(DND) Daily News Discussion - 26th-28th June 2021 our YouTube channel for entire GS Course FREE of cost - Sleepy Classes
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Daily News
Discussion
(DND)
26th-28th J un e 2021
Visit our website www.sleepyclasses.com or
our YouTube channel for entire GS Course FREE of cost
Also Available: Prelims Crash Course || Prelims Test Series
T.me/SleepyClasses
Table of Contents
1. Environment ...........................................................................................................1
1.1.Dead sh oating in Guwahati tank .................................................................................1
1.2.Air pollution and COVID-19 ...............................................................................................1
1.3.Ambergris .................................................................................................................................3
2. Science & Technology ..........................................................................................7
2.1.Multi-drug resistance ............................................................................................................7
2.2.African swine fever ................................................................................................................9
3. Economy ..................................................................................................................11
3.1.AgriStack ..................................................................................................................................11
3.2.6 Years of Urban Transportation .......................................................................................11
4. Security ....................................................................................................................14
4.1.Drones are now a favoured terror tool .............................................................................14
Current affairs Worksheet (26th - 28th June 2021) ............................................................16
Note -
• The Newspaper clippings pasted in PDF are important from Mains point of view as it contains the
fodder material for Mains Answer Writing.
• Also watch DND video lectures everyday @ 4 PM on Sleepy’s YouTube channel in order to
understand how to get the most out of everyday’s Newspaper .
fi
fl
T.me/SleepyClasses
Click here to watch the following topics on YouTube
1. Environment
1.1.Dead sh oating in Guwahati tank
• Recently At least 400 dead sh were on Sunday found oating in a Guwahati tank
• Joggers around the city’s iconic Dighalipukhuri, meaning “long pond”, detected the sh oating and
brought it to the notice of the local authorities.
Key ndings
• The sh mortality was due to sudden dip in oxygen level and high organic load in the tank.
• Department of cers found the death of sh not due to poisoning but environmental degradation
Dissolved Oxygen
• DO is one of the most important factors for the maintenance of biodiversity in a pond.
• Our atmosphere has about 20% oxygen or 2,00,000 parts per million (ppm) but only about 1,00,000
ppm gets dissolved in water.
• DO concentration below 3ppm will kill sh
Other reason
• Non-penetration of sunlight due to a layer of algae has also been a factor behind the sh death.
Way forward
• Boating and spanking the water prevents surface algae from accumulating
Dighalipukhuri
• About 500 m long, is associated with the legend of local king Bhagadatta, who fought for the
Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra.
• One of his elephants was named Ashwatthama.
• It is said that Bhagadatta had dug the pond during the swayamvar of his daughter Bhanumati.
Biological oxygen demand
• Amount of DO needed by bacteria in decomposing organic waste in water
Chemical oxygen demand
• Total quantity of oxygen required to oxidize all organic& inorganic material into carbon dioxide and
water
1.2.Air pollution and COVID-19
• Recently a study was conducted by scientists and partially funded by Ministry of earth sciences has
found a direct correlation between air pollution and Covid-19.
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
1
Call 6280133177 and Play Store
fi
fi
fi
fi
fl
fi
fi
fi
fl
fi
fi
fl
T.me/SleepyClasses
Key Findings
• The regions using huge amounts of fossil fuels such as petrol, diesel and coal by combustion in
transport and industrial activities also experience a far higher number of Covid-19 cases
• Evidence-highest numbers of Covid-19 cases are found in States like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,
Delhi and Gujarat, where exposure to the prolonged high concentration of PM2.5 is relatively high,
especially in the cities, due to overuse of fossil fuel.
• There is also evidence that the novel coronavirus sticks to
ne particles like PM2.5 allowing them to
move from one part to another by making the airborne transmission of Covid-19 more effective
1. In the cities of our country , which among the following atmospheric gasses are normally
considered in calculating the value of air quality index ?
1. Carbon dioxide
2. Carbon monoxide
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
2
and Play Store Call 6280133177
fi
T.me/SleepyClasses
3. Nitrogen dioxide
4. Sulphur dioxide
5. Methane
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
A. 1 ,2 and 3 only
B. 2 , 3 and 4 only
C. 1 , 4 and 5 only
D. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5
1.3.Ambergris
• In the past few weeks there have been two cases where the Mumbai Police has arrested ve persons
trying to sell Ambergris or whale vomit
Ambergris
• Ambergris, French for grey amber, is generally referred to as whale vomit.
• However, Christopher Kemp, the author of ‘Floating gold: A Natural and (unnatural) history of
Ambergris’, says this is not right.
• A sperm whale eats several thousand squid beaks a day.
• He says occasionally, a beak makes it way to the whale’s stomach and into its looping convoluted
intestines where it becomes ambergris through a complex process, and may ultimately be excreted
by the whale
• It is a solid waxy substance that oats around the surface of the water body and at times settles on
the coast
• German physician Franz Schwediawer in 1783 called it “preternaturally hardened whale dung”.
Recent cases
• Gujarat and Mumbai coast used for illegal trade
• Since the sperm whale is a protected species, hunting of the whale is not allowed
• Smugglers are known to have illegally targeted the sh in order to obtain the valuable Ambergris
from its stomach.
Signi cance
• This excretion is so valuable it is referred to as oating gold.
• As per the latest estimates given by Mumbai Police, 1 kg of ambergris is worth Rs 1 crore in the
international market.
• The reason for its high cost is its use in the perfume market, especially to create fragrances like musk.
• It is believed to be in high demand in countries like Dubai that have a large perfume market.
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
3
Call 6280133177 and Play Store
fi
fl
fl
fi
fi
T.me/SleepyClasses
• Ancient Egyptians used it as incense.
• It is also believed to be used in some traditional medicines.
• Ambergris is produced only by an estimated one per cent of sperm whales.
Sperm whales
• Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and have one of the widest global distributions of
any marine mammal species.
• They are found in all deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the pack ice in the Arctic and
Antarctic.
• They are named after the waxy substance—spermaceti—found in their heads.
• The spermaceti is an oil sac that helps the whales focus sound. Spermaceti was used in oil lamps,
lubricants, and candles.
Status
• IUCN-Vulnerable
• CITES-I
• WLPA-Schedule-I
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
4
and Play Store Call 6280133177
T.me/SleepyClasses
Full year Current Affairs Revision through MCQs
Environment & Ecology – Day 7
1. Consider the following statements
1. Carbon pricing is an instrument that captures the external costs of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions.
2. External carbon pricing is always measured at global level whereas internal at country level
Select the correct answer code:
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. None of the above
2. Consider the following statements in context to Global environment facility:
1. It was started before earth summit (1992)
2. IMF serves as the GEF trustee
3. It serves as a nancial mechanism to major three conventions under earth summit.
Which of the above statement is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. All of the above
3. Consider the following statements in context to Green Ag:
1. It aims at reducing emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices
2. Under this major agriculture program in india will be strengthen to achieve objective
3. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility.
Which of the above statement is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. All of the above
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
5
Call 6280133177 and Play Store
fi
T.me/SleepyClasses
4. Consider the following statements :
1. Green charcoal is a type of bio-fuel that can be made locally and inexpensively
2. Charcoal is a ne black powder, or black non porous solid consisting of carbon
3. It is normally obtained from burning of carbonaceous substances with suf cient air
Which of the above statement is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. All of the above
5. Consider the following statements in context to Central zoo authority
1. It is a statutory body under environment protection act
2. It coordinate training of zoo personnel in India and outside India also.
Select the correct answer code:
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. None of the above
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
6
and Play Store Call 6280133177
fi
fi
T.me/SleepyClasses
2. Science & Technology
2.1.Multi-drug resistance
• New research from the Population Biology Lab at IISER Pune could hold a key to understand why
some bacteria evolve multi-drug resistance while others do not.
Multi-drug resistance
• Possessing multi-drug resistance implies that the bacteria is adept at handling multiple antibiotics
simultaneously.
• This would increase its tness appreciably
Key ndings
• When bacteria become t in one environment, they either lose tness or fail to increase tness in
other environments
• Small populations acquire a certain set of mutations which allow them to survive in one environment
while paying a cost in others.
• Large populations also develop these mutations but, in addition, have certain compensatory
mutations that together give them tness to survive in different environments.
• The smaller populations only had mutations related to metabolism of one kind of carbon source
whereas the larger populations had known mutations for metabolism of multiple types of carbon
sources
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
7
Call 6280133177 and Play Store
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fiT.me/SleepyClasses
WHO Effort
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW)
• Previously called the World Antibiotic Awareness Week. From 2020, it will be called the World
Antimicrobial Awareness Week
The Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS)
• By WHO in 2015 to continue lling knowledge gaps and to inform strategies at all levels
India
Red Line campaign
• Demands that prescription-only antibiotics be marked with a red line, to discourage the over-the-
counter sale of antibiotics.
National Action Plan on AMR resistance 2017-2021.
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
8
and Play Store Call 6280133177
fiT.me/SleepyClasses
2.2.African swine fever
• The worst of Nagaland’s African swine fever outbreak may be over, say of cials
✓The disease was rst reported in November-December, 2019 from the areas of China bordering
Arunachal Pradesh.
• African swine fever is a viral disease of pigs and wild boar that is usually deadly. There are neither
vaccines nor cures. For this reason, it has serious socio-economic consequences in affected countries.
• It is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family
• Healthy pigs and boar usually become infected by:
✓Contact with infected animals, including contact between free- ranging pigs and wild boar.
✓Ingestion of meat or meat products from infected animals – kitchen waste, swill feed, infected
wild boar (including offal).
✓Contact with anything contaminated by the virus such as clothing, vehicles and other equipment.
✓Bites by infectious ticks.
Sign and symptoms
• The typical signs of African swine fever are similar to classical swine fever, and the two diseases
normally have to be distinguished by laboratory diagnosis.
• Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, lack of energy, abortions, internal bleeding, with
haemorrhages visible on the ears and anks. Sudden death may occur.
Prevention and control
• Currently there is no approved vaccine for ASF.
• Prevention This includes ensuring proper disposal of waste food from aircraft, ships or vehicles
coming from affected countries and policing illegal imports of live pigs and pork products from
affected countries.
• Classic sanitary measures may be employed including early detection and humane killing of animals
(with proper disposal of car cases and waste); thorough cleansing and disinfection; zoning/
compartmentalisation and movement controls etc
Is it a public health threat?
• ASF cannot be transmitted to humans through contact with pigs or pork.
• ASF only affects members of the pig family.
Classical swine fever (CSF)
• also known as hog cholera, is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild swine.
• It is caused by a virus of the family Flaviviridae
• Humans are not affected by this virus.
• Swine are the only species known to be susceptible
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
9
Call 6280133177 and Play Store
fi
fl
fiT.me/SleepyClasses
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
10
and Play Store Call 6280133177T.me/SleepyClasses
3. Economy
3.1.AgriStack
• AgriStack: Linking land records with database will exclude labourers, farmers, warn experts
✓The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare has entered into an MoU with
Microsoft Corporation to start a pilot project in 100 villages to create a ‘Uni ed Farmer Service
Interface’ through its cloud computing services.
3.2.6 Years of Urban Transportation
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organised an online event to commemorate 6
years of the three transformative Urban Missions vis. Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Atal Mission for
Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban
(PMAY-U)
PMAY-U
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U), a agship Mission of Government of India being
implemented by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), was launched on 25th June 2015.
• The Mission addresses urban housing shortage among the EWS/LIG and MIG categories including
the slum dwellers by ensuring a pucca house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022
Progress
• Mission has created almost an estimated 689 crore person days of employment translating into
around 246 lakh jobs and led to consumption of 370 Lakh MT of cement and 84 Lakh MT of steel.
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
11
Call 6280133177 and Play Store
fl
fiT.me/SleepyClasses
• 1.12 crore houses sanctioned and over 83 lakh houses grounded under PMAY-U.
• 16 lakh families bene ted from PMAY-U’s Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS).
CLSS Scheme
• For the rst time interest subsidy on home loans have been given to Middle-Income Group having
annual income of upto ₹18 Lakh under PMAY-U’s Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS).
• Nearly 16 lakh bene ciaries belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Lower Income Group
(LIG) and MIG have so far been brought under the fold of CLSS.
AMRUT Mission (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation).
• Ministry-Housing and Urban Affairs
• Central Sponsored Scheme: Total outlay for AMRUT was Rs. 50,000 crores for ve years (500 cities)
from FY 2015-16 to FY 2019-20
• Centre has extended the mission period of AMRUT upto 31st March, 2021.
Objective
• Aims in covering around 500 cities that are having a population of over one lakh with noti ed
municipalities.
• To ensure a proper supply of water and a sewage connection in every household.
• To develop green and well maintained open spaces and parks to increase the amenity value of the
cities.
• To reduce pollution by switching to public transport or through the construction of non-motorized
transport facilities such as walking and cycling.
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
12
and Play Store Call 6280133177
fi
fi
fi
fi
fiT.me/SleepyClasses
Progress
• So far, 1.05 crore household water tap connections and 78 lakh sewer/ sepatage connections
provided under AMRUT Mission.
• About 88 lakh street lights were replaced with energy ef cient LED lights leading to energy savings.
• 84.6 lakh tons carbon footprint was reduced through various initiatives under AMRUT
Smart city mission
• GoI launched the 100 smart cities mission in 2015.
• The objective is to integrate city functions, utilize scarce resources more ef ciently, and improve the
quality of life of citizens.
• Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) equip cities to do more with less by graduating to
real time data driven decision making with better situational awareness in an integrated manner.
• The ICCCs set up under the Mission are meant to coordinate traf c management, surveillance,
utilities and grievance redressal.
• The municipalities used their Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) as war rooms for
Covid-19 response under the Smart Cities Mission.
Progress
• Around 70 cities have developed and operationalised Integrated Command and Control Centres
(ICCCs) under Smart Cities Mission.
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
13
Call 6280133177 and Play Store
fi
fi
fiT.me/SleepyClasses
4. Security
4.1.Drones are now a favoured terror tool
• The dropping of explosive devices from drones in the technical area of the Air Force Station in Jammu
triggering blasts recently was the rst such instance in India.
Recent incidents
• The Air Force Station is about 14 km from the border.
• Though the local police suspect that the drones were own from across the border, it is yet to be
established beyond doubt
• Pakistan-based syndicates using drones to smuggle drugs and weapons into the Indian side, apart
from conducting aerial surveillance.
• According to government gures, 167 drone sightings in 2019 and 77 in 2020 were recorded along
the border with Pakistan.
• In January 2021, the Jammu & Kashmir Police caught two persons while they were picking up a
consignment of 16 grenades, two AK-74 ri es, nine AK magazines, a pistol and ammunition, which
were smuggled via drones.
• Inanother case, the Punjab Police seized 11 grenades that were air-dropped from Pakistan in
December 2020.
• In October 2020, the Army shot down one drone along the Line of Control in the Keran sector of J&K.
• On September 21, 2019, the Punjab Police had busted a pro-Khalistan terror module and seized ve
AK-47 assault ri es with 16 magazines, four pistols of China make with eight magazines, nine
grenades, 472 cartridges, ₹10 lakh in counterfeit currency, and ve satellite phone sets. That
consignment had also been dropped by drones
Challenges
• Drones y low and therefore cannot be detected by any radar system.
• The use of drones by Pakistan-based elements has been a major cause of concern.
• Weaponised drones were rst used by the Islamic State in northern Iraq in 2016 and then in Syria.
• Anti-drone jammers cannot be that effective in the border areas, but they can be deployed at
security-sensitive installations to prevent such attacks in future
• Another emerging challenge for the security forces is the increasing use of improvised explosive
devices.
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
14
and Play Store Call 6280133177
fl
fl
fi
fi
fi
fl
fl
fi
fiT.me/SleepyClasses
Value addition for Mains
www.sleepyclasses.com Available on App Store
15
Call 6280133177 and Play StoreT.me/SleepyClasses
Current affairs Worksheet (26th - 28th June 2021)
Factual sheet for Quick revision
Available on App Store www.sleepyclasses.com
16
and Play Store Call 6280133177You can also read
