February 2020

Four hydro projects violate Ganga flow norms Since the government made it mandatory for hydro power projects on the upper reaches of the river Ganga’s tributaries to release minimum quantities of water through the year, 4 of the 11 projects are flouting norms, says a report by the Central Water Commission (CWC). The ecological flow, … Read more

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 The Union Cabinet approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. the proposed amendment seeks to enhance the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women that will be defined in the amendments … Read more

CAG report on Siachen troops Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) pulled up the Army for deficiencies in the provision of special clothing, rations and housing for troops in high-altitude areas, including Siachen. There were delays of up to four years in the procurement of high-altitude clothing and equipment, leading to an acute shortage of essential clothing … Read more

HAL inks pact to make & sell Israeli drones Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a pact with Israel Aerospace Industries Limited (IAI) and Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) for marketing, manufacturing and selling IAI’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones in India. UAVs are playing a significant role in wars and other tactical missions such … Read more

International Religious Freedom Alliance The United States announced the launch of a 27-nation International Religious Freedom Alliance, which will try to adopt a collective approach in protecting and preserving religious freedom across the world. The areas will include things like technology and religious oppression, blasphemy and apostasy laws, for instance. Toolbox will include things like, … Read more

Ease of living index (EoLI) and municipal performance index (MPI) 2019 The ministry of housing and urban affairs have launched the ease of living index (EoLI) and municipal performance index (MPI) 2019_to help assess the progress made in cities through various initiatives and empower them to use evidence to plan, implement and monitor their performance. … Read more

DefExpo 2020 Defence Expo in Lucknow was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The number of participating foreign companies has also increased to 172 from the previous figure of 160. The main theme of the DefExpo India 2020 is ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’ and the focus will be on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’. … Read more

Fifth edition of India-UK joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ The fifth edition of India-UK joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ will be conducted at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom from February 13 to 26 The aim of this exercise is to conduct company level joint training with emphasis on counter-terror operations in urban and semi-urban areas. Training … Read more

The Personal Data Protection Bill Outlines framework for handling of personal data including its processing by public and private entities, has been referred to a Joint Committee of both the Houses. Bill will provide for protection of the privacy of individuals relating to their personal data, specify the flow and usage of personal data, create … Read more

TAMILNADU The Mysuru-Chennai high speed rail corridor The Mysuru-Chennai high speed rail corridor was first proposed in 2014. The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), a Joint Venture (JV) of Government of India and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu government floated a tender for final alignment design including aerial LiDAR survey and other related works for … Read more