10 PM Daily Current Affairs Quiz | May 15 2021

• Statement 1 is correct: MIDH aims for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo

• Statement 2 is correct: It is a centrally sponsored scheme. Government of India (GOI) contributes 60%, of total outlay for developmental programmes in all the states except states in North East and Himalayas, 40% share is contributed by State Governments. In the case of North Eastern States and Himalayan States, GOI contributes 90%.

Recently, Protests against Myanmar’s military government got intensified in the Kachin Hills.

• Kachin people are a confederation of ethnic groups. They inhabit the Kachin Hills in northern Myanmar’s Kachin State. They also present in neighbouring Yunnan Province, China, and Arunachal Pradesh, Assam in Northeastern India.
• The term Kachin people is often used interchangeably with the main subset, called the Jingpo people in China

Recently 21 tribals across eight different Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Odisha have tested positive for Covid-19. Among them, two persons are from the Bonda tribe.

About Bonda Tribe:

• Bonda tribes are one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) found in Odisha.
• Origin: Bonda tribes are members of a group of Austro-Asiatic tribes.They are believed to be part of the first wave of migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. They are the first forest settlers in India.
• Culture: The Bondas have retained their identity and culture despite external interventions over the years.
• Occupation: They are primarily forest dwellers. They perform hunting and foraging for food in the wild.

• Matriarchal society: The women prefer to marry men who are younger by at least 5-10 years. This is done because the men can earn for them when they grow old.

Read More: Bonda Tribe

Kam Sorai or Purple moorhen is a resident bird of Deepor Beel Wildlife sanctuary. 

Eichhornia crassipes is also known as Water Hyacinth. It is a free-floating aquatic plant native to South America and is considered as an invasive alien species.

• Statement 1 is correct: It grows rapidly and can form thick layers over the water. These mats shade out the other aquatic plants. Eventually, these shaded plants die and decay. The decaying process depletes the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. As oxygen levels decline, many fish are unable to survive. Hence, often the waters below water hyacinth masses witness the absence of life.

• Statement 2 is correct: Water Hyacinth is also referred to as the Bengal terror. This is because of its effect on the local ecology and lives of the people.

• Bambusa balcooa is also known as Female Bamboo is a tropical clumping bamboo. It is native to Northeastern India. It is also spread in the regions of Indo-China.
• Uses:

• This bamboo species is often used as a food source in scaffolding, for paper pulp or wood chips.
• The length and strength of Bambusa balcooa make it a useful material for the construction industry.
• Furthermore, it is a drought-resistant species with low rainfall requirements. It can reach yields upwards of 100 metric tons per hectare.

• The red-eared slider is a semi-aquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae.
• Origin: They are native to the Southern United States and northern Mexico. But they are found in other countries as well because they are famous as pets.

• People keep the Red-Eared slider turtle as pets. They release them in natural water bodies after they outgrow an aquarium, tank, or pool at home.

• Invasive Species: These turtles are considered one of the world’s worst invasive species. This is because they grow fast and virtually leave nothing for the native species to eat.

Read more: Red-Eared Slider turtle

• Statement 1 is correct: Project Elephant was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. 

• Statement 2 is correct: Elephant was declared as a national heritage animal of India in 2010 
• Statement 3 is correct: The very first elephant reserve or elephant sanctuary was the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve of Jharkhand

• It is a northern lava plain on the planet Mars that was selected as the landing site of the U.S. Viking 2 planetary probe.
• China recently succeeded with its first planetary landing attempt, safely setting down the solar powered Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars

• Yaogan is a series of Chinese reconnaissance satellites launched in the early 21st century.
• Purpose: The satellites will be used for electromagnetic environment surveys and other related technology tests.

• First Launched in: The first Yaogan 1 satellite was launched in the year 2006.
• Concerns: Western analysts suspect that these Yaogan satellites are equipped with synthetic aperture radar(SAR) for military reconnaissance purposes.
• Recently, China has successfully launched the eighth group of three Yaogan-30 satellites into orbit on a Long March 2C rocket.