Daily Current Affairs Quiz: September 30, 2022

ANSWER: B

• India has climbed to the 40th rank in the Global Innovation Index of World Intellectual Property Organization. This is a huge leap of 41 places in 7 years.
• The World Intellectual Property Organization released the Global Innovation Index 2022 in which Switzerland has emerged as the world’s most innovative economy for the 12th consecutive year.
• Switzerland remains the world’s leader in innovation for the 12th consecutive year.
• It leads globally in innovation outputs, and specifically in patents by origin, software spending, high-tech manufacturing, production, and export complexity.
• The second position was secured by the US followed by Sweden, the UK, and the Netherlands.

ANSWER: A

• The Department of Youth Affairs of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (Government of India) will launch a month-long nationwide Clean India 2.0 from 1st -31st October, 2022 after the successful campaign of last year.
• The programme is being organised in all the villages across the country through the network of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), affiliated Youth Clubs & National Service Scheme Affiliated Institutions.
• This month-long nationwide programme will be launched to collect waste material mainly single-use plastic and create awareness among people.
• One crore kilogram of waste material including plastic and e-waste will be collected and disposed off with the support and voluntary participation of citizens.
• Hotspots for waste collection will be Tourist Places, Educational Institutes, Bus Stand/Railway Stations and the vicinity, National Highways, Historical and heritage buildings, religious places & surroundings, Hospitals and Water Resource etc.

ANSWER: C

• Finland will bar Russians with Schengen tourist visas from entering the country from 30th September 2022, following a surge in arrivals after Moscow’s mobilisation order for the war in Ukraine.
• The decision aims to completely prevent the current situation of Russian tourism to Finland and the related transit through Finland.
• A Tourist Schengen Visa permits third-country nationals to enter the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days within a 6-month period, under the purpose of travelling or visiting Europe for pleasure.
• Schengen Areasignifies a zone where 26 European countries, abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people, in harmony with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting criminality by strengthening the common judicial system and police cooperation.
• Schengen Area covers most of the EU countries, except Ireland and the countries that are soon to be part of Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus. Although not members of the EU, countries like Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen zone.

ANSWER: C

• Every year on the final Thursday in September, which falls on 29th this year, people around the world commemorate World Maritime Day to recognise the hard work of those who work in the maritime industry.
• ‘maritime’ originates from the Latin word ‘maritimus,’ which means ‘of the sea.’ The day sheds light on the role seafarers, service agents, and marine officials play in our personal life. Sea life is undoubtedly challenging given the strain of working long hours for uncertain compensation and being away from home.
• The theme for this year is ‘New technologies for greener shipping’.
• The need to promote a green transition of the maritime industry into a sustainable future while leaving no one behind is reflected in this year’s theme for the day. It offers a chance to concentrate on the significance of a sustainable maritime industry and the necessity to rebuild better and more sustainably in a post-pandemic world.
• The 2022 theme will also enable a variety of initiatives to focus on particular issues relating to the promotion of inclusive innovation and the adoption of new technology to aid in the marine industry’s need for a greener transition.
• A strategy for future sustainable green economic growth in a sustainable manner must include the development of a safe, secure, and effective international shipping industry. More than 80 per cent of world trade is delivered to people and communities via maritime trade.
• In 1948, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) was founded to oversee the shipping sector. The IMO upholds a thorough structure that covers technological collaboration, environmental regulation, legal recourse, and safety for every member of its workforce.
• The first World Maritime Day was observed on 17 March, 1978 to commemorate the day on which the IMO Convention came into effect.

ANSWER: A

• A new World Health Organization (WHO) initiative has been launched that aims to stop the further spread of this invasive mosquito species in the region.
• The WHO had identified the spread of Anopheles stephensi as a significant threat to malaria control and elimination in 2019 – particularly in Africa, where the disease hits hardest. Originally native to parts of South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, An. stephensi has been expanding its range over the last decade, with detections reported in Djibouti (2012), Ethiopia and Sudan (2016), Somalia (2019) and Nigeria (2020).
• Unlike the other main mosquito vectors of malaria in Africa, it thrives in urban settings.
• “With more than 40 per cent of the population in Africa living in urban environments, the WHO said the invasion and spread of An. stephensi could pose a significant threat to the control and elimination of malaria. But large-scale surveillance of the vector is still in its infancy, and more research and data are urgently needed.”
• WHO’s new initiative aims to support an effective regional response to An. stephensi on the African continent through a five-pronged approach.
• These approaches include increasing collaboration across sectors and border; strengthening surveillance to determine the extent of the spread of An. stephensi and its role in transmission; and improving information exchange on the presence of An. stephensi.
• These efforts also aim at developing guidance for national malaria control programmes on appropriate ways to respond to An. stephensi and prioritizing research to evaluate the impact of interventions and tools against An. stephensi.
• “Where feasible, national responses to An. stephensi should be integrated with efforts to control malaria and other vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya.
• The WHO Global vector control response 2017-2030 provides a framework for investigating and implementing such integration.

ANSWER: D

• Toda embroidery and Sungadi from Tamil Nadu, Himroo from Hyderabad, and Bandha tie and dye from Sambalpur in Odisha were some of the textiles that made the cut.
• Some of the iconic handcrafted textiles documented from north India are Khes from Panipat, Chamba rumals from Himachal Pradesh, Thigma or wool tie and dye from Ladakh, and Awadh Jamdani from Varanasi.
• From the south, Ilkal and Lambadi or Banjara embroidery from Karnataka, Sikalnayakanpet Kalamkari from Thanjavur have been included.
• Kunbi weaves from Goa, Mashru weaves and Patola from Gujarat, Himroo from Maharashtra and Garad-Koirial from West Bengal also find a place among the 50 iconic textiles.

ANSWER: D

• This global operation was initiated in close coordination with International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), for combating the smuggling of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances, with a special focus on Indian Ocean Region. Drug trafficking networks with international linkages require law enforcement cooperation across international jurisdictions.
• Operation Garuda, the CBI-led operation, seeks to target drug networks with international footprints for action against handlers, operatives, production zones and support elements. CBI and NCB have been closely coordinating with all states/Union Territories (UTs) Police agencies for information exchange, analysis and development of operational information.
• “During Operation GARUDA, searches, seizures and arrests were carried out across multiple States/UT in India. Apart from CBI and NCB, 08 States/UT Police including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Manipur have also participated in this Operation,” read a statement by CBI.
• During this Special Operation from several State Police forces including Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Maharashtra and NCB, around 6600 Suspects/Persons checked; 127 new cases were registered and around 175 persons including 06 proclaimed offenders were arrested.
• ‘Illicit Drugs and Psychotropic Substances including 5.125 Kg(approx) Heroin; 33.936 Kg(approx) Ganja; 3.29 Kg(approx) Charas; 1365 gm(approx) Mephedrone; 33.80gm(approx) Smack; around 87 Tablets, 122 Injections and 87 syringes of Buprenorphine; 946 Tablets((approx) Alpazolam; 105.997 Kg(approx) Tramadol; 10 gm((approx) Hash oil; 0.9 gm(approx) Ecstacy pills; 1.150 Kg(approx) Opium; 30 Kg(approx) Poppy Husk; 1.437 Kg(approx) Intoxicant powder and 11039(approx) Pills/Capsules, were recovered.”

ANSWER: A

• Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the “world’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) terminal” at Bhavnagar in Gujarat on September 29, 2022
• This is a three-year-old project that is expected to infuse Rs 4,000 crore in developing the existing port infrastructure at Bhavnagar.

The seeds for the CNG terminal

• The idea for the project materialised during the January 2019 Vibrant Gujarat summit when a consortium of London-based Foresight Group, Mumbai-based Padmanabh Mafatlal Group and Rotterdam-based Boskalis signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) for development of the CNG terminal.
• In December 2019, a project proposal for the development of the north side of Bhavnagar port and allied infrastructure, which includes a CNG terminal, was submitted. This was accepted and GMB issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) in September 2020 in the name of Bhavnagar Port Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, a special purpose vehicle formed by the consortium.
• While the consortium will invest Rs 4,000 crore in developing the north side of the Bhavnagar port under the BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) policy of the state government, state-run GMB will continue to operate the berths on the south side of the port.

Why is the Bhavnagar port important?

• The Bhavnagar port is in close vicinity to the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) and is expected to serve the industries that set up base in the region. It is already connected to the northern hinterland through a railway line that extends to the existing berths at the port.

When is the CNG terminal expected to commence operations?

• The construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2023 after GMB approves the Detailed Project Report. It is expected to be made operational by 2026. The proposed port terminal’s capacity is 4.65 million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA), of which the capacity of the CNG terminal will be 0.3 MTPA

ANSWER: D

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, in collaboration with the PGIMER, Chandigarh, claim to have developed a simple, portable and cost-effective device to detect and diagnose strokes caused by impaired blood flow to the brain.
• According to medical experts, an ischemic stroke caused by insufficient or interrupted blood supply to part of the brain, which affects one out of 500 Indians every year.
• Surveys have shown that around 10 to 15 per cent of all strokes affect people below 40 years of age.
• Dr Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury, Associate Professor, IIT-Mandi, said, “The efficient management and treatment of stroke depend upon early identification and diagnosis. Currently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computer tomography (CT) techniques are considered the gold standard for ischemic stroke detection.
• While these are indeed reliable methods, they require considerable infrastructure and high cost, and are inaccessible to many communities in India. There is only one MRI service for every 1 million people in the country.”
• “We are working towards finding a low-cost diagnostic technique to precisely detect ischemic stroke at the point of care so that such tests can be used in rural, poor and remote areas. Our team has designed and developed a small wearable device that makes use of Near Infrared Spectroscopy to detect an ischemic stroke. In this device, a near-infrared light emitting diode (NIRS LED) emits light in the range of 650 nm to 950 nm,” he said.
• “This light interacts with the coloured components of the blood like haemoglobin and provides information on blood characteristics such as regional oxygen saturation, regional oxygen consumption and regional blood volume index,”
• “The IIT-Mandi team performed studies measuring the bio-markers under ischemic conditions at the forearm and at the frontal lobe of the brain. The researchers also validated their detector prototype through experimental occlusion of the forearm and evoked ischemic stroke at the frontal lobe, and found excellent diagnostic potential,” he remarked.
• Dalchand Ahirwar, research scholar, IIT-Mandi, said, “A combined matrix of this information reflects the temporal dynamics of blood haemoglobin, which can help in identifying impaired or abnormal blood flow conditions at a local tissue.
• The biomarkers that we have used to study ischemic conditions are oxygen saturation, regional oxygen consumption and regional blood volume index that could better predict ischemic conditions than other techniques.”

ANSWER: A

• National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, and Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collective academic and scientific research.
• Laxmidhar Behera, Director of IIT Mandi, and Hiralal Murlidhar Suryawanshi, Director of NIT Hamirpur, signed the MoU.
• The NIT director said that the MoU would enable undergraduate and postgraduate students to carry out their studies and research work in joint consultation with the faculty of both the institutions.
• He said that the faculty would also share academic knowledge and jointly publish research papers. The agreement would also enhance the quality of technical education in the institutions. The IIT director apprised students about the ongoing research in the field of robotics and drone technologies at his institution.