Facts Corner-Part-179

Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP)

Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) is an international collaboration of governments, government agencies and multinational organisations.
It is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of their citizens through the best use of evidence-based digital technologies.
Governments are making significant investments to harness the power of technology and foster innovation and public-private partnerships that support high quality, sustainable health and care for all.
The GDHP facilitates global collaboration and co-operation in the implementation of digital health services.

Hayabusa 2 and Ryugu asteroid

Hayabusa 2 is a Japanese probe sent to collect samples from an asteroid for clues about the origin of life and the solar system.
It fired a bullet into the surface of the Ryugu asteroid.
The Ryugu asteroid is thought to contain relatively large amounts of organic matter and water from some 4.6 billion years ago when the solar system was born.
It was launched in December 2014 and is scheduled to return to the Earth with its samples in 2020.
The probe will observe the surface of the asteroid with its camera and sensing equipment.

Central Information Commission (CIC)

The Central Information Commission (CIC) set up under the Right to Information Act is the authorized quasi judicial body, established in 2005.
It acts upon complaints from those individuals who have not been able to submit information requests due to either the officer not having been appointed, or because the respective Officer refused to receive the application for information under the RTI Act.
The Commission includes 1 Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and not more than 10 Information Commissioners (IC) who are appointed by the President of India.
CIC and members are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a committee consisting of—Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha; a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.

Hindu Succession Act, 1956

Under the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, only sons had a direct right to ancestral property, excluding daughters from inheritance claims where the father did not leave a will.
From the 1970s onwards, changes in inheritance legislation sought to empower women by strengthening their financial and social position and reducing dependence on male relatives.
The traditional preference for sons was also supposed to lessen, because daughters, backed by possession of the family home, would be able to offer parents security in old age.
Equally, this was expected to eradicate the dowry system, a key contributing factor to the perception of a daughter as a financial burden.

MUDRA Scheme

The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana was introduced in April 2015 as an effort to extend affordable credit to micro and small enterprises.
Loans up to Rs. 10 lakh are extended to these non-corporate, non-farm enterprises by the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) through last-mile financial institutions.
So far, 15.56 crore loans worth a total of Rs. 7.23 lakh crore have been disbursed.
In December 2017, faced with mounting criticism on the failure to create job opportunities, the Labour Ministry had asked the Labour Bureau to initiate the survey on jobs created through the MUDRA scheme.

Wallace’s giant bee

It is the world’s largest bee that was recently rediscovered in a remote part of Indonesia.
Wallace’s giant bee was discovered in the 19th century by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the bee as “vulnerable”.
It was nicknamed the “flying bulldog as it is nearly four times bigger than the European bee.
It lives in the Indonesian island region of North Moluccas and makes its nest in termite mounds.

The NPL prepared the ‘invisible ink’ as part of a pilot project mooted by the Mysore Paints and Varnish Ltd. (MVPL)
It is a transparent liquid as an organic-inorganic mixture that was biodegradable and could be washed off in 48 hours.
It works on the well-known principle of fluorescence — certain materials emit a characteristic glow when exposed to ultraviolet light.
The NPL ink, however, glows only when exposed to a narrow band of frequencies of ultraviolet (UV) light.
The NPL’s invisible ink experiment is linked to a larger project of creating security inks that could be used to make bank notes and documents, such as passports, more secure.

The ink was first used during India’s third General Elections in 1962. Indelible ink has been used in every General Election since
At the time, the country’s election commission was having a tough time dealing with identity theft, as they soon discovered that there were duplicate or fake votes.
Indelible ink is made of a chemical compound called silver nitrate.
When applied to the skin and exposed to ultraviolet light, it leaves a mark that is almost impossible to wash off.
The stain is so strong, in fact, it is only removed when the external skin cells are replaced
When put on the skin, silver nitrate reacts with the salt present on it to form silver chloride.
Silver chloride is not soluble in water, and clings to the skin. It cannot be washed off with soap and water.

Fernandina Giant Tortoise

It is a rare Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus).
It was feared to be extinct but has been found in a remote part of the Galapagos island of Fernandina recently.
The IUCN listed it as critically endangered & possibly extinct.
Its habitat is largely dry brush land at lower elevations, but much of that habitat has been destroyed by extensive lava flows.
Fernandina is the third largest Galapagos Island and features the La Cumbre volcano, one of the most active in the world.

Padayani

It is a ritual art and folk dance form performed at Bhadrakali temples in the state of Kerala.
The word ‘Padai-ani’ means line-up or formation of the soldiers.
The story behind Padaiyani is the re-enactment of the killing of Demon Darika and calming the Goddess Kali after it.
The dance is to appease the Goddess so that there is eradication of social evils and there is rain, good crop and prosperity.

Permanent Resident Certificate

Permanent resident certificate is a legal document issued to Indian citizens that serves as evidence of residence and is required to be submitted as residential proof for official purpose.
It is a domicile certificate otherwise called as Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) to the residents of the state who stayed therein over a period.
Those citizens who are not currently residing in the state but are sure of permanently staying therein can also apply for it.
Besides the permanent residence certificate, the State also offers Temporary Residence Certificate (TRC) for those who reside in the State on a temporary basis.
It enables the citizens to avail various policies and claims made in their particular state.

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