Facts in News

Facts in News

Banni Grassland (Environment)

Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the removal of encroachments in Banni grasslands, Gujarat.

• The local nomadic people (Maldhari) have complained about non-forest activities in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and  Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.

Banni Grassland

• Location: Rann of Kutch in Kutch District, Gujarat
• It is a mixture of two ecosystems, arid grassland and wetland.
  • It is the largest grassland in Asia.
• This region is home to a nomadic pastoralist community, the Maldharis. 
  • This community has to maintain their community forest rights. 
• Conservation: Declared as Protected Forest in 1955 under Indian Forest Act, 1927.
• Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has declared Banni grassland and Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary (both in Kutch) as the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India.

National Green Tribunal (NGT)

• Established in: 2010
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Objective: To handle the cases pertaining to environmental issues.
  • It draws inspiration from Article 21 which relates to Protection of life and personal liberty that assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy environment.
• It is a statutory body, established by an act of Parliament. 
• Composition: Chairperson (retired Judge of the Supreme Court), other Judicial members (retired Judges of High Courts). 
  • Each bench of the NGT will comprise at least one Judicial Member and one Expert Member.

Image Courtesy: Down to Earth

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) Test (S&T)

Recently, a Bengaluru-based startup has developed an Electrochemical ELISA test that enables fast and accurate estimation of total antibody concentration of COVID 19 in clinical samples.

Enzyme- Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA) Test

• Developed in 1974.
• It detects whether a person’s immune system has produced antibodies against a particular infection — such as HIV. 
  • Antibodies are proteins that your body produces in response to harmful substances called antigens.
• The test is called “enzyme-linked” because it uses enzymes to detect the presence of antibodies in a blood sample.
• Types:
  • Immunoglobulin G (IgG): IgG detects antibodies developed in later stage of infection
  • Immunoglobulin M (IgM): IgM detects antibodies produced in early stages of infection.
• Earlier, the ELISA test was approved for serosurveys, and for surveys in high-risk areas..
  • Serosurveys used to estimate the proportion of the population exposed to infection. 

Gharial hatchlings seen in Odisha (Environment)

Recently, Gharial has been spotted in Mahanadi river, Odisha.

Key Points

• Gharial is also known as the gavial or the fish-eating crocodile.
  • It is longest among all living crocodilians
• Conservation: 
  • Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List)
  • Schedule I: Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
  • Appendix I: CITES
• Threats: Loss of habitat because of sand mining and conversion to agriculture, depletion of fish resources and detrimental fishing.
• Odisha is the only State in India having all three species of crocodiles (gharial, mugger and saltwater crocodiles).
• Gharial reserves of India: Uttar Pradesh (Ghaghara river), Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• Today, their major population occurs in three tributaries of the Ganga River: the Chambal and the Girwa Rivers in India and the Rapti-Narayani River in Nepal.

Image Courtesy: Animalia

Shahi Litchi (Agriculture)

Recently, Bihar exported GI certified ‘Shahi Litchi’ to the United Kingdom.

Key Points

• Shahi Litchi (also known as Bihar’s litchi) has received the ‘Phytosanitary Certificate’ from Bihar. 
  • The phytosanitary certificate is issued by only a public officer who is technically qualified and authorised by the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO). 
• Shahi Litchi received the GI tag in 2018 along with ‘Jardalu’ mango, Katarni variety of rice, and the Maghai-paan (betel leaves).

Image Courtesy: TOI

Geographical Indication (GI)

• It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• Geographical Indications are part of the intellectual property rights that come under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
• In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999. 
• Items Covered: agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products.

One Stop Centre (OSCs) (Social Issues)

Till now, One Stop Centre Scheme (OSCs) has provided assistance to over 3 lakh women so far.

One Stop Centre Scheme (OSCs)

• Launched in: 2015
• Implemented by: Ministry of Women and Child Development. 
• Aim: To facilitate access to a wide range of services to women affected by violence and in distress, both in private and public spaces.
  • Provide emergency and non-emergency access to a range of services including police, medical, legal aid and counseling, psychological support etc.
• Other details:
  • One-Stop Centre scheme is a sub-scheme of the National Mission for Empowerment of Women which also includes Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahayog Yojana. 
  • This Centrally- Sponsored Scheme (CSS) is funded by the Nirbhaya fund. 
  • Under this scheme, complete financial assistance will be provided by the Centre to the States and the Union territories.

MCA21 V3.0 (Economy)

Recently, the first phase of the MCA21 V3.0 online portal has been introduced.

MCA 21 version 3.0 (V3.0) 

• Launched in: October 2021
  • The first version of the portal was launched in 2006.
  • MCA21 V3.0 is part of the Budget 2021-22 announcement.
• Implemented by: Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
• Aim: To make all company related information accessible to various stakeholders and the general public.
• The new version will be launched in two phases, this phase will include revamped website, new email services for MCA Officers and two new modules, namely, eBook and eConsultation.
• Benefits: Improve the existing services and modules, but also create new functionalities like e-adjudication, compliance management system, advanced helpdesk, feedback services, user dashboards , self-reporting tools and revamped master data services.

Red Blood Moon (General Science)

The first lunar eclipse (Red Blood Moon or Super Moon) 2021 is going to take place on May 26.

• During the lunar eclipse, red light can pass through the Earth’s atmosphere and is refracted/ bent toward the moon, while blue light is filtered out. This leaves the moon with a pale reddish hue during an eclipse.

Key Points

• Super moon: It occurs when a full or new moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to the Earth.
  • The moon’s orbit around Earth is not perfectly circular.
  • The moon takes about 27 days to orbit Earth
  • The closest point in the orbit, called the perigee.is roughly 28,000 miles closer to Earth.
  • A full moon that happens near the perigee is called a supermoon (bigger and brighter than usual).
• Lunar Eclipse (Chandra Grahan): It happens when the Earth’s shadow covers all or part of the moon. 
  • This can only happen during a full moon.
  • A full moon happens when the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth. 
  • Total Lunar Eclipse: It happens when the sun, the Earth and the moon (full moon) will form a straight line and the moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow. 
• Additional Information:
  • Rayleigh scattering: Sunlight contains all colours of visible light. The particles of gas that make up Earth’s atmosphere are more likely to scatter blue wavelengths of light while redder wavelengths pass through and it’s why the sky is blue and sunrises and sunsets are often red.
  • The lunar eclipse will not trigger any tidal waves and cannot be linked to the cyclone that is in the forecast.

Image Courtesy: Livemint

Sun Halo (General Science)

Recently, Sun Halo has been seen in Bengaluru.

Sun Halo

• It is also known as ’22 degree halo’, is an optical phenomenon that occurs due to sunlight refracting in millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. 
• It takes the form of a ring with a radius of approximately 22 degrees around the sun or the moon.
• Circular halos specifically are produced by cirrus clouds.
  • Cirrus clouds which are thin, detached, hair-like clouds.
  • These clouds are formed very high up in the atmosphere, at a height of over 20,000 feet.

Image Courtesy: India Today