Current Affairs - 2019-20

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The Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu has flagged off India’s first Antyodaya Express between Ernakulam and Howrah. The train service was inaugurated by the Railways Minister via video conferencing in New Delhi on February 27, 2017. The Antyodaya Express is a long-distance, fully unreserved, superfast train service, for the common man to be operated on dense routes. The new express train will have facilities like cushioned luggage racks which can serve as seats, LED lights, modular toilets, pleasing interior colour scheme and others. Beside this, the Railway Minister has also flagged off the 4th Humsafar Express between Sriganganagar and Tiruchirapalli. The new train is fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals.

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International Yoga Fest is organized as a curtain raiser for International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2018. The event is organized by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY).

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Recently, the Karnataka government approved “Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy 2017”. With this, Karnataka became the first state to roll out an Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy in the country. Important Facts about the Policy

• It aims to bring down pollution levels and push the “Make in Karnataka” initiative.
• This policy would not only help at boosting sales of EVs, but also in setting up charging infra and special manufacturing zones.
• The policy aims to attract investments worth Rs31,000 crore
• Under this policy, the state government has proposed to set up new EV manufacturing zones, charging stations in public and private spaces including airports, railway stations, metro stations and encourage start-ups to develop business models
• The state government estimates that the new policy will help to create employment for 55,000 individuals over the next few years in the state.

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Narendra Modi Government reinstalled plaque with the name and quote of Veer Savarkar at Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The plaque was first installed in 2004 in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government. It was removed soon after UPA government came to power at the Centre.

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'Tulaipanji' and 'Gobindobhog' are varieties of aromatic rice. Recently, the Bengal Government applied in the Office of Geographical Indications, Chennai for GI certification of products.

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PMMSK scheme is envisioned as one-stop convergence support service for empowering rural women with opportunities for skill development, digital literacy, health and nutrition and employment. It aims to improve declining child sex ratio (CSR), ensure survival and protection of the girl child, ensuring the education and empowering her to fulfil her potential. It will provide an interface for rural women to approach government for getting their entitlement and for empowering them through training and capacity building.

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The Convention on Cybercrime is also known as the Budapest Convention. It is the first international treaty seeking to address Internet and computer crime by harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques, and increasing cooperation among nations. It is supplemented by a Protocol on Xenophobia and Racism committed through computer systems. The Convention was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at its 109th session in 2001 and came into effect in 2004.

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AIDSS stands for Advanced Indigenous Distress Sonar System (AIDSS). HUMSA-UG stands for Upgrade for the Hull-Mounted Sonar Array. NACS stands for Near-field Acoustic Characterization System. Abhay is a Compact Hull-Mounted Sonar for Small Ships & Shallow Water Crafts system.

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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).

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The 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Marrakesh, Morocco from 7 to 18 November 2016. It is the 22nd conference of the parties (COP22) to be held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The next conference or COP-23 is scheduled to be held on 6–17 November 2017 in Bonn, Germany.