TNPSC Current Affairs May 22, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs May 22, 2020 (22/05/2020)

Topic: Welfare Oriented Govt Schemes and their Utilities

PM Ujjwala Yojana

This schemes aims to provide LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) connections to poor households. 6.8 Crore free LPG cylinders distributed among the PMUY beneficiaries so far.

Key features: A deposit-free LPG connection is given to the eligible household with financial assistance of Rs 1,600 per connection by the Centre.

The scheme gained traction with its ambit being expanded to include 80 million poor families from the earlier target of 50 million families with an additional allocation of Rs 4,800 crore.

Topic: Latest Diary of Events

Geotextiles

National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA) has announced that coir geo textiles will be used for construction of rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-III).

What is Coir geotextile?

Coir is a 100% natural fiber, obtained from a renewable source – the coconut husk. Coir Geo Textile is naturally resistant to rot, molds and moisture, and free from any microbial attack hence it needs no chemical treatment. It has a permeable, natural and strong fabric with high durability.

Benefits:

It has a permeable, natural and strong fabric with high durability. It protects the land surface and promotes quick vegetation. It is totally biodegradable, and helps in soil stabilisation. It can dissipate the energy of flowing water and absorb the excess solar radiation.

What are Geotextiles?

They are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain.

These are typically made from polypropylene or polyester.

Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health

Quantum entanglement

Researchers from Kolkata have developed a novel protocol to find out whether a pair of electrons is in an entangled state so that they can be safely used as resources for facilitating quantum information processing tasks.

The protocol has been developed through theoretical and experimental analysis.

What is the protocol?

The theoretical idea is based on applying the fine-grained uncertainty relation to perform quantum steering. The experiment uses an all-optical set-up in which entangled pairs of photons are created by laser light on Beta barium borate (BBO) crystals, a nonlinear optical crystal, used as laser crystal.

What is Quantum entanglement?

It is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in which the quantum states of two or more objects have to be described with reference to each other, even though the individual objects may be spatially separated.

It is the physical phenomenon that occurs when a pair or group of particles is generated, interact, in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of the state of the others.

Topic: Latest Diary of Events

International Day for Biological Diversity

Observed on 22nd May every year to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.

Theme for the year 2020 is “Our solutions are in nature”.

The resolution to celebrate the day was adopted in 1992. The day was initially celebrated on December 29 till 2000 starting from 1993.

It was marked on December 29 to celebrate the Day the Convention on Biological Diversity came into effect.

It was later shifted to May 22 to commemorate the adoption of convention at Rio Earth Summit.

Topic: General Administration, Latest Diary of Events

Ecologically Sensitive Area of Western Ghats

6 States have expressed desire to expedite early notification of Ecologically Sensitive Area of Western Ghats. These six states include Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Background:

The government had constituted a High Level Working Group under the Chairmanship of Dr. Kasturirangan to conserve and protect the biodiversity of Western Ghats while allowing for sustainable and inclusive development of the region.

The Committee had recommended that identified geographical areas falling in the six States of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu may be declared as Ecologically Sensitive Areas.

What are Eco-Sensitive Areas?

They are located within 10 kms around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.

ESAs are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under Environment Protection Act 1986.

The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas.

Topic: Latest Diary of Events

India: The Second Largest Manufacturer of PPE in the world

India became the second largest producer of Personal Protective Equipment in the world. China is the leading producer of PPE in the world. Highlights The Ministry of Textiles has been taking several measures to maintain the quality of PPE alongside manufacturing.

Initially India faced several challenges in increasing quality PPE products. This includes importing machines from China and also increasing prices.