PIB – Page 52 – Civilsdaily

Festivals, Dances, Theatre, Literature, Art in News

[pib] Diverse names of harvesting festival

13 April 2020 | PIB | History
Mains Paper 1: GS1-01.Indian Culture- Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Harvesting festivals across India
Mains level: Not Much
The nation today celebrates the festival of harvest, Vaishakhi under diverse names. Vaisakhi celebrates the solar new year, based on the Hindu Vikram Samvat calendar.

Vaishakhi
- Vaisakhi also known as Baisakhi is a historical and religious festival in Sikhism.
- It is usually celebrated on 13 or 14 April every year which commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
- In Sikhism, Vaisakhi marks the start of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh.
Other names
- Maha Bishuba Pana Sankranti (Odisha)
- Bikhu or Bikhauti (Kumaon region of Uttarakhand)
- Bisu (Tulu region of Karnataka)
- Bohag Bihu (Assam)
- Puthandu (Tamil Nadu)
- Vishu (Kerala)
Note: Harvest festivals are significant events. Do try to remember their names as one can expect a match the pair question.
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Coronavirus – Economic Issues

[pib] Operation Lifeline UDAN

13 April 2020 | PIB | Economics
Mains Paper 3: GS3-19.Disaster and Disaster Management.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Operation Lifeline UDAN
Mains level: Not Much
To ensure a steady supply of essentials, even in the most remote locations, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry launched ‘Lifeline Udan’.

Don’t get confused or correlate this with Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) Scheme. The name clearly indicates that it is an HADR like operation. Whats HADR? Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

Op. Lifeline Udan
- Under this operation, flights are being operated to transport essential medical cargo to remote parts of the country amid the lockdown to support India’s fight against Covid-19.
- The flights have been operated by Air India, Alliance Air, Indian Air Force, Pawan Hans and private carriers.
- The cargo compulsorily supplies goods such as regents, enzymes, medical equipment, testing kits and PPE, masks, gloves and other essential items as applicable by the State and UT Governments.
- Air India is shouldered to operate dedicated scheduled cargo flights to other countries for transfer of critical medical supplies, as per the requirement.
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Coronavirus – Health and Governance Issues

[pib] YUKTI web-portal

13 April 2020 | PIB | Governance
Mains Paper 2: GS2-13.Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: YUKTI portal
Mains level: Coronovirus outbreak and its mitigation
Union Ministry for HRD has launched a web-portal YUKTI (Young India Combating COVID with Knowledge, Technology and Innovation).

There are various web/portals/apps with peculiar names, ex. DISHA, SWAYAM. Note them down with their one line purpose. UPSC Prelims may quiz you on these.

YUKTI web-portal
- YUKTI is a unique portal and dashboard to monitor and record the efforts and initiatives of MHRD.
- The portal intends to cover the different dimensions of COVID-19 challenges in a very holistic and comprehensive way.
- The primary aim of the portal is to keep academic community healthy, both physically & mentally and to enable a continuous high-quality learning environment for learners.
Utility of the portal
- The portal allows various institutions to share their strategies for various challenges which are there because of the unprecedented situation of COVID-19 and other future initiatives.
- It will give inputs for better planning and will enable MHRD to monitor effectively its activities for coming six months.
- It will establish a two-way communication channel between the Ministry of HRD and the institutions so that the Ministry can provide the necessary support system to the institutions.
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Digital India Initiatives

[pib] ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign

10 April 2020 | PIB | Governance
Mains Paper 2: GS2-13.Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign
Mains level: Not Much
Union HRD Ministry has launched a week-long ‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign for Crowdsourcing of Ideas for Improving Online Education ecosystem of India.

‘Bharat Padhe Online’ campaign
- Students and teachers are the main target audience of this campaign.
- Students who are currently studying in schools or higher educational institutions are the ones engaging with the existing digital platforms offering various courses etc. on a daily basis.
- They can share what is lacking in the existing online platforms and how it can be made more engaging.
- The educators across the country can also come forward to contribute with their expertise and experience in the field of education.
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Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

[pib] Chitra Acrylosorb Secretion Solidification System

9 April 2020 | PIB | Science and Technology
Mains Paper 3: GS3-17.Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nano-technology, Bio-technology and issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Acrylosorb
Mains level: Advanced materials and thier applications
Scientists at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) have designed and developed a highly efficient superabsorbent material for liquid respiratory and other body fluid solidification and disinfection for the safe management of infected respiratory secretions.

Chitra Acrylosorb Secretion Solidification System
- It is a highly efficient superabsorbent material for liquid respiratory and other body fluid solidification and disinfection.
- AcryloSorb can absorb liquids at least 20 times more than its dry weight and also contains a decontaminant for in situ disinfection.
- Containers filled with this material will immobilize the contaminated fluid by solidifying it (gel-like), thus avoiding spillage and will also disinfect it.
- The canister containing the solidified waste canister can then be decomposed as all other biomedical waste by incineration.
How it works?
- In the developed system, suction canisters, disposable spit bags have been designed with “AcryloSorb” technology.
- They are lined inside with the AcryloSorb material.
- The AcryloSorb suction canisters will collect the liquid respiratory secretions from ICU patients or those with copious secretions treated in the wards.
- The container will be spill-proof and can be sealed after use, making it safe and fit for disposal through the usual incineration system for biomedical wastes.
Significance of Acrylosorb
- Sealable and disposable spit bags can be provided for solidifying the sputum and saliva of ambulant patients with respiratory infections, which can then be incinerated.
- Thus it reduces the risk for the hospital staff, the need for personnel for disinfecting and cleaning the bottles and canisters for reusing them and makes the disposal safer and easier.
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Digital India Initiatives

[pib] Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT)

9 April 2020 | PIB | Governance
Mains Paper 2: GS2-13.Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: iGOT portal, DIKSHA Portal
Mains level: Not Much
The Union govt. has launched a training module for management of COVID-19 named ‘Integrated Government Online training’ (iGOT) on DIKSHA platform of MHRD.

About iGOT
- It is training module for management of COVID-19 on DIKSHA platform for the capacity building of frontline workers to handle the COVID-19 pandemic efficiently.
- Courses on iGOT have been launched specially for Doctors, Nurses, Paramedics, Hygiene Workers, Technicians, Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANMs), State Government Officers, Civil Defence Officers, Various Police Organisations.
- They are also available to NCC corps, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), NSS volunteers, Indian Red Cross Society, Bharat Scouts and Guides and other volunteers at the stage.
Back2Basics: DIKSHA Portal
- HRD ministry has launched Diksha Portal (diksha.gov.in) for providing a digital platform to a teacher to make their lifestyle more digital.
- It aims to serve as National Digital Infrastructure for Teachers.
- The portal will cover the whole teacher’s life cycle – from the time they were enrolled as student teachers in Teacher Education Institutes (TEIs) to after they retire as teachers.
- It will enable, accelerate and amplify solutions in the realm of teacher education. It will aid teachers to learn and train themselves for which assessment resources will be available.
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Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

[pib] Kendriya Bhandar

9 April 2020 | PIB | Governance
Mains Paper 2: GS2-13.Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Kendriya Bhandar
Mains level: Not Much
Kendriya Bhandar which functions under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has taken the unique initiative of providing “Essentials Kits” to needy families during the ongoing lockdown.

About Kendriya Bhandar
- The Central Govt. Employees Consumer Cooperative Society Ltd. is popularly known as Kendriya Bhandar.
- It was set up in 1963 as a welfare project for the benefit of Central Govt. employees and public at large.
- It is functioning under aegis of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and was registered with Delhi Registrar of Cooperative Societies.
- Subsequently, it was registered with Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Govt. of India as a Multi-State Consumer Cooperative Society in September 2000.
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Global Geological And Climatic Events

[pib] Ionospheric based monitoring of large earthquakes

8 April 2020 | PIB | Science and Technology
Mains Paper 1: GS1-15.Geographical features and their location- Changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Ionosphere, CIP
Mains level: Relation between atmosphere and seismic activity
Scientists of Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) an autonomous institution of the DST have extensively studied the signatures of recent large earthquakes into the ionosphere with an ambitious aim to derive the seismic source characteristics from the ionosphere.

CLAIMS
- The research is a part of the interdisciplinary program ‘Coupled Lithosphere-Atmosphere- Ionosphere-Magnetosphere System (CLAIMS)’ of IIG.
- CLAIMS focuses on energy transfer to the atmosphere during solid Earth processes such as earthquakes as well as tsunamis.
Key terms: Co-seismic Ionospheric Perturbations (CIP)
- In general, the Earth crust uplift during an earthquake produces compressional (i.e. pressure) waves in the overlying atmosphere.
- These waves propagate upward in the region of exponentially decreasing atmospheric neutral density, and thus, wave amplitude increase with atmospheric heights.
- On arrival at ionospheric heights, the waves redistribute ionospheric electron density and produce electron density perturbations (disruption) known as CIP.
Objective of CLAIMS
- The spatial distribution of near field co-seismic Ionospheric perturbations (CIP) associated with this event could reflect well the ground deformation pattern evolved around the epicentre.
- These CIPs were derived using the Global Positioning System (GPS) measured Total Electron Content (TEC).
- The CIP distribution was estimated at Ionospheric piercing point (IPP) altitude.
Other factors affecting CIP

The major effective non-tectonic forcing mechanisms at ionospheric altitudes are the-
1. orientation between the ambient geomagnetic field and seismic induced neutral wave perturbations.
2. orientation between the moving satellite line of sights and the wave perturbations.
3. ambient ionospheric electron density gradient.
Back2Basics

Ionosphere
- The ionosphere is the ionized part of Earth’s upper atmosphere, from about 60 km to 1,000 km altitude.
- It is a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere.
- It is ionized by solar radiation.
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Genetically Modified (GM) crops – cotton, mustards, etc.

[pib] Biofortified Carrot ‘Madhuban Gajar’

8 April 2020 | PIB | Agriculture
Mains Paper 3: Major Crops & Cropping Patterns

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: Madhuban Gajar
Mains level: Bio-fortification and its benefits
Madhuban Gajar
- It is a biofortified carrot variety with high β-carotene and iron content developed by Shri Vallabhhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya, a farmer scientist from Junagadh district, Gujarat.
- The variety is being cultivated in more than 1000 hectares of land in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh during the last three years.
- It is a highly nutritious carrot variety developed through the selection method with higher β-carotene content (277.75 mg/kg) and iron content (276.7 mg/kg) dry basis.
- It is used for various value-added products like carrot chips, juices, and pickles.
- This carrot variety possesses a significantly higher root yield (74.2 t/ha) and plant biomass (275 gm per plant) as compared to check variety.
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Innovation Ecosystem in India

[pib] “Samadhan” Challenge

8 April 2020 | PIB Prelims Only | Governance
Mains Paper 2: GS2-13.Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:
Prelims level: SAMADHAN Challenge
Mains level: NA
A mega online challenge – SAMADHAN – has been launched to test the ability of students to innovate.

“Samadhan” Challenge
- The Innovation Cell of the Ministry of HRD and All India Council for Technical Education in collaboration with Forge and InnovatioCuris has launched this online challenge.
- Under the challenge, the students and faculty will be motivated for doing new experiments and new discoveries and provide them with a strong base leading to spirit of experimentation and discovery.
- The students participating in this challenge will search and develop such measures that can be made available to the government agencies, health services, hospitals and other services for quick solutions to the Coronavirus epidemic and other such calamities.
- Apart from this, through this challenge, work will be done to make citizens aware, to motivate them, to face any challenge, to prevent any crisis and to help people get livelihood.
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