Daily Current Affairs and GK | 31 December 2019

1. General Bipin Rawat will be the 1^st Chief of Defence Staff

• General Bipin Rawat has been named as the first Chief of Defence Staff.
• According to the amended army, navy and air force rules, CDS can serve up to the age of 65 years.
• CDS-Chief of Defence Staff will act as a chief military advisor to the government and will head the Department of Military Affairs.

2. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) put off its intention to boycott 2022 Commonwealth games

• IOA has backed out from its move to boycott 2022 Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham (U.K). India wanted the inclusion of Shooting in the event.
• IOA has announced that it would bid to host either 2026 or 2030 edition of Commonwealth games.
• It also decided to put up a proposal to hoist Commonwealth Shooting Championship before the main event.
• Commonwealth Games
  • It is a multi-sports event being participated by the commonwealth countries.
  • It is organized every four years.
  • The first event was organized in 1930.
  • The 2018 event was organized in Gold Coast Queensland, Australia.
  • The event is overseen by Commonwealth Games Federation.

3. Vice- Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane will be the New Army Chief

• Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane will be the New Army Chief and will succeed General Bipin Rawat.
• Lt. Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane was the head of Eastern Command of the Army, which guard Indo- China border.
• He has served in various commands and staff appointments, including Jammu Kashmir and Northeast.
• He also commanded Rashtriya Rifle Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and infantry brigade in the eastern front.
• He was also a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.
• He has also served as India’s Defence Attache at Indian Embassy in Myanmar for three years. 

4. Ahmedabad- Mumbai Tejas train to start on January 17, 2020

• Ahmedabad- Mumbai Tejas train will be the second premium Tejas train after the launch of Lucknow- Delhi Tejas express.
• Tejas Express
  • It is India’s first semi- high speed fully air-conditioned train.
  • Its average speed is 130 Kmph and the maximum speed is 180 Kmph.                          

5. Indian State of Forest Report released by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

• The total Tree and Forest cover increased by 5188 square Km form 2017-2019. Thus, the total forest and tree cover is 24.56% of the total area.
• In terms of an increase in the forest cover, Karnataka tops the list, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
• There has been an increase in forest cover by 0.56% and tree cover by 1.56%.
• There has been a decrease of 0.05% in the Recorded Forest Area and an increase in cover outside the Recorded Forest Area.
• There has been a decrease in the forest cover in the North East Region to the extent of 0.45%. Except for Assam and Tripura, all North-East states recorded a decrease in the forest cover.
• Mangrove cover in the country has increased by 1.1%.
• The total wetland area in the country is 3.83%, and the total number of wetland is around 8%. Gujarat has the largest area of wetland, followed by West Bengal.
• Moderately Dense Forest covers the largest area around 9.83%, followed by Open Forest and then Very Dense Forests.
• ISFR
  • Indian State of Forest Report assesses the total forest and tree cover in the country.
  • The report is biennial that is released every two years.

6. Sustainable Development Goals India Index 2019

• The second edition of Sustainable Development Goals India Index 2019 has been released by the NITI Aayog.
• The composite score of the country has increased from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019.
• The major improvements have been achieved in water and sanitation (Goal 6), affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) and industry, innovation, and infrastructure (Goal 9).
• Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh are the top three states in the index.
• Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim showed the utmost improvement.
• SDG India Index
  • The first edition of the index was released by NITI Aayog in 2018.
  • It measures the performance of the states and Union Territories in the achievement of 16 goals and does the quantitative assessment of the 17^th goal.
  • The performance is measured across 100 indicators.
  • NITI Aayog has released a Dashboard to monitor the performance of various States and UTs

7. Dhanu Jatra, the largest Open Air Theatre begins in Bargarh in Odisha

• Dhanu Jatra, 11 days long open theatre is being held in Bargarh in Odisha
• It is the world's largest annual open-air theatre based on the story of Lord Krishna and demon king Kansa.
• It is also mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records.
• During the 11 days, long journey demon king Kansa symbolizing an oppressive rule moves around the city and slaps fine on the offenders on the streets and also penalizes public officials for their lapses.
• The festival was first celebrated in 1947-48 to celebrate the independence of the country and to mark the triumph of good over evil.
• In 2014, it had been given the status of the National Festival.

8. Astronaut Christina Koch did the longest single space flight among women

• Astronaut Christina Koch created the record of the longest single space flight by a woman as she will complete 300 days in space after completing her journey in February 2020. As of now, she has completed 289 days in the space.
• She will break the earlier record of 288 days made by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson.
• Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut is a part of International Space station.
• She has also been part of 1^st all-women crew to space.

Multiple Choice Questions(MCQs)

1. Who among the following is the first to have the longest space flight among the women? 

1. Christina Koch
2. Peggy Whitson
3. Jennifer Arnold
4. Jane Winston

2. Which among the following is the longest open theatre in the world?

1. Dhanu Jatra
2. Yakshagana
3. Kathakkali
4. Mudiyattam

3. Which state has the best score in SDG India Index released by NITI Aayog?

1. Maharashtra
2. Punjab
3. Karnataka
4. Kerala

4. Total Forest and Tree cover in India as per the Indian State Forest Report 2019 is

1. 24.56%
2. 24.66%
3. 24.06%
4. 24.20%

5.  2^nd Tejas train will connect which of the following Indian cities?

1. Ahmadabad and Mumbai
2. Lucknow and Delhi
3. Ahmadabad and Gandhinagar
4. Delhi and Chennai

6. Who among the following is the new Army Chief?

1. Bipin Rawat
2. Ashoka Dhanoa
3. Manoj Mukund Narawane
4. Sunil Lamba

7. 2022 Commonwealth games will be held in-

1. India
2. U.K
3. Pakistan
4. Australia

8. What will be the age limit of Chief of Defence Staff?

1. 62 years
2. 65 years
3. 60 years
4. 70 years

Solution:

1. a)

2. a)

3. d)

4. a)

5. a)

6. c)

7. b)

8.b)