Current Affairs 31st August - 5th September 2019
Important Current Affairs
Current Affairs 31st August - 5th September 2019
Delhi ranks 118th and Mumbai at 119th spot in EIUs Global Liveability Index 2019
Global Liveability Index prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit(EIU) ranked Delhi in the 118th spot from 6 places from 112th spot. It is the biggest decline in Asia. Mumbai dropped by two places to rank at 119th spot this year. The list was topped by Vienna, It is the second consecutive time whereas Damascus the capital of Syria was ranked last at 140th position. Russia’s St. Petersburg topped the list among BRICS nations at 71st spot.
Rank Cities
1-Vienna
2-Melbourne
3-Sydney
118-Delhi
119-Mumbai
136-Karachi
137-Tripoli
International Day of Charity is observed on 5 September
The International Day of Charity is observed on 5 September across the world. The day is observed to commemorate the death anniversary of Mother Teresa. The day aims to make people understand the importance of charity.
History:
The day was created by the Hungarian Civil society initiative in 2011. In 2012, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) officially declared 5 September as the International Day of Charity.
Mother Teresa:
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, Mother Teresa, was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, North Macedonia. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity in India. It helps the poor on the streets of Kolkata. The foundation manages homes for people who are dying of leprosy, TB and HIV/AIDS. Through the charity, Mother Teresa spent around 45 years in serving the poor, sick, orphaned and dying on the streets of Kolkata. She died at the age of 87 in 1997 in Kolkata.
Awards: In 1962 she was awarded Padma Shri and Ramon Magsaysay. In 1979 she was awarded Nobel Prize for Peace and in 1980 she received Bharat Ratna award. In 2016 she was canonizedby Pope Francis.
September is celebrated as Poshan Maah across India
The country celebrates September month as the Rashtriya Poshan Maah across the country under POSHAN Abhiyaan programme. It aims to address malnutritional challenges. Poshan Maah was launched in States like Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan on 4th September.
Aim:
Rashtriya Poshan Maah is being celebrated with the aim to create a Jan Andolan to imbibe behavioral changes into the daily lives of the masses, with the slogan Poshan Tyohar Se Vyavahar.
Focus:
Poshan Maah focuses on five critical components called ‘Paanch Sutras’. The components are:
♦ First 1000 days of the Child
♦ Anaemia
♦ Diarrhoea
♦ Hand Wash & Sanitation
♦ Poshtik Aahar, a wholesome meal with diet diversity
Celebration:
The Ministry of Women and Child Development acts as the nodal Department for Poshan Maah. The activities in the function focus on antenatal care, anaemia, growth monitoring, girls’ education, diet, right age of marriage, hygiene and sanitation, eat healthily. The themes are showcased in the form of food melas, recipe demonstration, radio & TV talk shows, rallies, school-level campaigns, anemia test camps, and seminars all across the country.
Teachers Day is celebrated in India on 5 Sept
Teacher's Day is celebrated in India on 5 September each year. The Day commemorates the 131st birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The day is being observed since 1962. It was the year when he has assumed the post of the President of India.
Aim:
The Teachers' Day is celebrated to know the contribution of all the teachers for their hard work and endless contribution in shaping a student’s educational life. The day is dedicated to all the teachers, mentors and gurus who guide the students to become better human beings.
Dr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan:
Dr.Radhakrishnan was born on 5 September 1888. He studied and worked as a professor in many education institutions, as he spent his life as an academic, including Calcutta University, Mysore University, Oxford University, University of Chicago, and Madras Presidency College. He was one of the most eminent scholars of the 20th century. He wrote the famous book The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore. The book attracted global attention to Indian philosophy and the Indian way of thinking.
Dr.S.Radhakrishnan was the first Vice President and second President of India. He served as Vice President from 1952-1962 and from 1962-1967, he served as the President of India.
Awards:
In 1954, Dr.Radhakrishnan was awarded the Bharat Ratna award. He was nominated 27 times for Nobel Prize, 16 times for the Nobel prize in literature and 11 times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Vaishno Devi Shrine adjudged as Best Swachh Iconic Place in India
Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir won the Best Swachh Iconic Place in the country.
President Ram Nath Kovind will confer the award during the Swachh Mahotsav to be organised by the ministry.
The union ministry of Jal Shakti, department of drinking water and sanitation, released its rankings of Swachh Iconic Places.
The Shrine which is visited by thousands of devotees been adjudged on the basis of the overall improvement in sanitation brought about by the board due to several initiatives taken in the last few years to ensure cleanliness.
The initiatives like installing water kiosks, equid dung management centre, kill waste machines, collection, transportation and disposal of waste along with regular mopping up of waste though a workforce of 1300 sanitation workers among others have enabled the shrine to achieve the top rank.
The shrine competed with a dozen other iconic places in the country including Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Maharashtra), Taj Mahal (Uttar Pradesh), Tirupati Temple (Andhra Pradesh), Golden Temple (Punjab), Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Rajasthan), Kamakhya Temple (Assam), Jagannath Puri(Odisha), Church and Convent of St Francis of Assisi (Goa) among others. The shrine received a special award from the union ministry of drinking water and sanitation for bagging the second spot behind the Golden Temple.
A Japanese woman gets worlds 1st stem cell corneal transplant
Japan woman becomes the first person in the world to receive a corneal transplant made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). The treatment was successfully carried out by a team of researchers led by ophthalmologist Kohji Nishida at Osaka University.
iPS cells:
Generally, the damaged or diseased corneas are treated using tissue from donors who have died. But in this case, the researchers created sheets of corneal cells from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. These IPS cells were made by reprogramming adult skin cells from a donor into an embryonic-like state from which they can transform into other cell types, such as corneal cells. After the transplant, the woman’s cornea remained clear and her vision had improved.
Cornea:
The cornea of the eye is the transparent or clear front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber of the eye. The cornea contains stem cells which can repair damage and maintain vision. These damage in the stem cells that are caused due to disease or injury can lead to blindness. The damaged/diseased cornea can be replaced by donated corneal tissue
World Coconut Day observed on September 2nd
World Coconut Day observed on September 2. Coconut Development Board (CDB) distribute its National Awards in various categories on the season of World Coconut Day celebration at Bhubaneswar, India. Coconut, the tree of life Sustains family well being is a theme by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community for the World Coconut Day.
History of World Coconut Day
The Coconut Development Board celebrated the World Coconut Day at NEDFI Convention Centre, Guwahati, Assam. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi awards 15 people have exceeded in coconut farming, industry, and other coconut related activities. Assam is the next major coconut producing a state in India; the CDB decided to hold the national-level function on occasion there this year. About 33,493 hectares in all seven NE states are under coconut cultivation, Assam alone is cultivating 20,368 hectares. Coconuts are members of the drupe family, and it is a fleshy fruit that has been planting in tropical regions for millions of years. On this day, Entire globe celebrates one of nature’s healthiest foods.
Jinson Johnson of Kerala brokes his own 1500m national record by winning silver medal in Berlin
Asian Games gold medallist Jinson Johnson won 1500m national record a silver in the ISTAF Berlin event.He clocked 3 minute 35.24 seconds to finish second behind Joshua Thompson of United States at the Olympic Stadium .
The earlier national record in the name of the 28-year-old Kerala runner was 3:37.62 had clocked at Nijmegen in the Netherlands in June. He also holds the 800m national record (1:45.65).With his own national record shattering effort, Jinson also qualified for the World Championships to be held in Doha from September 28 to October 6. The World Championships qualifying time is 3:36.00.
Jinson won the 2018 Asian Games gold in 1500m with a time of 3:44.72.ISTAF Berlin is a part of the IAAF World Challenge meetings, the second tier of global one day athletics events. It is the penultimate leg of the IAAF World Challenge meetings this year.
Tinsukia Railway station become the 4000th station in the country to have free public WiFi
Tinsukia Railway station in the State of Assam has become the 4000th station in the country to have free public Wi-Fi. Under RailWire, free Wi-Fi is being provided to passengers. Railwire is a retail Broadband initiative of RailTel catering to Enterprises, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and homes. The Wi-Fi plan was rolled out in 1000 stations in a record time of 12 days by RailTel with an average of 83 stations per day.
RailTel is currently implementing two of the six Indian Railways projects that are part of the 100-day agenda of the Union government. This project began from Mumbai Central in January 2016. It is planning to implement fast and free Railwire Wi-Fi.
Aim:
The project aims to provide free access with high-speed Wi-Fi. It plans to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban India. The project has been designed to offer users the best internet experience. RailWire Wi-Fi will be available to any user who has a smartphone with a working mobile connection for KYC considerations.
RailTel:
RailTel Corporation, a Mini Ratna (Category-I), is one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in India. The PSU owns a Pan-India optic fiber network on exclusive right of way (ROW) along Railway track.
RailTel provides nationwide Broadband Telecom & Multimedia Network connection in all parts of the country. This has been provided in addition to modernization of Train operations and administration network systems.
RailTel's new project: TailTech is now testing a new signalling technology. This new technology aims to improve safety and increase capacity by reducing the distance between two trains.
Cultural event Namaste Pacific organised in New Delhi
High Commissions of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji jointly organised a cultural event, Namaste Pacific, The main aim is to showcase in India the culture of the Pacific countries.
Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu highlighted the importance of people to people links between India and the countries in the Pacific region received a boost through an event like Namaste Pacific.
India became important country in the Pacific region. India is highly respected among the pacific country, and so an event like this is highly appropriate.
This is a natural gathering of countries that share a great deal together. This evening is one example of looking at the things that unite the countries of Indo-Pacific.
A curated menu including the national drink Kava from Fiji and dishes slow-cooked in an earth oven using heated rocks in a pit oven specially dug for the purpose at the New Zealand High Commission were among the cuisine showcased at the event.
Aaradhna, a multi-award-winning R & B and soul artist from New Zealand performed with her band. Aaradhna is part Indian and part Samoan and has to her credit four individual albums.
Traditional masks and artefacts from Papua New Guinea and Pacific Green furniture and other products from Fiji were also displayed.There was also a showcase of the International Solar Alliance and Pollinate Energy based in Australia, Nepal and India, and solar lanterns from Barefoot Collegein Rajasthan.The event saw the participation of members of the diplomatic community, government officials, business leaders, and cultural personalities.
Defence Ministry to conduct JNAQC in Visakhapatnam
Naval Quality Assurance Establishments is to host the Joint Naval Annual Quality Conclave (JNAQC) in Visakhapatnam on 5 September. It will be hosted under the charge of Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA), Ministry of Defence.
Theme:
The theme of the Conclave is Transformation of QA Paradigm: Opportunities and Challenges. The conclave will focus on Quality Challenges of Emerging Technologies which will provide insights on Management of Emerging Technologies in Indian Navy.
Aim:
The Conclave will focus on all aspects pertaining to the Transformation of Quality Assurance (QA) Paradigm. It will benefit all stakeholders by enabling the cross-fertilization of ideas and best practices from diverse fields.
Participants:
Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command will be the Chief Guest for the annual event. It is expected that a large number of senior officers from the Indian Navy, Indian Army, DRDO, Ministry of Defence including academia will be participating in the event.
The guest speakers include Assistant Chief of Materiel (Information Technology & Systems), Dr Tessy Thomas, DS & DG (Aero Systems), DRDO, Rear Admiral Kalidoss Srinivas, Project Director Ship Building Centre, Rear Admiral SK Nair, Rear Admiral S Chaubey (Retd), CMD ECIL, Rear Admiral Surendra Ahuja, (Retd), MD Boeing India, Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital, (Retd), MD & CEO CEMS India Ltd, Cmde Siddharth Mishra (Retd), CMD BDL and Shri R Muralidharan, Chief Technology Officer Tata Power SED.
COP 14 is being held in India
The 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) was inaugurated to UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The 12-day event has been scheduled to be held from 2 September to 13 September.
Inaugurated by:
The conference was inaugurated by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Mr.IbrahimThiaw, Executive Secretary, UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on 2 September.
Host:
India is hosting the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) 2019. It has taken over the COP Presidency from China for the next two years till 2021. Also, the Environment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar has been elected COP President for next two years.
As a host. India will highlight its skills in navigating the land management agenda at a global level. It will also provide a stage to mainstream sustainable land management in the country’s national development policies.
Participants:
Delegates from 197 parties are participating in the conference. The participants include scientists and representatives of national and local governments, global business leaders, non-governmental organization (NGOs), gender-based organizations, youth groups, journalists, and faith and community groups. The delegates will discuss and share their expertise to achieve their goals at the Conference.
Focus:
The COP 14 will discuss the existing programmes in the field of agriculture, forestry, land, water management, and poverty alleviation. These areas will cater the need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and India's vision to double the Farmer’s Income by 2022.
New Health Insurance Scheme AB-MGRSBY Launched In Rajasthan
Rajasthan state government launched a new health insurance scheme called Ayushman Bharat-Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojna (AB-MGRSBY) by integrating the Bhamashah Health Insurance Scheme(BSBY) of the State Government and Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna Scheme(AB-PMJAY) of the Central Government.
Ayushman Bharat-Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Bima Yojna (AB-MGRSBY) Scheme
Around 1.1 crore families will be covered under this Health Scheme. The sum insured now is Rs. 30000 for general diseases and Rs. 3 lakh per year for serious diseases.AB-PMJAY, which provides coverage of Rs5lakh per year.
People will be able to avail the AB-MGRSBY Scheme benefits in all impaneled private and public hospitals and it has a cashless treatment facility. The natives of Rajasthan can take advantage of this scheme. The poor families covered in any of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 are considered eligible for the scheme.
The eligible families should have Aadhaar card and ration card linked with Bhamashah card (Jan Adhaar card) for availing the benefits. If they do not have Bhamashah card, they can get it from e-Mitra, an ambitious e-Governance initiative of Government of Rajasthan. The scheme will be available until December 12, 2019.
Uttarakhand to set up a Special Tiger Force for Corbett Tiger Reserve
The Uttarakhand government has determined to set up a Special Tiger Force for Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. It will function as an abundantly required second layer of protection with the big cat. The force can have 85 posts.
Special tiger force:
The STPF is effective in checking outlaw human intrusion into the reserve through villages situated on its fringes for 250 tigers at the reserve.
The need for such a force was being felt by life specialists and conservationists for an extended time with three-tier protection to tigers at reserves.
About Three Tier protection :
The First layer of protection is by beat level forest guards through regular patrols.
The second layer of protection is by STPF.
The third layer of protection comes from intelligence gathering mechanism within which forest, police and central intelligence agencies personnel work along to stop crimes like cooking of tigers.
Chandrayaan 2 finished its final lunar bound orbit maneuver
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully performed the fifth and the final lunar bound orbit maneuver for Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft on 1 September. The 5th lunar bound orbit maneuver was done using the onboard propulsion system.
The orbit maneuver took approximately 52 seconds to complete. The orbit was achieved at 119 km x 127 km. ISRO reported that all spacecraft parameters are normal.
Vikram Lander:
After the final maneuver, the Vikram lander will be seperated from the spacecraft's orbiter. Vikram lander is expected to perform two deorbit maneuver to prepare for its landing in the south polar region of the moon.
The first deorbit maneuver is scheduled for 3 September and the orbit around the moon is set at 109 km x 120 km.
The second deorbit maneuver is scheduled for September 4 and the orbit around the moon is expected to be achieved at 36 km x 110 km.
If deorbit maneuver is successful then the Vikram lander would carry out a soft landing on the south pole of the moon on September 7.
MHA Shah flags off India's first battery-operated bus in Ahmedabad
The main aim is to curb pollution and make India a better place. Union Minister Amit Shah flagged off battery-operated eco-friendly buses in Gujarat's Ahmedabad while inaugurating the country's first automated battery charging and swapping station for e-buses there.
He participated in the tree plantation drive organised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to mark the culmination of the civic body's 3 month-long campaign Mission Million Tree to plant 10 lakh trees in Ahmedabad.
The campaign was launched with an aim to make Ahmedabad the greenest city of India and it will continue till this goal is achieved. Later in the day, Shah, who represents Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, will attend a meeting of ‘Disha’, formerly known as District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee.
Disha initiative is meant for the effective implementation of Central schemes at the local level. He probably is slated to conclude his visit after attending the 7th Convocation ceremony of the Gandhinagar based Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University.
Pakistan test-fired ballistic missile Ghaznavi
Pakistan has successfully test-fired nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi from Sonmiani test range near Karachi located in Balochistan. The missile was built with a capability to deliver different types of warheads including nuclear and conventional up to a range of 290 km. It will be placed under the medium-range ballistic missiles. During the test, Ghaznavi was tracked by the National Development Complex (NDC) ground control station. It is located at a 220 km distance from the test range.
Reason:
The move comes after the address of the Prime Minister Imran Khan who said that Pakistan will go to any extent for Kashmir. In his address he asserted that Islamabad would not be afraid of using its nuclear power for Kashmir.
Pakistan has been disturbed by the unexpected move of India to strip the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has found itself completely isolated after its several attempts to internationalize the issue has failed.
About repealing Article 370, India has said the decision to scrap J&K's special status under Article 370 was its internal matter.
Mumbai ranks 45th and Delhi 52nd in 2019 Worlds Safe Cities Index
Mumbai ranked as the 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI). Delhi got at the 52nd position. The report was released by the Economist Intelligence Unit
The cities in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region made up six of the top-10 safest cities with Tokyo taking the top spot.Tokyo, Apac cities dominated the SCI 2019. Singapore and Osaka got second and third while Sydney and Melbourne made it to the top-10 cities list.Hong Kong dropped out of this group since 2017.Seoul joined the top-10 cities' league taking eighth place with Copenhagen.
Safe Cities Index (SCI)
The Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019 ranks 60 countries worldwide across five continents and measures the multi-faceted nature of urban safety with indicators categorised as digital, infrastructure, health and personal security.
The Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka to rank within the top three cities in the Index. The region hosts some of the lowest-scoring cities in the world, with Yangon, Karachi, and Dhaka close to the bottom of the list.
The cities perform well across the categories of health security, infrastructure security and personal security their North American counterparts generally fare better in digital security, accounting for seven of the top-10 cities in this category.