Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 10 August 2022

::NATIONAL::

On this day 80 years ago — on August 9, 1942 — the people of India launched the decisive final phase of the struggle for independence. It was a mass upsurge against colonial rule on a scale not seen earlier, and it sent out the unmistakable message that the sun was about to set on the British Empire in India.

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Mahatma Gandhi, who had told the Raj to “Quit India” on the previous day (August 8) was already in jail along with the entire Congress leadership, so when August 9 dawned, the people were on their own — out on the street, driven by the Mahatma’s call of “Do or Die”.
This truly people-led movement was eventually crushed violently by the British, but by then it was clear that nothing short of their final departure was acceptable to India’s masses.
While factors leading to such a movement had been building up, matters came to a head with the failure of the Cripps Mission.
Gandhi’s address: Do or Die
On August 8, 1942, Gandhi addressed the people in the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay (Mumbai). “Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you. Imprint it on your hearts, so that in every breath you give expression to it,” he said.
“The mantra is: ‘Do or Die’. We shall either free India or die trying; we shall not live to see the perpetuation of our slavery,” Gandhi said.

Government of India has decided to offer the use of Indigenous 5G Test Bed free of cost to the Indian Government recognized start-ups and MSMEs for the next six months upto Jan, 2023.

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With an objective to boost 5G ecosystem within India and to achieve the objectives of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.
The facility is available at a very nominal rate to all other stakeholders.
Department of Telecommunications has urged all 5G stakeholders including industry, academia, service providers, government bodies and equipment manufacturers to utilise the 5G testbed facilities and expertise to test and facilitate the speedy development and deployment of their products in the network.
Keeping in view India’s specific requirements and to take lead in 5G deployment, Department of Telecommunications has approved financial grant for the multi-institute collaborative project to set up ‘Indigenous 5G Test Bed’ in India in March, 2018 with total cost of 224 crore rupees.

Scientists have discovered over 4,300 dinosaur footprints in Hebei province of Zhangjiakou in northern China. This is the largest number of footprint fossils found in one spot in the country.

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The largest number of dinosaur footprint fossils located in northern China, these cover an area of 9,000 square metres.
According to news reports, the footprints show four different dinosaur species, one of which might be undiscovered.
The footprints belong to herbivores and carnivores dinosaurs; while the former could reach lengths of nearly 15 metres, the latter was four to five metres.
Scientists believe the area may have attracted dinosaurs due to the availability of water and trees at the time.
Though announced last month, the discovery was made in 2020, and since then, scientists have been carrying out 3D imaging of the footprints and casting molds of them.

How did the dinosaur footprints become fossils?

Preserved footprints, also known as ichnites, are trace fossils that have survived millions of years. These are found in earthen materials that were soft enough to form the foot impression and hard enough to retain it.
Over time, the material dried, hardened, and was covered with layers of sediment, helping the impression become fossilised. In numerous instances, soil erosion is now bringing them to the surface.

United States Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Colin Kahl confirmed that Washington has supplied some “anti-radiation missiles” to Ukraine, which could be fired from some Ukrainian Air Force aircraft.

What is the AGM-88 HARM missile?

The acronym ‘HARM’ in the AGM-88 HARM air-to-surface missile stands for High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile. It is a tactical weapon fired from fighter aircraft, and has the capability to detect and home into radiation emitted by hostile radar stations that have surface-to-air detection capabilities.

On the occasion of World Biofuel Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation a second generation (2G) ethanol plant built at an estimated cost of Rs 900 crore in Haryana’s Panipat.

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The 2G ethanol plant has been built at an estimated cost of over Rs 900 crore by the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) and is located close to the Panipat Refinery.
Based on state-of-the-art indigenous technology, the project will turn a new chapter in India’s waste-to-wealth endeavours by utilising about two lakh tonnes of rice straw (parali) annually to generate around three crore litres of ethanol annually.
Creating an end-use for the agri-crop residue would empower farmers and provide an additional income generation opportunity for them.

Actor Ashton Kutcher had a “weird, super rare form of vasculitis” two years ago that “knocked out” his vision, hearing, and “all my equilibrium”. Now he is completely recovered.

What is vasculitis?

Vasculitis is simply an inflammation of blood vessels.
Inflammation is the natural response of the body’s immune system to any injury or infection, which in normal course can help the body fight invading germs.
However, in vasculitis, the body’s immune system turns on healthy blood vessels, causing them to swell up and narrow down.
According to the UK’s National Health Service, the trigger for vasculitis may be an infection or a drug, although the precise reason is often uncertain or unknown.