Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• The NilgiriTahr(Nilgiritragushylocrius) is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection and offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties and categorized as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN.
• It is endemic to the Nilgirihill ranges of the Western Ghats of Southern peninsular India in pockets where a suitable mosaic of Montane Grasslands and rugged terrain exist.
• Adult males develop a light grey area or “saddle” on their backs and are hence called “saddlebacks”.

Mukurthi National Park

• Previously known as NilgiriTahr National Park, it is a protected area located in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats.
• It was created to protect its keystone species, the NilgiriTahr.
• The park is characterised by montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds.
• It is part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve along with Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Silent Valley.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• NERAMAC was set up in 1982 to support farmers/producers of North East getting remunerative prices for their produce and thereby bridge the gap between the farmers and the market and also to enhance the agricultural, procurement, processing and marketing infrastructure of the Northeastern Region of India.
• Presently it is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India.
• It acts as a torch bearer for the potential entrepreneurs helping them get exposure about the advanced processing technologies and the farmers by providing them with appropriate market linkages as well as remunerative prices for their produces in order to double their income by the end of 2022.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Recently, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has released its flagship report, ‘State of the World Population 2019’.
• According to the report – India,
• Accounts for over one-sixth of the world’s population in 2019
• Grown at an rate 1.2% per year between 2010 and 2019
• India’s life expectancy at birth is 69 to 72 years (lower than the world’s)
• 86% of births in India (2006 and 2017), were attended by skilled health personnel ( which is 79% across the world)
• India’s MMR in 2015 was 174 deaths per lakh live births (global MMR in 2015 was 216)
• The report includes, for the first time, data on Women’s ability to make decisions over 3 key areas,
• Sexual intercourse with their partner
• Contraception use
• Health care

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Launched in 2012, the NERLP is a World Bank aided, multi-state Rs. 683 croreproject under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
• The project aims to improve rural livelihoods especially that of women, unemployed youth and the most disadvantaged groups.
• It is being implemented in 11 districts of Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.
• It has focused on five development strategies -social empowerment, economic empowerment, partnership development, project management and livelihood and value chain developments.

Significance

• Across the project districts, livelihood activities pursued by Self Help Group (SHG) members have increased considerably, thus increasing family incomes.
• Women have become more knowledgeable and expressive, and they display better leadership qualities.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The eight core sector industries consist of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity.
• These comprise 27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The idea of NDB was conceived at the fourth BRICS Summit held in New Delhi (2012).The group leaders considered the possibility of setting up a new Development Bank to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies, as well as in developing countries.
• During the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014), the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB).
• As of now, NDB’s approved loan proportion to India is 28%, the second highest after China amongst the BRICS countries.

New Development Bank(NDB)

• Headquartered: Shanghai
• The NDB is the first Multilateral Development Bank established by developing countries and emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa(BRICS). The mandate of the Bank is to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development. India is one of the founding members, holding 20% stake in the Bank.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• It is an over-arching initiative to improve school education system by creating a junction for all online portals and websites relating to various activities of the Department of School Education and Literacy in the Government of India.
• The word ‘Shagun’ is coined from two different words-
• ‘Shala’ meaning Schools
• ‘Gunvatta’ meaning Quality
• Websites of 1200 KendriyaVidyalayas, 600 NavodayaVidyalayas, 18000 other CBSE affiliated schools, 30 SCERTs, 19000 organisations affiliated with NTCE among others are integrated with Shagun.
• An Integrated National School Education Treasury (INSET) will be set up which envisages a fully integrated, instantly accessible and seamless information network for all parameters relating to the students, teachers, and schools in the country.

Significance

• The newly created platform will provide all school related information at one place .This will help students, parents and other stakeholders in ensuring all round development of the child. This platform will not only give information but people can also give their suggestions, which will help in the creation of a better system.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• In a move to boost employment in the coastal shipping sector, India has become the first country in the world to issue a Biometric Seafarer Identity Document (BSID) to its seafarers.
• The BSID has the dimensions of a smart ID card. It introduces modern security features like an embedded biometric chip, as well as optical security features such as micro prints/micro texts and Unique Guilloche pattern.
• It is a marked improvement over the two fingers or iris based bio-metric data, with modern security features.

Significance

• The new document will give a foolproof identification to Indian seafarers which will facilitate their movement and help in identifying them from any location in the world.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Coke making is effectively the carbonization of coal at high temperatures.
• Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is used to create coke, one of the key inputs for the production of steel.It is a solid fuel made by heating coal in the absence of air(reducing atmosphere) so that the volatile components are driven off.
• The property that really sets coking coals apart from other coals is its coking ability, which is the specific property required in order to make coke suitable for steel making.
• Bituminous coal - generally classified as a metallurgical grade—is harder and blacker and contains more carbon and less moisture and ash than low-rank coals.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The government enacted Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016 to provide a proper institutional mechanism for compensatory afforestation matters. Related rules were notified in 2018.
• The Act established National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (NCAF) under the Public account of India and State Compensatory Afforestation Funds under public accounts of states.
• The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
• The funds can be used for treatment of catchment areas, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management,relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, etc.
• Compensatory afforestation means that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online