Daily Current Affairs: 27 May 2021

1. Tulsa race massacre

(Topic- GS Paper I – World History, Source- Indian Express)

Why in the news?

US President Joe Biden will next week visit the city of Tulsa in Oklahoma state, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, known among the worst incidents of racial strife in American history.

About the Tulsa race massacre

The massacre took place in Greenwood, a thriving Black-dominated neighbourhood that had sprung up at the start of the 20th century on the northern side of Tulsa, separated by a railroad track from the city’s White-dominated part on the south.
Greenwood is known as the “Black Wall Street”.
Greenwood was a favoured destination for African Americans from the Southern US states– where laws actively upheld racism and disempowered Black people– to come and seek upward mobility.

What triggered the violence?

On May 30, 1921, a Black man named Dick Rowland was imprisoned for allegedly assaulting a White woman.
After his arrest, an “inflammatory report” published in the May 31 edition of the Tulsa Tribune spurred a confrontation between Black and White armed mobs, as per the museum’s website.
Some of the members of the mobs armed themselves to protect Rowland, while others wanted to lynch him.
By the morning of June 1, 1921, heavily armed White rioters looted and burned down the Greenwood area, leaving over 300 dead in the violence.

Note: Greenwood is a historic freedom colony in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

2. Van Gujjars Tribes

(Topic- GS Paper I – Art and Culture, Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news ?

Recently, the Uttarakhand High Court has reprimanded the State government for stopping some Van Gujjar families on the way to Govind Pashu Vihar National Park in Uttarkashi district.

About Van Gujjars Tribes

They are the forest-dwelling nomadic community inhabiting the foothills of Himalayan States such as Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
They usually migrate to grasslands in the upper Himalayas during summers to feed their cattle, their primary source of livelihood and subsistence.

Related Information

About Govind Pashu Vihar National Park

It is located in the Uttarkashi district of the state of Uttarakhand.
The park lies in the higher reaches of the Garhwal Himalayas.
The park was established as a Wildlife Sanctuary in the year of 1955.
It was declared as National Park in the year of 1990.
The park was established to protect the endangered species of Snow Leopards.
The park outlines the higher catchments of River Tons that is the mainly significant branch of Yamuna River in its higher reaches.

3. Mandovi river

(Topic- GS Paper I – Geography, Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Recently, National Institute of Oceanography has found that river showed significant improvement during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 in term of Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption when the anthropogenic activities were minimal.

About Mandovi River

The Mandovi River is also known as Mahadayi or Mhadei River.
It is described as the lifeline of the Indian state of Goa.
It is a west-flowing river, originates in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (Western Ghats), Belagavi district of Karnataka.
It is joined by a number of streams to form the Mandovi which is one of two major rivers (the other one is Zuari River) that flows through Goa.
Mandovi joins with the Zuari at a common creek at Cabo Aguada, forming the Mormugao harbour.

Kalasa-Banduri Nala Project

It is undertaken by the Government of Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the three districts of Belagavi, Dharwad, and Gadag.
It involves building across Kalasa and Banduri, two tributaries of the Mahadayi River to divert water to the Malaprabha River.

Related Information

About Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM)

It is also known as chromophoric dissolved organic matter or colored dissolved organic matter.
It cover the parameter that can be measured in aquatic environments as a product of decaying material.
It is largely a subset of Dissolved Organic Matter.

Significance of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter in water bodies

It is measured because of its value as an indicator of all the constituents floating around water bodies, regardless of their size or location.
It can have effects on all aquatic life in a water body.
It reduces transparency, traps heat, binds with metals and fuels respiration.
It impacts on levels of dissolved oxygen in a water body.

4. WhatsApp approaches Delhi HC to challenge new IT rules

(Topic- GS Paper II – Governance, Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Recently, Instant messaging app WhatsApp has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Central government’s new Information Technology Rules, 2021, which include a requirement for social media platforms to compulsorily enable “the identification of the first originator of the information” in India upon government or court order.
The High Court has sought a response from the Centre on the

Related Information

Right to Privacy

The Supreme Court described privacy and its importance in the landmark decision of S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India in 2017 that - Right to Privacy is a fundamental and inalienable right and attaches to the person covering all information about that person and the choices that he/ she makes.
The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.

Government Steps to Protect Privacy

B N Srikrishna Committee

Government appointed a committee of experts on data protection under the chairmanship of Justice B N Srikrishna that submitted its report in July 2018.

Information Technology Act, 2000

The IT Act provides for safeguard against certain breaches in relation to data from computer systems. It contains provisions to prevent the unauthorized use of computers, computer systems and data stored therein.

Draft Personal Data Protection Bill 2019

The Bill regulates the processing of personal data of individuals (data principals) by government and private entities (data fiduciaries) incorporated in India and abroad.
Processing is allowed if the individual gives consent, or in a medical emergency, or by the State for providing benefits.

5. BRICS Astronomy Working Group

(Topic- GS Paper II – International organization, Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Recently, India hosted the seventh meeting of BRICS Astronomy Working Group (BAWG) on online mode.

Key Highlights

The BRICS Astronomy Working Group has recommended networking of telescopes in member countries and creating a regional data network.

Future directions

The members of the working group also indicated future directions of research in this area such as building a network of intelligent telescopes and data, study of transient astronomical phenomena in the universe, big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning applications to process the voluminous data generated by the enhanced multi-wavelength telescope observatory.
The delegates deliberated on strategic and operational matters and recommended the networking of existing telescopes in BRICS countries and creating regional data network.

About BRICS Astronomy Working Group

The BRICS Astronomy Working Group (BAWG) established in 2015.
It provides a platform for BRICS member countries to collaborate in the field of astronomy, recommending that the focal points in each country should present the scientific results of the work being carried out in each country.

6. Bodoland Territorial Region

(Topic- GS Paper II – Governance, Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Recently, the Assam government has created the Welfare of Bodoland Department for dealing with issues related to four districts under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
Earlier, the affairs of Bodoland were under the Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes Department.

About Bodoland Territorial Region

It is an autonomous region in Assam, Northeast India.
It is made up of four districts on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River below the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh.
Bodoland Territorial Region will comprises of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri districts, accounting for 11% of Assam’s area and 10% of its population.
It is administered by an elected body known as the Bodoland Territorial Council which came into existence under the terms of a peace agreement called Bodo Accord signed in February 2003 and its autonomy was further extended by an agreement signed in January 2020.
The region covers an area of over nine thousand square kilometres and is predominantly inhabited by the Bodo people and other indigenous communities of Assam.

About Bodoland Territorial Council

It is an autonomous body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
There have been two Bodo Accords earlier, and the second one led to the formation of BTC.
The All Bodo Students Union and the Government of India have signed the first accord in 1993.
This agreement resulted to the creation of a Bodoland Autonomous Council with some political powers.
In 2003, the second Bodo Accord was signed by the extremist group Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF), the Centre and the state which led to the BTC.
The second agreement resulted to the formation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) with four districts – Udalguri, Chirang, Baska and Kokrajhar.
These areas are commonly called Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD).
The area under the jurisdiction of BTC, formed under the 2003 Accord, was called (BTAD).
The Bodo Territorial Autonomous District was renamed Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

About Bodo Accord 2020

It is a tripartite agreement in which the central government, the Assam government and the Bodo groups, including all factions of the militant National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), signed an agreement to redraw and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) as the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), in Assam.
BTAD is spread over four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri.
It provides for “alteration of area of BTAD” and “provisions for Bodos outside BTAD” ○ The BTAD was renamed Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
It provides for more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers to BTC.

Note :

The Bodoland Territorial Area District and other areas mentioned under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution have been exempted from the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.

7. WHO set up “One Health” panel to advise on animal disease risks

(Topic- GS Paper III – Science and Technology, Source- Indian Express)

Why in the news?

Recently, the World Health organization has formed One Health High-Level Expert Panel to investigate zoonotic diseases

About the One Health High-Level Expert Panel

It was an initiative launched by France and Germany with the Collabaoration of WHO in 2020.

Purpose

To study the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases like H5N1, avian influenza, MERS, Ebola, Zika and possibly the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

One Health Approach

The panel will operate under the One Health Approach.

Advisory Nature

It will advise the WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health and the United Nations Environment Programme on developing "risk assessment and surveillance frameworks" and establish "good practices to prevent and prepare for zoonotic outbreaks."
The panel will also consider potential transmission risks in food production and distribution, urbanization and the construction of infrastructure, international travel and trade and activities that lead to biodiversity loss and climate change.

About One Health Approach

One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and trans-disciplinary approach - working at local, national, and global levels – to achieve optimal health and well-being outcomes recognizing the interconnections between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

About Zoonotic Disease

It is a disease that passes into the human population from an animal source directly or through an intermediary species.
Zoonotic infections can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic in nature, with animals playing a vital role in maintaining such infections.
Examples of zoonoses include HIV-AIDS, Ebola, Malaria, and the current Covid-19 disease.

8. 3rd version of Ayush Sanjivani App

(Topic- GS Paper III – Health, Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news ?

Recently, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has launched the Ayush Clinical Case Repository portal and the third version of Ayush Sanjivani App.

About Ayush Clinical Repository portal

The Ayush Clinical Repository portal will serve as a platform to support both Ayush practitioners and general public.

Aims

This portal aims to aggregate information about clinical outcomes achieved by Ayush practitioners on a large scale.
It will not only benefit the practitioner community and the public, but will also help widen the solid scientific base of all streams of Ayush.

About Ayush Sanjivani App

The third version of Ayush Sanjivani App will facilitate a significant study and documentation regarding the efficacy of selected Ayush interventions, including Ayush-64 and Kabasura Kudineer medicines in the management of asymptomatic and mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.