Current Affairs IBPS, RRB, RBI, SSC, CLAT, State PSC Exams; Current Affairs for UPSC/IAS Prepa

Pakistan successfully test-fires Shaheen-1 surface-to-surface ballistic missile November 19, 2019 Pakistan conducted a successful test launch of Shaheen-1 surface-to-surface ballistic missile. The test was conducted part of a training exercise aimed at testing the operational readiness of Army Strategic Forces Command for ensuring Pakistan’s credible minimum deterrence. The test comes days after India conducted the first night trial of Agni-II surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile having a strike range of 2,000 km. About Shaheen-1 missile It is a land-based supersonic short-range ballistic missile (SRBM). It has been jointly designed and developed by the joint venture of Pakistan’s National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and National Defence Complex (NDC).  Its design is reportedly based on Chinese  M-9 missiles . It was first tested in April 1999. It derives its name after a species of Falcon found in the mountains of Pakistan. It is also

ISRO to Launch 13 satellites and Cartosat-3 The Indian Space Research Organization will launch 13 commercial nanosatellites of the United States along with the imaging and mapping satellite Cartostat-3. The launch is scheduled for November 25, 2019. Highlights The satellites will be launched by PSLV-C47, a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle into Sun Synchronous Orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. CartoSAT-3 Cartosat-3 is the third generation Earth observation satellite built by ISRO. It is one of the most advanced imaging satellites built by the organization so far. It has the capability to produce high-resolution aerial images in the world. The features of the satellite include Panchromatic-Captures all visible colors of light Hyperspectral-Captures light from the electromagnetic spectrum Multispectral-Captures light within specific ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. To date, eight Cartosats have been launched. 13 commercial satellites The 13

India and ADB sign 91 million USD to improve water resources in Karnataka On November 18, 2019, India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 91 million USD agreement to improve water security of Karnataka. The loan will help to modernize the Vijayanagara Channel irrigation systems and also to increase the efficiency of Krishna river Highlights of the project The Karnataka Government will strengthen the basin institutions for the Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources Management Investment Programme. The Programme plans to modernize about 442 kilometers of main distributaries in the Vijayanagara Channel network. The program has two project loans. It will help Karnataka water agencies to roll out efficient river basin management plans. The first project will modernize the irrigation system The second project will strengthen water governance Significance The program will help to save 1,700 million cubic meters that can be used on additional 160,000 hectares

12th Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 held in Lucknow he 12th edition of Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 was held in Uttar Pradesh’s capital city Lucknow from 15th to 17th November 2019. It was organized by the Institute of Urban Transport (IUT), a professional body under the Union Ministry of Urban Development. The  theme  of this year’s conference was  “Accessible and liveable Cities” . About Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo It is an annual flagship event organized under the aegis of Union Ministry of Urban Development. Its genesis is from the National Urban Transport Policy of the Government of India, 2006 (NUTP). Primary objective : To disseminate information to the cities and to help them keep up-to-date with the best urban transport practices. Other Objectives : To provide an opportunity for key decision-makers and delegates to interact with service providers, civil society, academia, experts, professionals, industry, technolo

Health Ministry sign MoC with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for technical support Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for technical support. Under this MoC, BMGF will provide technical, management and program design support to Union Health Ministry through its grantees as well as other partners. The special focus under MoC will be on innovation, best practices and enhancing performance management. Highlights of MoC BMGF will support the Health Ministry’s work towards strengthening primary health aspects. This includes reducing maternal mortality and child mortality, improving nutrition services as well as increasing immunization reach. It will also make efforts towards bolstering the entire health system by- Increasing access to family planning measures amongst younger women as well as reduce the burden of select infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB), Visceral

Initiatives of GoI to promote Fit India Movement in schools The Department of Higher Education operating under the Ministry of Human Resource Development has developed actions on Fit India Programme. The operations have been sent to all the Higher Education Institutes. The advisory has been circulated to the Department of School Education and to the Department of Sports at state levels. Operations Implement practices that will encourage students and staffs to participate in health and wellness activities Pledging to maintain physical and mental fitness and to participate in sports activities regularly. To encourage students and staff to use bicycles inside the campus and to keep the campus clean. Organize yoga and meditation events. To organize regular health-check up camps and medical fitness camps. Abuse free Campus To implement and tobacco-free campus status It is the responsibility of the educational institutes to bring in zero-tolerance policy towards tobacco

NITI Aayog Report: Health Reforms On November 18, 2019, NITI Aayog released a report on “Health Systems for a New India: Building Blocks-Potential Pathways to reforms”. The report provides a framework to build a rigid health system for India. Key findings of the Report The report has identified 4 focus areas namely To deliver on unfinished public health agenda To change the health financing from out of pocket expenditures into large insurers. To integrate health services with digitization To empower citizens on becoming better health buyers The report criticized the multiplicity of health schemes. The think tank believes that multiplicity prevents the standardization of purchasing procedures. Recommendations of the report The financing structure of the health care system in the country has to be changed. The out-of-pocket expenditure should be reduced and the spending should be directed towards purchasing capabilities. The report recommended the practices of Suvar

November 19: World Toilet Day World Toilet Day is marked by the United Nations and its sister organizations every year on November 19 since 2013. In July 2013, the United Nations passed a resolution to mark the event by its member nations. The objective is to bring behavioral changes and implementation of policies that will end open defecation and increase access to sanitation among the poor. As human waste spreads diseases, it is essential to use toilets. This year their importance is spread under the theme Theme: Leaving No One Behind Need More than half of the global population are living without good sanitation 673 million people still follow open defecation worldwide 297,000 children under five die each year of diarrheal problems that are caused due to unsafe drinking water, hand hygiene, and sanitation Developing Countries are losing 5% of their GDP due to sanitation-related diseases Sustainable Development Goals The day helps in achieving the SDG 6 that pr

Roar of the sea: Naval Exercise between Qatar and India A three-day naval exercise,  Za’ir-Al-Bahr  (Roar of the Sea) is being conducted between November 17 and November 21, 2019, between the Indian and Qatar Naval Forces. The aim of the exercise is to enhance interoperability between the naval forces. Highlights of the  Naval Exercise  From the Indian side, the Missile Stealth Frigate INS Trikand and Patrol Aircraft P8-I along with Rafale aircraft are to attend the exercise The exercise is being held for the first time. Both the P8 and Rafale are newly procured defense machines of India. The exercise will include Air defense, Surface action, interdiction operation, maritime surveillance and anti-terrorism The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces participating in the exercise include Anti-Ship Missile equipped Barzan Class Fast Attack craft and Rafale aircraft Significance The geographical location of Qatar is significant for the country being located near the major petroleum dep

Thailand hosts 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus Thailand hosted the 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM)- Plus in its capital city Bangkok. ADMM-Plus is key ministerial-level platforms in regional security architecture for promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its 8 partner countries viz. India, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan,  South Korea, Russia, and the US. Participants in this edition of ADMM-Plus included Defence Ministers from 17 countries of the ADMM-Plus group. Thereby, India was represented by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. As part of the agenda for the ADMM-Plus meeting, Defence Minister of India released the  ‘Handbook on Military Medicine for ASEAN’  along with Defence Minister of Myanmar Lieutenant General Sein Win. About the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) It is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 Southeast Asian countries viz- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapo

ICMR inks agreement with NIAD and Gates Foundation for healthcare research collaboration The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has inked declaration of intent with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of National Institutes of Health, USA and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The declaration of intent between ICMR and NIAID was exchanged in the presence of US Ambassador Kenneth I Juster and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates. About ICMR, NIAID, Gates Foundation Collaboration Its purpose is to take forward an ongoing collaborative healthcare research and training program between the two countries. It will establish a research fellowship program for young scientists from the United States and India to expand healthcare research that will advance discovery to improve clinical practice and benefit public health in both countries. Its initial focus is intended to engage scientists in infectious disease and immunology r

Pakistan-First Country to introduce WHO-approved India made Typhoid Vaccine Pakistan becomes the first country to introduce a WHO-approved typhoid vaccine. The Vaccine is to be used in southern Sindh province as more than 10,000 cases of Typhoid were documented since 2017. Highlights of the topic A four-week campaign will be conducted targeting 10 million children of age nine months to 15 years. The campaign is launched with the support of the Geneva-based Gavi Vaccine alliance. The Gavi Vaccine Alliance is backed by several global organizations such as World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to lower vaccine costs for poor countries. In 2017 around 70% of deaths due to typhoid were among children. This is mainly because Pakistan spends the meagre amount of its national resources on public health Pakistan is suffering from drug-resistant typhoid fever since November 2016. The Salmonella Typhi bacteria that causes Typhoid is called a super-bug in the coun

GoI: Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2017-18 not to be released due to quality issues The Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation said that it is not releasing the Consumer Expenditure Survey due to quality issues. The next Consumer Expenditure Survey is to be conducted in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Highlights of the scheme According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) functioning under the Ministry, there was a significant increase in the divergence in the consumption pattern. Also, there were noticeable directions of change in the data as compared to the other administrative data sources like goods and services. The Ministry is also looking at ways to change the base year of the survey. Currently, the base year of the survey is 2011-12. It is considering options to change the base year to 2017-18. Consumer Expenditure Survey The survey is carried out by the NSO throughout India on household consumption expenditure. The survey is conducted in quinquennial interv

Trace Bribery Risk Matrix 2019 TRACE International, the world’s leading anti-bribery standard-setting organization, has released the 2019 edition of Trace Bribery Risk Matrix (TRACE Matrix). TRACE Matrix is a global business bribery risk assessment tool that measures business bribery risk in 200 countries, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions. About Trace Bribery Risk Matrix Ranking Parameter : Trace provides a score from 1 to 100 to each country for each domain and if a country gets a higher score it means it is at a higher risk of business bribery. The score is based on Four Factors : Business Interactions with Government Anti-Bribery Deterrence and Enforcement Government and Civil Service Transparency Capacity for Civil Society Oversight, including the role of the media Report Highlights are as following Lowest Bribery Risk : New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland Highest Bribery Risk : Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea, Yemen, and

OCSAE: Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Unit set up by CBI Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has set up an On-line Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention/Investigation Unit at New Delhi under its Special Crime Zone to tackle the menace of child porn on the internet. This step has been taken after Germany Police provided information about 7 Indian Nationals involved in International Child pornography. About OCSAE Prevention/Investigation Unit This newly specialized Unit of CBI will collect, collate and disseminate information regarding creation, collection, publication, transmission, browsing, downloading, promoting, distribution of information relating to Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation as well as investigation of such offenses. The investigation of such offenses covered under provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 and Information Technology (IT) Act 2000 and

BIS: Water Quality Report for state Capitals and New Delhi released The Water Quality Report was released by the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Shri Ram Vilas Paswan. The report is in line with the Jal Jeevan Mission that was launched to provide clean and safe drinking water to all by 2024. Water Quality Report In order to make sure if clean and safe drinking water is provided to all, a study was conducted by the BIS (Bureau of India Standards) to check on the quality of piped drinking water provided in the cities, especially in the state capitals. The cities were then ranked based on the report. Parameters The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, samples of drinking water were collected across Delhi and in the second phase, the samples were collected from several state capitals. The tests were conducted on parameters such as Chemicals, Toxic substances, Organoleptic tests, Bacteriological tests, and physical tests. Highlights of the report In Delhi

India completes Agni II test fire successfully India on November 11, 2019, conducted its first night trial of AGNI II missile successfully. It is the first-night trial being tested by the country. The nuclear-capable missile was tested at the Abdul Kalam Island of Odisha Coast. Highlights of the project The missile was developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) The surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile was tested by the Strategic Forces of the Indian Army. The missile is capable of striking range of 2,000 km. It can carry a payload of 1,000 kg and a launch weight of 17 tonnes. It is 20 meters long and is a two-stage missile. It is an IRBM (Integrated Range Ballistic Missile) and has already been inducted into the armed forces AGNI Missile Agni II missile is a part of series of Agni missiles with a range of 2,000 km. The range of Agni I is 700 km, Agni III is 3,000 km. The ranges of Agni IV and Agni V are longer The first

Asian Infrastructure Investment Ban k  ( AIIB) to invest 100 million USD in solar and wind projects in India The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which is headquartered in Beijing expects an investment of 100 million USD in India in a year. The foreign investment is to enter India through the bank in Wind and solar projects. AIIB approves 500 million USD for MUTP 3 On November 16, 2019, the bank approved a loan of 500 million USD in three suburban rail infrastructure projects. The projects are being executed under MUTP-Mumbai Urban Transport Project The project curbs trespass deaths by including mid-section trespasses. It is the first of its kind in the country. AIIB Investments in India AIIB has so far invested 2.9 billion USD. It amounts to 30% of the total investment India is the largest borrower of AIIB. The bank is planning to increase its investments in the future. It has a long-term strategy framed for the investments in India. In 2019-20, the plan i

Home Ministry of India, UN Women Launches Campaign to End Violence Against Women Union Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with UN Women launched an awareness campaign to end violence against women.  As part of the campaign a  ‘UNiTE to End Violence Against Women’ Metro  was flagged off at the Sultanpur Metro station in New Delhi.  The flag-off took place as part of  16 Days of Activism ‘Orange The World’  global campaign, which is being observed ahead of ‘ International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women’ , marked annually on 25 November and will continue till  International Day of Human Rights  on December 10. Key Highlights of the topic As part of the campaign, people would be made aware of  India’s single emergency helpline 112.  It is an internationally recognized emergency number used in several countries. Currently, the 112 services are available in 27 States/Union Territories. The 112 services can be reached through voice call, SMS, email, 112 In

Darjeeling Green Tea & White Tea receive GI Tag On November 16, 2019, two tea varieties of Darjeeling were registered under “Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999”. It includes Green Tea and White Tea of Darjeeling. Darjeeling Tea Darjeeling produces 85 lakh kilograms of tea. Of this Green Tea constitutes 10 lakh kilograms and White Tea constitutes 1 lakh kilograms. GI Tag The Geographical Indication is used on products that correspond to a specific geographical location. Darjeeling Tea was the first product in India to receive the GI tag. The tag helps to get an identity in the international market. It will also help to boost production. The Geographical Indications are defined by the WTO’s TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement. India enacted the GI of Goods act, 2009 as a member of WTO and as a signatory of the TRIPS agreement. Green Tea Green Tea is made from the same tea leaves. However, it

Modernization of signaling systems in Indian Railways a mandatory step towards avoiding delays in the train On December 23, 2019, the Ministry of Railways announced that Indian Railways is set to receive modern signaling systems. According to the ministry, it is one of the most ambitious projects of Indian Railways. This is because the project improves safety, line capacity allowing trains to run at higher speeds. Highlights of the project  The plan will be implemented after approval from NITI Aayog, CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) and Extended Board of Railways. The cost of implementation of the program is estimated to be Rs 77,912 crores and has been included in Works Programme. The work includes Automatic Train Protection System, Electronic Interlocking System, Remote Diagnostic and Predictive Maintenance System, Centralized Traffic Control System and Train Management System. The modernization work is to be implemented in 640 routes. RailTel will be the nod

External Affairs Minister of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visits Iran:

ETRSS: Ethiopia’s first satellite launched from China Ethiopia launched its first satellite,  ‘Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite’ (ETRSS)  from China. ERSS is a remote-sensing microsatellite, that was launched in order to help African country’s research into climate change. It was sent into space together with 8 other satellites by a  Long March-4B carrier rocket  from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) in Shanxi Province of north China. About Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite (ETRSS) This wide-range multispectral remote-sensing microsatellite weighs about 65 kg and has a design life of 2 years. It can obtain remote-sensing data for agriculture, forestry, water conservation, as well as disaster prevention and mitigation. The satellite was donated to Ethiopia by China and this microsatellite program has helped establish strong collaboration between Ethiopia and China. The satellite was designed by Chinese and Ethiopian engineers and Chinese government paid about $6m of

CBERS-4A: New China-Brazil earth resource satellite launched into space The China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A (CBERS-4A), a new satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil as part of a bilateral program, was recently sent into space, thus further pushes forward the aerospace cooperation between two countries. It was launched on a   Long March-4B carrier  from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province of China. The same rocket also put into orbits another 8 satellites, including a wide-range multispectral remote-sensing microsatellite donated to Ethiopia (which is also Ethiopia’s first satellite). About China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A (CBERS-4A) CBERS-4A is equipped with 3 optical payloads:- a wide-range panchromatic multispectral camera developed by China, and a wide-field imager and a multispectral camera developed by Brazil. It will obtain global optical remote-sensing data and will also support the Brazilian government to monitor the Amazon

December 11: International Mountain Day International Mountain Day predominantly refers to the day, the United Nations marks on December 11 every year since 2003. The same day is celebrated in the US and Japan as well as National Mountain Day. The US began to mark mountain day even before the UN since 1877. However, in Japan, it is being celebrated since 2014 and is a national holiday. Theme: Mountains matter for youth Why Mountain Day? Around 15% of the world population live in the mountain according to the UN. Today, mountains are under threat due to overexploitation, climate change Highlights of the topic The day highlights that living is hard for those in the mountains. It focuses predominantly on the youth. It encourages and highlights the opportunities for young people in the mountains. The day marks the importance of market access, education, training, public services and employment opportunities for the youth living in the mountain region. Migration-Major Issue