SCORE

'PRELIMS 2017'
Current Affairs

Geographical
News
For Civil Services Examination

www.iasscore.in
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INDEX
1. Majuli Island
2. Ashalim Project
3. Festivals
Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa
India International Science Festival
9th World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality Inaugurated
4. Longest Cycle Highway
5. Loktak Lake
6. Cheneni-Nashiri

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7. Barren Island
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9.
10.
Hailakandi
2G Ethanol Bio-refinery in Punjab
Rio de Janeiro
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11. Gotthard Base Tunnel
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12. Panama Canal
13. Akodara
14. Genetic Garden of Halophytes
15. Maharashtra
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16. Morocco
17 Himachal Pradesh
18. Sankhuwasabha
19. Andhra Pradesh
20. Hambantota Port
21. Tirunelveli
22. Palmyra
23. Sabarimala Circuit
24. Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran
25. Tembhli
26. Mahila Police Volunteer Initiative launched in Haryana
27. Mahanadi and Tributaries
28. Agartala Rail Link
29. Mekadatu Project on Kaveri
30. Yettinahole Project
31. Countrys first Water Metro Project

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32. Indus basin: Shahpur Kandi Dam Project

33. Ghatampur Thermal Power Project
34. Deepest Rail Project
35. Lost Continent
36. Zealandia
37. Worlds First Polluted River Discovered By Scientists
38. Pre-historic camping site found in Ladakh
39. Report on Palaeo Channel of North West India
40. Cyclones in News

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GEOGRAPHICAL NEWS

Majuli Island
Geographical Location The Majuli Island is formed by the Brahmaputra river system. It is the
worlds largest mid river delta (island) system. The island is about 200 km
east from Guwahati, Assam.
Why in news? Majuli a river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam having an area of
400 square kilometres has been approved by the state cabinet as a Full-
fledged district. With thisit becomes Indias first island district. Earlier it
was sub-division of Jorhat district.

Ashalim Project

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Geographical Location Negev desert, Israel.

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Why in news? The projectis made up of three plots, with a fourth planned for the future,
each with a different solar technology. Together, the fields will be Israels
largest renewable energy project when completed by 2018.
They are set to generate some 310 megawatts of power; about 1.6 per cent
of the countrys energy needs enough for about 130,000 households, or
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roughly 5 per cent of Israels population, according to Israels Electricity
Authority.

Festivals
A) SERENDIPITY ARTS FESTIVAL, GOA:
Why in news? The first edition of Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) held on the banks of
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river Mondovi in Panaji, Goa from December 16-23, 2016 to promote

patronage of arts.
The 8-day long festival focused on performing, visual and culinary arts
through a hundred events from the fields of music, theatre, dance,
photography and food.
B) INDIA INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL:
Why in news? The largest festival of science in the country with its focus on Science for
the Masses.
IISF-2016 is held at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Campus,
New Delhi during 7-11 December, 2016.
IISF-2016 aims to encourage and develop scientific temper and attitude,
promote exchange of knowledge and ideas among young minds including
showcasing of recent developments and contributions of India in science
and technology involving all our scientific departments.
C) 9TH WORLD CONFLUENCE OF HUMANITY, POWER AND SPIRITUALITY INAUGURATED
Location New Delhi
Why in news? The 9th World Confluence of Humanity, Power and Spirituality was held
in New Delhi on December 16, 2016 to spread the message of inter-faith
peace and harmony, to ignite the human spirit and to harness the potential
of human beings towards selfless service.

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The annual convention is organized by ASSOCHAM, Srei Foundation and
the Times Group. The theme of the convention was Sach Bharat: Spirituality
at Work.

Longest Cycle Highway

Why in news? Asias first and longest cycle highway was inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh.
It is also Indias first cycle highway. The 207-km-long cycle highway runs
between Etawah and Agra. It was inaugurated by state Chief
MinisterAkhilesh Yadav.

Loktak Lake
Why in news? Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the country, has now become
home to first of its kind Loktak floating elementary school. Situated about
50 km from Imphal, the school has been inaugurated at Langolsabi Leikai
of Champu Khangpok village in Manipur.
Itaims to provide education to drop outs students, who were rendered

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homeless due to the recent evacuation of phumdis.

Cheneni-Nashiri
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Why in news? Indias longest surface tunnel in Jammu and Kashmirs Udhampur district
is complete. It will be open to traffic soon, following successful completion
of trial runs for peak and off-peak hours. The 9-km-long tunnel at Cheneni
passes through the lower Himalayan mountain range on Jammu- Srinagar
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National Highway.

Barren Island
Location Andaman and Nicobar islands
Why in news? According to scientists from Goa based National Institute of Oceanography
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(NIO), Indias only live volcano at Barren Island in the Andaman and
Nicobar has become active again. After lying dormant for 150 years, Barren
Island volcano had erupted in 1991 and since then it is showing sporadic
activity. Now it is erupting in small episodes of five to 10 minutes.
It is claimed that volcanoes is erupting the rising magma formed deep in
the mantle due to the melting of the subducted Indian Ocean crust.
The volcanic island is part of Andaman Islands. Its northern part is barren
and is uninhabited. It is also devoid of vegetation.

Hailakandi
Location Assam
Why in news? Hailakandi district of Assam has become the first district to pay wages to
tea garden workers through individual bank accounts. It completed this
task before the December 15, 2016 deadline set by the state government
for cashless transactions of salary payments to the plantation workers.
At least 504 workers of Burnie Braes tea estate received their wages through
bank accounts.

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2G Ethanol Bio-refinery in Punjab

Why in news? The foundation stone of Indias first 2G (Second Generation) Ethanol Bio-
refineries was laid at Tarkhanwala village in Bathinda, Punjab. Central
Government Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Limited (HPCL) is setting up this project at a cost of 600 crore
Rupees.
HPCLs bio-refinery will produce 100 kilolitres of ethanol per day i.e. 3.20
crore litres per annum from agricultural residues. It will be sufficient to
meet the 26% of the ethanol blending requirement of Punjab.

Rio de Janeiro
Why in news? The UN cultural body UNESCO has accorded world heritage status to
Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro (nicknamed as Marvellous City). It has
been registered as Carioca Landscapes between Mountain and Sea on
the UNESCO world heritage list.
Rio de Janeiro has been accorded this status in recognition of its

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extraordinary fusion of man-made and natural beauty, soaring granite cliffs,
urban rainforest and beaches.

Gotthard Base Tunnel

Why in news?
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The famed Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) has started regular commercial
rail service in Switzerland. The first regular train to use GBT ferried
passenger from Zurich to Lugano. The twin-bore GBT is worlds longest
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and deepest railway tunnel with length of 57-kilometer.
It had overtaken Japans Seikan tunnel (53.9 kilometers) as the longest rail
tunnel in world after it was opened in June 2016 for its maiden ride.

Panama Canal
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Why in news? Newly renovated and expanded Panama Canal was reopened by the
Panamanian President, Juan Carlos Varela. After the launch a giant Chinese
container ship Cosco become the first vessel to move via the newly-enlarged
Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The expanded Panama
Canal will allow a new, much-larger generation of container ships to pass
through the Isthmus of Panama.

Akodara
Why in news? Akodara village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat has earned the coveted
tag of becoming Indias first digital village. The village with a total population
of 1,191 people and 250 households uses a various cashless system for
payments of goods and services.
All transactions in the village are carried out through digital modes like
SMS, net-banking or debit cards.

Genetic Garden of Halophytes

Why in news? The worlds first Genetic Garden of Halophytes (naturally occurring salt-
tolerant plants) was inaugurated at the coastal town of Vedaranyam in Tamil
Nadu. The garden has been set up by M S Swaminathan Research
Foundation (MSSRF) founded by eminent agriculture scientist Prof M S
Swaminathan,father of Indian Green Revolution.

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Maharashtra
Why in news? The World Bank has agreed to make an investment of 1 billion dollars (Rs
7,000 crore approximately) as direct finance in Maharashtra on a railway
augmentation project and a climate resilient agriculture project in the
drought affected districts.
This investments is the highest when compared to any other states, it will
be done over a period of 18-20 years at an interest of LIBOR plus rates.

Morocco
Why in news? In the 28th Summit of AU held in Addis Ababa in January 2017, Morocco
has been readmitted to the African Union. For last few years, Morocco was
making a lot of diplomatic efforts for re-entry. India had also made some
efforts and can be partially credited for the readmission of Morocco in AU.
As of today, all of African Sovereign countries are members of the African
Union. The only country which was not member of this body was Morocco,
which has left its predecessor OAU (Organisation of African Unity) in 1984
due to political reasons.

Himachal Pradesh
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Why in news? Himachal Pradesh government 8Sept 2016 signed a preliminary MoU with
Singapore government for developing a smart integrated township in
Jathiadevi near Shimla airport.
The MoU was signed between Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban
Development Authority (HIMUDA) and Asian Pacific Singapore Enterprise
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in the presence of Urban Development and Town and Country Planning

and Housing minister Sudhir Sharma.

Sankhuwasabha
Why in news? The government on approved a 900 MW hydro power project to be set up
in Sankhuwasabha district of Nepal at a cost of Rs 5,723.72 crore.
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The decision to approve the Arun-III project was taken at a meeting of

the cabinet committee on economic affairs headed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The project is being implemented by a 100% subsidiary of state-run SJVN
Ltd.

Andhra Pradesh
Why in news? Three cities in Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam and
Tirupati want to use modern technology to detect mosquito breeding
before malaria and other vector-borne diseases such as dengue,
chikungunya and zika become an epidemic.
The Andhra government has sent a Smart Mosquito Density System
proposal to the Union urban development ministry for approval and to
provide funds so that the three municipal bodies can implement this first-
of-its-kind project in the country.

Hambantota Port
Why in news? Sri Lankas government wants a Chinese company to agree to cut its stake
in a strategic port project by up to a quarter, as part of a renegotiation
aimed at blunting public and political opposition to the deal.

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After signing an agreement in December, 2016, state-run China Merchants
Port Holdings had been expected to pay $1.12 billion for a 99-year lease
on an 80 percent stake in Sri Lankas southern Hambantota port - part of
Beijings ambitious plans to create a modern-day Silk Road across Asia.

Tirunelveli
Why in news? Tirunelveli municipalityin Tamil Nadu is set to achieve the feat of achieving
100% segregation of waste at source across households and establishments.
It involved securing undertakings from each household to segregate
biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste, campaigns though TV and
local radio channels targeting housewives and roping in religious leaders
and NGOs.

Palmyra
Why in news? Syrian Army and popular defence forces have regained control of the ancient
city of Palmyra from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.
The liberation of the historic city of Palmyra from the ISIS terror group was

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undertaken by joint efforts of Syrian Army with support of national aviation
and Russian Aerospace Forces.

Sabarimala Circuit
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The ancient city of Palmyra is a UNESCO designated World Heritage
site and home to some of the worlds most magnificent ancient ruins.
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Why in news? The administrative and financial nod for the Sabarimala circuit, sanctioned
under the Union Tourism Ministrys Swadesh Darshan Scheme, has reached
the Kerala government.
Enhanced facilities for Ayyappa devotees, setting up of solid waste
management and sewage treatment systems, and CCTV surveillance are
the thrust areas in the Rs. 99.98-crore Sabarimala-Erumeli- Pampa-
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Sannidhanam Spiritual Circuit approved by the Union Ministry of Tourism.

Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran

Why in news? President Donald Trump overhauled US refugee policy laying the
groundwork for a fundamental shift in how the US allows people to enter
the country.
Trump signed an executive order that bans all immigrants and visa holders
from seven majority-Muslim countries (Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq,
Yemen and Iran) from entering the US for 90 days, and opens the door to
more country-based bans in future.
However it has been removed by the court order.

Tembhli
Why in news? Tembhli is a village in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra state in India,
from where the ambitious Aadhar Scheme was launched on 29 September
2010. Ranjana Sonawane became the first person to be given an Aadhar
identity number.
Tembhli becomes the first village in India to get the Unique Identification
Numbers (UIDs) and is declared as an Aadhar village by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and UPA President Sonia Gandhi.

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Mahila Police Volunteer Initiative launched in Haryana

Why in news? The Mahila Police Volunteer initiative was launched by the Chief Minister
of Haryana in Karnal and Mahendragarh districts. With the launch,
Haryana became the first state to adopt this initiative. The state inducted
the first batch of 1000 Mahila Police Volunteers into service.
To establish a link between the police authorities and the local communities
in villages, one Mahila Police Volunteer (MPV) is envisaged per Gram
Panchayat across the country.

Mahanadi and Tributaries

Why in news? The Union Ministry of Water Resources has constituted negotiations
committee to assess availability and utilization of waters of Mahanadi and
its tributaries to resolve disputes over sharing of river waters among five
states. These five states are Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
The committee will be chaired by member (water planning and projects)
of the Central Water Commission (CWC). It will have 11 other members

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comprising representatives from the state governments.

Agartala rail link

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Why in news? Union Government has sanctioned about 580 crore rupees for Agartala-
Akhaura railway link Project to connect Kolkata (West Bengal) with Tripura
via Bangladesh. The sanctioned fund will be used for the laying of the five
km railway track up to Bangladesh border from Agartala.
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It is 15 km long strategic railway route that would connect the Indian

Railways with the Bangladesh Railways. The work on this project is
expected to complete by 2017.

Mekadatu project on Kaveri

Why in news? Karnataka has decided to implement the Rs. 5,912 crore Mekedatu multi-
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purpose (drinking and power) project that involves building a balancing

reservoir across the Cauvery near Kanakapura in Ramanagaram district.
However, the project has been opposed by Tamil Nadu on the grounds
that it violates the Cauvery tribunal order. But, Karnataka has said that it
aims to utilise excess water after releasing 192 tmcft to Tamil Nadu.

Yettinahole Project
Why in news? Activists Satyajit Surathkal and M.G. Hegde said that they and Mr. Kateel
and other activists of the Netravathi Rakshana Samyukta Samiti will begin
an indefinite hunger strike. They would intensify their protest if the peoples
concerns, regarding the project, are not heard, they said.
Yettinahole project, also called as the Netravati River Diversion Project is
aimed at providing water from Yettinahole (Netravati) to the parched districts
of south Karnataka. Environmental biologist N.A. Madhyastha said that
unscientific and, if implemented, would leave lasting damage on the fragile
flora and fauna of the region.

Countrys first Water Metro Project

Why in news? Kerala Government has launched Kochi Water Metro project, the first
ever Water Metro project in the country. It was launched by Kerala Chief
Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Kochi. The project aims to provide water

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connectivity to people living between islands in the Kochi agglomeration
area and the city.
The project is funded by German Development Bank (Kfw). In this regard
KMRL (Kochi Metro Rail Limited) has signed agreement with Kfw.

Indus Basin: Shahpur Kandi Dam Project

Why in news? Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir have signed a Secretary level fresh pact
for the fast-track completion of the much-delayed 206 megawatt (MW)
Shahpur Kandi dam project on the Ravi River. It is located 11 km
downstream Ranjit Sagar Dam.
Shahpur Kandi project was declared a national project in February 2008
by the Centre. Punjab will execute the project and committee headed by a
member of Central Water Commission (CWC) will monitor it.

Ghatampur Thermal Power Project

Why in news? Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval
for installation of 1980 MW Ghatampur Thermal Power Project (GTPC)

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through a Joint Venture Company Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Limited
(NUPPL), which is formed jointly by Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited

(UPRVUNL).
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(NLC) and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited

The Ghatampur Thermal Power Station (GTPS) is a coal-based thermal

power plant located in Ghatampur in Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
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Deepest Rail Project
Why in news? The famed Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) has started regular commercial
rail service in Switzerland. The first regular train to use GBT ferried
passenger from Zurich to Lugano. The twin-bore GBT is worlds longest
and deepest railway tunnel with length of 57-kilometer. It had overtaken
Japans Seikan tunnel (53.9 kilometers) as the longest rail tunnel in world
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after it was opened in June 2016 for its maiden ride.

GBT is the first flat low-level route through the Alps Mountain. It is situated
2.3 km deep under these mountains and57-kilometer long. It connects
northern and southern Europe and also shortens travel time for many rail
routes

Lost Continent
Why in news? Scientists have confirmed the existence of a lost continent under the
Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. It is left over by the break-up of the
super-continent Gondwana, which started about 200 million years ago.
The discovery was based on study of Zircon, a mineral found in rocks
spewed up by lava during volcanic eruptions which is too old to belong to
Mauritius.
The lost continent is just a small piece of island that probably broke of
when Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica split up and formed the Indian
Ocean.

Zealandia
Why in news? Geologists have claimed discovery of new geological continent named
Zealandia submerged beneath the south-west Pacific Ocean. Zealandia is
around 4.5-million square km land mass and is 94% under water. Only its
highest points New Zealand and New Caledonia are visible.

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Zealandia is two-thirds the size of Australia and spreads out over 4.9-million-
square kilometres of continental crust. It was once a part of Australia.

Worlds First Polluted River Discovered By Scientists

Why in news? Scientists have discovered what could be theworlds first polluted river,
contaminated about 7,000 years ago byNeolithic humanswho may have
been producingcopper metalsfrom ores. In the now-dry riverbed in
theWadi Faynan regionof southern Jordan,Professor Russell
Adamsfrom the University of Waterloo in Canada, and colleagues found
evidence ofearly pollutioncaused by the combustion of copper.
The findings shed light on a turning point in history, when humans began
moving from making tools out of stones to making tools out of metal. This
period, known as the Chalcolithic orCopper Age, is a transitional period
between the late Neolithic or Stone Age and the beginning of the Bronze
Age.

Pre-historic Camping site found in Ladakh

Why in news? The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found an ancient camping

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site used by pre-historic man, at an altitude of about 4,200 metres near
Saser La in Nubra Valley, Ladakh. The camping site is a place where
hunter-gatherers in the ancient times stayed temporarily before they moved
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on to another place.
Charcoal pieces from the earth activity and remains of bones associated
were discovered at the site. The carbon dating of these charcoal pieces
reveals that, the site dates back to circa 8500 BCE
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Report on Palaeo Channel of North West India

Why in news? Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharati released a Report on Palaeo Channel of
North West India: Review & Assessment by Expert Committee. The
committee was headed by Prof. K.S. Valdiya, eminent Geologist.
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This report is based on the study of the land texture of states of North-West
India including- Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. It has also taken account
of the geological changes that had occurred in the past.

Cyclones in News
Cyclone Debbie Australia
Cyclone Vardah North Indian Oceaneffected Tamil Nadu and
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Cyclone Nada Bay of Bengal effected TamilNada, Puducherry and
Kerala
Cyclone Kyant East-central Bay of Bengal
Cyclone Roanu North Indian Ocean effected Sri Lanka, India and
Bangladesh