Daily Current Affairs : 04 September 2020

1. Gen. Rawat pushes for Quad

News: India wants the Quad to become a system to “ensure freedom of navigation (FoN) and freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS)” in the Indian Ocean and around, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said. while highlighting the threat of a combined challenge from Pakistan and China on two fronts, and cautioning Pakistan against taking any advantage of the tensions with China.

What is QUAD?

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia and India that is maintained by semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military drills between member countries.

What is Quad grouping?

• The quadrilateral formation includes Japan, India, United States and Australia with a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.
• All four nations find a common ground of being the democratic nations and common interests of unhindered maritime trade and security.
• The idea was first mooted by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. However, the idea couldn’t move ahead with Australia pulling out of it.

Source: The Hindu

2. Spot Robot

Recently, the researchers have shown that a robot named 'Spot' can measure vital signs such as body temperature and breathing rate in people, from a distance.

About Spot Robot

• It has been developed by Boston Dynamics, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

• It can measure skin temperature, breathing rate, pulse rate, and blood oxygen saturation in healthy patients, from 2 metres away.

• The robot has been mounted with four cameras i.e. one infrared, three monochrome.

• The primary functions of the Spot Robot are:

  • Body Temperature: The infrared camera measures skin temperature on the face. An algorithm then correlates the facial skin temperature with core body temperature.

  • Breathing Rate: The infrared camera measures this temperature change, enabling researchers to calculate the breathing rate.

  • Pulse Rate & Oxygen Levels: When haemoglobin binds to oxygen and flows through blood vessels, it results in slight changes in colour. These changes are measured with the help of the three monochrome cameras, which filter lights of three different wavelengths.

• It can also carry a tablet that allows doctors to ask patients about their symptoms without being in the same room.

Source: The Indian Express

Recently, the NASA has been tracking Asteroid 465824 2010 FR, which is twice as big as the Pyramid of Giza and is expected to cross the Earth’s orbit.

3. Asteroid 465824 2010 FR

About Asteroid 465824 2010 FR

• It has been classified as a Near-Earth Object (NEO) and a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA).

  • NEOs occasionally move close to the Earth as they orbit the Sun and NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Study (CNEOS) determines their distance.

  • NASA defines NEOs as comets and asteroids nudged by the gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them to enter the Earth’s neighbourhood.

• Asteroid 465824 2010 FR was discovered in 2010 by the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS).

Asteroids

• Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun and are much smaller than planets, often termed as minor planets.
• The explanation for the concentration of asteroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter comes from the formation of Jupiter, whose gravity brought an end to the formation of any planetary bodies in this region.
• The asteroids found outside the Mars-Jupiter belt can be classified into trojans, which are asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet.
• The third classification of asteroids can be as Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA), which have orbits that pass close by the Earth.
• The asteroids are named by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Source: The Indian Express

4. Pinaka Missile System

Recently, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that its acquisition wing had signed contracts with three Indian companies for supply of six regiments of the Pinaka Rocket System to be deployed along borders with Pakistan and China.

Origin of Pinaka Missile System

• The development of the Pinaka was started by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the late 1980s.

• It was developed as an alternative to the multi-barrel rocket launching systems of Russian make, called like the ‘Grad’.

• After successful tests of Pinaka Mark-1 in the late 1990, it was first used in the battlefield during the Kargil War of 1999.

Features of Pinaka Missile System

• It is an indigenously developed rocket system which is named after Lord Shiva’s bow.

• It is primarily a multi-barrel rocket system (MBRL) system, can fire a salvo of 12 rockets over a period of 44 seconds.

• The one battery of Pinaka system consists of six launch vehicles, accompanied by the loader systems, radar and links with network based systems and a command post.

• The Mark-I version of Pinaka has a range of around 40 kilometres and the Mark-II version can fire up to 75 kilometres.

Significance of Pinaka Missile System

• The long range artillery systems like Pinaka are used for attacking the adversary targets prior to the close quarter battles which involve smaller range artillery, armoured elements and the infantry.

• The Mark-II version of the rocket has been modified as a guided missile system by integrating it with the navigation, control and guidance system to improve the end accuracy and increase the range.

• The navigation system of the missile is linked with the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.

Source: The Indian Express

5. Question Hour in Parliament

Recently, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats notified that there will be no Question Hour during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

About Question Hour

• The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is slotted for Question Hour.

• It is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.

• There are three kinds of questions which can be put during the Question Hour:

  • A starred question (distinguished by an asterisk) requires an oral answer and hence supplementary questions can follow.

  • An unstarred question, on the other hand, requires a written answer and hence, supplementary questions cannot follow.

  • A short notice question is one that is asked by giving a notice of less than ten days. It is answered orally.

• It is during this one hour that Members of Parliament ask questions of ministers and hold them accountable for the functioning of their ministries.

  • The question should be related to an area of responsibility of the Government of India and the questions should not seek information about matters that are secret or are under adjudication before courts.

  • There is no Question Hour on the day the President addresses MPs from both Houses in the Central Hall.

  • The Question Hour is not scheduled on the day the Finance Minister presents the Budget.

• The presiding officers of the two houses are the final authority with respect to the conduct of Question Hour.

  • It is the presiding officers of the two Houses who finally decide whether a question raised by an MP will be admitted for answering by the government.

About Zero Hour

• Unlike the question hour, the zero hour is not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.

• It is an informal device available to the members of the Parliament to raise matters without any prior notice.

• The zero hour starts immediately after the question hour and lasts until the agenda for the day is taken up.

  • The time gap between the question hour and the agenda is known as zero hour.

• It is an Indian innovation in the field of parliamentary procedures and has been in existence since 1962.

Source: The Indian Express

6. Global Innovation Index 2020

Recently, the World Intellectual Property Organization has released its Global Innovation Index 2020 rankings.

Key Highlights of Global Innovation Index 2020

GII and the World

• Switzerland is the world’s most-innovative economy followed by Sweden, the United States of America (U.S.), the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the Netherlands.

• The regional leaders include India, South Africa, Chile, Israel and Singapore, with China, Viet Nam and the United Republic of Tanzania topping their income groups.

• In 2020, Tokyo-Yokohama is the top performing hotspot again, followed by Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou, Seoul, Beijing, and San Jose-San Francisco.

• The top 100 clusters are located in 26 economies, of which six are Brazil, China, India, Iran, Turkey, and the Russian Federation which are middle-income economies.

GII and India

• India has entered in the top 50 countries, residing at 48th spot and climbed 4 places from 52nd position in 2019 and 81st in 2015.

• The WIPO had also accepted India as one of the leading innovation achievers of 2019 in the central and southern Asian region.

• India has shown a consistent improvement in its innovation ranking for the last 5 years.

  • The consistent improvement in the global innovation index rankings is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant startup ecosystem, and the amazing work done by the public & private research organizations.

About Global Innovation Index 2020

• It was prepared by the Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

• The theme of the Global Innovation Index 2020 is "Who Will Finance Innovation?"

• It presents the latest global innovation trends and the annual innovation ranking of 131 economies.

Source: PIB

7. Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020

Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the introduction in Parliament of the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020.

Key Highlights

• It includes five languages i.e. Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi and English to be the official language of the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

• The government has accepted the long pending demand of the region for the inclusion of Dogri, Hindi and Kashmiri as official languages in J&K.

Eighth Schedule to the Constitution

• The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India lists the official languages of the Republic of India.
• As per Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Indian Constitution, the eighth schedule includes the recognition of the following 22 languages.Of these languages, 14 were initially included in the Constitution. Subsequently, Sindhi was added in 1967 by 21st constitutional amendment act; Konkani, Manipuri (Meitei) and Nepali were added in 1992 by 71st Constitutional Amendment Act; and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santali were added in 2004 by 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act
• Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi are included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Source: All India Radio

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