DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 16 November 2021
Kaiser-i-Hind: State Butterfly of Arunachal Pradesh
- Arunachal Pradesh has approved the large, brightly colored “Kaiser-i-Hind” (means ‘Emperor of India’) as the State butterfly.
- Scientific Name: Teinopalpus imperialis & Its presence indicates the existence of a good forest ecosystem and protection.
- It is one of the very rare and elusive swallowtail butterflies which are found at medium and higher elevations.
- This butterfly with a 90-120 mm wingspan is found in (West Bengal, Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim, and Manipur) along the Eastern Himalayas.
First Audit Diwas to be Celebrated on 16th November
- First edition of the Audit Diwas will be celebrated to mark the historic origins of the institution of CAG and the contribution made by it to the governance, transparency, and accountability.
- CAG is the Constitutional Authority in India. It was established in accordance with Article 148 of the Constitution of India.
- The CAG has been ranked at 9th place in the order of precedence. It enjoys same status as the sitting judge of Supreme Court.
- Reports of the CAG are laid before Parliament or Legislatures. They are being taken up for discussion by Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and Committees on Public Undertakings (COPUs). PACs and COPUs are special committees in the Parliament and state legislatures.
‘Kashi Utsav’ to be held from 16th-18th November
- Kashi Utsav, a three-day festival is being organised in Varanasi to celebrate the classic heritage and culture of Kashi especially the centuries-old luminaries who are Goswami Tulsidas, Sant Kabir, Sant Raidas, Bharatendu Harishchandra, Munshi Premchand and Shri Jaishankar Prasad. The programme will be organised at Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre, Varanasi from 16th – 18th November 2021.
- IGNCA is hosting the programme on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, with the support of the Uttar Pradesh State Government and Varanasi Administration under the aegis of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India.
- Varanasi or Kashi has been chosen for this festival because of its rich cultural heritage and splendid history and resplendent beauty. The longest river of the India, Ganges flows through Kashi and is a source of inspiration for artists, scholars, writers of the city including the six legendary personalities who have been chosen for the event. The festival will help in exploring the magnificent aura of Kashi that gives birth to the legendries of all times.
India launches the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica
- India has successfully launched the 41st Scientific Expedition to Antarctica with the arrival of the first batch of its contingent at the southern white continent. The first batch comprising of 23 scientists and support staff reached the Indian Antarctic station Maitri on last week. Four more batches shall be landing in Antarctica by air using DROMLAN facility and onboard chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin by mid-January 2022.
- The 41st expedition has two major programs. The first program encompasses geological exploration of the Amery ice shelf at Bharati station. This will help explore the link between India and Antarctica in the past. The second program involves reconnaissance surveys and preparatory work for drilling of 500 meters of ice core near Maitri. It will help in improving the understanding of Antarctic climate, westerly winds, sea-ice and greenhouse gases from a single climate archive for past 10,000 years. The ice core drilling will be done in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey and the Norwegian Polar Institute. In addition to accomplishing scientific programs, it will replenish the annual supplies of food, fuel, provisions, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati.
- The Indian Antarctic program, which began in 1981, has completed 40 scientific expeditions, and built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica, named Dakshin Gangotri (1983), Maitri (1988) and Bharati (2012). As of today, Maitri and Bharati are fully operational. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa—an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences—manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.
Tech NEEV/ नीव @ 75
- Union Minister Dr. Jitendra singh inaugurates “Tech NEEV/नींव @75” as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav
- Interacts with successful start-ups including those from the tribal communities on the occasion of “Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas”
- Dr Jitendra Singh announces 30 Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs for Scheduled Tribes by end of 2022 for their overall socio-economic development
- Tech NEEV to have a year-long celebration highlighting the impact of STI in empowering community for creating equitable economic growth: Dr Jitendra Singh
- Dr Jitendra Singh Says, India’s 46th rank in Global Innovation Index is due to growing investments in innovation, scientific output and expenditures in R&D
- The Minister says, while Science is universal, technology must be local for providing indigenous solutions in the spirit of “Vocal for Local”
- Dr Jitendra Singh said that “Tech NEEV/ नीव @ 75” is a year-long celebration highlighting the impact of Science Technology Innovation (STI) in empowering community for creating equitable inclusive economic growth.
- The 75-hour programme includes experience sharing of beneficiaries, community change leaders, societal changemakers conclave and round table discussions by various stakeholders apart from compilation of 75 impactful stories on India’s progress towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.
Jharkhand formation Day celebrated
- Jharkhand (‘the land of forests’) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Chhattisgarh to the west, Odisha to the south and West Bengal to the east. It has an area of 79,710 km2 (30,778 sq mi). It is the 15th largest state by area, and the 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills, and holy places; Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath and Rajappa are major religious sites. The state was formed in 2000, from the territory that had previously been part of Bihar.
- Jharkhand suffers from what is sometimes termed a resource curse: it accounts for more than 40% of the mineral resources of India, but 39.1% of its population is below the poverty line and 19.6% of children under five years of age are malnourished. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities. It is amongst the leading states in terms of economic growth. In 2017–18, the GDP growth rate of state was at 10.22%.
Surge in Covid cases; WHO warns Europe once again at epicentre of pandemic
- Europe once again finds itself at the center of the Covid-19 pandemic. Case numbers have soared across the continent more than 50 percent last month and the worrying trend has continued this month as winter begins. Dr. Hans Kluge, the director of the World Health Organization’s Europe region, has warned that the region was “back at the epicenter of the pandemic,” and his words proved prescient. The WHO said on Friday that nearly 2 million cases were reported across Europe in the previous week – the most the region has had in a single week since the pandemic began.
- According to data from Johns Hopkins University, in recent weeks, Germany reported more than 50,000 daily new infections. The Netherlands also reported more than 16,000 cases the country’s most pandemic began. It prompted the government to begin a partial lockdown since Saturday that is set to last at least three weeks.
- As case numbers surged toward the end of last month, Belgium reimposed some Covid restrictions, including a requirement to wear masks in public places. The country nonetheless recorded more than 15,000 daily cases since last week.
- Despite the surge, daily death rates in all three countries have remained relatively stable compared with past spikes, and experts have credited high vaccine uptake for weakening the link between the numbers of cases and hospitalizations and deaths.
UN Climate talks in Scotland Concludes
- UN climate talks in Scotland has concluded with a global agreement aimed at keeping alive hopes of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, and so maintain a realistic shot at saving the world from catastrophic climate change.
- Nations have accepted a compromise deal aimed at keeping a key global warming target alive, but it contained a last-minute change that watered-down crucial language about coal.
- Alok Sharma, the conference chairman, banged down his gavel to signal that there were no decisive objections from the almost 200 national delegations present in Glasgow, ranging from coal- and gas-fuelled superpowers to oil producers and Pacific islands being swallowed by the rise in sea levels.
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that our fragile planet is hanging by a thread. The Glasgow Climate Pact is the first-ever climate deal to explicitly plan to reduce coal, the worst fossil fuel for greenhouse gases.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
- What is the state animal of Andhra Pradesh
- Blackbuck
- Parrot
- Tiger
- One Horned Rhino
ANSWER: A
- What is the state animal of Arunachal Pradesh
- Gayal/Mithun
- Gaur
- Kamdhenu
- Asiatic Lion
ANSWER: A
- What is the state animal of Goa
- Gayal/Mithun
- Gaur
- Kamdhenu
- Asiatic Lion
ANSWER: B
- What is the state animal of Gujarat
- Tiger
- Gaur
- Cheetah
- Asiatic Lion
ANSWER: D
- What is the state animal of Maharashtra
- Barasingha Swamp deer
- Indian giant squirrel
- Clouded leopard
- Indian Elephant
ANSWER: B
- What is the state animal of Mizoram
- Himalayan serow
- Snow Leopard
- Sambar
- Black Buck
ANSWER: A
- What is the state animal of Rajasthan
- Red Panda
- Camel
- Chinkara
- Nilgiri tahr
ANSWER: C
- What is the state animal of Sikkim
- Red Panda
- Parrot
- Snow Bear
- Nilgiri tahr
ANSWER: A
- What is the state animal of Tripura
- Spotted deer (Chital)
- Phayre’s Langur
- Fishing Cat
- Indian Gray Mongoose
ANSWER: B
- What is the state animal of Delhi
- Nilgai
- Indian palm squirrel
- Dugong
- Swamp deer
ANSWER: A
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