{"id":54721,"date":"2019-12-28T21:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T15:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54721"},"modified":"2020-02-27T12:28:37","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T06:58:37","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-december-28th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-december-28th-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 December 28th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsonair.com\/News?title=More-than-1-cr-houses-sanctioned-under-PM-Awas-Yojana-(Urban)&amp;id=376722\">More\nthan 1 cr houses sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana (Urban)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has informed that one crore\nhouses have already been sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana (Urban).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"591\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture1-36.png?resize=622%2C591&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Housing for all scheme\" class=\"wp-image-54727\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission was launched in 2015. It\naims to provide housing for all in urban areas by year 2022. The objective is\nto construct 1.2 crore houses.<\/li><li>It has four components: <\/li><li>In-situ Slum Redevelopment\n(ISSR) with participation of private developers using land as a resource<\/li><li>Affordable Housing in\nPartnership (AHP) with Public &amp; Private sectors<\/li><li>Subsidy for Beneficiary-led\nIndividual house construction or Enhancement (BLC), and <\/li><li>Promotion of Affordable Housing\nfor weaker section through Credit-Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Global\nHousing Technology Challenge-India:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Launched in 2019, it is an\ninitiative under PM Awas Yojana (U). <\/li><li>It aims to transform the\neco-system of housing construction sector in&nbsp;India through lighthouse\nprojects built using advanced proven technologies.&nbsp;<\/li><li>The challenge has three\ncomponents: <\/li><li>Conduct of Grand\nExpo-cum-Conference, <\/li><li>Identifying Proven Demonstrable\nTechnologies from across the globe and <\/li><li>Promoting Potential\nTechnologies through the establishment of Affordable Sustainable Housing\nAccelerators- India (ASHA-I) for incubation and accelerator support.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pradhan\nMantri Awas Yojana \u2013 Gramin (PMAY-G) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It aims at providing a pucca\nhouse, with basic amenities, to all houseless and those households living in\nkutcha and dilapidated house, by 2022.<\/li><li>It is implemented by Ministry\nof Rural Development.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-what-is-snowex-6188445\/\"><strong>Explained:\nWhat is SnowEx<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News<\/strong>: NASA has launched a seasonal campaign which is a part of <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>SnowEx is a five year program\ninitiated and funded by NASA\u2019s Terrestrial Hydrology Program<\/li><li>It aims to address the most\nimportant gaps in our snow remote sensing knowledge. It seeks to lay groundwork\nfor a snow satellite mission to study global snow water equivalent (SWE).<\/li><li>SnowEx seeks to study six broad\nsnow climate categories in North America. It includes tundra (alpine or\nArctic), taiga (Boreal forest), warm (temperate) forest, maritime, prairie, and\nephemeral.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\nInformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Snow\nWater Equivalent:<\/strong> It is the amount of water\ncontained within the snowpack i.e. the depth of water that will result if the\nentire snowpack is melted instantaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/earliest-sanskrit-inscription-in-south-india-found-in-ap\/article30397972.ece\">Earliest\nSanskrit inscription in South India found in A.P.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The Epigraphy Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India has\ndiscovered the earliest epigraphic evidence for the Saptamatrika cult<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe discovery<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It was discovered in Andhra\nPradesh.<\/li><li>The inscription is in Sanskrit\nand in Brahmi characters. It was issued by Satavahana king Vijaya in 207 A.D.<\/li><li>It is also the earliest\nSanskrit inscription to have been discovered in South India so far.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nSaptamatrika:<\/strong> Saptamatrika is a group of seven\nmother-goddesses (each of whom is the Shakti) worshipped in Hinduism<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/newsite\/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=196121\"><strong>Prime\nMinister releases Operational Guidelines for the implementation of Jal Jeevan\nMission (JJM)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The&nbsp;Prime Minister released the Operational Guidelines of Jal Jeevan\nMission<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Jal Jeevan Mission:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Aim:<\/strong> Provide potable water in\n adequate quantity (55 litre per capita per day) of prescribed quality (BIS\n Standard of IS: 10500) on regular basis to all rural households by 2024.<\/li><li><strong>Implementing Ministry:<\/strong> It will be\n implemented by <strong>Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation<\/strong> under\n the Jal Shakti Ministry.<\/li><li><strong>Institutional\n arrangement&nbsp; for Implementation<\/strong>:<\/li><li>National Jal Jeevan Mission at\nthe Central level;<\/li><li>State Water and Sanitation\nMission (SWSM) at State level;<\/li><li>District Water and Sanitation\nMission (DWSM) at district level; and<\/li><li>Village Water Sanitation\nCommittee (VWSC)\/ Paani Samiti at village Level.<\/li><li><strong>Features:<\/strong><\/li><li>Focus on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at\nthe local level. <\/li><li>Implement source sustainability measures recharge and reuse through\ngrey water management, water conservation, and rain water harvesting.<\/li><li>Convergence with other Central and State Government Schemes to\nachieve sustainable water supply management across India.<\/li><li>Generate maximum community participation in the form of \u2018jan\nandolan\u2019 to achieve functional household tap connection by 2024.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1597767\">Shehri Samridhi\nUtsav<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana &#8211; National Urban Livelihoods Mission\n(DAY-NULM will be organising a consultative meeting to set out the framework\nfor Shehri Samriddhi Utsav (SSU) 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nShehri Samriddhi Utsav<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Launched in 2019, it is an\ninitiative of Ministry of Housing &amp; Urban Affairs (MoHUA).<\/li><li>It aims to extend the outreach\nof Deendayal Antyodaya Mission \u2013 National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM),\nto the most vulnerable people.<\/li><li>It also seeks to showcase its\ninitiatives and facilitate access of Self-Help Group (SHG) members to the other\ngovernment schemes.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDeendayal Antyodaya Yojana &#8211; National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was launched by Ministry of Housing and\nUrban affairs in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aim:<\/strong> To reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Strategy:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Building capacity of the urban\npoor<\/li><li>Enhancing and expanding\nexisting livelihoods options of the urban poor<\/li><li>Building skills to enable\naccess to growing market-based job opportunities<\/li><li>Training and support to the\nestablishment of micro-enterprises by the urban poor<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Implementation:<\/strong> In all District Headquarter Towns and all other cities with a\npopulation of 1, 00,000 or more as per 2011 census<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/mgnrega-trends-fewer-jobs-since-july-wider-demand-supply-gap-6188148\/\"><strong>MGNREGA\ntrends: fewer jobs since July, wider demand-supply gap<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The gap between the number of households\ndemanding MGNREGA work and the number who were provided work has been the\nhighest in 2019-20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mahatma\nGandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was enacted in 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Aim:<\/strong> To\nenhance livelihood security of household in rural areas of India<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Objectives: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>To guarantee 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households.<\/li><li>Creation of durable rural assets<\/li><li>Social inclusion of women, SCs and STs<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Beneficiary: <\/strong>Adultmembers of any rural\nhouseholds willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the\nstatutory minimum wage. Minimum one-third of the workers\nshould be women<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key features:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Provides legal right to employment<\/li><li>Gram Panchayat is mandated to\nprovide employment with 15 days of work application, failing which worker is\nentitled to unemployment allowance<\/li><li>Wages must be paid according to\nthe wages specified for agricultural labourers in the state&nbsp;under the\nMinimum Wages Act, 1948 or as notified by Central govt.<\/li><li>Payment of wages within 15 days of\ncompetition of work, failing which worker is entitled to delay compensation of\n0.05%\/ day of wages earned<\/li><li>Geo-tagging all assets created\nunder MGNREGA.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Implementation:<\/strong> Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) in association with state\ngovernments monitors the implementation of the scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/ugc-issues-norms-for-ethics-in-higher-education\/article30405203.ece\"><strong>UGC\nissues norms for ethics in higher education<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,Union\nMinister of Human Resource Development(MHRD) has adopted the Quality\nImprovement Programme Mandate developed by UGC to improve the quality in higher\neducational institutions<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nQuality Improvement Programme Mandate:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The quality mandate aims at\nevolving higher education system to equip the country&#8217;s next generation with\nvital skills, knowledge and ethics for leading a rewarding life.<\/li><li>The mandate was developed by the\nUniversity Grants Commission (UGC) which contains 5 documents covering the 5\nverticals of Quality Mandate.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the 5\nverticals of Quality Mandate:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Evaluation reforms:<\/strong>UGC\nhas published Evaluation Reforms in Higher Educational Institutions in India in\norder to make student assessment more meaningful, effective and linked to\n\u2018Learning Outcomes\u2019.<\/li><li><strong>Eco-friendly and Sustainable\nUniversity Campuses:<\/strong>The SATAT Framework encourages\nuniversities to adopt reflective policies and practices to enhance the\nenvironmental quality of the campus and to adopt sustainable green and sustainable\nmethods in its future.<\/li><li><strong>Human Values and professional\nethics:<\/strong>UGC has also developed a policy framework named MulyaPravah which\nare Guidelines for Inculcation of Human Values and Professional Ethics in\nHigher Educational Institutions.<\/li><li><strong>Faculty Induction Programme:<\/strong>The\nGuidelines for Guru-Dakshata \u2013 A guide to Faculty Induction programme(FIP) aims\nto sensitise and motivate the faculty to adopt learner centred approaches, ICT\nintegrated learning and new pedagogic approaches to teaching-learning,\nassessment tools in higher education.<\/li><li><strong>Academic Research and integrity:<\/strong>UGC\nhas set up a Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (UGC-CARE) to\ncontinuously monitor and identify quality journals across disciplines.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About UGC:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The University Grants Commission of\nIndia (UGC India) is a statutory body set up by the Indian Union government in\naccordance to the UGC Act,1956 under Ministry of Human Resource Development.<\/li><li>It is charged with\ncoordination,determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.It\nprovides recognition to universities in India and disburses funds to such\nrecognised universities and colleges.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1597823\"><strong>Scheme\nfor Enhancement of Competitiveness in Capital Goods Sector to be Scaled up<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Ministry\nof Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises is implementing the scheme for\nEnhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nscheme:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Department of Heavy Industry in the\nMinistry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises had launched the scheme for\nEnhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector in 2014.<\/li><li>The scheme is focused on making the\nIndian capital goods sector globally competitive and give a boost to the Indian\neconomy.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It aims to address the\ntechnological obsolescence, limited access to quality industrial infrastructure\nand common facilities in the capital goods sector.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Objectives\nof the scheme:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>To encourage technology development\nthrough joint participation with Academia, Industry R&amp;D institute and\nGovernment and facilitate transfer\/acquiring the critical technologies in the\ncapital goods\nsector.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>To create common physical\ninfrastructure for enhancing the competitiveness of the local industry, enabling\nit to withstand the import penetration.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Components\nOf The Scheme:<\/strong>The scheme has five components to achieve the\ndesired result in pilot mode &#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Advanced Centres of Excellence<\/li><li>Integrated Industrial\nInfrastructure Facilities(IIFC)<\/li><li>Common Engineering Facility\nCentre(CEFC)<\/li><li>Testing &amp; Certification\nCentre(T&amp;CC) and&nbsp;<\/li><li>Technology Acquisition Fund\nProgramme(TAFP).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nCapital Goods Sector:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Capital Goods refer to products\nthat are used in the production of other products but are not incorporated into\nthe new product.<\/li><li>These include machine tools,\nindustrial machinery, process plant equipment, construction &amp; mining\nequipment, electrical equipment, textile machinery, printing &amp; packaging\nmachinery among others.<\/li><li>Capital Goods industry is\nconsidered as the most important component of manufacturing sector.<\/li><li>The manufacturing sector is crucial\nfor the development of the country\u2019s economy as the Capital Goods industry\ncontributes about 12% to the total manufacturing activity in India that is\nabout 2% of the GDP.&nbsp;<\/li><li>The Government of India has set a\ntarget of USD 1 trillion manufacturing economy in the next five years and to\nachieve this the sector has to grow at double digits.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/newsonair.com\/News?title=Ladakhi-New-Year-being-celebrated-with-traditional-fervor-%26-enthusiasm&amp;id=376696\"><strong>Ladakhi\nNew Year being celebrated with traditional fervor &amp; enthusiasm<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Union\nTerritory of Ladakh is celebrating Losar Festival on 27 December 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Losar\nFestival:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Losar is Tibetan word for new\nyear.Losar festival is celebrated to mark the Ladakhi or Tibetan New Year.<\/li><li>The festival is regarded as the\nmost important socio-religious event of Ladakh.<\/li><li>The festival is held annually on\nthe 1st Day of the Eleventh Month of Tibetan Calendar correlating to a date in\nthe Gregorian calendar.&nbsp;<\/li><li>During the festival,Ladakhi\nBuddhists make religious offering before their deities in the domestic shrines\nor in the Gompas.<\/li><li>The festival also organises various\ncultural events, ancient rituals and also traditional performances.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The variation of the Losar festival\nin Nepal is called as Lhochhar festival. It is observed about eight weeks\nearlier than the Tibetan Losar.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/news\/science\/ccmb-kicks-off-its-young-innovators-program\/article30413987.ece\"><strong>CCMB\nkicks off its Young Innovators Program<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Council\nof Scientific and Industrial Research-Centre for Cellular and Molecular\nBiology(CCMB) has launched its 7 Young Innovators\u2019 Program (YIP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Young\nInnovators\u2019 Program(YIP):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Council of Scientific and\nIndustrial Research-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology(CCMB) Young\nInnovators is a program for school children.<\/li><li>The program aims to emphasize that\ncreativity, keen interest and enthusiasm are the main components of success in\nscience by giving access to active research labs via this program.<\/li><li>It identifies talented young\nstudents of grades VIII to X and encourages them to appreciate scientific\nmethodologies through this program.<\/li><li>The selected students carry out\nexperiments such as preparation and analysis of their own DNA, preparation and\nexamination of nanoparticles, grow bacteria and count them.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Apart from this, they also interact\nwith various scientists and discuss their work during the program.On successful\ncompletion of the program, students are awarded with a certificate.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About CCMB:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular\nBiology(CCMB) is a premier research organization in frontier areas of modern\nbiology.&nbsp;<\/li><li>The objectives of the Centre are to\nconduct high quality basic research and training in frontier areas of modern\nbiology and promote centralized national facilities for new and modern\ntechniques in the interdisciplinary areas of biology.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/economy\/to-control-strays-centre-pushes-new-technology-to-produce-only-female-calves\/article30405061.ece\"><strong>To\ncontrol strays, Centre pushes new technology to produce only female calves<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nCentre has found an innovative solution to control stray animal population.It\nis implementing the sex-sorting semen technology for artificial insemination\nwhich will produce only female animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Sexed\nSemen:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sexed semen technology is about\npreselecting the sex of offspring by sorting or separating the X-sperms from\nY-sperms.<\/li><li>The aim is to deliver freedom from\nmale calves by ensuring that cows are inseminated by semen containing only\nX-chromosome-bearing sperms.This will ensure that only a female calf is born.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How does\nthis process works?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The reproductive system of cattle\nis similar to humans.Cows carry XX chromosomes while bull semen carries both X\nand Y.<\/li><li>If the egg fertilized with an \u2018X\u2019\nchromosome,a female calf is born and if with \u2018Y\u2019, a male is born.<\/li><li>There are two techniques to produce\nsexed semen (a)One is the \u2018sorting process\u2019 in which \u2018X\u2019 and \u2018Y\u2019 chromosomes\nare separated. \u2018X\u2019 are retained and \u2018Y\u2019 discarded and (b)The other is in which\n\u2018Y\u2019 chromosomes are altogether killed.<\/li><li>After this,Cows are impregnated\nusing sexed semen through the artificial insemination process with consumption\nof one straw per cow.<\/li><li>Artificial insemination is the\ntechnique in which semen with living sperm is collected from the male and\nintroduced into female reproductive tract at the proper time with the help of\ninstruments.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Significance\nof this method:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This method is being used as male\ncalves are considered a financial burden.They are either killed or abandoned on\nthe roads by farmers as they do not give milk.<\/li><li>This has led to an increasing\nnumber of cattle roaming the streets which has caused fatal road accidents as\nwell.<\/li><li>Hence,this technology would help\ndairy farmers ensure production of only female calves which would eventually\nput an end to the practice of abandoning the male calves that later posing a\nmajor threat to human life in the form of the stray cattle.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/markets\/stocks\/news\/financial-system-stable-despite-slowdown-rbi-report\/articleshow\/72997359.cms\"><strong>Financial\nsystem stable despite slowdown:RBI report&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nReserve Bank of India has released its biannual Financial Stability\nReport,2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nFinancial Stability Report:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Financial Stability Report are\nbi-annual reports published by the Reserve Bank of India(RBI).<\/li><li>The report is the collective\nassessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development\nCouncil (FSDC) on risks to financial stability.<\/li><li>It reviews the nature, magnitude\nand implications of risks that may have a bearing on the macroeconomic\nenvironment, financial institutions, markets and infrastructure.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\ntakeaways from the report:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>On India\u2019s\nEconomic Growth:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Reserve Bank has said that the\ncountry&#8217;s financial system remains stable despite slowing economic\ngrowth.&nbsp;<\/li><li>The aggregate demand has slowed\ndown in the second half of the current financial year ending March 2020 adding\nto an already slowing economic growth.<\/li><li>The Global factors such as a delay\nin Brexit deal, trade tensions, impending recession, oil-market disruptions and\ngeopolitical risks has caused uncertainties leading to a significant\ndeceleration in growth.<\/li><li>The reviving of the twin engines of\nIndia\u2019s economic growth namely private consumption and investment while being\nvigilant about developments in global financial markets remain a critical\nchallenge for RBI.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>On Banking\nSector:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Banks capital adequacy ratio\nhas improved significantly after the recapitalisation of public sector\nbanks(PSBs) by the government.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code\n(IBC) has tackled the issue of bad loans which had slowed down the performance\nand growth of private, public-sector banks and even non-banks.<\/li><li>RBI has also taken several policy\nmeasures to improve the condition of the financial system such as\n(a)introducing a liquidity management regime for NBFCs (b)improving the banks\u2019\ngovernance culture (c)resolution of stressed assets and (d)for the development\nof payment infrastructure.<\/li><li>However,RBI expects the banks gross\nnon-performing asset(GNPA) ratio to increase from 9.3% in September 2019 to\n9.9% by September 2020.<\/li><li>This is primarily due to change in\nmacroeconomic scenario, marginal increase in slippages and the denominator effect\nof declining credit growth.<\/li><li>Further,the frauds reported by the\nbanks touched an all time high of around Rs 1.13 lakhs in the FY19.The frauds\nreported between 2001-18 accounted to 90% of the frauds registered in 2019\nalone.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nCapital Adequacy Ratio(CAR):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Capital Adequacy Ratio(CAR) is the\nratio of a bank\u2019s capital in relation to its risk weighted assets and current\nliabilities.&nbsp;<\/li><li>It is decided by central banks and\nbank regulators to prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and\nbecoming insolvent in the process.<\/li><li>The risk weighted assets take into\naccount (a)credit risk (b)market risk and (c)operational risk while deciding\nCapital Adequacy Ratio(CAR).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-significance-of-iran-china-russia-holding-a-joint-naval-exercise-in-indian-ocean-and-gulf-of-oman-6188020\/\"><strong>Explained:Significance\nof Iran, China, Russia holding joint naval drill in Indian Ocean and Gulf of\nOman<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Iran,\nChina and Russia has began a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean and Gulf\nof Oman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nNaval Exercise:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The aim of this exercise is to\nbolster security of international maritime commerce, combatting piracy and\nterrorism and sharing information and experience.<\/li><li>The exercise began in the port city\nof Chabahar in southeastern Iran and are due to continue in northern parts of\nthe Indian Ocean.<\/li><li>The exercise comes at a time of\nheightened tensions between the US and Iran after the United States had\nwithdrawn from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in May,2018.<\/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 Gulf of Oman where the exercise\nis being held is a critical waterway as it connects the Arabian Sea to the\nStrait of Hormuz.<\/li><li>It is located between energy\nproducers countries namely Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar,\nOman (the exclave of Musandam), and the United Arab Emirates(UAE).<\/li><li>A fifth of the world\u2019s oil passes\nthrough this waterway \u2014 around 30% of all sea-borne crude oil globally.<\/li><li>Since 2019, the region around the\nGulf of Oman has been a focal point of global tensions.<\/li><li>In June 2019,two tankers were\nattacked in the Gulf of Oman.The ship were carrying oil and other transporting\na cargo of chemicals near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The US\nhas blamed Iran for the attack but Iran had denied the allegations.<\/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=\"423\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture2-22.png?resize=750%2C423&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54728\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-who-was-swami-shraddhanand-who-fell-to-bullets-in-december-1926-6188039\/\"><strong>Explained:Swami\nShraddhanand and Arya Samaj<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,Arya\nSamaj observed the death anniversary of Arya Samaj Missionary Swami\nShraddhanand who was assassinated on December 23, 1926.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Swami\nShraddhanand:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Swami Shraddhanand was born on\nFebruary 22,1856 at village Talwan in Jalandhar district in Punjab province.<\/li><li>In the early 1880s, he came into contact\nwith Swami Dayanand, the founder of the Arya Samaj.Shraddhanand also wrote a\nbook called Hindu Sangathan.<\/li><li>By 1923, he focussed primarily on\nthe shuddhi movement(reconversion to Hinduism).<\/li><li>Shuddhi Movement was started by\nArya Samaj to bring back the people who had converted to Islam and Christianity\nfrom Hinduism.Swami Dayanand Sarawati played a prominent role in the shuddhi\nmovement.<\/li><li>In 1923, he also became the\npresident of Bharatiya Hindu Shuddhi Sabha created with an aim of reconverting\nMuslims specifically Malkani Rajputs in the western United Province.<\/li><li>He was also against the then\nprevailing social inequality in Indian society particularly untouchability\nwhich he termed as a curse and a blot on the reputation of the Hindus.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Arya\nSamaj:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform\nmovement that was founded by Dayanand Saraswati in 1875 in Bombay.The movement\nbelieves in the infallible authority of the Vedas.<\/li><li>The central objectives of Arya\nSamaj is to eradicate Ignorance (Agyan), Indigence or Poverty (Abhav) and\nInjustice (Anayay) from this earth.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/a-hundred-tibetan-gazelles\/article30357767.ece\"><strong>A hundred\nTibetan gazelles<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,the\nTibetan gazelles has been in the news for its declining population since the\nlast decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nTibetan gazelles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Tibetan gazelles are also known as\ngoa (Procapra picticaudata).They are a species of antelope that inhabits the\nTibetan plateau.<\/li><li>The Tibetan gazelles are endemic to\nthe Tibetan plateau and given its wide distribution across Tibet, Ladakh and\nparts of Sikkim.<\/li><li>They are listed as Near Threatened\nin the IUCN red list.<\/li><li>Tibetan gazelles fur lacks an\nundercoat.It consists of long guard hairs only and is notably thicker in winter.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Threat:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>According to recent assessments,the\npopulation of Tibetan Gazelles is on the decline since the last decade.<\/li><li>Hunting and intensified livestock\ngrazing are the primary causes of the decline of the Tibetan gazelle.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/iaf-bids-farewell-to-its-iconic-mig-27\/articleshow\/73002079.cms\"><strong>IAF bids\nfarewell to its most lethal MiG-27 as it flies one last time<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nMiG-27 which is known as Bahadur has been decommissioned by the Indian Air\nForce(IAF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About MIG\n27:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The MIG 27 was commissioned into\nthe Indian Air Force in 1985 from erstwhile Soviet Union(Russia).<\/li><li>It was initially developed in the\nSoviet Union and later indigenously manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics\nLimited in India.<\/li><li>The aircraft is known for its role\nduring the 1999 Kargil War which earned the nickname \u2018Bahadur\u2019 from IAF pilots.<\/li><li>The aircraft is currently in\nservice with the Kazakhstan and Sri Lankan Air Forces in the ground attack\nrole.All Russian and Ukrainian MiG-27s have been retired.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Features of\nthe aircraft:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The aircraft has a single-engine\nwhich is the most powerful in the world and variable geometry wing.This wing\nallows the fighter pilot to change the wing sweep angle as per the mission\nrequirements.<\/li><li>The maximum speed of the aircraft\nis 1,700 km\/hr.It can carry up to 4,000 kg of other armament externally.<\/li><li>It is upgraded with the state of\nthe art avionics and weapon computers.It has the capability to deliver\ndifferent loads on ground targets with precision.<\/li><li>It also has the capability to drop\nbombs, precision munitions guided by TV\/laser and also air-to-air missiles for\nself-defence.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than 1 cr houses sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana (Urban) News: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has informed that one crore houses have already been sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana (Urban). Facts: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission was launched in 2015. It aims to provide housing for all in urban areas by&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-december-28th-2019\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 December 28th, 2019<\/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-54721","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":1704626699},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54721","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=54721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54721\/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=54721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}