Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
The top three states in India that generate the most hazardous waste are:

• Gujarat: 28.76%
• Maharashtra: 25.16%
• Andhra Pradesh: 8.93%

Other major generators of hazardous waste include:

• Chhattisgarh (4.74%)
• Rajasthan (4.38%)
• West Bengal (4.17%)
• Tamil Nadu (4.15%)

In 2022, Gujarat generated over 4.2 million metric tons of hazardous waste, which was more than one third of the total hazardous waste output in India. Gujarat also had the largest number of industries generating hazardous waste in 2021.

Notes:
India has ranked 137th out of 163 countries on the 2017 Global Peace Index (GPI), published by The Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP). The 2017 GPI provides a comprehensive analysis on the state of peace. It shows that amidst continuing social and political turmoil, the world continues to spend enormous resources on creating and containing violence but very little on peace. The index is topped by Iceland, followed by New Zealand, Portugal, Austria and Denmark, whereas Syria remains the least peaceful country in the world, followed by Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, and Yemen.

Notes:
The United Nations Public Service Day is observed every year on June 23 to recognize the work of public servants and to encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. The day is also observed to celebrate value and virtue of public service to the community and to raise awareness regarding the contribution of public service in the development of society and honouring the work of public servants.

Notes:
Kelo irrigation project is implemented in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh on Kelo River, a tributary of Mahanadi River. The project is targeted to be completed by year 2018. The project was recently in news due to tussle between Chhattisgarh and Odisha state government over sharing of water of Mahanadi.

Notes:
ISRO has recently established the Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer system at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

Notes:
The Government’s target to develop 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022 includes 100GW Solar, 60GW wind, 10GW biomass and 5GW small hydro. Of the total 100 GW solar installations, 40 GW would be rooftop and balance 60 GW would be ground-mounted utility scale.

Notes:
Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad war on terror operation launched by Pakistan Army on 22 February 2017 to eliminate terrorism across Pakistan.

Notes:
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released a book titled “The Birds of Banni Grassland”. The Book is a compilation of the research work, relating to more than 250 species of birds found in the Banni area of Kutch, Gujarat.

Notes:
Mata Prasad Committee has been appointed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. It has suggested that transmission planning be aligned to meet customer aspirations as opposed to the existing system where transmission is associated with long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).

Notes:
The South Asian Regional Conference on “Urban Infrastructure: New Approaches to Public & Private Partnerships and Municipal Finance Innovations” was held at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi from November 15-16, 2018. It was organised by NITI Aayog in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The conference discussed the key issues, perspectives and the way forward in the Urban Infrastructure. The South Asian regional conference is a first of its kind, with participation from across the South Asian region including leaders from the government, industry, research organizations, academia, think tanks and civil society. The Conference aims to review overall issues and assess the sustainability of PPPs and urban finance in South Asia, specifically India, while broadening the knowledge base and engaging on international best practices.