Daily Current Affairs :  08-12-2020

1. AYUSH Export promotion council 

• It will be set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of AYVSH to boost AYUSH exports.
• Both ministries will work together to facilitate more exports of AYUSH  products, by standardizing their HS (Harmonised  System) codes used for global trade.
• Bureau of Indian Standards will help in developing international standards for AYUSH products and services.

Source: The Hindu

2. NITI Aayog Recommends Single Self-Regulator Body for online fantasy sports platforms (OFSP)

• NITI Aayog made the recommendation through a draft report titled "Guiding Principles for the Uniform  National-Level  Regulation of Online Fantasy Sports Platforms in India".
• The number of users participating in  OFSP in India increased from 2 million in 2016 to 90 million in December 2019.
• The fantasy sports industry has the potential to attract FDI of more than INR 10,000 crore over the next few years.
• In India, OFSP operates through online media on a pan-India basis, their regulation proceeds under the varied state-wise regulatory regime.
• Some states, like Assam, Orissa, and Telangana, have made fantasy sports illegal. On the other hand, Nagaland has explicitly recognized fantasy sports as games of skill (Betting in the game of skill" is legal in India).
• This could  Impact fantasy sports users' interest and transparency, OFSP operator Integrity, and fairness.
• Formal recognition of the fantasy sports industry and providing for principle-led governance would enable Indian OFSP operators to focus on innovation and achieve scale and expand their operations in a clear and principle-based regulatory environment.

Source: Times of India

3. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Experts evacuate sites in Madhya Pradesh for African cheetah Re-introduction

• Experts looked for the best habitat based on prey base, safety, and topography. Cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.
• Shortlisted sites include  Kuno Palpur sanctuary, Nauradehi sanctuary, Gandhi Sagar sanctuary, and Madhav National Park.
• IUCN status: African Cheetah- Vulnerable and Asiatic Cheetah - Critically endangered.
• Asiatic cheetah is much stronger and faster than African cheetah.
• Asiatic Cheetah (around 50-70) is only found in Iran while African Cheetah is found in wild in Africa.
• In 2010, a central government expert panel recommended KunoPalpur, Velavadar National Park (Gujarat), and Tai Chapar Sanctuary (Rajasthan) for reintroducing Cheetah.
• KunoPalpur was the preferred location. It was also the place prepared by MP to house Asiatic lions.
• However, in 2013, the Supreme Court quashed the plan for introducing African cheetahs to KunoPalpur citing reasons like a possible conflict with a parallel project to introduce lions at the same site, lack of prey base,man-animal conflict, etc.
• The Central government revived the plan in 2017.
• In January 2020, SC set up a three-member committee to guide the National Tiger Conservation Authority in taking decisions for relocation after a proper survey.

Source: Hindustan Times

4. Ranthambore Tiger Reserve

• It is situated in Sawal Madhopu r District of Rajasthan at the junction of the Aravalli and Vindhya hill ranges.
• The forest type is mainly tropical dry deciduous.
• In 1973, it was declared as one of the Project Tiger reserves.

Source: Ranthambore National Park

5. Vittala Temple-Hampi

• Vittala Temple at Hampi was built during the reign of King Devaraya II (1422 - 1446 A.O.) of the Vijayanagara Empire.
• Several sections of the temple were expanded and renovated during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509- 1529 A.D).
• Temple is dedicated to Vittala, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is located in the northeastern part of Hampi, near the banks of the Tungabhadra River.
• Temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture. The highlight of Vittalatempleis its impressive pillared halls and the stone chariot.

Source: Hampi-Vittala Temple

6. Bhasan Char-An Island

• Bhasan Char is an island formed by sedimentation in the Bay of Bengal. It surfaced in 2006 from the sediment deposited by the Meghna river. It is vulnerable to going underwater from tides and flooding.
• Bangladesh has begun sending Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char from the overcrowded camps at Cox's Bazar.
• Rohingya are one of the ethnic communities of Myanmar living in Rakhine state. In 2017, a crackdown by Myanmar'sarmy sent them fleeing across the border.

Source: Indian Express

7. Hayabusa 2 - To Study Asteroid Ryugu

• Hayabusa 2 Is a Japanese mission launched In 2014 on a six-year mission to study the asteroid Ryugu and to collect samples to bring to Earth for analysis.
• Recently, it landed safely in Australia.
• Ryugu is a carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid.
• Mission seeks to answer some fundamental questions about the origins of the solar system and wherE molecules like water came from.

Source: Scientific American

8. Urban quality index

• It was released by llT Bombay. It ranked cities on 7 parameters - Basic amenities, Economic development, Safety and security, transportation access, environmental impact, infrastructure development, and Gender role.

Key Findings:

• Chennai is the most women-friendly and Patna the least.
• The gap in literacy rate between men and women is the widest in Jaipur and lowest in Kolkata.
• In transport access, Deihl was highest ranked and Indore was at the bottom.
• Pune topped in providing basic amenities while Patna was last.

Source: Live Mint

9. Trade receivables and discounting System (TReDS)

• TReDS is an electronic platform for facilitating the financing and discounting of trade receivables of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through multiple financiers.
• These receivables can be due from corporates and other buyers, including Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings.
• Receivable Exchange of India was set up by SIDBI and National Stock Exchange in 2016 for this purpose.

Benefits: Ensures timely payments to MSMEs, provides MSMEs an alternate source of creating credit history, lower discount rates results in more savings and better opportunities to expand business for the MSME.

Source: The Hindu

10. China turns on the nuclear-powered artificial sun for first time

• China successfully powered up its HL-2M Tokamak nuclear fusion reactor often called an artificial sun on account of the enormous heat and power it produces.
• The Tokamak is a magnetic fusion device designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy based on the same principle that powers Sun and stars.
• It uses a powerful magnetic field to fuse hot plasma and can reach
• temperatures of over  150  million degrees Celsius which is approximately ten times hotter than the sun's core.
• Nuclear fusion is a process when two or more light atomic nuclei fuse to produce a heavier nucleus and release a tremendous amount of energy in the process. It is the energy source of the Sun and stars.

Advantages of fusion: the release of abundant energy. fuels are widely available and nearly inexhaustible, don't emit harmful gases like C02. or other greenhouse gases, produce no long-lived radioactive waste, etc.

• China plans to use it in collaboration with International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor {ITER), an experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor.
• ITER members include China, European Union, India, Japan. South Korea, Russia, and the US.

Source: INDEPENDENT

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