Assam Current Affairs – May 15 – 21, 2019

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Current Affairs Assam – May 15 - 21, 2019

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of May 15 – 21, 2019 )

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May 15, 2019

India’s smallest Orchids ‘Lecanorchis Taiwaniana‘ discovered in Assam
  • LecanorchisTaiwaniana (the parasitic bloom), a type of Orchid was accidentally discovered in Assam by Assam’s forest officer named JatindraSarma. He is also the Member Secretary of State Medicinal Plants Board.
  • The orchid species is already known in Japan, Taiwan and Laos.This is the first time it is discovered in India.
  • The discovery of LecanorchisTaiwaniana adds to the Orchid wealth of North East India (NEI).
  • Its discovery was published in the Japanese Journal of Botany with the title as “New record for the flora in India.

FACTFILE – LecanorchisTaiwaniana

  • LecanorchisTaiwaniana is a mycoheterotroph, which means it is one of the two known types of parasitic plants which have abandoned photosynthesis and derives nutrients and its energy from fungus.
  • It is a variant of a Japanese orchid.
  • It is India’s one of smallest botanically recorded Orchids in terms of size and duration of bloom.
  • India has about 1,300 species of orchids out of which 800 are found in NEI, about 300 species are found in the Western Ghats and 200 in North Western Himalayas.
Indian Navy’s first full-fledged SSB opened at Kolkata
  • The Indian Navy’s first full-fledged Services Selection Board (SSB) was inaugurated by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil LanbaatDiamond Harbournear Kolkata.
  • The SSB (Kolkata) is located at a place that was previously occupied by a Naval Coastal Battery.
  • This is the fifth SSB of the Indian Navy and will cater for selection of both permanent and short service commission (SSC) officers.
  • The other boards are located in Bhopal, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and
  • Spread over 27 acres on the banks of Hooghly, the SSB (Kolkata) has the capacity to screen 5,000 officer-candidates annually.
  • The board can accommodate 160 candidates at a time and has separate facilities and accommodation for men and women candidates.
  • This SSB will boost the induction of officers, both men and women, into the Indian Navy.
  • Its location will reduce the travel time and effort for candidates from northern and northeastern parts of the country.
Aarohi Pandit is world’s first woman to fly solo across Atlantic Ocean in Light Sport Aircraft
  • Aarohi Pandit, 23, has become the world’s first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA).
  • Pandit completed the feat when she landed at Iqaluit Airport in Canada on 13 May, having flown there from Wick in the UK.
  • It also made Pandit the first female pilot in the world to successfully complete a solo flight across the Greenland ice cap in an LSA.
  • Mumbai-based Pandit is flying around the globe as part of the WE! Women Empower Expedition; the expedition is the first all-women team to circumnavigate the world in LSA.
  • Her aircraft is a single engine Sinus 912 plane, and is the first LSA registered by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
  • The aircraft’s cockpit was equipped with a raft, oxygen and other safety gear for the Atlantic crossing.
  • Pandit embarked on the expedition with fellow pilot KeithairMisquitta in July 2018. They flew across Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat in India, before crossing over Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, Germany, France and the UK.

May 16, 2019

Manipur drafts solid waste management policy
  • A policy on solid waste management is at the drafting stage and waiting for approval in Manipur. At the same time, the segregation of municipal solid waste at the household level through urban local bodies (ULBs) is likely to begin in the State from July this year.
  • Efforts are on to encourage self-help groups (SHGs) to take up roles from the generation point of waste to its disposal in most municipal wards of the State to streamline solid waste management.
  • The Govt aims to encourage at least one SHG in every ward. This will help in enhancing the solid waste management initiative in the State.
India’s child mortality rate was World’s highest
  • At 47.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, India in 2015 had more deaths among children under five than any other country, new research has found.
  • During 2000-2015, the annual mortality among children under five came down from 2.5 million in 2000 to 1.2 million in 2015.
  • The country had, however, large disparities in the under-five mortality rate between richer and poorer states.
  • The highest mortality rate, in Assam, was more than seven times that in the western state of Goa.
  • Although most under five deaths were due to preterm complications, preventable infectious diseases featured prominently as causes of death in higher-mortality states.
  • For the study, the researchers analysed state-level Indian data on the causes of death among children under five for the years 2000-2015.
  • In 2017, India’s under-five mortality rate matched the global average (39 deaths per 1,000 live births), according to a report released on September 18, 2018, by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.
CTBTO, the nuclear test ban body offers India ‘observer’ status
  • The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) has offered India an “Observer” status and access to International Monitoring System (IMS) data.
  • CTBTO runs International Monitoring System (IMS) that constantly monitors the planet for nuclear explosions and shares findings with its member states.
  • At present, IMS has 337 facilities, located in 89
  • CTBT is a global treaty with the objective of banning all nuclear explosions across the world. In 1996, it was opened for signature after being adopted by the UN General Assembly. However, the treaty has yet to come into force as it is considered “discriminatory” by several countries including India.
  • India has not signed the treaty yet as it favours five nuclear weapon states — China, US, Russia, France and UK. India wants the treaty to have a clause on complete nuclear disarmament.

FACTFILE – The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)

  • CTBTO is an international organization that will be established upon the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, a Convention that outlaws nuclear test explosions.
  • The organization is tasked with verifying the ban on nuclear tests and will operate therefore a worldwide monitoring system and may conduct on site inspections.
  • The Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, and its Provisional Technical Secretariat, were established in 1997 and are headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

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May 17, 2019

Lakhimpur’s Meghashree Borah tops HSLC exam for 2019, Selim Ahmed from Goalpara tops Assam High Madrassa exam
  • Meghashree Borah of Sankardev Shishu Bidya Niketan (Lakhimpur) and Selim Ahmed of Rakhaldubi High Madrassa (Goalpara) topped the High School Leaving Certificate Examination and the Assam High Madrassa Examination, 2019.
  • While Meghashree scored 594 out of 600 marks, Selim managed 561 out of 600 marks.
  • The overall pass percentage of HSLC examination this year was 60.23, an increase from last year’s 56.04 per cent, the success rate for High Madrassa examination this year stood at 58.18 per cent.
  • Among the districts, Dhemaji once again ruled the roost recording the highest pass percentage of 83.28.
  • Similarly, in the High Madrassa examination, Baksa recorded the highest pass percentage of 81.01.
  • A total of 336203 candidates, including 175939 female, appeared in the HSLC examination this year compared to 9127 candidates (including 5446 females) appeared in the High Madrassa examination.
Nagaland gets first Level 2 Food Lab in North East
  • The Nagaland State Food Laboratory has been upgraded to a Level-2 Laboratory. This is the first state-of-the-art Level-2 food laboratory in the entire North East.
  • The laboratory has been equipped with three major equipment – liquid chromatography mass spectrometer, gas chromatography mass spectrometer and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.
  • For analysing a wide range of food components such as cereals, oils, food products, beverages, spices, sweets, vegetables, additives, etc.,
  • Besides organic and inorganic parts of food contents like vitamins, proteins, peptides, amino acid hormones, food colours, minerals, etc., and test their purity.
  • The machinery of the new laboratory, costing Rs 10 crore, was provided as non-recurring grant by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
India supplies two attack helicopters to Afghanistan
  • As part of its assistance to Afghanistan, India handed over two Mi-24 attack helicopters to Kabul to battle terrorism.
  • The two helicopter gunships will replace the four supplied in 2015, giving more fire power to the Afghan armed forces.
  • Indian ambassador to Afghanistan Vinay Kumar, acting Minister of Defense Asadullah Khalid, Air Force Commander Gen. Abdul Rahim Ramin and others attended the handing over ceremony at Kabul air base.
  • The gunships are being refurbished for Afghanistan by Belarus with financial support from India though Indian Air Force (IAF) is phasing out its own Russian-origin stack helicopters replacing them with Apaches.

May 18, 2019

Arunachal Pradesh holds 35 % of India’s Graphite Reserves
  • The Geological Survey of India (GSI) in its report said that about 35% of India’s total Graphite reserves are found in Arunachal Pradesh. This is the highest level of Graphite reserves found in the country.
  • With 35% of India’s Graphite deposits being found in Arunachal Pradesh, the state could now be developed as the leading producer of graphite in the country thus helping in meeting its future needs. At present India imports majority of Graphite from other countries.

FACTFILE – Geological Survey of India (GSI)

  • The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was set up in 1851 primarily to find coal deposits for the Railways.It is headquartered at Kolkata.
  • Geological Survey of India (GSI) is one of the oldest of such organisations in the world.
  • It is the second oldest survey in India after the Survey of India.It conducts geological surveys and studies of India.
  • The objectives of GSI are achieved through various surveys like the marine, airborne, ground and also by mineral prospecting and investigations.
  • It also undertakes multi-disciplinary studies like geo-environmental, geoscientific, geotechnical and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismotectonic study, and carrying out fundamental research.
BSNL Partners with Google to expand Wi-Fi Footprint
  • On the occasion of World Telecom Day, state-run telecom major BSNL has partnered with Google to increase access to its Wi-Fi footprint in the country.
  • With the launch of this service, people across the country will be able to enjoy BSNL’s free Wi-Fi services.
  • This initiative will allow customers use BSNL’s high speed internet services on Wi-Fi.
  • BSNL is also taking steps to increase the rural Wi-Fi footprint, promoting the government’s ‘Digital India’ initiative.
  • There are 38,000 BSNL Wi-Fi hotspot locations operational in India.
Meghalaya-Assam CMs to resume talks on border dispute
  • Chief Ministers of Meghalaya and Assam are slated to resume stalled talks over the disputed boundary between the two States after the LokSabha election results are declared.
  • Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister, PrestoneTynsong said, the stalled talks over the boundary dispute is likely to be held in early June.
  • Periodic talks were held between the two States over the decades-old boundary dispute. Following talks between the two Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries of the two States held bilateral talks a few years back to resolve the issue.
  • Meghalaya on its part has handed over maps and other documents to the Assam Government staking claim over the disputed area.
  • Little development has taken place after handing over these documents to Assam by the Meghalaya Government.

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May 19, 2019

Mizoram policy aims to make sports big industry
  • The ambitious sports policy of the Mizoram Government aims to turn sports into a major industry, State Sports Minister Robert Romawia Royte has said.
  • Minister Royte said making Mizoram the first State to make sports a revenue-earning subject is one of the basic objectives of the policy which, he said, would be rolled out within 365 days from the day the MNF Government assumed office.
  • Reorganisation and promotion of those disciplines recognised by the International Olympic Committee as well those indigenously practised and regarded as culturally and intrinsically important by the locals are also among the objectives of the policy.
  • Restructuring of the sports associations and bodies within the State will also come under the ambit of the sports policy.
  • The sports policy aims to develop sports into a lucrative profession in Mizoram, and to start with, a centre of excellence would be established at Siaha for young talents who aspire to build a career in boxing.
  • The Mizoram Government has approved of the Mizoram State Games, an annual event, for which Rs 150 lakh has been allocated this year.
India ranked 117th in Kids Right Index
  • India stands in a lowly 117th position out of 181 countries in the KidsRight Index, the annual global index which ranks how countries adhere to and are equipped to improve child rights.
  • Countries are judged on five indicators: right to life, right to education, right to health, right to protection and enabling environment for child rights.
  • KidsRights Index is an initiative of Kids Right Foundation in cooperation with Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
  • They release annual reports every year by pooling data from UNICEF, UNDP and UN Committee on the Rights of the Child by considering individual country reports.
  • India has a score of 0.64 out of 1 in the overall category. Out of all categories, it performed better in protection and child rights environment and secured 94th rank with a score of 0.8 in the protection category and performed worst in the health indicator being ranked 153 with a score of 0.54.
  • Around 45 per cent of children in our country are malnourished and India spends only 1.2 per cent of its GDP on health and 3.7 per cent on education, when the international standard on education is 6 per cent.
  • When it comes to the child rights environment, India has scored 0.57 and ranks 85.93. This indicator considers legislation, budget, non-discrimination and participation of children.
  • According to the KidsRights Index, some economically developed countries such as the UK and New Zealand have also scored poorly on the basic principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Govt plans to introduce artificial intelligence system in MCA 21 portal
  • Corporate affairs ministry plans to introduce artificial intelligence system in the MCA 21 portal as it seeks to make compliance process easier as well as ensure routine enforcement activities are done round-the-clock on autopilot basis.
  • MCA 21 is the electronic backbone for the dissemination of information to all stakeholders, including the regulator, corporates and investors.
  • All filings under the companies law are submitted to the ministry through this portal.
  • The ministry would look to “introduce Artificial Intelligence in MCA 21 when version 3 of the portal is rolled out in about a year’s time”.
  • It will look to rationalise all the forms, follow the principle of a single source of truth so that one is not required to fill in known details and also interlink databases, so that routine enforcement is done 24×7 on autopilot basis.
  • MCA 21 allows electronic filings of various documents under Companies Act, 2013 and has fully automated all processes related to enforcement and compliance monitoring under the Act.
  • MCA 21 system was started in 2006. The first phase of the e-governance initiative of the ministry was implemented by Tata Consultancy Services and the second phase is being implemented by Infosys for the period from January 2013-July 2021. 

May 20, 2019

Ministry of Environment to create DNA Database of Indian Rhinos
  • Union Ministry of Environment announced a project to create DNA Database for Indian Rhinos.
  • This is done in order to curb poaching and collect evidence for wildlife crimes upon Rhinos. The deadline to meet this project is 2021.
  • The database will be kept in the Wildlife Institute of India(WII) headquartered in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
  • The proponents of this project include the World Wide Fund for Nature-India(WWF-India) and the Centre-funded Wildlife Institute of India.

FACTFILE – The Wildlife Institute of India(WII)

  • The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India.
  • It was established in May 1982.
  • WII carries out wildlife research in areas of study like Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Wildlife Policy, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Forensics, Spatial Modeling, Ecodevelopment, Ecotoxicology, Habitat Ecology and Climate Change. WII has a research facility which includes Forensics, Remote Sensing and GIS, Laboratory, Herbarium, and an Electronic Library.
  • The founder director was V. B. Saharia while the first Director was Hemendra Singh Panwar who remained the director from 1985 to 1994.
  • Vinod B. Mathur is the Director of Wildlife Institute of India
Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of SCO
  • External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj will be attending the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization to be held in Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic) on 21-22 May 2019.
  • This will be the second CFM meeting that India will be attending as a full member of SCO. External Affairs Minister had also attended the last CFM meeting in Beijing (China) on 23-24 April 2018.
  • India actively took part in various SCO dialogue mechanisms under the Chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic over the past year.
  • The CFM meeting in Bishkek will review the preparations for the forthcoming SCO Summit in Bishkek on 13-14 June 2019 and also exchange views on topical issues of international and regional importance.
  • External Affairs Minister’s programme in Bishkek will include the meeting of Council of SCO Foreign Ministers and a joint call of SCO Foreign Ministers on Kyrgyz President H.E. Mr.Sooranbay Jeenbekov.
Indian Scientist Ankur Patwardhan wins German chemistry prize
  • In a international competition ‘Elsevier Foundation-ISC3 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge’, a project idea by Ankur Patwardhan from Pune has bagged the second prize of €25,000.
  • His project named ‘Butterfly attractant for pollination and ecosystem health’ is about the relation between chemistry and ecosystem.
  • Patwardhan is currently working as head of the ‘AnnasahebKulkarni Biodiversity Department’ at AbasahebGarware College, Pune.
  • This competition received 600 applications from around the world. Out of them, 50 were shortlisted and the final five were selected for presentation in the 4th Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference in Germany.
  • AnkurPatwardhan developed the project idea with the help of TejaswiniPachpor and DattatrayNaik.
  • Patwardhan serves as a member of the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board. He is also the president of a high-level committee appointed by the Centre on Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Eco-Sensitive Zone.
World Metrology Day on 20 May
  • World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations.
  • The Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal applications.
  • The original aim of the Metre Convention – the world-wide uniformity of measurement – remains as important today as it was in 1875.
  • The theme for World Metrology Day 2019 is The International System of Units – Fundamentally better.
  • This theme was chosen because on 16 November 2018, the General Conference on Weights and Measures agreed perhaps one of the most significant revisions to the International System of Units (the SI) since its inception. Research into new measurement methods, including those using quantum phenomena, underpin the change, which comes into force on 20 May 2019.

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May 21, 2019

Meghalaya Govt to implement Free Drug Policy and promote herbal medicines
  • In its bid to provide free medicines to every citizen in the State, the Meghalaya Government held a review meeting on Wednesday to gear up for the implementation of the Free Drug Policy.
  • A total of 72 essential medicines will be made free of cost for the people of the State.
  • The government will have to spend Rs 100 crore annually for implementation of the Free Drug Policy in the State.
  • Chief Minister Conrad Sangma held a meeting with the State Health and Family Welfare Minister AL Hek and a scientist from IIT Kanpur to discuss the possibilities and way ahead to promote indigenous and herbal medicines. This will pave the way for traditional healers in Meghalaya to improve their economic status and also help preserve the traditional way of healing besides boosting health tourism in the State.
  • There are more than 500 traditional healers in Meghalaya who are registered with the State.
Shyam Saran to be conferred with Japan’s ‘Order of the Rising Sun’ award
  • Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran will be conferred with Japan’s second highest national award for his contributions to strengthen the strategic ties and enhancing mutual understanding between India and
  • The Government of Japan announced that in its 2019 Spring Imperial Decorations, it will confer 72-year-old Saran, ‘the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star’.
  • Saran, who was India’s Foreign Secretary during 2004-2006, has played an important role to elevate Japan-India relationship to strategic partnership.
  • During his tenure, the then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited India for the first time in 5 years.
  • Saran’s contributions in strengthening mutual understanding between Japan and India includes “India Festival”, which was held in Japan in 1988, when he was Deputy Chief of Mission of Embassy of India in Japan.
  • Since 2017, Saran has been enhancing mutual understanding between the two countries, such as by hosting an “India-Japan Colloquium,”
  • The Order of the Rising Sun is a Japanese government honour established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji.
Tech Mahindra signed a defence contract with Indian Navy
  • IT major Tech Mahindra has signed a defence contract worth Rs 300 crore, As part of the ‘Armed Forces Secure Access Card’ (AFSAC) Project, Tech Mahindra will implement RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based access control system across all naval bases and ships.
  • The new AFSAC card will replace the existing paper based identity card for all Navy personnel, including dependents and ex-servicemen.
  • The Mumbai-based company will develop a secure application to manage the access control devices, network devices and the AFSAC card through a data centre.
  • Scheduled to be implemented over the next two years, the project will ensure smooth issuance, handling, administration, management and life cycle support of AFSAC Cards on turnkey basis.
  • Tech Mahindra is already working with entities like Coal India, India Ports Association, Kanpur Smart City and others.
  • The security of Indian Naval establishments against unauthorized access, is a thrust area and the AFSAC Project will be an important step towards achieving this aim.
Anti-terrorism day observed on May 21
  • May 21, the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is observed as Anti-Terrorism Day in India, to spread the message of peace and humanity and to promote unity among the people. The purpose is to spread the message of global peace and non-violence and stop youngsters from following cult practices and being misguided.
  • Anti-Terrorism Day also honours the sacrifices made by thousands of soldiers who fought against terrorism. It’s a day to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in terrorist attacks.
  • Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest prime minister of the country when he was sworn in at the age of 40 as the sixth Prime Minister of India after his mother Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984.
Rafael Nadal Won the Italian Open 2019
  • Rafael Nadal has won a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 title by defeating Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final 2019.
  • In his 9th Rome title, Nadal dominated in a 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 win broke a tie with his longtime rival Djokovic. For his victory, Nadal received 1,000 ATP Ranking points and earned ₹7.5 crore.
  • After three semi-final defeats in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, Nadal has returned to his best form ahead of Roland Garros and clinched his first title of the season.

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