UPSC Quiz – 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 7th Oct 2020

Solution (a)

• EriocaulonParvicephalum and Erioculonkaraavalense two new species of a plant group known for their varied medicinal properties have been discovered in the Western Ghats – one of the thirty-five hot-spots of biological diversity in the world.
• The plant group known as pipeworts (Eriocaulon), which completes their life cycle within a small period during monsoon, exhibits great diversity in the Western Ghats, having around 111 species in India.
• The one reported from Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra was named as Eriocaulon parvicephalum (due to its minute inflorescence size).
• The other reported from Kumta, Karnataka was named as Eriocaulon karaavalense (named after Karaavali = Coastal Karnataka region).

Solution (c)

The K Family of Missiles:

• The K family of missiles are primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs).
• These have been indigenously developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The development of these missiles began in the late 1990s as a step towards completing India’s nuclear triad.
• Nuclear triad is the capability of launching nuclear weapons from land, sea and air-based assets.
• Because these missiles are to be launched from submarines, they are lighter, smaller and stealthier than their land-based counterparts – the Agni series of missiles which are medium and intercontinental range nuclear capable ballistic missiles.
• India has also developed and successfully tested multiple times the K-4 missiles from the family which has a range of 3500 km.
• The early development trials of K-15 and K-4 missiles had begun in the early 2010s.
• K-5 and K-6 with ranges of 5000 and 6000 km are also under development.
• Strategic Importance of SLBMs:
• Nuclear Deterrence: The capability of SLMBs has great strategic importance in the context of achieving a nuclear triad, especially in the light of the ‘no first use’ policy of India which acts as a deterrent.

Solution (d)

Four Northeast Indian states share the border with Myanmar: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur.

Solution (b)

• Americans Harvey J Alter and Charles M Rice, and British scientist Michael Houghton were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology, 2020 for the discovery of the Hepatitis C Virus.
• The Hepatitis C virus was discovered in 1982 by screening millions of DNA samples.

Hepatitis:

• Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver.
• It’s commonly caused by a viral infection, but there are other possible causes of hepatitis like autoimmune responses, medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.
• There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E.
• World Hepatitis Day is observed each year on 28th July to enhance awareness of viral hepatitis.

Hepatitis C:

• Hepatitis C is caused by the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).
• It is transmitted through direct contact with infected body fluids, typically through injection drug use and sexual contact.
• According to the World Health Organization, about 71 million people in the world have chronic infection with the Hepatitis C virus, which is also a major cause of liver cancer.
• A vaccine for the disease has still not been developed but it can be treated with the help of anti-viral drugs.

Solution (a)

• Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Swiggy to onboard street food vendors on its e-commerce platform.
• This move is a part of the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s Atmanibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme.
• An updated and modified version of PM SVANidhi Dashboard, which facilitates users not only with a better granular view of the scheme’s performance but also with additional tools for comparisons, has also been launched.
• The MoU will give the vendors online access to thousands of consumers and help them grow their businesses.

Phased Implementation:

• In a first of its kind initiative, MoHUA and Swiggy will run a pilot program by on-boarding 250 vendors across five cities namely Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Indore, and Varanasi.
• Upon the successful completion of the pilot, MoHUA and Swiggy plan to expand this initiative across the country in phases.
• Key Stakeholders: MoHUA, Municipal Corporations, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Swiggy and Goods and Services Tax (GST) officials.
• Assistance: The street vendors will be helped with Permanent Account Number (PAN) and FSSAI registration, training on technology/partner app usage, menu digitisation and pricing, hygiene and packaging best practices.

PM SVANidhi Scheme

• It was announced as a part of the Economic Stimulus-II under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• It has been implemented since 1st June 2020, for providing affordable working capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdowns, with a sanctioned budget of Rs. 700 crore.
• Aims:
• To benefit over 50 lakh street vendors who had been vending on or before 24th March 2020, in urban areas including those from surrounding peri-urban/rural areas.
• To promote digital transactions through cash-back incentives up to an amount of Rs. 1,200 per annum.