IASBABA's PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP) 2021 N2e3nwqyngjjnme2
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IASBABA'S PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP) 2021 N2E3NWQyNGJjNmE2 PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP)-JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS HANDOUT Contents GEOGRAPHY & PLACES IN NEWS ..................................................................................... 2 ECONOMY.............................................................................................................................. 12 INTERNATIONAL ................................................................................................................. 16 ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................................... 24 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................ 29 HISTORY & CULTURE ........................................................................................................ 37 POLITY, POLICIES, SCHEMES, DEVELOPMENT AND NATIONAL ISSUES ............ 40 IASBABA 1 N2E3NWQyNGJjNmE2 PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP)-JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS HANDOUT GEOGRAPHY & PLACES IN NEWS Topic Key Aspects Value Addition Phosphorus • In News: Phosphorus, which is present in DNA and cell membranes of all living organisms, may have been delivered by comet strikes billions of years ago. • It is the second most abundant mineral in the body • Distribution of economic (mostly found in bones & phosphorus reserves in the top teeth) and makes up 1% of the five countries containing 90% of person’s total body weight the capacity (marked in Red) • In minerals, phosphorus including the 8 countries that generally occurs as dominate sulphuric acid phosphate. production. • The top five phosphate rocks holders — Morocco and Western Sahara, China, Algeria, Syria, and Brazil — account for 84 per cent of the world reserves. Ghataprabha River • It is a tributary of Krishna river • Krishna river rises in the Western that flows in Karnataka Ghats at an altitude of 1337m. • Ghataprabha has near Mahabaleshwar in a hydroelectric and Maharashtra. irrigational dam at Hidkal, • Krishna flows Karnataka through Maharashtra, Karnataka, • Krishna is the second largest Telangana and Andhra river in peninsular India Pradesh and finally drains into the Bay of Bengal. Mandu Festival • Mandu Utsav was celebrated • Mandu City is a world-famous in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh picturesque tourist destination from 28th December 2019 to located in Dhar district of Madhya 1st January 2020. Pradesh and adorned with Afghan • The festival is the architecture surrounded amalgamation of cultural by baobab trees, native to Africa. activities as well as adventure sports. Dnyanganga • The Dnyanganga Sanctuary is • Tipeshwar Tiger Reserve is located Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the Buldhana in Yawatmal (Maharashtra) district of Maharashtra. • The rivers such as Purna, Krishna, In News: • It is a part of the Melghat Bhima, and Tapti flow through this A Tiger travelled Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Tiger Reserve. 1300km distance IASBABA 2 N2E3NWQyNGJjNmE2 PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP)-JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS HANDOUT between • It is located near • Due to the presence of a sufficient Maharashtra and the Dnyanganga River which quantity of water, it is also Telangana passing is a tributary of the Tapti popularly known as Green through Dnyanganga River. Oasis of Maharashtra. Wildlife Sanctuary & Tipeshwar Tiger reserve Black Sea • The Black Sea a marginal sea • The Bosphorus Strait connects of the Atlantic Ocean, is Black sea to the Sea of Marmara • In News: Russia located between Eastern • The Black Sea is also connected to launches missiles in Europe and Western Asia the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Black Sea during • Neighbouring countries: It is Kerch. naval drills bordered by six countries • The Black Sea is the world's largest – Romania and Bulgaria to the body of water with a meromictic west; Ukraine, Russia, and basin. A meromictic lake has Georgia to the north and east; layers of water that do not and Turkey to the south. intermix. • Five major rivers empty into the Black Sea, the largest of which is the Danube River. Z-Morh Tunnel & • Z-Morh Tunnel will provide • Along with Zoji-la Tunnel (which is Zoji-la Tunnel all-weather road connectivity 22 km from Z-Morh tunnel to between Srinagar and towards Leh), the Z-Morh tunnel In News: Concession Kargil in Ladakh region of will ensure year-long road Agreement was India. connectivity between Srinagar and signed for • The tunnel gets its name from Kargil which currently remains completing the 6.5- its Z formation between closed for about seven months kilometre long Z- Sonamarg and Gagangir. due to snow. Morh tunnel in • The tunnel would avoid the Jammu and Kashmir regions of snowfall and avalanches. Nakhchivan • It is a landlocked exclave of • Unlike an enclave, an exclave can Autonomous the Republic of Azerbaijan. be surrounded by several states Republic • It is an autonomous area of Azerbaijan, governed by its own elected legislature. • It borders Armenia to the east & North, Iran to the South & East and Turkey to the North- West • An exclave is a portion of a state geographically IASBABA 3 N2E3NWQyNGJjNmE2 PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP)-JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS HANDOUT separated from the main part by surrounding alien territory (of one or more states) Anchar Lake • Located in the city of Srinagar, • Like the Dal lake and Wular Lake, it Jammu and Kashmir. is home to the Hanji community • The lake is connected with the which live near the lake in an area famous Dal Lake via a channel called as Anchar among the locals "Amir Khan Nallah" • Over the years Anchar Lake has • In case of flooding, the deteriorated owing to pollution, excessive water of Dal is large scale encroachment, and diverted here. illegal constructions in its surroundings. Krishnapatnam Port • Krishnapatnam Port is located • Vijayanagar empire was founded in Nellore District in Andhra in 1336 AD by Harihara and Pradesh. Bukka of Sangama dynasty. • The Port has been named so • It stretched from the river Krishna as the Vijayanagar Emperor, in the north to the extreme south Sri Krishnadevaraya used to of the peninsula. operate this port. • Vijayanagar Empire was ruled • In the 1980s, the Government by four important dynasties: of India declared the Port as o Sangama a ‘minor port’ o Saluva • The Union Government is o Tuluva responsible for development o Aravidu of 12 Major ports whereas • Krishnadevaraya (1509-29) of minor ports are under the Tuluva dynasty, composed a the jurisdiction of respective work on statecraft in Telugu State Governments known as the Amuktamalyada. Sonowal Kacharis • The Sonowal Kachari are one • They are accorded Scheduled of the Indigenous peoples of Tribe Status in Assam. the state of Assam • In 2019, they were provided with • They are of Tibeto-Burman Permanent Residence certificate origin, and are closely in Arunachal Pradesh, as they are associated with the other generally considered as non- ethnic groups of Assam which native communities in Arunachal are commonly referred to as Pradesh. Bodo race Sirte • In News: Forces aligned with • The UN-backed government is Libya's internationally supported by Turkey and its ally recognized Government of Qatar, while Gen Haftar is backed National Accord (GNA) by Egypt and the UAE. withdrew from the strategic • Libya has been torn by violence coastal city of Sirte to avoid since long-time, ruler Muammar bloodshed, after their eastern Gaddafi was deposed and killed in rivals rapidly entered and 2011 by NATO-backed forces. took control. IASBABA 4 N2E3NWQyNGJjNmE2 PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP)-JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS HANDOUT • Sirte is a City in Libya located on the Mediterranean coast • It was also the site of Muammar Gaddafi’s death • Bibi Ka Maqbara • It is located in Aurangabad, • The structure is known as the ‘Taj Maharashtra. of the Deccan’ because of its • It was commissioned striking resemblance to the Taj by Emperor Aurangzeb in Mahal. 1660 in the memory of his wife Dilras Banu Begum. • The domes, minarets and the marble screens inside are built in marble. Lamu • In News: Islamist militant • Al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaeda group al-Shabab attacked and is headquartered in Somalia. Camp Simba in the popular coastal region of Lamu • Lamu town is situated on the coast of Kenya and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. • Camp Simba is used by Kenyan and US forces to fight against Al-Shabab Mahadayi Wildlife • Mhadei Wildlife • Owing to the presence of Bengal Sanctuary – Goa Sanctuary formed in 1999 is Tigers, it can be declared as a tiger located in North Goa reserve under Project Tiger. • It has been declared an • The Mhadei River, known International Bird Area downstream as the Mandovi River, because of the presence of the lifeline of the state of Goa, the Nilgiri wood-pigeon, originates in Karnataka, passes Malabar parakeet, Malabar through the Mhadei Wildlife grey hornbill etc. Sanctuary and meets the Arabian Sea Anangu • It is a large, sparsely • Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara populated local government Ngaanyatjarra aṉangu are Yankunytjatjara area for Aboriginal indigenous groups who inhabit (APY Lands) Australians, located in the these lands. remote north west of South Australia • A large portion of it was formerly the North-West Aboriginal Reserve. IASBABA 5 N2E3NWQyNGJjNmE2 PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE PROGRAMME (PEP)-JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS HANDOUT Al-Asad and Erbil • Al-Asad and Erbil military bases are located in Iraq In News: Tehran • Both these bases are being launched "tens"