Current affairs notes on September 06-10

 1. 4th edition of Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) ranking of states announced recently by the Department of Industrial Promotion and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The top states under State Reform Action Plan 2019 are: 1. Andhra Pradesh, 2. Uttar Pradesh, 3. Telangana

Meetings of the SCO defence ministers and foreign ministers were recently held in Russia. SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation. It’s creation was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China).

3.The General Assembly of United Nations on 19 December 2019 adopted a resolution to observe the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on 07th September every year starting from 2020. The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) worked with UNEP and the Republic of Korea to advocate for the day in the lead up to the decision. In 2014, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was launched which currently tracks the levels of pollution on eight parameters. These parameters are ground-level ozone, Particulate Matter (PM) 10, PM 2.5, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia and lead.

4. Kesavananda Bharati, the man who lent his name to an iconic case as the petitioner, died. The landmark ruling in which the Supreme Court announced the basic structure doctrine was in the case of His Holiness Kesavananda Bharati Sripadagalvaru and Ors v State of Kerala. The case was primarily about the extent of Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution. The Constitutional Bench ruled by a 7-6 verdict that Parliament should be restrained from altering the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.

5. NITI Aayog is in the last stage for preparation of Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) parameter dashboard and a State Reform Action Plan (SRAP). NITI Aayog is the Nodal agency for the MPI. Global MPI is an international measure of multidimensional poverty. It was first developed in 2010 by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for UNDP’s Human Development Reports. India is 62nd among 107 countries with an MPI score of 0.123

6. India has become the fourth country after the United States, Russia and China to develop and successfully test hypersonic technology. India recently tested the Hypersonic Test Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV). Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft that can travel at hypersonic speed. It uses hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology.

 

7. Noted broadcaster Sir David Attenborough to be presented with Indira Gandhi peace prize 2019. The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in the memory of the former prime minister by a trust in her name in 1986. It consists of a monetary award of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation.

8. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, India's foreign exchange (forex) reserves touched a record high of USD 541.431 billion. Foreign exchange reserves are assets denominated in a foreign currency that are held on reserve by a central bank. These may include foreign currencies, bonds, treasury bills and other government securities.  Forex reserves are external assets accumulated by India and controlled by the RBI in the form of: Gold, SDRs (special drawing rights of the International Monetary Fund - IMF), Foreign currency assets , Reserve Position with IMF.

9. Recently the Director General of Forests has advocated for the amendment of National Forest Policy, 1988. India’s forests are currently governed by the National Forest Policy, 1988. Other Legislations that Govern Indian Forests: Indian Forest Act 1927, Forest Conservation Act 1980, Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

10. ‘Health in India’ report: Published by National Statistical Organisation (NSO). Among States, Manipur (75%), Andhra Pradesh (73.6%) and Mizoram (73.4%) recorded the highest rates of full immunisation.

11. First World Solar Technology Summit (WSTS) was organized on 8th September, 2020 by The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), as the convenor of ISA Global Leadership Task Force on Innovation, worked with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) in organizing the summit.

12. International Literacy Day (ILD) is celebrated on 8th September every year all over the world. Theme for 2020: “Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond”. India’s average literacy rate is 77.7%. Andhra Pradesh’s literacy rate of 66.4% is the worst among all states in India and significantly lower than Bihar’s 70.9%. Kerala has the best literacy rate with 96.2%. Delhi stood second with 88.7%.

13. The centuries old tradition of Rogan art (hand painting on cloth), is facing an unprecedented challenge due to pandemic. This rare craft is practised by a lone Muslim family, the Khatris of Nirona Village, Gujarat. Other Important Painting Styles of India: Kangra Miniature Painting (Himachal Pradesh), Pattachitra Painting (Odisha), Kishangarh school of Painting (Rajasthan), Kalamkari Painting (Andhra Pradesh), Madhubani Painting (Bihar), Warli Painting (Maharashtra).

14. The Prime Minister has inaugurated the Patrika Gate in Jaipur (Rajasthan) through video conferencing. The construction of Patrika Gate was in keeping with Jaipur having recently been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. India has 38 world heritage sites, including 30 cultural properties, 7 natural properties and 1 mixed site.In 2019, Jaipur became the second city of the country after Ahmedabad to get the recognition.

15. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana launched: It is a scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in the country. The scheme focuses on beneficiary-oriented activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture.

16. PM recently inaugurated Rashtriya Gokul Mission: It is to conserve and develop indigenous bovine breeds, government launched ‘Rashtriya Gokul Mission’ in 2014 under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NPBBD).

17. South India’s 1st and country’s 2nd Kisan Train: Inaugural run of the train flagged off.  It runs between Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) and New Delhi. On 7th August, the first Kisan Rail was flagged off between Devlali in Maharashtra and Danapur in Bihar.

18. The Indian Air Force will formally induct the Rafale aircraft on 10th September 2020. The aircraft will be part of 17 Squadron, the “Golden Arrows”. Rafale is a French twin-engine and multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy. India is the fourth country to have the strategic platform with Rafale after France, Egypt and Qatar.

19. Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in the defence sector which allows the FDI through automatic approval to be increased from 49% to 74%. FDI is an investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests located in another country. It is different from Foreign Portfolio Investment where the foreign entity merely buys equity shares of a company. FPI does not provide the investor with control over the business.

20. Recently, Korean Peninsula and Japan were hit by two typhoons named Maysak and Haishen. Typhoons are a kind of storm. The storms, depending on where they occur, may be called hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones.