Daily Current Affairs Quiz: January 05 2023

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

• Dieback disease hits neem trees in Telangana

About Dieback Disease:

• The dieback disease was first reported in the country during the 1990s near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, while it was first noticed in Telangana in 2019.
• The dieback disease is mainly caused by the fungi Phomopsis azadirachtae.
• The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs and the inflorescence of neem treesof all ages and it causes almost 100% loss of fruit production in severely infected trees.
• The dieback is a fungal disease but the neem trees are sometimes hit by insect infestation and the combination of both increases its impact.
• The disease posing a threat to the neem trees has been identified as twig blight and dieback disease in Telangana, and it has reappeared in the state this year on a massive scale.
• The appearance of symptoms starts with the onset of the rainy season and becomes progressively severe in the later part of the rainy season and early winter.

ANSWER: D

• Recently, Several parts of Europe witnessed an unprecedented winter heat wave and experts said that temperatures increased 10 to 20 degrees Celsius above normal.
• At least seven countries in Europe recorded their hottest January weather ever. These included Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia.
• Experts said that the continent is experiencing an extremely warm spell because of the formation of a heat dome over the region.

What is a heat dome?

• A heat dome occurs when an area of high-pressure traps warm air over a region, for an extended period. The longer that air remains trapped, the more the sun works to heat the air, producing warmer conditions with every passing day.
• Heat domes generally stay for a few days but sometimes they can extend up to weeks, which might cause deadly heat waves.
• Moreover, when air sinks, it gets drier and further raises the temperature of the area.

How is a heat dome formed?

• The heat dome’s formation is related to the behaviour of the jet stream; an area of fast-moving air high in the atmosphere.
• The jet stream is believed to have a wave-like pattern that keeps moving from north to south and then north again.
• When these waves get bigger, they move slowly and sometimes can become stationary. This is when a heat dome forms.

Previous instances of heat domes

• In 2021, a heat dome formed over western Canada and the US, causing deadly heat waves. Portland city in Oregon, US, saw the mercury rise to 46 degrees Celsius while the temperature in Washington hit 49 degrees Celsius.

ANSWER: C

• Recently, Ethiopia has released the first edition of an atlas to map a parasitic disease affecting livestock in the country and the vector behind it.
• Ethiopia’s National Institute for Control and Eradication of Tsetse and Trypanosomosis (NICETT), through this atlas initiative, aims to establish a reference for the distribution of tsetse flies and African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) in western Ethiopia.

What is AAT?

• It is caused by the parasitic protozoa trypanosomes, which are transmitted by the bite of tsetse flies, an African blood-sucking fly.
• It is a major livestock disease constraining sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural production.
• There is no vaccine, and existing drugs are becoming less effective because of the development of resistance in parasites.
• A human form of the disease also exists, known as human African trypanosomosis or sleeping sickness.

On-going Projects related to AAT

• The COMBAT project(Controlling and progressively Minimising the Burden of Animal Trypanosomosis)

• • The European Commission financed a four-year research and innovation project in Africa.
  • The project spans from August 2021-August 2025 and houses African countries, including South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Senegal, Sudan, Chad, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

ANSWER: A

• The S&P Global India Manufacturing PMI surged to 57.8 in December 2022 from 55.7 in the prior month of November, pointing to the highest reading since October 2020.

About Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

• The PMI data is released at the beginning of every month.
• PMI or a Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is an indicator of business activity– both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
• PMI is a number from 0 to 100. PMI above 50 represents an expansion, under 50 represents a contraction, and reading at 50 indicates no change.
• The PMI is usually released at thestart of the month, much before most of the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth becomes available. It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity.

ANSWER: D

• On World Braille Day, electricity supply company BSES launched the Electricity Bill in Braille for the visually impaired in New Delhi. On the occasion, General Secretary of the National Federation of the Blind S K Rungta also launched the voice-enabled accessible mobile app and door-step services for the visually impaired.
• These services have been started after consultation with the National Federation of the Blind.
• BSES officials said that the electricity bill in Braille will cater to the specific needs of the visually impaired and empower them to better understand the electricity bill. It said, the households opting for the bill in Braille will continue to receive the regular BSES electricity bill.
• BSES said, the visually impaired can register for the Braille Bill and the Door Step Service through the BSES Mobile App, BSES Call Centre, Voice Bot, Email, and Customer Care Centres.

About BSES

• Reliance Energy, formerly known as Bombay Suburban Electric Supply(BSES).

BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL)

• BYPL has been the frontrunner in implementing power distribution reforms in the capital city of Delhi and is acknowledged for its quality, reliable power supply and customer friendly practices.
• BYPL is a joint venture between Reliance Infrastructure Limited and Govt of NCT of Delhi with a 51%: 49% share holding. The company started operations on July 1, 2002 post the unbundling of the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB). The company’s operations span across its license area of 200 sq km in the Eastern and Central parts of the National Capital.

ANSWER: C

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the investment for 382 MW Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project in Himachal Pradesh by SJVN Limited, at an estimated cost of Rs 2614.51 crore including Rs 13.80 crore as budgetary support from the Union Government for cost of enabling infrastructure.
• Ex-post facto approval is given for cumulative expenditure incurred amounting to Rs 246 crore till January, 2022.
• Project cost of Rs 2,614 crore, included hard cost amounting to Rs 2,246.40 crore, Interest During Construction (IDC) and Financing Charges (FC) of Rs 358.96 crore and Rs 9.15 crore respectively.
• The revised cost sanctions for cost variations due to quantity changes (including additions/ alterations/ extra items) and time overruns due to the developer will be capped at 10 per cent of sanctioned cost.
• Keeping in view the aims and objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the present proposal for setting up of 382 MW Sunni Dam HEP by SJVN will provide various benefits to local suppliers/ local enterprises/ MSMEs and will encourage entrepreneurship opportunities within the country besides promoting employment and socio-economic development of the region.
• The implementation of the project will generate direct and indirect employment to about 4000 persons during peak construction of the project.

ANSWER: C

• The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has begun a census of leopards in Una district under the project, ‘Population estimation of common leopard and black bear in Himachal Pradesh’.
• The project funded by the state government has first been launched in Una during the winter, as it is the warmest district of the state. The project will later be implemented in higher altitude areas after the winter.
• The census work, which has two years mandate, is being undertaken under the overall guidance of Dr Lalit Sharma, a scientist at the ZSI headquarters in Kolkata.

About techniques used to count wild animals

• Prior to 2006, pugmarks of animals were observed on soft forest surfaces. With new technological interventions, DNA samples from animal scat and photos captured by motion camera traps installed in forest areas are used to count animals.
• The ZSI scientist says besides population estimation, the project will also include identification of hotspots for animal-human conflicts and plans for their mitigation. He adds the instances of human conflict with black bears and common leopard prompted the Wildlife Department to undertake the project.
• Dar says the state’s forest cover is divided into grids of five by five kilometres. Each grid where the exercise is to be undertaken is studied on the basis of satellite images. Walking trails are documented and four teams comprising two members each, zero in on a designated location from four different directions, identifying potential routes that animals may take and spots for fixing motion cameras.
• He says that teams also collect leopard and bear scat, which not only consists of digested remains of the prey, but also a thin layer of the killer animal’s intestinal lining covering the scat. The DNA of leopards and bears is taken from these intestinal lining cells and sent to the ZSI laboratories for further analysis.

Reasons for increasing conflicts between humans and wild animals:

• The fragmentation of forestland is the main reason for increasing conflicts between humans and wild animals. The animals encounter humans while moving from one forest patch to another.
• The ZSI scientist says the density of prey species like pheasants, mountain goat, wild boar and barking deer is on the decline due to hunting, forcing wild animals to go near human settlements in search of dogs and other domestic animals.
• There is a dire need for a separate wildlife wing in Himachal Pradesh since forest divisions are only performing territorial activities related to conservation and processing of forest wood, pushing the issue of wildlife on to a lesser priority.

Higher Areas to be Covered Later

• The project funded by the state government has first been launched in Una during winter, as it is the warmest district of the state. Post-winter, it will later be implemented in higher-altitude areas too

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: C