Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 22, 2024

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Power launched three new online platforms: PROMPT (Portal for Online Monitoring of Projects—Thermal), DRIPS (Disaster Resource Inventory for Power Sector), and JAL VIDYUT DPR, to improve the power sector’s efficiency. It has developed by the Central Electricity Authority under the Ministry of Power with NTPC’s help for PROMPT, these platforms aim to improve efficiency and transparency in the power sector. PROMPT tracks and analyzes thermal power projects in real-time to address construction delays. JAL VIDYUT DPR monitors the status of hydroelectric and pumped storage projects to ensure better management. DRIPS helps identify and manage power disruptions from natural disasters by linking nodal officers and agencies.

Notes:
A landslide recently damaged six houses and an NHPC building at the Teesta-V hydropower station in Sikkim’s Gangtok district. Teesta-V is a 510 MW run-of-river hydropower project on the Teesta River, with a concrete gravity dam. The project began in 1999 and became operational in 2008, developed by NHPC. The Teesta River flows through Sikkim, West Bengal, and Bangladesh, and is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River. It forms a boundary between Sikkim and West Bengal, and its course includes a deep gorge through the Siwalik Hills.

Notes:
Villagers in Shimlabagan, Assam, spotted a rare and endangered primate, the Slow Loris. Slow lorises are venomous primates found in South and Southeast Asia, living mostly in trees. There are nine species of slow loris, including the Bengal slow loris, which is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The Bengal slow loris is legally protected under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. In India, the Bengal slow loris is found only in the northeast region.

Notes:
India is co-hosting a conference on online radicalization with the European Union (EU). The collaboration underscores the need to address online radicalization internationally. The EU is a significant political and economic union of 27 member states, mainly in Europe. With over 449 million people and contributing about one-sixth of the global GDP in 2022, the EU is a key global partner in this initiative.

Notes:
A study found large amounts of liquid water deep within Mars’ rocky crust, a major breakthrough in understanding the planet. This is the first evidence of liquid water on Mars’ surface beyond the known ice at the poles. The study, titled “Liquid water in the Martian mid-crust,” was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by scientists from the University of California. The discovery could enhance knowledge of Mars’ water cycle, climate history, and potential for life. Water is located 10-20 km deep, believed to have seeped from the surface billions of years ago. If widespread, this water could fill an ocean 1-2 km deep across Mars.