UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 10-07-2020

Adichanallur Excavations

Adichanallur is an archaeological site in Thoothukudi district in Tamil Nadu.
Adichanallur is known as the ‘Cradle of ancient Tamil civilization.
Korkai, the capital of the Early Pandyan Kingdom, is located about 15 km from Adichanallur.
Carbon dating of samples excavated in 2004 from this site has revealed that they belonged to the period between 1000 BC and 600 BC.
Recently a maiden excavation at important site was initiated after the last excavation done in 2015.
Sivakalai near Eral, in Adichanallur is one of the important sites.
Recent Developments - More than 35 burial urns have been retrieved from the site.
Small pots had been placed around these urns, which could be a custom followed by the ancient Tamils.

Mongolian Kanjur

The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur by March 2022 under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM).
It is a Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes and is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia.
It is a source of providing a cultural identity to Mongolia.
In the Mongolian language ‘Kanjur’ means ‘Concise Orders’- the words of Lord Buddha in particular.
It has been translated from Tibetan and is written in classical Mongolian.
The publication of Mongolian Kanjur by the Government of India for the Government of Mongolia will act as a symbol of cultural harmony.

National Mission for Manuscripts

The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was launched in 2003, under the Ministry of Culture.
It aims to document, conserve and disseminate the knowledge preserved in the manuscripts.
One of the objectives of the mission is to publish rare and unpublished manuscripts so that the knowledge enshrined in them is spread to researchers, scholars and the general public at large.
A manuscript is a handwritten composition on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf or any other material dating back at least 75 years that has significant scientific, historical or aesthetic value.
Manuscripts are distinct from historical records such as epigraphs on rocks, revenue records which provide direct information on events or processes in history.

COVID-19 Air Borne Disease

Recently, WHO has acknowledged that there is a possibility that COVID-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions.
The WHO has said that the airborne spread i.e. particularly in specific indoor locations, such as crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces over a prolonged period of time with infected persons cannot be ruled out.
The WHO's stance also recognized the importance of people spreading COVID-19 without symptoms.
The transmission of the virus by aerosols may have been responsible for outbreaks of Covid-19 reported in some closed settings.
There is a mounting evidence which has suggested that in crowded indoor spaces, the virus can stay aloft for hours and infect others, and may even seed so-called superspreader events.
A susceptible person could inhale aerosols, and could become infected if the aerosols contain the virus in sufficient quantity to cause infection within the recipient.

Ex-Servicemen Contribution Health Scheme (ECHS)

As of now unmarried permanently disabled and financially dependent sons of ECHS beneficiaries, after attaining the age of 25 years are not considered dependent.
Recently, Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) Rules has declared sons of CGHS beneficiaries who have become disabled even after attaining the age of 25 years, dependent are eligible for availing CGHS benefits.
It has now been decided by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) to similarly treat unmarried permanently disabled and financially dependent sons of ECHS beneficiaries.
By this they will be eligible to get benefits of ECHS facilities even after attaining 25 years.

Rewa Solar Project

Recently, 750 MW (Mega Watt) solar project set up in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh has been inaugurated.
It is Asia's largest solar power project, with total area 1500 hectare.
It was developed by the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (MPUVN), and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a Central Public Sector Undertaking.
It is the first solar project in the country to break the grid parity barrier.
Grid parity occurs when an alternative energy source can generate power at a cost of electricity that is less than or equal to the price of power from the electricity grid.
It is the first renewable energy project to supply an institutional customer outside the state, i.e. Delhi Metro.
It is also India’s first solar project to get funding from Clean Technology Fund (CTF), which is available at a rate of 0.25% for a 40-year period from the World Bank.
It has also received the World Bank Group President’s Award for innovation and excellence.

Climatic Investment Fund

The Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) are implemented by the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to bridge the financing and learning gap between international climate change agreements.
They were designed by developed and developing countries.
The World Bank is the Trustee of the CIFs.
It include a “sunset clause” to ensure that the Fund’s activities do not prejudice the outcome on the UNFCCC negotiations.
CIFs are two distinct funds

The CTF promotes scaled-up financing for demonstration, deployment and transfer of low carbon technologies with a significant potential for long-term greenhouse gas emissions savings.

Malabar Exercise

EX-Malabar began as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992.
It was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015.
India did not include Australia in the exercises in 2018 and 2019, while the bilateral AUSINDEX naval exercise expanded in scope and complexity.
India is planning to include Australia in Ex-Malabar.

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic forum between the USA, Japan, India and Australia.

It is maintained by semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military drills between member countries.
The dialogue was paralleled by joint military exercises of an unprecedented scale, titled Exercise Malabar.
The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power.

Source: PIB, the Hindu