9 PM Current Affairs Brief – February 18, 2019

Panel backs old system for oil block bid A High level panel headed by NITI AAYOG Vice chairman Rajiv Kumar, has advised government to shift from the present revenue sharing contracts for oil and gas block auctions to the older system of production sharing contract. In Production sharing,firms offering the largest work programmes (such as… Continue reading Panel backs old system for oil block bid

Scientists discover massive mountains under Earth’s crust A team of researchers from USA and China has discovered a new layer with massive mountains in the earth’s mantle. The layer lacks a formal name and is being addressed as the “660 kilometers boundary”. The recent discovery is expected to give new insights on the formation and… Continue reading Scientists discover massive mountains under Earth’s crust

Farmer Suicides: 90,000 Farmers Counselled in 14 Maharashtra Districts The Maharashtra government has said that a large number of farmers in 14 suicide-prone districts of the state have been provided counselling under Project Prerna. The Prerna Project is a Farmers’ Mental Health Service Programme and was launched in 2015. The project aims to curb farmers’… Continue reading Farmer Suicides: 90,000 Farmers Counselled in 14 Maharashtra Districts

States allocation: panel sticks to 2011 census The 15th Finance Commission(FC) will be using data from 2011 census for the devolution of taxes.Few states have expressed concern over the decision as it would result in lower resource allocation. The Finance Commission is a constitutional body appointed every five years by president and consists of a… Continue reading States allocation: panel sticks to 2011 census

Sterlite closure: downstream units await SC ruling today The Supreme Court’s decision against an order by the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) directing reopening of Sterlite Copper at Thoothukudi is awaited by various small scale industries. Sterlite Copper is a copper smelting unit and is a subsidiary of the Vedanta Group. It produces non-ferrous metals like… Continue reading Sterlite closure: downstream units await SC ruling today

Caught down the wire: Punjab’s blackbuck fight for existence Number of blackbuck deaths in Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) has raised serious concern. The AWS is an open sanctuary and comprises 13 villages of Bishnoi belt in Abohar Tehsil area of Ferozpur district, Punjab. The blackbuck, an antelope, was notified as the state animal of Punjab in… Continue reading Caught down the wire: Punjab’s blackbuck fight for existence