Tuesday, July 14, 2020

July Current Affairs Notes

 PM inaugurates 750-MW solar power project in Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh

-PM  inaugurated the 750-MW solar power project in Rewa district via video conferencing

-The Rewa solar project, Asia’s largest solar project, is the first solar project in the country to break the grid parity barrier.

-Delhi Metro will use 24% of the electricity produced from it & rest for MP

- Govt organisations which buy solar cells & modules will buy made in India only.

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KUAIZHOU 11 

-China’s 19th launch of 2020, the Kuaizhou-11 rocket failed and both the satellites it was carrying were lost.

-Kuaizhou, meaning “fast ship” in Chinese, known as KZ-1

-Both satellites were built by Changguang Satellite Co. Ltd

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APACHE AH-64E ATTACK HELICOPTERS

-Boeing has handed over the last of the five AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to the Indian Air Force (IAF), completing the contract for 22 Apaches.

- Apaches were deployed at the Leh air base

-In March, Boeing handed over the last five of the 15 CH-47F(I) Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to the IAF.

-Boeing’s joint venture in Hyderabad, Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited, has been producing aero-structures for the AH-64 Apache helicopter for both the U.S. Army and international customers.

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ASEEM ( AtmaNirbhar Skilled Employee-Employer Mapping)


- Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched the artificial intelligence (AI)-based AtmaNirbhar Skilled Employee-Employer Mapping or ASEEM portal

- portal was launched by Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

- 20 lakhs migrant workers under the GKRA (Garib Kalyan Rojgar Yojana)plus 1.2 crore candidates trained under PMKVY 2.0(Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana) to the portal

-  aims at accelerating India’s journey towards recovery by mapping skilled workforce and connecting them with relevant livelihood opportunities

-developed by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)along with Better Place

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Labour Ministry notifies draft on minimum wages


-The Union Labour and Employment Ministry published the draft rules framed for the implementation of the Code on Wages Act, 2019

- guarantees minimum wages to all, defines how the wages will be calculated and prescribes a national floor wage for all States.

-The Draft Code on Wages Central Rules, 2019 was placed on the website of the labour ministry on November 1 for public consultation

-government has asked stakeholders to raise objections and offer suggestions within a period of 45 days.

- Net intake of 2,700 calories per day, 66 meters cloth per year per family, housing rent expenditure as 10% of food & clothing expenditure are some of the factors that would determine the fixation of the national minimum wage.

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Chhattisgarh organises India's first e-Lok Adalat


- e-Lok Adalat is being held in Chhattisgarh on Saturday to ensure the administration of justice continues via virtual hearings conducted through video conferencing.

-Chief Justice P R Rajendra Menon and State Legal services Authority chairman Justice Prashant K Mishra conceptualized and the former inaugurated it 

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Jharkhand govt signs MoU with HDFC Bank for digital payment solutions


- HDFC bank will provide digital payment solutions to the transport department of Jharkhand. 

- The traffic police will be equipped with POS machines to collect traffic- related penalties

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UP startup policy aims 100 incubators and 10,000 startups

-UP cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the Uttar Pradesh Startup Policy 2020

-chaired by UP Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath

- expected to generate 150,000 employment and self employment opportunities

-New Startup Policy, which will be applicable for five years from date of notification, to corporatize more than 10,000 startups at an incubation hub in Lucknow.

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Avg global temperature can rise by 1.5°C in next 5 years: WMO

-World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is based in Geneva, Switzerland

-WMO in its report “Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update for 2020-24”,  said the annual global temperature is likely to be at least 1 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels

-Countries under 2015 Paris Agreement had agreed to try and limit average global temperature rise to below 2°C by the end of the century

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WHO sets up panel to probe Coronavirus response

-launched an independent panel to review its response to the pandemic

-”Independent panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response”

- will be headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, jointly with 2 others  "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work."

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Country of origin tag a must : Paswan to e-tailers


-Consumer Affairs Minister Shri Ram Vilas Paswan

- consumers to know “country of origin” for informed choice while pushing “Made in India”

-The dept. for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) held a second meeting on the matter attended by close to 30 e-commerce players.

-Ministry in its reminder invoked the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.

-Under the rules make it mandatory for all manufacturers to declare the package name & address of the manufacturer, common & generic name of commodity, net quantity, month & year of manufacturing, MRP and consumer care details.


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Chennai to come up with ‘plasma bank’, after Delhi

-Chennai will soon have the country’s second ‘plasma bank’ at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH)

-establish the facility at a cost of ₹2 crore.

-State govt obtained approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)

- to take up the trial of convalescent plasma therapy for patients with moderate COVID-19

-TN Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar

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Iran drops India from Chabahar rail project, cites funding delay


-Iran inaugurated the track laying process for the 628 km Chabahar-Zahedan line, which will be extended to Zaranj across the border to Afghanistan. 

-IRCON(Indian Railways Construction Ltd) had signed MoU with Iranian Railways in 2016, as a part of a Trilateral agreement between Iran, Afghanistan and India.

- China is likely to ink the deal for 25years


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Navy Completes Operation Samudra Setu

- Indian Navy said it has completed Operation Samudra Setu, which began on May 5,2020 by bringing nearly 4,000 Indians back home from three countries

-5repatriation trips were done by ships to Male in Maldives,

2 were done to Bandar Abbas in Iran and 1 went to Colombo in Sri Lanka under the operation

-Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa (Landing Platform Dock), and Airavat, Shardul and Magar (Landing Ship Tanks) participated in this operation which lasted over 55 days.


14072020 ~ Daily Current Affairs Quiz Key + Notes

  1. Which Company has got approval from DCGI(Drugs Controller General of India) for Itolizumab,  a novel biologic therapy to be approved for treating patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 complications? 

  1. Glenmark

  2. Cipla

  3. Biocon 

  4. Hetero 

BIOCON has received approval from the  Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), Itolizumab a novel biologic therapy to be approved for treating patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 complications.

Biocon Executive Chairperson ~ Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

2. Which famous sixth century Byzantine monument has been converted into a mosque by the Government of Turkey ? 

  1. Hagia Sophia

  2. Aya Sofya

  3. Topkapi Palace

  4. Galata Tower

Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan’s decision to turn Hagia Sophia back into a  mosque. 

The sixth century Byzantine monument had been at the centre of the conflict between Ottoman Muslims and Greek Orthodox Christians for centuries. Now officially the Great Mosque of Ayasofya. 

3. Which agency has signed an MoU with the National Crime Records

Bureau to access the centralised online database on FIRs and stolen

vehicles, and will act as an integrated intelligence grid that connects

databases of core security agencies ?

  1. National Security Agency, NSA

  2. National Intelligence Grid ,NATGRID

  3. National Investigation Agency (NIA)

  4. Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW)

NATGRID is the integrated intelligence master database structure for counter-terrorism purpose connecting databases of various core security agencies under Government of India.

Est by Home Min P. Chidambaram in 2009

Ashok Patnaik is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)

4.Which State has launched ‘Paudhe Lagao, Paryavaran Bachao’,

or ‘Plant Saplings, Save Environment’ a 17-day long mega plantation

drive to plant 31 lakh tree saplings in 17 days to increase green cover? 

  1. Uttar Pradesh

  2. Madhya Pradesh

  3. Delhi

  4. Rajasthan

The plantation drive is expected to increase the city’s green cover from 325 square kilometres at present to 350 sq km by 2021


5.Which company will invest $10 billion in India in next 5-7 years, focusing on digitizing the economy and building India first products?

  1. Facebook

  2. Amazon

  3. Netflix

  4. Google

Google to invest $10 billion in India in next 5-7 years, focusing on digitizing the economy and building India first products through“Google for India Digitisation Fund”

CEO of Google & Alphabet -Sundar Pichai

Alphabet - parent firm of Google

6. The Supreme Court on Monday has ruled that the erstwhile Travancore royal family is the “human ministrant” or the  shebait (manager) of the properties belonging to Sree Padmanabhaswa­my temple. Where is the temple situated ?

  1. Kozhikode, Kerala

  2. Kochi, Kerala

  3. Koyamputhtoor, Tamil Nadu

  4. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

 The Supreme Court on Monday has ruled that the erstwhile Travancore royal family is the “human ministrant” or the shebait (manager) of the properties belonging to Sree Padmanabhaswa­my temple inThiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

SC judgment categorically held that the death of a ruler does not affect the royal family’s shebaitship of the temple.


7.Which Indian industry body has said in its “Economic Outlook Survey” conducted in June 2020 , that annual median growth forecast for FY21 at -4.5% ?

  1. CII

  2. FICCI

  3. COAI

  4. Moody’s

FICCI, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry was formed in 1927. 

President of FICCI -Sangita Reddy

8.Which of the following has made it to the Guinness Book of

World Records for being the world's largest camera trap wildlife survey?

  1. India's Tiger Census 2018

  2. India’s Rhinoceros Census ,2018

  3. Migratory Birds Census, 2018

  4. None of the above


India's 2018 Tiger Census has made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world's largest on-camera wildlife survey.

2018 Tiger Census had estimated 2,967 tigers in India, compared to 2,226 in 2014.

Global Tiger Day, also known as International  Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July.

9. Who is the current and 5th National Security Adviser (NSA)?

  1. Ajit Doval

  2. Bipin Rawat

  3. MM Naravane

  4. Karambir Singh

The NSA’s post has been upgraded to the rank of Cabinet Minister.

The NSA of India also serves as the Prime Minister's Special Interlocutor with China as well as the envoy to Pakistan and Israel on security affairs.    

   1st NSA - Brajesh Mishra -1998 under then PM AB Vajpayee


10.Which City was  selected under Smart cities as no 1 in top 20 from

among the 98 nominated cities on 28 January 2016, by

then Minister of Housing Development Shri Venkiah Naidu?

  1. Amravati

  2. Pune

  3. Aurangabad

  4. Bhubaneswar

Monday, July 13, 2020

PM Schemes Contd.. ~Smart Citites, AMRUT & PM Awas Yojana (PMAY)

Smart Cities Mission


- The Mission had sought to make 100 selected cities "smart”, primarily through an “Area­ Based Development” model.

- "100 Smart Cities Mission" was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25 June 2015, 

- to be implemented under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

- It is a five-year program in which, except for West Bengal, all other Indian states and Union territories are participating by nominating at least one city for the Smart Cities challenge.


- Minister of Urban Development, selected top 20 from among the 98 nominated cities on 28 January 2016. Bhubaneswar topped the list of the top 20, followed by Pune and Jaipur.

- On 7 September 2019, the 10,000-acre Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) in Aurangabad, Maharashtra was inaugurated as the first greenfield industrial smart city of India.

- Public-Private Partnership (PPP) will be the key to implement smart cities.

- A total of ₹98,000 crore was approved by the Indian Cabinet for

  • the development of 100 smart cities (₹48,000 crore) under Smart Cities Mission
  •  and the rejuvenation of 500 others (₹50,000 crore) under AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation )

AMRUT(Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation )


- aims at equipping 500 cities with infrastructural services such as water, sewerage, storm water drains, transport and development of green spaces and parks.

- replaces the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) targets upgrading urban infrastructure across 500 tier 2 & 3 cities.

- Under AMRUT, Central Government will provide 

~an assistance of 50% of project cost for cities with a population of up to 10 lakh each;
~ and one third of project cost for cities with a population of above 10 lakh each, rest to be borne by the states and urban local bodies.


Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana(PMAY)

- Launched 25 June 2015

- initiative by Government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the urban poor with a target of building 20 million affordable houses by 31 March 2022

- Two components 

  • PMAY-U - Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) for Urban poor  
  • PMAY- G -Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) for Rural poor

- 3 phases of PMAY-U

  • PMAY Phase-1 2015 -17 to cover 100 cities.
  • PMAY Phase-2 2017-19 to cover additional 200 cities.
  • PMAY Phase-3 2019 -22 to cover the remaining cities.

- Proposed objective  to build 2 crore houses for urban poor including Economically Weaker Sections” and LIG in urban areas by the year 2022 through a financial assistance by central govt.

- 4 components of PMAY-U
  • “In situ”Slum Redevelopment with private sector using land as resource (ISSR)
  • Affordable Housing through Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS)
  • Affordable Housing in Partnership with private and public sector (AHP)
  • Beneficiary led house construction/enhancement (BLC)

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) was formerly called the Indira Awas Yojana

- On July 8, FM Nirmala Sitharaman announced a scheme to provide affordable rental housing complexes (ARHCs) to urban migrants and poor as a sub-scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)(Urban) . 


Sunday, July 12, 2020

PM Schemes ~ Pradhan Mantri Yojana -Ready Reckoner

PM Garib Kalyan Yojana extended

-Under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, PM announced a package of Rs1.75 lakh crore. 

-In the last 3 months, Rs 31,000 crore deposited in bank accounts of 20 crore poor families. Also, Rs 18000 crore deposited in bank accounts of more than 9 crore farmers.

-announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 26, the government announced free foodgrains and cash payment to women and poor senior citizens and farmers

PM Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) will be extended till the end of November


-  PM Modi said the scheme will continue till November end, aiding around 80 crore people to avail free grains. This extension will cost over Rs 90,000 crore

-80 crore poor people, covering about two-thirds of the country's population, will get 5 kg rice or wheat each month for the next three months free of charge, in addition to the 5 kg they already get.

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan(GKRA)

-is a 125-day Abhiyaan launched by Prime Minister on 20th June, 2020

- to address the issues of returnee migrant workers & similarly affected rural population by Covid-19

-by giving focus on 25 works in 116 selected districts across 6 States 
(Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand

-the 116 districts will also contain 27 aspirational districts—>India’s poorest areas in socio-economic indices

- with a resource of Rs 50,000 cr

- Broad objectives
1. Provide for immediate employment opportunities to returnee migrant workers and similarly affected rural populations.
2. Saturate villages with public infrastructure and assets 
3. Set Stage for enhancing longer term livelihood opportunities.

PM KISAN -Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi

-initiative by the government of India in which all farmers families will get up to ₹6,000 per year as minimum income support

-initiative was announced by Piyush Goyal during the 2019 Interim Union Budget

-scheme will cost ₹75,000 crore per annum and will come in effect from Dec 2018

-₹6,000 per year will be paid to each eligible farmer in three instalments and will be deposited directly to their bank accounts.
-weaker farmer families having a cultivable land up to 2 Hectare

PM SVANidhi

- The Union Cabinet on June 1 cleared a credit scheme for 50 lakh Urban, peri urban & rural street vendors so that they can revive their businesses under Pradhan Mantri Street Vendor AtmaNirbhar Nidhi


Objectives
1. working capital loan up to Rs.10,000 at subsidized rate of interest;
2.To incentivize regular repayment of loan;
3.To reward digital transactions.

- Scheme shall be implemented up to March, 2022.

AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

-PM Narendra Modi announced an economic package totaling Rs.20 lakh crore to tide over the Covid-19 crisis
- announced on 12 May 2020
- this is 10 per cent of India’s GDP
- includes the govt’s announcements on supporting key sectors & measures by Reserve Bank of India
-five pillars of AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaneconomy, infrastructure, technology driven system, vibrant demography and demand

WTO Terms (World Trade Organization) ~ MFN status, Market Economy Status

Most Favoured Nation (MFN)


- clause in WTO’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)


- is intended to ensure that member countries of the organization do not discriminate between their trade partners


-WTO member nation usually grants MFN status to all other members


-primary condition under MFN is that a country must charge the same tariff rate on imports irrespective of their origin.


-India granted MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, but it was not reciprocated by the latter.


-India  withdrew MFN from Pakistan, in 2019 after terrorist attack in Pulwama J&K.


WTO & China’s Market Economy Status


-China became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 11 December 2001, on the condition that it will be treated as a non-market economy by other member countries for anti-dumping proceedings


-A non-market economy refers to a country which has a complete or substantially complete monopoly of its trade and where all domestic prices are fixed by the state. 


-While the 15-year period ended in December 2016, the EU & US have desisted from granting market economy status to China, citing wide-ranging price control on export commodities by China.


-market economy status that would have legally insulated it from higher tariffs being imposed by other countries.


-In June 2020, China has lost a dispute to the European Union at WTO for market economy status  as former allowed dispute to lapse


-After the latest development, to protect their industries, the EU and US will be able to apply high anti-dumping tariffs on goods from China.         




BRICS Quiz + Notes

 

1. What was the theme of 11th BRICS summit held in Brazil in Nov 2019?

  • BRICS: economic growth for an innovative future
  • Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity
  • BRICS and Africa
  • BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future.


2. BRICS development bank is now known as New Development Bank. Who will replace Mr.KV Kamath as the President of NDB from 7th July 2020

  • Mr. Andrey Bokarev
  • Marcos Trojyo
  • Mr. Wencai Zhang
  • None of the above

3. Where is the NDB,(New Development Bank) BRICS  headquarters?
  • Brasiliana
  • New Delhi
  • Moscow
  • Shanghai
 4. When did the BRICS states signed the Agreement on the New Development Bank, which makes provisions for the legal basis of the bank?
  •  July 2014 (6th BRICS summit)
  • March 2013 (5th BRICS summit)
  • March 2012 (4th BRICS summit)
  • None of the Above
 5.When was BRICS formed and when South Africa included ?
  • 2009;2010
  • 2009;2011
  • 2008;2009
  • 2009; 2010
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BRICS notes


BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: 
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
  • In 2001, "BRIC" was coined by Jim O'Neill, then-chairman of Goldman Sachs , , in his publication "Building Better Global Economic BRICs"
  • The BRIC grouping's first formal summit, also held in Yekaterinburg, commenced on 16 June 2009,
  • Abbreviation BRICS
  • Formation 2009
  • South Africa officially became a member nation on 24 December 2010

  • Who will host BRICS 2020?

- Next Summit 12th Summit - 21-23 July 2020-Saint Petersburg, Russia 


-Theme : BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth


New Development Bank/ NDB or NDB BRICS Bank 

  • BRICS Development Bank is a multilateral development bank operated by the BRICS states

  • The bank's primary focus of lending will be infrastructure project,   authorized lending of up to $34 billion annually
  • President of NDB (from 07- July 2020) -  Marcos Trojyo
  • Previous president  of NDB - Mr.KV Kamath (From 2015 to 2020)

  • Vice President (from 07 July2020) - Anil Kishora (ex- Deputy MD & Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of SBI 


Current Affairs Daily Quiz, December 9, 2020

  Q1 . Which of the following are set to become Olympic sports , according to International Olympic Committee? Skateboarding Sport climbing ...