UPSC Daily Current Affairs | One Liners 30-12-2024

One Liners 30-12-2024

International Relations and Issues

Louisiana Purchase

• Treaty between – The United States and France in 1803.
• Effect – It added 828,000 square miles of land to the United States, nearly doubling its size

Agriculture

Piped Water Supply in Punjab

• Punjab has recently reached a significant milestone by ensuring 100% piped water supply to every rural household.
• As part of – The central government’s ‘Har Ghar Jal’ initiative.

Har Ghar Jal

• Launched by – Ministry of Jal Shakthi, in 2019
• Aim - To provide 55 litres of tap water to every rural household per capita per day regularly on long term basis by 2024.

Environment

Common murres (Uria aalge)

• These are sleek, powerful seabirds in the Alcidae family.
• Distribution – In colder circumpolar waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.
• Morphology – It have a streamlined black-and-white body built for swimming, and during the breeding season, their heads are entirely black.
• Threats – Marine heatwave decimates nearly 4 million of Alaska’s common murre seabirds over a three-year period.

Security

Surya Kiran Exercise 2024

Indian Army contingent has left for Nepal to take part in the 18th Battalion Level Joint Military Exercise.

• It is annual event that alternates between India and Nepal.
• Location – In Nepal from December 2024, to January 2025.
• Purpose – To improve cooperation in several key areas, including jungle warfare, counter-terrorism operations in mountainous regions, and disaster relief efforts in line with the United Nations Charter.
• It will also prioritize enhancing readiness and medical training.

Science

Kaveri engine

• It is India’s Indigenous Fighter Jet Engine.
• Developed by – Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).
• Initiative of – Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• It is now ready for real-world performance evaluations aboard a specialized flying test bed (FTB).

Foldscopes

• National Institute of Biotic Stress Management recently said that it has distributed ‘foldscopes’, portable microscopes to farmers in nearly 20 districts of Chhattisgarh.
• Uses – It aids in pest and disease detection, soil quality assessment and water analysis.
• It helps in in-situ diagnosis and digital cataloguing of plant-pathogenic fungi through foldscope microscopy.
• Usage in Chhattisgarh – Used to identify diseases such as powdery mildew, leaf blight, leaf spot and post-harvest diseases.

Miscellaneous

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

• Instituted by – Ministry of women and child development.
• Categories – It has 2 categories
• Eligibility - Awardees must be Indian citizens residing in India.
• Bal Shakti Puraskar - Awarded to children of 5 -18 age group for outstanding achievement in innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts and culture, bravery, or sports.
• Bal Kalyan Puraskar - To individuals or organisations that have made outstanding contributions in child development, child protection, or child welfare.

H-1B visa Programme

• Role – It allows US employers to hire immigrant workers in specialty occupations that require “a high level of skill” and “at least a bachelor’s degree.
• Duration – It can be issued for a maximum of 6 years at a stretch.
• Users – Indians accounted for 72.3% (2.79 lakh of a total of 3.86 lakh) H-1B visa holders.

Demise of Jimmy Carter

The 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, has died at the age of 100.

• Nobel Peace Prize – In 2002, for his contributions to global peace.
• Camp David Accords – It resolved longstanding conflicts between Israel and Egypt.