DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 11^th August 2021

World Tribal Day 2021

• World Tribal Day or International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9th August every year.
• It is aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of the world’s indigenous population and to acknowledge the contributions that indigenous people make towards world issues such as environmental protection.
• Theme 2021: “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.”
• Celebrated every year since 1994, The day recognizes the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982.
• There are over 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2% of the global population.
• Still numerous indigenous peoples experience extreme poverty, marginalization, and other human rights violations.

Shri V.V. GIRI Remembered on His Birth Anniversary

• Varahagiri Venkata Giri (10 August 1894 – 24 June 1980) was the fourth president of India.
• He was the third vice president of India (1967-1969) and was the only president to be elected as an independent candidate. (1969-1974)
• After the end of his full term, Giri was honored by the Government of India with the Bharat Ratna in 1975.

World Lion Day 2021

• World Lion Day is observed every year on August 10 to raise awareness about the conservation of lions. The lion is an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
• To arrest the rapid decrease of Lion population, a group of non-profits and tourism companies created World Lion Day to celebrate the animal and redirect the world’s attention towards them. Organizations such as Panthera and National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative Support World Lion Day.
• While the population of wild lions saw a catastrophic decline across the world, except for Africa, the mighty beasts have found a natural home in India.
• Their population has increased steadily in India, especially in Gir forest – the only wild population of lions outside Africa.
• Asiatic lion population has increased steadily in Gujarat’s Gir forest, and the larger Saurashtra protected region. Their population has gone up from 523 in 2015 to 674 in 2020.

PM launches Ujjwala 2.0

• P M Modi launched Ujjwala 2.0 – the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) – by handing over LPG connections in Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh.
• During Ujjwala 1.0 launched in 2016, a target was set to provide LPG connections to five crore women members of BPL households.
• Scheme was expanded in April 2018 to included women beneficiaries from seven more categories such as SC and ST communities and forest dwellers.
• Also, the target was revised to eight crore LPG connections. This was achieved in August 2019, seven months ahead of schedule.
• Ujjwala 2.0 aims to provide deposit-free LPG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY.
• Along with a deposit-free LPG connection, Ujjwala 2.0 will provide first refill and hotplate free of cost to the beneficiaries. The enrolment procedure will require minimum paperwork and in Ujjwala 2.0, migrants will not be required to submit ration cards or address proof.
• A self-declaration for both ‘family declaration’ and as a ‘proof of address’ will suffice.
• Ujjwala 2.0 will help achieve the prime minister’s vision of universal access to LPG.

World Biofuel Day 2021

• World Biofuel Day is celebrated annually on 10 August.
• The day is set aside to raise awareness about unconventional fuel sources that can serve as an alternative to the more traditional fossil fuels. The emphasis is on the usage of non-fossil fuels or biofuels that enable cleaner consumption patterns.
• Theme 2021: the promotion of biofuels for a better environment.
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) conducted a webinar to raise the awareness and discuss policy issues related to Biofuels.
• Examples of biofuels include ethanol (often made from corn in the United States and sugarcane in Brazil), biodiesel (sourced from vegetable oils and liquid animal fats), green diesel (derived from algae and other plant sources), and biogas (methane derived from animal manure and other digested organic material).

Jan Aushadhi Sugam App

• Minister of Health & Family Welfare informed that more than 11.74 lakh users are connected with the Jan Aushadhi Sugam App.
•  The users of the App can find details about name and price of medicines, comparison of prices between generic drugs and their equivalent branded drug, location of nearby Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra (PMBJK), quality assurance and transaction details, etc.
• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) is a campaign launched in 2016 by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses.
• PMBJP stores have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.

Wildfires Ravage Greece

• Greece is facing a “natural disaster of unprecedented proportions,” as 586 wildfires burn in “all corners” of the country, according to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
• The Mediterranean nation is broiling under one of its worst heat waves in decades and firefighters continue to battle blazes across the country. Sixty-three organized evacuations have taken place in the past few days.

Chhattisgarh Becomes First State to Recognize Community Forest Resource Rights in Urban Areas

• Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, became the first State to recognize the Community Forest Resource Rights in urban areas.
• The State Government recognized the rights of residents of Dhamtari district spread over 4,127 hectares of forest.
• Community resource rights over 5,544 hectares of forest within the core area of the Sitanadi Udanti Tiger Reserve area were also recognized.
• Under Forest Rights Act, 2006, Community Forest Resource Right gives gram sabhas the right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any forest resources used by the entire community, or village.
•  For recognition of community forest resource rights, traditional boundary of a tribal village is recognised, empowering a gram Sabha to take decisions about the forest and its produce.
• In Chhattisgarh, core areas of tiger reserve were out of bound for villagers – they were not even allowed to pick tendu leaves, a forest produce.
• Now, with the recognition of their rights, the gram Sabha has a say on access allowed in the forest that falls within their traditional boundaries.

Countdown for launch of EOS-03 satellite commences: ISRO

• The countdown for the launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 EOS-03 mission commenced on Wednesday morning: ISRO
• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 (GSLV-F10) will launch Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-03 from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Srihari Kota.
• EOS-03 is a state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite which will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10.
• A 4-meter diameter Ogive-shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in this GSLV flight. This is the fourteenth flight of GSLV.
• The launch is tentatively scheduled at 05:43 Hrs. IST on August 12, 2021, subject to weather conditions.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

• ______ was the longest serving Indian President.
• Dr Rajendra Prasad
• V V Giri
• Dr Zakir Hussain
• Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

ANSWER: A

• He is the only person to have held President’s office for two terms.
• Dr Rajendra Prasad
• Dr APJ Kalam
• Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
• N Sanjeev Reddy

ANSWER: A

• Panthera Corporation devoted to preserving big cats and their ecosystems around the globe was established in
• 2004
• 2006
• 2010
• 2012

ANSWER: B

• Big Cats Initiative was undertaken by
• Animal Planets
• National Geographic Society
• Discover International
• BBC Earth

ANSWER: B

• Which of the following is not a Biofuel?
• Ethanol
• Biodiesel
• Biogas
• Petrol

ANSWER: D

• The State of Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on
• 1 November 2000
• 15 August 2000
• 12 September 1998
• 18 March 2005

ANSWER: A

• The history of the Chhattisgarh region dates to about the 4th century AD, when it was known as
• East Gandhara
• Southern Kosala
• Western Magadha
• Northern Vajji

ANSWER: B

• The name Chhattisgarh, meaning “thirty-six forts,” was formerly applied to the territory of the ______dynasty founded about 750 AD.
• Haihaya
• Pushyabhuti
• Haryanka
• Gupta

ANSWER: A

• ______is considered the cradle of Western civilization.
• USA
• UK
• France
• Greece

ANSWER: D

• ______ is the capital and largest city of Greece.
• Athens
• Thessaloniki
• Pireaus
• Kalamata

ANSWER: A

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