Highlight key features of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project

• DRIP is a state sector scheme with central component to improve safety and operational performance of selected dams.
• The project was launched in 2012 by Central Water Commission (CWC) under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation with assistance from World Bank.
• The project originally envisaged the rehabilitation and improvement of 223 dam projects in four states namely, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.
• Presently, DRIP covers rehabilitation of large dam projects located in seven states namely Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand.
• Objectives of DRIP:
• Rehabilitation and improvement of dams
• Dam safety institutional strengthening
• Project management

G-20 Foreign Ministers meet

• Recently G-20 foreign ministers meeting held.
• Meet was hosted by Saudi Arabia
• The meet focused on cross-border movement amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
• India proposed development of voluntary ‘G20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People’ with three elements:
• Standardisation of Quarantine procedures
• Standardisation of testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results
• Standardisation of movement and transit protocols
• G20
• The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
• Along with the members of the G-7, 12 other nations currently comprise the G-20: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.
• The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population.

Assam heritage bill passed in assembly

• To protect, preserve and restore tangible heritage, which are currently not covered under any national or state law, Assam Assembly passes bill .
• The Assam Heritage (Tangible) Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Maintenance Bill, 2020 was passed by the state.
• The bills are being termed as a ‘historic’ step towards implementing the Clause 6 of Assam Accord.
• Assam Accord: The state government is empowered to take necessary steps to ensure constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, that shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.
• The targeted sites and items must have been in existence for not less than 75 years.
• The list includes religious institutions like the xattras, monasteries, stupas, naamghars, mosques, dargahs, churches, besides social and cultural institutions.

No stay on HC order against Andhra govt’s English medium move

• Andhra Govt. took decision to make English the medium of education for government school students from Classes I to VI beginning 2020-21 academic year.
• The Supreme Court refused to stay Andhra Pradesh High court Order to strike down the decision of govt.
• The court quoted Section 29 of the Right to Education Act, 2009.
• According to the section, the medium of instruction should be in the child’s mother tongue.
• Legal Provisions:
• Article 29:  All citizens right to conserve their language and prohibits discrimination based on language.
• Article 120: Use of Hindi or English for transactions of parliament but gives the right to members of parliament to express themselves in their mother tongue.

Biodiversity Council in J&K

• The Jammu and Kashmir government recently set up a 10-member biodiversity council.
• The council will maintain a Peoples Biodiversity Register (PBR) with the help of representatives from local governance bodies.
• The biodiversity council will function in consultation with National Biodiversity Authority, as per an order issued by General Administration Department (GAD).

5 September: Teachers’ Day

• Every year on September 5, India celebrates the Teachers’ Day
• We celebrate it on the birth anniversary of former President of India, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
•  This year, India will be celebrating 58th Teachers’ Day.
• Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888.
• He served as the first Vice President and second President of Independent India.

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

G-20 Foreign Ministers meet 2020 hosted by:

1. India
2. China
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Russia

Answer – C

Recently which government passes Heritage (Tangible) Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Maintenance Bill?

1. Jammu and Kashmir
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Manipur
4. Assam

Answer – D

Which of the following state is about to set up Biodiversity Council ?

1. Jammu and Kashmir
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Manipur
4. Assam

Answer – A

Question of the Day

What is Special Marriage Act, 1954?

Answer in next session…