Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 06, 2022

ANSWER: C

• Odisha has been adjudged the top ranked State followed by Uttar Pradesh at the 2^ndspot and Andhra Pradesh at third amongst the General Category States in ‘State Ranking Index for NFSA’.
• Among the Special Category states/UTs, Tripura stood first followed by Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim respectively.
• Further, among the 3 UTs where Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)- Cash is operational, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu is the top ranked UT.
• This State ranking Index for NFSA, attempts to document the status and progress of implementation of NFSA and various reform initiatives across the country, post consultation with states.
• It highlights the reforms undertaken by States and UTs and create a cross-learning environment and scale-up reform measures by all states and union territories.
• The present Index is largely focused on NFSA Distribution and will include procurement, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) Distribution in future.
• The Index for ranking the states and UTs is built on three key pillars which covers the end-to-end implementation of NFSA through TPDS. These pillars are: i) NFSA— Coverage, targeting and provisions of the Act, ii) Delivery platform, and iii) Nutrition initiatives.
• The National Food Security Act (NFSA) was enacted on July 5, 2013 and in order to celebrate the day, the conference was organized to deliberate and discuss nutritional security, food security, best practices followed in Public Distribution System, crop diversification, reforms in PDS and storage sector.
• The Act legally entitles upto 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population to receive subsidized food grains under Targeted Public Distribution System. About two thirds of the population therefore is covered under the Act to receive highly subsidized food grains. As a step towards women empowerment, the eldest woman of the household of age 18 years or above is mandated to be the head of the household for the purpose of issuing of ration cards under the Act.
• The system of digitized, Aadhaar linked Public Distribution will be used to issue Ayushman Bharat Card.
• Uttar Pradesh is using the system to issue Ayushman Bharat card.
• Immunization of migrant kids can also be linked with the system to ensure medical facility to them.

ANSWER: B

• In a significant development, researchers from Bengaluru’s Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology (DST) have discovered a novel material called single-crystalline scandium nitride (ScN) that can emit, detect, and modulate infrared light with high efficiencies.
• They have utilized a scientific phenomenon called polariton excitations that occur in tailored materials when light couples with either the collective free electron oscillations or polar lattice vibrations to achieve this feat. They have carefully controlled material properties to excite polaritons (a quasi-particle) and achieve strong light-matter interactions in single-crystalline scandium nitride (ScN) using infrared light.
• These exotic polaritons in the ScN can be utilized for solar and thermal energy harvesting.  Also, belonging to the same family of materials as gallium nitride (GaN), scandium nitride is compatible with modern complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or Si-chip technology and, therefore, could be easily integrated for on-chip optical communication devices.
• “From electronics-to-healthcare, defense and security-to-energy technologies, there is a great demand for infrared sources, emitters and sensors.
• According to Dr. Bivas Saha, Assistant Professor at JNCASR, this work on infrared polaritons in scandium nitride will enable its applications in many such devices.
• Apart from JNCASR, researchers from the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and the University of Sydney also participated in this study published recently in the scientific journal Nano Letters.

ANSWER: A

• Gujarat and Karnataka have been awarded best performers among the category of states, while Meghalaya has been ranked number one among Union Territories and North Eastern states in the third edition of the States Startup India Ranking 2021.
• Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa and Telangana emerged as top performers among states, while Jammu and Kashmir was the top performer among UTs and North-East state.
• For the ranking, states are divided into five categories: Best Performers, Top Performers, Leaders, Aspiring Leaders and Emerging Start-up Ecosystems.
• This is the third consecutive year that Gujarat has been ranked the number one state in providing an enabling ecosystem for startups.
• The results were announced by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industries at the third edition of the States’ Startup Ranking 2021, released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIT).
• According to Piyush Goyal, initiatives such as Fund of Funds, Seed Fund Scheme, Income Tax exemption for three years, and resolving the issue of Angel Tax, have helped startups .
• India is currently the third-largest ecosystem.

Basis of Assessment:

• The exercise for the States’ Startup Ranking 2021 was made by evaluating the measures undertaken during the period of 1st October 2019 to 31st July 2021 and witnessed highest ever participation of 31 states and UT’s e 24 States and 7 UTs.
• It assessed the States’ performance across following 7 Reform Areas divided into 26 Action Points:

1. Institutional Support
2. Access to Market
3. Incubation Support
4. Funding Support
5. Mentorship Support
6. Capacity Development of Enablers
7. Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation

ANSWER: A

• India is exploring avenues for jointly investing in advanced processing facilities for lithium, a key component in electric vehicles (EV), in Australia.
• Lithium hydroxide is a key component in EV batteries.
• Dignitaries from both sides visited the Tianqi lithium processing facility in Kwinana, Perth, Australia. This processing facility is Australia’s first fully-automated lithium hydroxide processing plant.
• India imported around 627 million units of lithium­ion batteries in FY19, while during FY20 and FY21, the in­bound shipments of lithium­ ion batteries stood at 539 million units and 516 million units, respectively.
• The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research is carrying out exploration for lithium in Mandya and Yadgir districts of Karnataka.
• Preliminary surveys on surface and limited subsurface exploration by AMD have shown presence of lithium resources of 1,600 tonnes (inferred category) in Marlagalla area in Mandya district.
• Besides, the Geological Survey of India (GSI), under the Mines Ministry, also takes up different stages of mineral exploration. During the Field Season Programme (FSP) 2016-17 to 2020-21, GSI carried out 14 projects on lithium and associated elements in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
• During the current FSP 2021-22, GSI has taken up five projects on lithium and associated minerals in Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan.
• India has been exploring to acquire mines of strategic minerals such as lithium and cobalt in producing countries like Australia, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
• To that effect,a Joint Venture firm, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) with NALCO, Hindustan Copper and Mineral Exploration Corporation was also created. The equity participation is 40:30:30, respectively. KABIL is mandated to identify and acquire overseas mineral assets of critical and strategic nature such as lithium and cobalt so as to ensure supply side assurance.

ANSWER: A

• World Zoonoses Day was instituted on 6th July 1885 to educate and raise awareness about zoonotic diseases that can transmit from animals to humans.
• It commemorates French biologist Louis Pasteur, who administered the first dose of the first vaccine against rabies.

What Are Zoonoses?

• Zoonosis or a zoonotic disease is an infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. Animals can often carry harmful germs which may spread to people and cause illnesses, known as zoonoses.
• Pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi may cause zoonotic diseases. The pathogens may cause different types of illnesses in people and animals, ranging from mild to serious illness, and sometimes, death.
• There are over 200 known types of zoonoses, which comprise a large percentage of new and existing diseases in humans. Rabies is a zoonotic disease which is 100 per cent preventable through vaccination and other methods.
• Zoonotic pathogens may spread to humans through direct contact or through food, water or the environment, and represent a major public health problem around the world.

ANSWER: B

• In an effort to achieve self-reliance in Defence manufacturing, the Navy has proposed to develop and induct at least 75 new technologies or products in the coming year.
• It will be part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to celebrate the 75th year of independence.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO) and the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) to work on a collaborative project named SPRINT (Supporting PoleVaulting in Research and Development through iDEX, NIIO and TDAC).
• The Navy in conjunction with the DIO will unveil the problem statements for Indian Industries as part of iDEX(SPRINT) during the NIIO Seminar ‘Swavlamban 2022’ scheduled on July 18-19 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
• The purpose of the Seminar is to engage the Indian Industry and Academia towards achieving ‘Self-reliance in Defence Sector.
• The Defence Acquisition Policy (DAP 2020) envisages creation of ‘Innovation and Indigenisation Organisations (IIOs)’ within Service Headquarters.
• The NIIO was launched on August 13, 2020 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The NIIO is a three-tiered mechanism headed by Vice Chief of Naval Staff. At apex level, the Naval Technology Acceleration Council (NTAC) has been constituted to bring together twin aspects of innovation and indigenisation and accelerate induction of disruptive combat technology into Navy so as to enhance war fighting capabilities.
• The NTAC meets every six months and gives apex level directives. It consists of ex-officio members as well as nominated members of technical expertise and standing, both from within Navy and civilians, scientists and industry.

ANSWER: A

• Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra spoke to Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, in a high-level talk in order to activate a shorter and sanctions-proof route between Russia and India. Almost a dozen countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus will also benefit from the route.
• Recently, Iran’s state-run shipping company had successfully completed the first transit of Russian goods to India using the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).
• India has requested for the Chabahar Port to be brought under the INSTC ambit.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin also reiterated on the importance of the INSTC and emphasized on making the Caspian basin, the hub of energy and logistics.
• Significantly, ONGC Videsh Limited had a stake in the Satpayev oil block, but decided to exit after it could not find commercially exploitable oil.
• Interestingly, all 18-odd countries touched by the INSTC route have never been active backers of unilateral sanctions announced periodically by the West.
• Recently, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had visited India and held talks on regional connectivity which entailed reviewing the progress made at the Shahid Beheshti terminal, Chabahar that will provide sea access to landlocked Afghanistan and emerge as a commercial transit hub for the region, including Central Asia.
• As if in acknowledgement of the developing ties, a few days later India abstained from voting against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting.
• Last month, a test cargo of 41 tonnes of wooden laminate sheets left St Petersburg for the Russian port of Astrakhan and from there, it was shipped to Iran’s Anzali Caspian port. It was then taken by road across Iran to Bandar Abbas from where the cargo was shipped to Mumbai. The entire journey took 24 days and is likely to become quicker once the trans-Iranian railway is completed.
• Traditionally, shipments from South Asia go via the Suez Canal to the ports of Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Piraeus (Greece) and Valencia (Spain). All of these places are amenable to the West’s diktat on unilateral sanctions.

ANSWER: D

• The 13^thEdition of Toy Biz B2B (Business to Business) International Exhibition from 2-5 July 2022 was held at Pragati Maidan.
• Prime Minister had given a clarion call on “Rebranding the Indian Toy Story” and emphasized on the availability of right kind of toys for children, using toys as a learning resource, designing of toys based on Indian value system, Indian history, and culture to strengthen domestic designing and position India as a global manufacturing hub for toys.
• All the 96 exhibitors have showcased the diverse product category ranging from traditional plush toys, construction equipment toys, dolls, building block toys, board games, puzzles, electronic toys, educational toys, ride-ons, etc.
• All the toys’ products were ‘Made in India’ product manufactured domestically by small, medium and large enterprises.
• The Toys bearing GI tag such as Chennapatna, Varanasi etc. are also being displayed. The exhibition is showcasing toys based on Indian ethos & value system duly endorsing ‘Vocal for Local’ theme. Each toy category has affordable and high-end versions. This is a major shift from the 12th edition of the exhibition held in 2019, wherein of 116 stalls, 90 stalls exhibited only imported toys.
• This exhibition witnessed a footfall of over 3,000 visitors from India and international buyers’ delegation from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bhutan, USA etc.
• The import of toys is down by 70% in the last three years.

ANSWER: A

• The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) will charge women travelers only half the fare for their travel within the state.
• At Launching of the scheme ‘Naari Ko Naman’, Chief Minister also issued concessional tickets to women.
• Seema Thakur, the first woman bus driver in the state, drove him in a state transport bus to the event venue.
• The chief minister had announced the 50 percent concession on bus fares to women on April 15, Himachal Day.
• In another scheme, CM announced a reduction in the minimum bus fare from Rs 7 to Rs 5 for all passengers across the state.
• According to CM, the government will sanction 25 new posts of women drivers in the ‘Ride with Pride’ government taxi service – an initiative to ferry women passengers and senior citizens.

ANSWER: B

• Himurja is encouraging people of Mandi district to set up rooftop solar power plants to meet the domestic power demand.
• The Centre and the state government are providing subsidies to consumers for the rooftop solar power plants.
• To make people aware of the benefits of solar energy, the Himurja department is organising awareness camps in the district.
• To encourage domestic consumers, the government has proposed to enhance the subsidy from Rs 4,000 per kw to Rs 6,000 per kw this year.
• Himurja has fixed the rates of the plants — 1kw to 3 kw plants will cost Rs 50,000 per kw while 4-10 kw plants to cost Rs 48,600 per kw.
• The Centre offers 40 per cent subsidy on solar panels of 1-3 kw and 20 per cent subsidy on panels of 4-10 kw.
• The Centre has fixed a target of 10 megawatt for the state through roof-top solar panels by 2024.