Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
Discovered small field (DSF) auction happened recently. The term is related to oil sector.

Notes:
Parvathamma Rajkumar (77), Kannada film producer and the wife of the legendary Kannada superstar Dr Rajkumar, has passed away in Bangalore, Karnataka on May 31, 2017. She was the first woman producer, distributor, exhibitor who only marketed Kannada films. She produced 87 films under her banner Vajreshwari Combines — one of the oldest and most successful banners in Kannada film — and Poornima Enterprises.

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The Matunga suburban station on the Central Railway (CR) of Mumbai division has figured in the Limca Book of Records 2018 for having an all-woman staff. The achievement comes six months after Matunga became the first railway station in the country to be run by an all-woman staff. A team of 41 women staffers at the station includes personnel from the RPF, commercial and operating departments. These staffers work under the supervision of station manager Mamta Kulkarni. The staff has been handling all operations of the station round-the-clock for the last six months and results are positive and encouraging. The aim of the initiative is to create an environment where women are encouraged to take a decision about their own personal and professional well-being.

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Wrestler Bajrang Punia has clinched gold in the 71kg freestyle at the 2018 Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul, Turkey. It was his second consecutive gold medal, after he recently won gold at the 2018 Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia. Meanwhile, Sandeep Tomar finished with silver after losing 2-8 in the 61kg final against Iran’s Mohammad bagher Yakhkeshi. In the women’s competition, Pinki was the lone gold medallist in the 55kg category with her 6-3 win over Ukraine’s Olga Shnaider. Beside this, Sangeeta Phogat (59kg) and Geeta (65kg) won bronze medals in their respective categories. Overall, Indian wrestlers returned with 10 medals, including 7 by women in the event.

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Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Ordinance, 2016 extinguishes the liabilities of the Reserve Bank and the guarantee of the central government towards Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.

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Section 8B of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 empowers the Central Government to impose Safeguard Duly on goods which enter in increased quantities and cause or threaten to cause serious injury to domestic industry producing like or directly competitive goods.

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Recently, Germany has signed an agreement with India for providing soft loan to the tune of Euro 1 billion for the Green Corridor Projects in India. Intra State transmission schemes under Green Energy Corridors (GEC) are to be funded as 20% equity of the State Govt., 40% grant from National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) and 40% soft loan, whereas, the inter State transmission schemes are to be funded as 30% equity by PGCIL and 70% as soft loan, he added.

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The 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Marrakesh, Morocco from 7 to 18 November 2016. It is the 22nd conference of the parties (COP22) to be held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The next conference or COP-23 is scheduled to be held on 6–17 November 2017 in Bonn, Germany.

Notes:
As per natural phenomenon, a country that has abundant natural resources does not need to import as many raw materials, and has opportunity to increase its economic strength through income gained from resources export. But, the "resource curse" is a paradox according to which a country with higher natural resources has less economic growth. The reason lies in the fact that wealth generated from natural resources not distributed adequately to the local people, which in turns leads to social conflict. Such phenomenon is very much at work in countries such as Nigeria and other African and Middle East countries, where the wealth of natural resources has not empowered the local communities, but has fuelled social conflict instead. Conflict brews among agents of world powers that buy oil, the ruling elites who profit from selling it, and the local population that struggles to maintain control over these resources.

Notes:
The most recent Commonwealth Games were held in Gold Coast from 4-15 April, 2018.