Current Affairs - 2019-20

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India has been ranked 79th out of 176 countries in the recently released Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2016 by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI)
New Zealand and Denmark stands in joint first place
Somalia was ranked the most corrupt country

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As of 2021, India is the second-highest producer of sugarcane in the world after Brazil. Among Indian states, the largest producer of sugarcane is Uttar Pradesh.

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Government has increased quota for disabled people for admission to PG medical courses from 3% to 5%. The move came after the union ministry of health and family welfare approved to amend the regulation for admission to post graduate medical courses in order to expand the scope of persons with disabilities getting the benefit of reservation. Now all 21 benchmark disabilities as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 can register for admission to medical courses.

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The Pardhi community in central India has been a nomadic community of hunters. Phase Pardhis, one of the subgroups within the community, were known for their skill in catching birds with phase (traps). Traditional hunters Phase Pardhis are part of an initiative to save critically endangered lesser f1oricans. (Down To Earth)

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The Goldman Environmental Prize was established in 1989. It is also known as Green Nobel Prize. The prize is awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of US$175,000 per recipient. Prafulla Samantara is an environmentalist from Odisha. He is known for Lok Shakti Abhiyan, a civil rights organisation, which was at the forefront of the protests in Niyamgiri in Lanjigarh district where Sterlite Industries, a subsidiary of Vedanta Alumina, was planning to set up mining operations in a joint venture with state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC).

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ISRO made successful test of Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration Program or RLV-TD

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Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the Blue Flag programme to certify clean beaches in India. The blue flag criteria have been set by Foundation for Environmental Education. It requires the beach should not be affected by industrial, waste-water, or sewage discharge and water must be clean. It also specifies that algae vegetation or natural debris should not be left on the beach, waste disposal bins must be available along the beach in adequate numbers and toilets along the beach should have controlled sewage disposal for beaches to be granted Blue Flag certification.

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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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Recently, the Central Government proposed setting up of Four Border Haats in Mizoram to facilitate border trade with Myanmar.

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The 17^th NAM Summit was held in the Margarita Island in Venezuela from 13–18 September 2016. The organization was founded in Belgrade in 1961, and was largely conceived by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru; Indonesia's first president, Sukarno; Egypt's second president, Gamal Abdel Nasser; Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah; and Yugoslavia’s president, Josip Broz Tito.