Assam Current Affairs – February 08 – 14, 2020

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Current Affairs Assam – February 8 - 14, 2020

( Covers all important Assam Current Affairs & GK topics for the week of February 8 – 14, 2020 )

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FEBRUARY 08, 2020

Tocklai Tea Research Institute made breakthrough in micro-propagation of Tea plants
  • The Jorhat-based Tocklai Tea Research Institute (TTRI) has achieved a major breakthrough in micro-propagation of tea plants by applying the tissue culture technology. So far, this technology could not be utilised for mass propagation of tea plants. This achievement of the TTRI is hailed as a remarkable one and will have far-reaching benefits for the country’s tea industry in matters of quality.
  • So far, most of the tea tissue culture work was successful in the laboratory only, and that too using the germinating seeds as the starting material, he said.
  • Pranita Hazarika, a young lady scientist of the TTRI, has solved the problems faced so far in transferring the tissue cultured tea plants from ‘flask to field.’ The plants developed by her have completed one year of luxuriant growth and received the first prune on January 20 last.
  • The work demonstrated that the tissue culture technology can in fact be made applicable for commercial micro-propagation of tea plantlets at a reasonable price and much faster pace than the conventional methods. It throws up the possibility of complete transformation of the entire supply chain management of tea planting material in the near future and is thus going to have a far-reaching impact on the tea industry. The tissue culture has the potential to generate a large number of plantlets within a short time from a single cell or tissue or explants, that is plant parts.
  • The conventional tea plant multiplication methods either through germinating seed or vegetative nodal cuttings are unable to meet the mounting demand from tea gardens for good planting material and calls for a rapid low cost alternative technology. Thus, making available climate resilient and superior cultivars as well as innovative technology for adoption by the tea gardens are crucial components for ensuring sustainability of the tea industry.
  • The procedure is quite reproducible and requires less time by concurrently inducing rooting and hardening of micro-shoots. In-vitro regeneration of tea plantlet from shoot explants collected from the field has also been successfully carried out.
  • Efforts at utilising the tissue culture technology were hitherto accosted by several problems. Further, there were reports that the few hardened tea plants developed in laboratories did not grow well in the outdoor field conditions.

FACTFILE – Tocklai Tea Research Institute

  • The Tocklai Tea Research Institute was established in 1911, at a site near the River Tocklai in Jorhat, Assam, India. The initial construction of a laboratory and two bungalows was funded by the tea industry, subsidised by the national government of India, and the Indian states of Assam and Bengal.
  • The beginning of a new era of tea research in India was marked by the establishment of the Scientific Department of Indian Tea Association (ITA) in the year 1900. This was consolidated with the creation of the Tocklai Experimental Station in 1911.
  • The formation of the Tea Research Association (TRA) in 1964 with Tocklai at the centre of all activities further expanded the horizon of tea research to cover the entire Northeast India.
  • Research on all aspects of tea cultivation and processing is carried out at the Tocklai Tea Research Institute, Jorhat, the oldest and the largest research station of its kind in the world.
  • Apart from research on various aspects of tea cultivation and processing, the research on tissue culture of modern tea and its medicinal benefits are also being carried out here.
  • Transfer of technology to its member estates is carried out through its advisory network covering 1,076 tea estates occupying 341,049 hectares (1,317 sq mi) of land spread over The South Bank, North Bank, Upper Assam, Cachar, Tripura, Dooars, Darjeeling and Terai.
  • Tocklai has its regional R & D Centre at Nagrakata, West Bengal.
  • Chairman – PK Bezboruah.
India, Sri Lanka to cooperate on fight against terrorism
  • India and Sri Lanka agreed to furthering cooperation with each other in combating terrorism in South Asia.
  • During a visit of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to New Delhi.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi said,Terrorism is a major danger in our region. Both countries have fought this problem firmly.
  • Prime Minister Modi also revealed that Sri Lankan police officers have started participating in anti-terrorism courses in India”s training institutes
IIT Madras and AIIMS Mangalagiri partner for tech solutions
  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) announced collaboration with AIIMS Mangalagiri on affordable technology solutions.
  • IITM said the partnership between the two institutions will also feature academic and research collaborations.
  • Officials of the two institutions discussed on the areas of collaborations like healthcare robotics, predictive models using artificial intelligence and remote presence point-of-care solutions to improve hospital and community health out-comes.
FEBRUARY 09, 2020
Bangladesh win maiden ICC U-19 World Cup, defeated India in final
  • Bangladesh cricket team clinched its maiden ICC Under-19 World Cup title after beating favourites India cricket by three wickets in the summit clash at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom.
  • Set a revised target of 170 under D/L method, after a brief rain interruption, Bangladesh won the match with 23 balls to spare. Sent in to bat, India’s batting wilted under pressure as a superb Bangladesh bowling attack shot the defending champions out for a paltry 177 in 47.2 overs.
  • Yasashvi Jaiswal (88 off 121 balls) was once again a standout performer but not for once did he look like dominating the Bangladesh bowling unit whose new ball bowlers Shoriful Islam (2/31 in 10 overs) and Tanzim Hasan Shakib (2/28 in 8.2 overs) literally stifled the Indians for runs.
  • The third seamer Avishek Das (3/40 in 9 overs) was the most successful bowler in terms of figures but it was Shoriful’s first spell with channelised aggression that put the Indians on the back-foot from the onset.
  • After a short rain break towards the end, the target was revised to 170 from 46 runs but Bangladesh reached 170 for 7 in 42.1 overs to win the match.
  • Opener Parvez Hossain Emon top-scored for Bangladesh with a 79-ball 47 while captain and wicketkeeper Akbar Ali was not out on 43 from 77 deliveries.
  • For the India U-19 side, Ravi Bishnoi was the most successful bowler with figures of 4/30 while Sushant Mishra had 2/25.
  • India thus missed out on a record fifth title in their seventh final appearance.

FACTFILE – ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup

  • The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup is an international cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) contested by national under-19 teams.
  • First contested in 1988, as the Youth World Cup, it was not staged again until 1998. Since then, the World Cup has been held as a biennial event, organised by the ICC.
  • he first edition of the tournament had only eight participants, but every subsequent edition has included sixteen teams.
  • India have won the World Cup on a record four occasions, while Australia have won three times, Pakistan twice, and Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies once each. Two other teams New Zealand and Sri Lanka have made it to tournament finals.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath announces Rs 2,500 stipend for students

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that government would soon introduce an internship scheme under which students of classes 10, 12 and undergraduates would be linked to various technical institutes and given Rs 2,500 per month as stipend.

  • The Chief Minister said that the internship period would be six months or one year after which the government would help in their placement.
  • He said that of the Rs 2,500, the state government would give Rs 1,000 while the Centre would contribute Rs 1,500.
  • The Chief Minister further announced that an ITI and a skill development centre would be opened at every tehsil so that the youth could hone their skills.
Wipro recognized 18 Indian educational under it’s earthian awards
  • Global software major Wipro recognized 18 Indian educational institutions for embedding sustainability in the learning process as part of earthian awards.
  • Wipro earthian is a flagship program that tries to bring together the themes of sustainability and education in meaningful ways.
  • The programme helps stimulate curiosity and interest in young minds in critical areas of sustainability.
  • Some of the winning institutes are Government Senior Secondary School Bojoghari, East Sikkim, Rajkiya Uccha Madhyamik Vidyalay, Sirohi, Rajasthan, St. Joseph”s Educational Institute, Chandor, Goa and BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru among others.
  • In its ninth edition, earthian, a sustainable education program for schools and colleges, received 1,300 project entries out, of which 10 schools and eight colleges emerged winners for the year 2019.
  • As part of the programme, teams of students from the educational institutes demonstrated understanding on biodiversity, water and waste along with other activities such as writing essays on those topics.

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FEBRUARY 10, 2020
Justice T Vaiphei takes over as Chief of Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC)
  • Retired Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court, Justice T Vaiphei has taken over charge as the chairperson of the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC).
  • The MHRC was functioning under acting chairperson Peter JP Hanaman after Justice Aftab H Saikia retired last year. As per rules, only Chief Justices of High Courts can be appointed as chairperson of the commission.
  • Justice Vaiphei took charge on February 7 in the presence of Hanaman, member Baffyndalyne Giri and other officials and staff of the Commission. Justice Vaiphei was earlier the chairperson of the Assam Human Rights Commission.

BIOGRAPHY – Justice T Vaiphei

  • Justice Vaiphei graduated in 1976 and passed his LLB in 1979 from the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.
  • He enrolled in the Bar Council of Assam in 1980 and was appointed as the Additional Advocate General of Mizoram in 1999.
  • He was elevated as Additional Judge of the Gauhati High Court in 2003. Justice Vaiphei was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court on September 21, 2016.
  • After his retirement in 2018, he was appointed as the chairperson of the Assam Human Rights Commission.
92nd Academy Awards – Joaquin Phoenix for ‘Joker’ and list of other winners
  • The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, honored the best films of 2019 and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (Oscars) in 24 categories.
  • This event marked the first time in Oscar history that more than three films had received ten or more nominations.
  • The South Korean film Parasite led the ceremony with four awards and became the first film not in the English language to win Best Picture, as well as the first South Korean submission to be nominated for (and win) Best International Feature Film.
  • The war film 1917 won three awards, while Ford v Ferrari, Joker, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood won two awards each. American Factory, Bombshell, Hair Love, Jojo Rabbit, Judy, Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl), Little Women, Marriage Story, The Neighbors’ Window, Rocketman, and Toy Story 4 won one award each.
  • Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix finally ended his dry run at the Oscars as he picked up the best actor trophy for his performance in and as “Joker” at the 92nd Academy Awards. Phoenix had emerged as an undisputed frontrunner against the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”), “Antonio Banderas (“Pain & Glory”) and Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”).
  • Phoenix’s career most praised performances include “Signs “, “We Own the Night”, “Two Lovers”, “The Immigrant”, “Her”, “You Were Never Really Here” and “Inherent Vice”.

Winners of the Oscar 2020 Award

Best Picture

Parasite – Kwak Sin-ae and Bong Joon-hodouble-dagger

Best Director

Bong Joon-ho – Parasitedouble-dagger

Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix – Joker as Arthur Fleck / Jokerdouble-dagger

Best Actress

Renée Zellweger – Judy as Judy Garlanddouble-dagger

Best Supporting Actor

Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Cliff Boothdouble-dagger

Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern – Marriage Story as Nora Fanshawdouble-dagger

Best International Feature Film

Parasite (South Korea) in Korean – directed by Bong Joon-hodouble-dagger

IIIT-Delhi partners with edu-venture Extramarks to promote research in AI
  • The Indraprastha Institute of Education Technology, Delhi (IIIT-D) signed an MoU with the global education technology company, Extramarks, to promote and encourage research in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
  • Extramarks, in partnership with IIIT-D will set up a research laboratory in the computer science department, which will be dedicated to the task of creating new breakthroughs in the area of ”AI in Education”.
  • This partnership opens the doors of constructive research for our students, who will benefit greatly from the practical experience they will gain from engaging with Extramarks.
  • The benefit will accrue to all students, teachers and schools who adopt such futuristic technologies in classrooms as well as home-learning segment.
Skill development centre for women opened in Jammu
  • Union Minister Rattan Lal Kataria inaugurated a skill development centre at the Kashmiri Pandit Migrant Colony in the Jagti.
  • Opened under the Athroot initiative, a project by Sewa Bharti Jammu, a non-government organisation, for uplift of women Kashmiri migrants residing in different migrant camps in and around Jammu.
  • The initiative is aimed to impart training and create self-help groups to empower women and girls to earn a livelihood and shape a better future.
  • The women are provided vocational training in various skills, like embroidery, stitching, spice grinding, pickle making, soap making, classical music and computer courses.
  • It also has a Bal Sanskar Kendra to impart social and moral education to kids.
  • The project is being run under the supervision of Anjali Radhu, a resident of Jagti.

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

Smart Idea Innovation Award 2020
  • State Minister for Fisheries, Excise, Environment and Forest Parimal Suklabaidya gave away the prizes to winners of the 6th Dinanath Pandey Smart Idea Innovation Award.
  • Ha Tade from Arunachal Pradesh won the Dinanath Pandey Smart Idea Innovation Award 2020 for his innovation SOFT.SPY, a device which helps in recording the minute details of a vehicle’s movement – both two-wheelers and four-wheelers.
  • The award has been instituted by the family of Dinanath Pandey who was a master innovator and tried to change the way of life with his innovations.
  • The ‘Innovation Festival’ which is organised by the Indian Council for Science Museum in collaboration with the National Innovation Foundation (NFI), provides a common platform to people of all the states in the north-eastern region working in different fields like innovators, artists, performers, craftsmen and science-demonstrators among others to showcase their creativity.
  • More than 34 innovators from the north-eastern states and West Bengal participated in the two-day exhibition ‘Innovation Festival’.

 

 16 villages in Hailakandi district solar electrified under Souro Shakti project  
  • Altogether 16 villages which did not have access to conventional electricity have been covered following installation of 349 solar street lights in Hailakandi district under project Souro Shakti.  
  • Remote and interior villages such as Ramnathpur, Gutguti, Baruncherra, Nunai FV, Kukicherra, Kanchiwala, Ahyalapur and Sahebmarra, to name just a few, have been brought under solar street lights. Another eight villages which have been groping in dark since independence have been recently installed with 80 solar street lights.
  • Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) has helped connect off grid interior villages such as Raifalmara, Bhai Bonti, Bangla Basha, Gendacherra, Gutguti and Bandukmara Grant with rooftop solar panels covering about 1,551 individual households.
  • The remotest corners of the district still lack electricity connectivity due to lack of terrain and off grid issues. In a bid to ensure that these remote villages are also mainstreamed, solar as an alternative source of energy was proposed to be tapped into, as it is eco-friendly, renewable and self serving option. ONGC was asked to sponsor the project through its CSR initiative.
  • Renewable energy-based solar power will boost small businesses, create local jobs and build economies. This will improve living standards in villages. That in turn will ensure women’s empowerment, better health and education.
  • Almost all the sub centres and health institutions including the SK Roy Civil Hospital have been covered under Project Souro Shakti and have all been lit by solar lights irrespective of availability of electricity. 255 solar lights have been installed in the health sector alone.
Ayurveda Institute Bill introduced in Lok Sabha
  • The Government introduced the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha which seeks to confer the status of institution of national importance to a cluster of ayurveda institutions in Gujarat Ayurveda University campus in Jamnagar.
  • The three institutes which would be clubbed are Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Gulab Kunverba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and Institute of Ayurveda Pharmaceutical Sciences.
  • Introducing the Bill, Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik said he would consider the suggestions made by the members of the house regarding the draft law.
Andhra Pradesh ink MoUs with 11 institutes for developing agriculture sector
  • The Andhra Pradesh government signed 11 MoUs with leading organisations from across the country to develop agriculture sector in the state.
  • The state’s Agriculture Department signed the MoUs with the officials of various institutes in the presence of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his cabinet collages Kurasala Kannababu, Mopidevi Venkataramana and Kodali Venkateswara Rao.
  • Arun Kumar, Special Commissioner, Agriculture, signed the MoUs with the officials of the institutes.
  • As part of these MoUs, farmers will be trained in organic and natural farming techniques. They will also be offered training in various agriculture domains.
  • The institutes with which the state signed the agreements include the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai, the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, the Central Fertiliser Quality and Training Institute (CFQTI), Faridabad, the National Seed Research and Training Institute (NSRTI), Varanasi, the Central Institute of Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad, the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAHVB), Bengaluru, and the ICAR-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar.

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FEBRUARY 12, 2020

Assam Govt to make higher education free
  • Launching two scholarship schemes for students, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the State government is working to make higher education completely free, including taking care of the “hidden costs”.
  • Sarma was speaking at a function organised to launch the Gyan Deepika Scholarship announced in the State Budget 2019-20. Under the scheme, the State government would provide subsidy of Rs 700 per month for 10 months through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) on dues to 13,414 hostel students of government colleges and State universities.
  • The Government of Assam also launched the HPC Scholarship Scheme to provide financial assistance of up to Rs 1 lakh to students whose parents are currently employed in Hindustan Paper Corporation’s units at Panchgram and Jagiroad.
  • The two schemes by Government of Assam are of significant importance in providing financial relief to families with children who aspire to pursue higher education.
  • The government has taken measures which will ensure that higher education too is completely free and there are no hidden costs for students. Parents should not spend a single penny for education of their students, including their pocket money.
  • Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the State government is putting efforts to develop the personality of students who are academically brilliant, socially conscious and professionally successful.
WHO launches global research forum against coronavirus
  • A two-day global research and innovation forum led by the World Health Organization (WHO) was launched to mobilise international action in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
  • Co-hosted by the WHO and the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness and funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • The forum gathers roughly 400 participants, both live and online, including leading scientists from virus-related disciplines around the world, representatives of countries with confirmed novel coronavirus cases and those of public health agencies, ethics experts with related expertise, and representatives of major research donors.
  • Chinese representatives from the National Health Commission and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention will brief the forum on China”s research on the outbreak, listen to views of all parties and participate in discussions.
  • The forum is to identify the uncharted waters of the virus, prioritize research options and coordinate global efforts to avoid duplication of research, and speed up vaccine and medicine development.
Sanjay Vatsayan takes over as Eastern fleet commander
  • Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan took command of the eastern fleet deployed across the indo-pacific region to safeguard the nation”s maritime interest. He took charge at Visakhapatnam.
  • The Eastern Fleet comprising of frontline warships of the Indian Navy are deployed across the indo-pacific region to safeguard the nation”s maritime interest.
  • Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Naval War College, Mumbai and the National Defence College, New Delhi.
  • The Admiral, who is a Gunnery and Missile systems specialist, has vast experience at sea and ashore.
  • He has commanded missile vessels Vibhuti and Nashak, the guided-missile corvette Kuthar and has also been the commissioning Commanding Officer of the indigenously constructed state-of-the-art stealth frigate Sahyadri.
  • Rear Admiral Vatsayan has also held vital appointments dealing with personnel policy and naval plans at the integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy).
  • Prior to assuming Command of the Eastern Fleet, he was serving as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at New Delhi.
Odisha govt signs MoU with HDFC Bank to boost startups
  • The Odisha government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the HDFC Bank Limited to provide smart banking solutions to Startups in the state.
  • The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department signed the MoU with the HDFC Bank in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
  • The bank would provide smart banking solutions to the Startups recognised by the Startup Odisha along with opportunity to pitch their solutions to requisite stakeholders and will work towards providing them an opportunity to showcase their solutions.
  • In addition, the bank will extend incubation and acceleration support to all Startups banking with them.
  • HDFC Bank is having third party alliances to provide discounts for startups across key business support functions like shared work spaces, digital marketing, content writing, tax and legal advisory, financial management, compliance among others.

 

FEBRUARY 13, 2020

Assam Cabinet nod for scholarships, grants to tea community
  • The State Cabinet approved the Swahid Dayal Das Panika Swaniyojan Achoni under which financial assistance of Rs 25,000 would be given to youths of the community to “encourage entrepreneurship.”
  • The one time grant will benefit some 15,000 youths of the tea tribe community.
  • To further “empower” students of the tea tribe community, the Cabinet approved the Simon Sing Horo Special Scholarship scheme of Rs 10,000 each to HSLC and HS passed candidates belonging to the community.
  • The Cabinet also approved provisions for construction of pucca houses for workers of the Assam Tea Corporation Limited gardens at the cost of Rs 1.3 lakh per house.
  • The Cabinet further resolved to increase allotment of agricultural land from 3 bighas to 7 bighas under the Land Policy 2019.
  • The Cabinet approved an amount of Rs 20,000 each to install solar kits in those PMAY houses which do not have electricity connection.
‘120% rise in Budget allocation for NE rly projects a big boost’
  • The General Budget 2020-21 has proposed an increase in the allocation for railway projects in Assam and the Northeast and it will help in upgradation of facilities and expansion of network in the region.
  • Subhanan Chanda, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), said that the Union Budget has proposed an allocation of Rs 4,669 crore for railway projects in Assam and the Northeastern states taken together. This is 120 per cent more than the average annual outlay of Rs 2,122 crore for the same region during 2009-2014.
  • The proposed outlay includes a number of projects for doubling of railway lines in the region, including the newly proposed doubling of the 381 km-long Lumding-Tinsukia-Dibrugarh section at an estimated cost of Rs 3,810 crore.
  • He said that the Budget has also allocated additional funds for other ongoing doubling works including Rs 200 crore for the New Bongaigaon-Rangiya-Kamakhya section (142.97 km), Rs 450 crore for New Bongaigaon-Goalpara-Guwahati (Kamakhya) section (176 km) and Rs 400 crore for the Digaru-Hojai section (102 km).
J&K and Ladakh to host 1st edition of Khelo India Winter Games
  • The Sports Ministry is set to organise the first-ever Khelo India Winter Games in the Union Territory of Ladakh in the third week of February and in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of March.
  • Seven different sporting disciplines have been chosen with an effort to popularise winter games among the youth of the country.
  • The Games will have Open Ice Hockey Championship, Figure Skating and Speed Skating and the competition will be conducted at Block, district and Union Territory levels with an expected participation of about 1,700 athletes.
  • The competitions of the Khelo India J&K Winter Games will be held at Kongdori in Kashmir’s hill resort of Gulmarg in four age categories for both boys and girls. Athletes in the age categories of 19-21 years, 17-18 years, 15-16 years and 13-14 years can compete in Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Snow Boarding and Snow Shoeing.
Odisha government approved Rs 803.65 cr action plan for more green cover
  • The Odisha government approved its annual action plan entailing an expenditure of Rs 803.65 crore under CAMPA for the 2020-21 fiscal to increase the green cover in the coastal state.
  • The action plan was approved by the state-level steering committee on Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy.
  • The government decided to undertake various activities under the action plan, including block plantation, assisted natural regeneration, bald-hill plantation, maintenance of previous year”s plantation, fodder and fruit-bearing plantation, bamboo culture and wildlife management.
  • A target has been set to take up plantation in 1,500 hectares, with 1,600 saplings per hectare during 2020-21 and to grow 5,71,48,000 seedlings during the period.
  • Rs 41.13 crore was approved for maintenance of the fire protection line, operation of 216 fire protection squads and support to the Vana Surakhya Samiti (VSS) for fire protection work.

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FEBRUARY 14, 2020

Strengthening of case for Classical language status to Assamese
  • With new breakthroughs emerging on the antiquity of the Assamese script, and research shows that Assamese script to be far older than previously thought, some sections have called for according it the status of Indian Classical Language.
  • Generally the Indian Classical Language status is given to languages which have a rich heritage and are of independent nature. The status is awarded by the Government of India and so far this honour has been bestowed on six languages of India – Tamil in 2004, Sanskrit in 2005, Telugu in 2008, Kannada in 2008, and Malayalam in 2013, with Odia being the latest addition to the list in 2014.
  • Languages declared as classical get three primary benefits.
    • First, two major international awards for those who contribute significantly to Indian Classical Languages are presented every year.
    • Secondly, the government has to set up a Centre of Excellence for the study of Classical Languages.
    • Thirdly, Central universities can give grants for Professional Chairs for Classical Languages.
  • According to eminent scholar Dr Nagen Saikia, the Assamese language deserves the status of classical language. The Assamese language has a long glorious history dating back to the prehistorical times.
  • According to Ashok Sarma, who is doing extensive research in Kamrupi civilisation, script, and language, the Assamese language has much more antiquity than ever thought.“We can trace the written form to the 4th century BC, i.e., the language found in the Mahasthangarh stone inscription (now in Bangladesh). It should be noted that today’s Bangladesh was within the territory of ancient Kamrup in the manner the ancient Indian civilisation of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are now in Pakistan. The language of the Mahasthangarh inscription was in Prakrit language and it did not belong to Ashoka’s empire. The language of this inscription cannot be Magadhi Prakrit either because the contemporary language of the Ashokan edicts was not found anywhere after his reign. If the language was to be the language of Magadh, then it could not be extinct,” he said.
  • The criteria evolved by the Government of India to judge the eligibility of a language to be declared as classical language include
    • (a) high antiquity of its early texts/recorded history over a period of 1,500-2,000 years,
    • (b) a body of ancient literature/text which is considered a valuable heritage by generations of speakers,
    • (c) the literary tradition be original and not borrowed from another speech community, and
    • (d) the classical language and literature being distinct from modern, there may also be a discontinuity between the classical language and its later forms or its offshoots.
Sri Lanka engages Indian Navy to carry out shore-based survey
  • Enhancing bilateral relationship, Sri Lanka has engaged India to carry out hydrographic and several shore-based survey activities off its south-west coast.
  • The Indian government has assigned the task to the Indian Navy.
  • Indian Navy’s Sandhayak class hydrographic survey ship, INS Jamuna, has been deployed to Sri Lanka based on a mutual agreement to carry out Joint Hydrographic Survey off the South West Coast of Sri Lanka.
  • The ship is commanded by Captain H.A. Hardas.
  • Over the two-month deployment period, the ship will carry out detailed hydrographic surveys and several shore-based survey activities.
  • Sri Lanka Navy personnel will embark the ship during the conduct of the joint survey and additionally the personnel will also be provided ”hands on” survey training during every operational turnaround in port.
  • INS Jamuna also hosted a meeting between Rear Admiral Sisira Jayakody, Chief Hydrographer of Sri Lankan Navy, officers of Sri Lankan hydrographic department and Indian officers of the ship.
20th edition of ”Hunar Haat” begins in Delhi
  • The 20th edition of the ”Hunar Haat” was inaugurated at the India Gate lawns, the 10-day event is based on the theme of “Kaushal Ka Kam”.
  • Master artisans, craftsmen as well as culinary experts from across the country will be participating in the event.
  • The event was inaugurated in the presence of Railways and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Minorities Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
  • Hunar Haats have been organised at various places in the country such as Delhi, Mumbai, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Punducherry and Indore.
  • In the coming days ”Hunar Haats” will be organised in Gurugram, Bangaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Dehradun, Patna, Bhopal, Nagpur, Raipur, Puducherry, Amritsar, Jammu, Shimla, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati, Bhubneshwar, Ajmer and other places.
  • At the India Gate lawns, more than 250 stalls have been set up where master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts from across the country are participating.
  • They are here displaying exquisitely handmade indigenous products.

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