DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 05 January 2021
P5 Nations Pledge to Stop Nuclear Proliferation
- The Five permanent United Nations Security Council members (China, France, Russia, the U.K., and the US) pledged to prevent atomic weapons from spreading and to avoid nuclear conflict.
- The pledge was made in a rare joint statement ahead of a review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 1970.
- The statement comes as tensions between Russia and the US have reached heights rarely seen since the Cold War over a troop build-up by Russia close to the Ukrainian border.
- The statement also comes as the world powers seek to reach an agreement with Iran on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) 2015 over its controversial nuclear drive, which was rendered dying by the US walking out of the accord in 2018.
- The NPT is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.
- The treaty was signed in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Presently, it has 190 member states. India is not a member.
- It requires countries to give up any present or future plans to build nuclear weapons in return for access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Ayush Aahaar
- Ministry of Ayush made a new beginning by making ‘Ayush Aahaar’ available at its canteen at Ayush Bhawan (Delhi).
- It aims to promote a nutritional diet and healthy living.
- ‘Ayush’: Traditional & Non-Conventional Systems of Health Care and Healing which include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa- Rigpa, and Homoeopathy, etc.
- Aahaar Kranti Mission: The mission is dedicated to spreading awareness about nutrition.
AFSPA Extended in Nagaland
- The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 has been extended in Nagaland for six months from 30th December 2021.
- The Konyak Civil Society Organizations, the guardian umbrella of organizations of the Konyaks, and other tribal groups have slammed the extension.
- A reincarnation of the British-era legislation that was enacted to quell the protests during the Quit India movement, the AFSPA was issued by way of four ordinances in 1947.
- The ordinances were replaced by an Act in 1948 and the present law effective in the Northeast was introduced in Parliament in 1958 by the then Home Minister, G.B. Pant.
- It was known initially as the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act, 1958.
- After the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland came into being, the Act was adapted to apply to these States as well.
R K Singh dedicates AGC to the Nation
- Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh dedicated Automatic Generation Control (AGC) to the nation. This is expected to facilitate achieving the government’s ambitious target of 500 GW non-fossil fuel-based generation capacity by 2030. The AGC is being operated by Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) through National Load Despatch Centre. Through AGC, POSOCO sends signals to power plants every 4 seconds to maintain the frequency and reliability of the Power System.
- Speaking on the fifth POSOCO Day, Mr. Singh remarked that India is getting ready for integration of large-scale variable and intermittent renewable sources and one of the major tools for enabling the frequency control is AGC.
- He said under the POSOCO’s AGC project, to date 51 GW of generation capacity across all five regions is operational. The minister said, on the country’s march towards achieving the renewable energy capacity of 175 GW in 2022, an installed capacity of 150 GW of renewable energy has already been achieved, including large hydro projects. He said, 63 GW of renewable energy capacity is under various phases of installation, which is expected to be completed by next year.
NEAT 3.0
- Education Minister and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched NEAT 3.0, which is a single platform to provide the best-developed ed-tech solutions and courses to students of the country. The Minister also launched AICTE prescribed technical books in regional languages. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Pradhan said that NEAT will be a game-changer in bridging the digital divide, especially among the poor students and also in fulfilling the knowledge-based requirement of India and the world.
- The Minister informed that 58 global and Indian start-up ed-tech companies are onboard NEAT and are offering 100 courses and e-resources for bettering learning outcomes, developing employable skills, and overcoming learning loss.
- The Minister encouraged AICTE to integrate courses in NEAT with skill India to tap the opportunities in emerging areas of skill to boost employability and prepare youth for the future. He urged AICTE and ed-tech companies to offer e-resources in the least possible cost.
Web Portal for PM’s Excellence Award Launched
- Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has launched the Web Portal for PM’s Excellence Award. The registration for the Award began yesterday. Speaking after the launch, the Minister said, the entire concept and format of the PM’s Excellence Award has undergone a revolutionary change since 2014. PM’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration portal for the year 2021-2022 is www.pmawards.gov.in.
- Dr. Jitendra Singh said that India’s governance model has become a Jan Andolan with people responding to the Prime Minister’s call for Jan Bhagidari in major schemes. He asserted that officers must become a facilitator to bring the “Ease of Life” for the common man.
- The Minister also added that the prize money was also doubled this year from 10 lakh rupees to 20 lakh rupees to the awarded District or Organization. He informed that it is now mandatory for all District Collectors to apply for the Award. At the same time, he noted with satisfaction that from 80 districts in 2015, for the last two-three years all districts are participating in the award scheme.
ISRO Targets For 2022
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is targeting the launch of the first of the two planned uncrewed flights under the Gaganyaan mission before Independence Day this year.
- ISRO chairperson Dr. K Sivan said the third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 will be launched by the middle of the next year. In a letter encouraging the scientists at the organization, Dr. Sivan said, the launch of EOS-4 and EOS-6 onboard PSLV and the launch of EOS-02 onboard maiden flight of SSLV are immediate tasks at hand this year.
- He said, there is a directive to launch the first unmanned mission before the 75th anniversary of the Country’s independence i,e, August 15th this year and all the stakeholders are putting their best effort to meet the schedule.
- Dr. Sivan said, Chandrayaan-3 design changes incorporating and testing have seen huge progress and the mission could be launched by the middle of next year.
- The launch of the three earth observation satellites – EOS-02, EOS-04, and EOS-06 has been delayed for several months now. All big-ticket scientific missions, including India’s first solar mission Aditya-L1, which was to take place in 2021 were pushed when the launch schedule was revised after the second wave of the pandemic.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
- _______ is the largest tribe Group in Nagaland.
- Angkhul
- Sema
- Angami
- Konyak
ANSWER: D
- Aolingmonyu, Aonyimo and Laoun-ongmo are ______ of Nagaland.
- Tribes
- Places
- Festivals
- Monuments
ANSWER: C
- _______ is a thanks-giving festival and is celebrated after all agricultural activities are completed in Nagaland.
- Aolingmonyu
- Aonyimo
- Laoun-ongmo
- Pongal
ANSWER: C
- Post-death of Sardar Patel _____ held the portfolio of Home Ministry
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- C. Rajagopalachari
- Kailash Nath Katju
- Govind Ballabh Pant
ANSWER: A
- Jammu and Kashmir has a separate J&K Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act which was passed in
- 1985
- 1990
- 1995
- 1999
ANSWER: B
- In _____ GOI appointed Justice B P Jeevan Reddy Committee to review the provisions of the AFSPA in the N-E states.
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
ANSWER: D
- It is not a P5 Country
- China
- USA
- UK
- Japan
ANSWER: D
- Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was signed in
- 1965
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
ANSWER: B
- ___ is not among the five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew later.
- Pakistan
- Israel
- North Korea
- Iraq
ANSWER: D
- Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) was established in
- 2005
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
ANSWER: C
ALSO READ:
- Latest Daily Current Affairs and Defence Updates
- Monthly Current Affairs December 2021 With Video Lecture [Download PDF]
- Monthly Current Affairs November 2021 With Video Lecture [Download PDF]
- Monthly Current Affairs October 2021 With Video Lecture [Download PDF]
- Monthly Current Affairs September 2021 With Video Lecture [Download PDF]
