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Current Affairs 16 January 2020

No documents or biometric required for National Population Register (NPR): Home Ministry

The Government has informed that no documents will be asked and no biometric will be taken for National Population Register (NPR) exercise to be carried out between April and September 2020.
The NPR is a register of usual residents of the country.
The NPR exercise will be carried out in all states and UTs, except Assam, along with the house listing phase of the census 2021 exercise.
The Union Cabinet has approved Rs. 3,941.35 crore for the NPR exercise.
Assam has been excluded because the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise has already been conducted in the state.

RBI issues instructions to PPI issuers for Enhancing Security of Card Transactions

The Reserve Bank of India in its endeavor to improve the security of card-based transactions (debit cards/credit cards) has issued certain instructions for PPI issuers which are as under: (This will come into effect from March 16, 2020)

At the time of issue / re-issue, all cards (physical and virtual) shall be enabled for use only at contact-based points of usage [viz. ATMs and Point of Sale (PoS) devices] within India. (In simple language- Jo new cards issue honge from March 16, 2020, un cards me by default sirf India me payment ki ja sakegi and contact based payment ki ja sakegi aur card not present transaction (like online transaction) nahi ki ja sakegi. Isko open karne k liye PPI issuer ko request krni padegi)
For existing cards, the issuer may take the decision regarding whether to disable the card not present (domestic and international) transactions, card-present (international) transactions and contactless transaction rights based on the risk perception. (In simple language- Jo cards already issued hai us case me, card issuer pe depend karta hai ki wo customers k previous spendings aur risk ko dekhte hue ye decision le ki, kya usse international payment by default allow krni hai ya nahi, aur card not present payment by default allow karni hai ya nahi. Is case me bhi, user apni marzi se baad me cheeze change karwa sakta hai.)
While existing cards that have never been used for online (card not present) / international / contactless transactions shall be mandatorily disabled for this purpose. (In simple language- Jo cards already issued hai us case me agar user ne aaj tak koi online/international/ transactions nahi kiye hai to by default ye facility unke card me deactivated rahegi, jo ki customer request karke on karwa sakta hai.)

Additionally, the issuers shall provide to all cardholders:

facility to switch on / off and set / modify transaction limits (within the overall card limit, if any, set by the issuer) for all types of transactions – domestic and international, at PoS / ATMs / online transactions / contactless transactions, etc.;
the above facility on a 24×7 basis through multiple channels – mobile application / internet banking / ATMs / Interactive Voice Response (IVR); this may also be offered at branches / offices;
alerts / information / status, etc., through SMS / e-mail, as and when there is any change in status of the card.

This instruction is not mandatory for prepaid gift cards and those used at mass transit systems.

5th Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI) 2020 Begins in Panaji, Goa

The fifth edition of Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI) 2020 kick-off in Panaji, Goa on 15 January 2020.
The four-day-long festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister, Dr. Paramod Sawant and will end on 18 January.
The annual conference aims at instilling the knowledge of science among the youth with the help of exhibitions, masterclasses, workshops, and other activities.
A special workshop titled ‘Million SoUL’ will also be conducted by IIT Bombay on training about making solar lamps.

Mega fuel conservation campaign ‘Saksham 2020’ inaugurated in New Delhi

The one-month long mega fuel conservation campaign named Saksham-2020 was inaugurated in New Delhi on 16 January 2020.
Saksham (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav) is an annual flagship event of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Govt. of India
The Saksham campaign aims at creating mass awareness among public about conventional fuel conservation, for health & environment protection and simultaneously help in reducing India’s dependency on import of crude oil.

India’s first global Mega-Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’ to be held in New Delhi from 21 January to 20 March, 2020

The fourth and final leg of the first-of-its-kind, multi-venue Mega Science exhibition named “Vigyan Samagam” will be held at the National Science Centre (NSC) in New Delhi from 21 January to 20 March, 2020
The 11-month duration Vigyan Samagam is being hosted at four cities, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi, from May 2019 to March 2020, with around two months at each venue.
The previous three leg of the exhibition took place as given below:
1. 1. Mumbai – 8 May to 7 July, 2019
2. 2. Bengaluru – 29 July to 28 September, 2019
3. 3. Kolkata – 4 November to 31 December, 2019
This exhibition is jointly organised by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Science and Technology (DST), the funding agencies of these projects, the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) and Ministry of Culture.
After the successful completion of the exibition in New Delhi, it will remain as a permanent exhibition at New Delhi and will be taken care-off by NCSM.

7th Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association India region Begins in Lucknow

The 7th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the Vidhan Bhawan, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on 16 January 2020.
During the two-day event, Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon will address the inaugural session, while Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel will address the valedictory session on 17 January 2020.
The main theme of the conference is ‘ROLE OF LEGISLATORS’ .
CPA India Region conferences are held once in two years and the 6th conference was held in 2018 in Patna.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev along with entire Cabinet Submits Resignation as Prez Putin proposes constitutional changes

On 15 January 2020, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as well as the entire Russian government submitted resignation to President Vladimir Putin, after President announced a range of constitutional changes.
Following the resignation, President Putin has proposed the head of Russia’s tax service Mikhail Mishustin for the post of prime minister.
Medvedev’s Cabinet will continue to exercise power until the new Cabinet is formed.

Bipul Behari Saha Elected as Bureau Member of IUPAC

Hyderabad based noted scientist Bipul Behari Saha, has been elected as a Bureau Member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for the period 2020-23.
This is only the second time in over 100 years history of IUPAC that an Indian scientist has been selected for this prestigious position, after Bharat Ratna Prof. CNR Rao in 1979, who was the former Director of the Indian Institute of Science.
At present, Saha is the Director, R&D, L.R. Research Laboratories PvtLtd (wholly owned subsidiary of NACL Industries Limited), Hyderabad.
Founded in 1919, IUPAC is the largest global organization of Chemistry professionals, responsible for naming all new elements and compounds, declare atomic weights and physical constants, update Periodic table and carry out research projects.
Headquarter IUPAC- North Carolina, United States.

Indian Cricket’s “Superfan” Charulata Patel Passes Away at 87

Charulata Patel, the octogenarian “Superfan” of the Indian cricket team who cheered team India at Cricket World Cup 2019, has passed away due to age-related ailments.
She was 87.

Daily Current Affairs – 16 January 2020