Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• Also known as Sahar, Sehariya, or Sahariya, these  are an ethnic group in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.
• They are mainly found in the districts of Morena, Sheopur, Bhind, Gwalior, Datia, Shivpuri, Vidisha and Gunadistricts of Madhya Pradesh and Baran district of Rajasthan.
• They speak a Munda language that belongs to the Austro-Asiatic language family.
• The Sahariya community considers every adult member part of a governing council which is headed by a Patel. A patel's appointment is based on heredity criteria but found to be unfit or unsuitable is basis for removal.
• The tribe is classified asone of the 75 scheduled tribes in the country classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups(earlier known as primitive tribal groups).

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups(PVTGS)

• They are the marginalized section of the Scheduled tribes of India. PVTG is not a Constitutional category, nor are these constitutionally recognized communities.
• It is a government of India classification created with the purpose of enabling improvement in the conditions of certain communities with particularly low development
• The criteria for identifying Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups are:
• Pre-agricultural level of technology
• Low level of literacy
• Economic backwardness
• A declining or stagnant population.

Explanation :

• The Paris Agreement (COP21) is a landmark environmental accord that was adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.
• The Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The Agreement opened for signature on 22 April 2016 – Earth Day, at UN Headquarters in New York. It entered into force on 4 November 2016.

Significance

• It provides a pathway for developed nations to assist developing nations in their climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, and it creates a framework for the transparent monitoring, reporting, and ratcheting up of countries’ individual and collective climate goals.

Explanation :

• On 25^th September, 2019, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister launched the new TB Harega Desh Jeetega campaign, along with the National TB Prevalence Survey.
• Under this, new pivotal initiatives to diagnose, treat and prevent TB will be introduced, which will help in achieving the target of a TB-free India by 2025, much ahead of the global target of 2030.
• The campaign is built on three strong pillars -clinical approach, public health component and active community participation.
• Other supporting elements of the campaign comprise private sector engagement, patient support, and political and administrative commitment at all levels.
• In April 2018, the government launched the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme to provide nutritional support to TB

Tuberculosis (TB)

• It is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs.
• It is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.

Explanation :

• On 24^th Sptember, 2019, the Mangalyaan mission, which was initially meant to last six months, completed five years of orbiting Mars
• Mangalyaan is India's first endeavour to cross the Earth's orbit successfully.
• It was launched on board of PSLV C25 rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013 with aim of studying Martian surface and mineral composition as well as scans its atmosphere for methane.
• It had entered Mar’s orbit on September 24, 2014, in its first attempt.
• It made India the first Asian nation and the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars, after Roscosmos (Russia), NASA (USA) and the European Space Agency.

Explanation :

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8^th December, 1985.
• It consists of eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17^th January, 1987.

Objectives

• To promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life
• To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potentials
• To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia
• To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields

Explanation :

• Chabahar Port, the only oceanic port in Iran, is located in the Gulf of Oman on the south-eastern coast of Iran.
• The port features two different complexes namely ShahidKalantari andShahidBeheshti.
• Chabahar Port commenced operations in 1983 and has become an important port for Iran and Middle East.
• It serves as the transport gateway between the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and Europe.
• It plays an important role in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC) and also serves as a gateway to the eastern development route of the country.
• A trilateral transit agreement was signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan for the development of two berths of the port in May 2016. The agreement will allow the western coasts of Indiato be linked withChabahar and provide access for Indian goods to pass through Iran into Afghanistan and beyond.

Strategic Importance of port for India

• The development of the Chabahar Port has huge strategic importance for India as it would allow India to bypass Pakistan and give it to access to markets in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
• India is also developing a rail link connecting Iran to Afghanistan to help facilitate connectivity.

International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC)

• INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• Russia, Iran and India signed the agreement for the NSTC project on the 16th of May 2002. All three countries are founding member states on the project.
• Member states in the NSTC project: India,  Iran,  Russia,  Turkey,  Azerbaijan,  Kazakhstan,  Armenia,  Belarus,  Tajikistan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Oman,  Ukraine,Syria.
• Observer member - Bulgaria

Explanation :

• The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018seeks to cthat evade prosecution by remaining outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
• Eonomic offences with a value of more than Rs 100 crores, which are listed in the schedule of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, come under the purview of this law.
• Enforcement Directorate (under Ministry of Finance) will be investigative agency under the Act.

Explanation :

• The Special Expenditure Observers are appointed in the exercise of the powers conferred on ECI under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
• They are required to <strongstyle="color: #073c75;">watch the conduct of Elections with special emphasis on controlling the abuse of money power, in consultation with the Chief Electoral Officer.
• They supervise and monitor the work being done by the electoral machinery based on intelligence inputs and complaints received through C-VIGIL, Voter Helpline 1950 against all persons/entities trying to induce voters by distributing cash, liquor & freebies etc. in order to vitiate the poll process.

Article 324

• It empowers the Election Commission of India to issue rules and guidelines for conducting elections of Parliament, President, Vice President and State Legislature Assemblies in the country.

Explanation :

• The PGS is an internationally applicable organic quality assurance system, implemented and controlled by the committed organic farmer-producers through active participation, along with the consumers, in the process based on verifiable trust.
• Four pillars of PGS: The government’s 2015 PGS manual underlines that the system in India is based on -participatory approach, a shared vision, transparency and trust.
• The PGS Organic India Council was set up after a consultation process in 2006. It functioned as an informal coalition of Voluntary Organizations or NGOs committed to the promotion of organic food production for domestic consumption in India, with export not being a priority at all.
• In April 2011, it was formally registered as a society in Goa as Participatory Guarantee Systems Organic Council (PGSOC).

Explanation :

• Taking into account that congenital and hereditary genetic diseases are becoming a significant health burden in India, and realizing the need for adequate and effective genetic testing and counselling services, Department of Biotechnology along with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfarehas started the UMMID Initiative which is designed on the concept of Prevention is better than Cure.

Aim

• To establish NIDAN Kendras to provide counselling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals wherein the influx of patients is more.
• To produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics.
• To undertake screening of pregnant women and new born babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts.
• As a part of this initiative, in the first phase, five NIDAN Kendrashave been established to provide comprehensive clinical care.