Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established in 1948 with public contributions to assist displaced persons from Pakistan.
• The fund is recognized as a Trust under the Income Tax Act and the same is managed by Prime Minister or multiple delegates for national causes.
• PMNRF accepts voluntary contributions from Individuals, Organizations, Trusts, Companies and Institutions etc.
• The resources of the fund are utilized to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc.
• In addition it assists partially to defray the expenses for medical treatment like heart surgery, kidney transplantation, cancer treatment of needy people and acid attack etc.

Explanation :

• Indian Army launched “Operation Namaste” to contain the spread of Corona Virus in the country.
• Under the operation, the army will help the Government of India fight against the deadly disease.
• Under the operation, Indian Army has established 8 quarantine so far. Also, Command wise help line numbers have been established.

Mo Jiban (My Life)

• It is a new programme launched by Odisha Government, under which people of the State have to take a resolute vow to stay home and not to go outside during the lockdown period to remain safe from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Explanation :

• Gudhi Padwa is a spring-time festival that marks the traditional New Year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus celebrated in and near Maharashtra and Goa on the first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the New year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar.
• The word Padwa comes from the Sanskrit word pratipada, which refers to the first day of a lunar fortnight.
• The festival is observed with colorful floor decorations called rangoli, a special Gudhi flag (garlanded with flowers, mango and neem leaves, topped with upturned silver or copper vessel), street processions, dancing and festive foods,
• Cheti Chand is a festival that marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year for Sindhi Hindus.
• The date of the festival is based on the lunar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, falling on the first day of the year, in the Sindhi month of Chet (Chaitra).
• It typically falls in late March or early April in the Gregorian calendar on or about the same day as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in other parts of the Deccan region of India.
• Navreh is a Hindu Festival, which is celebrated by the Kashmiri Pandits as the New Year's Day.

Explanation :

• As per Article 110 of the Constitution of India, the Finance Bill is a Money Bill.
• The Finance Bill is a part of the Union Budget, stipulating all the legal amendments required for the changes in taxation proposed by the Finance Minister.
• This Bill encompasses all amendments required in various laws pertaining to tax, in accordance with the tax proposals made in the Union Budget.
• The Finance Bill, as a Money Bill, needs to be passed by the Lok Sabha — the lower house of the Parliament.
• Post the Lok Sabha’s approval, the Finance Bill becomes Finance Act.

Difference between a Money Bill and the Finance Bill

• A Money Bill has to be introduced in the Lok Sabha as per Section 110 of the Constitution. Then, it is transmitted to the Rajya Sabha for its recommendations.
• The Rajya Sabha has to return the Bill with recommendations in 14 days. However, the Lok Sabha can reject all or some of the recommendations.

Explanation :

• In 2018, the Department of Defence Production instituted a new framework titled ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ which aims to provide a boost to the IPR culture in indigenous defence industry.
• The Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating and implementing the programme.
• The end objective of the programme is to inculcate IP culture in Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.

Explanation :

• Launched in 2011, National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) is a network project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• The project aims to enhance resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change and climate vulnerability through strategic research and technology demonstration.
• It consists of four components viz. Strategic Research, Technology Demonstration, Capacity Building and Sponsored/Competitive Grants.
• The four modules of NICRA – natural resource management, improving soil health, crop production and livestock – is aimed making the farmers self-reliant.

Explanation :

• World Water Day is an annual UN observance day -22 March.
• The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
• The theme of focuses on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), which is in line with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
• The World Water Day has been observed since 1993 and intends to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water.

Explanation :

• Namda is a type of traditional Kashmiri carpet made from sheep wool.
• The Namda carpets are made by felting sheep wool rather than by weaving. Many layers of sheep wool are flattened over each other using a tool called ‘‘pinjra’ and pressed with application of water.
• They are then embroidered with colored threads by the Kashmiri Aari Embroidery technique.
• The art consists of floral patterns which provide the themes for these masterpieces and flowers, leaves, buds and fruits are the essence of the designs.
• It is practiced as a craft in several cultures especially the countries throughout Asia such as Iran, Afghanistan and several places in Ladakh, Kutch and Kashmir and Rajasthan in India.

Explanation :

• Huntington’s disease, also known as Huntington's chorea, is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.
• It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities usually during their prime working years and has no cure.
• It is known as the quintessential family disease because every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene.

Cause

• It is caused by an expansion of a repeating CAG triplet series in the hunting in gene on chromosome 4, which results in a protein with an abnormally long polyglutamine sequence.

Symptoms

• Personality changes, mood swings & depression
• Forgetfulness & impaired judgment
• Unsteady gait & involuntary movements (chorea)
• Slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing & significant weight loss

Treatment

• There is currently no cure for Huntington's disease and no way to slow or stop the brain changes it causes. Treatments focus on managing symptoms.

Explanation :

• Teesta River (or Tista River) is a 315 km long river that rises in the eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal .
• The river originates from the Pahunri (or Teesta Kangse) glacier above 7,068 metres (23,189 ft), and flows southward through gorges and rapids in the Sikkim Himalaya.
• It is joined by the river Rangpo Chu at Rangpo settlement (which is the entrance to East-Sikkim) and then it forms a boundary between Sikkim and West Bengal. The River then flows through Darjeeling district.
• The main tributary of river Teesta, the Rangit River meets it just before the Teesta bridge.
• Teesta joins the Bramhaputra River (Jamuna River) at Fulchhari in Bangladesh.