Daily Current Affairs : 7 Dec 2019
Major Topics Covered :
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN THE COUNTRY
AYUSH82
GOA TO HOST 2ND EDITION OF STARTUP INDIA GLOBAL VENTURE CAPITAL SUMMIT 2019
ANTIVENOM THERAPY
“FORMIDABLE BLUE WATER FORCE”
WHITE DWARF STAR (WDJ0914+1914)
15TH FINANCE COMMISSION SUBMITS INTERIM REPORT FOR FISCAL 2020-21
RIPU DAMAN BEVLI- FIT INDIA PLOGGING RUN
ALLOCATION OF 5 COAL MINES APPROVED
INDIA’S TOP 10 POLICE STATIONS, 2019
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN THE COUNTRY
Part of GS- 1 Social Issues
Why in news?
Government of India informed Rajya Sabha about the various initiatives to encourage women entrepreneurship within the Country.
In order to address the problems in development of women entrepreneurship, different Ministries/ Departments of Government of India have been implementing a number of schemes viz; Start-up India by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) including Udyam Sakhi Portal by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) etc.
Highlights:
The key challenges for women entrepreneurs in India include access to funding, availability of market, family constraints, lack of confidence in business skills, gender bias etc.
Start-up India aims to build a strong eco-system for nurturing innovation and Start-ups in the country under which 10% of the total corpus of Fund of Funds amounting to Rs 1000 crore, has been reserved for women led start-ups.
MSME has launched a portal namely “Udyam Sakhi” for encouraging women entrepreneurs and to aid, counsel, assist and protect their interests.
Similarly, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), is a major credit-linked subsidy scheme to promote and set up micro, small and medium enterprises and to generate employment in rural and urban areas of the country.
The maximum cost of the project under PMEGP scheme is Rs.25.00 lakhs for manufacturing sector units and Rs.10.00 lakhs for units under service sector.
Under the scheme the women entrepreneurs are provided 25% and 35% subsidies for the project set up in urban and rural areas respectively.
Further, to encourage women entrepreneurship within the Country, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is running a pilot project named ‘Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Start-ups by Women’ in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Germany.
The project pilots incubation and acceleration programmes for micro women entrepreneurs to start new businesses and scale up existing enterprises in Assam, Rajasthan and Telangana.
The project has the target to pilot the incubation programme with 250 women and the acceleration programme with 100 women.
Source: PIB
AYUSH82
Part of GS- Health
Why in news?
Minister for AYUSH informed Lok Sabha about the AYUSH82 formulation.
Highlights:
The Central of Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS), and autonomous body under Ministry of AYUSH has been engaged in extending research oriented Ayurveda based on integrative health care services for the management of Madhumeha which is Diabetes Mellitus.
CCRAS had developed the AYUSH82 formulation for diabetes through scientific process of drug development and commercialized through National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for wider public utility.
BGR-34:
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through its constituent laboratories namely CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow; and CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow developed NBRMAP-DB as anti-diabetic formulation.
The knowhow for the product was licensed to M/s AIMIL Pharma Ltd., Delhi who are manufacturing and marketing it as BGR-34, across the country.
Source : PIB
GOA TO HOST 2ND EDITION OF STARTUP INDIA GLOBAL VENTURE CAPITAL SUMMIT 2019
Part of GS-3 Economy
Why in news?
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in partnership with Government of Goa, is organizing the 2nd edition of the Startup India Global Venture Capital Summit, on 6th and 7th of December, 2019 for Fund Managers and Limited Partners of Top Global Venture Capital Firms.
Highlights:
The theme for Startup India Global Venture Capital Summit 2019 is India Opportunity – Investing in tomorrow together.
The first edition of the Summit held last year in Goa brought together over 250 participants from over 9 countries and showcased the venture capital opportunities in India and facilitated a rich exchange of ideas on various aspects of the investor world.
This year the Summit aims to reach new heights in both reach and scope. The focus of the Summit is to mobilize global capital for innovation in India.
The Summit will bring together a series of engagements involving over 350 representatives of leading Global Venture Capital Firms, Limited Partners, Family Offices, High-Network Individuals, Government of India officials, top Corporates, and select innovative Startups. It will showcase the India Advantage, diversity and scale of Indian market opportunity, and the cutting-edge innovations originating in India.
The key objectives of the Summit are to showcase the India’s opportunity in the sectors of E-Mobility, FinTech, MedTech, Enterprise Software, EdTech, Genomics and Life sciences. It will also look at increase of capital flow for Indian Startups by showcasing high-quality tech and non-tech startups to the global investor community and foster Ease of Doing Business by identifying and discussing issues faced by the investor community.
Source: PIB
ANTIVENOM THERAPY
Part of GS-Health
Why in news?
A new study by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has revealed that commercially available antivenom in India can be ineffective in treating bites from some snakes that are poorly studied. The findings were published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Highlights:
What is a Snakebite envenoming?
Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease (NTD).
In 2017, WHO, formally categorised “snakebite envenoming” as a Neglected Tropical Disease.
It affects 1.8–2.7 million people each year, claiming 81,000–1,38,000 lives and causing 4,00,000 cases of permanent disability.
Most of the Snake bite occurs in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Most deaths and serious consequences from snake bites are entirely preventable by making High quality snake antivenoms accessible. They are included in the WHO List of essential medicines.
Target of WTO- 50% reduction in mortality and disability caused by snakebite envenoming by 2030.
India is the snakebite capital of the world. Annually, about 46,000 people die and 1,40,000 others are disabled in the country because of snakebites.
In India, a polyvalent antivenom is produced against the so-called ‘big four’ snakes: the spectacled cobra, the common krait, Russell’s viper, and the saw-scaled viper.
However, India is home to many other species of venomous snakes.
But specific antivenom is not produced to combat the poison of other snakes, and the ‘big four’ antivenom is routinely used to treat bites from all snakes.
Source : The Hindu
“FORMIDABLE BLUE WATER FORCE”
Part of GS- 3 Security
Why in news?
On December 4, Navy Day, the office of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh posted on Twitter: “Indian Navy is the Formidable Blue Water Force. Navy Day Greetings to all Men and Women in White.”
Highlights:
Blue Water Navy: A Blue Water Navy is one that has the capacity to project itself over a much bigger maritime area than its maritime borders. Simply put, it is a Navy that can go into the vast, deep oceans of the world. However, while most navies have the capacity to send ships into the deep oceans, a Blue Water Force is able to carry out operations far from its borders, without being required to return to its home port to refuel or re-stock.
While it is evident that Blue Water navies belong to the most powerful nations, there is no one internationally agreed upon definition. Owning one or more aircraft carriers is sometimes seen as a marker.
According to the Indian Maritime Doctrine, 2015, “The ability to undertake distant operations distinguishes a blue-water navy from a brown-water force. It requires strong integral capacity, including logistics, surveillance, networked operations, etc., and enabling capability, including equipment design, training, doctrine and organisation.” It states “distant operations rely upon the attributes of access, mobility, sustenance and reach in order to show presence, project power and/or accomplish other national objectives in the area of interest”.
As the Indian Navy has the capacity to carry distant operations “at or from the sea, up to considerable distance from national shore bases”, it qualifies as a Blue Water Force.
Navies are classified in terms of colours. A navy whose operations are restricted close to the shore, where the water is muddy, is called a Brown Water Force. A navy that can go farther out is called a Green Water Force. And then there is a Blue Water Force.
Source: Indian Express.
WHITE DWARF STAR (WDJ0914+1914)
Part of GS-3 S&T
Why in news?
A study published in the journal Nature has for the first time provided evidence of a planet surviving a white dwarf event.
Highlights:
Some 4.5 billion years from today, our Sun will run out of fuel and shed its outer layers.
In the process, it will destroy Mercury, Venus and probably Earth, and is expected to radiate enough high energy photons to evaporate Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
What will remain of the Sun is called a “white dwarf- Astronomers from the University of Warwick and the University of Valparaíso have reported the first indirect evidence of a giant planet orbiting a white dwarf star (WDJ0914+1914).
It is the first time any such planet has been found. The study, in the journal Nature, suggests there could be many more planets around such white dwarf stars waiting to be discovered.
The Neptune-like planet orbits the white dwarf every ten days, and cannot be seen directly. The evidence is in the form of a disc of gas (hydrogen, oxygen and sulphur) formed from its evaporating atmosphere.
Spikes of gas were detected by the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile.
The discovery is significant, because while there was growing evidence accumulated in the past two decades that planetary systems can survive into white dwarf stars, only smaller objects such as asteroids had been detected so far. This is the first evidence of an actual planet in such a system.
Source: Indian Express
15TH FINANCE COMMISSION SUBMITS INTERIM REPORT FOR FISCAL 2020-21
Part of GS- 3 Economy
Why in news?
Devolution formula not made public yet as it will be applied in the new Budget. The 15th Finance Commission submitted its interim report on devolution formula for the financial year 2020-21 to President Ram Nath Kovind.
Highlights:
The devolution formula spells out how the Centre plans to share the taxes collected by it with the States.
Since, the formula is to be applied in the new Budget, the award has not been made public. However, it is believed that the devolution could be less than the 42 per cent prescribed by 14th Finance Commission.
Normally, the government accepts the award in toto, however, it is free to accept or reject other suggestions in the report.
Now, the report will first be studied and then a final view will be taken by the Cabinet following which it will be tabled in Parliament just before the Union Budget next year. Only after that will the contents be made public.
The Finance Commission was constituted by the President of India under Article 280 of the Constitution on 27th of November 2017 to make recommendations for a period of five years from 1st April 2020 to 31 March 2025.
Last month after a Cabinet decision, the Gazette Notification dated 27 November 2019 mandated the Commission to submit the report for the financial year 2020-21 by 30 November 2019 and then the final report for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2026 by 30 October 2020.
This has been necessitated after Article 370 of the Constitution was amended. Following this the State of Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Thus, there was a need to change the terms of reference and extension of the term.
The last time an interim report was submitted was during the term of 11th Finance Commission (2000-05), when the new States of Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh were created.
Source : The Hindu
RIPU DAMAN BEVLI- FIT INDIA PLOGGING RUN
Part of GS-1 Social Issues
Why in news?
Shri Kiren Rijiju announces Ripu Daman Bevli as Plogging Ambassador of India on 50th Fit India Plogging Run. Fit India Plogging Run, which was launched on October 2, 2019, concluded in Delhi’s Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, having covered 50 cities across the country.
Highlights:
During the event, Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports felicitated Ripu Daman Bevli, popularly known as the Plogman of India and named him the Plogging Ambassador of India.
Bevli, who started plogging in 2017, started the Fit India Plogging Run with the aim to make India litter-free. Belvi and his team have cleaned up 50 cities and covered over 1000km in about 2 months, collecting 2.7 tonnes of garbage.
The minister also launched the nation-wide Plogging Ambassador Mission.
Under it, Indians who have been running and cleaning their cities, towns or districts, will be nominated as Plogging Ambassadors of their region.
Plog Run is a unique way of picking up garbage while jogging and was added to the Fit India Movement as a unique way of combining cleanliness and fitness.
Plogging Run combines the Fit India Movement and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Source : PIB
ALLOCATION OF 5 COAL MINES APPROVED
Part of GS-3 Economy
Why in news?
The Ministry of Coal, after a long gap of 4 years, has approved the allocation of five Coal Mines. This was the result of the electronic auction conducted by Ministry of Coal in November 2019.
Highlights:
The five Coal Mines allocated are:
Bikram (Madhya Pradesh)
Brahampuri (Madhya Pradesh)
Bhaskarpara (Chhattisgarh)
Jagannathpur B (West Bengal)
Jamkhani (Odisha)
Of the five mines, two were allocated to Birla Corporation Ltd and one each to Vedanta Ltd, Prakash Industries Ltd and Powerplus Traders Pvt Ltd.
The significant feature of the allocations is that for the first time, the successful bidders shall have the flexibility to sell 25% coal produced in the open market.
This will boost the coal production in the country and reduce the dependence of industries on imported coal.
Source : Economic Times
INDIA’S TOP 10 POLICE STATIONS, 2019
Part of GS-3 Internal Security
Why in news?
Government of India has released the list of best performing Police stations from across the country for 2019.
Highlights:
Prime Minister Modi, while addressing the DsGP during the 2015 Conference in Kutch, Gujarat, directed that parameters should be laid down for grading Police Stations and assessing their performance based on feedback.
In the final stage 19 parameters were identified to evaluate the standards of service delivery and identify techniques of improvement in policing.
This part constitutes 80% of weightage in overall scoring.
The balance 20% was based on infrastructure of Police Station and approachability of personnel and Citizen feedback.
The Top 10 Police Stations in the country are:-
Aberdeen (Andaman & Nicobar Island)
Balasinor (Gujarat)
Ajk Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh)
AWPS Theni (Tamil Nadu)
Anini (Arunachal Pradesh)
Baba Haridas Nagar, Dwarka (Delhi)
Bakani (Rajasthan)
Choppadandi (Telangana)
Bicholim (Goa)
Bargawa (Madhya Pradesh)
Source : Times of India
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