{"id":12444,"date":"2021-08-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/11-08-2021\/facts-in-news-41\/"},"modified":"2021-08-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T00:00:00","slug":"facts-in-news-41","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-08-2021\/facts-in-news-41","title":{"rendered":"Facts in News"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Facts in News<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Banana Flour<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • Recently, Farmers and homemakers in Karnataka used social media to popularise <\/span><\/span><\/span>banana flour in India.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    About Banana flour<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • It is a <\/span><\/span><\/span>highly nutritious<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span>gluten-free alternative<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to wheat flour.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Its health benefits have made it popular outside India too.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • The easy availability of the fruit makes the production commercially viable.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • It doesn’t require any new investment or skilled labour.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Process\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • The bananas are<\/span><\/span><\/span> peeled and soaked<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> in buttermilk or diluted rice water with salt to prevent darkening.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • They are then sliced thinly and sun-dried for around three days and dried chips can be turned into flour\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • The flour is called <\/span><\/span><\/span>bakahu in Karnataka<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • Benefits\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
              \n
            • The yield is high: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Around 6-8 kg raw banana yields a kilogram of flour that fetches Rs 200.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • It provides a<\/span><\/span><\/span> livelihood option<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
                \n
              • Farming families can produce the flour and sell it to shops and industries nearby.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
              • The flour has <\/span><\/span><\/span>immense nutritive value<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (high in potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, copper, manganese, fibre and protein).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
              • The flour can also help prevent and alleviate symptoms of <\/span><\/span><\/span>several diseases such as blood pressure, asthma and diabetes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
              • It helps farmers circumvent distress sales.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Marburg Virus<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

Operation Greens Scheme<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

\n\t\t\t\u00a0<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • The Ministry <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>of <\/span><\/span><\/span>Food Processing Industries<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> launched the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Operation Greens <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>scheme in 2018 for integrated development of the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>value chain.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • It was expanded as per budget announcement 2021-22 to cover 22 perishables including shrimp.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • The scheme aims to p<\/span><\/span><\/span>romote Farmer Producers Organizations (FPO<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>s), agri-logistics, processing facilities and value addition etc. in identified production clusters\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Features\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • The scheme provides for <\/span><\/span><\/span>short term intervention<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> by way of providing a transportation and storage subsidy of <\/span><\/span><\/span>50%.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • Long term interventio<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>n through value addition projects in identified production clusters with Grant-in-aid of\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span>35% to 70% <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>of the eligible project cost subject to a maximum of<\/span><\/span><\/span> Rs. 50 crore per project.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • Under the scheme, state-wise funds are not allocated as the scheme is demand-driven and projects are approved as per scheme guidelines on the basis of applications received for setting up of projects in eligible production clusters.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • Aims and Objectives\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • It aims to enhance value realization of <\/span><\/span><\/span>TOP farmers, <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>reduction in post-harvest losses, price stabilization for producers and consumers and increase food processing capacities and value addition etc.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Olympian Bat<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • A bat <\/span><\/span><\/span>called \u201cOlympian bat\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (name given by scientists) has left the climate scientists intrigued after the bat broke British records by flying a distance covering more than <\/span><\/span><\/span>2,000 km from London to the Pskov region situated in northwestern Russia.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Key Points<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • About Nathusius\u2019 pipistrelle:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • It belongs to the<\/span><\/span><\/span> Nathusius\u2019 pipistrelle<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> species of bats.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The <\/span><\/span><\/span>Nathusius\u2019 pipistrelle<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> is found across Europe from the U.K. to Asia Minor.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • It was only as big as a human thumb and its wing was marked with a <\/span><\/span><\/span>\u201cLondon Zoo\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> ring.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • This achievement is topped by only one other bat in Europe: a<\/span><\/span><\/span> Nathusius\u2019 pipistrelle <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>that migrated 2,224 km from <\/span><\/span><\/span>Latvia to Spain in 2019.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Significant:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
          \n
        • It is the <\/span><\/span><\/span>longest distance covered<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> by a bat from Britain across Europe.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • The journey is important for climate scientists as it gives them the window to learn more about <\/span><\/span><\/span>bat migration<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and how it is <\/span><\/span><\/span>connected with climate change.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          National Nathusius\u2019 Pipistrelle Project<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          • About<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
              \n
            • A project named \u2018National Nathusius\u2019 Pipistrelle\u2019 was launched by the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Bat Conservation Trust<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> in 2014.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • The purpose was to understand the conservation threats for Nathusius\u2019 pipistrelles in Great Britain. The primary motto of the project is to find out the migratory origins of this species of bats as it may help understanding its links to climate change.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Mount Merapi<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n