1. Startup India Global Venture Capital Summit 2019

Why in News?

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in partnership with Government of Goa, is organizing the 2nd edition of the Startup India Global Venture Capital Summit.

Highlights:

• The key objectives of the Summit are to showcase India’s opportunity in the sectors of E-Mobility, FinTech, MedTech, Enterprise Software, EdTech, Genomics and Lifesciences.
• It will also look at the increase of capital flow for Indian Startups by showcasing high-quality tech and non-tech startups to the global investor community and foster Ease of Doing Business by identifying and discussing issues faced by the investor community.
• Through this event Startup India is providing the Indian startups with an opportunity to meet Top Global Investors at the event to get business guidance and to discuss investment opportunities.
• This year the Summit aims to reach new heights in both reach and scope. The focus of the Summit is to mobilize global capital for innovation in India.
• The Summit will bring together a series of engagements involving over 350 representatives of leading Global Venture Capital Firms, Limited Partners, Family Offices, High-Network Individuals, Government of India officials, top Corporates, and select innovative Startups.
• It will showcase the India Advantage, diversity and scale of Indian market opportunity, and the cutting-edge innovations originating in India.
• The Summit also aims to understand the best practices for the venture capital industry, identify issues faced by them for investments in India, and evaluate ways to address them.

2. Pacific Air Chief’s Symposium 2019

Why in News?

• Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar, Chief of the Air Staff is participating in the Pacific Air Chief’s Symposium 2019 (PACS 2019) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

Highlights:

• The theme for this year’s symposium is ‘A Collaborative Approach to Regional Security’.
• The conference will bring together Air Chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific region who will provide perspectives on common challenges faced and on shared mutual interests while focusing on relevant topics like ‘Regional Security’, ‘Domain Awareness’, ‘Multi-Domain Awareness’, Iinteroperability’ and ‘HADR’.
• The symposium will also entail discourse and discussions on the combined effort required to maintain peace and security within the region.
• The conference is intended to further strengthen the existing cooperation between the Air Forces of the participating countries and also to pave the way for enhanced interaction in the future. In addition to the host country USA, Air Chiefs from 20 countries are present at the Symposium.

3. Data Protection Bill

Why in News?

• The Union cabinet gave its approval to the Personal Data Protection Bill that seeks to lay down a legal framework to preserve the sanctity of “consent” in data sharing and penalize those breaching privacy norms.
• The Draft bill, the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018, was prepared by a high-level expert committee headed by former Supreme Court judge B.N. Srikrishna.

Provisions of the Bill:

• The Bill deals with the broad guidelines on the collection, storage, and processing of personal data, the consent of individuals, penalties and compensation, and a code of conduct.The draft Bill classifies ‘sensitive personal data’ as including passwords, financial data, health data, sex life, sexual orientation, biometric data, genetic data, transgender status, intersex status, caste or tribe, and religious or political belief or affiliation.
• The draft Bill says that such sensitive personal data can be processed only with the explicit consent of the person, and this consent needs to be informed, clear, and specific, as defined by the Bill itself.
• The draft bill also has a provision for the right to be forgotten, where the person “shall have the right to restrict or prevent continuing disclosure of personal data”.
• There is also a provision for the central government to notify categories of personal data as critical personal data, which will then be only processed in a server or data centre located in India.
• Personal data is to be stored in India, but can be processed outside with the consent of the person.
• The draft Bill also specifies penalties for not following its provisions, including a penalty of 5 crore or 2% of turnover, whichever is higher, if no action is taken on a data leak.

4. Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA)

Why in News?

• Recently, Alcohol manufacturers citing a shortage of domestic supplies have sought a reduction in import duty.

About | ENA:

• It is a by-product of the sugar industry and is formed from molasses that are a residue of sugarcane processing.
• It is the primary raw material for making alcoholic beverages.
• It is colorless food-grade alcohol that does not have any impurities.
• It is a neutral smell and taste and typically contains over 95 per cent alcohol by volume.
• It is derived from different sources such as sugarcane molasses and grains.

Application | ENA:

• It an essential ingredient in the manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products such as perfumes, toiletries, hair spray, etc.
• It is used for industrial purpose such as the production of some lacquers, paints and ink for the printing industry, as well as in pharmaceutical products such as antiseptics, drugs, syrups, medicated sprays.

5. Eat Right Movement

Why in News?

• Western Railway’s Mumbai Central Terminus has recently become India’s first Eat Right Station.

About:

• The station is graded on the basis of food safety and hygiene, availability of healthy diet, food handling at preparation and food waste management among others.
• The food is certified and rated after a thorough inspection.
• Eat Right Station is a part of the ‘Eat Right India’initiative that was launched by FSSAI in 2018 to help passengers make a healthy choice.
• FSSAI, rated the station with four stars.

About | Eat Right Movement:

• It aims to cut down salt/sugar and oil consumption by 30% in three years.
• It also aims to engage and enable citizens to improve their health and well-being by making the right food choices.
• It is a crucial preventive healthcare measure to trigger social and behavioral change through a judicious mix of regulatory measures, combined with soft interventions for ensuring awareness and capacity building of food businesses and citizens alike.

6. Meteor Missile

Why in News?

• India has recently requested for an early delivery of Meteor air to air missile from France.

About | Meteor missile:

• They are beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles.
• Have a range of 150 km and no escape zone of 60 km.
• This no escape zone is the largest in the world according to its manufacturers.
• These missiles are to be attached to the Rafale jets.
• With increasing tensions between India and Pakistan, India is requesting for an early delivery.

About | Operation Chammal:

• The base is currently executing Operation Chammal.
• The operation also supports Iraq army.
• It is a French Military operation in Syria and Iraq to contain the expansion of Islamic State.
• The French Government is invited India to visit the Al Dhafra air base in UAE where the Rafale aircrafts are on active operations.
• The name of the operation comes from the north westerly wind that blows over Persian Gulf and Iraq.

7. Mekong River

Why in News?

• Recently Mekong river has acquired an aquamarine colour.

About:

• The river usually is in yellowish-brown shade.
• It is due to the sediment it normally carries downstream.
• It is been running clear, taking on a blue-green colour.
• The water level, becomes low that leads to exposing sandbanks.
• The current has less sediment, which unleashes energy onto the river banks downstream.
• This so-called ‘hungry water’ will cause much more erosion to the banks, uprooting trees and damaging engineering structures in the river, “
• As a result, it tends to erode its bed and banks to compensate.

About | Mekong:

• It is rising in south-eastern Qinghai province, China, it flows through the eastern part of the Tibet and Yunnan province, after which it forms part of the international border between Myanmar and Laos, as well as between Laos and Thailand.
• it flows through six countries: China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
• It drains into the South China Sea south of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).
• Both Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, stand on its banks.
• About three-fourths of the drainage area of the Mekong lies within the four countries the river traverses on its lower course—Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

8. World Soil Day (WSD)

Why in News:

• Recently, WSD is held annually on 5 December to highlight the importance of healthy soil and for the sustainable management of Soil Resources.

About | WSD 2019:

• It is themed ‘Stop Soil Erosion, Save Our Future’.
• It is recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002.
• Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has supported the formal establishment of WSD as a global awareness is raising platform under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership.
• It is designated as the first official World Soil Day by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
• The date of 5 December was chosen because it corresponds with the official birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, who officially sanctioned the event.

About | Awards / Prize:

• The King Bhumibol World Soil Day Awardis an annual award that honours individuals, communities, organizations and countries that organized remarkable and engaging World Soil Day activities or campaigns in the previous year.
• The Glinka World Soil Prizeis an annual award for dynamic change makers dedicated to solving one of our world’s most pressing environmental issue: soil degradation.
• It is honouring individuals and organizations whose leadership and activities have contributed, or are still contributing to the promotion of sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources.

9. Zero FIR

Why in News?

• Missing boy from Vijawada of Andhra Pradesh has been found within 24 hours after filing ‘Zero FIR’.

About:

• In general, FIR to the complaint is filed at the police station related to the site of an offence, but at times situations arise, when the victim has to file the case in outside police station, in some adverse conditions.
• But it is often seen that policemen do not take those cases seriously, which have occurred outside the jurisdiction of police station.
• Hence the Government has formulated the provisions of Zero FIR in such adverse situations, in order to protect the rights of the people.
• According to this, the victim can file his complaint in any police station for any offence for a quick action and the case can be transferred to the concerned police station thereafter.

10. FEMA Act

Why in News?

• The NGO Amnesty International India Private Limited was served notice for alleged violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA Act).

About:

• The Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) is an Act of the Parliament of India to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange.
• The objective is to facilitate external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India.
• It replaces the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA).
• This act seeks to make offenses related to foreign exchange civil offenses.
• It enables a new foreign exchange management regime consistent with the emerging framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
• It also paved way to Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002, which was effected
• from 1^st July 2005.