10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: July 12, 2020

Option 1 is correctly matched. The Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya houses what is believed to be the Bodhi Tree where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment (Nibbana) and became known as Gautama Buddha.

Option 2 is correctly matched. After enlightenment at Bodhgaya, he remained silent for forty-nine days. The Buddha then journeyed from Bodhgaya to Sarnath, where he met his five former companions; they requested him to teach what he had learned. Thereupon the Buddha gave the teaching that was later recorded as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta.

Option 3 is incorrectly matched. Kusinagar is where Gautama Buddha passed away and attained Parinirvana, nirvana-after-death.

Statement 1 is incorrect. Swachh Survekshan Survey is an annual urban cleanliness survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India since 2016.

The primary goal of Swachh Survekshans is to encourage large scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together towards making towns and cities better places to reside in.

Statement 2 is incorrect. While Mysuru had won the award for the Cleanest City of India in the first edition of the survey, Indore has retained the top position for three consecutive years (2017, 2018, 2019).

A new category of awards titled ‘Prerak Dauur Samman’ as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021 by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

Both statements are correct.

Drug Discovery Hackathon 2020 is an open-source drug discovery Hackathon against Covid-19. DDH2020 is a joint initiative of AICTE, CSIR and supported by Office of Principal Scientific Advisor, Govt. of India, NIC and MyGov.

Its objective is identification of drug candidates that are effective against coronavirus SARS-CoV-2– by employing a hackathon for in-silico drug discovery, followed up by chemical synthesis and biological testing.

In-silico means scientific experiments or research conducted or produced by means of computer modeling or computer simulation.

Both statements are correct.

Koalas are tree-dwelling marsupial animal native to Australia (Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales).

Marsupials are those animals which are born in an incompletely developed state and are typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother’s belly. Well-known marsupials include kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils among others.

It is listed as Vulnerable species with decreasing population trend on IUCN Red List.

According to Australian Parliamentary report, Koalas could become extinct by 2050 unless the government immediately intervenes to protect them and their habitat.

Cetane rating, also known as cetane number is a measurement of the quality or performance of diesel fuel. The higher the number, the better the fuel burns within the engine of a vehicle. A higher cetane number resulting in quicker ignition of the fuel leads to less non-ignited fuels building up inside the combustion chamber, as well as more complete fuel combustion.

The cetane rating of a specific diesel mixture is based off of how much cetane, a clear, colorless hydrocarbon that ignites under high pressures, is in some fuel.

Both statements are correct.

Ministry of Electronics & IT in partnership with Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog has launched Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge for Indian tech entrepreneurs and Startups.

The challenge will run in 2 tracks: Promotion of Existing Apps and Development of New Apps.

A specific Jury for each track with experts from Private Sector & Academia will evaluate the entries received. Shortlisted Apps will be given awards & will also feature on Leader boards for information of citizens. Government will also adopt suitable Apps, guide them to maturity and list on Government e-Marketplace (GeM).          

Statement 1 is incorrect. Mongolian Kanjur is the Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes, it is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia.

In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha in particular. Mongolian Buddhists worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in daily life as a sacred ritual. The Kanjur are kept almost in every monastery in Mongolia. Mongolian Kanjur has been translated from Tibetan. The language of the Kanjur is Classical Mongolian.

Statement 2 is correct. The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM). The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur has been published under the NMM.

It is expected that all the 108 volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur will be published by March, 2022.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 is a collaborative product of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), formed by UN University (UNU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA).

A record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21 per cent in just five years, according to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020.

Statement 2 is correct. According to the report, Asia generated the greatest volume (24.9 Mt) of e-waste in 2019, followed by the Americas (13.1 Mt) and Europe (12 Mt), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 Mt and 0.7 Mt respectively.

Both statements are correct.

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will be the world’s most advanced and capable ground-based optical, near-infrared, and mid-infrared observatory.

The Thirty Meter Telescope at Mount Kea, Hawaii is planned with the 30-metre diameter of the mirror, with 492 segments of glass pieced together, which makes it three times as wide as the world’s largest existing visible-light telescope.

The TMT project is an international partnership between CalTech, Universities of California, Canada, Japan, China and India. India TMT will be jointly funded by the Departments of Science and Technology and Atomic Energy.

Global Real Estate Transparency Index (GRETI) 2020 has been released by JLL and LaSalle, a global real estate services company.

The index is released biennially and assesses real estate market transparency based on over 200 individual indicators relating to investment performance, market fundamentals, governance of listed vehicles, regulatory & legal environment, transaction process and sustainability. India has been ranked at 34th in the index.