Recently, Union Minister of Power launched three online portals for the Power sector.

About the Portals

• Portal DRIPS (Disaster Resilient Infrastructure for Power Sector): To serve as a single point of contact for all stakeholders for managing inventory of specific Power System equipments and critical supplies.
• Jal Vidyut Detailed Project Report Portal: For Monitoring Survey and Investigation Activities of Hydro Electric Projects and Pumped Storage Projects.
• Portal for Online Monitoring Of Projects – Thermal (PROMPT): To facilitate real-time tracking and analysis of thermal power projects.

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution launched pilot project for transformation of 60 Fair Price Shops (FPS) into Jan Poshan Kendras.

• FPSs are shops licensed to distribute essential commodities issued under the Essential Commodities Act (1955) to the ration card holders under Targeted Public Distribution System.

About Jan Poshan Kendras

• Kendras will offer a diverse range of nutrition-rich food items to consumer as well as provide an additional source of income to the FPS dealers.
• They have to store 50% products under the category of nutrition while the rest for keeping other household items. 
• The pilot will cover states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has detected tax evasion of Rs 1.2 trillion using fake Input Tax Credit (ITC), since 2020. 

• ITC is one of the key features of Goods and Services Tax as a mechanism to avoid cascading of taxes (tax on tax). 
• ITC allows businesses to claim a credit for the GST already paid on goods or services purchased for business use or as inputs.
  • This credit can then be used to offset the GST payable on the sale of goods or services.

New research broadens the applications of quantum non-local correlations, which are already used in secure communication and cryptographic key creation.

About Quantum Nonlocality

• Quantum nonlocality describes the apparent ability of quantum particles to instantaneously know about each other’s state and correlate, even when separated by large distances.
  • This is in direct contravention of “principle of locality”, the idea that distant objects cannot influence each other. 
• Nonlocality occurs due to phenomenon of entanglement, whereby particles that interact with each other become permanently correlated, or dependent on each other’s states and properties.

Recently, super blue moon, an occurrence that happens on average every 10 years, was observed.

About Super Blue Moons

• A Super Blue Moon is the convergence of a Supermoon and a Blue Moon. 
• When the Moon is at or near its closest point to Earth (perigee) at the same time as it is full, it is called a Supermoon.
• There are two types of Blue Moon. 
  • A monthly blue moon occurs when full moon seen twice in a single month.
  • A seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in a single season instead of the usual three.

Six-month period to report possession of exotic animal species as per Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024 is set to expire in August 2024.

• Exotic animal species are those species that are moved from their original range (location) to a new one. 
• As per rules, every person who is in possession of any living specimen of species listed in Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972, is required to report the details of such animals.
  • A licence is required for dealing in animal articles under Schedule IV and their hunting is prohibited. 

A case of Vaccine-derived Polio Virus (VDPV) infection has been reported from Meghalaya.

• Earlier, WHO declared India polio-free in 2014 after the last case of wild poliovirus was reported in 2011.

About VDPV

• It is a well-documented strain of poliovirus mutated from the strain originally contained in Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
  • OPV contains an attenuated or weakened form of the Polio Virus, which activates an immune response in the body. 
• On rare occasions, when replicating in the gastrointestinal tract, OPV strains can genetically change and may spread in communities that are not fully vaccinated against polio, especially in areas where there is poor hygiene, poor sanitation, or overcrowding.

Recently, Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) dismissed Indian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal for a silver medal after she was disqualified for being overweight. 

About CAS

• It is an institution independent of any sports organization which provides services to facilitate the settlement of sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation.
• Created in 1984, it is placed under the administrative and financial authority of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS).
• CAS has jurisdiction solely to rule on disputes connected with sport.
• It deals with disputes of commercial as well as disciplinary nature.