Daily Currentaffairs: 28 Sept 2020

Tables of contents

1.Lion-tailed Macaque 

2.Principal Market Yard

3.Unified Portal ‘U-Rise’

4.Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

5.Durgam Cheruvu Lake

6.SAATHI Application

7.Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize

8.Somanathapura Temple

1.Lion-tailed Macaque

Recently, the Lion-tailed Macaque has been categorised as an Endangered (EN) species under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

About Lion-tailed Macaque

• The scientific name of Lion-tailed Macaque is Macaca silenus.

• It is a primate endemic to small and severely fragmented rainforests of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• It is also known under its original name of Sahyadri or Benevolent Mountains.

• In Germany, lion-tailed macaques are referred to as bartaffe or “bearded monkeys”, but in India, they are called singalika or “lion-like”.

• Lion-tailed macaques play important role in the ecosystem they live, as they disperse seeds of fruits and plants they consume.

• Lion-tailed macaques are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

• Lion-tailed macaques are also protected by Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

• The Lion-tailed Macaque is considered to be omnivorous, eating mainly fruit, insects, eggs as well as small animals on occasion.

Additional Information

 

Categories of Special Status of Species under IUCN

 

Extinct (EX), a designation applied to species in which the last individual has died or where systematic and time-appropriate surveys have been unable to log even a single individual.

 

Critically Endangered (CR), a category containing those species that possess an extremely high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 80 to more than 90 percent over the previous 10 years a current population size of fewer than 50 individuals.

 

Endangered (EN), a designation applied to species that possess a very high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 50 to more than 70 percent over the previous 10 years and a current population size of fewer than 250 individuals.

 

Vulnerable (VU), a category containing those species that possess a high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 30 to more than 50 percent over the previous 10 years and a current population size of fewer than 1,000 individuals.

 

Near Threatened (NT), a designation applied to species that are close to becoming threatened or may meet the criteria for threatened status in the near future.

 

Least Concern (LC), a category containing species that are pervasive and abundant after careful assessment.

 

Data Deficient (DD), a condition applied to species in which the amount of available data related to its risk of extinction is lacking in some way.

 

Not Evaluated (NE), a category used to include any of the nearly 1.9 million species described by science but not assessed by the IUCN.

Source: The Hindu

2.Principal Market Yard

Amid the farmers’ protest on three farm bills of the central government, Shiromani Akali Dal president has suggested to Punjab Chief Minister to declare the entire state as a ‘Principal Market Yard’.

About Principal Market Yard

• The Punjab Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act defines three types of yards under the Punjab Mandi Board (PMB) i.e. Principal Market Yard, Sub Yard and Purchase centres.

• As per Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act, the PMB has 151 principal market yards, 287 sub yards and over 1,400 small mandis or purchase centres.

• The Principal Market Yard includes proper infrastructures such as civic amenities, sheds, office buildings, canteen, platform, canteen roads, electrification and even public health facilities.

• The small mandis have temporary arrangements of minimum civic amenities during the procurement season.

Implications on declaring Punjab as Principal Market Yard

• The declaring of Punjab as Principal Market Yard would mean the purchaser has to pay the same taxes outside the PMB yards even in a private trade area.

• The state government will have to develop a system to bring every purchaser under one tax regime in the state.

• It could isolate Punjab and be beyond the centre’s Bills on agriculture applicable to the rest of India.

• The state does not have the infrastructure to store it because centre’s Food Corporation of Indian (FCI) manages the entire storage of wheat and paddy in the state.

Source: The Indian Express

3.Unified Portal ‘U-Rise’

Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has launched a unified portal called ‘U-Rise’.

About Unified Portal ‘U-Rise’

• It aims to guide students in learning, career counselling, and getting employment in the state.

• The students will be getting vocational and technical education, and technical experts will benefit from the portal.

• The U-RISE or the Unified Reimagined Innovation for Students Empowerment portal will be giving career counselling assistance to students.

• It is a joint initiative of the Department of Technical Education, Training, Employment and the Skill Development Mission as well as the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow.

• It will include content like online exams, digital content, digital assessment, digital examination papers, internship, and information.

• The e-content, e-library, and online courses available on the portal will be accessible by students even in the most interior areas of the state.

Source: All India Radio

4.Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Recently, Elephants enjoy week-long rejuvenation camp at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.

About Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

• It is located in the eastern Satpura hill range of Umaria and Katni districts of Madhya Pradesh.

• The Reserve is mainly recognized for the presence of majestic Royal Bengal Tiger, which is the national animal of India.

• The park consists of distinct areas namely ‘Bandhavgarh National Park’, ‘Panpatha Wildlife Sanctuary’ which make up the “core area” and the adjoining notified “buffer area” spread across the districts of Umaria, Shahdol and Katni of Madhya Pradesh state of India.

• Bandhavgarh is best known for Evergreen Sal forest and Mixed forest.

• The park was declared a National Park in 1968 and a Tiger Reserve in 1972 under the Project Tiger and Wildlife Protection Act.

Source: All India Radio

5.Durgam Cheruvu Lake

Recently, the Minister of State for Home has inaugurated the new ‘Cable Stayed Bridge’ constructed across Durgam Cheruvu Lake.

About Durgam Cheruvu Lake

• It is a freshwater lake located in Rangareddy district, Telangana.

• It is also known as Raidurgam Cheruvu.

• It served as the drinking water source for the residents of Golkonda fort under the rule of the Qutub Shahi dynasty.

• The lake is also known as the 'secret lake', as it was naturally hidden between rocks, with Jubilee Hills on one side and Madhapur on the other.

Source: All India Radio

6.SAATHI Application

Recently, the Ministry of Tourism has launched the SAATHI Application on the occasion of World Tourism Day.

About SAATHI Application

• It is a System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for Hospitality Industry.

• It is a certification programme of the Ministry of Tourism with Quality Council of India.

• It aims to assist the hospitality industry to continue to operate safely and thereby instill confidence among the Staff, employees and the guests about the safety of the hotel/unit.

• The Certification will have three components i.e. Self-Certification (Initial stage); Capacity Building (Training in terms of SOPs and Guidelines), and finally the Third party Assessment (Certification).

World Tourism Day

 

The United Nations World Tourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day as international observances on September 27.

 

The World Tourism Day 2020 theme is “Tourism and Rural Development”.

 

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has designated 2020 as the Year of Tourism and Rural Development.

Source: PIB

7.Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize

Recently, Dr. Abhijit Mukherjee, Associate Professor at the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics has been selected for the prestigious award ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize’ for the year 2020 in Earth Atmosphere Ocean and Planetary Sciences.

About Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize

• It is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) India, the late Dr (Sir) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar.

• It is known as the ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science and Technology’. 

• The Prize is given each year for outstanding contributions to science and technology.

• It is awarded annually for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in the Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Medical Sciences and Physical Sciences.

• Eligibility: Any citizen of India engaged in research in any field of science and technology up to the age of 45 years.

  • The Overseas citizen of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) working in India are also eligible.

Source: The Indian Express

8.Somanathapura Temple

Recently, the Somanathapura temple has been nominated for seeking the UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

About Somanathapura Temple

• It is also referred to as Chennakesava Temple, Chennakeshava Temple, Keshava Temple or Kesava Temple.

• It is a Trikuta Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna in three forms i.e. Janardhana, Keshava and Venugopala.

• It was constructed by a commander of the Hoysala Army, Somanatha.

• The construction of the temple was completed and consecrated in 1268 AD under Hoysala King Narasimha III.

• The temple follows the general pattern of Hoysala architecture.

  • The temple is built on a raised platform with an outer Pradakshina pathway.

  • The temple has a stellar plan with three shrines and Vimanas.

• It is located on the banks of River Kaveri at Somanathapura, Karnataka.

Source: The Hindu

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