Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 November 2019

1. President’s rule imposed in Maharashtra

• The President of India has imposed a temporary suspension in the state of Maharashtra on the recommendation of Maharashtra’s Governor.
• Maharashtra’s Governor produced a report to the President stating that despite several attempts, it is impossible to form a stable government. BJP has a dispute over the sharing of powers with Shiv Sena, especially over the post of the Chief Minister.
• In assembly polls held in October 2019 for 288 legislative seats, BJP has secured the maximum number of seats followed by Shiv Sena.
• Article 356 of the Indian Constitution states that during the imposition of the President’s Rule in a state, the legislative powers of that state get transferred to the Central Government.
• The Governor of Maharashtra is Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

2. Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan

• A mass cleanliness-cum-awareness drive – ‘Swacch-Nirmal Tat Abhiyan’- has been recently launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in 50 distinguished beaches of 10 coastal states/ UTs of India.
• The 10 coastal States/ UTs are Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.
• The drive is being held from 11-17 November 2019.

3. ‘Brown to Green Report’: a transition of G20 countries towards a low-carbon economy

• Climate Transparency has published ‘Brown to Green report 2019’, which is the world’s most comprehensive annual review of G20 climate action.
• The report also maps achievements and drawbacks in the efforts made by G20 countries in reducing carbon emissions and adaptation to climate impacts.
• G20 countries: It is an international forum of Governments and Central Bank Governors of 20 nations, including European Union. It is headquartered in Mexico.

4. Thousands of migratory birds died recently in Sambhar lake, Rajasthan

• This has happened for the 2^nd time in the state that thousands of Migratory birds have died of a mysterious cause.
• The possible cause for the death of these migratory birds could be water contamination or algae poisoning.
• Sambhar Lake: It is India’s largest inland saltwater lake. It is situated near Ajmer, Rajasthan.

5. Justice Sanjay Karol sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Patna HC

• Justice Sanjay Karol takes oath as the new Chief Justice of Patna High court.
• Justice Sanjay Karol previously was the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court.
• He was administered the oath of office by Governor of Bihar Phagu Chauhan.

6. Justice A P Sahi sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Madras HC

• Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi takes oath as the new Chief Justice of Madras High court.
• Justice A P Sahi previously was the Chief Justice of Patna High Court.
• He was administered the oath of office by Governor of Tamil Nadu Banwarilal Purohit.

7. 11^th INDRA military exercise to be held in December

• INDRA is a joint military exercise conducted between India and Russia twice in a year.
• This year it is going to be held in December.
• The first edition of this exercise was held in 2003.
• The exercise aims to increase coordination amongst the two militaries.

8. Govt. approves setting up of four ‘Medical Device Park’ in South Indian states

• In order to support Make in India initiative, the Central Government has announced to set up four Medical Device Parks in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• The purpose of setting up these medical device parks is to provide the necessary infrastructure to pharmaceutical companies and to provide world-class products at affordable prices.   

9.  Inaugural Conclave on ‘National Capital Region- 2041’ held  in New Delhi

• Inaugural conclave on ‘National Capital Region- 2041’ was organized by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) in New Delhi recently.
• It was inaugurated by Durga Shankar Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Govt. Of India.
• The theme of the conclave was “Planning for tomorrow’s Greatest Capital Region.”
• The ‘Regional Plan- 2041’ will be a citizen-centric plan to ensure ease of living.

10. A newly discovered spider species named after Sachin Tendulkar

• A Spider Taxonomy Research- Scholar Dhruv Prajapati named one of the two newly discovered species of Spider after famous cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
• The name of the newly found spider is Mareno sachintendulkar.
• Sachin Tendulkar is a renowned former Indian cricketer as well as former captain of Indian National Cricket team. Before taking retirement from cricket, he played his last match at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. President’s Rule is imposed in a State under which of the following Articles of the Indian Constitution?

a. Article 365

b. Article 326

c. Article 356

d. Article 353

Correct answer: c

2. ‘Swatch Nirmal Tat - Abhiyaan’ is a cleanliness drive of beaches in India. It is the initiative of which of the following Ministry?

a. Ministry of Earth Sciences

b. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

c. Ministry of Jal Shakti

d. Ministry of Shipping

Correct answer: b

3. ‘Brown to Green’ report is associated with which of the following groups?

a. G20 countries

b. BRICS countries

c. ASEAN countries

d. SAARC countries

Correct answer: a

4. INDRA is a joint military exercise between __________ and __________.

a. India and China

b. India and Indonesia

c. India and US

d. India and Russia

Correct answer: d

5. A Medical Device Park will not be set up in which of the following states?

a. Kerala

b. Karnataka

c. Telangana

d. Tamil Nadu

Correct answer: b