Daily Current Affairs

18-11-2020
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Topic- Ram Mandir & Pink Sandstone

Subject- Culture and Society

Why in the news

● The Rajasthan government has decided to seek as a matter of “highest
priority”, central clearance under the Forest and Wildlife Acts for denotifying
Bansi Paharpur block of Bharatpur’s Band Baretha wildlife sanctuary to
allow mining of the unique pink sandstone that is found in the area.

More about the news

● Over 1 lakh cubic feet of Bansi Paharpur sandstone, coveted for its unique
pink shade, has already been sourced as the exclusive material for the
construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya where stockpiling began soon
after the shilanyas in 1989.

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Band Baretha wildlife sanctuary
● The 199-sq-km Band Baretha wildlife sanctuary was notified in 1985.
● However, the King of Bharatpur had reserved 200 square kilometers of Band
Baretha before the independence of India as a Wildlife Reserve Area

Required amount and Quality

● an estimated 3.5 - 4 lakh cubic feet of sandstone that the temple will require
after the expansion in its plan.
● However, around 1.1 lakh cubic feet of sandstone have already sourced.
● As per Ashish Sompura, one of the architects of the temple, This (Bansi
Paharpur) is the king of sandstone. So mixing this with other varieties is not
aesthetically feasible. If there is not enough supply, the only option is to switch
to a different stone altogether.

AbhyaasKaro Mantra
● Although on paper no mining was allowed after 2016, illegal operations
continued — and the Bansi Paharpur sandstone remained available in the
grey market.

Topic- Developmental Footprint of UP

Subject- UP Special

Why in the news

● UP govt. Has started numerous schemes and initiatives for upliftment of
women and other vulnerable sections, apart from rehauling the healthcare
system state.

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Major initiatives and schemes of UP Govt.
● Mission Shakti - focus is on creating mass awareness and sensitising people
to respect the women .
● Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojna - It is a six stage Scheme to ensure
better life to girl
○ Stage 1- At birth of the girl child Rs 2,000
○ Stage 2- On the complication of vaccination by the age of 1 year Rs
1000
○ Stage 3- When girl child is admitted in class 1 Rs 2000
○ Stage4- When girl child is admitted in class 6 Rs 2000
○ Stage 5- When girl child is admitted in class 9 Rs 3000
○ Stage 6- When girl child passed 10th or 12th and take admission in
diploma or graduation rs5000
● One stop centre scheme to provide all the required assistance to women in
distress.
● 181 women helpline
● Jagriti App for empowering women
● ‘Operation Self Defence’ for providing self-defence techniques to girls in
school and college.

AbhyaasKaro Mantra
● In state police recruitment 20 percent of seat it is reserved for women.

Topic- Gau Cabinet

Subject- Polity

Why in the news

● THE BJP government in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday an- nounced
constitution of a “gau cabinet” (cow cabinet).

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About Gau Cabinet
● “Gau Cabinet” (cow cabinet), which will have ministers of six departments
● Work towards protection of cows and promotion of cow produce in the state
● First meeting of the gau cabinet will be held on November 22, on the eve of
Gopastami, a festival to celebrate Lord Krishna and cows.
● It will be held at Kaamdhenu Gau Abhyaaran, a 473-acre cow sanctuary in
Salariya village of Agar Malwa.

AbhyaasKaro Mantra
● Article 48 of the Indian Constitution (Gandhian DPSP)
○ Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry The State shall
endeavour to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern
and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and
improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves
and other milch and draught cattle.

Topic- Plasma Therapy

Subject- Science & technology

Why in the news

● Avoid indiscriminate use of plasma therapy: ICMR

More about Plasma Therapy

● Convalescent plasma therapy, or CPT, is a procedure in which Covid-19
antibodies in the blood of a patient who has recovered is extracted, and
injected into a patient who's still sick.
● This Procedure has been found, in some cases, to help the patient build
immunity against the disease.
● This method has been tried for the treatment of other viral diseases as well,
such as H1N1, Ebola and SARS.

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About Findings
● However, an extensive study by the ICMR in September on Covid-19 patients
had found that CPT neither reduced the severity of the illness nor prevented
mortality.
● It was the world’s largest such study, and reinforced similar evidence from
other studies done in countries such as China and the Netherlands.

AbhyaasKaro Mantra
● Convalescent plasma therapy has some risks, such as:
○ Allergic reactions
○ Lung damage and difficulty breathing
○ Infections such as HIV and hepatitis B and C

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AbhyaasKaro Oneliner
● US Pharma giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Wednesday
announced that their vaccine candidate, after the final efficacy analysis in their
ongoing phase-3 clinical trial, indicates an efficacy rate of 95 per cent in
volunteers without prior Covid-19 infection.
● 19th Nov. (1917) is the birth anniversary of former Indian PM Indira Gandhi.
● Twitter has submitted a written apology to a joint parliamentary committee for
incorrectly showing Ladakh as part of China.
● In a tweet Shri Modi said “On World Toilet Day, India strengthens its resolve
of #Toilet4All. The last few years have seen an unparalleled achievement of
providing hygienic toilets to crores of Indians. It has brought tremendous
health benefits along with dignity, especially to our Nari Shakti.”
● Government of India & NDB Sign Agreement for USD 500 Million to Provide
Fast, Reliable, Safe and Comfortable Public Transport System in The National
Capital Region.
○ ‘Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System Project’
● Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the virtual 3rd Global
Renewable Energy Investment Meeting and Expo (RE-INVEST 2020), on 26
November 2020.
● Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel
today laid the foundation stone for the first 50 LNG fueling stations, across the
golden quadrilateral and major National Highways.
● An injectable hydrogel derived from spirulina can help accelerated wound
repair in internal injuries and rapid healing in diabetic patients.
○ The synthesized hydrogel will be highly beneficial for people of all age
groups in wound healing applications: INST Scientists.

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