Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

What is the news : Residents of Bengaluru, recently witnessed a Solar Halo.

What is  a Halo:

• Halo  is the name for a family of optical phenomena produced by light (typically from the Sun or Moon) interacting with ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.

• Halos can have many forms, ranging from coloured or white rings to arcs and spots in the sky.
• Many of these appear near the Sun or Moon, but others occur elsewhere or even in the opposite part of the sky.
• Among the best known halo types are the circular halo (properly called the 22° halo), light pillars, and sun dogs, but many others occur; some are fairly common while others are (extremely) rare.

How is a Halo formed :

• The ice crystals responsible for halos are typically suspended in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds in the upper troposphere (5–10 km (3.1–6.2 mi)), but in cold weather they can also float near the ground, in which case they are referred to as diamond dust.
• The particular shape and orientation of the crystals are responsible for the type of halo observed. Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split into colours because of dispersion.
• The crystals behave like prisms and mirrors, refracting and reflecting light between their faces, sending shafts of light in particular directions.
• Atmospheric optical phenomena like halos were used as part of weather lore, which was an empirical means of weather forecasting before meteorology was developed.
• They often do indicate that rain will fall within the next 24 hours, since the cirrostratus clouds that cause them can signify an approaching frontal system.

Note : Other common types of optical phenomena involving water droplets rather than ice crystals include the glory and rainbow.

JACKFRUITS FROM KARNATAKA

What is the news : Bengaluru on Tuesday exported a whopping 10.2 metric tonnes of gumless jackfruit powder and jackfruit cubes to Germany.

Details:

• The consignment consisting of jackfruit flour, largely used in the baking industry as part of the gluten-free movement, and jackfruit cubes were exported to Germany via sea route
• Sourced from various parts of Karnataka to meet the growing demand for vegan products in European countries, the organic jackfruits were processed at the pack house of the Bengaluru-based Phalada Agro Research Foundation.
• Jackfruit is often chosen as an alternative to shredded meat in the West, due to its texture and rich fibre content besides being packed with almost every vitamin, protein and mineral needed by us. The fruit and its products are in great demand overseas
• As jackfruit crop does not require any spray or maintenance, it is free from pesticides or other chemical content, providing wholesome nutrient at affordable costs. Besides turning out to be an additional income to our farmers and doubling their income as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fruits that are usually left to rot are fed into the mainstream. Realising the economic importance of the tree, no one will cut it, thus aiding conservation
• Assisted by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Phalada has processed raw jackfruits sourced from Malnad, coastal Karnataka and other places.
• Phalada is an agro company registered with APEDA and consists of 1,500 farmers holding about 12,000 acres, cultivating medicinal, aromatic herbs, coconut, jackfruit, mango, spices and coffee, using organic methods.

What is the news : A miniature sculpture of Lord Buddha was discovered at Alembi in 76 Badagabettu village, a local suburb in Udupi

Details :

• The sculpture was found in the debris excavated from a well near an abandoned temple.
• the sculpture's height is 9 cm and its width is about 2 cm. It was made out of soft sandstone and looks like a replica of Saranath Buddha.
• It is the first-of-its-kind miniature sculpture found in Karnataka as well as in Udupi. The Lord Buddha is carved beautifully and he is seated on a lotus pedestal in Dharma Chakra Pravarthana Mudre delivering his first sermon at a deer park. Below the seat, six disciples are seated on either side of the Dharma Chakra. Buddha is seen in clothes and he is wearing earrings. A small Ushnisha is shown on the top of the head. In the back of his head, a beautifully carved round lobe is also seen. On the top corners, two Yakshas and on either side of his backload, two-winged horses are also carved
• In the same vicinity, a Brahmi inscription, dating back to the 4th to 5th century, was also discovered in the past. Traditionally, ancient Tulunadu was said to be ruled by the Kadambas of Banavasi. Guptas and Kadambas of Banavasi had matrimonial relations. Therefore, the discovery of Lord Buddha's image is not unusual.
• Sarnath, located just 12 km from the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, is the site of the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma after his enlightenment. Sarnath is one of four holy Buddhist sites sanctioned by the Buddha himself for pilgrimage.

KARNATAKA TO ELIMINATE SINGLE USE PLASTIC

What is the news : The State government has constituted a State-level special task force under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary to the government for preparing a comprehensive action plan for elimination of single-use plastics (SUP) and implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and implementing it in mission mode

Details:

• The State government has constituted a State-level special task force under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary to the government for preparing a comprehensive action plan for elimination of single-use plastics (SUP) and implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and implementing it in mission mode.
• The task force has 16 members, including the chairman. The meetings of the task force will be convened once in two months, said an order. The State government designates the Directorate of Municipal Administration as the nodal department for urban areas and Rural Drinking water and Sanitation Department as nodal department for rural areas.
• In Bengaluru, the task force would be set up under the Chief Commissioner of BBMP. In districts, it will be under Deputy Commissioners.
• The terms of reference for State-level task force includes assessment of plastic waste generated in State with respect to collection, recycling and end of life disposal and identify gaps in plastic waste management (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) - policy, implementation, enforcement, infrastructure etc.
• It has been asked to suggest measures for strengthening policy, regulatory, institutional mechanisms/structures for the implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 and phasing out of single use plastic in the State; develop policies for supporting the adoption of alternatives to identified single-use plastic items prohibited under PWMR, 2016; take measures to strengthen ULBs/GPs for segregation, collection, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of plastic waste, among others.

What is the Jews : The CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru has come up with an ozone-based disinfection system which can also be used for combating transmission of droplet infections like COVID-19.

Details :

• Ordinarily, any premises that is sprayed with hypo/formaldehyde or any other chemical compounds for sterilization or disinfection needs to be closed for around 2-24 hours. But, through ozone-based disinfection, a room or any premises is safe to enter in 20 to 30 minutes
• when other chemical disinfectants are sprayed in a room having electronic items, there can be corrosion over a period of time. Comparatively, ozone is safe as it is used in extremely small (calculated in parts per million) quantities

What is the news : A committee was set up by National Green Tribunal (NGT) to submit report on alleged violation of norms in construction of a reservoir across Cauvery river at Mekedatu in Karnataka.

Details :

• NGT bench consisting of Justice K Ramakrishnan took suo motu cognizance of newspaper report regarding the dam. Report states Karnataka proposes to construct a dam across Cauvery river even though proposal was deferred by Cauvery Water Management Authority twice in past because of opposition from Tamil Nadu government.
• About Committee: Senior members of Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited; Integrated Regional Office of MoEF, Bangalore and Cauvery Water Management Authority are members of the committee.  NGT has directed the committee to ask whether construction activity as alleged in newspaper report has been started before obtaining necessary clearance from Forest Department and MoEF under Forest Conservation Act and EIA Notification, 2006.
• Mekedatu Project: The project was approved by Karnataka in 2017.  Rs 9,000 crore worth project started was with the aim of storing and supplying drinking water for Bengaluru city. It will also generate 400 megawatts of power. It is undertaken at deep gorge situated at the confluence of river Cauvery and its tributary Arkavathi.
• Why Tamil Nadu is opposing the project: Tamil Nadu opposes any proposed project in upper riparian unless it is approved by Supreme Court. Further, Karnataka started the project without the consent and clearance which goes against the final order of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT). In the order, SC held- “no state can claim exclusive ownership to deprive other states of waters of inter-state rivers”.

What is the news : In a move that is expected to help curb tax evasion, Goods and Services Tax (GST) authorities will now be able to track real-time data of commercial vehicle (CV) movement on highways by integration of the e-way bill (EWB) system with FASTag and RFID. The integration of e-way bill, RFID/FASTag will allow live vigilance for e-way bill compliances by businesses and help prevent revenue leakage by real-time identification of cases of recycling of e-way bills or non-generation of e-way bills.

What is the new system?

• Tax officers can now access reports about vehicles that have passed the selected tolls without e-way bills in the past few minutes. They can also view details of vehicles carrying critical commodities specific to the state that have passed the selected toll.
• Further, tax authorities can view details of any suspicious vehicles and vehicles of e-way bills generated by suspicious taxpayer GST identification numbers (GSTINs) that have passed the selected toll on a near real-time basis.
• Officers can use these reports while conducting vigilance and make the vigilance activity more effective. Moreover, officers of the audit and enforcement wing can use these reports to identify fraudulent transactions like bill trading, recycling of e-way bills.
• From January 1, 2021, RFID/FASTag has been integrated with the e-way bill system and a transporter is required to have a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag in his vehicle and details of the e-way bill generated for goods being carried by the vehicles are uploaded into the RFID system.
• When a vehicle passes the RFID tag reader on the highway, the details fed into the device get uploaded on the government portal.
• The information is later used by revenue authorities to validate the supplies made by a GST registered person.

What are e-way bills?

• Under the indirect tax regime, e-way bills have been made mandatory for inter-state transportation of goods valued over Rs 50,000 from April 2018, with exemption to precious item such as gold. On an average, 25 lakh goods vehicle movements from more than 800 tolls are reported on a daily basis to the e-way bill system.
• Of this, only 7 crore bills were verified by tax officers. In the 2020-21 fiscal, 61.68 crore e-way bills were generated, of which 2.27 crore were picked up for verification.
• The top five states which generated the maximum number of e-way bills for inter-state movement of goods are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

About Radio-frequency identification (RFID):

• Aim : Managing and locating important assets is a key challenge for almost any business.
• Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify, read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object.
• There are two types of RFID Tags:
  • Active RFID Tags:
    • They are typically larger and more expensive than passive tags, and offer longer read ranges that in some cases can extend up to 100m.
    • However, active tags typically have a more limited lifespan than passive tags.
  • Passive RFID Tags:
    • They are typically smaller and less expensive than active tags, although their read ranges are shorter.
    • Passive RFID tags have no power of their own and are powered by the radio frequency energy transmitted from RFID readers/antennas.
• Significance of RFID technology in transport Sector:
  • RFID or radio frequency identification devices enable vehicles to electronically pay charges at toll plazas and ensure seamless movement.
  • The RFID system will allow the automatic collection of toll tax and environment compensation charge from commercial vehicles entering the city.
  • The RFID project, by phasing out cash transactions and human interaction, is meant to reduce the time spent at the toll plazas by vehicles.

MCA 21 - VERSION 3

What is the news : First phase of India’s first mission mode e-governance project, MCA21 was launched recently.

What is MCA21?

It is an online portal of corporate affairs ministry. Launched in 2006, the portal has made all the information related to company, accessible to stakeholders and general public.

MCA21 Mission Mode Project

This e-governance initiative was launched in 2002 by Ministry of Corporate Affairs, after facing the challenge of providing service to about 7.5 lakh corporate entities. It is one among 31Mision Mode Projects of National e-Governance Plan. Project is being implemented by Tata Consultancy Services under Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model.

About MCA21 Version 3.0

• MCA21 version 3.0 was highlighted during budget 2021-2022. This project makes use of new technologies to streamline corporate compliance and experiences of stakeholders. It will be implemented in two phases for which second and third phase will be launched in October 2021. First phase of the project consists of new email services for MCA officers, revamped website, eBook and eConsultation.
• Aim of the Project

1. Promote Ease of Doing Business,
2. Strengthen the enforcement,
3. Facilitate seamless integration and
4. Exchange data among regulators and
5. Enhance user experience.

What is the news : Recently, India Biodiversity Awards 2021 were presented on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22.

Details :

The India Biodiversity Awards initiative was started jointly by ministry of environment, forest & climate change; National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2012. It recognizes and honour outstanding models from grassroot level for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and governance.

LIST OF WINNERS

• KRAPAVIS won the prestigious award for its support to communities in restoring water harvesting structures, recharge wells & water tables. It also helped to plant million trees of local varieties in Orans.
• Mr. Shaji was conferred the award as he conserves about 200 tuber crops such as greater yam, elephant foot yam, lesser yam, arrowroot, sweet potato, Chinese potato and colocasia, in his farm. He has received State awards seven times for his contribution.
• KNCTS was established on December 11, 1998. Sanctuary was awarded as it helps in maintaining biodiversity in Khonoma area which is inhabited by several endemic plants and animals.

What is the news : Forest Department of Odisha has witnessed an adult Gharial surrounded by 28 hatchlings at Satkosia gorge in Mahanadi river which is considered as southernmost limit of gharials’ home range in India.

Significance : It is considered result of conservation measures of forest department

The Gharial

• Gharial, also called as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian of family Gavialidae. It is one among longest of all living crocodilians. Mature females are 2.6–4.5 m long while and males are 3–6 m long. They are called as Gharial because they have a distinct boss at the end of snout, resembling an earthenware pot or ghara. They are well adapted to catching fish.
• Background: It is believed that gharial evolved in northern Indian subcontinent. Because, Fossil gharial remains were collected from Pliocene deposits in Shivalik Hills and Narmada River valley.
• Natural Habitat: Currently, Gharials inhabit rivers in northern plains of Indian subcontinent. They are most thoroughly aquatic crocodilian. They leave water only for basking and building nests on moist sandbanks.
• Concerns: Population of gharial is declining dramatically since 1930s. they are limited to only 2% of its historical range now. Loss of habitat is occurring because of sand mining and conversion of agriculture, decreasing fish resources etc. Though, India and Nepal started conservation programmes with focused on reintroducing captive-bred gharials. But they are listed as ‘critically endangered’ in IUCN Red List since 2007.

NEWS: In order to address the issue of air pollution due to farm stubble burning and to reduce carbon footprints of thermal power generation, Ministry of Power has decided to set up a National Mission on use of Biomass in coal based thermal power plants. This would further support the energy transition in the country and our targets to move towards cleaner energy sources.

OBJECTIVES

(a) To increase the level of co-firing from present 5% to higher levels to have a larger share of carbon neutral power generation from the thermal power plants.

(b) To take up R&D activity in boiler design to handle the higher amount of silica, alkalis in the biomass pellets.

(c) To facilitate overcoming the constraints in supply chain of bio mass pellets and agro- residue and its transport upto to the power plants.

(d) To consider regulatory issues in biomass co-firing.

OTHER DETAILS

• The modalities of operation and structure of the Nation Mission are under finalization. It is being envisaged that the Mission would have a Steering Committee headed by Secretary (Power) comprising of all stakeholders including representatives from Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG), Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) etc.
• The Executive Committee would be headed by Member (Thermal), CEA. NTPC will play a larger role in providing logistic and infrastructure support in the proposed National Mission. The Mission would have full time officers from CEA, NTPC, DVC and NLC or other participating organizations. The duration of proposed National Mission would be a minimum 5 years. The following Sub-Groups are also proposed to be formed under the Mission:

(i) Sub-Group 1 : to be responsible to carry out research on properties/ characteristics of biomass.

(ii) Sub-Group 2 : to carry out technical specification and safety aspects including research in boiler design etc. to handle the pilot project for higher amount of co-firing of biomass with coal in pulverized coal (PC) fired boilers.

(iii) Sub-Group 3: for resolving the issues of supply chain during the mission period and sensitization programme.

(iv) Sub-Group 4 : to select designated labs and certification bodies for testing of Agro-based biomass pellets and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) pellets

(v) Sub-Group 5: be formed on regulatory framework and economics of biomass co-firing in coal based Thermal power plants.

What is the news: Col Panjab Singh, Vir Chakra awardee and a decorated veteran of the 1971 war passed away at the Command Hospital in Chandimandir, in Haryana on Monday due to post-COVID complications.

Details :

In the 1971 war, during Operation Cactus Lilly, the 6th Batallion of the Sikh Regiment occupied 13 kms of front on the heights above Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir covering two strategic points, the loss of which would have directly threatened Poonch. Col. Singh, then a Major, commanded a company deployed at Tund

Operation Cactus Lily:

Operation Cactus-Lilly by India, was a military operation executed between 3–16 December 1971, by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the East Pakistan,current Bangladesh.

• Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, IPS officer and Central Industrial Security Force chief has been appointed as the new head of the CBI. He will serve as director of the Central Investigation Agency for the next two years.
• National Health Authority (NHA) has inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telangana government to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana across the state immediately.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs for creation of one (01) post of Director in Senior Administrative Grade (SAG), at National Disaster Response Force Academy, Nagpur.With the creation of the post of Director, NDRF Academy, the command and control of the organisation will be entrusted to a senior and experienced officer, who can steer the institution as per the intended objectives.
• The Union government’s initiative for school students, Deeksha platform, an e-learning app, was launched for SSLC, PU, and competitive examinations.

What is a supermoon?

When full or new moon coincides with perigee of Moon to the Earth, super moon event occurs. It is called as super moon, because close proximity of moon makes it bigger and brighter in appearance than usual. Though, difference between super and normal moon is hard to notice.

What is a red moon?

When moon gets completely covered by Earth’s shadow, it appears dark. It does not get completely black but appears red. Because of this red colour, total lunar eclipses are called as red or blood moons.