1.Bio-Fencing

Why in News?

• Uttarakhand government has decided to carry out bio-fencing to check man-animal conflict. According to officials leopards and bears, along with elephants and wild boars are a major threat to human life, livestock and crops.
• So far, the state Forest Department had been using traditional methods like solar-powered wire fencings, walls and pits in the woods to prevent the entry of elephants, wild boars, tigers, leopards and others in residential areas. But bio-fencing will be economical and environment-friendly as compared to the other methods.

About Bio-Fencing:

• Bio-fences are lines of trees or shrubs planted on farm or field boundaries that provide protection against cattle and wildlife, act as windbreaks, enrich the soil, provide bee forage, provide shade, and control dust.
• They are less expensive and more useful than fences made of wood, barbed wire, or stone masonry. Various species have been tested to discover their suitability for use as bio- fencing plants.
• In Uttarakhand Bio-fencing with lemongrass will be done to prevent entry of elephants because elephants do not like the smell of lemongrass. Likewise, agave will be grown to deter elephant and wild boars.
• According to the officials if local farmers agree to be part of the bio-fencing exercise, they can earn by growing lemongrass, a good source of oil. Also, bio-fencing will help save the money the government spends on building walls, digging pits and on solar-powered wire fencing.

 2.INS VIKRANT

Why in News?

• A few computer hardware components have been stolen from the machine room of the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier being built at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) recently.

About INS VIKRANT:

• NS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1), is the India’s first Indigenous Aircraft, which is currently undergoing sea trials and expected to join service by 2021 .
• It has two take-off runways and a landing strip with three arrester wires having short-take off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) system.
• With successful completion of construction of INS Vikrant India joins elite group of four nations in the world viz United States, Russia, United Kingdom and France that are capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers.

3.Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)

Why in News?

• The Indian government has recently announced that it has hammered out a trade deal with U.S in order to regain the GSP benefits to India.

What is Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)?

• The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a U.S. trade program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products from 129 designated beneficiary countries and territories.

Objective of GSP:

• The objective of GSP was to give development support to poor countries by promoting exports from them into the developed countries.
• GSP promotes sustainable development in beneficiary countries by helping these countries to increase and diversify their trade with the United States.
• GSP provide opportunities for many of the world’s poorest countries to use trade to grow their economies and climb out of poverty.

4.LOTUS TOWER

Why in News?

• The grand opening of Sri Lanka’s tallest tower was mired in controversy when Sri Lankan President alleged that one of the Chinese firms contracted to construct the tower had usurped an amount of $11 million of state funds.

About Lotus Tower:

• The Lotus Tower is a 356.3 metre construction in the shape of a lotus bud which is South Asia’s tallest tower.
• It costs over $100 million of which 80% has been funded by China under the controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• It is under immense criticism as such projects are miring the country into a huge financial debt.

5.Periodic Labour Force Survey

About the Survey :

• Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is conducted by NSSO under Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation
• PLFS is designed to formulate the design of labour market operations using two approaches:

a) Current Weekly Status Approach

b) Usual Status Approach

• PLFS is designed to formulate the design of labour market operations using twoapproaches:

a) Current Weekly Status Approach

b) Usual Status ApproachCurrent Weekly Status approach:

• The Current Weekly Status (CWS)

Aapproach to measuring unemployment uses seven days preceding the date of survey as the reference period. A person is considered to be employed if he or she pursues any one or more of the gainful activities for at least one-hour on any day of the reference week. On the other hand, if a person does not pursue any gainful activity, but has been seeking or available for work, the person is considered as unemployed.

• Usual Status Approach:

This approach records only those persons as unemployed who had no gainful work for a major time during the 365 days preceding the date of survey and are seeking or are available for work. Thus, the estimates of unemployment obtained on the basis of usual status approach are expected to capture long-term open unemployment.

• Period :

It will estimate labour force indicators on Quarterly basis for Urban sectors only using Current Weekly Status Approach.

It will estimate labour force indicators on Annual Basis for Urban and Rural Areas for both using both the approaches- Current Weekly Status Approach and Usual Status Approach.

 6.Bab el Mandeb and other choke points

Why in news :

• Saudi Arabia joins U.S.-led maritime coalition – “International Maritime Security Construct” after attack on its oil facility

About Bab el Mandeb :

• The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a sea route chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea.

Strait of Hormuz:

• The Strait of Hormuz is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean  . A  fifth of the world’s oil travels through the strait .

Strait of Gibraltar :

• The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Gibraltar and Peninsular Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa.

 7.Rustom 2

Why in news :

• DRDO’s ‘Rustom-2’ drone crashes in farm in Karnataka’s Chitradurga

About Rustom 2 :

• The DRDO Rustom is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation for the three services, Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force of the Indian Armed Forces.
• Rustom 2 or TAPAS-BH-201 is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), designed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance roles for the Indian Armed Forces.