Current Affairs Question - March 2020

Explanation :

• Exercise Red Flag is a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise held several times a year by the United States Air Force.
• It aims to offer realistic air-combat training for military pilots and other flight crew members from the United States and allied countries.
• First held in 1975, the Red Flag exercises bring together air crews from the United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN), United States Marine Corps (USMC), United States Army (USA) and numerous NATO and other allied nations' air forces.
• Only countries considered friendly towards the United States take part in Red Flag exercises.

Explanation :

• The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM Act), 2003, establishes financial discipline to reduce fiscal deficit
• The FRBM Bill was introduced by the then finance minister, Yashwant Sinha, in 2000. The Bill, approved by the Union Cabinet in 2003, became effective from July 5, 2004.
• It aims to introduce transparency in India's fiscal management systems.
• The Act’s long-term objective is for India to achieve fiscal stability and to give the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) flexibility to deal with inflation in India.

Key features

The FRBM Act made it mandatory for the government to place the following along with the Union Budget documents in Parliament annually:

• Medium Term Fiscal Policy Statement
• Macroeconomic Framework Statement
• Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement

Escape Clause

• Escape clause generally refers to a contract provision that specifies the conditions under which a party can be freed from an obligation.
• The escape clause under the FRBM Act details a set of events in which the Central government can deviate from fiscal deficit targets.
• It provide flexibility to governments to overshoot fiscal deficit targets in times of need, enabling them to respond to economic shocks.
• To ensure escape clauses are not misused, they are generally allowed only in exceptional circumstances, and with a check on the quantum of deviation.
• The term was used by FRBM Review Committee headed by NK Singh, in 2016.

Explanation :

• Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established in 1948 with public contributions to assist displaced persons from Pakistan.
• The fund is recognized as a Trust under the Income Tax Act and the same is managed by Prime Minister or multiple delegates for national causes.
• PMNRF accepts voluntary contributions from Individuals, Organizations, Trusts, Companies and Institutions etc.
• The resources of the fund are utilized to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc.
• In addition it assists partially to defray the expenses for medical treatment like heart surgery, kidney transplantation, cancer treatment of needy people and acid attack etc.

Explanation :

• Indian Army launched “Operation Namaste” to contain the spread of Corona Virus in the country.
• Under the operation, the army will help the Government of India fight against the deadly disease.
• Under the operation, Indian Army has established 8 quarantine so far. Also, Command wise help line numbers have been established.

Mo Jiban (My Life)

• It is a new programme launched by Odisha Government, under which people of the State have to take a resolute vow to stay home and not to go outside during the lockdown period to remain safe from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Explanation :

• The Kuril Islands is a volcanic archipelago in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast that stretches approximately 1,300 km northeast from Hokkaido, Japan to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean.
• These form part of the ring of tectonic instability encircling the Pacific Ocean referred to as the Ring of Fire.
• The Islands are currently under Russian administration. However, they are also claimed by Japan.
• Four islands - which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories - are the subject of a 60-year-old dispute between the two nations.
• These four islands - Kunashir (known in Japanese as Kunashiri), Iturup (Etorofu), Shikotan and the rocky Habomai islets.

Explanation :

• Reunion is an overseas department and region of the French Republic and an island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar and 175 km southwest of Mauritius.
• Administratively, it is one of the overseas departments of France.
• Like the other four overseas departments, it is also one of the 18 regions of France, with the modified status of overseas region, and an integral part of the republic with the same status as Metropolitan France.
• The official language is French. In addition, the majority of the region's population speaks Reunion Creole.
• The Island is home to one of the world’s most active volcanoes, the Piton de la Fournaise, which is also a World Heritage site.

Explanation :

• Kurzarbeit is Germany’s existing scheme that provides for partial compensation for a worker’s earnings in adverse situations.
• Kurzarbeit is German for “short-work”. The policy was rolled out during the 2008 economic crisis while its origins date back as far as the early 20th century, before and after World War I.
• Germany’s use of Kurzarbeit during the 2008-2009 economic crisis has been cited as one of the reasons why the country was able to hold its unemployment rate to within 7.5 per cent even during the recession.

Mode of Working

• The policy provides for a short-time work allowance, called kurzarbeitgeld, which partially compensates for lost earnings during uncertain economic situations.
• They can apply for short-term work benefits under the scheme, with the government stepping in to pay employees a part of their lost income.
• This helps the companies retain their employees instead of laying them off, and allows the latter to sustain themselves for a period of up to 12 months.
• Payment under Kurzarbeit is calculated on the basis of net loss of earnings. As per Germany’s Federal Agency for Work, short-time employees generally receive about 60 per cent of the flat-rate net wage, In case there is at least one child in the house of the short-time worker, he/she receives 67 per cent of the flat-rate net wage.

Explanation :

• Hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide.
• The virus is named after the Hantan River area in South Korea, where one of the early strains of the virus was isolated in the 70s.
• They are also an RNA virus just like SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus).
• These belong to the order called Bunyavirales and have 12 families.
• The virus is transmitted by rodent excreta, saliva and sometimes, infected rodent bites.
• There are different kinds of illnesses caused by different hantaviruses, and they affect either the blood vessels or the lungs.
• Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as “New World” hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
• Other hantaviruses, known as “Old World” hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
• In HPS, there are muscle aches, fever, fatigue accompanied by breathing difficulties later. The most damage is observed in the lung, spleen and gall bladder.

Explanation :

• Gudhi Padwa is a spring-time festival that marks the traditional New Year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus celebrated in and near Maharashtra and Goa on the first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the New year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar.
• The word Padwa comes from the Sanskrit word pratipada, which refers to the first day of a lunar fortnight.
• The festival is observed with colorful floor decorations called rangoli, a special Gudhi flag (garlanded with flowers, mango and neem leaves, topped with upturned silver or copper vessel), street processions, dancing and festive foods,
• Cheti Chand is a festival that marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year for Sindhi Hindus.
• The date of the festival is based on the lunar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, falling on the first day of the year, in the Sindhi month of Chet (Chaitra).
• It typically falls in late March or early April in the Gregorian calendar on or about the same day as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in other parts of the Deccan region of India.
• Navreh is a Hindu Festival, which is celebrated by the Kashmiri Pandits as the New Year's Day.

Explanation :

• As per Article 110 of the Constitution of India, the Finance Bill is a Money Bill.
• The Finance Bill is a part of the Union Budget, stipulating all the legal amendments required for the changes in taxation proposed by the Finance Minister.
• This Bill encompasses all amendments required in various laws pertaining to tax, in accordance with the tax proposals made in the Union Budget.
• The Finance Bill, as a Money Bill, needs to be passed by the Lok Sabha — the lower house of the Parliament.
• Post the Lok Sabha’s approval, the Finance Bill becomes Finance Act.

Difference between a Money Bill and the Finance Bill

• A Money Bill has to be introduced in the Lok Sabha as per Section 110 of the Constitution. Then, it is transmitted to the Rajya Sabha for its recommendations.
• The Rajya Sabha has to return the Bill with recommendations in 14 days. However, the Lok Sabha can reject all or some of the recommendations.

Explanation :

• In 2018, the Department of Defence Production instituted a new framework titled ‘Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti’ which aims to provide a boost to the IPR culture in indigenous defence industry.
• The Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) has been entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating and implementing the programme.
• The end objective of the programme is to inculcate IP culture in Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.

Explanation :

• Launched in 2011, National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) is a network project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• The project aims to enhance resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change and climate vulnerability through strategic research and technology demonstration.
• It consists of four components viz. Strategic Research, Technology Demonstration, Capacity Building and Sponsored/Competitive Grants.
• The four modules of NICRA – natural resource management, improving soil health, crop production and livestock – is aimed making the farmers self-reliant.

Explanation :

• World Water Day is an annual UN observance day -22 March.
• The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
• The theme of focuses on topics relevant to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), which is in line with the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
• The World Water Day has been observed since 1993 and intends to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water.

Explanation :

• Namda is a type of traditional Kashmiri carpet made from sheep wool.
• The Namda carpets are made by felting sheep wool rather than by weaving. Many layers of sheep wool are flattened over each other using a tool called ‘‘pinjra’ and pressed with application of water.
• They are then embroidered with colored threads by the Kashmiri Aari Embroidery technique.
• The art consists of floral patterns which provide the themes for these masterpieces and flowers, leaves, buds and fruits are the essence of the designs.
• It is practiced as a craft in several cultures especially the countries throughout Asia such as Iran, Afghanistan and several places in Ladakh, Kutch and Kashmir and Rajasthan in India.

Explanation :

• Huntington’s disease, also known as Huntington's chorea, is a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.
• It deteriorates a person’s physical and mental abilities usually during their prime working years and has no cure.
• It is known as the quintessential family disease because every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene.

Cause

• It is caused by an expansion of a repeating CAG triplet series in the hunting in gene on chromosome 4, which results in a protein with an abnormally long polyglutamine sequence.

Symptoms

• Personality changes, mood swings & depression
• Forgetfulness & impaired judgment
• Unsteady gait & involuntary movements (chorea)
• Slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing & significant weight loss

Treatment

• There is currently no cure for Huntington's disease and no way to slow or stop the brain changes it causes. Treatments focus on managing symptoms.

Explanation :

• Teesta River (or Tista River) is a 315 km long river that rises in the eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal .
• The river originates from the Pahunri (or Teesta Kangse) glacier above 7,068 metres (23,189 ft), and flows southward through gorges and rapids in the Sikkim Himalaya.
• It is joined by the river Rangpo Chu at Rangpo settlement (which is the entrance to East-Sikkim) and then it forms a boundary between Sikkim and West Bengal. The River then flows through Darjeeling district.
• The main tributary of river Teesta, the Rangit River meets it just before the Teesta bridge.
• Teesta joins the Bramhaputra River (Jamuna River) at Fulchhari in Bangladesh.

Explanation :

• Coal Bed Methane (CBM), also known as Coal Seam Gas, is an unconventional form of natural gas found in coal deposits or coal seams.
• It is formed during the process of coalification, the transformation of plant material into coal.

Composition

• The composition of CBM in a sample of coal varies widely across several locations in the country.
• Generally, it consists predominantly of methane gas (CH4) although it can contain trace amounts of ethane (C2H6), carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O).

Extraction

• CBM can be recovered from underground coal before, during, or after mining operations.
• It can also be extracted from “unminable” coal seams that are relatively deep, thin or of poor or inconsistent quality.
• Vertical and horizontal wells are used to develop CBM resources.
• Extraction requires drilling wells into the coal seams and removing water contained in the seam to reduce hydrostatic pressure and release absorbed (and free) gas out of the coal.

Applications

• Power Generation: CBM has become increasingly used as a source of energy .It can be used in place of natural gas in gas turbines for power generation.
• Manufacturing: CBM can also be used as a feedstock for manufacturing fertilizers and plastics.

Explanation :

• On the basis of the recommendations of the 12th Plan Working Group on Sustainable Groundwater Management of the erstwhile Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog), the ambitious National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM) was launched in 2012, with CGWB as the executing body.

Aim

• To cover more than 25 million square kilometres that have been delineated hydrogeologically mappable.

Key Points

• One of the major objectives of NAQUIM is to promote participatory groundwater management. This can be achieved by empowering communities with a seamless flow of information and understanding of local aquifers.

Structurally there are four stages of activities in NAQUIM-

• Collection, compilation and analysis of existing data. Based on the data requirement protocol, data gaps are identified;
• The required data is then generated in data gap areas/domains through an array of scientific investigations;
• Integration of data, developing lithologic models and configuring aquifers. The hydraulic properties, resource behaviour, water level regime and chemical quality is established in space-time domain;
• Various supply and demand side interventions are worked out and recommended to sustainably use groundwater. Here, local issues are also addressed.

Explanation :

• Introduced in April, 2017, Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana is a scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to BPL category.

Key Points

• This is a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Central Government. The expenditure for implementation of the scheme will be met from the "Senior Citizens' Welfare Fund".
• The Scheme will be implemented through the sole implementing agency - Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a PSU under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Under the scheme, the physical aids will be provided only to the senior citizens of the nation.
• This implies those who are aged above 60 years will get free assisted living aids and physical devices which are required for their sustainability.
• Also the govt. has selected the list of cities where the scheme will be implemented.
• The main criteria for the senior citizens to get full benefits of the scheme is that they must belong to BPL family and should hold valid BPL card issued by the concerned authority.

Explanation :

• The United Nations Charter established six main organs of the United Nations, including the Security Council in 1945.
• It gives primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security to the Security Council, which may meet whenever peace is threatened.
• The council has 15 members: five permanent and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
• The five permanent members are- United States, the Russian Federation, France, China and the United Kingdom.

Non-Council Member States

• A State which is a Member of the United Nations but not of the Security Council may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the Council considers that country's interests are affected.
• Both Members and non-members of the United Nations, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the Council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the Council's discussions; the Council sets the conditions for participation by a non-member State.

Explanation :

• Appropriation Bill is a money bill that allows the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet its expenses during the course of a financial year.
• As per article 114 of the Constitution, the government can withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund only after receiving approval from Parliament.
• To put it simply, the Finance Bill contains provisions on financing the expenditure of the government, and Appropriation Bill specifies the quantum and purpose for withdrawing money.

Procedure

• The government introduces the Appropriation Bill in the lower house of Parliament after discussions on Budget proposals and Voting on Demand for Grants.
• The Appropriation Bill is first passed by the Lok Sabha and then sent to the Rajya Sabha.
• The Rajya Sabha has the power to recommend any amendments in this Bill.
• However, it is the prerogative of the Lok Sabha to either accept or reject the recommendations made by the upper house of Parliament.

Explanation :

• The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme was introduced by amending the Citizenship Act, 1955 in August 2005.
• The Scheme was launched during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention 2006 at Hyderabad.
• On 09 January 2015, the Government of India discontinued the PIO card and merged it with OCI card.
• The Government of India, on application, may register any person as an Overseas Citizen of India, if the person:
  • was a citizen of India on 26 January 1950 or at any time thereafter; or
  • belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15 August 1947; or
  • was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26 January 1950; or
  • is a child or a grandchild or a great-grandchild of such a citizen; or
  • is a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or
  • is a minor child and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India; or
  • is a spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application
• No person, who or either of whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents is or had been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, is eligible for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India.

Restrictions

• Do not have right to vote.
• Do not have right to any public service/government jobs
• Cannot hold offices of – Prime Minister, President, Vice -President, Judge of Supreme Court and High Court, member of Parliament or Member of state legislative assembly or council.
• Cannot own agricultural property.

Explanation :

• Boko Haram is an ISIS-aligned jihadist group based in northeastern Nigeria.
• It is also active in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
• It was founded in 2002 in Maiduguri, Nigeria, by a Salafist cleric named Mohammed Yusuf and seeks to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state, in Nigeria.
• The group's name has always been Jamā'atu Ahli is-Sunnah lid-Da'wati wal-Jihad, meaning "Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawa and Jihad".
• It is also known as Wilayat Garb Ifrqiya, meaning "West African Province", since March 2015 after becoming part of the Islamic State.

Explanation :

• The Sundarbans National Park is a national park, tiger reserve, and biosphere reserve in West Bengal, India.
• It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta, and adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh.
• The present Sundarban National Park was declared as the core area of Sundarban Tiger Reserve in 1973 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1977.
• On 4 May 1984 it was declared a national park.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987, and it has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2019.
• It is considered as a World Network of Biosphere Reserve (Man and Biosphere Reserve) from 1989.
• Sundarban has achieved its name from the Sundari tree.
• The endangered species that lives within the Sundarbans are royal Bengal tiger, saltwater crocodile, olive ridley turtle, hawksbill turtle and mangrove horseshoe crab.
• It is also home to a large number of “rare and globally threatened species, such as the critically endangered northern river terrapin (Batagur baska), the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the vulnerable fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).
• Two of the world’s four horseshoe crab species and eight of India’s 12 species of kingfisher are also found here.

Explanation :

• The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), formerly known as the Millennium Dam and sometimes referred to as Hidase Dam is an under construction gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region of Ethiopia.
• The dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed, as well as the seventh largest in the world.
• The dam is the centerpiece of Ethiopia’s bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter, with a projected capacity of more than 6,000 megawatts.

Blue Nile

• The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia.
• With the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile. The Blue Nile supplies about 80% of the water in the Nile during the rainy season.

Explanation :

• Oliver Gingold, who worked at Dow Jones, coined the phrase ‘Blue Chip’ in 1923.
• Blue chip stocks are shares of very large and well-recognised companies with a long history of sound financial performance.
• These stocks are known to have capabilities to endure tough market conditions and give high returns in good market conditions.
• These stocks generally cost high, as they have good reputation and are often market leaders in their respective industries.
• Investors turn to blue-chip stocks because they have dependable financials and often pay dividends.

Explanation :

• The red panda (Ailurusfulgens) is the only living member of the genus Ailurus and the family Ailuridae. It is also called the lesser panda, the red bear-cat, and the red cat-bear.
• It is arboreal and feeds mainly on bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day.
• It is endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas, and ranges from the foothills of western Nepal to China in the east.
• In India, it is found in Sikkim, western Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling district of West Bengal and parts of Meghalaya.
• It is also the state animal of Sikkim.
• Listed as Endangered in the IUCN red list of Threatened Species and under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the red panda has the highest legal protection at par with other threatened species.

Explanation :

• Recently, NITI Aayog released a report on the performance of States in the implementation of Poshan Abhiyan.
• Andhra Pradesh ranked 1st in country for the overall implementation of Poshan Abhiyan.
• As part of the programme the State has trained all Angan Wadi Workers on modules created based on lifecycle approach, i.e. first 1000 days of life, with the support of incremental learning Approach (ILA).
• On the other hand,Tamil Nadutops the list of the states in terms of the number of participants in the programme.

Explanation :

• Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body of Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.
• It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.
• It is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003.
• CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies.
• It is also mandated to frame regulations on adoption-related matters from time to time as per Section 68 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Explanation :

• The Punjab and Haryana High Court has declared Sukhna Lake(Chandigarh) as a living entity.
• The court invoked its parenspatriae jurisdiction to declare the lake as a ‘legal entity’ for its survival, preservation and conservation having a distinct persona with corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person.

About Sukhna Lake

• It is a rain-fed lake, located within Chandigarh and its catchment area falls both in Punjab and Haryana.
• The lake was constructed in 1958 and is spread over 3 sq km.
• An area of 2 km to 2.75 km around the lake has been declared as an eco-sensitive zone by the Chandigarh Administration.
• All activities in this area fall under provisions of the Environment Protection Act.

Explanation :

• The National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAPA) was established under section 171 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
• It was set up to monitor and to oversee whether the reduction or benefit of input tax credit is reaching the recipient by way of appropriate reduction in prices.

Aim

• The primary aim of the Authority is to ensure the benefits of reduction or lower taxes under the new GST regime are passed onto the end consumers.

Institutional Framework

• The National Anti-profiteering Authority comprises of a five-member committee, consisting of, a Chairman (equivalent to a rank of secretary in the government), four technical members (present/former commissioners of State tax or central tax departments).
• The Additional Director General of Safeguards under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBEC) would be the Secretary to NAA.

Function

• The Authority’s main function is to ensure that the registered suppliers under GST law are not profiteering by charging higher prices from recipients in the name of GST.

Explanation :

• ChapcharKut is an annual harvest festival of the Mizo Community in Mizoram state of India which marks the beginning of Spring Season.
• It is celebrated during March after completion of their most arduous task of jhum operation i.e., jungle-clearing (clearing of the remnants of burning).
• One of the greatest highlights of ChapcharKut is the popular bamboo dance called Cheraw, which features men tapping the bamboo sticks according to the rhythm of the dance and women adjust their dance moves with moving sticks.

Explanation :

• The Red-crowned roofed turtle is native to India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Historically, the species was widespread in the Ganga River, both in India and Bangladesh. It also occurs in the Brahmaputra basin.
• It is a freshwater turtle species found in deep flowing rivers with terrestrial nesting sites.
• Currently in India, the National Chambal River Gharial Sanctuary is the only area with substantial population of the species, but even this Protected Area and habitat are under threat.

Conservation Status

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) : Critically Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act (IWPA) : Schedule I
• The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) : Appendix II

Explanation :

• Luxembourg has become the first country in the world to make all public transport ‘free’ from February 29, 2020.
• Luxembourg abolished fares for trains, trams and buses in a bid to tackle road congestion and pollution, as well as supporting low earners.
• All standard-class journeys on public transport in the country are now free of charge, compared to an annual pass worth 440 euros ($485) before.
• Travellers can still pay for first class, at a cost of 660 euros a year.

Luxembourg

• Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe.
• It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south.
• Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the four official capitals of the European Union (together with Brussels, Frankfurt, and Strasbourg) and the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU.

Explanation :

• The Land Ports Authority of India(LPAI) is a statutory body established under the Land Ports Authority of India Act,2010.
• It functions under the administrative control of the Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The Authority works to provide secure and efficient systems of cargo and passenger movements across international borders. It also works to reduce the dwell time and trade transaction time and costs. It promotes people-to-people contact.

Explanation :

• The Government of India set up Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 1st March 2002 under the provisions of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

Mission

• The mission of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles, within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy.

Role

• BEE co-ordinates with designated consumers, designated agencies and other organizations and recognize, identify and utilize the existing resources and infrastructure, in performing the functions assigned to it under the Energy Conservation Act.

Explanation :

• The Project Monitoring Group (PMG) is an institutional mechanism for the expedited resolution of issues and regulatory bottlenecks in projects with investments upward Rs. 500 Crores in India.
• It aims to facilitate issue resolution in projects that are facing delays or awaiting regulatory clearances with State and/or Central Ministries.
• It was set up as a special cell in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India in 2013 and was subsequently brought under the administrative control of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in 2015.
• In February 2019, PMG was merged with Invest India, Department of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce.
• PMG seeks to enlist unresolved project issues of all Public, Private and ‘Public–Private Partnership’ (PPP) Projects and undertakes fast-tracking of approvals, sectoral policy issues and removal of bottlenecks in expeditious commissioning.

Explanation :

• Watermelon snow, also called snow algae, pink snow, red snow, or blood snow, is a phenomenon caused by Chlamydomonas nivalis, a species of green algae containing a secondary red carotenoid pigment (astaxanthin) in addition to chlorophyll.
• Capable of surviving in extreme cold, this algae is found throughout the world in polar and mountainous regions. It is the carotenoids in the algae's chloroplasts that give snow a red color.
• The more sunlight the algae receive, the more it produces the “watermelon red” pigment, which causes the snow to melt faster.
• Snow blooms contribute to climate change because of the red-crimson color, the snow reflects less sunlight and melts faster. As a consequence, it produces more and more bright algae.