VisionIAS
06:40
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Monday, September 16, 2019
Daily Current Affairs, 16th September 2019
VisionIAS
18:33
1) International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer: 16 September
•Theme of the day for 2019: 32 Years and Healing.
•The theme for this year celebrates over three decades of remarkable international cooperation to protect the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol has led to the phase-out of 99 per cent of ozone-depleting chemicals in refrigerators, air-conditioners and many other products.
2) MoC Ravi Shankar Prasad launches Maritime Communication Services in India
•The Maritime Connectivity will enable high-end support to those in the sea by providing access to Voice, Data and Video services while travelling on sailing vessels, cruise liners, ships in India, using satellite technology. Nelco, India’s leading VSAT solutions provider is the first Indian company that will now provide quality broadband services to the maritime sector.
3) St. Vincent and Grenadines, 79th country to join India-led ISA
•The International Solar Alliance is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India. The organisation aims to deploy over 1,000 gigawatts of solar energy and mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
4) White Water Rafting Expedition ‘Rudrashila’ Flagged off at Jaisalmer
•The expedition christened ‘Rudrashila’ has been organised to commemorate the 75th Raising day of the Kalidhar Battalion. ‘Rudrashila’ takes its name from the famed Rudraprayag tributary of the Ganges River in the Mountains of Uttarakhand. ‘Kalidhar Battalion’ was raised on 01 November 1943 and has participated in all major operations of the Indian Army including two overseas assignments in Korea in 1953 and UN peacekeeping mission in Congo in 2005-06.
5) Justice P Lakshmana Reddy appointed as first Lokayukta of Andhra Pradesh
•Justice P Lakshmana Reddy would serve in the office of Lokayukta for 5 years. He is the first Lokayukta to be assuming charge since the state bifurcated in 2014.
6) Lakshya Sen wins Belgian International Badminton title
The HINDU Notes – 16th September 2019
VisionIAS
12:44
📰 Effort worth emulation: On Rajasthan’s public information portal
Rajasthan’s Jan Soochna portal is a step in the right direction for transparency in governance
•Fourteen years since the implementation of the groundbreaking Right to Information (RTI) Act, which has helped shed light on government works and administration, the launch of the “Jan Soochna Portal” (public information portal) by the Rajasthan government on Friday marks a milestone in increasing transparency and accountability in governance. The portal details various schemes run by 13 government departments — the employment guarantee programme, sanitation, the public distribution system among others, by not only explaining the schemes but also providing real time information on beneficiaries, authorities in charge, progress, etc. The information provided is in-depth, covering the whole gamut from the districts, blocks and panchayats, allowing access to details of schemes implemented at these levels. This is a laudable effort by the State government which is worthy of emulation by other States. The RTI Act had dealt with the citizen’s right to know about public information and required public authorities to expeditiously provide information on request from the citizenry. This aspect of the Act brought a sea change in accountability and has led to the possibility of a well-informed citizenry on the workings of the government.
•While RTI filings have increased exponentially and RTI-activism has become part and parcel of civil society, there have been dilutions in the Act pertaining to the appointments of information commissioners, therefore impinging on their autonomy. Besides, the response rate to RTI requests has also slowed down compared to the flurry in the immediate aftermath of the Act’s implementation. These problems with the RTI law apart, it is important to note that Section 4(2) of the Act, which specifically enjoins upon public authorities to publish information pro-actively, has not been implemented holistically so far. While government departments have successfully taken to e-governance and there has been a rapid release of public information on various government-run websites, this information has often been parcelled, dispersed and difficult to parse. Some of the better maintained central websites have also tended to deploy “dashboard” information, which is meant more to showcase data and records rather than release structured information for extensive study and for the knowledge of the citizenry. As a one-shot portal for public information on government programmes, the JSP, therefore, can advance the objective of transparency. The challenge would be to ensure that the information flow remains unhampered over time. Besides this, it is important to educate the citizenry about the use of data on the portal. While digital connectivity and literacy have increased over time, these have not adequately translated into digital knowledge of public affairs.
📰 A dilution that falls short of the law
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Daily Current Affairs, 15th September 2019
VisionIAS
18:24
1) International Day of Democracy: 15 September
•Theme of International Day of Democracy 2019: Participation.
2) UNESCO to publish anthology of Guru Nanak Dev’s writing in world languages
•The Government of India is also holding a series of events and has initiated projects to mark 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. These include the construction of Kartarpur Corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district in Punjab to the international border, the development of the historic town of Sultanpur Lodhi as a heritage town on the smart city principle, the up-gradation of Sultanpur Lodhi railway station and release of commemorative coins and postage stamps.
3) Great Ganga Run 2019 flagged off in New Delhi
•Jal Shakti Minister and Sports Minister flagged off “Great Ganga Run-2019″ at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The marathon was organised to create awareness about River Ganga. The marathon was organised by Ministry of Jal Shakti. A large number of people from all age groups participated in the marathon.
4) UN appoints Indian Army veteran Abhijit Guha as head of Hodeidah mission
•The UN Mission in support of the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), Guha will also assume the chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), tasked with redeploying forces of the Yemeni warring parties in accordance with their agreement.
5) First-ever ‘arrested landing’ of Naval Tejas successfully executed
•This arrested landing heralds the arrival of true indigenous capability and displays the professional prowess of our scientific community Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) embedded with design plus build the capability of HAL(ARDC), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
6) Pankaj Advani wins IBSF World Billiards Championship
GS Score PIB Summary compilation AUGUST 2019 PDF Download
VisionIAS
08:41
GS Score PIB Summary compilation AUGUST 2019 PDF Download
Click Here to download GS Score PIB Summary compilation 16th-31st AUGUST 2019 PDF Download
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Saturday, September 14, 2019
Daily Current Affairs, 14th September 2019
VisionIAS
19:13
1) Hindi Diwas celebrated on 14 September
2) World Bank to sanction Rs 3,000 crore for food parks
•The World Bank will provide Rs 3,000 crore assistance to finance mini and mega food parks across India. The announcement was made by Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries during the 15th Indo-US Economic Summit. The 15th Indo-US Economic Summit was organized by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce-North India Council (IACC-NIC) in New Delhi.
3) Rajasthan launches “Jan Soochna Portal-2019”
•The State government has collaborated with the civil society groups to develop the portal, presently giving information pertaining to 13 departments on a single platform. The portal empowers the common people with access to useful information.
4) NGT constitutes committee to cease illegal groundwater extraction
•The committee aims to ensure that groundwater is not illegally extracted and to monitor manning and functioning of the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
5) DAC approves Capital Procurement of Rs 2,000 crores
•The approval for indigenous development and production of the main gun 125mm Armour Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding-Sabot (APFSDS) ammunition for T-72/T-90 tanks by the Indian Industry.
•Approved procurement of DRDO developed and Industry manufactured Mechanical Mine Layer (Self Propelled) to improve automated minelaying capability with the Indian Army.
6) Centre to set up 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres
•Out of 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres, 4000 centres will be set up in 2019.
