Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2020

Notes:
The Ministry of Labour and Employment is going to launch “Santusht” platform next month to ensure an efficient implementation of the labour laws at the grass root levels. It will also look into the services provided by the retirement fund body, EPFO and health insurance and service provider ESIC for those working in the formal sector.

Notes:
Eighty years after the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed a non-aggression treaty dividing Europe into spheres of influence, Russia has put the original Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and its secret protocol into the public. Alongside the pact, 1938 Munich Agreement and other documents related to the occupation of Czechoslovakia until the outbreak of Second World War was also displayed to state that the west sought to redirect Nazi Germany’s aggression towards Moscow.

Notes:
Auckland in New Zealand has become the world’s first major city to celebrate the start of the 2020.  Australia and New Zealand were followed by Europe, the Middle East and Asia to welcome the year 2020. The firework display in Sydney, Australia was put up despite the ongoing bushfire crisis.  

Notes:
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 107th edition of the Indian Science Congress (ISC) at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka from January 3 to 7, 2020.The theme of the five-day event will be ‘Science and technology: rural development’. The congress would also host various programmes like Women Science Congress, Children Science Congress, Science Communicators Meet and Farmer’s Science Congress.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) launched a helpline for women called ‘Damini’, to improve the safety of women in public road transport. The helpline number subscribed for this scheme is ‘81142-77777’, which will have both calling and Whatsapp service. The helpline will be handled by women officers at the headquarters and zonal offices of UPSRTC, which will be operational from 9 am to 6 pm daily. This scheme is launched as a part of the Central Government initiative of ‘Nirbhaya Scheme’.

Notes:
A leading research agency, HexGn conducted a study of the funding patterns in the start-up ecosystem in the year 2019. The total international funding for technology start-ups decreased by 22% to $293 billion when compared to the funding of $375 billion, last year. However, the start-up funding in India has grown by 18% to $14 billion in 2019. For the first time, two Indian cities namely Delhi NCR and Bengaluru were ranked in the “Global Top 10 Cities for Start-up Funding” list.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan recently launched the Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority ‘K-RERA’ to boost the confidence of customers and make the real estate sector more transparent. Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, passed in 2016, all state governments were directed to establish the regulating authority for real estate sector, RERA for regulation and dispute redressal in the sector.

Notes:
The 18-year-old student from a tribal family of Telengana and the famous mountain climber Malavath Poorna recently scaled the highest mountain peak of Antartica, Mt. Vinson Massif. By conquering this 4987 m high peak, Poorna became the first and youngest tribal woman in the world to climb six tallest mountain peaks across six continents. She is now preparing for her next venture of scaling North America’s highest mountain peak, Mt. Denali.

Notes:
The Nankana Sahib Gurdwara is a highly revered gurdwara located in the city of Nankana Sahib near Lahore in Pakistan. The gurdwara is built at the place where the first Sikh Guru was believed to born and preached Sikhism. It is also called as the Janam Asthan Gurdwara. It is seen in news recently as there was a severe mob attack and vandalism in the Gurdwara.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has proposed to set up its Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) in the Challakere town of Karnataka. It is located on the National Highway connecting Bengaluru and Pune. The 400-acre Training centre will entail a project cost of nearly 2700 Crores. Recently, four Indian astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan mission are sent to an Russian agency for space related training. This indigenous HSFC of ISRO will be have world class infrastructure and training facilities.