Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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Daily Current Affairs, 29th January 2020

vision ias current affairs

VisionIAS 16:50

1) GOI launches Bhuvan Panchayat V3 web Portal developed by ISRO

•Union Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh launched the Bhuvan Panchayat V3 web Portal in Anthariksh Bhavan, ISRO Head Quarters in Bengaluru. This web Portal will enhance network application of gram panchayats. The Portal will function with the help of satellite technology developed by ISRO.

•In the project, ISRO will collaborate with the gram panchayat members and stakeholders to understand their data requirements. The third version of the portal will provide database visualisation and services for the benefit of panchayat members, among others. The project is meant to provide geospatial services to aid the gram panchayat development planning process of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

2) Govt of Odisha launches virtual police station

•The State Government of Odisha has launched a virtual police station where people can lodge complaints from their respective districts without visiting Police Station. The e-police station will function from the State Crime Records Bureau in Bhubaneswar. These initiatives are effectively reducing the necessity of citizens to visit Police Stations.

•The state government also launched the medico-legal opinion system and road accident case document module at Lok Seva Bhawan in the capital, in a bid to reduce human interface with government offices. The medico-legal opinion system is a web-based system that will benefit both the police and medical professionals. The road accident case documents module is a web-based application which can be accessed from the website www.imsop.odisha.gov.in. Through this web-based application, victims of road accidents, as well as insurance companies, can download documents like FIR, final form, spot map, MVI report, inquest, post-mortem report, driving licence, and registration certificates.

3) Uddhav Thackeray inaugurates Nagpur Metro Aqua line

•The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated 18.5 kilometre-long stretch of Nagpur Metro Aqua line of Maha Metro Rail Network. The newly inaugurated Nagpur Metro Aqua line passing over the Ambazari lake in the city will connect the east and west parts of the city.

•This Metro line will facilitate the commuters coming from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation’s Hingana area and adjoining areas of the outskirts of the city. This Line will have six stations starting from Lokmanya Nagar to Sitabuldi Interchange Metro Station. Nagpur Metro is the Greenest Metro deriving 65 per cent of its power consumption from Solar Energy. Nagpur Metro network is now operational up to 24.5 kilometres.

4) “Samvidhaan” announced as the Oxford Hindi Word of the Year 2019

•Oxford University Press (OUP) named “Samvidhaan” (Constitution) the Oxford Hindi Word of 2019. It received widespread attention in the year which was witness to the spirit of the Indian Constitution being embraced across segments of the society. The word was chosen as 2019 saw the values of democracy, secularism, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity being tested on the touchstone of the Constitution or “Samvidhaan”.

•"Samvidhaan” means a “body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organisation is acknowledged to be governed”.

5) Indian Railway’s 1st waste-to-energy plant commissioned at Bhubaneswar

•Indian Railways has commissioned India’s 1st governmental waste-to-energy plant in Mancheswar Carriage Repair workshop at Bhubaneswar under the East Coast Railway zone. It has been built at a cost of Rs 1.79 crore and has the capacity to dispose of 500 kg waste, including plastic and e-waste.

•This waste-to-energy plant uses a patented technology called ‘Polycrack’, which is the world’s first patented heterogeneous catalytic process to convert multiple feedstocks into hydrocarbon liquid fuels, gas, carbon and water. This process will produce energy in the form of light diesel oil which is used to light furnaces.

6) India’s 1st underwater metro project in kolkata to be completed by 2022

•The country’s 1st underwater metro project is set to complete its East-West Project of Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, which runs partly under the Hooghly river, West Bengal, by March 2022. The new metro rail is expected to carry about 900,000 people daily & will take less than a minute to cross a 520-meter underwater tunnel. 74% of the East-West Metro project is owned by India’s Railway & remaining 26% by the nation’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

7) Qatar appoints Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani as new PM

•Qatar’s emir has appointed Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani as new Prime Minister. He will replace Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. The earlier Prime Minister has submitted his resignation. The new prime minister had been the head of the Amiri Diwan, the emir’s office.

8) Tableaux of Assam wins 1st prize at 71st Republic Day parade

•The Tableaux of Assam wins the 1st prize at the Republic Day Parade, 2020 among the States/Union Territories. The theme of Assam’s tableau was “Land of unique craftsmanship and culture”, displaying bamboo and cane work and Bhortal Nritya performed by Xattriya dancers. Best Tableaux awards for Republic Day Parade, 2020 was given by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

•Odisha and Uttar Pradesh won tied second prize. Odisha’s tableau depicted Lord Lingaraja’s Rukuna Rath Yatra whereas the tableau of Uttar Pradesh showcased the state’s cultural and religious heritage.

•The tableaux of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and Jal Shakti Mission have jointly adjudged the best tableau among the Ministries and Departments. Central Public Works Department (CPWD) got the Special Prize for their tableau based on the theme Kashmir se Kanyakumari.

9) Former President releases Yashwant Sinha’s autobiography

•Former President Pranab Mukherjee released the autobiography of Yashwant Sinha titled ‘Relentless’. The book describes Sinha’s journey from normal life to a high political powered life. The book is published by Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt Ltd.

•Sinha served as the Union Minister of Finance (MoF) from 1990-1991 during the then Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar govt’s rule. He also served as finance minister from March 1998 to July 2002 under the then Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The HINDU Notes – 29th January 2020

the hindu notes

VisionIAS 16:38

📰 African cheetahs to prowl Indian forests

SC lifts seven-year stay on proposal; forms committee to monitor progress

•The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted its seven-year stay on a proposal to introduce African cheetahs from Namibia into the Indian habitat on an experimental basis.

•The plan was to revive the Indian cheetah population.

•In May 2012, the top court had stalled the plan to initiate the foreign cheetahs into the Palpur Kuno sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, fearing that they may come into conflict with a parallel and a much-delayed project to reintroduce lions into the same sanctuary.

•The court was also worried whether the African cheetahs would find the sanctuary a favourable clime as far as abundance of prey is concerned.

•However, on Tuesday, a Bench led by Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde was nudged by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to take the plunge and go ahead with its plans to bring the African cat to India.

•But the Bench made sure that the right precautions are taken. It set up a three-member committee, comprising former Director of Wildlife Institute of India Ranjit Singh, DG of Wildlife Institute of India Dhananjay Mohan, and DIG, Wildlife, Ministry of Environment and Forests, to ‘guide’ the NTCA. Chief Justice Bobde, speaking for the Bench, directed the committee to file a progress report every four months.

Best possible habitat

•The court made it clear that a proper survey should be done to identify the best possible habitat for the cheetahs. Every effort should be taken to ensure that they adapt to the Indian conditions. The committee would help, advise and monitor the NTCA on these issues. The action of the introduction of the animal would be left to the NTCA’s discretion.

•Officials at the NTCA told The Hindu that the court order notwithstanding, the actual process of translocation might be long-drawn.

•The cheetah does not breed well in captivity and requires vast stretches of grassland, and access to adequate prey to thrive. “There are eight to nine identified sites in India but the best one is in the Kuno Palpur sanctuary. However, we still have to make it suitable for the cheetah,” a source said. The purported gains from introducing the cheetah would include tourism, improvement of grasslands and global recognition for successfully reviving the animal in India. The hearing came on an application filed by the NTCA.

📰 Government should make labour codes a reality by April, says ISF

THE HINDU NEWSPAPER IMPORTANT ARTICLES 29.01.2020

the hindu articles

VisionIAS 07:35

FRONT PAGE

CAA, fiscal crisis to figure in House

African cheetahs to prowl Indian forests

NATIONAL

‘One nation holding up SAARC’

India, France to partner on museums

Navy launches Op Vanilla to help cyclone-hit Madagascar

EU motion calls CAA ‘discriminatory’

Puducherry Assembly to adopt resolution against CAA

‘E-commerce giants need to set up system for collecting plastic waste’

10 more wetlands in India declared as Ramsar sites

INTERNATIONAL

Trump to unveil his West Asia peace plan

Trump trial: support increasing within GOP for new witnesses

OPINION

The many problems of delayed data

The continuing theme of uncertainty, volatility

Restructuring or bureaucratic overkill?

Dissent won’t hurt a nation’s foreign policy agenda

Examining the slowdown

Alarming spread

Russia distorts map for security

BUSSINESS

Government should make labour codes a reality by April, says ISF

Reserve Bank elevates Janak Raj as ED

Daily Current Affairs, 28th January 2020

vision ias current affairs

VisionIAS 17:53

1) Kerala CM inaugurates India’s 1st Super Fab Lab

•Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates India’s 1st Super Fab Lab in Kochi, Kerala. The Super Fab Lab is being installed in collaboration with KSUM (Kerala Startup Mission). The laboratory will break down barriers between the physical world and the digital world.

•A Fab Lab is a laboratory that offers digital fabrication. It is colloquially defined as, “How to make almost anything”. It is an array of computers that covers almost all materials. It is used in businesses to develop prototypes and also in education. It includes CNC cutting, plasma metal cutting, laser cutting, electronics and microprocessors and 3D printing and scanning.

2) India’s 1st war memorial for animals set to open in Meerut

•Government of India is a plan to set up a war memorial for animals in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. It will be India’s first animal war memorial. The memorial will come up at the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre and College in Meerut, where the army breeds, rears, and trains dogs, mules and horses.

•The memorial aims to recognize the heroic acts of the animals on the battlefield, devotion to duty and outstanding contribution to military service alongside soldiers. The names and service numbers of over 350 handlers, 300 dogs, and a few horses and mules will be inscribed on granite tablets at the memorial. The monument would be similar to the National War Memorial in Delhi but on a smaller scale.

3) Maharashtra govt launches ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme

•Maharashtra government launched ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme. The scheme aims to provide a meal to the poor for just 10 rupees, on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day. Under the scheme, which has been launched on a pilot basis, thalis or lunch plates would be available to people at designated centres/ canteens during a stipulated time in all the districts.

•The district guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh inaugurated the “Shiv Bhojan Thali” canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Under the pilot scheme, at least one ‘Shiv Bhojan’ canteen has been started at district headquarters.

4) Andra cabinet adopts resolution to abolish Legislative Council

•Andhra Pradesh (AP) cabinet has adopted a resolution to abolition the legislative council, which the government feels is a major hurdle for passing crucial bills. This cabinet chaired by the chief minister (CM) YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

•This approval came after AP government failed to pass 2 important bills (Andhra Pradesh Decentralization and Inclusive development of All Regions Bill-2020 for the tri-capital system & and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Act (Repeal) Bill) in the upper house of the legislature.

5) Britain unveils 50 pence coin minted to celebrate Brexit

•Britain has unveiled a new 50 pence coin minted to mark Brexit (British exit). Brexit is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Britain will leave the EU at 2300 GMT on January 31st. The coin bears the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”. Finance Minister of Britain Sajid Javid, who is also Master of the Mint, was presented with the first batch of coins.

6) GRSE to deliver INS Kavaratti to Indian Navy Soon

•Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) is set to deliver anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Indian Navy. INS Kavaratti is 104th warship constructed by GRSE. The trails had been completed successfully and delivered by the end of January 2020. INS Kavaratti can be used during nuclear, chemical and biological warfare conditions and its weapons and sensors suite is predominantly indigenous.

7) 3rd Global Potato Conclave-2020 begins today

•The 3rd Global Potato Conclave-2020 begins today at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conclave through video conferencing. The Conclave will provide an opportunity to bring all stakeholders at one common platform. Gujarat is one of the leading producers of Potato in the country. Netherland is the partner country of this conclave.

•The mega event will have three major components, which include the Potato Conference, the Agri Expo and Potato Field Day. It is a unique event to expose different stakeholders of the country to the frontiers of knowledge and innovations in potato research. This conclave is being organized by the Indian Potato Association (IPA) in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR, Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla and International Potato Center, Lima, Peru.

8) Taranjit Singh Sandhu appoints as India’s next Ambassador to USA

•Taranjit Singh Sandhu takes charge as the new Indian Ambassador to the United States. He will succeed Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the new Foreign Secretary-designate, who recently left for New Delhi to take charge. Sandhu is the current High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka since January 24, 2017. He has previously served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy of India in Washington DC from 2013 to 2017.

9) IBA appoints Sunil Mehta as its new CEO

•Sunil Mehta took over as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). He will replace VG Kannan, who resigned from office as chief executive of IBA on December 31, 2019. The term of the CEO of IBA is for 3 years. At present, the managing committee of IBA has SBI chief Rajnish Kumar as Chairman for the year 2019-20 along with 3 deputy chairmen and honorary secretary.

10) Dr. N Kumar honoured with Harit Ratna Award 2019

•Dr N Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, has been conferred ‘Harit Ratna Award 2019’. This award is organised by the All India Agricultural Students Association. He was awarded for the dissemination of Rs 30-crore entrepreneurship project in agri-business and also for motivating students towards the agriculture sector in Tamil Nadu. The award was conferred at the 5th National Youth Convention at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya in Raipur recently.

The HINDU Notes – 28th January 2020

the hindu notes

VisionIAS 17:26

📰 Centre, Assam govt. sign accord with Bodo groups

It will end 50-year-old crisis: Amit Shah

•The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Assam government and Bodo groups on Monday signed an agreement to redraw and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) in Assam, currently spread over the four districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri.

•As per the agreement, villages dominated by Bodos that were presently outside the BTAD would be included and those with non-Bodo population would be excluded, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. Bodos living in the hills would be granted Scheduled Hill Tribe status.

•Mr. Sarma said as of now, the agreement had not addressed the issue of “citizenship or work permit” for non-domiciles in the BTAD, to be renamed as the Bodoland Territorial Region.

•Several Bodo groups, led by the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), have been demanding a separate land for the ethnic community since 1972, a movement that has claimed nearly 4,000 lives.

•Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who presided over the event, said the signing of the agreement would “end the 50-year-old Bodo crisis”.

•“Today, Assam is united. Around 1,500 cadres of NDFB (P), NDFB (RD) and NDFB (S) will be rehabilitated by Centre and Assam Government. They will be assimilated in the mainstream and will surrender on January 30 on Bapu’s death anniversary,” he said.

📰 Govt. sweetens Air India offer, puts 100% stake on the table