TNPSC Current Affairs April 28, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs April 28, 2020 (28/04/2020)

Topic: New Appointments, Persons in News

Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC)

Sanjay Kothari appointed as Central Vigilance Commissioner by President.

About CVC:

It is the apex vigilance institution created via executive resolution (based on the recommendations of Santhanam committee) in 1964 but was conferred with statutory status in 2003. It submits its report to the President of India.

The Commission was set up on the recommendation of the K.Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption.

Topic: Profile of States, Problems in Public Distribution Systems

Chakmas and Hajongs

Human rights body – Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) – has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention alleging that the Chakmas and Hajongs in Arunachal Pradesh are facing hunger and starvation as they were not included in the government’s economic package.

What’s the issue?

The state government announced the economic package for vulnerable sections in these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic, among others, to provide 5 kg rice and 1 kg pulses per head to beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Anna Yojana.

But, Chakmas and Hajongs do not have ration cards as the state government had seized those through an order on October 25, 1991. Hence, the two communities have been forced to buy rice at a higher price.

About 33% or 22,000 of the 65,875 Chakmas and Hajongs are children. Hunger and starvation have engulfed them because of the violation of the right to food during the pandemic.

And, the denial of food is being seen as a violation of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Who are they?

Chakmas and Hajongs were originally residents of Chittagong Hill Tracts in the erstwhile East Pakistan. They left their homeland when it was submerged by the Kaptai dam project in the 1960s.

The Chakmas, who are Buddhists, and the Hajongs, who are Hindus, also allegedly faced religious persecution and entered India through the then Lushai Hills district of Assam (now Mizoram). The Centre moved the majority of them to the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), which is now Arunachal Pradesh.

Their numbers have gone up from about 5,000 in 1964-69 to one lakh. At present, they don’t have citizenship and land rights but are provided basic amenities by the state government.

Topic: Latest Reports and Events

The report on Trends in World Military Expenditure

The report on Trends in World Military Expenditure was recently released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

Key findings:

India specific:

Top three biggest military spenders in the world last year: The United States, China and India. This is the first time that India and China have featured among the top three military spenders.

India’s military expenditure grew 259% over the 30-year period (1990-2019) and by 37% over the decade (2010–19).

However, its (India’s) military burden fell from 2.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 to 2.4% in 2019.

Topic: Awareness in Space, Latest Diary of Events

First merger of two black holes with unequal masses detected

The gravitational wave observatories at LIGO scientific collaboration have detected a merger of two unequal-mass black holes. The event has been named as GW190412.

This is the first such observation involving two black holes of unequal masses coalescing.

Key facts:

This observation once again confirms Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which predicts the existence of higher harmonics, i.e. gravitational waves at two or three times the fundamental frequency.

Difference between binary black holes of equal masses and unequal masses:

Dominant emission of gravitational waves happens at twice the orbital frequency of the binary blackholes of equal masses and is negligible.

In binary blackholes with unequal masses, the emission happens at a frequency that is three times the orbital frequency.

Also, in the case of the merger of unequal black holes, the spin of the more massive black hole can be determined from the extra features in the signal waveform.

The spin of the heavier black hole plays a more prominent role in the dynamics of the binary. Hence, it leaves a stronger imprint on the waveform, making it easy to measure

What is a black hole?

A black hole is an object in space that is so dense and has such strong gravity that no matter or light can escape its pull. Because no light can escape, it is black and invisible.

There’s a boundary at the edge of a black hole called the event horizon, which is the point of no return — any light or matter that crosses that boundary is sucked into the black hole. It would need to travel faster than the speed of light to escape, which is impossible.

Anything that crosses the event horizon is destined to fall to the very centre of the black hole and be squished into a single point with infinite density, called the singularity.

Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health, Profile of States

Ruhdaar: Low Cost Mechanical Ventilator developed by IIT Bombay

Students from IIT Bombay, Islamic University of Science and Technology, NIT Srinagar have come together to invent a low-cost ventilator called “Ruhdaar”.

About Ruhdaar:

The cost of production of one ventilator is Rs 10,000. The design was initiated by the first-year student of IIT Bombay from Kashmir. He began to design the ventilator after learning that his home, the Kashmir Valley had only 97 ventilators in all.

In order to increase the number of ventilators in the country, the Government of India has been implementing two-pronged approach.

Topic: India and Its Foreign Relations

BRICS Foreign ministers to attend COVID-19 meeting

The foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping are to discuss on measures to combat COVID-19. External Affairs Minister Shri S Jaishankar is to represent India at the meet.

Key facts:

The video conference is to be hosted by Russia as it is the current rotating head. The ministers are to discuss possible joint measures to fight against the highly contagious, fast spreading and dangerous COVID-19.

BRICS was established in 2009 and is the acronym of the members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. All the five BRICS members are the members of G20.