Current Affairs Daily Digest – February 17 2020
1. JK, Ladakh is to come under the jurisdiction of CAT
The Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will soon be covered by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The announcement was made by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh at the annual conference of the CAT in New Delhi.
2. GoI, World Bank signs loan agreement to improve groundwater management
Government of India and the World Bank signed a $450 million loan agreement on 17 February. The agreement aims to support the national programme to arrest the depleting groundwater levels and strengthen groundwater institutions in India. The loan agreement was signed by Shri Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, and Mr. Junaid Ahmad, India Director, India on behalf of the World Bank.
3. Soil health card Scheme completes 5 years as on 19February
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare reported that so far 6954 villages have been identified by the States/UTs in which against the target of 26.83 lakh samples, 20.18 lakh samples have been collected, 14.65 lakh samples have been analyzed and 13.54 lakh cards have been distributed to farmers. The Soil health card scheme completes 5 years on 19 February 2019.
4. India marks the beginning of “Super Year of Biodiversity” with CMS COP 13
The year 2020 has been nick named as “Super Year” by global advocacy groups including the United Nations. This has been done to highlight 21 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and their targets. India marks the “Super Year of Biodiversity” with the Conservation of Migratory Species Conference of Parties 13. The year includes UN summit in September 2020 and will end in UN Biodiversity Conference in the end of 2020.
5. BioAsia Summit 2020 to be held in Hyderabad
The Government of Telangana is 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.
6. India and Norway to work towards mitigating marine plastic littering
CMS COP-13, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species Conference of Parties-13, was marked by India. The Convention is to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat between February 17, 2020 and February 22, 2020.
7. Cabinet Approval: India-Iceland MoU in Sustainable Fisheries Development
Union Cabinet approved the Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and Iceland in the field of fisheries. The countries had signed agreements in September 2019, to develop inland fisheries. According to the agreement, the countries agreed to create facilities of technical experts and scientists in shore areas and deep sea areas. They also agreed on exchange of scientific research literature, scientific experts in the field of fisheries.
8. Cabinet approves amendment in DTAA with Sri Lanka
Cabinet approves protocol amending the Agreement between India and Sri Lanka for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Signing and Ratification of the Protocol amending the Agreement between India and Sri Lanka for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
9. Indian athletes clinch 3 medals in World SnowShoe Championship
According to a tournament official, Ayan Bin Shahnaz bagged silver, while Zain Ali and Muzamil Hussain Mir, all are from Kashmir, bagged bronze medals in their respective categories.
Athletes from 17 countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden and France participated in the championship. The Indian contingent was fielded by SnowShoe Federation of India.
10. Govt to infuse ₹1,300 cr in Exim Bank next fiscal
The government has decided to pump Rs 1,300 crore into state-owned Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) to fund its business growth. Last year, the government doubled its authorised capital from Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore.
“The (Rs 1,300 crore) provision is for Exim Bank as equity support/ subscription to increase the paid up capital of the bank to the level of its authorized capital,” as per the Budget documents presented in Parliament earlier this month.
