Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2019

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for the establishment of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) for conservation, protection and development of cows and their progeny. It will lead to the development of the cattle population in the country including the development and conservation of indigenous breeds. It will result in the growth of the livestock sector which is more inclusive, benefit women, and small and marginal farmers. The Aayog will work in collaboration with Veterinary, Animal Sciences or Agriculture University or departments or organizations of the Central or State Government engaged in the task of research in the field of breeding and rearing of the cow, organic manure, biogas, etc. Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog was announced in the Union Budget 2019-20 on the 1st of this month.

Notes:
The “Parmanu Tech 2019” Conference was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) at New Delhi on February 6. The conference discussed issues related to Nuclear Energy and Radiation Technologies. Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, delivered the keynote address at the conference. During the conference sector specific sessions were held with Panel discussions on the following topics: 1) Health care: Nuclear Medicine and Radiation therapy – Care to cure, 2) Food Preservation, Agricultural & Industrial Applications: From farms to factories – Serving the National Cause and 3) Showcasing India’s capabilities in Nuclear Energy: Energy Security with environmental responsibility – the Onward March.

Notes:
The 52nd Boori Boot Yollo festival 2019 has recently celebrated by the Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. The fest is observed in the month of February every year to welcome spring and a successful harvest. During this festival, the consecrated soul is summoned to sanctify the people. Apart from it, it is an occasion of mass prayer for prosperity eliminating the possibility of any fatal ailments. The striking feature here is the giant assemblage of people cutting across the barriers of cast, creed, age and sex. The young ones take the lead to be guided by the elders where Nibu (Priest) would perform the rituals. The festival has an anthem which speaks of the sun rising, planets, mighty rivers, flora and fauna. A portion of the lyric deals with the earth which keeps on rotating around the sun along with other heavenly bodies.

Notes:
The 2nd edition of the Asia LPG Summit 2019 was held in New Delhi with theme ‘LPG – Energy for Life’. The summit was organized by the World LPG Association (WLPGA) in association with major Indian public-sector oil companies (OMCs) Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, and Bharat Petroleum. In it, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that India has become the world’s second largest importer of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as its government pushes cleaner alternatives to traditional cooking fuels such as firewood and cow dung. The imports of LPG grew 12.5% over the past five years to 12 million metric tons (13 million tons) in 2018-19. Hence, in terms of LPG import, India has surpassed Japan to acquire 2nd spot. China is at first spot. India imports LPG mainly from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Iran. The summit offered a unique opportunity to the global LPG industry to interact with development agencies, NGOs and non-profit organizations who have facilitated last-mile access to LPG for the beneficiaries.

Notes:
The Dard Aryan Tribe of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region known for its liberal customs and ornate costumes is struggling to keep its vibrant cultural legacy alive. Recently, at the 2019 Dard Aryan Festival (Aryan Utsav) in New Delhi, the delegation of the Dard Aryans has requested the Central government to make serious interventions. The rich heritage of the Dard Aryans — believed to be the original descendants of ‘pure Aryan race’ — is under threat due to rapid modernisation, migration and religious conversion. The Dard Aryans inhabit Dha, Hanu, Beema, Darchik and Garkone villages in Leh and Kargil districts. The villages are together called the Aryan valley. The people of this region have unique physical features, social life, ethnic culture and language. Many researchers believe that the ‘Aryans of Ladakh’ or the ‘Brokpas’ were a part of Alexander’s army and had come to the region over 2,000 years ago. The word ‘Dard’ is derived from a Sanskrit word, ‘Daradas’, which refers to people who live on hillsides.

Notes:
Father Francois Laborde, a 92-year-old Bengal priest, has been conferred the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour), the highest civilian award of France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children. Father Laborde is of French-origin but he has been given Indian citizenship. He is the third person from the state to have been awarded the Legion of Honor after film maestro Satyajit Ray and actor Soumitra Chatterjee.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India has exercised its powers conferred under Section 47A of the Banking Regulation Act of 1949 & imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on the State Bank of India (SBI) for not monitoring the end use of funds in respect of one of its borrowers. However, SBI did not share details of the borrower and the loan amount given to the borrower.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently raised the limit for collateral-free agriculture loans to Rs 1.6 lakh from Rs. 1 lakh to enhance coverage of small and marginal farmers in the formal credit system. Currently, the banks are mandated to extend collateral-free agricultural loans up to Rs. 1 lakh. This limit was fixed in the year 2010. The RBI also proposed to set up an internal working group to review various issues plaguing farm credit, such as regional disparity, extent of coverage and limited capital formation from such credit. As per interim Budget of 2019, the Government of India (GoI) will also launch the ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) programme to provide assured income support to small and marginal farmers. Under this, vulnerable landholding farmer-families, having cultivable land up to two hectares, will be provided direct income support at the rate of Rs. 6,000 per year. This income support will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers in three equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 each. The programme will be funded by the Government of India (GoI).

Notes:
The book titled “Law, Justice and Judicial Power – Justice P N Bhagwati’s Approach” has been authored by Professor (Dr.) Mool Chand Sharma. It was formally released by Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi at a function held in New Delhi. The first edition of the book was received by President Ramnath Govind. Justice Bhagwati has been called the father of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in India. The book is a collection of 24 essays written in honour of Justice Bhagwati, celebrating his judicial work and landmark judgments as well as his work towards introducing PIL in India.

Notes:
On February 8, the 5-day multinational maritime exercise ‘AMAN 19’ has commenced at Pakistan Navy Dockyard near the coastal city of Karachi with the slogan “Together for Peace”. The flags of 46 countries including Pakistan were hoisted and the contingents of Pakistan Navy presented a march-past. The principal purpose of the exercise is to provide a forum for understanding of each other’s maritime concepts and operational cultures and come up with ways and means to combat common threats at sea. The exercise is aimed at fostering maritime cooperation, promoting a safe and secure maritime environment for regional and global stability and for preserving oceans which is the common heritage of mankind.