Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• Launched in July, 2019, the ‘one nation, one ration card’ is an inter-state ration card portability scheme that allows migrants to get their quota of ration from any public distribution system (PDS) across the country. The Centre plans to extend this scheme to all states by 2020.
• At present, the scheme is operational between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as well as of that Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• With effect from 1st October 2019, two new clusters, Kerala and Karnataka and Rajasthan and Haryana, will join the initiative of inter-state portability of ration cards.

Significance:

• This initiative shall be helpful for the large migratory population of the country, who migrate from one part of the country to another in search of job or employment, marriage, or any other reason, and find difficulty in accessing subsidi sed food grains in the present system.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• In Postal Ballot Voting, ballot papers are distributed electronically to electors and are returned to the election officers via post.
• Currently, the following voters group is allowed to cast their votes through postal ballot:
• Service voters (armed forces, the armed police force of a state and government servants posted abroad),
• Voters on election duty
• Voters under preventive detention
• Keen on expanding the ambit of postal ballots, the Election Commission (EC) has proposed to allow voters on duty in the aviation sector, shipping sector, trains, fire services, medical services, traffic, long-distance road transport corporation buses, the aged, the physically challenged, and journalists covering elections to vote by post in the upcoming assembly elections.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 8^th September, 2019, the Central Government constituted a task force to draw up a National Infrastructure Pipeline for each of the financial years from 2019-20 to 2024-25.

About NIP

• The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) will be guided by the task force consisting of six members and led by the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs. NITI Aayog CEO or a nominee by him/her will also be part of the task force.
• The NIP would include greenfield and brownfield projects costing above Rs. 100 crore each.
• The terms of reference of the task force for FY20 have also been notified and it will submit its first report on the NIP by 31 October, 2019. Another report on the indicative pipelines for financia l years 21-25 w ill also be submitted by the committee by 31 December 2019.

Term of Reference

• It includes identifying technically feasible, financially and economically viable infrastructure projects that can be started in 2019-20.
• It will also enable robust marketing of the pipeline of projects requiring private investment through the India Investment Grid (IIG), National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and other such entities.
• It will suggest measures to monitor the projects so that cost and time overruns are minimized.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The NilgiriTahr(Nilgiritragushylocrius) is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which provides absolute protection and offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties and categorized as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN.
• It is endemic to the Nilgirihill ranges of the Western Ghats of Southern peninsular India in pockets where a suitable mosaic of Montane Grasslands and rugged terrain exist.
• Adult males develop a light grey area or “saddle” on their backs and are hence called “saddlebacks”.

Mukurthi National Park

• Previously known as NilgiriTahr National Park, it is a protected area located in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats.
• It was created to protect its keystone species, the NilgiriTahr.
• The park is characterised by montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds.
• It is part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve along with Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and Silent Valley.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• NERAMAC was set up in 1982 to support farmers/producers of North East getting remunerative prices for their produce and thereby bridge the gap between the farmers and the market and also to enhance the agricultural, procurement, processing and marketing infrastructure of the Northeastern Region of India.
• Presently it is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India.
• It acts as a torch bearer for the potential entrepreneurs helping them get exposure about the advanced processing technologies and the farmers by providing them with appropriate market linkages as well as remunerative prices for their produces in order to double their income by the end of 2022.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Launched in 2012, the NERLP is a World Bank aided, multi-state Rs. 683 croreproject under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
• The project aims to improve rural livelihoods especially that of women, unemployed youth and the most disadvantaged groups.
• It is being implemented in 11 districts of Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.
• It has focused on five development strategies -social empowerment, economic empowerment, partnership development, project management and livelihood and value chain developments.

Significance

• Across the project districts, livelihood activities pursued by Self Help Group (SHG) members have increased considerably, thus increasing family incomes.
• Women have become more knowledgeable and expressive, and they display better leadership qualities.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• It is an over-arching initiative to improve school education system by creating a junction for all online portals and websites relating to various activities of the Department of School Education and Literacy in the Government of India.
• The word ‘Shagun’ is coined from two different words-
• ‘Shala’ meaning Schools
• ‘Gunvatta’ meaning Quality
• Websites of 1200 KendriyaVidyalayas, 600 NavodayaVidyalayas, 18000 other CBSE affiliated schools, 30 SCERTs, 19000 organisations affiliated with NTCE among others are integrated with Shagun.
• An Integrated National School Education Treasury (INSET) will be set up which envisages a fully integrated, instantly accessible and seamless information network for all parameters relating to the students, teachers, and schools in the country.

Significance

• The newly created platform will provide all school related information at one place .This will help students, parents and other stakeholders in ensuring all round development of the child. This platform will not only give information but people can also give their suggestions, which will help in the creation of a better system.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Coke making is effectively the carbonization of coal at high temperatures.
• Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is used to create coke, one of the key inputs for the production of steel.It is a solid fuel made by heating coal in the absence of air(reducing atmosphere) so that the volatile components are driven off.
• The property that really sets coking coals apart from other coals is its coking ability, which is the specific property required in order to make coke suitable for steel making.
• Bituminous coal - generally classified as a metallurgical grade—is harder and blacker and contains more carbon and less moisture and ash than low-rank coals.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The government enacted Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 2016 to provide a proper institutional mechanism for compensatory afforestation matters. Related rules were notified in 2018.
• The Act established National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (NCAF) under the Public account of India and State Compensatory Afforestation Funds under public accounts of states.
• The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
• The funds can be used for treatment of catchment areas, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management,relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, etc.
• Compensatory afforestation means that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The fifth international Dharma-Dhamma conference was held in Rajgir, Bihar on July 27 and 28, 2019.
• The theme of this year’s conference is “Sat-Chit-Ananda & Nirvana in Dharma-Dhamma Traditions”.
• The purpose of organizing this conference is to enquire into the entire gamut of reality, knowledge and values from diverse perspectives so as to understand the nature, meaning and significance of human and cosmic existence, and to shape future projections and ultimate destiny of human and cosmos.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online