Daily Current Affairs and GK | 10 January 2020

1. Sri Lankan Foreign minister Dinesh Gunawardena meet External Affair Minister S Jaishankar

• Sri Lankan foreign minister Dinesh Gunawardena met Indian External Affair Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi.
• The two ministers discussed various issues, including economic projects, investment by Indian Companies, issues of fishermen and stability in the Indian Ocean Region, etc.
• He is scheduled to visit Mahabodhi temple in Gaya, Bihar

2. Centre notifies new Wetland Conservation Rules

• Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change has notified New Wetland Conservation Rules.
• According to rules, there is a prohibition on setting up and expansion of industries and disposal of construction and demolition waste in and around the wetland.
• Each state and Union Territory will have to set up an authority that will define strategies for conservation and wise use of wetlands.
• The Authority will maintain a list of all wetlands of the state or Union Territory within three months of the publication of the rules.
• The committee will decide on the regulated and permitted activities within the notified wetland and their zone of influence.
• It will also recommend on the mechanism for the maintenance of ecological character through promotional activities within the boundary of notified wetland.
• The ministry has also created a web portal for creating awareness about wetland rules. The central government and the state government are required to upload all documents and information related to the wetland.

3. Kashmir Rail Link Project to be completed by December 2021

• Kashmir Rail Link Project will be completed by December 2021.
• The project will establish rail connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of the country.
• The fresh deadline has been set for a 1.315 Km bridge connecting Bakkal (Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar). The bridge is a part of the 111 Km stretch of Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project.
• The bridge will be 359 meters above the river Chenab and will be the highest bridge in the world.

4. Chariot festival of  Suchindaram Thanumalayan Temple organized in Tamil Nadu

• Chariot festival of Suchindaram Thanumalayan Temple being organized in Tamil Nadu.
• The temple is of significance for both Shaivites and Vaishnavites.
• Suchindaran Thanumalayan Temple
  • The temple is a Hindu temple devoted to Trimurtis i.e Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma.
  • The temple is in Tamil Nadu.

5. 5^th Pulses Conclave 2020 to be held in Lonavala in Maharashtra

• The 5^th Pulses Conclave will be organized from 12^th February to 14^th February 2020 in Lonavala, Maharashtra.
• It is a biennial conclave hosted by the Indian Pulse and Grain Association.
• About 1500 participants from countries like India, U.S.A, Canada, Uganda, etc. will participate in the conference.
• India is the largest producer of pulses in the world.

6. Global Economic Prospects 2020 released

• The Global Economic Prospects 2020 released by the World Bank.
• The report indicates that after the economic slowdown, global economic growth will be modest in 2020.
• The global economic growth is set to rise by 2.5% against 2.4% in 2019.
• Emerging market and developing economies are expected to grow to 4.1% from 3.5% in 2019.
• The report states that despite the recovery, the per capita income will remain below the long term average.
• Income growth would be slowest in Sub- Saharan Africa, where 56% of the world's poor live.
• The report is released semi-annually by the World Bank.

7. Rear Admiral M.D Suresh appointed as Chief of Staff of Southern Naval Command

• Rear Admiral M.D Suresh has taken charge as the Chief of Staff of Southern Naval Command, the training command of Navy.
• He worked as the Defense Advisor to the embassies of India in Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain.
• He succeeded Rear-Admiral R.J Nadkarni, who has been appointed as Flag Officer Offshore Defense Advisory Group in Mumbai.
• The headquarters of Southern Naval Command is in Kochi, Kerala.

8. 3^rd Khelo India Youth games to begin in Guwahati, Assam

• Third Khelo India Youth Games will be held in Guwahati, Assam.
• The 3^rd edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be organized jointly by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), School Games Federation of India (SGFI), and Assam as the host State.
• 2019 games were hosted by Pune in Maharashtra.
• The first edition of the Khelo India Youth Games was held in New Delhi.
• Khelo India Program: The program has been started under the Ministry of Sports to promote the sports culture in India from the grass-root level.

 9. Census India 2021 to begin from April 1

• Census India 2021 will begin from April 1 and will end on September 30.
• It will be conducted through a mobile application.
• The census is conducted by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
• The first census of independent India was held in 1951.

10. MILAN 2020 will be held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

• MILAN 2020 exercise, a multilateral naval exercise, will be held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The theme of the 2020 exercise will be “Synergy Across The Sea”.
• About 20 nations will participate in the exercise.
• MILAN exercise is conducted biennially by the Indian Navy since 1995.

11. Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award given to Dr. M S Swaminathan and G. Muniratnam

• Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for excellence given to Dr. M S Swaminathan and for social service award to G. Muniratnam.
• The excellence award was given by Muppavarapu Foundation, and social service was given by Swarna Bharat Trust in Hyderabad.

12. World Hindi Day: 10 January

• The day is being celebrated every year since 2006, to mark the anniversary of the first World Hindi Conference organized in Nagpur on 10 January 1975.
• The day aims at promoting the Hindi language at the global level.
• In India, Hindi Diwas is observed every year on 14^th September.

Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs)

1. Mahabodhi Temple is located in which Indian State?

A. Uttar Pradesh

B. Bihar

C. Madhya Pradesh

D. Himachal Pradesh

2. Suchindaram Thanumalayan Temple is located in Tamil Nadu and is devoted to which of the following deities?

A. Shiva

B. Vishnu

C. Brahma

D. All of the above

3. 5th Pulses Conclave will be organized in-

A. Gujarat

B. Rajasthan

C. Punjab

D. Maharashtra

4. Which of the following organisations release Global Economic Prospects?

A. World Economic Forum

B. United Nations Development Programme

C. World Bank

D. World Trade Organisation

5. Who among the following has been appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command?

A. M D Suresh

B. Bipin Rawat

C. Sushil Kumar

D. Narendra Sharma

6. Where is the headquarters of Southern Naval Command located?

A. Visakhapatnam

B. Kochi

C. Kozhikode

D. Puducherry

7. Second Khelo India Youth Games were held in-

A. Guwahati

B. Pune

C. Chandigarh

D. Bhopal

8. When was the first census of independent India conducted?

A. 1948

B. 1950

C. 1951

D. 1960

9. MILAN Exercise 2020 is a-

A. Military Exercise

B. Air Force Exercise

C. Naval Exercise

D. Tri-services Exercise

10. World Hindi Day is observed every year across the world on-

A. December 20

B. September 14

C. January 10

D. March 8

Solution:

1. B

2. D

3. D

4. C

5. A

6. B

7. B

8. C

9. C

10. C