10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #85 February 11, 2020

Explanation: Energy efficiency assumes significance for the nation in the current environment of shortages and concerns over climate change. Lighting itself accounts for about 20% of the total electricity consumption in India. Hon’ble Prime Minister, on 5th January, 2015 launched the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) to provide LED bulbs to domestic consumers with a target to replace 770 million incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs by March, 2019. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a government company under the administrative control of Ministry of Power, Government of India, has been designated as the implementing agency for this programme.

Explanation: The Solar Orbiter launched from Cape Canaveral and began its journey to get a close, unprecedented look at our star. The mission, which is a joint collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency. This is the first mission that will provide images of the sun’s north and south poles using a suite of six instruments on board that will capture the spacecraft’s view. Having a visual understanding of the sun’s poles is important because it can provide more insight about the sun’s powerful magnetic field and how it affects Earth. It will take Solar Orbiter about two years to reach its highly elliptical orbit around the sun. Gravity assists from Earth and Venus will help swing the spacecraft out of the ecliptic plane, or the space that aligns with the sun’s equator, so it can study the sun’s poles from above and below.

Explanation: Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier has been in the spotlight in recent years, as scientists have undertaken a multi-part international project to study the vast glacier from all angles. The urgency stems from observations and analyses showing that the amount of ice flowing from Thwaites—and contributing to sea level rise—has doubled in the span of three decades. Scientists think the glacier could undergo even more dramatic changes in the near future.

Explanation: PKVY is a skill development initiative by the Ministry of External Affairs. The MEA and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for its implementation. The scheme will be implemented by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) through its training partners in consultation with MEA and MSDE. PKVY is a skill development initiative of the MEA in partnership with the MSDE and is aimed at training and certification of Indian workforce keen on overseas employment in select sectors and job roles, in line with international standards, to facilitate overseas employment opportunities.

Explanation: India is working on a new tactical ballistic missile capable of striking targets at a range of 200km. The surface-to-surface missile, being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been named Pranash. The new weapon traces its origin to the Prahaar missile developed by the DRDO. The Prahaar has a range of 150km but the army wanted a weapon with a better range, which is why Pranash is being developed. The non-nuclear Pranash missile will be propelled by a single-stage solid propellant engine.