Daily Prelims Notes 30 May 2021

May 30, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

Daily Prelims Notes

30 May 2021

Table Of Contents

1. COVID RELEIF FOR CHILDREN FROM PM CARES

Subject: Governance

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the roll-out of a slew of benefits under PM Cares for Children, in a bid to support children who lost their parents to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Concept:

Orphaned children will receive a monthly stipend once they turn 18 and a fund of Rs 10 lakh when they turn 23.
The government will also ensure free education for such children.
Free health insurance of Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat till 18 years and premium will be paid a part of the scheme.

PM CARES Fund

Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or the PM CARES Fund, was set up to tackle distress situations such as that posed by the COVID19 pandemic.
The fund receives voluntary contributions from individuals and organisations and does not get any budgetary support. Donations have been made tax exempt, and can be counted against a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR)
It is also exempt from the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, and accepts foreign contributions, although the Centre has previously refused foreign aid to deal with disasters such as the Kerala floods.
The Prime Minister chairs the fund in his official capacity, and can nominate three eminent persons in relevant fields to the Board of Trustees. The Ministers of Defense, Home Affairs and Finance are ex officio Trustees of the Fund.

2. DEMANDS FOR CAG AUDIT OF VACCINE FIRMS

Subject : Polity

Context : Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Saturday demanded a CAG audit of the capacity, production, dispatch, supply and customers’ lists of domestic vaccine manufacturers Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech.

Concept :

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)

The Constitution of India (Article 148) provides for an independent office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
He is the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department. He is the guardian of the public purse and controls the entire financial system of the country at both the levels—the Centre and the state.
His duty is to uphold the Constitution of India and laws of Parliament in the field of financial administration.
The CAG is appointed by the president of India by a warrant under his hand and seal.
He holds office for a period of six years or upto the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
He can resign any time from his office by addressing the resignation letter to the president. He can also be removed by the president on same grounds and in the same manner as a judge of the Supreme Court.
The Constitution (Article 149) authorises the Parliament to prescribe the duties and powers of the CAG in relation to the accounts of the Union and of the states and of any other authority or body.
Accordingly, the Parliament enacted the CAG’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) act, 1971. This Act was amended in 1976 to separate accounts from audit in the Central government.

3. BURNING VESSELS MAY LEAD TO ACID RAIN

Subject : Current Events / Geography

Context : Burning Ship MV X – PRESS PEARL with chemicals onboard may cause acid rain in Srilanka : Report

Concept :

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships ‘Vaibhav’ and ‘Vajra’ continue to battle the fire onboard container ship MV X-Press Pearl off Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The distressed vessel MV X-Press Pearl was carrying 1,486 containers with nitric acid and other hazardous IMDG code chemicals.
The extreme fire, damage to containers and prevailing inclement weather has caused the vessel to tilt to one side resulting in falling of containers overboard.

Acid Rain

Acid rain is also termed as acid deposition (Primary being Sulphuric Acid and Nitric Acid) to differentiate it from other forms of acidic precipitation such as snow.
Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and ozone (O3) are the primary causes of acid rain.
These chemicals interact with other chemicals and reactants present in the atmosphere and result into acid deposition.
There are two types of deposition, Wet Deposition and the other Dry deposition.
Wet Deposition: Wet deposition refers to depositions in form of rain, fog, snow or mist. When the acidic chemicals in the air are blown into areas where the weather is wet, the chemicals fall to the ground in the form of rain, snow, fog, or mist.
As this acidic water flows over and through the ground, it affects various plants and animals.
Dry Deposition: Dry deposition refers to depositions in form of dust or smoke. When the acidic chemicals in the air stick to buildings, homes, cars, trees or fall on ground.
Dry deposited chemicals and gases can be washed from these surfaces by storms, leading to increased runoff.

4. GoM TO LOOK INTO GST RELIEF ON COVID ESSENTIALS

Subject : Polity

Context : As per its terms of reference, the GoM would examine if a GST rate cut or exemption would be required for medical grade oxygen, pulse oximeters, hand sanitisers, oxygen therapy equipment like concentrators, ventilators, PPE kits, N-95 and surgical masks and temperature checking equipment.

Concept :

Group of Ministers

Apart from the cabinet committees, several Group Of Ministers (GoM’s) have been constituted to look into different issues.
These are ad hoc bodies that may have been empowered to take decisions on behalf of the cabinet or they are there just to make recommendations.
They were set up to take decisions on various matters such as corruption, interstate water disputes, administrative reforms, etc.

5. US RESEARCHERS FIND DRUG THAT BLOCKS SEVERE COVID 19 SYMPTOMS

Subject: Science & tech

Context: Researchers in the US have discovered a drug that could potentially be a game-changing tool in treating COVID-19 patients, including variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Concept :

A team led by University of Pennsylvania developed the drug diABZI, which activated the body’s innate immune response and effectively prevented severe Covid-19 symptoms, including those from the South African variant (B1351) and also curbed their spread in mice, the scie
Tests on mice, infected with Covid-19 showed that diABZI potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection of diverse strains, including variant of concern B1351, by activating STING.
In addition, diABZI could also inhibit human parainfluenza virus and rhinovirus replication in cultured cells.
Thus, the STING agonist may be more broadly effective against other respiratory viruses, the researchers said.

STING Agonist

STimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) is a master regulator of type I interferons and a key mediator of innate immunity. Activation of STING provides two critical anti-tumor responses:
The “spark” for initiating a robust innate immune response.
Priming and activation of a potent T cell mediated anti-tumor adaptive response.

6. CAN BEES BE TRAINED TO SMELL CORONA VIRUS?

Subject : Environment

Context : Recent research by startup InsectSense and WageningenBioveterinary Research in the Netherlands suggests bees can be trained to smell and detect coronavirus.

Concept :

The coronavirus, like other diseases, causes metabolic changes in the body that causes a smell.
Bees can be trained within minutes to recognize the scent of samples infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Bees can detect volatiles with a sensitivity of parts per trillion. For example, they find a flower a few kilometres away.
Bees, like dogs, can learn to detect volatiles and odors, but with just a few minutes of training.

Pavlovian conditioning method

The bees were trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infected samples in a Pavlovian conditioning method.
Each time the bees were exposed to the scent from an infected sample, they received a sugar water solution reward. The bees extended their tongues to collect the sugar water solution.
By repeating this action several times, the bees associated the sugar reward with the scent as the stimulus.
With this repeated conditioning, soon enough bees started extending their tongues out for the scent alone, with no reward offered as a follow-up. A trained bee can detect an infected sample within a few seconds.

7. RIPPLES FROM YAAS & SURGING TIDES DEVASTATE SUNDERBANS

Subject : Environment

Context: Ghormara Islands with a population of about 3500 people is entirely flooded.

Concept:

About Ghoramara Island

It is located 92km south of Kolkata in the Sundarbans Delta complex of the Bay of Bengal
In fact, every year, with houses and acres of land being swallowed by a hungry sea, the topography of the island alters.
The total area of Ghoramara was 8.51 sq km in 1975; it was reduced to 4.43 sq km in 2012.
The rapid erosion of the island, located at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, has grabbed the attention of all those attempting to understand how rising sea levels and climate change are impacting lives and migration patterns.

8. COAST GUARD WILL GET MORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Subject : Defence

Context : National Security Advisor AjitDoval commissioned Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sajag and dedicated it to the nation for safeguarding the maritime interests on May 29, 2021. OPV Sajag is constructed by M/s Goa Shipyard Limited.

Concept :

Indian Coast Guard (ICG):

The concept of forming ICG came into being post 1971 war, when it was assessed that maritime borders are equally vital as land borders.
It was established on 18th August 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India as an independent Armed force of India.
The blueprint for a multi-dimension Coast Guard was conceived by the visionary Rustamji Committee even as the United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was being negotiated and India’s assets off Mumbai high were growing.
It operates under the Ministry of Defence.
Headquarter: New Delhi.
It has jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India including contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.
It is responsible for marine environment protection in maritime zones of India and is coordinating authority for response to oil spills in Indian waters.

9. RECALL OF CHIEF SECRETARY UNPRECEDENTED

Subject : Polity

Context : West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Saturday asked the Centre to withdraw its order recalling Chief Secretary AlapanBandyopadhyay to Delhi.

Concept :

The post of Chief Secretary is the senior-most position held in the civil services of the states and union territories of India.
Chief Secretary (CS) is chosen by Chief Minister from among the senior most IAS officers (Appointed by Governor of the state ) and also CS doesn’t have fixed tenure.

The chief secretary discharges vital functions which Include:

Adviser to the CM: Chief- Secretary acts as an advisor to the CM. Being head of the permanent executive branch he strives for a sound administration.
Secretary to the Cabinet: Chief-Secretary acts as a secretary to the state cabinet. Chief Secretary is the administrative head of the cabinet secretariat and attends the meeting of the cabinet and its sub-committees.
Head of State Cabinet Secretariat: State Cabinet Secretariat whose functions include Secretarial assistance, implementation of decisions, policy coordination and providing information is headed by Chief-Secretary.
Head of Civil Services: Chief- Secretary acts as the head of the state civil services. Important cases pertaining to appointments, transfers and promotion of senior state civil servants go to his/her desk.
Coordinator of Civil Service Efforts: Chief Secretary ensures inter departmental coordination. Chief Secretary advises the secretaries on inter departmental difficulties. He is the chairman of coordination committees which are set up for resolving inter-departmental disputes.
Residual Legatee: The chief secretary also acts as the residual legatee, that is, he looks after all those matters which do not fall within the purview of other secretaries.

10. SURYAKIRAN AEROBATIC DISPLAY TEAM COMPLETES 25 YEARS

Subject : Defence

Context : The Suryakiran aerobatic display team of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has enthralled crowds across the country with their hair-raising manoeuvres with their aircraft in red and white, has just completed 25 years.

Concept :

Surya Kiran (“Rays of the Sun”) is an aerobatics demonstration team of the Indian Air Force. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 and are a part of the 52nd Squadron of the IAF.
The squadron was composed of the HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 military trainer aircraft till 2011 and were based at the Bidar Air Force Station in Karnataka.
It was revived in 2015 with Hawk trainers initially with four aircraft and grew to the nine aircraft formation.
Since its inception, the SKAT team has carried out over 600 displays all around the country, it has also represented India across southeast Asia including China.

1971 Commemorations:

Marking the golden jubilee year of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, the SKAT team has been flying different formations over landmarks across the country starting from Kanyakumari in the south.

11. DECLINING FOREST BIRD SPECIES IN WESTERN HIMALAYAS

Subject : Environment

Context : Researchers add that there is strong decline in some of the Habitat Guilds in the areas that undergone land use changes.

Concept :

Habitat guilds are groups of bird species that have common habitat preferences.
For instance, forest specialists include species which forage and breed only in dense protected oak forests at this altitude, while forest generalists can adapt to modified habitats such as orchards and degraded forests.”

Avian Foraging

Avian foraging refers to the range of activities and behaviours exhibited by birds in their quest for food.
In addition to their unique body adaptations, birds have a range of described behaviours that differ from the foraging behaviours of other animal groups.
According to the foraging habitat, birds may be grouped into foraging guilds. Foraging includes a range of activities, starting with the search for food, making use of sensory abilities, and which may involve one or more birds either of a single or even of multiple species.
This is followed by locomotion and movements to obtain or capture the food, followed by the processing or handling of the foods prior to ingestion.

12. IIT MANDI RESEARCHERS REVEAL KEY SARS CoV 2 PROTEIN STRUCTURE

Subject : Science & tech

Context :Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT Mandi) in Himachal Pradesh have revealed the part of structure of a key protein in COVID-19 virus, which helps in understanding its mode of action, its role in the spread and severity of the disease and development of antiviral therapeutics.

Concept :

According to the team, current COVID-19 treatments simply manage symptoms while the body fights off the infection with its immune defence system. There are, as yet, no confirmed antiviral drugs that can stop the virus from replicating.
This virus has 16 non-structural proteins (NSP1-NSP16), of which the NSP1 plays a vital role in the pathogenicity (ability to cause disease) of the virus.
The NSP1 disrupts the proteins of the host cell and suppresses its immune functions. Its importance can be understood by the fact that it is also called the ‘host shutoff factor’.
NSP1 , is a nonstructural RNA-binding protein that contains a cysteine-rich region and is a component of early replication intermediates.
RNA-folding predictions suggest that this region of the NSP1 mRNA can interact with itself, producing a stem-loop structure similar to that found near the 5′-terminus of the NSP1 mRNA.

13. PATENTED ‘VILLAGE RICE’ EXPORTED TO GHANA YEMEN

Subject : Economy

Context : In a major boost to India’s non-basmati rice exports potential, two consignments 4.5 MT of patented ‘village rice’ sourced from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu by a start-up Udaya Agro Farm was exported today to Ghana & Yemen via air & sea routes.

Concept :

Enriched with protein, fibre, and a variety of minerals, ‘village rice’ is sourced directly from farmers of Thanjavur, also known as rice bowl of Tamil Nadu.
Earlier this month, a consignment of rice was exported from the Paradip International Cargo Terminal, Odisha to Vietnam. This was for the first time in recent years, non-basmati rice was exported from Paradip Port.
In March, 2021, the first consignment of ‘red rice’ from Assam was exported to the USA.
Iron rich ‘red rice’ is grown in Brahmaputra valley of Assam, without the use of any chemical fertilizer. The rice variety is referred as ‘Bao-dhaan’, which is an integral part of the Assamese food.
Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian countries are undertaken from various ports of India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. Paradip will soon emerge as one of the major rice-exporting port of the country.

14. MINISTRY OF EDUCATION LAUNCHED SCHEME ‘YUVA’

Subject : Government Schemes

Context :The Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education launched YUVA- Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors, an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors (below 30 years of age).

Concept :

The launch of YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is in tune with PM’s vision to encourage young writers to write about India’s freedom struggle.
YUVA is a part of India@75 Project (AzadiKaAmritMahotsav) to bring to the fore the perspectives of the young generation of writers on themes like Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters, Unknown and Forgotten Places and their role in National Movement, and other related themes in an innovative and creative manner.
The National Book Trust, India under the Ministry of Education as the Implementing Agency will ensure phase-wise execution of the Scheme under well-defined stages of mentorship.
The books prepared under this scheme will be published by National Book Trust, India; and will also be translated into other Indian languages ensuring the exchange of culture and literature, thereby promoting ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Highlights of YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors):

A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest to be conducted from 1 June – 31 July 2021.
The winners will be announced on 15 August 2021.
The young authors will be trained by eminent authors/mentors.
Under the mentorship, the manuscripts will be readied by 15 Dec. 2021 for publication.
The published books will be launched on 12 January 2022 on the occasion of National Youth Day (YuvaDiwas).
A consolidated scholarship of Rs.50,000 per month for a period of six months per author will be paid under the Mentorship Scheme