Facts in News

                           Facts in News

Kunpengopterus antipollicatus (Monkeydactyl)

• It is a species of pterosaur, which were reptiles, close cousins of dinosaurs and the first animals after insects to evolve powered flight.
• A new pterosaur fossil has been discovered in the Tiaojishan Formation of Liaoning, China, and is thought to be 160 million years old.
• “Antipollicatus” in ancient Greek means “opposite thumbs”, and it was attached to the name because the researchers’ findings could be the first discovery of a pterosaur with an opposed thumb.
  • Opposability of the thumb is defined as being able to “simultaneously flex, abduct and medially rotate the thumb” in a way that one is able to bring the tip of the thumb to touch the tips of the other fingers.
• They suggest that K. antipollicatus could have used its hand for grasping, which is likely an adaptation for arboreal life.

                                 (Image Courtesy: IE)

Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System (MANAS) App

• It is a comprehensive, scalable and national digital wellbeing platform and an app developed to augment mental well-being of Indian citizens.
• It integrates the health and wellness efforts of various government ministries, scientifically validated indigenous tools with gamified interfaces developed/researched by various national bodies and research institutions.
• It was endorsed as a national programme by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
• It was initiated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, jointly executed by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru, the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) Pune and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) Bengaluru.

Currency Chest

• It is a place where the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stocks the money meant for banks and ATMs.
• These chests are usually situated on the premises of different banks but administered by the RBI.
• Representatives of the RBI inspect currency chests time-to-time, and update their senior officers about it.
• The money present in the currency chest belongs to the RBI and the money, kept in the strong room outside the currency chest belongs to the bank.
• As per the set guidelines, the bank, in which the currency chest is situated is liable to fulfill the loss of the currency chest.
  • Regarding any crime, the banks concerned are also bound to submit a Fraud Monitoring Report (FMR) to the RBI.
• The security of currency chests is the subject of the bank in which chests are situated. The RBI reimburses the security expenses to the bank as per the set norms.

Aahaar Kranti

• Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan launched “Aahaar Kranti”.
• It is a mission aimed at spreading the message of the need for a nutritionally balanced diet and to understand the importance of accessibility to all local fruits and vegetables.

• Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists’ and Technocrats’ Forum (GIST) have come together to launch the mission with the motto of “Good Diet-Good Cognition”.
• The Aahaar Kranti movement is designed to address the peculiar problem being faced by India and the world called “hunger and diseases in abundance“.
• It will renew the focus on nutritionally balanced diets (Uttam Evam Santulit Aahaar) replete in locally sourced fruits and vegetables.
• The programme will focus on training teachers, who, in turn, will pass on the message to the multitudes of students, and through them to their families and finally the society at large.
• The United Nations has also declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, which vibes very well with Aahaar Kranti.
• It will seek to promote better awareness, better nutrition and better agriculture.

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S)

• It is a colourless chalcogen hydride gas with a characteristic foul odour.
• It is very poisonous, corrosive, and flammable.
• It dissolves in water and oil, and it may be released when these liquids are heated, depressurized, or agitated. Because it is heavier than air, it may settle in low spots.
• H2S is the primary gas produced from the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, and this necessitates easy detection of its emission from sewers and swamps.
• It occurs naturally in crude petroleum, natural gas, volcanic gases, and hot springs.

National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)

• The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) was set up under Article 338 of the Constitution of India .
•  It consists of:
  • Chairperson.
  • Vice-chairperson.
  • Three other members.
  • They are appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
• Objectives
  • To investigate and monitor all issues pertaining to the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under any law for the time being in force or under any order of the Government of India.
  • The Commission also enquires into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes.