Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (22nd to 29th February 2020)

By Priyanka Priya - Mar 03 2020

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 4th week  February 2020. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2020 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Mother Language Day

  • On 21st February, International Mother Language Day (IMLD) will be celebrated as a worldwide annual observance of UNESCO. MHRD will also observe Matribhasha Diwas on 21st Feb to highlight the linguistic diversity of our country.
  • The central theme for International Mother Language Day 2020 is ‘Languages without borders’.                                       

World Thinking Day

  • On February 22, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides across 150 countries celebrate World Thinking Day.World Thinking Day 2020 celebrates the diversity, equity, and inclusion reflected in our global movement.

Central Excise Day celebrated on 24 February

  • The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) celebrates Central Excise Day every year on February 24 all over the country. This occasion is dedicated to Central Excise Day and Salt Act, which was enacted on 24 February 1944.

National Science Day

  • National Science Day is celebrated in India on 28 February each year to mark the discovery of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir C. V. Raman on 28 February 1928. The theme of the year 2020 is “Women in Science.”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurates New Institutional Campus at NIPHTR in Navi Mumbai

  • Union Minister of Science & Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Science Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that public health should be a subject that needs thorough rejuvenation in India. Dr. Harsh Vardhan was inaugurating a New Institutional Campus at the National Institute of Public Health Training & Research (NIPHTR) at Navi Mumbai.

 Over Rs 50,000 Cr released by centre to farmers under PM-KISAN scheme so far 

  • The PM-KISAN scheme launched on 24th February last year, is to provide income support to all landholding farmers’ families across the country and enable them to meet expenses related to agriculture as well as domestic needs. Under the Scheme, six thousand rupees per year is transferred in installments directly into the bank accounts of the farmers.
  • Centre has released 50,850 crore rupees to farmers the scheme so far. As on the 20th of this month, 8.46 crores farmer families have been given the benefits.

PM Modi, US Prez Trump to jointly address Namaste Trump event at Motera stadium

  • US President Donald Trump will arrive in Ahmedabad on a two-day visit to India. He will be accompanied by his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and top brass of his administration.
  • In Ahmedabad, he will visit Sabarmati Ashram and take part in a roadshow with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders will jointly address over one lakh people at the Namaste Trump event at Motera cricket stadium.

Ministry of MSME launches national level awareness programme

  • Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched a National Level Awareness Programme (NLAP) 2020 from February 17 to 28.
  • The objective of the NLP is to spread awareness about schemes and activities undertaken by the Ministry and its attached organisations — Office of Development Commissioner (MSME), Khadi & Village Industries Commission, Coir Board, National Small Industries Corporation Limited, National Institute of MSME, MSME Technology Centres, and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialisation.

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.

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
  • 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

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

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

MoS HRD Shri Sanjay Dhotre inaugurates the exhibition on clean air technologies at IIT Delhi 

  • The exhibition showcases clean air technologies developed by IIT Bombay, IIT Ropar, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and IIT Delhi. The Government of India is making serious efforts to drastically reduce pollution levels in the country.
  • Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shri Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated the exhibition organised by Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air technologies at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi .

Shri Nityanand Rai presides over the Valedictory Session of 1st ‘National Conference on Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R) – 2020’

  • Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai presided over the valedictory session of the 1st ‘National Conference on Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R) – 2020’, organised by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), in New Delhi . 

Govt soon to launch 3rd phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

  • The government will soon launch third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey stated, the government has decided to link the scheme with the school education to bring a revolutionary change in the field of skill development.

CBSE releases an app to locate the Exam Centre

  • The Central Board of Secondary Education has released Exam center locator app-CBSE ECL ,an android based mobile app giving information about the examination center for the convenience of the students.

CCEA approves National Mission for Technical Textiles with allocation of ₹1,480 crore

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the launch of the National Mission for Technical Textiles with a total allocation of ₹1,480 crore for a four-year period in line with the announcement made in Budget 2020-21 earlier this month.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman launches Ease 3.0 for tech-enabled banking

  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Ease (Enhanced Access and Service Excellence) 3.0 reform agenda. EASE 3.0 agenda aims at providing smart, tech-enabled public sector banking for aspiring India. This launch of EASE 3.0 would change the customer’s experience at the Public Sector Banks (PSBs). 

PM to launch 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations; also to lay foundation stone for Bundelkhand Expressway

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 10 thousand Farmer Producer Organizations, FPOs all over the country from Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also lay the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot. The Uttar Pradesh Government is constructing the Expressway which will pass through the districts of Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun.

NITI Aayog selects J&K for first pilot project among all States and UTs on Sustainable Developmental Goals

  • NITI Aayog has selected Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir for first pilot project among all States and UTs on Sustainable Developmental Goals. It would get a chance to work with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Minister Arjun Munda launched Programme for Capacity Building of ST Representatives in LSG in Odisha

  • The “Programme for Capacity Building of Scheduled Tribe Representatives in Local Self Governments” was launched by the Union Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Arjun Munda at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
  • Capacity Building initiative:The program included Technical sessions on topics such as Tribal Development Paradigms, Alienation of Tribal Land, Van DhanVikas Kendra and Innovation of Tribal Development.

Government Approves Rs 162 crore under ‘Operation Greens’ Scheme      

  • Centre has approved Rs 162 crore under ‘Operation Greens’ scheme that has an outlay of Rs 500 crore to stabilize the supply of ‘TOP’ crops i.e. tomato, onion and potato. This will ensure their availability throughout the year without price volatility.

Be updated with Daily Current affairs News

STATIC GK:

CBSE:

  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Founded: 1962
  • Chairperson: Anita Karwal, IAS
  • Parent organisation: Ministry of Human Resource Development

Niti Aayog:

  • Formed: 1 January 2015
  • Objectives: Foster involvement and participation in the economic policy-making process by the State Governments of India
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Chairperson: Narendra Modi
  • Rajiv Kumar(economist), (Vice Chairperson)
  • CEO : Amitabh Kant.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

FATF decides to retain Pakistan in ‘Grey List

  • The global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided continuation of Pakistan in the ‘Grey List’ and warned the country that stern action will be taken if it fails to check the flow of money to terror groups. The decision was taken at the Financial Action Task Force’s plenary in

India, Sri Lanka sign MoU for up-gradation of infrastructure in plantation schools for estate workers of Indian origin

  • India and Sri Lanka have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for up-gradation of infrastructure in plantation schools for estate workers of Indian origin. The project envisages up gradation of infrastructure of 9 plantation schools as identified by Sri Lanka under an Indian grant assistance of 30 crore rupees.

Language Martyrs’ Day ‘Amar Ekushey’ Observed in Bangladesh

  • Bangladesh observed the Shaheed Dibash known as ‘Amar Ekushey’ across the country to pay tribute to the martyrs of language movement. The day is observed as Shaheed Dibash to commemorate the martyrs who were killed in firing by the Pakistani police on 21 February 1952 in Dhaka.

Egypt to host ‘India by the Nile’ fest in March

  • The annual ‘India by the Nile’ festival in Egypt will be held this year from March 2-10, bringing with it a selection of classical and popular Indian art forms to the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said and Fayoum

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.

India and US sign defence deals worth 3 billion dollars

  • India and the United States finalized defence deals worth three billion dollars and signed three agreements, including in health and oil sectors.
  • A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on mental health between the health departments of both the two countries. Another MoU on the safety of medical products was signed between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization with the US Food and Drug Administration.

Pranab Mukherjee to address Bangladesh Parliament on Mujib Centenary

  • Former President Pranab Mukherjee will be invited to address the special session of Bangladesh Parliament, Jatiya Sangsad, on the occasion of the centenary year of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari will also be invited to address the special session.

3,000 kilometre long power grid from Myanmar-Thailand to India: BIMSTEC

  • Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is working on connecting about 3,000-kilometre long power grid from Myanmar-Thailand to India.

Sweden MP delegation visits the ECI

  • A ten-member delegation of MPs, members of the Committee on the Constitution in Riksdag, the Parliament of Sweden, visited the Election Commission in New Delhi.
  • The delegation met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra .

President of Myanmar arrives on a 4-day state visit to India

  • President of Myanmar U Win Myint arrived in New Delhi on a four day state visit to India. Mr. U Win Myint is accompanied by the First Lady Daw Cho Cho. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Facebook cancels its annual F8 developers conference

  • Facebook has cancelled its annual F8 developers conference, the biggest annual event for the US tech giant, over fears about the possible spread of the novel coronavirus.

STATIC GK:

Country Capital Currency President / Prime Minister 
Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladeshi taka Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina
Egypt Cairo Egyptian pound
Sweden Stockholm Swedish krona
Myanmar Naypyitaw Burmese kyat President: Win Myint
Togo Lome, Togo West African CFA franc Prime Minister– Komi Selom Klassou
South Sudan Juba South Sudanese pound President- Salva Kiir Mayardit
France Paris Cfc franc President : Emmanuel Macron
      Thailand Bangkok Thai bhat

 

BIMSTEC:

  • BIMSTEC is a regional grouping with seven countries from South and Southeast Asia including Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand , Nepal and Bhutan. It aims to promote regional cooperation for rapid economic development.

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

FATF:

  • The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.Headquarters: Paris, France
  • Founded: July 1989
  • President: Xiangmin Liu

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

US surpasses China to become India’s top trading partner

  • The United States has surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner. According to the Commerce Ministry data, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at nearly 88 billion dollars in 2018-19 fiscal. During the period, India’s trade with China was at 87.1 billion dollars

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.

Central Bank of India plans to exit housing finance subsidiary

  • State-run Central Bank of India is looking to sell its entire 64.40 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.

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. 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.

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.

Canara Bank ‘Insta-Demat’ facility

  • Canara Bank Securities Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canara Bank, has launched a facility to open ‘Insta-Demat’ accounts online, in association with the National Securities Depositories Limited (NSDL).

RBI lifts ban on Bandhan Bank network expansion

  • The Reserve Bank allowed Bandhan Bank to expand its branch network after considering the efforts made by the private lender to comply with the licensing conditions.
  • The central bank in September 2018 had barred Bandhan Bank from expanding its network as the lender failed to reduce the promoters’ stake to 40 per cent from close to 82 per cent within the stipulated three-year time frame of commencing operations.

RBI announces 2 LTROs for three-year tenors worth Rs 250 bn in March

  • The Reserve Bank announced two long-term repo operations (LTROs) for three-year tenors worth Rs 25,000 crore (Rs 250 billion) each to be conducted on March 2 and March 9.
  • The reversal date of LTRO on March 2, 2020 is March 1, 2023 while for LTRO to be conducted on March 9, 2020, it will be March 7, 2023.

RBI directs banks to link all the new floating rate loans to medium enterprises with external benchmark

  • The Reserve Bank has directed banks to link all the new floating rate loan to medium enterprises with external benchmark.
  • In a circular, RBI stated that the direction will be effective from 1st April 2020. With respect to micro and small enterprises, floating rate loans are already linked with external benchmarks.

Finance Secretary launches Baroda Startup Banking in 15 cities

  • Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar inaugurated Baroda Startup Banking, an initiative aimed at making the bank a preferred banking partner for the start-up community and establishing connect with at least 2,000 start-ups over the next two years.The initiative was launched simultaneously across 15 cities in the country.

Government to stick to April 1 deadline for amalgamation of 10 PSBs

  • The Modi Government intends to stick to the April 1 deadline for amalgamation of 10 public sector banks (PSBs) into four units. The government proposes amalgamation of Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India into Punjab National Bank, Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank into Union Bank of India and Allahabad Bank into Indian Bank. The boards of all the concerned banks have already given ‘in-principal’ approval to this process.

RBI asks banks to extend farm loans eligible for subvention only via KCCs

  • The Reserve Bank of India has advised banks to ensure that all short term crop loans eligible for interest subvention and prompt repayment incentive benefit are extended only through the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) with effect from April 1, 2020.
  • Further, the existing short term crop loans which are not extended through KCC will need to be converted to KCC loans by March 31, 2020.

GSTN launches new toll-free number for helpdesk

  • The GSTN stated it has revamped GST helpdesk by introducing new features to improve taxpayers’ experience by making the system more robust and transparent.The GSTN has come up with a new GST help desk toll-free calling number ‘1800 103 4786’. The caller may call on this number on 365 days in a year from 9 am to 9 pm.

ADB raises $118 million from rupee-linked bonds

  • The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised Rs 850 crore (USD 118 million) from a new issue of offshore Indian rupee-linked 10-year bonds. ADB’s India rupee bonds have been a “game-changer” for local currency operations.

IndiGo, HDFC Bank tie-up to launch co-branded credit card with Mastercard

  • IndiGo airlines has partnered with HDFC Bank to launch its first travel credit card.Called ‘Ka-ching’, it is powered by Mastercard and comes in two variants – 6E Rewards and 6E Rewards XL – and also offers complimentary air tickets.

India GDP grew 4.7 per cent in Q3

  • The Indian economy grew 7 per cent in the third quarter ended December 31, 2019, the National Statistics Office Core sector grows by 2.2% in January as power generation picks up.

STATIC GK:

Central bank of India:

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

Bandhan Bank:

  • Headquarters: Kolkata
  • CEO: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh
  • Founded: 2001
  • Chairperson: Anup Kumar Sinha

External Benchmark rate:

  • External benchmark rate means the reference rate which includes: Reserve Bank of India policy Repo Rate. Government of India 3-Months and 6-Months Treasury Bill yields published by Financial Benchmarks India Private Ltd (FBIL) Any other benchmark market interest rate published by FBIL

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

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

Canara Bank:

  • CEO: Lingam Venkat Prabhakar
  • Headquarters: Bengaluru
  • Founder: Ammembal Subba Rao Pai

HDFC Bank

  • HQ- Mumbai
  • MD and CEO-Aditya Puri
  • Tagline- We understand your world.

IndiGo Airlines

  • HQ- Gurugram
  • MD and CEO- Rahul Bhatia

NSC:

  • The National Statistical Commission (NSC) of India is an autonomous body which formed in June 2005. The NSC is currently headed by Prof. Bimal K. Roy, who was appointed as Chairperson of the Commission on 15th July 2019 for a period of three years
  • Formed :July 12 2006
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Free platform ticket for 30 squats at Delhi’s Anand Vihar railway station

  • Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal notified the installation of a novel ticket vending machine at Delhi ‘s Anand Vihar station. Named as the ‘squat machine,‘ this machine allows passengers to get a platform ticket for free in exchange for performing 30 squats in 180 seconds.

National Council of Applied Economic Research pegs GDP growth at 4.9 per cent in 2019-20

  • Think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) pegged the economic growth for the current fiscal at 9 per cent, a tad down from 5 per cent estimated by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
  • However, for 2020-21, the NCEAR expects the Indian economy to improve its growth rate to 6 per cent. Indian economy grew by 6.1 per cent in 2018-19.

Microsoft, SBI Foundation to upskill youth with disabilities for BFSI jobs

  • Microsoft has collaborated with SBI Foundation to create opportunities in the banking and financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector, for youth with disabilities.
  • Under the initiative, the two organisations will upskill 500 youth for BFSI jobs across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR.

 SBI Card, Landmark Group tie-up to launch retail co-branded credit cards

  • SBI Card has partnered with Landmark Group to launch retail co-branded credit cards. Lifestyle Home Centre SBI Card, Max SBI Card, and Spar SBI Card were introduced in partnership with four Landmark brands – Lifestyle, Home Centre, Max, and Spar.

Axis Bank to explore long-term partnership with Max Life

  • Axis Bank, along with Max Financial Services Limited and its subsidiary Max Life Insurance, have signed a confidentiality and exclusivity arrangement that will allow the private sector lender to explore the possibility of entering into a long-term strategic partnership with the life insurer.

IRDAI sets up panel to examine whether life insurers can offer indemnity-based health policies

  • The insurance regulator IRDAI has set up a committee to examine whether life insurers can offer indemnity based health policies.IRDAI has now set up a nine-member committee led by MR Kumar, Chairman, Life Insurance Corporation of India to look into the issue.

Bharti AXA General uses WhatsApp to deliver policy, renewal premium notices

  • Private insurer Bharti AXA General Insurance, stated it has started delivering policies and premium renewal notices to its customers through WhatsApp.It also plans to soon start selling private car, two-wheeler and travel insurance through the WhatsApp chatbot.

Accenture opens innovation hub in Pune

  • American tech major Accenture opened its third ‘innovation hub’ in the country at Pune, which will house 1,200 people working on various technologies.Bengaluru and Hyderabad are the other Indian cities having the hubs, which are also present in two cities of Brazil, and one each in Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Switzerland, Australia and Singapore.

Analysts foresee 4.5 to 4.7 per cent GDP growth in 3rd quarter

  • India’s GDP growth in the October-December quarter of the financial year 2018-19 will likely print at 5-4.7 per cent, according to researchers.
  • As per SBI Research’s composite leading indicator, which analyses inputs from 33 various indicators, growth will remain flat in Q3, at 4.5 per cent clocked in Q2; ICRA believes third-quarter GDP may settle at around 7 per cent led by a modest uptick in services, industry and agricultural growth.

Airtel Payments Bank rolls out Aadhaar enabled payment system

  • Airtel Payments Bank stated that it has launched the Aadhaar enabled payment system (AePS) which will help people to do transactions at over 2,50,000 of its banking points across India.
  • The system will enable customers, having Aadhaar- linked accounts of any bank, to do transactions at the designated points of the Airtel Payments Bank. It allows customers to carry out transactions by using their Aadhaar number or virtual ID to access their bank accounts.

US-based healthcare major Providence sets up Global Innovation Centre in Hyderabad

  • Providence, a US-based healthcare systems provider, inaugurated its global innovation centre in India with plans to invest up to $100 million and induct more than 2,000

Poonawalla Fin and Capital Float tie-up to provide loans to MSMEs

  • Poonawalla Finance, part of the $9.8-billion Cyrus Poonawalla Group, has partnered with Capital Float to deliver working capital financing to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across India.Both companies will co-lend on Capital Float’s co-origination model to deliver last-mile credit to

STATIC GK:

Airtel Payments Bank:

  • CEO: Anubrata Biswas
  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Founded: 2017

MSME:

  • The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, a branch of the Government of India, is the apex executive body for the formulation and administration of rules, regulations and laws relating to micro, small and medium enterprises in India.
  • Founded: 2007
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Giriraj Singh (MOS independent charge), Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister)

Axis bank:

  • CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founded: 1993, Ahmedabad
  • Tagline: Badhti Ka naam Zindagi.

Bharti Axa General Insurance:

  • CEO: Sanjeev Srinivasan
  • Headquarters location: Mumbai
  • Founded: 2008

IRDAI:

  • Founded: 1999
  • Sector: Insurance
  • Headquarters: Hyderabad
  • Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia

Accenture

  • CEO: Julie Sweet
  • Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland

SBI:

  • Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Managing director: Anshula Kant (Stressed Assets, Risk and Compliance)
  • Founded: 1 July 1955
  • Tagline : “With you- all the way” “A bank of the common man” “The banker to every indian” “The nation banks on us”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

4 railway stations in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj get new names

  • Allahabad Junction will now be Prayagraj Junction, Allahabad City will now be known as Prayagraj Rambag, Allahabad Chhioki has been changed to Prayagraj Chheoki and the name of Prayagghat has been changed to Prayagraj Sangam.

World famous Goa carnival to begin in Panaji   

  • The world-famous Goa Carnival will begin in the capital The festival, which displays Goan art and culture, is celebrated with fun, frolic, pomp and splendor.

Chhattisgarh organises ‘Krishi Maha-Kumbh’ to cater to future farming practices

  • A three-day mega agricultural festival organised in Raipur called ‘Krishi Maha-Kumbh’ was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Also known as the National Agriculture Festival, this mela boasted of going beyond the traditional dominant practices of farmers by encouraging the agrarian community to experiment with non-conventional farm activities, adopt modern technologies and secure quality organic produce.

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.

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.

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.

Losar festival celebrated in Himachal Pradesh

  • Hundreds of people from the Buddhist community gathered at different temples in the state to celebrate the Losar festival.People celebrated Losar Festival, on the first day of the lunisolar Tibetan calendar, at

 Himachal Pradesh: First to achieve 100% LPG coverage

  • Himachal Pradesh became the 1st state in the country to have 100% LPG coverage due to the implementation of PMUY (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana) scheme.
  • Under the scheme except families having a pensioner, income taxpayer or any member employed with the government, board, corporation etc, all households of the state without an LPG connection were eligible.

4,000-yr-old crafts village unearthed near Varanasi

  • A nearly 4,000-year-old urban settlement has been unearthed by a team of surveyors from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), which experts say could be one of the craft villages mentioned in ancient texts.
  • The university’s Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, which did the preliminary survey of the site at Babhaniyav village, 13 km from Varanasi.

Madhya Pradesh launches unified vehicle registration card

  • Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to launch the unified vehicle registration card.MP is only the second state to launch a unified driving license, after Uttar Pradesh.These unified smart cards for driving license and vehicle registration will each have a QR code that will help in verifying authenticity of the data printed on the cards.

Bihar first NDA-ruled state to pass resolution against NRC

  • Bihar is the first NDA-ruled state that has passed a resolution to not implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC).The Assembly also passed a resolution to implement the National Population Register (NPR) but in its 2010 form, with an amendment.

Maharashtra government’s “Smart gram yojana” to be named after ex-minister R R Patil

  • The Maharashtra government’s “smart gram yojana” will be named after former Deputy Chief Minister the late R R Patil. Since November 2016, the ‘smart gram yojana’ (smart village) is being implemented in the state where awards are given to gram panchayats at taluka and district level for their performance on certain parameters

Haryana CM unveils Rs 1,42,343-crore budget for 2020-21

  • Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced a Rs 1,42,343-crore budget in the state assembly.

Maharashtra Assembly passes law making Marathi language compulsory for all schools

  • Maharashtra government has made Marathi compulsory in schools affiliated with all boards with a fine of Rs 1 lakh for institutions that fail to comply with the directive. This law will be applicable to all boards like CBSE, CISCE, IB, IGSCE, NIOS

 MP: Two-day unique Chilli Festival begins at Kasrawad in Khargone districtR

  • In Madhya Pradesh, the two-day unique Chilli Festival begins at Kasrawad in Khargone district. Chilli Festival is a big business opportunity for traders, investors and exporters. It will also help in fulfilling the Central Government’s goal of doubling the income of farmers.

Unique census of migratory birds underway in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu

  • A unique census of migratory birds is being undertaken in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. The census is unique because it uses both physical sighting as well as indirect clues for deciding the count of migratory birds that visit India during adverse climatic conditions in other countries.

STATIC GK:

States Capital Chief minister Governor
Madhya Pradesh Bhopal Kamal Nath Lalji Tandon
Bihar Patna Nitish Kumar Phagu Chauhan
Haryana Chandigarh Manohar Lal Khattar Satyadev Narayan Arya
Andhra Pradesh Amaravati Jaganmohan reddy Biswabhushan Harichandan
Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Yogi Adityanath Anandiben Patel
Maharashtra Mumbai Uddhav Bal Thackeray Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Tamil Nadu Chennai Edappadi K. Palaniswami Banwarilal purohit
Goa Panaji Pramod Sawant Satya Pal Malik
Himachal Pradesh Shimla Jai Ram Thakur Bandaru Dattatreya

 

PMUY scheme

  • PMUY scheme aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG.
  • Launched-1st May, 2016.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

NMCG signs agreement to develop ghats in Badrinath and Gangotri

  • A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked among the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), State Programme Management Group-Uttarakhand (SPMG-UK) and Indorama Charitable Trust (ICT) to work together for giving a facelift to the bathing ghat at Badrinath and ghat and crematoria at Gangotri in Uttarakhand.

Atal Innovation Mission Labs, NITI & NASSCOM partner to bring AI modules to Indian schools

  • NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in collaboration with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) based module rolled out for students in Indian schools.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS AND MERGERS

Modi government approves merger of Bharti Infratel, Indus Towers: Sources

  • The Department of Telecom (DoT) on approved the merger of the country’s largest mobile tower company Indus Towers with Bharti Infratel. The combination of Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers will create a pan-India tower company with over 163,000 towers, operating across all 22 telecom service areas.

ONGC, HPCL buy 34.56% of bankers’ stake in Petronet MHB for Rs 371 cr

  • State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and its subsidiary Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) have bought out lenders in Petronet MHB Ltd, the firm that owns a petroleum product pipeline in Mangalore, for about Rs 371 crore.

STATIC GK:

ONGC

  • HQ- New Delhi
  • Chairman & Managing Director -Shashi Shanker

HPCL

  • Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Chairman & Managing Director -Shri Mukesh Kumar Surana.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPS AND PORTAL

Online Chatbot ‘ASKDISHA’ upgraded to converse with Railway customers in Hindi language

  • Indian Railways had introduced the services of Artificial Intelligence based ASKDISHA chatbot in October 2018 for the benefit of the users of the ticketing website irctc.co.in and tourism website www.irctctourism.com of its PSU, Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC).

Indian Railways launches mobile app for employees

  • Indian Railways, Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav launched the HRMS (Human Resource Management System) mobile app, in which the employees can see the data related to their service and communicate with the administration for any changes.The app has been developed by the Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS).

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.

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

Labour min to soon launch mobile app ”Santusht” for ESIC beneficiaries

  • Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar will soon launch a mobile app ‘‘Santusht’‘ with an aim to address issues of beneficiaries of Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme.The minister also launched that ESIC’s Special Services Fortnight from February 24 to March 10.

STATIC GK

Ministry of Railways:

  • Formed– 16 April 1853
  • Headquarters– New Delhi
  • Union Minister– Piyush Goyal

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

RBI approves Sunil Gurbaxani’s appointment as Dhanlaxmi Bank MD and CEO

  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as managing director and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank. Gurbaxani is working with Axis Bank at present.

Rajalaxmi Deo re-elected as Rowing Federation of India president

  • Rajalaxmi Singh Deo was re-elected as the president of the Rowing Federation of India (RFI). Rajpal Singh, G Bhasker, Souvik Ghose, and Sreekunara Kurup were elected as vice-presidents.

Retired IAS officers Amarjeet Sinha, Bhaskar Khulbe appointed as Advisers to PM

  • Retired IAS officers Amarjeet Sinha and Bhaskar Khulbe have been appointed as Advisers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. DoPT in its order stated the appointments have been made on contractual basis initially for a period of two years or until further orders

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.

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.

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé wins fourth term

  • Togo President Faure Gnassingbe has won a fourth term in power.The incumbent leader took 72 percent of the vote share in the first round of the presidential election, far ahead of former prime minister Agbeyome Kodjo, with 18 percent.

Trans Union Cibil ropes in Rajesh Kumar as MD, CEO

  • Trans Union Cibil, the largest credit information bureau, appointed Rajesh Kumar of HDFC Bank as its new managing director and chief executive.Kumar succeeds Satish Pillai who has moved to become the president of Asia region business of the US-based company.

South Sudan rebel leader Machar sworn in as vice president

  • South Sudan’s rebel leader Riek Machar has been sworn in as first vice president.Four other vice presidents from the current regime and other opposition groups will also form part of a bloated government of 35 ministers, in addition to 550 lawmakers.

Indian-origin minister Suella Braverman sworn in as UK’s new Attorney General

  • Indian-origin Suella Braverman, appointed the UK’s new Attorney General in British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s reshuffled Cabinet earlier this month, was formally sworn in for the post at a ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Mastercard names product chief Michael Miebach as CEO, Ajay Banga moves to executive chairman

  • Mastercard’s chief executive officer of 10 years, Ajay Banga, will step down at the start of the next year and be replaced by Chief Product Officer Michael Miebach.

Jawed Ashraf To be India’s Next Ambassador To France

  • Seasoned diplomat Jawed Ashraf appointed India’s next Ambassador to Ashraf is presently serving as Indian High Commissioner to Singapore.

Axis Bank appoints Puneet Sharma as CFO

  • Axis Bank announced the appointment of Puneet Sharma as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO).Sharma will replace Jairam Sridharan, who has resigned as the Group Executive and Chief Financial Officer of the bank, with effect from March 5, 2020.

IndusInd Bank announces Sumant Kathpalia as new MD and CEO

  • Private sector lender IndusInd Bank announced the appointment of Sumant Kathpalia as its new Managing Director and CEO. Kathpalia will take over from Romesh Sobti who is set to retire later next month.

STATIC GK:

Trans Union Cibil

  • Headquarter- Mumbai
  • Full Form- Credit Information Bureau of India Ltd

Axis Bank

  • HQ- Mumbai
  • CEO-Amitabh Chaudhry
  • Tagline-Badhti Ka naam Zindagi

IndusInd Bank

  • HQ- Pune
  • MD and CEO- Sumant Kathpalia (From March 2020)
  • Tagline- We Make You Feel Richer

Dhanlaxmi Bank

  • Headquarters- Thrissur, Kerala
  • Tagline- Tann.Mann.Dhan
  • Chairman- Mr. Sajeev Krishnan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Manoj Kumar felicitated by London’s World Book of Records for contribution to Indian cinema

  • Veteran actor Manoj Kumar has been felicitated by the World Book of Records, London with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood honour for being a legendary actor and for his contribution to Indian cinema.

BRICS CCI announces Direct Tax Summit & Awards 2020 in association with Achromic Point

  • BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI), organized the 2nd Annual Direct Tax Summit & Awards 2020 in association with Achromic Point – an international consulting firm. Dharampal Satyapal Limited won the award for Best In-House Direct Tax Team of the Year.

Indian Railways customer grievance portal ‘RailMadad’ gets DARPG e-Governance Award

  • RailMadad, the grievance redressal portal of Indian Railways, has been awarded Silver under Category II of the National e-Governance Awards – ‘Excellence in providing Citizen-centric Delivery.’ This award was conferred during the 23rd National Conference on e-Governance which was held in

Curt Bergfors Foundation of Sweden announces ‘Food Planet Prize’

  • The Curt Bergfors Foundation of Sweden has created two USD 1 million prizes for solutions towards sustainable food system amid the threatening climate change. ‘New Food Planet Prize’, the prize is to be awarded annually in two categories: existing scalable solution for sustainable foods and innovative initiative for transforming food sector

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’

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

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

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

   Category           Winners

  • Best Film        Super 30
  • Best Actor     Hrithik Roshan

Lifetime Achievement Award conferred on TNAU VC N Kumar

  • University Vice-Chancellor Dr N Kumar has been conferred the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by ICAR National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.

HRD Minister Pokhriyal presents Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards to 23 teams

  • Union Minister of Human Resources Development (HRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, presented the Vishwakarma Awards 2019 to the winners in New Delhi. The valedictory function of the Awards was organised in the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
  • A total of 23 teams under various subcategories were recipients of the Chatra Vishwakarma Awards (CVA). Six institutes were felicitated by the Union Minister under the Utkrisht Santhan Vishwakarma Award (USVA).

 21 Indian cities among world’s 30 most polluted; Ghaziabad tops list

  • Delhi topped the list of most polluted capital cities in the world in 2019, which also revealed that 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India.According to the World Air Quality Report 2019 compiled by IQAir Air Visual, Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in the world, followed by Hotan in China, Gujranwala and Faisalabad in Pakistan and then Delhi in the fifth place.

Jiya Rai, Naval special child with autism swims 14 km in open water, sets world record

  • Jiya Rai, the eleven-year-old daughter of Madan Rai, Master Chief at Arms II, posted in INS Shikra, created a world record by becoming the fastest special girl to swim 14 km in open water. The solo swimming event was conducted under the supervision of Swimming Association of Maharashtra, an authorized body of Swimming Federation of India.

Hurun Global Rich List: Jeff Bezos retains No. 1 spot, Mukesh Ambani richest in Asia

  • Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is still the richest person in the world, even after losing $7 billion in one year, according to the ninth annual Hurun Global Rich List. Bezos has retained the top spot for the third year with an estimated net worth of $140 billion, mainly due to the world’s largest divorce settlement with former wife MacKenzie Bezos, who made the list in her own right with $44 billion.

Akademi award for English translation of ‘Kusumabale’

  • Sahitya Akademi’s Translation Prize for 2019 in the category of translation into English has been awarded to Kannada novel Kusumabale by Devanur Mahadeva, rendered into English by Susan Daniel. The akademi announced a total of 23 awards in various Indian languages.

Film editor Sreekar Prasad enters the limca book of records

Veteran editor Sreekar Prasad has entered the Limca Book of Records for ‘films edited in most number of languages’.He has edited films in 17 languages, namely Tamil, English, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Odia, Bengali, Assamese, Punjabi, Nepali, Marathi, Sinhalese, Karbi, Mishing, Bodo, and Pangchenpa.

Travellers’ Choice Destination Awards 2020 goes to Kochi

  • Kochi has topped the 2020 Travellers’ Choice Destination awards as a ‘trending’ location announced by Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel site. The awards include two new categories: recognising traveller-loved destinations that are on the rise; and Emerging – looking ahead to what’s next – the destinations still ahead of the curve that smart travellers are already saving for their trips on Trip advisor, a great indicator of up and coming hotspots.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Samsung Mobile is India’s most desired brand for the fourth time

  • Samsung Mobile is the most desired brand, TRA Research (formerly known as Trust Advisory).This is the fourth time Samsung Mobile has been named the most desired brand. Previously, the brand has topped the list in 2013, 2015 and 2018. Samsung is followed by Apple iPhone, which is positioned second in the list.

MP, Odisha top performers in digitising land records: NCAER

  • Madhya Pradesh, is the best performing state in in terms of digitising land records, followed by Odisha, according to the NCAER Land Records and Services Index. Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Tamil Nadu are the other states in the top five. The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) released India’s first land records and services index.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

WCD & FPI Ministers Irani, Badal inaugurate Delhi Organic Food Fest

  • The Organic Food Festival was jointly inaugurated by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries and Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles. The theme of the festival is ‘Unleashing India’s Organic Market Potential’.

CM Kamal Nath inaugurates IFS Meet in Bhopal

  • Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath inaugurated a Forestry Conference of Indian Forest Service officers at Noronha Academy of Administration in Bhopal. Chief Minister Kamal Nath also released three books including ‘Camping Destinations of MP’, ‘Wildlife Destination Map of MP’ and a magazine at the IFS meet.rom February 21-23.

National Museum hosts ‘Historical Gastronomica – The Indus Dining Experience’ exhibition

  • The National Museum in New Delhi is hosting a unique exhibition on India’s ancient food history called “Historical Gastronomica – The Indus Dining Experience till the 25th of this month that goes back to over 5000 years ago.

NITI Aayog organizing Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020

  • NITI Aayog is organizing Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation and Development of North Eastern states– in Guwahati, Assam. The three-day event will see representations from the North Eastern states, Central Ministries, academia, civil society and international development organizations.

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. 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”.

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 .They will also discuss the priorities of the Saudi G20 presidency under the theme of “Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All.”

Union HRD Minister Launches UKIERI-UGC Higher Education Leadership Development Programme for Administrators in New Delhi

  • The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched‘ Higher Education Leadership Development Programme for Administrator’– a joint initiative of UGC and British Council under the auspices of UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), which aims to deliver a leadership development programme for middle and senior level administrative functionaries in Indian Universities.

International conference on EMMDA at NCMRWF, Noida

  • An international conference on “Ensemble Methods in Modelling and Data Assimilation (EMMDA)” began at NCMRWF, Noida, India. The conference is aimed to provide a platform for discussions and deliberations on the present status, future prospects and optimum use of ‘Ensemble Prediction System’ (EPS).

Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal Launched Market Intelligence and Early Warning System (MIEWS)

  • Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, launched the– Market Intelligence and Early Warning System (MIEWS) Web Portal. The MIEWS Dashboard and Portal is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ platform for ‘real time monitoring’ of prices of tomato, onion and potato (TOP) and for simultaneously generating alerts for intervention under the terms of the Operation Greens(OG) scheme

Govt to host Artificial Intelligence Summit ‘RAISE 2020’ in April

  • The government will host RAISE 2020 – an event focussed on artificial intelligence on April 11-12 in New Delhi. RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment) 2020 will be organised by the government in partnership with industry and academia.

Enhancing Energy Cooperation in the BIMSTEC region held in Dhaka, Bangladesh

  • Two Days Conference on Enhancing Energy Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) region held at Bangladesh. The bloc of seven countries organised the conference in collaboration with the South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI/EI) of USAID.

International Conference on Alternate Medicines Concludes at Delhi

  • The two-day International Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha Systems of Medicine concluded in New Delhi recently with adopting the “New Delhi Declaration on Collection and Classification of Traditional Medicine (TM) Diagnostic Data”.

Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates the 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference

  • The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference -2020 in New Delhi. The theme of the three day national conference is ‘Empowering Youth for Technology Led Farming’.

STATIC GK:

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.

Ministry of Human Resource and Development

  • Union Minister- Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’
  • Constituency- Haridwar, Uttarakhand

BIMSTEC

  • BIMSTEC is an International organization formed on June 6, 1997 with seven countries from South and Southeast Asia including Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. It aims to promote regional cooperation for rapid economic development.

Niti Aayog :

  • The NITI Aayog is a policy think tank of the Government of India, established with the aim to achieve sustainable development goals with cooperative federalism by fostering the involvement of State Governments of India in the economic policy-making process using a bottom-up approach.
  • Formed: 1 January 2015
  • Objectives: Foster involvement and participation in the economic policy-making process by the State Governments of India
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Chairperson: Narendra Modi
  • Vice Chairperson :Amitabh Kant, (CEO)

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.

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.

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 newly confirmed planet, called G 9-40b, is the first one validated by HPF.HPF is being searching for Exoplanet by using the Doppler Effect

ISRO to launch geo imaging satellite on March 5

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation stated it is scheduled to launch its geo imaging satellite ‘GISAT-1’ onboard the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle ‘GSLV-F10’ on March 5.
  • The launch is tentatively scheduled at 5:43 pm on March 5, subject to weather conditions, from the second launchpad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

Top IITs, IIMs launch iVEIN to promote entrepreneurship

  • India’s premier technical and management institutions have joined hands to launch a consortium to boost entrepreneurship ecosystem through high quality research in innovation, venturing and entrepreneurship.
  • Called ‘Innovation-Venturing and Entrepreneurship in India Network (iVEIN),’ its founding members are faculty at IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta and IIM Kozhikode.

Incois launches three ocean-based services

  • The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (Incois), Hyderabad, has launched three ocean-based specialised products/services — the Small Vessel Advisory and Forecast Services System (SVAS), the Swell Surge Forecast System (SSFS) and the Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS).
  • Incois, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, provides a number of free services for users in the marine realm, including fishermen.

Seventeen new planets, including one Earth-sized habitable world discovered

  • The current findings, published in The Astronomical Journal, include one such rare planet named KIC-7340288 b.
  • Astronomers have discovered 17 new planets, including a potentially habitable Earth-sized world, by combing through data gathered by NASA’s Kepler space telescope which was launched in 2009, and retired in October 2018.

Scientists discover animal that doesn’t survive on oxygen

  • Scientists have discovered an animal that does not need oxygen to produce energy needed for its survival, a finding that changes one of science’s assumptions about the animal world.
  • The tiny, less than 10-celled parasite Henneguya salminicola lives in salmon muscle. As it evolved, the animal, which is a relative of jellyfish and corals, gave up breathing and consuming oxygen — or became anaerobic — to produce energy.

STATIC GK:

ISRO:

  • Headquarters: Bengaluru
  • Founder: Vikram Sarabhai
  • Founded: 15 August 1969
  • Parent organisation: Department of Space
  • Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Rajnath Singh lays foundation stone of new Army headquarter building

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for construction of a new Army headquarter building in
  • Thal Sena Bhawan, the multi-storeyed complex adopting Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA-5 rating) norms, designed like a “rising sun” and spread over nearly 39 acres.

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.

India-UK joint IAF & RAF Exercise Indradhanush 2020 begins at Air Force Station Hindan

  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF) of the UK jointly commenced the 5th edition of Exercise Indradhanush at Air Force Station Hindan in UP.
  • The focus of this edition of the exercise is ‘Base Defence and Force Protection’.

Offshore Patrol Vessel-6 “VAJRA” is launched at Chennai  

  • Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping(I/C) and Chemicals & Fertilizers was the Chief Guest for the launching ceremony of 6th Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV-6) ’VAJRA’  at Chennai .
  • 6th OPV is getting launched in the sea for the first time and also it will strengthen the efforts Indian Coast Guard for  securing over 7500 km vast coastline, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of over 20 lakh sq kms and more than one lakh merchant ships transiting per year through Indian waters for global trade .

India’s annual defence exports to touch Rs 35,000 crore by 2024

  • Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh projected that the annual Indian defence exports will touch Rs 35,000 crore by 2024 from the current level of Rs 17,000 crore.
  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light Combat Helicopter Production Hangar at Helicopter Division in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Complex.

Larsen & Toubro built 5th offshore patrol vessel ICGS Varad commissioned into India Coast Guard

  • Larsen & Toubro built offshore patrol vessel ICGS Varad was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard.
  • ICGS Varad set a record in Indian shipping industry by becoming the first major defence ship to clear all Sea Acceptance Trails in a single sea sortie, underlining the high quality of design and construction of these ships.

STATIC GK:

Indian Army:

  • Founded- April 1, 1895.
  • Motto- Service before Self.
  • Chief of the Army Staff (COAS)- General Manoj Mukund Naravane.

HAL

  • Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company headquartered in Bengaluru, India. It is governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence.
  • Headquarters- Bengaluru, Karnataka.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Chanta Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran win silver at Hungarian Open

  • Indian men’s doubles pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan settled for a silver medal at the ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open after losing the summit clash to German combination of Benedikt Duda and Patrick Franziska at Budapest 5-11, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11.

India’s 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh wins 34th Cannes Open

  • In Chess, India’s 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh emerged champion in the 34th Cannes Open in France. Gukesh defeated Harutyun Bargseghyan of the host nation in the final round to end with 7.5 points. Gukesh, who last year became the world’s second youngest Grandmaster ever, beat the Frenchman in 50 moves to emerge clear winner

India wins one silver, two bronze medals in Asian Wrestling Championships

  • India won one silver and two bronze medals on concluding day of Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi . In 74 kilogram category India’s Jitender settled for a silver medal following a defeat by defending champion Kazakhstan’s Daniyar Kaisanov 1-3.

 PM Narendra Modi declares first-ever Khelo India University Games open

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared open the first-ever Khelo India University Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium Cuttack in Odisha .
  • With this inauguration, India joined the league of nations where University Games are organized.

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.

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.

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.

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.

J&K bags gold in 6th National Ice Stock sports Championship at Ice Rink in Gulmarg

  • In Jammu and Kashmir, the hosts bagged gold medal in the 6th National Ice Stock Sports Championship organized at Ice Rink in Gulmarg. Two hundred participants from 18 different states across the country participated in the three-day event .

AITA selection committee keep Leander Paes in playing squad against Croatia

  • The All India Tennis Association (AITA) Selection Committee decided to keep veteran Leander Paes in the five-member playing squad for the upcoming Davis Cup tie against Croatia, making Divij Sharan the reserve member.
  • Sumit Nagal, Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Ramkumar Ramanathan are the singles players in the squad while Paes and Rohan Bopanna will do the doubles duty. AITA had to send its final squad to the International Tennis Federation

Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 to be held in Chandigarh, says Punjab Sports Minister

  • The events of the shooting and archery as part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games-2022 will be held in Chandigarh. Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi informed this during Zero Hour in Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Five-Time Grand Slam Champion Maria Sharapova Retires From Tennis At 32

  • Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova, one of the world’s most recognisable and highest-paid sportswomen, announced her retirement at the age of

STATIC GK:

ICC:

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

All India Tennis Association:

  • President: Praveen Mahajan
  • Founded: March 1920
  • Affiliation: International Tennis Federation
  • Headquarters: R.K. Khanna Tennis Complex, Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Former India footballer Ashok Chatterjee passes away

  • Former India footballer Ashok Chatterjee, who was a part of the country’s bronze-medal winning teams in the Merdeka Cup in 1965 and 1966, passed away.

Krishna Bose, former Jadavpur MP and TMC leader passes away

  • Academic-turned-politician Krishna Bose passed away due to age-related ailments. She was 89.
  • Bose, the former Trinamool Congress MP from the Jadavpur constituency

Former Karnataka Minister C Chennigappa passes away 

  • Former Karnataka Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader C Chennigappa passed away at the age of 70.
  • Chennigappa was Forest Minister in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2006.

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.

Hosni Mubarak: Former Egyptian passes away

  • Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has passed away at the age of 91.
  • He served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011.
  • Before entering politics, Mubarak served in the Egyptian Air Force.

Pioneering NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson dies at 101

  • Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who calculated rocket trajectories and earth orbits for NASA’s early space missions and was later portrayed in the 2016 hit film “Hidden Figures,” about pioneering black female aerospace workers, has died. She was 101.
  • Former Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK MLA KPP Samy passes away
  • Former Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK MLA KPP Samy passed away.
  • The lawmaker, who represented the Thiruvottiyur state Assembly constituency.

Centenarian scholar, freedom fighter Sudhakar Chaturvedi passes away

  • Veteran freedom fighter, Vedic scholar and centenarian Pundit Sudhakar Chaturvedi, who is said to be the oldest Indian, passed away at the age of 123 years.
  • He has penned over 50 books in Sanskrit, Kannada, Hindi and English and has interpreted Vedas in 20 volumes.

Eminent historian Shadakshari Settar passes away 

  • Renowned historian 85-years old Prof Shadakshari Settar (S Settar) passed away.
  • He worked as a professor in Dharwad, served as director of National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology.

JD(U)’s Vamikinagar MP Baidyanath Prasad Mahto passes away 

  • Janata Dal(United)’s Lok Sabha Member Baidyanath Prasad Mahto from Vamikinagar Parliamentary Constituency passed away evening while undergoing treatment at AIIMS in Delhi.
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