL is merged with RoDTEP.

Cabinet Approves Construction Of Aligarh-Harduaganj Flyover

  •  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for taking up construction of Aligarh-Harduaganj flyover by Ministry of Railways.
  • The total length of the Railway flyover will be 22 kms. The project is expected to be completed by 2024-25 at a cost of over Rs 1,285 crore.
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TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS

Cabinet Approves MOU Between India And Germany To Enhance Railway Sector

  •  The Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Germany which was signed between the two countries to extend technological cooperation in the railway sector. The MoU was signed between the Ministry of Railways and the DB Engineering and Consulting GMBH of Germany earlier this year in February.
  • The cabinet chaired by PM Modi gave a nod to this agreement between the two countries. 
  • The agreement would help the Indian Railways develop into a modern, competitive railway organization by improving its organizational structures along with providing IT solutions to undergo this railway reformation. It will also help the railways to streamline their operations, their marketing, and their sales along with strengthing its administrative process, predictive maintenance, private train operations and any other areas which may be mutually agreed in writing between the two sides.
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