Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 17 August 2021

::NATIONAL::

2nd phase of SAMVAD(Support,Advocacy & Mental health interventions for children invulnerable circumstances AndDistress) programme was launched on the eve of Independence Day.
During first year, SAMVAD provided coping mechanism for children in distress by training close to1 lakh stakeholders comprising of Child Protection Functionaries, tele-counsellors,educators, law professionals among others.

About:

It is a National Initiative and Integrated Resource that works in child protection, mental health and psychosocial care.
It is under Dept, of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health And NeuroSciences (NIMHANS), supported by Ministry of Women & Child Development.

Bihar has decided to tag greater adjutant storks with GPS trackers to monitor their movement as a part of efforts to conserve them.

About Greater Adjutant Storks:

They are long-necked large birds.
These are falls in Endangered category under IUCN Red list and in 1 Schedule IV of Indian Wild Life(Protection) Act, 1972.
Bhagalpur’s Kadwa Diara floodplains are the third-most-popular breeding centre for them in the world after Assam and Cambodia.
They are considered mount of Vishnu thus known as Garuda.
They help farmers by killing rats and other farm pests.

Recently, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue(Quad) included Taiwan Strait in talks for peace and stability, after its mention in G-7 and joint statement from USA with Japan and South Korea.
Taiwan Strait, also known as Farmosa Strait, with average width of 180 km, separates Taiwan fromFujian province of Mainland China, i.e., connecting the South China Sea and East China Sea.
Among the most heavily policed strips of water in the world, the strait has remained an active battlefield between People’s Republic of China (mainland China) and Republic of China (Taiwan).
It is also part of flash points between US-China over freedom-of-navigation in Indo-Pacific region.

Navroz (‘Nav’ for New and ‘Roz’ for day), celebrates the first day of the Zoroastirancalender’s first month, Farvardin.

About:

According to Iranian Calendar, it falls every year on Spring Equinox (21st March) but as per Shahenshahi Calendar (followed in India), it comes in July-August.
It is also known as Jamshed-i-Navroz after Persian King Jamshed who started the ShahenshahiCalendar.
Zoroastrianism Is a heterogenetic religion, started by Prophet Zarathustra or Zoroaster with ZendAvesta as Holy Book of Parsis.
It is based on philosophy of world division between Ahura Mazda (Good Spirit) and Angra Mainyu(Evil Spirit).

Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment TAPAS (Training for Augmenting Productivity and Services) online portal.

About:

It is the initiative of National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to provide access to lectures by subject experts and study material in a manner that it supplements physical classroom without compromising on the quality of teaching.
TAPAS is a standard MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform with course material such as filmed lectures and e-study material.
Five courses on Drug (Substance) Abuse Prevention, Geriatric/Elderly Care, Care and Management of Dementia, Transgender Issues and Social Defence Issues are available free of cost.

CSIR Aroma Mission: Transforming lives through S&T webinar was conducted on eve of 75thIndependence Day.

About:

The mission is launched by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 2016.
The mission aims to encourage farmers to grow crops which have aromatic medicinal properties like lavender,rosemary and lemongrass, and medicinal plants such as ashwagandha.
The mission has helped Jammu & Kashmir to herald Purple Revolution of India by taking a lead inthe lavender cultivation in almost all the 20 districts of the Union Territory.