Daily Current Affairs for State Exams: 04 August 2021

Daily Current Affairs 04/08/2021

Combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) increases by 8.9 percent as compared to the Index of June 2020

Why in News

The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stood at 6 in June 2021, which increased by 8.9 percent as compared to the Index of June 2020.
The production of Coal, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity industries increased in June 2021 over the corresponding period of last year.

Key Points

About Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI):

ICI measures combined and individual performance of production in selected eight core industries viz. Coal, Natural Gas, Crude Oil, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Cement, Steel and Electricity.
The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

The summary of the Index of Eight Core Industries:

Coal: Coal production increased by 7.4 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.
Crude Oil: Crude Oil production declined by 1.8 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.
Natural Gas: Natural Gas production increased by 20.6 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.
Refinery Products: Petroleum Refinery production increased by 2.4 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.
Fertilizers: Fertilizers production increased by 2.0 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.
Steel: Steel production increased by 25.0 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.
Cement: Cement production increased by 4.3 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.
Electricity: Electricity generation increased by 7.2 percent in June, 2021 over June, 2020.

About Index of Industrial Production (IIP):

IIP is an index for India which details the growth of various sectors in an economy such as electricity, mineral mining and manufacturing.
The all India IIP is a composite indicator that measures the short-term changes in the volume of production of a basket of industrial products during a given period with respect to that in a chosen base period.
It is compiled and published monthly by the National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The current base year is 2011-2012.

Significance of IIP:

It is used by various government agencies such as the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India, private firms and analysts.
The data is also used to compile the Gross Value Added of the manufacturing sector in the Gross Domestic Product on a quarterly basis.

Source: PIB

112th Annual Day of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

Why in News

Recently, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya presided over the 112th Annual Day celebrations of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Key Points

Initiatives Launched

Genome Lab:

At the event, the Union Health Minister inaugurated the Whole Genome Sequencing National Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and BSL 3 Laboratory.

Information, Education & Communication (IEC) Materials:

The Division of Zoonotic Disease Programme at NCDC under the "National One health Programme for prevention and Control of Zoonoses" has created IEC materials (Print, Audio & Video) on 7 priority zoonotic diseases namely Rabies, Scrub Typhus, Anthrax, CCHF, Brucellosis, Nipah, Kyasanur Forest Disease in India.

Adaptation Plan under the "National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health":

The Minister also launched the National Health Adaptation Plan on Air Pollution and National Health Adaptation Plan on Heat.

About National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC):

The National Centre for Disease Control (previously known as the National Institute of Communicable Diseases) is an institute under the Indian Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

History:

The origin of the NCDC can be traced to the Central Malaria Bureau, which was established at Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, India in 1909.
It was renamed the Malaria Institute of India in 1938 and in 1963 renamed the National Institute of Communicable Diseases.
On 30 July 2009, it was named the

Source: PIB

Haldibari-Chilahati railway link between India and Bangladesh

Why in News

Commercial services on the Haldibari-Chilahati railway link between India and Bangladesh, which had been defunct for over 50 years, commenced with a goods train.
The Haldibari (India)-Chilahati (Bangladesh) rail link was reopened by both the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh on 17^thDecember, 2020 for movement of passenger and goods traffic.

Key Points

Background:

The Haldibari-Chilahati railway link was operational till 1965.
The (Indo-Pak) war of 1965 effectively cut off all railway links between India and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan).
As of now, 5 links connecting India with Bangladesh have been made operational which include Petrapole (India) - Benapole (Bangladesh), Singhabad (India) Rohanpur (Bangladesh), Gede (India) - Darshana (Bangladesh), Radhikapur (India) - Birol (Bangladesh) with Haldibari-Chilahati forming the 5th such link.

Significance:

The Rail link will aid the growth of trade and economic development.
The 75-kilometre long track will also help better integrate the rest of the country with the Siliguri corridor, also known as the 'Chicken's Neck.'

Note:

A passenger train service Mitali Express (New Jalpaiguri-Dhaka) was announced jointly by Indian PM and Bangladesh PM during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 27^thMarch’21.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Maitri Setu’ (1.9 Km long bridge) between India and Bangladesh on 9th March 2021. It has been built over the Feni River which flows between Indian boundary in Tripura State and Bangladesh.
Another railway line between Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh will be completed by the end of 2021.

Source: Indian Express

‘Ashwagandha’ for promoting recovery from COVID-19

Why in News

India and the U.K. will conduct clinical trials of ‘Ashwagandha’ for promoting recovery from COVID-19.
The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Ayush, and the K.'s London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct clinical trials of Ashwagandha.

Key Points

About Ashwagandha:

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), commonly known as ‘Indian winter cherry’, is a traditional Indian herb that boosts energy, reduces stress and makes the immune system stronger.
The successful completion of the trial could be a major breakthrough and give scientific validity to India’s traditional medicinal system.
Combined with substantial literature on its pharmacological and immunomodulatory effects, the study suggests ‘Ashwagandha’ as a potential therapeutic candidate for alleviating the long-term symptoms of COVID-19.

Source: The Hindu

New frog species in Western Ghats: “Minervarya Pentali”

Why in News

A team of Delhi University researchers has discovered a new frog species in the Western Ghats and named it after former DU Vice-Chancellor and plant geneticist Deepak Pental.

Key Points

The new species of frog belongs to the family of Dicroglossidae and it has been named as "Minervarya Pentali."

About the family of Dicroglossidae:

The family Dicroglossidae comprises 202 species of semiaquatic frogs distributed by the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia and Papua New Guinea.
The family contains large-sized (e.g., genus Hoplobatrachus) and dwarf species, with a total length about 30 mm (e.g., genus Nannophrys).

New frog species was discovered from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, extending along the southwest coast of the Indian Peninsula, and the research team has stated that this new species is endemic to the southern Western Ghats.

About Western Ghats:

It is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (square kilometer) in a stretch of 1,600 km parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight hotspots of biological diversity in the world.
It is sometimes called the ‘Great Escarpment of India’.

Source: Indian Express

SII chairman Cyrus Poonawalla named recipient of Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2021

Why in News

Cyrus Poonawalla, who is the founder-chairperson of the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), has been named as a recipient of the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award for 2021.

Key Points

Cyrus Poonawalla will be honoured for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein he helped in saving many lives by manufacturing the Covishield vaccine.

About Award:

The award is annually given on August 1, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak, but due to the COVID-19situation, the date has been changed this year.
The award ceremony will take place on August 13 and the award comprises cash prize of Rs one lakh and a memento.
The award was started in 1983 and so far, several prominent personalities have been honoured with it.
Some of the recipients include former prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr Manmohan Singh, former president Pranab Mukherjee and Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy.

Source: Indian Express