{"id":54386,"date":"2020-01-18T21:00:59","date_gmt":"2020-01-18T15:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54386"},"modified":"2020-02-26T17:08:47","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T11:38:47","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-18th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-18th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 18th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/economy\/indicators\/un-lowers-india-growth-forecast-expects-momentum-to-pick-up-in-2020\/articleshow\/73309599.cms\"><strong>United Nations\nWorld Economic Situation and Prospects(WESP) 2020 <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>United Nations(UN) has released its World Economic Situation and\nProspects(WESP) 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nWESP Report,2020:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The report is released annually by\nthe United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs(UN\/DESA), the\nUnited Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD) and the five United\nNations regional commissions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Report\non Global Economy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The global economy suffered its\nlowest growth in a decade slipping to 2.3 per cent in 2019 due to prolonged\ntrade disputes.<\/li><li>However,the growth could improve\nto 2.5 percent in 2020.But a flareup of trade tensions, financial turmoil or an\nescalation of geopolitical tensions could slow down the growth to 1.8% in 2020.<\/li><li>East Asia remains the world\u2019s\nfastest-growing region and the largest contributor to global growth,<\/li><li>Further,a prolonged weakness in\nglobal economic activity may also cause significant setbacks for sustainable\ndevelopment including the goals to eradicate poverty and create decent jobs for\nall. <\/li><li>The report also noted that the\nshare of the population living in extreme poverty has declined steadily and\nsignificantly over the past few decades, largely owing to successful\nexperiences in China and India. <\/li><li>At the same time,pervasive\ninequalities and the deepening climate crisis are fueling growing discontent in\nmany parts of the world.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Report\non India\u2019s Growth:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The report lowered its GDP growth\nestimate for India to 5.7% from 7.6% in the financial year 2019-20.However,the\nUN has projected India\u2019s GDP growth to accelerate to 6.6 per cent in 2020-21.<\/li><li>Further,the report has also\nforecasted a growth rate of 6.3% for the fiscal beginning in 2021.<\/li><li>The report has also said that one\nin five countries will see per capita income stagnate or decline this year.But\nIndia will be among the few countries where the per capita GDP growth rate\ncould exceed 4% level in 2020. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1599681\"><strong>NIC sets up\n&#8216;Centre of Excellence in Blockchain Technology&#8217; in Bengaluru<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The National Informatics Centre(NIC) will set up block chain technology\ncentre in Bengaluru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe Blockchain centre:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Centre aims to provide\nBlockChain as a service to all the stakeholders who are interested in shared\nexperiences, learning and resources.<\/li><li>It will also share its block\nchain-based proof of concepts with selected government entities.<\/li><li>The centre will also act to help\ndifferent wings of the government understand the potential of the technology.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nBlockchain:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Blockchain is a digital,\nimmutable, distributed ledger that chronologically records transactions in near\nreal time.<\/li><li>In simple words,it is interlinked\nand continuously expanding list of records stored securely across a number of\ninterconnected systems.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNational Informatics Centre(NIC):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The National Informatics Centre\n(NIC) is an institute set up by the Indian government in 1976 to drive its\ntechnology and e-governance initiatives in the country.<\/li><li>The institute is part of the\nIndian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology\u2019s Department.<\/li><li>The centre has been a premier\ntechnology advisor be it the introduction of ICT in Government, establishment\nof NICNET or National Knowledge Network(NKN).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About<\/strong> <strong>National Knowledge Network:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It was established in 2010.Its\nobjective is to interconnect all institutions of higher learning and research\nwith a high-speed data communication network to facilitate knowledge sharing\nand collaborative research.<\/li><li>National Informatics Centre (NIC),\nunder the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, is the\nimplementing agency.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1599585\"><strong>Union Minister\nCalls For Preparing A Roadmap on Road Safety<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Union Minister for Road Transport &amp; Highways has addressed the 18th\nMeeting of National Road Safety Council(NRSC) and 39th Meeting of Transport\nDevelopment Council (TDC) in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\ntakeaways from the meeting:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The minister has emphasised upon\ncombined efforts to curb accidents on roads.He discussed with States the steps\nrequired to save the life within the first Golden hour.<\/li><li>The minister informed that black\nspots are being identified and repaired at a fast pace.<\/li><li>They also discussed different road\nsafety aspects including the MV (Amendment) Act 2019, inter-state transfer of\nvehicle registration, harmonisation of road tax across States, vehicle\nscrapping facility and implementation of vehicle tracking platform under\nNirbhaya framework.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNational Road Safety Council(NRSC):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>National Road Safety Council is an\nadvisory body. It was established under section 215 of Motor Vehicles Act,\n1988.<\/li><li>It was set up with the objective\nof improving road safety aspects in road transport sector.<\/li><li>The Council is chaired by the\nUnion Minister of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MORTH).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nTransport Development Council:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Transport Development Council\nis the highest body to advise Government of India on all matters relating to\nroads and road transport. <\/li><li>The Union Minister of Road\nTransport &amp; Highways is the Chairman of the Council.The Transport\nDevelopment Council meets at least once in a year.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Golden\nHour:<\/strong>It is the time period of up to one hour following\na traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of preventing death through\nprompt medical care is the highest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Black\nspot:<\/strong>It is defined as a stretch not more than 500m in\nlength where five accidents have taken place or where ten fatalities have\nhappened in the last three years.They account for 90% of road accidents in the\ncountry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/news\/world\/with-mosques-and-hospitals-once-submerged-island-ready-for-rohingya-refugees-says-bangladesh-2461421.html\"><strong>Bangladesh:Bhashan\nChar Island to house 100,000 Rohingya refugees<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Bangladesh Government has planned to accommodate 100,000 Rohingya\nrefugees in its Bhasan Char Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nBhashan Char Island:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Bhashan Char is an uninhabited\nisland around 30 kilometre east of Hatiya island in the South East Bangladesh. <\/li><li>The Island was formed with\nHimalayan silt in 2006 on the mouth of river Meghna.<\/li><li>The Island falls in an\necologically fragile area prone to floods, erosion and cyclone.The island\nremains under water between June and September due to monsoon rains.<\/li><li>However,the Bangladesh government\nhas built a three metre high embankment along its perimeter to keep out tidal\nsurges during cyclones.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture13.png?resize=750%2C420&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54400\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nRohingya:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Rohingya are an ethnic group\nlargely comprising Muslims who predominantly live in the Western Myanmar\nprovince of Rakhine. <\/li><li>In Myanmar, they are they are\nclassified as resident foreigners or as associate citizens.<\/li><li>Lakhs of Rohingyas have fled to\nneighbouring countries like Bangladesh and India after facing religious and\nethnical persecution in Myanmar.&nbsp; This\nhas led to a historic migration crisis and a large humanitarian crisis.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/business\/unclaimed-telco-refunds-to-go-into-consumer-fund\/article30578860.ece\"><strong>Telecommunication\nConsumers Education and Protection Fund<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) has directed telecom\nservice providers to put all unclaimed subscriber money in the\nTelecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund(TCEPF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nTelecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund (TCEPF):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Telecommunication Consumers\nEducation and Protection Fund Regulations of 2007 offers a basic framework for\ndepositing unclaimed money of consumers by service providers, maintenance of\nthe fund and other aspects.<\/li><li>The fund also includes money on\naccount of excess billing revealed in the audit, unclaimed money such as\nsecurity deposits and plan charges of failed activations.<\/li><li>The income from this fund is\nutilised for programmes and activities relating to consumer education and\nprotection.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nTRAI:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Telecom Regulatory Authority of\nIndia(TRAI) is a statutory body set up by the Government of India under section\n3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act,1997.<\/li><li>It regulates telecom services\nincluding fixation\/revision of tariffs for telecom services.<\/li><li>It also aims to provide a fair and\ntransparent policy environment which promotes a level playing field and\nfacilitates fair competition. <\/li><li>The regulator consists of a\nChairperson and not more than two full-time members and not more than two\npart-time members.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsonair.com\/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=378908\"><strong>Govt awards\nover Rs 2000 cr for completing Z Morh Tunnel<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,a Concession Agreement for completing the 6.5-kilometre long\nZ-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir was signed between NHIDCL and APCO\nAmarnathji Tunnelway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nZ-Morh Tunnel:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Z-Morh Tunnel is a 6.5km long\ntwo-lane bi-directional road tunnel project constructed near Ganderbal district\nof Jammu and Kashmir.<\/li><li>The tunnel is the first step\ntowards ensuring all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Kargil in Ladakh\nregion of India. <\/li><li>The tunnel gets its name from its\nZ formation between Sonamarg and Gagangir.<\/li><li>The tunnel is also of high\nstrategic importance for India as it would avoid the regions of snowfall and\navalanches.<\/li><li>Further,along with Zoji-la Tunnel,\nthe Z-Morh tunnel will ensure year-long road connectivity between Srinagar and\nKargil.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nZoji-la Tunnel:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Zoji-la Tunnel is a 14.2-km long\ntunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir to provide all-weather connectivity between\nSrinagar, Kargil and Leh.<\/li><li>Once Constructed,the Zojila tunnel\nwill be the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia.<\/li><li>The project is being implemented\nby the ministry of road transport and highways(MoRT&amp;H) through the National\nHighways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited(NHIDCL).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/defence\/india-army-conducts-biggest-airborne-exercise-in-north-east\/articleshow\/73308189.cms\"><strong>Indian Army\nconducts biggest airborne exercise \u2018Winged Raider\u2019 <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Indian Army has conducted its biggest airborne exercise called the\n\u2018Winged Raider\u2019 comprising of more than 500 special forces troops in the\nNorth-Eastern theatre. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nWinged Raider exercise:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The exercise aims to demonstrate\nthe operational preparedness of the paratroopers and air warriors to undertake\nairborne missions.<\/li><li>It involved a large number of the\nSpecial Forces troops and all kind of air transport platforms of the Air Force.<\/li><li>The newly inducted aerial\nplatforms and equipment were also validated during the exercise with clockwise\nprecision and seamless integration between the Army and the Air Force.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Significance\nof the exercise:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The exercise indicated the shift\nin the army\u2019s focus towards the frontier with China.<\/li><li>In October 2019,the Indian army\nhad also carried out Exercise <strong>\u2018Him\nVijay\u2019<\/strong> in Arunachal Pradesh to test its mobility, communication and\ncoordination of such a huge body of fast-moving troops in difficult terrain.<\/li><li>The integrated battle groups(IBGs)\nhad participated for the first time in an exercise.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/politics-and-nation\/ndfb-calls-truce-signs-pact-with-centre-assam\/articleshow\/73347779.cms\"><strong>Assam: NDFB(S)\nsigns Suspension of Operations agreement with Centre<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB(S)) has signed a\ntripartite agreement with the central and Assam governments to suspend\noperations and join peace talks with the government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNDFB:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>An outfit named Bodo Security\nForce(BdSF) was formed in 1986.In 1994,the BdSF renamed itself as the National\nDemocratic Front of Bodoland(NDFB). <\/li><li>The outfit is an armed separatist\noutfit which seeks to obtain a sovereign Bodoland for the Bodo people.<\/li><li>The group has carried out several\nattacks in Assam targeting non-Bodo civilians as well as the security forces.<\/li><li>In 2008,NDFB was divided into two\nfactions namely NDFB(Progressive) and NDFB (RD).In 2012 NDFB(RD) again broke\naway and the NDFB(S) faction was formed.<\/li><li>Currently,all these factions are\nin peace talks with the Union Government of India.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nBodos:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Bodos are the single largest\ntribal community in Assam making up over 5-6% of the state\u2019s population.They\nhave controlled large parts of Assam in the past.<\/li><li>The Bodos have had a long history\nof separatist demands marked by armed struggle.They demanded for a separate\nstate called Bodoland.<\/li><li>This demand led to the signing of\nBodo Accord in 2003.The accord provides for the establishment of a Bodoland\nTerritorial Council under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India. <\/li><li>The four districts in Assam namely\nKokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang constitutes the Bodo Territorial Area\nDistrict(BTAD).<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects(WESP) 2020 News:United Nations(UN) has released its World Economic Situation and Prospects(WESP) 2020. Facts: About WESP Report,2020: The report is released annually by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs(UN\/DESA), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD) and the five United Nations regional commissions. Report on&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-18th-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 18th, 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-54386","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":"","cached_date":1704941121},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54386","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=54386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54386\/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=54386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}