IASNOVA
1.Idu Mishmi Tribes
Idu Mishmi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh is protesting against the declaration of Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) as Tiger Reserve. Because declaration of an area as tiger reserve prohibits many types of work like cutting trees, collecting wood for fuel and agricultural and tourism activities for the indigenous Idu Mishmi people. Idu Mishmi people traditionally follow an animist and shamanistic faith and believe that tigers are their elder siblings. Tigers are never hunted by Idu Mishmi and even If a tiger is killed in self-defense, it will receive the same burial as a human being.
2.Chenchu Tribes
Chenchu Tribe of Andhra Pradesh: They are involved in tiger conservation at Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR). Tribe has been coexisting with tigers and wild animals for long without disturbing the ecological balance, which ensures enough water and fodder for the herbivores.They live in and around Nallamalla Hills.
3.Sentinelese tribe
– inhabit North Sentinel Island- Andaman and Nicobar Islands= In news because they killed an American citizen who was a Christian missionary, with bows and arrows .They have the lowest population among all PVTGs.
4.Nyishi tribe
– of Arunachal Pradesh in conserving hornbills in the Pakke/Pakhui Tiger Reserve. Recently, government of Arunachal Pradesh declared the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF)–the state’s only conservation festival, as a ‘state festival’.
5.Baiga Tribe – MP and Chhattisgarh
Baiga community’s fight to have family planning- MP and Chhattisgarh-
A 1979 government order disallowing members from the “particularly vulnerable tribal groups” (PVTG) from accessing family planning options has been finally struck down by the Chhattisgarh high court.
The archaic order prevented members of PVTGs from availing family planning services like tubectomies and vasectomies.
In Chhattisgarh, there are five PVTGs: Abhujmaria, Kamar, Pahadi Korwa, Birhor and Baiga.
The Baigas are largest in number, at 71,862 people.
Also,check the following list-
Maldhari Tribes – Gir forest,Gujarat
Bugun Tribes- Arunachal Pradesh
Apatani Tribes- Arunachal Pradesh
Kolam tribes- Telangana
Mankidia – Odisha
Van Raji– Uttarkhand/UP
6.Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001
Objectives of the PPV & FR Act, 2001
– To establish an effective system for the protection of plant varieties, the rights of farmers and plant breeders and to encourage the development of new varieties of plants.
– To recognize and protect the rights of farmers in respect of their contributions made at any time in conserving, improving and making available plant genetic resources for the development of new plant varieties.
– To accelerate agricultural development in the country, protect plant breeders’ rights; stimulate investment for research and development both in public & private sector for the development new of plant varieties.
– Facilitate the growth of seed industry in the country which will ensure the availability of high quality seeds and planting material to the farmers.
Rights under the Act
Breeders’ Rights : Breeders will have exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the protected variety. Breeder can appoint agent/ licensee and may exercise for civil remedy in case of infringement of rights.
Researchers’ Rights : Researcher can use any of the registered variety under the Act for conducting experiment or research. This includes the use of a variety as an initial source of variety for the purpose of developing another variety but repeated use needs prior permission of the registered breeder.
Farmers’ Rights
A farmer who has evolved or developed a new variety is entitled for registration and protection in like manner as a breeder of a variety;
Farmers variety can also be registered as an extant variety;
A farmer can save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001 in the same manner as he was entitled before the coming into force of this Act provided farmer shall not be entitled to sell branded seed of a variety protected under the PPV&FR Act, 2001;
The act covers all category of plants except Microorganisms.
7.Biological Diversity Act,2002
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of India for preservation of biological diversity in India, and provides mechanism for equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of traditional biological resources and knowledge. The Act was enacted to meet the obligations under Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to which India is a party.
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)is a statutory autonomous body, headquartered in Chennai, under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India established in 2003 to implement the provisions under the Act. State Biodiversity Boards (SBB) has been created in 29 States along with 31,574 Biological management committees (for each local body) across India.
Functions
– Regulation of acts prohibited under the Act
– Advise the Government on conservation of biodiversity
– Advise the Government on selection of biological heritage sites
– Take appropriate steps to oppose grant of intellectual property rights in foreign countries, arising from the use of biological resources or associated traditional knowledge
Regulations
A foreigner, non-resident Indian as defined in clause (30) of section 2 of The Income-tax Act, 1961 or a foreign company or body corporate need to take permission from the NBA before obtaining any biological resources or associated knowledge from India for research, survey, commercial utilisation.Indian citizens or body corporates need to take permission from the concerned State Biodiversity Board.
Result of research using biological resources from India cannot be transferred to a non-citizen or a foreign company without the permission of NBA. However, no such permission is needed for publication of the research in a journal or seminar, or in case of a collaborative research made by institutions approved by Central Government.
No person should apply for patent or other form of intellectual property protection based on the research arising out of biological resources with out the permission of the NBA. The NBA while granting such permission may make an order for benefit sharing or royalty based on utilisation of such protection.
Benefit sharing
Benefit sharing out of usage of biological resources can be done in following manner:
– Joint ownership of intellectual property rights
– transfer of technology
– location of production, research development units in the area of source
– payment of monetary and non-monetary compensation
– setting up of venture capital fund for aiding the cause of benefit claimers
8.Convention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals including: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
In other words, its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. It is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development. The Convention was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993. CBD has two supplementary agreements – Cartagena Protocol and Nagoya Protocol. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology from one country to another. It was adopted on 29 January 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity and entered into force on 11 September 2003.[1] The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
9.Indus Dolphins
– found only in the main channel of the Indus River in Pakistan and active channels connected to it between the Jinnah and Kotri barrages as well as in the Beas river in India
– The Ganges river dolphin has been recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic Animal and is the official animal of the Indian city of Guwahati.
– The Indus river dolphin has been named as the National Mammal of Pakistan and state aquatic animal of Punjab, India.(recently)
– Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
– Endangered species
10.Humped Dolphins
-They were spotted near the Mumbai coast.
– Range: Humpback Dolphin is known to occur within the Indian Ocean from South Africa to India.
– Habitat: Species are among the most adaptive ones due to their habitat preference for shallow waters places them in some of the world’s most intensively utilised, fished, shipped, modified and polluted waters.
– IUCN status: Endangered.
– WPA Protection: Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
11.Olive Ridley Turtle
– The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world, inhabiting warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. These turtles, along with their cousin the Kemps ridley turtle, are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. Though found in abundance, their numbers have been declining over the past few years, and the species is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.The coast of Orissa in India is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
– To reduce accidental killing in India, the Orissa government has made it mandatory for trawls to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), a net specially designed with an exit cover which allows the turtles to escape while retaining the catch.
– Nesting Sites in India–
1-Rushikulya rookery coast in the Ganjam district of Odisha .
2- Gahirmatha beach– Odisha
3.Mouth of Debi river– Odisha.
So,all 3 nesting sites in India are in Odisha along the Bay of Bengal.
Nesting Period-end of February generally.
12. National Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis
13. CERN & India
14. ITER & India
15. Polar Vortex
16. Cyclones and Anticyclones
17. Role and Functions of Governor
18. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
19. Government of India Act, 1919/Montague Chelmsford Reforms
20. Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019
21. NRC/Illegal Migrants/Overseas Citizens of India
22. Event Horizon Telescope
23. String Theory in Physics
24. Fortified Foods,FSSAI
25. Irradiated Foods,FSSAI
26. Nipah Virus
27. West Nile Virus
28. 1267 Resolution Sanctions Committee-UN
29. Sunderbans Tiger Reserve/Wetlands
30. Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary – Arunachal Pradesh
31. EMISAT
32. Mission Shakti/ASAT missiles
33. Low Earth Orbit
34. Outer Space treaty
35. Biodiversity banking-
– also known as biodiversity trading or conservation banking, biodiversity mitigation banks, compensatory habitat,set-asides, biodiversity offsets,are conservation activities that compensate for the loss of biodiversity with the goal of biodiversity maintenance through a framework which allows biodiversity to be reliably measured, and market based solutions applied to improving biodiversity. Biodiversity banking provides a means to place a monetary value on ecosystem services. Typically this involves land protection, restoration, an/or enhancement. Biodiversity banking is often applied so that there is no “net loss of a particular biodiversity feature.”
36. Bioaccumulation
Bio-accumulation
In an organism, concentration of materials which are not components critical for that organism’s survival. Usually it refers to the accumulation of metals or other compounds (e.g., DDT). Many organisms – plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, etc. – accumulate metals when grown in a solution of them, either as part of their defence mechanism against the poisonous effect of those compounds, or as a side-effect of the chemistry of their cell walls. Bio-accumulation is important as part of the microbial mining cycle (q.v.), removing toxic metals from wastewater, as a purification (bioremediation) process, etc.
It occurs at same level of food chain unlike Bio-magnification.
37. Biomagnification
Also known as bioamplification or biological magnification, is the increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of tolerant organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain.
38. Carbon Sequestration
– Carbon sequestration is the process involved in carbon capture and the long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide or other forms of carbon to mitigate or defer global warming. It has been proposed as a way to slow the atmospheric and marine accumulation of greenhouse gases, which are released by burning fossil fuels.
– Carbon dioxide (CO2) is naturally captured from the atmosphere through biological, chemical, and physical processes. Artificial processes have been devised to produce similar effects, including large-scale, artificial capture and sequestration of industrially produced CO2 using subsurface saline aquifers, reservoirs, ocean water, aging oil fields, or other carbon sinks.
Geological sequestration
Geological sequestration refers to the storage of CO2 underground in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, saline formations, or deep, un-minable coal beds.
39. Blue carbon
Blue carbon is the carbon captured by the world’s oceans and coastal ecosystems. The carbon captured by living organisms in oceans is stored in the form of biomass and sediments from mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses and potentially algae.
40. Climate engineering
Climate engineering or climate intervention, commonly referred to as geoengineering, is the deliberate and large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climate system, usually with the aim of mitigating the adverse effects of global warming. Climate engineering is an umbrella term for measures that mainly fall into two categories: greenhouse gas removal and solar radiation management. Greenhouse gas removal approaches, of which carbon dioxide removal represents the most prominent subcategory addresses the cause of global warming by removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Solar radiation management attempts to offset effects of greenhouse gases by causing the Earth to absorb less solar radiation.
41. Eco sensitive Zones- Environment Protection Act,1986
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) or Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs) are areas notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India around Protected Areas , National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the protected areas by regulating and managing the activities around such areas. They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.
ESZ are regulated by central government through Min. of Environment, Forests and Climate change (MoEFCC). Ministry came out with new guidelines for regulation of such areas in 2011.
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 does not mention the word “Eco-Sensitive Zones”. However, Section 3(2)(v) of the Act, says that Central Government can restrict areas in which any industries, operations or processes or class of industries, operations or processes shall not be carried out or shall be carried out subject to certain safeguards. Besides Rule 5(1) of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 states that central government can prohibit or restrict the location of industries and carrying on certain operations or processes on the basis of considerations like the biological diversity of an area, maximum allowable limits of concentration of pollutants for an area, environmentally compatible land use, and proximity to protected areas. The above two clauses have been effectively used by the government to declare ESZs or EFAs.
42. Himalayan Brown Bear( Both bear and related mythological Yeti were in news)
– Habitat- also known as the Himalayan red bear, isabelline bear or Dzu-Teh, is a subspecies of the brown bear and is known from northern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northern India, west China and Nepal. It is the largest mammal in the region.These bears are omnivorous and hibernate in a den during the winter.
– They are the largest animals in the Himalayas and are usually sandy or reddish-brown in colour .
– IUCN- Least Concern
43. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
– Often described as the “IPCC for biodiversity”, IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body comprising more than 130 member Governments. Established by Governments in 2012, it provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and the contributions they make to people, as well as the tools and methods to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets.
– IPBES aims to arm policy-makers with the tools to address the relationships between biodiversity and human well-being. It synthesises evidence on the state of biodiversity, ecosystems and natures’ contributions to people on a global scale.
– IPBES is the biodiversity equivalent to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Assessments are a fundamental part of IPBES’s work.
– IPBES Assessments review thousands of biodiversity studies to identify broad trends and draw authoritative conclusions.
44. Forest Rights Act
45. Global Resources Outlook-2019
– Released by UN Environment
– (90 % of biodiversity loss and water stress are caused by resource extraction and processing.)
46. Cyclone Fani
– a tropical cyclone on the border of Category 5 intensity wind speeds, hit the east coast of India. Category 5 tropical cyclones were only first recorded in the North Indian Ocean from 1989 so, again, this storm is unusually severe in the context of the longer historical records.
47. Tropical Cyclones
– High intensity storms have been tied to the very warm sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean. Temperatures of 30°C are occurring more often and over longer periods of time. This is a result of gradual warming on a global scale, which has resulted in a net increase in ocean temperatures.
– Warmer ocean temperatures allow stronger storms to form. These conditions are exacerbated by global forcing mechanisms including El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole, which concentrates warm ocean waters in smaller geographic areas.
– Tropical cyclone intensity is classified according to the Saffir Simpson scale. Categories are measured on the basis of the sustained wind speed and the storm’s central pressure. Each category is accompanied by estimates of the likely severity of damage and possible storm surge height.
– Tropical cyclones form and intensify due to a combination of seven primary climatological conditions. Among other things, these include warm sea surface temperatures, high humidity levels and atmospheric instability.
– Tropical cyclones require a sea surface temperature of 26.5°C to form, while the highest intensity storms require much warmer sea surface temperatures of 28-29°C. This is important because it’s one of the reasons why southern Africa is experiencing more intense tropical cyclones.
– The South Indian Ocean is warming rapidly. This means that regions that previously experienced the temperatures of 26.5°C that facilitated tropical cyclone formation are now experiencing temperatures as warm as 30-32°C.
– These very warm sea surface temperatures are not a factor of global scale warming alone. They’re further influenced by a range of global and local forcing mechanisms. These include El Niño Southern Oscillation, the Indian Ocean Dipole and the Southern Annular Mode. For this particular cyclone season, scientists are seeing the strongest impact from the [Madden-Julian Oscillation].
48. Will Kerala become the first Indian state to have its official amphibian?
The process to declare a unique species of frog named variously as the purple frog, the pig-nosed frog and the Maveli frog as Kerala’s state amphibian.
The frog’s scientific name is Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is found only in the southern part of the Western Ghats. Its most unique characteristic is that it lives out its life underground and comes out only once a year, to breed. Which is why, it has been given the name ‘Maveli’, after the benevolent Asura king Mahabali, who, according to Hindu mythology, was banned to the nether world by the gods and is said to come to earth once a year, celebrated as “Onam” in Kerala.
49. Amur Falcons
Amur Falcons originate in the region of the Amur river and its basin, in northeast Asia, which include eastern Mongolia, Northeastern China and the Russian Far East. For winter, they fly over Asia and the Indian Ocean to southern Africa and make the return journey during summers to the Amur Basin. The yearly journey is nearly 20,000 kilometres. In between their journeys, the birds stop in Nagaland and India, where they are being studied for their migration routes since 2013.
Yaongyimchen Community Reserve – Longleng district of Nagaland
50. Dugongs in the Gulf of Kutch at risk of vanishing due to human activities (earlier asked in UPSC Prelims 2013)
A new study by the Bombay Natural History Society or BNHS has stated that dugongs or sea cows in the Gulf of Kutch, the body of water that separates Kutch and Saurashtra, are at risk of getting obliterated due to industrial and noise pollution They found that seagrass meadows, the primary food source of dugongs, were declining due to the run-off from several industries on the Gulf shore including textiles, petrochemicals, rubber and salt. The other reason is increasing shipping in the Gulf. Dugongs often collide with ocean going vessels or get caught in fishing nets.
The Dugong is large grey herbivorous mammal which spend their entire lives in the sea. Marine National Park of Gulf of Kutch is an isolated breeding ground in India along with in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is the state animal of Andaman territory.
51. African Cheetahs to be translocated to India: NTCA
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) told a bench of the Supreme Court on February 22, 2019, that African cheetahs would be translocated in India from Namibia and would be kept at Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
The Indian Cheetah was declared extinct in 1952.
52. Carbon-neutral fuel
It is energy fuel or energy systems which have no net greenhouse gas emissions or carbon footprint. One class is synthetic fuel (including methane, gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel or ammonia) produced from renewable, sustainable or nuclear energy used to hydrogenate carbon dioxide directly captured from the air (DAC), recycled from power plant flue exhaust gas or derived from carbonic acid in seawater. Renewable energy sources include wind turbines, solar panels, and hydroelectric power stations. Another type of renewable energy source is biofuel.Such fuels are potentially carbon-neutral because they do not result in a net increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases.
53. El Nino
El Nino, which is the unusual warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean, disrupts global wind patterns affecting climatic conditions in tropical areas like Africa, sub-tropical areas like India as well as the extra-tropical areas like North America.
In India, there is a relationship between El Nino events and hotter than usual summers along with a decrease in rainfall during the monsoon. Most of the time, these events have also led to drought conditions.
54. REED BED SYSTEM FOR TREATING INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER
(TN Agri Portal-one question is generally picked from here every year)
Reed Bed System :Integrates plants and geomaterials to remove (by absorption and adsorption) pollutants from wastewater.
Typha – Cattail reed (Typha latifolia) is a perennial herbaceous plant effective in removing heavymetals and salts.Root exudates effectively immobilize heavy metals in the rhizosphere.
Water hyacinth : Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) effectively absorbs nitrate and phosphate besides heavymetals.
Vermiculite : A hydrous, silicate mineral with high cation exchange capacity adsorbs large amounts of heavymetals.
55. Composting
Composting is an aerobic method of decomposing organic solid wastes. It can therefore be used to recycle organic material. The process involves decomposition of organic material into a humus-like material, known as compost, which is a good fertilizer for plants.
Composting requires the following three components:
– human management,
– aerobic conditions,
– development of internal biological heat
Vermicompost(asked in previous prelims)
Vermicompost is the product or process of organic material degradation using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and earthworms, to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste (excluding meat, dairy, fats, or oils), bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, also known as worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by species of earthworm.
Vermicomposting can also be applied for treatment of sewage sludge.
56. Carbon Farming
Carbon farming is a name for a variety of agricultural methods aimed at sequestering atmospheric carbon into the soil. Increasing the carbon content of soil can aid plant growth, increase soil organic matter (improving agricultural yield), improve soil water retention capacity,and reduce fertilizer use(and the accompanying emissions of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O).
Potential sequestration alternatives to carbon farming include scrubbing the air with machines; fertilizing the oceans to prompt algal blooms that after death carry carbon to the sea bottom; storing the carbon dioxide emitted by electricity generation; and crushing and spreading types of rock such as basalt that absorb atmospheric carbon.
57. System of Wheat Intensification
(TN Agri Portal-one question is generally picked from here every year)
In our article on Agricultural technologies in Pro section,we have enlisted all technologies from the portal)
System of Rice Intensification-asked in past prelims.
SWI is a technology of wheat production which is based on manipulation of soil environment with minimum external input and very low seed rate. Therefore, the problem of low productivity of wheat in hilly regions could be addresses by SWI techniques.
58. One question may be on World Cultural heritage sites from India (in the light of recent Notre dame de Paris fire)
59. Graphene
60. Blue
– the low-cost, human-friendly robot designed for AI.
61. 3D bioprinting
Three dimensional (3D) bioprinting is the utilization of 3D printing–like techniques to combine cells, growth factors, and biomaterials to fabricate biomedical parts that maximally imitate natural tissue characteristics. Generally, 3D bioprinting utilizes the layer-by-layer method to deposit materials known as bioinks to create tissue-like structures that are later used in medical and tissue engineering fields. Bioprinting covers a broad range of biomaterials.
Currently, bioprinting can be used to print tissues and organs to help research drugs and pills. However, emerging innovations span from bioprinting of cells or extracellular matrix deposited into a 3D gel layer by layer to produce the desired tissue or organ. In addition, 3D bioprinting has begun to incorporate the printing of scaffolds.These scaffolds can be used to regenerate joints and ligaments.
62. Biopiracy
Biopiracy is the term used to refer to the use of bio-resources by multinational companies and other organisations without prope authorisation from the countries and people concerned without compensatory payment.
63. BITCOINS
Bitcoin (₿) is a cryptocurrency, a form of electronic cash. It is a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single administrator that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without the need for intermediaries.
Transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain.
Bitcoin has been criticized for – its use in illegal transactions, its high electricity consumption, price volatility, thefts from exchanges, and the possibility that bitcoin is an economic bubble.Bitcoin has also been used as an investment, although several regulatory agencies have issued investor alerts about bitcoin.
Bitcoin does not have a central authority and the bitcoin network is decentralized:
– There is no central server, bitcoin network is peer-to-peer.
– There is no central storage, bitcoin ledger is distributed.
– The ledger is public, anybody can store it on their computer.
– There is no single administrator,the ledger is maintained by a network of equally privileged miners.
– Anybody can become a miner.
– The additions to the ledger are maintained through competition. Until a new block is added to the ledger, it is not known which miner will create the block.
– The issuance of bitcoins is decentralized. They are issued as a reward for the creation of a new block.
– Anybody can create a new bitcoin address (a bitcoin counterpart of a bank account) without needing any approval.
– Anybody can send a transaction to the network without needing any approval, the network merely confirms that the transaction is legitimate.
64. Chandrayaan – 2
65. Aditya L1
66.Genome Sequencing
Whole genome sequencing (also known as WGS, full genome sequencing, complete genome sequencing, or entire genome sequencing) is ostensibly the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s genome at a single time. This entails sequencing all of an organism’s chromosomal DNA as well as DNA contained in the mitochondria and, for plants, in the chloroplast. In practice, genome sequences that are nearly complete are also called whole genome sequences.
67. GSLV Mk III
68. DNA profiling
(also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual’s DNA characteristics, which are as unique as fingerprints. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding.
DNA profiling is a forensic technique in criminal investigations, comparing criminal suspects’ profiles to DNA evidence so as to assess the likelihood of their involvement in the crime. It is also used in parentage testing,to establish immigration eligibility,and in genealogical and medical research. DNA profiling has also been used in the study of animal and plant populations in the fields of zoology, botany, and agriculture.
Tiger Reserves of North East India
- Kaziranaga TR- Assam
- Manas TR- Assam
- Orang TR- Assam
- Nameri TR – Assam
- Pakhui TR- Arunachal Pradesh
- Namdapha TR – Arunachal Pradesh
- Dampa TR- Mizoram
69. Precision Agriculture- in Pro
70. Drip Irrigation-in Pro
71. A month after a Russian journal published the discovery of a reddish-brown pit viper in Arunachal Pradesh, the New Zealand-based journal Zootaxa has come out with the discovery of a non-venomous snake in Mizoram.
The discovery of another non-venomous snake species — the Crying Keelback, in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lepa-Rada district, was published in an international journal about six months ago.
The new genus and species of the natricine — predominantly aquatic — that took a seven-member team of herpetologists 12 years to document, has been named Smithophis atemporalis after eminent British herpetologist Malcolm Arthur Smith for his immense contribution to Indian herpetology.
72. Northeast India is home to nine wild cats, including the ‘standard four’: the clouded leopard, Asiatic golden cat, marbled cat and leopard cat.
73. Technology, Entertainment, Design LLC is a media organisation that posts talks online for free distribution under the slogan “ideas worth spreading.” Independent events similar to this can be organised by anyone who obtains a free licence from them, but they have to agree to certain principles such as speakers relinquishing the rights to their material and having volunteers organise the event. What is the name of this event that has seen many iterations in colleges in India recently?
Answer: TEDx
74. Software for Adaptive Modeling and Simulation Of Nanosystems is an open source platform for computational nanoscience. It helps users run interactive simulations which allow them to trust the strength of structural models. Fittingly, what is the acronym name of the software?
Answer: SAMSON
75. Black Holes
76. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) : NavIC
IRNSS is an independent regional navigation satellite system being developed by India. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.
IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely,
Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is provided to all the users and
Restricted Service (RS), which is an encrypted service provided only to the authorised users (asked in UPSC – 2015-16).
The IRNSS System is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m in the primary service area.
Some applications of IRNSS are – (asked in Prelims 2014-15)
Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation
Disaster Management
Vehicle tracking and fleet management
Integration with mobile phones
Precise Timing
Mapping and Geodetic data capture
Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travellers
Visual and voice navigation for drivers
Satellite Missions of Past 1 year
77. PSLV-C42 Mission/NovaSAR & S1-4
PSLV-C42 Successfully Launched two foreign satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota on September 16, 2018.
This mission was designed to launch two earth observation satellites, NovaSAR and S1-4 (together weighing nearly 889 kg) of M/s Surrey Satellite Technologies Limited (SSTL), United Kingdom under commercial arrangement with Antrix Corporation Limited, Department of Space. Both satellites were injected into 583 km Sun Synchronous Orbit.
78. NovaSAR
It is a S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite intended for forest mapping, land use & ice cover monitoring, flood & disaster monitoring.
79. HysIS Mission
PSLV-C43 / HysIS Mission
PSLV-C43 lifted off at 0957 hrs (IST) on November 29, 2018 from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota and successfully launched India’s Hyper spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS) and 30 international co-passenger satellites.
The primary satellite of PSLV-C43 mission, weighing about 380 kg, is an earth observation satellite configured around ISRO’s Mini Satellite-2 (IMS-2) bus.
The primary goal of HysIS is to study the earth’s surface in the visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
80. Microsat – R
– 740-kg , an imaging satellite meant for military purposes
– Microsat-R is an small Indian satellite built for the Indian military Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), likely as a target satellite for ASAT testing.
– orbits the earth at a height of 274 km.
81. Kalam SAT
– “World’s lightest and smallest satellite”
– Kalam SAT is a micro Satellite. It is named after former Indian president Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
– Kalamsat is a payload developed by students and Chennai based Space Kidz India for the first time.
– The probe is composed of 3-D printed reinforced carbon fiber polymer. The probe was launched by a sub-orbital spaceflight.
– The tiny probe will be operated only for less than 12 minutes to demonstrate the performance of 3-D printed carbon fiber in a micro-gravity environment of space.
– The Kalamsat is the first to use the rocket`s fourth stage as an orbital platform
82. The PSLV-C45 / EMISAT MISSION
– 47th mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program
– launched on 1 April 2019 with a payload of 29 satellites, including one for electronic intelligence,along with 28 customer satellites from other countries.
– launched from the Second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra pradesh,India
– It carried primary payloads like EMISAT and secondary payloads like M6P, Bluewalker1, four Lemur-2 out of a total of thirty satellites.
– EMISAT is developed by DRDO.The EMISAT satellite is based on the IMS-2 bus inherited from SARAL.
– It was the first flight of PSLV-QL having 4 strap-on boosters and placed a primary payload EMISAT and a secondary payload of Lemur M6P in sun-synchronous orbits.
83. EMISAT MISSION
– India’s first electronic surveillance satellite, EMISAT.
– Space-based electronic intelligence or ELINT from the 436-kg spacecraft will add teeth to situational awareness of the Armed Forces as it will provide location and information of hostile radars placed at the borders; this will be another dimension to current land or aircraft-based ELINT.
– The spacecraft would measure the electromagnetic spectrum.
– The ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network at Bengaluru assumed control of the satellite.
We are providing the list of tribal festivals which have been in newspapers in the recent past.The complete list of all tribal festivals is available in Pro section on website.
84. Hornbill Festival
The Hornbill Festival is a celebration held every year from 1 – 10 December, in Nagaland, Northeast India.It is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals’.
The state of Nagaland is home to several tribes, which have their own distinct festivals. More than 60% of the population of Nagaland depends on agriculture and therefore most of their festivals revolve around agriculture.
To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December.
The first festival was held in 2000.
The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird which is displayed in the folklore of most of the state’s tribes.
Hornbill is not the state bird of Nagaland.
Blyth ‘s Tragopan is Nagaland state bird.
Indian Hornbill is state bird of Arunachal Pradesh and Kerala.
85. Sekrenyi Festival, Nagaland
– Angami Naga tribes
– Sekrenyi festival, which is a harvesting festival of the Angami Naga tribe.
86. Ngada Festival, Nagaland and Assam
– Rengma Tribes
– Ngada festival is a thanksgiving festival that signifies the end of the agricultural season.
87. Sulia- Odisha
– Kandha Tribes
–The biggest tribal festival marked by a mass sacrifice of animals and birds in Balangir district in Odisha was celebrated in January,2019,despite a ban on the practice.
– This festival of the primitive tribal is observed in Khair Gura village of Balangar district.The tribal community of Balangir worships their forefather Sulia Budha by sacrificing large numbers of animals and birds,which, they believe ,will fulfil their wishes.
88. Aoleang Festival, Nagaland
– Konyak tribe
– Once deadly headhunters, the Konyak tribe today is one of the indigenous tribes in India who are noted for living a passive lifestyle. Today they are mostly indulging in agriculture, local alcohol, smoking opium, and occasional hunting.
The Aoleang festival is a major festival of the Konyak tribe and is celebrated with huge zeal in the month of April to welcome the New Year.
89. Festivals of Vaiphei Tribe
– The Vaiphei Tribe have two festivals in their own.
– One is Thazing lap, a pre-harvest festival which is celebrated in the month of September.
– Other is the Awl-len festival
– The Vaiphei People from different regions of Myanmar, Mizoram ,Assam and other northeastern states will assemble in this vigorous festival.
– Of all this, the Vaiphei community had its most popular dance called LaamKual, which features boys and girls with majestic moves encircling the bonfire.
90. Moatsu Festival, Nagaland
– Ao Nagas tribe
– It is a three days festival of the Ao Nagas of Nagaland.
– Performance of the folk songs and dance and the symbolic celebration of “Sangpangtu”.
91. Tulini Festival, Nagaland
– Sumi Naga tribe
– The Tulini Festival of Sumi Naga tribe of Nagaland is celebrated to rejoice the season of abundant crops. During this festival devotees offer prayers to Litsaba, a form of tribal deity, who in exchange blesses a fruitful harvesting season.
92. Myoko festival of the Apatani Tribe- Arunachal Pradesh
– It includes rituals for prosperity, fertility, purification and sacrifice that are done by the priest.
93. ICGEB’s novel yeast strain increases ethanol production
Compared with currently available strains, a robust yeast strain (Saccharomyces cerevisiae NGY10) that can produce up to 15.5% more ethanol when glucose or lignocellulose biomass — rice and wheat straw — is fermented has been isolated by researchers from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, DBT-ICGEB Centre for Advanced Bioenergy Research, Delhi.
In India, ethanol production is mostly by fermenting molasses to meet the annual target of 5% blending of petrol with ethanol. But with India setting a target of blending petrol with 10% of biofuel by 2022, other sources such as rice and wheat straw have to be considered. Fermenting lignocellulose efficiently to generate more ethanol than what is currently possible is therefore necessary. To that end, the strain isolated by ICGEB becomes important.
94. Gene Mapping
Gene mapping describes the methods used to identify the locus of a gene and the distances between genes.The essence of all genome mapping is to place a collection of molecular markers onto their respective positions on the genome. Molecular markers come in all forms. Genes can be viewed as one special type of genetic markers in the construction of genome maps, and mapped the same way as any other markers.
95. Bhudhaar
Government of Andhra Pradesh started Aadhaar based innovative first of its kind project called Bhudhaar to assign an 11-digit unique number for every land parcel in the state as part of the “land hub in E-Pragati Program”.
96. Aadhaar
Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity number that can be obtained by residents of India, based on their biometric and demographic data. The data is collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), a statutory authority established in January 2009 by the government of India, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, following the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016.
– Aadhaar is the world’s largest biometric ID system.
– It is a proof of residence and not a proof of citizenship, Aadhaar does not itself grant any rights to domicile in India.
– Aadhaar is not a valid identification document for Indians travelling to Nepal and Bhutan.
– Indian residents can have an Aadhar number or UID.
– Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) or Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are not eligible for Aadhar.
– An Indian citizen can enrol for Aadhar at any age.
97. APES
– Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AEPS) enables bank customers to access their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts through the Aadhaar authentication.
– AEPS is a bank led model which allows online interoperable financial transaction at PoS (Point of Sale / Micro ATM) through the Business Correspondent (BC)/Bank Mitra of any bank using the Aadhaar authentication.
98. Micro-ATMs
Micro ATMs are card swipe machines through which banks can remotely connect to their core banking system. This machine comes with a fingerprint scanner attached to it. In other words, micro ATMs are handheld point of sale terminals used to disburse cash in remote locations where bank branches cannot reach. Micro ATMs are similar to point of sale (PoS) terminals and are a doorstep mobile banking arrangement cum-mobile ATM device.
How is it more convenient ?
- According to bankers, the cost of deployment of a micro ATM is lesser than that of an ordinary ATM. ATMs need at least 80-100 transactions a day to be viable as they costs several lakhs. A micro ATM costs less than Rs 20,000.
- It is portable
- Micro ATM has connectivity through GSM, hence it can travel from village to village, said Das during a press interaction on Monday.
Disadvantages:
- Micro ATM cannot provide ‘anytime’ money. Hence if the bank correspondent is unavailable or the shop keeper has shut his shop, the account holder will not be able to undertake any financial transaction.
How does micro ATM work?
Bank will assign a correspondent who will sign up customers in remote areas after verifying their identity (fingerprint can be used as an authentication tool for rural people ). The fingerprint and personal details may also be linked to the Aadhaar Card, which will then serve as the ID proof required to withdraw money.
99. Baal Adhaar
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has come up with a coloured Aadhaar card for children aged below five years. The Aadhaar will require a mandatory biometric update when a child becomes five year old, said the UIDAI.
Aadhaar will require another mandatory biometric update when the child attains the age of 15.
The agency also said that photo ID cards issued by child’s school can be used for his/her Aadhaar enrolment.
Some facts about coloured Baal Aadhaar:
- It does not include child’s biometric information
- The first mandatory biometric update is required at the age of five to include child’s biometric information like fingerprints and iris scan.
- The second mandatory biometric update is required at the age of 15.
- Besides school photo ID card, child’s birth certificate and a mobile number will also be required for enrolment.
100. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has given the go-ahead to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to drill in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in south Tripura. The sanctuary is best known for its gaur, one of the largest bovids on earth as well as deer, golden langur, pheasant and reptiles.
