Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: March 01, 2023
Any competitive exam’s general awareness portion requires frequent habitual observation of daily events. If you are preparing for any competitive examination, and wish to score well in this section, you are in the right place. You will discover new things and keep up with the dynamic information that is transforming every day by following daily current affairs through Embibe Current Affairs series.
Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology
Pink Bollworm-resistant GM cotton gets the green light for field trials in Haryana
Within months of approving new field trials for an array of genetically engineered crops, including mustard, potatoes and rubber, in the country for the first time in 16 years, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has approved confined field trials for Pink Bollworm-resistant GM cotton in Hisar, Haryana.
What is Pink Bollworm?
It is one of the most destructive pests of cotton
Scientific name: Pectinophora gossypiella
Originally native to India, it is now recorded in nearly all the cotton-growing countries of the world
Pink Bollworm life cycle:
The adults are small moths about 3/8 inch long and are dark brown with markings on the forewing
The larval stage is the destructive and identifiable stage
The larvae have distinctive pink bands and can reach a length of ½ inches right before they pupate
Why is it a threat to Ecology?
Pink bollworms are major pests of cotton
Adults only last for two weeks, but females will lay 200 or more eggs
Adults lay eggs on cotton bolls; once hatched, the larvae eat the seeds and damage the fibres of the cotton, reducing the yield and quality
When the larvae mature, they cut out the boll, drop to the ground and cocoon near the soil surface
It also damages hibiscus, okra, and hollyhock plants.
Question: 1
Which of the following states recently has confined field tests of Pink Bollworm-resistant GM cotton approved by GEAC?
A. Maharashtra
B. Haryana
C. Rajasthan
D. Karnataka
Answer: B
Check out the Highlights of the Economic Survey 2022-23 by clicking on the link given below: Economic Survey 2022-23
Current Affairs: Awards and Recognitions
SAG Awards 2023: Ke Huy Quan becomes the first Asian male to win the SAG Award
The 29th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held recently at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles to honour the year’s best acting performances, and actor Ke Huy Quan created history by winning the Best Supporting actor award for his role as Waymond Wang in the film ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’.
Details:
The win makes Quan the first Asian male to win a film acting award at the annual guild ceremony since its inception in 1994.
He’s also only the second Asian actor to win any individual SAG prize in either film or television, one year after Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae won for male actor in a drama series, according to Variety.
What are Screen Actors Guild Awards?
Screen Actors Guild Awards are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
The award was founded in 1952 to recognise outstanding performances in movies and prime-time television
First awarded: 1995; 28 years ago
Presented by: SAG-AFTRA
Question: 2
Who among the following has recently become the first Asian male to win the SAG award in 2023?
A. Ke Huy Quan
B. Shah Rukh Khan
C. Lee Jung-jae
D. Fawad Khan
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Defence
IAF develops an indigenous ‘Vayulink’ platform for jammer-proof communication
The Indian Air Force has developed an innovative solution that would help pilots deal with bad weather and provide them with jammer-proof uninterrupted communication with the base station.
What is Vayulink?
“Vayulink is an ad-hoc data link communication system, which, when installed in an aircraft, gives the position of other aircraft close by encrypted traffic data over a secured channel.
‘Vayulink’ uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
The advantage of the system is that it prevents fratricide when you are going into combat.
It means you are able to know where our ground forces are present.
Benefits:
This helps the pilots to get accurate and precise information about the weather. In particular, it also helps in providing accurate communication to aircraft flying over hills.
By this, mutual collision of fighter planes can also be prevented, which provides an accurate teaming system service. It also helps in setting real-time targets with the help of which multiple teams can attack the target simultaneously.
The indigenous jammer-proof communication platform ‘Vayulink’ is helpful to all three services of the country.
Question: 3
Recently developed ‘Vayulink’ is
A. A platform developed by IAF for jammer-proof communication
B. A drone management system
C. An agricultural linking technology
D. A bulk messaging link
Answer: A
Current Affairs: Geography
Scientists have discovered a new layer at Earth’s inner core
A team of researchers has found evidence of a new, distinct layer within our planet Earth’s inner core.
According to seismologists from the Australian National University (ANU), data gathered from seismic waves caused by earthquakes has shed new light on the deepest parts of the Earth’s inner core.
Details:
It is solid due to high pressure deep within the Earth that stops iron alloy from melting.
It is a crystallised structure within the inner core’s innermost region that is different from the outer layer.
First hypothesised about 20 years ago, it was identified through data gathered from seismic waves caused by earthquakes.
Four layers of Earth’s structures:
Crust: Topmost or outermost layer of Earth, which makes up 1% of Earth’s Volume. It has two parts—a thinner Oceanic Crust and a thicker Continental Crust.
Mantle: Solid/plastic layer of Earth which makes up about 84% of Earth’s Volume.
It is divided into two parts—Upper Mantle and Lower Mantle.
The uppermost mantle and crust constitute the lithosphere.
Outer core: Liquid portion of the core, composed of 80% iron along with nickel and some other lighter elements.
Inner core: Solid portion of the core, composed of Iron and nickel with the presence of heavy elements like gold, platinum, palladium, silver and tungsten.
What is the Significance of the ‘Fifth’ layer?
It provides information on past events on Earth that happened hundreds of millions to billions of years ago.
It provides a new way to probe Earth’s inner core and its centremost region.
It provides information about the evolution of the Earth’s magnetic field.
Question: 4
In which of the following countries have scientists recently discovered a new layer at Earth’s inner core?
A. USA
B. Australia
C. Canada
D. UK
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Environment and Ecology
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to begin the first synchronised vulture survey
The Kerala Forest and Wildlife department, along with its counterparts in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, has organised the first synchronised vulture survey in select regions of the Western Ghats.
Details:
Synchronized Vulture Survey-2023 involved the Wildlife Conservation Foundation (an NGO) and forest departments of three states to survey vultures in
Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and all other forests in Karnataka.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS), Kerala.
Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu.
Why synchronised survey?
The synchronised survey is to avoid duplication of data when surveys are conducted at different time periods.
About vultures:
Nine species of vultures are found in India, with the Himalayas, Rajasthan, Gange Plain and the north side of the Indian subcontinent as the main geographic ranges.
Of 9, 3 species are migratory (cinereous, Griffon and Himalayan vultures).
Considered to be the most efficient scavengers, they have a unique and important ecological role, as they prevent the spread of diseases from rotting corpses.
Its population was dwindling due to exposure to the drug diclofenac, electrocution, illegal wildlife trade, and poaching, among other things.
About Vulture conservation initiatives:
Ban on veterinary use of Diclofenac in 2006.
‘Action Plan for Vulture Conservation’ prevents species extinction. In situ conservation programmes like promoting vulture restaurants, satellite tagging of vultures, etc.
Question: 5
Which following set of states has recently begun the first synchronised vulture survey?
A. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal
B. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
C. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
D. None of the above
Answer: B
Check out the Highlights of Union Budget 2023 by clicking on the link given below: Union Budget 2023-24
Current Affairs: National
Karnataka to get country’s first marina to promote Coastal Tourism
To promote coastal tourism in Karnataka, the country’s first marina will be constructed at Byndoor in the Udupi district.
The project has been initiated to promote coastal tourism in Karnataka.
The government will also seek permission from the Centre for the relaxation of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) to take up beach tourism in coastal areas and pilgrim tourism.
This will not only help the development of tourism but also help people understand the rich history of the state.
Details:
According to the CM, the history of the greatest dynasties such as Ganga, Kadamba, Rashtrakoota, Chalukya and Hoysala will be collected from the Department of Archaeology and develop historic tourism.
The government has proposed to build a corridor of ancient temples like Madhukeshwara in Banavasi and Dattatreya in Ganagapura and promote ‘Yatra tourism’.
The government will develop the Benakal area while Anjanadri Hill is under development.
There is also a scheme to pay a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000 to the recognized tourist guides.
Karnataka is blessed with nature’s bounty. It has a 350 km coastal area, ten different weather zones, 400 km of the Western Ghats, a rich biodiversity with sunshine for 300 days, and several rivers.
Factbook: 24-February-2023
1- Entrepreneur of the Year 2022: Sajjan Jindal
Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri honoured Indian industrialist Sajjan Jindal recently with the Best Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the year 2022.
At the same function, the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to KP Singh, Chairman of DLF Group.
KP Singh is especially known for setting up DLF City in Gurgaon.
Pratapaneni (Co-founder of MedGenome) was awarded in the startup category at the same event.
Sajjan Jindal is the Chairman and Managing Director of the JSW Group of Companies. It is because of his vision and foresight that the group has gained a distinct place in the business from steel to mining, energy, sports, infrastructure and software.
2- Siang unying festival
Siang Unying Festival is an important festival of the Adi community celebrated at Boleng, Arunachal Pradesh.
It is celebrated to mark the beginning of the Adi community’s new year, i.e., the arrival of the spring season, and to strengthen the bond among the community.
Adi constitutes a major group and inhabits the lower part of the Lower Dibang Valley district, especially the Roing and Dambuk areas. Adis are basically dependent on agriculture.
Both wet rice cultivation and shifting cultivation are practised. Padams, Milangs, Komkars, Minyongs and Pasis collectively call themselves Adi, meaning hill people.
3- Bisphenol A
Bisphenol A (BPA) can significantly shorten the breeding time of southern house mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus) and thereby aid in its quick multiplication
Culex quinquefasciatus is a major carrier of the West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever virus and avian pox in tropical and subtropical countries.
What is BPA?
Bisphenol A is a chemical compound primarily used in the manufacturing of various plastics (softening plastics), paints and other products.
Impact on humans: It disrupts the endocrine system by interfering with the hormones and affects the brain and prostate gland of foetuses, infants and children.
The chemical can cause high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults.
It can indirectly aid in the spread of vector-borne diseases in humans and animals.
4- MIT professor Hari Balakrishnan wins the 2023 Marconi Prize
Computer scientist Hari Balakrishnan has been awarded the 2023 Marconi Prize. Dr Balakrishnan is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The Marconi Prize is a top honour for computer scientists and is awarded by the US-based Marconi Foundation. It is given to those “who have made a significant contribution to increasing digital inclusivity through advanced information and communications technology”.
Dr Balakrishnan has been cited “for fundamental contributions to wired and wireless networking, mobile sensing, and distributed systems”.
Dr Balakrishnan has previously won the Infosys Prize (2020) and the IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award (2021).
Previous winners of the Marconi Prize include Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke.
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