Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
The International Tiger Day (ITD) is observed every year on July 29 to raise awareness for tiger conservation. The day is also known as Global Tiger Day (GTD). The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has stated that only 3,890 tigers are left in the world. Of them, India has the highest number. Till July 2016, there were 2,500 tigers in the country.

Notes:
The World Water Day (WWD) is observed every year on 22 March to raise awareness about the importance of water. The 2018 theme ‘Nature for Water’ is exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges the world faces in the 21st century. The day is about focusing on the importance of water and the need to preserve it. The day encourages people not to waste one of the most important elements that sustain life on the planet. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

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:
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2016 was awarded to David J. Thouless, F. Duncan Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz for the theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter.

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PMMSK scheme is envisioned as one-stop convergence support service for empowering rural women with opportunities for skill development, digital literacy, health and nutrition and employment. It aims to improve declining child sex ratio (CSR), ensure survival and protection of the girl child, ensuring the education and empowering her to fulfil her potential. It will provide an interface for rural women to approach government for getting their entitlement and for empowering them through training and capacity building.

Notes:
Setu Bharatam is an ambitious programme with an investment of Rs. 50,000 crore to build bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways. The programme aims at making all national highways Railway Level Crossing free by 2019. This is being done in order to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossings. A 208 new “Road Over Bridges (ROB) / Road Under Bridges (RUB)” are envisaged for construction, while 1500 bridges will be widened, rehabilitated or replaced.

Notes:
Recently, the scientists have discovered the oldest fossil ever on earth at Quebec in Canada. The discovered fossils shows that organisms were thriving 4.2 billion years ago, hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought.

Notes:
All given statements are related to INS Kalvari. INS Kalvari is Indian Navy’s first indigenous Scorpene-class submarine. The second one INS Khanderi, which is expected to be commissioned by mid-2018, the third one is INS Karanj following by early-2019. Total of six scorpene-class submarines are to be inducted in Indian Navy by 2020-2021. The diesel-electric submarine is designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS.

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.

Notes:
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a new campaign in order to create awareness about trans-fats and eliminate them in India by 2022.

• Trans-fatty acids (TFAs) are the most harmful type of fats which can have adverse effects on our body.
• These fats are largely produced artificially but a small amount also occurs naturally.
• The natural TFAs are present in meats and dairy products, though in small amounts.
• Artificial TFAs are formed when hydrogen is made to react with the oil to produce fats resembling pure ghee/butter.
• Major sources of artificial TFAs are the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVO).

TFAs pose a higher risk of heart disease than saturated fats. TFAs not only raise total cholesterol levels but also reduce the good cholesterol (HDL), which helps to protect us against heart disease. It is also associated with a higher risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, infertility and certain types of cancers.