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Flashcards in DECEMBER 2019 Deck (67)
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1
Q

Accelerator Lab

A

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched its Accelerator Lab in India. The project has been launched in collaboration with the government’s Atal Innovation Mission and will look to solve issues through innovative solutions.
Accelerator Lab is an innovative new initiative by the UNDP, State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Germany to find 21st century solutions to today’s complex new challenges.
India’s Accelerator Lab will be part of a network of 60 global labs covering 78 nations, that will test and scale new solutions to global challenges like climate change and inequality.

2
Q

Surya Kiran

A

Exercise SURYA KIRAN-XIV, a joint military training exercise between India and Nepal culminated today at Nepal Army Battle School (NABS), Salijhandi, Rupendehi district of Nepal

3
Q

Chagos Island

A

The Chagos Islands is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean.The United Nations (UN) had given the United Kingdom (UK) 6 months to process the transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.This UN move was bitterly resisted by the UK and the US.Mauritius argues that the Chagos Islands has been a part of its territory since the 18th century, till the UK broke the archipelago away from it in 1965.After Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968, the UK refused to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The largest island on the Chagos Islands archipelago, Diego Garcia, is where the US and the UK operate a large military base.
In 2017, at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), 94 countries voted in support of Mauritius’ resolution to seek an advisory opinion on the legal status of Chagos Islands from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).The US and the UK were among the 15 countries that voted against the resolution.

4
Q

INSTEX

A

Six Countries - Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have recently joined INSTEX.
sA trade mechanism ‘Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX)’ was established by France, Germany and the United Kingdom in January 2019 to allow European entities to maintain trade with Iran.
This Paris-based mechanism functions as a clearing house allowing Iran to continue to sell oil and import other products or services in exchange.

5
Q

Operation Clrean art

A

Mongoose is listed in Schedule II Part 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and any smuggling or possession of its body part is a non-bailable offence.IUCN Red List status- Least Concerned.All six species are listed on CITES Appendix III with a zero quota for commercial trade.There are six species of mongoose found in India- Indian grey mongoose, Small Indian mongoose, Ruddy mongoose, Crab-eating mongoose, Stripe-necked mongoose and Brown mongoose.The Indian grey mongoose is the most commonly found species and also the most hunted.
It was the first pan India operation to crackdown on the smuggling of mongoose hair in the country.It was conceived by Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) with the singular aim of ensuring that the mongoose hair brush trade

6
Q

Power of Sirberia

A

cross border gas pipeline named “Power of Siberia”.It is the first cross-border gas pipeline between Russia and China.Under this pipeline project, Russia will deliver 1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas to China over the next 30 years.
The pipeline will pass through the deltas of the Yangtze and Amur rivers of China.

7
Q

Hand in Hand

A

The 8th India-China joint training exercise ‘HAND-IN-HAND 2019’ with the theme of ‘Counter Terrorism’ under United Nations mandate is scheduled to be conduct at Umroi, Meghalaya
2018, the exercise was held in Chengdu, China.The exercise didn’t take place in 2017 due to the 72-days long standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam.

8
Q

Top 100 cities travel

A

The National Capital has been witnessing soaring popularity and wellness tourism across the world. According to Euro Monitor International, Delhi currently ranks 11th in the list of world’s tops 100 destinations and is to gain 8th rank in 2019. The ranking was released by the organization on December 3, 2019 under the title “Top 100 city destination ranking

9
Q

Samjiyon City

A

North Korea has celebrated the completion of Samjiyon a new city which is leader Kim Jong-un’s signature construction project
Samjiyon County is a city, in Ryanggang Province, North Korea.It takes its name from three lakes in the county, which are collectively known as the Samjiyon.Samjiyon is situated near Mount Paektu.

10
Q

ICJ Resolution 1514

A

February 2019, the UN’s highest court of justice, the ICJ ordered the UK to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “as rapidly as possible”.Mauritius had submitted before the ICJ that it had been coerced into giving the islands to the UK as part of colonial occupation of the country.
It stated that this move was in breach of UN resolution 1514 which specifically banned the breakup of colonies before independence.The UK argued that the ICJ did not have any jurisdiction to hear the case at all

11
Q

Prithvi II

A

indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-2 missile surface-to-surface missile strike range of 350 kilometresnuclear as well as conventional warheadsIt is 8.56 meter long and has 1m diameter. It can target mobile targets including unmanned aerial vehicles.Prithvi-2 is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilograms of warheads and is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines. The state-of-the-art missile uses an advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target,

12
Q

Global Climate Risk Index

A

Germanwatch’ has recently released the Global Climate Risk Index 2019.
Worst affected in 2018: Japan, Philippines and Germany,India, which suffered water shortages, crop failures and worst flooding, holds the 5th position. It has fallen from its 14th rank of countries hit most by climate change-induced weather phenomena in 2017.

13
Q

Cop 25

A

The 25th edition of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or COP25 has begun from December 2 in Madrid (Spain).Originally, the Summit was scheduled to be held at Chile (South America) but violent mass movement across the country made Chile reluctant from hosting the event.
prime objective of the conference is to complete the rule-book to the 2015 Paris Agreement that will become effective in 2020 to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (comes to an end in 2020).

14
Q

126th AA

A

Extends reservation for SC ST til 2030, not for Anglo Indians, earlier 95th aa provided for extended reservation ending Jan 2020

15
Q

Global Carbon Project

A

Global Carbon Project - The GCP is a Global Research Project of Future Earth and World Climate Research Programme.Established in 2001
The main object of the group has been to fully understand the carbon cycle, its projects include global budgets for three dominant greenhouse gases — CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide — and complementary efforts in urban, regional, cumulative, and negative emissions.
Global Carbon Project, which puts out emission estimates for across the world every year, has said India’s emissions in 2019 was likely to be only 1.8 per cent higher than in 2018

16
Q

Exercise Indra

A

Exercise INDRA 2019, a joint, tri services exercise between India and Russia will be conducted in India from 10th-19th December 2019 simultaneously at Babina (near Jhansi), Pune, and Goa.
The INDRA series of exercise began in 2003. It was conducted as a single service exercise alternately between the two countries. However, the first joint Tri Services Exercise was conducted in 2017.

17
Q

Right livelihood award 2019

A

The Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg was recently awarded the Right Livelihood Award-2019, also known as Sweden’s alternative Nobel Prize.She shares her award with the three other global leaders namely:Brazilian indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa who secured the land rights of the Yanomami people.Chinese women’s rights lawyer Guo Jianmei.Western Sahara human rights defender Aminatou Haidar.
The Yanomami are the largest relatively isolated tribe in South America.The Yanomami people live in large circular and communal houses called Yanos or Shabonos.They live in the rainforests and mountainous regions of Northern Brazil and Southern Venezuela.

18
Q

Asian Elephant specialist group

A

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) 10th Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG) Meeting was held recently at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.More than 130 elephant conservationists, partner organisations and experts gathered at the meeting
Gajah is the bi-annual journal of the IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG).
Status is Endangered

19
Q

HERA Mission

A

The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved theHera, the mission to slam a spacecraft into an asteroid. Hera is the European contribution to double-spacecraft collaboration.Hera is named after the Greek goddess of marriage.
Due to launch in 2024, Hera would travel to a binary asteroid system – the Didymos pair of near-Earth asteroids.
NASA will first perform DART a kinetic impact on the smaller of the two bodies, then Hera will follow-up with a detailed post-impact survey

20
Q

Double Asteroid Redirection Test DART

A

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will target Didymoon as part of its planetary defence programme.DART will deliberately crash itself into the moonlet at a speed of approximately 6 km per second, using an onboard camera and autonomous navigation software.The collision will change the speed of the moonlet in its orbit around the main body.
Didymoon was chosen because of its close proximity to Earth and its size. Didymoon is small and in a tight enough 12-hour orbit around its parent, that its orbital period can indeed be shifted in a measurable way.Didymos is a binary asteroid

21
Q

Paika Rebellion

A
Paika Bidroha (Paika Rebellion) of 1817 in Odisha briefly shook the foundations of British rule in the eastern part of India.2017 marked the double centenary of one of the biggest revolts ever seen in eastern India
leadership of Baxi Jagabandhu, the hereditary chief of the militia army of the Gajapati King of Khurda
22
Q

Tyre Pyrolisis

A

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has ordered the closure of about 270 tyre pyrolysis units in 19 States for flouting environmental norms and causing a high level of pollution.Tyre pyrolysis refers to a technique of breaking down used tyres in the absence of oxygen. Shredded tyres, at temperatures between 250°C and 500°C, produce liquid oil and gases.
It was considered a safer technique than burning tyres but pyrolysis leaves fine carbon matter, pyro-gas, oil as residue. Also, the inadequate management of these by-products poses health risks.

23
Q

UN Human Development Index

A

India was ranked 129 out of 189 countries on the 2019 Human Development Index (HDI) improving from the 130th position in 2018.HDI is part of the Human Development Report that is published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
HDI measures average achievement of a country in three basic dimensions of human development:A long and healthy life,Access to knowledge, andA decent standard of living.Top Performers in 2019Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top three positions in that order.
The other indices that form the part of the 2019 Report are:Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI),Gender Development Index (GDI),Gender Inequality Index (GII) andMultidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).The focus of the 2019 Report is on ‘Inequality in Human Development’.

24
Q

White Island

A

A volcanic eruption took place at White Island in New Zealand.White Island is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano which has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 1,50,000 years.
A volcanic eruption took place at White Island in New Zealand.White Island is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano which has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past 1,50,000 years. located in Bay of plenty

25
Q

WADA World Anti Doping Agency

A

Recently, one of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) panels has suggested banning Russia for four years from competing in international events, including the Tokyo (2020 Summer) Olympics.
established in 1999 as an international independent agency, initiated by the IOC to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sports., Located in Montreal Canada
International Olympic CommitteeIt is a not-for-profit independent international organisation that is committed to building a better world through sport.It was created on 23 June 1894 and is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement

26
Q

GCC Summit

A

39th session of the GCC summit was held recently in Riyadh. At the end of the summit, the council issued the ‘Riyadh Declaration’, which included 72 items covering matters related to the Gulf countries, the region and the world.The 40th session of the GCC summit will be held in the UAE,
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic alliance of six countries in the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Established in 1981, the GCC promotes economic, security, cultural and social cooperation between the six states
three constitutional monarchies (Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain), two absolute monarchies(Saudi Arabia and Oman), and one federal monarchy (the United Arab Emirates).

27
Q

CCPI Climate Change Performance Index

A

The 2019 edition of the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)has been released which illustrates regional differences in climate protection and performance within the 56 evaluated countries and the EU.
four categories “GHG Emissions”, “Renewable Energy” and “Energy Use”, as well as on “Climate Policy.”Sweden leads the ranking, followed by Morocco and Lithuania. India ranks 11th, improving its standing by three places compared to the previous edition.
The index is published by Germanwatch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network.

28
Q

Papikonda National Park

A

begin the maiden survey of butterfly species in the Papikonda National Park (PNP).The PNP spreads over 1012.86 square kilometres in East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh.
lies on the left and right banks of the river Godavari and cuts through the Papikonda hill range of Eastern Ghats. The River Godavari enriches the Papikonda Park with its natural beauty.,deciduous forest

29
Q

Neora NP

A

Neora Valley National Park is situated in the Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India and was established in 1986. It spreads over an area of 88 km² and is one of the richest biological zones in the entire Eastern India. It is the land of the elegant red panda in the pristine undisturbed natural habitat

30
Q

Indian Ocean Dialogue

A

19th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting was held in Abu Dhabi (UAE), IORA’s 22 Member States and nine Dialogue Partners.
only ministerial-level organization that focuses purely on the Indian Ocean region, In 2014, India hosted the first Indian Ocean Dialogue in Kochi, Kerala bringing together officials, academics
The Indian Ocean Dialogue (IOD) is a flagship initiative of IORA, with its origins in the 13th Council of Ministers meeting, held in November 2013 in Perth, Australia.The sixth edition of IOD will be held on 13 December 2019 in New Delhi, India.

31
Q

IORA

A

It was established in 1997 and is a regional forum that seeks to build and expand understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation through a consensus-based, evolutionary and non-intrusive approach.
IORA has 22 member states, including Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE, and Yemen.Its Secretariat is based in Cyber City, Ebène, Mauritius.

32
Q

Second Launchpad

A

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has commenced land acquisition for its second launchpad in Kulasekarapattinam, a town in the Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district of Tamil Nadu

33
Q

GIMS

A

GIMS is the instant messaging platform for Government communication. GIMS platform provides GIMS mobile client for instant messaging and GIMS Portal for administration and monitoring of platform. It is Designed to suit the hierarchy and communication policies of the government.
Designed and developed by the Kerala unit of National Informatics Centre (NIC),There are specific provisions in GIMS for documents and media sharing in keeping

34
Q

Strandhogg

A

Home Ministry has alerted States, warning them about the vulnerability of the Android operating system to a bug called ‘StrandHogg’.
It is a vulnerability in android which allows real-time malware applications to pose as genuine applications and access user data of all kinds.

35
Q

Global Gender Gap Index

A

India has been ranked 112th among 153 countries in the annual Global Gender Gap Index for 2020, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).The WEF published its first gender gap index in 2006.
Gender parity in four dimensions:Economic Participation and Opportunity,Educational Attainment,Health and Survival andPolitical Empowerment
Yemen is ranked the worst (153rd), while Iraq is 152nd and Pakistan 151st.

36
Q

National Broadband mission

A

Ministry of Communications has launched ‘National Broadband Mission’ that will facilitate universal and equitable access to broadband services across the country, especially in rural and remote areas.The Mission is part of the National Digital Communications Policy, 2018.
Features-Broadband access to all villages by 2022.Significantly improve quality of services for mobile and internet.Develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) to measure the availability of digital communications infrastructure

37
Q

Bibha Star

A

BhibhaThe star has been named in honour of a pioneering Indian woman scientist Bibha Choudhury, who discovered subatomic particle, pi-meson.‘Bhibha’ also means “a bright beam of light” in Bengali.It is located in the constellation of Sextans. It is as hot as the sun, with a surface temperature of about 6,000 degrees Kelvin. It is 1.55 times bigger, 1.21 times massive, and 1.75 times brighter.

38
Q

Santamana planet

A

SantamasaThe planet has been named S’antamasa’ to reflect the cloudy nature of its atmosphere. ‘Santamasa’ is the Sanskrit term for ‘clouded’.

39
Q

Houbara bustard

A

government of Pakistan has issued special permits to the Emir of Qatar and nine other members of the royal family to hunt the Houbara Bustard, an internationally protected bird species
(IUCN) recognises two distinct species found in:North Africa (Chlamydotis undulata) andAsia (Chlamydotis macqueenii).
IUCN Status- Vulnerable

40
Q

Silver line project

A

The Ministry of Railways has granted in-principle approval for the ‘Silver Line’ of Kerala government
It involves laying of semi high-speed trains between the two corners of the state of Kerala.

41
Q

CHEOS

A

Gaofen-11 is sub-meter resolution optical satellite. It was developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). It is the sixth in Gaofen series
Cheos China Highresolution earth Observation Systen

42
Q

Operation Twist

A

The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will carry out US-style ‘Operation Twist’ to bring down interest rates RBI will conduct simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMO) for ₹10,000 crore each.It will purchase the longer-term maturities (i.e government bonds maturing in 2029), and simultaneously sell the shorter duration ones (i.e. short-term bonds maturing in 2020).The eligible participants can bid or submit offers in electronic format on RBI’s Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber).
Operation Twist’ is when the central bank uses the proceeds from the sale of short-term securities to buy long-term government debt papers, leading to easing of interest rates on the long term papers.Operation Twist first appeared in 1961 as a way to strengthen the U.S. dollar and stimulate cash flow into the economy.

43
Q

Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

A
While addressing the second meeting of the National Committee for Commemoration of the 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Costa has announced the Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize in order to perpetuate Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals in Portugal.The first edition of prize will be dedicated to animal welfare.Antonio Costa is also known as the ‘Gandhi of Lisbon’ for his work along Gandhian principles. Lisbon is the Capital of Portugal.
A National Committee (NC) headed by the President of India, including Vice-President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister of all States, representatives from across the political spectrum, Gandhians, thinkers, and eminent persons from all walks of life.
Executive Committee (EC) headed by the Prime Minister of India. The mandate of the committee has been described below:To consider policies and lay down guidelines for the commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
44
Q

Rhino reintroduction

A

Uttarakhand State Wildlife Board has cleared a proposal by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to introduce rhinoceroses in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR).Around 10 rhinos will be brought in CTR in the first phase and 10 more would be added subsequently. A proposal will be sent to the Center for transporting rhinos from either Assam or West Bengal or both.
Wildlife Institute of IndiaIt is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.It was established in 1982.It is based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

45
Q

Echo Network

A

EChO Network is a collaborative effort of the Government of India, industry and academia.EChO Network is a national program to provide a template for cross-disciplinary leadership related to ecology and environment.
The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India has brought together multiple stakeholders for this large social innovation partnership. This initiative will catalyze a new generation of Indians across industry, government, private, and academic sectors who can synthesize interdisciplinary concepts and tackle real-world problems in human and environmental ecosystems.

46
Q

Spike missile

A

Spike is an Israeli fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel missile with a tandem-charge HEAT warhead, currently in its fourth-generation.[4] It was developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. It is available in man-portable, vehicle-launched, and helicopter-launched variants.

47
Q

Guru Ghasidas NP

A

Chhattisgarh state is set to have Guru Ghasidas National Park in Kotiya district as its fourth ‘tiger reserve’. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had approved to declare Guru Ghasidas National Park as a tiger reserve in 2014.
Sanjay Gandhi NP Renamed in Chattisgarh

48
Q

Change if Currency of africa

A

Eight West African countries Saturday agreed to change the name of their common currency to Eco and severed the CFA franc’s links to former colonial ruler France. The CFA franc was initially pegged to the French franc and has been linked to the euro for about two decades
The 8 West African countries namely- Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Guinea-Bissau currently use CFA France as their currency. All these countries, except Guinea-Bissau, are former French colonies.

49
Q

Chilai Kalan

A

Chillai-Kalan, a traditional 40-day long period of extreme cold in Kashmir, began on December 21 and will continue till January 31 followed by Chillai-Khurd and Chillai-Bachha.Chillai-Khurd (small cold), a 20-day long period which starts from January 31 to February 19.
Chillai-Bachha (baby cold), a 10-day long period follows which occurs between February 20 and March 2.As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), the period mostly remains wet as the upper part of the Kashmir Valley receives heavy snowfall and the minimum temperature drops considerably.

50
Q

Jigyasa

A

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has launched a student-scientist connect programme ‘JIGYASA’ in collaboration with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathans (KVS).The focus is on connecting school students and scientists so as to extend student’s classroom learning with that of a very well planned research laboratory based learning..
The “JIGYASA” would inculcate the culture of inquisitiveness on one hand and scientific temper on the other, amongst the school students and their teachers. The Programme is expected to connect 1151 Kendriya Vidyalayas with 38 National Laboratories of CSIR targeting 100,000 students and nearly 1000 teachers annuallyj

51
Q

CHEOPS

A

CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite) is a European space telescope satellite to determine the size of known extrasolar planets, which will allow the estimation of their mass, density, composition and their formation. Launched on 18 December 2019, it is the first Small-class mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision science

52
Q

Open Market Operations

A

OMOs are conducted by the RBI by way of sale or purchase of government securities (g-secs) to adjust money supply conditions. Quantitative measure

53
Q

Guru Ghasidas

A
Guru Ghasidas (1756–1850)[1] was Guru (teacher) of the Satnampanth in the early 19th century. Satnami sect is similar to Sikhism. It was Guru Ghasidas to start treating everyone as same in deep forested part of Chhattisgarh, India.[2]
Saint Guru Ghasidas[5] established Satnami community in Chhattisgarh, India based on "Satnam" (meaning "Truth") and equality. The Guru's teachings and philosophy is similar to sikhism. Guru Ghasidas created a symbol of truth called "jaitkhambh" – a white painted log of wood, with a white flag on the top. The structure indicates a white man who follows the truth "satnam" is always steadfast and is the pillar of truth (satya ka stambh).
54
Q

FADF Fisheries and Aquaculture Development fund

A

To double farmers’ income by 2022 the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved creation of FAIDF recently. The proposal for creation of fund was made in budget 2018-19.
The main aim is to boost fish production to achieve the target of producing 15 million tonnes of fish production by 2020 and 20 million tonnes by 2022-23 from current production of 11.4 million tonnes. The aim to achieve this target was set under Blue revolution.The nodal agencies for the fund will be National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC) and scheduled banks.The fund being raised by nodal loaning entities (NLE).

55
Q

National Green corps Eco Clubs

A

National Green Corps Ecoclub programme was recently organized by the Environment Ministry’s Education Division in collaboration with the GEER Foundation (Gujarat). It was held from 20th-21st December 2019 in Kevadia, Gujarat.

56
Q

Oxygen Parlour

A

Oxygen Parlour’ at Nashik Railway Station to combat air pollution1 min read . 23 Dec 2019ANIThe initiative comes with the efforts of Airo Guard in collaboration with the Indian RailwaysThe commuters at the railway station also commended the effort as a positive step towards combating air pollution in the cities across the country

57
Q

Nagpur Resolution , Maharasthra, Public Service Delivery

A

Recently, the ‘Nagpur Resolution- A Holistic Approach for Empowering Citizens’ was adopted during the session on ‘Improving Public Service Delivery – Role of Governments’, in Nagpur, Maharashtra.The conference was organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra and the Maharashtra State Commission for Right to Public Services.

58
Q

Rohtang Pass

A

Rohtang Pass re named as such due to people working in CBRE dying in bad weather trying to cross the pass) . 5]It is a high mountain pass (elevation 3,980 m (13,058 ft)) on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali. It connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh, India.

59
Q

Atal Bhujal Yojna

A

The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) is a central sector scheme worth Rs.6,000 crore for sustainable management of groundwater with community participation.It envisages people’s participation through the formation of ‘Water User Associations’, water budgeting, preparation & implementation of Gram-panchayat-wise water security plans, etc.It is being implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (earlier known as Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation).
The scheme is being funded by the Government of India and the World Bank on 50:50 basis.

60
Q

Good governance index

A

The Good Governance Day is observed on 25th December to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.On this occasion, a number of initiatives have been taken by the government viz. the launch of Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL), naming of tunnel under Rohtang Pass as Atal Tunnel and the launch of Good Governance Index (GGI).

61
Q

Jal jeenan Mission

A
Jeevan Mission (JJM) envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.Creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for reuse, would be undertaken in convergence with other government programmes/schemes.
The Mission is based on a community approach to water and includes extensive Information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.
62
Q

Losar Festival

A

Losar is Tibetan word for ‘new year’. It is considered to be the most important festival of the region. It is an important social and religious celebration in Ladakh. Ladakhi Buddhists make religious offering before their deities in the domestic shrines or in the Gompas

63
Q

EatRight mela

A

Minister of Health & Family Welfare inaugurated the 2nd edition of Eat Right Mela in New Delhi.Key PointsEat Right Mela is organised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).It is an outreach activity for citizens to nudge them towards eating right. It is organised to make citizens aware of the health and nutrition benefits of different types of food.The PURPLE Book, a handbook on diets for diseases was also launched.

64
Q

Snow Ex

A

Recently, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched a seasonal campaign to understand how much water is contained in each winter’s snowfall and how much will be available when it melts in the spring.This campaign is part of a five-year programme called SnowEx which was initiated in 2016-17.Key
PointsThe geographical focus of SnowEx is North America but NASA’s overall target is optimal strategies for mapping global snow water equivalent (SWE) with remote sensing and models leading to “Earth System Explorer” mission.NASA currently has no global satellite mission to track and study SWE.

65
Q

Nathu La

A

The Nathu La and Cho La clashes were a series of military clashes between India and China alongside the border of the Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim, then an Indian protectorate.

66
Q

Naku La

A

Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a temporary and short duration face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Naku La (Sikkim) and near Pangong Tso Lake (Eastern Ladakh).Naku LaNaku La sector is a pass at a height of more than 5,000 metres above Mean Sea Level (MSL) in the state of Sikkim.It is located ahead of Muguthang or Cho Lhamu (source of River Teesta).
The other passes located in the state of Sikkim are Nathu La Pass and Jelep La Pass.

67
Q

Avangard missile

A

Russia’s military deployed a new intercontinental weapon, the Avangard hypersonic missile system that can fly 27 times the speed of sound.This will be the Russian military’s first Avangard hypersonic intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).This feat is highly significant and comparable to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first satellite.
Avangard Hypersonic MissilePreviously referred to as Project 4202, the Avangard hypersonic missile system is a reentry body carried atop an existing ballistic missile, which has the capability to manoeuvre.The missiles have a range of over 6,000 km, weigh approximately 2,000 kg and can withstand temperatures of over 2000 degree celsius.