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20 FEB 2024 Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CDS, CAPF, NDA & SSB

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Written by NDI EDITOR

Feb 20 2024

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20 FEB 2024 Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CDS, CAPF, NDA & SSB
1. Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR)
The ongoing Kula Mama Volleyball Tournament-2024 in Melghat Tiger Reserve's (MTR) Semadoh sends a strong message to save tigers and the pristine forest with the involvement of local youths.About Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR):
  • Location:
    • It is located in the Amaravati district of Maharashtra.
    • It is located on the southern offshoot of the Satpura Hill Range in Central India, called Gawilgarh Hill. 
  • It was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1967 and was declared a tiger reserve in 1974. 
  • It was the first tiger reserve in Maharashtra.
  • It was among the first nine tiger reserves notified in 1973-74 under Project Tiger.
  • The name 'Melghat' means the confluence of various 'ghats' or valleys, as is typical of the landscape of this Tiger Reserve.
  • Vegetation: The forest is tropical dry deciduous in nature, and dominated by teak.
  • Rivers: The reserve is a catchment area for five major rivers: the Khandu, Khapra, Sipna, Gadga, and Dolar, all of which are tributaries of the river Tapti.
  • The Tapti River and the Gawilgarh ridge of the Satpura Range form the boundaries of the reserve.
  • Tribes: The Korkus are the largest tribal community in Melghat. Other communities include the Gawli community, the Gond tribe, and several other smaller tribal communities.
  • Flora: Some of the common species are teak, Lagerstroemia Parviflora, Terminalia Tomentosa, Ougeinia Oojeinensis, Emblica Officinalis, Bamboo, etc.
  • Fauna:
    • Apart from Tigers the other prominent animals are Sloth Bear, Indian Gaur, Sambar deer, Leopard, Nilgais, dhole, hyena, jungle cat, langur, etc. 
    • It is considered a stronghold of the critically endangered forest owlet.
2. Chinook Helicopter
A Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force made a precautionary landing following a "technical snag" near Punjab's Barnala recently.

About Chinook Helicopter:

  • Chinook/CH-47F is the S. Army’s primary heavy troop and supply transport aircraft.
  • It is an advanced multi-mission helicopter.
  • It is manufactured bythe American aerospace and defence firm Boeing for the US Army and international defence forces.
  • It is used for the transportation of troops, artillery, supplies, and equipment to the battlefield.
  • India has about 15 CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
  • Features:
    • It is a twin-engine, tandem-rotor heavy-lift helicopter.
    • It contains a fully integrated digital cockpit management system.
    • It has advanced cargo-handling capabilities that complement the aircraft's mission performance and handling characteristics.
    • It has a monolithic airframe with vibration reduction.
    • Maximum Speed: 160 knots (296 kmph).
    • It has a triple hook system, which provides stability for large external loads or the capacity for multiple external loads.
    • It can carry up to 55 troops or approximately 10 tonnes of mixed cargo.
3. Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently issued a show cause notice to Air India in connection with the incident where an 80-year-old man passed away after he walked to the terminal due to a lack of wheelchair assistance at the airport.

About the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA):

  • It is the regulatory body in the field of civil aviation primarily dealing with safety issues.
  • It is an attached office of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
  • It is responsible for the regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for the enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety and airworthiness standards.
  • It also coordinates all regulatory functions with the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
  • Headquarters: New Delhi 
  • Functions and Responsibilities of the DGCA:
    • One of the main functions of the DGCA is to ensure the safety of passengers and crew members on all flights operating in India.
    • The organisation conducts regular safety inspections of all airlines and aircraft to meet the required safety standards.
    • It also investigates any incidents or accidents that occur within the Indian airspace and takes appropriate action to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
    • In addition to safety, the DGCA also plays a crucial role in the growth and development of the Indian aviation industry. The organisation works closely with airlines and airport operators to promote the industry’s growth and improve the overall travel experience for passengers.
    • The DGCA also plays a crucial role in developing new airports and modernising existing facilities to ensure that they can meet the growing demands of the aviation industry.
    • The DGCA is also responsible for the regulation of air traffic in India. It works closely with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to ensure air traffic is managed safely and efficiently.
    • The DGCA also plays a key role in developing new air traffic control systems and technologies to improve the overall efficiency of Indian airspace.
    • The DGCA is also responsible for issuing licences and certificates to pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, and other aviation personnel.
4. Papua New Guinea
Dozens of men have been killed in a fresh outbreak of tribal violence in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea recently.

About Papua New Guinea:

  • Location:  It is an island country that lies in the south-western Pacific.
  • It includes the eastern half of New Guinea(the world’s second-largest island) and many small offshore islands.
  • Neighbours: Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south, and the Solomon Islands to the southeast.
  • Capital: Port Moresby
  • Terrain: It is mainly mountainous but has low-lying plains in southern New Guinea.
  • The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians.
  • Language:
    • English is the main language of government and commerce.  In most everyday contexts, the most widely spoken language is Tok Pisin. 
    • Linguistically, it is the world's most diverse country, with more than 800 languages.
  • Religion: The majority of Papua New Guinea’s people are at least nominally Christian.
  • Government:
    • Papua New Guinea became self-governing on December 1, 1973, and achieved independence on September 16, 1975.
    • The country is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth.
    • The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is the head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government.
5. What is Disinflation?
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor recently said recurring food price shocks and renewed flash points on the geo-political front pose a challenge to the ongoing disinflation process.

About Disinflation:

  • Disinflation is a decrease in inflation rates.
  • In simple terms, a decline in the rate of increase in the general price level of goods and services in the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country over time is called disinflation.
  • Unlike inflation and deflation, which refer to the direction of prices, disinflation refers to the rate of change in the rate of inflation.
  • Disinflation is not considered problematic because prices do not actually drop, and disinflation does not usually signal the onset of a slowing economy.
  • A healthy amount of disinflation is necessary since it represents economic contraction and prevents the economy from overheating.
  • Disinflation is considered the opposite of reflation, which occurs when a government stimulates an economy by increasing the money supply.
  • Causes of Disinflation:
    • If a central bank wants to enforce a tighter monetary policy and the government starts selling off some of its assets, the supply of money in the economy could be limited, causing a disinflationary effect.
    • Similarly, disinflation can also be caused by a contraction in the business cycle of recession. For instance, companies may choose not to raise prices to gain a more significant market share, leading to disinflation.
6. What is the Char Area?
Recently, the Chief Minister of Assam said his government would undertake a mission to reclaim the chars from encroachers to safeguard the “ecological integrity” of the Brahmaputra Valley.

About Char Area:

  • The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as “Char/ Chapori”.
  • The chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration.
  • They are subjected to erosion on their upstream and deposition on the downstream, due to which they migrate downstream.
  • This affects the geometry and location of the chars during floods almost every year.
  • Issues with the Char area:
    • The physical, sociological and institutional constraints on the development of Char Areas are many and complex.
    • Such as the virtual absence of all-weather communication with the main banks, reliable means of intra- and inter-char mobility, inadequate growth of transport and basic infrastructure like surface roads, health and drinking water, delivery systems for farm inputs, marketing, agro-services electricity and education.
    • The problems in the Char Areas are unique in nature, due to the constant threat from flood and erosion during the rainy season.
    • The land mass is segregated and cut off from each other, making it very difficult to take any major scheme for road communication, irrigation, Power supply or set of educational institutions.
7. Ponmudi hills
A team of researchers have discovered a new species of damselfly at the Ponmudi hills in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala.

About Ponmudi Hills:

  • Ponmudi translates to ‘Golden Hill’ or ‘Golden Peak’ is located in the state of Kerala.
  • It is part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea and is at an altitude of 1100 metres above sea level. 
  • The hills are a part of the Agasthyamalai landscape, at the southernmost tip of the Western Ghats.

Key facts about the new species of damselfly:

  • It is named Cliffside Bambootail (Phylloneura rupestris).
  • It belongs to a group called bambootails, so named because of their long abdomen that resembles bamboo stalks.
  • It lays eggs in the moss beds in seasonal rills that flow over rock cliffs. 
  • The discovery is significant because, for over 160 years, the genus Phylloneura was considered monotypic, with a single described species, the Myristica Bambootail
    • Myristica Bambootail’s population is associated with myristica swamps and hence is known by its common name Myristica Bambootail.
    • It has remained the sole described species of the genus Phylloneura and is considered near-threatened as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
    • It is endemic to the Western Ghats and has been recorded only in the area between the Nilgiris Hills and Sharavathi Valley, north of the Palghat Gap.
8. Debt Recovery Tribunal
Recently, the Department of Financial Services secretary chaired a conference of heads of Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs) and Presiding Officers of Debt Recovery of Tribunals (DRTs) in New Delhi.

About the Debt Recovery Tribunal:

  • The Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) and Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs) were established under the Recovery of Debts and Bankruptcy Act (RDB Act), 1993.
  • Objective: These are established to provide expeditious adjudication and recovery of debts due to Banks and Financial Institutions.
  • At present, 39 Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) and 5 Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs) are functioning across the country.
  • Each DRT and DRAT are headed by a Presiding Officer and a Chairperson respectively.
  • Under section 22(2) in the Recovery Of Debts Due To Banks And Financial Institutions Act, 1993 DRT has the following powers:
    • summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath;
    • requiring the discovery and production of documents;
    • receiving evidence on affidavits;
    • issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents;
    • reviewing its decisions;
    • dismissing an application for default or deciding it ex parte;
    • setting aside any order of dismissal of any application for default or any order passed by it ex parte;
    • any other matter which may be prescribed.
  • Composition:
    • It is headed by the Presiding Officer to be appointed, by notification, by the Central Government.
    • Qualification of Presiding Officer: A person shall not be qualified for appointment as the Presiding Officer of a Tribunal unless he is, or has been, or is qualified to be, a District Judge.
    • Tenure: The Presiding Officer of a Tribunal shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office and shall be eligible for reappointment.
9. Central Asian Flyway
A UN convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS) adopted India's initiative for the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and agreed to list 14 additional migratory species from across the globe for conservation in the CMS appendices.

About Central Asian Flyway:

  • It covers a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans and the associated island chains.
  • A flyway is a geographical region within which a single or group of migratory species completes its annual cycle — breeding, moulting, staging and non-breeding.
  • There are nine flyways in the world.
  • Geographically the flyway region covers 30 countries of North, Central and South Asia and Trans-Caucasus.
  • There is an overlap between the CAF and the area of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), which was concluded in 1995, at the Hague, the Netherlands.
  • Sixteen out of the thirty countries encompassed by the CAF are located in the AEWA Agreement Area.
  • CAF migration routes include the steppes and cold deserts of Central Eurasia, and much of the Himalayan chain, where unique, high-altitude migrations such as those of the Bar-headed Goose, Anser indicus, take place.
  • India’s Initiative: The 14 species which will be listed in CMS appendices include
    • Eurasian Lynx, Peruvian Pelican, Pallas’s Cat, Guanaco, Laulao Catfish, Balkan Lynx, Lahille’s Bottlenose Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise, Magellanic Plover, Bearded Vulture, Blackchin Guitarfish, Bull Ray, Lusitanian Cownose Ray and Gilded Catfish.
    • The adopted initiative includes the establishment of a coordinating unit in India with financial support from the Indian Government.
10. Rip Currents
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have embarked on a project to continuously monitor and issue operational forecast alerts of rip currents.

About Rip Currents:

  • These are a strong flow of water running from a beach back to the Open Ocean, sea, or lake.
  • These are one of the most well-known coastal hazards on beaches around the world. 
  • Formation:
    • They are formed by a beach topography. 
    • They can occur in areas with hard-bottom (rocky) or soft-bottom (sand or silt) beach topography.
    • A beach's topography includes the area outside the water, such as dunes or marshes. 
    • Beach topography also includes the area within the water, like sandbars, piers, and reefs. Rip currents often form around these parts of a beach's topography.
    • They can form in a gap between sandbars, piers, or parts of a reef.
  • Such underwater obstacles block waves from washing directly back to sea.
  • The water from these waves, called feeder waves, runs along the shore until it finds an opening around the obstacle.
  • Contrary to popular belief, a rip cannot pull a person down and hold him/her under the water.
  • It simply carries floating objects, including people, out to just beyond the zone of the breaking waves.
About Authour
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Written by NDI EDITOR

National Defence Institute's Editor

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