1.Specie in News: NelloptodesGretae

NelloptodesGretae:

• Between 1964 and 1965, an entomologist called William Brock collected samples of soil from around east Africa.
• Inside one of these samples, taken in Kenya and stored in the British Natural History Museum until now, was a tiny species of beetle, pale yellow and gold.
• Measuring just 0.79 millimetres, the beetle has no eyes or wings, with a small pit between where the eyes should have been.
• The species has just got a name Nelloptodesgretae, after the teenage climate activist, Greta Thunberg.
• Biological names comprise two words, one for the genus and the second for the species.
• Traditionally, it is the species name that scientists coin to honour a prominent personality, and sometimes even a friend or a relative.
• While the species name gretae derives from Greta, the genus Nelloptodes too is new

2.INS Baaz

Why in News?

• Recently Navy Chief Admiral visited INS Baaz, the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces.

INS Baaz:

• The Indian Naval Station (INS) ‘Baaz’ was commissioned in July 2012, and is the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces.
• INS Baaz is located at Campbell Bay on the Great Nicobar island, the southernmost and largest island in the UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• It is a part of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only tri-services formation of the Indian Armed Forces that was started in 2001.
• This island is also the location of the Indira Point and is less than 250 km by sea from Banda Aceh in Indonesia.
• Campbell Bay, where the base is located, is more than 1,500 km away from the Indian mainland, and 500 km from Port Blair.

Significance:

• The A&N Islands are strategically important for India’s national security as they provide a critical capability to monitor sea areas in the region.
• The primary functions of the INS Baaz include helping build Maritime Domain Awareness by providing information via airborne surveillance using aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
• The base was first equipped with a runway of 3,500 feet but was later lengthened to enable larger aircraft to operate from it.
• The location has been described as India’s “window into East and Southeast Asia”, and is in close vicinity of the Six Degree Channel, also called the Great Channel.
• It is one of the Indian Ocean’s busiest shipping lines, carrying strategic cargo to East Asian countries.It is also close to the Strait of Malacca. The INS Baaz helps to ensure maritime security in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
• The base also assists the local populace in times of need such as facilitating evacuation during medical emergencies.

3. Pushkaram Festival

Why in News?

• Guwahati is marking the inauguration of the 12-day Brahmaputra Pushkar and Sanskritik Mahotsav.
• Devotees from Tamil Nadu will perform the rituals at the banks of Brahmaputra river.

Pushkaram:

• Pushkaram is an Indian festival dedicated to worshiping of rivers.
• It is also known as Pushkaralu (in Telugu), Pushkara (in Kannada) or Pushkar.
• It is celebrated at shrines along the banks of 12 major sacred rivers in India, in the form of ancestor worship, spiritual discourses, devotional music and cultural programmes.
• The celebration happens annually, once in 12 years along each river.
  Each river is associated with a zodiac sign, and the river for each year’s festival is based on which sign Jupiter is in at the time.

Significance of the Festival:

• The transit of Jupiter in 2018 was marked by the entry of Pushkaram in the river Tamiraparani on October 12 last year.
• The planets were in a unique constellation, the phenomenon occurring after 144 years.
• This year, the transit of Jupiter will signal the movement of Pushkaram from Tamiraparani to the Brahmaputra.
• The end-phase will be celebrated for three days at Kurukkuturai and the waters taken to Guwahati, where it will be consigned to the Brahmaputra.

4. National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards (NCSRA)

Why in News?

• The President of India will present the National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards (NCSRA) to select companies for their outstanding contribution in area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

National Corporate Social Responsibility Awards (NCSRA):

• The National CSR Awards has been instituted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to recognize corporate initiatives in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to achieve inclusive growth and inclusive and sustainable development.
• These awards are the highest recognition in the domain of CSR by the Government of India.
• The Awards were instituted in 2017 subsequent to the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on CSR.

Objectives of the Award:

• To increase competition in various categories of companies to infuse excellence in their CSR activities.
• To encourage companies to spend the entire amount i.e. eligible CSR amount.
  To recognise the impact, innovation, usage of technology, gender and environment issues, sustainability, scalability and replicability of CSR activities.
• To channelise CSR activities of corporate so that the benefits of their activities reach the marginalised sections of society and in remote areas of the country.

5. Davos in the Desert

Why in News?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to Riyadh to attend an international event from October 29 to 31. Formally the Future Investment Initiative (FII), it is widely being described as “Davos in the desert”.

About FII:

• The informal name derives from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting that is held in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders discuss and shape agendas for pressing international issues.
• FII brings together policymakers, investors and global experts, who discuss the role of investment in driving global prosperity and development.
• FII is an initiative that was first undertaken by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2017 to diversify the kingdom’s economy and reduce its dependence on petroleum products.

6. Chief Justice of India

Why in News?

• Justice Sharad Aravind Bobde to be appointed as 47th Chief Justice of India (CJI).

Appointment of the CJI:

• The seniority convention tells us who should become the next CJI, but how this is to be done is laid out in the Memorandum of Procedure (MOP) between the government and judiciary.Ministry of Law & Justice will seek the recommendation of the outgoing CJI as to who should be the next CJI.
• The CJI should recommend the “senior-most judge of the Supreme Court considered fit to hold the office”. However, if there are any doubts as to the fitness of the senior-most judge as per convention, the CJI needs to consult the Collegium to decide if a different judge needs to be recommended.
• After receipt of the CJI’s recommendation, the law minister will forward the recommendation to the prime minister, who then advises the President as to this recommendation.
• The President administers the oath of office for the new CJI.

7. Competition Commission of India (CCI)

Why in News?

• CCI has ordered a detailed investigation into online travel booking companies.

About:

• Competition Commission of India is a statutory body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 throughout India.
• They prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.
• The idea of Competition Commission was conceived and introduced in the form of The Competition Act, 2002.
• A need was felt to promote competition and private enterprise especially in the light of 1991 Indian economic liberalisation.
• The Competition Act, 2002, authorises the CCI to impose fewer penalties on firms that provide “full and true disclosure” ofany cartel they are part of.
• This process of imposing zero or fewer penalties in dealing with cases related to cartelisation is known as LeniencyRegime.