Important Facts for Prelims (24th January 2019)

• 24 Jan 2019

ROSHNI

• It is an app to help visually impaired, to differentiate between new post demonetization currencies of India.
• It is developed by IIT Ropar, Punjab.
• Earlier the visually impaired persons differentiated the currencies based on the length and width of the note, but after demonetization it became very difficult for them to identify the denomination, due to similarity in the sizes of new and old notes.
• The user has to bring the currency note in front of phone camera and the App would provide audio notification intimating the currency note denomination to the user.
• It is the first Android App and it works well in broad range of light conditions and holding angles.
• The Seeing AI App by Microsoft is the only other App that facilitates recognition of both old and new Indian currency notes, but it is an iOS (iPhone OS) App and not available for visually impaired.

Two Rhinos in Kaziranga Find a New Home

• Recently, two rhinos translocated to Manas National Parkfrom Kaziranga.
• The augmentation of Rhinos is part of the initiative “Bring Back Manas", a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Rescued calves were raised at Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) at Kaziranga.
• Both have been radio-collared so that their movement in the wild is monitored.
• Until now more than 50 calves stranded in the wild at Kaziranga National Park for various reasons, in most cases due to floods, have been rescued.
• Kaziranga National Park has over 2,200 one horned Rhinos and, there is a need for more national tiger reserve to have good population of Rhinos, to maintain the food chain and ecosystem.
• Along the terai arc. Manas National Park, Jaldapara National Park has about 50 rhinos and Dudhwa Tiger Reserve over 30 Rhinos.

Rhinos in Asia

• Two species of rhino in Asia—Javan and Sumatran—are critically endangered. A subspecies of the Javan rhino was declared extinct in Vietnam in 2011.
• Successful conservation efforts have helped the third Asian species, the greater one-horned (or Indian) rhino, to increase in number. Their status was changed from Endangered to Vulnerable, but the species is still poached for its horn.

Indian Africa Field Training Exercise 

• Indian Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX) is scheduled to be conducted in Pune from 18 March to 27 March 2019.
• It aims at synergysing humanitarian mine action, joint peace operations and to boost strategic and military cooperation, between African countries and India.

Global Talent Competitive Index-2019

• India secures 80^th rank on the Global Talent Competitive Index.
• It measures the ability of countries to compete for talent.
• It is released by INSEAD business school in partnership with Tata Communications and Adecco Group.
• Its theme is "Entrepreneurial Talent and Global Competitiveness".
• This Index takes into account variables such as ease of hiring, gender earnings gap, and prevalence of training in firms.
• India's biggest challenge is to improve its ability to attract and retain talent.
• India needs to address its poor level of Internal Openness in particular with respect to weak gender equality and low tolerances towards minorities and immigrant.