Daily Current Affairs 23 April 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) NanoBlitz 3D

• Scientists from international Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) an autonomous institute under the Department of Science &Technology, Govt. of India in collaboration with Nanomechanics Inc., Oak Ridge, USA have jointly developed an advanced tool for mapping nano-mechanical properties of materials like multi-phase alloys, composites, and multi-layered coatings.
• The tool called NanoBlitz 3D has also been found to yield excellent results on a wide range of material systems, including glass-fiber-reinforced polymer composites, dual-phase steels, softwood, and shale. An important aspect of this technique is its high-throughput, with just a few hours of testing required for generating more than 10,000 data points that can be processed using machine learning (ML) algorithms.
• It enables the performance of a large array, typically consisting of 1000s high-speed nano-indentation tests, wherein each indentation tests takes less than one second to measure hardness and elastic modulus of a given material. Also, it provides capabilities to carry out advanced data analysis, such as identifying and quantifying the mechanical properties of constituent phases, features, or components of multi-phase alloys, composites, multi-layered coatings, and so on.
• The high-speed mapping capabilities of the tool can also be used to quickly establish structure-property linkages at a micrometer length scale or higher, which can help to understand multiscale mechanics and aid in the development of hierarchical materials. This, in turn, expedites the development of high-performance novel materials under an Integrated Computational Material Engineering (ICME) approach.
• The product was released in San Antonio, USA by Dr. G. Padmanabham, Director, ARCI, on the sidelines of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society 2019 Annual Meeting and Exhibition. As data science is considered as the new avenue for accelerating materials design and discovery, this technique with high-fidelity and high-throughput can greatly contribute to this new paradigm.

Source: PIB

2) World Press Freedom Index 2020

• The World Press Freedom Index 2020 has been released by the media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders.
• Norway ranks first for the fourth consecutive year and Finland and Denmark in second and third place.

 Impact of Coronavirus pandemic:

• The coronavirus pandemic may threaten press freedom and worsen the crises that reporters around the world are facing.
• The pandemic has already redefined norms. The pandemic has allowed governments to take advantage of the fact that politics are on hold, the public is stunned and protests are out of the question, to impose measures that would be impossible in normal times.
• The United States and Brazil were becoming models of hostility toward the news media.
• China, Iran, and Iraq are criticized for censoring coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.

India’s performance:

• India has dropped two places to be ranked 142nd.
• With no murders of journalists in India in 2019, as against six in 2018, the security situation for the country’s media might seem, on the face of it, to have improved.

About the World Press Freedom Index:

• Published annually by Reporters Without Borders since 2002, the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries.
• It is based on an evaluation of media freedom that measures pluralism, media independence, the quality of the legal framework, and the safety of journalists.
• It also includes indicators of the level of media freedom violations in each region.
• It is compiled using a questionnaire in 20 languages that are completed by experts all over the world. This qualitative analysis is combined with quantitative data on abuses and acts of violence against journalists during the period evaluated.

Source: The Hindu

3) NIF boosts new varieties of Anthurium, a flower with a high market value

• D Vasini Bai, a women innovator from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has developed ten varieties of Anthurium, a flower with high market value, by cross-pollination. Anthurium (Anthurium spp.) is a vast group of beautiful blooming plants available in a wide range of colors. The plants of the varieties are having high demands due to its use as indoor decorative plants. During the last year, over 8500 plants, as well as the flowers, have been sold to the market of mainly Pune and Thiruvananthapuram. The innovator has been propagating it through cuttings & seeds and supplying some plants and flowers throughout the country, but she was unable to meet the demand due to the time-consuming technique of propagation method.
• Therefore, the National Innovation Foundation-India has facilitated mass multiplication and large scale production of four highly demanded varieties through tissue culture technique at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bangalore, for the diffusion of the varieties in similar agroclimatic zones of the country.
• Anthurium is one of the best domestic flowering plants in the world. They are beautiful but also purify the surrounding air and remove harmful airborne chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, xylene, and allergens. Its importance of removing toxic substances from the air, NASA has placed it in the list of air purifier plants. Anthurium has larger economic importance because of its eye-catching and beautiful inflorescence and fetches a good market price.
  
• The uniqueness of these varieties developed by D Vasini Baiare large and medium-size flowers with uncommon color combinations of spathe and spadix (viz. light and dark orange, magenta, green, and rose color combination, dark red and white colors). She has also developed a new method for raising the seedlings in limited space using corrugated asbestos sheets. For transplanting grown-up seedlings, she uses concrete troughs instead of pots. These methods have helped her in growing more plants in limited space, thus reducing the costs and maintenance and increasing the income at the same time. She sells the Anthurium flowers and plants to local florists as well as in cities like Pune and Mumbai at an average price of rupees 60-75 per flower.

Salient features of the Anthurium varieties are

• Large beautiful flowers
• Different colors of spathe and spadix
• Long stalks
• Better shelf life
• Good market value

Source: PIB

4) NGT raises concern over COVID-19 bio-medical waste disposal

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has urged the State Pollution Control Board and Pollution Control Committee to put in serious efforts to mitigate the possible risk of unscientific disposal of the bio-medical waste arising out of the handling of the COVID-19 disease.

What’s the concern now?

• There are concerns regarding the unscientific disposal of bio-medical waste by unauthorized healthcare facilities.
• Only 1.1 lakh out of 2.7 lakh healthcare facilities are authorized under the Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 so far.

What has the tribunal said?

• There are gaps in compliance with the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 which apply to the disposal of the bio-medical waste generated out of handling a viral disease.
• The State PCBS/PCCS have to make serious efforts to bridge the gap to mitigate possible risk in terms of unscientific disposal of bio-medical waste and enforce the rule of law.
• There is a need for revision of the guidelines for ‘Handling, Treatment and Disposal of Waste Generated during Treatment, Diagnosis, Quarantine of COVID-19 Patients’ issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recently.

Need of the hour:

• All aspects of scientific disposal of liquid and solid waste management should be taken care of not only at institution level but also at individual levels, such as manner of disposal of used Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), used bags, gloves, goggles, without the same getting mixed with other municipal solid waste causing contamination.
• The effectiveness of the monitoring mechanism, including securing information should be reviewed by way of the electronic manifest system from the handlers of such waste and its online reporting by the State PCBS or PCCS by developing necessary software.
• There is the need to create awareness by special awareness programs, organizing training in concerned local bodies, health departments, providing workers handling COVID-19 waste with adequate protective gear, adequate coordination with media and other concerned regulatory authorities.

Salient features of BMW Management Rules, 2016:

• The ambit of the rules has been expanded to include vaccination camps, blood donation camps, surgical camps, or any other healthcare activity.
• It calls for Phase-out the use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves, and blood bags within two years.
• It calls for Pre-treatment of the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples, and blood bags through disinfection or sterilization on-site.
• It seeks to provide training to all its health care workers and immunize all health workers regularly.
• It seeks to Establish a Bar-Code System for bags or containers containing bio-medical waste for disposal.
• As per the rules, Bio-medical waste has been classified into 4 categories instead of 10 to improve the segregation of waste at source.
• As per the rules, the State Government shall provide land for setting up common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facilities.

Source: Indian Express

5) Microreactor developed by ARI produces uniform size of nanoparticles

• Scientists from Pune based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India has developed a microreactor that can produce large quantities of uniform size of nanoparticles, thus serving a major requirement in biomedical technology.
• The device could synthesize metal, semiconductor, and polymer nanoparticles by continuous flow active microreactor. Dr. Dhananjay Bodas and his team from ARI who put together this microreactor based on their earlier studies published in the journals Materials Science and Engineering and ACS Applied Materials and Interface also discovered that the parameters such as the concentration of reactants, flow rate, agitation, reaction temperature as well as time, determined the size of nanoparticles and their distribution.
• They further derived a mathematical equation using dimensional analysis to predict process parameters accurately for achieving true monodispersity (maintaining a uniform size of nanoparticles) and succeeded in synthesizing uniform size of nanoparticles in continuous flow active microreactors (a device in which chemical reactions take place in confinement with dimensions below 1 mm) with support fromSERB, DST.
• Nanoparticles possess unique size-dependent properties, which make them useful in biomedical technology but the difference in their sizes which arises due to conventional methods of synthesizing them reduces their efficiency. Maintaining a uniform size of the nanoparticles is a challenge faced by the biomedical industry. Besides, these methods use multiple reagents, are time-consuming, and produce toxic by-products.
• "Using this method, we have now been able to produce gold and silver, cadmium-telluride, chitosan, alginate and hyaluronic acid nanoparticles of any size with a coefficient of variation below five percent," asserted Dr. Bodas.
• We have observed that monodispersed silver nanoparticles show significant improvement in effectivity as an antimicrobial agent. Monodispersed chitosan and alginate nanoparticles display very high drug entrapment, sustained-release rate, and are biocompatible. They could be passively internalized in the cells due to the uniform and small size. Polymer coated cadmium-telluride quantum dots possess size-tunable fluorescence, high quantum efficiency, and biocompatibility required for multiplexed bioimaging," said Dr. Bodas
• The researchers said the new approach in resolving the monodispersity paradox could be of immense value to researchers working in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology and the technique may be applied to other chemical reactions where stringent control on the reaction dynamics is vital.

Source: PIB

6) Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan

• Amid the lockdown for the coronavirus outbreak, the Gujarat government has given its the green signal for the third edition ”Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’‘, a conservation plan to deepen water bodies in the state before the monsoon.
• The scheme, which will continue till June 10, will see the deepening of lakes, check dams, and rivers by removing silt, and it will be done with people”s participation as well as under MNREGA.

Background:

• The scheme was started in 2018 after a weak monsoon, and to date, the state”s water storage capacity has increased by 23,000 lakh cubic feet due to deepening pf lakes, check-dams, rivers, and reservoirs.

About Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan:

• Launched in 2018, the scheme aims to deepen water bodies in the state to increase the storage of rainwater to be used during times of scarcity.
• It involves cleaning and desilting of riverfronts, sprucing up of Irrigation canals. It also involves deepening lakes, tanks, and reservoirs.
• The drive runs on a Public-Private Partnership model and contribution from the government shall remain 60% of the expenditure of the work while 40% share will be from people’s contribution.

Source: PIB

7) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to relax the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data beneficiaries of the States of Assam and Meghalaya and UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh for release of benefits to them under PM-Kisan Scheme upto 31st March 2021
• The Pradhan MantriKisanSammanNidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme was launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister on 24 February 2019. The Scheme aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions. Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs.6000/- per year is released in three 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000/- each directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The Scheme is effective from 1st December 2018. From 1st December 2019, the release of benefits is done only through Aadhaar seeded data of beneficiaries uploaded by the State / UT Governments on the PM-KISAN portal, except in case of the States of Assam and Meghalaya and the UTs of J&K and Ladakh, which have been given exemption from this requirement till 31st March 2020, as Aadhaar penetration there has been minuscule.
• It has been assessed that it would take much more time for the States of Assam and Meghalaya and the UTs of J&K and Ladakh to complete the work of Aadhaar seeding of data of beneficiaries and the beneficiaries of these States / UTs may not be able to avail the benefits of the Scheme w.e.f. 1st April 2020 onwards, if the relaxation from the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar seeding of data is not extended.
• The total number of beneficiary farmers in these States and UTs who have been paid at least one installment as on 8.4.2020 are 27,09,586 beneficiaries in Assam, 98,915 beneficiaries in Meghalaya, and 10,01,668 beneficiaries in J&K, including Ladakh.

Source: PIB

8) India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved significant investments to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crore for 'India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package'. The funds sanctioned will be utilized in 3 Phases and for immediate COVID-19 Emergency Response (an amount of Rs. 7,774 Crore) has been provisioned and rest for medium-term support (1-4 years) to be provided under mission mode approach
• The key objectives of the package include mounting emergency response to slow and limit COVID-19 in India through the development of diagnostics and COV1D-dedicated treatment facilities, centralized procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment of infected patients, strengthen and build resilient National and State health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks, setting up of laboratories and bolster surveillance activities, bio-security preparedness, pandemic research and proactively engage communities and conduct risk communication activities. These interventions and initiatives would be implemented under the overall umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• In Phase 1, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with the support of all the other line ministries has already undertaken several activities like:
• Additional funds to the tune of Rs 3,000 Cr have been released under the Package to State/UTs, for the strengthening of existing health facilities as COVID Dedicated Hospitals, Dedicated COVID Health Center, and Dedicated COVID Care Centers. Detailed guidelines, protocols, and advisory for quarantine, isolation, testing, treatment, disease containment, decontamination, social distancing, and surveillance. Hotspots have been identified and appropriate containment strategies are being implemented.
• Diagnostics laboratories network has been expanded and our testing capacity increasing every day. In fact, leveraging on the existing multi-disease testing platforms under the National   TB Elimination Programme,   orders for procurement of 13 lakhs diagnostic kits have been placed to augment COVID 19 testing.
• All health workers including Community Health Volunteers (ASHAs) have been covered with insurance under the “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package: Insurance Scheme for Health Workers lighting COVID-19". Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), N95 masks and ventilators, testing kits, and drugs for treatment are being procured centrally.
• The major share of the expenditure will be used for mounting robust emergency response, strengthening National and State health systems followed by strengthening pandemic research and multi-sector national institutions and platforms for One-Health, community engagement, and risk communications and implementation, management, capacity building, monitoring, and evaluation component. M/o Health & Family Welfare has been authorized to re-appropriate resources among components of the package and among the various implementation agencies (National Health Mission, Central Procurement, Railways, Dept. of Health Research/ICMR, National Centre for Disease Control) as per the evolving emergent situation.

Source: PIB

9) BRO builds a 484-meter permanent bridge connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab with rest of the country

• Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed and opened a new permanent bridge on the river Ravi connecting Kasowal enclave in Punjab to the rest of the country much ahead of its schedule. The enclave of around 35 square kilometers had hitherto been connected via pontoon bridge of limited load capacity.
• The pontoon bridge used to be dismantled every year before the Monsoon or else it would have got washed away in the strong currents of the river. This meant thousands of acres of fertile land across the river could not be tilled by farmers during the Monsoon. The local population and the Army (by the sensitivity of the enclave) required a Class 70 permanent bridge to give all-weather connectivity to the enclave. Border Roads Organisation conceived and planned for a permanent bridge.
• The 484-meter bridge was built by 141 Drain Maintenance Coy of 49 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) of Project Chetak. The bridge costing Rs 17.89 crore excluding the approaches, consists of 16 cells of 30.25-meter length each.
• Border Roads Organisation had planned to open the Kasowal bridge in time for Vaisakhi so that the farmers could transport their harvest to the market comfortably. The 16th and last Cell Division was completed on March 15, 2020, and the construction of protective works was under progress when the work came to a halt on March 23 due to the COVID-19 lockdown. To ensure locals do not suffer during the harvest season and also to ensure the bridge does not get damaged because of the heavy discharge of water and the tendency of the river to change course in the monsoons, Border Roads approached Punjab government and Gurdaspur district administration and obtained necessary approvals to continue the work.
• Director General Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Harpal Singh said The BRO teams did the work by taking all necessary COVID-19 precautions.
• All available resources were diverted and approach work of far bank completed in a short time. On the first Monday after Vaisakhi, the bridge was opened for the farmers who transported their harvests on tractors to the market.

Source: PIB

10) Promulgation of an Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 in the light of the pandemic situation of COVID-19

• During the current COVID-19 pandemic, there have been instances of the most critical service providers i.e. members of healthcare services being targeted and attacked by miscreants, thereby obstructing them from doing their duties. Members of the Medical community, even as they continue to perform relentlessly round the clock and save human lives, have unfortunately become the most vulnerable victims as they have been perceived by some as carriers of the virus.This has led to cases of their stigmatization and ostracization and sometimes worse, acts of unwarranted violence and harassment.  Such a situation tends to hamper the medical community from performing their duties to their optimum best and maintaining their morale, which is a critical need in this hour of a national health crisis. While healthcare service personnel are duty-bound to serve without discrimination, the cooperation and support from society is a fundamental need for them to perform their duties with confidence. 
• The several States have enacted special laws to offer protection to doctors and other medical personnel in the past. However, the Covid-19 outbreak has posed a unique situation where harassment of the healthcare workforce and others working to contain the spread of the disease has been taking place at all fronts, in various places including even cremation grounds. The existing state laws do not have such a wide sweep and ambit. They generally do not cover harassment at home and workplace and are focused more on physical violence only. The penal provisions contained in these laws are not stringent enough to deter mischief mongering.
• In this context, the Union Cabinet in its meeting held on 22nd April 2020 has approved promulgation of an Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 to protect healthcare service personnel and property including their living/working premises against violence during epidemics. The President has given his assent for the promulgation of the Ordinance. The Ordinance provides for making such acts of violence cognizable and non-bailable offenses and for compensation for injury to healthcare service personnel or for causing damage or loss to the property in which healthcare service personnel may have a direct interest in the epidemic.
• The current Ordinance is intended to ensure that during any situation akin to the current pandemic, there is zero-tolerance to any form of violence against healthcare service personnel and damage to property. The general public fully cooperates with healthcare personnel and have expressed their gratitude in a very organized manner several times during the past month. Nevertheless, some incidents of violence have taken place which has demoralized the medical fraternity. It is felt that separate and most stringent provisions for emergent times are needed to act as effective deterrents to any such incidents of violence.
• Violence, as defined in the Ordinance, will include harassment and physical injury and damage to property. Healthcare service personnel include public and clinical healthcare service providers such as doctors, nurses, paramedical workers, and community health workers; any other persons empowered under the Act to take measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease or spread thereof; and any persons declared as such by the State Government, by notification in the Official Gazette. 
• The penal provisions can be invoked in instances of damage to property including a clinical establishment, any facility identified for quarantine and isolation of patients, mobile medical units, and any other property in which the healthcare service personnel have a direct interest in the epidemic.
• The amendment makes acts of violence cognizable and non-bailable offenses. Commission or abetment of such acts of violence shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of three months to five years and with fine of Rs.50,000/- to Rs.2,00,000/-.  In case of causing grievous hurt, imprisonment shall be for a term six months to seven years and with fine of Rs.1,00,000/- to Rs.5,00,000/-.   Also, the offender shall be liable to pay compensation to the victim and twice the fair market value for damage of property.
• Offenses shall be investigated by an officer of the rank of Inspector within 30 days, and the trial has to be completed in one year unless extended by the court for reasons to be recorded in writing.
• Looking at the interventions required during the current Covid-19 outbreak, the Central Government has been given a concurrent role with the State Governments to take any measures that may be needed to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic or the spread thereof. Also, the scope of inspection of vessels arriving or leaving the country has been enlarged to include road, rail, sea, and air vessels.
• The health workforce is our frontline soldiers in battling the spread of Covid-19. They put their own lives at risk to ensure the safety of others. They deserve our highest respect and encouragement at this moment rather than being harassed or being subjected to violence. It is hoped that this Ordinance will have the impact of infusing confidence in the community of healthcare service personnel so that they can continue to contribute to serving mankind through their noble professions in the extremely difficult circumstances being witnessed during the current Covid-19 outbreak.

Source: PIB

11) Jagtial mango ­Telangana

• The ‘Benishan’ or Banganapalli variety of the king of fruits, which is widely grown in Jagtial district, is witnessing a slump in sales due to the nationwide lockdown. 
• Marketed as “Jagtial mango ­Telangana” in Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Gwalior, and Srinagar, the mangoes are popular for their quality, taste and long shelf­life.
• However, the prevailing lockdown and the non­arrival of migrant workers from Bihar, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh for grading and packing the fruits have impacted their sale. Farmers suffered a big
• blow due to unseasonal rain in November­-December 2019. It damaged the crop at the flowering stage. Usually, the crop arrives by the first week of April but due to the rain, it got delayed
• Some traders purchased the crop in the groves itself. But they too are facing labor shortage to pluck and pack the fruits, and also in transporting them. About 4,000 migrant workers, who have expertise in grading and packing the fruits, could not arrive due to the lockdown.
• The crop is cultivated on 33,000 acres in the district. Last year, the yield was 1.1 lakh metric tonnes. This year, the yield is likely to come down to 66,000 metric tonnes.
• District Horticulture Officer Pratap Singh said harvesting had got delayed this season due to unseasonal rain. The yield had also come down drastically. The farmers were supplying to markets in Hyderabad and Nagpur. But supply to northern parts had been hit

Source: The Hindu

12) No 100% quota for tribal teachers: SC

• A five-­judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court held it unconstitutional to provide 100% reservation for tribal teachers in schools located in Scheduled Areas across the country.
• A 152-­page judgment by a Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra said it was an “obnoxious idea” to have only tribals teach tribals.
• “It is an obnoxious idea that tribals only should teach the tribals. When there are other local residents, why they cannot teach is not understandable. The action defies logic and is arbitrary. Merit cannot be denied in toto by providing reservation,” Justice Mishra, who wrote the verdict for the Constitution Bench, observed.
• The court held that 100% reservation is discriminatory and impermissible. The opportunity of public employment is not the prerogative of few. A 100% reservationto the Scheduled Tribes has deprived Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes also of their due representation. The court referred to the Indira Sawhney judgment, which caps reservation at 50%. 
• “Citizens have equal rights, and the total exclusion of others by creating an opportunity for one class is not contemplated by the founding fathers of the Constitution of India,” Justice Mishra wrote.
• The case stemmed from a legal challenge to January 10, 2000 order issued by the erstwhile State of Andhra Pradesh Bench providing 100% reservation to the Scheduled Tribe candidates, out of whom 33.1/3% shall be women, for the post of teachers in schools located in the Scheduled Areas of the State. The court said the 2000 notification was “unreasonable and arbitrary”.

Source: The Hindu