Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 14th June 2021

What is the news : A 12.5-foot statue of Adi Shankaracharya, to be installed at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, from where the philosopher left for his heavenly abode, is getting ready in the Mysuru.

Details :

• Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj is busy giving final touches to the statue.
• The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) gave contract to Arun to sculpt the statue.
• Shankaracharya’s samadhi was destroyed in the 2013 flash floods that hit Kedarnath and is now being restored by the JSW Group.
• Lying slightly behind the Kedarnath Temple is the grave of Adi guru Shankaracharya, the saint who is said to have established the four sacred dhams in India that are an important pilgrimage for Hindus. The famous Hindu philosopher had attained nirvana (enlightenment) at a young age of 32. It is said that Shakaracharya merged with the land itself. Visited by thousands of pilgrims, the Shankaracharya Samadhi is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kedarnath. Legend has it that Shankaracharya came to Kedarnath in the 8th century and built the Kedarnath shrine and established one of his four mathas. A hot water spring believed to have been created by Shankaracharya is visited by his disciples to get relief from the extreme climatic conditions in the area.

What is in news : United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India has released an independent report and lauded Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) as ‘a successful model of local area development’

Key findings of report

• As per the report ADP

• Should serve as a best practice for other countries where regional disparities are persisting with respect to development.
• Has made concerted efforts due to which neglected districts in remote locations and those districts affected by Left Wing Extremism are on positive trajectory of growth with more growth and development in last three years.
• Health & nutrition, education, and agriculture & water resources have registered massive improvements.
• More than 9.6% home deliveries are attended by skilled birth attendant
•  5.8% more pregnant women with severe anaemia, and 4.8% children diagnosed with diarrhoea are treated.
• Under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, about 1580 accounts opened per 1 lakh population. UNDP found ‘Malaria Mukt Bastar Abhiyaan’ in Bijapur and Dantewada as one of the best practices in ADP. This abhiyaan has reduced malaria incidences by 71% and 54% in two districts respectively.

Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP):

• Launched in January 2018, the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative aims to remove this heterogeneity through a mass movement to quickly and effectively transform these districts.
• The broad contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a spirit of mass Movement.
• With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.
• A total of 117 Aspirational districts have been identified by NITI Aayog based upon composite indicators.
• These include Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure which have an impact on Human Development Index.
• Weightage has been accorded to these districts as below:
  • Health & Nutrition (30%)
  • Education (30%)
  • Agriculture & Water Resources (20%)
  • Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (10%)
  • Basic Infrastructure (10%)

What : RBIA is an internal methodology, primarily focused on inherent risk involved with activities or system. It provides assurance regarding the management of risk within defined risk appetite level.  It is a risk management framework of management which seeks to reinforce responsibility of management and BOD (Board of Directors) for managing risk at every stage.

What is in news : Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended Risk-Based Internal Audit (RBIA) rules to all deposit-taking and non-deposit taking HFCs (Housing Finance Companies) who are having assets above Rs 5,000 crore. These rules will be effective from June 30, 2022.

What are the new rules:

• RBI’s new guidelines are important with respect of rising instances of financial regularities and governance issues in banks and NBFCs.
• It will ensure smooth transition from existing system of internal audit to constitution of committee comprising of senior executives with responsibility to formulate plans for RBIA, NBFCs and UCBs concerned.
• Committee will address transitional and change management issues and will report progress periodically to Board and senior management.
• Boards of NBFCs and UCBs are primarily responsible to oversee their internal audit functions.

What : Tree of Coffee family

What is the news : The tree was recently discovered in Andaman

Details :

• The discovered tree was 15 m tall
• Discovery is unusal as they are regularly found in Madagascar
• The tree is distinguished by a long stem with a whitish coating on the trunk and oblong-obovate leaves with a cuneate base, and was first reported from the Wandoor forest in South Andaman.
• IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
• The species has been named Pyrostria laljii after Lal Ji Singh, Joint Director and Head of Office, Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Botanical Survey of India.

What is in news :  ‘Project O2 for India’ of the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, is to enable stakeholders working to augment the country’s ability to meet this rise in demand for medical oxygen.

Details :

• Under Project O2 for India, a National Consortium of Oxygen is enabling the national level supply of critical raw materials such as zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors, final products, i.e., oxygen plants, concentrators, and ventilators.
• The consortium is not only looking forward to providing immediate to short-term relief but also working to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem for long-term preparedness.
• A committee of experts has been evaluating critical equipment such as oxygen plants, concentrators, and ventilators, from a pool of India-based manufacturers, start-ups, and MSMEs (in partnership with FICCI,MESA, etc.).
• The manufacturing and supply consortium also includes Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL); Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE); C-CAMP, Bengaluru; IIT Kanpur (IIT-K); IIT Delhi (IIT-D);IIT Bombay (IIT-B), IIT Hyderabad (IIT-H); IISER, Bhopal; Venture Centre, Pune; and more than 40 MSMEs.
• The consortium has started to secure CSR/philanthropic grants from organizations

What : New Shephard rocket system is meant to take tourists to space

Details

• New Shephard has been named after astronaut Alan Shephard - the first American to go to space - and offers flights to space over 100 km above the Earth and accommodation for payloads.
• Essentially, it is a rocket system that has been designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line – the internationally recognized boundary of space.
• The idea is to provide easier and more cost-effective access to space meant for purposes such as academic research, corporate technology development and entrepreneurial ventures among others.

By : Blue Origin space company (owned by amazon)

What is in news :  Blue Origin concluded the online auction for the first seat on New Shephard

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

What is the news : Veteran journalist Thomas Jacob and Padma Shri Dr. Shashank R Joshi bagged the 17th P Kesavadev Awards, instituted by the P Kesavadev Trust.

Details :

• The awards, named after renowned Malayalam writer P Kesavadev, are presented to two dignified personalities yearly, who have proved their excellence in the field of literature and public health.
• While the Kesavadev Literary Award is for excellence in the field of literature, the Diabscreen Kerala Kesavadev Award is for a person's honest and sustained efforts in public health education.
• The prestigious P Kesavadev Awards hold a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a citation and a sculpture by B D Dathan. The award will be presented at a virtual event on June 18, the committee announced.

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

What is in news : US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson held meeting recently in Cornwall and inspected documents related to Atlantic Charter and signed a document titled “New Atlantic Charter”.

What is New Atlantic Charter: New Atlantic Charter is an agreement was signed on June 10, 2021 at 2021 G7 summit in England between Boris Johnson and Joe Biden. It is a new version of the Atlantic Charter of 1941. Agreement was signed to redefine Western alliance.

Objectives of New Atlantic Charter

New Atlantic Charter

• Was signed with the objective of defending principles & institutions of democracy and strengthening & adapting the institutions.
• Seeks to remain united behind principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity & peaceful resolution of disputes
• Will also try to maintain collective security & international stability even against cyber threats. 
• Prioritises climate change across all international action.

What is Atlantic Charter:  Atlantic Charter is a declaration signed in August 1941 (after the end of second world war) by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Charter sets out common goals like free trade, disarmament & right to self-determination of all people. It is often called as a cornerstone of trans-Atlantic special relationship. This charter led to dismantling of British Empire and formation of NATO & General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

UNCTAD

What is the news : UN General Assembly (UNGA) has approved nomination of Rebecca Grynspan to head United Nations Conference on Trade and development (UNCTAD).She will be the first woman and Central American to lead Geneva-based organisation, UNCTAD.

UNCTAD

• Full form : United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• Was established as permanent intergovernmental body in 1964.
• Is a part of United Nations Secretariat that deals in trade, investment, and developmental issues.
• Seeks to maximize trade, investment and development opportunities in developing countries and assist them in integrating into world economy on equitable basis.
• Was established by United Nations General Assembly and it reports to UN General Assembly and United Nations Economic & Social Council.

REPORTS BY UNCTAD

• Trade & Development Report 
• World Development Report
• The Least Developed Countries Report          
• Information and Economy Report
• Commodities and Development Report        
• Technology and Innovation Report

• India’s forex reserves crossed $600 mark for the first time and as on June 4, it stood at $605 billion. With this, India equals Russia as the fourth largest reserve holder worldwide.
• Countries including Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been elected unopposed to powerful UN Security Council (UNSC) as non-permanent members for 2022-23 term.
• E-commerce giant, Flipkart, has partnered with Telangana government to lead “Medicines from the Sky” project using the Beyond Visual Line of Sight technology
• Ayush Ministry launched 'NAMASTE YOGA' app.Namaste Yoga app is designed as an information platform for public. It was launched with the aim of raising awareness about yoga and make it accessible for larger community.
• Tamilnadu to appoint women priests

• Beyond Visual Line of Sight: Distances where drones and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) operate outside its normal visible range are known as beyond visual line of sight. It is the second stage of testing of drones. Drones are operated within visual line of sight in first phase of testing.
• Space tourism: Space tourism seeks to give laypeople the ability to go to space for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The idea is to make space more accessible to those individuals who are not astronauts and want to go to space for non-scientific purposes.
• Synthetic biology : is a revolutionary technology which can help us manipulate biological organisms and processes for human betterment, especially in treating diseases, by re-engineering cells.