Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 December 2019

1. India, US call for action against all terrorist networks

• India and the US have called for joint action against all terrorist networks including al-Qaida, ISIS, Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Haqqani Network, Hizb-ul Mujahideen and D-Company.
• The two nations have directed Pakistan to take action against terrorism and ensure that its territory is not used for the spread of terrorism.
• The statement was made after the second India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue concluded.

2. Sashastra Seema Bal celebrates 56^th Raising Day

• The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) celebrated its 56^th raising day on 19^th December
• SSB was set up in 1963 as the Special Service Bureau in the wake of the Indo-China conflict in 1962. After 2001, it came to be known as SSB.
• The SSB’s 7^th Battalion is at present deployed in Jammu, Ramban and Doda since 2017.
• SSB primarily safeguards the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders.
• Shri B N Mullik was the first founder Director of the Special Service Bureau.
• It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Motto: “Service, Security and Brotherhood”

3. Future Skills PRIME programme

• The government has outlaid a budget of Rs. 436 crores to provide skills to 4 lakh professionals in the field of AI, blockchain, cybersecurity, Big Data, etc. in the next three years.
• The programme ‘Future Skills PRIME’ is a joint venture between the government and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) through which more than 4 lakh professionals will be trained that will add digital value to the talent pool in India.
• The course material has been developed by industry and academia. Several course materials are available for free, while more advanced courses cost between Rs 6,000-70,000.

4. Meghalaya Assembly adopts the resolution on Inner Line Permit

• A resolution has been adopted by the Meghalaya assembly for implementing the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime in the state.
• Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K Sangma said that the Government would ask the centre to include Meghalaya in the preamble of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873.
• The implementation of the inner line permit will restrict the entry and movement of outsiders in Meghalaya.
• Currently, the Inner Line Permit Regime is applicable in the four Northeastern states namely Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur.

5. Third Khelo India Programme to be organized in 2020 in Guwahati

• The third Khelo India Programme will be organized in Guwahati in January 2020.
• More than 10,000 workers and sportsperson will participate in the programme.
• There will be 20 game events that will be held during the programme.
• The first edition of the Khelo India programme was held in New Delhi in 2018.

6. Portugal to launch Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize

• Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, during his official visit to India, announced that Portugal will launch a Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize to help promote Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals.
• The prize will be given every year based on the thoughts and quotes of Gandhi.
• The first edition of this prize will be based on Gandhi’s ideas on animal welfare.
• Portugal is a country in southwestern Europe whose capital is Lisbon.

7. DSC 2019 prize awarded to Amitabha Bagchi

• DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019 has been announced during the 8^th edition of the IME Nepal Literature Festival.
• Amitabha Bagchi has won the award for his 2018 novel “Half the Night is Gone”.
• 90 books were submitted for this prize this year, out of which 6 were shortlisted, one of the shortlisted books was the translated work “There’s Gunpowder in the Air”.
• DSC Prize:
  • These were established in 2010 to present the award to the fictions from the South Asian region.
  • $25,000 is given as cash prize to the winner of the award.

8. Rhinos to be re-instated in Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve

• The Uttarakhand State Wildlife Board has approved the proposal of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to reintroduce Great one-horned Rhinoceros in the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve.
• The same initiative was taken by the Uttar Pradesh government in 1980 to introduce rhinos in Dudhwa National Park.
• Great one-horned Rhinos are listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
• More than 90% of the rhino population is present in Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
• Jim Corbett National Park was founded in 1936 as the first national park in India.

9. Pinaka Missile System flight tested by DRDO

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted flight trials of the Pinaka missile system from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the Odisha coast.
• The missile was integrated with live warhead and was tracked by multiple range systems like radars, Electro-optical tracking system (EOTS), telemetry to check the performance of flight.
• Pinaka missile system is an indigenously developed multibarrel rocket launch system.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
  • It is an agency that is charged with the responsibility of research and development in the military.
  • Headquarters- New Delhi
  • It was founded in 1958.
  • Motto: “Strength’s Origin is in Science”

10. Pat Cummins becomes most expensive overseas player in IPL 2020 auction

• Pat Cummins, a Fast bowler from Australia, has become the most expensive foreign player in the 13^th Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
• Cummins was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 15.50 crore at the ongoing IPL 2020 auction.
• Cummins has ousted Ben Stokes, who was the most expensive player in 2017 IPL auction.
• Among the Indian players, Piyush Chawal has been sold to Chennai Super Kings for Rs. 6.75 crores.

Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs)

1. Which of the two countries have called for coordinated efforts against terrorist networks?

1. India and USA
2. Russia and USA
3. India and Russia
4. India and Bangladesh

2. Sashastra Seema Bal primarily safeguards the Indian borders share with which of the following countries?

1. Nepal
2. Bhutan
3. Both a and b
4. Pakistan

3. Future Skills PRIME Programme is an initiative of the Government of India and which of the following organisations?

1. NASSCOM
2. FICCI
3. ASSOCHAM
4. CII

4. Recently which State’s Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution on the inner line permit regime?

1. Manipur
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Assam
4. Meghalaya

5. The third edition of Khelo India Programme will be organized in-

1. Pune
2. New Delhi
3. Guwahati
4. Shillong

6. Which country has instituted Gandhi Citizenship Education Prize?

1. Sweden
2. India
3. Nepal
4. Portugal

7. DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019 has been awarded to

1. Muhammad Ul Haque
2. Amitabha Bagchi
3. Rajeshwar Mishra
4. Nand Kishore

8. Dudhwa National Park is located in which Indian state?

1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Uttarakhand
3. Bihar
4. Madhya Pradesh

9. Pinaka, recently in news, is a

1. Comet
2. Multibarrel rocket launcher
3. New species of plant
4. None of the above

10.  Pat Cummins has become the most expensive player to be sold during the 13^th IPL auction. He is the player of which country?

1. England
2. New Zealand
3. Australia
4. South Africa

Solution:

1. a)

2. c)

3. a)

4. d)

5. c)

6. d)

7. b)

8. a)

9. b)

10. c)