Title Title Daily Current Affairs Capsule 10th February 2021

Title
Daily Current Affairs Capsule
            Title 2021
     10th February

World Pulses Day: 10 February

The United Nations designated World Pulses Day is observed every year on 10 February.

      The day has been established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to
       recognize the importance of pulses (dry beans, lentils, dry peas, chickpeas, lupins) as a global food.
      In 2018, the UN General Assembly decided to mark 10 February as World Pulses Day. The first WPD
       was held on February 10, 2019.
      Theme 2021: “Nutritious Seeds for a Sustainable Future”.

Second impeachment trial of former US President Donald Trump begins in Senate

Former US President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial formally commenced in the Senate.

      The Senate has voted 56-44 to proceed to the first-ever trial of a former President.
      Democrats hope to disqualify Trump from holding public office ever again.
      Trump is the only US President in the history of America to be impeached twice.
      This is the fourth impeachment trial in the US and first-ever impeachment trial of a former President.
      Earlier impeachments included former President Andrew Johnson's trial in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998
       for perjury and obstruction of justice and Trump in 2020 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s party office raided

The office of the National League for Democracy headed by the ousted state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was
raided by the military authorities.

      The military and police authorities broke into the headquarters of NLD in Yangon and a nearby regional
       office.
      The raid follows widespread demonstrations against the military government in Myanmar.
      Students and workers demonstrated in Yangon region demanding the military to step down and release
       the political leaders detained after the military take over on Feb 1.

India, Afghanistan sign MoU for construction of Shatoot dam

India and Afghanistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU]over video-teleconferencing (VTC),
for the construction of the Shahtoot Dam (Lalander Dam) on a tributary of the Kabul river in Afghanistan.

      The project, which costs nearly $ 300 million, is a part of the New Development Partnership between
       India and Afghanistan.
      The Lalander [Shatoot] Dam would meet the safe drinking water needs of Kabul City, provide irrigation
       water to nearby areas, rehabilitate the existing irrigation and drainage network, aid in flood protection and
       management efforts in the area, and also provide electricity to the region.
      This is the second major dam being built by India in Afghanistan, after the India- Afghanistan Friendship
       Dam [Salma Dam], which was inaugurated in June 2016.

Nitin Gadkari calls for 'all-round' efforts to reduce road accidents by 50 pct before 2025

Union Minister for Road Transport, Nitin Gadkari has called for all-round efforts by all stakeholders to ensure
that deaths due to road accidents are reduced by 50 per cent before 2025.

      The Minister informed this at inauguration of the Webinar series launched by International Road
       Federation, India Chapter, on the theme of “Road Safety Challenges in India & Preparation of an Action
       Plan.”
      India stands at number one position in road accidents in the world, ahead of US and China.
      India is observing the Road Safety Month from 18th January 2021 to 17th February 2021 to build
       awareness on road safety issues.

As per latest census, Kaziranga National Park records 93 thousand 491 birds

In Assam, the Kaziranga national park has recorded a total of 93 thousand 491 birds as per the latest census.

      There are 112 bird species and 22 families found during the enumeration.
      The recent bird census has witnessed an increase of over 59 thousand birds in the Kaziranga national park.
      Last year, the figure stood at 34 thousand 284.
      The park authority has recently conducted a 2 day census where 35 teams were involved.
      Kaziranga National Park is a protected area in the northeast Indian state of Assam.

Rajasthan becomes 12th state in country to successfully undertake 'One Nation, One Ration Card' system
reform

Rajasthan has become the 12th state in the country to successfully undertake 'One Nation, One Ration Card'
system reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance.

      Now, the state has become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of Rs 2,731 crore through
       Open Market Borrowings and the permission in this regard has been issued.
      Rajasthan has now joined 11 other states namely, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka,
       Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh, who have completed this
       reform.
      On completion of 'One Nation, One Ration Card' system reform, these 12 states have been granted
       additional borrowing permission of Rs 33,440 crore by the Department of Expenditure.
      Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
      Governor: Kalraj Mishra

National Horticulture Fair 2021 begins in Bengaluru

The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Kailash Choudhry, inaugurated the National
Horticulture Fair (NHF) 2021 in Bengaluru via virtual mode.

      The five-day long event has been organised by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), from
       February 8 to February 12 at its IIHR campus situated in Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru.
      The theme of NHF 2021 is ‘Horticulture for Start-Up and Stand-Up India’.
      The NHF will showcase cutting edge technologies, crop varieties, pest and disease management practices
       and processing methods among others.
      The IIHR is a subsidiary of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

IIT Kharagpur develops solar-powered pesticide sprayer for smaller farm fields

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur have developed energy-efficient pesticide sprayers
devices for smaller agricultural tracts owned by marginal farmers.

      The device is aimed to increase field capacity and uniformity in liquid spraying.
      It will also reduce the drudgery to the operator and dependency on fossil fuel for carrying out spraying in
       cropped areas.

Actor Rajiv Kapoor dies at 58

Bollywood actor Rajiv Kapoor died at 58 following a heart attack.

      Rajiv Kapoor, who was also a film producer and director, was the youngest son of the legendary Raj
       Kapoor, and the brother of Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor, all actors and filmmakers.
      Rajiv Kapoor is known for his performance in 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' (1985) and 'Ek Jaan Hain Hum'
       (1983).
      He was also the director of 'Prem Granth', which starred Rishi Kapoor in the lead.