{"id":54496,"date":"2020-02-11T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54496"},"modified":"2020-02-27T09:29:43","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T03:59:43","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-february-11th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-february-11th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 11th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-could-pangolins-be-the-source-of-the-novel-coronavirus-6259158\/\">Pangolin<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Scientists investigating the animal origins of the novel\ncoronavirus said pangolins could be responsible for the spread of the virus to\nhumans in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nPangolin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Pangolin is the only scaly\nmammal on earth<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Habitat: <\/strong>There\nare a total of eight pangolin species across Africa and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Asian species<\/strong>: Sunda Pangolin,\n Philippine Pangolin, Chinese Pangolin and Indian Pangolin.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>African species<\/strong>: Long-tailed\n Pangolin, Tree Pangolin, Giant Pangolin and the Ground Pangolin.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Of the eight species of pangolin, two are found in India:\n Chinese pangolin mostly found in northeast India and Indian pangolin is\n found in the rest of India.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conservation Status:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Chinese pangolin \u2013 Critically Endangered<\/li><li>Sunda pangolin \u2013 Critically Endangered&nbsp;<\/li><li>Indian pangolin\u2013 Endangered<\/li><li>Philippine pangolin \u2013 Endangered<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/newsite\/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=199225\"><strong>Web Portal\nLaunched for Star Rating of Mines in India<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News: <\/strong>Ministry of Coal (MoC) has launched a web\nportal for star rating of coal mines. The portal will work as a tool to promote\ngreen, safe and sustainable coal mining practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Star\nRating Policy for Coal Mines<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It envisages 50 evaluation\nparameters in Opencast Mines and 47 in Underground Mines as star rating\ncriteria.<\/li><li>Based on <strong>seven broad modules<\/strong>: <ul><li>Mining Operations Related\nParameters, <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Environment related parameters,\n<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Adoption of Technologies: Best\nMining Practices, <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Economic performance, <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Rehabilitation &amp;\nResettlement related parameters, <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Worker related Compliance <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Safety and security related\nparameter<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Starring System<\/strong>:<\/li><li>91 to 100%: 5 star<\/li><li>81 to 90%: 4 star, <\/li><li>71 to 80%: 3 star, <\/li><li>61 to 70%: 2 star, <\/li><li>41 to 60%: 1 star <\/li><li>0 to 40%: No star<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-what-is-supercam-6261704\/\"><strong>&nbsp;What\nis SuperCam?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News: <\/strong>In the Mars 2020 mission, NASA will send a\nlaser-toting robot, called Supercam, as one of seven instruments aboard the\nrover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Supercam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Objective: <\/strong>To identify the chemical composition of rocks\nand soils, including their atomic and molecular makeup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Functions of Supercam:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It can fire a laser to study rock targets smaller than a pencil point.<\/li><li>It looks at rock textures and chemicals to find those that formed or\nchanged in water on Mars<\/li><li>It looks at different rock and \u201csoil\u201d types to find ones that could\npreserve signs of past microbial life on Mars, if ever existed<\/li><li>For the benefit of future explorers, SuperCam identifies which elements\nin the Martian dust may be harmful to humans.<\/li><li>It can measure air and scientists can learn about how atmospheric\nmolecules, water ice, and dust absorb or reflect solar radiation<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional Information:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mars\n2020 Mission&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is a Mars rover mission by\nNASA&#8217;s Mars Exploration Program&nbsp;scheduled be launched in July 2020<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Objectives:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Assess ancient habitability <\/li><li>Characterize the climate of\nMars<\/li><li>Characterize the geology of\nMars<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livemint.com\/companies\/news\/bsnl-air-india-mtnl-highest-loss-making-psus-in-fy19-survey-11581342890194.html\"><strong>BSNL,\nAir India, MTNL highest loss-making PSUs in FY19: Survey<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> <strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Public\nEnterprises Survey 2018-19 has been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Public Enterprises Survey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>7It maps the annual financial performance of all central PSUs<\/li><li>Released by: Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Heavy\nIndustries &amp; Public Enterprises<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key takeaways from Public Enterprises\nSurvey 2018-19<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There were total 348 CPSEs as on31.3.2019 out of which 249 were\noperational.<\/li><li>Total paid up capital in all CPSEs as on 31.3.2019 stood at Rs.\n2,75,697crore as compared to Rs. 2,53,977 crore as on 31.3.2018, showing a\ngrowth of 8.55%.<\/li><li>BSNL, Air India and MTNL incurred highest losses for a third consecutive\nyear.&nbsp;<\/li><li>ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation and NTPC were the top three profitable PSUs\nin 2018-19<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.financialexpress.com\/lifestyle\/science\/un-conference-on-migratory-birds-pm-narendra-modi-to-inaugurate-meet-in-gandhinagar-on-february-17\/1863431\/\"><strong>UN\nConference on Migratory Birds<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> United Nations Conference on the conservation\nof migratory species of wild animals (COP13) will be inaugurated by Indian Prime\nMinister on February 17 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Convention on the Conservation of\nMigratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)<\/strong> <strong>or the\nBonn Convention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the\nUnited Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). It acts as a framework\nconvention and encourages its States Parties to conclude global or regional\nagreements.<\/li><li>It was signed in 1979 in Bonn, Germany, and entered into force in 1983<\/li><li><strong>Aim: <\/strong>conservation and sustainable use\nof migratory animals and their habitats<\/li><li>It is the only global convention specializing in the conservation of\nmigratory species, their habitats and migration routes.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Appendices of CMS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Appendix I \u2013 Threatened Migratory Species<\/li><li>Appendix II \u2013 Migratory Species requiring international cooperation<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Parties\nto the Convention<\/strong>: 129 parties including India<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CMS\nCOP13&nbsp;Theme:<\/strong> \u2018Migratory species connect the planet and\ntogether we welcome them home\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"543\" height=\"361\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture1-14.png?resize=543%2C361&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals map\" class=\"wp-image-54596\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-what-is-a-jet-stream-british-airways-flight-speed-record-6260787\/\"><strong>Explained:\nWhat is a jet stream, which helped a flight beat speed record?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong> The Boeing 747-436 plane was able to achieve\na speed of 1,327 kph as it was aided by a strong jet stream generated due to\nStorm Ciara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Jet streams are relatively <strong>narrow bands of strong wind<\/strong> in the\nupper levels of the atmosphere. <\/li><li>The winds blow from <strong>west to east<\/strong> in jet streams but the flow often\nshifts to the north and south. <\/li><li>Jet streams <strong>follow the boundaries between hot and cold air<\/strong>. Since\nthese hot and cold air boundaries are most pronounced in winter, jet streams\nare the strongest for both the northern and southern hemisphere in winters.<\/li><li>The greater the difference in air temperature, the faster the jet stream.\nIt can reach speeds of up to 250 mph or greater, but average speed is 110 mph.<\/li><li>South of the jet stream, the air is usually warmer than\naverage.&nbsp;North of the jet stream, the air is usually cooler than average.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Types:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Sub-Tropical Jet Streams<\/strong>: Forms at latitudes of 20 to 30 degrees\nNorth and South.<\/li><li><strong>Polar Front jet streams:\n<\/strong>Form between the\nlatitudes of 50 and 60 degrees north and south of the equator<\/li><li><strong>Tropical Easterly Jet Stream<\/strong>: occurs near the tropopause over Southeast Asia, India, and Africa\nduring summer<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Influence\non Weather<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>help in maintaining latitudinal\nheat balance&nbsp;<\/li><li>influence the path of temperate\ncyclones<\/li><li>Polar Front Jet influence the\nmid-latitude weather disturbances<\/li><li>Subtropical westerly jet\nstream, tropical easterly jet stream and Somalia low level jet stream impact\nmonsoons in India.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture2-12.png?resize=525%2C302&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Image result for types of jet stream\" class=\"wp-image-54597\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/food.ndtv.com\/food-drinks\/world-pulses-day-celebrity-nutritionist-rujuta-diwekar-shares-her-mother-s-metkut-recipe-on-the-spec-2177976\"><strong>United\nNations World Pulses Day<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Union\nMinister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has inaugurated the celebrations of\nWorld Pulses Day in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About World\nPulses Day:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The United Nations World Pulses Day\nresolution was adopted in 2013 claiming the year 2016 as International Pulses\nDay.<\/li><li>Since 2019,World Pulses Day is\ncelebrated by the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) of the United Nations\nto recognize the importance of pulses as a global food.<\/li><li>The day provides an opportunity to\nraise awareness about the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable\nfood production aimed towards food security and nutrition.<\/li><li>The official designation is also\nlinked to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nPulses:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Pulses also known as legumes are\nthe edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for food.They are the major\nsource of protein in a vegetarian diet.<\/li><li>The major pulses grown in India are\ntur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram.<\/li><li>India is the largest producer as\nwell as the consumer of pulses in the world.The major pulse producing states\nare Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Food and\nAgriculture Organization (FAO)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is a specialized agency of the\nUnited Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.It was\nestablished in 1945 and is headquartered in Rome,Italy.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/newsite\/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=199224\"><strong>National\nDeworming Day(NDD)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nMinistry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is conducting the tenth round of\nNational Deworming Day(NDD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nNational Deworming Day(NDD):&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The National Deworming Day(NDD) is\nobserved bi-annually since 2015 on 10th February and 10th August in all states\nand UTs followed by mop-up activities.<\/li><li><strong>Objective:<\/strong>To\nreduce the prevalence of Soil Transmitted Helminths(STH) commonly called the\nparasitic intestinal worms among all children and adolescents.<\/li><li>The day was started in 2015 by the\nMinistry Of Health And Family Welfare.<\/li><li>It is implemented in collaboration\nwith the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Human Resource\nDevelopment.<\/li><li>During the day, the children and\nadolescents aged 1-19 years are administered Albendazole across government,\ngovernment-aided schools, anganwadis and other educational institutions.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nSoil-transmitted helminth(STH):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Soil-transmitted helminth(STH)\ninfections are among the most common infections worldwide and affect the\npoorest and most deprived communities.&nbsp;<\/li><li>They are transmitted by eggs\npresent in human faeces which in turn contaminate soil in areas where\nsanitation is poor.<\/li><li>The main species that infect people\nare the roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), the whipworm (Trichuris trichiura)\nand the hookworms (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1602654\"><strong>Exercise\nAJEYA WARRIOR-2020<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nfifth edition of Joint Military Exercise AJEYA WARRIOR-2020 between India and\nthe United Kingdom will be conducted at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nexercise:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Exercise Ajeya warrior is a joint\nmilitary exercise between India and the UK.It was held for the first time in\n2013.<\/li><li><strong>Aim:<\/strong>To conduct\ncompany level joint training with emphasis on counter terrorists operation in\nUrban and Semi Urban areas.<\/li><li>Further,it will also promote\ndefence cooperation and enhance interoperability while sharing experiences\nbetween both the armies.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Other\nexercises between India and UK:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Exercise Konkan:<\/strong>\nIt is an annual maritime bilateral exercise between Indian Navy and the Royal\nNavy of Britain.<\/li><li><strong>Exercise Indradhanush:<\/strong>It\nis a joint bilateral air exercise between India and the UK.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-what-is-safer-internet-day-why-is-it-observed-6261262\/\"><strong>Explained:\nWhat is Safer Internet Day?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Every\nyear,February 11 is observed as a Safer Internet Day(SID).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Safer\nInternet Day:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Safer Internet Day is an\ninternational event which was first initiated in 2004.<\/li><li>The day aims to promote a safer and\nmore responsible use of online technology and mobile phones by children and\nyoung people across the world.<\/li><li>It is organised by the\nInsafe\/INHOPE network of awareness centres that is spread across 30 countries\nand is funded by the Connecting Europe Facility program(CEF) of the EU.<\/li><li>To expand the initiative\u2019s\nreach,Safer Internet Day(SID) Committees were introduced in 2009.In India,the\nNGO DISC (Developing Internet Safe Community) Foundation is the SID Committee.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/article\/pti-stories\/navy-children-schools-student-becomes-youngest-girl-in-world-to-climb-south-america-s-highest-peak-120020900538_1.html\"><strong>Mount\nAconcagua<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,Kaamya\nKarthikeyan, a twelve year old Indian student has become the youngest girl in\nthe world to summit Mt. Aconcagua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Mt.\nAconcagua:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Aconcagua is a mountain in the\nPrincipal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range,Argentina.<\/li><li>It is the highest peak in South America\nand outside of Asia with a height of 6962 metres.<\/li><li>Further,Mt.Aconcagua is of volcanic\norigin but it is not an active volcano currently.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"545\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture3-6.png?resize=545%2C726&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54598\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/economy\/agri-business\/kochi-to-host-global-meet-on-marine-ecosystem\/article30485472.ece\"><strong>Kerala to\nhost global meet on climate change, ocean health<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Kerala\nwill be hosting a three-day international conference called ClimFishCon 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nconference:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Aim:<\/strong>To study\nthe impact of climate change on the Hydrological cycle, ecosystem, fisheries\nand food security.<\/li><li>It is organised jointly by the\nCUSAT School of Industrial Fisheries and the Department of Fisheries,Kerala.<\/li><li><strong>Theme:<\/strong>Climate\nChange-Effective Adaptation for a Secure Future.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/andhra-pradesh\/18-persons-rescued-after-barge-sinks-into-sea-at-kakinada-port\/article30776994.ece\"><strong>Kakinada\nPort<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently,eighteen\npeople were rescued after an iron barge on which they were shifting broken rice\nsank at the Kakinada port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nKakinada Port:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Kakinada Port is an all-weather\ndeep water port.It is located on the East Coast of India, Andhra Pradesh which\nis about 170km south of the Visakhapatnam Port.<\/li><li>The seaport was commissioned by the\nAndhra Pradesh Government in November 1997.However,the Port was privatized in\nthe year 1999.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"342\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture4-3.png?resize=750%2C342&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54599\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/supreme-court-upholds-constitutional-validity-of-scst-amendment-act-2018\/article30780857.ece\"><strong>Supreme\nCourt upholds constitutional validity of SC\/ST Amendment Act,2018<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The\nSupreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Scheduled Castes and\nScheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act,2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Background:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In Subhash Kashinath Mahajan v.\nState of Maharashtra 2018, the Supreme Court had diluted the stringent\nprovisions of SC\/ST Act.<\/li><li>The court had ruled that\npreliminary sanction would be needed before charging officials under the SC\/ST\n(Prevention of Atrocities) Act,1989.It had also allowed anticipatory bail.<\/li><li>Following this,the government filed\na review petition in the Supreme Court and subsequently amended the 1989 Act\nthrough SC\/ST Amendment Act,2018.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About SC\/ST\nAmendment Act,2018:<\/strong>The amendment inserted the\nfollowing provisions to the to the original Act:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Preliminary enquiry shall not be\nrequired for registration of a First Information Report against any person.<\/li><li>The arrest of a person accused of\nhaving committed an offence under the Act would not require any approval.<\/li><li>The provisions of Section 438 of\nthe Code of Criminal Procedure which deals with anticipatory bail shall not\napply to a case under this Act, notwithstanding any judgment or order of any\nCourt.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/maharashtra-records-highest-number-of-missing-women-ncrb\/article30728296.ece\"><strong>Maharashtra\nrecords highest number of missing women:NCRB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>National\nCrime Records Bureau(NCRB) has released the data on the missing children and\nwomen trafficking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\ntakeaways from the Data:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The common causes of trafficking\nare sexual exploitation, child labour and domestic help.<\/li><li>The highest trafficking was\nobserved from the cities of Mumbai and Kolkata.<\/li><li>Maharashtra reported the maximum\nnumber of missing women and Madhya Pradesh reported the maximum number of cases\nof missing children.<\/li><li>Among all the states, Odisha reported\nmaximum rise in missing women cases and Assam in missing Children.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>According to UNODC Global report\n2018 on trafficking,women and girls make up most trafficking victims\nworldwide.Almost three-quarters of them are trafficked for sexual exploitation\nand 35% (women and girls) are trafficked for forced labor.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/india-bangladesh-rail-link-to-be-ready-by-2021\/article30777390.ece\"><strong>India-Bangladesh\nrail link to be ready by 2021<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Indian\nGovernment has announced that the Agartala &#8211; Akhaura Rail Link will be ready by\nthe end of 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the\nRail link:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The rail line between Agartala in\nTripura and Akhaura in Bangladesh will be the first train to run from the\nnortheastern region to Bangladesh.<\/li><li>The Ministry for Development of the\nNorth Eastern Region(DoNER) will bear the cost of laying 5.46 km track on the\nIndian side while the cost of laying 10.6 km track on the Bangladesh side is\nbeing borne by the Ministry of External Affairs.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"294\" height=\"389\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Picture5-3.png?resize=294%2C389&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54600\"\/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pangolin News: Scientists investigating the animal origins of the novel coronavirus said pangolins could be responsible for the spread of the virus to humans in China. Facts: About Pangolin Pangolin is the only scaly mammal on earth Habitat: There are a total of eight pangolin species across Africa and Asia. Asian species: Sunda Pangolin, Philippine&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-february-11th-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 11th, 2020<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":48116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/9-PM-Brief.png?fit=1000%2C500&ssl=1","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704937579},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}