Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2019

Notes:
According to the latest date by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), the Amazon Rainforest Forests in Brazil has recorded 74,155 fires since January 2019. Its satellite data showed an 84% increase as compared to the same period in 2018. The Amazon is the largest tropical forest in the world, which covers more than 5 million square kilometres across nine countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. It acts as an enormous carbon sink & stores up to an estimated 100 years worth of carbon emissions produced by humans, and is seen as vital to slowing the pace of global warming. It is the most significant climate stabilizer as it creates 20 percent of the air we breathe and it also holds 20% of the fresh flowing water on the planet. But in the last half-century alone, nearly 20% of the forest has disappeared. Scientists have warned that if tree loss in the Amazon were to pass a certain “tipping point”, somewhere between 25 -40%, deforestation could start to feed on itself and lead to the demise of the forest within a matter of decades. Hence, preserving the forest is of critical importance for both the region it encompasses and the rest of the world.

Notes:
The Jabalpur-based Tropical Forest Research Institute (TFRI) has launched a mobile phone application containing details about insects and pests and their management. The app “INSECT PESTS” is a tool that provides information on insect and pests found in various forest areas and their management in tropical forests of central India. The app contains information in three categories– insect and pests of forest nurseries, of plantations, of natural forest–and their management. The app also has various features to identify pests, their host plants, infestation period, the nature of damage, their brief life history and also the measures to control them. The TFRI works under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Notes:
India will host the Conference Of Parties (COP 14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) from 2nd to 13th of September 2019 at the India Mart and Expo in the Greater Noida area of New Delhi. The event will see participation of over 3000 representatives from over 200 countries which will include Ministers from around 100 countries. The focus of the conference will be on desertification and degradation of land.

Notes:
Despite environmentalists warning of serious risks to the region, Russia has launched the world’s first floating nuclear reactor – Akademik Lomonosov – across the Arctic. It was loaded with nuclear fuel from the Arctic port of Murmansk to begin its 5,000km voyage to voyage to Pevek in northeastern Siberia. The reactor’s trip is expected to last between four and six weeks, depending on the weather conditions and the amount of ice on the way. The vessel weighs 21,000 tons and has two reactors with a capacity of 35 megawatts each, close to that of those used by nuclear icebreakers. It has a crew of 69 and travels at a speed of 3.5 to 4.5 knots. However, environmental groups have warned dangers of unprecedented project & dubbed it a potential “Chernobyl on ice” and a “nuclear Titanic”. Though, Russia claims the project will provide clean energy to the remote region and allow authorities to retire an ageing nuclear plant and a coal-burning power station.

Notes:
The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to offer modern nursery education at anganwadis (or childcare centres ) on the lines of private nursery schools. Under this scheme, all the 97,000 anganwadis of the state would be covered. In the first phase, a nursery school has been opened at each anganwadi across 313 administrative blocks across the state from August 28. Children would be imparted education based on ‘learning by playing’ method in a bid to strengthen their foundation by the time they get admission in regular schools.

Notes:
The India Child Well-Being Index is a tool designed to measure and track children’s well-being through 3 dimensions of healthy individual development, positive relationships and protective contexts. The index has been prepared by NGOs World Vision India and IFMR LEAD. The researchers used a total of 24 indicators to create the score instead of just considering income poverty. The 24 indicators are divided into three categories: Healthy individual development, positive relationships and protective contexts. As per index, Kerala (0.76) has acquired the topped spot due to its exceptional performance in health, nutrition and education facilities. Tamil Nadu (0.67) bagged the 2nd spot, followed by Himachal Pradesh (0.67) . Though, Meghalaya (0.53), Jharkhand (0.50) and Madhya Pradesh (0.44) featured at the bottom of the index. Among the Union territories, Puducherry led the way with a score of 0.77 and Dadra and Nagar Haveli featured at the other end with a score of 0.52.

Notes:
Two well-known products from Tamil Nadu — the Dindigul lock and the Kandangi saree — have been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by The Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai. The lock is known throughout the world for its superior quality and durability, even the city is called Lock City. The Government institutions such as prisons, godowns, hospitals, and even temples use these locks instead of other machine-made ones. The abundance of iron in this region is the reason for the growth of the lock-making industry. The Kandangi sarees are manufactured in the entire Karaikudi taluk in Sivaganga district. They are characterised by large contrast borders and some are known to have borders covering as far as two-thirds of the saree which is usually around 5.10 m-5.60 m in length. These cotton sarees are worn in summer & usually bought by customers in bulk.

Notes:
S Aswatha Narayana from Odisha has created history by becoming the first Indian to win gold at 45th World Skills competition 2019 in Kazan city of Russia. He bagged the gold in water technology in the competition that was held between August 23-27. He was also rewarded as ‘Best of Nation’ amongst the Indian competitors. Pranav Nutalapati from Karnataka won Silver in Web Technologies. While Sanjoy Pramanik from West Bengal and Shweta Ratanpura from Maharastra both won bronze in Jewellery and graphic design technology respectively. Shweta has also earned the distinction of being the only female candidate to win a medal for India at World Skills Kazan 2019. In all, a 48-member Indian team returned with the best-ever finish at the competition by winning 19 medals and Medallions of Excellence.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has recently launched a campaign for change management “Angikaar” for social behaviour change. The campaign focusesing on issues such as water & energy conservation, waste management, health, tree plantation, sanitation and hygiene for beneficiaries of completed houses under PMAY (U), through community mobilisation and IEC activities. For this purpose, the campaign will converge with schemes and Missions of other Ministries dealing with these subjects. The convergence would especially focus on Ujjwala for gas connection and Ayushman Bharat for health insurance to the beneficiaries of PMAY (U). Apart from this, the Ministry also launched e-Course on Vulnerability Atlas of India.

Notes:
The Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019 has been released by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Tokyo has been ranked first in the SCI index, followed by Singapore and Osaka. The index ranks 60 countries worldwide across five continents and measures the multi-faceted nature of urban safety, with indicators categorized as digital, infrastructure, health and personal security. From India, Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th safest city on the SCI, while Delhi stood at the 52nd position.