Home » Current Affairs Today 25th February 2020| Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 25th February 2020

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Govt plans to construct 1,000 more urbanized clusters in rural areas, says Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar

Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar has stated, after evaluating the success rate of Rurban Clusters scheme, government is intending to move ahead to construct 1,000 more urbanized clusters in rural areas.
Speaking at the of 4th Anniversary Celebration function of Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission, SPMRM in New Delhi , Mr Tomar stated, sense of mutual cooperation between people, who want urbanization in their rural space and concerned ministry officials will be instrumental in ensuring the success of the scheme.
On the occasion, the Minister launched GeoRurban, a mobile app to be used for Geo-tagging for the assets in the rurban clusters.
This flagship scheme of Centre, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21st February in 2016, aims at transforming these Rurban clusters by stimulating local economic development, enhancing basic services, and creating well planned Rurban clusters.

Government amends provisions of Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016

Government has amended provisions of Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016 to increase the number of firearms that can be kept by shooters and enhanced quantity of ammunition fixed for practice for the year. Home Ministry stated, shooting is an important Olympic sport in India and Indian shooters have excelled in international competitions. It stated, keeping this in mind, the Ministry has made provisions to provide adequate firearms and ammunition to the shooters for their practice. The provisions will greatly facilitate their shooting practice.
As per the new rules, now international medalists and renowned shooters are allowed to keep additional weapons up to a total of twelve under the exempted category, which earlier was seven. Through the amendments it has also been clarified that no license is required for Indian citizens for acquisitions, possession of small arms falling under the category of curio.
However, appropriate license as prescribed would be required for use or to carry or transport such small arms. Without the endorsement of such firearms in the prescribed license of the owner, no ammunition shall be sold for their use.

Govt aims to make Chhattisgarh a steel hub of the country: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has stated that the government aims to make Chhattisgarh a steel hub of the country. Mr. Pradhan stated that the steel industry has an important role to play in making India a five trillion dollar economy.
During his two-day visit to Chhattisgarh, Union Steel Minister visited the Bhilai Steel Plant in Durg district and held meetings with the plant officials. He directed the officials of Steel Authority of India Ltd- SAIL to draw an Action Plan to enhance production and ensure safety at its plants.
The Minister also held a discussion with the representatives of MSMEs to promote steel ancillaries in the region by developing a supporting local eco-system.
Pradhan visited iron ore mines of the Bhilai Steel Plant in Dallirajhra town in Balod district and laid the foundation of a beneficiation plant there.

Union Minister inaugurates National Cyber Research Centre

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy inaugurated National Cyber Research, Innovation and Capacity Building Centre at Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) campus located at Ramanthapur in Hyderabad.
Reddy pointed out the need for such a centre with the proliferation of Information Technology in our lives. The Government has anticipated cyber threat and has taken several landmark steps in the recent past. A dedicated division was created in October 2017 under the Ministry of Home Affairs, for addressing the cyber security threat in the country.
The Minister stated that CDTI is one of the seven verticals under Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and highlights the growing relevance of continuous research and innovation in the fight against cyber crime.
Appreciating the imperative of a dedicated centre that can carry out research and innovate new technology for making the lives of people better, and to preempt the designs of those who are involved in cyber crimes, The Ministry of Home Affairs conceptualised such centres all across India.
The Minister also stated that the MHA is also working on setting up Regional Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (R4C) in the States. It is in collaboration with I4C to further strengthen the cyber combat capabilities of the nation. CDTI Hyderabad will prove to be a central hub for entire South India. he added.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Bangladesh records sharp decline in Child malnutrition: UNICEF Survey

The child malnutrition rate in Bangladesh has declined sharply over the last six years. The finding was reported in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019, jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF. The survey has also recorded an improvement in many other areas related to health and nutrition, Child protection, hygiene and sanitation.
The rate of chronic malnutrition among children measured by the stunting level among them has come down from 42 percent in 2013 to 28 percent in 2019. The percentage of underweight children below 5 also declined from about 32 percent to 22.6 percent over the same period. The infant mortality rate has also declined from 46 to 34 per thousand live births between 2012-13 and 2019.
The data for the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019 was collected between January and June of 2019.
The Global MICS Programme was developed by UNICEF in the 1990s. It collects internationally comparable data on a wide range of indicators on the situation of children and women for use in policies, programmes, and national development plans.

About UNICEF:

The United Nations Children’s Fund is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.
Headquarters: New York, United States
Head: Henrietta H. Fore
Founded: 11 December 1946,

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

NABARD sanctions over Rs 400 cr to boost infrastructure in J&K

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned an amount of over 400 crore rupees to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir during the current financial year for giving boost to the infrastructure in the rural areas.
An amount of 66 crore rupees has been sanctioned for implementation of 38 water supply schemes. The sanction includes augmentation of 27 existing water supply schemes and construction of 11 new water supply schemes.
These water supply schemes are aimed at providing safe and potable drinking water to rural households. The schemes will benefit over 3.5 lakh people across 86 villages in 17 districts.
It includes construction of Cattle Breeding Farm at Chatha Jammu. NABARD has also sanctioned 87 crore rupees for construction of 82 rural roads and 3 bridges earlier this year. The construction of roads and bridges would provide all weather improved connectivity to 461 remote villages. The funding is a part of the NABARD’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) which is aimed at augmenting rural infrastructure.

About NABARD:

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is an Apex Development Financial Institution in India. The Bank has been entrusted with “matters concerning Policy Planning and Operations in the field of credit for Agriculture and other Economic activities in Rural areas in India.
Headquarters: Mumbai
Agency executive: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala (Chairperson)
Formation: July 12, 1982

Central Bank of India plans to exit housing finance subsidiary

State-run Central Bank of India is looking to sell its entire 40 per cent stake in its housing finance subsidiary — Cent Bank Home Finance (CBHFL).
The lender has floated a request for proposal (RFP) for appointing merchant bankers. The shortlisted bankers will help the lender scout for a potential investor to buy its stake in the mortgage financier.
The bank holds 64.40 per cent in the unlisted housing finance company, while the remaining stake is held by Housing & Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), Unit Trust of India (UTI) and National Housing Bank (NHB).
The bank is facing operational curbs under the Reserve Bank’s (RBI) prompt corrective action (PCA) framework.
Mohapatra stated the process of determining the valuation of the Bhopal-headquartered home finance company would begin as soon as the merchant bankers are appointed.

About Central bank of India:

Headquarters: Mumbai
CEO: Pallav Mohapatra
Founded: 21 December 1911
Central to You Since 1911

NPCI launches ‘UPI Chalega’ campaign for payment mode to gain currency

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is keen to further popularise its flagship Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which has clocked over 100 crore transactions per month.
While UPI has already shown robust growth, Rai stated, the objective is to reach out to the next set of users, across geographies, and encourage them to switch from cash. With this in mind, NPCI, along with payment service providers, has co-created an industry campaign ‘UPI Chalega’, to promote it as an easy, safe and instant mode of payment.
The campaign is aimed to guide users towards the right use of UPI and help create a habitual change, to use UPI in their daily lives. The campaign also focusses on the safety aspects while transacting on UPI-enabled apps.
The number of UPI transactions touched 130.5 crore last month, and the total amount transacted was at an all-time high of ₹16-lakh crore. As many as 144 banks are on the platform.
The findings of a pre-campaign study conducted among 12,800 people in four zones, across 36 centres, showed a 60 per cent awareness of UPI, Rai stated.
She added that early adopters of UPI have come from across geographies — metros and smaller cities — and now the idea is to push it to the next set of users.
Launched in 2016 as a means to boost digital payments, UPI allows users to transfer money on a real-time basis, across multiple bank accounts, without revealing bank account details to the other party.

About NPCI:

The National Payments Corporation of India is an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems in India.
Headquarters: Mumbai
Founded: 2008
Non-Exe Chairman : Biswamohan Mahapatra
MD & CEO :Dilip Asbe

Bank of America expects RBI to build $550-billion forex reserves

Bank of America (BofA) sees $550 billion as a comfortable foreign exchange (forex) reserve level for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and believes that the central bank will continue to accumulate dollars at every opportunity, even at the cost of a weaker rupee.
As of February 14, the RBI’s forex reserves stood at $476 billion. The central bank has bought $49 billion in this fiscal year so far, more than offsetting the $15.4 billion sale in 2018-19.
According to BofA, the ‘conservative’ level of forex reserves for the RBI works out to be $550 billion.
According to BofA’s economists Indranil Sen Gupta and Aastha Gudwani, there are three reasons why the RBI would want to accumulate more reserves — to maintain more import cover, fully covering foreign portfolio investors’ investments, and to maintain a healthy cover on short-term external debt of India.
The one-year forward import cover has slipped to 11.1 months from 14.4. “The reason it looks relatively high is that low growth has pulled imports to 16.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) from the average 21.9 per cent since 2005-06.”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

Andhra CM launches ‘Jagananna Vasthi Deevena’ scheme to provide financial assistance to students

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy launched scheme named ‘Jagananna Vasthi Deevena’, under which a financial assistance of Rs 2,300 crore would be provided to students pursuing various post- intermediate courses to meet hostel and mess expenses. The Chief Minister launched the programme in Vizianagaram district in north coastal Andhra.
In all 11,87,904 students pursuing ITI, polytechnic, under-graduate and post-graduate education would benefit from the scheme.
While ITI students would get Rs 10,000 each, polytechnic students would get Rs 15,000 and under-graduates and post-graduates Rs 20,000 each
A unique bar-coded smart card would be issued to each beneficiary to draw the benefits of the JVD scheme. The card contains complete details of the student.
The Chief Minister later inaugurated the ‘Disha’ police station in Vizianagaram, meant exclusively for the protection of women and children and deal with cases of atrocities against them.

About Andhra Pradesh

Capital City– Amaravati
Governor– Biswabhushan Harichandan

Schemes launch by AP Govt

P CM Jagan Mohan Reddy launched Nadu-Nedu, a whopping ₹ 15,337-crore govt. hospitals revamp scheme.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched ‘Jagananna Amma Vodi’ programme in Chittoor which is to coincide with the completion of one year of his chief ministerial post.
Andhra CM Jagan launches YSR Nethanna Nestham to benefit 85k weavers
Launched first virtual Police Station.

Mumbai Airport Launches World’s Largest Temp-Controlled Facility to Store Agro, Pharma Products

Mumbai airport, run by a joint venture between Airports Authority of India and GVK, announced the launch of an exclusive terminal for processing and storage of agro and pharma products.
Touted as the world’s largest airport-based temperature-controlled facility, the ‘Export Cold Zone’ can hold over 700 tonnes of such cargo at one time with a combined annual capacity of 5.25 lakh tones.
The facility will be operated by cargo handling service provider and MIAL’s business partner.
Mumbai airport is the first airport in the country and the third in Asia to obtain “IATA CEIV Pharma” accreditation, a global industry recognition supporting the air transport industry, and is in full compliance with pharmaceutical manufacturers requirements

J&K to set up Tribal Research Institute by next fiscal year

Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will set up a Tribal Research Institute (TRI) by next fiscal year to promote tribal practices and their art, culture and languages. Secretary Cooperative and Tribal Affairs, Abdul Majid Bhat stated in Srinagar that Tribal Research Institute will be a centre of excellence to focus on studying and promoting tribal practices and their art, culture and languages in Jammu and Kashmir.
Central government has provided additional funds to streamline the pattern and establishment of TRI in Jammu and Kashmir. He stated Tribal Welfare Department initiated a slew of initiatives to promote language and cognitive language skills among tribal population children at the primary school level.
He stated 17 new hostels are coming up for tribal students, while as 19 others are already functional. He stated
under several schemes, the Government covers students and the tribal population of the regions including Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Gurez among other areas.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Abhay Kumar Singh takes over as NHPC CMD, replaces Ratish Kumar

State-run hydro power giant NHPC announced appointment of Abhay Kumar Singh as the company’s Chairman & Managing Director.
Earlier in place of Ratish Kumar who was holding additional charge of the post of Chairman & Managing Director in addition to his duties as Director (Projects)

PM of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad resigns

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad submitted his resignation to the country’s king.
Mahathir’s decision follows a weekend of political wrangling, after it was reported that his party was planning to form a new government that would exclude his successor, Anwar Ibrahim.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Prez Kovind to present CDRI scientist Niti Kumar with ‘SERB Women Excellence Award’

The Ministry of Science & technology has announced that Dr Niti Kumar, Senior Scientist from Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), has received the ‘SERB Women Excellence Award 2020’.
The Award will be conferred by the President of India during the National Science Day celebrations on 28 February, in Vigyan Bhawan.
This award is given to women scientists below 40 years of age who have received recognition from national academies. The women researchers will be supported by research grant of Rs 5 lakh per annum for 3 years by Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India.
Niti Kumar has many awards and recognitions to her credit, including the Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (DBT-IYBA, 2015), INSA Medal for Young Scientist (2010) by the Indian National Science Academy, Ramalingaswami Fellowship (2013-2018), EMBO Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2010-2012), Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (2010), Max Planck Post-doctoral fellowship at Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (2009), and the Marie Curie Early Stage Research Fellowship by European Union under 6th Framework Programme (2005-2006).

Adline Castelino wins Miss Diva Universe 2020

Adline Castelino has been crowned as the winner of LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2020
Castelino, who hails from Mangalore, was crowned by Vartika Singh, the winner of the previous edition.
She was closely followed by Aavriti Choudhary of Jabalpur who was bestowed with the title of Miss Diva Supranational
Pune’s Neha Jaiswal was crowned Miss Diva Runner-up.
Castelino will go on to represent the country at Miss Universe later this year, while Choudhary will be India’s contender for Miss Supranational pageant.
The jury for the pageant included actor and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta, Anntonia Porsild, Asha Bhat, designers Shivan Bhatiya, Narresh Kukreja and Nikhil Mehra, and actors Yami Gautam, Aditya Roy Kapur and Anil Kapoor.

Hrithik Roshan bags ‘Best Actor award’ at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival

Hrithik Roshan garnered the ‘Best Actor award’ for his filmSuper 30 at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival, held in

Category	Winners
Best Film	Super 30
Best Actor	Hrithik Roshan
Most Promising Actor	Kiccha Sudeep
Best Actor in Television Series	Dheeraj Dhoopar
Best Actress in Television	Divyanka Tripathi
Most Favourite Television Actor	Harshad Chopda
Most Favourite Jodi in Television Series	Sriti Jha and Shabbir Ahluwalia (Kumkum Bhagya)
Best Reality Show	Bigg Boss 13
Best Television Series	Kumkum Bhagya
Best Playback Singer Male	Armaan Malik

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

PM Modi to inaugurate two-day International Judicial Conference 2020 in New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a two-day International Judicial Conference 2020 organised by Supreme Court in New Delhi. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Chief Justice Sharad Bobde will also be present on the occasion.
The conference will witness the participation of numerous other international legal luminaries from across the world. The theme of the International Judicial Conference 2020 is “Judiciary and the changing world”.
The Conference discussed the changes being introduced by the Government of India to bring Gender Equality in recruiting women.
The Conference also focused on the need for technology for timely justice like “E-Court Integrated Mission Mode Project” and establishment of “National Judicial Data Grid”.
The Conference introduced the “Just World” concept in the Judicial System of India which aims to take the judicial system of the country to every citizen irrespective of their gender.

G20 finance ministers’, central bankers to meet in Riyadh

Riyadh is hosting the inaugural G20 finance ministers’ and central bank governors’
The ministers and governors will come from G20 countries and invited countries, as well as heads of international and regional organizations.
The meeting will be chaired by Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan and Ahmed Alkholifey, chairman of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority.
Ministers and banking officials will discuss the global economic outlook and possible policy responses to support growth and safeguard against downside risks.
They will also discuss the priorities of the Saudi G20 presidency under the theme of “Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All.”

About G20 countries

The G20 is made up of 19 countries and the EU.
The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTAL

SPICe+ web form launched for ease of doing business

Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Injeti Srinivas, inaugurated the ‘SPICe+’ Web Form in New Delhi.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has notified a new Web Form christened ‘SPICe+’ (pronounced ‘SPICe Plus’) replacing the existing SPICe form.
SPICe+ would offer 10 services by 3 Central Govt Ministries & Departments (Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Labour & Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance) and One State Government (Maharashtra), thereby saving as many procedures, time and cost for Starting a Business in India and would be applicable for all new company incorporations.
SPICe+ would have two parts viz.: Part A-for Name reservation for new companies and Part B offering a bouquet of services viz.
Incorporation
DIN allotment
Mandatory issue of PAN
Mandatory issue of TAN
Mandatory issue of EPFO registration
Mandatory issue of ESIC registration
Mandatory issue of Profession Tax registration(Maharashtra)
Mandatory Opening of Bank Account for the Company and
Allotment of GSTIN (if so applied for)

Government launches mobile app to broaden reach of PM-Kisan scheme

On the first anniversary of the launch of the government’s ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched a mobile app to broaden the reach of the programme that aims to provide annually Rs 6,000 to each eligible farmer.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) was launched on February 24, 2019, in Uttar Pradesh and all states are implementing the scheme, except for West Bengal.
So far, 9.74 crore farmers are registered under the scheme against the target of 14 crore farmers. Of which, the payment has been made to 8.45 crore farmers so far after the data has been verified by the state governments, as per the official data.
Launching the mobile app, the Minister said this has been developed to broaden the reach of the scheme, which is playing an important role in achieving the target of doubling farmers income by 2022.
Using the mobile app, farmers can know the payment status, correct name as per Aadhaar, know registration status and scheme eligibility besides helpline numbers and self-registration features.
The mobile app has been developed and designed by the National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Already, a portal on PM-Kisan is in place for registration under the scheme. It provided an end-to-end technology solution for transferring the benefits directly into the accounts of registered farmers.
There is a farmers’ corner on the portal where they can themselves or with the help of common service centres can file their request online and check the status of their application or make correction in name as per Aadhaar etc.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

Sadhguru’s book launched at Isha Yoga Centre

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu released ‘Death – An Inside Story’ authored by Sadhguru, Founder, Isha Foundation. The Vice-President was the chief guest at the 26th Maha Sivaratri celebrations at Isha Yoga Centre, Coimbatore.
Maha Sivaratri is significant because of the immense spiritual benefits it offers due to natural planetary positions. On this night, the northern hemisphere of the planet is positioned such that there is a natural upsurge of energy in the human system, pushing one towards their spiritual peak.

Dr Manmohan Singh releases Kannada translation of ‘Who is Bharat Mata?’

Former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh released the book ‘Who is Bharat Mata’ by Prof Purushottam Agrawal and its Kannada translation ‘Yaaru Bharat Maate?’ by Prof K E Radhakrishna. The book has been published by Swapna Book House, Bengaluru in association with Delhi Karnataka Sangha.
The book contains writings and speeches of former Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru. It also gives a complete picture of India’s freedom movement. This book is a collection of great achievements of freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Moulana Azad, Arun Asaf Ali, Sheikh Abdullah, Subhash Chandra Bose, Mohammed Aris Singh, Ali Sardar and others.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Sub-Neptune sized planet validated with the habitable-zone planet finder

A signal originally detected by the Kepler spacecraft has been validated as an exoplanet using the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF), an astronomical spectrograph built by a Penn State team and recently installed on the 10m Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory in Texas.
The HPF provides the highest precision measurements to date of infrared signals from nearby low-mass stars, and astronomers used it to validate the candidate planet by excluding all possibilities of contaminating signals to very high level of probability.
The newly confirmed planet, called G 9-40b, is the first one validated by HPF.
NASA’s Kepler mission observed a dip in the host star’s light, suggesting that the planet was crossing in front of the star during its orbit. It is about twice the size of Earth, and orbits its star once every six Earth-days.
The instrument is designed to detect and characterize planets in the habitable-zone — the region around the star where a planet could sustain liquid water on its surface — around nearby low-mass stars.
HPF is being searching for Exoplanet by using the Doppler Effect.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Rajnath Singh presents trophies of best marching contingents for Republic Day Parade 2020

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented trophies of best marching contingents for Republic Day Parade-2020. The Indian Air Force contingent was adjudged the best among the three services. Air Marshal M S G Menon and Flight Lieutenant Shrikant Sharma received the trophy.
The Central Industrial Security Force was named the best marching contingent among the Central Armed Police Forces. The trophy was received by Director General of CISF Rajesh Ranjan and Deputy Commandant Prabh Simran Singh.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Ladakh all set to host first-ever Khelo India Winter Games

The Union Territory of Ladakh is all set to host the first-ever Khelo India Winter Games. In the presence of Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju will inaugurate the games 25th Feb at NDS Indoor Ice Hockey Rink in Leh.
About 1,700 athletes of different ages, from Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh, will compete in the Khelo India Ladakh Winter Games at 10 blocks, district and then at UT level. Under Khelo India, in the first edition of Winter Games in the country, the players will compete in ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating events.

India to host Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in January 2022

India will host the Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in January 2022. The medals from the two events will be counted for ranking of competing nations at the Birmingham Games. However, the medals will be added to the final tally one week after the conclusion of the Games.
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced this decision after the three-day Executive Board meeting in London . The two events will be held in Chandigarh in January 2022 while the Birmingham Commonwealth Games is scheduled from 27th of July to 7th of August , 2022.
The decision is being considered a big win for India after IOA threatened to boycott the 2022 Birmingham Games for dropping shooting from the roster in July last year. But, following a visit by CGF President Louise Martin and CEO David Grevemberg in November last, the IOA withdrew its warning during the Annual General Body Meeting in December.
While the cost for the shooting championship is to be met largely by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the archery event would be funded solely by the Government of India. India also received wholehearted support from International Shooting Sports Federation and World Archery, the global governing bodies of the two sports.

About commonwealth games

The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and has taken place every four years since then.

Year	City	State/province	Country
2014	Glasgow	Scotland	United Kingdom
2018	Gold Coast	Queensland	Australia
2022	Birmingham	England	United Kingdom

ICC bans Oman player Yousuf Abdulrahim Al Balushi from all forms of cricket for 7 years

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Oman player Yousuf Abdulrahim Al Balushi from all forms of cricket for seven years for his involvement in trying to fix matches. Al Balushi accepted four charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The charges are all related to the ICC men’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers 2019 held in the United Arab Emirates.
According to an ICC statement, Al Balushi breached Article 2.1.1 of the Anti-Corruption Code – being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of matches. Besides, he also breached Article 2.1.4, Article 2.4.4 and Article 2.4.7 — all relating to corrupt practices.
Under the provisions of the code, Al Balushi chose to admit the charges and agreed on the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing.

About ICC:

Chairperson: Shashank Manohar
CEO: Manu Sawhney
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Founded: 15 June 1909
Membership: 104 members

Mumbai’s twin-sisters bag four medals in swimming at KIUG

At the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) in Odisha, the University of Mumbai’s twin-sisters Jyoti and Aarti bagged four medals.
On the opening day of the swimming events at the KIUG ,the twin sisters ended up on the podium in the 200m breaststroke, Jyoti winning a gold and Aarti a bronze, the duo also helped the University of Mumbai to clinch a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Meanwhile, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar ended the fourth day of the Games on top with 11 medals, including six gold. Punjab University, Chandigarh gave a tough competition by winning 16 medals with 5 gold. Jain University, Karnataka is in the third spot with 7 medals including 4 gold.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Former Karnataka Minister C Chennigappa passes away

Former Karnataka Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leaderC Chennigappa passed away at the age of 70.
Chennigappa was Forest Minister in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2006.
He was 3 times MLA from Koratagere Assembly constituency, Karnataka.
Chennigappa served in the Police Department before entering politics.

Larry Tesler, brain behind ‘Copy-Paste’ command, dies at 74

Larry Tesler, the man behind the invention of ‘Cut, Copy and Paste’ passed away at his home in Portola Valley, California. He was 74. The reason behind his death is still unknown, but he was suffering the effect from an earlier bicycle accident, according to New York Times.
Tesler was the pioneer of early computing and his work in the human-computer interaction field made things easier for many. The ‘find-replace’ and ‘copy-paste’ commands were his brain child. He along with his fellow researcher Tim Mott developed the ‘Ctrl+C and Ctrl +V’ command, while working for Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (Parc).

DAILY CA 22^nd, 23^rd and 24th FEB

International Mother Language Day- 21^st feb

World Thinking Day- 22^nd feb
Central Excise Day celebrated on 24 February
Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurates New Institutional Campus at NIPHTR in Navi Mumbai
Over Rs 50,000 Cr released by centre to farmers under PM-KISAN scheme so far
PM Modi, US Prez Trump to jointly address Namaste Trump event at Motera stadium
Ministry of MSME launches national level awareness programme
FATF decides to retain Pakistan in ‘Grey List
India, Sri Lanka sign MoU for up-gradation of infrastructure in plantation schools for estate workers of Indian origin
Language Martyrs’ Day ‘Amar Ekushey’ Observed in Bangladesh
Egypt to host ‘India by the Nile’ fest in March
US surpasses China to become India’s top trading partner
Free platform ticket for 30 squats at Delhi’s Anand Vihar railway station
National Council of Applied Economic Researchpegs GDP growth at 9 per cent in 2019-20
Microsoft, SBI Foundation to upskill youth with disabilities for BFSI jobs
SBI Card, Landmark Group tie-up to launch retail co-branded credit cards
Axis Bank to explore long-term partnership with Max Life
4 railway stations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj get new names
World famous Goa carnival to begin in Panaji
Chhattisgarh organises ‘Krishi Maha-Kumbh’ to cater to future farming practices
Modi government approves merger of Bharti Infratel, Indus Towers: Sources
Online Chatbot ‘ASKDISHA’ upgraded to converse with Railway customers in Hindi language
Indian Railways launches mobile app for employees
RBI approves Sunil Gurbaxani’s appointment as Dhanlaxmi Bank MD and CEO
Rajalaxmi Deo re-elected as Rowing Federation of India president
Retired IAS officers Amarjeet Sinha, Bhaskar Khulbe appointed as Advisers to PM
Manoj Kumar felicitated by London’s World Book of Records for contribution to Indian cinema
BRICS CCI announces Direct Tax Summit & Awards 2020 in association with Achromic Point

Indian Railways customer grievance portal ‘RailMadad’ gets DARPG e-Governance Award
Curt Bergfors Foundation of Sweden announces ‘Food Planet Prize’
WCD & FPI Ministers Irani, Badal inaugurate Delhi Organic Food Fest
CM Kamal Nath inaugurates IFS Meet in Bhopal
National Museum hosts ‘Historical Gastronomica – The Indus Dining Experience’ exhibition
NITI Aayog organizing Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020
Rajnath Singh lays foundation stone of new Army headquarter building
chanta Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran win silver at Hungarian Open
India’s 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh wins 34th Cannes Open
India wins one silver, two bronze medals in Asian Wrestling Championships
PM Narendra Modi declares first-ever Khelo India University Games open
Former India footballer Ashok Chatterjee passes away
Krishna Bose, former Jadavpur MP and TMC leader passes away

DAILY CA 25th FEB

Govt plans to construct 1,000 more urbanized clusters in rural areas, says Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar
Government amends provisions of Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016
Govt aims to make Chhattisgarh a steel hub of the country: Dharmendra Pradhan
Union Minister inaugurates National Cyber Research Centre
Bangladesh records sharp decline in Child malnutrition: UNICEF Survey
NABARD sanctions over Rs 400 cr to boost infrastructure in J&K
Central Bank of India plans to exit housing finance subsidiary
NPCI launches ‘UPI Chalega’ campaign for payment mode to gain currency
Bank of America expects RBI to build $550-billion forex reserves
Andhra CM launches ‘Jagananna Vasthi Deevena’ scheme to provide financial assistance to students
Mumbai Airport Launches World’s Largest Temp-Controlled Facility to Store Agro, Pharma Products
J&K to set up Tribal Research Institute by next fiscal year
Abhay Kumar Singh takes over as NHPC CMD, replaces Ratish Kumar
PM of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad resigns
Prez Kovind to present CDRI scientist Niti Kumar with ‘SERB Women Excellence Award’
Adline Castelino wins Miss Diva Universe 2020
Hrithik Roshan bags ‘Best Actor award’ at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival
PM Modi to inaugurate two-day International Judicial Conference 2020 in New Delhi
G20 finance ministers’, central bankers to meet in Riyadh
SPICe+ web form launched for ease of doing business
Government launches mobile app to broaden reach of PM-Kisan scheme
Sadhguru’s book launched at Isha Yoga Centre
Dr Manmohan Singh releases Kannada translation of ‘Who is Bharat Mata?
Sub-Neptune sized planet validated with the habitable-zone planet finder
Rajnath Singh presents trophies of best marching contingents for Republic Day Parade 2020
Ladakh all set to host first-ever Khelo India Winter Games
India to host Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in January 2022
ICC bans Oman player Yousuf Abdulrahim Al Balushi from all forms of cricket for 7 years
Mumbai’s twin-sisters bag four medals in swimming at KIUG
Former Karnataka Minister C Chennigappa passes away

Larry Tesler, brain behind ‘Copy-Paste’ command, dies at 74

Current Affairs Today 25th February 2020| Current Affairs News