Current Affairs in Short: 16 February 2021

Degree colleges reopen in Kashmir after 11 months

• All the Degree Colleges across Kashmir reopened on February 15, 2021, after a gap of almost 11 months. The reopening saw attendance in huge numbers at many institutions.

• The colleges in Kashmir were closed in March 2020 after the outbreak of the pandemic and the country-wide lockdown.

• The higher education department decided to open the institutions seeing the effect of the pandemic which is relatively calm. However, COVID-19 SOPs were released which mentioned the strict adherence to social distancing and wearing of masks.

• Students also expressed excitement over the resumption of physical academic activities by the government.

Gujarat extends night curfew in four cities

• Gujarat government has decided to extend the night curfew imposed in 4 cities of Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, and Vadodara till the end of February 2021.

• The previous notification of the night curfew in these four metro cities expired on February 15, 2021. The curfew was announced with an aim to control the rising COVID-19 cases in the state.

• The State Home Department informed that the curfew will remain in place from midnight to 6 in the morning from February 16 to February 28, 2021.

Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi extended till February 17

• The detention of the State Counsellor of Myanmar Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint has been extended until February 17, 2021. Both the leaders have been under house arrest ever since the military took control of Myanmar in a military coup on February 1.

• U Khin Maung Zaw, who has been representing Aung San Suu Kyi in the court informed that the State Counselor will remain detained as their trial continues. They will be appearing in court through video conferences.

• The State Counsellor has been charged with the Export and Import Law and President U Win Myint has been charged under the National Disaster Management Law by the military.

• Myanmar is seeing nationwide protests for the release of the civilian leaders after the military detained them and declared an emergency for one year. They overthrew the democratically elected government of NLD- National League for Democracy and alleged voter fraud in the November 2020 elections that saw the victory of NLD.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launches Maa Canteen Scheme

• The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee on February 15, 2021, launched the Maa Canteen Scheme. The project will provide food at a subsidized rate of Rs. 5 to the urban poor of the state.

• The menu of Maa Canteen will comprise of dal, vegetables, rice, and curry. The canteen will start soon from 1 pm to 3 pm in all the Urban civic bodies. The canteens have been described by the Chief Minister as a novel project.

• The CM of West Bengal also informed that the budgetary provision of the canteen is Rs. 100 crores. The State government will have to bear the subsidy of Rs. 15 while the people will get the lunch at just Rs. 5.

• The Canteens established by the West Bengal government will be run by the self-help groups with the help of the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department.

Ex-Chief Justice of High Court Rama Jois passes away

• Justice (Retd) Rama Jois, the former Governor of Bihar and Jharkhand and eminent jurist, passed away on February 16, 2021. He was 89 years old and is survived by his son, daughter, and wife.

• He was also a noted writer and historian and was not keeping well because of the old-age-related ailments. As per the family, he suffered a cardiac arrest.

• Mandagadde Rama Jois served as a Chief Justice of Haryana and Punjab High Court and was also a former member of Rajya Sabha. He was born in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka.

• Several leaders including the Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J P Nadda, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Chief Minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa expressed their grief on Jois’s demise and acknowledged his contribution to the Indian Judiciary.

• Rama Jois was imprisoned during the Emergency in 1975-1977. He was lodged in the Bengaluru prison along with the BJP Stalwarts LK Advani and Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.