Prelim Bits 14-07-2017

Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC)

Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Punjab state council of Science and Technology has signed an agreement to establish TISC.
TISC in Punjab is the India’s first TISC under the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) TISC program.
It provides innovators in developing countries with access to locally based, high quality technology information and related services.
The objective is to stimulate a balanced IPR system in India to foster creativity and innovation, thereby promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing social, economic and cultural development.

Sustainable Development Goals Index

India is ranked 116 out of 157 nations on a global index that assesses the performance of countries towards achieving the 17 ambitious SDG.
It is produced by Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
Sweden leads the list, followed by Denmark and Finland.
India is ranked behind countries such as Nepal, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and China.

Solar Projects in India

India’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) has compulsory domestic-sourcing clause in its solar energy generation programme.
WTO has ruled against the domestic sourcing clause and calls for its abolition of it by this year end. And India is hopeful of adhering to WTO’s rule.
Fresh projects under the third phase of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) will not have the local-sourcing regulation.
The JNNSM aims to add 100GW of solar power by 2022.
The mission is one of the several initiatives that are part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

Saraswati – Supercluster of Galaxies

A team of Indian scientists has reported the discovery of a ‘supercluster’ of galaxies and named it Saraswati.
It is located four billion light years away from Earth.
Galaxies are themselves made of billions of stars and planets, and a cluster typically contains several hundreds of these galaxies.
Superclusters, a group of clusters of galaxies, are the largest structures of stars, planets and other heavenly bodies in the universe.
The Milky Way galaxy, of which Earth is a very small member, is part of the Laniakea supercluster, which was identified only in 2014.

Tiwa Tribe

Tiwa tribes are indigenous ethnic groups inhabiting the states of Assam and Meghalaya.
A striking peculiarity of the Tiwa is their division into two sub-groups, Hill Tiwa and Plains Tiwas, displaying much contrasted cultural features.
The Hill Tiwas live in Karbi-Anglong (Assam) and Northeastern corner of Meghalaya and practice “Slash and Burn” method of farming.
Plains Tiwas live on the flat lands of the Southern bank of the Brahmaputra valley and influenced wet rice cultivation methods, and rice has become their major crop
Tiwa, or Lalung, is a Tibeto-Burman language of Assam in North East India.
Panthai Langa is one of the rituals practised by them, which is meant to worship the deities of nature.
Tiwa people who live in the hills are not permitted to prepare their paddy field for the next harvest before performing Panthai Langa ritual.

Jhum Cultivation

Jhum cultivation, also known as the slash and burn agriculture, is the process of clearing vegetative/forest cover on land/slopes of hills, drying and burning it before onset of monsoon and cropping on it thereafter.
The burnt soil contains potash which increases the nutrient content of the soil.
After harvest, this land is left fallow and vegetative regeneration is allowed on it till the plot becomes reusable for same purpose in a cycle.
The cultivation is locally called as “Podu” in A.P, “Dahi and Koman”, “Penda” in Central India, “Bewar” in M.P.
It is also called as Ladang in Indonesia, Caingin in Philippines, Milpa in central America & Mexico, Ray in Vietnam, Taungya In Myanmar , Tamrai in Thailand, Chena in Sri Lanka, Conuco in Venezuela, Roca in Brazil, Masole in central Africa.

PEG ratio

It is a metric used to evaluate the attractiveness of a stock by comparing its price-to-earnings ratio with its earnings growth.
It is calculated by dividing the price-to-earnings ratio by the annual earnings growth rate.
For example, the PEG ratio would suggest that a stock with a low PE is not necessarily a better buy than a stock with high PE.

Source : PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express, Business Standard