Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
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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Currently (June, 2018), Apollo Global Management LLC tops the list of the world’s top 10 private equity firms, with just under $150 billion in total private equity assets under management(AUM) for 2015. Blackstone is the world’s second biggest private equity firm. 

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Also known as Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, it is convention number 182 and is most widely-ratified international labor convention, it has set a global target of eliminating the WFCL by 2016

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

Notes:
The Raneh Falls is a natural water fall located in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Ken River. It is situated about 20 km away from world famous heritage site Khajuraho. The waterfall is also close to Panna Tiger Reserve and Ken crocodile sanctuary. It was awarded the Best Holiday Award for 2017.Tourists from all over the country and abroad come here every year to enjoy the natural beauty. The Ken River here runs through a narrow gorge of igneous rocks rich in Granite and Dolomite. The Pandav Falls in Panna National Park is also located nearby.

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The International Tiger Day (ITD) is celebrated every year on July 29 to spread the message to protect these endangered species and assist in maintaining ecological integrity. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia with the goal to bring worldwide attention to the dwindling numbers of tigers and their plight. According to World Wildlife Fund and Global Tiger Forum (GTF), the total number of wild tigers has risen to above 3,000 in 2016. The number is expected to increase in the new tiger counting, which started in January 2018. India is home to 70% of tigers in the world.

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The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) was a national agency of Government of India, which was responsible to consider or give approval to FDI in India. FIPB is now abolished as announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during 2017-2018 budget speech in Lok Sabha.

Notes:
The Katoch Committee gave its recommendation for reforms in pharmaceutical Sector. The committee submitted its report in February 2015. Here are the recommendations of the committee:

• The committee suggested setting up of mega parks for API or Bulk drugs manufacturing. Since setting up API or Bulk Industry requires large tracts of land, water and electricity facility, effluent treatment plants, testing facilities, etc; therefore, government should ensure availability of all these facilities at reasonable cost.
• The bulk drug industry is known as one of the major polluting industries. Currently, the cost of the pollution control is very high in the country due to lack of capital intensive technology. Therefore, it is necessary to have proper rules and regulations to have check on the pollution level and the quality of the output.
• Innovative ideas and products should be promoted and awards to the scientists/industry should be given for contribution to the industry. Further, protecting innovation through patents will also help to prompt further innovation in the sector.
• There should be provisions for easy soft loans to the Industry through interest subvention upto 7.5%, and Capex loan to the manufacturers of APls.
• Income Tax rebates on up gradation of the existing R&D facilities should be doubled to 400% from existing 200% and Income tax benefits for manufacturing companies for an initial period of 10 years.
• Creation of advance testing lab infrastructure at all Indian ports/air ports for easy import and export.
• Tax free status to cluster developers and cluster participants for 15 Years
• Measures should be adopted to encourage foreign direct investment in green field as well as brown field projects
• Incentives should be provided to the manufacturers for setting up large plants and for importing of technology so that they can reduce the cost of production.
• Financial investment from the Government in the form of dedicated equity funds for the development of clusters.
• In order to ensure single window clearance to manufacturers and to provide common facilities and other support, units of various departments of government should be located at the manufacturing cluster or site.
• Revival of public sector units for starting the manufacture of selected and very essential critical drugs and vaccines
• Committee expects six large API intermediate clusters in five to six states would be able to transform the industry. As of now, it proposes to start with two fully financed clusters (one focused on fermentation and other on APls), while other clusters would be set up in future as per requirements.
• The committee suggested that states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha which are most suited to manufacturing sector should come forward to participate in this sector. The States may also establish their own manufacturing zones for this purpose.

Notes:
Recently, Meghalaya became the first state in the country to operationalise a law that makes social audit of government programmes and schemes a part of government practice. The Meghalaya state government recently launched “The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017”. The key provisions of the social audit law are as follows:

• Make an easy edit in the course of action for implementation of government schemes as per requirement
• The law gives people a direct say in how money will be spent and fills an information gap for officers and locals

The law also has provision for appointment of social audit facilitator to conduct the audit directly with the people.

Notes:
Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report is released by the World Bank. The 2018 Global Economics Prospect (GEP) released has projected India’s growth rate to 7.3% in 2018 and 7.5 for the next two years i.e. in 2019 and 2020. According to report, India, despite initial setbacks from demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST), is estimated to have grown at 6.7% in 2017, higher than 6.5% estimated by Government.