DAY – 16 ( INSTA REVISION TEST – 16)INSTA REVISION PLAN 2.0, 2021

Solution: A

The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), formerly known as Department of Explosives, since its inception on 05/09/1898, has been serving the nation as a nodal agency for regulating safety of hazardous substances such as explosives, compressed gas and petroleum.

PESO’s major work is to administer the responsibilities delegated under the Explosives Act 1884 and Petroleum Act 1934 and the Rules made thereunder related to manufacture, import, export, transport, possession, sale and use of Explosives, Petroleum products and Compressed gases.

It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Solution: C

BSISO is the movement of convection (heat) from Indian Ocean to western Pacific Ocean roughly every 10-50 days during the monsoon (June-September). They represent the monsoon’s ‘active’ and ‘break’ periods, in which weeks of heavy rainfall give way to brilliant sunshine before starting all over again. The active phase also enhances monsoon winds and hence the surface waves.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/science-technology/indian-researchers-may-improve-wave-forecasts-72723

Solution: D

Sunspots are areas that appear dark on the surface of the Sun. They appear dark because they are cooler than other parts of the Sun’s surface. The temperature of a sunspot is still very hot though—around 6,500 degrees Fahrenheit!

Why are sunspots relatively cool? It’s because they form at areas where magnetic fields are particularly strong. These magnetic fields are so strong that they keep some of the heat within the Sun from reaching the surface.

https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/solar-activity/en/

Solution: C

Seagrasses are underwater plants that evolved from land plants. They are like terrestrial plants in that they have leaves, flowers, seeds, roots, and connective tissues, and they make their food through photosynthesis. Unlike terrestrial plants, however, they do not have strong stems to hold themselves up—instead they’re supported by the buoyancy of the water that surrounds them.

Seagrasses are a very important food source and habitat for wildlife, supporting a diverse community of organisms including fish, octopuses, sea turtles, shrimp, blue crabs, oysters, sponges, sea urchins, anemones, clams, and squid.

Seagrasses have been called “the lungs of the sea” because they release oxygen into the water through the process of photosynthesis.

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Seagrasses

Solution: A

With the support from Department of Science and Technology’s Clean Air Research Initiative, Prof. Rao Tatavarti, Director of Gayatri Vidya Parishad-Scientific and Industrial Research Centre (GVP-SIRC) & GVP College of Engineering, Visakhapatnam, has developed an indigenous photonic system for real-time remote monitoring of air quality parameters. Prof Tatavarti was supported by Prof. P. Arulmozhivarman from the School of Electrical Engineering, VIT University, Vellore, and other team members. The system titled AUM (Air Unique-quality Monitoring) had CATS Eco-Systems, Nashik as the technology transfer partner for commercialization.

The AUM system (patent pending) is an innovative application of the principles of laser backscattering, statistical mechanics, optoelectronics, artificial intelligence, machine/deep learning, and Internet of Things.

It can identify, classify, and quantify various pollutants simultaneously (of orders of less than one part per billion) and meteorological parameters, with very high precision, sensitivity and accuracy.

https://dst.gov.in/indigenous-air-unique-quality-monitoring-aum-photonic-system-developed-real-time-remote-monitoring

Solution: B

Sarabhai is a small, circular, bowl-shaped crater on the Mare Serenitatis, in the northeast quadrant of the Moon.

https://www.isro.gov.in/chandrayaan-2-imaged-sarabhai-crater-moon

Solution: A

An important characteristic of an infectious disease, particularly one caused by a novel pathogen like SARS-CoV-2, is its severity, the ultimate measure of which is its ability to cause death. Fatality rates help us understand the severity of a disease, identify at-risk populations, and evaluate quality of healthcare.

There are two measures used to assess the proportion of infected individuals with fatal outcomes.

The first is infection fatality ratio (IFR), which estimates this proportion of deaths among all infected individuals.

The second is case fatality ratio (CFR), which estimates this proportion of deaths among identified confirmed cases.

https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/estimating-mortality-from-covid-19

Solution: D

Recently, the Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2020 has been released by SurfShark, an online privacy solutions provider.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/19/digital-quality-of-life-index-2020/

Solution: A

What is a whip?

Context:

Congress chief whip in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly has moved the Supreme Court against a State High Court direction to the Speaker to maintain status quo in the disqualification proceedings initiated against ousted MLAs under the anti-defection law.

What’s the issue?

According to chief Whip, the High Court order on July 24 violated a Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court in the Kihoto Hollohan of 1992.

1. The verdict had categorically held that courts should not intervene in disqualification proceedings prior to a final decision from the Speaker. Judicial review of disqualification proceedings was very limited.

In this case, the High Court, however, had intervened at the stage of notice in the disqualification action.

What is a whip?

A whip is an official of a political party who acts as the party’s ‘enforcer’ inside the legislative assembly or house of parliament.

1. Parties appoint a senior member from among their House contingents to issue whips — this member is called a Chief Whip, and he/she is assisted by additional Whips.

1. India inherited the concept of the whip from the British parliamentary system.

(Note: A whip in parliamentary parlance is also a written order that party members be present for an important vote, or that they vote only in a particular way.)

Role of whips:

They try to ensure that their fellow political party legislators attend voting sessions and vote according to their party’s official policy.

 What happens if a whip is disobeyed?

A legislator may face disqualification proceedings if she/he disobeys the whip of the party unless the number of lawmakers defying the whip is 2/3rds of the party’s strength in the house. Disqualification is decided by the Speaker of the house.

 Limitations of whip:

There are some cases such as Presidential elections where whips cannot direct a Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) to vote in a particular fashion.

Types of whips:

There are three types of whips or instructions issued by the party

1. One-line whip: Issued to inform members of a party about a vote. It allows a member to abstain in case they decide not to follow the party line.
2. Two-line whip: Issued to direct the members to be present in the House at the time of voting.
3. Three-line whip: Issued to members directing them to vote as per the party line.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/01/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-1-august-2020/

Solution: C

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and international non-profit organization focused on pollution issues, Pure Earth have released a report- “The Toxic Truth: Children’s exposure to lead pollution undermines a generation of potential”.

Key findings:

1. Lead poisoning is affecting children on a “massive and previously unknown scale”.
2. Around 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – have blood lead levels at, or above, 5 micrograms per decilitre (µg/dL), the amount at which action is required.
3. Nearly half of these children live in South Asia.

How lead affects children?

1. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that causes irreparable harm to children’s brains.
2. It is particularly destructive to babies and children under the age of 5 as it damages their brain before they have had the opportunity to fully develop, causing them lifelong neurological, cognitive and physical impairment.
3. Childhood lead exposure has also been linked to mental health and behavioural problems and an increase in crime and violence.
4. Older children suffer severe consequences, including increased risk of kidney damage and cardiovascular diseases in later life.

How it costs countries?

Childhood lead exposure is estimated to cost lower- and middle-income countries almost USD $1 trillion due to lost economic potential of these children over their lifetime.

Factors contributing to lead poisoning:

1. Informal and substandard recycling of lead-acid batteries.
2. Increase in vehicle ownership, combined with the lack of vehicle battery recycling regulation and infrastructure.
3. Workers in dangerous and often illegal recycling operations break open battery cases, spill acid and lead dust in the soil.
4. They also smelt the recovered lead in crude, open-air furnaces that emit toxic fumes poisoning the surrounding community.

Need of the hour:

1. A coordinated and concerted approach across the following areas:
2. Proper Monitoring and reporting.
3. Prevention and control measures.
4. Management, treatment and remediation.
5. Public awareness and behaviour change.
6. Legislation and policy.
7. Global and regional action.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/03/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-3-august-2020/

Solution: B

What is BeiDou?

Context:

China has recently completed its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System constellation.

What is the BeiDou navigation system?

It is Chinese Satellite Navigation System.

The system uses a network of satellites and can provide positional accuracies of under ten metres (GPS provides positioning accuracies of under 2.2 metres).

1. China initiated BeiDou in 1994with aims to integrate its application in different sectors, including fishery, agriculture, special care, mass-market applications, forestry and public security.

1. BeiDou offers services including accurate positioning, navigation and timing as well as short message communication.

How many satellites are there in the system?

It consists of 27 satellites in medium Earth orbit, five in geostationary orbit and three more in inclined geosynchronous orbits.

What does this mean for China?

As ties between US and China deteriorated, it had become more important for China to have its own navigation system that the US does not have control over.

By completing BeiDou, China now has its own navigation system, which will compete with systems developed by other countries.

It is of foremost importance in allowing China’s military to employ Beidou-guided conventional strike weapons.

Which other countries are working on building their navigation systems?

1. The GPS is owned by the US government and operated by the US Air Force.
2. Russia has its navigation system called GLONASS.
3. The European Union (EU) has Galileo.
4. India’s navigation system is called Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC).

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/03/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-3-august-2020/

Solution: C

Dhole (Asiatic wild dog):

Why in News? Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh rank high in the conservation of the endangered dhole in India, according to a new study.

Key facts:

1. Dhole is an apex social carnivore in the tropical forests of South and South East Asia.

1. Endangered –IUCN.
2. CITES – Appendix II.
3. Shedule II of wildlife act.
4. Disease and pathogens: Dholes are susceptible to rabies, canine distemper, canine parvovirus and sarcoptic mange among others which are usually contracted from domestic village dogs that act as reservoirs.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/03/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-3-august-2020/

Solution: A

Estimated Leopards in India:

1. The last formal census on India’s leopards was conducted in 2014 which estimated the cat’s population at between 12,000 and 14,000.

1. They also estimated 8,000 leopards in the vicinity of tiger habitat.

Issues with the present methodology:

Conducting a leopard survey, along with the tiger survey, is problematic as the former is adapted to living on the edge of forests and human habitats, unlike the tiger which is an elusive creature. This had led to gross errors in estimating the true numbers of leopards.

But, Why it is difficult to hold leopard census directly?

Leopards share habitat with both, tigers and humans. They reside in protected areas as well outside them in agricultural fields, scrublands and riverine tracts. Therefore , it is highly difficult to count such a widely distributed population.

Besides, there are substantial numbers of leopards and they are well distributed. Hence, a separate wouldn’t be necessary.

What needs to be done then?

India’s leopard population may be only a tenth of what it was a little over a century ago, experiencing catastrophic declines due to human pressures.

1. Instead of conducting a new leopard census, the cause of the leopard would be served better if conservation strategies were made a priority of policy decisions.

1. A stringent policy action should be to bring down retailiatory killings as well poaching for trade.
2. Given the threats the animal faces today–ranging from conflicts with humans, poaching, habitat loss to availability of prey– an initiative similar to ‘Project Tiger’ is required for the cat.

Insta Facts- Leopard:

1. Scientific Name-Panthera pardus.

1. Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
2. Included in Appendix I of CITES.
3. Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
4. Nine subspecies of the leopard have been recognized, and they are distributed across Africa and Asia.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/04/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-4-august-2020/

Solution: C

Aravali Range:

1. They are aligned in north-east to south-west direction. They run between Delhi and Palanpur in Gujarat.
2. The highest peak is Guru Shikharat 1,722 metres (5,650 ft).
3. They are one of the oldest fold mountains of the world and the oldest in India.
4. According to some geographers, one Branch of the Aravalis extends to the Lakshadweep Archipelago through the Gulf of Khambhat and the other into Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
5. At the south-west extremity the range rises to over 1,000 m. Here Mt. Abu (1,158 m), a small hilly block, is separated from the main range by the valley of the Banas.
6. Pipli Ghat, Dewair and Desuri passes allow movement by roads and railways.
7. The Aravalli Range joins two of the ancient earth’s crust segments that make up the greater Indian craton– Aravalli Craton and Bundelkand Craton.

Rivers:

Three major rivers and their tributaries flow from the Aravalli, namely Banas and Sahibi rivers which are tributaries of Yamuna, as well as Luni River which flows into the Rann of Kutch.The Great Green Wall of Aravalli:

It is a 1,600 km long and 5 km wide green ecological corridor along Aravalli range from Gujarat to Delhi.

1. It will be connected to Shivalik hill range.
2. To be implemented on a concept similar to the Great Green Wallof Sahara in Africa, it will act as a buffer against pollution.

https://www.insightsonindia.com/2020/08/04/insights-daily-current-affairs-pib-summary-4-august-2020/

Solution: D

GEO-ENGINEERING:

Geo-engineering primarily aims at modifying and cooling Earth’s environment, defeating the environmental damage and ensuing climate changes to make the planet more inhabitable. Geoengineering, at this point,

is still only a theoretical Concept

Hoisting parasols, placing mirrors in space, whitening the stratosphere with sulfate aerosols, whitewashing building roofs to reflect sunlight or flinging iron filings into the ocean to promote carbon-gulping algae are

some of the modes.

5 Big Plans to Stop Global Warming

1. Copy a Volcano
2. Shoot Mirrors Into Space
3. Seed the Sea with Iron
4. Whiten the Clouds with Wind-Powered Ships
5. Build Fake Trees