{"id":54387,"date":"2020-01-19T21:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-01-19T15:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54387"},"modified":"2020-02-26T17:10:09","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T11:40:09","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-19th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-19th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 19th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-what-is-pulse-polio-programme-why-india-still-runs-it-6224918\/\"><strong>Explained: The\nPulse Polio Programme and why India still runs it<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,Rashtrapati Bhavan became the site of a polio vaccination\ndrive, to mark the beginning of this year\u2019s Pulse Polio Programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nPolio:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Polio is an acute infectious\ndisease caused by polio virus.The virus is a human enterovirus of the\nPicornaviridae.Polio mainly affects children under 5 years of age.<\/li><li>It is transmitted from one person\nto another by oral contact with secretions or faecal material from an infected\nperson.<\/li><li>It attacks the central nervous\nsystem through the bloodstream and damage the cells and paralyse the\nvictim.There is no cure for polio as it can only be prevented.<\/li><li>India was declared polio free in\n2014 and the last case was reported in January 2011.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nPulse Polio Programme:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>India had launched the Pulse Polio\nimmunisation programme in 1995, after a resolution for a global initiative of\npolio eradication was adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1988.<\/li><li>The children in the age group of\n0-5 years are administered polio drops during national and sub-national\nimmunisation rounds (in high-risk areas) every year.<\/li><li>Under the programme,all states and\nUnion Territories have developed Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to respond to any\npolio outbreak in the country. <\/li><li>Emergency Preparedness and\nResponse Plans(EPRP) have also been developed by states indicating steps to be\nundertaken in case of detection of a polio case.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why is\nIndia still running the programme?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>To prevent the virus from coming\nto India, the government has since March 2014 made the Oral Polio\nVaccination(OPV) mandatory for those travelling between India and polio-affected\ncountries such as Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,\nSyria and Cameroon.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1599698\"><strong>Development\nSupport Services to States (DSSS) for Development of Infrastructure<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>NITI Aayog and Ladakh have signed an MoU under which NITI Aayog will\nsupport Ladakh through its initiative Development Support Services to States\nfor Infrastructure Projects(DSSS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDevelopment Support Services to States for Infrastructure projects:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Development Support Services\nFor States(DSSS) For Infrastructure Projects is implemented by the NITI Aayog.<\/li><li>The initiative aims to establish a\nCentre-State partnership model and reignite and establish Private Public\nPartnership across infrastructure sectors.<\/li><li>It was launched to de-risk\nprojects and address key structural issues in project development and build institutional\nand organizational capacities.<\/li><li>The initiative involves providing\nproject level support from concept plan till financial closure to State\nGovernments \/ UTs.<\/li><li>NITI Aayog has appointed Ernst\n&amp; Young LLP&nbsp; as its consultant to\nengage with states to identify a project shortlist and providing transaction\nmanagement for implementing selected infrastructure projects on ground.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/news\/science\/cannot-prevent-earthquakes-but-we-can-minimize-the-damage-moes\/article30583617.ece\"><strong>Government\nlaunches Seismic Hazard Microzonation to minimize earthquake disasters<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Ministry of Earth Science has launched Seismic Hazard Microzonation\nproject in major cities of India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aim of\nthe project:<\/strong>The project aims to reduce hazards of\nseismic activities by putting in adequate measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nSeismic Hazard Microzonation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Seismic Hazard Microzonation is\nthe process of identifying the earthquake prone areas based on its geological\nand geophysical characteristics.<\/li><li>The characteristics include ground\nshaking, landslides, liquefaction susceptibility, rock fall hazard and flooding\ncaused due to earthquakes among others.<\/li><li>Based on this division, mitigation\nmeasures and preventive methods are prepared to minimise the losses.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Significance\nof the project:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The technique gives better\nmitigatory measures as it helps to understand the impact of seismic activities\nprecisely.<\/li><li>It can also be helpful in certain\nplaces, where no reliable model can be implemented as it helps in adopting\npreventive measures.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Where\nhas the microzonation completed?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Currently,the microzonation has\nbeen completed in the State of Sikkim and in other eight cities namely Delhi,\nBengaluru, Kolkata, Guwahati, Jabalpur, Dehradun Ahmedabad and Gandhidham.<\/li><li>Further,Japan is the best example\nwhere microzonation techniques are well implemented.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/defence\/work-divided-for-rawat-led-dept-of-military-affairs\/articleshow\/73346897.cms\"><strong>Department of\nMilitary Affairs(DMA)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Ministry of Defence(MoD) has approved the rules of business for the\nnewly created Department of Military Affairs(DMA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDepartment of Military Affairs(DMA):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Department of Military\nAffairs(DMA) is headed by the Chief of Defence Staff(CDS).<\/li><li>It is the fifth department in the\nMinistry of Defence<strong>(<\/strong>MoD).The others\nbeing the Department of Defence, the Department of Defence Production, the\nDepartment of Defence Research and the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Services\nunder the Department of Military Affairs(DMA):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Promotions and postings of senior\nofficers<\/li><li>War wastage reserves of 3 forces<\/li><li>Procurement of ammunition<\/li><li>Major Infrastructure projects like\ncreation of new naval bases<\/li><li>Overseas deployment of warships<\/li><li>Size, shape and composition of\narmy<\/li><li>Supply of arms and ammunition to\nneighbouring nations.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Services\nretained by Ministry of Defence:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>All capital procurements<\/li><li>Any matter that has an impact on\ndefence policy<\/li><li>Secretariat of Defence acquisition\nCouncil among others.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/article\/markets\/rbi-buys-gold-for-forex-reserves-after-5-months-now-holds-625-tonnes-120011800020_1.html\"><strong>World Gold\nCouncil report: RBI ranks 6th in buying gold abroad<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The World Gold Council (WGC) recently released its report, \u201cWorld Gold\nOutlook 2020\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\ntakeaways from the report:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Gold has performed the best in\n2019.Since, 2010 the gold trade in dollars has increased by 18.4% in 2019.<\/li><li>The Reserve Bank of India ranks\n6th in buying gold abroad.Currently,it holds 625.2 tonnes of gold.This is 6.6%\nof the country\u2019s foreign exchange.<\/li><li>The other 5 countries that have\nbought more gold than India include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and\nPoland.<\/li><li>Further,the demand for gold in\n2020 for India will depend upon (a) financial uncertainty and lower interest\nrates (b) weakening in global economic growth and (c)gold price volatility.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>World\nGold Council (WGC)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The World Gold Council is the\nmarket development organisation for the gold industry. It is an association of\nthe world&#8217;s leading gold producers.<\/li><li>It was established in 1987 and is\nheadquartered in the United Kingdom.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Gold\nReserves<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Gold reserves are central banks\u2019\ntotal holding of gold as a percentage of their foreign exchange reserves.<\/li><li>WGC gold reserve data are based on\nInternational Monetary Fund\u2019s International Financial Statistics (IFS) which\ntracks central banks\u2019 reported purchases and sales along with gold as a\npercentage of their international reserves.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbctv18.com\/videos\/legal\/cvc-releases-framework-for-advisory-board-for-banking-and-financial-frauds-5075041.htm\"><strong>CVC releases\nframework for advisory board for banking and financial frauds<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has released a framework for the\nAdvisory Board for Banking and Financial Frauds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nAdvisory Board for Banking Frauds(ABBF):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Advisory Board for Banking frauds\nwill be four-member board.It will be headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T\nM Bhasin.<\/li><li>It will function as the first\nlevel of examination of all large fraud cases before recommendations or\nreferences are made to the investigative agencies by the respective Public\nSector Banks.&nbsp; <\/li><li>The board\u2019s jurisdiction will be\nconfined to those cases involving officers of General Manager level and above\nin the PSBs in respect of an allegation of fraud in a borrowal account. <\/li><li>The banks would refer all large\nfraud cases above \u20b950 crore to the board and on receipt of its recommendation\nor advice,the bank concerned would take further action in such matter.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nCVC:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The CVC was set up by the\nGovernment in 1964 on the recommendation of the Santhanam Committee.In 2003,the\nParliament enacted CVC Act conferring statutory status on the CVC.<\/li><li>The CVC is not controlled by any\nMinistry or Department.It is an independent body which is only responsible to\nthe Parliament.CVC receives complaints on corruption or misuse of office and\nrecommend appropriate action.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livemint.com\/news\/india\/commerce-minister-piyush-goyal-to-lead-indian-delegation-to-wef-2020-in-davos-11579346790418.html\"><strong>Commerce\nminister to lead Indian delegation to WEF 2020 in Davos<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Commerce Minister will lead the Indian delegation to the 50th World\nEconomic Forum at Davos from January 20 to 24,2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nWorld Economic Forum 2020:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The World Economic Forum\u2019s 2020\nmeeting will be held in Davos ,Switzerland.<\/li><li>The meet will be held under the\ntheme of \u2018Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World\u2019.<\/li><li>The meetings aim to engage world\nleaders in collaborative activities to shape the global, regional, and industry\nagendas at the beginning of each year.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Issues\nto be discussed at WEF 2020:<\/strong>The four Global issues\nwhich will feature prominently are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>To address the urgent climate and\nenvironmental challenges that are harming our ecology and economy<\/li><li>To transform industries to achieve\na more sustainable and inclusive business models as new political, economic,\nand societal priorities change trade and consumption patterns<\/li><li>To govern the technologies driving\nthe fourth industrial revolution so they benefit business and society, while\nminimising their risks to them<\/li><li>To adapt to the demographic,\nsocial, and technological trends reshaping education, employment, and\nentrepreneurship.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nWorld Economic Forum(WEF):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>WEF was established in 1971 as a\nnot-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva,Switzerland.<\/li><li>The objective of WEF is to improve\nthe state of the world by engaging business,political,academic and other\nleaders of society to shape global,regional and industry agendas.<\/li><li>The reports published by the WEF\nare (a)Global Competitiveness Report (b)Global Gender Gap Report (c)Global\nRisks Report and (d)Global Travel and Tourism Report among others.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explained: The Pulse Polio Programme and why India still runs it News:Recently,Rashtrapati Bhavan became the site of a polio vaccination drive, to mark the beginning of this year\u2019s Pulse Polio Programme. Facts: About Polio: Polio is an acute infectious disease caused by polio virus.The virus is a human enterovirus of the Picornaviridae.Polio mainly affects children&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-january-19th-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 January 19th, 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-54387","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":114,"cached_at":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54387","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=54387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54387\/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=54387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}