Current Affairs - 2019-20

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The Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has inaugurated the first-ever Indian Railways Human Resources Round Table Conference in New Delhi on June 10, 2017. The aim of the Conference is to improve the productivity of the human resources through inter-change of ideas with various stakeholders and HR practitioners and academics. There are 3-themes of the conference viz. Stakeholders Expectations from HR, The Future of Work – HR Role and Creativity Within Constraints.

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The Hypersonic Flight Experiment, or HEX, was the first test-flight in the RLV Technology Demonstration Programme. The RLV-TD vehicle was launched from the first launchpad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 23 May 2016.

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The World Water Day (WWD) is observed every year on 22 March to raise awareness about the importance of water. The 2018 theme ‘Nature for Water’ is exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges the world faces in the 21st century. The day is about focusing on the importance of water and the need to preserve it. The day encourages people not to waste one of the most important elements that sustain life on the planet. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

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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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  The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an environmental treaty that was adopted on September 16, 1987 by the international community to protect human health and the environment by phasing out a number of man-made chemicals with adverse effects on the ozone. Initially, it included refrigerants such as CFCs and halons, but the list of controlled chemicals under the Montreal Protocol today includes HCFCs, methyl bromide, and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS). The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) became an implementing agency of the Montreal Protocol in 1992. In 2010, it became the only environmental treaty which enjoys universal ratification of 197 UN member countries. Recently, in September 2017, it celebrated its 30^th anniversary.

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World Bank’s analytical report classifies the economies into four groups’ viz. high-income group; upper-middle- income group; lower-middle-income group and low-income group. This classification is made on the basis of Gross National Income per capita (GNI per capita). India’s GNI per capita was $1670 in 2016.

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Recently, the Central Government proposed setting up of Four Border Haats in Mizoram to facilitate border trade with Myanmar.

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Eastern Himalaya has been declared a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International. Our Scientists have recently claimed to have discovered a new species of Pika, a mammal belonging to the rabbit and hare family in the Eastern Himalayas in Sikkim. Pikas are members of the rabbit family and live in the mountains or in temperate regions. The common name "pika" is used for any member of the Ochotonidae family. Pikas do not hibernate unlike other mammalian species inhabiting such cold climates.

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Both SUTRA and SRESTHA are related to Ministry of Railways. SUTRA stands for Special Unit for Transportation Research and Analytics (SUTRA). It has been set up for carrying out detailed analysis of optimal investment decisions and operations. SRESTHA refers to Special Railway Establishment for Strategic Technology & Holistic Advancement. This is a special unit of Indian Railways comprised mostly of scientists and railway experts. It is responsible for long-term research for improving the functioning of the public sector behemoth.

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Gherats are water mills, run on water power and are used for grinding wheat and spices. These are most commonly found in Uttarakhand. Recently, many of these mills which were abandoned earlier have been renewed with the help of German technology. The Uttarakhand state government is also supporting the villagers in setting up these traditional water mills by providing subsidy on the purchase of equipment for the setting up the mills.