Prelim Snippets- 03.03.2020

1. Dwar Praday Yojana (Door Delivery System)

Context:
  • Dwar Praday Yojana is a pilot project that was recently started in Indore by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
About Dwar Praday Yojana:
  • The Applicants living within the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) get five types of documents
    • Domicile certificate,
    • Income certificate,
    • Birth certificate,
    • Death Certificate and
    • Copy of Khasra-Khatauni (a land ownership document)
  • Delivered at their home within 24 hours of applying online.
  • It has engaged a local courier agency, which delivers the documents after collecting them from public service centres.
  • It is a central government initiative to improve the government’s service Delivery Mechanism.

2. RaIDer-X

Why in News?
  • Recently, RaIDer-X, was unveiled at the National Workshop on Explosive Detection (NWED-2020) in Pune.
  • It was organized by the High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune.
About RalDer-X:
  • It has the capability to detect 20 explosives within a distance of about 2 metres. Bulk explosive in concealed condition can also be detected by the device.
  • It can be built to expand its capability to detect a number of explosives in pure form as well as with the contaminants.
  • It has various applications including narcotics, for local police, for customs and other detection agencies who need to detect various elements which may be explosive or non-explosive in nature.
  • It has been co-developed by HEMRL, Pune and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
  • About High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Pune
  • It is a premier laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO.)
  • It is involved in basic and applied research in the area of high energy materials.

3. Rare Disease Day

Context:
  • Recently, the Rare Disease Day is observed on February 29.
About Rare Disease:
  • It is also referred to as an orphan disease.
  • It is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population.
  • It is mostly genetic, and are present throughout a person’s entire life, even if symptoms do not immediately appear.
  • The most common rare diseases recorded in India are Haemophilia, Thalassemia, sickle-cell anaemia and primary immuno deficiency in children, auto-immune diseases, Lysosomal storage disorders such as Pompe disease, Hirschsprung disease, Gaucher’s disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Hemangiomas and certain forms of muscular dystrophies.
  • There is no universally accepted definition of rare diseases, countries typically arrive at their own descriptions, taking into consideration disease prevalence, its severity and the existence of alternative therapeutic options.
  • In the US, a rare disease is defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people. The same definition is used by the National Organisation for Rare Disorders (NORD).

4. Fishing Cat and Otters

Why in News?
  • Recently, the presence of a viable, breeding population of a fishing cat has been found in Chilika Lake. Further, the presence of a smooth-coated otter and an Eurasian otter has also been recorded in the lake.
About the Species:

1. Fishing Cat

  • Habitat:In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.

Protection Status:

  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix II
  • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I

2. Smooth-Coated Otter

  • Habitat :Smooth-coated otters are distributed throughout India from the Himalayas to the south.

Protection Status:

  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix II
  • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II

3. Eurasian Otter:

  • Habitat: Throughout Europe and Asia from Ireland in the west as far as eastern Russia and China. They are also found in north Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) and the Middle East (Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Iran).

Protection Status:

  • IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II.

5. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)

Why in News?
  • 16 lakh candidates benefit from the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme.

National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS):
  • It was launched with the objective of providing Apprenticeship Training to 50 lakh youth by 2020.
  • Under the scheme, the Government will share 25% of the prescribed stipend subject to a maximum of Rs 1500/- per month per apprentice with the employers.
  • It has a user friendly on-line portal designed to facilitate easy processing of the entire apprenticeship cycle.
  • State Apprenticeship Advisers (SAAs) and Regional Directorates of Apprenticeship (RDAIs) act as implementing agencies in their respective state/Regions.
  • To improve the industry connect, Directorate General of Training (DGE&T), M/o Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has adopted the German model of Vocational Education system in India by Introducing Dual System of Training (DST).
  • Dual System combines practical training in the industry and theoretical training along with foundation practical in ITI (s) which leads to better ITI — Industry linkage.
  • Under this, ITIs (industrial training institutes) are required to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with industries under information to the respective State

6. ICGS Varad

Why in News?
  • The Indian Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Varad has been commissioned recently.
Highlights:
  • The ship will be deployed extensively for the surveillance of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone and to safeguard the maritime interests of the country.

Key Features:
  • The ship Varad will be based at Paradip in Odisha, under the operational control of the Coast Guard North Eastern Region.
  • The 98-meter-long vessel has been designed and built by the L&T at its yard at Kattupalli near Chennai, as per the specifications of the Coast Guard.
  • The ship is fitted with modern navigation and communication equipment, sensors and machinery.
  • It is equipped with 30 mm and 12.7 mm guns.
  • It has special on board features like the Integrated Bridge System, Platform Management System, Automated Power Management System and High Power External Fire-Fighting system.
  • The vessel can be used for search and rescue, law enforcement and maritime patrol.
  • The ship is also capable of carrying pollution response equipment for oil spill response at sea.

7. Export of onions

Why in News?
  • In the interest of farmers, the Government permits export of onions with effect from 15th March 2020.
Highlights:
  • The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Department of Commerce issued a notification in this regard.
  • The notification says that Onions, which were in the “prohibited” category as per the present policy, will be under the category “free” in the revised policy.
  • The effect of the notification will be that the export of all varieties of onions has been made ‘free’ without any condition of Letter Of Credit and Minimum Export Price, with effect from the said date.
Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT):
  • The DGFT is an attached office of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, formed in 1991.
  • It is headed by the Director General of Foreign Trade.
  • It is involved in the regulation and promotion of foreign trade through regulation.
  • Keeping in line with liberalization and globalization and the overall objective of increasing of exports, the DGFT has since been assigned the role of a “facilitator”.
  • The shift was from prohibition and control of imports/exports to promotion and facilitation of exports/imports, keeping in view the interests of the country.
  • The Directorate is responsible for formulating and implementing the Foreign Trade Policy with the main objective of promoting India’s exports.
  • The DGFT also issues scrips/authorization to exporters and monitors their corresponding obligations through its network of regional offices. It is headquartered in New Delhi.
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