Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
India has signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to provide fresh assistance of $318 million credit line to develop the island nation’s railway sector. The agreement was signed in Colombo, Sri Lanka on June 6, 2017. India has already provided four Lines of Credit for the development of railway sector in Sri Lanka through its EXIM bank amounting to approximately $966 million. These credit facilities have been utilized to improve the Southern and Northern railway lines and for the procurement of rolling stocks for the Sri Lanka Railways.

Notes:
AB = 10cm
BD = 5 cm
∠ADB = 90°
∴ AD =




Hence option [C] is the right answer.

Notes:
The Egypt squash team has won the boy’s title at the 6th WSF-World junior squash team championship 2018 by defeating England by 2-0 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on July 29. Egypt’s Marwan Tarek, who lost the individual championship final, defeated Nick Wall of England in straight games. Czech Republic and USA finished third and secured the bronze medal. Host India finished 11th overall.

Notes:
Acclaimed Bengali writer Ramapada Chowdhury (95), whose story ‘Abhimanyu’ was made into a Hindi movie ‘Ek doctor ki maut’, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on July 29, 2018. ‘Abhimanyu’ was based on the life and work of Dr Subhas Mukhopadhyay who created India’s first and the world’s second test-tube baby in 1978. Director Tapan Sinha turned the story into a award winning Hindi film ‘Ek doctor ki maut’ in 1990. Mrinal Sen’s Hindi film ‘Ek din achanak’ (1989) was also based on Chowdhury’s story ‘Beej’. Chowdhury had penned famous literary works such as ‘Pratham Prahar’ (1954), ‘Banpalashir padabali’ (1960), ‘Ekhoni’ (1969), ‘Kharij’, ‘Bari badle jay’ (1988), ‘Abhimanyu’ (1982). His last book ‘Harano Khata’ was published in 2015. He was conferred the Sahitya Academy award for ‘Bari badle jay’ in 1988 and was also the recipient of Rabindra Puraskar, Ananda Puraskar and Rabindranath Tagore Memorial International Prize.

Notes:
NASA has selected two missions to further explore past targets. First is the Mission “Dragonfly” to explore the Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Second is the Mission Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) to explore the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Notes:
The ISFR 2017 shows that moderately dense forest (MDF) covers the highest area 308,318 sq. km (9.38% of GA) followed by open forest 301,797 sq. km (9.18% of GA) and very dense forest 98, 158 sq. km (2.98% of GA) respectively.

Notes:
As per the Indian State Forest Report 2017, the correct order is Tropical Dry Deciduous (279506 sq km), Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest (144747 sq km), Tropical Semi Evergreen (98039 sq km), Himalayan Moist Temperate (29216 sq km) and Tropical Wet–Evergreen (20872 sq km).

Notes:
The member states of Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Armenia.
Moldova has been granted the Observer Status in April 2017.

Notes:
Finance Minister proposed five special tourism zones in the upcoming financial year 2017-18 to boost tourism and travel in the country. Five special tourism zones anchored on SPV (Special purpose vehicle) will be set up in partnership with the states and the Incredible India’s second campaign will be launched across the world.

Notes:
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.