Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
Difference in per cent expensses on printing cost and advertisement charges = (35 – 18)% = 17%
Now, 1% = 3.6%
∴ 17% = 3.6°17=61.2°

Notes:
Gujarat’s Dahej is all set to get India’s first roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) vessel passenger ferry services around April 2017. The Rs 550 crore projects being executed by the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), and is expected to bring down travel time between Saurashtra regions in Gujarat with its Southern parts significantly. From Ghoga in Saurashtra to Dahej in South Gujarat takes around 10-12 hours for trucks and buses, and even by cars it is not less than 6-8 hours. Once the Ro-Ro ferry service commences, this time would be dramatically shortened to one and a half hours. Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers, and railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter. This is in contrast to lift-on/lift-off (Lolo) vessels, which use a crane to load and unload cargo. Roll-on/Roll-off or ‘Ro-Ro’ services for freight transport have being proposed to be introduced at five places – Kolkata, Sahibganj, Varanasi, Patna and Bhagalpur besides setting up small terminals at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

Notes:
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:
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first international exchange India INX at International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Gujarat International Financial Tech City located in Gandhinagar. India International Exchange (INX) is the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Notes:
India recently became the member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). India now hopes that its membership will make US to consider its exporting Category 1 UAVs, Reaper and Global Hawk, which have played key role to counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. Till now these drones have been sold to only one country, the UK, though unarmed versions have also been made available to Italy and South Korea. India is still not a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group.

Notes:
The ministry of science and technology has launched a new programme called SATYAM-Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation. The programme aims to strengthen research in the areas of Yoga and Meditation. An objective of SATYAM is to harness knowledge obtained in academic institutions and other related agencies for finding science and technology led solutions that would enable us to cope with stress and strain associated with fast changing social, economic, environmental and professional circumstances.

Notes:
Gyan Sangam is an initiative by the officials of PSBs and Financial Institutions (FIs) of the country to discuss the strategy for increasing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics in the banking & financial systems. First “Gyan Sangam” was organized at National Institute of Banking Management (NIBM), Pune. The main purpose of organizing this event was to give an opportunity to Chairman & Managing Directors (CMDs) and Executive Directors (EDs) of all the banks to express their opinion on important issues in the banking sector which called for immediate resolution. The second “Gyan Sangam 2.0” was organized at State Bank Academy, Gurgaon on 4-5 March, 2016.

Notes:
A Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Alvars (saints). Divya means “premium” and Desam indicates “place” (temple). Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is considered the first, foremost and the most important of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divyadesams). The temple received the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Out of 43 applications that competed for the award from 10 countries, the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is the only religious centre in the whole of South India to bag the award in 2017.

Notes:
The above given information is about NASA’s InSight Mission. InSight is the first mission dedicated to investigating the deep interior of Mars. The findings will advance understanding of how all rocky planets, including Earth, formed and evolved. The InSight mission draws upon a strong international partnership led by Principal Investigator Bruce Banerdt of JPL. The prime objective of the mission is to place a stationary lander equipped with a seismometer and heat transfer probe on the surface of Mars and to study the planet’s early geological evolution. The secondary objective of the mission is to conduct an in-depth study of geophysics, tectonic activity and the effect of meteorite impacts on Mars. This mission could bring new understanding of the Solar System’s terrestrial planets —Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars — and the Earth’s Moon. The mission will be powered by solar panels and it will land near the equator. The spacecraft is scheduled to be launched on 5 May 2018 for a Mars landing on 26 November.

Notes:
Colombia had won the 2018 UCI American Tour circuit. It was Colombia’s fourth consecutive win.