• In Tripura, a two-day long first-ever Bharat-Bangla Paryatan Utsav-Tourism festival began with spectacular cultural events

• The State Tourism Department has organized the festival in memories of the contribution of Tripura in 1971 Bangladesh liberation war as well as giving a fillip to the Tripura tourism sector.

Herath festival
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Herath festival)
What's the NEWS

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted people on the occasion of Herath, one of the biggest festivals of Kashmiri Pandits.

Know! more about the fest

• In Kashmir Shaivism, Maha Shivaratri is celebrated by the Hindus of Kashmir and is known as Herath in Kashmiri, a word derived from the Sanskrit word "Hararatri" or the "Night of Hara" (another name of Shiva).
• Prayers held on the day after nightlong Maha Shivaratri are called 'salaam'.

NIT, Trichy develops a mobile app for Self Help Group products - Thirumathikart
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Thirumathikart mobile app)
What's the NEWS

• The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy, Tamilnadu has developed Thirumathikart - a mobile app for SHG (Self Help Group) products.
• The application was developed in coordination with the Union Department of Science and Technology.

Know! more about the app

• The main objective of the app is to empower women and help them access market opportunities in a seamless manner.
• The platform will also enable Self Help Groups to showcase their products to a wider audience.

SC passes interim order on Mahadayi tribunal's award

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Mahadayi Water Dispute and about Kalasa-Banduri Nala project) + Mains ( GS II Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.)
What's the NEWS

• The Supreme Court passed an interim order allowing an application by the State of Karnataka to notify the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal's award.
• The implementation of the award would, however, be subject to the final judgment of the Supreme Court in the civil appeals filed by Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, challenging the allocation of water from the Mahadayi river among them.

Know! about the water sharing allocation by the tribunal

• The tribunal had allocated 13.42 TMC water (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mahadayi river basin to Karnataka.
• Maharashtra was allotted 1.33 TMC water while Goa was given 24 TMC in the final decision of the tribunal.
• The Karnataka government had petitioned the tribunal seeking the release of 7.56 TMC of water for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project.

Kalasa-Banduri Nala project.

• The Kalasa-Banduri Nala (diversion) project, which will utilise 7.56 TMC of water from the inter-State Mahadayi river, is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag.
• It involves building barrages across Kalasa and Banduri, the tributaries of the Mahadayi river, to divert 7.56 TMC water to the Malaprabha river, which fulfils the drinking water needs of the twin cities.

Mahadayi River

• Mahadayi is the west-flowing river which rises in the Western Ghats from the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Khanapur taluk of Karnataka's Belagavi district and it drains into the Arabian Sea at Panaji.

Prelims Factoids
HRMS Mobile App

Relevance IN - Prelims (about HRMS Mobile App)
What's the NEWS

• The Chairman of Railway Board launched HRMS Mobile App which has been designed and developed by Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS).
• All employees of Indian Railways can now see data related to their service and communicate with administration for any changes, if required.

Know! more about the Mobile app

• This Mobile Application allows employee to view his historical data since his date of joining in Railways including details related to his Increments, Promotions, Awards, Transfers, Postings, Leave, Training, and composition of Family as per records and Nominations for retirement benefits.
• This information is not readily available to employee at present. It brings transparency to administration. This application will be single window communication system between Railway employees and Administration.
• This Mobile App provides an important link to Railway employees to communicate with administration regarding change required in their data for validation.
  

Matribhasha Divas

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Matribhasha Diwas)
What's the NEWS

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development is celebrating Matribhasha Divas which falls on 21stFebruary every year

Know! more about it

• The Matribhasha Diwas is celebrated to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism in the world, as well as to spread awareness about languages.
• Every year UNESCO celebrates International Mother Language Day with a new theme.
• The theme of this year (2020) is "Languages without Borders" which means languages across/devoid of geographical boundaries.

One in 10 calls on abuse to helpline made by children
Relevance IN - Prelims (about CIF)
What's the NEWS

• Of every 10 calls made to the emergency helpline 1098 to report abuse against children, one was from a survivor desperately seeking help, according to data compiled by the CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF).
• CHILDLINE helpline 1098 - a free, emergency phone service for children in need of help. It is also the largest network of agencies involved in protection of children.

CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF)

• CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) is the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development acting as the parent organisation for setting up, managing and monitoring the CHILDLINE 1098 service all over the country.
• CIF is the sole agency/body responsible for establishing the CHILDLINE service across the country, monitoring of service delivery and finance, training, research and documentation, creating awareness, advocacy as well as resource generation for the service.

International
Dams to control rising sea levels
Relevance IN - Prelims (about NEED)
What's the NEWS

• A mammoth Northern European Enclosure Dam (NEED) enclosing all of the North Sea has been proposed to protect the Northern European countries from rising seas as a result of climate change:

Know! more about the proposal (NEED)

• The scientists have proposed the construction of two dams of a combined length of 637 km - the first between northern Scotland and western Norway, measuring 476 km and the second between France and southwestern England, of length 161 km,
• Separating the North and Baltic Seas from the Atlantic Ocean may be the "most viable option" to protect Northern Europe against unstoppable sea level rise (SLR).
  
  

Infrastructure Development
World Bank offers funds for last stretch of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) and DFC in general) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development)
What's the NEWS

• World Bank has offered to give financial assistance to the last remaining portion of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) between Sonnagar and Dankuni, which India is originally slated to construct in the private public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

Know! more about it

• World Bank's interest in funding the corridor's 528-km stretch between Bihar's Sonnagar and West Bengal's Dankuni has now presented Indian Railways with the option to either do course correction and go for the financial assistance in the form of a viability gap funding, or carry on as planned and invite players to bring in the capital.
• The entire EDFC is being built with loan from World Bank, except for the last portion between Bihar and West Bengal.

Environment
International protection for Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican and Asian Elephant

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican ) + Mains ( GS III Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• India's proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Convention on migratory species was unanimously accepted at the ongoing thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in Gandhinagar.

Asian Elephant

• The Government of India has declared Indian elephant as National Heritage Animal.
• Indian elephant is also provided highest degree of legal protection by listing it in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• India's proposal to include mainland Asian elephant in Appendix I of the Bonn Convention accepted unanimously.
• This Move will promote conservation of Asian Elephant in its natural habitat as well as to reduce human elephant conflict in range countries.
  
  

Great Indian Bustard

• The Great Indian Bustard, an iconic, critically endangered and conservation dependent species, exhibits transboundary movements, and its migration exposes it to threats such as hunting in boundary area of Pakistan-India and power-line collisions in India.
• Inclusion of the species in Appendix I of CMS will aide in transboundary conservation efforts facilitated by International conservation bodies and existing international laws and agreement.
  

• The Great Indian Bustard is a Critically Endangered species with a small population of about 100-150 individuals that is largely restricted to Thar desert in Rajasthan, India.
• The species has disappeared from 90% of this range; their population has reduced by 90% within 50 years (six generations); and their threats are expected to increase in future.

Bengal Florican

• The Bengal Florican an iconic, critically endangered species of topmost conservation priority, exhibits transboundary movements, and its migration exposes it to threats such as land use changes, collision with power transmission line at boundary area of India-Nepal and probable power-line collisions.
• Inclusion of the species in Appendix I of CMS will aid in transboundary conservation efforts facilitated by International conservation bodies and existing international laws and agreement.
  
  

• The CMS Conference underway in Gujarat has kicked off the Super Year for Environment, which will include a UN Summit in September and culminate in the UN Biodiversity Conference at the end of 2020, when a new global biodiversity strategy for the next decade will be adopted - the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
  
  

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