Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 10 March 2021

::NATIONAL::

Recently, PM dedicated 7500th Janaushadhi Kendra, at Shillong, to the nation.
In 2008, Jan Aushadhi Scheme was launched by Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers. In 2015, it was recalibrated as PMBJP.
Its objective is making quality medicines available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, through exclusive outlets “Jan Aushadhi Medical Store”, so as to reduce out of pocket expenses in healthcare.
It is being implemented by Bureau of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings of India.

Sattras are monastic institutions created as part of 16th century Neo-Vaishnavite reformist movement started by saint SrimantaSankaradeva (1449-1596) in Assam.
Today, there are about 900 Sattras across Assam, promulgating Sankardeva’s unique “worship through art”approach with music (borgeet), dance (sattriya) and theatre (bhauna).
Sankardeva propagated a form of Bhakti called eka-sharana-naam-drama, and espoused a society based on equality and fraternity, free from caste differences, orthodox Brahmanical rituals and sacrifices.
His teaching focused on prayer and chanting (naam) instead of idol worship.

Report is released by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
As per it, an estimated 931 million tonnes of food equalling 17% of total food available to consumers in 2019globally wasted.
For India, waste in kg / capita / year was 50, lower than Nigeria producing waste at 189 kg / capita / year.
Report suggests reducing food waste would improve food security, address climate change, save money and lower pressures on the environment.

Switzerland voted in favour of banning full facial coverings including the niqab and burqa in almost all public places in the referendum.
Referendum is an instrument of direct democracy for general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision.

Other mechanisms of direct democracy:

Recall: by voters to remove a representative or an officer before the expiry of his term.
Initiative: to propose a bill to the legislature for enactment.
Plebiscite: obtaining the opinion of people on any issue of public importance.

Agri-voltaic system of 105 KW capacity was developed by ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur.
This technology can increase the income of farmers by generation of electricity and growing of cash crops simultaneously on the same piece of land.
Under component-I of KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha UtthanMahabhiyan) scheme, there is a provision for installation of agri-voltaic system in farmers’ fields with a capacity ranging from 500 KW to 2 MW.
Moreover, National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) has also documented 13 operational agri-voltaic systems in the country managed by different solar PV functionaries and public Institutes.

Quasars are very luminous objects in faraway galaxies that emit jets at radio frequencies.
Quasars give off enormous amounts of energy - they can be a trillion times brighter than Sun.
Quasars are believed to produce their energy from massive black holes in the center of galaxies in which quasars are located.Because quasars are so bright, they drown out light from all other stars in same galaxy.
Study of quasars can provide information about the early stages of the universe.