Doubt Classes

Daily Gk by Doubt Classes 30th May 2017               National Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Govinda Bhat ·         Yakshagana artiste Surikumeri K. Govinda Bhat, 79, has been chosen for the Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2016. The award carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh, besides a Tamrapatra and Angavastram. He is among the nine artistes chosen for the award in theatre category. ·         Mr. Bhat has 67 years of experience in Yakshagana. He is presently an artiste with Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Yakshagana Mandali and has been serving with it since 50 years. ·         Mr. Bhat played the character of Vajra Bahu in Kamsa Vivaha prasanga in Dharmasthala. It was the last show of the mela for the current touring season. New book celebrates the Reang of Tripura ·         In an attempt to document and preserve the cultural and social diversity of the Reang, a unique and detailed publication by Lincoln Reang, titled ‘Mapping with respect to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Tripura’, is being published by the Tribal Research and Cultural Institute, Government of Tripura. ·         More than 100 km from the Tripura’s capital of Agartala, at the Karnamanipara village in Dhalai district, Chandirung and Phitarung are the only women who can be spotted wearing traditional Reang jewellery called lukoih (a unique necklace made of colourful beads) and rangbauh (a necklace made of coins). ·         Karnamanipara is a hamlet comprising of Reang people. They practise Jhum cultivation and reside in ‘tong ghar’ (bamboo huts) that are built on a raised platform. Both the middle-aged women say that the younger generation is shying away from such jewellery and traditional practices. ·         Reang (also known as Riang) are among the 19 tribes of Tripura, the only one to be classified as a ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG)’ in the State. Union Minister Vijay Goel flags off Slum Yuva Daud Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel flagged off the Slum Yuva Daud in New Delhi to mark the beginning of the Adopt Slum Campaign initiated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS). The run started from Delhi University’s Shankarlal Hall and ended at the Rugby Stadium with participation of about 5000 youngsters from various slums of Delhi. Boxer MC Mary Kom and Member of Parliament Shri Bhupender Yadav were also present on the occasion. New minority panel chief, 2 of 4 members belong to BJP ·         The Union Government appointed former national general secretary of BJP Minority Morcha Gairul Hasan Rizvi as chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM). ·         Two of the four panel members are affiliated to the BJP: Sunil Sanghi was convener of Anya Bhasha Bhashi Cell of Gujarat BJP, while George Kurian is vice-president of Kerala BJP. All members of the previous Commission had retired in February. ·         Two others appointed members of the panel are Maharashtra social activist Sulekha Kumbhare (nominated as Buddhist member), and Vada Dasturji Khurshed Kaikobad Dastoor (Parsi member). Atal Pension Yojana (APY) reaches 53 lakhs subscribers’ base The subscribers base under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has reached about 53 Lakhs. At present 235 Banks and Department of Post are involved with the implementation of the scheme. Besides the branches of the banks and CBS-enabled offices of India Post, quite a few banks are sourcing subscribers through their internet banking portals in a paperless environment.  The APY Scheme follows the same investment pattern as applicable to the NPS contribution of Central Government employees.  During the year 2016-17, it has earned a return of 13.91%. Presently males account for 62% of the subscribers and female for about 38%. Most of the subscribers have opted for monthly contribution; about 97.5% of the subscribers are contributing at monthly intervals, about 0.8% at quarterly intervals and about 1.7% at half yearly intervals. A majority of the subscribers have opted for a monthly pension of Rs. 1000/-.  Presently 51.5% subscribers have opted for a monthly pension of Rs.1000/- and 34.5% of the subscribers have opted for a monthly pension of Rs.5000/-. Nagpur becomes first city with electric mass mobility, gets 200 e-vehicles Nagpur became the first city in India to have an electric mass mobility system. It will now have a fleet of 200 new electric vehicles, which includes taxis, buses and e-rickshaws. Ola is to be the owner of the entire fleet. Nitin Gadkari, Road transport and highways minister, along with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, inaugurated India's first "multi-modal electric vehicle project" at Nagpur Airport complex on May 26. The project will initiate with a 200-strong fleet, which is to include 100 of Mahindra's brand new e-20 plus vehicles. The rest of the fleet will comprise of vehicles obtained from other equipment manufacturers like- Tata Motors, Kinetic, BYD and TVS. West Bengal will not abide by notification on cattle slaughter, says Mamata ·         West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government would not abide by the recent notification of the Union government imposing restrictions on cattle slaughter. ·         “We are not accepting the notification. We will take recourse to law and consult our advocate general,” she said at a press conference at the State Secretariat ·         Ms Banerjee described the notification as a “deliberate attempt to encroach upon the State power”, and termed it “unconstitutional.” ·         Cattle markets fell under the purview of the State and the Centre was encroaching on the powers of the State when it was imposing restrictions on sale of cattle in such markets, she said, adding, “I would request the Centre to not interfere in State subjects.” International Indo-Thailand Siam Bharat 17: HADR The India-Thailand Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Table Top Exercise 2017 was held from May 22-26 at Chiang Mai in Thailand between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Thailand Air Force (RTAF). The eleven-member IAF contingent was led by Group Captain Sucharu Rai. This was the second such exercise conducted between the two Air Forces, an official press release said. The aim of the bilateral exercise is to evolve SOPs for planning and executing relief missions during unforeseen natural calamities like Tsunami, earthquakes, cyclones, floods etc. The objective is to enhance interoperability between both the Air Forces, while conducting combined air operations triggered by a crisis. The exercise would assist in laying down procedures and establish decision support system at various stages of relief operations. Hundreds of thousands evacuated as cyclone Mora hits Bangladesh ·         Cyclone Mora hit Bangladesh packing winds of up to 117 kilometres per hour (73mph) after authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from low-lying coastal villages. ·         The severe cyclonic storm made landfall on the coast between Cox's Bazar and the main port city of Chittagong, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said in a special weather bulletin. ·         Bangladesh had raised its highest number 10 weather danger alert as the storm approached with officials quickly evacuating more than 300,000 people to cyclone shelters. ·         Parts of India and Myanmar are also expected to be affected. ·         It comes after heavy rains in Sri Lanka caused floods and landslides that killed at least 180 people. Death toll from Sri Lanka’s floods rises to 166 ·         The death toll from the devastating floods and landslips, which hit Sri Lanka, has increased to 166 with 104 people still reported missing, the Disaster Management Centre said. ·         Over 4, 00,000 people were affected by the severe rains and strong winds that started on May 24 and over 100,000 people were relocated, Xinhua news agency reported. Contemporary Economic Developments CEO, NITI Aayog inaugurates National Conference of Micro Missions of National Police Mission being organised by the BPR&D Shri Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), has advocated conducting a survey on the status of Policing in various States. Inaugurating the 1st National Conference of Micro Missions of National Police Mission (NPM), Shri Kant said the Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D) should come out with the survey of State Police, including at district-level, based on various parameters including outcomes, to bring about change in policing. Stating that economic development and internal security have a symbiotic relationship, he said the police will also have to act as an instrument of social change. Laying out a survey of districts based on four development indices, - Health, Eductaion, Poverty & Roads, Shri Kant pointed out it is apparent that the districts lowest in the combined index are concentrated in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country. These very 100 districts lowest on the development index pose the gravest challenges to security and law and order, he added. He also emphasized on areas which could revolutionize the current police functioning across India. These included: Improve Citizen-police interface ,Improve the condition of Police Stations , Improve judicial system, Improve rate of conviction , Provide healing touch to victims  and Ensure extensive & pragmatic use of technology Social impact of demonetisation may have been greater: World Bank ·         The World Bank has said the social impact of demonetisation may have been greater as the informal economy was likely to have been hit especially hard. However, the Bank said the impact of demonetisation on the informal economy was difficult to measure and greater data availability, especially on labour markets, is needed to better gauge the social impact of such policies in the future. ·         In its India Development Update released , the Bank said there were “statistical issues that mask some of the impact of demonetisation on measured economic growth in Q3 (third quarter of 2016-2017).” The government had on November 8, 2016 announced that existing Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 banknotes, corresponding to 86 per cent of India’s currency in circulation by value, had been “demonetised” – that is, ceased to be legal tender. ·         Noting that demonetization caused an immediate cash crunch and that activity in cash-reliant sectors was affected, the Bank said India’s GDP growth slowed to 7% per cent year-on-year during the third quarter of 2016-2017 from 7.3 per cent in the first quarter. As a result, a modest slowdown is expected in the GDP growth in 2016-2017 to 6.8 per cent. According to the Update, growth is expected to recover in 2017-2018 to 7.2 per cent and is projected to gradually increase to 7.7 per cent in 2019-2020. 12% EPF contributions to stay: Minister ·         The central government will not bring back its proposal to decrease rate of deduction from salary towards provident fund savings from 12% to 10% as even employers were against such a move, Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said. ·         “I am happy to inform that employers have come forward to say that they will contribute 12% and not 10% (of income towards worker’s EPF account). It’s a healthy sign. Both employers and employees have opposed the proposal and now we will continue with our old notification,” Mr. Dattatreya said. ·         Mr. Dattatreya said Section 6 of the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952 had said employers and employees should equally contribute 10% towards EPF savings. However, the rate of contribution was enhanced to 12% in 1997 through a notification. ·         At present, 24% of a formal sector worker’s salary is deducted —with 12% counted as employer’s share and 12% as employee’s contribution — towards EPF savings. This is compulsory for all employees earning up to Rs 15,000 a month. The Labour Ministry had proposed decreasing the rate of contribution from 12% to 10% of the salary for both employers and employees. Science & Technology The GSLV-Mk III-D1 launcher would carry GSAT-19 satellite which has a mass of 3,200 kg. ·         The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV-Mk III), the heaviest rocket ever made by India and capable of carrying large payloads, is set for launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on June 5, 2017. ·         Here are a few facts you need to know about the rocket. ·         GSKV-Mk III  is capable of launching four-tonne satellites in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). ·         The rocket is also capable of placing up to eight tonnes in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO), enough to carry a manned module. ·         GSLV-Mk III’s first developmental flight, D1, will carry on June 5  the GSAT-19 satellite — developed to help improve telecommunication and broadcasting areas. ·         This is India’s first fully functional rocket to be tested with a cryogenic engine that uses liquid propellants — liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. ·         It took about 25 years, 11 flights and over 200 tests on different components of the rocket for it to be fully realised. ·         The 640-tonne rocket, equal to the weight of 200 fully-grown Asian elephants, is the country’s heaviest but shortest rocket with a height of 43 metre. ·         GSLV-Mk III is a three-stage vehicle with two solid motor strap-ons (S200), a liquid propellant core stage (L110) and a cryogenic stage (C-25). ·         ISRO successfully conducted the static test of its largest solid booster S200 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota on January 24, 2010. The successful test of S200, which forms the strap-on stage for the GSLV, makes it the third largest solid booster in the world. The static test of liquid core stage (L110) of GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle was done at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre test facility as early as March 2010. ·         C-25, the large cryogenic upper stage of the GSLV, is the most difficult component of the launch vehicle to be developed. ISRO successfully ground-tested the indigenously developed C-25 on February 18, 2017. ·         If successful, the GSLV-Mk III — earlier named as Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM-3 — could be India’s vehicle of choice to launch people into space. India's very own GPS is ready with seventh navigation satellite launch ·         India’s own navigational system, the set-up for which was completed with the launch of the seventh and final satellite, will be called NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced after the launch. ·         The seventh and final satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, the IRNSS 1G, was launched into a sub geosynchronous transfer orbit with a perigree (nearest point to earth) of 284 km and an apogee (farthest point to earth) of 20,657 km. The satellite was launched on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV),. ·         With this launch, the IRNSS constellation of seven satellites is now complete. This will allow the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to focus on the process of designing front end chips which will receive the navigational signals sent out by the satellites. The system will be similar to the Global Positioning System (GPS) operated by the United States with 24 satellites and the Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou systems of Russia, Europe and China respectively. ·         All satellites will undergo stabilisation testing and verification of their performance over the next few months before being pushed into use, according to ISRO officials. Sports Stampede at soccer stadium kills 4 fans, foetus in Honduras ·         Thousands of soccer fans trying to force their way into a stadium for a championship match stampeded in panic when police fired tear gas, and at least four people and a foetus were killed in the crush and 25 others were injured, authorities said. ·         A spokesman for University Teaching Hospital told The Associated Press that the victims died from suffocation and multiple broken bones from being trampled. The fetus died when its mother suffered severe injuries, spokesman Miguel Osorio said. ·         The stampede happened at Gate 11 of the National Stadium in Honduras’ capital as fans tried to push their way into the jammed venue to see the game between Motagua and Honduras Progreso, officials said. SOurce; Cl