Current Affairs March 13, 2019
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of March 13, 2019 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.
1. The 34th edition of Aahar 2019 - the International Food and Hospitality Fair has started in New Delhi on March 12. The 5-day fair, organized by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), features wide range of food products, machinery, food and beverages equipment, hospitality and decor solutions, confectionery items from over 560 participants from India and foreign countries. The foreign participants in the fair are from countries including China, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, Spain, USA and UK among others.
2. Vinod Kashyap (88), the veteran Hindi Newsreader, has passed in New Delhi on March 10, 2019. She served All India Radio (AIR) for about 30 years. She started her career in Radio as a drama artist.
3. The 5th edition of the SAFF Women's Championship 2019 has started in Biratnagar, Nepal on March 12. Defending champion India has been drawn in Group B in the six-team competition alongside Maldives and Sri Lanka, while host Nepal has been kept in Group A with Bangladesh and Bhutan. The opening match was played between Nepal and Bhutan. Unbeaten in 19 matches from the last four editions, India will take on Maldives on March 13. Indian coach Maymol Rocky has expressed confidence in her side. The tournament will be last opportunity for Indian coach Maymol Rocky to fine tune her team for the crucial 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 2, which is scheduled to be held in Myanmar from April 1-9.
4. The Madhya Pradesh government has taken the ordinance route to increase reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 14% to 27%. In this regard, Governor Anandiben Patel has recently signed the ordinance to amend the Madhya Pradesh Lok Seva (Anusuchit Jatiyon, Anusuchit Jan Jatioyon aur Anya Pichhade Vargon ke Liye Arakshan) Adhiniyam, 1994. With this, MP is possibly the only state in India to have 27% quota for OBCs. At present, the state provides 20% reservation to Scheduled Tribes (STs), 16% to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 14% to OBCs. OBCs are estimate to constitute nearly 52% of the state’s population, and OBC groups have often demanded an increase in reservation to reflect their strength in the state. As per analysts, the move has been taken to woo OBC voters before the Lok Sabha elections 2019.
5. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is the government agency for authentic source of data on crime, accidents, suicides, and prisons for policy matters and research data as defined by the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL). Founded in 1986, Bureau is also apex nodal agency for all Finger Print related matters including accreditation of Finger Print Experts in the country. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The current Director of NCRB is Ramphal Pawar (IPS). Recently, NCRB has celebrated its 34th Inception Day on March 11.
6. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit. It is in news because by using NASA's LRO, scientists at the Planetary Science Institute have observed water molecules moving around the dayside of the Moon. According to the study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, measurements from the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) instrument aboard the LRO of the sparse layer of molecules temporarily stuck to the surface helped characterise lunar hydration changes over the course of a day. These results aid in understanding the lunar water cycle and will ultimately help scientists to learn about accessibility of water that can be used by humans in future missions to the Moon. Lunar water can potentially be used by humans to make fuel or to use for radiation shielding or thermal management; if these materials do not need to be launched from Earth, that makes these future missions more affordable.
7. In USA, the researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an imaging system which could be deployed to find tiny tumours, as small as a couple of hundred cells, deep within the body. They used their imaging system, named "DOLPHIN," which relies on near-infrared light, to track a 0.1-millimetre fluorescent probe through the digestive tract of a living mouse. They also showed that they can detect a signal to a tissue depth of eight centimeters, far deeper than any existing biomedical optical imaging technique. The researchers hope to adapt their imaging technology for early diagnosis of ovarian and other cancers that are currently difficult to detect until late stages. According to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, existing methods for imaging tumours all have limitations that prevent them from being useful for early cancer diagnosis.
8. The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has appointed self-styled godman Namdev Tyagi to the post of the chairperson of the ‘Ma Narmada, Ma Kshipra evam Ma Mandakini River Trust’. He is popularly known as “Computer Baba”. Notably, Tyagi was accorded minister of state (MoS) status by the previous BJP-led government in April 2018. However, he resigned in October 2018, claiming that the government was anti-religion and not fulfilling the promise of stopping illegal sand mining in the river Narmada.
9. The World Kidney Day (WKD) is observed every year on 2nd Thursday of March as a global health awareness campaign to raise awareness about impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide. In 2019, the WKD is been observed on March 14 with theme “Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere”. The 2019 WKD theme calls for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for prevention and early treatment of kidney diseases.
10. On March 11, the indigenously developed Pinaka guided weapon rocket system successfully test fired at Pokhran desert in Rajasthan to boost artillery capability of the Indian Army. The short range guided Pinaka weapon system is equipped with a state-of-the-art guidance kit comprising an advanced navigation and control system. The weapon system, which is developed by DRDO, impacted the intended targets with high precision and achieved desired accuracies in all the missions. The unique feature of the Pinaka versions tested is the integrated avionics system; it consists of an on-board mission computer, miniaturised navigation system and telemetry. The existing Pinaka systems held in the inventory of the Indian defence runs into thousands of numbers. The new guidance system will benefit them.
