{"id":54295,"date":"2020-01-03T21:00:31","date_gmt":"2020-01-03T15:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54295"},"modified":"2020-02-26T21:05:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T15:35:40","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-3rd-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-3rd-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 3rd, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/business\/Industry\/rbi-launches-mani-app-for-visually-challenged-to-identify-currency-notes\/article30458257.ece\"><strong>RBI\nlaunches mobile app MANI&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched\na mobile app called MANI&#8217; (Mobile Aided Note Identifier)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About MANI&#8217; (Mobile Aided Note\nIdentifier)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It seeks to aid visually\nimpaired persons in identifying denomination of currency notes.<\/li><li>It can scan currency notes\nusing the camera of the mobile phone and gives audio output in Hindi and\nEnglish. It can work in offline mode too.<\/li><li>However, the app cannot\nauthenticate a currency note as being genuine or counterfeit.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/article\/news-ani\/pm-dedicates-five-drdo-young-scientists-laboratories-to-the-nation-120010201095_1.html\"><strong>PM dedicates 5 DRDO Young Scientists\nLaboratories to the Nation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated 5 DRDO Young Scientist\nLaboratories (DYSLs) to the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDRDO Young Scientist Laboratories (DYSLs)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The DYSLs are located in five\ncities: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad.<\/li><li>These labs will work on a key\nadvanced technology of importance to the development of futuristic defence\nsystems. This includes Artificial intelligence, Quantum technologies, Cognitive\ntechnologies, Asymmetric technologies and Smart materials.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Defence Research and Development\nOrganisation<\/strong>&nbsp;(<strong>DRDO<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>DRDO is India\u2019s premier\norganization for research related to defence technology. <\/li><li>It is under administrative\ncontrol of Department of Defence Research and Development, Ministry of Defence.<\/li><li>It was established in 1958 and\nis headquartered in New Delhi. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsonair.com\/News?title=Assam-state-zoo-first-to-breed-endangered-Hargila&amp;id=377026\"><strong>Assam\nstate zoo first to breed endangered Hargila<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News: <\/strong>The Assam State Zoo and Aaranyak has jointly\nbred a pair of Greater Adjutant (Hargila) chicks in an artificial platform\nwithin the zoo enclosure. It is a first ever experiment of this kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nGreater Adjutant Stork (Hargila):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is found in a few isolated\npockets in Assam and Bihar in India and PrekToal in Cambodia.<\/li><li>It is listed as Endangered\nunder the IUCN Red List.<\/li><li>It is listed under schedule IV\nof the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/cities\/kozhikode\/nurses-seek-better-wages-working-conditions\/article30455341.ece\"><strong>International Year of the Nurse and the\nMidwife<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The WHO has designated as the \u201cYear of the Nurse and midwife\u201d, in\nhonour of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Year of the Nurse and\nmidwife&nbsp;highlights the importance of nurses and midwives in achieving\nuniversal health coverage. <\/li><li>It also advocates for increased\ninvestments in the nursing and midwifery workforce.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Universal Health Coverage (UHC):<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>It is defined as ensuring that all people have access to needed\nhealth services of sufficient quality without suffering financial hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>UHC and Sustainable Development Goal<\/strong>: SDG 3.8 calls for achieving universal health coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nursing\nNow! Campaign:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is a three-year global\ncampaign (2018-2020) to improve health globally by raising the status of\nnursing. <\/li><li>WHO runs the campaign in\ncollaboration with International Council of Nurses.<\/li><li>It is based on the Triple\nImpact Report (2016) which states how developing nursing will improve health\n(SDG 3), promote gender equality (SDG 5) and support economic growth (SDG 8).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Florence Nightingale<\/strong>: She was an English social reformer&nbsp;and is regarded as the\nfounder of modern nursing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-50963080\">Palau is first country to\nban &#8216;reef toxic&#8217; sun cream<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Palau has become the first country to ban sun cream that is harmful\nto corals and sea life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The ban covers chemicals such\nas oxybenzone and octinoxate used in sunscreen<\/li><li>These chemicals are toxic to\nwildlife species such as corals, fish, and macroalgae. They can cause: <\/li><li>corals to become more\nsusceptible to coral bleaching, <\/li><li>damage the DNA of coral, and <\/li><li>deform and kill juvenile corals<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Palau<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is an island country located\nin the western Pacific Ocean.<\/li><li>Rock Islands Southern Lagoon of\nPalau is a UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/li><li>Palau created world&#8217;s first\nshark sanctuary in 2009.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/newsite\/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=196249\"><strong>Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas signs\nContracts for 7 Blocks Awarded under Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas signed contracts for 7\nblocks, awarded under Open Acreage Licensing Programme (OALP) Bid Round &#8211; IV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Open\nAcreage Licensing Programme (OALP):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Launched in 2016, OALP, is a\npart of Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP). <\/li><li>It is aimed at enabling faster\nsurvey and assessment of areas with oil and gas potential. <\/li><li>It enables companies apply for\nparticular areas they deem to be attractive to invest in, and the Centre then put\nthose areas up for bids.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Hydrocarbon\nExploration and Licensing Policy (HELP):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Introduced in 2016, it is a\ncontractual and fiscal model for award of hydrocarbon acreages towards\nexploration and production (E&amp;P). <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Major\nCharacteristic Features:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Single License for both\nconventional and unconventional Hydrocarbons<\/li><li>Transition from Cost Recovery\nmechanism to Revenue Sharing mechanism.<\/li><li>Full Marketing &amp; Pricing\nFreedom<\/li><li>Low regulatory burden<\/li><li>Fiscal incentives provided to\ninvestors<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Implementing\nAgency:<\/strong> Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), Ministry\nof Petroleum and Natural Gas<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>National Data Repository<\/strong>: It is an integrated data repository of Exploration and Production\n(E&amp;P) data of Indian sedimentary basins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/eci-launches-online-system-to-let-new-parties-tack-status-of-registration-applications\/article30458130.ece\">ECI\nlaunches PPRTMS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The Election Commission has launched Political Parties Registration\nTracking Management System (PPRTMS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Political\nParties Registration Tracking Management System (PPRTMS):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is an online system that\nwill allow political parties to track their applications for registration with\nthe ECI on a real-time basis.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Registration\nof Political Parties<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Registration of political\nparties in India is governed by the section 29A of the Representation of the\nPeople Act, 1951.<\/li><li>An association seeking\nregistration has to submit an application to the ECI within a period of 30 days\nfrom the date of its formation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/northeast-monsoon-ends-country-records-30-per-cent-surplus-rain-6196286\/\"><strong>Northeast\nmonsoon ends, country records 30 per cent surplus rain<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News: <\/strong>Northeast monsoon ended with an overall\nsurplus<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNorth east monsoon season<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is a season of winter\nrainfall experienced in south-eastern peninsular India.<\/li><li><strong>Time for NE Monsoon<\/strong>: October to December<\/li><li><strong>Regions:<\/strong> Tamil Nadu (including Puducherry),\nKerala, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and South Interior Karnataka.<\/li><li><strong>Mechanism:<\/strong><\/li><li>The northeast trade winds\nprevail over India during winters. They blow from land to sea and hence are dry\nand does not bring rainfall.<\/li><li>A part of the NE trade winds\nblow over the Bay Bengal which gathers moisture from the sea and bring rainfall\nover the Tamil Nadu coast.<\/li><li><strong>Significance:<\/strong><\/li><li>It contributes only 11% to\nIndia\u2019s annual rainfall of 1,187 mm.<\/li><li>However, it is particularly\nimportant for Tamil Nadu, which receives almost half its annual rainfall&nbsp;from\nthis season. <\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RBI launches mobile app MANI&nbsp; News: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched a mobile app called MANI&#8217; (Mobile Aided Note Identifier) Facts: About MANI&#8217; (Mobile Aided Note Identifier) It seeks to aid visually impaired persons in identifying denomination of currency notes. It can scan currency notes using the camera of the mobile phone&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-3rd-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 3rd, 2020<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":48116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/9-PM-Brief.png?fit=1000%2C500&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":1700806994,"cached_date":1704941198},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}