Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 April 2020

1. Lockdown period has been extended to 30 April 2020 in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh

• Recently the governments in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have extended the lockdown period to 30 April 2020 due to COVID-19.
• This lockdown will remain in force till the end of April under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

2. Regular visa and e-visa deadlines for foreign nationals stranded in India were extended

• Recently the Government of India has extended the deadline on the basis of regular visas and e-visas of foreign nationals stranded in India due to COVID-19.
• This deadline has been extended to 30 April 2020.
• Foreign nationals whose visa expires from 1 February to 30 April can apply and take advantage of this opportunity free of charge.

3. April 14: Birth anniversary of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar

• 14 April 2020 is being celebrated as the 129^th birth anniversary of Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.
• Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar was born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, presently the place is known as Dr. Ambedkar Nagar.
• Dr. Ambedkar was a noted jurist, economist, politician and social reformer.
• He was the first Minister of Law and Justice of Independent India.
• Dr. Ambedkar is known as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.
• He was posthumously awarded the country's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 1990.

4. A collaborative network ‘CollabCAD’ was launched

• Recently a collaborative network Collab CAD has been launched.
• This collaborative network has been started jointly by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and National Informatics Center.
• The objective of this initiative is to provide an ideal platform to the students of the Atal Tinkering Lab across the country so that they can create and modify 3-D designs with free and open creativity and vision.
• This collaborative network is a computer-based software system.
• The system provides complete engineering solutions ranging from 2-D drafting and detailing to 3-D product design.
• The Atal Tinkering Lab has been set up across the country to promote new ideas and creativity among children.
• The Atal Innovation Mission is a major initiative initiated by NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.
• It is based on India's innovation and entrepreneurial needs in the future.

5. Chief Election Commissioner and others will contribute 30% of their basic salary against COVID-19 for one year

• Recently Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and the other two Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra reported that they would contribute 30% of his basic salary for one year in the ongoing campaign against COVID-19.
• Election Commission:
  • The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional body.
  • It is the body responsible for the conduct of Union and State election procedures in India.
  • Part 15 of the Constitution of India relates to the Election and Election Commission.
  • The Election Commission was established on 25 January 1950.
  • In Articles 324 to 329 of the Constitution, the provision related to the Commission, its member's powers, work, tenure, eligibility etc. is mentioned.

6. Bengali New Year ‘Pahela Baishakh’ is being celebrated in West Bengal

• In West Bengal, Bengali New Year's Day is being celebrated as ‘Pahela Baishakh’.
• But due to the ongoing lockdown in the country, this year the New Year celebration has reduced significantly.
• People are celebrating the day in their homes with Ganesh Puja and other rituals.
• On this day, the Bengali merchant community opens new books of accounts called Hala Khata.
• Bangla Noboborsho is the first day of the Bengali calendar.
• It is celebrated as a national holiday in Bangladesh on 14 April.
• New Year is celebrated on 14 or 15 April by people of Bengali heritage in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and northern Odisha and in parts of Assam, irrespective of their religion.

7. Death of freedom fighter MB Desai

• Recently freedom fighter Mohan B. Yamakanamaradi Desai passed away at the age of 99.
• He was a freedom fighter, promoter of Khadi and senior journalist.
• He joined the independence movement at the age of just 16.
• He also participated in the Hyderabad Karnataka Liberation Movement in the 1940s.
• He also started Lok Darshan, a Kannada weekly in Belagavi in ​​1956, which he converted into a daily paper in 1963.
• He was awarded the Rajyotsava Award in 2014 for his contribution in the field of journalism.

Topic of the Day- “Earthquake”

The shaking of the Earth's surface is called earthquake. The sudden release of energy into the Earth's lithosphere creates seismic waves, which eventually come to us in the form of Earth vibrations. Sometimes the intensity of an earthquake is so weak that it cannot even be felt and sometimes it is so severe that there is a devastation like 2001 earthquake in Kutch, Gujarat and 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

Causes of earthquake:

• The motion of tectonic plates is the most common cause of earthquakes.
• Volcanic eruptions are the second leading cause of earthquakes. Often earthquakes occur before or after magma rocks come to Earth with volcanic eruptions.
• Large scale mining work in underground mines is another cause of earthquake. Due to the pressure generated within the rocks, the earth usually vibrates.
• Artificial explosions or nuclear tests are also responsible for earthquakes. High intensity explosions such as nuclear explosions are a primary cause of earth tremor.
• Apart from this, the construction of large dams and reservoirs is also another cause of earth tremor at the regional level.

Types of waves:

Earthquakes are caused by the energy released through seismic waves. These waves are generally of two types- Body waves and Surface Waves. The body waves are further classified as:

P-waves - These waves are also known as primary waves. These are the first waves to reach surface. These waves are like sound waves. They travel through all three mediums - solid, liquid and gas. These waves have a tendency to vibrate parallel to the direction of wave propagation. These waves are responsible for the rotation and contraction of the object.

S-Waves - S waves come sometime after the earthquake and are called secondary waves. An important feature of these S waves is that they travel only through a solid medium. The vibrational direction of this S wave is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation, forming crusts and troughs in the direction of their transmission.

The body waves interact with surface rocks thereby, generating surface waves which moves along the surface. These can also be divided into two parts -

1. L wave
2. R wave or Rayleigh wave

Shadow zone of Earthquake:

Shadow zone, the area of ​​the Earth that does not record any kind of waves. For both P and S waves, a zone between 105° to 145° is a shadow zone. The zone beyond 105° does not record S-waves. The shadow zone of P waves is smaller than that of S-waves.

(Source: NCERT)

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Aizawl is the capital of which northeast state?

A. Manipur

B. Tripura

C. Meghalaya

D. Mizoram

2. The time limit for regular visas and e-visas of foreign nationals stranded in India has been extended to what date?

A. 3 May 2020

B. 1 June 2020

C. 30 April 2020

D. 1 July 2020

3. Which statement is correct with respect to Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar?

A. He was born in Madhya Pradesh.

B. He was the first Law and Justice Minister of independent India.

C. He has been awarded the Bharat Ratna.

D. All of the above are correct.

4. A Collaboration network CollabCAD has been launched under which of the following?

A. Atal Innovation Mission

B. NITI Aayog

C. National Informatics Center

D. Joint effort of the above three

5. Which part of Indian Constitution is related to Election and Election Commission?

A. 10

B. 12

C. 15

D. 5

6. In which state is Pahela Baishakh celebrated?

A. Kerala

B. Gujarat

C. West Bengal

D. Himachal Pradesh

7. Recently MB Desai passed away, he was related to which field?

A. Acting

B. Journalism

C. Medicine

D. Business

Solution:

1. D

2. C

3. D

4. D

5. C

6. C

7. B