Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Indian Railways launched a Special Drive with a Code Name - Operation “Number Plate” to identify and verify all vehicles parked in Railway premises, circulating area, parkings and even in the ‘No Parking’ areas for longer duration.
• This was conducted as a special drive from 9th August to 11th August at 466 Railway Stations all over Indian Railways in view of forthcoming celebrations of Independence Day on 15th August 2019.
• Significance: Curbing down such illegal vehicles is necessary as the unidentified vehicles are considered as a serious threat to security and safety of passengers as well as to the nation.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 14^th August, 2019, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state administration announced a three day Global Investor’s Summit to be held in Srinagar from October 12, 2019.
• The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) will be the national partner for the investors meet.

Significance:

• The meet will provide Jammu and Kashmir with an opportunity to showcase its strengths, strategies and potential and would help to reduce fears of the business community outside the proposed Union Territory.
• It will also provide immense opportunities to develop contacts between the state and business community and between local and outside business communities, aiding in the economic development of the region.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• A lesser known plant- Eugenia mooniana, located in Andamans has showed potential to solve missing link between Andamans and Peninsular India. Detailed taxonomical studies carried out by the scientists established the species as Eugenia mooniana, a plant that is hitherto known to occur only in Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
• According to the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) there are 1,026 common species for the Andaman-Nicobar islands and the Western Ghats of peninsular India. The fragmented distribution of these floral species reveals the geological link of these widely- separated regions in the remote past.

Eugenia mooniana:

• It is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae which is native to Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka. Flowers are white colored. Fruit is a globose, glabrous, single-seeded berry. Flowering starts from October and ends in December. It is known as Pinibaru by Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• India has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife species in the CITES secretariat meeting, scheduled to be held from 17^th – 28^th August, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.
• The proposals put forward are regarding changes in the listing of the smooth-coated otter, small-clawed otter, Indian star tortoise, Tokay gecko, wedgefish and Indian rosewood.
• For the Indian rosewood, the proposal is to eliminate the species from CITES Appendix II. The species covered by CITES are listed in three appendices on the degree of protection they require.
• India is among the parties proposing the re-listing of the star tortoise from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I. The two threats that the species face are: loss of habitat to agriculture and illegal harvesting for the pet trade.
• With regard to the two otter species, India, Nepal and the Philippines have proposed that the listing be moved from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I for the more endangered species.
• A similar proposal has been made to include the Tokay gecko in Appendix I.

CITES

• It is an international agreement to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union).

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• The Geographical Indication (GI) under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade hasrecenly registered 3 new GIs.These are:
• Tawlhlohpuan:a medium to heavy, compactly woven, fabric of good quality from Mizoram is known for warp yarns, warping, weaving & intricate designs that are handmade.
• MizoPuanchei:a colourfulMizo shawl/textile, from Mizoram, is regarded as the most colourful among the Mizo textiles. It is akey possession for every Mizo lady and also an important marriage outfit in the state.
• Tirurbetel vine from Kerala: which is mainly cultivated in Tirur, Tanur, Tirurangadi, Kuttippuram, Malappuram and Vengara block panchayaths of Malappuram District, is valued both for its mild stimulant action and medicinal properties.

Source:Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 10^th August, 2019, the Centre started the inter-state portability of ration cards with two clusters of states-Telangana-Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra-Gujarat, which is the beginning of major plan to roll out ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ by June 2020.
• This means beneficiaries living in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh can buy their quota of ration from the Public Distribution System (PDS), also called ration shops, in either of the State. Similar would be the case in Maharasthra and Gujarat.
• The beneficiaries will be able to get the entitled food grain and can even have the option to buy certain portion of the entitled quantity. This is expected to be a huge help to migrant labourers.
• Meanwhile, seven States, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tripura, at present are testing intra-portability of ration cards, which means beneficiaries can lift their quota of ration from any PDS located within a State.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 7^th August, 2019, the Andhra Pradesh government announced to launch the NavodayamScheme, a complete outreach programme for thousands of ailing Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state, with a one-time restructuring of loans that will provide the required lifeline for small industrial units.
• This initiative is to rejuvenate and give topmost priority thrust to facilitate and coordinate growth and development of the MSME sector.
• It will be aimed to provide a lifeline to stressed MSMEs by ensuring that all eligible units are permitted for one-time restructuring of accounts up to March 31, 2020.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

Explanation:

• Statement 1: Chandrayaan- 2 was launched by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III (GSLV Mk-III).It is a three-stage vehicle and is capable of launching 4-ton class of satellites to the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).So, the given statement is correct.
• Statement 2: Chandrayaan-2 will be making an attempt at landing a lander and the moon rover in a high plain situated between two craters called as Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at latitude of about 70° South. So, the given statement is correct.
• Statement 3: The lander called Vikram is designed to execute India’s first soft landing on the lunar surface. The rover Pragyan is 6-wheeled robotic vehicle, weighing 27-kg. It will set out on its job of collecting information on lunar surface.So, the given statement is correct.
• Statement 4: India will be placed in the elite group of countries (4^th after Russia, USA and China)which have successfully pull-off a soft landing on moon in the past. So, the given statement is correct.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

Explanation:

• On 8^th August, 2019, India celebrated the 77^th anniversary of Quit India Movement.
• The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Movement was a Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhi for complete independence from British rule.
• At the Working Committee meeting in Wardha in July 1942, the Congress accepted that the movement must move into an active phase.
• On 8^th August, 1942, the All-India Congress Committee met in Gowalia Tank Maidan (August Kranti Maidan) in Bombay to ratify the Working Committee’s decision, formally launching the movement.
• The most powerful, slogan of the Indian National Movement was “Quit India”, or “Bharat Chhoro” - the call and command that Mahatma Gandhi gave to the British rulers of India 77 years ago.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 6^th August, 2019, the Delhi government launched a project that seeks to record oral histories of the city as told by its senior citizens.
• Titled ‘Oral History Programme’, the project aims to document the history of the city from the perspective of its inhabitants.
• The project, undertaken by Delhi Archives in collaboration with Ambedkar University, is an attempt to democratize knowledge by recording stories told by hundreds of common people in Delhi from different strata of society over the next two years.
• It was in the ‘80s that the Delhi Archives department first began an oral history project by interviewing 56 personalities about the city, its history and changing nature.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online