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Daily Current Affairs 09th Feb 2021

To prepare for any competitive exam, one of the important sections to read and learn is current affairs. Exams like UPSC, Bank, SSC, RRB or any Government

Ladakh to get India's first Geothermal Power Project

  • The first geothermal power project of India will be established at Puga village of eastern Ladakh.
  • This decision was taken because, Puga village was identified as the hotspot of geothermal energy by the scientists.
  • The project will be completed in four phases.
  • A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish and implement the first phase was signed between ONGC Energy; LAHDC, Leh and the Power Department of UT Ladakh
  • It will be commissioned by the end of 2022.
  • The first phase of the project will result into the generation of one megawatt (MW) power in the first phase, the pilot project will be implemented by the ONGC-OEC.

Chamoli tragedy: Glacial Breach Triggered Floods

  • An avalanche and flash floods triggered in Alaknanda river in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand following a glacial breach.
  • Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) is investigating the matter. SASE works under the nodal head Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
  • The glacial breach also breached a lake in the Raini village in Chamoli district. The raini village is situated on the boundary of Nanda Devi biosphere reserve.
  • The breach has resulted into increase in water levels in the Dhauliganga river and the Rishiganga, one of the tributaries of Dhauliganga river.
  • The avalanche has destroyed the Rishi Ganga hydel plant on the Rishiganga river.
  • Alaknanda River is a Himalayan river in Uttarakhand. It is one of the two headstreams of River Ganga. The other is the Bhagirathi
  • There are five main tributaries of Alaknanda in order namely the River Dhauliganga, River Nandakini, River Pindar, River Mandakini and River Bhagirathi. All of them rise in the northern mountainous regions of Uttarakhand

Uttar Pradesh: 16-Digit Unicode To Identify Landholdings

  • The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a system of issuing a unique 16-digit Unicode. This Unicode will be used to mark all kinds of landholdings in the state.
  • The Unicode numbers for the land would comprise of the 16 digits. The first six digits is based on the population of the land. Next 4 digits in the line would determine the unique identity of the land. Digits from 11 to 14 would be the number of divisions of the land. Lastly, 2 digits would contain the details regarding the category. With the help of the last 2 digits, the category of the land viz. residential, agricultural and commercial land can be identified.

NCAER's Business Confidence Index

  • The Business Confidence Index (BCI) was recently published by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). The index has rose 29.6 per cent between second and third quarter of the financial year 2020-2021.
  • It has rose in the backdrop of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in several countries including India.
  • NCAER is a New Delhi based non-profit economic think tank. The NCAER do research in the field of economics. It was established in the year 1956. Currently, Nandan Nilekani is president of the governing body. The director general of the think tank is Dr Shekhar Shah.

Samagra Shiksha funded school to be renamed after Netaji

  • The Ministry of Education has decided that the Schools and hostels under the Samagra Shiksha scheme will now be renamed after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
  • The renaming of the scheme will help to create awareness regarding the facility of these residential schools and hostels in difficult areas.

About Samagra Shiksha Scheme

  • It is an integrated scheme for school education. The scheme extends from the pre-school to class XII.
  • The scheme was launched after subsuming three schemes namely, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the Teacher Education (TE), the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA).
  • The scheme emphasizes on improving the quality of school education by focusing on two T's that is Teacher and Technology.
  • It also provides financial assistance for opening schools and residentials in small and less populated areas for children who are in need of shelter and care.
  • The residential facilities are provided under the scheme to the migrant and child labour rescued children. It is also provided to the children who got separated from their families and those who are without adult protection.
  • Under the scheme, specific skill training, medical care, physical self-defence, community participation and monthly stipend are also provided to children.

NITI Aayog orders to study the 'Economic impact of Judicial Decisions'

  • The NITI Aayog has ordered the Jaipur-based research organisation Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International to study the "economic impact" of judgments delivered by Supreme Court (SC), high courts (HCS), and quasi-judicial bodies like the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
  • This study will be completely funded by the NITI Aayog.
  • The study will be conducted with the aim of "sensitising the judiciary on the economic impact of their decisions".
  • The total cost of the project initially was Rs 24.8 lakh.
  • CUTS International will study the economic impact of five different decisions by the SC and the NGT.

The five judgement include:

  • Economic impact of the ban imposed by the SC in March 2019 on construction of a greenfield airport at Mopa, Goa
  • 2 SC's February 2018 ban on iron ore mining in Goa. 3. NGT ban on sand mining in the Yamuna river in Gautam Buddha Nagar in the year 2013
  • SC ban on construction of buildings in Delhi and National Capital Region
  • Supreme court's decision to reject the opening of Vedanta's Sterlite copper plant.

FSSAI Caps Trans Fats in Foods

  • Rules have been amended by the FooSafety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to put cap on trans fatty acids (TFAs) in the food products.
  • Under the new regulations, in the food products which comprises of the edible oils and fats as an ingredient the total amount of the industrial trans fats should not exceed 2% of the total oils or fats present in the product.
  • This regulation will be applicable from January 1, 2022.
  • FSSAI, in December 2020, had capped the amount of the TFAs in oils and fats to 3% that needed to be done by 2021. It has also capped it to 2% by 2022 from the present level of 5%.
  • World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that, around 5.4 lakh deaths happen each year globally as a result of the intake of the industrially produced trans fatty acids. The WHO aims to eliminate the industrially produced trans fatty acids from the food supply by 2023.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

  • It is an autonomous body that works under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
  • Chairperson- Rita Teaotia
  • Chief Executive Officer- Shri Arun Singhal.

Fisheries Sector: 400 Crore Investment to be made in Goa

  • The Union Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh announced that an investment of 400 crore will be made in Goa to make this state a fisheries hub of India.
  • The coastal state, Goa, has the potential for highest fish production across India.
  • The state can also become a "fisheries hub" of India.
  • The Centre recently considered 7400 crore investment in the fisheries sector of Goa.
  • As per the plan, 30 fish landing jetties will be created in order for the fishermen to anchor their boats near their villages.
  • The country ranks second in aquaculture while it is ranked third in the fisheries production. Fisheries sector amounts to 1.07% of the Total GDP of India.

PayPal To Stop Domestic Payment Services

  • The American Digital payment solutions provider PayPal announced that it will stop offering the domestic payment services within India beginning from April 1, 2021
  • With this decision, the PayPal will not be able to offer the domestic payment services within India.
  • Delhi High Court has asked for the response of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) India on American online payment gateway PayPal's plea.
  • In its plea, the PayPal had challenged Rs 96 lakh penalty imposed on for the violation of money laundering law.

National Horticulture Fair 2021

  • The National Horticulture Fair started on February 8, 2021. It is a five-day event that will be organised at the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) campus. People from all across India will also participate the event virtually.
  • The theme of the National Horticulture Fair 2021 will be: Horticulture for Start-Up and Stand-Up India'.
  • The theme seeks to encourage the farmers to become entrepreneurs.
  • The fair will be organised by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR).

Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IHR)

  • It is an autonomous organization. It is engaged in doing the basic, strategic, anticipatory and applied research on various aspects of horticulture. It is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The institute is a subsidiary of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It works under the nodal head of the Ministry of Agriculture.

China to set up Public Platform to track Polluters

  • The Environment Ministry of China recently announced to set up a new Public Information Platform that will allow the public to track emissions from the polluting enterprises. The platform will come into effect on March 1, 2021.
  • The Public Information Platform will help the authorities to prosecute the public who will break the rules.