Daily Current Affairs, 17th February 2020

1) 9th World Pangolin day 2020

•World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the 3rd Saturday of February. This international effort raises awareness about pangolin species and mobilizes various stakeholders to speed up conservation efforts. The 9th World Pangolin day was observed on February 15, 2020.

•Madhya Pradesh has taken special initiative to conserve the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)  which is included in the highly endangered species. The MP Forest Department and the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) have embarked on a joint project to understand and effectively conserve the ecology of the Indian pangolin.

•In this project, radio-tagging of some pangolins is being done to study their activities, accommodation, routines etc. Two Indian pangolins have been successfully rehabilitated in the jungle.

2) PM Modi to inaugurate UN Convention on Migratory Species

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The theme of the Conference is “Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home.”

•The CMS COP 13 logo is inspired by ‘Kolam’, a traditional art form from southern India. In the logo, Kolam art form is used to depict key migratory species in India like Amur falcon, humpback whale and marine turtles. As the host, India will be designated the President for the next three years. India is a signatory to the Convention on Conservation of Migratory wild Animals since 1983.

3) 5-day working week for Maharashtra govt employees

•The Maharashtra government has announced 5-day working week for state government employees. The decision was taken at the state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The new system will be applicable from February 29 onwards.

•Employees working for the Government of Maharashtra presently get second and fourth Saturdays off every month. There are over 20 lakh officers and employees in government, semi-government and local bodies in the state.

•The Cabinet also decided that the state department for OBCs, SEBCs (socially and educationally backward classes), VJNTs (vimukt jati and nomadic tribes) and special backward classes will now be known as the ‘Bahujan Kalyan Department’.

4) South Central Railways zone becomes 1st in India to have energy-neutral stations

•The Indian Railways South Central Railways (SCR) zone has become the 1st zonal railway in the country to have functional “energy neutral” railway stations on the network. The South Central Railways has converted a total of 13 railway stations into “energy neutral” stations, which is the highest amongst all the zones across the Indian Railways network.

•The energy-neutral railway stations are capable of meeting 100 per cent energy requirements by tapping into solar power through solar photovoltaic panels which have been commissioned at the station buildings.

The 13 energy-neutral railway stations of the SCR zone are listed:

•Ghatkesar station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 10 kWp

•Dharur station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 5 kWp

•Raghunathpalli station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 5 kWp

•Mellacheruvu station of the Secunderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 5 kWp

•Ontimitta station of the Guntakal division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 7.5 kWp

•Kadiyam station of the Vijayawada division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 10 kWp

•Dwarapudi station of the Vijayawada division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 10 kWp

•Godavari station of the Vijayawada division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 10 kWp

•Dharmabad station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 11.6 kWp

•Sivungaon station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 2.2 kWp

•Umri station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 17.43 kWp

•Karkheli station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 2.2 kWp

•Bolsa station of the Hyderabad division has solar panels with an installed capacity of 2.95 kWp

5) Donald Trump to inaugurate world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad

•The World’s Biggest Cricket Stadium, the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad renamed as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Stadium will be inaugurated by US President Donald Trump during his visit to India. The stadium has a capacity of 1.10 lakh people. Sardar Vallabhbhai Stadium emerged as the World’s Biggest Cricket Stadium after the previous 53000-seater Motera Stadium was demolished back in 2015.

6) Indian-origin minister Alok Sharma to lead UN climate summit

•Indian-origin Alok Sharma was named the new UK Minister in charge of the crunch UN climate talks to be hosted by Britain. He has been promoted to the post of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle. He will take charge of the crucial summit ‘COP26′ as its former president was removed amid controversy.

7) IFAD Governing Council 2020 held in Rome, Italy

•The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) 43rd Governing Council meeting was held in Rome, Italy. The 43rd sessions will focus on the overarching theme “Investing in sustainable food systems to end hunger by 2030″. The theme highlights how IFAD’s role and experience in supporting sustainable, inclusive, nutritious and efficient food systems uniquely place it in a position to contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG2).

•During the meet, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) stated that the sequences of climate change and its impacts on agriculture will push around 100 million people to poverty by 2030.

8) Sebi constitutes Municipal bonds development committee

•Markets regulator Sebi has constituted a Municipal Bonds Development Committee headed by Sujit Prasad. This committee will suggest on policy matters pertaining to the development of municipal debt securities and facilitate municipalities for issuance of such bonds.

•This committee comprises representatives from municipal corporations, lawyers, professionals and market practitioners. The panel will advise Sebi on issues related to regulation and development of the primary and secondary market of municipal debt securities.

9) BioAsia Summit 2020 begins in Hyderabad

•The Government of Telangana hosting Bio-Asia Summit 2020 in Hyderabad between February 17, 2020, and February 19, 2020. The main objective of the summit is to explore the capabilities of Life Science Companies and their investments. The theme of the Summit is Theme: Today for Tomorrow.

•The summit will be attended by researchers, investors, conglomerates, start-ups and health care representatives. They will focus on the needs of the evolving Life Science industry.