Daily Current Affairs, 19th January 2019

1) PM Narendra Modi Launches National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in Mumbai. The development of the Museum was guided by the Museum Advisory Committee headed by Shyam Benegal. 

•An innovation Committee headed by Prasoon Joshi provided an upgrade to the NMIC. Built at a cost of Rs 140.61 crore, the museum depicts the journey of over a century of Indian cinema in a story telling mode with the help of visuals, graphics, artifacts, interactive exhibits and multimedia expositions.

2) Saksham 2019 Launched By Petroleum Ministry In New Delhi

•‘Saksham’, an annual high intensity one-month long people-centric mega campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) was launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

•‘Saksham’ Cycle Day in 200 cities, Cyclothons, Workshops for drivers of commercial vehicles, Nationwide campaign through Radio, TV, Digital Cinemas, Outdoor media etc. will be conducted, with a focus on reaching out to various segments of fuel users.

3) India’s 2nd Defence Innovation Hub to come Up In Nashik

•Nashik in Maharashtra will be the site of the country’s second defence innovation hubafter Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamrestated that the defence innovation hub at Nashik will help local industries and entrepreneurs in the country’s defence sector. He added, the plan is to achieve annual arms exports of Rs 35,000 crore.

4) India To Host 14th Session Of The Conference Of Parties To UNCCD

•India will host the 14th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to address the issue of land degradation and desertification which will have participation from over 100 countries. It is likely to be held in October 2019.

•The UNCCD, established in 1994, has 197 parties working towards maintaining and restoring land and soil productivity and mitigating the effects of drought. The permanent secretariat of the Convention is located in Bonn, Germany since January 1999.

5) Tripura Launches Project For Sustainable Catchment Forest Management

•Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb launched a project for Sustainable Catchment Forest Management at State Forest Academy Ground in West Tripura and stated that the project would help develop the quality of forestlands and livelihood of forest dwellers in the state.

•The project is jointly funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)and Government of India. JICA is providing Rs. 1,000 crores for a span of 10 years.80% of the project would be funded by JICA while Government of India would fund 20%of the project value.

6) Japan Launches Satellite For World’s 1st Artificial Meteor Shower

•Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has launched Tokyo-based startup Star-ALE’s mini-satellite aimed to deliver the world’s first artificial meteor shower.

•The satellite carries 400 tiny balls, will be enough for 20-30 events, that will glow as they rush down the atmosphere on being released. ALE plans to deliver its first show in Hiroshima in early 2020.

7) India Signs Long Term Contract With Uzbekistan For Supply of Uranium

•India has signed a long-term contract with Uzbekistan for supply of uranium ore concentrates to widen its source base for the nuclear fuel. The contract was exchanged in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who were at the Vibrant Gujarat summit in Gandhinagar.

•Uzbekistan is the seventh largest exporter of uranium in the world. The Exim Bank signed an agreement with Uzbekistan to extend a 200-million US dollar line of credit for financing housing and social infrastructure projects.

8) Prabhat Singh Appointed DG In NHRC

•The Department of Personnel & Training, Government of India has appointed Senior IPS Officer Prabhat Singh as Director General (Investigation) in the National Human Rights Commission.

•Singh, a 1985 batch IPS Officer of AGMUT cadre is at present Special Director, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He has been appointed to the post for a period up to April 30, 2020.