Current affairs- July 25, 2016
Archaeological Survey of India restoration plan at Fort St. George in Chennai:
Archaeological Survey of India has begun the restoration plan at Fort St. George in Chennai. As a part of the restoration plan, the 2.3 km moat
surrounding the historic Fort will be renovated. The moat dating back to 1760s
and built in the wake of a French attack became a wastewater chamber over the
years, leaving only a 500-metre bit near the flag-hoisting area dry.
- Sludge in the moat will be removed without damaging the heritage structure. The idea is to restore the British-era water lines that prevented flooding here.
Red Corridor to be redrawn by govt.
The government is planning to reduce the number of Maoist-affected
districts by about a fifth in the country.
- Over 20 of the 106 districts which have been described as being Maoist-affected and are part of the Red Corridor will be removed from the list. This exercise, under way now for two years, is being done for the first time since 2006, when the Maoist-affected districts were identified and graded on the basis of their violence profile.
National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)'s latest data on SCs:
According to the latest data released recently by the NationalCommission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan lead the
country in the number of crimes registered against the Scheduled Castes.
- UttarPradesh: with 20 per cent of India’s Dalit population accounts for 17 per cent of the crimes against them. The numbers — ranging from 7,078 to 8,946 from 2013 to 2015 — are high, but so is the population of Dalits in the State.
- Rajastan: With 6 per cent of India’s Dalit population, the State accounts for up to 17 per cent of the crimes against them across India. 52 to 65 percent of all crimes in Rajasthan have a Dalit as the victim. State’s SC (Dalit) population is just 17.8 per cent of its total population.
J&K gets 10% of Central funds with only 1% of
population
A study has revealed that Jammu and Kashmir has received 10% of
all Central grants given to states over the 2000-2016 period, despite having
only 1% of the country’s population.
- Uttar Pradesh makes up about 13% of the country’s population but received only 8.2% of Central grants in 2000-16. That means J&K, with a population of 12.55 million according to the 2011 Census, received Rs.91,300 per person over the last sixteen years while Uttar Pradesh only received Rs.4,300 per person over the same period.
Zebrafish provide insights into a rare human
disease
Scientists from the Delhi-based CSIR-Institute of Genomics and
Integrative Biology are a step closer to bringing hope to children born with a
rare disorder — CHARGE syndrome — if the results seen in
zebrafish are reproducible in humans. Scientists have studied the fertilised
egg of a zebrafish to better understand the CHARGE syndrome.
world’s largest amphibious aircraft:
China has completed the production of the world’s largest
amphibious aircraft. The plane, dubbed the AG600, was unveiled by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of
China (AVIC). The aircraft, which has a maximum range of 4,500 km, is intended
for fighting forest fires and performing marine rescues. At around the size of
a Boeing 737, it is far larger than any other plane built for marine take-off
and landing.
Large Underground Xenon:
The world’s most
sensitive dark matter detector, Large Underground Xenon (LUX), has failed to yield any trace of the elusive substance, dark
matter, thought to account for more than four-fifths of the mass of the
universe, even after 20 months of operation.
- The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment, which operates beneath a mile of rock at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in the Black Hills of South Dakota, U.S., has completed its silent search for the missing matter of the universe.
- Dark matter is thought to account for more than four-fifths of the mass in the universe. Scientists are confident of its existence because the effects of its gravity can be seen in the rotation of galaxies and in the way light bends as it travels through the universe.
First MSME Solar institute in India:
Ministry of
Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) goes solar with Hyderabad-based
Central Institute of Tool Design (CITD) installing a 50 KWP roof-top solar
energy power plant that generates close to 250 units per day. The plant is the
first to be installed in all of the 300 institutes and centres that come under
the MSME.
- The CITD has been working towards installing solar power plant much before other MSME institutes and hence it is the first in the country to get a solar power grid.
1. K.P.Sharma Oli:
- Nepal's Prime minister resigned
- He is the 1st Prime minister after Nepal recent constitution came into force.
2. Narsingh Yadav:
- Indian 74 kg-Wrestler who qualified from India to Rio olympics has got +ve in doping test conducted by National Anti-Doping Agency(NADA).
- He may face 4-year suspension , as per the 2015 anti-doping code.
