The Daily Brief – 2nd January 2020

As per the annual report of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released on 31^st December, 2019, the year 2019 concluded the ‘deadly decade’ for children with over 1,70,000 grave violations against children in conflict -about 45 violations every single day- since 2010. The report also stated that the number of countries experiencing violence has increased since the adoption of the Convention on Rights of Child in 1989.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated 5 DRDO Young Scientists Laboratories to the nation to boost indigenous research capabilities in the defence sector on 2^nd January, 2020. The event shall be organised at the Aeronautical Development Establishment, DRDO at Bengaluru. DRDO is Defence Research and Development Organization, formed in 1958.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will be conducting Asiatic Lion Census in Gujarat in May 2020. Around 8,000-10,000 cameras will be used to count lions across 25,000sqkm area spanning seven districts, as against 15,000sqkm area surveyed in the last census. The 2015 lion census had counted 523 lions in the state. The Asiatic Lions in Gujarat are restricted to Gir National Park in the state and are listed as “Endangered” in the IUCN Red List.

General Manoj Mukund Naravane took charge as the Chief of the Indian Army on 31^st December, 2019 succeeding General Bipin Rawat. General Naravane was earlier serving as the Vice Chief of the Indian Army. Former Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has been appointed as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff on 30^th December, 2019.

India and Pakistan on 31^st December, 2019 exchanged a list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral agreement that prohibits them from attacking each other’s atomic facilities. It is exchanged for the 29^th consecutive year now, with the first one taking place on January 1, 1992. The Agreement on Prohibition of attack against nuclear installations was signed on December 31, 1988 and came into force on January 27, 1991.

Railway Ministry has accorded organised Group ‘A’ status to Railway Protection Force (RPF) and renamed it as Indian Railway Protection Force Service. Formed under the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957, RPF personnel have powers to search, arrest, investigate and prosecute.

Kerala assembly passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on 31^st December, 2019 to become the first state in the country to do so. According to the Government of Kerala, the CAA which was passed in this winter session of Parliament, was against secularism and has triggered widespread protests in the country.