CURRENT AFFAIRS: 23.05.2017

1.    24 VARIETIES OF CITRUS FRUITS DEVELOPED

·       Centre of Excellence for Citrus Fruits in Rajasthan developed 24 varieties of oranges and citrus fruits.

·       A project was launched in 2014-15 which helped to graft around 50,000 plants every year.

·       Some of the new varieties of citrus fruits are Clementine, Michale Daisy, Kinnow, Nagpur Seedless, Jaffa etc.

·       This centre achieved its objective of producing disease-free and high-quality planting material by using Israeli scientific techniques.

Source: The Hindu

2.    Cobra lily blooms after 84 years

·       Arisaematranslucens also known as cobra lily is a ‘critically endangered’ species which is rediscovered in western Nilgiris after 84 years.

·       It is the only member of the Arisaema family to have a translucent spathe (covering).

·       Earlier, people could predict the arrival of monsoons from the blooming of cobra lily.

·       But in the past few decades cobra lily have vanished along with the disappearance of the shola tree patches in which they are found.

Source: The Hindu

3.    Kandla port to be connected with chabahar port

·       Prime Minister announced that Kandla port will soon be connected with Chabahar port in Iran.

·       Chabahar port is being developed with India’s participation, to boost international trade.

·       Kandla port is the largest cargo handling port in India.

·       Kandla port will be renamed as the Deendayal Port Trust.

·       Chabaharport

(i)                        Located in south-eastern Iran in gulf of Oman.

(ii)                      It is operated by Aria Banader Iranian and India Port Global Private Limited (IPGPL).

(iii)                     This port will make transportation easy to Afghanistan from India as Pakistan will be bypassed then.

Source: The Hindu

4.    Smallest nation joins solar alliance

·       Nauru which is the world’s smallest republic has become the 6^th country to ratify the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework pact.

·       Nauru has a hot and humid climate due to its proximity to the equator and is vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate.

·       30% of Nauru’s needs are met through solar power installations.

·       ISA: It is a coalition of solar resources rich countries to collaborate on meeting their energy needs through a common approach.

·       It was initiated by the India and Frenchgovernments at the climate change summit held at Paris in 2015.

·       ISA will become a legal entity once at-least 15 countries ratify and deposit the framework agreement.

·       It is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana in India.

·       Five more nations from Africa – Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Somalia, Ghana and Djibouti have committed to sign the pact during the ongoing meeting of the African Development Bank in India.

Source: The Hindu

5.    220 deer died on IIT-M campus in two years

·       An RTI application revealed that 220 deer and 8 black bucks die in two years in IIT-Madras campus.

·       Black buck is a Schedule-1 species under the Indian Wildlife Act, 1972, which makes it one of the most endangered species.

·       The Scientific name of Black Buck is Antilopecervicaprawhich is found in India, Nepal and Pakistan.

·       Its life span is around 10-15 years

·       IUCN tagged the black buck as Near Threatened species

·       Activists move to National Green Tribunal (NGT) for further action.

Source: The Hindu

      QUESTIONS BASED ON

                     CURRENT AFFAIRS: 23.05.2017

1.    CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR CITRUS FRUITS IS IN WHICH STATE?

(a)            Haryana

(b)            Rajasthan

(c)            Madhya Pradesh

(d)            Jharkhand

2.    Cobra lily is the only member of the Arisaema family to have a ____________ spathe.

(a)            Translucent

(b)            Transparent

(c)            Opaque

(d)            Black

3.    Chabahar port is located in ______________ Iran.

(a)            North-Eastern

(b)            South-Western

(c)            North-Western

(d)            South-Eastern

4.    Headquarter of International Solar Alliance is in?

(a)            India

(b)            Switzerland

(c)            Ghana

(d)            Mexico

5.    Black Buck is a ____________ species under The indian wildlife act, 1972.

(a)            Schedule-1

(b)            Schedule-3

(c)            Schedule-5

(d)            Schedule-7

        ANSWERS

                           1.  (b)

                           2.  (a)

                           3.  (d)

                           4.  (a)

                           5.  (a)