Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 7th May 2022

NEWS : BBMP begins Bio-mining of Mandur Landfill process

DETAILS

• Project
  • Being implemented under the ‘Shubra Bengaluru’ programme
  • Needs approval of Urban Development Department (UDD)
  • Aims to reclaim 80 acres of prime land to be used for other purposes
• The huge legacy waste is also polluting groundwater and is a threat to the local ecology
• State government had allocated special grants to biomine the landfill in 2019-20
• Biomining can reclaim the land that has been causing air and water pollution
• BBMP’s detailed project report shows 35% of the dumping yard is made of soil and stones, while 20% is organic material; 15% of the landfill is plastic and fiber

BIOMINING

• Mineral processing with microbes
• Microorganisms (microbes) are used to extract metals of economic interest from rock ores or mine waste
• May also be used to clean up sites that have been polluted with metals.
• Valuable metals are commonly bound up in solid minerals. Some microbes can oxidize Happens in three steps: pre-stabilisation and bioremediation of waste, segregation and processing, and safe disposal

 NEWS : India’s first INDIAN GAUR safari to be set up in Shivamogga district

DETAILS

• Will be set up by Zoo Authority of Karnataka
• Coming up on the outskirts of Shivamogga at Tyavarekoppa
• Fourth in Shivamogga after lion, tiger and herbivore safari
• Proposal to shift 21 gaur from the Mysuru zoo to Shivamogga is before the CZA

INDIAN GAUR

• Also called Indian Bison
• Close wild relative of domestic cattle.
• Best habitat is forested hills and grassy areas of south to south east Asia, with undisturbed tracts of forest, water sources and abundant forage in the form of coarse grasses, shrubs and trees
• Native to South and Southeast Asia
• Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
• State animal of Goa
• Highly threatened by poaching for trade to supply international markets and loss of habitats
• The Western Ghats and their outflanking hills in southern India constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur, in particular in the Wayanad – Nagarhole – Mudumalai – Bandipur complex. And also spotted in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project , Periyar Tiger Reserve , Silent Valley  National Park, Kanha National park and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

NEWS : NeoBank Open of Bengaluru becomes 100^th unicorn of India

DETAILS

• The term ‘Unicorn’ refers to the rarest of the rare startups who become Unicorns attaining a valuation of more than USD 1 billion
• The Indian Startup Ecosystem, the third-largest in the world in number of Unicorns, as of 5th May 2022, is home to 100 unicorns with a total valuation of USD 332.7 billion
• 2021 experienced a huge surge in the number of unicorns, registering a total of 44 startups entering the Unicorn club through the year with a total valuation of USD 93 billion.
• In the first four months of 2022, India has given birth to 14 unicorns with a total valuation of USD 18.9 billion.
• Since the launch of the Startup India initiative on 16th January 2016, more than 69,000 startups have been recognized in the country till 2nd May 2022.
• Innovation in India is not just limited to certain sectors; we have recognized startups solving problems in 56 diverse sectors with 13% from IT services, 9% healthcare and life sciences, 7% education, 5% professional and commercial services, 5% agriculture, and 5% food & beverages

COMMON FEATURES OF UNICORNS

• Disruptive innovation: Mostly, all the unicorns have brought a disruption in the field they belong to, for example, Uber transformed commuting.
• Technology-driven: The business model is driven by the latest technological innovations and trends.
• Consumer-focused:  Their goal is to simplify things for consumers and be a part of their day-to-day life.
• Affordability: Keeping things affordable is another key highlight of these startups.
• Privately owned: Most of the unicorns are privately owned which gets their valuation bigger when an established company invests in it.
• Software-based: A recent report suggests that 87% of the unicorns’ products are software, 7% are hardware and the rest 6% are other products & services.

Karnataka to implement E-Manas across the state. -Manas is an internet based, statewide registry of mental health professionals, establishments and patients. It was developed by NIMHANS and International Institute of Information Technology, Bengaluru (IIITB).