Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2020

Notes:
The Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) recently announced that the ‘Farmers’ Innovation Fund’ would be set by next financial year. The announcement was made during the Farmers’ Science Congress, the first of its kind event, organised as a part of the National Science Congress.
He announced that an innovation centre would be established in New Delhi, which would assist the farmers in their research and would authenticate the innovations of the farmers. At present, the Krishi Vigyan Kendras record the innovations of farmers.

Notes:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recently released a report titled ‘Statement on Climate of India During 2019’. According to the report, almost 1560 people died in 2019 due to unusual weather events including heavy rain and floods, heat wave, lightning and thunderstorm.
With nearly 650 deaths, Bihar had the highest number of people who died due to extremities in weather. The report also cited that five of the eight cyclones that hit India, were on the Arabian Sea, which was against the normal count of 1 cyclone on the west.

Notes:
As a part of the major Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project, which would connect the Kashmir valley with the Indian Railway network, a new railway bridge is to be constructed connecting Bakkal and Kauri. This bridge in the newly formed Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be the world’s highest railway bridge. The project is expected to be completed by December 2021.
The proposed bridge will be 1.315 km long and will be built 359 m above the river bed. Presently, the highest railway bridge in the world is the Beipan river Shuibai railway bridge of China.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Home Affairs, Amit Shah recently released a book titled ‘Karmayoddha Granth’. The book is based on the life of the present Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the book releasing event, Amit Shah hailed Modi for successfully transforming the Gujarat BJP organisation and his leadership qualities as the Indian Prime Minister.
Narendra Modi is the 14th and the incumbent Prime Minister of India since 2014. Prior to that he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat since 2001.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Steel is to launch a program called ‘Purvodaya-Accelerated Development of Eastern Region through an Integrated Steel hub’. The Union Minister for Steel and Petroleum & Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan will launch the program.
The Eastern states of India such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh possess a huge share of reserves but lag in development. This proposed Integrated Steel Hub in the Eastern region would lead to an inclusive socio-economic development in the region.

Notes:
The article 19 (1) (a) confers the right to freedom of speech and expression while the sub clause (g) of the article provides the right to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.
Recently the Supreme Court of India declared that freedom of speech and expression and freedom to carry on a business through Internet also enjoys constitutional protection under the Article 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(g). This landmark judgement came at the backdrop of the five-month restriction on Internet imposed in the Jammu and Kashmir UT.

Notes:
The Department of Cane Development of the state government of Uttar Pradesh has recently started an awareness campaign for the farmers to protect their sugarcane crop from locusts.
During the month end of December 2019, a huge swarm of locusts destroyed more than 25000 hectares of crop lands in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Several thousand litres of pesticides were used by the state governments to kill the locusts. Gujarat recently announced Rs.18500 per hectare as relief assistance for the affected farmers.

Notes:
A two-day workshop and exhibition was recently organised in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on “Bamboo- A wonder grass”. The workshop focussed on the growth of Bamboo industry in Jammu & Kashmir along the lines of North Eastern Region.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. During the workshop, Planning Advisor of the North Eastern Council shared various recommendations for the growth of bamboo industry. Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated the workshop.

Notes:
The Armed Forces Veterans Day is celebrated on January 14 every year and was instituted in the year 2017, to commemorate the retirement date of the first Indian Chief of Army Staff, K M Cariappa. He served as the Chief of Army Staff from 1949 to 1953.
The present Indian Army Chief General M M Naravane attended the event organised to observe the Armed Forces Veterans Day and announced that special pensions would be provided to the emergency commissioned and short service commissioned officers who fought in the wars of 1965 and 1971 against Pakistan.

Notes:
The Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu is to inaugurate the Centre of Excellence for studies in Classical Telugu in Nellore.
Venkaiah Naidu had earlier suggested the Union Government to shift the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Telugu, situated in the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru, to one of the Telugu States. It has now been shifted to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. The centre performs several activities research on the evolution of the Telugu script, digitisation, and publishing of classical Telugu literature.