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Daily Current Affairs for Prelims | PT Exam
Today Current Affairs: 9th December 2019 for UPSC IAS exams, State PSC exams, SSC CGL, State SSC, RRB, Railways, Banking Exam & IBPS, etc.
1. Asian Elephant Specialist Group:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) 10th Asian Elephant Specialist Group(AsESG) meeting was held recently at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. More than 130 elephant conservation partner organisations and experts gathered at the meeting.
Issues discussed included national action plan for elephant conservation by Asian elephant range states, best practices in managing human-elephant conflict., a mechanism to involve group members in monitoring the illegal killing of elephants.
About AsESG:
The IUCN Asian elephant specialist group is a global network of specialist(both scientist and non-scientist) concerned with study monitoring, management and conservation of elephants.
AsESG is an integral part of the species survival commission. Its aim is to promote the long term conservation of Asia’s elephants and there possible their recovery also.
2. Odisha’s Kalia to be merged with PM-Kisan.
The Odisha government has decided to merge its flagship scheme Kalia with the centre’s Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samaan Nidhi (PM-Kisan ) Yojna apparently due to financial constraint.
About KALIA scheme:
Krushak Assistance For livelihood and Income Augmentation involves payments to encourage cultivation and associated activities.
- Primary targets are small farmers, cultivators and landless agricultural labourers.
- Under this scheme, all farmers are provided Rs 10000 per family as assistance for cultivation.
- This scheme provides each family 5000 separately for Kharif and rabi seasons for five cropping season between 2018–2019 and 2021-2022.
About Pradhan Mantri Kisan samaan Nidhi:
- It is a central sector scheme.
- Under this programme, landholding farmers families, having cultivable land up to 2 hectares will be provided direct income support at the rate of 6000 per year.
3. Head-On Generation(HOG) technology:
Between April 2018 and November 2019 around 436 trains have been converted into HOG complaint.
What is Head On Generation technology?
The system runs the train’s Hotel Load (a load of air conditioning lights, fans and pantry etc) by drawing electricity from the overhead electric lines through the pantograph.
The power supply from the overhead cable is 750 vats at single-phase, and a transformer with a winding of 945 KVa converts it to a 750volts 50hz output at three-phase.
How it is different from End of Generation(EOG)?
In the End Of Generation(EOG) system, the hotel load is provided with electricity from two large diesel generators. The generator cars are attached to either end of the train, giving the system its name.
4. Neutrino Project:
The centre has said that the Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO) will be established in picturesque the in south Tamil Nadu.
About the project:
India based Neutrino Observatory(INO) project is a multi-institutional effort aimed at building a world-class background laboratory with a rock cover of approx 1200m for Non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research in India.
What are neutrinos?
Neutrinos are the second most widely occurring particle in the universe, only second photons, the particle which makes up light. neutrinos are so abundant among us that every second there are more than 100 trillion of them passing right through each of us. we never even notice them.
Why detect them?
Neutrinos hold the key to several important and fundamental questions on the origin of the universe and the energy production of stars so it is very important for the scientist to study and detect them.
5. Adaptation Fund:
The latest data shows that since 2010, the adaptation fund has directed $532 million to 80 concrete adaption projects in the most vulnerable communities of developing countries, serving 5.8 million direct beneficiaries.
What is an adaptation fund?
- Established under the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on climate change.
- It finances projects and programmes that help vulnerable communities in developing countries adapt to climate change. initiatives are based on country needs views and priorities.
6.National Energy Conservation Week:
- National energy conservation week is celebrated all over India from December 14 to December 20.
- The energy conservation day is celebrated every year on December 14 since 1991.
- Energy Conservation day is the initiative of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
- The objective of the day is to demonstrate the achievements of the government in saving energy and conservation.
7. South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi wins Miss Universe 2019 title.
Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was crowned as Miss universe 2019 at the event held at tyler perry studios in Atlanta, united stated India was represented by Vertika Singh in the beauty pageant.
8. Susceptibility of infants to measles.
In News: According to recent studies, infants become susceptible to measles infection at the end of three months after birth and not six months as earlier thought.
Currently in countries like India with ongoing transmission of measles the first dose of vaccination is given only at 9-12 months of age. In countries with no ongoing transmission, the first dose is administered when the baby is 12 to 15 months of age. Thus babies remain susceptible to measles infection for a longer period of time before they vaccinated with the first dose.
9. 35th SAARC Founding Day:
The Prime Minister of India has addressed a letter to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) secretariat on the founding day of the bloc.
The letter highlighted the need for greater collaboration among the countries in South Asia in order to resist the threat of terrorism that poses a challenge o prosperity and peace in the region.
About SAARC:
- SAARC was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka (Bangladesh)on 8th Dec 1985.
- Eight member states: Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- Secretariat: Kathmandu.
- Objective: To promote the welfare of the people of South Asia.
10. 19th IORA Council of Ministers meeting:
In news: the 19th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers (COM) meeting was held in Abu Dhabi(UAE) under the theme of “promoting a shared destiny and path to prosperity in the Indian ocean”. South Africa was the chair for the period of 2017-2019.
About Indian Ocean Rim Association:
- It was established in 1997 and is a regional forum that seeks to build and expand understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation through a consensus-based approach.
- IORA has 22 member state.
11. International Anti-Corruption day:
The International Anti-Corruption day is observed on 9th December every year.
The United Nation General Assembly on 31st October 2003, adopted the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day.
- India was ranked at 78th place out of 180 countries in Corruption Perception Index(CPI) released by transparency international in 2018.
12. Tyre pyrolysis:
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has ordered the closure of about 270 tyre pyrolysis units in 19 states for flouting environmental norms and causing high-level pollution.
What is tyre pyrolysis?
It refers to a technique of breaking down a used tyre in the absence of oxygen. shredded tyres, at temperatures between 250-degree celsius and 500-degree Celcius, produce liquid oil and gas.
It was considered a safer technique than burning tyres but pyrolysis leaves fine carbon matter, pyro gas, oil as residue, also the inadequate management of these by-products possesses health risks.
13. India co-hosted the improving peacekeeping performance a year since 2436 UNSCR at UN:
India along with Portugal, Senegal, Uruguay and Vietnam co-hosted the high-level event improving peacekeeping performance. The event was initiated by the US for united nations peacekeeping operations.
Highlights of the events:
- The event highlighted the sacrifice made by the UN peacekeepers who operate in a highly dangerous environment.
- Discussion to strengthen peacekeeping performance was held.
- The countries participated in the event reaffirmed to support peace processes and political solutions.
About UNSCR:
United Nation Security Council(UNSCR) is a UN resolution that was adopted by the 15 members of the security council. the aim is to maintain international peace and security.
Daily Important Current Affairs one-liner:
- Madhya Pradesh approved Rs.156 crore for development of Omkareshwar(a famous pilgrimage centre).
- The diabetic population is close to hitting an alarming mark of 69.9 million by 2025 in India. (source)
- The 18th India-Myanmar foreign office consultations were held in New Delhi.
- Israeli students(three youngsters, Alon, Abramovich, Shumel Aviv Levi) will travel India to launch a satellite (Duchifat3) from Sriharikota on 11 December.
- Sanna Marin elected the youngest ever as PM of Finland.
- Exercise Hand in Hand 2019 between China and India commence from 7 December.
- According to the study released by IUCN at Madrid Climate Conference, the levels of oxygen in oceans fell by around 2 per cent from 1960 to 2010.
- President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for the Paika Memorial which will come up in a 10-acre plot at the bottom of Barunei hill in Odisha.
- The biggest strike is going on in France in decades against the government’s pension reform project.
- Mapathon Keralam: The project aims at creating micro-level maps of the entire state for identifying all the natural and physical assets.
- Alliance air flags off Guwahati-Dimapur-Imphal flight under UDAN-RCS.
- ISRO to launch RISAT, the spy satellite of India.
- National energy conservation week is celebrated all over India from 14 to December 20.
- Malaysia records first Polio case in 27 years.
- Only Aadhar authenticated bank accounts to get PM-Kisan payments.
- The human library held in Mysuru, Karnataka(a concept which seeks to replace books with humans).
- Aberdeen in Andaman becomes the best police station. (source)
This is all for today current affairs.
