Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 FEBRUARY 2019
::NATIONAL::
President addresses agricultural leadership summit
- • The President of India, Shri Ram NathKovind, graced and addressed
the closing ceremony of the Fourth Agri Leadership Summit, organised by
the government of Haryana, in Ganaur, Sonipat,today. He also presented
the Haryana KisaanRatnaPuraskaar and the Haryana KrishiRatnaPuraskaar.
- • Speaking on the occasion, the President said that, “Three days
ago, some of our brave jawans lost their lives in a terrorist attack in
Jammu and Kashmir. Along with every Indian, I condemn this heinous
crime. The entire country is in mourning with the bereaved families. On
behalf of the country, I express gratitude towards our brave soldiers
and security personnel.”
- • The President noted that the people and government of Haryana were
making efforts for the overall development of the state, including in
enhancing ease of doing business and improving social indicators such as
the child sex ratio.
- • The President also appreciated that farmers in Haryana, with help
from the state government, were adopting new methods to manage stubble
and crop residue. He expressed confidence that farmers would help find a
solution to the problem of pollution emanating from stubble burning.
Regional conference on DDRS initiative held
- • For the overall empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangajan),
a “Regional Conference on Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS”)
is being organizedby the Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,
Government of India at Kolkata, West Bengalon 18thFebruary, 2019
(Monday).
- • Under the scheme, every year more than 600 NGOs are provided with
financial assistance for running their projects for the rehabilitation
of persons with disability such as Special school, pre-school and early
intervention, Halfway Homes and Community Based Rehabilitation etc.
- • The NGOs being funded are catering the rehabilitative services to
more than 35000 to 40000 beneficiaries every year. Apart from this, the
role of State Government is very crucial. The recommendation from the
District Social Welfare Officer and State Government is important in
release of grant-in-aid to NGOs
- • The conference would have a profound impact on the implementation
of the Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme for the welfare of the
Divyangjan. It will sensitize NGOs about the major changes brought about
in the revised scheme and would create awareness among major
stakeholders, viz. State Government and District level Officers and NGOs
in popularizing the scheme further, thereby promoting the well-being of
Divyanjan.
::ECONOMY::
Finance commission not to fully depend on 2011 census
- • The 15th Finance Commission will not alter its approach on solely
using the 2011 Census for population figures in its calculations for
allocations to States, Chairman N.K. Singh said in an interview.
- • However, he added that other measures would be included that would
ensure that States that have performed well by controlling population
growth would not be penalised.
- • He said that the recommendations of the Commission, especially to
do with the quantum of devolution to the States, will have a bearing on
not only the Central Budget but also those presented by the States for
the year 2020-21.
- • The Chairman, however, said the Commission had not yet finalised
whether it would be altering the previous Commission’s recommendation
that 42% of the Centre’s tax revenue be shared with the States.
Finance minister to highlight interim budget points at RBI meeting
- • Finance Minister ArunJaitley will highlight the key points of the
interim Budget, including the fiscal consolidation roadmap in the
customary post-budget meeting of the central board of the RBI, scheduled
tomorrow.
- • The meeting will take place against the backdrop of a slight
deviation from the fiscal deficit target for the current financial year,
tax rebate for income up to 5 lakh rupees and income support scheme for
12 crore farmers.
- • In the Interim Budget, the government has projected a fiscal
deficit of 3.4 per cent of the GDP for 2019-20, against the earlier
target of 3.3 per cent.
::INTERNATIONAL::
India & Iran asks Pakistan to destroy terrorists from its territory
- • India and Iran delivered a stern message to Pakistan when External
Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj made a brief stopover in Tehran yesterday,
days after both countries lost soldiers to attacks carried out by
terrorists operating from Pakistani soil. MrsSwaraj met Iran’s Deputy
Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Aragchchi while enroute to Bulgaria as part
of her three-nation tour.
- • In a tweet, MrAraghchi said, Iran and India suffered from two
heinous terrorist attacks recently which resulted in big casualties. He
said, both leaders agreed on close cooperation to combat terrorism in
the region.
- • While India lost 40 CRPF jawans to a terror attack carried out by
Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on
Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards has accused Pakistan's security
forces of supporting the perpetrators of a suicide bombing that killed
27 of its troops on Wednesday.
- • Meanwhile, Iran today summoned the Pakistani ambassador to the
country over deadly terror attack on their security forces. In a
statement, Foreign Ministry said, the Islamic Republic of Iran expects
Pakistan government and army to seriously confront the terrorist groups
active on its border with Iran
- • Iran's Revolutionary Guards Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari
yesterday blamed Pakistan's army and Inter-Services Intelligence agency,
saying that sheltering and silence amounts to supporting the
perpetrators. He warned if Pakistan government does not take action
against these terrorists, Iran will retaliate and Islamabad will bear
the consequences.
Iran to develop Chabahar port before U.S sanctions worsen
- • With U.S. sanctions threatening Iran’s main port of Bandar Abbas,
the Iranian government is planning to promote the Chabahar port being
developed by India in a major conference on February 26, highlighting
the potential of the Indian Ocean port beyond India-Afghan trade alone.
- • India is sending an official delegation to the event led by the
Shipping Ministry, where about 200 guests from 35 countries have been
invited, officials said.
- • The event will also bring into focus a tightrope India must walk,
with the U.S. tensions with Iran on one side, in order to achieve the
triple aims of trade with Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan and posing a
counter to the China-Pakistan developed Gwadar port nearby.
- • The potential for inland trade, according to Mr. Chegeni, goes
well beyond the present plan of trade from India-Afghanistan via
Chabahar, as he revealed the government’s plans to connect ‘via
Turkmenistan to Central Asia, via Turkey to Europe, and via Iraq to
Syria and the Mediterranean’ countries. “Once the railroad from Chabahar
connects to Zahedan, many more opportunities will open up,” he said.
::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::
Study reveals Hornbills can adapt to modified habitats
- • Amid a changing environment, with natural homes of birds getting
depleted as natural forests make way for plantations and other such
modified terrain, comes the good news of how the great Indian hornbill (
Bucerosbicornis ) adapts to such change.
- • A group of researchers from NCBS-TIFR in Bengaluru and Nature
Conservation Foundation in Mysuru observed eight hornbill nests, three
located in contiguous forests and five located in modified habitats such
as coffee plantations. They found that the birds followed similar
nesting behaviour but adapted to the changed environment.
- • The team chose to study the great Indian hornbills nesting in the
Anamalai hills. For comparison, the researchers located the study in the
modified habitat in the Valparai plateau and the contiguous forests in
the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and the Vazhachal Reserve forests.
- • Hornbills are secondary cavity nesters and choose cavities formed
in large trees for nesting. Also they are monogamous, and the female,
after copulation, seals herself in the hole until the initial breeding
period of two-four months is over.
- • During this time, the female and the young ones are fed by the
male bird, with fruit such as figs and animal matter. So, in principle,
along with other threats such as hunting, modified land use, ensuing
forest fragmentation, felling of large trees with the potential for
nesting, the loss of fruit bearing trees could also affect hornbill
nesting habits.
