Current affairs notes on August 19-22

 1.The Punjab Chief Minister asked the Central government to be cautious on the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue, saying it has the potential to disturb the nation’s security. The Satluj Yamuna Link Canal is a proposed 214-kilometer long canal to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. However, the proposal met obstacles and was referred to the Supreme Court.

2.The Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2020 has been released. Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) is an initiative of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) (Now, it is the Ministry of Education), Govt. of India to systematically rank all major higher educational institutions and universities in India. IIT Madras under the category of Institutes of National Importance, Central Universities, and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes becomes first.

3.Digital quality of Life index 2020 Index  is prepared by Surfshark, a virtual private network (VPN) provider based in the British Virgin Islands. The report was released recently. Of 85 countries, India ranked 9th on the internet affordability indicator, and 15th on e-government. Overall, India is ranked 57th.

4.The environment ministry‘s ban on mining in areas of thick forest cover has locked away millions of tonnes of coal reserves. In 2009, the environment and coal ministries had jointly placed the country’s forested areas under two categories – Go and No-Go – and imposed a ban on mining in the ‘No-Go’ zones on environmental grounds.  ‘No Go’ areas are those having either more than 10 per cent weighted forest cover (WFC) or more than 30 per cent gross forest cover (GFC).

5.Indian Railways has started deploying “Ninja UAVs” (unmanned aerial vehicles) for establishing a drone-based surveillance system in a bid to intensify its security mechanism across its network.

6.The Odisha government has announced to give a facelift to the 11th century Lingaraj Temple, akin to its pre-350-year structural status. Lingaraja Temple is a temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the oldest and largest temples in Odisha. It is built in red stone and is a classic example of Kalinga style of architecture.

7.Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports of Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be leased out through Public Private Partnership (PPP) to Adani Enterprises Ltd. The lease is for a period of fifty years.

8.Swachh Survekshan 2020 report was recently released by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. Indore was ranked the cleanest city in the overall category this year followed by Surat and Navi Mumbai. Chhattisgarh is the cleanest state in the category of states with more than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs). Ahmedabad is India’s the cleanest Mega city.

9.Namath Basai is Kerala government’s unique programme of teaching tribal children in their mother tongue. Implemented by the Samagra Siksha Kerala (SSK).

10.The President has appointed Rajiv Kumar, IAS(Retd.) as the Election Commissioner. The constitution under article 324 provides for an Election Commission. The election commission shall consist of the Chief Election Commissioner and a such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the president may from time to time fix. The appointment  shall be made by the president.

11.Thumbimahotsavam  is the first-ever State Dragonfly Festival in Kerala. Pantalu is the official mascot of the festival.

12. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has decided to set up a National Recruitment Agency (NRA) to conduct a common preliminary examination for various recruitments in the central government.

13. A study published in ‘Nature Communications’ has estimated the amount of microplastic pollution in the Atlantic Ocean and put it at 11.6-21.1 million tonnes. There has been an uncertainty about the magnitude of plastic pollution in marine environments.

14. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the National Strategy for Financial Education (NSFE): 2020-2025 document for creating a financially aware and empowered India. It emphasizes a multi-stakeholder-led approach for empowering various sections of the population to develop adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour which are needed to manage their money better and to plan for the future i.e. ensuring their financial well-being.

15. Bangladesh is likely to receive an almost USD 1 billion loan from China for a comprehensive management and restoration project on the Teesta river. Teesta is a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh), flowing through India and Bangladesh.

16. India ranks 1st in number of organic farmers and 9th in terms of area under organic farming. Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic in 2016. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER) is a Central Sector Scheme.

17. The approval of projects under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) increased 44% during the first five months (April - August) of the financial year 2020-21. The Government of India approved the introduction of a credit linked subsidy programme called Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in 2008 for generation of employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises in rural as well as urban areas. It is a central sector scheme being administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME).

18. Sri Lanka will draft a new Constitution and abolish the 19th Amendment that curtailed the powers of the President and strengthened the role of Parliament. Mahinda Rajapaksha is the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. 19th amendment sought not only to clip the President’s executive powers, but also to strengthen independence of key pillars such as the judiciary, public service and elections.

19. For the first time five sports persons will be receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna on the occasion of the National Sports Day on 29th August. Rohit Sharma-Cricket, Mariyappan T- Para Athletics, Manika batra- Table Tennis, Vinesh- Wrestling, Rani- Hockey. The National Sports Day is observed every year across India on 29th August to mark the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand who was born on 29th August 1905.

20. Recently, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed a mobile App, ‘Harit Path' to facilitate creation of Green Highways across the country.