CURRENT AFFAIRS 07-08-2020

NATIONAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE

What is in news?

Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) National Awards for excellence in Earth System Science have been announced.

About:

• This year the Life Time Excellence Award is being awarded to Professor Ashok Sahni for his significant contribution in the field of Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology and Biostratigraphy.

• The National Award for Ocean Science & technology is being awarded to Dr. V. V. S. S. Sarma, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Vishakapatnam and Dr. M. Ravichandran, Director, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa.

• The National Award for Atmospheric Science & technology will be presented to Dr. S. Suresh Babu, Scientist-SF, VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram.

• The National award for Geoscience & technology will be presented to N. V. Chalapathi Rao Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.

• The National Award for Ocean Technology will be presented to Dr. M. A. Atmanand, Director, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai.

• Lidita D. S. Khandeparker, Senior Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa will receive the Anna Mani award for woman scientist.

• The Young Researcher Awards will be presented to Dr. Indra Sekhar Sen, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and Dr. Arvind Singh Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad for their outstanding work in Earth System Science.

AMMONIUM NITRATE

What is in news?

The catastrophic explosion at Beirut port that has so far killed at least 100 people was caused by over 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate kept in storage for over six years.

About:

• In its pure form, ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) is a white, crystalline chemical which is soluble in water. It is the main ingredient in the manufacture of commercial explosives used in mining and construction.

• In India, The Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012, under The Explosives Act, 1884, define ammonium nitrate as the “compound with formula NH4NO3 including any mixture or compound having more than 45 per cent ammonium nitrate by weight – including emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels but excluding emulsion or slurry explosives and non-explosives emulsion matrix and fertilizers from which the ammonium nitrate cannot be separated”.

• Pure ammonium nitrate is not an explosive on its own. It is classified as an oxidiser (Grade 5.1) under the United Nations classification of dangerous goods. If mixed with ingredients like fuel or some other contaminants, or because of some other external factors, it can be very explosive.

• However, for combinations to explode, triggers like detonators are required. Many Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used by terrorists around the world have ANFO as the main explosive, triggered by primary explosives like RDX or TNT.

• In India, For the manufacture of ammonium nitrate, an Industrial licence is required under the Industrial Development and Regulation Act, 1951. A license under the Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012 is also required for any activity related to ammonium nitrate.

NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAY

What is in news?

National Handloom Day is being organised on August 7 by the Ministry of Textiles.

About:

• 7th August was chosen as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on the same date in the year 1905.

• The objective is to generate awareness about the Handloom Industry among the public and its contribution to socio-economic development.

ITER PROJECT

What is in news?

The ITER Organization is celebrating the Start of Assembly of the ITER Tokamak with a ceremony at Saint-Paul-Lez-Durance, France. The Celebration has been hosted virtually by French President Emmanuel Macron.

About:

• ITER is one of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today.

• In southern France, 35 nations are collaborating to build the world's largest tokamak, a magnetic fusion device that has been designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers our Sun and stars.

Important facts :

• ITER will be the first fusion device to produce net energy.

• ITER will be the first fusion device to maintain fusion for long periods of time.

• And ITER will be the first fusion device to test the integrated technologies, materials, and physics regimes necessary for the commercial production of fusion-based electricity.

• The ITER Members—China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States—are now engaged in a 35-year collaboration to build and operate the ITER experimental device, and together bring fusion to the point where a demonstration fusion reactor can be designed.

KISAN SPECIAL PARCEL TRAIN

What is in news?

The country's first Kisan Special Parcel Train or Kisan Rail will start from August 7, 2020 to provide seamless supply of perishable produce.

About:

• The train will transport material between Maharashtra's Devlali and Bihar's Danapur Railway station. It will be covering a distance of 1,519 kilometres in around 32 hours.

• The Kisan Rail will carry fruits and vegetables and will make stoppages at several stations and pick-up and deliver them. This will help in bringing perishable agricultural products like vegetables, fruits to the market in a short period of time.

• The Kisan Rail train with frozen containers is expected to build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables, inclusive of fish, meat and milk.

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced to start 'Kisan Rail' in the current year's Budget, for providing a seamless supply chain of perishable produce.

INGALI VENKAYYA

What is in news?

Vice President of India paid tribute to freedom fighter and the designer of India’s national flag, Pingali Venkayya on his birth anniversary.

About:

• Pingali Venkayya (1876 – 1963) was an Indian freedom fighter and the designer of the flag on which the Indian national flag was based.

• Venkayya's version was first designed for the Indian National Congress and subsequently modified in 1947.

• Pingali Venkayya was a polymath with interests in geology, education, agriculture and languages.

• He was born at Bhatlapenumarru, near Machilipatnam, in Andhra Pradesh.

TARGET OLYMPIC PODIUM SCHEME (TOPS)

What is in  news?

The Government of India launched the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for the country’s promising junior athletes, with an aim to groom these young talents for medal glory at the 2024 and 2028 Olympics.

About:

• The Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) ‘Mission Olympic Cell’ (MOC) has shortlisted 258 athletes in 12 sporting disciplines for TOPS Junior, including the 85 selected before the lockdown, who will be part of the ‘Developmental Group’.

• The selected athletes will receive a monthly ‘Out Of Pocket’ allowance of Rs 25,000.

• Of the 12 disciplines, 70 athletes have been shortlisted in shooting, 16 in athletics, 34 in archery, 27 in badminton, four in cycling, seven in table tennis, 14 in swimming, 11 in judo, 36 in boxing, 16 in weightlifting, five in rowing and 18 in wrestling.

POKKALI RICE

What is in news?

Farmers in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal are betting on the pokkali variety of rice from Kerala to tide over a crisis-like situation created by severe seawater incursion into paddy fields in vast areas of the Sundarbans after cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal on May 20.

About:

• The pokkali variety, known for its saltwater resistance, flourishes in the paddy fields of coastal Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts of Kerala.

• The uniqueness of the rice has brought it the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and is the subject of continuing research.

• Vyttila-11 is the latest variety of Pokkali Rice to come out of Kerala Agricultural University’s field station in Vyttila. Vyttila-11 promises better yield of about 5 tonnes per hectare than the previous varieties, and is crossed with the Jyoti variety of rice popular in Kerala.

INDO TIBETAN BORDER POLICE (ITBP)

What is in news?

Indo Tibetan Border Police, ITBP became the first Central Armed Police Force CAPF to have supplies from the Khadi & Village Industries Commission, KVIC.

About:

• An agreement was signed between the ITBP and the KVIC in New Delhi. According to the agreement, total 1200 Quintal of Mustard Oil is being procured from KVIC by ITBP with a total financial implication of 1 Crore 73 Lakh 80 Thousand rupees.

• It was decided during a meeting of the Directors General of the CAPFs held at Home Ministry in October last year that use of Terry Khadi Uniform and other items of swadeshi origin should be made available to the CAPFs.

• The ITBP had suggested that Durrie, Blankets, Towel, Mustard Oil, Yoga Kit, Hospital Bed Sheets, Pickles etc can be purchased for jawans of the Force through KVIC.