Daily Current Affairs and GK | 4 and 5 October 2020

1. Dr. Jitendra Singh releases Coffee Table Book titled 'Discovering the Heritage of Assam'.

• Minister of Development of North East Region, Dr. Jitendra Singh, has released a book.
• This is a coffee table book titled “Discovering the Heritage of Assam”.
• The book has a foreword by Actor Amitabh Bachchan and the book has been published by Penguin.
• The author of the book is Padampani Bora, who is an IRS officer of 2009 batch.
• The book is a compilation of heritage, beliefs, and traditions of different ethnic tribes and subtribes living in the North Eastern region of India.

2. World Animal Welfare Day: 4 October

• World Animal Welfare Day is celebrated every year on 4 October to raise the awareness regarding status of animals and to improve their welfare standards. 
• It was first celebrated in 1925 in Berlin, Germany.
• The day reminds us of the different ways in which the animals contribute to our lives.
• Areas of Focus:
  • Drawing attention to Endangered Species
  • Protecting Natural Habitats
  • Supporting Animal Welfare

3. World Teacher’s Day: 5 October

• Every year on 5 October, World Teacher’s Day is celebrated to recognize the achievements of the teaching profession and address the issues that restrict the young and talented minds to adopt teaching as profession.
• The day is being celebrated by UNESCO since 1994.
• Theme2019: “Young Teachers: The future of the Profession”
• Theme 2020: “Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future”.
• The theme aims to address the role played by the teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The day is held by UNESCO in partnership with UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, and Education International. 
• SDG-4: Quality Education

4.  World Habitat Day: 5 October

• It is celebrated on the first Monday of October every year.
• In 1985, United Nations designated the first Monday of October as World Habitat Day.
• The day was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya and the theme was “Shelter is my Right”.
• Theme 2020: “Housing for All- A Better Urban Future”
• This year the global observance will be hosted by Surabaya, a city in Indonesia.
• SDG-11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Sustainable Cities means cities with career and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and resilient societies and economies.

5. Department of Fertilizers achieves second and third ranks on DGQI.

• The Department of Fertilizers has achieved second and third ranks on Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI) based on a survey conducted by Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog.
• While Department of Fertilizers achieved 2^nd rank among 16 Economic Ministries/ Departments, it achieved 3^rd rank out of 65 Ministries/Departments.
• The department has achieved a score of 4.11 on a scale of 5.
• Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog has carried out a survey to assess how Ministries /Departments performed on the implementation of Central Sector Schemes (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS).
• The survey by DMEO has online questions on six major themes:
  • Data Generation
  • Data Quality
  • Use of Technology
  • Data Analysis
  • Use and Dissemination
  • Data Security and HR Capacity and Case Studies
• Ministries / Departments were also classified in six categories given below:
  • Administrative
  • Strategic
  • Infrastructure
  • Social
  • Economic
  • Scientific

6. India and France to launch constellation of maritime surveillance satellites.

• India and France will jointly launch a constellation or group of maritime surveillance satellites for the Indian Ocean Region.
• Both countries will build parts of the satellites. But, these will be launched from India.
• The satellites will trace the illegal spilling of oil by ships. They will form World’s first space-based system that can track ships continuously.
• The satellites will also include Trishna (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment) satellite.
• Currently, climate-monitoring satellites are also being operated by ISRO and CNES.
• CNES (National Centre for Space Studies or Centre national d’ études spatiales) is the space agency of France.
• France and India are also collaborating for India’s first manned space mission, Gaganyaan, and France will also be part of ISRO’s mission to Venus.
• France is a Western European country whose capital is Paris. The President of France is Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister is Jean Castex. The currency of France is Euro. It is one of the five permanent members of the UNSC.

(Source: The Hindu)

7. Center will implement Swaminathan Commission recommendations.

• Union Minister Raosaheb Danve has announced that the Central Government will implement Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
• It will help in doubling the income of farmers by 2022.
• Central Government has started various schemes for the welfare of the farmers like Kisan Credit Card, Prime Minister Crop Insurance scheme, Prime Minister Irrigation scheme, etc.
• Raosaheb Danve is a Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• Swaminathan Commission:
  • M.S Swaminathan is known as the 'Father of Green Revolution'.
  • The National Commission on Farmers (NCF) was constituted on 18 November 2004 under the chairmanship of Professor M.S. Swaminathan.
  • The final report was submitted in 2006.
  • It focuses on the Irrigation system, Productivity of agriculture, Credit and Insurance, Food Security, Employment, and Bioresources.
  • The commission made the following recommendations:
    • Distribution of ceiling surplus and waste land among farmers.
    • Prevent diversion of agricultural land and forest to private sector for non-agricultural purposes.
    • Seasonal access to forests for Tribal and Pastoralist and also access to common property resource.
    • Establish a National Land Use Advisory service.
    • Setting up of a mechanism to regulate the sale of agricultural land.
    • Farmers to be given MSP at 50% above the cost of production classified as C2 by CACP.

(Source: Businessworld)

8. Birth anniversary of Shyamji Krishna Varma: 4 October.

• Prime Minister Modi has paid tribute to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his 163^rd birth anniversary.
• Shyamji Krishna Varma was a freedom fighter who devoted his life to India's freedom.
• Shyamji Krishna Varma:
  • He was born on 4 October 1857 in Gujarat.
  • He was an Indian revolutionary fighter, lawyer, and Journalist.
  • He published the first issue of "The Indian Sociologist" in 1905.
  • He founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House, and The Indian Sociologist in London.

(Source: Wikipedia)

9. Prime Minister Modi announced 66MW Dhaulasidh Hydro Project at Hamirpur.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh and also participated in the Abhinandan program and Abhar Samaroh in Himachal Pradesh.
• Atal Tunnel is a 9.02 km long tunnel which will connect Manali to Lahaul-Spiti Valley. It was constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• He announced the construction of the 66 MW Dhaulasidh Hydro Project at Hamirpur. The project will provide electricity and employment opportunities to the youth of Hamirpur.

• Himachal Pradesh:
  • It is a North Indian state.
  • It is famous for beautiful hill stations like Dalhousie.
  • The Governor is Bandaru Dattatreya and Chief Minister is Jai Ram Thakur.
  • The capitals of this region are Shimla (summer) and Dharamshala (winter).
  • Rohtang, Spiti Valley, Solang Valley are located in this state.

10. Wildlife Week is being celebrated all over the world.

• World Wildlife Week is celebrated every year between 2^nd October and 8^th October.
• As part of this week, an intensified tree planting exercise has been started in various parts of the Western Ghats bordering Tamil Nadu.
• Tree planting exercise will help in the protection of the dwindling vulture population in the Western Ghats.
• Long-billed, White-backed, and King vultures are found in the Nilgiris Forest region of Western Ghats.
• Western Ghats:
  • It is also known as Sahyadri.
  • It is a chain of mountains running parallel to India’s western coast.
  • It extends from river Tapti in Maharashtra to Kanyakumari in the south.
  • It is one of the 36 hotspots of biological diversity in the world.
  • It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • The fauna of Western Ghats includes many mammals, reptiles, amphibians, molluscs, annelids, and bird species.
• Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, have discovered two new species of pipeworts from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra & Karnataka.
• Pipeworts (Eriocaulon) is a plant group known for its medicinal properties.

11. An international webinar organized by ICCR on textile traditions.

• It was organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Uttar Pradesh Institute of Design.
• The theme of this webinar was “Weaving Relations: Textile Traditions.”
• Indian textile industry exhibits the rich cultural heritage of India with a wide variety of fabrics, and techniques that reflect the diverse set of people and traditions across the country.
• Textiles Industry helped India in building trade and cultural relations with the world.
• The government will focus on Skills up-gradation, financial assistance, and Integrating the sector with the latest technology.
• ICCR is an autonomous organization that was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
• Textile Sector in India:
  • Textile sector is one of the largest employment generators in the country.
  • India is the fifth-largest exporter of textiles and apparel in the world.
  • Textiles and apparel industry contributes 2% to India’s GDP.
  • It will play a vital role in the AatmaNirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India.

12. Press notes of UP government released in Sanskrit.

• The UP government has started issuing press releases in Sanskrit, apart from English, Hindi, and Urdu.
• All major press notes and the chief minister’s speeches will now be released in Sanskrit apart from other languages.
• The state government will hire Sanskrit experts to carry out the job of translation.
• Sanskrit:
  • It is an ancient Indo-Aryan classical language of South Asia.
  • Panini was the world’s greatest Grammarian of Sanskrit.
  • It is one of the least spoken scheduled languages.
  • It is one of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
  • The first Sanskrit University, Sampuranand Sanskrit University, was established in 1971 in Varanasi.