Current Affairs - 2019-20

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India and Switzerland have signed two pacts for technical cooperation in the field of Railways after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard in New Delhi. The aim of pacts is to cooperate in the areas of traction rolling stock, EMU and Train sets, traction propulsion equipments, freight and passenger cars, etc. To boost bilateral ties, Swiss president, Doris Leuthard is on a 3-day visit to India. The visit is significant as Switzerland is the chair of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) where India has been seeking membership. The main theme of the presidential visit is the Treaty of Friendship signed between Switzerland and India in 1948, in which the two countries gave assurances of “perpetual peace” and “unalterable friendship”.

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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a 2-member monitoring committee to oversee the Yamuna rejuvenation project. The committee, comprising former Delhi Chief Secretary Shailaja Chandra and retired NGT expert member Bikram Singh Sajwan, has been directed to submit the first action plan by September 2018 and report by December 2018. The green panel also directed the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments to assist the committee on the project. The Tribunal directed the authorities to take strict action against encroachments on the Yamuna floodplains. It also directed the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Jal Board to hold a meeting on July 30 for identifying land for setting up of a sewage treatment plant on a drain which falls under phase-II of the Yamuna cleaning programme. The current chairperson of the NGT is Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, retired Supreme Court Judge.

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Sahel region is an ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between Sahara Desert to the north and Sudanian Savanna to the south. It stretches across the south-central latitudes of Northern Africa between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. 12 African countries fall in this region including parts of (from west to east) Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan and Eritrea.

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Recently, Baiga tribe became India's first community to get habitat rights as per Forest Rights Act of 2006. Baiga tribe is mainly found in Madhya Pradesh. Phase Pardhi tribe are most commonly found in the state of Maharashtra and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

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Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Ordinance, 2016 extinguishes the liabilities of the Reserve Bank and the guarantee of the central government towards Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

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The highest tree cover is shown by Maharashtra (9831 sq km) followed by Rajasthan (8266 sq km), Madhya Pradesh (8073 sq km) and Gujarat (8024 sq km).

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Aquila is a solar-powered high-altitude unmanned aircraft. It is a part of Facebook’s ambitious Internet.org project, which aims at providing affordable internet access across the globe, especially to those not currently covered by high-capacity networks. Facebook has invested billions of dollars in getting more people online through the not-for-profit internet.org and by building drones.

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In 2014, SAARC countries had agreed to set up a South Asia Economic Union (SAEU) on the lines of European Union by facilitating a common market and removing trade barriers.

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On occasion of the National Girl Child Day, Nurturing Excellence in Sports Trust (NEST) along with National Yuva Cooperative Society launched the pan India programme 'Khelegi toh Khilegi', which is a pan-India football based programme for girls between the age to 10-15 years.

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ARIES telescope has been launched in a joint collaboration between Indian, Russian, and Belgian scientists and is located at Devasthal, Nainital at a height of 2,500 metres. The ARIES optical telescope's mirror is 3.6 meters in diameter and will be used in the study and exploration of planets, starts, magnetic field and astronomical debris.