Daily Current Affairs 24 September 2019

Current Affairs Of Today

1) Key takeaways of  PM Narendra Modi at Climate Action Summit 2019

World leaders have gathered in New York today for the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Climate Action Summit. The Summit is being called by UNSG Mr. António Guterres to ramp up climate actions worldwide.

India's initiative to prevent climate change by Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• India will be going to increase the share of non-fossil fuels to 175GW by 2022, and to further increase it to 450GW
• The Jal Jeevan mission for water conservation, rainwater harvesting and for the development of water resources is going to spend approximately 50 billion dollars on this in the next few years
• India is launching a Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

The Paris Agreement, the Climate Action Summit focuses on nine interdependent tracks, which are led by 19 countries in total and are supported by international organizations. The key areas identified are the following:

1.  Finance: mobilizing public and private sources of finance to drive decarbonization of all priority sectors and advance resilience
2.  Energy Transition: accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy, as well as making significant gains in energy efficiency
3. Industry Transition: transforming industries such as oil and gas, steel, cement, chemicals, and information technology
4. Nature-Based Solutions: reducing emissions, increasing sink capacity and enhancing resilience within and across forestry, agriculture, oceans and food systems, including through biodiversity conservation, leveraging supply chains and technology
5. Cities and Local Action: advancing mitigation and resilience at urban and local levels, with a focus on new commitments on low-emission buildings, mass transport and urban infrastructure; and resilience for the urban poor
6. Resilience and Adaptation: advancing global efforts to address and manage the impacts and risks of climate change, particularly in those communities and nations most vulnerable.
7. Mitigation Strategy: to generate momentum for ambitious NDCs and longterm strategies to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
8. Youth Engagement and Public Mobilization: to mobilize people worldwide to take action on climate change and ensure that young people are integrated and represented across all aspects of the Summit, including the six transformational areas.
9. Social and Political Drivers: to advance commitments in areas that affect people’s well-being, such as reducing air pollution, generating decent jobs, and strengthening climate adaptation strategies and protect workers and vulnerable groups.

2) Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah lays Foundation Stone of Janganana Bhawan

Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah presided over the Foundation Stone laying ceremony of Janganana Bhawan in New Delhi

• The mammoth exercise of the Census 2021 would get completed here and the Census figures would be announced to the Nation from this building only.
• The upcoming Janganana Bhawan would be a Green Building.
• The process of a 'Pen-Paper Census' would be transformed into a 'Digital Census’ in the upcoming Census exercise by using the latest technology. This step is a revolutionary initiative that is being taken during the Census 2021 exercise.
• India comprises of 2.4% of global land area and resources, whereas houses 17.5% of the global population.
  
•  India increased to 74% in literacy rate and that India is a 'Young Nation' according to 2011 census
• The Census 2011 data was efficiently utilized under the Ujjwala Yojana. The LPG connection beneficiaries were mapped digitally and based on the data analysis, the government got to know about the disparity in the spatial distribution of LPG connections.
• This is the first time that the National Population Register (NPR) would come into being as the result of the Census exercise. This is a new initiative altogether which would be a solution to multifarious problems facing the country that range from effective maintenance of law and order to efficient implantation of welfare schemes like MGNREGS, food security, and nutrition campaigns, etc.
•  The Government is going to spend around Rs. 12000 crores during the Census 2021 and developing the NPR, which is the highest ever.

3) Government launches ‘UMMID’ initiative to tackle inherited genetic diseases of newborn babies

The Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family

Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders) initiative and inaugurated NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases Administration) Kendras, which is being supported by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), M/o Science and Technology.

• The program being implemented at government hospitals, people who cannot afford expensive care for genetic disorders will be benefited
• In India’s urban areas, congenital malformations and genetic disorders are the third most common cause of mortality in newborns.
• With a very large population and high birth rate, and consanguineous marriage favored in many communities, the prevalence of genetic disorders is high in India, the UMMID initiative aims.
• To establish NIDAN Kendras to provide counseling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals wherein the influx of patients is more
• To produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics
• To undertake to screen pregnant women and newborn babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts.

4) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates Steel “Chintan Shivir”

 Union Minister for Steel and Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the Chintan Shivir: Towards a Vibrant, Efficient and Globally Competitive Indian Steel sector, organized by Ministry of Steel. The event aims to bring all stakeholders together to deliberate on a roadmap for making the Indian Steel Sector more vibrant, efficient and globally competitive.

•  Launching the new logo of Steel Ministry “ISPATI IRADA”
• The “ISAPTI IRADA” campaign aims to increase the appropriate usage of steel in the country and bring more strength to society.
• The brand “Ispati Irada” will be allowed to be used by entities working on this theme. Brand ambassador of Ministry of Steel and ace shuttler P. V. Sindhu

5) Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Celebrates ‘Sign Language Day’

Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot Distributes Prizes to Winners of ‘2nd Sign Language Competition, 2019’

'Sign Language Day’ was celebrated by the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), an autonomous body under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, M/o Social Justice and Empowerment 

United Nations has declared 23rd September as International Sign Language Day. This day was formally accepted by the United Nations Assembly on 19th December 2017. The theme of this year is “Sign Language-Rights for all”. The objective of celebrating the sign language day is enhancing the awareness of sign language and making the reach of sign language to everyone

The award distribution ceremony for the winners of the 2nd Indian Sign Language Competition 2019 was conducted during the program.

Around new 4,000 words are likely to be added to the Indian sign language dictionary in 2020, including words about agriculture for the first time, according to officials of the Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry’s Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC), which is carrying out the project

6) Shri Nitin Gadkari and Shri RK Singh inaugurate National Conclave on Energy Efficiency in MSME sector

Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Road Transport & Highways and Shri RK Singh, Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy (IC) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship jointly inaugurated the National Conclave on Enhancing Energy Efficiency in MSME sector

The Ministers also released Energy Conservation Guidelines for MSMEs and launched the Knowledge Management Portal “SIDHIEE” under the BEE’s MSME Programme. This portal will host useful information including fifty videos of multimedia tutorials for MSMEs for early adoption of energy-efficient technologies.

An MoU for enhancing energy security in MSMEs was also signed between the Development Commissioner, MSME, and DG, Bureau of Energy Efficiency for developing a long term roadmap for enhancing energy efficiency and security for the MSME Sector through focused intervention. The MoU includes the area of cooperation for comprehensive energy mapping of MSMEs on pan India, development of appropriate schemes and programs to improve the energy security of MSMEs

About BEE

THE BEE is a statutory body under the Ministry of Power, Government of India. It is assisted in developing policies and strategies with the primary objective of reducing the energy intensity of the Indian economy. BEE coordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies, and other organizations to identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it under the energy conservation act.

7) Biofuel planes may fly 10 cr. passengers by 2030

India has committed to fly 10 crore passengers on biofuel­propelled planes by 2030, SpiceJet’s chairman and managing director, Ajay Singh said at UN’s SDG Climate Summit in New York.

Last year, SpiceJet operated its first­ever flight propelled by a blend of jatropha seeds and aviation turbine fuel for a technological demonstration. He emphasized the need for all stakeholders, including refineries, passengers, airports and governments, to work together to turn India's commitment into reality. He said there was a need to not only find new ways to burn fewer fossil fuels, but also to find an alternative to fuel­guzzling planes by pursuing the development of electric aircraft for flying needs of the future. 

8) India’s containerized trade growth in Q2 2019 slowed to 1% from 9%

India’s containerized trade growth in Q2 2019 slowed to 1% from 9% over the same period last year, according to Maersk India Trade Report. This was due to a host of international factors such as slowing trade growth, and growing trade tensions, coupled with domestic factors like rural consumer distress, tightening liquidity and a slowdown in key manufacturing sectors, it said. Combined, these triggers impacted  India’s economic activity, slowing overall import­export growth, it added. As per the report, west India delivered the highest growth with imports growing at 4% and exports at 11%.

North India delivered a 1% growth in imports and a decline of 9% in exports. South India registered 1% import growth and 2% export growth while east India recorded 2% growth in imports and a decline of 1% in exports.

9) Protodontopteryx ruthae world's oldest bird species is discovered in New Zealand

Scientists from the Canterbury Museum(England) have discovered the world's oldest bird species' fossils in Waipara, New Zealand that lived 62 million years ago. It was a sea bird and is named as Protodontopteryx ruthae with its discovery details mentioned in the journal 'Palaeontology'. The bird which was smallest in size of its family, maintained the size of an average seagull while its descendants had wingspans more than five meters. It was first found by paleontologist Leigh Love of the Canterbury museum at the Waipara Greensand fossil site in 2018.

10) Survey of dragonflies hints at the impact of floods

Asian Emerald  

A survey of dragonflies and damselflies held in the Silent Valley National Park (SVNP) has discovered eight new species but reported an alarming decrease in the odonate population, raising

concerns over the ecological impact of the successive floods in the State. The three­day survey, conducted last week jointly by the Silent Valley National Park and the Society for Odonate Studies, showed that several dragonfly species, including the Global Wanderer (Pantala flavescens), were

missing from the national park

The aberrant rain pattern and the successive floods in the state could have decimated the population of dragonflies and damselflies in the SVNP. 

However, eight new odonate species were found in the survey held in 11 camps across the buffer and core areas of the national park. 

Scalloped Spreadwing

The new species found in the survey include the Hemicordulia Asiatica (Asian Emerald), which was reported from the Periyar Tiger Reserve in 2017. This rare dragonfly had gone unreported for over 80 years, and this was its second sighting from any protected forest in the State. Macrogomphus wynadiccus (Wayanad Bowtail ), Onychogomphus nilgiriensis (Nilgiri Clawtail), Epithemis Mariae (Rubytailed Hawklet), Palpopleura sexmaculata (Blue­Tailed Yellow Skimmer) and Neurothemis

intermedia (Paddy Field Parasol) were the other interesting finds among dragonflies. Agrocnemis splendidissima (Splendid Dartlet), Lestes Dorothea (Scalloped Spreadwing), Onychargia atrocyana (Black Marsh Dart), Phylloneura westermani (Myristica Bambootail), Euphea diaper (Nilgiri Torrent Dart) and Protostica gravely (Pied Reedtail) were some of the decorated findings among damselflies.

11) Scientists in Arunachal Pradesh discovered a new frog species

• A team of scientists from the University of Delhi and the Zoological Survey of India discovered the new species from riparian habitats in a primary evergreen forest in the Namdapha tiger reserve, which is the easternmost protected area in the country. It is described as the 50th member of the genus Microhyla, a group of narrow-mouthed frogs commonly known as Rice Frogs or Chorus Frogs, primarily and widely distributed in Asia.
• The new species is named eos, after the mythological Greek goddess of dawn, personifying its habitat in Arunachal Pradesh which is popularly known as the Land of the Rising Sun or the Land of Dawn-lit Mountains. 
• The frog was confirmed to represent a distinct new species after a detailed comparison of both DNA and morphology with all previously known members of the group found across South, Southeast, and East Asia. The finding has been published in the latest issue of Zootaxa, an international scientific journal.
• Microhyla eos strikingly differs from other narrow-mouthed Chorus frogs by its size, shape, coloration and markings, foot webbing, and other morphological features. 
• What the scientists found surprising about the newly discovered species Microhyla eos, is its evolutionary relationship. 
• DNA analysis by the research team revealed that the closest relatives of Microhyla eos are in Southeast Asia rather than India.