TNPSC Current Affairs October 22, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs October 22, 2020 (22/10/2020)

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Topic: International Events

India Invited to Join the Blue Dot Network

A group of the US Senators, in a letter, has asked India to join the Blue Dot Network (BDN). The letter also backed India’s decision to invite Australia to the annual Malabar naval exercise.

Key facts:

Blue Dot Network:

The BDN was formally announced on 4th November 2019 at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Bangkok, Thailand. It is led by the USA along with Japan and Australia.

It is a multi-stakeholder initiative to bring together governments, the private sector and civil society to promote high-quality, trusted standards for global infrastructure development.

It is expected to serve as a globally recognized evaluation and certification system for roads, ports and bridges with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

Infrastructure projects would be graded on debt, environmental standards, labour standards etc. This system would apply to projects in any citizen-centric country where citizens would like to evaluate such projects.

It is planned as a direct counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, unlike the BRI, the BDN would not offer public funds or loans for the project.

Blue Dot certification:

BDN will serve as a globally recognized seal of approval for major infrastructure projects, letting people know that projects are sustainable and not exploitative.

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Topic: Historical Diary of Events

Azad Hind Government

77th anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government on 21st October, 2020.

About Azad Hind Government:

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had announced the establishment of the provisional government of Azad Hind in occupied Singapore in 1943.

Known as Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, it was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic, and their allies.

The provisional government was also formed in the Japanese-occupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The islands were reoccupied by the British in 1945.

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Topic: Latest inventions in Science and Technology

India’s first seaplane project

India’s first seaplane service in Gujarat is set to begin from 31 October, the anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It will connect Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. The service will be operated by Spicejet Airlines.

 

 

Environmental concerns:

The water aerodrome is not a listed project/activity in the Schedule to the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and its amendments. However, the Expert Appraisal Committee was of the opinion that the activities proposed under the water aerodrome project may have a similar type of impact as that of an airport.

May affect Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary: The sanctuary is located at an approximate aerial distance of 2.1 km from the proposed project site.

Positive impact on the environment:

During seaplane operations, there will be turbulence created in the water while takeoff and landing of seaplanes. This will lead to more operation process i.e. mixing of oxygen in the water.

This will have a positive impact on the aquatic ecosystem near seaplane operations increasing oxygen content and decreasing carbon content in this system.

How are these services regulated?

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) will manage the Project of Seaplane in Inland Waterways and Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL) will manage the Projects of seaplane in Coastal Areas.

IWAI and SDCL will coordinate with the Ministry of Shipping, flight operators, Ministry of Tourism as well as DGCA.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

State of Global Air 2020: HEI

Recently, a global study, State of Global Air 2020 (SoGA 2020) has been released by the Health Effects Institute (HEI). It highlights that air pollution is the largest risk factor for death among all health risks and it is the first-ever comprehensive analysis of air pollution’s global impact on newborns.

HEI is an independent, nonprofit research institute funded jointly by the USA’s Environmental Protection Agency and others.

Key facts:

India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal are among the top ten countries with the highest PM2.5 (particulate matter) exposures in 2019 and all of these countries experienced increases in outdoor PM2.5 levels between 2010 and 2019.

India is also among the top ten countries with highest ozone (O3) exposure in 2019. Also, among the 20 most populous countries, India recorded the highest increase (17%) in O3 concentrations in the past ten years.

Long-term exposure to outdoor and household (indoor) air pollution contributed to over 1.67 million annual deaths from stroke, heart attack, diabetes, lung cancer, chronic lung diseases, and neonatal diseases, in India in 2019.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

INS Kavaratti

 

 

It is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship to be commissioned into the Indian Navy.  It has up to 90% indigenous content. It is the last of four indigenously-built ASW under ‘Project 28’ or Kamorta-class corvettes of the Navy.

‘Project 28’ was approved in 2003. The other three warships under this project are INS Kamorta (commissioned in 2014), INS Kadmatt (2016) and INS Kiltan (2017).

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Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health

COVIRAP

 

 

It is a diagnostic machine for COVID-19 detection. Developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. The machine can be developed at a cost of less than ₹ 5000/- with a minimal infrastructural requirement. The testing process in this new machine is completed within an hour.

How it works?

The machine employs an isothermal nucleic acid amplification method. Once the sample was processed in the machine after being mixed with solutions developed by the IIT team, treated paper strips — similar to the pregnancy strips — are dipped into it, and the emergence of coloured lines will depict the presence of the virus.

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Topic: Profile of States

Tamil Nadu Government implements Smart Black Board Scheme

The Tamil Nadu (TN) State government have implemented the smart blackboard scheme in more than 80,000 Government schools to provide a better teaching environment.

Key facts:

Central Education Ministry’s Smart Class Room scheme is also being implemented in 7500 schools in Tamil Nadu. The government has also decided to reduce be syllabus by 40% for the 2020-2021 session in the light of Covid-19. The central government has also launched a similar scheme called as Operation Digital Board Scheme.

Smart Blackboard Scheme: The scheme is aimed at using the audio visual teaching material in the schools. It can also be integrated with digital classrooms and smart classroom schemes.  The smart boards will create materials that can be fed into computer screens using pen drives.