Current Affairs 20th February 2019

Current Affairs 20th February 2019 - Important Points

• Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences & Safe City Implementation Monitoring Portal released by - Union Home Minister 
• Rupees 28,000 crore as Interim Dividend to Government transferred by - RBI
• National Cyber Forensic Lab & CyPAD Inaugurated by -  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh 
• Who has been designated as President of Astronomical Society of India ? - Dr G C Anupama
• Memorandum of Understanding for Co-Operation in Nuclear Energy signed between India and -  Argentina

Current Affairs 20th February 2019 - Details

Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences & Safe City Implementation Monitoring Portal released by - Union Home Minister 

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh & Minister for Women & Child Development, Smt.
Maneka Sanjay Gandhi released the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences- ITSSO & Safe City Implementation Monitoring Portal as part of the female’s safety initiatives.
Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences

• The ITSSO is an online module which is available to law enforcement firms at all levels, national, state, district & police station.
• It allows the state to undertake real-time monitoring & management of cases of rape to be able to
  complete the investigation in two months.
• Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences leverages the existing Crime & Criminal Tracking Network & Systems which is a nationwide network enabling sharing of information between Police Stations, State officers & security firms.
• Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences will support in the effective execution of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2018 mandates completion of investigation & prosecutions in rape cases within 2 months.
  Safe City Implementation Monitoring Portal

The government had brought in the Safe City Implementation Monitoring Portal to check the safe city
project announced in the 8 cities including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata,
Lucknow & Mumbai. The portal will benefit in online tracking of deployment of assets & infrastructure.

Rupees 28,000 crore as Interim Dividend to Government transferred by - RBI

The Reserve Bank of India will transfer Rupees 28000 crore as interim dividend to the government. Reserve Bank of India had already transferred Rupees 40000 crore to the government in the month of
August 2018 &with the extra 28000. The government would get a sum of Rupees 68000 crore from the central bank in the current fiscal. This dividend of Rupees 68000 will be the highest receipt for the government from Reserve Bank of India in a single financial year. It exceeds the Rupees 65896 crore the government received in financial year16 & Rupees 40659 crore in financial year18.
Reserve Bank of India trails a July-June financial year & usually distributes the dividend in August
afterward annual accounts are finalised. Reserve Bank of India is providing the interim dividend for the
2nd consecutive year. The Reserve Bank of India had paid Rupees 10000 crore interim dividend in March last year taking the final dividend to Rupees 40659 crore for the year.
The interim dividend by Reserve Bank of India will benefit the government to accomplish its revised
budget approximations that include an allocation for the 1st-ever income transfer to farmers & to
recover the fiscal position ahead of the general elections in 2019. The budget had factored in interim
dividend from the Reserve Bank of India. In the studied estimate for financial year19, the government
budgeted Rupees 74140 crore from dividends & excesses of Reserve Bank of India, nationalised banks & financial institutions.
Friction over Dividend
The Reserve Bank of India & the Central government were at loggerheads against the issue of payment of dividends. The government had planned the profit retained by Reserve Bank of India toward risks & reserves in financial year17 & financial year18 amounting to Rupees 27380 crore & had wanted this transferred to it.

The government had asked for an interim surplus transfer and the amount reserved by the Reserve Bank of India from surpluses of the last 2 years.

National Cyber Forensic Lab & CyPAD Inaugurated by -  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh 

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh initiated a national cyber forensic lab & Cyber Prevention, Awareness & Detection Centre- CyPAD. The National Cyber Forensic Lab is part of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre initiative & Cyber Prevention, Awareness & Detection Centre is the Delhi Police’s cybercrime component.
Cyber Prevention, Awareness & Detection Centre
Cyber Prevention, Awareness & Detection Centre forensics, cyber safety & security-linked services to the residents and to police components & firms of Delhi. Cyber Prevention, Awareness & Detection Centre will handle crypto-currency scams, international tech-supported scams & other cybersecurity related services.
National Cyber Forensic Lab
NCFL is part of the Union Home Ministry’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre. The National Cyber Forensic Lab includes units Memory Forensics Labs, Image Enhancement Lab, Network Forensics Lab, Malware Forensics Lab, Crypto-currency Forensics Lab, Damaged Hard Disk & Advanced Mobile Forensics Lab. Cyber Crime Coordination Centre consists of 7 verticals specifically-
1. National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit.
2. National Cybercrime Reporting.
3. Platform for Joint Cybercrime Investigation Team.
4. National Cybercrime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem.
5. National Cybercrime Training Centre.
6. Cybercrime Ecosystem Management Unit.
7. National Cyber Research & Innovation Centre.

Who has been designated as President of Astronomical Society of India ? - Dr G C Anupama

Dr.G.C Anupama has been designated president of the Astronomical Society of India- ASI. Dr.G.C Anupama was designated to the position in the Astronomical Society of India Executive Council elections for triennium 2019-22. She has become the 1st female to led the prime association of professional astronomers in the nation.
Dr. G.C Anupama
Dr.G.C Anupama currently is the Dean & Senior Professor at the Bengaluru located Indian Institute of Astrophysics.  She completed her PhD from Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bangalore & her post doctoral task at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy &Astrophysics, Pune. She has been working as a faculty at Indian Institute of Astrophysics Bangalore since 1994. She is also the recipient of the Sir C V Raman award for young scientists in 2000.
Dr.G.C Anupama was the Project responsible for the design & establishment of the Himalayan Telescope at Leh in Ladakh region & she is also part of the Indian core team which further is the part of the international team engaged in starting the Thirty Meter Telescope at cost of more than USD 1 billion in the USA.

Astronomical Society of India 

Astronomical Society of India is the prime association of specialized astronomers in India & has close to
1000 members. The aim of the Astronomical Society of India consists of the promotion of Astronomy &
related branches of science in India.

Memorandum of Understanding for Co-Operation in Nuclear Energy signed between India and -  Argentina

During the visit of Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Argentina has inked a MoU to boost support in the sector of nuclear energy. The Memorandum of Understanding was inked between the Department of Atomic Energy, India & National Atomic Energy Commission, Argentina.
Features of the Memorandum of Understanding
Argentina has expertise in building small-capacity reactors  it is seeking to work with India in few 3rd nation in tripartite projects.
The Memorandum of Understanding for co-operation within the framework of Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership would strengthen institutional connections in civil nuclear research, development & capacity building.
The Memorandum of Understanding will benefit in enhancing & exploring co-operative ventures in the area of nuclear power & its societal usage in health, agriculture, industrial application, training & capacity building.
Nuclear Ties between India &Argentina
In the year 2010 India & Argentina had inked an agreement for co-operation in the peaceful usage of nuclear energy.
INVAP is an Argentinean Company which is employed on the Fission Molly Project to construct a molybdenum plant in Mumbai. The plant would primarily emphasis on generating isotopes. Argentina is also an exporter of some nuclear components utilised in Indian power reactors.