10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: December 22, 2020

Leopard (Panthera pardus) is the most widely distributed and adaptable member of the family Felidae. However, their current distribution and numbers have significantly decreased across the range due to habitat loss, prey depletion, conflict and poaching over the last century.

This have resulted in changing the species status from ‘Near Threatened’ to ‘Vulnerable’ by IUCN. It is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 in India providing it with the highest level of protection.

My Son, an architectural complex on the coast of Vietnam, was the spiritual and political capital of the Cham people (the Champa Kingdom). The site consists of Hindu temple-towers built between the 4th and 13th centuries, though few pre-7th-century remains survive.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the My Son temple complex is among Vietnam’s most cherished cultural treasures. The ancient temples are being restored with support from the Archaeological Survey of India.

Statement 1 is correct. An aquifer is a body of saturated rock through which water can easily move. Groundwater enters an aquifer as precipitation seeps through the soil. It can move through the aquifer and resurface through springs and wells.

Aquifers must be both permeable and porous and include such rock types as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone and unconsolidated sand and gravel. Fractured volcanic rocks such as columnar basalts also make good aquifers.

Statement 2 is correct. An artesian well is simply a well that doesn’t require a pump to bring water to the surface. This occurs when there is enough positive pressure in the aquifer to bring the water to the surface.

Groundwater in aquifers between layers of poorly permeable rock, such as clay or shale, may be confined under pressure. If such a confined aquifer is tapped by a well, water will rise above the top of the aquifer and may even flow from the well onto the land surface. Water confined in this way is said to be under artesian pressure, and the aquifer is called an artesian aquifer.

# A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed recently between Central Ground Water Board and CSIR-NGRI, Hyderabad for geophysical survey and other scientific studies in North-Western India under the Aquifer Mapping Programme.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Status of Leopards in India 2018 report was released recently by the Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Statement 2 is correct. India now has 12,852 leopards as compared to the previous estimate of 7910 conducted 2014. More than 60% increase in population has been recorded. The States of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra recorded the highest leopard estimates at 3,421, 1,783 and 1,690 respectively.

The National Education Policy 2020 states that:

— High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries

— Those from among the top 100 universities in the world will be facilitated to operate in India. A legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.

— Furthermore, research collaboration and student exchanges between Indian institutions and global institutions will be promoted through special efforts.

— Credits acquired in foreign universities will be permitted, where appropriate as per the requirements of each HEI, to be counted for the award of a degree.

Statement 1 is correct. Members of the coronavirus family have sharp bumps that protrude from the surface of their outer envelopes. Those bumps are known as spike proteins. They’re actually glycoproteins. That means they contain a carbohydrate (such as a sugar molecule).

Statement 2 is correct. Spike proteins play an important role in how these viruses infect their hosts. S proteins can change shape to interact with a protein on the surface of human cells. Those spike proteins latch the virus onto a cell. This allows them to get entry into those cells.

Without the S protein, viruses like the novel SARS-CoV-2 would not be able to interact with the cells of potential hosts like animals and humans to cause infection. As a result, the S protein represents an ideal target for vaccine and antiviral research endeavors.

Dhokra is a non-ferrous metal casting style which uses the lost-wax technique. This style of metal casting has been in vogue in all parts of India for centuries.

Exquisite Dhokra products from different tribes of India were among the main items added in its 7th edition of “From Our Home to your Home” campaign on Tribes India, which focusses on sourcing new, natural, attractive as well as immunity-boosting tribal products and bringing them to the customer.

Among the dhokra products being introduced on Tribes India are attractive statues of fish, elephants and hangers in the boat jail design from the Lohra tribes of Jharkhand. From the Sadeibaraini tribals from Odisha, Ganesha statues, including a dancing Ganesha, a mask of Goddess Durga and Lord Jagannath, a Buddha Jaali and beautiful diyas in different shapes have been sourced.

Union Ministry of Power has promulgated Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 laying down the rights of power consumers in the country.

Rights and Obligations:

–It is the duty of every distribution licensee to supply electricity on request made by an owner or occupier of any premises in line with the provisions of Act.

–It is the right of consumer to have minimum standards of service for supply of electricity from the distribution licensee.

Release of new connection and modification in existing connection:

–Transparent, simple and time bound processes,

–Applicant has option for online application,

–Maximum time period of 7 days in metro cities and 15 days in other municipal areas and 30 days in rural areas identified to provide new connection and modify an existing connection:

Metering: No connection shall be given without a meter, Provision of Testing of meters, Provisions for replacement of defective or burnt or stolen meters specified.

Statement 1 is correct. Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (“SANKALP”) is a programme of the Ministry of Skill Development with loan assistance from the World Bank.

SANKALP is funded through three major parts: World Bank loan assistance, States’ contribution and Industry contribution.

Statement 2 is correct. It aims to improve short term skill training qualitatively and quantitatively through strengthening institutions, bring in better market connectivity and inclusion of marginalised sections of the society. SANKALP was launched on 19th January 2018 and has a tenure till March 2023.

SANKALP has four key result areas: (i) Institutional Strengthening at Central, State & District level; (ii) Quality Assurance of skill development programmes; (iii) Inclusion of marginalized population in skill development programmes; and (iv) Expanding Skills through PPPs.

Statement 1 is correct. Masks (2 ply & 3 ply surgical marks, N95 marks) and Hand sanitizers were added in the list of Essential commodities under the Essential Commodities Act for the period up to 30.6.2020 to ensure their availability and stop hoarding / short supply.

Statement 2 is correct. As a part of Economic response to COVID 19 to ameliorate the hardships faced by the poor due to economic disruption caused by COVID 19, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), a special package which included provision of one kg per family of NFSA beneficiaries, of pulses like moong, tur, chana and urad was approved.

Under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, a provision was made for supply of 2 kg of whole chana from Government buffer stocks per migrant worker family who were not covered under the National Food Security Act or were without ration card in the State / UT in which they were stranded.