{"id":54622,"date":"2020-02-19T21:00:24","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T15:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?p=54622"},"modified":"2020-02-27T09:48:33","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T04:18:33","slug":"9-pm-current-affairs-brief-february-19th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-february-19th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 19th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/centre-begins-process-of-delimitation-of-assembly-seats-in-jk\/articleshow\/74183142.cms\"><strong>Centre begins\nprocess of delimitation of assembly seats in J&amp;K<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Central Government has begun the process of delimitation of\nAssembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDelimitation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Delimitation is the act of\nredrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats to represent changes\nin population. <\/li><li>The main objective of delimitation\nis to provide equal representation to equal segments of a population. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Process\nof Delimitation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Under Article 82, the Parliament\nenacts a Delimitation Act after every Census.<\/li><li>Once the Act is in force,the Union\ngovernment sets up a Delimitation Commission.<\/li><li>The Delimitation commission was\nconstituted in 1952, 1963, 1973 under their respective acts.<\/li><li>In 1976, the 42nd Constitutional\nAmendment was used to stop the delimitation process until 2001.<\/li><li>In 2002, based on the 2001 Census\ndelimitation commission was setup to readjust the boundaries of existing Lok\nSabha and Assembly seats and reworking the number of reserved seats.<\/li><li>Further,In 2002,the 84th\nConstitutional Amendment was used to freeze the delimitation process till at\nleast 2026.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nDelimitation commission:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Delimitation Commission is\nappointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the\nElection Commission of India.<\/li><li>The commission is made up of a\nretired Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner and the respective\nState Election Commissioners.<\/li><li>The commission is mandated to a)\ndetermine the number and boundaries of constituencies to make the population of\nall constituencies nearly equal and b) identify seats reserved for Scheduled\nCastes and Scheduled Tribes, wherever their population is relatively large.<\/li><li>The constitution mandates that the\norders of commission are final and cannot be questioned before any court as it\nwould hold up an election indefinitely.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/news\/education\/india-jumps-5-ranks-to-35th-in-worldwide-education-for-the-future-index-2019\/article30851541.ece\"><strong>Worldwide\nEducation for the Future Index 2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Economist Intelligence Unit has released the Worldwide Educating\nfor the Future Index (WEFFI) 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe Index:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The index assesses countries based\non their abilities to equip students with skill-based education.<\/li><li>It has ranked countries based on\nthree pillars namely environment, teaching environment and overall\nsocio-economic environment.<\/li><li>The theme of the index is \u201cFrom\nPolicy to Practice\u201d.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\ntakeaways from the index:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Finland has been ranked at the top\nof the index.It was followed by Sweden at second position and New Zealand at\nthird position.<\/li><li>India has been ranked 35th on the\noverall index in 2019 with a total score of 53.In 2018,it was ranked at 40th\nposition.<\/li><li>The bottom three nations in the\nindex were Kenya (48th), Nigeria (49th) and the Democratic Republic of Congo\n(50th).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/world\/story\/pakistan-in-fatf-grey-list-for-now-final-decision-on-friday-1647709-2020-02-18\"><strong>Pakistan to\ncontinue in FATF Grey List <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The International Co-operation Review Group(ICRG) of the Financial\nAction Task Force(FATF) has recommended that Pakistan be retained on the Grey\nList given its failure to completely implement the 27-point action plan to\ncheck terror financing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FATF\nand Pakistan:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>In 2018,Pakistan was placed on the\ngrey list by the FATF and was given a 27-point action plan to implement by\nFebruary 2020 or face the risk of being placed on the black list with Iran and\nNorth Korea.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nFATF:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Financial Action Task Force\n(FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 during the G7 Summit\nin Paris.<\/li><li>Its Secretariat is located at the\nOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquarters in\nParis.<\/li><li>The objectives of the FATF are to\n(a) set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and\noperational measures (b) for combating money laundering (c)terrorist financing\nand (d) other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.<\/li><li>Currently,the FATF comprises 37\nmember jurisdiction and 2 regional organisations representing most major\nfinancial centres in all parts of the globe.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Listing\nby FATF:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Grey List: <\/strong>Countries that are considered safe\nhaven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the grey\nlist.This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the\nblacklist.<\/li><li><strong>Black List: <\/strong>Countries known as Non-Cooperative\nare put in the blacklist. These countries support terror funding and money\nlaundering activities. The FATF revises the blacklist regularly adding or\ndeleting entries.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/industry\/services\/education\/11-indian-universities-in-top-100-for-emerging-economies\/articleshow\/74201402.cms\"><strong>11 Indian\nuniversities in top 100 for emerging economies <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Times Higher Education\u2019s (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings\n2020 has been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe rankings:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Emerging University Rankings\nis based on the same 13 performance indicators used for the World University\nRankings.<\/li><li>These 13 indicators measure an\ninstitution\u2019s performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and\ninternational outlook.<\/li><li>However, the weightings are\ndifferent to reflect the development priorities of universities in emerging\neconomies.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key\ntakeaways from the ranking:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Tsinghua University from China\nhas topped the Emerging University Rankings.<\/li><li>Indian universities had also\nperformed well as 11 universities made it to the top 100 emerging universities\nof the world.Only China has more universities than India in the top 100 at 30.<\/li><li>The Indian Institute of\nScience(IISc), ranked 16th is India\u2019s top-ranked institution.The other\nuniversities included are IIT Kharagpur at 32nd, IIT Delhi at 38th and IIT\nMadras at 63rd.<\/li><li>A total of 56 Indian universities\nappear in the full ranking of a total of 533 universities from 47 emerging\neconomies of the world.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/cities\/Coimbatore\/work-on-constructing-fire-lines-begins-in-mukurthi-national-park\/article30837108.ece\"><strong>Mukurthi\nNational Park<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Tamil Nadu government are constructing fire lines\u2019 or \u2018fire breaks\u2019, in\nthe Mukurthi National Park(MNP) ahead of summer and peak fire season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nMukurthi National Park:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Location: <\/strong>It is located in the northwest\ncorner of Tamil Nadu in the Western Ghats mountain range.It is also a part of\nNilgiri Biosphere Reserve.<\/li><li><strong>Type:<\/strong>It is characterised by montane grasslands\nand shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high altitude area of high\nrainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds.<\/li><li><strong>Keystone Species:<\/strong>Themain reason behind establishing a national park in the place was\nto protect the Nilgiri Tahr which is a Keystone species.<\/li><li>The park also has the distinction\nof being a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is part of the Western Ghats. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nFire Line:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is an artificially formed break\nin foliage or forest cover to control the spread of wildfires by limiting the\namount of combustible vegetation available.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nKeystone Species:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>keystone species is a species that\nplays an essential role in the structure, functioning or productivity of a\nhabitat or ecosystem at a defined level (habitat, soil, seed dispersal, etc).<\/li><li>Disappearance of such species may\nlead to significant ecosystem change or dysfunction which may have knock on\neffects on a broader scale.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1603506\"><strong>KALA KUMBH \u2013\nHandicrafts Exhibitions for promotion of GI Crafts<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Ministry of Textiles is organising the Kala Kumbh &#8211; Handicrafts\nThematic Exhibition in various parts of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nKala Kumbh:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It is an exhibition to promote GI\n(Geographical Indication) crafts and heritage of India. <\/li><li>It is being organized through the\nOffice of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under the Ministry of\nTextiles.<\/li><li>It is sponsored by the Export\nPromotion Council for Handicrafts(EPCH).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nGI tag:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A geographical indication(GI) is a\nsign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess\nqualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.<\/li><li>The Geographical Indications of\nGoods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 provides registration and also\nprotection of GI goods in India.<\/li><li>The act is administered by the\nController General of Patents, Designs and trademarks under the Ministry of\nCommerce and Industry.<\/li><li>As of August 2019, 178 GI\nhandicraft products are registered from all over India.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nEPCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Export Promotion Council for\nHandicrafts(EPCH) was established as a non-profit organisation under Companies\nAct in 1986-87.<\/li><li>It aims to promote, support,\nprotect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1603400\"><strong>E-MASIHA App<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>Recently, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has informed that India has\nbecome the first country in the world which has made the entire Haj 2020\nprocess 100% digital..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe E-MASIHA App:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>E-Masiha stands for E-Medical\nAssistance System for Indian Pilgrims Abroad.<\/li><li>It is an online system to create\nand maintain the complete health database of pilgrims along with doctors&#8217;\nprescriptions as well as medicine disbursals to deal with any emergency in\nMakkah-Madinah.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nHAJ APP:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Indian Haj Information System (Haj\nApp) has been developed to receive grievance from Hajis and feedback to improve\nthe service.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devdiscourse.com\/article\/headlines\/878026-eci-awarded-silver-in-re-engineering-process-for-digital-transformation\"><strong>ECI awarded\n\u2018Silver\u2019 in re-engineering process for digital transformation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>News:<\/strong>The Election Commission of India has been awarded Silver for Excellence\nin Government Process re-engineering for digital transformation for the year\n2019-20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nthe award:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The award was presented during the\n23rd National Conference on e-Governance by the Department of Administrative\nReforms and Public Grievances(DARPG).<\/li><li><strong>Aim:<\/strong>Torecognize\nthe projects that involved analysis and re-design of workflow which resulted in\nimprovement in outcomes related to efficiency, the effectiveness of the\nprocess, cost, quality, service delivery or a combination of these.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Additional\ninformation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About\nERONET:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>ERONET(Electoral Role Services\nNet) is a web portal setup by Election commission of India.It is a common\ndatabase for all States and UTs with data of 91 crore electors.<\/li><li>It provides bedrock of electoral\nroll in providing various web services to Conduct of Elections applications of\nElection Commission of India.<\/li><li>It automates the process of\nelectoral roll management starting from elector registration, field\nverification of electors, decision support system for Electoral registration\nofficers and for providing extensive integrated value-added services.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Centre begins process of delimitation of assembly seats in J&amp;K News:The Central Government has begun the process of delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. Facts: About Delimitation: Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats to represent changes in population. The main objective of delimitation is to&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/9-pm-current-affairs-brief-february-19th-2020\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">9 PM Current Affairs Brief \u2013 February 19th, 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],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-9-pm-brief","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":1704956256},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54622","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=54622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54622\/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=54622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}