Current Affairs - 2019-20

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The 2nd annual meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will be held in Jeju, South Korea from June 14-15, 2017. The purpose of the AIIB is to promote economic development of the region by supporting major infrastructure projects. From India, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will attend the meeting. AIIB is headed by Jin Liqun, the former Assistant Chinese Finance Minister. D J Pandian from India is the Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the organization.

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Anita Kundu, a Haryana police sub-inspector from Hisar, has made history by becoming the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest from the China side on May 2017. Earlier, she had scaled the Mt. Everest from Nepal side in May 2013.

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The Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) is located in Kendrapara district of Odisha and is spread over 672 square kilometers. It is in news recently because the national park has registered an impressive rise in mammal population due to adequate conservation measures and vigil by anti-poaching squad of the forest department. According to the latest head count report released by the forest department, the enumerators spotted 7,129 mammals of 14 species in Kendrapara district while the figure stood at 6,122 in 2016. According to wildlife staff, there are couple of factors are contributing to the rising graph. First, the rich and lush-green mangrove forest has turned out to be an ideal habitat for hyenas, boars and deer. Besides, lack of human interference in their habitation corridors has also emerged favourable. There is also imbalance in predator-prey base in Bhitarkanika. Unlike the Sundarbans, Bhitarkanika mangroves are devoid of tigers.

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Police Commemoration Day is celebrated annually on October 21st to honor police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The day commemorates the sacrifice of ten policemen who died while defending India’s borders with China in 1959.
The day is also known as Martyr’s Day in all police forces of India. The government of India decided to observe October 21st as Police Commemoration Day to honor all police personnel who have died in the line of duty.
The National Police Memorial was unveiled on October 21st, 2018 in New Delhi. The memorial is for those who have died from 1947 to the present.

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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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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.

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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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The “TARANG’ Mobile App”, “e-Trans” & “DEEP” e-bidding web portals have been developed by Rural Electrification Corporation Transmission Projects Company Limited (RECTPCL). TARANG stands for Transmission App for Real Time Monitoring & Growth. It is a Mobile App & Web Portal with excellent monitoring tool that tracks upcoming transmission projects and monitor the progress of Inter-State & Intra-State transmission systems in the country. The “e-Trans” web platform is for e-bidding and e-reverse auction for Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) in transmission projects. DEEP stands for the Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price; it is an e-Bidding portal for medium term (1-5 years) purchase of power.

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Ministry of Women and Child Development has recently launched an online portal called “NARI”. The portal aims to provide women citizens with easy access to information on government schemes and initiatives for women. It also aims to provide a platform for NGOs and Civil Societies to interact with the Ministry of Women & Child Development.

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Kerala is hosting the 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship 2018 at the Jimmy George indoor stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from September 27 to 30. The event will witness around 500 participants representing 14 Asian countries showcasing their yoga skills. Yogaratna Awards will be given away to foreign delegates who were instrumental in popularising yoga in their respective countries. Participants from various countries including China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Iran, Nepal, Vietnam, Afghanisthan and Bangladesh would vie for the top prizes in various categories. The Indian contingent included 111 yoga exponents, including five Keralites.