VisionIAS
16:34
1) International Mother Language Day observed globally on 21st February
•UNESCO is celebrating International Mother Language Day 2020 under the theme “Languages without borders.”
•The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. In Bangladesh 21 February is the anniversary of the day when Bangladeshis fought for recognition for the Bangla language.
•As per the data on un.org “at least 43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, and less than a hundred are used in the digital world.” Globalisation is one of the factors to blame for increasing threat various languages are under and all of us should strive to save the linguistic diversity of our region, our nation and our world.
History of International Mother Language Day:
•The day has its roots dating back to 1952, when students of Dhaka University in Bangladesh protested and organized rallies to re-instate Bangla, their mother tongue (which was spoken by a majority of people in Bangladesh) as their national language. After the partition of India and Pakistan the Pakistani Government declared Urdu as the sole national of East Pakistan and West Pakistan both. The people of east Pakistan (now Bangladesh) fought and sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue. In 1956, the government granted official status to Bangla or Bengali. Although Bangaldesh became independent in 1971, the country still observes national holiday on 21st February and celebrates the International Mother Language Day.
2) Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission 4th Anniversary being observed today
•The Mission aims at transforming these Rurban clusters by stimulating local economic development, enhancing basic services and creating well planned Rurban clusters. This will lead to the holistic development of the region and encourage integrated and inclusive rural development.
•Under the mission, 300 Rurban clusters are envisaged to be developed in a time-bound manner. Spurred by the success of Rurban clusters, NITI Aayog has recently proposed a new and extended programme for over 1,000 clusters in the next three years.
3) Govt of Haryana to open Atal Kisan – Majdoor canteens
•This was stated by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya during his address to the Budget Session of State Assembly. Haryana government will also provide free and concessional travel facility to 41 different categories of residents in the ordinary buses of Haryana Roadways. Under a new initiative, the women and girls belonging to 11 lakh BPL families will be given sanitary napkins free of cost during the year 2020-2021.
4) 1st Bharat-Bangla Paryatan Utsav begins in Agartala
•The State Tourism Department has organized the festival in memories of the contribution of Tripura in 1971 Bangladesh liberation war as well as giving a fillip to the Tripura tourism sector. The states through cultural tourism, health tourism particularly tightening the relationship between two nations.
5) India to switch world’s cleanest petrol and diesel from April 1
•Bharat stage-VI (BS-VI) has a sulphur content of just 10 ppm and emission standards are as good as CNG. State-owned oil refineries spent about 35,000 crore rupees to upgrade plants that could produce ultra-low sulphur fuel.
6) Northeast Frontier Railway builds India’s tallest pier bridge in Manipur
•A bridge pier is a type of structure that extends to the ground below or into the water. It is used to support bridge superstructure and transfer the loads to the foundation. The bridge piers can be constructed to be substantially attractive and strong in order to withstand both vertical and horizontal loads.
7) Ahmedabad to host Chitra Bharati Film Festival
•The key topics of the Chitra Bharati Film Festival includes Indian culture and values, constructive work, Indian family, social harmony, trees and cleanliness, women, national security and education for nation building.
•The previous 2 editions of the Chitra Bharati Film Festival were held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh (2016) and at Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium (2018).
8) Pakistan will remain on the FATF Grey List
What is the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)?
•The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF is, therefore, a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.
•The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures, and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally. In collaboration with other international stakeholders, the FATF works to identify national-level vulnerabilities with the aim of protecting the international financial system from misuse.
9) Pakistan successfully tests air-launched cruise missile Ra’ad-II
•Pakistan successfully completed the flight test of the air-launched cruise missile Ra’ad-II. The Ra’ad-II weapon system is equipped with state of the art guidance & navigation systems ensuring of engagement targets with high precision. Ra’ad-II missile is planned to be attached to Mirage aircraft or F-16 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force. The cruise missile with a range of 600 km significantly enhances air delivered strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.
10) Sanjay Kothari becomes new Central Vigilance Commissioner
•Sanjay Kothari has been selected as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner by a high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is presently served as the Secretary to the President. The Central Vigilance Commission is an-corruption watchdog with autonomous status.
