Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 13th June 2023

World Food Programme (WFP) : Suspended Food Aid To Ethiopia

World Food Programme (WFP) suspended food aid to Ethiopia after the diversion of supplies.

• World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience.
• It was founded in 1961.
• Founded by: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
• Headquarter: Rome, Italy.
• The WFP has no independent source of funds; it is funded entirely by voluntary donations.
• It is governed by the WFP Executive Board, which consists of 36 Member States and provides intergovernmental support, direction and supervision of WFP’s activities.
• Head is an Executive Director, who is appointed jointly by the UN Secretary-General and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) System : RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently allowed the First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) system in the digital lending space.

• First Loss Default Guarantee (FLDG) system is also known as default loss guarantee (DLG).
• FLDG is a lending model between a fintech and a regulated entity.
• It is a new technology that seeks to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services.
• It is a safety-net arrangement among banks, non-banking finance companies (NBFC), and lending service providers (LSPs), popularly known as fintech players) in the digital lending space.
• NBFC is a company incorporated under the Companies Act 2013 or 1956.
• They offer various banking services but do not have a banking license.
• Under this, a third party guarantees to compensate up to a certain percentage of default.
• The fintech originates a loan and promises to compensate the partners up to a pre-decided percentage in case customers fail to repay.

French Open 2023:

Recently held French Open 2023, Novak Djokovic created history by becoming first man to reach the 23 grand slam title mark

• The French Open is a major tennis tournament.
• It is one of the four Grand Slams in Tennis.
• It is also known as Roland-Garros.
• The tournament and venue are named after the French aviator Roland Garros who was a French aviation pioneer and fighter pilot.
• The French Open is the premier clay court championship in the world.
• The French Open tournaments were not considered a Grand Slam before 1924 – 1925.
• French Open 2023 winners:-
  • Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
  • Women’s: Iga Swiatek (Poland)

JATAN Virtual Museum:

The Central government plans to complete 3D digitisation of all museums under its administrative control by the year-end for better conservation of artefacts.

• JATAN is a digital collection management system for Indian museums designed and developed by Human Centres Design and Computing Group, Centre for Development of Smart Computing, Pune.
• It can create 3D virtual galleries and provide public access through web, mobile or touchscreen kiosks.
• It is a client-server application with features such as image cropping, watermarking, unique numbering, and management of digital objects with multimedia representations.
• It can create 3D virtual galleries and provide public access through web, mobile or touchscreen kiosks.
• 3D scanning means analysing a real-world object or environment to collect three-dimensional data on its shape and possibly its appearance.
• The collected data is then used to construct digital 3D models.
• C-DAC is the apex research and development wing of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• It was established in the year 1988.
• Its main purpose was to carry out research and development in Electronics, IT and other associated areas.

Celt Belonging To Neolithic Period, Discovered:

A celt, belonging to the Neolithic period, was discovered in Poothinatham by Tamil Nadu’s Department of Archaeology.

• This celt was used as either a plough or an axe and was made of Doloraid stone.
• A celt is a prehistoric tool made of stone or metal, typically used as a cutting or shaping implement.
• It can serve as an axe, chisel, or adze, and was commonly used during the Neolithic period for various purposes such as woodworking, farming, and construction.
• A shoe-last celt was a polished stone tool used during the early European Neolithic for felling trees and woodworking.

Neolithic period ,also known as the New Stone Age(10000 BC to 2200 BC):

• It was a prehistoric era characterized by the development of agriculture, the domestication of animals, and the creation of settled communities.
• It marked a significant shift in human society from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one based on farming and permanent settlements.

Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat:

The Ministry of State for Culture inaugurated the exhibition “Hamari Bhasha, Hamari Virasat ” under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) at the National Archives of India in New Delhi, commemorating the 75th International Archives Day.

• The exhibition aims to celebrate India’s linguistic diversity, highlighting its status as one of the most linguistically diverse countries globally, with approximately 788 languages spoken.
• India is thus one of the four most linguistically diversified countries in the world, along with Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
• The exhibition features a variety of original manuscripts, including the ancient Gilgit Manuscripts written between the 5th -6th centuries CE, which is the oldest surviving manuscript collection in India, Tattvartha Sutra (Ancient Jain Text), Ramayana, and Srimad Bhagwad Gita, among others.
• The National Archives of India has made over 72,000 manuscripts available, both physically and through digitization, ensuring their accessibility to people worldwide.

International Archives Day :

• It is a day of celebration and awareness of the importance and value of archives and archivists.
• It is celebrated on June 9 every year, since 2008, to commemorate the date when the International Council on Archives (ICA) was created under the auspices of UNESCO in 1948.

Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System For NRIs:

The Chief Election Commissioner emphasised the need to facilitate postal voting for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

• It highlights the Election Commission’s proposal for Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballots(ETPBs) for NRIs, which is currently awaiting government approval.
• The initiative aims to allow over 1.34 crore overseas Indians to participate in elections using a technology-driven methodology.
• The ETPBS is a system designed to facilitate remote voting for individuals who are unable to cast their votes in person at a polling station.
• ETPBS combines the use of electronic transmission and postal services to enable voters to receive and return their ballots electronically.
• Under this system, postal ballots are sent electronically to registered service voters.
• The service voter can then download the ETPB (along with a declaration form and covers), register their mandate on the ballot and send it to the returning officer of the constituency via ordinary mail.
• The post will include an attested declaration form (after being signed by the voter in the presence of an appointed senior officer who will attest it).
• The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 was amended in 2016 to allow service voters to use the ETPBS.

Y-9DZ Electronic Warfare Aircraft:

Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) recently intercepted PLA’s Y-9DZ electronic-warfare aircraft over the Pacific Ocean.

Y-9DZ Electronic Warfare Aircraft:

• The Y-9DZ is China’s newly developed electronic warfare version of the Y-9 aircraft.
• It is a medium-range, medium-sized tactical transport aircraft manufactured by the Shaanxi Aircraft Company.
• The Y-9DZ was initially spotted in 2017, and China officially unveiled this aircraft in 2019, along with another electronic warfare variant known as the Y-9G.
• The Y-9DZ variant is the most advanced intelligence-gathering aircraft developed by China.
• This aircraft is capable of flying various special missions, including electronic intelligence, communication jamming, psychological operations missions and even surveillance missions during search and rescue operations.
• It features state-of-the-art sensors and communication systems.
• The Y-9DZ boasts two large rectangular-shaped ESM/ELINT (Electronic Support Measures and Electronic Intelligence) antennas on each side of the rear fuselage and a range of other antennas strategically placed throughout the aircraft.
• An oval dish-shaped ESM antenna is positioned atop the vertical fin, while a SATCOM antenna sits on the mid-fuselage.
• Presence of pipe-shaped antennas on the fuselage side suggests their purpose may be related to psychological operations

GI Tag To Ishad Mango : Karnataka

The delicious Ishad mango from Uttara Kannada (Karnataka) has earned its much-awaited geological indicator (GI) tag.

• Ishad mango is grown predominantly around Ankola, is tasty and contains a lot of pulp.
• It is said that the mango variety has been cultivated for the last 400 years.
• It has two variants — Kari Ishad, which has thin skin, more pulp and is sweeter, and Bili Ishad, which has thick skin and less pulp and sweetness.
• The Kari Ishad is accepted as one of the finest quality mangoes due to its unique aroma, luscious taste, high amount of pulp, shape, and size.

Geographical Indication Tag:

• It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.
• This is typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts and industrial products.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• This GI tag is valid for 10 years following which it can be renewed.