Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 13th July 2021

What is in news : Tamilnadu has passed a resolution urging center not to give permission to Karnataka to implement Mekedaatu

Mekedaatu project

• What is Mekedaatu : Deep gorge situated at the confluence of the rivers Cauvery and Arkavathi
• Location : Kanakapura Taluk, Ramnagara District
• Announced by : Government of Karnataka in 2013
• Purpose : Generate hydro-electricity to meet the power needs of the state.
• Why is TN opposing : According to TN, Project will affect the natural flow of the river Cauvery considerably and will severely affect the irrigation in TN

What is in news : Karnataka to raise state development loans from RBI

MAHITI FOR PRELIMS

• What are state development loans : Dated securities issued by states for meeting their market borrowings requirements
• Purpose : Meet the budgetary needs of state governments
• Will there be a limit on borrowing : Yes, it will be specifed by RBI
• Who buys SDLs : RBI, commercial banks, mutual funds, insurance companies. Other players than Government get a higher interest rate
• Interest rates are determined by auctions
• They  are traded electronically on the RBI managed NDS-OM (Negotiated Dealing System-Order Matching) and traded in the voice market (NDS)

POLITY

What is in news :Election for Appointment of Speaker in Maharashtra legislature is stalled due to Covid reasons

How they are elected

• Article 178 speaks about Speaker and Deputy Speaker of state legislature
• There is no time limit nor  the process for  elections specified for election
• Legislatures to decide how to hold these elections. In Lok Sabha and state legislatures
• The President/Governor sets a date for the election of the Speaker
• Speaker who decides the date for the election of the Deputy Speaker
• Legislators of the respective Houses vote to elect one among themselves to these offices.

Facts : Haryana and Uttar Pradesh specify a time-frame for holding the election to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker's offices.

What is in news : Inflation has remained above 6%

Other details :

RBI estimate of inflation for 2021-22 was 5.1%

MAHITI FOR PRELIMS

What is inflation : Inflation refers to the rise in the prices of most goods and services of daily or common use, such as food, clothing, housing, recreation, transport, consumer staples, etc.

How is inflation measured in India - By consumer price index and wholesale price index

Other details :

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) uses CPI data to control inflation.
• In April 2014, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had adopted the CPI as its key measure of inflation.
• Inflation measures the average price change in a basket of commodities and services over time.
• Inflation is indicative of the decrease in the purchasing power of a unit of a country’s currency.

What is in news : At least 30 people were killed in separate incidents of lightning in various parts of the country in the past 24 hours.

What is lightning, and how does it strike:

DEFINITION

• Lightning is a very rapid -- and massive -- discharge of electricity in the atmosphere, some of which is directed towards the Earth's surface
• These discharges are generated in giant moisture-bearing clouds that are 10-12 km tall. The base of these clouds typically lies within 1-2 km of the Earth's surface, while their top is 12-13 km away.
• Temperatures towards the top of these clouds are in the range of minus 35 to minus 45 degrees Celsius.

FORMATION PROCESS

• As water vapour moves upward in the cloud, the falling temperature causes it to condense. Heat is generated in the process, which pushes the molecules of water further up.
• As they move to temperatures below zero degrees celsius, the water droplets change into small ice crystals. They continue to move up, gathering mass -- until they are so heavy that they start to fall to Earth.
• This leads to a system in which, simultaneously, smaller ice crystals are moving up and bigger crystals are coming down.
• Collisions follow, and trigger the release of electrons -- a process that is very similar to the generation of sparks of electricity. As the moving free electrons cause more collisions and more electrons, a chain reaction ensues.
• This process results in a situation in which the top layer of the cloud gets positively charged, while the middle layer is negatively charged. The electrical potential difference between the two layers is huge -- of the order of a billion to 10 billion volts. In very little time, a massive current, of the order of 100,000 to a million amperes, starts to flow between the layers.
• An enormous amount of heat is produced, and this leads to the heating of the air column between the two layers of the cloud. This heat gives the air column a reddish appearance during lightning. As the heated air column expands, it produces shock waves that result in thunder.

How does this current reach the Earth from the cloud: While the Earth is a good conductor of electricity, it is electrically neutral. However, in comparison to the middle layer of the cloud, it becomes positively charged. As a result, about 15%-20% of the current gets directed towards the Earth as well. It is this flow of current that results in damage to life and property on Earth.

Location : Korba district of Chhattisgarh

What is in news : Chhattisgarh government has proposed to reduce the area of Lemru Elephant Reserve from 1,995 sq km to 450 sq km.

Why the move : To enable mining of coal as the area has rich reserves of coal

Fact : Elephant reserves are not recognised under Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

About the reserve : The reserve is aiming at reducing human-animal conflict and destruction of property in addition to providing a permanent habitat to the elephants.

Other Protected Areas in Chhattisgarh:

• Achanakmar Tiger Reserve.
• Indravati Tiger Reserve.
• Sitanadi-Udanti Tiger Reserve
• Kanger Valley National Park
• Badalkhol Tamor Pingla Elephant Reserve.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

What is in news: The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has provided tap water supply to more than 97 lakh households in five JE-AES (Japanese Encephalitis-Acute Encephalitis Syndrome) affected states.

Other details :

• The five states with priority districts are Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
• JJM envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
• The Jal Shakti Ministry is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the scheme.

ABOUT AES

• Characterized as acute-onset of fever and a change in mental status (mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma) and/or new-onset of seizures in a person of any age at any time
• Most commonly affects children and young adults
• Can lead to considerable morbidity and mortality.
• Viruses are the main causative agents(Also - bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals, toxins and non-infectious agents)
• Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the major cause of AES in India
• AES outbreaks in north and eastern India have been linked to children eating unripe litchi fruit on empty stomachs which contain the toxins hypoglycin A and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG)
• The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) in India has set up countrywide surveillance for AES through sentinel sites with a focus on detecting Japanese Encephalitis (JEV). In the sentinel surveillance network, AES/JE is diagnosed by IgM Antibody Capture ELISA, and virus isolation is done in the National Reference Laboratory.
• Government Initiatives:
  • Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Strengthening and expanding JE vaccination, Strengthening of public health activities, Better clinical management of JE/AES Cases etc.
  • Ministry of Jal Shakti for the provision of safe water supply.
  • Women and Child development for providing high-quality nutrition to vulnerable children.
  • Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for establishing District Disability Rehabilitation Centers for disability management and rehabilitation.
  • Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for ensuring the supply of safe water in slums and towns.
  • Ministry of Education to provide special facilities for disabled children for their education.

By : World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

Highlights :

• Human-animal conflict is one of the main threats for long-term survival of world’s most iconic species.
• Conflict-related deaths affect more than 75 per cent of world’s wild cat species.
• It also affects polar bears, Mediterranean monk seals and large herbivores like elephants.
• Global wildlife populations have decreased by 68 per cent since 1970 because of conflicts.
• What does report highlights about India?
• In India, human-elephant conflict resulted into killing of 500 elephants and 2361 people during 2014-2015 and 2018-2019.
• India is going to be most-affected by human-wildlife conflict because of having world’s second-largest human population and large populations of tigers, Asiatic
• Need of the hour : Well-planned and integrated approaches can be adopted in order to reduce conflicts

• Karnataka is set to have a separate cadre of ‘scene of crime officers’, a first in the country.The pool will create resources who specialise in identification, collection and preservation of evidence at the scene of crime, and identifying, recording and collecting evidence at the crime scene. The officers will have an equivalent rank of police sub-inspector and will be part of the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories.
• Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Monday said the National Archives’ records related to freedom fighters would be digitised within a year as a part of the commemoration of 75 years of Independence next year.
• The RBI on Monday announced the unveiling of a scheme under which retail investors will be allowed to open retail direct gilt accounts (RDG) directly with the central bank.This account can be opened through a dedicated online portal, which will provide registered users access to primary issuance of government securities and to NDS-OM.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year
• Famous Kerala Ayurveda Doctor P K Warrier, who almost single-handedly transformed Kerala ayurveda from a localised, tradition-bound treatment to a globally renowned healing system passed away
• Five new portals on Ayush Sector have been launched - CTRI (Clinical Trial Registry of India), RMIS (Research Management Information System), SAHI (Showcase of Ayurveda Historical Imprints), AMAR (Ayush Manuscripts Advanced Repository), and e-Medha (electronic Medical Heritage Accession).
• International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a Global Mobility Aids Action Group in a bid to examine and improve transport journey of mobility aids, such as wheelchairs.

• LIQUIDITY BUFFER refers to the stock of liquid assets that a banking organization manages to enable it to meet expected and unexpected cash flows and collateral needs without adversely affecting the banking organization's daily operations.

• This model was developed by WWF India in Sonitpur district of Assam where, destruction of forests had led elephants to raid crops. This was causing deaths of humans as well as elephants. 
• Developed during 2003-2004Model aims to reduce the man-animal conflict.
• Under this model, community members are connected with state forest department. Community members are given training regarding how to work in field and drive elephants away from crop fields safely.
• WWF India also developed a low-cost, single strand, non-lethal electric fence in a bid to ease guarding of crops from elephants. As a result of this model, crop losses reduced to zero and Human & elephant deaths also reduced.