Current Affairs - 2019-20

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Parvathamma Rajkumar (77), Kannada film producer and the wife of the legendary Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar, has passed away in Bangalore, Karnataka on May 31, 2017. She was the first woman producer, distributor, exhibitor who only marketed Kannada films. She produced 87 films under her banner Vajreshwari Combines — one of the oldest and most successful banners in Kannada film — and Poornima Enterprises.

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35% total cost = Rs. 17500
∴15% of total cost =

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The International Tiger Day (ITD) is celebrated every year on July 29 to spread the message to protect these endangered species and assist in maintaining ecological integrity. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia with the goal to bring worldwide attention to the dwindling numbers of tigers and their plight. According to World Wildlife Fund and Global Tiger Forum (GTF), the total number of wild tigers has risen to above 3,000 in 2016. The number is expected to increase in the new tiger counting, which started in January 2018. India is home to 70% of tigers in the world.

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Buddha Poornima or Vesak is recognized as the thrice sacred day that marks the birth, enlightenment and parinirvana of Lord Buddha. While Buddha was born in Lumbini in present day Nepal, he attained sambodhiprapti in Bodhgaya in Bihar. In Sarnath, he set in motion the wheel of the Dharma, and finally attained mahaparinirvana in Kushinagar.

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MESSENGER was the first orbital mission around Mercury. It was a NASA robotic spacecraft that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015. BepiColombo is a joint mission planned to be launched in October 2018. It is a joint mission by European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two satellites to be launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetosphere Orbiter (MMO). The mission will perform a comprehensive study on Mercury, including its magnetic field, magnetosphere, interior structure and surface. Mariner 10 was an American robotic space probe launched by NASA on November 3, 1973, to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus. Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) is a space probe developed by NASA designed to study the atmosphere of Mars. The mission was successfully launched on November 18, 2013. Mission goals include determining how the planet’s atmosphere and water, presumed to have once been substantial, were lost over time. MAVEN has completed four years on 21 september, 2018.

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Kandhamal Haladi is a golden yellow spice, named after the Kandhamal district in Odisha where it is produced. It is being cultivated there from time immemorial and is known for its medicinal value.

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The Indian scientists have finally started their research on “Dark Matter” in the special underground lab set up at Jaduguda mines in Jharkhand. The lab’s primary aim will be to join the hunt for dark matter, the mysterious stuff whose gravity holds galaxies together. The laboratory is located deep underground almost half-a-kilometre below the earth’s surface. To search for dark matter, scientists need to dive deep underground, so their experiments are shielded from intruders like cosmic rays and other radiations. The rock overhead is expected to absorb these unwelcome rays that interfere with the experiments. The Jaduguda mines are located nearly 260 km from Kolkata and 150 km from state capital Ranchi. It was set up at a cost of a mere Rs. 20 lakh. This is India’s second foray in underground lab experiments. Before this, in 1992, a similar facility was started in Karnataka’s Kolar gold field but was shut down after the mine got flooded due to disuse.

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Recently, world’s largest solar power plant has been inaugurated at Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu. With a capacity to produce 648 MW of electricity, the plant comprises 2.5 million individual solar modules.

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Recently, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has started a scheme titled “Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD)” to promote women entrepreneurs. The scheme envisages economic empowerment of women through trade related training, information and counselling activities related to trades, products, services, etc. Under the scheme, there is a provision for Government of India grant up to 30% of the loan/credit maximum up to Rs. 30.00 lakh as appraised by lending institutions/ banks, thus, promoting “small-scale entrepreneurs”. An entrepreneur who has made investment in plant and machinery up to Rs 1.00 crore is called “small-scale entrepreneur”, while an entrepreneur who has made investment in plant and machinery more than Rs 5.00 crore is called ‘large-scale entrepreneur.’

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Irom Sharmila, also known as 'Iron Lady' announced the name of her political party as People's Resurgence Justice Alliance. Irom Sharmila is contesting in Manipur Elections-2017 from two constituencies- Thoubal and Khurai. While Khurai is her home constituency, Thoubal is constituency of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.