Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
Parvathamma Rajkumar (77), Kannada film producer and the wife of the legendary Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar, has passed away in Bangalore, Karnataka on May 31, 2017. She was the first woman producer, distributor, exhibitor who only marketed Kannada films. She produced 87 films under her banner Vajreshwari Combines — one of the oldest and most successful banners in Kannada film — and Poornima Enterprises.

Notes:
The Indian Railways has recently launched a virtual server “RailCloud” with an inbuilt security system to optimise server usage and faster connectivity. The technology is developed by rail PSU RailTel at an estimated cost of approx Rs 53 crore. The RailCloud technology enables maximising the usage of available server and storage resulting in accommodation of bigger data and more applications within same server space. It will cover all management related to various services like human resources, health and hospital, signal assets, freight and logistics and energy among others. Beside this, the first IT application on RailCloud “Nivaran-Grievance Portal” was also launched. Nivaran is a platform for resolution of service-related grievances of serving and former railway employees.

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The agenda or budget slogan for the Union Budget- 2017 is Transform, energise and clean India.

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The Ganga and Yamuna at Allahabad are home to some of the most endangered fauna like turtles (Batagur Kachuga, Batagur dhongoka, Nilssonia gangetica, Chitra indica, Hardella thurjii etc.), the National Aquatic Animal — Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), the Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) and numerous migratory and resident birds. As a part of efforts made to protect the rich aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga from “escalating anthropogenic pressures,” the government decided to establish a turtle sanctuary in Allahabad.

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Petroleum coke, or pet coke, is a byproduct of oil refining. It is a key input material for cement producers and is a highly polluting fuel. The Supreme Court requested all states and union territories to move forward towards a blanket ban on the use of pet coke. Pet coke is a dirtier alternative to coal. The use of pet coke has come under scrutiny due to rising pollution levels in major cities. Pet coke is most widely used in the cement industry. It is also used as a primary material for electrodes used in electric steel furnaces for smelting and refining steel scrap.
The majority of pet coke is produced in the US but is transported to India and China. In 2016, the US sent more than 8 million metric tons of pet coke to India.

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Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently announced the launch of National Strategic Plan (2017-24) and Mission “SAMPARK” with an aim to eradicate the menace of HIV/AIDS from country by year 2030. Under Mission SAMPARK, the government aims to promote “Community Based Testing”. This would help in fast-tracking the identification of all those people who are HIV positive and subsequently link them to Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) programme.

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BGR-34 is an anti-diabetic Ayurvedic drug developed by the research wing of the Science and Technology Ministry. It was recently in news when it was placed 14^th among the top branded drugs manufactured by multinational Pharma companies, according to a survey by the All Indian Origin Chemists and Distributors (AIOCD). The Ayurvedic drug 'BGR-34' was launched in 2015, and has been developed jointly by two CSIR laboratories, National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (CIMAP). It is prepared by a combination of natural extracts from four plants mentioned in Ayurveda, and it helps in treatment of type-II diabetes. It works as antioxidant and checks free radicals, thus, boosting our immune system. It helps to maintain the normal blood glucose levels, and reduces chances of complications due to persistent high blood glucose levels. Therefore, it imparts a good quality life to patients with high blood sugar levels.

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Bandar Laddu, a sweet dish from Andhra Pradesh, has been recently registered in the Geographical Indication Registry in food category. Gowra Venkateswara Rao of Mallayya Sweets has been credited in earning the GI tag for the “Bandar Laddu”. The origin of the sweet could be traced from the Rajputs of Rajasthan, who had migrated to Machilipatnam from Bundelkhand in Rajasthan after the 1857 Sepoy mutiny.

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Recently, Scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have found a new species of Zingiber from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The new species indeed possesses ethno-medicinal uses. The fresh juice from the fleshy tuberous roots is used to treat abdominal pain and anti-helminthic troubles by Nicobarese and certain other tribal communities.

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PUSA-1509 and PUSA-1121 are varieties of Basmati rice grown in Punjab and Haryana.