www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs November 13, 2017 (13/11/2017)
Topic : General Administration, Latest Diary of Events, India’s Foreign Policy
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
A ‘rice field laboratory’ named after Prime Minister Modi was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister himself at IRRI in Los Banos in Philippines.
What is it?
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in the 1960s.
Aim:
The Institute, established in 1960 aims to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability of rice farming.
CGIAR:
IRRI is one of 15 agricultural research centers in the world that form the CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research centres, a global partnership of organizations engaged in research on food security.
It is also the largest non-profit agricultural research centres in Asia.
India and the IRRI:
IRRI has successfully collaborated with Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to introduce drought- tolerant, flood-tolerant and salt-tolerant varieties of rice in India.
The Indian government is also setting up a regional centre of the IRRI in Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s constituency, to develop high-yielding rice varieties.
The Varanasi Centre would help increase farmers’ income by enhancing and supporting rice productivity, reducing cost of production, value addition, diversification and enhancement of farmers’ skills.
_
Topic : Latest Diary of Events
Hausala 2017
It is the Child Rights Week celebrated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development from 16th to 20th November, 2017.
Background:
The country celebrates the Children’s Day on 14th November and the International Child Rights Day is celebrated on 20th November every year.
The period between the two important events will be celebrated as Child Rights Week by WCD Ministry by hosting an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care Institutions (CCIs).
_
Topic : New inventions on Health & Science
Cobots
Small, collaborative robots, or cobots, are gaining currency across the world, as also in India.
Several firms, be it Bajaj Auto or Aurolab, have benefited from the adoption of cobots and are planning to add more to their shop floors.
What is a cobot?
A cobot is intended to work hand-in-hand with humans in a shared workspace.
This is in contrast with full-fledged robots that are designed to operate autonomously or with limited guidance. They support and relieve the human operator of his excess work.
How they operate? examples
In an auto factory, while the the cobot tightens the bolts, the human worker places the tools in front of the cobot.
In a biscuit factory, the cobot would package the biscuits while the worker segregates burnt ones not fit for consumption.
In a small-scale industry, the cobot is placed on the drilling job while the worker performs a quality check.
_
Topic : Profile of States, Latest Diary of Events, General Administration
Urdu as second official language of Telangana
Telangana government has declared Urdu as the state’s second official language.
The state government will appoint Urdu officers in all the offices over the next 60 days to receive petitions from public and reply them in Urdu.
What the constitution says?
The Indian constitution does not specify the official languages to be used by the states for the conduct of their official functions, and leaves each state free to, through its legislature, adopt Hindi or any language used in its territory as its official language or languages.
The language need not be one of those listed in the Eighth Schedule, and several states have adopted official languages which are not so listed.
_
Topic : New Appointments
New Director General of UNESCO
Former French Culture Minister Audrey Azoulay was appointed as Director General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
UNESCO:
UNESCO is UN organization that helps preserve historical and cultural sites worldwide.
It is special multi-country agency, formed in 1945 and based in France.
UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs: education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information.
_
Topic : Sports and Medals
Pankaj Advani wins 17th world title
Indian player Pankaj Advani has won his 17th world title at the IBSF World Billiards Championship 2017 in Doha, Qatar.
Pankaj Advani defeated Mike Russell of England and won his 17th world title at the IBSF World Billiards Championship 2017.
_
[adinserter block=”2″]
Topic : Latest Diary of Events
World Kindness Day – November 13
On 13th November 2017, World Kindness Day was celebrated in various parts of the world.
World Kindness Day is internationally observed on 13 November every year.
It was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement a coalition of nations’ kindness NGOs.
The purpose of World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds in the community, focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness that binds us.