CURRENT AFFAIRS 13-08-2020

SPUTNIK V

What is in news?

President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a Covid-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V'.

About:

• Russia named the newly approved vaccine "Sputnik V," in reference to Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite, launched in 1957 during the space race.

• Russia’s vaccine candidate is an adenovirus-based viral vector vaccine which is combined with the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to induce an immune response in the body.

• The vaccine still has to complete final trials, raising concerns among some experts at the speed of its approval, but the Russian business conglomerate Sistema has said it expects to put it into mass production by the end of the year.

• A phase III or what we call final-stage study, usually involves tens of thousands of people, which is the only way to prove if an experimental vaccine is safe and really works.

NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING MACHINES (NGS)

What is in news?

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is working on developing “mega labs” to ramp up testing for COVID-19 as well as improve the accuracy rate.

About:

• The labs will be repurposing large machines, called Next Generation Sequencing machines (NGS), which are normally used for sequencing human genomes, to sequence 1,500 to 3,000 viral genomes at a go to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

• The CSIR has partnered with the U.S.-based Illumina, a company that specialises in the manufacture of NGS machines. Five such sequencers, costing ₹4 crore each, are currently available in India.

Comparison with RT-PCR:

• These machines can substantially detect the presence of the virus even in several instances where the traditional RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests fail.

• This is because the RT-PCR test identifies the SARS-CoV-2 virus by exploring only specific sections, whereas the genome method can read a bigger chunk of virus genome.

• It can also trace the evolutionary history of the virus and track mutations more reliably. Unlike the RT-PCR that needs primers and probes the NGS only needs custom reagents.

PAPUM RESERVE FOREST (RF)

What is in news?

A study has flagged a high rate of deforestation in Papum Reserve Forest (RF), a major hornbill habitat in Arunachal Pradesh.

About:

• Papum Reserve Forest (RF) is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) in Arunachal Pradesh.

• It is located between two IBAs, Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary to the east and Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary to the west.

• Papum Reserve Forest forms part of the Eastern Himalayas Endemic Bird Area. A large part of the site is covered by Sub-tropical Dry Evergreen and Semi-evergreen Forests, while the higher areas are under Subtropical Broadleaf Hill Forest cover.

• Papum RF is a nesting habitat of three species of the large, colourful fruit-eating hornbills: Great, Wreathed and Oriental Pied. The 862 sq.km.

STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME 2.0 (SEP 2.0)

What is in news?

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, in collaboration with Dell Technologies launched Student Entrepreneurship Programme 2.0 (SEP 2.0) for young innovators of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs).

About:

• SEP 2.0 will allow student innovators to work closely with Dell volunteers.

• They will receive mentor support; prototyping and testing support; end-user feedback; intellectual property registration and patenting of ideas, processes, and products; manufacturing support; as well as the launch support of the product in the market.

• SEP 1.0 began in January 2019. Through a 10-month-long rigorous programme, the top 6 teams of ATL Marathon—a nationwide contest where students identify community challenges and create grassroots innovations and solutions within their ATLs—got a chance to transform their innovative prototypes into fully functioning products, which are now available in the market.

MINIMUM STANDARDS OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION REGULATIONS, 2020

What is in news?

Union Education Minister launched the "Minimum Standards of Architectural Education Regulations, 2020." These Regulations have been prepared by the experts of the Council of Architecture (CoA).

Council of Architecture (CoA):

• The Council of Architecture (COA) is a statutory body constituted by the Government of India under the provisions of the Architects Act, 1972.

• The Act provides for registration of Architects, standards of education, recognized qualifications and standards of practice to be complied with by the practicing architects.

• The Council of Architecture is charged with the responsibility to regulate the education and practice of profession throughout India besides maintaining the register of architects.

KRISHI MEGH

What is in news?

Union Agriculture Minister has launched ICAR's data recovery centre - Krishi Megh.

About:

• The move is aimed at protecting the precious data of the government's premier research body Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

• It has been set up at National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in Hyderabad. NAARM, Hyderabad has been chosen as it lies in a different seismic zone with regard to the Data Centre at ICAR-IASRI in New Delhi.

• Currently, the main data centre of the ICAR is at the Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI) in the national capital. Krishi Megh has been set up under the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP), funded by both the government and World Bank.

SWACHH BHARAT MISSION ACADEMY

What is in news?

Union Minister for Jal Shakti launched the Swachh Bharat Mission Academy by dialling the designated IVR toll-free number.

About:

• The IVR based free mobile online learning course on ODF Plus will be crucial in achieving goals underlined in Phase - 2 of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).

• Swachh Bharat Mission Academy, with its mobile based technology will significantly boost the capacity building efforts in training of Swachhagrahis as well as community-based organizations, NGOs and others associated with phase 2 of the mission.

• As of now the content of SBM Academy is in Hindi and the users are expected to dial in to a toll free number (18001800404) and complete listening to the entire content in their mobile phones.

HINDU WOMEN’S INHERITANCE RIGHTS

What is in news?

The Supreme Court has expanded a Hindu woman’s right to be a joint legal heir and inherit ancestral property on terms equal to male heirs.

About :

• A Hindu woman’s right to be a joint heir to the ancestral property is by birth and does not depend on whether her father was alive or not when the law was enacted in 2005.

• The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 gave Hindu women the right to be coparceners or joint legal heirs in the same way a male heir does.

• The law also gave the daughter the same rights and liabilities “in the coparcenary property as she would have had if she had been a son”.

• The law applies to ancestral property and to intestate succession in personal property — where succession happens as per law and not through a will.

UNION HOME MINISTER’S MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN INVESTIGATION, 2020

What is in news?

The “Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation” for the year 2020 have been awarded to 121 Police personnel.

About:

• This medal was constituted in 2018 with the objective to promote high professional standards of investigation of crime and to recognize such Excellence in Investigation by investigating officers.

• Among the personnel receiving these awards this year, 15 are from CBI, 10 each are from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra Police, 8 are from Uttar Pradesh Police, 7 each are from Kerala and West Bengal Police, and the remaining from the other States/UTs.

• These include twenty one (21) women police officers.

BASIC TRAINER AIRCRAFT (HTT-40)

What is in news?

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister approved procurement proposals worth over Rs. 8,722 crore including 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft for Indian Air Force.

About:

• With Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) having successfully developed Basic Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40) Prototypes and certification process underway, the DAC approved procurement of Basic Trainer Aircraft from HAL to address the basic training requirements of the Indian Air Force.

• Post Certification 70 Basic Trainer Aircraft will be initially procured from HAL and balance 36 after operationalisation of HTT-40 fleet in IAF.

• The DAC also approved procurement of an upgraded version of Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) which is fitted as the main gun onboard Navy and Indian Coast Guard warships from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to improve the fire power of Indian Navy.

• The upgraded version of SRGM has enhanced capability to perform against fast manoeuvring targets like missiles and Fast Attack Crafts and increase the maximum engagement range.

• Besides, the Council cleared procurement of 125 mm Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) ammunition for Indian Army as a Design and Development Case.

RATLE HYDROELECTRIC PLANT

What is in news?

India has refused a request by Pakistan to hold a meeting on issues around the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) esp. to solve differences on technical aspects governing the construction of the Ratle run-of-the-river (RoR) project on the Chenab River.

About:

• The Ratle Hydroelectric Plant is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station currently under construction on the Chenab River in Kishtwar district of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

• The project includes a 133 m tall gravity dam and two power stations adjacent to one another.

• In 2013, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the dam.

Dispute:

• Pakistan has frequently alleged that it violates the Indus Water Treaty.

• According to the terms of the IWT, India has the right to build RoR projects on the three ‘western’ rivers — the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus — provided it does so without substantially impeding water flow in Pakistan downstream.

• Pakistan believes that the project’s current design does pose a serious impediment and has told the World Bank that it wants a Court of Arbitration (CoA) set up to decide on the issue.

• India says this is only a technical issue and mutually solvable. It has agreed to a ‘neutral party’ since a CoA potentially could stall any construction on all Indus projects.