Daily Current Affairs and GK | 03 January 2020

1. Indian Science Congress to be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka

• 107^th Indian Science Congress will be inaugurated by Prime Minister in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The theme of the event is “Science and Technology: Rural development”.
• There will be around 28 plenary sessions on various topics like Climate Smart Agriculture for Food Security, Crop Improvement towards Food and Nutrition, Security to Artificial Intelligence and Medical Technology.
• Around 15000 participants including academicians, Noble Laureates, etc. would participate in the event.
• Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) portal will also be launched, which will facilitate a search for research-based facilities.
• For the first time, Farmers Science Congress will also be organized, focusing on rural development.
• Lectures of famous science personalities like Nobel prize winner Prof. Stefan Hell will be organized.
• Events like Children's Science Congress, Women Science Congress, Former Vice-Chancellors' Science Congress, Science Communicators Meet - 2020, Mega Science Exhibition - PRIDE OF INDIA- ISC EXPO will also be organized.
• Indian Science Congress
  • Indian Science Congress is held annually by the Indian Science Congress Association, which is a science association formed in 1914 with its headquarter at Kolkata, West Bengal.
  • Congress discusses important science issues with the motive to promote scientific temperament in the country.
  • The 2018 edition of Science congress was held in Jalandhar, Punjab.

2. 5 young scientist laboratories of DRDO inaugurated in Bengaluru

• Prime Minister inaugurated 5 young scientists laboratories of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• The labs have been established to develop a futuristic defense system.
• The 5 labs include a lab for artificial intelligence in Bengaluru, a cognitive technology lab in Chennai, a lab for material science at Hyderabad, lab on Quantum Technology in Mumbai and lab for asymmetric technology in Kolkata.

3. 14 scientists awarded Swarna Jayanti Fellowships

• The Swarna Jayanti Fellowships were awarded to 14 scientists by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
• The fellowship includes all the facilities required to carry out the research. It also includes a fellowship of INR 25000. The scientists will be given their salaries along with a grant of INR 5 lakh for 5 years.
• Swarna Jayanti Fellowship award scheme was started in 1997 to commemorate the 50^th year of independence. Under this young scientist with a good record are awarded the fellowships.

4. India ranks 9^th in the Climate Change Performance Index

• India got 9^th rank in the Climate Change Performance Index published by Germanwatch, New Climate Institute, and Climate Action Network.
• It is the first time that India has been ranked among the top 10 countries.
• Sweden is on the top with rank 4 followed by Denmark and Morocco.
• India has scored high on Green House Gas emissions, energy use, climate policy but scored medium on renewable energy.
• India aims to increase the amount of renewable energy to 175 GW by 2022 and raise it to 450 GW further.
• To tackle air pollution, India has started the National Clean Air Program.
• According to the Indian State Forest Report (ISFR), the total tree and forest cover has increased up to 24.55%.
• According to the tiger census 2018, the tiger count in the country has gone up to 3000.
• The central government has disbursed INR 47000 crore of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds, to various states.  

5. ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ campaign launched to promote tourism in Nepal

• Nepal president has launched the ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ campaign to promote tourism in Nepal.
• It aims to attract 2 million tourists in Nepal in 2020.
• The program was launched at Dasratha Rangshala in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Nepal
  • It is one of India’s neighbor countries and landlocked nations. The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu.
  • Nepal forms the border with Indian states, namely Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Bihar.

6. 5^th Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) National Ice Hockey Championship-2020 begins in Leh

• 5^th IHAI National Hockey Championship-2020 begins in Leh.
• The tournament will be continued till 7^th January 2020  in Karzoo Ice Hockey Rink in Leh.
• In the U-20 boys' category, Army, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Ladakh are competing.
• In the U-20 girls category Ladhak, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Chandigarh are competing.
• The 1^st National Hockey Championship was organized in 2001 in Leh. The event is organized by the Ladakh Winter Sports Club associated with the Ice Hockey Association of India.

7. Union Home Minister inaugurated National Fire Service College (NFSC) in Nagpur

• National Fire Service College (NFSC) under Home Ministry has been inaugurated in Nagpur.
• The courses being operational in college includes a four-year Bachelor level course in Fire Engineering approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) along with the short and long-term courses in Emergency Management, Medical Life Support Management, and Disaster Management.
• He also laid the foundation of the National Disaster Response Force Academy in Nagpur (Maharashtra).
• 15 President's Fire Service medals for gallantry were also awarded to firemen and fire service officers.

8. National Green Corps Scheme (NGC) restarted in Jammu and Kashmir

• NGC scheme has been revived in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Under the scheme, Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board (PCB) will provide funds to 3,742 Eco Clubs of registered schools along with 96 Eco Clubs of registered colleges. The fund will be transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• National Green Corps: It is a scheme under Environment Education, Awareness and Training scheme of Ministry of Environment and Forest, which aims to create environmental awareness among students through Eco- clubs in schools.

9. Assam zoo and Aranyak jointly breed a pair of Greater Adjutant chicks

• Assam zoo also a Botanical Garden and Assam based NGO Aranyak has jointly bred Greater Adjutant chicks or endangered Hargila. They are the 1^st ones in India to achieve this success.
• Greater Adjutant Stork
  • Greater Adjutant Stork is one of the 20 stork species found across the world.
  • In India, there are 8 species of storks and Greater Adjutant is one of them.
  • Earlier widely spread in Southeast Asia, Bihar and Assam in India, the species is now endangered because of habitat destruction, poaching, and poisoning.
  • IUCN Status- Endangered

10. 2020 titled as ‘Year of Nurse and Midwife’ to commemorate 200^th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale

• WHO has designated 2020 as the Year of Nurse and Midwife to celebrate the 200^th birthday of Florence Nightingale.
•  Florence Nightingale
  • Florence Nightingale was a British social reformer, Statistician, and founder of modern and professional nursing.
  • She is known as The Lady with the lamp as she is known for making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.

Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs)

1. Which state will organize the Indian Science Congress 2020?

A. Karnataka

B. Bihar

C. West Bengal

D. Uttar Pradesh

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated 5 Young scientists Labs to the nation. Which one of the following is not included?

A. Bengaluru

B. Mumbai

C. Chennai

D. New Delhi

3. What is the monthly amount (INR) of fellowship given under the Swarna Jayanti Fellowship Scheme?

A. 25000

B. 20000

C. 30000

D. 50000

4. What is India’s target of non- fossil fuels’ energy production by 2022?

A. 175 GW

B. 450 GW

C. 400 GW

D. 250 GW

5. Bidhya Devi Bhandari is the President of which country?

A. Nepal

B. Sri Lanka

C. Mauritius

D. Bangladesh

6. Where has the National Fire Service College been inaugurated?

A. New Delhi

B. Patna

C. Hyderabad

D. Nagpur

7. Which edition of National Ice Hockey Championship 2020 was inaugurated in Leh?

A. 5^th

B. 1^st

C. 2^nd

D. 7^th

8. Jammu and Kashmir have revived a program under Environment Education, Awareness and Training scheme. Which one of the following is that program?

A. National Green Corps

B. Eco clubs

C. Environment education

D. None of the above

9. Which of the following state’s zoo has bred Hargila?

A. Odisha

B. Maharashtra

C. Assam

D. Gujarat

10. What designation has been given to the year 2020?

A. Nurse and Midwife Year

B. Poshan Year

C. Child Health Year

D. Women Health Year

Solution:

1. A

2. D

3. A

4. A

5. A

6. D

7. A

8. A

9. C

10. A