DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 13 MARCH 2021

1. WORLD FOOD PRIZE

Dr Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, a global nutrition expert of Indian descent has won the prestigious 2021 World Food Prize for her groundbreaking research in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture and food systems

Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted:

• Thilsted's trailblazing research on small native fish species in Bangladesh led to the development of nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquatic food systems at all levels, from the farm to food processing to final consumers, resulting in improved diets for millions of the most vulnerable people in Asia and Africa.
• Thilsted, who is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and a citizen of Denmark, was born in 1949 in the Caribbean island of Trinidad in the small village of Reform. Most of the inhabitants, including her family, were descendants of Indian Hindu migrants brought to Trinidad to engage in agricultural labour.

Important Info :

World Food Prize?

Objective: The World Food Prize recognizes the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

Fields covered: It recognizes contributions in any field involved in the world food supply such as plant, animal and soil science; nutrition; rural development; marketing; food processing and packaging; water and the environment; physical infrastructure; policy analysis etc.

Eligibility: The prize is open to every individual without regard to race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs.

Presented by: World Food Prize Foundation, with various sponsor companies.

Background: The prize was conceived by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work in global agriculture. The Prize was created in 1986 and was first awarded in 1987 with M. S. Swaminathan of India being the first recipient.

Ceremony: The annual award is presented each October on or around UN World Food Day (October 16).

Cash prize: In addition to the cash award of $250,000, the Laureate receives a sculpture designed by the noted artist and designer, Saul Bass.

Source : Indian Express

2. INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS OF INDIA (ICAI)

The Union Cabinet has approved signing of MoU between Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA).

About:

• The MoU would enhance cooperation between the Institutes to work together to strengthen the Accounting profession and entrepreneurship base in Qatar. This MoU will benefit Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and Qatar Financial Centre Authority.
• ICAI has an active Chapter in Doha, Qatar which was established in the year 1981 and is the oldest among the 36 overseas Chapters of the ICAI. Qatar (Doha) Chapter is amongst the most vibrant Chapters of ICAI.

Important Info :

Background:

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament of India, The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949', to regulate the profession of Chartered Accountancy in India.

Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA) an independent legal entity established pursuant to Law No. (7) of 2005,is responsible for the development and promotion of the QFC as a world-class on-shore financial and business centre in the State of Qatar.

Source : The Hindu

3. AERIAL PASSENGER ROPEWAY SYSTEM BETWEEN DEHRADUN AND MUSSOORIE

The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the transfer of land of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, ITBP to Government of Uttarakhand for development of Aerial Passenger Ropeway System between Dehradun and Mussoorie.

About:

• The proposed Ropeway is a mono-cable ropeway of 5580 meters length between Purkul Gaon, Dehradun and Library, Mussoorie being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 285 crore.
• It will have a carrying capacity of 1,000 persons per hour per direction. This will considerably reduce the traffic flow on the road route from Dehradun to Mussoorie.
• Besides, this will generate direct employment of 350 and indirect employment of more than 1,500 people. Once completed, the ropeway will be a huge attraction for tourists which in turn will provide a boost to the tourism industry in the state and create additional employment opportunities in the tourism sector.

Important Info :

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)?

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is India's primary border patrol organization with its border with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. It was raised in 1962 in the wake of the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

The "Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force Act, 1992" provides for the constitution and regulation" of the ITBP "for ensuring the security of the borders of India and for matters connected therewith".

Source : All India Radio

4. BAMBOO BATS

The guardians of the cricket laws, The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), has turned down the idea of bats made with bamboo instead of willow.

About:

• According to MCC it would be “illegal” under current laws, which says bats must be made only of wood and also bans lamination of the blade in bats meant for senior cricketers.
• Currently, Law 5.3.2 states that the blade of the bat must consist solely of wood, so for bamboo (which is a grass) to be considered as a realistic alternative to willow would require a Law change.
• But MCC did welcome the experiment, saying that “this angle of willow alternatives should also be considered.
• A study by the University of Cambridge suggested that cricket bats made of bamboo offered a more sustainable alternative than the traditional ones made with willow.
• According to researchers, the bamboo bat “was stiffer, harder and stronger than those made of willow, although more brittle”.
• The research additionally brought up that willow trees need 15 years to develop and deliver cricket bats, while bamboo requires only five to six years. It is likewise accessible in wealth in China, South America, Southeast Asia, and India also.

Source : The Hindu

5. SMARAJIT JANA

A leader of the rights movement for sex workers in India and a public health expert known for his contribution to the prevention of HIV in the country, Smarajit Jana, passed away due to COVID-19 related complications in Kolkata.

About:

• An epidemiologist, he was also a member of the National Task Force on COVID-19.
• Jana spearheaded the first rights-based HIV intervention programmes in India by collectivising the sex workers of Sonagachi. He was also a member of the NACO’s steering committee.
• Dr Smarajit Jana, who helped the children of sex workers a chance to fight discrimination through football, and was the founder of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Samiti.
• Dr Jana was also the founder of Durbar Sports Academy. The Samiti is a collective of 65,000 sex workers in West Bengal. Established in 1992 in Sonagachi, the largest red-light area in Kolkata, it has been working for the rights of women and sex workers, and causes such as anti-human trafficking and HIV/AIDS prevention.
• The organisation also used football to fight discrimination against the children of sex workers.

Source : The Hindu

6. NITI AAYOG’S PROJECT FOR GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND

The Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) - Infrastructure I of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has flagged serious concerns about NITI Aayog’s ambitious project for Great Nicobar Island.

About:

• The committee has, however, removed the first hurdle faced by the project. It has “recommended” it “for grant of terms of reference (TOR)” for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, which in the first instance will include baseline studies over three months.
• Documents uploaded recently on the MoEFCC’s Parivesh portal show that the 15-member committee headed by marine biologist and former director, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Deepak Apte, made the decision.
• The proposal includes an international container transshipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, a power plant and a township complex spread over 166 sq. km. (mainly pristine coastal systems and tropical forests), and is estimated to cost ₹75,000 crore.

Important Info :

Galathea Bay?

This includes Galathea Bay, the site of the port and the centrepiece of the NITI Aayog proposal.

Galathea Bay is an iconic nesting site in India of the enigmatic Giant Leatherback, the world’s largest marine turtle.

A number of species are restricted to just the Galathea region. These include the critically endangered Nicobar shrew, the Great Nicobar crake, the Nicobar frog, the Nicobar cat snake, a new skink (Lipinia sp), a new lizard (Dibamus sp,) and a snake of the Lycodon sp that is yet to be described.

Source : The Hindu

7. PANGOLINS

Indian Researchers have sequenced 624 pangolin scales, thereby categorising the Indian and Chinese pangolins.

About:

• Pangolins, despite being listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 continue to be the world’s most trafficked mammal.
• The primary demand for its scales in the making of traditional East Asian medicines has led to an estimated illegal trade worth $2.5 billion every year.
• To enforce the appropriate national and international laws and to track the decline of the species, researchers of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, have now developed tools to tell apart the scales of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).
• They characterised the morphological features and investigated genetic variations between the two species by sequencing 624 scales of pangolins and comparing the sequences with all eight pangolin species.
• Based on the size, shape, weight and ridge counts on the scales, the team was able to categorise the two species of Indian and Chinese pangolins.
• Though the Chinese pangolin is distributed mostly in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the north-eastern part of our country is also its home.

Source : The Hindu

8. ANIMAL CORRIDORS IN KAZIRANGA

The authorities in Assam’s Golaghat and Nagaon districts have begun probing cases of clearance of forest land, digging and construction activities on at least three animal corridors within the eco-sensitive zone of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

About:

• These two districts share large swathes of the 1,300-sq. km. tiger reserve that has nine identified animal corridors.
• Seven of these — Amguri, Bagori, Chirang, Deosur, Harmati, Hatidandi and Kanchanjuri — are in Nagaon district while Haldibari and Panbari corridors are in Golaghat district.
• These corridors are crucial for the rhinos, elephants, tigers, deer and other animals that escape a flooded Kaziranga during the monsoon months for the safety of the hills of Karbi Anglong district beyond the highway skirting the southern boundary of the tiger reserve.
• But the most blatant violation has been on the Kanchanjuri animal corridor in Nagaon district. A patch of forest land has been cleared and a section of a tea plantation dug up apparently for a water reservoir.

Important Info :

Do you know?

Kaziranga National Park is located in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam. The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world's great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.

Source : The Hindu

9. PRODUCTION-LINKED INCENTIVE SCHEME FOR THE ADVANCED CHEMISTRY CELL (ACC) BATTERY STORAGE

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of Department of Heavy Industry for implementation of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme 'National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage’.

About:

• The move aims to achieve a manufacturing capacity of 50 GigaWatt Hour of ACC and five Giga Watt Hour of Niche ACC with an outlay of 18,100 crore.
• ACCs are the new generation of advanced storage technologies that can store electric energy either as electrochemical or as chemical energy and convert it back to electric energy as and when required. 
• It will also give a big push to electric mobility, benefiting three-wheelers, four-wheelers and heavy vehicles.
• India is currently importing Battery Storage Equipment worth 20 thousand crore rupees and the scheme will be helpful in making the country self-reliant (Atmanirbhar).

Source : All India Radio