Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2019

Notes:
The South Central Railway (SCR) has recently commissioned the longest electrified tunnel of 6.6 km built at a total cost of Rs 460 crore between Cherlopalli and Rapuru stations. The tunnel is part of the 113-km new railway line completed recently between Obulavaripalli– Venkatachalam – Krishnapatnam Port. The electrified tunnel is constructed in the shape of ‘Horse Shoe’ on New Australian Tunnelling Method. The height of the tunnel (rail level to roof) is 6.5 metres and the minimum height of the contact wire is maintained at 5.2 metres. The new line would facilitate direct and viable connectivity between South Coast and West Coast Railway and improve freight revenue of the zone.

Notes:
After 18 years of research, the scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia and a team of Indian researchers have identified a new gene – called NAPRT1 – directly linked to schizophrenia. Using DNA from thousands of people in India, the team has found clues in the quest for the causes of schizophrenia, and for potential treatments. This study identified a gene that encodes an enzyme involved in vitamin B3 metabolism — we were also able to find this gene in a large genomic dataset of schizophrenia patients with European ancestry. The team of Indian researchers was led by R. Thara, co-founder and director of the Chennai-based Schizophrenia Research Foundation. Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality.

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The historic walled city of Jaipur in Rajasthan has recently declared UNESCO World Heritage site at the ongoing 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at Baku, Azerbaijan. The city was founded in 1727 AD under the patronage of Sawai Jai Singh II. It is known for its iconic architectural legacy and vibrant culture, and serves as the capital city of the culturally-rich state of Rajasthan. In town planning, it shows an interchange of ancient Hindu, Mughal and contemporary Western ideas that resulted in the form of the city. In addition, Jaipur City is an exceptional example of a late medieval trade town in South Asia and defined new concepts for a thriving trade and commercial hub. Additionally, the city is associated with living traditions in the form of crafts that have national and international recognition.

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Reliance Jio Infocomm has collaborated with Facebook to launch a countrywide digital literacy drive, christened as Digital Udaan, for its growing base of JioPhone users and other first-time internet users. Under the initiative, Jio will engage with users every Saturday to apprise them on features of its 4G VoLTE feature phone (called JioPhone), the use of various apps and internet safety, including the use of Facebook to connect with friends and family in a simple and secure way. The digital literacy engagement will be undertaken via audiovisual training in 10 regional languages. Digital Udaan will initially be launched in nearly 200 different locations across 13 states, and the initiative will subsequently reach over 7,000 locations, empowering millions of JioPhone users and other first-time internet users.

Notes:
The Tata Steel Kalinganagar (TSK) is the first and the only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in the Global Lighthouse Network (GLN) of World Economic Forum (WEF). The lighthouses are chosen for their leadership in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to drive financial and operational impact. The factories were selected based on their success in integrating these technologies to increase efficiency and drive innovation. Tata Steel’s IJmuiden plant at Netherlands is already a member of this network. The TSK steel plant is the largest single-location greenfield steel project in India and is located at Jajpur district in Odisha.

Notes:
The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in south-west Victoria has become the first in Australia to receive world heritage protection solely for its Aboriginal cultural importance. It has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list at a meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan on 6th July 2019. The site was created about 6,600 years ago by the Gunditjmara people and is considered one of the world’s oldest freshwater aquaculture systems. The site features the remnants of about 300 round stone huts that are the only remaining permanent houses built by an indigenous community in Australia – challenging the common perception that all Aboriginal people were nomadic.

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The Asia’s first Six Sigma Institute of Mountain Medicines and High Altitude Rescue will be set up at Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand. It comes after Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat approved the proposal for establishing the mega Rs 750 crore mountain institute in Rudraprayag district of state. The institute will create 1,200 employment, Specialised healthcare, advance education and Rescue Training in the Uttarakhand. The purpose of the institute is to develop all type of research in Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Yoga concerning High Altitude Mountains and to educate professionals in mountain medicines. The institute will also provide consultancy to the central and state government on key issues and help in promoting healthy lifestyle in mountains.

Notes:
Lucrezia Terzi, a researcher at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCKCEN), has come up with a new way of predicting the monsoon at a science and technology conference organised in Vienna by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO). The new method measures how much Beryllium-7 (an isotope of the element Beryllium) is present in the air. The Be-7 is chosen because it is created only in the stratosphere, when cosmic rays hit and break the nuclei of nitrogen and oxygen. Due to the sun warming the oceans differently at different latitudes, and the spin of the earth, water-bearing air moves up and down in circular fashions, which is the basic cause of the monsoons. When air flows down from the stratosphere (upwards of 33,000 feet from the earth’s surface), it brings with it some Be-7. That makes the strong connection between the amount of Be-7 and the timing of monsoons.

Notes:
The Naveen Patnaik led Odisha Government has recently informed the state High Court that it has implemented the Central Government’s Witness Protection Scheme-2018. The aim of the scheme is to ensure that investigation, prosecution and trial of criminal offences are not prejudiced because witnesses are intimidated or frightened to give evidence without protection from other criminal forces. According to the state government’s notification, the scheme includes three categories of witnesses as per threat perception. Category A consists of those cases where threat extends to the life of witness or family members during an investigation, trial or thereafter. Cases where the threat extends to safety, reputation or property of the witness or family members during the investigation or trial falls under category B. Category C will have cases where the threat is moderate and extends to harassment or intimidation of the witness or family members, reputation or property during investigation, trial or thereafter. The important features of the scheme include protective measures like ensuring that the witness and accused do not come face to face during probe, protection and change of identity, relocation of witness, confidentiality and preservation of records and recovery of expenses among others.

Notes:
Arun Kumar, an IAS officer of 1989 batch of Haryana cadre, has been appointed as the new chief of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Kumar is also the additional secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The DGCA is the Indian governmental regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is headquartered at New Delhi. This directorate investigates aviation accidents and incidents.