Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
∠PRQ = 60°
∠PRS = 180° – 60° = 120°
=>∠PSR + ∠RPS = 60°
As RS = PR
∴ ∠PSR = ∠RPS
∴ ∠PSR =
Hence option [B] is the right answer.

Notes:
Recently, the central government announced a National Mission on advanced ultra supercritical technologies for cleaner coal utilisation at a total cost of US $ 238 million. Under the mission, the government plans to set-up two Centres of Excellence on Clean Coal Technologies at US $5 million each. What is Advanced Ultra-Supercritical (AUSC) Technology? The pulverised coal power plants are divided into four categories based on operating temperature, pressure and efficiency of steam cycle. First is subcritical pulverised coal power plant that operates with critical temperature and critical pressure of water below 540 degree and 170-220 bars and has operating efficiency below 38%. Second is supercritical pulverised coal plant that operates with critical temperature and critical pressure above 615 degree and 250 bars and reaches efficiency upto 42%. Third is ultra-supercritical pulverised coal plant that operates with critical temperature and critical pressure of water above 620 degree and 330 bars and reaches efficiency in the range of 42% to 46 %. Fourth is advanced ultra-supercritical pulverised coal technology that operates with critical temperature and critical pressure of water in range of 700-760 degrees and 350 bars and targets operating efficiency greater than 50%.

Notes:
Nanaji Deshmukh was born in a Marathi-speaking Deshastha Brahmin family on 11 October 1916 in Kadoli, a small town in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra. Recently, on 11^th October, 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the birth centenary celebration of Nanaji Deshmukh at IARI at Pusa in New Delhi. Prime Minister launched the Gram Samvad App which will carry information on the progress of rural development works at the Gram Panchayat level and released a commemorative postage stamp on Nanaji Deshmukh. Nanaji Deshmukh established Chitrakoot Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya, India’s first rural university. He also established Bharat’s first Saraswati Shishu Mandir at Gorakhpur in 1950. He established Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) in 1972 to validate the philosophy of Integral Humanism propounded by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. He launched the “Campaign for Self-Reliance” thereby carrying out a social restructuring programme in over 500 villages in the country. He passed away in 2010.

Notes:
Recently, Indian scientists announced the discovery of an almost fully preserved fossil of a Jurassic age sea-dwelling reptile known as the ‘fish lizard’ from a village in Gujarat’s Kutch district. The discovery was reported in PLOS ONE, a scientific journal, by a group of researchers who found the fossil in early 2016. The discovery adds to the knowledge of ichthyosaur from the southern continents. Ichthyosaur is a combination of two Greek words meaning fish and lizard, a name the reptile gets because of its fish-like appearance. The discovered fossil is believed to be from the Jurassic period, which lasted from about 250 million to 200 million years ago. Ichthyosaur fossils from the Jurassic period have been found in the Americas, Australia and Europe but never in India.

Notes:
National Accountability Bureau is Pakistan’s corruption watchdog. Its an autonomous and constitutional body of that country responsible to build efforts against corruption and prepare critical national economic intelligence assessments against economic terrorism to Pakistan government. It has been frequently in news in context with corruption charges on Nawaj Sharif. It recently also ordered the freezing of properties and assets of finance minister Ishaq Dar, who is also facing a reference in the Accountability Court for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Notes:
Recently, the Ministry of Science & Technology has launched Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay Vigyan Gram Sankul Pariyojana to formulate and implement appropriate S&T. The scheme is initially launched on pilot basis under which the Department of Science and Technology (DST) will adopt few clusters of villages in Uttarakhand and transform them to become self-sustainable in terms of science & technology with the help of available local resources and skills. Practice of agriculture, agro-based cottage industries and animal husbandry in an eco-friendly manner will be emphasized during the implementation of the project.

Notes:
Pangong Tso Lake is also known as “high grassland lake”. It is a long narrow, deep, endorheic (landlocked) lake situated at a height of more than 14,000 ft in the Himalayas. Approximately 60% of the length of Pangong Lake lies in Tibet. The brackish water of Pangong Lake has very low micro-vegetation. The brackish water of Pangong Lake has very low micro-vegetation. The lake is in the process of being identified as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. It will be a first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under convention. Pangong Lake is a disputed territory. The Line of Actual Control passes through the lake. A section of the lake 20 km from the Line of Actual Control is controlled by China but claimed by India. It is known for its very high phosphate concentrations. Though it’s a saline water lake, it freezes completely during winters.

Notes:
The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) has been developed by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Joint Research Centre. Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is calculated on the basis of data gathered from 24 individual metrics of environmental performance.

Notes:
In Budget 2018, the finance minister announced for two defence industrial corridors. Recently, the defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the path for first of the two. The first defence industrial corridor will connect Chennai and Bengaluru and will pass through Coimbatore and several other industrial clusters.