February 10 & 11 Current Affairs

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State :

Tamilnadu :

T.N. placed third in health index

  • In a health index report that has brought cheer to the Health department, Tamil Nadu is ranked among the top three States (in the ‘Largest States’ category) for overall health outcomes. The State has come third, after Kerala and Punjab.
  • Neonatal mortality rate in State lower than in other States; vacancies in health department not filled

Decoding the intent behind probe panels

  • A popular perception about commissions, mostly headed by retired judges, is that when the government of the day wants to bury an issue, it decides to set up a probe panel. At the same time, there is another viewpoint that Commissions of Inquiry are indeed useful and they do play a constructive role.
  • Some say Commissions of Inquiry are a dodging tactic by the government of the day, others insist they can be fruitful

Teams to check structural stability of temples: Minister

  • The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE) will form teams to check the structural stability and quality of electrical works in temples across the State, said HR&CE Minister Sevur S. Ramachandran.
  • Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said the renovation work would be taken up based on the report of the teams. Encroachments on temple sites and in surrounding areas would be removed in three months, he added .  “Other structures are safe. Action is being taken to remove shops located inside the temple,” he said.

Owners of LPG tankers plan strike

  • The Southern Regional Bulk LPG Transport Owners’ Association has decided to launch indefinite strike from Monday (February 12) to protest against the revised tender rules on hiring the tankers.
  • The association demanded that the regional-level tender for fixing the hire charges for LPG tankers, which had been the practice for three decades, should continue. Under the new norms, the Centre floated State-level tenders in January.

Kerala :

New rubber policy soon: Alphons

  • The Central government will soon come out with a new Rubber Policy which will ensure remunerative prices for natural rubber, Union Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons has said.
  • Blames former UPA government for crisis in the rubber sector

Spike in hepatitis A bares a few issues

  • Hepatitis A has become almost endemic to the State, bringing to focus the poor hygiene and sanitation prevailing here. Faecal contamination of water puts focus on poor hygiene and sanitation
  • As per a study published in the National Journal of Research in Community Medicine, there were 84 outbreaks of hepatitis A in the past five years. In the past two years, the State had reported 22 deaths from hepatitis A.

Telangana :

Most tribals use firewood for fuel

  • “The government needs to come out with some form of solution to the issue of rampant use of firewood in rural households too. Subsidised LPG connections have not reached the households in far-flung areas even after decades since LPG arrived in Adilabad,” rued Athram Lingu, from the tribal mandal head quarter of Jainoor, in KB Asifabad district.Government intervention to provide alternatives needed

Daily wage earner’s son achieves gold medal

  • Son of a daily wage labourer, Md. Hyder Baba, was among the six students of Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, Basar, in Nirmal district who got a gold medal (Civil Engineering).Receives medal at the third convocation of RGUKT at Basar

T-20 cricket league begins at Siddpet

  • In a first, a T-20 cricket league was inaugurated by Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao and Government Advisor G. Vivek at Jayashankar Stadium ‘Such tournaments will encourage rural youth to take interest in the sport’
  • A total of 10 teams would be vying for the title and on the first day, two teams from Medak and Khammam played a match.

Karnataka :

World Women’s Heart Day observed

  • A healthy heart walk was taken out from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple to J.K. Grounds in Mysuru to mark World Women’s Heart Day.The walkathon was flagged by Dharini Devi Malagatti, principal, Police Training School, Mysuru. Later, a public educational programme and a cultural programme was organised at Platinum Jubilee Hall on J.K. Grounds.
  • “In India, cardiac illness in general is on the rise and women in particular are more prone for complications of the same and are less likely to receive prompt care .

Bullet train fare will be decided in 2022: Goyal

  • Refusing to reveal the fare of the ambitious ongoing bullet train project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said it would be decided only after the completion of the project.
  • “Only in 2022 will we be able to decide what the fare should be,” he told a press conference .

Karnataka HC stays LPG distributorship process

  • The Karnataka High Court on Friday stayed further proceedings, based on the public notice issued by three public sector oil companies in August 2017, inviting applications for appointment of LPG distributors in 238 locations in the State.
  • Though six out of 238 locations have been reserved for physically challenged persons, in the public notice issued on August 17, 2017, it was argued on behalf of the petitioner that the reservation provided is less than 3%.

India :

Inter-Governmental Agreements, the preferred route for defence deals

  • Several deals are being lined up for likely conclusion through Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGA), some of which could be concluded this year.
  • “An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between two sovereign governments ensures transparency and avoids troubles later. It has become the only way now to conclude pending critical deals. Especially with elections close by, this is a safe bet,” an official source said .

 Government ignoring plight of children, says Supreme Court

  • The Supreme Court slammed the government for the “tardy if not virtual non-implementation” of juvenile justice laws and turning a deaf ear to the plight of “voiceless if not silenced” children of the nation . The apex court’s judgment came on a PIL seeking implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act and its rules.

NEET for students going abroad to study

  • Students wishing to study MBBS in foreign universities may soon have to clear the NEET as the government plans to make the test mandatory for them. According to a senior Health Ministry official, the proposal is at an advanced stage.
  • Once the new proposal is approved, students aspiring to study medicine outside India will be given a No Objection Certificate (NOC) only if they clear NEET, the official said.

Aadhaar not required for emergency health services: National Health Mission

  • “It’s unacceptable if what has been reported is true. Aadhaar is not required to access emergency health services,” said Manoj Jhalani, additional secretary and MD, National Health Mission, on Saturday. “We have initiated an enquiry and if negligence is proved strict action will be taken.’’
  • NHM’s response comes a day after Gurgaon’s Civil Hospital allegedly turned away a pregnant woman, insisting that Aadhaar card was required for admission.

 world :

Taiwan earthquake death toll rises to 14

  • Search and rescue workers found the bodies of two people believed to be members of a Chinese family trapped in a partially collapsed hotel in Taiwan, bringing the death toll from this week’s earthquake to 14.
  • The building is leaning at a 45-degree angle and stabilised by steel beams while search and rescue workers break through the rubble.

India, UAE to deepen strategic ties, counter terror

  • India and the UAE will hold a bilateral naval exercise, the External Affairs Ministry announced .The declaration came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s discussion with the leadership of the Gulf country with both sides agreeing to deepen the strategic partnership and counter terrorism in “all forms” .
  • The two countries to hold naval exercise as maritime security becomes a crucial domain of cooperation focusing on Indian Ocean and the Gulf region.

 

Abu Dhabi temple will be a medium of identity: Narendra Modi

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a project for the construction of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, describing it as a “catalytic agent” of humanity and harmony that would become a medium of India’s identity.
  • “I believe this temple will give a message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’,” the Prime Minister said after laying the foundation stone for the Swaminarayan temple.

Sri Lanka goes to polls in crucial vote

  • Colombo – Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition faces its first polls test today with over 15 million eligible voters participating in the election to appoint 340 of the island’s 341 local councils, according to officials.
  • The local government elections will have a bearing on the coalition government in Colombo.

Sports :

Shiva Keshavan calls it a day

  • India’s winter sports poster boy Shiva Keshavan on Sunday brought the curtains down on his over two-decade international career with a 34th-place finish in men’s luge.
  • The effort put him 34th overall after three rounds and since he finished outside the top 20, he did not get to compete in the final run, which decided the medals.

AFC Cup: BFC leaves for Maldives

  • Despite the prevailing unrest in Maldives, Bengaluru FC (BFC) has decided to travel to the South Asian island nation to compete in its AFC Cup first-leg playoff match against TC Sports Club.
  • The match will be held at Rasmee Dhandu Stadium, in the capital city of Male, on Tuesday night. The BFC contingent departed from Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon. Around a week ago, a concerned MEA had asked Indian nationals to defer travel to Maldives.

ISL: Pune win against a misfiring Mumbai .

  • Captain Marcelinho scored his eighth goal this ISL season as FC Pune City sealed a 2-0 victory and three points over a misfiring Mumbai City FC. The Brazilian slotted the ball in when presented with a slight chance, creating the goal using his terrific first touch and nose for space.Strikes by Carlos and Marcelinho seal the victory .

Kerala Blasters and the second football revolution in Kerala

  • Joseph S. Blattter, former FIFA president, on his first visit to India termed it ‘a sleeping giant’. His successor Gianni Infantino went one step ahead and said the giant had woken up following the successful conduct of the 2017 Under-17 FIFA World Cup and popularity of the three-year-old Indian Super League (ISL).
  • Football has regained the numero uno status in Kerala in terms of unprecedented popularity and patronage after several years .

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