Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 22nd Feb 2022

NEWS

With Shuchi Scheme delayed, girls face tough time in rural Karnataka

SHUCHI SCHEME

• Started in 2013-14
• A menstrual hygiene project, aims at  distribution of sanitary napkins
• Aimed at instilling awareness about menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls
• Central government has supported the States/UTs through National Health Mission (NHM) in their programme implementation plans for decentralised procurement of sanitary napkin packs
• A national level scheme- Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY) of the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development seeks to empower adolescent girls, so as to enable them to take charge of their lives

NEWS

The Supreme Court asked the Union and the State governments to respond to a petition to enforce the fundamental duties of citizens, including patriotism and unity of the nation, through “comprehensive, well-defined laws”.

FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES

Added by 42nd and 86th Constitutional Amendment acts

List of Fundamental Duties in Article 51 A

• To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, National Flag, and National Anthem.
• To cherish and follow the noble ideals that inspired the national struggle for freedom.
• To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.
• To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so.
• To promote harmony and the spirit of brotherhood among all the ppl of India, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities, and to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women.
• To value and preserve the rich heritage of the county’s composite culture.
• To protect and improve the natural environment (forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife) and to have compassion for living creatures.
• To develop the scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
• To safeguard public property and to adjure violence.
• To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to a higher level of endeavor and achievement.
• To provide opportunities for education to his child or ward between the age of 6 – 14yrs – added in the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002.

NEWS

Recently, Prime Minister flagged off 100 kisan drones in different cities and towns of India, in order to help farmers in spraying pesticides in their farms

DETAILS

WHAT IS DRONE

Layman terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA)

Three subsets - Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Autonomous Aircraft and Model Aircraft

Five categories based on their weight (existing rules)-

• Nano : Less than or equal to 250 grams.
• Micro : From 250 grams to 2kg.
• Small : From 2 kg to 25kg.
• Medium : From 25kg to 150kg.
• Large : Greater than 150kg.

DRONE SHAKTI SCHEME

• Announced in Union Budget 2022
• Pushed for promoting drones by means of start-ups and skilling at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)
• Start-ups will be promoted in a bid to facilitate ‘Drone Shakti’ for Drone-As-A-Service (DrAAS)
• Courses for skilling will also be started in some selected ITIs across the States

• An infection becomes endemic when the rates become static in a given geographical location
• Pathogen causing the disease — SARS-CoV-2 in this case — is likely to remain in circulation without causing large outbreaks as witnessed over the last two years.
• Experts say they cannot give a deadline on when the disease will become endemic in case of India
• An important determinant for whether we can “technically” say that the disease is endemic would be a representative sero-survey (population-level survey of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2) and laboratory susceptibility studies

NEWS

President of India took  part in the Indian Navy’s 12th Presidential Fleet Review

WHAT IS THE PRESIDENT’S FLEET REVIEW?

• In simplest terms, it is the country’s President taking stock of the Navy’s capability
• Showcases all types of ships and capabilities the Navy has
• Takes place once under every President, who is the supreme commander of the armed forces
• President is taken on one of the Naval ships, which is called the President’s Yacht, to look at all the ships docked on one of the Naval ports
• President’s Yacht this year is an indigenously built Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel, INS Sumitra, which will lead the Presidential Column which is distinguished by the Ashoka Emblem on her side and will fly the President’s Standard on the Mast
• President will be given a 21-gun salute before embarking on the yacht
• The idea is to showcase not all the Navy’s ships, but every type of ship — and the kind of capabilities it has at that time
• President will also be reviewing the Indian Naval Air Arm in a display of spectacular fly-past by several helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft

OTHER INFO

• First was conducted in 1953, under Dr Rajendra Prasad
• Next one was done not by the President but by the then Defence Minister, Y B Chavan, in 1964
• The longest gap between reviews was of 12 years — between 1989 (President R Venkatraman) and when 2001 (President K R Narayanan)
• Last one was done in 2016, under President Pranab Mukherjee
• The reviews in 2001 and 2016 were International Fleet Reviews, in which some vessels from other countries also participated
• The Indian Navy too has participated in international fleet reviews in other countries, including Australia, America, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, and the UK.

NEWS

48th edition of Khajuraho Dance Festival was recently held

KHAJURAHO DANCE FESTIVAL 2022

•  48th edition of this festival
• Madhya Pradesh State Rupankar Kala Award and National Kalidas Award for dance will be presented to the various artists
• Feature a number of major events which will focus on the cultural landscape of the various genres of Indian dance
• Visitors will be able to see an exhibition focusing on Kathak-Nepathya, as well as art displays from other countries and conversations with art experts and artists

KHAJURAHO DANCE FESTIVAL

• Organised by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad
• One-week festival of classical dances
• Held annually beside the Khajuraho temples in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh
• Conducted in February from the 20th to the 26th
• Highlights the richness of the Indian classical dance styles such as Kathak, Bharathanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, and Kathakali with performances of some of the best exponents in the field
• Modern Indian dance has been added recently
• The dances are performed in an open-air auditorium, usually in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to Surya (the Sun God) and the Vishvanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, belonging to the western group

KHAJURAHO TEMPLES

• Built between 950-1050 AD by the Chandela Dynasty
• The monuments include Hindu and Jain temples
• Situated within Vindhya Mountain range
• Got the status of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in 1986.
• Nagara-style architectural symbolism.
• Reported for the first time by Abu Rihan al Biruni in AD 1022 and Ibn Battuta in AD 1335

• PM condoles the passing away of noted Gandhian Shakuntala Choudhary
• Government hosted the “Janbhagidari Empowerment” portal in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in line with government’s digital mission. It provides detailed insights to people into nature, status as well as number of developmental works that are being executed in their areas.
• Assam government is set to launch a four-year mentorship programme called Project Arohan in collaboration with Tata STRIVE ( skill development initiative by Tata Community Initiatives Trust ). Aim is to provide guidance to students and boost their skills