Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 16th Nov 2021

NEWS

First Audit Diwas is being celebrated on 16 November 2021

DETAILS

• Being celebrated to mark the historic origins of the institution of CAG and the contribution it has made to the governance, transparency and accountability over the past several years.
• Comptroller and Auditor General of India - Constitutional Authority - Under Article 148
• Empowered to Audit all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the State Governments, including those of autonomous bodies and corporations substantially financed by the Government.
• G. C. Murmu is the current CAG of India

NEWS

Stem cells from late kannada actor Puneeth’s eyes to help many regain vision. corneal epithelial stem cells are being cultured to treat people who may lose vision due to eye injuries such as cracker burns, chemical and acid injuries.

STEM CELLS

STEM CELLS

• Special human cells that can develop into many different types of cells, from muscle cells to brain cells
• Have the ability to repair the damaged cells
• Have strong healing power
• Evolve into any types of cell
• Stem cells are of the following different types:
  • Embryonic Stem Cells
  • Adult Stem Cells
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
  • Mesenchymal stem cells

STEM CELL THERAPY

• Also known as regenerative medicine
• Promotes the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives.
• Can then be implanted into a person.
• Diseases like SCID, leukaemia, Alzheimers, all happen because of certain genetic defect or modifications.
• Can replace the genetic defect in the stem cells itself which will give rise to healthy cells.

NEWS

India has successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica with the arrival of the first batch of its contingent at the southern white continent.

DETAILS

• Has two major programs

• The first program
  • Encompasses geological exploration of the Amery ice shelf at Bharati station
  • Help explore the link between India and Antarctica in the past
• The second program
  • Involves reconnaissance surveys and preparatory work for drilling of 500 meters of ice core near Maitri
  • Will help in improving the understanding of Antarctic climate, westerly winds, sea-ice and greenhouse gases from a single climate archive for past 10,000 years. 
• The ice core drilling will be done in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and the Norwegian Polar Institute.
• Replenish the annual supplies of food, fuel, provisions, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati.

OTHER INFO

The Indian Antarctic program

• Began in 1981
• Has completed 40 scientific expeditions
• Built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica, named DakshinGangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012)
• Maitri and Bharati are fully operational

The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa—an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences—manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.

IMPORTANT SCIENCE SCHEMES

NEWS

Prime minister discussed important schemes that inspired children to dream of future with S&T at an event

DETAILS

The MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge) awards programme

• Under the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research' (INSPIRE) scheme
• Flagship programme of DST
• Targets to generate one million original ideas/innovations rooted in science and societal applications
• Foster a culture of creativity and innovative thinking among school children specially between Class 6 to 10.
• Awards are being executed by DST with National Innovation Foundation – India (NIF), an autonomous body of DST

Vigyan Jyoti programme

• By DST
• Encouraging around 10000 young girls of Class IX-XII in 100 districts of the country to pursue higher education in underrepresented areas of STEM, in higher educational institutions of excellence
• Provides a scholarship, visit to nearby scientific institutions, science camps, lecturers from eminent women scientists, and career counseling.

The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)

• Mentorship and scholarship support is provided to pursue study in Basic Sciences.
• Administered and implemented by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore
• Identifies students with talent and aptitude for research, helps them realize their potential to attract exceptionally motivated students to study science and pursue careers in research.

National Science Olympiad Programme

• Aims at promoting excellence in Science and Mathematics among pre-university students
• Homi Bhaba Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Mumbai is the nodal organization for selection and training of students is done through Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) for participation of students at various International Olympiads meet.

The India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP)

• Is a tripartite initiative of DST, Lockheed Martin and Tata Trusts
• Aims at selecting innovations to create large scale social impact and bring industrial transformation in India.
• Aims to support Government of India’s ‘Start-up India’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives.
• Grants to winners seek to enable their prototyping the proposed technology solutions and begin the process of evaluating and applying these technologies and solutions for social, commercial and industrial benefit.

NEWS

The government is considering reopening the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara corridor to Pakistan this week to allow Sikh pilgrims to cross over, more than 20 months after it was shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

ABOUT KARTARPUR CORRIDOR

• The corridor – often dubbed as the “Road to Peace” – will connect Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.
• The construction of the corridor will allow visa-free access to pilgrims from India.
• The proposal for the corridor has been on the table since 1988, but tense relations between the two countries led to the delay.
• The gurdwara in Kartarpur stands on the bank of the Ravi, about 120 km northeast of Lahore.
• It was here that Guru Nanak assembled a Sikh community and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539.
• The shrine is visible from the Indian side, as Pakistani authorities generally trim the elephant grass that would otherwise obstruct the view.
• Indian Sikhs gather in large numbers for darshan from the Indian side, and binoculars are installed at Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak.

SNIPPETS

• A jackfruit tree at Janagere village in Magadi taluk is believed to be State’s oldest tree of this variety and one of the oldest in the country is now in the limelight as agricultural and horticultural scientists are striving to get “heritage tree” status for it. The tree has a massive canopy. With a height of 19.5 m and a trunk girth of 6.5 m, it is visible from a long distance to visitors who come to this village during summer to taste its fruits.
• Babasaheb Purandare, a noted Historian and writer of India, has passed away. :He is being credited with writing the first historical work on 16th century Great Maratha king Chattrapati Shivaji. He is best known for his book Raja Shiv Chhatrapati and popular play Janata Raja.
• The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Environment Ministry has recommended phase-III of the eight-lane expressway between Chennai and Bengaluru for environment clearance. The project, implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), passes through Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and Vellore, Ranipet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu.The total length of the alignment is 106.10 km, starting from Ramapuram in Chittoor to Irungattukottai in Sriperumbudur taluk.
• Indian navy participates in india, singapore and thailand trilateral maritime exercise ‘sitmex’