UPSC QUIZ 31.05.2024

Explanation:

• Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) will become the first company of the Adani Group to be included in the Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensex.
• APSEZ will replace Wipro in the Sensex. APSEZ and Adani Enterprises, the flagship of the Adani Group, are already part of the Nifty on the National Stock Exchange.

‘Sensex’ in BSE

• SENSEX stands for ‘Stock Exchange Sensitive Index’ and is the benchmark index of the Bombay Stock Exchange in India. The term was coined by stock market expert Deepak Mohini.
• BSE 30: It represents a group of 30 stocks representing the country's largest, financially strong companies in key sectors of the Indian economy, which are listed on BSE Ltd.
• Sensex is traded internationally on EUREX as well as on major exchanges of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa).

Explanation:

• A recent global assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has painted a grim picture for the world’s mangrove forests.
• The analysis revealed that more than 50 per cent of these vital ecosystems are on the verge of collapse due to a combination of human activities and climate change.

Key points of the IUCN assessment

• The IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) has for the first time assessed mangrove ecosystems at a global level, with worrying findings.
• The assessment conducted by IUCN examined mangrove ecosystems in 36 different regions of the world.
• It involved more than 250 experts from various institutions, including the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, the IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Global Mangrove Alliance.

Explanation:

• REC Limited won the “ Sustainability Champion—Editor’s Choice Award”, while the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) Limited won the Corporate Social Responsibility award in the Non-Fossil Fuel sub-category at the Outlook Planet Sustainability Summit and Awards 2024 for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).
• Central Public Sector Enterprises are those companies which are owned by the government of India.

Outlook Planet Sustainability Summit & Awards 2024

• Goa hosted the first Outlook Planet Sustainability Summit & Awards 2024 for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) on 27 May 2028. It was organised by the Outlook Media Group, BDO India as the Awards Process Advisor and IIT Goa as the Knowledge Partner.
• The event provided an opportunity for the top policymakers and the top management of the Central Public Sector Enterprises to discuss the initiatives taken by them in sustainability.

Explanation:

• India's first semiconductor chip imaging tool will be jointly developed by TCS and IIT Bombay.
• IT services major Tata Consultancy Services has partnered with Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay to develop India's first quantum diamond microchip imager.
• The sensing device to be developed will have the potential to achieve new levels of precision in testing semiconductor chips, reduce chip failures and improve the energy efficiency of electronic devices.
• Over the next two years, TCS experts will develop the device in collaboration with Dr. Kasturi Saha, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT-Bombay.
• Semiconductor chips are an essential component of all modern electronic devices.
• In a variety of industries, including communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, clean energy, and others, these chips serve as the brains of devices.
• The quantum diamond microchip imager being developed can image magnetic fields, allowing non-invasive and non-destructive mapping of semiconductor chips, much like an MRI in a hospital.
• It uses defects in the diamond’s structure, known as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, as well as other hardware and software to detect and characterize anomalies in semiconductor chips.
• Currently four semiconductor units are under construction, three in Gujarat and one in Assam.

Explanation:

• PRAGATI-2024”, an initiative to shape the future of Ayurveda, launched by the CCRAS.
• On May 28, “PRAGATI-2024” (Pharma Research in AyurGyan And Techno Innovation) was launched by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) in New Delhi.
• CCRAS is an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.
• This provides a very useful opportunity for collaborative research in the field of Ayurveda.
• On May 28, a meeting was also held with the aim to explore research opportunities and promote collaboration between CCRAS and the Ayurveda pharmaceutical industry.
• Representatives of 35 pharmaceutical companies of the country took part in this program.
• The Pragati-2024 initiative is an important step in the development of the Ayurveda industry in India.
• It is expected to provide a platform for collaboration and research that will ultimately drive the growth and advancement of the field.