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WATER AERODROME AND SEA-PLANE SERVICE INAUGURATED Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure In news The Indian Prime Minister inaugurated Water Aerodrome at Kevadia and the Sea-plane Service connecting Statue of Unity in Kevadia with Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. He also inaugurated Water Aerodrome in Sabarmati Riverfront and the SeaPlane Service from Sabarmati Riverfront to Kevadia. These are part of a series of Water Aerodromes being planned to bring the last mile connectivity. Do you know? Seaplanes have the ability to land and take-off from water thus offering access to areas that do not have landing strips or runways. Thus it can help in connecting the geographies/regions that have challenges owing to its topography and bring the remotest parts of India into the mainstream aviation network without the high cost of building airports and runways. These smaller fixed wing airplanes can land on water bodies like lakes, backwaters and dams, gravel and grass, thus offering easy access to numerous tourist spots as well. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

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ASTEROID 16 PSYCHE A recent study has found that asteroid 16 Psyche, which orbits between Mars and Jupiter, could be made entirely of metal and is worth an estimated $10,000 quadrillion. A NASA mission has recently landed on and collected samples from an asteroid. Do you remember that? Yes. Its the Asteroid Bennu 16 Psyche Located around 370 million km away from Earth, asteroid 16 Psyche is one of the most massive objects in the asteroid belt in our solar system. The somewhat potato-shaped asteroid has a diameter of around 140 miles. It was first discovered on March 17, 1853, by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis and was named after the ancient Greek goddess of the soul, Psyche. Unlike most asteroids that are made up of rocks or ice, scientists believe that Psyche is a dense and largely metallic object thought to be the core of an earlier planet that failed in formation. Its surface may mostly comprise iron and nickel, similar to the Earth's core, according to a study. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

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CENTRAL VISTA REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Parliament In news Central Vista Redevelopment project was in news recently when a Senior Advocate argued about the discrepancies in its process in a Supreme Court hearing. The Central Vista It is a 3 km stretch in the heart of New Delhi that runs from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate. It is flanked by large green spaces and significant structures such as Parliament, the Secretariat buildings and the National Archives. The Central government is redeveloping the three-km-long Central Vista and Parliament. A common Central secretariat will be constructed for all ministries that are currently spread over many buildings across Delhi. The new Parliament has to be ready by March 2022. The revamped Central Vista, complete with public amenities and parking, has to be ready by November 2021 and the new common Central secretariat by March 2024. The Parliament House and North and South Blocks will not be demolished, but their usage may change. The rest of the buildings that came up post-1947, including Shastri Bhavan and Krishi Bhavan, are likely to be demolished. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

WHAT IS RAMSAR CONVENTION ? The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (better known as the Ramsar Convention) is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem. The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Traditionally viewed as a wasteland or breeding ground of disease, wetlands actually provide freshwater and food and serve as nature's shock absorber. Wetlands, critical for biodiversity, are disappearing rapidly, with recent estimates showing that 64% or more of the world's wetlands have vanished since 1900. Major changes in land use for agriculture and grazing, water diversion for dams and canals and infrastructure development are considered to be some of the main causes of loss and degradation of wetlands. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

MANSAR LAKE DEVELOPMENT PLAN INAUGURATED Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Geogrpahy & GS-II – Policies and interventions In news In a move to increase tourism, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, inaugurated the Mansar Lake Development Plan in Jammu and Kashmir. The project is eyed to attract almost 20 lakh tourists every year. It shall increase employment opportunities also. Important value additions Mansar Lake is situated 62 km from Jammu. It is a lake having a natural border of forest-covered hills. Surinsar-Mansar Lakes were designated as Ramsar Convention in November 2005. Mansar is of immense importance from Pilgrimage as well Heritage point of view 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

STREET VENDORS IN INDIA & [ SVANidhi SCHEME ] Recently PM distributed loans to nearly 300,000 street vendors under the PM SVANidhi scheme. SVANidhi SCHEME The SVANidhi ensures a working capital loan up to Rs 10,000 for vendors and rewards digital transactions. All street vendors who have been in the business on or before March 24, 2020, are eligible to avail the benefits. For this scheme launched in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Centre has earmarked a stimulus package of Rs 5,000 crore for nearly 50 lakh vendors. STREET VENDORS IN INDIA There are estimated 50-60 lakh street vendors in India, with the largest concentrations in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. Most of them are migrants who typically work for 10-12 hours every day on average. Anyone who doesn't have a permanent shop is considered a street vendor. According to government estimates, street-vending accounts for 14 per cent of the total (non-agricultural) urban informal employment in the country. The sector is riddled with problems. Licence caps are unrealistic in most cities Mumbai, for example, has a ceiling of around 15,000 licences as against an estimated 2.5 lakh vendors. This means most vendors hawk their goods illegally, which makes them vulnerable to exploitation and extortion by local police and municipal authorities. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

WHAT IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME (DST)? Clocks in the US will "felt back" an hour signalling the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). WHAT DOES THIS IMPLY? With clocks in the US going back an hour, the time difference between New York and India will increase from the current nine and a half hours to ten and a half hours. In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite has happened, where countries have "sprung forward", and time difference with India has reduced. WHAT IS DST? DST is the practise of resetting clocks ahead by an hour in spring, and behind by an hour in autumn (or fall). During these months, countries that follow this system get an extra hour of daylight in the evening. Because the spring to fall cycle is opposite in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, DST lasts from March to October/November in Europe and the US, and from September/October to April in New Zealand and Australia. Dates for this switch, which happens twice a year (in the spring and autumn) are decided beforehand. By law, the 28 member states of the EU switch together moving forward on the last Sunday of March and falling back on the last Sunday in October. In the US, clocks go back on the first Sunday of November. HOW MANY COUNTRIES USE DST? DST is in practice in some 70 countries, including those in the European Union. India does not follow DST; since countries near the Equator do not experience high variations in daytime hours between seasons. WHAT DOES THIS SYSTEM MEAN TO ACHIEVE? The rationale behind setting clocks ahead of standard time, usually by 1 hour during springtime, is to ensure that the clocks show a later sunrise and later sunset in effect a longer evening daytime. Individuals will wake an hour earlier than usual, complete their daily work routines an hour earlier, and have an extra hour of daylight at the end. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

What is the D614G mutation in coronavirus? Part of: Science and Technology. While novel coronavirus is undergoing many mutations, one particular mutation called D614G, according to a study, has become the dominant variant in the global COVID-19 pandemic. D614G mutation When the virus enters an individual's body, it aims at creating copies of itself. When it makes an error in this copying process, we get a mutation. In this case, the virus replaced the aspartic acid (D) in the 614th position of the amino acid with glycine (G). Hence the mutation is called the D614G. This mutated form of the virus was first identified in China and then in Europe. Later it spread to other countries like the U.S. and Canada and was eventually reported in India. Threats posed This particular mutation aids the virus in attaching more efficiently with the ACE2 receptor in the human host, thereby making it more successful in entering a human body than its predecessors. D614G show increased infectivity but it also displayed greater ability at attaching itself to the cell walls inside an individual's nose and throat, increasing the viral load. How prevalent is it in India? A study (reveals that the D614G was one of the most prevalent spike mutations even during the initial phase of the pandemic. Since then, D614G mutation's 'relative abundance' has increased over time to 70% and above, in most states except Delhi. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

#ssb_lecturette https://youtu.be/fLehuBis5X0

[pib] Mansar Lake Mansar Lake Development Plan is getting fulfilled after a long wait of 70 years. About Mansar Lake Situated at about 37 km from Jammu, Mansar is a lake fringed by forest-covered hills, over a mile in length by half-a-mile in width. Surinsar-Mansar Lakes are designated as Ramsar Convention in November 2005. With all religions belief and heritage behind the Mansar Lake is also picking up its fame among the tourists with all its flora & fauna. The lake has cemented path all around with required illumination, with projected view decks to enjoy flickering of seasonal birds, tortoise and fishes of different species. There is a wildlife Sanctuary housing jungle life like Spotted Deer, Nilgai etc. besides other water birds such as Cranes, Ducks etc. Back2Basics: Ramsar Convention The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (better known as the Ramsar Convention) is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem. The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Traditionally viewed as a wasteland or breeding ground of disease, wetlands actually provide freshwater and food and serve as nature's shock absorber. Wetlands, critical for biodiversity, are disappearing rapidly, with recent estimates showing that 64% or more of the world's wetlands have vanished since 1900. Major changes in land use for agriculture and grazing, water diversion for dams and canals and infrastructure development are considered to be some of the main causes of loss and degradation of wetlands. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Maritime India Vision 2030 It is a ten-year blueprint for the maritime sector which will be released by the Indian Prime Minister at the Maritime India Summit in November 2020. It will supersede the Sagarmala initiative. It aims to boost waterways, the shipbuilding industry and encourage cruise tourism in India. Maritime Development Fund: It is a Rs. 25,000-crore fund, which will provide low cost, long-tenure financing to the sector with the Centre contributing Rs. 2,500 crore over seven years. Port Regulatory Authority: A pan-India port authority will be set up under the new Indian Ports Act for enabling oversight across major and non-major ports. Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid project: It will aim to develop regional connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Riverine Development Fund: It will extend low cost, long-term financing for inland vessels with the support of a Riverine Development Fund (RDF) Rationalisation of Port Charges: It will make them more competitive. All hidden charges will be done away with. Promotion of Water TransportImportant value additions Maritime India Vision 2030 It is a ten-year blueprint for the maritime sector which will be released by the Indian Prime Minister at the Maritime India Summit in November 2020. It will supersede the Sagarmala initiative. It aims to boost waterways, the shipbuilding industry and encourage cruise tourism in India. Maritime Development Fund: It is a Rs. 25,000-crore fund, which will provide low cost, long-tenure financing to the sector with the Centre contributing Rs. 2,500 crore over seven years. Port Regulatory Authority: A pan-India port authority will be set up under the new Indian Ports Act for enabling oversight across major and non-major ports. Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid project: It will aim to develop regional connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Riverine Development Fund: It will extend low cost, long-term financing for inland vessels with the support of a Riverine Development Fund (RDF) Rationalisation of Port Charges: It will make them more competitive. All hidden charges will be done away with. Promotion of Water TransportImportant value additions Maritime India Vision 2030 It is a ten-year blueprint for the maritime sector which will be released by the Indian Prime Minister at the Maritime India Summit in November 2020. It will supersede the Sagarmala initiative. It aims to boost waterways, the shipbuilding industry and encourage cruise tourism in India. Maritime Development Fund: It is a Rs. 25,000-crore fund, which will provide low cost, long-tenure financing to the sector with the Centre contributing Rs. 2,500 crore over seven years. Port Regulatory Authority: A pan-India port authority will be set up under the new Indian Ports Act for enabling oversight across major and non-major ports. Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid project: It will aim to develop regional connectivity with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. Riverine Development Fund: It will extend low cost, long-term financing for inland vessels with the support of a Riverine Development Fund (RDF) Rationalisation of Port Charges: It will make them more competitive. All hidden charges will be done away with. Promotion of Water Transport

Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility of V O Chidambaranar Port Trust inaugurated in line with Maritime Vision 2030 Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Infrastructure In news Recently, the Union Minister of State for Shipping has inaugurated the Direct Port Entry (DPE) facility of V O Chidambaranar Port Trust (VOCPT). Key takeaways The state-of-the-art DPE facility is created inside the Truck Parking Terminal which was developed under the ‘Sagarmala’ for issuing customs clearance of export cargo. The facility aligns with the ‘Maritime Vision 2030’ of the Ministry of Shipping. Significance: (1) Reduce logistics cost and increase the velocity of the cargo; (2) Enable direct movement of containers from factories; (3) Help in increasing Ease of Doing Business for the exporters. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Superconductivity achieved at Room Temperature Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Science and Technology (Physics) In news Recently, researchers have created a material that is superconducting at room temperature. It only works at a pressure of 267 Gigapascals (GPa). Key takeaways A mixture of carbon, hydrogen and sulfur was put in a microscopic niche carved between the tips of two diamonds (diamond anvil) and laser light was used on them to trigger chemical reactions. To verify that this phase was indeed a superconductor, the group ascertained that the magnetic susceptibility of the superconductor was that of a diamagnet. A superconducting material kept in a magnetic field expels the magnetic flux out its body when cooled below the critical temperature and exhibits perfect diamagnetism. It is also called the Meissner effect which simply means that magnetic lines do not pass through superconductors in a magnetic field. If researchers can stabilise the material at ambient pressure, applications of superconductivity at room temperatures could be achieved and will be within reach. Superconductors that work at room temperature could have a big technological impact, for example in electronics that run faster without overheating. Important value additions Superconductors A superconductor is a material that can conduct electricity or transport electrons from one atom to another with no resistance. No heat, sound or any other form of energy would be released from the material when it has reached critical temperature (Tc). The critical temperature for superconductors is the temperature at which the electrical resistivity of metal drops to zero. Examples: aluminium, niobium, magnesium diboride, etc. Applications: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, low-loss power lines, ultra powerful superconducting magnets, mobile-phone towers. Limitations: They need bulky cryogenics as the common superconductors work at atmospheric pressures, but only if they are kept very cold. Do you know? Meissner Effect: When a material makes the transition from the normal to the superconducting state, it actively excludes magnetic fields from its interior. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

Kochi-Muziris Biennale: Art exhibition and festival Part of: GS Prelims and GS-I – Art & Culture In news Kochi-Muziris Biennale was in the news recently. Its 5th edition has been postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Important value additions The Kochi-Muziris Biennale It is an art exhibition and festival. It is the largest of its kind in South Asia. Organised by: Kochi Biennale Foundation at Kochi, Kerala. The Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust engaged in promoting art and culture and educational activities in India. It works throughout the year to strengthen contemporary art infrastructure and to broaden public access to art across India through a diverse range of programmes. Do you know? In mythology, Muziris was a port city, among the earliest of its kind in the world. When Kerala established itself as a major center for spice, the ancient port of Muziris emerged as its hub. Currently, the Muziris Heritage Project is one of the biggest conservation projects in India, where the state and the central governments have come together to conserve a rich culture that is as old as 3000 years or more. The biennale exhibits artworks across a variety of mediums including film, installation, painting, sculpture, etc. 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 Join >> @dailynewscom

India US Relationship: Detailed Explanation https://youtu.be/B7YDitrFUGM

2+2 Dialogue between India and USA is in the news also various agreements such as LEMOA, COMCASA and BECA. This becomes very important to look the past friendship of India and USA. So watch this Comprehensive Video on - INDIA US RELATIONS [on my channel]