Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 04, 2022

ANSWER: B

• The Kerala government sounded an alert in Thrissur district after Anthrax, an infectious disease which affects domestic as well as wild animals, was reported in wild boars.
• According to the Thrissur administration, the presence of the bacteria was found in carcasses of wild boars in hilly regions of Athirappilly village.
• Anthrax is caused by a spore-forming bacterium. It mainly affects animals. Humans can be infected through contact with an animal or by inhaling spores.
• Symptoms depend on the route of infection. They can range from a skin ulcer to difficulty breathing. Antibiotics cure most infections. Inhaled anthrax is harder to treat and can be fatal.

ANSWER: C

• India and the European Union concluded the first round of talks for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) and the next round of talks is scheduled at Brussels in September 2022.
• India and the 27-nation bloc resumed negotiations, after a gap of over eight years, on the proposed agreements on trade, investments and Geographical Indications (GI). The first round of talks, which began on June 27,2022 concluded on July 1, 2022.
• The week-long negotiations were held in a hybrid fashion – with some of the teams meeting in Delhi and the majority of officials joining virtually.
• During the first round, 52 technical sessions covering 18 policy areas of FTA and seven sessions on investment protection and GIs were held.
• India’s bilateral trade with the EU amounted to USD 116.36 billion in 2021-22.
• Currently, the EU is India’s 2nd largest trading partner after the US, and the second largest destination for Indian exports.
• The trade agreement with the EU would help India further expand and diversify its exports of goods and services, including securing the value chains.

ANSWER: C

• The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has received a patent from the Indian Patent Office for its nanotechnology-based cancer detection system for early and effective identification of cancer.
• The order was issued by the patent office after the institution amended its claims and submitted all the required documents in recent months.
• The cancer detection system comprises an antibody against a target protein bio marker selected from microseminoprotein-beta, a prostate specific antigen (PSA) or combination thereof, a Quantum Dot conjugated with the antibody specific to target protein biomarkers.
• It also provides novel immuno-nano-fluorescent-assay, which has advantages over conventional Elisa based detection systems in terms of higher prognosis, specificity, sensitivity, robustness, portability, less time consuming and cost effectiveness.
• According to the institution, the prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in men globally as well as in India that killed an estimated three lakh men around the world in the year 2010.
• Out of the prostate cancers detected, almost 85 per cent of the cases were detected in the late stages in the country, mostly in the third or the fourth stages.
• The report was released based on testing of almost 4.46 lakh samples tested across the country.
• Higher levels of abnormal prostate cancer results were identified in men with more than 85 years of age, while the second highest were in men between 61 to 85 years.

ANSWER: A

• India added 540 species to its faunal database in 2021 taking the total number of animal species to 1,03,258.
• Among the new species discovered is one species from mammal, 35 reptiles and 19 species of pisces.
• The new mammal species discovered is Crocidura narcondamica, a white­toothed shrew, from Narcondam Island of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. Among the reptiles discovered in 2021, notable is Boiga whitakeri, or Whitaker’s cat snake, from the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu.
• The most number of new discoveries was from the faunal group Hymenoptera, an order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants, in which 80 species, including one new genus, were discovered.
• Scientists from the ZSI had contributed to 68% of the animal discoveries in 2021.
• India contributes to 6.1% of faunal diversity in the world.
• According to the BSI, regions such as the Western Ghats and the northeastern regions have contributed 28% of the total discoveries.
• In State­ wise analysis, the most number of discoveries were made from Kerala with 51 taxa followed by Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Recently, Zoological Survey of India ((ZSI), observed its 107th foundation day on July 1.

ANSWER: D

• NTPC Renewable Energy (NTPC REL), a subsidiary of NTPC, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan government for the development of 10 gigawatts (GW) Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Power Park in the State.
• NTPC Group has set a target of 60 GW renewable energy capacity by 2032.
• In less than 2 years since its inception, NTPC REL has won 4 GW renewable energy.

ANSWER: B

• Karnataka Janapada Vishwavidyalaya (Karnataka Folklore University), the only university in the world which offers courses in folk arts and culture, has now set its eyes on expanding its reach globally. It is approaching colleges and organisations across the world.
• The decade-old university, was an initiative of former CM B S Yediyurappa in 2011 and was inaugurated by former CM D V Sadananda Gowda in 2012.
• Initially, when the university was started, around 50 colleges and organisations from Karnataka enrolled and were affiliated to the university.
• Presently, it offers certificate courses in doddata (folk drama), dollu kunitha, kamsale, thogalu bombeyata (puppet show), traditional embroidery, folk tourism, folk songs, folk dances, bamboo art, folk martial arts, folk sports, percussion instrument, and yoga.
• It also offers diploma courses in open air theatre, yakshagana, traditional tattoo art, martial arts and yoga. It also offers postgraduate diploma courses in folk poetry, traditional dairy and traditional horticulture.
• According to Prof C T Guruprasad, Registrar and Vice Chancellor (in-charge) of the university, over 600 students have enrolled for various courses offered by them. These classes are conducted on their campus at Shiggavi in Haveri district, which happens to be CM Basavaraj Bommai’s constituency.

ANSWER: A

• India’s Tejas light combat aircraft has emerged as the top choice for Malaysia as the Southeast Asian nation looks at replacing its ageing fleet of fighter jets and the two sides are holding negotiations to firm up the procurement.
• According to R Madhavan, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Malaysia has narrowed down on the Indian aircraft notwithstanding the stiff competition from China’s JF-17 jet, South Korea’s FA-50 and Russia’s Mig-35 as well as Yak-130,
• As part of the package, India has offered to set up an MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility in Malaysia for its Russian-origin Su-30 fighter fleet as it is facing difficulties in procuring spares for the aircraft from Russia in view of western sanctions against Moscow.
• According to the top executive of the state-run aerospace behemoth if the deal is sealed, it will give a “very good signal” to other prospective buyers of the aircraft and boost its overall export potential.
• According to R Madhavan, It (the negotiation) is almost in the final stages. India is the only country which is offering them the support for their Su-30 aircraft as other than Russia.

ANSWER: B

• Athlete Parul Chaudhary has set a new national record in the women’s 3000 metres event at the Sunset Tour in Los Angeles, surpassing the six-year-old record of Suriya Loganathan.
• The 27-year-old Chaudhary covered the distance in 8:57.19 to finish third.
• She clocked 8:57.19 in the women’s 3000 m event, surpassing the national record set by Loganathan, who had clocked 9:04.5.
• Chaudhary’s performance comes as a big boost ahead of World Championships, which will be held in Oregon from July 15 to July 24, where she will be competing in the 3000 m steeplechase event.

ANSWER: A

• Tashigang village in Spiti, the highest village in the country,got the domestic tap connection as Himachal achieved 93.05 per cent target of providing functional household connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Functional domestic tap connections have been provided to Tashigang, a small village at an altitude of 15,256 feet in the Spiti Valley.
• The government had achieved a 100 per cent target of providing tap connections in four districts, Una, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.
• During the last two-and-a-half years, 8.44 lakh households have been given tap connections while during the last 72 years, only 7.63 lakh households were provided these.
• Under the mission, Rs 4,418.37 crore has been allocated to the state, including an incentive amount of Rs 1,028.43 crore.

ANSWER: D

• The State bagged the first position among Himalayan and North-Eastern states in disbursing loan worth Rs 20,000 each to street vendors under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme.
• In the second phase of the scheme, applications of 1,007 vendors have been approved and the amount has been disbursed to 894 vendors.
• According to an Urban Development official, there are three phases of the scheme, under which a street vendor is eligible to get a loan of Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000, respectively. The scheme took off in July 2020, and will run till December 2024.
• All urban local bodies were surveyed to find the eligible beneficiaries for the scheme, and 4,892 street vendors have been identified.
• In the first phase, 3,444 vendors were disbursed a loan of Rs 10,000 each. Besides, 11 applications have already been received for a loan of Rs 50,000 in the third phase.