Daily Current Affairs Quiz: June 17, 2022

ANSWER: A

About the Global Startup Ecosystem Report:

• The GSER was released in the backdrop of the ongoing London Tech Week 2022, which brings together global governments and corporate leaders, inspirational start-up founders and investors to discuss the power of technology for societies.
• The report includes ranking of the leading 140 ecosystems, continental insights, and founder-focussed articles from thought-leading experts.
• Top Asian emerging ecosystems were measured on the basis of talent, experience, long-term trends over the most significant performance factors and the ability to generate and keep talent in the ecosystem.

KEY POINTS:

• Providing a boost for Kerala’s start-up ecosystem, the State has been ranked first in Asia in Affordable Talent in Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER).
• The State has also been ranked fourth in global ranking in the GSER, drawn up jointly by policy advisory and research organisation Startup Genome and Global Entrepreneurship Network.
• In the first GSER published in 2020, Kerala was ranked 5th in Asia and 20th in the world.

In cities category:

• As per the report released by the policy advisory and research firm Startup Genome, the city of Bengaluru has moved up to number 22 in the Global Startup Ecosystem ranking.
• Bengaluru’s tech ecosystem value is at$105 billion which is higher than that of Singapore at $89 billion and Tokyo at $62 billion.

ANSWER: C

About the Bharat Gaurav Trains:

• Indian Railways had launched the operation of theme-based Bharat Gaurav train in the month of November 2021.
• The objective of this theme is to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world, through Bharat Gaurav Trains.
• This scheme also aims to leverage the core strengths of the professionals of the tourism sector to run theme-based trains to tap the vast tourist potential of India.

KEY POINTS:

• The first train to be operated between Coimbatore and Shirdi by a private operator, under the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ scheme of the Indian Railways
• The train will cover several historical destinations on the route while giving the passengers an insight into the cultural heritage of the country.
• Indian Railways had launched the operation of theme-based Bharat Gaurav train in the month of November 2021.
• The objective of this theme is to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world, through Bharat Gaurav Trains.

Other features of the train service are:

• There will be a Doctor on board to attend any emergency.
• There are Private securities engaged along with the Railway Police Force to protect the train from any kind of harm.
• There will be on board electricians and AC Mechanic and Fire and Safety Officers
• The train is maintained by branded housekeeping service providers who will clean the utility areas on frequent intervals and the caterers are experienced and rich in holding the traditional vegetarian menus.
• The coaches are fitted with high bass-sounding speakers and an on-rail Radio Jockey to keep the passengers entertained during the journey. There will be devotional songs, spiritual stories and live interviews to keep the journey pleasant.
• Completely Toxic-free and Smoke-free.

ANSWER: D

• The name BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, a group of emerging markets. It is home to more than 40% of the worldwide population and a quarter of the global economy.
• The BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR)Innovation Center and the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral cooperation and boost BRICS countries’ common development.

KEY POINTS:

• The Memorandum of Understanding was signed via video link at the port city of Xiamen, Fujian Province, East China.
• On behalf of the two parties, HuangWenhui, executive vice chairman of the BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center council, and Marcos Troyjo, president of the NDB, signed the MoU.
• The two sides will prioritise collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence, the industrial internet, energy conservation, and environmental protection, according to the MoU, through cooperative research, staff training, and information sharing on infrastructure and sustainable programmes.
• In December 2020, the BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center opened in Xiamen. The NDB was founded by the BRICS countries and is headquartered in Shanghai.

ANSWER: D

About International Day of Family Remittances:

• IDFR is a universally-recognized observance adopted by United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA).
• The custodian of IDFR towards these objectives is the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
• IFAD is a specialized United Nations (UN) agency that was one of the major outcomes of the World Food Conference 1974. Later in 1977, it was set up as an international financial institution.

KEY POINTS:

• The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR)was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and is observed on 16 June.
• This year, the United Nations is continuing last year’s theme for International Day of Family Remittances: recovery and resilience through digital and financial inclusion.
• The IDFR recognizes more than 200 million migrant workers, women and men, who send money home to over 800 million family members.
• This day further highlights the great resilience of migrant workers in the face of economic insecurities, natural and climate related disasters and a global pandemic.

ANSWER: A

• UPEIDA has inked MoUs with the State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
• To encourage investment in the UP Defense Industrial Corridor, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA)has inked MoUs with the State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda (BOB), Punjab National Bank (PNB), and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

KEY POINTS:

• The bank would provide financial help in the form of ease of doing business to investors in the UP Defense Industrial Corridor, according to the deal.
• UPEIDA has now collaborated with three major nationalised banks in the country, State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda (BOB), Punjab National Bank (PNB), and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), as part of its continuous support to investors in the Corridor, according to a release.
• These are intended to assist investors interested in establishing a business in the UP Defence Industrial Corridor in obtaining financial support as part of the Ease of Doing Business initiative.
• Banks will pro
• Vide these investors with tailored financial support on a case-by-case basis to assist them in establishing their businesses.

ANSWER: D

• According to a senior Health Ministry official, No wild poliovirus but vaccine ­derived poliovirus (VDPV) was detected in the environmental surveillance of sewage samples from Kolkata.
• The genetic sequencing is done at the ICMR ­National Institute of Virology, Mumbai, and this was discussed with the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The Ministry said that the last time such a VDPV was detected was in New Delhi in 2018.
• State health officials detected the presence of VDPV from sewage in Kolkata earlier this week.
• A VDPV is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in OPV and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus.
• According to the WHO, Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under five years.
• The virus is transmitted person ­to ­person and spread mainly through the faecal oral route and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.
• Of the three strains of wild poliovirus, type 2 and 3 strains have been globally eradicated.
• According to the WHO, as on 2020, wild poliovirus type 1 affects two countries — Pakistan and Afghanistan.

ANSWER: C

• The United States has announced a funding of USD 122 million to the top three Indian medical research institutions to prevent avoidable epidemics, early detection of disease threats, and rapid and effective response.
• The total funding of USD 122,475,000 will, over a period of five years, be distributed to the three top Indian health research institutions — Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the National Institute of Virology (NIV) and the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE).
• Announced by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),the fund will accelerate the progress towards an India which is safe and secure from infectious disease threats through ICMR institutions’ focus on emerging and re-emerging pathogens.
• Prominent among these include detecting and controlling zoonotic disease outbreaks through a ‘one health’ approach; evaluating vaccine safety monitoring systems; capacitating the public health workforce in field epidemiology and outbreak response; and combating antimicrobial resistance.
• These institutions are mandated by the Ministry of Health of Family Health and Welfare (MoHFW) to provide oversight for laboratory confirmation of priority pathogens in India in a tiered manner as well as collate and analyze surveillance data for public health actions and work closely with the state governments where these institutes are located.

ANSWER: D

• Nepal is preparing to move its Everest base camp because global warming and human activity are making it unsafe.
• The camp, used by up to 1,500 people in the spring climbing season, is situated on the rapidly thinning Khumbu
• The camp currently sits at an altitude of 5,364m. The new one will be 200m to 400m lower
• Researchers say melt-water destabilises the glacier, and climbers say crevasses are increasingly appearing at base camp while they sleep.

ANSWER: D

• Chief Minister flagged off the second edition of “Rally of Chamba”, a motorsport rally, on the police ground under the ‘Chalo Chamba Campaign-2021’.
• 100 motorists from about 18 states participated in this event.
• Deputy Commissioner DC Rana detailed various events being held under the ‘Chalo Chamba Campaign’.
• This rally would give a boost to the tourism development in the area.

ANSWER: D

• Fishing in the Pong Dam reservoir in lower Kangra district was banned for the next two month in view of fish breeding season. The ban which comes into effect every year from June 16 continues up to August 15.
• As per information, the Fisheries Department has deployed one flying squad and 18 patrolling teams to check illegal fishing during the breeding season.
• Apart from this, a power motor boat equipped with the latest techniques will also keep a vigil on illegal fishing in the reservoir.
• The patrolling teams will have its makeshift camps surrounding the Pong reservoir area.
• The department has engaged 24 outsourced workers, most of them fishermen, for undertaking this patrolling. Over 2,000 fishermen through 17 fisheries societies are licence holders and earn their livelihood by fishing.
• Sprawling over 24,000 hectares, the man-made water body, which is 42-km long and 19-km broad, is providing livelihood to nearly 2,800 fishermen.
• As per official information, the Pong reservoir is producing Singhara fish species which is around 60 per cent of the total fish production.
• It fetches the highest price among all species in the market. Apart from this, species of Rahu, Katla, Common Carpe and Mahasheer are also produced here which are in huge demand.
• During fish breeding season each fisherman will be paid Rs 4,500 for two month as off-season allowance-cum- compensatory financial relief in which the beneficiary will contribute Rs 1,500.
• The department is also providing free accidental insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to every fisherman apart from providing quality fishing nets and boats at subsidized price to them.