Wednesday, March 11, 2020

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Daily Current Affairs, 10th March 2020

vision ias current affairs

VisionIAS 13:27

1) ‘COVA Punjab’ mobile app launched by Punjab Govt.

•Chief Secretary of Punjab, Karan Avtar Singh has launched a mobile application, COVA Punjab. COVA stands for Corona Virus Alert. This app has been developed by the Department of Government Reforms and Public Grievances in consultation with the Health and Family Welfare Department to spread awareness by sharing various travel and preventive care advisories.

•The app would inform people to check out for symptoms as provided by the government from time to time and follow the advisory given thereafter. The app also suggests the nearest hospital and nodal officer of the district where the patient can reach in case he/she is symptomatic. The app was available at Android Playstore and iOS app store with name COVA Punjab.

2) Ashraf Ghani Sworn in for Second Term as Afghanistan President

•Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was sworn in for a second term as his rival Abdullah Abdullah held a parallel inauguration that could plunge the country deeper into crisis ahead of peace talks with the Taliban.

•The oath-taking ceremony of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was attended by hundreds of people, including visiting foreign dignitaries, diplomats, and senior political figures. Ghani was declared as the winner of the election held in September 2019.

3) India plans to launch Chandrayaan-3 by first half of 2021

•According to the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, a possible schedule for the launch of Chandrayaan-3 is planned to be implemented in the first half of 2021. The preparation of Chandrayaan-3 has been done by taking lessons from the previously launched Chandrayaan-2, a Moon mission which was launched in 2019, in which the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Vikram Lander lost contact following a hard landing on the Moon’s surface.

•Chandrayaan-3 will be designed to increase design, capacity with a cost of around Rs 610 crore, including Rs 360 crore for the launch rocket. ISRO also decided to launch in the same area where Chandrayaan-2 launched, and would have a lander, rover and propulsion module like its predecessor.

•Jiendra Singh also mentioned India’s manned space mission Gaganyaan project,where 4 biological and 2 physical science experiments related to microgravity have been done.

4) NASA named Mars 2020 rover as “Perseverance”

•NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) announced the name of the 5th Mars (red planet) rover as Perseverance. Previously the rover was known by its codename as Mars 2020.

•The name was suggested by Alexander Mather, 7th standard student and was announced by Nasa’s director of science, Thomas Zurbuchen at an event in Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. Nasa’s naming competition asked children to submit their favoured name for the Mars 2020 rover began in August 2019, comprises 4,700 voluntary judges including teachers and space enthusiasts shortlisted nine names and was asked by the public to vote & select the word through online.

•Perseverance: The rover has improved wheel design which is used to collect the samples from the martian rocks and helps scientists to determine about the ancient microbial life that existed in red planet. The Perseverance rover will be the 5th exploratory vehicle after Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity.

Daily Current Affairs, 09th March 2020

vision ias current affairs

VisionIAS 13:20

1) Moody’s cuts G-20 growth outlook to 2.1%

•Moody’s Investors Service stated that G-20 countries are expected to grow by 2.1% in 2020. Moody’s cuts 0.3 percentage points lower than its previous forecast, as the global spread of the coronavirus, is resulting in simultaneous supply and demand shocks. It cautioned that global recession risks have risen.

•The global credit rating agency is expecting these shocks to materially slow economic activity, particularly in the first half of this year (2020). The G-20 grouping includes advanced economies such as the US, Euro area, Japan, Germany, and the UK, and emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil, Russia, and Mexico.

2) Tamil Nadu tops in Poshan Abhiyan’s participants list

•The Central Government is implementing the flagship programme Poshan Abhiyan for improving the nutritional status of Indian citizens. This programme helps children, adolescents, pregnant women, and lactating mothers by leveraging technology.

•The importance of being given to the programme is evident from the fact that as many as 14 Central Departments and all the State Governments are being involved in the programme. Tamil Nadu tops the list of the states in terms of the number of participants in the programme. The Integrated Child Development Scheme has been in force for long in the southern state that has got rejuvenated with the Centre’s Poshan Abhiyaan mission.

•The programme is revitalizing India by reaching out to the children and mothers across the nation.

3) Former Union Minister Hans Raj Bhardwaj Passes Away

•Former Union Law Minister and Congress veteran Hans Raj Bhardwaj died after a cardiac arrest. Hans Raj Bhardwaj was 83. Hans Raj Bhardwaj was born in Garhi Sampla village in Rohtak district of Haryana. He was a Rajya Sabha member for five terms from April 1982 to June 2009.

•Bhardwaj was the union law minister for 14 years and served under the prime ministership of Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, and Dr. Manmohan Singh. He was appointed the governor of Karnataka in 2009. It was during Bhardwaj’s tenure as law minister that Bofors-accused Ottavio Quattrocchi was given a clean chit by then UPA government in 2009.

Daily Current Affairs, 08th March 2020

vision ias current affairs

VisionIAS 13:16

1) International Women’s Day observed globally on 8th March

•International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year. This day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

Theme of International Women’s Day 2020:

•The theme of International Women’s Day 2020 is, I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights. And the campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2020 is #EachforEqual. The theme is aligned with UN Women’s new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive roadmap for the empowerment of women and girls, everywhere.

International Women’s Day 2020: Significance

•This year women’s day will be celebrated in the wake of the 25th anniversary of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is termed by the UN Women as the “most visionary agenda for women’s rights and empowerment everywhere”. The body also came out with a report to review the effect of Beijing Declaration. It reveals “important progress” in areas of education and heath, while other sectors have seen “stagnation and reversals”.

History of International Women’s Day

•The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day in the International Women’s Year, 1975. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace.

2) Denys Shmygal becomes Ukraine’s new prime minister

•Ukraine parliament approved Denys Shmygal as a new prime minister of Ukraine. He is the nominee of Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine. He won by majority, previously he held the post as the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of regional Development & before that was governor of the western Ivano-Frankivsk region.

•Ukraine Parliament also approved Oleksiy Honcharuk resignation who is previous Prime Minister of Ukraine. He was first offered his resignation in January 2020 after a leaked recording of him saying that the President’s views on the country’s economy as “primitive”& in his 2nd attempt he was offered resignation. He served only 6 months & was the country’s youngest Prime Minister.

3) Bimal Julka becomes new Chief Information Commissioner of India

•Bimal Julka is appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of India. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Bimal Julka as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). The oath ceremony was held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Sudhir Bhargava was the former CIC of the country retired on January 11, 2020.

•Earlier, Julka was working as Information Commissioner. He was born on August 27, 1955. He was serving as the Director of the Department of Industrial Development under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry before the role of Information Commissioner.

Central Information Commission:

•The Central Information Commission was established by the Central Government in the year 2005 under the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005. The role of this commission is very important in maintaining transparency in the governance work of a healthy democracy. The central government tries to prevent misuse of power, control corruption and nepotism.

4) Sri Lanka to host 5th BIMSTEC Summit in September

•The 5th edition of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit 2020 to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in the month of September 2020. The summit will be preceded by the 17th Ministerial Meeting and 21st Senior Officials Meeting by the end of 2020.

•During the meet, it was decided that Sri Lanka will lead the science, technology, and innovation sector in BIMSTEC. Sri Lanka is the Chair of BIMSTEC between 2018 and 2020 and it will hand over the chairmanship to Thailand by the end of 2020. Even though Sri Lanka had hosted 3 Working Committee meetings earlier, this summit will be the first one under the new Administration.

5) Paytm & Hyderabad Metro tie up for QR-based tickets

•Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd in partnership with Paytm has launched a QR-code-based metro ticketing system at Rasoolpura metro station Hyderabad, Telangana. The new service will enable commuters to travel seamlessly and avoid queues to buy tokens at the metro stations. They can now simply purchase a QR ticket on their Paytm app, which can be displayed at the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates to proceed for the journey.

•The feature will help over 14 lakh smartcard holders using the metro service. The company plans to extend the service to metro-feeder buses to ensure last-mile connectivity in the city. The QR-code-based ticket booking on our app will help in reducing congestion at the ticket counters.

6) Defending champion Australia wins Women’s T20 World Cup title

•Defending champions Australia wins Women’s T20 World Cup 2020. Australia bowled India out for 99 runs to clinch the final by 85 runs for a record-extending fifth Women’s T20 World Cup title at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia. Beth Mooney has been adjudged Player of the Tournament & Alyssa Healy has been adjudged the Player of the Match.

•The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 was the seventh edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup tournament. It was held in Australia from 21 February to 8 March 2020. The final match of the tournament was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The schedule of the final match of the tournament coincided with the occasion of International Women’s Day. The tournament featured 10 teams namely: India, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, England, West Indies, Pakistan & Thailand.

7) West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard becomes 1st player to play 500 T20s

•West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard has become the 1st player in the history of T20 (Twenty20) cricket to feature in 500 matches during the field against Sri Lanka for the first T20I in Pallekele, Srilanka. The jersey had the all-rounder’s name at the back along with the number 500. Dwayne Bravo is second in the list with 453 matches under his belt so far. Chris Gayle is at the third spot in the list as he has featured in 404 T20 matches.

Daily Current Affairs, 07th March 2020

vision ias current affairs

VisionIAS 13:04

1) 7th March celebrated as Jan Aushadhi Diwas

•India celebrates 7th of March every year as Jan Aushadhi Diwas. The days aims to create awareness and providing thrust to the use of generic medicines. On the occasion of Jan Aushadhi Diwas, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have an interaction event with seven Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana Kendras through the video conferencing. The message of the Prime Minister will also be telecasted at every Jan Aushadhi outlet.

•Janaushadhi Kendras is the world’s biggest retail pharma chain having around 6,200 outlets in 700 districts of the country. It also provides a good source of self-employment with sustainable and regular earnings. The first Jan Aushadhi Diwas was celebrated on 7th of March 2019.

2) GoI targets to replace All level crossings on NH by Over/under Bridges

•The Union Government of India is envisaging to replace all level crossings on National Highways by Over/under Bridges. The replacement of all the level crossings on National Highways by Road Over Bridges or Road Under Bridges will be executed under the Setu Bharatam scheme. GoI aims to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic and to decrease the road fatalities by 50% by 2020 with the replacement of All level crossings on NH by Over/under Bridges. The whole replacement work will be executed by Road Transport and Highways Ministry.

About Setu Bharatam Scheme:

•The Setu Bharatam Scheme was launched by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4th March in 2016. The scheme aims to build rail over-bridges or underpasses for safe and seamless travel on National Highways and to make all National Highways free of railway level crossings in order to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings.

3) EPFO slashes interest rate on deposits to 8.5% for 2019-20

•Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), the retirement fund body has lowered the interest rate from 8.65% to 8.50% on provident fund deposits for the financial year 2019-20. The announcement of the reduced interest rate was made by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar. The decision was taken during the meeting of the EPFO apex decision making body-the Central Board of Trustee, held in New Delhi.

4) Annual Festival of St Antony’s Shrine begins in Katchatheevu Island

•The annual festival of St Antony’s Shrine begins in Katchatheevu Island of Sri Lanka. The festival began with the traditional flag hoisting ceremonies. St Antony is being worshiped by the devotees as the patron saint of sea farers. The St shrine is the only structure on the Katchatheevu island. Priests from both India and Sri Lanka conducts the mass and car procession in connection with the festival.

•The festival celebrations also featured the participation of more than 3,000 devotees from India. As per an agreement between the two governments, Indians are not required to possess an Indian passport or Sri Lankan visa for visiting Kachchatheevu.

5) DAY-NULM partners with Amazon for e-marketing of products

•E-commerce giant Amazon has partnered with the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The partnership aims to facilitate e-marketing of products which are made by Self Help Groups (SHGs) across the nation in urban areas. It also aims to provide access of the products made by SHGs to the wider customer base. It will also strengthen the mission of creating sustainable livelihoods in urban areas. The partnership is also having an underlying narrative of women empowerment which will be instrumental in unleashing the natural entrepreneurial capability of urban women.

•The collaboration will also help in documenting and preserving the unique traditional art and crafts of different states. This kind of partnership was also done by DAY-NULM with Flipkart in the past.

6) BRAC tops the list of top 500 Global NGOs

•BRAC, an international development organization has topped the list of top 500 Global Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The list of the top 500 global NGOs of year 2020 was released by Geneva-based organization NGO Adviser. NGO Adviser releases the rankings of the top 500 global NGOs every year. The Bangladesh based international development organization, BRAC has retained its 1st rank in the list for the 5th consecutive year. The rankings are drawn by NGO Adviser by keeping in mind the various aspects such as the impact, innovation, governance and sustainability of the NGO.

About BRAC:

•BRAC is an international development organization based in Bangladesh. It was found in 1972 by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed to facilitate the returning war refugees with small-scale relief and rehabilitation project. Currently, the Bangladesh based organization is also having its presence in 11 countries of Asia and Africa. It is presently working in various fields like poverty alleviation through extending loans to the poor, nutrition, healthcare, gender equality, environment and employment etc. BRAC also runs a university, a bank, insurance company, a seed company among other things.

7) Indian Army organizes Self Defence Training for Women

•A unit of Indian Army has organized a Self Defence Training demonstration for Women with a theme of “Stronger You Stronger Society”. The Self Defence Training event was organized for the local womenfolk in Nalbari district of Assam. The training demonstration was held with an objective of addressing fear and to empower the girls morally, mentally and physically to defend themselves in any set of circumstances.

•Ramesh Karki, an international taekwondo player of Indian Army conducted the demonstration along with two local players of International repute. The demonstration also featured the participation of around 250 girl students and staffs from various academic institutions of the Nalbari district.

Only IAS Prelims 2020 CA Test 1 with Solution PDF

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VisionIAS 08:20

Only IAS Prelims 2020 CA Test 1 with Solution PDF

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