Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 12,2021

 ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS?

According to Ministry of Commerce & Industry, India Industrial Land Bank will achieve pan-India integration by December 2021.

ABOUT:

• India Industrial Land Bank system (IILB) has been integrated with industry-based GIS systems of 17 states.
• System was integrated so that details can be updated on portal in a real-time basis.

India Industrial Land Bank (IILB)

IILB is a GIS-based portal and acts as one-stop repository of all industrial infrastructure-related information. Land Bank System was developed by Integrating Industrial Information System (IIS) with state GIS (Geographic Information System). It currently comprises of 4,000 industrial parks mapped over an area of 5.5 lakh hectares of land. This portal serves as a decision support system for investors who scout for land remotely.

What information’s are shared on portal?

Information regarding connectivity, infrastructure, natural resources & terrain are shared through this portal. Portal also share plot-level information regarding vacant plots, line of activity, and contact details. Portal also provide information on drainage, forest raw material heat and multilayer of connectivity.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and Sony India Software Centre have proposed to host a hackathon called Samvedan 2021.

• Under the hackathon, contestants will be asked to develop solutions for societal problems in India.
• Participants of IITM-PTF’s (IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation) ‘Sensing Solutions for Bharat’ will use Internet of Things sensor board.
• Competition will be based on Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation’s presence board.
• Registration for the competition commenced on July 1.
• Registration is open to all Indian nationals.

Winners of competition

Winners of the competition will be eligible for entrepreneurial support from IITM-PTF. This competition is also open to industry personnel and academics.

About competition

Sony will use its leading-edge technology in solving India’s problems. Under the competition, each team will a maximum of three members. Challenge will be held in three stages. A total of 75 ideas would be selected for quarter-finals. 25 will make to semi-finals. Out of 25, seven finalists will be selected. Each finalist will receive prizes worth ₹3 lakh. Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation will provide a free presence boar to each quarter-finalist.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

American Space Agency, NASA’s ICESat-2 discovered Antarctic Meltwater Lakes recently.

ABOUT:

Glaciologist Helen Amanda Fricker had made an astonishing discovery in 2007 and found that, a whole hidden network of interconnected lake is found beneath thick Antarctic ice-shelves. She found that, these lakes actively fill and drain. Presence of meltwater beneath ice sheets was known, but such network of an active water system was a breakthrough. She had used data from NASA’s ICESat. This satellite used laser pulses to measure elevation data for ice, clouds & land.

How ICESat-2 was used to map lakes?

ICESat-2 is the successor of ICESat. It was launched by NASA in 2018. This new satellite can gather elevation data with higher precision. Using data from ICESat 2, Fricker has now discovered two new subglacial meltwater lakes under glacial ice of Antarctica. Network of Lakes were mapped high precision.

Significance of the mapping

These maps will help scientists understand water system in Antarctica. They would be able to figure out how these glacial lakes contribute to ocean water. Using these critical measurements scientists would explain & predict appearance & disappearance of Antarctic lakes. For instance, an enormous lake had disappeared in just three days in Amery Ice shelves of Antarctica. So, scientists can calculate how this is caused by global warming and how these lakes will affect movement of Antarctic glaciers. During this movement, ice sheets suffer cracking, crevassing etc which can be measured using space lasers.

ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS?

Chinese conservation officials have announced that, Chinese giant Panda is no longer an endangered species.

ABOUT:

• Status of giant panda has been updated to “vulnerable”.
• There are now 1,800 giant pandas living in wild.
• Number increased due to the China’s devotion in maintaining nature reserves and other conservation initiatives during recent years.
• Number of other species like Siberian tigers, Asian elephants, and crested ibises have also increased gradually.

IUCN Status of Giant Panda

Giant panda was considered “vulnerable” for five years. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) removed giant pandas the list of endangered species in 2016. This decision was challenged by Chinese officials then.

Giant panda

This bear, also known as panda bear, is native to South Central China. Bear is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. Giant panda name is used to distinguish it from red panda. They belong to order Carnivora, but are also folivore. Bamboo shoots and leaves making more than 99% of their diet. They occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in form of birds, carrion or rodents. They also eat (in captivity) honey, eggs, fish, yams, oranges, bananas or shrub leaves along with specially prepared food.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) recently released its report titled “A future for all – the need for human-wildlife coexistence”.

ABOUT:

• As per report, human-animal conflict is one of the main threats for long-term survival of world’s most iconic species.
• Conflict-related deaths affect more than 75 per cent of world’s wild cat species.
• It also affects polar bears, Mediterranean monk seals and large herbivores like elephants.
• Global wildlife populations have decreased by 68 per cent since 1970 because of conflicts.

What does report highlights about India?

• In India, human-elephant conflict resulted into killing of 500 elephants and 2361 people during 2014-2015 and 2018-2019.
• India is going to be most-affected by human-wildlife conflict because of having world’s second-largest human population and large populations of tigers, Asiatic Lions, Asian elephants, one-horned rhinos etc.
• Way forward

Human-animal conflict cannot be eradicated completely. However, a well-planned and integrated approaches can be adopted in order to reduce conflicts. It can also lead to a form of coexistence between humans and animals

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

National Research Centre on Yak (NRCY) at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh has partnered with National Insurance Company Ltd. to insure high-altitude yak.

What are the concerns?

High-altitude yaks are feeling the climate change heat in Himalayan belt. Climate change and inexplicable changes in weather pattern have been reported from yak rearing areas across India. As a result, countrywide population yak has been decreasing at an alarming rate. In 2019, about 500 yaks died in single spell of heavy rainfall in northern Sikkim. That caused a heavy financial burden on owners. As per a report, number of yaks in India has declined by 24.7% between 2012 and 2019.

How Insurance policy will help?

• Insurance policy will shield yak owners against risks posed by weather calamities, in-transit mishaps, diseases, riots, surgical operations and strikes. Thus, this policy will provide financial security to Yak rearing communities in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.
• Under the insurance policy, owners will have to get their yaks ear-tagged and provide proper description to get their animals insured.
• Owners will require to submit completed claim form, death certificate from veterinary practitioner, post-mortem report and ear tag in order to get the claim.
• There will be a 15-day waiting period to claim this amount. Thus, death of an animal due to any disease within 15 days from commencement of risk is not payable.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued an advisory to banks and other financial institutions to be prepared for year-end transition from London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor).

Transition from Libor

Global transition from Libor became necessary because banks were manipulating rate in 2007-08. Following the incident, investigation was led by Financial Services Authority (FSA) of Britain.

Highlights

• India’s exposure to borrowings linked to benchmark is estimated to be around $331 billion.
• RBI asked banks and other financial institutions to incorporate robust fall-back clauses before cessation date, in all financial contracts where maturity is after announced cessation date of benchmark.
• It asked banks to ensure that new contracts entered into before December 31 but mature after cessation date include fall-back clauses.
• Banks are also encouraged to cease using Mumbai Interbank Forward Outright Rate (Mifor).

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

Department of Biotechnology (DBT) & National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG) has created a first of its king database of genomic variation in oral cancer. NIBMG made this database accessible to public. Database is being called as dbGENVOC.

About dbGENVOC

• It is a free resource and a browsable online database of genomic Variants of Oral Cancer. First release of dbGENVOC comprises of

1. 24 million somatic and germline variants which have been derived from whole exome sequences of 100 oral cancer patients & whole genome sequences of 5 oral cancer patients.
2. Somatic variation data from 220 patient samples were collected from USA and analyzed by TCGA-HNSCC project.
3. Variants were identified by community approved best practice protocol and were annotated with the help of multiple analytic pipelines.

• dbGENVOC is a catalogue of genomic variants as well as a built-in search engine. It allows a reasonable extent of statistical and bioinformatic analysis to be carried out such as identification of variants in associated altered pathways in oral cancer.
• It will be updated annually with variation data of new oral cancer patients from India southeast Asia.
• It will support advances in oral cancer research.