Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• On 20^th August, 2019, Punjab government launched its flagship universal health insurance scheme SarbatSehatBimaYojana, benefitting nearly 46 lakh families.
• It is aimed at ensuring the best possible treatment to the beneficiaries free of cost.
• Under the scheme, E-cards will be provide to beneficiaries, who will be able avail annual cashless treatment up to Five lakh per family per year, including pre-existing diseases,
• The scheme has also been extended to around 4,500 journalists accredited to the state or holding yellow cards.
• Equipped with specially designed 1396 treatment packages, the scheme will be implemented through more than 450 empanelled hospitals, including 200 government hospitals.

Significance

• With this scheme, covering 76 percent ofits population, Punjab has become the first state in the country to offer medical insurance cover to the maximum number of its people.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 21^st August, 2019, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy released Solar Attractiveness Index (SARAL).
• Karnataka has emerged as the best state for setting up of roof top solar projects, followed by Telangana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh.
• Jammu and Kashmir has been ranked last in the index.
• The SARAL system currently captures five aspects: 
  • robustness of policy framework
  • implementation environment
  • investment climate
  • consumer experience
  • business ecosystem in the states

Significance

• It would incentivise rooftop solar by creating healthy competition among the states and will encourage all states to adopt the best practices being followed by top ranking states.
• It will help to meet the National target of achieving 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, of which 40 GW is expected to come from grid connected solar rooftops.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 20^thAugust, 2019, Maharashtra’s Tribal Development Department in association with the Pace Educational Trust launched an academic programme for young tribal students aspiring to be doctors and engineers.
• Inspired by the work of Patna’s Anand Kumar and his Super 30, which prepares smart but underprivileged students to sit for IIT entrance exams, the Super 50 programme will mentor 50 most meritorious tribal students from the State and prepare them for engineering and medical exams.
• It will be a two-year residential programme, where the students will be provided hostel and mess facilities, a tablet, NCERT books and career counselling.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• Manipur government recently launched the School Fagadaba (Make education better) scheme to ensure better infrastructure, quality education and overall improvement of government schools to make them model schools.
• In the first phase of the scheme, one school from each of the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state has been selected.
• The state government will install biometric attendance machines in government schools to ensure the presence of teachers at their posting places.
• The overall objective is to improve the government schools conditions and to increase the enrollment of students.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

Explanation:

• The Karnataka government has amended the Karnataka Poisons (Possession and Sale) Rules 2015 and notified Nictoine as Class A poison. The notification has also ordered the suspension of all kinds of promotion of e-cigarettes, including online promotion
• Class A poisons are highly toxic chemicals (cyanogen, hydrocyanic acid, nitrogen peroxide, and phosgene) which even in very small quantities are dangerous to life.
• This step will help curb the illegal sale, smuggling of nicotine cartridges and e-cigarettes across the state.

Nicotine

• It is a plant alkaloid that contains nitrogen, which is found in several types of plants, including the tobacco plant and can also be produced synthetically.
• It is used both as sedative and stimulant.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 5^th August, 2019, National Academy of Art (Lalit Kala Akademi) celebrated its 65th Foundation Day in New Delhi.
• To promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country, the Government of India established Lalit Kala Akademi (National Akademi of Arts) at New Delhi in 1954.
• The Akademi has regional centres called RashtriyaLalit Kala Kendras at Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Garhi in New Delhi and Bhubaneswar with workshop facilities in painting, sculpture, print-making and ceramics.
• It provides scholarships, fellowship programmes and organizes art-related exhibitions in India and overseas.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, as part of its strategic commitment to improve global trade, is conducting India’s first national Time Release Study (TRS)between 1^{st _} 7^th August, 2019.
• The aim is to identify and address bottlenecks in the trade flow process and take the corresponding policy and operational measures required to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of border procedures, without compromising efficient trade control. Expected beneficiaries of this initiative will be export oriented industries and MSMEs, who will enjoy greater standardization of Indian processes with comparable international standards.
• This initiative will help India maintain the upward trajectory on Ease of Doing Business, particularly on the Trading across Borders indicator which measures the efficiency of the cross border trade ecosystem. Last year India’s ranking on the indicator improved from 146 to 80.
• The TRS is an internationally recognized tool advocated by World Customs Organization to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of international trade flows.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 17^th august, 2019, the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court launched the first Virtual Court at Faridabad through video conferencing.
• This Virtual Court will deal with traffic challan cases of the entire State of Haryana. It is aimed at eliminating presence of litigant in the Court and adjudication of the case online.
• The project has been launched under the guidance of e-Committee of Supreme Court of India and the software has been developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• Under this project, the cases received in the Virtual Court can be viewed by the Judge along with automatic computation of fines on the screen.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 17^th August, 2019, the Aadi Mahotsav, a nine day tribal festival(17^th August- 25^th August-2019) and the Centre’s first official function in Ladakh after the government decided to make it a Union Territory, kicked off at the Polo Grounds in Leh, Ladakh region.
• It is significant as this is the first time that the Aadi Mahotsav is being held in Ladakh as in earlier times, the Tribal Ministry never got a response from the J&K administration.
• Aadi Mahotsav is a National Tribal Festival and a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), with a theme of A celebration of the spirit of Tribal Craft, Culture and Commerce.
• Aadi Mahotsav is an effort to scale up the livelihood and income generating opportunity for tribals by giving them the opportunity to interact and sell their goods directly to the customers.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 18^th August, 2019, the Odisha Government approved Integrated Management Plan of Chilika and Ansupa Lake which are under threat due to rising pollution and climate change.
• It will be executed for a period of five years starting from 2019.
• It aims at conserving the bio-diversity and provides livelihood support to two lakh fishermen of 151 villages around both the lake. It will also tackle the issue of weed management, soil and moisture conservation in both the wetlands.

Chilika Lake

• Chilika Lake, India’s largest largest salt-water lagoon,is spread over Khurda, Ganjam and Puri districts of Odisha.
• It is designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• It is home to a diverse range of aquatic life, including 225 species of fish and the Irrawaddy dolphin (OrcaellaBrevirostris). The rare limbless lizard Barkudiainsularis is endemic to one of the lake's islands.

Ansupa Lake

• It is the largest fresh water lake of Odisha,situated in Banki, Cuttack. It was formed by Mahanadi River and got a shape like the hoof of a horse.
• It is surrounded by Saranda hills on the western side and Bishnupur hills on its northern side, both being a part of the Eastern Ghats.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online