DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS - (APRIL 16, 2021) - CSE -20201 CSE -20201 - Lukmaan IAS
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
DAILY CURRENT
AFFAIRS
(APRIL 16, 2021)
Admin
[COMPANY NAME]
CSE -20201
CSE -20201
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
INDEX
POLITY & CONSTITUTION
1. SUPREME COURT ON ISRO ESPIONAGE CASE
2. ONLINE GRIEVANCE MANAGEMENT PORTAL FOR SC
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3. AFGHANISTAN: WITHDRAWAL OF US FORCES
ECONOMY
4. MoU BETWEEN AGRICULTURE MINISTRY AND MICROSOFT
5. FLIPKART ACQUIRE CLEARTRIP
ENVIRONMENT
6. DEADLY ALGAE KILL 4,200 TONNES OF SALMON
7. FIRST RENEWABLE PROJECT OF FACEBOOK IN INDIA
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
8. INDIA-FRANCE AGREEMENT ON GAGANYAAN MISSION
9. WHO GUIDELINES ON ZOONOSIS
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
POLITY & CONSTITUTION
1. SUPREME COURT ON ISRO ESPIONAGE CASE
THE CONTEXT: On April 15, 2021, the Supreme Court ordered a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe
into the role of Kerala Police officers in framing Nambi Narayanan in the 1994 Espionage Case. Nambi
Narayanan was a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Analysis
When did ISRO Espionage case begin?
• The case began with the arrest of Maldivian woman Mariam Rashida in 1994. She was arrested on the
charges of overstaying her visa. Her arrest led to the arrest of Narayanan. Nambi Narayanan was the
director of the cryogenic project lab of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Why was Nambi Narayanan arrested?
• In 1994, Nambi Narayanan was charged for leaking vital defence secrets to Maldivian intelligence
officers Fauzia Hassan and Mariam Rashida. He was accused of selling confidential flight test data from
the experiments with satellite and rocket launches. He was arrested and he spent fifty days in jail.
• In May 1996, the charges against the scientist were dismissed. It was later dismissed in Supreme Court
in April 1998.
• In 1999, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) passed strictures against the Kerala
Government for damaging Narayanan’s career in space research. He was then given desk job at ISRO.
• In 2001, the National Human Rights Commission ordered the Kerala Government to pay a compensation
of Rs 1 crore. He then retired in 2001.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
Narayanan’s fight for Justice
• In 2013, Narayanan pushed to get justice and bring out the people involved in framing a false case on
him. In 2018, the Supreme court appointed a three-member panel to probe the case. Later a three-
judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra ordered to award Rs 50 lakh compensation for the mental
cruelty suffered by the scientist all these years.
• In 2019, GoI conferred Padma Bhushan to Nambi Narayanan.
SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sc-cbi-further-probe-isro-espionage-nambi-narayan-
7274704/
2. ONLINE GRIEVANCE MANAGEMENT PORTAL FOR SC
THE CONTEXT: The Union Minister for Communication and IT and Law and Justice recently launched the
“Online Grievance Management portal of NCSC”. NCSC is National Commission of Scheduled Castes.
Analysis
About the Portal
• The portal was launched on the occasion of 130th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar.
• The Scheduled Caste community in the country can register their complaints in the portal from any part
of the country.
• The portal was designed by Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Application and Geoinformatics. The
institute operates under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
National Commission for Scheduled Caste
• The commission was established under Article 338 of the Constitution of India. The main objective of
the commission is to investigate and monitor issues pertaining to the safeguard of Scheduled Castes in
the country.
• The 65th Constitution Act, 1990 amended Article 338 of the constitution. The amendment replaced the
commission from its one-member system to multi-member system.
• The 89th amendment of the constitution introduced in 2003 separated the National Commission for
Scheduled Caste into two different commissions. One was National Commission for Scheduled Caste and
the other was National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.
Structure of National Commission for Scheduled Caste
• The Commission consists of a chairperson, vice-chairperson and three other members. All the members
of the commission are appointed by the President of India.
Functions of NCSC
• To monitor and investigate all issues that are concerned with the safeguards of the Scheduled Caste
people provided under the Constitution of India.
• To enquire complaints that are related to deprivation of rights and safeguards of the Schedules Castes.
• To advise central and state governments in planning socio-economic development of the Scheduled
Castes.
SOURCE: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1711868
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
3. AFGHANISTAN: WITHDRAWAL OF US FORCES
THE CONTEXT: US President Biden recently announced that America is to withdraw all its troops from
Afghanistan. The new deadline announced by US coincides with the twentieth anniversary of 09/11 attacks.
Analysis
9/11 attacks
• On September 11, 2001, the terrorists of Al-Qaeda conducted a series of four attacks against the United
States. The terrorists hijacked four passenger airliners. Two of the planes hit the World Trade Center
Complexes located in Manhattan. Within an hour, the 110-storey tower collapsed. The third plane
crashed into the Pentagon. Pentagon is the headquarters of US Department of Defence. The fourth
plane crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania.
Deal Signed
• In February 2020, US and its NATO allies signed a deal to withdraw all troops in fourteen months if
Taliban upheld all its promises.
Impact of the withdrawal
• The peace processes in Afghanistan will hasten in its pace. Taliban had earlier announced that it will not
attend any peace summit with Afghanistan till all the foreign forces leave the country. The summit is due
to be held in Turkey in April 2021.
• According to some observers, the withdrawal of US troops might compromise the political, social and
humanitarian gains made since 2001.
• The illicit drug trafficking in the region might increase. Afghanistan is a part of Golden Crescent.
Impact of withdrawal on India
• The arrival of Taliban on the centre stage will put economic interests of India in the country of
Afghanistan at stake. It will also put India under high security threat as prominence of Pakistan in
Afghanistan will increase.
India-Afghanistan
• The five main pillars that drive India’s development partnership with Afghanistan are humanitarian
assistance, economic development, infrastructure, connectivity and capacity building.
• India supplied 1.1 million metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.
• India helped Afghanistan to establish the Indira Gandhi Institute of Health. It is a four hundred bed
hospital that caters to the well being of children in the country.
• India is funding 116 new High Impact Community Development Projects in thirty one provinces of
Afghanistan.
• The direct flight connectivity between India and Afghanistan was established in 2017. India is also
developing Chabahar port to increase its connectivity with Afghanistan.
• A 218 km road from Zaranj to Delaram is to be constructed to help move goods and services to Iran
border.
SOURCE: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-how-americas-troop-pullout-by-
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
september-11-closes-its-afghanistan-chapter-7273760/
ECONOMY
4. MoU BETWEEN AGRICULTURE MINISTRY AND MICROSOFT
THE CONTEXT: The Agricultural Ministry of India recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with
Microsoft to implement a pilot project for farmer welfare.
Analysis
About the Project
• The project will focus on technology boosted agriculture.
• It will provide smart agricultural techniques to the farmers especially during post-harvest season.
• The project is to be launched in hundred villages of six states.
• The six states selected for the project are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana
and Andhra Pradesh.
• It will carry out various tasks for the betterment of farmers.
Microsoft Welfare Programmes in India
• In 2019, Microsoft India launched Project ReWeave to help handloom weavers. The project aims to
revive handloom weaving ecosystem in India. An E-Commerce platform was launched under the project.
It will help weavers to increase their income.
• Microsoft has partnered with AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) to empower educators
and learners with future ready skills.
• It has joined with the National Skill Development Corporation to provide digital skills to more than one
lakh underserved women in India. Under the programme, Microsoft will provide a series of live training
sessions and help create opportunities for women and young girls.
Agriculture in India
• India ranks second in farm output in the world. More than 50% of workforce in India are employed in
agriculture. They contribute 17% to 18% of GDP of India.
• India exports 38 billion USD worth agricultural products. This makes India the seventh largest
agricultural exporter in the world.
• Though, the output of Indian agricultural sector is good, productivity is low. Agricultural Productivity is
the ratio between agricultural output to input.
SOURCE: http://newsonair.com/News?title=Union-Agriculture-Ministry-signs-MoU-with-Microsoft-for-
pilot-project-in-100-villages-of-6-states&id=414253#
5. FLIPKART ACQUIRE CLEARTRIP
THE CONTEXT: Flipkart recently announced that it is to acquire Cleartrip. Cleartrip is a leading online travel
and technology company.
Analysis
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
About Cleartrip
• Cleartrip was founded in 2006. The company books train and flight tickets, hotel reservations and other
activities in India and in middle east countries. The company has offices in Saudi Arabia, UAE, India and
Egypt.
About Flipkart
• Flipkart is an E-Commerce company headquartered in Bangalore, India. It initially focused on book sale.
Later it expanded to other products such as fashion, consumer electronics, home essentials, lifestyle
products and groceries. Flipkart is the major competitor of Amazon’s Indian subsidiary and Snapdeal.
• Till 2017, Flipkart held 39.5% of market share of E-Commerce industry of India. After acquiring Myntra it
gained a dominant position in apparel segment.
• Today it is described as being neck and neck with Amazon.
• Flipkart also owns PhonePe.
• In 2018, Walmart acquired 77% of controlling stake in Flipkart.
Founders of Flipkart
• Flipkart was founded by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. They were alumni of IIT Delhi and also former
employees of Amazon.
E-Commerce in India
• About 40% of Indian population used internet as of May 2020. With this, India has the second largest
internet user base in world after China. However, the penetration of E-Commerce is less as compared to
markets in US and France. More than 84% of US citizens use E-Commerce platforms.
• The Indian E-Commerce industry is expected to grow to 200 billion USD by 2026.
• The issues faced by E-Commerce industries in India are domestic trade, consumer protection,
competition policy, information technology, etc.
SOURCE: https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/flipkart-to-acquire-online-travel-tech-company-
cleartrip-11618478900296.html
ENVIRONMENT
6. DEADLY ALGAE KILL 4,200 TONNES OF SALMON
THE CONTEXT: Deadly algae have killed 42,000 tonnes of Salmon in Chile. The algal bloom in the water
reduced the amount of oxygen suffocating the salmon fishes.
Analysis
Impacts
• More than eighteen salmon fish farms that produce 26% of world salmon have been affected.
What are the reasons for the death of the Salmons?
• The presence of urea and ammonia in the salmon farms led to the algal bloom. Three different types of
harmful algae were detected in eighteen farms.
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
About 26% of world salmon have been affected.
Salmon Production in Chile
• Chile is the second largest producer of Salmon in the world after Norway. It exported more than 4.4
billion USD of fish in 2020. Chile produces more than 26% of world Salmon.
What is Algal Bloom?
• Algal Bloom is rapid increase of algal population in marine water or fresh water. It occurs due to the
nutrients from phosphorous or nitrogen fertilizer run off. They create harmful effects such as blocking of
sunlight. This causes depletion of oxygen level in water.
Oxygen in Water
• The Dissolved oxygen in water is the most important water quality factor. A pond supporting an aquatic
ecosystem will have more than 10 ppm oxygen dissolved in it. On the other hand, atmosphere has
200,000 ppm of oxygen. The oxygen concentrations below 3 ppm will stress the species of fish in the
water. The oxygen concentrations below 2 ppm will kill the fishes.
• Oxygen dissolves in water in two ways. One is through atmospheric contact that happens at the surface.
The other primary source of dissolved oxygen is from algae. The algae add dissolved oxygen to the water
by photosynthesis, thereby supporting lives in the water system. In that case, how did the algal bloom in
Chile kill thousands of fishes?
How does Algal Bloom kill fishes?
• During day, the algae produce oxygen through photosynthesis. While at night, in the absence of
sunlight, it stops photosynthesis and starts respiring just like other organisms in the water system.DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
Respiration is taking in Oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Thus, during night the dissolved oxygen
drops too low suffocating the fish in the water system.
• Also, as the algal bloom increases, it forms thick blanket over the water surface. This prevents sunlight
from penetrating the water. Thus, the second source of oxygen where the oxygen dissolves in water at
the surface contacts is blocked.
SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/watch-deadly-algae-kill-4200-tonnes-of-
salmon-in-chile/article34316264.ece
7. FIRST RENEWABLE PROJECT OF FACEBOOK IN INDIA
THE CONTEXT: The Facebook has recently signed a deal to buy renewable energy in India from a local firm
called CleanMax. This is the first renewable project of Facebook in India.
Analysis
About the project
• The project is located in Karnataka.
• The project capacity of 32 MW.
• Under the project Facebook and CleanMax will work together to provide renewable energy into the
electrical grid of India.
• Facebook is to use the renewable energy purchased from CleanMax to power its data centre. The
Facebook is to start the operations of the data centre in 2022.
• Facebook had made similar agreements with energy providers in Singapore such as Terrenus Energy,
Sunseap Group, Sembcorp industries. These projects are capable of producing 160 MW of solar power.
Data Centres in India
• The revenue of Indian data centres is expected to grow at 20% year on year.
• COVID-19 has increased data consumption in India by 38% as compared to the previous year.
• The India data centre industry accounts to only 1% to 2% of the global share. It is expected to grow to
8.4% in 2023.
• The Data Centres are mainly established for collection of data, processing of data, distribution of data
and processing of data.
• The data centres are set to account for 14% of carbon emissions by 2040. This is one of the main reasons
why Facebook is turning towards green energy options to power its data centres.
Draft Data Centre Policy
• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has released the Draft Data Centre Policy. It
aims to simplify the clearances to establish data centres in India.
SOURCE: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/facebook-partners-cleanmax-to-move-to-
100-renewable-energy-in-india/article34325740.ece
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
8. INDIA-FRANCE AGREEMENT ON GAGANYAAN MISSIONDAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
THE CONTEXT: The Indian Space Research Organisation recently signed an agreement with the French
Space Agency CNES. CNES is National Centre for Space Studies. CNES stands for Centre National d’etudes
Spatiales. According to the agreement, CNES is to help India in its first Human Space Mission called the
Gaganyaan.
Analysis
About the Agreement
• The French Space Agency is to supply with space equipment to the Indian crew. According to France,
these equipment were tested and are still operating in the International Space Station.
• The CNES will also supply fireproof carry bags to shield equipment from radiation and shock.
• Under the agreement, CNES will train Indian flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams in
France. The training is to be held at the CADMOS centre and at the European Astronaut Centre.
CAPCOM is Capsule Communicator. It is the spacecraft communicator.
• CNES will also exchange information on food packaging and nutrition programme.
India-France in Space Relations
• India and France share a robust ties in the area of space cooperation. The first space agreement
between the countries was signed in 1964.DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
• India is to launch joint Oceansat 3-Argo mission in 2021. It will track movement of ships globally and
particularly those ships moving in the Reunion Islands of France in the Indian Ocean Region.
• India and France have agreed to work on inter-planetary missions to Venus and Mars.
Agreements with other countries
• India had already signed agreements with Russia to train four astronauts for the Gaganyaan mission.
India is also in talks with Australia to have a ground station for the Gaganyaan mission at the Cocos
island.
SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-france-sign-agreement-for-cooperation-on-
gaganyaan-mission/article34325213.ece
9. WHO GUIDELINES ON ZOONOSIS
THE CONTEXT: The World Health Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme and the World
Organisation for Animal Health laid down fresh guidelines to reduce the risk of transmission of zoonotic
pathogens to humans in food production.
Analysis
About GuidelinesDAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
• Suspension of trade in live caught wild animals of mammalian species for food or breeding.
• To shut down food markets that sell wild animals of mammalian species.
• To strengthen standards of hygiene, sanitation in traditional food markets to reduce the risk of
transmission of zoonotic diseases.
• To conduct risk assessment. They will provide evidence based developing regulations to control the risks
of transmission of zoonotic microorganisms.
• To strengthen animal health surveillance systems.
• To develop and implement food safety information campaigns for stall holders, market traders,
consumers and wide general public.
What is Zoonosis?
• Zoonosis is an infectious disease that transfers from non-human animals to humans. These pathogens
may be viral, bacterial or parasitic. They spread to humans through direct contact, water, food and
environment.
One-Health
• The guidelines issued were in line with the concept of “One Health”. This term was first used in 2003-
2004. It was associated with the emergence of SARS and Avian Influenza H5N1. SARS is Severe Acute
Respiratory Disease. According to One-Health, the health of human beings is associated with the health
of environment and animals.
Zoonotic Diseases
• Some of the modern-day Zoonotic diseases are Ebola, Salmonellosis. HIV was a zoonotic disease that
transmitted to humans from animals. However, it has now mutated to human-only disease. Influenza,
Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Spanish flu are all zoonotic diseases.
SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/reducing-risk-of-zoonoses-in-food-production-
who-lays-down-guidelines-76448
16th APRIL, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Q1. Consider the following statements
1. Influenza, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, Spanish flu are zoonotic diseases.
2. Zoonosis is an infectious disease that transfers from humans to non-human animals.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
a) 1 only
b) 2 only
c) Both 1 and 2
d) Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWERS OF 15th APRIL, 2021 PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Q1. Answer A: Statement 2 is incorrect- Electro Fuels are made by storing electrical energy from
renewable sources in chemical bonds of liquid gas fuels.DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS LUKMAAN IAS
You can also read
