Env

ironment
alCur
rentAf
fai
rs(
Par
t-
6)

1.Whati
sthenameofanewfr
eshwat erfi
sh wasf
oundr
ecent
lyi
nVel
ankanni
,Tami
lNadu.
Thefi
shwasfoundi
nasmal
lwaterbody.

Ans.Puni
tusSanct
us

Note:Sanct usmeans‘holy’i
nLati
n.Punitusi
saspeci
esof
fi
sht hatarecommonlyf oundinthedrainsofwest
ernand
easternghat
sandalsoi
nEast ernHi
malayas.

2.TheNationalCent
reforPol
arandOceanResear
ch,
Goa haspredi
ctedt
hatt
heAmeryIce
Shel
fistoexpand24%by2021.TheI ceShel
fwouldexpandanot
her24%by2026.
Whereis
Ameryiceshelfl
ocat
ed.

Ans:I
ntheeastcoastofAnt
arct
ica

Note:Amer yIce Shel

fi slocated inthe eastcoastof
Antar
cti
ca.Iti
soneofthelargesticeshel
fintheworl
d.The
mass balance and dynamics oft he i
ce shelfhelpin
under
standi
ngthechangesinglobalcli
matescenar
io.

AboutthestudyTheAmer yIceShelfext
endedbyabout550
metresin2017,1470met r
esin2018and2200met resin
2019.I fthe extensi
on ofthe ice shelfcont
inues,the
posi
tionswil
lcoinci
dewit
hactualboundarycondi
ti
ons..

3.
TheResearchersatt
heCent r
alMarineFi
sheri
esResearchInst
it
utehavefoundarar
efish
fr
om theGulfofMannar.Thespecimenwasdeposi tedat t
heNat i
onalMari
neBi
odiv
ersit
y
Museum ofCentr
alMari
neFisheri
esResear
chInsti
tut
e(CMFRI).Whatist
henameofthi
srare
fi
shspeci
es?

Ans:Scor
paenospsi
snegl
ect
a

Note:Thefishi sl
ocall
ycal
ledScorpi
onFishforit
sv enomous
tai
l.When t hespi nesinthetai
lpi er
cesan indivi
dual,the
venom getsi nj
ectedandcausesseverepain.Thi
si sthefir
st
ti
me,t hespecieshasbeenf oundaliveintheIndianwat ers.
GulfofMannari sashall
owbayi ntheIndi
anOceanbet ween
SriLankaandI ndi
a.

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
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4.TheYaleUniver
sit
yrecent
lyrel
easedthebi
enni
alEnv
ironmentPer
for
manceI
ndex.I
ndi
a
scoredwhatrankoutof180count
ries?

Ans:
168t
hrankoutof180count
ri
es.

Note:Abouttherepor
t:Around32i ndi
cat
orswereconsider
edtocreatetheranki
ng.Also,the
i
ndexprovided10-
yearobservat
iononenvir
onmentalper
formanceatnati
onalandint
ernati
onal
l
evel.

KeyFindingsoft hereportAccordi
ngt ot hereport,I
ndianeedst odoubleitssustai
nabil
it
y
ef
for
ts.Al
so,Indianeedstofocuswi del
yonsust ainabi
li
tyissueswithutmostpri
ori
tytowards
ai
randwat erqual
it
y,cl
imatechangeandbi odi
versit
y.Al
ltheSout hAsiancount
ri
eswer eahead
ofI
ndiaexceptAfghani
stan.Al
so,India’
srankint er
msofSust ai
nabl
eDev el
opmentGoalswas
al
solow.

5.Which scheme waslaunched on June 5,2020 byt

he Env
ironmentMi
nist
erPr
akash
Jav
adekartomarktheEnvir
onmentDay .

Ans:NagarVan

Note:Theschemeemphasi sesonur banfor estry

.Undert he
scheme,ar ound200ur banforestsaret obedev elopedal l
overthecount r
yinnextfiv
ey ear
s.AsI ndi
ahas8%ofwor l
d
biodiv
ersit
ywithonly2.
5%ofwor l
dlandmass.I tshouldalso
carry16% ofhumansandcat t
leaswel l
.Al so,thef resh
wateravailabi
l
ityi
nthesecondmostpopul ouscount ryinthe
wor l
disjust4%.

TheNagarVanorUr banFor
est
sai
msatdeveloping200UrbanForest
spanI
ndi
ainthecoming
fi
veyear
s.Fort
his,
theWar j
eUr
banFor
estsi
tuatedinMaharasht
ra'
sPunewi
l
lbeconsi
deredas
arol
emodel.

6.OnJune10,2020,PM ModionTwitt
erannouncedaboutt
hei
ncr
easei
npopul
ati
onof
Asi
ati
cLi
ons.Whati
sthei
ncr
easednumber?

Ans:674

Note:Ast heAsi
ati
cLi onisli
stedunderEndanger edinI UCN
redli
st.Thisismainl
ybecauseoft hei
rsmallpopul ati
onsi ze
and area ofoccupancy The Asi atic Li
on popul at
ion has
i
ncreasedby29%.Itwas523i n2015andhasi ncreasedt o674
i
n2020.I ndi
ahasrecorded36%i ncr
easei ndi
str
ibutionareaof

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
veexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
l
ions.Itwas22,000squar
ekil
omet r
esin2015.I
n2020,t
hespreadi
ncr
easedto30,000square
ki
lomet r
es.TheAsiat
icLi
onsarecur
rent
lyi
ntheprot
ect
edareasofagr
o-past
orall
andscapeof
Saurashtr
a,Guj
arat
.

I
nIndi
a,t
heAsi
ati
cLi
onsar
eli
stedi
nSchedul
eIoft
heWi
l
dli
fe(
Prot
ect
ion)Act
,1972.

7.Whi
chst
atehasr
ecent
lyopenedabi
odi
ver
sit
ypar
k5t
hJune2020,
?

Ans:Ut
trakhand

Note:The St ate ofUt t

arakhand has r
ecentl
y opened a
biodi
ver
sityparkinHaldwaniast her
ichbot
anicalheri
tageof
thestat
eisfacingthr
eatsfrom cli
matedegr
adinglandscapes
anddevelopmentacti
viti
es.

Hi
ghl
ight:TheParkwasest abl
ishedonWor ldEnvi
ronmentDay
.Thehi l
lst
atethati
srichi
n
bi
odi
versi
tyhasbeenl
osingflor
aandf aunaduetothefol
l
owingr
ereasons1.
Cli
mateChange2.
Fr
agmentati
onofHabi
tat3.LandscapeDegradat
ion.

8.News:TheMi
nist
ryofEnv
ironment
,For
estandCl
imat
eChanger
ecent
lyi
ssuedadv
isor
yto
i
mpor
tofExot
icLi
veSpeci
es

Que.Whatar
eExot
icLi
veSpeci
es?

TheExoti
cLi
veSpeci
esar
epl
antorani
malspeci
est
hatmov
efr
om t
heor
igi
nalr
anget
oa
newone.

Underthenewgui del
ines,t
heMi ni
str
yhassaidthat“Exoti
cLiv eSpecies”aretobeconst r
uedto
meanonl yunderAppendi cesI,IIandIIIoftheCITES( Conv entionofInt er
nati
onalTradein
EndangeredSpecies)
.Thespeci esli
stedunderAppendixIoft heCITES,not radehappens.To
thespeci
esthatar el
istedunderAppendixI
I,t
radeshallbeallowedonl ywi t
hmi norpermi
ssion.
I
nAppendi xI
II
,therearelar
genumberofbi r
dsandani malsthatar eli
stedthatcanbet r
aded.

Backgr
ound:Thenew gui
del
ineshav ebeeni
ssuedastheglobalconcer
nsonwi
ldl
if
etr
ade
andzoonot
icdi
seaseshav
eincreasedduetot
heoutbr
eakofCOVID-19.

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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onment
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
veexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
 Env
ironment
alCur
rentAf
fai
rs(
Par
t-
7)

Que.1.Which r
ecentl
y di
scov
ered speci
es ofbut
ter
fl
y i
s
l
argestbut
ter
fl
yinIndi
a?

Ans:"
Gol
denbi
rdwi
ng"

Note:I n1932, Brit

ishAr myof fi
cerBrigadierWi ll
iam Har r
yEv ans
(al
soaLepi dopt erist:aper sonwhost udiesorcol lectsbut t
erfl
iesandmot hs)hadr ecordeda
Sout hernBir dwing( Tr oidesmi nos)but t
er fl
ywi th190mm.Si ncet hen,f ort helast88y ears,
Sout hern Birdwi ng but ter f
lyi s considered t he largestbut t
er f
lyi nI ndia.Br i
gadierEv ans
measur edthebut terflyfrom t hecent r
eoft hethoraxt othet i
poff orewingapex, t
heout comeof
measur ement was t hen doubl ed t o obt ain the exact measur ement . Recent ly, new
measur ement sofaHi mal ayanbut t
erfl
ynamed‘ GoldenBirdwing( TroidesAeacus) ’and24ot her
speci esofbut terflywer epubl i
shedint heBI ONOTES( I
tisaquar t
erlynewsl ett
erthatpubl i
shed
Resear chNot esandNewsr el
atedt ov ariousaspect sofl i
feforms) .Thi snew measur ement
studywasdonebyPet erSmet acek(from But terfl
yResear chCent reinNai nit
aldistr
ict
s’ Bhi
mt al
town)andShi steePant hee( from UniversityofChi neseAcademyofSci encei nChina’sYunnan
Province).Aspert hest udy,basedont hel engt hofwi ngspan,Gol denBi r
dwingt hel ar
gest
butter f
lyi
nIndi a.

Hi
ghl
ight
sfr
om t
henewMeasur
ement
sfoundbyt
heSt
udy

Thef emalespeci
esoft heGoldenBirdwinghadawi ngspanof194mm t hatis4mm l argerthan
thatoftheSouthernBir
dwi ngwith190mm wi ngspan.Thelargestwi
ngspaninthemal especies
oft heGoldenBirdwingwasr ecor
deddur i
ngt hestudywasof106mm.Thef emal eGol den
Birdwingwith194mm wi ngspanwasr ecordedatUttarakhand’
s Pi
thoragarhdi
str
ict’
sDi di
hat
town,whi l
ethemal eGol denBirdwi
ngwi th106mm wi ngspanwasr ecordedattheWankhar
But t
erfl
yMuseum (inShil
l
ong).

Que.2Whatist
henameoft hewi
ldl
ifef
orwhichRecentl
yAssam st
ategov
ernmentdeci
ded
fort
heupgr
adat
ionofst
atusofwi
ldl
if
esanct
uaryt
onationalpar
k?

Ans.Dehi
ngPat
kai
Wil
dli
feSanct
uar
y.

Not
e: Af
ter mont
hs of Cont
rov
ersy
, t
he Assam St
ate

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
be&shareMyUt ubechannel
-
NTAUGCNETJRFEnv ir
onment
alSci
encef
orpreparat
ionofv
ari
ouscompeti
ti
veexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
Gov er
nmenthasdeci ded fortheup- gr
adat
ionofthestat
usoft heDehi
ng PatkaiWil
dli
fe
SanctuarytoNati
onalpark.Thedeci
sionwastakenon6t
hJuly2020andwasannouncedbythe
ChiefMinist
erofAssam SarbanandaSonowal

.
DehingPatkaiUnderthePr
ojectElephantoftheUnionMinistryofEnv
ironmentandFor
est
s,in
1992DehingPat kaiwasdeclaredasanEl ephantReser
ve.Lateron13thJune2004,Dehing
Patkai
wasdeclaredasaWildl
ifeSanctuary

Que.3On5thJul y2020,theChi
efMi ni
sterofUt t
arPr adeshYogi
Adi
tyanathhasinauguratedaprogrammeunderwhi chtheState
GovernmentofUt t
arPradeshhassetat argettoplantmor ethan
25croresapl
ingacr osst
hestate.Whatist henameoft hemega
pl
antati
onprogramme?

Ans:
‘Mi
ssi
onVr
ikshar
opan-
2020’
.

Note:YogiAdi
tyanathpl
anted3saplingsattheKukrai
lReser
veForest
’sHar
ishankar
iVat
ikain
Lucknow toi
nauguratet
heMi ssi
onVrikshar
opan-
2020.Heplant
edsapli
ngsofaBany antr
ee,
Fi
cusVirensandFicusRel
igiosa.

Undert heProgramme,inpl ant ati

onsites,geo-taggingwi l
lbedone.Apar tf
rom envi
ronmental
plants(thosereduceenv i
ronment alpolluti
on),saplingsofmedi ci
nal
,shady,fodderandfruit
yi
eldingplantshavebeendi sturbedacr osst he75di stri
ctsoft hestate.Sapl
ingsincl
udethe
l
ikesofPi pal
,Neem,Sahjan,Jamun,Mul var
ietc.At ot alspeciesof201v ari
etyofsapli
ngswi l
l
bepl antedundertheprogramme.Themegapl ant
ationpr ogramme
willalsofocusonbi odi
versityconser v
at ionforwhi chsapl ingswi l
l
bepl ant
edacrossthebanksofr i
verGangaandi tst
ribut ar
ies.

Que.4WhatisthenameofAmegat r
eeplant
ati
ondri
vehasbeen
announcedbyt
heDelhiGov
ernmenton2ndJuly2020?

Ans:
Thenameoft
hecampai
gni
s‘PaudheLagao,
Par
yav
aranBachao'

Not
e:meani
ng‘Pl
antTrees,Sav
eEnv
ironment
’.Thecampai
gnwi
l
lbegi
non10t
hJul
y2020and
wi
ll
cont
inueunt
il26t
hJuly2020.

Objecti
veoftheCampaignInthelastfewy ears,t
heNat ionalCapit
alhasrecordedahighlev
el
ofairpoll
uti
on.Thecampaignistor educeairpollut
ionbyi ncreasi
ngthegr eencoveri
nand
acrossNew Delhi
.In2017,greencov erinNew Del hiwas299squar ekil
omet er
s,thi
swas
i
ncreasedto325i n2019.TheDelhiGov er
nment ’
sEnv i
ronment
Minist
ryhassetatar
getof350squarekilometersofgreencov er
by2021.

Que.5TheUni
onMi
nist
ryofCul
tur
ehasannouncedon27t
h
Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
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ouscompeti
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June2020thatonthecallofPrimeMini
sterNarendr
aModit heMini
str
yhasdeci
dedt
o
cel
ebr
atea2-weekl
ongt
reeplant
ati
oncampaign.Whati
sthenameofcampaign?

Ans.‘
Sankal
pPar
va’
from 28t
hJunet
o12t
hJul
y2020.

Thiswasi nformedbyt heUnionMini

sterofSt
atef
orCul
tur
e(IndependentChar
ge)Pr
ahlad
Joshi.UndertheSankalpParva,t
heMi ni
str
yofCul
tur
ehasrecommendedpl ant
ing5tr
ess:
Bargad,Awla,Pepal
,AshokandBel
.

Que.6Forreduci
ngthecarbondi
oxi
deemissioncausedduetotr
ansportat
ioninthecountr
y,
NITIAayoghadlaunchedt
heproj
ectincol
labor
ati
onwi t
htheInt
ernat
ionalTranspor
tForum
(I
TF).Whati
sthenameoftheproj
ect
?

Ans:Decar
boni
singTr
anspor
tinI
ndi
a’on24t
hJune2020.

Not
e:

Objecti
veoft hePr oj
ectTomeett hegoalsrelat
edt ocl i
mate/cl
imatechangei nthecountr
y,i
t
i
sessent ialfort heGov ernmentt owor konr educi ngt heemissi
onofGr eenhouseGases.
Throught hi
spr oject
,anassessmentf r
amewor kwi l
lbedesi gnedthatwi l
lbet ai
lor
-madefor
tr
ansportemi ssionsinIndia.Thisframewor kwillprov i
detheGovernmentwi thmuchneeded
detai
ledinputsont hecurrentandfut
uretransportchallengest
hatarerel
atedtocarbondioxi
de

emissi
on.Basedontheout
comesf
rom t
hepr
oject
,apat
hwayt
owar
dsal
owcar
bont
ranspor
t
syst
em inI
ndiawi
ll
becreat
ed.

DTEEPr oj ectI ndia’sDecar bonisingTr ansportinit

iati
veisapar toftheDTEEpr oj
ect.DTEE
standsf orDecar bonisi
ngTr anspor tinEmer gingEconomi es.DTEEisapr ojectofI TFunder
whi chapar tf r
om I ndia,
cur r
ent l
yAr genti
na,Mor occo,andAzerbaij
anaretheparti
cipants.Under
theDTEEpr oject ,I
TFai mst ocr eateacommonassessmentf rameworkforthedecar boni
sing
transportationsy stem forsev eraltransportsub-sector
sandt ranspor
tmodes.Thi sf r
amewor k
wi l
lbecr eat edbasedont heinput sf r
om thepar ti
cipat
ingcountri
esandtheirspecifi
cmodeli n
decar bonisingt ransport.

Int
ernat
ionalTransportForum (I
TF)ITF isa thi
nktankfortr
anspor
tpoli
cyissues.Itis
headquart
eredi
nPar i
s,Fr
ance.I
tisani
ntergov
ernment
alor
gani
zat
ionwit
htheOrgani
sati
onfor
EconomicCo-operat
ionandDevel
opment(OCED).

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
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.Subscri
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ari
ouscompeti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
 Env
ironment
alCur
rentAf
fai
rs(
Par
t-
8)

Que 1.On July19,2020,the sci

enti
stsrepor
ted t
he
discov
eryoffir
st“SuperGi
antIsopod”speci
es.Itwas
foundintheeaster
nIndi
anOcean.Whatisthenameof
thespeci
es?

Ans:“
Bat
hynomusr
aksasa”
.

Note:Aboutt hespeci
esThecockroachbelongst othegenusBathynomous.Ithas14legsand
usesthem t ocrawlal
ongthebedofoceansi nsearchoffood.Itmeasured50cent i
metresin
l
ength andi sbigfori
sopods.I
ngeneral,theisopodsthatreachtoalengthof50cent i
metres
aregenerall
yr ef
err
edtosupergi
ants.Ther aksasaeatsdeadmar i
neanimalssuchasf i
shand
whales.I
tcanal sogoforl
ongperi
odswi thoutfood.Thisi
sacommont rai
ttheraksasashares
withcockroaches.

Que2.
AspertheTiger
sRepor t2018,How muchincr
easi
ngr
ate ofTi
gerpopul
ati
oni
nIndi
a
fr
om theyear2006t o 2018wasobser ved?
(28t
hJuly
2020)

Ans.6%perannum

Note:TheTi ger
sRepor t2018wasr el
easedbyPr akash
Javadekar(
UnionMi ni
sterforEnvi
ronment,Forestsand
Cli
mate Change)and BabulSupr i
yo( Mini
sterofSt ate
Envi
ronment,For
estandClimateChange),
adaybef oretheGl
obal
TigerDay(
29t
hJul
y)

#Abooktit
led“Tiger
s,Co-
predat
ors,
andPr
eyi
nIndi
a”andamapt
it
led“
Secur
ingi
ndi
a’
ssmal
l
cat
s”wer
ereleased.

#I
nter
nat
ional
(Gl
obal
)Ti
gerdayi
scel
ebr
atedev
eryy
earon29t
hJul
y.

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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onment
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
veexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
Que3 India’s2018Ti gerCensussetsGuinnessWor ld
Recordforbeingwor l
d’slar
gestcamer atrapwildli
fe
surv
ey.Thi ssur vey(TheAl lIndi
aTi gerEsti
mation)
doneeveryfouryearsisdir
ectedbywhichauthor
ity
?

Ans:TheNat
ionalTi
gerConservat
ionAut
hor
it
ywi
tht
echni
cal
suppor
tfr
om t
heWi l
dli
feI
nst
itut
eofIndi
a

Note:Aspert heUni onEnv i

ronmentMini
sterPrakashJav adekar,I
ndi
anow hasanest
imated
2967t i
ger
saspert helatestcensus.Wi
ththisnumber,Indiahasnearly75%oft
hegl
obalti
ger
populat
ionandi thasalreadyfulf
il
ledi
tsresol
uti
onofdoubl ingtheti
gernumber
smuchbefore
i
tstargetyear2022.Ther esol
uti
onwasmadeatSt .Pet
ersbur gi
n2010.

KeyHi
ghl
i
ght
s:

•Int hesurvey
,camer atrapswereplacedat26,
838locat
ionsacross141di f
ferentsi
tes.It
surveyed an eff
ectiv
e area of 121,
337 squar
e kil
ometer
s.Camer at raps are outdoor
photographi
cdevicesthataref
it
tedwit
hmotionsensor
swhichst
artrecor
dingwhenanani mal
passesby .

•Thecameratrapscapt
ured,i
ntotal
,34,
858,623photogr
aphsofthewi l
dli
fe.Outofit
,76,
651
wereoft
iger
s,51,
777wereofLeopardsandtheremaini
ngwereofothernati
vefauna.

•From t
hesetakenphotographs,2,
461indi
vi
dualt
iger
s,excl
udi
ngt
hecubs,wer
eident
if
ied
usi
ngthest
ri
pe-pat
ter
n-r
ecognit
ionpat
ter
n.

•The2018‘ St
atusofTiger
sinI
ndia’assessmenthadalsoconductedext
ensi
vefootsur
veys
t
hatcov er
ed 522,
996 km oftr
ail
sand sampl ed 317,
958 habi
tatpl
otsforpreydung and
veget
ati
on.

•Ithasbeenesti
matedthatt
hetot
alar
eaoff
orestst
udi
edfort
hesurveywas381,
200km2and
thecoll
ect
ionandrevi
ewofthedat
aequat
edtosome620,795l
abourdays.

Que.4OnJul y17,2020,UnionEnv i
ronmentMi ni
sterShriPrakashJav
adekari
nfor
medt
hat
theZonalMasterPl
anofBhagi r
athiEco-Sensi
ti
veZonehas
been appr
oved.This plan i
s underwhi ch pl
an ofst ate
gover
nmentofUt t
rakhand?

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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-
NTAUGCNETJRFEnv ir
onment
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encef
orpreparat
ionofv
ari
ouscompeti
ti
veexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
Ans.“Chaar
dhaam RoadProject
”int
hest at
eofUtt
arakhand.Theplanwaspr
epar
edbyt
he
Gover
nmentofUtt
arakhandandwasappr
aisedbyt
heMi ni
stryofJalSakt
i.

Que.5 On Jul
y19,2020,t he Uni
on Envi
ronmentand I
nfor
mati
on Broadcast
ing Mi
nister
PrakashJavadekarhai
led“
KURMA”appl i
cati
ontotr
ackandrepor
tIndi
ant ur
tl
es.Whent his
appwaslaunched?

Ans.I
nMay2020onWor
ldTur
tl
eDay
.

Not
e:Theappl
i
cat
ionwasdev
elopedbyI
ndi
anTur
tl
eConser
vat
ionAct
ionNet
wor
k(I
TCAN)
,

TheITCANwasjoi
nedbyWil
dli
feConser
vati
onSoci
ety
-Indi
a.Theappli
cat
ionprovidesdat
abase
toident
if
yaspeci
es.Al
so,i
thelpstolocat
ethenearestrescuecent
reforturt
lesacrossthe
countr
y.

Indi
anTurtl
econservat
ionAct i
onNetwor kTheI TCAN wasfor
medt olaunchci
tizen-sci
ence
i
niti
ati
ve.I
tprov
idesplatf
ormt oexchangev i
tali
nformat
ionontur
tl
es,provi
desassistanceto
enfor
cementagenci
es,forestdepar
tments,et
c.Itwil
lal
sohelpi
nobservi
ng2020ast heYEAR
OFTHETURTLE.

Env
ironment
alCur
rentAf
fai
rs(
Par
t-
9)

Que1.Whi chstatehasr ecentl

y
empl oyed the aerialseedi ng
technique ,Designed by I I
T-
Kanpur backed st art
up ,t o
i
mpr ov e green cov er in the
aravaliar
eaofthest ate?

a)Ut
tarPr
adesh

b)Har
yana

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
be&shareMyUt ubechannel
-
NTAUGCNETJRFEnv ir
onment
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encef
orpreparat
ionofv
ari
ouscompeti
ti
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b)Mahar
asht
ra

d)Raj
ast
han

Ans.Har
yana

Note:Thepr ojectisbeing carri

ed onapi l
ot
basi
stor ej
uvenatethel
owv egetati
ondensi
tyof
Araval
l
iand Shi vali
khil
ls.Using thi
s method
pl
antati
on on 100 acr es is planned to be
att
empteddur i
ngt hepi
l
otproject.

Aer
ialSeedi
ng:

Itisani nnov ati

vet echniqueofplant ati
onwher einseedscov ered withami xtureofcl ay
,
compost,char coalandot hercomponent si nadef ini
terati
oar esprayedont hegr oundusing
aeri
aldevices,li
kepl anes,heli
copt
ersordr ones.Thecoatingofv ari
ouscomponent soverthe
seedisdonet odr opt heseedonapr esetlocationrathert
hanget t
ingscatteredintheai r
.These
seedpell
et swi l
lthenger minat
eduringt hemonsoon.Thev ar
iousnutrientspresentwi t
hinthe
seedcoatingwi l
lhelpt heseedsint
hei nit
ialphaseofi t
sgrowth.

Benef
it
s:

Thistechnologyisaboonf orar easwhi char einaccessibl

eordisconnectedwiththerestofthe
civ
il
izati
on.Thebenef ici
alpartist hatthispr ocessofseedger mi nati
onrequir
esnoat tenti
on
aft
eritisdispersedi
nt hesoil,
thisist her easonwhyt heseseedpel l
etsareknownas“ Fireand
Forget”wayoft heplantati
on.Italsot ermi natesthepr ocessofploughinganddiggingholesin
thesoi lwhichi sav erylabour-i
ntensivej ob.Ast heseedsar eal r
eadysurroundedbysoi l,
minerals,
nutri
entsandmi cro-
organi smst her efor
e,theydonotneedt obepl ant
ed.

Ar
aval
l
iRange:

Whent heIndianplatewassepar atedfr

om theEurasi
anplatebyanoceanitgavewayt ot he
bi
rthofanewmount ai
nr angerunningapproxi
matel
y692km.i nasouth-
westdi
rect
ionstarti
ng
nearDelhipassi
ngt hroughsout hernHaryanaandRajast
han,andf
inal
lyendi
nginGujarat.The
hi
ghestpeakofAr avall
imount ai
nr angei
sGur uShi
kharat1,
722metres(5,
650ft
).

Que.2Arecentstudypubl
ishedinJul
y2020issueofNat
ureCl
imateChangepredi
ctedthat
mostpolarbear
si ntheArcti
cregi
onwil
lbecomeexti
nctbywhi
chy ear i
fgr
eenhousegas
emissi
ons r
emai n on t
heir cur
rent

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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ti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
t
rack?

a)2050

b)2100

b)2200

d)2020

Ans.b)2100

Que 3.Recentl
y,The Nat
ionalGr
een Tri
bunal(
NGT)has banned gener
alper
missi
on t
o
wit
hdrawgroundwater
(wit
houtanEIA)f
or

a)Agr
icul
tur
aluse

b)Domest
icuse

c)Commer
cial
Use

d)Noneofabov
e

Ans.C)commer
cial
use

Que.
4OnJul y28,2020,t
heUnit
edNati
onsrepor
tedt
hatt
heni
tr
ogendi
oxi
del
evel
sinNew
Del
hihasf
ell,dur
ingthel
ockdown,
bymoret
han

a)70%

b)80%

c)90%

d)40%

Ans.a)70%

Que5. TheUnionJalShaktiMini
ster
,ShriGajendra
Singh Shekhawat,along wi
ththeUni on Texti
les
and Women& Chi ld Devel
opmentMi ni
sterSmt .
Smr i
tiI
ranil
aunchedthebooktit
ledas

a)Sani
ti
sedI
ndi
a

b)SwachhBhar
atKr
anti
Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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-
NTAUGCNETJRFEnv ir
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
c)Mi
ssi
oncl
eanl
i
ness

d)Noneofabov
e

Ans.b)SwahhBhar
atkr
ant
i

Que6.Ar ecentrepor
twhi chi
sf i
rstofitskindpublishedi mpactofleadonchi
ldr
en’sheal
th
acr
ossthewor ld.Aspert herecentreportonei nev erythreechi
ldr
enisbeingpoisonedby
l
ead.Thi
sreportwasreleasedbywhichInternat
ionalor gani
sati
on?

a)Wor
ldHeal
thOr
gani
sat
ion(
WHO)

b)Uni
tedNat
ionsChi
l
dren’
sFund(
UNI
CEF)

b)Cent
ral
Pol
l
uti
onCont
rol
Boar
d(CPCB)

d)Noneofabov
e

Ans.b)UNI
CEF

Que.7On30t hJuly2020,t
heEnvi
ronmentMini
stersof6thBRICScount
riestookpar ti
nthe
6t
h BRI CS Env
ironmentmeet
ing.Itwas held onli
ne v
iav i
deo conf
erencing underthe
pr
esidencyof

a)Russi
a

b)I
ndi
a

c)Br
azi
l

d)Sout
hAf
ri
ca

Ans.
a)Russi
a

Que.8OnAugust10,2020,theUni onEnvir
onmentMi
nist
erPr
akashJav
adekarl
aunched
Nati
onalPor
talonHumanEl
ephantconf
li
ctcal
led

a)RAKSHA

d)DI
SHA

c)SURAKHSYA

d)SEVA

Ans.c)SURAKSHA
Curr
entAff
airByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
Que.9Whi chSt
ateGov
ernmenti
stodev
elopI
ndi
a’sf
ir
stSnowLeopar
dConser
vat
ioncent
re
ofI
ndia.?

a)Ut
tarPr
adesh

b)Ut
trakhand

c)Madhy
aPr
adesh

d)Goa

Ans.b)Ut
trakhand

Not
e:Thecentreistobedev
elopedbytheUt
tar
akhandf
orestdepar
tmentandt
heUni
ted
Nat
ionsDev
elopmentPr
ogr
amme(UNDP)

Que10.TheNati
onalSt
ati
sti
calOff
icer
ecentl
yrel
easedtheEnvist
atsI
ndi
a2020r
epor
t.The
repor
tsay
sthatt
henumberofheatwavedaysin2019incr
easedover

a)60%

b)70%

c)80%

d)90%

Ans:
c)80%

Que11.ThestudyconductedbyBombayNat ur
alHistorySoci
etyhasfoundhow many new
speci
esofbutt
erfl
iesi
ntheecologi
cal
lysensi
ti
veforestofMatheranhil
lst
ati
oninMumbai.
Witht
hist
hetotalnumberofbut
ter
fl
yspeci
esintheforesthasgoneupto140.

a)77speci
es

b)78Speci
es

c)79speci
es

d)80speci
es
Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
veexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
Ans.a)77speci
es

SURAKHSYA:Nat
ionalPor
talof“
Proj
ectEl
ephant
”launched

OnAugust10,2020,theUnionEnvi
ronmentMinist
erPrakashJavadekarl
aunchedNati
onal
Port
alonHumanElephantconf
li
ctcall
ed“SURAKHSYA”.Theportalai
mst ocoll
ectr
ealt
ime
i
nformat
ionandwi
l
lalsomanageconfl
ict
sonreal
timebasis.

Cont
ent
s

Hi
ghl
i
ght
s

I
UCN

El
ephant
sinI
ndi
a

Pr
ojectEl
ephant

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
El
ephantCor
ri
dor
s

Hi
ghl
i
ght
s

TheNat ionalPor
talwaslaunchedduringthecelebrat
ionofinter
nati
onalannualev entWorld
ElephantDay.TheWorldElephantDayiscel
ebrat
edev eryy
earonAugust12t ocreat
eelephant
conservati
onandshareknowledgeforbet
terpr
otecti
onofwildcapti
veelephants.

The port
alwil
lhelpto setdat
a col
l
ect
ion pr
otocol
s,dat
avi
sual
i
zat
ion t
ool
s and dat
a
tr
ansmissi
onpi
pel
i
nes.

I
UCN

TheAsianEl
ephant
sarelist
edas“ Endanger
ed”intheIUCNRedLi st
.Thisismainlybecause,
mostoftheAsiancountr
iesexceptIndi
ahav elostthei
relephantpopulat
ionduet olossof
habi
tat
sandpoachi
ng.Therear
e50,000to60,000AsianElephant
s.Ofthese,60%areinI
ndia.

El
ephant
sinI
ndi
a

El
ephantistheNaturalHeri
tageAnimalofI ndi
a.IndianElephant
shavebeenl i
stedunder
Appendi
xIofConventi
onoftheMigr
atorySpeciesi
nt herecent
lyhel
dConf
erenceofPart
iesof
Convent
ionofMi
grator
ySpecies13i
nGujarati
n2020.

Pr
ojectEl
ephant

ThePr ojectElephantwasl aunchedin1992byt heMi ni

str
yofEnv ir
onmentandFor est
.The
proj
ectaimst opr ov
idefinancialandt
echni
calsupportt
owildli
femanagement .I
taimstomake
surelong- t
erm survivalofel ephantpopulat
ions i
nthe naturalhabitat
s.The proj
ectal
so
supportsr esearch i
n managementofel ephant
s and provi
ding veteri
nar
y car
e and al
so
conser
v ati
onamongl ocalpeople.

El
ephantCor
ri
dor
s

The El
ephantCor
ri
dori
s a nar
row st
ret
ch ofl
and t
hatconnect
s habi
tat
s wi
th el
ephant

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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onment
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ari
ouscompeti
ti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
popul
ati
on.Therear
e88ident
if
iedelephantcorr
idor
sinIndi
a.Ofthese,22arei
nNort
h-East
ern
I
ndia,
14innorther
nWestBengal,20inSouthIndia,
12inNorth-
WesternIndi
aand20inCentr
al
I
ndia.

Themaj orthr
eat
stoelephantcor
ri
dorsar
econstr
uct
ionacti
vi
ti
essuchasbuil
dingroads,
rai
l
way s,et
c.Al
so,t
hecorr
idor
sarethr
eat
enedduetomini
ng,poachi
ngandhumanelephant
confl
i
cts.

Env
ironment
alCur
rentAf
fai
rs(
Par
t-
10)

Que.
1OnAugust15t
h,WhichtwonewConser vat
ion pr
oject
swer elaunchedbyPM Nar
endr
a
Modidur
inghi
sspeechatthe74t
hIndependenceDaycelebrat
ions?

a)Pr
ojectt
iger

b)Pr
ojectl
i
ons

c)Pr
ojectdol
phi
ns

d)Pr
ojectel
ephant
s

e)bot
h(b)and(c)ar
etr
ue

Not
e:whati
spr
ojectl
ion?

Proj
ectLion i stoi nvolve conservati
on ofAsi ati
c Li
ons.I
twi
llf
ocus on habi
tat
dev elopmentbyengagi ng moder ntechnologies.Also, the
projecti st o address Human-Wi l
dli
fe confli
ct.Itwi l
l
i
nv olve l ocal communi ti
es l i
ving closer t o l i
on
l
andscapes.The Pr ojectwillalso prov i
de liv
eli
hood
oppor tuni
tiest
ot hesepeople.Thetotalnumber sofli
ons are
around674i n2020
Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
.Subscri
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-
NTAUGCNETJRFEnv ir
onment
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encef
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ionofv
ari
ouscompeti
ti
veexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
ProjectLioni
stofocusonhealthmanagementofli
onsandprov i
deworl
dstandardcar
etothe
l
ions.Itistobenotedthatar
ound92lionsdi
edinGiri
nJanuary2020.I
n2018,around59l
ions
diedduet oCani
neDi st
emperVirus(
CDV)outbr
eakinthesanctuary
.

Asi
ati
cLi
onConser
vat
ionPr
oject

I
twasl aunched duri
ng t
he f
ir
stt erm oft
he cur
rentNDA Gov ernment.The Mi
nist
ryof
Envi
ronment,ForestandCli
mateChangehadapprovedthepr
ojectforthr
eeyear
s2018-21.A
budgetofRs97.85croreswasall
ocated.

Que:Whati
sPr
ojectDol
phi
n?

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
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ari
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ti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
Ans.ProjectDol
phinwaslaunchedtoconserv
eandprot
ectt
heDolphi
nsinther i
ver
sand
oceansint hecount
ry.Theproj
ectwil
lconser
vedol
phi
nsinaquat
ichabi
tatusi
ngmodern
technol
ogyespeci
all
yinant
i-
poachi
ngacti
vi
ti
es.

Theproj
ecti
stoinvol
vefisher
menandot
hersetofpopul
ati
ont
hatar
edependentonr
iver
s
andoceansf
ort
heirl
iv
eli
hood.

The Pr oject i st o primari

lyf ocus on
Ganget i
cDol phins.TheGanget icDol phi
ns
weredecl aredasNat i
onalAquat icAnimal
i
n 2010.The pr oj
ecti sto wor k under
severalmi nistri
essuchasMi nistr
yofJal
Shakti,Minist r
yofAgr i
cult
ureandFar mer
Welfare,Mi nistryofShi ppi
ng,Mi nist
ryofFisheries,Shi
pping,Ani
malHusbandry
,Minist
ryof
Power ,Minist r
yofRur alDevelopment .Mi
nistryofEnv i
ronment,For
estandCli
mateChange
hasmadeel abor atepl
anstolauncht he10-y earproj
ect‘Ganget
icDolphi
n’l
edbyEnv
ironment
MinisterPrakashJav adekar.

TheGangeti
cRiverDol
phini
sfoundintheGanga-
Brahmaput
ra-
MeghnaandKar
naphul
iRi
ver
syst
em ofI
ndia,
NepalandBangl
adesh.

Therearearound3,700Ganget
icDolphi
nsi
nIndi
a.Theyar
econsi
der
edasi
dealecol
ogi
cal
i
ndicat
orsofheal
thyriv
eri
neecosy
stem.

Pr
otect
ionSt
atus

TheGangeti
cDolphi
nshavebeendecl
ared‘
Endanger
ed’underI
UCNRedLi
stofEndanger
ed
Speci
es.I
thasbeenl
ist
edunderCI
TESAppendi
x-1.

TheGangeticDol
phinshavebeencl
assi
fi
edunderSchedul
e-1ofWildl
ifePr
otect
ionAct,1972.
TheVikramshi
laGangeti
cDolphi
nSanct
uaryi
stheonlysanctuar
yfortheGanget
icDolphinsi
n
thecountr
y.

Asi
ati
cLi
onRei
ntr
oduct
ionPr
oject

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
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ari
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ti
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I
ti sani nit
iati
veofIndianGover
nmentt osafeguardAsi
aticLionsf r
om ext
inct
ion.Underthe
project,t
heAsi at
icLionsar
et obeintroducedinKunoWi ldli
feSanctuaryi
nMadhy aPr adesh.
Thsi sbecause,thelastAsi
ati
cLionpopul at
ionfoundi
nGirNat ionalPar
kofGuajratar
ef aci
ng
threatsduet oant
hropogeni
cfact
ors,epidemicsandnatur
al di
saster.

Que2.I nWhichriv
erwat er
,Theresearchteam ofIndianInst
it
uteofTechnology
,Delhi
(I
IT-
D)
found the cri
ti
cal group and mul ti drug resist
ant bacteri
a of t he Worl
d Health
Organi
zati
on’
s(WHO’s)2017l i
stofant
ibiot
icresi
stantpri
ori
typathogens,

a)Ganga

b)Yamuna

c)Godav
ari

d)Kr
ishna

Ans.Yamunar
iver

Not
ekeyhi
ghl
ight
s:

Ther esear
chteam ofIndianInst
it
uteofTechnol
ogy,Del
hi(
II
T-D)f
oundthecri
ticalgr
oupand
multidrugresi
stantbacter
iaoftheWorl
dHealthOrgani
zati
on’
s(WHO’s)2017l
istofanti
biot
ic
resi
stantpri
ori
typathogens,i
nthewater
sofRiverYamuna.

1.Thest udywasconduct
edonthe20majorsewerdrai
nsandthewat er
sofYamunaat5
l
ocationsacrossDel
hiovert
woseasonsandisol
atedtheFaecalColi
for
m(FC)f
rom al
l
thesampl es.

2.Theresearch paperon t
hest
udywaspubl
ished i
ntheJour
nalofEnv
ironment
al
ChemicalEngi
neeri
ng.

3.Dr.ManishaLambawasthefir
stauthorofther esear
chpaper.
Curr
entAff
airByPiy
ushKumarVerma,JNU,NewDel hi
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onmental
Scienceforpreparati
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ouscompet
it
iveexamsUGC
NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
Fi
ndi
ngs:

i
.The t
eam f
ound bact
eri
athatproduceExt ended-
spect
rum Bet
a-l
act
amases– enzy
mes
whichr
esi
stmanycommonlyusedanti
biot
ics.

i
i.
The gene st
udy on t
he sampl
es f
ound t
he pr
esence ofBet
a-l
act
amases genes and
car
bapenemaseint
hesamples.

i
ii
.Thepossibil
it
yoft herapi
d prol
if
erati
on ofvari
ousAnti
biot
icResi
stanceGenes(ARGs)
amongt hebacteri
athroughhori
zontalgenetransf
erar
ehi ghandsignif
icantcor
rel
ati
ons
betweenAntibi
oticResist
antBact
eri
a( ARB)andFCaswellasARGsandi nt
egrongeneswere
observed.

i
v.The dr
ug resi
stantbacter
ia poses a gr
eat
erthr
eattothe r
iverwat
ers and has hi
gh
possi
bil
it
ytospreadtheresi
stancetohumansandani
mals.

KeyPoi
nts:

i
.TheARBandARGi ncr
easedi ntheriv
erduet ot
hedi schar
gesf rom hospit
als,i
ndust
riesand
househol
ds,
run-
offf
rom agri
cult
uralsit
esanddischargesfrom li
vest
ockf armingarereleased
i
ntothedrai
nswhicharedischargeddirect
lyori
ndirectl
ythroughtheWast ewat erTr
eat ment
Plant
s(WWTPs)i
ntotheri
ver.

i
i.Theexist
ingWWTPsuset hephysi
cochemi
calt
reatment
storemovet
heor
gani
cpoll
utant
s
l
ikecarbon,ni
tr
ogenandphosphor
usandarenotcapabl
eoftr
eati
ngt
heARDandARGs.

WHOpr
ior
it
ypat
hogenl
ist
:

i
.Thef i
rstpri
orit
ypat hogenlistpubli
shedbyWHO i n2017isacatal
ogueof12bact
eri
a
famil
iesthatar ediv
idedi nt
ot hreecategori
esaccor
dingt
otheur
gencyofneedfornew
anti
biot
ics:cr
it
ical
,hi
ghandmedi um pri
ori
ty.

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
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ouscompeti
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i
i,
Thecri
ticalgr
oupi ncl
udes:Acinetobact
er,Pseudomonas,v
ari
ousEnt
erobact
eri
aceael
ike
Kl
ebsi
ell
a,E.col
i,Ser
rati
a,andProteus.

i
ii
.Themedium andhi
ghpr
ior
it
ycat
egor
iescausecommondi
seasesl
ikef
oodpoi
soni
ng,
gonor
rhoea.

Env
ironment
alCur
rentAf
fai
rs(
Par
t-
11)

Que.1 Accor
ding t
o The Swachh Sur
vekshan 2020 r
esul
tsthatwere
announcedonAugust20,2020,which ci
tyr et
ainedi
tstopspotf
orthe
four
thconsecuti
veti
me.?
a)I
ndor
e

b)Sur
at

c) New
Del
hi

d)Kanpur

Note:-Theresult
soft heannualsurveyof
cl
eanli
ness were announced by Hardeep
Si
ngh Puri,Mi ni
ster of St
ate( I
/ C) f
or
Housing and Urban Af f
air
s during the
‘
SwachhMahot sav’cer
emonyonAugust20,
2020.

Backgr
ound:

SwachhSur vekshan(Cleanli
nesssurvey)is
an annualsur veyofcl eanli
ness,hygiene
andsani t
ati
oni nciti
esandt ownsacr oss
Indi
a.Itwaslaunchedaspar toftheSwachh
BharatAbhiyan,whichaimedt omakeI ndia

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
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ouscompeti
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NET/ASRBNET/JNUEE/CUCET/ SET/BHURETGATE2021
cl
eanandf reeofopendefecationby2Oct ober2019.Thef
ir
stsurv
eywasundert
akenin
2016andcov er
ed73citi
es( 53citi
eswi t
hapopul ati
onofoveramill
i
on,andallst
ate
capit
als)
;by2020t hesurveyhadgr ownt ocover4242cit
iesandwassaidtobet he
l
argestcleanl
inesssur
veyint heworld.Thesur v
eysarecarri
edoutbyQuali
tyCounci
l
ofIndi
a.

Que.2Whati
sthenameofWor
ld'
sfi
rstwarm-bl
oodedf
isht
hathasbeen
di
scover
edbyresear
cher
sdur
ingar esear
chsurveyofft
heCali
forni
a
Coasti
s
a)St
arf
ish

b)Opah

c)seaanchov
y

d)j
ell
yfi
sh

Note:In2015,resear
cher
swiththeNOAASout hwestFi
sher
iesSci
enceCent
err
eveal
edt
he
opah,ormoonfi
sh,asthef
ir
stf
ull
ywarm-
bloodedfi
sh.

Que.
3Recentl
yaJapanesebulkcar
ri
erstr
uckacor
alr
eefcoastofMaur
it
iust
hatl
eakedHow
manytonnesofoi
lint
heenvi
ronmentsensi
ti
ver
egi
onsofMaurit
ius.

a)about70t
onnes

b)about85t
onnes

c)about1000sofmet
ri
ctonnes

d)about200t
onnes

Ans:c)about100soft
onnes

Not
e:

Mauri
ti
usOilSpi
ll
:TheJapanese- ownedMVWakashi or anagroundJuly25andbeganspi l
li
ng
oi
lAug.6.Itbrokeinhal fSaturday.
Thesi zeoft hel eak,around1,000met r
ictons,i
snot
amongthelar
gestspil
lsinhist
ory.Buti t
slocat
ion—anenv i
ronmental
lyprot
ectedecosyst
em
Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPiyushKumarVer ma,JNU,NewDel hi
.Subscr ibe&shareMyUt ubechannel-
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ronmentalScienceforpreparat
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ouscompeti
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ofbi
odi
ver
sereef
s,endangeredanimal
sandpl
ant
s,mangroveforest
sandt urquoi
sel
agoons
—meansithasal
readycauseduntol
ddamaget
hatexper
tssaycouldtakedecadestor
ever
se.

I
ndi
anGov
ernmentAssi
stance:

I
ndi
adeput
es10-
memberspeci
ali
stt
eam underMi
ssi
onSAGAR

OnAugust16,2020,Indi
asent30tonnesoftechni
calequi
pmentandmaterialt
oMaur it
ius.
Thecount
ryi
sfight
ingtocont
ainanoi
lspi
llt
hatoccurr
edini
tspr
ist
inesout
h-eastcoast
.

I
ndiahasalsosentequi
pmentt
ocontai
ntheoilspi
ll
.Theequipmentconsist
sofri
verbooms,
oceanbooms,hel
iskimmer
s,bl
ower
s,powerpacks,oi
labsor
bentgraphenepads.

Mi
ssi
onSagar

Missi
onSAGARisSecuri
tyGrowthforAl
lintheRegi
on.Itwasl
aunchedi
n2015t
odeepen
economi
candsecur
it
ycooper
ationwit
hmarit
imenei
ghbours.

Needf
orMi
ssi
onSAGAR

Mi
ssi
onSAGARpr
ovi
desoppor
tuni
tyt
osecur
etr
anspor
tat
ionof80%ofgl
obalt
rade.

TheseabedintheI
ndianOceanRegionpr
ovi
des32%ofgl
obalsuppl
yofhy
drocar
bons.The
Missi
onwil
lhel
pprot
ecttheresour
ces.

TheMi
ssi
onhel
pst
ocheckChi
nesei
nfl
uencei
ntheI
ndi
anOceanRegi
on.

Si
gni
fi
cance

Ther
elev
anceoft
hemi
ssi
oni
sseeni
nconj
unct
ionwi
thot
herpol
ici
esofI
ndi
aasf
oll
ows

 Proj
ectSagarmala:Pr
ojectSagar
mal
aaimstodevel
opstri
ngofpor
tsaroundIndian
Coast.Theini
ti
ativ
efocusesonsuppor
ti
ngpor
t-
leddev
elopment
,porti
nfr
astr
ucture
enhancement.

 Proj
ectMausam:Iti
sacul
tur
alandeconomi
cpr
ojectt
hatai
mst
oconnectcount
ri
esi
n
theI
ndianOcean.

 I
ndi
a-anetsecur
it
ypr
ovi
der

 FocusonBl
ueEconomy
.

COVI
D-19
Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
NewDel hi
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InMay2020, ar
ound580t onnesofessenti
almedi
cines,
Ay urv
edicmedici
nesandf oodsuppli
es
weresenttoMaurit
iusunderMissionSAGAR.Theothercountri
eswheretherel
iefsuppl
ieswere
suppl
iedunderthemi ssi
onincludedMale,Comor
os,Sey chel
les,Madagascar
.INSKesar iwas
depl
oyedinthemission.

Also,a14-memberNavalMedi
calAssi
stancet
eam wasdeput
ed.Thet
eam hel
pedi
nthe
formul
ati
onofl
ong-
ter
m st
rat
egyt
ocounterCOVI
D-19.

Que4.Whi chor
ganisat
ion/Corporat
ionhasdevel
oped inf
rast
ruct
uref
orincr
eased
useofFlyAshatRihandproj
ectinUtt
arPradesht
otranspor
tfl
yashtocementplant
s
atcheapercost
?

a)ONGC

b)BHEL

c)NTPC

d)RPCL

Note:TheNati
onalThermalPowerCorpor
ati
on(
NTPC)devel
opedinfr
astr
uct
ureatRi
hand
pr
ojecti
nUt
tarPradesht
otranspor
tfl
yasht
ocementpl
ant
satcheapercost
.

Hi
ghl
ight
s

Theinfr
astructur
ei sbeingdevel
opedtohelpNTPCachiev
eitsgoalof100%ut i
li
sat
ionoffl
y
ashfrom powerpl ants.Thi
swi l
lenabl
epowerpl
antstoupgradetheuti
li
sat
ionoffl
yash.In
theyear2019-20,around44.33mi l
li
ont
onnesoff
lyashwereuti
li
sed.Thi
sis73.
31%off l
yash
generat
ed.

Not
e:Fl
yAsh:
Flyashi
sacoalcombust
ionpr
oduct
.

Backgr
ound

I
n1999,Mini
str
yofEnvi
ronment,ForestandCli
mateChange( EFOCC)i
ssuednoti
fi
cat
ionin
1999t
oensure100%ut
il
isat
ionoffl
yash.Itwasfur
theramendedin2003and2009.However
,
Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
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i
twasmi ssedbyalmost40%.In2015,GoIf
ixedDecember31,2017asrev
iseddeadl
i
net
o
achi
eve100%uti
li
sat
ion.St
il
l,
til
ldat
eonl
y55.
7%offlyashi
sbeingused.

Theinf
rast
ruct
uredev
elopedbyNTPCi
simpor
tantasi
twi
llhel
pachi
eve100%ut
il
isat
ionof
fl
yash.

Fl
yAshusage

InIndi
a,Ultr
aHi ghVolumeFlyashConcr et
eisdev elopedforwidespr
eaduse.Fl
yashis
curr
entl
yusedinl owtomoder
atestrengthconcr
ete.Also,iti
susedincement
.Fl
yashisal
so
usedinbri
cksreplaci
ngnor
malclaybricks.

Rul
ingsonf
lyash

In2016,t
hef l
yashnotifi
cat
ionissuedbytheMi nist
ryofEFoCCmadei tmandat
oryforthe
constr
uct
ionproj
ect
slocatedwit
hin300km ofat hermalpowerpl
anttousefl
yashproducts.
Also,
theredcl
aybri
ckslocat
edwi t
hin300km shallconv
erti
ntof
lyashbr
icks.

Accor
dingt
other
uli
ng,
thef
lyashshoul
dwei
ghami
nimum of50%oft
hei
nputmat
eri
als.

Legi
slat
ion

Theruli
ngsoff l
yashwer eissuedunderEnvir
onmentProtecti
onAct
,1986.Also,accordingto
theEnvironmentProtecti
on Rules,1986,theCentralGov er
nmentshallissuenot i
ficat
ion
wheneveriffeel
sthatprohi
biti
onofapr ocessoroperat
ionshoul
dbeimposedt oprotectthe
envi
ronment

Que5.Recentl
yMountSinabungeruptedonAugust10,2020spewingmassivetower
ofsmokeandashintothesky,pl
ungi
nglocalcommunit
iesandvil
lagesi
ntodarkness.
Thi
svolcani
cmountai
nissit
uatedin.
.

a)I
ndi
a

b)I
ndonesi
a

c)Japan

d)I
tal
y

Ans.b)I
ndonesi
a
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rentAf
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Note:Thevol
canoshotupmassivecolumnsofashandsmoke5,
000met
res(16,
400
feet
)int
otheai
r,asaresul
t,t
hickl
ayerofashcover
edareasupt
o12mil
esfr
om the
crat
er.

Cur
rentAf
fai
rByPi
yushKumarVer
ma,JNU,
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.Subscri
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