DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS- 23 OCTOBER 2019

2019-10-23 | Team PendulumEdu

1. MoEFCC launches first national protocol to count snow leopard population in India

In order to calculate the snow leopard population in India, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the first national protocol on the International Snow Leopard Day. It has been estimated that there are around 400 to 700 snow leopards in the Himalayan states of India.

The International Snow leopard Day is celebrated on 23^rd October every year to protect and conserve the snow leopards and preserve the diverse wildlife of the Himalayas. On 23^rd October 2013, Bishkek Declaration on the conservation of snow leopards was signed, and also a comprehensive Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP) was launched on this day. Therefore, the day is celebrated to commemorate this achievement.

Snow Leopard are the top predators in their ecosystem and are one of the rarest wild cats on earth. One of the major threats for the Snow Leopards is Poaching. India’s Project Snow Leopard aims at protecting and conserving high altitude wildlife populations and their habitats.

2. Union Minister of Panchayati Raj presents National Panchayat Awards 2019

National Panchayats Award will be given to various States and Panchayats under different categories to recognize their good performance at different levels in the delivery of services, sanitation, etc.

246 Awards will be presented, out of which

195 Gram Panchayats will be awarded in Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar category

20 Gram Panchayats in Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar category

3 Gram Panchayats under Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award category

22 Gram Panchayats in Child-Friendly Gram Panchayats Award category

6 states will be given under e-Panchayat Puraskar category

3. New Appointments in various ministries approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet

a. Tuhin Kanta Pandey- Odisha cadre IAS officer- new Secretary Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM)

b. Braj Raj Sharma- new Chairman of Staff Selection Commission (SSC)

c. Sanjeev Nadan Sahai- new Power Secretary

d. Pankaj Kumar- 1987 batch IAS officer- new CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

e. Pramod Kumar Das- Madhya Pradesh Cadre IAS – new Minority Affairs Secretary

f. Sanjeev Gupta- Himachal cadre IAS officer- Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat

g. Sailesh- Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises

h. Alok Tandon- Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances

i. Nagendra Nath Sinha- Secretary, Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs

j. Rajesh Bhushan- Secretary (Coordination) in the Cabinet Secretariat.

4. Government revise the scope of mandatory CSR spending

Indian Government has revised the scope of mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility spending (2%) to provide a boost to higher education. Companies can now use the CSR funds on centrally funded and state-funded academic institutions, universities and incubators. The national laboratories and autonomous bodies under ICAR, ICMR, DAE, etc. are also included in the list.

5. Japanese new Emperor coronation ceremony

The 59-year old new Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally announced his accession to the throne. Naruhito ascended to the throne after his father Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne on 30^th April 2019 (after 30 years). The enthronement ceremony marks the end of the transition period from Heisei Era to the Reiwa Era. 

Japan is called the “Land of the Rising Sun” and is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. Japanese Constitution is the oldest constitution in the world that has not undergone any amendment since its inception in 1947.

6. Lebanon government still face protest despite the announcement of an economic reform plan

Lebanon government announced an economic reform plan to address the grievances of its people, but the protests continued for the sixth day against the plans to tax calls on Whatsapp and other messaging services. The reform plan included a 50% decrement in salary of former and current politicians and ministers, abolishing the Ministry of Information and other state institutions and formation of an anti-corruption panel.

Lebanon is a country located in West Asia and bordered by Syria, Israel, Cyprus and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Beirut and the country has a unitary parliamentary government with confessionalism (i.e., high-rank posts are reserved for members of specific religious group).

7. Talks held between Turkish President and his Russian counterpart

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, and Russian President Vladimir Putin are holding talks before a five-day US-brokered ceasefire between Turkish and Kurdish forces in Northern Syria is set to expire.

According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, over 3 lakh civilians were displaced within Syria since the assault has begun. Turkey shares its longest border with Syria, and the diplomatic ties between the two nations have severed due to the Syrian Civil War.

8. P V Sindhu and Subhankar Dey advances to Second round of BWF French Open

Indian shuttlers P V Sindhu and Subhankar Dey advances to the Second round of BWF French Open Super 750 tournament in Paris. Sameer Verma, Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth will be representing India in Men's Singles. While, in men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy will be participating in the tournament.

BWF French Open formally called the Yonex French Open 2019 is being conducted in Paris, France from 22-27 October 2019. The total prize money for the tournament in USD 750,000.

9. 2024 Olympic Games logo revealed in Paris

2024 Olympic Games logo has a circular design with Paris 2024 in the art deco style, which was popular in 1924 when Paris last hosted the Games. The design also includes the lips and outline of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic since the revolution in 1789.

2024 Olympics motto- “Made for Sharing.”

10. Sourav Ganguly assumes the charge as 39^th BCCI President

Sourav Ganguly, former Indian captain, has taken over as the 39^th President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). With this appointment, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators had been relieved of their service.

Mahim Verma was elected as the new Vice President of BCCI, while Jay Shah is the new secretary. Arun Dhumal is appointed as the treasurer and Jayesh George as the Joint secretary.

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