Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 18 December 2020

::NATIONAL::

Parliament’s WinterSession Cancelled due toCOVID 19 pandemic

Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs hasinformed that winter session will not be held in the Parliament view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government also indicated that it will be appropriate to convene the budget session in January next year.
Sessions of parliament is the period during which a House meets almost every day uninterruptedly to managethe business. There are typically three sessions in a year.
It is summoned by the President.In general, the sessions are as follows:

1.   Budget session (February to May)
2.   Monsoon session (July to September)
3.   Winter session (November to December)

According to Article 85, the maximum gap between two sessions of Parliament cannot be more than six months.

National HydrologyProject

Recently, Ministry of Jal Shakti held mid-term review of National Hydrology Project (NHP).
NHP was started in 2016 as a Central Sector Scheme for a period of 8 years.
The project aims at improving the extent, reliability and accessibility of water resources information and tostrengthen capacity of targeted water resource management institutions in India.
It has two groups of direct beneficiaries.

1. Central and state implementing agencies responsible for surface and/or groundwater planning andmanagement.
2. Users of water resource information system.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

International Migrants day

United Every year, the International Migrants Day is celebrated on December 18 by the United Nations and several other international organizations.
This year, the International Migrants Day is celebrated under the theme: Reimagining Human Mobility.
December 18 was chosen because on this date, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their families was adopted.
The resolution to celebrate International Migrants Day was adopted in 1990 during the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their families.
The day is celebrated by the United Nations to highlight the contributions made by the migrants.
According to UN, there are roughly around 272 million migrants in the world. This includes 41 million internally displaced persons.

Raja Chari

Raja Chari is among the three astronauts selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission.
The Indian-American will command the mission, while Tom Marshburn will serve as pilot and Matthias Maurer as a mission specialist.
A fourth member will be picked to join the crew on the mission, which is expected to launch in the fall of 2021.

Who is Raja Chari?

Raja Chari was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. According to his biography on the NASA website, he reported for duty in August 2017 and completed the initial astronaut candidate training.
Earlier this month, he was selected as a team member for NASA’s Artemis programme, making him eligible for assignments to future lunar missions.
Under the programme, NASA wants to send the next man and first woman to the Moon by 2024.

Economy

Financial Stability and Development Council bats for vigil on financial conditions

Recently, Financial Stability and Development Council(FSDC) discussed measures that could be taken in next budget to accelerate growth while maintainingfinancial stability.
It was setup in 2010 for strengthening and institutionalizing mechanism for:
Maintaining financial stability,
Enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and
Promoting financial sector development.
The FSDC is chaired by the Union Finance Minister. And the members are the Minister of State, in charge of Department of Economic Affairs, Heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, IRDAI, IBBI); Secretaries to various departments etc.

Science and Technology

PSLV-C50 injects communication satellite CMS-01 into orbit

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launches Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-50 carrying CMS-01 communication satellite from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), in Sriharikota.
This was only the second lift-off by the PSLV this year.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ended 2020 on a high note with its workhorse - the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) - successfully placing the communication satellite - CMS-01 - in orbit.
CMS-01 is envisaged to provide services in the extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum that will cover the Indian mainland, the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.
It was India’s 42nd communication satellite with a mission life of over seven years.
PSLV-C50 was the 22nd flight of PSLV in the ‘XL’ configuration (with six strap-on motors), and the 77th launch vehicle mission from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.

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Sports

India Pledges $1 Million To World Anti-Doping Agency for Scientific Research

India has pledged USD one million to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s scientific research budget, the “highest among contributions made by other world governments.”
India’s donation comes at a time when the country’s anti-doping program has been adversely affected by suspension of its suspended National Dope Testing Laboratory, which is to be inspected by WADA early next year.
The proposed funding will allow WADA to develop innovative anti-doping testing and detection methods. The money will also be used to further strengthen WADA’s independent Investigations and Intelligence Department.
According to a statement issued by the Sports Ministry, “India’s contribution of is the highest among contributions made by other world governments, including China, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.”
The total contribution of all member nations will be matched by an equal sum by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to create a corpus of USD 10 million.