Current Affairs [Monthly]

Notes:
Banganapalle mangoes, one of the most popular and finest varieties of mango from Andhra Pradesh, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) Registration Certificate by the GI Registry, Chennai. With this, the Andhra Pradesh government has become the registered proprietor of the GI tag for mangoes. Banganapalle mangoes have been grown for over 100 years in the State. It is also known as Beneshan, Baneshan, Benishan, Chappatai and Safeda. The GI indicates products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. Once product is registered as GI, no producer can claim the same name, which is covered by a GI tag, without taking consent from the applicant.

Notes:
Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, has constituted a task force on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for India’s economic transformation. The 18-member panel, headed by Dr. V. Kamakoti of IIT Madras, will comprise of experts, academics, researchers and industry leaders. It will explore possibilities to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) for development across various fields. In addition to regular members, it will have official participation from NITI Aayog, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Department of Science & Technology, UIDAI and DRDO. The task force will submit concrete and implementable recommendations for government, industry and research institutions.

Notes:
The 44 MW Chutak Hydroelectric Plant is located in Kargil District of Jammu & Kashmir. The barrage site is located about 14 km upstream of Kargil near village Sarzhe. The project is a run-off-river scheme on the river Suru, to generate 216 MU in a 90% dependable year having installed capacity of 44 MW (4 x 11 MW) utlising a rated head of 52m developed by construction of a 15.0 m high barrage and through 4780 m long 5.9M dia horse shoe shaped Head race tunnel.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) has constituted a 21-member committee to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on policy matters related to science, technology and innovation. The committee, dubbed as Prime Minister’s Science Technology and Innovation Council (PM-STIAC), will be headed by K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific adviser to the GoI. It will facilitate the formulation and implementation of policies and decisions, provide action-oriented and future preparedness advise and assist in directing S&T to solve the socio economic problems in the country. It will also have a large focus on driving innovation in education, research, industry etc.

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The Arunachal Pradesh Government has recently launched the Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana (SKY) and Chief Minister’s Krishi Samuh Yojana (KSY) in Itanagar. The Sashakt Kisan Yojana (SKY) will subsume three state flagship programmes, namely – CM’s Employment Generation Scheme (EGS), CM’s Agri-Mechanization Programme (AMP) and CM’s Flagship Programme on Tea and Rubber. The aim of the KSY is to empower the farmers through cooperative approach, by providing timely supports and marketing interventions of the government for better price realization and doubling farmers’ income.

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Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been honoured with the third Sayaji Ratna Award 2018 at Vadodara for his social contribution to pay off the loans of several farmers from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. He had helped 1,398 farmers from Uttar Pradesh and 350 from Maharashtra through his contribution. The award was established in 2013 to mark the 151st birth anniversary of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the erstwhile ruler of Baroda. This award is given annually to living legends of India.It recognizes the personality of the iconic character and outstanding contribution in the realms of business, sports, arts, humanity, education, governance and medicine.

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Irene Cheptai is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in track and cross-country running. She bagged a gold medal in the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championship in women’s event.

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The TomTom Traffic Index 2018, carried out by location technology specialist TomTom, covered 403 cities in 56 countries and defined congestion as the extra time added to road travel when traffic doesn’t flow freely. Mumbai topped the list of cities with drivers expecting to spend an average of 65% extra travel time stuck in traffic. New Delhi ranked 4th with a congestion rank of 58%. Bogota (63%) in Colombia and Lima in Peru (58%) were ranked second and third on the list respectively, while the Russian capital Moscow (56%) ranked fifth. The study found that in 2018, the best time to drive in Mumbai was between 2 am and 5 am, when traffic flowed freely.

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Under the Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana, Employees and State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has relaxed its norms, wherein it would pay 50% (up from earlier 25%) of average wages of three months as unemployment benefit.
The scheme would be available to people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic between March 24 and December 31 this year. This is expected to benefit nearly 40 lakh industrial workers.

Notes:
Kerala Tourism has been awarded the prestigious ‘Highly Commended’ Award by World Travel Mart London.
The state has been awarded for its remarkable activities aimed to promote Responsible Tourism (RT) during COVID-19. Kerala’s Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission received the award in the category of ‘Meaningful Connections.’