New endemic ants from the Andamans

There's more to the Andamans than magical beaches and colourful corals. Scientists have discovered two new ant species of the genus Tetramorium in the evergreen forests of the archipelago. 

 Scientists of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan have discovered the new species Tetramorium krishnani and Tetramorium jarawa during a detailed island ­wide survey of Havelock Island, a part of the Andaman archipelago. 

The species are named in honour of late scientist K.S. Krishnan of the NCBS, and after the Jarawas, an indigenous people of the islands, who are thought to have inhabited the islands for at least several thousand years. 

 The newly discovered ants dwell in leaf litter in the evergreen forests of Havelock Island and are endemic to the Andamans. 

In total, the study recorded the presence of 50 ant species, many of which have been recorded for the first time. The study published in Peer J also provides accounts of all Tetramorium ant species seen in India and an illustrated identication 'key' for these Indian species, which allows ant enthusiasts to use the distinct features of an ant to identify what species it belongs to. In a first for India, the team used a novel X­ ray micro CT technology to build 3D models of the ant specimens to observe anatomical structures in detail for easier taxonomic identification of the species. These 3D images can be mapped with the genetic profiles of species using the new technology to study the evolution of ant morphology. 

 “We are excited about the discovery, though we did expect to come across new species because we know very little about India's ant species, they are not well­ documented,” says Gaurav Agavekar, one of the authors. “I hope to sample other islands of the archipelago in future, as well as mainland India to generate quality baseline data for ants across the country, which can be used to answer interesting ecological and evolutionary questions.”

SRISTI

• SRISTI - Sustainable Rooftop Implementation for Solar Transfiguration of India is a proposed scheme by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
  
  
• The proposed scheme will incentivise the installation of roof top solar projects in India.

• It aims to achieve a national solar rooftop target of 40 GW by 2021-22.

• Under SRISTI, a central financial assistance will be provided only for installation of roof top solar plants in residential sectors.

• Once approved, the concept will acts as a basis for phase – II of solar rooftop power programme.

DARPAN

• Ministry of Communication launched “DARPAN - Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for A New India”.
  
• The project aimed at realizing financial inclusion of un-banked rural population.
  
  
• It is IT modernization project which intends to provide a low power technology solution to each branch postmaster to improve service delivery.
  
  
• DARPAN offers core banking services such as cash deposit and withdrawal in savings bank and recurring deposit, mini statement, Aadhaar seeding and daily transaction report.

• The application will also be used for the reimbursement of social security benefits such as MNREGS, old age pension and DBT.
  
  
• It is targeted to complete the project by March 2018.

29th Dec Daily current affairs for UPSC Civil Service Exam 2017

Advanced Air Defence (AAD)

• Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) is a two tired defence shield which aims to destroy enemy ballistic missiles.
• The BMD consists of two interceptor missiles, the Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) and the Advanced Area Defence (AAD) missile.
• PDV/Pradyumna Ballistic Missile Interceptor is capable of destroying missiles at exo-atmospheric (high) altitudes of 50–80 km.
• PDV is a two stage supersonic missile fuelled by solid motor in 1st stage and liquid fuelled in 2nd stage.
• AAD/Ashvin Advanced Defense interceptor is capable of destroying missiles at endo-atmosphere (low) altitudes of 15-30 kilometers.
• AAD is a single-stage supersonic solid fuelled interceptor missile.
• The Ballistic Missile Defence shield is expected to be achieved by 2022.
• AAD was recently successfully test-fired from a test range in Odisha.

Clean Authority of Telangana

• Telangana government is set to introduce “Clean Authority of Telangana” to deal with solid waste, waste water and polluted air in all the urban areas across the State.
• It is an exclusive authority modeled on the lines of a similar body in Japan.
• It will ensure enforcement of measures aimed at containing the harm caused through solid waste, waste water and polluted air to human health.

LDF -Mobile App

• Union Ministry of Agriculture has launched Livestock Disease Forewarning –Mobile Application (LDF-Mobile App).
• The app is developed by ICAR to provide early warning about diseases like Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Brucellosis etc.
• It will also provide information about clinical samples for the diagnosis in case of the epidemic.
• It will be beneficial for the consumers and stakeholders engaged in disease control programmes.

The Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017

• Parliament has recently passed “The Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017”.
• The Bill establishes the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy, Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The Institute aims to provide high quality education and research focussing on the themes of petroleum, hydrocarbons and energy.
• The Institute is required to maintain a fund which will be credited with the funds that it receives from the central government, fees and money received from any other sources (grants and gifts). 
• The accounts of the Institute shall be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor- General of India.
• The bill declares the Institute as an Institution of National Importance (INI). 

Home Ministry’s Directive to NGOs

• The Home Ministry has recently directed all NGOs, business entities and individuals who receive funds from abroad to open accounts in any of the 32 designated banks.
• The banks are integrated with Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
• The directive is issued under the powers conferred upon the central government under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010.
• It is expected to provide a higher level of transparency and hassle-free reporting compliance.

Public Financial Management System (PFMS)

• PFMS, earlier known as Central Plan Schemes Monitoring System (CPSMS), is a web-based online software application.
• It is launched with the objective of tracking funds released under all Plan schemes of GoI, and real time reporting of expenditure at all levels of Programme implementation.
• It is integrated with the Core banking system which helps to monitor the flow of funds.
• It has been envisaged that digitization of accounts shall be achieved through PFMS.
• It is developed and implemented by the Office of Controller General of Accounts.

FAME II

• FAME India Scheme [Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India] was launched in 2015.
• Its objective is to support hybrid/electric vehicles market development and Manufacturing eco-system.
• The phase I of FAME expires on March 31, 2018.
• In phase II, the government is targeting a fully (100%) electric fleet for public transport, including buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws.
• The FAME India Scheme is aimed at incentivising all vehicle segments i.e. 2 Wheeler, 3 Wheeler Auto, Passenger 4 Wheeler Vehicle, Light Commercial Vehicles and Buses.
• It has 4 focus areas i.e. Technology development, Demand Creation, Pilot Projects and Charging Infrastructure.

Source: The Hindu, PIB

28th Dec Daily current affairs for UPSC Civil Service Exam 2017

Mahadayi River Dispute

• There have been ongoing protests in Karnataka on the issue of sharing of Mahadayi river waters.
• Mahadayi river originates in Karnataka before flowing into Goa where it is called Mandovi.
• Karnataka is seeking release of 7.56 tmcft water by Goa from the river for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, , which is being opposed by Goa.
• The project involves building barrages across Kalasa and Banduri, tributaries of Mahadayi river, to divert water to the Malaprabha which meets drinking water needs of the north Karnataka districts of Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Gadag.
• Goa is of the view that it has no problem in providing "reasonable and justified" amount of 0.1 TMC of water to Karnataka for its drinking needs.
• The matter is pending before the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal.

Pod Taxi Project

• A high-level panel has recommended inviting fresh bids for India’s first pod taxi project.
• The projected Rs. 4,000-crore scheme, also known as Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), is to start off with the 12.3 km Delhi-Gurugram pilot corridor on public-private partnership basis.
• PRT is an advanced public transport using automated electric pod cars to provide a taxi-like demand responsive feeder and shuttle services.
• It is for small groups of travellers and is a green mode of uninterrupted journey.
• The automated people mover (APM) standards in the US constitute the minimum requirements for an acceptable level of safety and performance for the PRT.

Atal Tinkering Labs

• Niti Aayog brainchild Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has selected additional 1,500 schools across the country to establish Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs).
• ATLs are play workspaces fitted with state-of-the-art technologies like 3D printers, robotics, sensor technology kits, Internet of things (IoT), miniaturised electronics.
• The labs are designed to spur the spark of creativity, and go beyond regular curriculum and text book learning.
• AIM will enhance the coverage of ATLs to over 98 per cent smart cities and 93 per cent districts.
• The addition of these schools will give a major boost to realise the vision of the mission to cultivate one million children in India as the innovators of tomorrow.

Kerala Tourism App

• Kerala Tourism has launched a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based inventory of around 1,000 festivals in the State.
• It is a geo-coded, user-friendly web application, offers the user a comprehensive platform that maps listed festivals to their respective venues.
• It details each festival’s legend, origin, popularity, duration, associated celebrations, rituals, and directions to the venue, along with the name of a contact person for further queries.
• It also includes details such as the annual festivities at the various shrines, boat races, Theyyams, music and dance festivals, and sporting events.
• Among them are lesser known events such as the Shadow Puppetry Festival, Malabar River Festival, Manaveeyam Queer Fest, Oachira Kali, Splash-Wayanad, Ananthapuri Chakka Mahotsavam, and Malabar International Kite Festival.

Indian Science Congress

• The 2018 edition of the Indian Science Congress will be held at Manipur University, Imphal, in March.
• Since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, the ISC was traditionally the first public function the Prime Minister addressed in the calendar year.
• It had to be postponed due to “security problems.”
• The congress sees several students, Nobel Laureates and scientists from India’s science academies in attendance.
• In recent years, the Science Congress has also got flak for being a forum that promoted pseudo science, such as in 2014, when a session on mythology and Vedic-era airplanes was a highlight.

Source: The Hindu, The Indian Express & PIB

27th Dec Daily current affairs for UPSC Civil Service Exam 2017

LiDAR to monitor Air Quality

• Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is currently focussing on its surface-level monitoring of air quality of Delhi-NCR.
• However, in “later stages”, it is also planning to take up vertical monitoring by using advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) devices.
• LiDAR is a monitoring system for mapping and modelling in -micro-topography, forestry, agriculture, meteorology and environmental pollution-
• LiDAR projects laser beams towards the sky.
• Subsequently, the interplay of light with the objects falling on its path through absorption, reflection, scattering help determine the composition of suspended particulates.
• Elastic Backscatter LiDAR and Raman LiDAR are used in monitoring air pollutants vertically.
• The CPCB and IMD had used the Elastic Backscatter LiDAR during the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the data was utilised in 3D modelling and forecasting during the games.

Memristors & AI                                       

• Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are computing systems that can learn and progressively improve performance on tasks by considering examples.

• Researchers have recently developed a new type of neural network chip that can dramatically improve the efficiency of teaching machines to think like humans.
• It improves a typical neural network’s capacity and reduces the required training time.
• They have been created in the past with larger optical components.
• Now the researchers have created their system using memristors.
• Memristors are a special type of resistive device that can both perform logic and store data.
• This contrasts with typical computer systems, where processors perform logic separate from memory modules.
• Hence they require less space and can be integrated more easily into silicon-based electronics.

BND-4201

• Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND-4201) is India’s first home-grown high purity gold reference standard recently launched.

• It will be the reference material for gold of ‘9999’ fineness i.e gold that is 99.99% pure.
• It will be beneficial to the consumers and public at large to ensure purity of gold.
• Once the BND’s of other purity gold are made available in the market, jewellers will move towards more instrumental methods.
• The conventional fire assay methods for testing are not only time consuming but also not environment friendly as poisonous gases are released.
• This will also be useful for Collection and Purity Testing Centres to certify the purity of gold deposits under the gold monetisation scheme.

CAMPA Rules

• Compensatory and Afforestation Fund (CAF) Bill envisaged the creation of a permanent Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
• The Bill establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under each State.
• The Bill allows the States to access nearly Rs.42,000 crore, mostly collected from industrial projects as penalties, from CAMPA and channel it into afforestation projects.
• More than a year after the Union government brought in the law, it is yet to frame rules to get the money disbursed.
• While States are getting money, it continues to be under an “ad hoc” mechanism whereby the Centre disburses it on a needs-basis.
• Also a year after the law came into being, the disbursal this year has dropped to a three-year low.

$318 Million Loan Agreement

• The Government of India, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank today signed a $318 million loan agreement for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project.
• The project is to promote climate resilient agriculture technologies, improve water management practices, and increase market opportunities for small and marginal farmers.
• More than 160,000 ha of currently partially irrigated lands will come into full irrigation under this project.
• The project will rehabilitate and modernize about 4,800 irrigation tanks and 477 check dams, spread across 66 sub-basins, in delivering bulk water to irrigation systems.
• Paddy is the dominant crop occupying 34% of total cropped areas, whereas fruits and vegetables are grown on 11% and pulses and oilseeds on 14% of total cropped areas.
• By helping farmers’ access modern technologies, linking them to markets, and providing postharvest management support, the project will enable farmers to shift from a mono crop paddy system to mixed cropping.
• The project will support smallholder producers adopt new conservation technologies such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Sustainable Sugar Initiative (SSI).
• They reduce average water usage by 35% and increase yields by 22% per ha.
• The loan has a 5-year grace period, and a maturity of 19 years.

26th Dec Daily current affairs for UPSC Civil Service Exam 2017

e-HRMS

• Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions recently launched electronic-Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS).
• e-HRMS is an  online platform for central government employees to apply for leave and access their service-related information.
• It will also help the employees to apply for different kind of claims/reimbursements, loan/advances etc on a single platform.
• The e-service book which is already in service for DoPT employees for accessing the service-related details of an employee will also be integrated in to the e-HRMS.

City Logo

• Bengaluru becomes the first Indian City to have a logo on its own.
• With this initiative of Karnataka Government, the city joins New York, Melbourne and Singapore.
• The logo, ‘Be U’, is a mix of typography in English and Kannada. The first part of the logo is in English and the rest in Kannada.

Ripple and Petro

• Ripple is a technology that acts as both a cryptocurrency and a digital payment network for financial transactions.
• It was released in 2012 and its coin is labeled as XRP.
• Ripple operates on an open source and peer-to-peer decentralized platform that allows for a seamless transfer of money in any form, whether USD, Yen, litecoin, or bitcoin.
• It is the fourth-largest cryptocurrency in the world by market capital, which now stands at around $43 billion.
• Petro is a cryptocurrency launched by Venezuela backed by oil reserves.
• It is mainly to shore the collapsed oil economy.
• Venezuela’s real currency “Bolivar” is in freefall, and the country is sorely lacking in basic needs like food and medicine.

Design University

• India's first and only design university “World University of Design” was recently opened at Sonipat, Haryana.
• It is situated on NH1 in Rajiv Gandhi Education City (NCR) in Sonipat, the largest planned integrated city for education in India.
• The university has international collaborations with foreign universities like University of West Scotland, the Vancouver Film School, and the Italian University of Design.

The State of the World’s Children 2017

• The report on “The State of the World’s Children 2017” was recently released by UNICEF.
• It accesses the status of “Children in the Digital Economy”.
• It has a tagline, “For every Child | a digital Bridge, for every Child | digital parity, for every children | digital safety and for every Child | digital care”.
• It has highlighted that around 3 out of 5 youth in Africa are offline, compared to just 1 in 25 in Europe.
• It says that the online gender gap is growing. Globally there are 12 per cent more men than women online, and the gap is greatest in low-income countries.

World Migration Report 2018

• International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the UN migration agency has recently published “World Migration Report 2018” during IOM council, held at Geneva.
• This report is the ninth in IOM’s World Migration Report (WMR) series and the first since IOM became the UN Migration Agency.
• IOM is an inter-governmental organization, established in 1951.
• It works in the field of migration with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.
• The organisation has 166 member countries (including India) and 8 observer states.
• It aims to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.
• IOM works to ensure the humane management of migration by providing services and advice to governments and migrants, and promote international cooperation on migration issues.

Champion State

• Union Government has recently recognized Odisha as a 'Champion State' for recording the highest growth in exports during 2016-17.
• Odisha’s export volume has been increased from Rs 19, 082 crores in 2015-16 to Rs 40,872 crores in 2016-17.
• The growth of exports has a direct positive impact on the enhancement of employment and livelihood opportunity.

Source: PIB, BusinessLine, Economic Times

25th Dec Daily current affairs for UPSC Civil Service Exam 2017

India’s first social audit law

• Meghalaya has recently become India’s first state to operationalize a law that makes social audit of government programmes a part of government practice.
• The legislation is applicable to 11 departments and 26 schemes in the north eastern state.
• A social audit facilitator will be appointed to conduct the audit directly with the people.
• So far, social audits of government programmes have been done at the initiative of civil society organisations.
• By this new law social audits will have an official sanction and becomes the mandate of the government.

Global conference on functional materials

• Global conference on functional materials was recently held at Telangana, which was attended by delegates from 10 different countries.
• The conference was aimed to address the application aspect of the functional materials in areas of societal relevance.
• The term functional materials cover different material classes ranging from semiconductors over polymers and molecular crystals to nanoparticles.
• It is their special electrical, optical and magnetic properties which make functional materials so important.
• Technologies such has Computation, Communication, Sensors, storage and displaying of information uses the functional materials.

Guru Gobind Singh

• 350th Prakash Parv (birthday anniversary) of Guru Gobind Singh was celebrated recently.
• He is the tenth Sikh Guru who formally installed as the leader of the Sikhs at age nine.
• He was the son of ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.
• He founded the Sikh warrior community called Khalsa in 1699, changing the Sikhs into a saint-soldier order for protecting themselves.
• He introduced the Five Ks, the five articles of faith that Khalsa Sikhs wear at all times.
• He enshrined the scripture the Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhism's eternal Guru,which made him the last guru of Sikhs.

New frog species - Odorrana arunachalensis

• Scientists have discovered a new frog species in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The new species has been named Odorrana arunachalensis.
• It is a medium-sized green frog adapted for a life in torrential waters.
• The frog inhabits fern-covered rocky areas along hill streams in mixed wet tropical forests.
• The presence of a black band-like mark between the eyes is a distinguishing character that separates it from all the other frog species.

UN Ocean conference

• The UN Ocean Conference was held at UN headquarters in New York.
• It is a high-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.
• SDG 14 emphasises to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.
• Many voluntary commitments for concrete action to advance implementation were made by governments during the conference.
• To follow-up on the implementation of these voluntary commitments United Nations recently have launched nine thematic multi-stakeholder Communities of Ocean Action.

Anti- Smog gun

• Delhi government to tackle its air pollution problem has tested an Anti-Smog gun in Northern areas of Delhi.
• It is simply a Water mist cannon, which is connected to a water tank and mounted on a flatbed truck.
• It sprays atomized water in which liquid is broken up into smaller droplets up to 230 feet into the air.
• The droplets merge with dust particlesreplicating the effect of rain, as rain lowers levels of air pollution by bringing particulates in pollution down to the ground.

Source: The Hindu, PIB, Economic times, Indian Express