Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2020

Notes:
Khurana shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley for research that showed the order of nucleotides in nucleic acids, which carry the genetic code of the cell and control the cell’s synthesis of proteins. In 1972, he also created the first ever artificial gene.

Notes:
In first week of January, 2020 the government has released the first advance estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2019-20. The economy will grow at 5% this year, a massive downgrade from the 7% projected by the Economic Survey last year and much lower than the 6.8% growth in the previous year.

Notes:
According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD’s) Statement on Climate of India During 2019 report, the number of cyclones in the Arabian Sea was 400% higher than normal frequency because five out of eight cyclones affected Arabian Sea. These give cyclones were Vayu, Hikka, Kyarr, Maha and Pavan. This after the sea on India’s west coast normally undergoes only one cyclone annually — read a 400% rise. (India normally has five cyclones in total every year.) However, the Bay of Bengal — usually the more cyclone-prone coast of India — was relatively subdued in 2019 with three (Pabuk, Fani, Bulbul) instead of four cyclones that occur there annually on an average.

Notes:
North East Gas Grid project is being implemented by IGGL, a Joint Venture company of five CPSEs (GAIL, IOCL, ONGC, OIL and NRL). The total length of the pipeline is planned to be 1,656 km and will be built at estimated cost of Rs. 9,265 crore (Including interest during construction). It will cover eight states of the North-Eastern region i.e., Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, MeghMizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

Notes:
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community in India’s development. It commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on 9 January 1915. The event is organized by Ministry of External Affairs every year on this day since 2003. 2020 marked 16th Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas.

Notes:
Proposed “Global Electricity Grid” was an idea mooted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The grid plans to leverage solar power generated in one geography to feed the electricity demands of other nations. India is reportedly in talks with World Bank as its technical partner to implement the plan.

Notes:
The Election Commission of India has recently renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on electoral cooperation with its counterpart of Mauritius. The agreement between the commissions was in existence between April 2013 and April 2018.
The MoU was signed by Chief Election Commissioner of India, Sunil Arora and Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius, Mohammed Irfan Abdool Rahman, at the capital city of Mauritius, Port Louis.

Notes:
India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant is being manufactured at the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Cochin. The manufacturing of the carrier is currently under the third phase and it is expected to be commissioned by early 2021.
The Directorate of Naval Design of the Indian Navy has created the basic design of the indigenous aircraft carrier. The plan was subsequently developed by the Cochin Shipyard Limited. The 40000-tonne aircraft with the MiG-29K aircraft fleet will be fully operational by 2022.

Notes:
The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released the first in-depth review of India’s energy policies in collaboration with the Indian think tank NITI Aayog. The report was launched at the Head Quarters of NITI Aayog, New Delhi.
India was made as the association member of the Paris-based global energy organisation, International Energy Agency (IEA) on March 2017 and this is the first review after that. The report highlighted the growth of renewable energy sector in India, which is nearly 23% of the country’s total installed capacity now.

Notes:
During the recent Annual BCCI awards Ceremony, Indian ace cricketer Jasprit Bumrah was selected as the best male International cricketer and he was presented with the renowned ‘Polly Umrigar’ award. He also bagged the Dilip Sardesai award for highest wicket taker. In the 2018-19 season, Bumrah clinched 34 wickets in 6 matches.
Another Indian cricketer, Cheteshwar Pujara was presented with the Dilip Sardesai award for highest run getter while the awards for the best international debut were given to Mayank Agarwal and Shafali Verma in men’s and women’s category respectively.