Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 10 August 2021, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.
Daily Current Affairs 10 August 2021
Mandatory blood sugar test for feto-maternal health
Union Minister Jitendra Singh has advocated for mandatory blood sugar test for every pregnant woman, regardless of any symptoms for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM).
The call for an early detection for GDM in pregnant ladies is significant as in India alone, GDM complicates nearly four million pregnancies annually.
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus is a medical condition in which a hormone produced by the placenta prevents the body from using insulin effectively. Placenta is an organ that provides important nutrients and oxygen to the growing baby.
When the body is unable to use the insulin effectively, the condition is called as insulin resistance. Thus, the glucose builds up in the blood instead of being absorbed by the cells, which can lead to high blood sugar level in the expecting mother.
Gestational diabetes is different from Type 1 diabetes. GDM is not caused by the lack of insulin, but by other hormones produced during pregnancy that can make insulin less effective.
ISRO to launch Bhutanese satellite in December 2021
Indian Space Research Organisation will launch a Bhutanese satellite which is being built by 4 Bhutanese engineers who are being trained by ISRO in December 2021.
The development of the INS-2B satellite of Bhutan is being underway by four Bhutanese engineers who were trained at ISRO’s UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru from December 28 to February 25, 2021.
India and Bhutan have been engaged in space cooperation with a ground Earth station for South Asia Satellite (SAS) that was inaugurated in Thimphu, Bhutan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in August 2019.
The SAS was launched by India in 2017 as a gift to the countries in the South Asia region, including Bhutan. Under the project, New Delhi has offered increased bandwidth on an additional transponder on the satellite for Bhutan as a gift as per the country’s requirement.
Aditi Ashok missed Olympic medal narrowly
Aditi Ashok came close to a historic Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 in women’s individual strokeplay (golf), finishing fourth.
Aditi Ashok is a professional golfer from Karnataka. She plays on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and LPGA Tour in the United States. She is the first Indian to play and win on the LET and finished second on the European circuit in 2016.
She is the first ever golfer, to represent India at the Olympics. She made her Olympic Games debut at the 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing 41st.
She qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, representing India in the golf and finished 4th in the games.
‘Super shoes’ have revived debate on technological doping
The ‘super shoes’ have revived debate on technological doping at Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Athletes have delivered extreme performances that have been partly attributed to these advanced shoes, as well as a high-tech track that they ran on.
Critics, however, allege that using the super footwear, first developed by the American multinational Nike and now adopted by several competitors, amounts to ‘technological doping’.
The Vaporfly series of shoes by Nike, lab tests have shown subsequently, helps an athlete save four per cent more energy than a competitor who does not wear them.
Later, track spikes — shoes that have spikes underneath to give runners a grip — also became more technologically advanced.
Unlike traditional spikes, which have tried to lessen the amount of midsole foam in order to decrease weight and energy absorption, super spikes have a better foam that is able to return as much as 80 to 90 per cent of energy to the athlete– thus acting like a spring in every step.
The carbon-fibre plate in super footwear is believed to allow athletes a more effective push-off.
World Athletics, the governing body for track and field sports, approves “super shoes”, but with regulations on foam thickness, as well as other parameters.
India’s trade deficit with China has declined to 44.02 billion US Dollars
India’s trade deficit with China has declined from 53.57 billion US Dollars in 2018-19 to 44.02 billion US Dollars in 2020-2021.
Exports to China has increased to USD 21.19 billion in 2020-21 from USD 16.61 billion in 2019-20. Exports were USD 16.75 billion in 2018-19.
Imports from China during 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 were worth USD 70.32 billion, USD 65.26 billion and USD 65.21 billion, respectively.
PM Narendra Modi launched ‘Ujjwala 2.0’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched ‘Ujjwala 2.0’ by handing over new LPG connections at Mahoba of Uttar Pradesh.
During Ujjwala 1.0 launched in 2016, a target was set to provide LPG connections to 5 crore women members of BPL households.
Subsequently, the scheme was expanded in April 2018 to include women beneficiaries from seven more categories (SC/ST, PMAY, AAY, Most backward classes, tea garden, forest dwellers, Islands).
Also, the target was revised to 8 Crore LPG connections. This target was achieved in August 2019, seven months ahead of the target date.
In the Union budget for FY 21-22, provision for an additional one crore LPG connection under the PMUY scheme was announced.
These one crore additional PMUY connections (under Ujjwala 2.0) aim to provide deposit-free LPG connections to those low-income families who could not be covered under the earlier phase of PMUY.
PM chaired UNSC High-Level Open Debate on Enhancing Maritime Security
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently chaired the High-level Open Debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation’ on 9th August.
Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate.
The Open Debate focussed on ways to effectively counter maritime crime and insecurity and strengthened coordination in the maritime domain.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi put forward the vision of SAGAR – an acronym for ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region’ in 2015.
In 2019, at the East Asia Summit, this initiative was further elaborated through the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) with a focus on seven pillars of maritime security including
- Maritime Ecology;
- Maritime Resources;
- Capacity Building and Resource Sharing;
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Management;
- Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation; and
- Trade Connectivity and
- Maritime Transport
World’s first Bio-Bank in Ayurveda at AIIA
Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has assured all help for establishing the first Bio-Bank of the world in Ayurveda at All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi.
AIIA is a public Ayurveda medicine and research institution located in New Delhi.
It was established in 2015. It is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of AYUSH.
The institute would offer postgraduate and doctoral courses in various disciplines of Ayurveda and will focus on fundamental research of Ayurveda, drug development, standardization, quality control, safety evaluation and scientific validation of Ayurvedic medicine.
Rameswar Teli launched 3rd ONGC handicraft project
Minister of State (MoS) Rameswar Teli launched ONGC-supported Assam Handloom project ‘Ujjwal Abahan’ on 6 August 2021.
The project will support and train over a hundred artisans of Bhatiapar of Sivasagar, Assam in Hathkharga handicraft.
This project is in line with the government’s observance of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, under which ONGC has earlier launched two projects supporting the indigenous handicrafts of the country.
Observing India’s 75th year of independence, PSUs under the Petroleum and natural gas ministry have undertaken 75 projects to be supported to commemorate each year of Independence.
India’s defence exports worth Rs 38,500 crore in last 7 years
India exported military hardware and systems worth Rs 38,500 crore in the last seven years.
As per the details provided by the government in the Lok Sabha recently, India exported military hardware and systems worth Rs 38,500 crore in the last seven years.
Further, the value of defence exports clocked Rs 9,115.55 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 8434.84 crore in 2020-21.
The major arsenal exported during 2014-15 and 2020-21 included armoured protection vehicles, light-weight torpedo, weapons locating radar,fire control systems and tear gas launchers.
Presently, India is exporting defence equipment to more than 75 countries around the globe.
In the last seven years, the aggregate defence exports stood at Rs 38,500.25 crore.
World Biofuel Day 2021
World Biofuel Day is celebrated on 10 August each year to raise awareness regarding unconventional sources of fuels that could work as alternatives to fossil fuels.
Biofuels are renewable, biodegradable, sustainable sources of energy. With the help of biofuels, one can decrease the import dependency on crude oil, and welcome a cleaner setting.
A biofuel is any source of energy that is extracted from biological material such as agricultural wastes, crops, trees or grass.
Biofuel can be produced from any source of carbon that can be rejuvenated rapidly, like plants.
Biofuels are known to contain no sulfur and produce low carbon monoxide and toxic emissions, as compared to conventional fossil fuels.
Islamic New Year 2021
Muharram, also knows as the Hijri New Year considered the second holiest month after Ramadan, marks the beginning of the Islamic New Year.
The Islamic calendar consists of 12 months and 354 or 355 days, it is approximately 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.
While the Muslim lunar calendar commences with Muharram, it ends with Dhul al-Hijjah. The New Year has been observed by Muslims all over the world since 622 AD.
It is believed that this is when Prophet Mohammed had migrated from Mecca to Medina to escape religious persecution.
The upcoming new year will be referred to as Hijri 1443 AH (Anno Hegirae in Latin or the year of the Hijra). It means that it has been 1443 years since Prophet Mohammed’s migration.
ISRO to launch earth observation satellite on August 12
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to launch an Earth Observation Satellite on August 12 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, at Sriharikota.
The satellite, EOS-03, will be carried on board the 14th flight of the GSLV, the GSLV-F10, and will place the satellite in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
The satellite will reach the final geostationary orbit using its onboard propulsion system.
A 4-metre diameter Ogive-shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in this GSLV flight.
The EOS-03 is a state-of-the-art agile satellite that would enable real-time monitoring of natural disasters such as floods and cyclones, monitoring of water bodies, crops, vegetation condition, forest cover changes among others.
US used B-52 bombers to stop Taliban from capturing Afghan cities
US has used B-52 bombers and Spectre gunships to target Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan who are advancing towards three key cities.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades.
It has been operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) since the 1950s. The bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of weapons, and has a typical combat range of more than 8,800 miles (14,080 km) without aerial refueling.
Beginning with the successful contract bid in June 1946, the B-52 design evolved from a straight wing aircraft powered by six turboprop engines to the final prototype YB-52 with eight turbojet engines and swept wings.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2021
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population.
It was first pronounced by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994, marking the day of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 1982.
In December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples should be observed on August 9th each year.
The day is needed, as across the world, indigenous peoples are often among the poorest ethnic groups in society. According to the UN, indigenous people make up less than 5 per cent of the world’s population but account for 15 per cent of the poorest.
