Facts in News

Facts in News

Escrow Account

Recently, the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has allowed National Stock Exchange (NSE) to release funds from the escrow account.

Escrow Account

• It is a third-party account where funds (also money, securities, funds, and other assets) are kept before they are transferred to the ultimate party. 
• It provides security against scams and frauds especially with high asset value and dispute-prone sectors like Real Estate.
  • The party receiving the money can not make withdrawals from an escrow account until the set obligations are fulfilled.
  • However, they have mostly been restricted to large transactions, like mergers and acquisitions, cross-border deals, etc. 
• Benefits:
  • Reduce risk in specific-use transaction cases like procurement, supply chain, professional services, etc.

ELDERLINE Project

Recently, Uttar Pradesh has successfully operationalized the ELDERLINE Project.

ELDERLINE Project

• Initiated by: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
• Objective: To address the concerns and grievances of vulnerable sections of society e.g; elderly people (aged above 60 years).
  • All queries related to information on old age homes, physiotherapy units, health-related, mental health-related, and legal issues will be addressed.
• Apart from Uttar Pradesh, this project is already operational in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
• The ELDERLINE facility is operationalized with the assistance of Tata Trusts and the NSE foundation.

Image Courtesy: IB Times

Dongriya Kondhs

Recently, some members of the Dongria Kondh tribal group got infected by the COVID-19.

Dongriya Kondh

• Native Area: Niyamgiri hills, Rayagada (Odisha).
  • Niyamgiri is a hill range spread over 250 sq. km.
  • It is a densely forested area with deep gorges and cascading streams.
  • Highest Point: Niyam Dongar (1,306m).
• It is one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).  
• The Dongria Kondh derive their name from dongar, meaning agricultural land on hill slopes.
• Occupation: Practising horticulture and shifting cultivation.
• Language: Kui language.
• Society:
  • Dongria have a nuclear, monogamous, and patrilineal setup.
  • They worship Niyam Raja, the supreme god of the Niyamgiri jungle.
  • The Dongria women have equal status in society and can possess property without the interference of their husbands and sons.

Image Courtesy: Caleidoscope

Sudano-Sahelian Zone

In a research study, it is revealed that the Sudano-Sahelian Zone in Africa has become vulnerable to climate change.

Sudano-Sahelian Zone

• This region comprises 16 African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, the Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, and Togo).
• The region, one of the poorest in the world, is characterized by fluctuating rainfall and droughts.
• Geography:
  • Extends from the Sahara Desert to the tropical humid zone.
  • Three agro-climatic zones: 
    • Sahelian zone, 
    • Precarious agricultural region, 
    • Sudano-Sahelian, Sudanese and Sudano-Guinean region.
  • Rainfall: 100 mm to 200 mm
  • Less population.
• Threats: Due to climate change and associated risks threatened food crops, livestock production outside safe climatic space (SCS) etc.
  • SCS are those areas where 95 per cent of global food crop production takes place due to favourable weather conditions, temperature, rainfall, etc.
  • The Sudano-Sahelian region lies outside SCS.

Image Courtesy: Science Direct

International Museum Day 2021

Every year the International Museum Day is observed on May 18.

International Museum Day 2021

• Theme: “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine.”
• Objective: To raise awareness among people about the museums in the development of society on an international level.
• Importance:
  • Museums are an important means of cultural exchange and the development of mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace among people.
  • A museum describes the journey of a nation from prehistory to modernity by displaying enriched historical artifacts such as tools, weapons, clothes, and jewelry.

NGMA audio-visual guide app

• Launched by: National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi.
• This app will allow viewers to listen to stories and anecdotes on their smartphones of several treasured Indian Modern artworks displayed at the museum..

SAMVEDNA Platform

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is providing tele-counselling to children through SAMVEDNA platform.

SAMVEDNA (Sensitising Action on Mental Health Vulnerability through Emotional Development and Necessary Acceptance) Platform

• Launched by: Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• Launched in: September, 2020.
• It is a toll- free helpline launched to provide psycho-social mental support for affected children during COVID-19 pandemic.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)

• Establishment year: 2007
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• It is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. 
• It works under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child Development
• Composition: Total 7 members including a chairperson and six other members.

Image Courtesy: NCPCR

Leang Sakapao Caves

Recently, the researchers have reported that Pleistocene-era rock paintings dating back to 45,000 to 20,000 years ago in Leang Sakapao Caves Indonesia are rapidly weathering.

Leang Sakapao Caves

• Location: Sulawesi Island,   Indonesia.
• Significance:
  • This cave art is much older than the prehistoric cave art of Europe.
  • The oldest dated hand stencil in the world (upper right) and possibly the oldest figurative depiction in cave art—a female babirusa (a hoglike animal also called a pig-deer)—were found in Leang Timpuseng cave in Sulawesi.
    • The paintings were created by pressing the hand on a cave wall and spraying wet red-mulberry pigments over it.
  • Existence of modern humans from Africa 60,000 or more years ago.
  • The painting indicated hunter-gatherer migration to the island
• Impact of climate change
  • The presence of calcium sulphate as well as sodium chloride on the surface of the rock causes them to break.
  • The artwork made of pigments is decaying due to the Haloclasty process.
    • Repeated changes in humidity as well as temperature due to alternating wet and dry weather cause the growth of salt crystals on rocks.
  • In recent times Indonesia has also been facing numerous natural disasters which has only made the deterioration process faster.
  • Preservation: Regular physical and chemical monitoring of the sites, which is earlier done at the French and Spanish prehistoric cave art sites such as Lascaux and Altamira.

Image Courtesy: Financial Express

Al-Badr

Recently, two Al-Badr terrorists got killed by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

Al-Badr

• It is an Islamic terrorist group operating in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
• Founded in 1998, by Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).