SPECIAL CURRENT AFFAIRS (G.S.) 2018-2019

For UPSC/ PSC/SSC .✌✌✌ Daily Important Highlights from various Newspaper

Indian Ocean Dipole and Its Impact on Indian Monsoon Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) also known as Indian Nino is an irregular oscillation of sea-surface temperature, in which the Western Indian Ocean becomes alternately warmer and then colder than the eastern part of the ocean. Positive IOD During the Positive IOD, the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean off Sumatra in Indonesia becomes colder than normalwhile the western tropical part of the Indian Ocean near the African coast becomes unusually warm. Such an event has been found to be beneficial for the monsoon. Negative IOD In this case the opposite of the above mentioned case occurs. The eastern equatorial Indian Ocean off Sumatra in Indonesia becomes abnormally warm while the western tropical part of the ocean near the African coast becomes relatively colder. This effect obstructs the progression of monsoon over India. Interplay between IOD and El Nino on Indian Monsoon Indian monsoon depends upon not only El Nino La Nina but also IOD and other such ocean phenomena. As mentioned above, an IOD can either aggravate or weaken the impact of El Nino on Indian monsoon. If there is a positive IOD, it can bring good rains to India despite of an El Nino year. For example, positive IOD had facilitated normal or excess rainfall over India in 1983, 1994 and 1997 despite an El Nino in those years. Similarly, during years such as 1992, a negative IOD and El Nino had cooperatively produced deficient rainfall. The positive IOD in 2007 appeared together with La Niña which is a very rare phenomenon that has happened only once in the available historical data (in 1967).

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948 headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations. Flag of the World Health Organization. The constitution of the World Health Organization had been signed by 61 countries on 7 April 1948, with the first meeting of the World Health Assembly finishing on 24 July 1948. It incorporated the Office International d'Hygiène Publique and the League of Nations Health Organization. Since its creation, it has played a leading role in the eradication of smallpox. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and ageing; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and driving the development of reporting, publications, and networking. The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day. The Director-General of WHO is Tedros Adhanom who started his five-year term on 1 July 2017.

Nabakalebara Festival Nabakalebara festival is an ancient ritual that is observed in the Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri, Odisha at predefined time according to Hindu Calender. Naba means new and Kalebara is body. In this festival, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra and Sudarshan are replaced by new idols as it is believed that Lord Shree Jagannath adornes new body during Nabakalebara. It is usually comes in every twelve to nineteen years based on the auspicious two months of Ashadha in a year called as Purusottam month as per the Hindu calendar.

Value Capture Finance (VCF) :- -> Type of Public finance. -> Useful in achieving urban development targets. -> Exmples are- Land value tax, Betterment levy, etc. KUSUM- To set up more than 28 GW of combined solar capacity through solar pumps. Kirigami, recently in news, is - -> An ancient paper cutting techniques. Mihir :- -> High Performance Computing Facility. -> It will provide a facility for improving weather climate forecasts. -> It is India's largest HPC facility in terms of peak capacity and performance. Financial Stability Board: -> International body that monitors global financial system. -> Established after 2009 G20 London summit. -> Board includes G20 major economies, European Commission. -> HQ Basel Operation Save Kurma - 1. To combat illegal trade of live turtles. 2. Conducted by WCCB only. 3. WCCB was presented Certificate by CITES. Amravati = 5th planned city in India after Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Gandhi Nagar, Naya Raipur. -> First Greenfield smart city of India. -> Krishna river bank. -> A stupa built by Ashoka. Chitrakote waterfall (Chattisgarh) => called Niagra falls of India= largest waterfall of India. -> 100 ft height, 150 width. -> River indravati, tributary of Godavari is its source. Following birds with lakes: 1. Siberian crane - Keoladeo National park (Rajasthan). 2. Florican - Bengal lakes. 3. Jerdon's courser- Sri Lankamaleswara (AP) “Thank You India” Campaign 2018: What is it? The exiled government of Tibet has launched a year-long ‘Thank you India” campaign to mark the 60th year of the arrival of the spiritual leader Dalai Lama to India. Walong tri-junction: - Context: Indian troops have increased their patrolling at a tri-junction of India, China and Myanmar to prevent a repeat of a Doklam-like standoff. Where is it? The tri-junction is located around 50 km from Walong, India’s easternmost town in Arunachal Pradesh, near the Tibet region. It is situated on the bank of Lohit river.

🦅🦅 Great Indian Bustard 🦅🦅 🦅1. Critically endangered — IUCN Red data list 🦅 2. Heaviest of the flying birds 🦅 3. These birds are often found associated in the same habitat as blackbuck. 4. Habitat 🦅 Arid and semi-arid grasslands with scattered short scrub, bushes and low intensity cultivation in flat or gently undulating terrain. It avoids irrigated areas 🦅 Found in India and the adjoining regions of Pakistan 🦅 In India, the bird was historically found in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Today the bustard is restricted to isolated pockets in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan 5. Threats 🦅 widespread hunting for sport and food 🦅 Activities such as mining, stone quarrying, growth of industries, heavy pesticide use, grassland conversion and power projects along with the expansion of roads, electricity pylons, wind turbines, solar energy projects and other infrastructures have increased the severity of habitat degradation and disturbance 6. Protection 🦅 CITES Appendix I. 🦅 Schedule 1 (Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2002 ) 🦅 Project Great Indian Bustard — state of Rajasthan — identifying and fencing off bustard breeding grounds in existing protected areas as well as provide secure breeding enclosures in areas outside protected areas 7. Protected areas Desert National Park Sanctuary — Rajasthan 🦅🦆 Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary – Andhra Pradesh🦆🦅 🦅🦆 Karera Wildlife Sanctuary– Madhya Pradesh🦆🦅

Konark Sun Temple Part of ancient Surya Cult Built by Ganga Dynasty in 13 AD. Other temples enshrine SUN GOD as principal Deity 1⃣Suryanar Kovil, Tamil Nadu. 2⃣Modhera temple, Gujarat. 3⃣ Brahmanya Dev Temple, Unnao, Madhya Pradesh. 4⃣Dakshinarka temple, Gaya, Bihar. 5⃣Sun temple, Assam. 6⃣Martand Sun Temple, Kashmir. 7⃣ Arsavalli Sun Temple, Andhra Pradesh

3 national parks/ wildlife sanctuary on Borders wih Nepal are -🏞🏞 1. Dudhwa National Park, 2. Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, 3. Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary.

Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri (Odisha). Built in 11th century Built by: Raja Chodaganga It is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath , a form of lord Vishnu. (One of Char dham)

Invasive species of plants in India: 1. Lantana camara 2. Eupatorium 3. Parthenium

Dang Darbar - 1. Its a tribe in Gujarat. 2. Known for their Darbars- gatherings. 3. Teak or Sag trees determine their wealth and supremacy.

'O' Valley often in news belongs to - 1. Western ghats 2. Nilgiri hills 3. Home of Todas tribe 4. Evergreen hotspot in Tamil Nadu.

**Gharial (Gavial or fish eating crocodile)** Critically Endangered — IUCN Red List The male gharial has a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known in Hindias  Hence the name. Habitat — foremost flowing rivers with high sand banks that they use for basking and building nests Gharials once inhabited all the major river systems of the Indian Subcontinent, from the Irrawaddy Riverin the east to the Indus River in the west. Their distribution is now limited to only 2% of their former range India: Girwa River, Chambal River, Ken River, Son River, Mahanadi River, Ramganga River Nepal: Rapti-Narayani River Conservation Shedule 1 species under Indian wildlife act, 1972 Project Crocodile began in 1975 (Government of India+ United Nations Development Fund + Food and Agriculture Organization) —  intensive captive breeding and rearing program Protected areas National Chambal Sanctuary Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary

☔️ In the Atlantic and northern Pacific, thestorms are called hurricanes after the Caribbean god of evil, named Hurrican. ☔️ In the northwestern Pacific, the same powerful storms are called typhoons ☔️ In the southeastern Indian Ocean and southwestern Pacific, they are called **cyclones**

Ichthyosaur, recently in news, - An extinct fish lizard reptile found in Kutch district of Gujarat.

Bootstrapping, in news, is - A self funding way of startup financing as first time entrepreneur.

In past few years terms like Locky + Wannacry + Petya refers to - -> Ransomware cyber attacks.

UPI unified payment interface Built by NPCI + regulated by RBI+ works on principle of unique virtual address.

Zero Hunger Programme - launched not by any ministry but ICAR + ICMR with target on farm sector + Genetic garden + Horticulture in 3 states + It is under SDGs 2030.

President_Kovind plants a Baobab sapling in Rashtrapati Bhavan Garden. Gifted by University of Madagascar, Baobab tree which has a life span of over 2,000 years.