Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 November 2020

1. India sponsored resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament adopted at United Nations.

• Two India-sponsored resolutions on nuclear disarmament have been adopted by the first committee of UNGA.
• These two resolutions are:
  • Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons
  • Reducing Nuclear Danger under the Nuclear weapons cluster
• These resolutions aim at reducing risk of nuclear accidents and prohibiting use of nuclear weapons.
• India had tabled the resolution on Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons since 1982.
• The resolution on Reducing Nuclear Danger was tabled since 1998.
• In the past, a treaty named Nuclear Weapons Convention was proposed to outlaw nuclear weapons. But, the negotiations are inactive at the Conference on Disarmament which is not a UN body.

(Source: UN)

2. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting forms committee to review guidelines for Television Rating agencies.

• The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has formed a committee to review present guidelines for Television Rating agencies.
• Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati is the Chairman of the committee. Dr. Shalabh, Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay and Pulak Ghosh are other members of the committee.
• The committee will also examine various evolving dynamics of television rating systems. It will submit its report in two months.
• It will also study the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s recommendations on television rating systems in India.
• The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting notified present Guidelines on Television Rating Agencies in India in 2014.

3. MoU between India and Israel in the field of Health and Medicine approved.

• The Union Cabinet has nodded to the signing of an MoU between India and Israel on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine.
• Areas of cooperation covered under the MoU are:
  • Training and exchange of medical professionals
  • Assistance in setting up of health care facilities
  • Sharing knowledge and expertise regarding vulnerability assessment for health of citizens against climate risk
  • Support for development of Green Healthcare
  • Promote mutual research
• India and Israel:
  • India officially recognized the State of Israel on 17 September 1950.
  • India established full diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.
  • The cooperation between India and Israel has been extended to various fields since then, like Economic cooperation, Defence, Strategic cooperation, Counter-terrorism, Water harvesting, Agriculture, Space collaboration, health and medicine, etc.
  • Israel is the second-largest defence supplier to India.
  • Embassy of India is in Tel Aviv.
  • Embassy of Israel is in New Delhi.

4. MoU between India and United Kingdom in the field of Medical Products Regulation approved.

• The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of an MoU between CDSCO, India and UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK MHRA) in the field of medical Product regulation.
• Main areas of cooperation:
  • Exchange of safety information related to medicines and medical devices
  • Capacity building
  • Participation in various scientific conferences, seminars, etc. organized by India and UK
  • Exchange of information to support efforts to control unlicensed exports and imports
  • Coordination at international fora
  • Exchange of information and cooperation on good practices
• Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO):
  • It is the national regulatory authority that discharges the functions mentioned under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
  • It regulates the import of drugs, approval of new drugs, quality of new drugs and clinical trials in India.
  • It comes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

5. An MoU between India and United Kingdom on cooperation in the field of Telecommunication approved.

• The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the signing of an MoU between the Ministry of Communications of India and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) of United Kingdom Government on cooperation in the field of Telecommunications/Information and Communication Technologies.
• The MoU seeks to strengthen cooperation between India and the United Kingdom in the field of Telecommunications.
• It will also enhance India’s opportunities to strengthen the ICTs infrastructure.
• Both countries have identified various area for cooperation which includes Spectrum Management, Security of Telecommunication Infrastructure, Telecommunication connectivity including mobile roaming, Telecommunications/ICT policy and regulation, etc.
• United Kingdom:
  • It is a group of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland nations.
  • It is located in northwestern Europe.
  • Its capital is London and the currency is Pound sterling.
  • Boris Johnson is the current Prime minister of the United Kingdom.

6. Cabinet approved an MoU between India and Spain for cooperation in the field of astronomy.

• The Union Cabinet has approved an MoU between the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the GRANTECAN, S.A. (GTC), Spain, to develop scientific and technical collaborations in the astronomy field.
• This MoU will help in the development of new scientific results, new technologies, capacity building and joint scientific projects.
• All qualified scientists, students and technologists can take part in joint research projects, training programmes, conferences and seminars under this MoU.
• Spain:
  • It is located in southern Europe.
  • It shares its boundary with France, Portugal, Andorra and Morocco.
  • It is part of the Iberian Peninsula.
  • Madrid is the capital and Euro is the currency of Spain.
  • It has a parliamentary monarchy form of government.
  • Prime Minister: Pedro Sánchez

7. India successfully tested the advanced version of PINAKA Rocket System.

• An advanced version of the Pinaka Rocket system, developed by DRDO has been successfully tested from the Integrated Test Range of Chandipur in Odisha.
• Design of the enhanced version of the Pinaka rocket system has been developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) laboratories of DRDO.
• This new rocket system has a longer range with reduced length compared to the older variant.
• It will replace the older version of the Pinaka rocket system used by the Indian Army along the border of China and Pakistan.
• Pinaka multi-barrel rocket systems:
  • It is a multi-barrel rocket system developed by DRDO.
  • It can fire 12 rocket in 44 seconds, which makes it a lethal weapon.
  • The development of this rocket system started in the late 1980s to replace Russia's multi-barrel rocket launcher system.

8. World Tsunami Awareness Day: 5 November

• 5^th November was chosen as World Tsunami Awareness Day by the UN General Assembly in December 2015 in honor of a true Japanese story of “Inamura-no-hi”, in which a farmer sets fire to all his harvest to warn villagers of a possible Tsunami during an 1854 earthquake.
• World Tsunami Awareness Day 2020 will publicize Target (e) of the "Sendai Seven Campaign," which encourages countries and communities to have national and local disaster risk reduction strategies in place to save more lives against disasters by the end of 2020.
• The aim is to spread public awareness across the world about the dangers of Tsunami and on the importance of early warning systems. It also aims to improve traditional knowledge about Tsunamis.
• Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea.

9. Key declarations signed in India CEO Forum on Climate Change.

• India CEO Forum on Climate Change has been organized by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• A ‘Declaration of the Private Sector on Climate Change’ has been signed and released during the virtual event.
• Indian private sector is ready for a long-standing partnership with the government in the field of Climate change.
• Many key industry leaders deliver their commitment and vision for the climate action plan.
• The role of the private sector is significant in achieving India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution target under the Paris Agreement. The Private sector will help create a low carbon sustainable economy and help meet sustainable development objectives.
• Sustainable Development Goal 13: It urges us to take action to combat climate change and its impacts.
• India’s INDC Target:
  • It will improve the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35% by 2030 below 2005 levels.
  • It will increase the share of non-fossil fuels-based electricity to 40% by 2030.
  • It will absorb 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide CO₂ through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.

10. MoU signed between Prasar Bharati and Bhaskaracharya National Institute.

• Prasar Bharati has signed an MoU with Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• The MoU's objective is to bring a quality educational programme for skill development and quality education to every household in rural and remote areas. It will be free of cost service for all viewers.
• It will help in the government’s commitment to provide quality education to every household.
• Under this MoU, 51 DTH education TV channels, e-Vidya channels of NCERT, Vande Gujarat channels and Digishala channel will be provided to all DD FreeDish viewers.
• Prasar Bharati was formed in November 1997. It is headquartered in New Delhi. Its CEO is Shashi Shekhar Vempati.

11. “Tourist Facilitation Centre” inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture in Kerala.

• A “Tourist Facilitation Centre” has been inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture Shri Prahlad Singh Patel at Guruvayur in Kerala.
• It is constructed under the project for “Development of Guruvayur, Kerala” under the PRASAD Scheme.  
• The estimated cost of this “Tourist Facilitation Centre” is 11.57 crores.
• PRASAD Scheme:
  • It was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15.
  • It focuses on infrastructural developments at the pilgrimage sites and develops infrastructure like entry points, eco-friendly modes of transport, interpretation centres, waiting rooms, first aid centres, etc.
  • PRASAD stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive.
  • Some of the sites under the PRASAD Scheme are:
    • Ajmer (Rajasthan)
    • Amritsar (Punjab)
    • Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh)
    • Dwarka (Gujarat)
    • Gaya (Bihar)
    • Kedarnath (Uttarakhand)
    • Kamakhya (Assam)
    • Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu)
    • Mathura (Uttar Pradesh)
    • Puri (Odisha)
    • Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)
    • Vellankani (Tamil Nadu)