16-17-01-22 Daily -Goa- GPSC Current Affairs

Goas utilisation of the management, monitoring and evaluation (MME) funds under the midday meal programme continues to be low at 20% for the academic year 2020-21. TheMME fundsare provided by the central government to states to be able to evaluate implementation of themidday meal schemein their respective states and to improve the programmes delivery accordingly.

A team of officials from the Union Education ministry, after reviewing implementation of the midday meal scheme in Goa for 2020-21, expressed concern over the low utilisation of funds. As against the allocation of Rs 73.2 lakh of central assistance as MME funds, Goa has utilised only Rs 15 lakh or 20%.

Goas utilisation of the MME funds has not been low only during 2020-21 due to the pandemic. The state has been found to be lax in evaluating the scheme right from the early days of its implementation from 2004-05.

Funds allotted to Goa under MME by the Centre have consistently remained underutilised. Of the Rs 19.5 lakh allotted to Goa during 2010-11 as central assistance towards MME, the state utilised only Rs 10.2 lakh.

The utilisation by Goa was only 52% against the Union ministrys expected utilisation of 75%. This was even lower than the utilisation of 58% of the MME funds during 2009. A similar trend has continued over the years.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), of Telangana, and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will host the 24th National E-Government Conference.

The conference will happen at Madhapur, Hyderabad, at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre.

“India’s Techade: Digital Governance in a Post-Pandemic World” will be the theme of the conference.

Emerging technologies, universalization of public Services, ease of life through Good Governance, universalization of public services, innovation platformization, government re-engineering, and citizen participation in government processes are the subtopics.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the qualification test of cryogenic engine for Gaganyaan programme on January 12, 2022.

The test was conducted for 720 seconds atISROPropulsion Complex, in Mahendragiri, Nadu.

Performance of the engine met with the test objectives and parameters of the engine closely matched with predictions during entire duration of the test.

This engine will be tested for four more times, for a cumulative duration of 1810 seconds.

Following this, one more engine will undergo two short-duration tests and one long-duration test, in a bid to complete cryogenic engine qualification for Gaganyaan Programme.

Payload under the Gaganyaan mission consists of:

The Government of India is working on creating a digital stack of agricultural data. That is storing data related to farmers. Apart from farmer details, the digital agristack also holds all information about which seeds to buy, weather updates, what manures and Fertilizers to use, Insurance, best agricultural practices to maximize the yield.

Agristack has unique number for every farmer in the country. This numbered file will hold personal information of the farmer. This includes his financial data as well. Apart from farmer details, agri stack will also hold information about weather, agricultural commodity prices in the country and abroad, new science and research techniques, agricultural regulation and permissions.

The Russian DEFENCE forces recently unveiled a new Tupolev Tu-160M. It is a missile bomber. It is also known as White Swan.

The White Swan can fly at an altitude of 600 metres. The bomber has been designed to carry nuclear war heads. It is one of the most heaviest supersonic miliary aircraft.

The White Swan has been unveiled while Russia NATO tensions are at the peak due to Ukraine crisis.

It can carry 34 tonnes of load. The bomber can deliver 24 cruise missiles. It can trace 14,000 km without refuelling.

The machine can be in the sky for more than a day during combat duties.

It is capable of delivering largest payload. They have the longest range. The heavy bombers were superseded by the strategic bombers in the latter half of 20^thcentury.

Scientists have recently discovered a new group of metals. The newly discovered Metal group is called as New Strange group of metals. The characteristics of metals like copper or iron are predictable. That is, their melting point, reaction nature, malleability, ductility are known to human. The characteristics of this new group of metals are yet to be deciphered. They still remain a puzzle. Thus, these metals have been classified as strange metals.

The strange metals are also called non Fermi liquids. They do not follow the traditional rules of metals. Their behavior was first discovered in cuprates, that is, copper oxides. These cuprates are high temperature super Conductors.

The strange metals do not conduct electricity as that of metals. In metals, the electrical charge is carried by electrons. In strange metals, the electrical charge is carried by Cooper pairs. These cooper pairs take the charge in wave like pattern. Electrons belong to fermion. The cooper pairs act as bosons.