Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 2019 UNIQUE IAS ACADEMY The Best Coaching Center in Coimbatore NVN Layout, New Siddhapudur, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore Ph: 0422 4204182, 98842 67599 ********************************************************************************************** STATE AFFAIRS TN‘S NEW CHIEF SECRETARY AND NEW DGP: Context: Jalad K. Tripathy takes charge as the new Director-General of Police/Head of Police Force. He is a 1985-batch IPS officer. He replaces T.K. Rajendran. K. Shanmugam appointed as new Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary. The officer, belonging to the 1985 batch, is expected to take charge formally on Monday, succeeding Girija Vaidyanathan. CHENNAI TO GET HERITAGE GARDEN BY YEAR-END: Context: The city will soon have its own heritage garden showcasing various native species of trees and plants, including those mentioned in Sangam literature, many of which are gradually vanishing. garden will be set up at Washermenpet on five-acres of land at an estimated Rs 70 lakh and aims to become one of the major attractions in the city. It is likely to open by year-end and will be the third such facility to be set up under the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency. Officials from the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency. SATYAMANGALAM TIGER RESERVE : Context: For the first time in the country, radio telemetry were successfully implanted in 10 pythons at the Forest Veterinary unit of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) at Karachikorai, near Bhavani Sagar. Pythons that are let into Meyar River valley are being monitored by the field teams. The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, is conducting a study on ―Spatio-temporal and Thermal Ecology of India Python (Python Molurus) in Moyar River Valley, the first-ever telemetry study on this species, to conserve the endangered snake in its native distribution. Hence, 20 pythons, were used for the study, 10 at STR and 10 python at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. JAYA ARUNACHALAM PASSES AWAY: Context: Jaya Arunachalam, founder of Working Women‘s Forum (WWF), and a pioneer of the women's self help group movement in the country, died on Saturday. She was 87. JAYA ARUNACHALAM ACHIEVEMENTS: She was the pioneer of women's self help group movement in India. 0422 4204182, 9884267599 NVN Layout, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore Page 1 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 2019 Dr Jaya Arunachalam is best known for her social service contributions through WWF which she initiated in 1978., ―to develop the total human resource potential of very poor women workers in the informal sector.‖ Dr. Jaya Arunachalam was conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1987. She received the Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 2009 for her work towards the welfare of women and children. She is a recipient of the International Activist Award by Glietsman Foundation in 2003, and the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Social Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. STATE BUTTERFLY: Context: Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) butterfly species endemic to Western Ghats has been declared the state butterfly of Tamil Nadu. For the first time Tamil Nadu has declared its state butterfly and only fifth in the country to do so. Maharashtra was the first to declare Blue Mormon as its state butterfly, followed by Uttarakhand (Common peacock), Karnataka (Southern bird wings) and Kerala (Malabar banded peacock). Tamil yeoman Uniformly orange in colour with a dark brown outer ring, Tamil Yeoman is among the 32 butterfly species found in the Western Ghats. This butterfly species moves in groups in large numbers, but only in a few places. Also known as Tamil Maravan, which means warrior, these butterflies are found mainly in the hilly areas. ON STARTUP INDIA LIST, TAMIL NADU PUSHED TO SEVENTH SPOT: Context: Recent data from the commerce ministry on the number of startups registered with department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) or Startup India initiative shows Tamil Nadu is in the seventh spot with 1,004 startups. TN is at the bottom of the list, which has Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Delhi in the top three slots with 3,661, 2,847 and 2,552 startups respectively. On the other hand, a ranking of states based on investments raised from Alternate Investment Funds (AIFs), under Startup India‘s Fund of Funds scheme, shows TN is in the fifth spot with 11 startups raising Rs 113 crore from registered AIFs. As of June 24, 19,351 startups across the country have applied and been granted recognition by DPIIT. TWO WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS TO SUPPLY TREATED WATER TO INDUSTRIAL UNITS: News: Chennai Metrowater plans to commission two such plants in Koyambedu and Kodungaiyur, either later this month or early next month. Using domestic sewage as raw material, the proposed TTRO plants will, initially, have the capacity to handle 45 million litres a day (MLD) each. Eventually, they can go up to 60 MLD each. The Koyambedu plant will take care of industrial units in Irungattukottai, Sriperumpudur and Oragadam, all in Kancheepuram district. The Kodungaiyur plant will take care of demands of entities in the Manali-Minjur belt. 0422 4204182, 9884267599 NVN Layout, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore Page 2 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 2019 MAKKAL NUMBER: News: Tamilnadu government plans to provide statutory services to people as a predictive service without citizens having to apply for it. Details: Statutory services include providing government services like certificates, documents, licences, etc. to people through Arasu e-sevai centres after a request is made by people.New Scenario The Tamilnadu e-governance agency plans to generate a unique id number for all 7-crore people of the state called ―Makkal Number‖. The Aadhaar data will be anonymised and a fool-proof id like Makkal Number will be used. These data will electronically reach the ‗Citizen Vault‘, to be created for each resident of Tamil Nadu. Residents can view their certificates and documents in their vault, using their mobile number as the user ID and an OTP as the password. Blockchain technology will prompt the software of each department or agency to issue certificates as and when citizens become eligible for them. ―Right from the Birth Certificate to the Death Certificate and numerous certificates/documents issued in- between by various government departments and agencies will be automatically stored in the ‗Citizen vault‘. The ―Makkal number‖ scheme and the subsequent verification of an individual‘s data stored in the Citizen vault will be done only with the consent of the concerned person. CHANDRAYAAN-2: ISRO USED SOIL FROM NAMAKKAL FOR TESTS : News ISRO has used soil from two villages in Namakkal district for simulator tests of lander Vikram and rover Pragyan at its proto-lunar terrain test facility in Bengaluru as part of Chandrayaan-2 mission. Explaining the reason for taking soil from Namakkal district for simulator tests, Lunar surface has ‗Anorthosite‘ type soil. The same has been available at Sitthampoodi and Kunnamalai villages in Namakkal district.‖ grain size, membrane and chemistry of the lunar surface anorthosite match nearly 90% with the anorthosite in Namakkal villages. ―One kilogram of the soil would cost around $150. The ISRO had minimized the cost in lakhs this time by using soil from Namakkal villages. 0422 4204182, 9884267599 NVN Layout, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore Page 3 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 2019 SETTING UP OF NEUTRINO OBSERVATORY: News: The Government of India has approved a project to build the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) at Pottipuram in the Theni District of Tamil Nadu. the project aims to set up a 51000 ton Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector to observe naturally occurring atmospheric neutrinos in a cavern at the end of an approximately 2 km long tunnel in a mountain. There is no other neutrino detector anywhere in India at present. The INO project does not disturb the ecosystem around the site and does not release any radiation, as it does not have any radioactive substance. It measures cosmic rays. It is under the Department of Atomic Energy. WATER TRAIN FROM VELLORE ON ITS WAY TO CHENNAI: News: The much-awaited train transporting water from Vellore to Chennai was flagged off on Friday morning from Jolarpet station. Details: A train carrying 2.5 million litres of water arrived in Chennai . train had 50 tank wagons (BTPN) and carried 50,000 litres of water. The water was filled from Jolarpettai in Tamil Nadu‘s Vellore district.Surplus water supplied from Mettur to various places in Vellore district under The Vellore Combined Water Supply Scheme is being diverted to Chennai. 0422 4204182, 9884267599 NVN Layout, Gandhipuram, Coimbatore Page 4 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 2019 SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENTS IN TAMIL: News: The Supreme Court began publishing its judgments in various languages from Thursday and the first verdict to be translated and uploaded on its website in Tamil was the one delivered on March 29 confirming the life sentence on popular restaurant chain Saravana Bhavan‘s founder P. Rajagopal. The translated versions of the Supreme Court judgments can be accessed by clicking on the link titled ‗vernacular judgments‘ on the home page of the court. Earlier in July, the Supreme Court had announced that it will be reproducing its judgments in regional languages. TN CM ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF TWO NEW DISTRICTS: News: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday announced the creation of two new districts carved out from Kanchipuram and Tirunelveli. This will take the total number of districts in the State to 35. Details: While Chengalpattu will be hived off from Kanchipuram to become a district headquarter; Tenkasi will be split from Tirunelveli to become a new district. In January, Palaniswami announced the creation of a new district by bifurcating Villupuram district with Kallakurichi as the new district‘s headquarters.So far three new districts have been created by the government.