Title Title Daily Current Affairs Capsule 22nd February 2020

Title
Daily Current Affairs Capsule
            Title 2020
     22nd February

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

Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican have been classified as "endangered migratory species"
by a UN body, paving the way for trans-boundary conservation efforts.

      India's proposal for inclusion of the three species in the global list for international protection under the
       UN's Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species was accepted unanimously.
      The proposal was accepted by 130 countries that are party to the convention at the ongoing 13th
       Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS COP 13).
      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.
      India has declared Indian elephants as National Heritage Animal.

India ranks 77th on sustainability, 131st in child flourishing index rankings: UN report

According to a United Nations backed report released India ranked 77th on a sustainability index that takes into
account per capita carbon emissions.

      It also ranks 131st on a flourishing ranking that measures the best chance at survival and well-being for
       children.
      The Sustainability Index ranks countries on excess carbon emissions compared with the 2030 target.
      The report was commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
       and The Lancet medical journal.

Fourth Anniversary of Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission

The fourth Anniversary of the launch of Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) was observed on
21st February.

      On 21st February 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Mission with the vision to deliver
       catalytic interventions to rural areas on the threshold of growth.
      The Mission aims at transforming these Rurban clusters by stimulating local economic development,
       enhancing basic services and creating well planned Rurban clusters.
      Under the mission, 300 Rurban clusters are envisaged to be developed in a time-bound manner.

Haryana government to open Atal Kisan - Majdoor canteens to provide meals at concessional rate

The Haryana government will open Atal Kisan - Majdoor canteens in all mandis and sugar mills across the state
to provide affordable and cheap meals to farmers and labourers at a concessional rate of 10 rupees per plate.

      This was stated by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya during his address to the Budget Session of State
       Assembly which commenced in Chandigarh.
      The 25 such canteens will be established this year.
      The Haryana government will also provide free and concessional travel facility to 41 different categories
       of residents in the ordinary buses of Haryana Roadways.
      Also, Under a new initiative, the women and girls belonging to 11 lakh BPL families will be given sanitary
       napkins free of cost during the year 2020-2021.

First-ever Bharat-Bangla Tourism festival begins in Agartala

In Tripura, first-ever Bharat-Bangla Paryatan Utsav-Tourism festival began in Agartala.

      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.
      Bangladesh Member of Parliament Md. Abdus Shahid paid tribute to the Indians, who helped Bangladesh
       in the 1971 liberation war.

Tamil Nadu Assembly passes bill to declare Cauvery Delta Region a Protected Special Agriculture Zone

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a bill declaring the Cauvery Delta Region a Protected Special Agriculture
Zone.

      The bill provides for banning certain new industries in the region.
      They include hydrocarbon exploration, smeltering of copper, zinc and aluminium, iron ore processing,
       tanneries and ship breaking.
      However, the bill also says any ongoing projects would not be disturbed.
      Infrastructure development projects like port development, laying of pipelines, road, telecommunication
       lines, power and water supply facilities will not be banned, as made clear in the bill.
      The whole districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam and five blocks each of Cuddalore and
       Pudukkottai districts are brought under the ambit of the bill.

Gold deposits found in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra

Gold deposits were found in Sonbhadra district by the Geological Survey of India and Uttar Pradesh Directorate
of Geology and Mining.

      Gold deposits are found at two places - Sonpahadi and Hardi field.
      GSI estimated gold deposits of 2700 million tonnes in Sonpahadi while 650 million tonnes in Hardi filed.
      The administration has continued the 7-member team for auction of blocks through e-tendering.

Sweden creates USD 1 mn prizes for sustainable food solutions

Sweden has created two USD 1 million prizes for solutions to feed billions of people.

      The award has been created as climate change threatens the world's food supply and a growing population
       requires sustainable food systems.
      Two Food Planet Prizes will be awarded annually, one to "an existing scalable solution for sustainable
       foods", the second for "innovative initiatives that could transform the global food sector"
      The first prizes will be awarded "later in 2020".

FC Goa becomes first Indian club to qualify for AFC Champions League group stage

FC Goa on became the first team from the country to qualify for the group stage of the AFC Champions League,
the continent’s top-tier club competition.

      It secured this spot after beating Jamshedpur FC 5-0 in an Indian Super League match.
      The top team at the end of the league stage of ISL has been guaranteed a berth in the 2021 AFC Champions
       League.

   Indian clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have played in the Asian Club Championships but no
       team from the country has ever played in the group stage of AFC Champions League since its introduction
       in 2002.

Larry Tesler: Computer scientist behind 'cut-copy-paste' dies

A pioneering US computer scientist Larry Tesler, whose accomplishments included inventing the widely relied
on "cut, copy and paste" command died.

      The cut and paste command was reportedly inspired by old-fashioned editing that involved actually cutting
       portions of printed text and affixing them elsewhere with adhesive.
      The command was made popular by Apple after being incorporated in software on the Lisa computer in
       1983 and the original Macintosh that debuted the next year.
      Tesler spent 17 years at Apple, rising to chief scientist.