Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
Suryoday Small Finance Bank with its tagline “A Bank of Smiles”, has recently launched its first branch in Belapur, Navi Mumbai.

Notes:
Pistol aces Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu bagged a bronze each to continue India’s medal charge at the 10th Asian Championship 10m Rifle/Pistol in Wako City, Japan on December 10, 2017. Jitu won an individual bronze in the men’s 10m Air Pistol, which also helped the Indian team comprising Shahzar Rizvi and Omkar Singh besides Jitu, to bag the Team gold in the event.Heena claimed an individual bronze in the women’s 10m Air Pistol. Her effort, along with teammates Shri Nivetha Paramantham and Harveen Srao, helped the Team clinch a silver. India added another individual bronze through Anmol Jain in the junior men’s 10m Air Pistol as well as the Team silver in the event, with combined efforts of Anmol, Gaurav Rana and Abhishek Arya.

Notes:
General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Army Staff, has released a book on Paramveer Chakra Awardees – ‘Paramveer Parwane’ on 20 March 2018. The book illustrates the bravery of Paramveer Chakra Awardees from 1947 to 1965 and is written by Dr. Prabhakiran Jain published by Medha Books. The book has 11 short stories, poems and songs highlighting the history of the battles in which the brave soldiers sacrificed their lives and have shown the utmost courage & leadership while facing the enemy during War to protect the motherland. The book is available in paperback & coffee table book format and its second part will be released shortly.

Notes:
In the equilateral triangle centroid, incentre, orthocentre, coincide at the same point.
∴ Height 3 = in radius
∴ Height = Median = 33 = 9 cm
Hence option [B] is the right answer.

Notes:
Night clouds or noctilucent clouds, made of crystals of water ice, re most commonly observed in the summer months at latitudes between 50° and 70° north and south of the equator. They can only be observed when the Sun is below the horizon. They are the highest clouds in Earth’s atmosphere, located in the mesosphere at altitudes of around 76 to 85 kilometres (47 to 53 mi). They are normally too faint to be seen, and are visible only when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the Earth’s shadow. Noctilucent clouds are not fully understood and are a recently discovered meteorological phenomenon; there is no record of their observation before 1885.

Notes:
Non-Tariff Trade Barriers (NTBs) are trade barriers that restrict imports or exports of goods or services through mechanisms other than the simple imposition of tariffs. These barriers include- Import quotas, subsidies, customs delays, technical barriers, or other systems for preventing or impeding trade like import licensing, pre shipment inspections and rules for valuation of goods at customs. The term “neo-protectionism” has been recently making news due to emerging wave of neo-protectionism in USA. Recently, Indiana state has just cancelled a $ 15 million software contract awarded to Tata Constancy Services and shifted it to a local company to keep jobs in the state. Various curbs on outsourcing activities and visas for Indians are being considered in 9 other states. Imports quotas imposed on Chinese textile exports. The USA continues to subsidise its farmers, depressing the price of commodities for Third World exporter. This sudden change in American attitudes to trade may lead to trade restriction in world trade and impose serious threat to Indian economy.

Notes:
Ministry of Communications has launched the Cool EMS Service. It is a one-way service that allows customers in India to import Japanese food for personal use. All the Food items will be carried by Japan Post in special cool boxes containing refrigerant to preserve the quality of the food items and then collected in India.

Notes:
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.’

Notes:
"Flamenco India", a dance cultural festival, was celebrated recently to mark diplomatic relationship between India and Spain.