Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
Anita Kundu, a Haryana police sub-inspector from Hisar, has made history by becoming the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest from the China side on May 2017. Earlier, she had scaled the Mt. Everest from Nepal side in May 2013.

Notes:
Government has increased quota for disabled people for admission to PG medical courses from 3% to 5%. The move came after the union ministry of health and family welfare approved to amend the regulation for admission to post graduate medical courses in order to expand the scope of persons with disabilities getting the benefit of reservation. Now all 21 benchmark disabilities as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 can register for admission to medical courses.

Notes:
India signed the Stockholm Convention and had agreed to phase out the use of Endosulfan by 2017. Stockholm Convention is first ever-concerted global effort to save mankind from the adverse impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP). The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was signed by India on May 14, 2002. It focuses on reducing and eliminating the production / use of 12 highly hazardous substances including eight pesticides (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene); two industrial chemicals (poly chlorinated biphenyls and hexachlorobenzene) and two unintended by-products (poly chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzo furans, commonly referred to as dioxins and furans).

Notes:
The sixth Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia summit was held in Amritsar, from December 3 to December 4, 2016. The Key Features of the Conference are:

• The delegates from nearly 40 countries and leading groupings like EU participated in conference
• Indian delegation was led by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
• The theme of this edition of the conference was “Addressing Challenges, Achieving Prosperity”
• The three big issues of the conference were (i) countering terrorism to create stability in Afghanistan, (ii) Providing Afghanistan connectivity to strengthen economic activities and (iii) the development which is essential for its progress

Notes:
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has started its Twitter Seva. The Twitter Handle is ‘DARPGSEVA’. The Twitter Seva aims to address issues relating to the DARPG like Public Grievances and Administrative Reforms etc. The Twitter Seva will enable the DARPG to reach out to the common public and various stakeholders for facilitating redress of grievances and other issues of importance relating to the department.

Notes:
The renowned Khasi Mandarin of Meghalaya has a tight and smooth skin. It has been recently issued GI certificate. 

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The Katoch Committee gave its recommendation for reforms in pharmaceutical Sector. The committee submitted its report in February 2015. Here are the recommendations of the committee:

• The committee suggested setting up of mega parks for API or Bulk drugs manufacturing. Since setting up API or Bulk Industry requires large tracts of land, water and electricity facility, effluent treatment plants, testing facilities, etc; therefore, government should ensure availability of all these facilities at reasonable cost.
• The bulk drug industry is known as one of the major polluting industries. Currently, the cost of the pollution control is very high in the country due to lack of capital intensive technology. Therefore, it is necessary to have proper rules and regulations to have check on the pollution level and the quality of the output.
• Innovative ideas and products should be promoted and awards to the scientists/industry should be given for contribution to the industry. Further, protecting innovation through patents will also help to prompt further innovation in the sector.
• There should be provisions for easy soft loans to the Industry through interest subvention upto 7.5%, and Capex loan to the manufacturers of APls.
• Income Tax rebates on up gradation of the existing R&D facilities should be doubled to 400% from existing 200% and Income tax benefits for manufacturing companies for an initial period of 10 years.
• Creation of advance testing lab infrastructure at all Indian ports/air ports for easy import and export.
• Tax free status to cluster developers and cluster participants for 15 Years
• Measures should be adopted to encourage foreign direct investment in green field as well as brown field projects
• Incentives should be provided to the manufacturers for setting up large plants and for importing of technology so that they can reduce the cost of production.
• Financial investment from the Government in the form of dedicated equity funds for the development of clusters.
• In order to ensure single window clearance to manufacturers and to provide common facilities and other support, units of various departments of government should be located at the manufacturing cluster or site.
• Revival of public sector units for starting the manufacture of selected and very essential critical drugs and vaccines
• Committee expects six large API intermediate clusters in five to six states would be able to transform the industry. As of now, it proposes to start with two fully financed clusters (one focused on fermentation and other on APls), while other clusters would be set up in future as per requirements.
• The committee suggested that states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha which are most suited to manufacturing sector should come forward to participate in this sector. The States may also establish their own manufacturing zones for this purpose.

Notes:
Section 8B of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 empowers the Central Government to impose Safeguard Duly on goods which enter in increased quantities and cause or threaten to cause serious injury to domestic industry producing like or directly competitive goods.

Notes:
Progress MS-8 launched on 13 February 2018 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It was launched onboard of Soyuz-2.1a rocket from Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility. The cargo carries 1,390 kilograms of dry cargo, 890 kilograms of propellant in the tanks of its refuelling system, 430 kilograms of water in the tanks of the Rodnik system and 46 kilograms of compressed air and oxygen.

Notes:
INS Chakra is an 8,140-tonne nuclear-powered submarine manufactured by Russia. It was taken by India on lease from Russia in 2012 for a period of 10 years. The Russian experts after examination of the damaged submarine have asked 125 crore for its repair. The Arihant is based on Russian double hull design with a sealed nuclear reactor section. Recently, it also suffered a major damage due to “human error” and is back in services after repairs. INS Arihant was built with Russia’s help under Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project.