Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 17th May 2023

Sahyadri Tiger Reserve : Species Of Animals And Birds Were Recorded

Report of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) water hole census has been released recently, and a total of 374 animals from 18 wild species of animals and birds were recorded.

• Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) is located in the Sahyadri Ranges of Western Ghats in Maharashtra.
• It combines the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and the Chandoli National Park in the southern part of Maharashtra.
• The region of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve includes the area around the Koyna Dam, Warna River and many other small rivers and streams originating from the Western Ghats and flowing to the east.
• Vegetation: Evergreen, semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests.
• The habitat of Sahyadri is composed of woodlands, grasslands and plateau, the latter locally referred to as “Sadaa”, which are lateritic in nature with considerable habitat value.
• The Tiger Reserve is home to the endangered species of top carnivores such as the Tiger, Wild dog, and Leopard.
• The herbivores include Gaur, Sambar, Four Horned Antelope, Mouse Deer and Giant Squirrel.
• The Atlas Moth, Moon Moth and many endangered Butterflies have been documented in the area, and the Indian long-billed Vulture has been noticed on the crest line.

Innovations For Defence Excellence : Reached a Milestone

Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) recently reached a milestone with the signing of the 250th contract, the first one under the Mission DefSpace.

• iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence is the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), launched in April 2018.
• Aim is to achieve self-reliance and foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia.
• iDEX has partnered with leading incubators in the country to provide handholding, technical support and guidance to the winners of iDEX challenges.
• iDEX will be funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’ which has been formed as a ‘not for profit company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 by the two founder members, i.e. Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) – HAL & BEL.
• iDEX will function as the executive arm of DIO, carrying out all the required activities, while DIO will provide high-level policy guidance to iDEX.
• Under iDEX, financial support is provided to Start-ups/MSMEs/individual innovators and Partner Incubators through DIO.

WPI Inflation Rate:

The WPI inflation has fallen into negative for the first time since July 2020.

• According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, INFLATION RATE based on Wholesale Price Index (WPI) fell to a near three-year low of (-) 0.92 % in April, slipping into negative territory for the first time in 33 months.
• A high base effect along with moderation in global commodity prices reflected in easing of food, fuel and other input costs.
• The decline in the WPI inflation rate in April 2023 was primarily contributed by fall in prices of basic metals, food products, mineral oils, textiles, non-food articles etc.

Wholesale Price Index (WPI):

• Wholesale Price Index (WPI) represents the price of goods at a wholesale stage i.e. goods that are sold in bulk and traded between organizations instead of consumers.
• The index has a total of 697 items, including Primary Articles (117), fuel and power (16), and Manufactured Products (564).
• The percentage increase in WPI over a year gives the rate of inflation for that year.
• Currently, the base year of WPI is 2011-12.
• WPI is used as an important measure of inflation in India.

Greenwashing TechSprint:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will join 12 international regulators in the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN)’s first-ever Greenwashing TechSprint to develop a tool to help regulators and the market effectively tackle the risks of greenwashing in financial services.

• Greenwashing refers to misleading the general public into believing that companies, sovereigns or civic administrators are doing more for the environment than they actually are.
• This may involve making a product or policy seem more environmentally friendly or less damaging than it is in reality.
• The term was coined by environmentalist Jay Westervelt in 1986.
• The phenomenon came into practice as consumers and regulators increasingly sought to explore planet-friendly, recyclable and sustainable ‘green’ products.
• By 2015, 66% of consumers were willing to shell out more for a product that was environmentally sustainable.
• Greenwashing is done primarily for a company to either present itself as an ‘environment-friendly’ entity or for profit maximisation.
• It is achieved by introducing a product, catering to the inherent demand for environment-friendly products.
• In certain instances, it is done using the larger idea as a premise to cut down on certain operational logistics and providing consumer essentials.

National Gallery Of Modern Art:

Prime Minister visited the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi for viewing the exhibition ‘Jana Shakti: A Collective Power’ which celebrates the artistic diversity of India and is inspired by the themes highlighted in Prime Minister’s popular radio programme Mann ki Baat.

• The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the premier art gallery which aims to acquire and preserve works of modern art from 1850s onward.
• It is run and administered as a subordinate office to the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• Its collection includes works by artists such as Raja Ravi Verma, Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil as well as foreign artists like Thomas Daniell.
• The main museum in New Delhi was established in 1954 by the Government of India.
• NGMA has two other branches, one at Mumbai and another at Bangalore.

Centre For Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE):

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has established the Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE) to centralize the process of striking off companies from the MCA Register.

• Striking off companies from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) Register means removing defunct, non-operational, or dissolved companies from the official database.
• C-PACE founded in March 2023; HQ: at the office of Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) in Gurgaon) aims to ensure a clean registry, provides hassle-free filing and timely, process-bound striking off of company names from the Register.
• C-PACE operates through the Registrar of Companies (RoC) and is part of MCA’s efforts to improve the Ease of Doing Business and facilitate company exits.

Meri LiFE App:

The Government recently launched the “Meri LiFE” (My Life) mobile application to empower young people and encourage their participation in tackling climate change.

• The app is inspired by the concept of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), which was envisioned by the Prime Minister at COP 26.
• Aim is to promote mindful utilisation instead of wasteful consumption.
• The application will foster a nationwide movement for LiFE, demonstrating the power of citizens in saving the environment.
• Through this app, the impacts of simple actions in daily life can be understood, which can have a larger climate impact.
• Meri LiFE is a marketplace where young people can explore their interests, find Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability focused opportunities that match their interests, and sign up to act on issues that matter the most to them.

Carbon Dating Of a ‘Shivling’ Inside Gyanvapi Mosque : Varanasi

The Allahabad High Court allowed the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct Carbon Dating of a ‘Shivling’ inside the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

• The petitioners have claimed the object inside the Gyanvapi mosque to be a “Shivling”.
• The claim was disputed by the Muslim side, which said the object was part of a “fountain”.
• It set aside an order of the Varanasi District Court that rejected a plea for scientific investigation, including carbon dating, of the structure.
• Carbon dating is a widely used method to establish the age of organic materials, things that were once living.
• Living things have carbon in them in various forms.
• The dating method is based on the fact that Carbon-14 (C-14) is radioactive, and decays at a well-known rate.
• C-14 is an isotope of carbon with an atomic mass of 14.
• The most abundant isotope of carbon in the atmosphere is C-12.
• A very small amount of C-14 is also present.
• The ratio of C-12 to C-14 in the atmosphere is almost static and is known.

INS Delhi And INS Satpura : Navy’s Deployment To ASEAN Countries

Indian Naval ships INS Delhi and INS Satpura recently departed Sihanoukville, Cambodia, after making a port call in the country as part of the Indian Navy’s deployment to ASEAN countries.

• INS Delhi is India’s first indigenously built guided missile Destroyer.
• It is the lead ship of her classof guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy.
• It was built at the Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai and commissioned on 15 November 1997.
• Maximum Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h) and Range: 5,000 mi (8,000 km) with Aircraft : 2 x Sea King helicopters
• INS Satpura is an indigenously designed and built Shivalik-class guided-missile stealth frigate.
• The ship is a frontline unit of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam.
• Built at Mazagaon Docks Ltd, Mumbai, and commissioned on 20 August 2011, INS Satpura derives her name from the majestic Satpura mountain range in central India.
• It is equipped with a versatile array of weapons and sensors and can carry multi-role helicopters.
• Displacement: 6,200 tonnes and
• Maximum Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h;
• Aircraft carried: 2 × HAL Dhruv or Sea King Mk. 42B helicopters