BIHAR

• After Buddhist sites, Bihar to dig Mithila region for ancient Hindu sites

 

• After concentrating for so many years over the Buddhist sites and monuments of the state and basking in the light of their global appeal and attraction, government has now turned towards some Hindu sites and structures in the region.

 

• Surface explorations by the state archaeology has been planned in two districts, Darbhanga and Purnia probably for the first time in the last four –five decades.

 

• Both the districts have been part of the ancient age Mithila region and contain the several remains of structures and sites related to the Ramayana circuit. Though the majority of ancient ruins and sites in the locality are believed to be related to Lord Ram, Sita and many sages of the Ramayana age, some also seem to have connections with Lord Krishna.

 

 

• Close to Darbhanga there’s Ahilya Sthan which has recently been included in Ramayan circuit. Its related to Ahilya, wife of Gautam Rishi who was cursed by her husband to be turned into stone and had regained human life by Lord Ram and the stone piece at the temple is believed to have footprints of Sita ji.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·         INSTEX : Iran Trade Promotion Plan

 

• INSTEX acronym of Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges is a project of the three governments of UK, France and Germany to bypass US sanctions on Iran.

 

• INSTEX is a special payment system which will help to save the Iran nuclear deal by allowing Tehran to keep trading with EU companies despite Washington re-imposing sanctions.

 

• INSTEX would receive payments from companies that want to trade with Iran, either by receiving waivers for oil imports or permissible trade in goods like food and medicine. As a result, there would be no direct transfer of funds between Iran and European companies.

 

 

• World Cancer Day

 

• World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February annually.

 

• The Day aims to save millions of preventable deaths each year through education, raising awareness and by pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the deadly disease.

 

• Union for International Cancer Control, which organizes World Cancer Day, is launching a new 3-year campaign with the theme: “I Am and I Will.”

 

• Over 9.6 million People die each year from cancer which is more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

 

• India has around 2.25 million cases with over 1 lakh new cases being registered every year.

 

 

 

NATIONAL

 

 

• Government proposes to launch mega pension yojana ‘Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan

 

• The Government proposes to launch a mega pension yojana namely ‘Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan’ for the unorganised sector workers with monthly income upto Rs. 15,000.

 

• This pension yojana shall provide them an assured monthly pension of Rs. 3,000 from the age of 60 years.

 

• It will be provided on a monthly contribution of a small affordable amount during their working age.

 

• An unorganised sector worker joining pension yojana at the age of 29 years will have to contribute only Rs. 100 per month till the age of 60 years.

 

• A worker joining the pension yojana at 18 years, will have to contribute as little as Rs. 55 per month only.

 

• The Government will deposit equal matching share in the pension account of the worker every month.

 

·         Rishi Kumar Shukla appointed CBI Director

 

 

• IPS officer Rishi Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fixed tenure of two years.  Rishi Kumar Shukla is currently serving as the chairman of Madhya Pradesh Police Housing Corporation in Bhopal.

 

• The appointment of the Rishi Kumar Shukla was approved by the Appointments Committee of the cabinet based on the recommendation of the selection committee headed by the Prime Minister. The CBI Director search committee headed by Prime Minister has the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition as members.

 

• The appointment of the CBI director gains significance in the backdrop of comments made by the Supreme Court which had said that it was “averse” to the arrangement of an interim CBI Director and the Centre should “immediately” appoint a regular chief of the probe agency.

 

·         Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2019

 

 

• The Surajkund International Crafts Mela is organized every year by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.
• The state of Maharashtra is the Theme State and Thailand is the Partner Nation Country for the Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2019.

 

 

• The Mela also aims to be a custodian of the heritage crafts involving the use of traditional skills that are fading away due to cheap machine-made imitations, and a special section is earmarked for showcasing of these heritage crafts.

 

• The theme state concept was conceptualized broadly with a view to promote and focus on art, craft and cuisine of each state of India every year.