UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 05-10-2020
iasparliament
October 05, 2020
Atal Tunnel
World’s longest highway tunnel at Rohtang was recently inaugurated.
It is a 9.02 km-long-tunnel, at an altitude of above 3,000 metres.
It connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley.
It is built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
It provides all-weather connectivity to the landlocked valley of Lahaul-Spiti, which remains cut-off for 6 months due to bad weather connection.
It is also strategically important as it provide better connectivity to the armed forces in reaching Ladakh.
K family and Shaurya Missile
The K family of missiles are primarily Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles.
It is a nuclear capable ballistic missile.
It is indigenously developed by DRDO.
Missiles from this family are launched from Arihant class of nuclear submarines.
The capability of being able to launch nuclear weapons submarine platforms has great strategic importance in context of achieving a nuclear triad.
Shaurya is a land-based variant of short range K-15 Sagarika.
Wildlife Week
Wildlife Week is observed from October 2 to 8 every year.
The theme of this year campaign is to promote the preservation of fauna.
As part of it, an intensified tree planting exercise was organised in Western Ghats bordering Tamil Nadu.
Various kinds of dioecious trees are being planted in the Cheekoor forest range areas.
It is also an attempt to protect the fast dwindling vulture population in the Western Ghats.
The various parts of the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu is home to at least 4 kinds of vultures which play a major role in ensuring the eco-balance in the forest.
Dhaulasidh Hydro Electric Project
The project is going to be launched in Beas River in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.
The capacity of the project will be 66 MW.
It is a run-of-the river project with little storage capacity for production of electricity during lean period.
New Species in Western Ghats
Two new species of pipeworts was discovered in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Scientists from the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune have discovered it.
Pipeworts (Eriocaulon) is a plant group which completes its life cycle within a small period during monsoon.
It exhibits great diversity in the Western Ghats.
The species from Maharashtra has been named Eriocaulon parvicephalum (due to its minute inflorescence size).
The other reported from Kumta, Karnataka is called Eriocaulon karaavalense (named after Karaavali, Coastal Karnataka region).
Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)
The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) was launched in 2013 as a response to the call at Rio+20.
It aims to support those countries wishing to embark on greener and more inclusive growth trajectories.
PAGE seeks to put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
PAGE brings together five UN agencies
UN Environment,
International Labour Organization,
UN Development Programme,
UN Industrial Development Organization,
UN Institute for Training and Research
PAGE represents a mechanism to coordinate UN action on green economy.
It also aims to assist countries in achieving and monitoring the emerging Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 8: “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
