Daily Current Affairs 18 August 2020 With Video Lecture

What is Fifth Schedule in Indian Constitution?

• The Fifth schedule of the constitution comes under Article 244.
• It deals with the “provisions relating to the administration and control of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes”.
• The provisions are applied in any state other than the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
• Administration of Schedule Areas: The constitution empowers the President to declare any areas as scheduled area. The president can increase or decrease its area or alter its boundaries.
• The Governor may by public notification direct that any Act of Parliament or of the Legislature of the State shall not apply to a Scheduled Area.
• Ten states have Fifth Schedule Areas: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan.

4th meeting of the BRICS Anti-Drug working group

• The 4th Session of the BRICS Anti-Drug Working Group comprising of Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India was held.
• The Indian delegation was led by Shri Rakesh Asthana, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau.
• Misuse of darknet and other advanced technologies for drug trafficking was one of the key focal areas of the meeting.
• BRICS:
• BRICS is an informal group of states
• Formation: 2009
• Members are Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa.

Project Dolphin

• Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that his Ministry will launch a holistic Project Dolphin in another 15 days.
• It is for the conservation and protection of Dolphins in the rivers and in oceans of the country.
• This will also give a boost to biodiversity and create employment opportunities.
• Gangetic river dolphins were declared national aquatic species in 2010.
• The Ganges river dolphin is a species of freshwater dolphins primarily found in the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
• As per official figures, there are about 3,700 Gangetic river dolphins in the Indian river systems.
• As river dolphins act as indicators of healthy river ecosystems, their conservation would also ensure controlling river pollution and improving availability of fish and enhancing economies of local communities

BRO constructs 180-feet bailey bridge in Uttarakhand

• Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed a 180-feet bailey bridge in Jauljibi sector of Pithoragarh district.
• It is constructed in less than three weeks despite frequent landslides and heavy rains.
• On 27th July, a strategic bridge connecting the bordering area with China wash away by flash floods.
• This bridge will not only restore communication to the villages but will also help the movement of the armed forces to China border

Road Safety Project in Manipur

• Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways, Nitin Jairam Gadkari laid the foundation stone for 13 highway projects and inaugurated a Road Safety Project in Manipur.
• Highway projects are in alignment with the Government’s Act East Policy.
• Special emphasis has been given to the development of North East States under this Policy.
• National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and Manipur State Public Works Department(PWD) will carry out the development works of the state of Manipur.
• It will include four laning of some sections of Imphal to Moreh road which is the major road, connecting to South East Asian Countries.
• The 13 highway projects includes a Road Length of 316 Kilometers .
• Total financial outlay is about Rs. 3000 crores.
• It will foster better connectivity, convenience and economic growth in the state of Manipur.

“Swasthya” Tribal Health & Nutrition Portal

• Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated the e-portal on tribal health and nutrition named ‘Swasthya’.
• The portal provides all health and nutrition related information of the tribal population of India on a single platform.
• The dashboard presents data gathered for the 177 identified high priority tribal districts.
• It will be managed by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Knowledge Management in Health and Nutrition.
• Which is established by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute.

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

Which of the following country is not a part of BRICS?

1. Nepal
2. India
3. Russia
4. China

Answer – A

Gangetic river dolphins were declared national aquatic species in:

1. 2009
2. 2010
3. 2011
4. 2012

Answer – B

Which of the following organisation has constructed bailey bridge in Uttarakhand?

1. Broad Roads Organisation
2. Roads Safety Organisation
3. National Roads Organisation
4. Border Roads Organisation

Answer – D

Question of the Day

What is National Digital Health Mission (NDHM)?

Answer in next session…