TNPSC Current Affairs July 06, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 06, 2020 (06/07/2020)

 

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Topic: Public Awareness and General Administration

One Nation One Voter ID

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has made it possible for senior citizens above the age of 65 to vote by postal ballot, given that they are at greater risk from exposure to the novel coronavirus.

Hitherto, this option was available only to disabled citizens and those above 80 years.

Now, there is an opinion that the same empowering approach be extended to another group which faces enormous difficulties in exercising its franchise: migrant workers.

Why migrant workers?

Internal migrant workers constitute about 13.9 crore as in the Economic Survey of 2017, that is nearly a third of India’s labour force.

They are often unable to exercise their voting rights. Therefore, Migrant workers become quasi-disenfranchised, forgotten voters because they cannot afford to return home on election day to choose their representatives.

Internal migrant workers do not enrol as voters in their place of employment since they find proof of residence hard to provide.

This group also does not constitute a vote bank worthy of attention.

Many are seasonal migrants who would rather vote in their villages if they could afford to return home.

Conclusion:

A ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ is being ushered in to enable migrant workers and their family members to access Public Distribution System benefits from any fair price shop in the country.

Similarly, voting must be viewed not just as a civic duty but as a civic right. We must demonstrate the political will to usher in ‘One Nation One Voter ID,’ to ensure native ballot portability and empower the forgotten migrant voter.

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Topic: India and its Neighboring Countries, International Events

Bhutan demarches China on its claim to Sakteng Sanctuary

Bhutan’s foreign ministry has issued a demarche to the Chinese embassy in New Delhi for the claims made by Beijing over Sakteng Wildlife sanctuary, situated in eastern Bhutan.

What’s the issue?

Bhutan’s western and middle sector have been in dispute with China (Jakarlung, Pasamlung and Chumbi Valley). However, the eastern sector has not been part of the boundary talks and China had not claimed rights over Sakteng wildlife sanctuary earlier.

The recent claim was made at the 58th meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council where China tried to “oppose” funding to a project for the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary situated in Bhutan saying that it was “disputed” territory.

While Thimphu and Beijing do not have formal diplomatic relations, the two sides have been in talks to resolve the border issues between the two countries and demarcate the boundary.

Where is Sakteng wildlife sanctuary?

Sakteng is based in Eastern Bhutan, or Trashigang Dzongkhag (district) that borders Arunachal Pradesh.

It protects several endemic speciesincluding the eastern blue pine and the black-rumped magpie.

It was created in part to protect the migoi, a yeti-like cryptid whose existence has not been scientifically confirmed, but in which the local population strongly believes.

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Topic: New inventions on Science and Health, Latest Diary of Events

NASA research says the Moon is more metallic than thought before

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has found evidence that the Moon’s subsurface might have greater quantities of metals such as iron and titanium than thought before.

The metallic distribution was observed by the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument aboard the LRO.

The Mini-RF findings were backed by metal oxide maps from the LRO Wide-Angle Camera, Japan’s Kaguya mission and NASA’s Lunar Prospector spacecraft, which showed that larger craters with their increased dielectric material were also richer in metals.

How was it discovered?

LRO’s Mini-RF instrument was measuring an electrical property within lunar soil in crater floors in the Moon’s northern hemisphere.

The property, known as the dielectric constant, is the ratio of the electric permeability of a material to the electric permeability of a vacuum.

Implications of latest findings:

It is known that Earth’s crust has lesser amounts of iron oxide than the Moon– a finding that scientists have been trying to explain.

Now, the new discovery of even greater quantities of metal on the Moon makes their job even more difficult. It really raises the question of what this means for our previous formation hypotheses.

A possible reason could be that the Moon was created from a material much deeper beneath Earth’s surface than was believed before, or that the newly found metal presence could be the result of molten lunar surface cooling down gradually.

About Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO):

It is a NASA mission to the moon within the Lunar Precursor and Robotic Program (LPRP) in preparation for future manned missions to the moon and beyond (Mars).

LRO is the first mission of NASA’s `New Vision for Space Exploration’.

Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health

Stevioside

It is a natural plant-based glycoside found in leaves of Honey yerba. It is widely used as the non-caloric natural sweeteners.

Why in News?

Researchers recently found that Stevioside when coated on nanoparticles can increase the efficiency of Magnetic hyperthermia-mediated cancer therapy (MHCT).

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Topic: New inventions on Scinece an Health

Winter grade diesel for Ladakh

Recently, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has sought approval from the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) for the use of winter diesel by armed forces for operations in high altitude areas such as Ladakh.

The winter diesel was introduced as a technological solution by the IOC in 2019 in high-altitude sectors like Ladakh, Kargil, Kaza and Keylong, which face the problem of freezing of diesel in their vehicles in extreme weather conditions.

Winter Diesel:

It is a specialised fuel specifically for high altitude regions and low-temperature regions such as Ladakh, where ordinary diesel can become unusable. It also meets the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specification of BS-VI grade.

Low Viscosity: It contains additives to maintain lower viscosity by enabling the fuel to remain fluid in such conditions. Regular diesel fuel contains paraffin wax which is added for improving viscosity and lubrication. At low temperatures, the paraffin wax thickens or “gels” and hinders the flow of the fuel in the car engine.

Earlier, the IOCL provided the Diesel High sulphur Pour Point (DHPP -W) to armed forces, which also has a pour point of -30°C.

Higher Cetane Rating: It has a higher cetane rating — which is an indicator of the combustion speed of diesel and compression needed for ignition.

Lower Sulphur Content: It would lead to lower chemical deposits in engines and better performance.

Significance:

Border Tensions with China in Ladakh: It is expected that demand for the winter fuel may rise due to the border tensions in the Galwan valley in Ladakh for the patrolling purposes.

Boost to Local Economy: Supply of the special fuel to Ladakh would reduce the hardships faced by the local people for transportation and mobility during winter months, therefore facilitate the local economy and tourism.

Curb in Air Pollution: Before the launch of winter diesel, consumers in such areas were using kerosene to dilute diesel to make it usable, which leads to more air pollution.

Now use of winter diesel would replace use of Kerosene therefore helping in the reduction of air pollution.

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Topic: Places in News

World’s Largest COVID-19 Treatment Facility Inaugurated in New Delhi

10,000 bed facility in Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre and Hospital (SPCCCH) was inaugurated in New Delhi on 5th July 2020. To date, SPCCCH is the World’s largest COVID-19 Treatment and Care facility. It was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal.

The infrastructure for the 10,000-bed facility was created in a record time of 10 days. With support from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the infrastructure was created by the South Delhi District Administration.

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Topic: Profile of States, General Administration

Himachal Pradesh-First State in India to have LPG Gas Connection in Every Household

All households in the state of Himachal Pradesh have access to LPG Gas Connection, making Himachal Pradesh the first state in the country to achieve the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the launch of Ujjwala Yojana for providing a cooking gas connection to every household in the country. This was announced on 6th July 2020 by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur.

Apart from the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the scheme of the Himachal Pradesh State Government ‘Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojana’ has also played an important role for achieving the 100 percent household cooking gas connection in the state.

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Topic: Places in News

Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary to be upgraded into a National Park

The Assam State Government has decided for the up-gradation of the status of the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary to National Park. The decision was taken on 6th July 2020 and was announced by the Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal.

About Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary:

Also known as the Jeypore Rainforest is a part of Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve. Located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, the 111.19 sq km Dehing Patkai was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2004.

It forms the largest stretch of lowland rainforest in the country.

Dehing is the name of the river that flows through this forest and Patkai is the hill at the foot of which the sanctuary lies.

What is a National Park?

According to the Indian Ministry of Environment & Forests, a national park is “[a]n area, whether within a sanctuary or not, [that] can be notified by the state government to be constituted as a National Park, by reason of its ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, or zoological association or importance, needed to for the purpose of protecting & propagating or developing wildlife therein or its environment.

National parks in India are IUCN category II protected areas.

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Topic: Profile of States, Latest Diary of Events

Friends of Police in Tamil Nadu

Recently, the services of Friends of Police (FOP) has been suspended in Tamil Nadu.

Key facts:

The move came after a controversy over FOP volunteers being engaged in beating of P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks, which led to their death in custody.

FOP:

The FOP is a Community Policing initiative that aims to bring police and public closer. It was started in 1993 in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu.

FOP helps to promote crime awareness among the people and enables prevention of crimes. It imparts fairness, transparency and impartiality in the working of police.

Volunteers can apply for FOP following minimum criteria like no political affiliation or criminal background, etc.

Suggestion:

The 2008 police report had recommended that the FOP scheme should be modified as Citizen Volunteers Scheme. It mentioned that the effort of Police must be to develop such a bond with the public that all citizens are friends of Police, and not only a designated few.