Current Affairs in Short: 29 July 2020

International Tigers day observed on July 29

• The International Tiger Day was observed on July 29, 2002. The day is celebrated every year across the globe to create awareness regarding tiger conservation.

• The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar released All India Tiger Estimation Report-2018 on July 28, 2020. The report revealed that India is home to nearly 70 per cent of the global tiger population and it leads the world in showing effective conservation of the wild species. 

• In 1973 there were only 9 tiger reserves in the country, a number that has gone up to 50 now. India is also home to around 30000 elephants, 3000 single-horned Rhinos and over 500 lions.

IPL governing council to meet on August 2nd

• The Indian Premier League's Governing Council is scheduled to meet on August 2, 2020 to decide the final schedule of the tournament, which is set to begin in the UAE from September 19. 

• The tournament is scheduled to be held from September 19 to November 8 in the UAE. India was forced to move the 13th edition of the IPL out of the country due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

• Following the meeting, the eight franchises will get a clear picture of the tournament's modalities and they will also be handed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs). 

• The meeting, expected to be attended by top BCCI officials including BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. The BCCI had remained positive from the start on holding the 2020 IPL edition. 

PM Narendra Modi, Mauritius PM to jointly inaugurate Mauritius Supreme Court building

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth will jointly inaugurate the nation’s new Supreme Court building on July 30, 2020. The Ministry of External Affairs made the announcement. 

• The new Supreme Court building has been constructed with the Indian grant assistance. It will be the first India- assisted infrastructure project within the capital city of Mauritius, Port Louis. 

• The External Affairs Ministry stated that the Supreme Court's building symbolises the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries. The inauguration will take place through video-conference.

• The new Supreme Court building project is one of the five projects that is being implemented under the 'Special Economic Package' of USD 353 million extended by the Indian Government to Mauritius in 2016.

Tripura seeks permission from top court to appoint terminated teachers as peons

• The Tripura government has sought permission from the Supreme Court to appoint 10,000 terminated teachers as peons. The Tripura government, under the Revised Employment Policy, 2003, had recruited 1,035 PGTs, 4,666 TGTs and 4,612 UGTs in 2010 and 2014 through oral interview. 

• The high court set aside the 2003 policy on May 7, 2014 and quashed the appointment of all teachers. The Supreme Court had upheld the HC order on March 29, 2017 and directed the framing of a new policy and fresh recruitment by December 31, 2017.

• The state, however, continued to employ the terminated teachers on an ad-hoc basis, citing the shortage of teaching staff and non-completion of recruitment process. The top court on November 1, 2018, had permitted the state to continue with the ad-hoc engagement of terminated teachers till March 31, 2020.

• The state sought to recruit the terminated teachers by creating 12,000 posts such as that of academic counsellor, student counsellors, school library assistants, hostel wardens and school assistants. The apex court then issued a contempt notice, which forced the state to stop the process.

• The state government has now moved an application stating that the terminated teachers will be given no benefit of the years of service they have put in when they are absorbed as peons, night guards, gardeners, cooks, day guards, horticulture workers, Anganwadi supervisors and lower division clerks.

Health ministry asks DGCI to ensure equitable distribution of Remdesivir, Tocilizumab drugs

• The Health Ministry has directed the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to ensure equitable distribution of Remdesivir, Tocilizumab drugs. The Ministry asked the DCGI how many states and UTs have been covered and which are left. 

• The key aim is to ensure that the availability of the drugs does not fall short and does not remain confined to metropolitan areas.

• The drugs have been included as "investigational therapies" in the national treatment protocols for COVID-19, across the country. 

• The Health Ministry has included the use of Remdesivir for restricted emergency use purposes and off-label application of Tocilizumab for treating COVID-19 patients in a moderate stage of the illness as "investigational therapies" in the updated Clinical Management Protocol for COVID-19.