10 PM Daily Current Affairs Quiz | May 7 2021

• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) belongs to one of the highly reactive gases known as oxides of nitrogen or nitrogen oxides (NOx). Other nitrogen oxides include nitrous acid and nitric acid.

• Formation: NO2 is formed when fossil fuels like coal, oil, gas and diesel are burned at high temperatures. It is also formed during the burning of wood and natural gases.

• They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada. Under this, thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.
• The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-Ridley. This is followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.

• Statement 1 is correct: A product patent ensures that the rights to the final product is protected, and anyone other than the patent holder can be restrained from manufacturing it during a specified period, even if they were to use a different process. A process patent enables any person other than the patent holder to manufacture the patented product by modifying certain processes in the manufacturing exercise
• Statement 2 is correct: India moved from product patenting to process patenting in the 1970s, which enabled India to become a significant producer of generic drugs at global scale, and allowed companies like Cipla to provide Africa with anti-HIV drugs in the 1990s.

• But due to obligations arising out of the TRIPS Agreement, India had to amend the Patents Act in 2005, and switch to a product patents regime across the pharma, chemicals, and biotech sectors.

OPEC was established in 1960 by its founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela 

• Statement 1 is correct: Natural gas is a fossil energy source that formed deep beneath the earth’s surface. Natural gas contains many different compounds.

• The largest component of natural gas is methane (CH4).
• Natural gas also contains smaller amounts of natural gas liquids (NGL, which are also hydrocarbon gas liquids), and nonhydrocarbon gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor.

• Statement 2 is correct: In some places, natural gas moved into large cracks and spaces between layers of overlying rock. The natural gas found in these types of formations is sometimes called conventional natural gas.

• In other places, natural gas occurs in the tiny pores (spaces) within some formations of shale, sandstone, and other types of sedimentary rock. This natural gas is referred to as shale gas or tight gas, and it is sometimes called unconventional natural gas.

• Natural gas also occurs with deposits of crude oil, and this natural gas is called associated natural gas.
• Natural gas deposits are found on land, and some are offshore and deep under the ocean floor. A type of natural gas found in coal deposits is called coalbed methane

• The Centre encouraging states to negotiate loans / FDI directly with overseas banks/institutions. Such initiatives have helped some states in their economic development and reduced their financial dependence on the Centre. For example, Gujarat Government in 2014 set up international desks independently in the USA, China, Japan for facilitating FDI inflows
• Even many states are negotiating with foreign investors, they do not have the power to bring FDI into their state. In India, the approval for FDIs is centralised. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT)  being the nodal Ministry for FDI approvals.

Recently, Biotech firm Oxitec has released its Genetically Modified Mosquitoes(GMM) in Florida, USA.

• The researchers have bioengineered male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Further, the genetically engineered males carry a specific gene that prevents the female from producing essential protein for survival.
• As the gene passes to their offspring, it will kill the female descendant at the early larval stages.

• This is the First time they have been released in US.
• Previously these GMM were released in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama and Malaysia. Also, A. aegypti populations fell by at least 90% in those locations.

Read more: Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

About UDID Portal:

• Unique ID for Persons with Disabilities(UDID) project is an initiative of the DEPwD. The project has been under implementation since 2016.
• Aim: The aim is to build a holistic end-to-end integrated system for Issuance of Universal ID & Disability Certificates for Persons with Disabilities. This ID will contain their identification and disability details.
• Vision: The UDID project aims to create a National Database for PwDs. Further, it aims to issue a Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID) to each person with disabilities.

Read More

According to Australian Constitutional expert K.C. Wheare Indian constitution is “quasi-federal”. He also clarifies that the “Indian Union as a unitary state with subsidiary federal features rather than a federal state with subsidiary unitary features.”

The term ‘Federal’ does not figure anywhere in the constitution

• Global Innovation Partnership has been launched by the Government of India and the UK.

• Purpose: The GIP will support Indian innovators to scale up their innovations in third countries. Thereby helping innovators to explore new markets and become self-sustainable.
• Under GIP, Indian entrepreneurs and innovators will receive seed funding, grants, investments and technical assistance. They will test, scale up and take innovative development solutions to select developing countries.

Read More: Global Innovation Partnership

About Patents and Intellectual Property:

• A patent is a type of intellectual property right. It is an exclusive right granted by a government to an inventor for a limited, pre-specified time.

• It provides an enforceable legal right to prevent others from copying the invention.
• Types of Patents:
• Product Patent: No person can manufacture the patented product without the consent of the patent holder even if he/she uses an alternative process.
• Process Patent: Under this only the process is protected. A person can manufacture the patented product using an alternate process.

• Type of regime in India:
• India moved from product patenting to process patenting in the 1970s. This enabled it to become a significant producer of generic drugs at global scale.
• It allowed companies like Cipla to provide Africa with anti-HIV drugs in the 1990s.
• However due to obligations arising out of the TRIPS Agreement, it had to amend the Patents Act in 2005. This made a switch to a product patents regime across the pharma, chemicals, and biotech sectors.