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FEBRUARY 2020
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MPPSC 2020 PRELIMS MADHYA PRADESH NEWS
MP won 1st place for implementation of PMMVY; Indore topped for better performance On February 03, 2020, Madhya Pradesh (MP) state won the 1st position for its implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). Union Minister of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) Smt Smriti Zubin Irani presented the award to MP where the award was received by Madhya Pradesh’s MoWCD Imarti Devi and Principal Secretary Anupam Rajan. Indore (Madhya Pradesh) has also won 1st place for better performance in PMMVY. Best performers >1 crore population: MP was followed by Andhra Pradesh and Haryana in the 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Best performers <1 crore population: Among states/UTs having less than 1 crore population, Dadra & Nagar Haveli ranked 1st. It was followed by Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh in the 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
State/UT with >1 crore State/UT with < 1 District with >1 Districts with <1 crore Rank population crore population crore population population 1 Madhya Pradesh Dadra & Nagar Haveli. Indore (Madhya Pradesh) Serchhip (Mizoram)
Unain (Himachal 2 Andhra Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh) Pradesh)
South Salmara 3 Haryana Chandigarh Mankachar(Assam) Puducherry
1st edition of “Nimad Chilli Festival 2020” begins at Kasrawad in Khargone district,Madhya Pradesh; Mascot named “chilli chacha” released 1st edition of 2 day unique initiative “Nimad Chilli Festival 2020” organised by Madhya Pradesh Government begins at Kasrawad in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh(MP) on 29th Feb & 1st Mar 2020. Mascot named “chilli chacha” was released during the festival for better marketing the famous spice. “gene bank” will be created to save the original varieties of chillies grown in the region. This festival is locally called ‘Mirch Mahotsav’. Objective – The aim of this festival is to promote Chilli production & Chilli based industries in the state & especially to promote Nimari brand of chillies in India & abroad. The festival is a big opportunity for traders, investors, exporters & scientists as there will be Lectures, workshops, Seminars about new development in chilli farming & opportunities in chilli based Industries, & agriculture exhibition will also be showcased. The festival will help to fulfill the Central Government’s goal of doubling the income of farmers. Chilli-based cuisine stalls will be set up & cultural programs will be held. One of the largest producers & Chilli Mandi in the country is Khargone(District in Nimar region).Nimar & Malwa regions are the highest chilli producing regions in MP. The red chillies of these regions are exported to China, Pakistan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
Amarkantak Narmada Mahotsav 2020 Madhya Pradesh(MP) Government conducts the Amarkantak Narmada Mahotsa 2020 from 31st January to 2nd February 2020 in the beautiful plains of Amarkantak,MP during Narmada Jayanthi. Narmada: The Narmada is a major source of drinking water, irrigation & hydroelectricity for Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat Among 3 days of celebration one day will be reserved for all women activities under the theme of “Beti Bachao- Beti Padhao”. Light and sound show based on the life of Maa Narmada will be organized. The rich cultural heritage of the region, art & agricultural products like the healthy Kodo-rice etc., will be
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demonstrated before the public during the Mahotsav function. State animal– Barasingha State flower– Sacred Tree State tree– Banyan State bird– Indian paradise flycatcher
Madhya Pradesh becomes the 1st state to launch unified vehicle registration card & 2nd to launch unified driving license On February 25, 2020 Madhya Pradesh(MP) Government launched a unified vehicle registration card becoming the 1st state to introduce & 2nd state to launch the unified driving license after Uttar Pradesh. The objective of the card is to provide unified smart cards for driving license & vehicle registration with QR code. Chief Minister (CM)Kamal Nath gave away the unified cards, which include registration card & driving license to 6 persons. MP is the first state to issue both smart cards together.
MP government hikes the honorarium of Musilm clerics Government of Madhya increased (more than double) the honorarium paid to Muslim clerics and muezzins in the State. Approval was made by the CM of MP . i. The hike of the honorarium of imams is from ₹2,200 to ₹5,000 per month & their deputies – muezzins – from ₹1,900 to ₹4,500 a month. ii. This hike is recommended by Minister of Minority Affairs Arif Aqueel.
Matru Vandana Saptah (MVS): The second category of awards was announced for performance by States/ UTs during the Matru Vandana Saptah (MVS) held from 2nd to 8th December 2019. The objective of MVS was to increase implementation of the PMMVY and create a healthy competition amongst States/ UTs. The theme of the Saptah was “towards building a healthy nation – Surakshit Janani, Viksit Dharini”. > 1 crore population: Among the States/ UTs having more than 1 crore population, Andhra Pradesh was ranked 1st and was followed by Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh in the 2nd and 3rd place respectively. <1 crore population: Among the States/ UTs having less than 1 crore population, Dadra & Nagar Haveli ranked first, and was followed by Sikkim and Manipur in the second and 3rd place respectively. Beneficiaries: Around 1.28 crore beneficiaries received DBT amounting to a total of Rs. 5280 crore. During the MVS from 2nd-8th December 2019, 2.78 lakh applications were received on a single day. The efficiency of programme implementation also improved to 90% in 2019 from 38% in 2018. WCD aims to achieve 100% target in 2020. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: o Aim: The aim of the scheme is to provide incentives of Rs. 5,000 for the loss of wages of working women while ensuring proper rest and nutrition during pregnancy or after delivery of the first living child. The incentive will be sent to the bank account directly through Direct Benefit Transfer(DBT). o Cash incentive: The incentive of Rs 5000 is given in 3 installments. o The first installment is Rs 1000 and will be given on early registration of pregnancy at the Anganwadi Centre (AWC) / approved Health facility. o The second installment is Rs 2000 which will be given after 6 months of pregnancy on receiving at least one ante- natal check-up (ANC). o The third and final installment is Rs. 2000 which will be given after child birth is registered. Beneficiaries in MP: More than 14 lakh 55 thousand beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh have been registered under the scheme where 13.40Lakh women have been given the 1st installment amount, 2nd installment to around 12 lakh beneficiaries and 3rd installment to around 8.80 lakh beneficiaries.
NTPC and CPCB signed MoU to set up air quality monitoring stations in 6 States & 3 UTs On February 26, 2020 State run power-giant NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) to provide financial support for installation & commissioning of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS). The data collected from these stations will be used as inputs for Air Quality Index evaluation for the respective
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cities. The MoU was signed by Prashant Gargava, CPCB, Member Secretary and Ravi V Babu, General Manager (Corporate Environment Management), NTPC.
MP CM Inaugurates National Water Conference at Bhopal On February 11,2020, The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Kamal Nath has inaugurated the National water conference at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The conference is being held to finalize the guidelines of “Right to Water Act” or “Water Rights Act” and also discussed the water crisis in the state and also making the state a water-rich state. Madhya Pradesh government has announced that it will implement the Right to water act soon, then it will be First state in the country to implement such an act. The conference held with four sessions are Importance of Traditional water bodies structure, right to water-role of multi stakeholders approach, MP river rejuvenation campaign and last session is about open discussion. State water resources Minister Shri Sukhdev Panse and Jal Purush or “waterman of India” Rajendra Singh were also present in the conference.
MP tops in the list of outgoing patients for treatment under PM-JAY: NHA On February 25, 2020,According to the analysis carried out by the National Health Authority (NHA) on the portability feature of the Narendra Modi government’s flagship insurance scheme, PM-JAY -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (generally referred to as the Ayushman Bharat) availed by 81,254 patients, People can seek treatment in other states under the PM-JAY, and MP(Madhya Pradesh) tops the list for outgoing patients at a number of at least 11,765. It sends its patients to Gujarat, where People has been treated under ‘portability’ option, which allows patients to go to the best hospital in any state to avail of free treatment. As per the analysis, MP has been followed by UP(Uttar Pradesh), which has sent 4,288 patients to Uttarakhand, and 3,572 patients to Maharashtra.While Bihar, in turn, has sent 3,258 patients to UP.The states of MP & UP contribute nearly half of portability cases by volume and value. According to the telephonic survey conducted on 938 PM-JAY beneficiaries showed that up to 70 % of patients have reported that they are going for portability due to lack of required facilities in home states, whereas 20 % stated that they were referred to other states, which suggests unavailability of manpower and infrastructure facilities. iii.A majority of patients have chosen Gujarat for cardio-thoracic, vascular and neurosurgery as also for cancer care – medical oncology and paediatric cancer, interventional neuroradiology, burns management and poly- trauma. The patients are mostly travelling from UP’s Bijnor and Saharanpur; MP’s Ratlam, Dhar, Mandsaur and Jhabua; Jharkhand’s Garhwa districts; and the union territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli to NHCPs; Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Valsad in Gujarat; Dehradun in Uttarakhand; Varanasi in UP; and Nagpur and Mumbai in Maharashtra. The average treatment cost under portability option is ₹24,103,which is almost double the average national amount of ₹13,499. While in case of treatment under National Health Care Providers (NHCP), this amount increases to ₹39,028 per patient.
NCAER releases India’s 1st NCAER land records and services index 2020: MP emerges as top performer, Ladakh at bottom On February 27, 2020,According to the 1st edition of NCAER Land Records and Services Index (N-LRSI 2019- 20) released by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) , Madhya Pradesh (MP) emerged as the best performing state in terms of digitising land records with the score of 74.9.It was followed by Odisha (67.5points) and Maharashtra (65.3 points). While Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh ranked at bottom at 33rd position with a score of 2.0. NCAER Land Record Services Index (N-LRSI) 2019-20 ranking: Rank State/Union Score Territory 1 Madhya Pradesh 74.9 2 Odisha 67.5
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3 Maharashtra 65.3 33rd Ladakh 2
1 in 3 payments for maternity benefit scheme ‘PMMVY’ credited to wrong account: NITI Aayog report On February 23, 2020, According to “Transforming Nutrition in India: Poshan Abhiyan”, a 2nd progress report on Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyaan (Nutrition Mission) until September 2019, released by the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, worryingly 1 in 3 of Aadhaar-based payments for Centre’s maternity benefit scheme/ Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) was credited to a wrong bank account. As per the report, 28% of 31.29 lakh of all Aadhaar-based payments are going to different bank accounts than what had been provided by the beneficiaries.
Ranking of the states: The report also ranked states & Union Territories to measure their readiness to execute the programme across 4 themes: governance and institutional mechanism; strategy and planning; service delivery and capacities; and programme activities and intervention coverage. The States were classified into large and small categories for a better comparison.Among the 19 large States, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh scored the top 3 ranks with the scheme implementation score of over 70%. While, Among the 8 small States, Mizoram and Sikkim scored above 75%. Similarly, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Chandigarh, and Daman and Diu scored above 75% & got top 3 spot among 7 Union Territories list. Top 3 states in the ranking Rank Large States (19) Small States (8) Union Territories (7) 1 Andhra Pradesh Mizoram Dadra and Nagar Haveli 2 Chhattisgarh Sikkim Chandigarh 3 Madhya Pradesh Nagaland Daman and Diu Bottom 3 states in the ranking
Karnataka- 17th Tripura-6th Andaman and Nicobar Islands-5th Assam-18th Manipur-7th Delhi-6th Kerala -19th Goa-8th Lakshadweep-7th
Loan of Rs. 9 crore of 1221 farmers waived in Raghogarh The Minister for Urban Development and Housing Jaivardhan Singh distributed the loan waiver certificates to the farmers, in a programme held in Raghogarh tahsil of Guna district. Loans worth Rs. 9 crore 7 lakh of 1221 farmers have been waived under the Jai Kisan Fasal Wrin Maafi Yojana.
CM Shri Kamal Nath to address Industrial Round Table Conference Chief Minister held a round table conference in New Delhi today with the state government to encourage industry units in discussions with the heads of major industry units of textile and apparel and food processing sectors. Informed about the decisions taken. He said that industries with investment of less than Rs 100 crore but employing more than 500 people in Madhya Pradesh will be included in the category of 'mega industry' and they will get the necessary package. Immediate clearances and licenses for 40 services will be mandated within seven days to boost investment. The deemed acceptance granted by the Investment Portal will be treated as equivalent to the actual acceptance / sanction and shall be legally valid. Apparel units set up outside industrial parks will get incentives under the package being given to the apparel sector.
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Minister Shri Sharma takes part in Leprosy awareness campaign State Health Department said that the intensive screening for leprosy has helped to identify more number of cases and thus better preventive and control measures have been taken against leprosy in the State. A series of activities towards the prevention and control of leprosy have been planned up and intensive screening would be carried out from January 30 to February 13 across the State.
Unani system of medicine has better treatment for complex diseases Public Relations Minister has said that better treatment of complex diseases is possible with Unani system of medicine. He was addressing the Unani-Day celebration (Feb 11) and National Seminar at Gandhi Medical College. He congratulated the physicians and students on Unani Medicine Day. Doctors and a large number of students of Unani Medicine course were present on the occasion.
World Unani Day is a global event taking place every year on February, 11th, which is the birthday of great Unani scholar and social reformer “Hakim Ajmal Khan”
Bawadiakalan Railway Over-bridge to be dedicated today The Minister for General Administration and Cooperative Dr. Govind Singh dedicated the long awaited Railway Over Bridge, constructed over Bawadiakalan level crossing. It is to be highlighted that the 820 meter long and 15 meter broad railway over bridge, built at a cost of Rs. 33 crore will facilitate about 2 lakh people to get rid of traffic jam at the Bawadiakalan railway gate. Besides, relief to the residents of the colonies situated on Hoshangabad Highway, the railway over bridge will also provide convenient movement to vehicles coming from Misrod, Mandideep and Hoshangabad.
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Perishable Commodity Hub to be set up in Indore-Bhopal to promote Fruits and Vegetables export The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday announced investments worth over Rs 3,000 crore by private firms in the state, with a potential to generate employment opportunities for 14,000 people, according to an official document. The announcement in this regard was made by Madhya Pradesh CM during the textile and garment sector round table. The highest investment of Rs 3,000 crore with employment generation potential for 10,000 people was announced by Trident Group.
Energy Minister Shri Singh inaugurates Aajivika Outlet in Jabalpur Minister for Energy and District In-Charge, inaugurated the ‘Kritika Aajivika Outlet' at the Collectorate premises in Jabalpur. This outlet has been built for display and sale of products of women self-help groups. Singh also saw various materials made by self-help groups. Minister Singh also inaugurated the Indian Coffee House in the Collector’s office premises.
Sarni Power House set record for constant electricity production Unit 10 and 11 of Power House Number-4 of Satpura Thermal Power Plant- Sarni of Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company, have created a new record by producing electricity in 100 days constantly from November 6 to February 14. Each unit is of 250 MW Energy Minister Priyavrat Singh has congratulated the entire staff of Sarni Power House on this achievement. He told them to work like this in future also to establish new dimension of production. It is to be noted that power generation from both the units is going on continuously. The plant load factor (PLF) of Sarni Power House No. 4 was 90.16 and the plant availability factor (PAF) was 101.17 percent during this period.
M.P. becomes first state to implement Community based Nutrition Management Madhya Pradesh is the first state of the country, where the Community based Nutrition Management (C-SAM) has been launched in the form of a campaign for the severe malnourished children. The campaign will be implemented in two phases. Under the first phase, the work in 97 thousand 135 aaganwadis of the state for identifying serious malnourished children is underway till February 20. The Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Imarti Devi, informing about the Departmental Action Plan-2020, said that the centre based 5-day health checkup camps will be organized and medicines will be given under the second phase. Under this phase, besides monitoring of nutrition till 12 weeks, observation, consultation and village health, sanitation as well as monthly health checkup on nutrition days and checking of nutrition will be held.
Governor greets Padmashri Bashir Badr on his birthday Governor Lalji Tandon greeted and congratulated renowned poet Padmashri Bashir Badr at his residence on the latter's 85th birthday. The Governor presented him with shawl and bouquet.
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13 Barasinghas sent to Satpura Tiger Reserve from Kanha Madhya Pradesh forest department has shifted 13 endangered Barasinghas (swamp deer) from the Kanha Tiger Reserve to the Satpura Tiger Reserve Barasingha"--the state animal of Madhya Pradesh--is categorised as "extinct". It is found only in the Kanha Tiger Reserve. In order to raise their population they were shifted successfully to Bhopal's National Van Vihar and Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR), where their numbers are increasing Earlier, 33 swamp deer were translocated to Satpura as part of the conservation programme
Minister Shri Sharma takes meeting in Gufa Mandir, Bhopal on the occassion of Mahashivratri.
Minister Shri Patwari dedicates Alampur College Building The Minister for Higher Education Shri Jeetu Patwari and Minister for General Administration Dr. Govind Singh dedicated building of Government Graduate College, Alampur, built at a cost of Rs. 6 crore 50 lakh
Make action plan for bamboo production in degraded forests, barren land and fields Chief Minister said that a time-bound action plan should be prepared for bamboo production in degraded forest areas, barren land and fields of farmers to provide employment through promoting bamboo industry. Chief Minister said that bamboo production should be encouraged in degraded forest areas and on revenue fallow lands. He said that the Forest Department should plan the proposed work area for bamboo production with the participation of farmers in the private sector and the time frame for its implementation should be fixed. CM said that there is a huge employment potential in the bamboo industry. This can provide employment to a large number of people in rural and tribal areas.
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State level committee constituted to formulate New Textile policy The State Government has constituted a State-level committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary to give suggestions for formulating new Textile policy. As per the order issued by the General Administration Department, the committee will work with an aim to implement integrated development schemes and programmes of Textile Ministry of Government of India to provide job opportunities in textile sector to the youth, to modernise the cotton production, spinning, weaving and garment manufacturing industry besides export promotion of textile products.
Revenue Minister Shri Rajput distributes e-Bastas to 34 patwaris Minister for Revenue and Transport in a programme held at the auditorium of Hari Singh Gaur University, distributed laptops containing e-basta to 34 patwaris of Rahatgarh tehsil. He said that patwari is a face of administration, which establishes image of the Government in the people by his/ her ethics and behaviour. He further said that in reality, patwari works as a bridge between government and people in terms of revenue. Minister Rajput said that the Revenue department is now functioning with accuracy with the use of new technology. E-Basta distribution is also a link in this direction. He mentioned that a MOU has been signed by the state government with the Survey of India, in this Seemankan (demarcation) can be done with accuracy with drone and tracking machine though out the year. He asserted that till now, many problems were there in demarcation. Seemankan was possible only during a certain period in a year. He further stated that now with the help of MP Online, one can get copy of Khasra B-1, map and other revenue records at his/her doorsteps online.
Priceless treasure of nature’s beauty - Orchha The debut edition of ‘Namaste Orchha’ celebrated art and heritage in a quaint setting Contemporary art is best appreciated in the context of our rich heritage. The Madhya Pradesh government took care to showcase several magnificent monuments and spots during its two-day extravaganza, Namaste Orchha. The festival started with a commissioned contemporary dance drama by the Delhi-based Sadhya group. The story, they projected, was how Orchha came to be Lord Rama’s kingdom. The 30-minute beautifully choreographed piece narrated the story of the Orchha Queen, who insisted on going to Ayodhya to bring back Lord Rama to Orchha. The depiction of Lord Rama was an ingenious conception, using a puppet to depict the Lord, with a masked face of gold. Aesthetically conceived, the image had a lasting impact. Another lovely touch was lighting up the entire fort wall, which was the backdrop, when Lord Rama is ensconced in the Rani Mahal. The use of light and musical imagery (flute to remind one of Lord Krishna) was interesting; one wished the dance movements had a bit more variety as, towards the end, they tended to be repetitive. This beautiful introductory act, with elegant costumes, set the tone for the festival.
Snippets CM inaugurated Forestry conference on February 22 Draft of investment related Madhya Pradesh Time Bound Clearance Act-2020 approved Salient Features of Madhya Pradesh Film Tourism Policy-2020 released. Installation of Gandhi Pillar mandatory for new university Ministers Shri Jaivardhan Singh and Shri Sachin Yadav distribute Loan Waiver Certificates NCERT syllabus to be implemented in phase manner: Minister Dr. Chowdhary CM to lay foundation stone of Micro Lift Irrigation Project worth Rs. 1085 crore Well thought out plan to be prepared to stop migration and to provide employment in tribal areas Every Urban Body should have Heritage Cell: Shri R. Parshuram Disaster training begins at Raj Bhavan Dahi Micro Lift Irrigation Scheme to be named after Tribal Hero Tantya Bheel M.P. To Become Indias Horticulture Capital - C.M Interpretation centre to be built near Bhimbetka
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Andhra Pradesh flagged off India’s first ‘fruit train’ with bananas India’s first of its kind fruit train was launched from Tadipatri Railway Station in Anantapur district & from Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time an entire train carrying a load of 980 metric tonnes of locally grown bananas has been sent to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNP) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Those bananas will be exported to Iran under the brand name Happy Bananas.
HRD Minister chaired meeting of the INCCU with UNESCO in New Delhi Union Minister (MoHRD) Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired the meeting of Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU) in New Delhi. The national commission consists of members of 5 sub commissions which include Sub Commission for Education, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Communication and Culture.
Indian Navy conducts 5-day coastal security exercise, ‘Matla Abhiyaan’ in Kolkata, West Bengal Indian Navy has carried out 5-day coastal security exercise called, ‘Matla Abhiyaan’ at Sunderban region in Kolkata, West Bengal with the aim to create awareness about the coastal security to the local community & understand the navigational complexities in the Sunderban delta waters.
President of India Inaugurated 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Surajkund, Haryana President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the 34th edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Haryana.The Mela is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.The main motto of this mela is to promote handicrafts, rural crafts, arts and the culture of the country. Himachal pradesh has been chosen as theme state in 34th Surajkund Crafts Mela.
India banned export of all kinds of personal protection equipment Export of all kinds of personal protection equipment, like clothing and masks for protecting people from airborne particles including coveralls and N95 masks were banned by India with immediate effect. The move has been taken assuming that there could be a growing demand for such products due to the recent outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV).
Prakash javadekar inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2020 in New Delhi Shri Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) was inaugurated a 3-day long World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2020 based on the theme “Towards 2030 Goals: Making the Decade Count” at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi from 29-31 January, 2020. The summit was organized by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
Narmada Mahotsav 2020 celebrated at Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh (MP) Madhya Pradesh (MP) Government conducts the Amarkantak Narmada Mahotsa 2020 from 31st January to 2nd February 2020 in the beautiful plains of Amarkantak, MP during Narmada Jayanthi. Among 3 days of celebration one day will be reserved for all women activities under the theme of “Beti Bachao- Beti Padhao”. The Narmada is a major source of drinking water, irrigation & hydroelectricity for Madhya Pradesh & Gujarat.
DST launches SATHI initiative to address need for building strong science & technology infrastructure DST (Department of Science and Technology) that works under the Ministry of Science and Technology has launched a special scheme called “Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI)” with the aim to create shared, professionally managed and strong Science and Technology infrastructure in India. The SATHI scheme will enable academia, start-ups, manufacturing, industry and R&D labs to offer high-end analytical testing.
Lakh people trained under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana from2016-20 As on January 17, 2020 approximately 73.47 lakh candidates were provided skilling under Short Term Training
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(STT) courses and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) across India from 2016-2020 under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). It is a flagship program under the Skill India Mission of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSD&E). Post placement support of Rs. 1500 per month per trainee will be given for special groups & special areas for 2 or 3 month after the training.
India’s biggest rural technical festival ‘Antahpragnya 2020’ in telangana India’s biggest rural technical festival ‘Antahpragnya 2020’ was held in Rajiv Gandhi University of knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Basar, Nirmal district, Telangana and the festival was inaugurated by M Prashanthi, District Collector of Nirmal, Telangana. The theme for the year 2020 was “Spot and encourage rural tech innovators”. RGUKT was the first institute to implement Block-chain Technology.
India &Norway signed 4 MoUs in field of research, higher education India and Norway signed 4 MoUs (A Memorandum of Understandings) in the field of research and higher education to strengthen their bilateral partnership. The agreements were led by Anni Line Wold, Norway Director-General, Norwegian Ministry of Education & Research and witnessed by Hans Jacob Frydenlund Norwegian Ambassador to India at New Delhi, India.
MSME implemented new scheme SFURTI to set up traditional industries clusters Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) implemented a new scheme named “Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries”(SFURTI). Under this scheme, financial support will be given to set up traditional industries clusters viz. Khadi, Coir & Village industries clusters. Rs 2.3 crores has been sanctioned for the SFURTI scheme in the budget 2020.It's objective is to set up Traditional industries in India in a period of 5 years and make the industries more profitable.
Greenbone Sustainable Resilience data: Maharashtra tops States hit by global medical data leak According to the recent report published by German cybersecurity firm Greenbone Sustainable Resilience, Maharashtra topped among the Indian states which has been hit by global medical data leak. The analysis was made after data of around 120 million Indian patients were leaked and made freely available on the internet. Maharashtra had 3,08,451 data leaks giving access to 6,97,89,685 images followed by Karnataka in 2nd place with 1,82,865 data leaks giving access to 1,37,31,001 images.
SC directs States to notify setting up ‘Gram Nyayalayas’ within 4 weeks The Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Justice Nuthalapati Venkata (NV) Ramana has directed the state governments to issue notifications for establishing mobile village courts called “Gram Nyayalayas” within 4 weeks. It also asked the High Courts (HC) to speed up consultation with department concerned on the matter. Gram Nyayalayas are mobile village courts established as per Gram Nyayalayas Act,2008 to provide speedy & ensure justice to rural poor at their doorsteps.
PM Modi announced 15-member trust named ‘Sri Ram Janma Bhoomi Tirtha Kshetra trust’ for Ayodhya temple Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Parliament about the formation of a trust to oversee the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. In this regard, 67.703 acres of land near the temple area has been allocated to the trust. The trust has been set up on the lines of Supreme Court direction to the central government in November 2019 to formulate a scheme with necessary provisions for the setting up of a trust within three months for the construction of the temple.
Union cabinet approves relaxation of rules to Alliance Air in operating flights between India & Sri Lanka The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) Shri Narendra Modi, has approved exemptions in Air India’s subsidiary- Alliance Air for the operation of international flights between India & Sri Lanka with prior effect by waiving the rule that an airline needs to have minimum 20 aircraft to operate internationally. This was done due to India and Sri Lanka are closely linked with each other & both the nations aim to increase people-to- peoplecontact.
Only 7 in 100 anganwadi beneficiaries are in urban areas According to the government’s response to a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed that for every 100 anganwadi (or day-care centre) beneficiaries in India, only 7 belong to urban areas. This shows poor coverage by the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in urban areas implemented by the Ministry of Women and
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Child Development (WCD).
India signs 1st ever term contract with Russia for Importing Russian Crude Oil The union cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Petroleum and natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan signed the 1st ever term contract with Mr. Igor Sechin, Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) and Chairman of Rosneft (Russia’s largest oil producing Company). The term contract is between State-Owned Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Rosneft for Importing 2 Million Metric Tonnes of Urals grade crude oil to India for the year 2020. India is the 3rd largest Energy Consumer in the world, India imports globally 83% of oil to meet its oil need.
Soil health card cuts fertiliser use by 10%: NPC study According to a study conducted by the National Productivity Council (NPC), a national level organization to promote productivity culture in India, the impact of Soil Health Card recommendations has led to a decrement of 8 – 10 % in use of chemical fertilizers as well as increased the productivity by 5 – 6%. Soil Health Card scheme was launched by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi Government during the financial year-FY 2014-15 to deal with the decline of soil nutrients.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced to create 10 more Defence Attache posts Union Minister of Defence (MoD) Shri Rajnath Singh has announced to create 10 more defence attaches (DA) posts to 10 different countries. This has been done to strengthen India’s defence diplomacy. The govt has announced a new scheme to promote defence exports through these DAs. Funds have been allocated to promote exports to 34 countries. Aprt from this, new offices have been opened by the defence Public Sector Units (PSU) for liaison officers in different countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and Oman.
MoFPI sanctioned 39 Mega Food Parks & 298 Integrated Cold Chain Projects under PMKSY The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has sanctioned 39 Mega Food Parks and 298 Integrated Cold Chain Projects in India inorder to fill the gaps across value chain and also to establish Cold Chain Grid. The foodparks and the cold chain projects have been sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY). PMKSY aims to prevent post-harvest losses of horticulture and non- horticulture produce through creation of cold storages/ primary processing/ and transportation facilities across the country.
Around 38 Cr bank accounts opened under PMJDY till January 2020 : Finance ministry According to the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Singh Thakur, bank accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) have registered around 38 crore till January 2020. PMJDY was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 August 2014 to ensure affordable access to banking schemes to weaker sections and low-income groups. PMJDY accounts have “No minimum balance” requirement. It offers an overdraft (OD) limit of Rs 10,000 & free accident insurance cover of Rs 2lakh.
FICCI &Central Asian countries jointly launches India-Central Asia business council in New Delhi In order to boost business & economy, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) together with 5 of the biggest industry bodies of Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan ) launched the India-Central Asia Business council in New Delhi. External Affairs minister (EAM) Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs,Vikas Swarup were also present at the launch.The council is the result of India & Central Asian dialogue held in Samarkand, January 2019.
Financial closure of Arun-III hydropower project inked b/w India and Nepal The Arun-3 hydropower project, the largest Indian-backed project in Nepal, secured NPR(Nepaleses rupee) 100 Billion for the 900 MW (mega watt) hydropower project being built on the Arun River in Nepal’s Sankhuwasabha District. India’s Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Arun-III Power Development Company, the developer of the Arun-III hydropower project has signed the financial closure of the project with 7 banks in Kathmandu, Nepal. The agreement was signed between 5 Indian Banks- State Bank of India(SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), Canara Bank, Axim Bank and Union Bank of India (UBI) & 2 banks from Nepal -Everest Bank and NABIL Bank to invest 8598 Crore (NPR), 1536 Crore (NPR) respectively for the project that is expected to generate power by2023.
Railway Line between India and Bangladesh project to End by2021 The 15.6km long railway line between Agartala, India (Tripura)-Akhaura in Bangladesh will be completed by September 2021, these railway routes will improve connectivity between Indian Railways and Bangladesh Railways and will boost trade between the two countries. The project started in
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January 2010 during the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheik Hasina’s visits to India. Rs.580 cores have been sanctioned for the Indo-Bangla railway link in the Indian side. The process of acquisition of land for this project has been done and handed over to IRCON (Indian Railway Construction Company Limited) who is the Executing agency for the construction of the project for both countries.
Uttarakhand’s iconic Lakshman Jhula to be replaced by India’s first Glass floor bridge Uttarakhand government has cleared the design of a glass floor suspension bridge, the first of its kind in the country, to be built across Ganga River in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand as a replacement to iconic Lakshman Jhula which was closed in 2019 due to safety reasons. It has been in place for 94 years. The glass floor suspension bridge design is prepared by Public Works Department (PWD).It will be safe for commutation for at least 150 years.
22nd edition of India International Seafood Show (IISS) 2020 commenced in Kochi, Kerala A 3-day long 22nd edition of India International Seafood Show (IISS), 2020 based on the theme “Blue Revolution- Beyond Production to Value Addition” has commenced at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Kochi, Kerala. The show is being organized jointly by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry & the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI). As India is the second largest aquaculture producer in the world, it had set the target of seafood export at $10 billion by this year (i.e 2020).
For the first time in MP, drones are used for mapping villages Madhya Pradesh (MP) government, for the first time, will use drones for mapping villages. This will replace the land survey work, done either manually or with the help of satellite images. In this regard, state revenue department inked an agreement with Survey of India, the country’s national mapping agency under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Maharashtra registers maximum number of missing women in 2018, MP tops in missing children: NCRB report According to the report on ‘missing women and children in India’ released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analyzing crime data, The highest number (33,964) of women who go missing in India are from Maharashtra & and the number of missing children are maximum (10, 038) in the State of Madhya Pradesh(MP) in the year 2016, 2017 &2018.
Overview of UNESCO DG Audrey Azoulay three day visit to India from Feb 4-6,2020 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director-General Audrey Azoulay arrived in New Delhi, India on a three-day visit till Feb 6, 2020 to boost strategic partnership in the areas of heritage, education and artificial intelligence. India is one of UNESCO’s founding members. This was her first official visit to India after appointed as the DG of UNESCO. Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank who heads the Indian National Commission for Co-operation with UNESCO, met the DG UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay in New Delhi. During the meet Operational Agreement signed for extending the presence of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) for a further period of 5 years. During her visit to Rajasthan, she presented the World Heritage City certificate to Minister of Urban Development Shanti Dhariwal.
Sum of Rs 6,717.18 crore released under Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme between FY16 and FY20 During the period of 2015-16 to 2019-20, the Centre has released a total of Rs 6,717.18 crore under the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS). A total of 9,641 applications, covering employment of 2.86 lakh persons and investment of Rs. 40026.5 crore submitted by textile units, have been issued with UIDs (unique identification numbers) till January 2020. Under this scheme, the government provides credit linked capital investment subsidy (CIS) to every eligible individual entity (not the unit) with aim of 'Make in India' and 'Zero Defect and Zero Effect' in manufacturing.
Hyderabad Metro Rail becomes Country’s 2nd Largest Operational Metro Project Chief Minister of Telangana Mr. K.Chandrashekhar Rao flagged off new Metro line from Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) connecting twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad on the stretch of 11-kms (Kilometers) becomes India’s 2nd largest Metro Rail Network of total operational distance of 69.2kms, only next to Delhi Metro Rail Network having an operational distance of 231kms. Hyderabad Metro Rail Project constructed by LARSEN & TOUBRO becomes the world’s largest Public-Private partnership (PPP) project with a
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total cost of Rs. 20,000 crores.
DPIIT releases quality order for LPG rubber hose Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has notified Quality Control norms for LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) Rubber Hose to be effective from August1, 2020. The norms mandated that rubber hoses used for domestic, commercial and industrial applications should conform to IS 9573. These norms will boost technical regulations, including safety and quality standards & in turn will reduce the imports of those non-essential items.
LPG coverage reached 96.9 % as on Jan 1, 2020: Dharmendra Pradhan According to the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri.Dharmendra Debendra Pradhan, a total of about 27.5 crore LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) or cooking gas connections are in India & out of this, 8 crore connections have been provided under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme. Also the LPG coverage has reached 96.9 % as of January 1, 2020. Only last 5 years has increased the coverage to 75%.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs pairs up 20 best performing smart cities with poorly performing 20 cities The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has paired up the 20 best performing cities with the 20 bottom cities. The top 20 smart cities of the country will work as “sister city” & tasked to make the most backward 20 cities as smart cities.Under the mission, 100 selected smart cities have identified 5151 projects worth Rs 2,05,018 crore. As per the internal rankings, 20 best performing cities are – Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Ranchi, Udaipur, Nagpur, Bhopal, Surat, Kanpur, Visakhapatnam, Vellore, Tiruppur, Vadodara, Nashik, Agra, Dehradun, Davanagere, Kota, Pune, Indore, and Amravati.
An 18-day Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Campaign begins across India to promote cultural unity An 18-day long “Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Campaign” has commenced across India with the aim of bringing various states into the thread of cultural unity. The campaign organised by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, will continue till 28th February 2020. Under this program, every year one state will choose another state for the promotion of its culture and tourism and the interaction between the two states will be increased by variousmeans.
4th EAS conference on maritime security cooperation 2020 held in Chennai, Tamil NaduA 2-day long 4th edition of EAS (East Asia Summit) Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation 2020 was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) from February 6-7 2020. The conference wasjointlyorganised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India (GoI) in association with the governments of Australia and Indonesia. The knowledge partners of the Conference include National Maritime Foundation (NMF) and the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS). EAS is the Indo-Pacific’s premier forum for strategic dialogue.
BBIN Nations deliberated on MoU to implement Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) member nations discussed the proposed MoU (Member of Understanding), signed on June 15, 2015, to implement Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) for regulation of the passenger, personal & cargo vehicular traffic among the countries. The meeting was held in New Delhi, India. The Indian delegation was led by Vikram Doraiswami, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The next BBIN member nations meeting will be held in May, 2020.
Tripura’s 1st Hornbill festival was celebrated in Tripura on Feb 8, 2020 The Hornbill festival was celebrated for the 1st time in Tripura, Agartala. Chief Minister (CM) Biplab Kumar Dev inaugurated the 2 day hornbill festival at Baramura hill (in western tripura). The aim of the festival is to raise awareness among people for bird conservation & to boost tourism. The Hornbill festival is a celebration held every year from December 1 to 10, in Nagaland, Northeast India. It is also called the ‘Festival of Festivals’
India to host 13th COP of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in Gujarat The Union Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Shri Prakash Keshav Javadekar announced that the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) of Wild
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Animals, an Environment Treaty Supported by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is going to hosted by India at Gandhinagar in Gujarat, from 17th – 22nd February 2020.The Great Indian Bustard (Gibi) is chosen as official Mascot. The theme for the CMS COP 13 in Indiais, “Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them Home”.
First ‘Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival’ will be held in Mumbai on Feb 15 & 16, 2020 The first “Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival” will be held in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, Mumbai, Maharashtra on February 15 & 16, 2020.The festival is organised by the Jerusalem municipality in collaboration with the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai and the Federation of India-Israel Chamber of Commerce. Jerusalem-Mumbai festival provides special links between two cities and also to promote ties between India and Israel and creates a platform for cooperation among artists, tourism, cinema.
Five day 11th edition of the Biennial Mega Defence Exhibition “DefExpo 2020” held in Lucknow, UP from Feb 5 – 9, 2020 The 11th edition of DefExpo-2020, organized by Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence with a support of Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) for the first time from 5th to 9th Feb 2020. It’s main theme was “India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub” with focus on “Digital Transformation of Defence”. This expo is also termed as “Mahakumbh of defence manufacturing companies”. The last two days of the expo was opened for public. 1st India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave 2020 held in Lucknow,UP
5th India-Russia Military Industrial Conference (IRMIC) in Lucknow; 14 MoUssigned UK-India Defence Industry Forum held in Lucknow,UP Bandhan, DefExpo 2020: The MoU signing ceremonyheld Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) launched “Sharang” the 155mm artillery gun with 36 km range and handed over a model to Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Gen Manoj MukundNaravane. DRDO has started developing a 200-km strike range tactical ballistic missile ‘Pranash’, which would be armed with conventionalwarheads.
2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2020 held at Bhubaneswar, Odisha; inaugurated by Naveen Patnaik The “2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2020 (BIMSTEC DMEx-2020)” was held at Bhubaneswar/Puri, Odisha from 11-13 February, 2020 with themes “A cultural heritage site that suffers severe damage in the Earthquake” & “Flooding or Storm”. Organized by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), on behalf of the Government of India, BIMSTEC DMEx-2020 was inaugurated by Chief Minister Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik on Feb 11, 2020. While Minister of State (Home), Nityanand Rai launched field training exercise scheduled on 12th February, 2020 at Ramachandi Beach, District-Puri, Odisha. The first similar kind of exercise took place in 2017. It was attended by Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Bhutan and Thailand were not participated in the exercise.
20th ‘Hunar Haat’ 2020 held in New Delhi The 20th ‘Hunar Haat’, an initiative of the Minority Affairs Ministry, showcasing handmade indigenous products of master artisans and craftsmen organized from February 13-23, 2020 based onthe theme of “Kaushal Ko Kaam” at India Gate Lawns, Rajpath, New Delhi. The Union Minister for Railways, Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and the Union Minister for Urban Development (Independent Charge), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the festival.
Union health ministry notifies medical devices used on humans and animals into the category of “drugs” In order to ensure all medical devices is of the same standard & quality, the Union Health Ministry has issued a notification declaring all medical devices used on humans or animals as the category of “drugs”. This notification, effective from April 1, 2020, was made in accordance with sub-clause (iv) of clause (b) of section 3 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. So now all imported & indigenously built medical devices sold in India need to ensure clear specific safety and to be verified by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) before they are introduced in the India market. At present, only 23 categories of medical devices can be controlled under the law & 37 more categories of devices will be regulated after the new rule.
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NIFM, Faridabad renamed ‘Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management’ The Government of India decided to rename the National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad, Haryana, as “Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM)”. Late Shri Arun Jaitley, former Union Finance Minister & Padma Vibhushan awardee oversaw the introduction of GST (Goods and Services Tax) which brought the country under one tax regime, merger of railway budget with general budget, introduction of the Insolvency & Bankruptcy code etc.
Kerala to hosts Intl conference on Climate change & Ocean health “CLIMFISHCON-2020” The “CLIMISHCON” is a Four-day International Conference on changes in Hydrological cycle, Ocean ecosystem, Fisheries and Food security due to Global climate change with the theme ‘Climate Change- Effective Adaptation for a Secure Future’. And the conference is going to be held at the Le Meridian Convention center in Kochi, Kerala from February 11 to February 14, 2020. .The conference is jointlyorganized by the Department of Fisheries, Kerala and the CUSAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology) School of Industries Fisheries.
Mumbai to get India’s largest air quality monitoring network The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will develop an air quality monitoring network across 90 locations in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It will be the largest network in India. The new project is led by Non- Government Organisation (NGO) Conservation Action Trust (CAT) & partnered by pan-India air pollution research groups Respirer Living Sciences Private Limited (UrbanSciences) and Urban Emissions. The project will be completed within next 5 years, funded by BMC and private organisations. At present, Mumbai has 30 air quality monitoring stations: 15 stations come under Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), 10 under System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) and 5 underBMC.
SNA to compile a National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) has collaborated with Zonal Cultural Centers of Culture Ministry to prepare a list of ICH elements for the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The information was provided by the Union Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel. Apart from list of ICH, the establishment of an ‘Indian Institute for Culture’ is at conceptual stage and a mission called National Culture Mapping portal is being conceptualized for aggregating art forms and artists.
India bans E-Cigarettes on Flights and Airports Aviation security regulator the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has issued a circularthat Electronic- Cigarettes and all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) will not be allowed in both domestic and International flights as well as at airports and the order. It was issued with the approval of DG (director general) BCAS, Rakesh Asthana. As per the directions, offenders will be sentenced into prison upto one year and also a fine of Rs. 1 lakh. In case of repeat offenders, jail term is increased to 3 years with Rs. 5 lakhs fine.
MP CM Inaugurates National Water Conference at Bhopal The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Kamal Nath has inaugurated the National water conference at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The conference is being held to finalize the guidelines of “Right to Water Act” or “Water Rights Act” and also to discuss the water crisis in the state and also making the state a water-rich state. Madhya Pradesh government has also announced that it will implement the Right to water act soon, a first state to do so.
Cabinet approval on February 12, 2020 On February 12, 2020, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the following approvals: o Cabinet approves to infuse Rs 2500 crore as capital Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL), National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) and United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL). o Cabinet nod to changes in Vivad se Vishwas Bill to reduce taxlitigations o Cabinet gave approval Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 and Major Ports Authority Bill,2020
Overview of Cabinet approval with foreign countries on February 12, 2020 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister(PM) Shri Narendra Modi approved the following pacts/agreements with the foreign countries on February 12, 2020. o Approval for MoU b/w India & Iceland for sustainable development infisheries o Approval for amendment of agreement with Sri Lanka on double taxation, financial evasion prevention
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INS Jamuna initiated Joint Hydrographic Operations off Sri Lanka Indian Navy’s Sandhayak class Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS (Indian Naval Ship) Jamuna (J16) arrived Colombo, Sri Lanka to carry out Joint Hydrographic Survey off the South West Coast of Sri Lanka. The ship commanded by Captain HA Hardas has been deployed to Sri Lanka based on a mutual agreement.
Amit Shah inaugurated two-day BIMSTEC ‘Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking’, in New Delhi from Feb 13 – 14, 2020 The Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the two-day long BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) ‘Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking’, in New Delhi. It was organized by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Ministry of Home Affairs. This conference was held on the lines of the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 4th BIMSTEC summit in Nepal’s Kathmandu in 2018. o Administrative and operational manuals of NCB released during theoccasion o As per UN’s (United Nations) World Drug Report, over 5% of the global population between 15- 64 years of age is addicted to narcotics and use of illicitdrugs. o Participants: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and different State Governments ofIndia.
Government renames two Famous Institute after Sushma Swaraj The Ministry of External Affairs, announced that two Institutions, The Pravasi BharatiyaKendra and The Foregin Service Institute have been named after former Indian Diplomat Sushma Swaraj for her Invaluable contribution in Public Service. The announcement is being made onher 68th Birth Anniversary falling on February 14, 2020. The Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra a cultural centre, renamed as Sushma Swaraj Bhavan and The Foreign Service Institute where Diplomats are trained, changed into Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.
Gandhinagar railway station in Gujarat to be the 1st in India to add 5-star hotel above the tracks: VK Yadav According to the Chairman of the Indian Railway Board, Sri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Indian Railways has planned to prepare 5- Star Hotel on the tracks in Gandhinagar railway station of Gujarat to give passengers the experience of world class facilities. This will be the first experiment in India. The hotel, being built by the famous hotel chain Leela Group, could be completed by December 2020.
TB notifications to Govt up 38% to 23.98 lakhs in 2019: Ministry of Health and family welfare According to the Vikas Sheel, the Joint Secretary in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Tuberculosis (TB) notifications to the government has been increased to 38%, up from 17.36 lakhs in 2017 to 23.98 lakhs in 2019 Since the launch of the new National Strategic Plan (2017-25). However, this does not mean TB cases are on the rise, but that the government is reaching more TB patients through its efforts & closing the notification gap (between estimated incidence and notified cases), referred earlier asthe ‘missing million’, to less than three lakhs, with the cooperation of private-sector health care providers.
Vietnam’s Vice President visited India from Feb 11 – 13, 2020; holds bilateral level talks with Venkaiah Naidu Vice-President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mrs. Dang Thai Ngoc Thinh paid a 3-day (February 11-13, 2020) visit to India, during which she held bilateral delegation-level talks with Vice President of India, Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu. They agreed to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2016 between the two countries. The Joint Inauguration of the launchof direct flights between India & Vietnam was held at New Delhi. Both sides also inked an agreement to open a resident office of Voice of Vietnam in New Delhi.
Arth-Ganga project to channelize economic activity along Ganga river bank: Shipping ministry According to Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge), Chemical, and Fertilizers, ‘Arth Ganga’ project implies a sustainable development model with a focus on economic activities along its Ganga bank. Cargo volume under this initiative also increased from 30 lakh MT to 70 lakh MT and vessels inflow from 300 to 700.
South Central Railways zone becomes India’s 1st to have energy-neutral stations Indian South Central Railways (SCR) zone becomes India’s first to have 13 energy-neutral stations. The number
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is highest amongst all the zones across the Indian Railways network. These are capable of meeting 100% energy requirements through solar photovoltaic panels which have been commissioned at the station buildings. The total capacity of all the solar panels installed at the 13 energy neutral stations is 99 kWp at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.
Govt amends Arbitration and conciliation act 1996 for making arbitration user friendly The union government has amended the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 by the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Act, 2015 with the aim to make the arbitration process smooth, cost efficient, speedy execution of the case and ensure the mediation of the arbitrator. An amendment to the Act of 1996 will help in achieving the goal of improving institutional arbitration by setting standards. This amendment provides for the creation of an independent institution Arbitration Council of India - ACI.
Nitin gadkari flags off KVIC’s ‘Apiary on wheels’ for bee keeping in New Delhi Nitin Jairam Gadkari, the union minister for Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) flagged off ‘Apiary on Wheels’ in New Delhi in the presence of Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairmanof Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). Apiary on Wheels is a unique concept for easy maintenance of BeeBox and migration of live colonies, designed by KVIC.
15th finance commission forms 5-member panel led by NK singh on defence &Internal security fund The 15th Finance Commission has set up a five-member group led by 15th Finance Commission Chairman, Nand Kishore (NK) Singh to investigate the need for separate arrangements for funding defense and internal security. The panel will comprise the following members: AN Jha, member of the 15th FinanceCommission Ajay Bhalla, Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) Ajay Kumar, Secretary of Ministry of Defence T V Somanathan, ExpenditureSecretary
Nitin Gadkari inaugurated first inter-city electric bus service in Maharashtra Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, inaugurated the first inter-city electric bus service, between Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Pune (Maharashtra). The electric bus has 43 seats manufactured by Mitra Mobility Solution, covers a range of 300 kilometre on single charge & will be operated twice between 2 cities.
Government of India hosts National Organic Food Festival in New Delhi The Government of India (GOI) is to host the National Organic Food festival from February (21 to 23, 2020) at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, India. The festival will be inaugurated by Smt.Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). The 3 day festival is celebrated for the 1st time in order to boost organic products and to promote women entrepreneurship in the area of production & processing of organic products. It’s theme was Unleashing India’s Organic Market Potential. The festival will be organized by (MoFPI) and (MoWCD) Ministry of Women and Child Development.
A 3-day long 17th edition of Bio Asia 2020 held in Hyderabad, Telangana A 3-day long 17th edition of Bio Asia 2020, Asia’s largest Biotechnology and Life Sciences Forum with the theme of ‘Today for Tomorrow’ held in Hyderabad, Telangana. Switzerland was the partner Country for 2020 while Assam, Kerala, Odisha and Gujarat were the partner states. It was organized by Government of Telangana, Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA) with event partners Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC), and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
1st-ever Global investor’s summit 2020 will be held in Jammu & Kashmir The Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) administration is set to host first ever Global Investors Summit-2020 in the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu in the month of April 2020 with the aim to attract investment and industries to J&K. As a part of summit, J&K administration has decided to conduct roadshows at an international level to attract global investors. The preparations are led by chief secretary of the UT of J&K BVR Subrahmanyam with the J&K administration.
Manipur: Seed sowing festival ‘Lui-Ngai-Ni’ celebrated at Ukhrul The Naga tribes of Manipur celebrated seed sowing festival ‘Lui-Ngai-Ni’ at Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) ground
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in Ukhrul, Manipur with theme “Oneness through Culture”. The 2 day festival was inaugurated by N. Kayisii, Manipur’s Minister of Tribal Development while Tamei MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Awangbou Newmai attended the fest as Guest of Honour. The event was organised by the United Naga Council and hosted by the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), an apex body of the Tangkhul community in Manipur.
Overview of PM Modi visit to Varanasi, UP on Feb 16, 2020 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP) his Parliamentary Constituency on the 16th of February 2020. There he participated in the closing ceremony ofthe Centenary Celebrations of Shri Jagadguru Vishwaradhya Gurukul. He also released the translated version of the Shri Siddhant Shikhamani Granth in 19 languages and its mobile app. o PM unveils 63 feet Statue & inaugurated memorial of Pt. DeendayalUpadhyay. o He dedicated 36 developmental projects worth Rs 1254 crore to thenation. o PM Modi flagged off the IRCTC’s (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) Maha Kaal Express through video link. The train will connect 3 Jyotirling Pilgrim Centres – Varanasi, Ujjain andOmkareshwar. o PM Modi inaugurated ‘Kashi Ek Roop Anek’ a cultural arts and handicrafts exhibition in Varanasi.
Overview of Portugal’s President Mr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s 4 day (Feb 13-16) visit to India The President of Portugal Mr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has paid a four days visit to India for the first time from 13-16 February 2020 on the invitation of the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind. He was accompanied by Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Professor Augusto Santos Silva, Secretary of State for Internationalization, Professor Eurico Brilhante Dias and Secretary of State for National Defense, Mr. Jorge Seguro Sanches. The last visit by a President of Portugal (Prof. Anibal Antonio Cavaco Silva) to India was in 2007. o He attended India-Portugal Business Forum in Mumbai,Maharashtra. o A total of 14 MoU inked between India and Portugal including a development of world class National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal,Gujarat. o Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa visited Goa; 3 MoUssigned o Portuguese president inaugurated Cha-Chai art work at National Museum, NewDelhi o Portugal supports New Delhi’s bid for UNSC permanentmembership o Portugal to be India’s partner country at Technology Submit2020
India to get Peninsular & Air Defence Command by next 2021, theatre commands by 2022 In order to deal with future security challenges, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has proposed Peninsular Command by merging Western and the Eastern Command of the Indian Navy. It will be under the operational control of the Navy Chief and will have air assets and support from the army. It will be rolled out by the end of 2021. o Theatre Commands by 2022: Instead of having separate commands for every service, the CDS is working on having a joint or theatre command, by the year 2022, which can carry out all war- fighting formations under a singlecommander. o Air Defence Command by 2021: The other proposed command is the Joint Air Defence Command that will roll out by 2021. It will have air assets such as missiles from the army.
Soil health card scheme completes 5 years on 19 February 2020 According to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Soil Health Card Scheme which was launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on 19.02.2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan completes 5 years on February 19, 2020.Till now, a total of Rs.751.42 crore has been released under the scheme. The soil analyzing capacity has increased to 3.33 crore from 1.78 crore soil samples per annum in short period of 5 years. The scheme was launched with an aim to deal with the decline of soil nutrients.
Sanjay Agarwal inaugurated 4th National Conference on PMFBY in Udaipur, Rajasthan The two-day long 4th National Conference on Review of Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) held in Udaipur, Rajasthan. It was inaugurated by Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the conference saw the participation of 140 members representing different states, banks, insurance companies, RBI (Reserve Bank of India), NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development). PMFBY provides a comprehensive insurance cover to farmers against failure of the crop.
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Bihar to get north India’s first bird ringing station and MoU inked in Gujarat Bihar becomes North India’s first “bird ringing station” for observation, monitoring & research on migratory birds and 4th state in the country after Tamil Nadu (Chennai), Rajasthan (Jaipur) and Orissa (Bhubaneshwar). The bird ringing station will be at Bhagalpur, Bihar, located close to the Ganges & is known to be a favorite destination of migratory birds. The MoU was signed on the occasion of CMS- COP13 (Conservation of Migratory species- conference of parties) or the 13th Conservation of Migratory Species- Conference of Parties held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Delhi-based IGIA becomes 1st single-use plastic-free airport of India According to the GMR Group-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become the 1st airport in India to be completely free of single-use plastic usage. It is inline with India’s target to abolish all single-use plastic from India by 2022.
UP becomes 1st in India to enforce Performance regulation act 2019 for Power department In order to provide timely and hassle-free service to electricity consumers, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state Government led by its Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath has implemented the Performance Regulation Act 2019 for the power department. Consumers will now get financial compensation for delay in resolving their complaints by the department. Breakdown, cable fault, transformer, new connection, meter reading, load reduction or increase time will be determined in this case.
80% Indian bird species population on decline in past 5 yrs: State of India’s Bird 2020 report According to the ‘State of India’s Bird 2020: Range, trends and conservation status’ report launched at the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species ofWild Animals which took place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, around 80 % among 146 species of birds population in India has been on decline in the past 5 years with close to 50% declining strongly & Just over 6% are stable and 14% increasing. The first-of-its-kind analysis was undertaken 10 research and conservation organizations across India. The report stated that the number of India’s national bird, the Indian Peafowl/Peacock, has increased dramatically over the past few decades, while the numbers of vultures and eagles have decreased.
IDSA renamed as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses The Central Government has renamed Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in order to “honour the commitment and legacy” of late Manohar Parrikar. Late Manohar Parrikar was a former defence minister and Padma Bhushan awardee. The Defence Minister chairs the Executive Committee of the IDSA Institute. Late Parrikar was Defence Minister from November 9, 2014 to March 14, 2017 & initiated several reforms in the Ministry. He also served as Chief Minister (CM) of Goa from March 14, 2017 to March 17, 2019.
SC approves permanent commission to women officers in the army The Supreme Court (SC) bench of Justices Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud and AjayRastogi dismissed the central government’s submission that women are physically weaker than men and agreed on Delhi High Court’s decision about eligibility of permanent commission and command post to short service commissioned (SSC) women officers in the army. Women officers in the Indian Military Service are recruited through the Short Service Commission (SSC) and can work in the army for a period of 10 years, extendable up to 14 years. However, they are not given pension even after retirement due to not being able to work for 20 years.
Govt plans to double of Milk processing capacity to 108 million MT by 2025 The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying announced that the Government will facilitate the increase of milk processing capacity to 108 million metric tonne (MT) from 53.5 million metric tonne by 2025. In the last 5 years milk production in India has grown by 6.5%, which has increased from 146.3 million metric tonne in 2014- 2015 to 187.7 million metric tonne in2018-2019.
India & Norway signs LoI for collaboration on blue economy for sustainable development in New Delhi, India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan along with Norway’s Minister for Climate and Environment, H.E. Mr Sveinung Rotevatn have jointly inaugurated the ‘India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development’ at the3rd meeting of the Task Force in New Delhi, India. The 2 countries also signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) & agreed to support and work together on Integrated
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Ocean Management &Research.
AICTE bars universities from offering PGDM and MBA coursessimultaneously AICTE (All Indian Council of Technical Education), has banned all the government & private universities across the country to offer both PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) and MBA (Master of Business Administration) courses simultaneously. The technical and management education regulator of the (HRD) Human Resource Development Ministry announced that PGDM courses can be run by standalone institution, which is neither university nor affiliated to any university, similar to the prestigious (IIMs) Indian Institute of Management.
Overview of President Ram Nath Kovind’s 2- day visit to Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu The president of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind paid a 2-day official visit to Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu from February 17-18, 2020. This was his 1st visit to the Union Territory (UT) of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. He laid the foundation stone and inaugurated various developmental projects at a function held at Swami Vivekanand Stadium in Daman. He also inaugurated the JamporeSea Front Road from Moti Daman Jetty to Jampore Beach and an Ayushman Bharat Wellness Centre in Daman.
India to switch to World’s Cleanest petrol and diesel from April 1, 2020: Bharat Stage(BS)-VI India to switch to World’s cleanest petrol and diesel from April 1, 2020, when it proceeds to Bharat Stage (BS- VI) from BS-IV grades at present. India will join the select League of Nations using petrol & diesel which contains 10ppm (parts per millions) of Sulphur which cuts down vehicular discharge that is stated to be one of the reasons for pollution. Delhi and its surrounding regions supplied BS-VI by April 2019, while the other regions in India will start to supply from April 2020. It took 3 years to change from BS-IV to BS-VI.State-owned oil refineries spent about ₹35,000 crore to upgrade plants that could produce ultra-low sulphur fuel.
Report “Today for tomorrow: realising the potential of Life Sciences 4.0” released at 17th BioAsia 2020 in Hyderabad, Telangana BioAsia 2020 was held at the life science capital of India i.e. Hyderabad, Telangana from 17th- 19th February, 2020 on the theme “Today for Tomorrow”. It was hosted by the Government of Telangana in partnership with EY (Ernst & Young Private Limited). It was the 17th edition of the flagship international convention – BioAsia, whose CEO is Shakthi Nagappan. The event was attended by Piyush Goyal, Minister for Commerce and Industry. The aim of the conference was to explore the investment capabilities of Life sciences companies. As a part of it, the event saw the release of a report by EYtitled “Today for tomorrow: realising the potential of Life Sciences 4.0”.
Northeast Frontier Railway Construction built India’s tallest pier bridge in Manipur The northeast frontier railway construction has constructed India’s tallest railway pier bridge with an outlay of Rs 283.5 crore. It is built across the Makru River in the Tamenglong district, near Noney of Manipur. It is 100m tall similar to a 33 storey building.
India to end Thermal coal import from FY 2023-2024- Pralhad Joshi Union Minister of Coal & Mines Shri Pralhad Joshi stated that India will stop importing thermal coal from FY 2023-2024 at two-day national workshop called ‘Chintan Shivir’ at kevada in Gujarat on 17th& 18th February 2020. The different ways & means were discussed with key stakeholders to achieve 1 billion tonnes(BT)coal production target by coal India limited (CIL) by FY 2023-2024. The Ministry of coal will coordinate with Indian Railways & shipping ministry and authorize CIL, Captive and Commercial miners to remove more coal by 2030.
8th edition of Ganga Kayak Festival celebrated in Uttarakhand 8th edition of the “Ganga Kayak festival” was inaugurated by MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) Vinod Kandari in Devprayag, Uttarakhand. The festival was celebrated for 3 days from feb.17, 2020 to Feb 19, 2020. The festival was organized by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and The Adventure Sports Society witnessed participation of 45 males and 6 women athletes from Russia, Australia and Nepal. In male sprint category, India’s Ayodhya Prasad stood first while Ashu Rawat was presented the best peddleraward.
Centre Changes Pension Rules of Government Employees recruited before January 1, 2004 but joined later The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare under Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has notified that all Central Government employees whose selection for appointment was finalized before
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January 1, 2004 but who joined service on or after 01.01.2004, for administrative reasons, can now opt to be covered under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 instead of the NPS (National Pension System). This decision followed the demand of Central Government employees whose recruitment was finalized before January 1, 2004 but who had, joined the services on or after January 1, 2004. The last date to exercise this option is May 31, 2020 and who failed to do so would continue to be covered by the National Pension System.
India’s foodgrain production to hit a record high of 291.95 million tonnes for crop year 2019- 20 In accordance with the Second Advance Estimates for crop year 2019-20 by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, the total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at record 291.95 million tonnes as compared to the production of foodgrain of 285.21 million tonnes in 2018-19. It should be noted that the 2019-20 production is also higher by 26.20 million tonnes than the previous five years’ (2013-14 to 2017-18) average production of foodgrain. India’s crop year is July-June. The cumulative rainfall in the country during the monsoon season (June to September, 2019) has been 10% higher than Long Period Average (LPA), resulting in a boost in foodgrain production.
MOU signed by India-Myanmar for bus service India and Myanmar signed MoU for regular passenger bus service between Imphal and Mandalay. The bus service will begin in April 2020. The MOU was signed between the two firms namely Shwe Mandalar Express Company limited, Yangoon & Seven Sisters Holiday, Imphal. Bus service from Mandalay will end at the border of Tamu from there Indian bus operators will take passengers to Moreh town inManipur.
Overview of Cabinet approvals on February 19, 2020 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals on February 19, 2020. o Cabinet okays signing of updated Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) pact between Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the UK’s (United Kingdom) Financial Conduct Authority(FCA). o Cabinet approves upgrading Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG) as Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications andGeo-informatics (BISAG(N)) under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY). o Cabinet clears Phase II of Swachh Bharat Mission(Grameen) o Cabinet approves to raise interest subvention for Dairy processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) from 2% to2.5% o Cabinet approves Rs 4,458 crore scheme for dairysector o Cabinet approves scheme for “Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) ” to form and promote 10,000 newFPOs o Cabinet clears Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill2020 o Cabinet nod to set up a 12-member Technology Group headed byVijayRaghavan o Cabinet okays revamping of PMFBY & Restructured Weather Based Crop InsuranceScheme o Cabinet approves formation of 22nd Law Commission of India for a term of 3years
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Delhi tops in Nature Ranking Index 2020 Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi has ranked first in the Nature Ranking Index 2020. All the institutions are ranked on the basis of total research output from December 01, 2018 to 30th November, 2019. CSIR is followed by Indian Institute of science (IISC) in Bengaluru, Karnataka and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Inaugurated India’s First Floating Jetty & Immigration office in Goa Union Minister of State for shipping Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the India’s first floating jetty on the banks of Mandovi river, Goa and also an immigration facility office at a cruise terminal in Vasco, Goa. The new floating jetty can be resized, realigned and relocated as per requirement. On the other hand, the immigration counter at the cruise terminal in Mormugao Port, Goa, will help foreign nationals who arrive on cruiseships.
Ministry of MSME launched national level awareness programme (NLAP) 2020 The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched a National Level Awareness Programme (NLAP) 2020 from February 17, 2020 to February 28, 2020. The main objective of NLAP is to spread awareness about the schemes & activities undertaken by the Ministry and its attached organisations such as Office of Development Commissioner (MSME), Khadi & Village Industries Commission, Coir Board,
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National Small Industries Corporation Limited, National Institute of MSME, MSME Technology Centres, and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialization, among students of colleges and educational institutes.
Indian Army is set to Get New Headquarters – the Thal Sena Bhawan in Delhi Cantonment Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone of the Army Headquarters new building “Thal Sena Bhawan” in Delhi Cantonment. Thal Sena Bhawan, the multi-storeyed complex adopting Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA-5 rating) norms, designed like a “risingsun”andspreadovernearly39acres.Atpresent,theArmyheadquartersissplitinto8pocketsacross New Delhi such as South Block, Sena Bhawan, Hutments Area, R.K.Puram, Shankar Vihar etc., and the new building accommodates Army headquarters in one place ensures that they can work under one roof.The cost of the project will be in excess of Rs 700 crore and will be constructed within 5 years.
Parsi population went up by 233 since the launch of Jiyo parsi scheme: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi According to the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the population of Parsis (Zoroastrians), a notified minority community under National Commission of Minorities Act 1992, increased by 233 since the year 2013, when the government launched the Jiyo Parsi scheme. So far the central Government has spent Rs 14 crore in 7 years for this scheme. Jiyo Parsi scheme is run by the Ministry of Minority affairs with the aim to increase the population of the Parsi community.
Smart City Mission: Centre devises 20-20 model to help backward cities The central Government has come up with a 20-20 model according to which top 20 cities will be paired with the bottom 20 cities. This will help share the knowledge among the cities and provide a chance to the most backward cities for adapting best practices from their partner cities. Under the smart city mission, 100 selected smart cities have identified 5151 projects worth Rs 2,05,018 crore to be executed.
Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal & Union Minister of WCD Smriti Irani inaugurated National Organic Food Festival for women entrepreneurs in New Delhi Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD) inaugurated National Organic Food Festival for women entrepreneurs at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.It is jointly organized by both the ministries with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the industry partner. The theme of the festival is ‘Unleashing India’s Organic Market Potential’. India is ranked 1st in organic producers and 9th in cultivation for organic products.
IRSDC installs India’s 1st squat machine at Delhi’s Anand Vihar railway station; Free platform ticket will be given for 30 squats In order to promote the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led “Fit India” initiative, Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) has installed a India’s 1st squat machine at Anand Vihar Railway Station in Delhi, where a person who performs 30 squats in 3 minutes (or 180 seconds) will get a platform ticket for free. Along with this, the railway has also opened a shop in the name of “Dawa Dost” to provide cheap generic medicines.
A 2-day long first-ever Bharat-Bangla tourism festival 2020 held in Agartala, Tripura The first-ever 2 days long Bharat-Bangla Paryatan Utsav 2020 (Tourism Festival) was held at Ujjayanta Palace in Agartala, Tripura from February 20-21, 2020 to boost the Tripura tourism sector. It was inaugurated by Tripura Chief Minister (CM) Biplab Kumar Deb & organized by Department of Tourism, Government of Tripura in memories of the contribution of Tripura in 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.
Centre paid Rs 50,850 crore to farmers under Pradhan Mantri Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme The centre has stated that it has paid Rs 50,850 crore to farmers under Pradhan Mantri Samman Nidhi (PM- KISAN) scheme from the total budget of Rs.75,000 crore allocated for current Financial Year for the PM-KISAN scheme. The year 2020 marked the 1st Anniversary of PM- KISAN scheme, which was launched on February 24, 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The objective of the scheme is to enable farmers to meet farm input cost and domestic expenses by providing Rs 6000 annually as PM has set the target of doubling farmers’ income by the year 2022. Union Ministry of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar also launched PM KISAN mobile application, which is aimed at broadening the reach of thescheme.
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PM Modi addressed the International Judicial Conference 2020, “Judiciary and The Changing World” held in New Delhi Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the International Judicial Conference 2020 – “Judiciary and The Changing World” in New Delhi. The theme of the conference was “Gender Just World”. Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde, Attorney General Kottayan Katankot Venugopal, and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also addressed the gathering. The aim of the conference was to facilitate cross fertilisation of ideas between judges of India and those from abroad. The Conference introducedthe “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.
Shyama Prasad Mukherji National Rurban Mission completes 4 years on Feb 21, 2020 On February 21, 2020, the 4th anniversary of the launch of Shyama Prasad Mukherji National Rurban Mission (SPMRM) is celebrated, which was launched by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on 21 February 2016 under the Union Ministry of Rural Development. The scheme focuses on cluster-based integrated development through location planning.
Mumbai airport gets world’s largest ‘Export Cold Zone’ to Store Agro, Pharma Products Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a joint venture (JV) of the GVK led consortium and Airports Authority of India (AAI) ,has unveiled the world’s largest airport-based temperature- controlled facility, the ‘Export Cold Zone’ for processing and storage of agro and pharma products, for which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport of Mumbai, Maharashtra is the largest export gateway. The Export Cold Zone facility will be operated by Cargo Service Centre. Mumbai airport is the first airport in India and the 3rd in Asia to receive the IATA CEIV (International Air Transport Association-Center of Excellence for Independent Validators) Pharma accreditation. The airport has also launched an air cargo community portal,GMAX.
Overview of 13th COP on Conservation of Migratory Species of wild animals held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat The week long Thirteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) together with the associated meetings of the Standing Committee was held at Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India from February 15-22. Its theme was “Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home”. The summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi through video conferencing. o Its logo was inspired by “Kolam”, a traditional art form from southernIndia o The CMS COP 13 mascot was “Gibi – The Great IndianBustard” o COP13 kicks off “Super Year for Environment” i.e.2020 o India assumes presidency of UN body on Migratory Species for 3 years 10 species to be added to protected list; 3 are Indian, amongthem o Govt proposes 10-year (2020-2030) comprehensive plan for conservation of birds, their habitats o India and Norway to work jointly towards mitigating marine plastic litter and microplastics; Issue Jointstatement o Red Throated Thrush and Plumbeous Water Redstart: Two new bird species found in Ladakh
Govt amended provisions of Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016 for renowned shooters The Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the provisions of the Arms Act, 1959 and the Arms Rules, 2016 to provide adequate firearms and ammunition to the shooters for their practice. o Amendments in Arms Act, 1959: The amendment has increased the number of additional weapons kept by International Medalists/Renowned Shooters to 12 from 7 under the exempted category. o Amendments in Arms Rules, 2016: The ministry has also amended the provision under Rule 40 of the Arms Rules, 2016 stating an increase in the quantity of ammunition that can be purchased by the shooters during the year for thepractice. o Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019: The maximum number of firearms to be possessed by any person has been reduced from three to two. Those in possession of three fire arms have to surrender the excess gun by13.12.2020
Losar festival was celebrated in Himachal Pradesh Losar festival was celebrated at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The festival is celebrated on the 1st day of the lunisolar Tibetan calendar also called Tibetan New Year. Losar is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. Hundreds of people from the Buddhist community gathered at different temples in the state to celebrate Losar festival &
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prayers were offered at Dorje Drak Monastery in Shimla.
MoU signed between NMCG, (SPMG-UK) & ICT to renovate Ghats at Gangotri & Badrinath Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding ( Mou) was signed between the National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG),State Program Management Group-Uttarakhand (SPMG-UK) & Indorama Charitable Trust (ICT) at New Delhi to renovate Ghats at Badrinath & Ghats & Crematoria at Gangotri in Uttarakhand. The total cost of the project is 26.64 Crore. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is developed by M/S WAPCOS a Government of India enterprise. The 15 months work is to start by March 2020. The duration of the MoU is 7 years.
Haryana tops in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payouts rating for 2019-20; West Bengal worst According to the recent ratings regarding Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payouts, prepared for the1st time by the Central Government, Small state Haryana has emerged as the best state in DBT payouts (Rs.4782 crore in over 4 crore transactions) in 2019-20.While, West Bengal has emerged as the worst performer in DBT payouts (8793 cr through 5 crore transactions) and ranked 36th position. The rating ranked 36 states and UTs (Union Territories), according to DBT payouts compared to their population.
Himachal Pradesh: 1st State to achieve 100% LPG coverage Himachal Pradesh became the 1st state in the country to have 100% LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) coverage due to the implementation of PMUY (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana) scheme. Following the implementation of the PMUY scheme, the state government launched ‘Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojana’ in May 2018 to cover the scheme to remaining households. Launched in 2016, PMUY aimed toprovide 5 Crore LPG connections with Rs. 8000 crore were allocated towards the implementation of the scheme.
1 in 3 payments for maternity benefit scheme ‘PMMVY’ credited to wrong account: NITI Aayog report According to “Transforming Nutrition in India: Poshan Abhiyan”, a 2nd progress report on Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyaan (Nutrition Mission) until September 2019, released by the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog,worryingly 1 in 3 of Aadhaar-based payments for Centre’s maternity benefit scheme/ Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) was credited to a wrong bank account. As per the report, 28% of 31.29 lakh of all Aadhaar-based payments are going to different bank accounts than what had been provided by the beneficiaries. The report also ranked states & Union Territories to measure their readiness to execute the programme across 4 themes
Amit Shah holds talks with Maldivian home minister Sheikh Imran Abdulla Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah held extensive discussions with Maldivian home minister Sheik Imran Abdulla during his 4 day visit to India to strengthen the ties between 2 countries and discussed issues in the area of security & law enforcement cooperation, counter-terrorism, counter-radicalisation, drug trafficking. India was among the first to recognize Maldives after its independence in 1965, to establish diplomatic relations with the country.
Indradhanush – V 2020: India-UK bilateral air exercise begins in Hindan, Uttar Pradesh A 5-day long 5th edition of India-UK (United Kingdom) bilateral air exercise “Indradhanush-V” 2020 between Indian Air Force (IAF) and British Royal Air Forces (RAF) held at Air ForceStation Hindan in Uttar Pradesh (UP). ‘Base Defence and Force Protection’ was the focus of this year exercise. 36 specialised combatants from RAF Regiment & 42 combatants of the GARUD Force from IAF team participated in this exercise. The 4th edition of the Indradhanush was held in the UK from July 21,- 30, 2015.
Union HRD Minister launched UKIERI-UGC Higher Education Leadership Development Programme Administrators in New Delhi Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal launched the “Higher Education Leadership Development Programme for Administrator” in New Delhi. The initiative is the joint venture between UGC (University Grants Commission) and the British Council under the United Kingdom (UK) India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). It aims to train the senior and middle level academic administrators in order to enable them to bring about systemic changes in Universities in India.
Madhya Pradesh becomes the 1st state to launch unified vehicle registration card & 2nd to launch unified driving license Madhya Pradesh (MP) Government launched a unified vehicle registration card becoming the 1st state to
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introduce & 2nd state to launch the unified driving license after Uttar Pradesh.The objective of the card is to provide unified smart cards for driving license & vehicle registration with QR code. MP is the first state to issue both smart cards together. The QR code helps to verify authenticity of the data printed on the cards. Apart from this, MP government hikes the honorarium of Musilm imams from₹2,200 to ₹5,000 per month & their deputies – muezzins – from ₹1,900 to ₹4,500 a month.
India 5th most polluted country with Ghaziabad as the most polluted city, globally: IQAir AirVisual Report In accordance with the “2019 World Air Quality Report-Region & City PM2.5 Ranking” compiled by IQAir AirVisual, India ranked 5th as the most polluted country in the world and topped in an annual list of cities with the worst air quality in the world. o Bangladesh emerged as the most polluted country for PM2.5 exposure. It isfollowed o by Pakistan, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and India at 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place respectively. o Of the world’s top 30 most polluted cities during 2019, 21 are located in India, 27 in South Asia, and all the top 30 cities are within greaterAsia. o Bahamas ranked 98th as the cleanest country with an average of 3µg/m³. o World most Polluted Countries 2019 (PM2.5): India – 5thRank o World most Polluted Cities 2019 (PM2.5): Ghaziabad, India – 1stRank o World Most Polluted Capital Cities 2019 (PM2.5): Delhi, India – 1st Rank
National Cyber Research, Innovation and capacity centre, inaugurated by MoS G.K.Reddy in Hyd, T.S The Minister of State (MOS) for Home Affairs Ministry, Mr. Gangapuram Kishan Reddy has Inaugurated National Cyber Research, Innovation and capacity centre at Central Detective TrainingInstitute (CDTI) in Hyderabad, Telangana State (T.S). The objective of the centre is to help the nation to combat cyber threats. T he centre, has been set up by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D)at its CDTI complex, will undertake research and training to check cybercrime and it is one of the seven major units under Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
1st ‘National Conference on Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R) 2020: Organised by The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) organised 1st ‘National conference on Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R) in Delhi. Union Minister of State for HomeAffairs, Shri Nityanand Rai presided over the valedictory session. Its aim was to provide better understanding about coastal disaster risks & effective collaborative actions by implementing Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda & Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction to reduce risk & enhance flexibility amid the affected stakeholders.
A 3-day international conference on “EMMDA 2020” held in Noida, Uttar Pradesh The National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) has organized a 3-day international conference on “Ensemble Methods in Modelling and Data Assimilation (EMMDA) 2020” in Noida, Uttar Pradesh (UP) .It was inaugurated by Dr.Harsh Vardhan,the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology, Earth Sciences. The purpose of this conference was to have discussions on the current status of the weather forecast, future prospects as well as the optimaluse of the Ensemble Prediction System-EPS. EPS is a numerical system of weather forecasting that helps in forecasting the uncertainty in weather as well as the possible outcome. India has recently introduced 2 global EPS which has the highest resolution in the world.
16th session of joint ministerial commission was held between India and Australia in New Delhi The 16th Commission of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) was held between India and Australia in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Government of India and Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment, Government of Australia. Both nations agreed to enhance bilateral trade & investment through revival of the bilateral CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement) negotiations, harmonise standards and regulations on important products.
High-level committee headed by retired Justice Biplab sharma submits report on clause 6 of Assam accord A high-powered committee headed by retired former Gauhati High Court (HC) Justice Biplab Kumar Sarma has formally submitted its report on implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord of 1985 to Assam Chief
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Minister (CM) Sarbananda Sonowal in the presence of state’s finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other officials. The report will now be submitted to the Union Home Minister (HM) Amit Shah. Under the accord, the centre agreed to accept all the migrants that entered before 1966. The Central Government on July 16, 2019 setup a high-level committee for recommending measures to implement the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.
Overview of US President Donald Trump visit to India on February 24-25 The President of United States of America (USA), Donald John Trump, paid a State Visit to India on 24- 25 February 2020, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He arrived at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for India visit to strengthen the Indo-US friendship and trade deal. He was accompanied by his wife Melania, and 12-member delegation including his daughter Ivanka and son-in- law Jared Kushner. It was the seventh visit by an American president and first visit by Donald Trump. o US surpasses China to become India’s top tradingpartner. o India, U.S. have finalised defence deals worth $3 billion for MH60R navy choppers,Apaches o ISRO-NASA joint space mission for 2022 launch; blueprint discussed in Modi-Trumptalks o Namaste, Trump event was organized for Donald Trump at Ahmedabad’s newly-built Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cricket Stadium in Motera.
India to host 1st Artificial intelligence summit: RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020’ in New Delhi The Government of India announced 1st Artificial intelligence summit, RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible Artificial intelligence (AI) for Social Empowerment’, a ‘First-of-its kind’ summit organized by the Government of India along with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) to be held between April 11 & 12 in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit, which is a roadmap for social empowerment, inclusion & transformation through AI. Apart from this, AI- Startup Challenge will also be launched where startups will showcase their AI solutions aimed at social empowerment, inclusion & transformation in important sectors.
Conference on Enhancing Energy Cooperation in the BIMSTEC region held in Dhaka, Bangladesh; India tops in coal & all energy resources in the BIMSTEC region South Asia Regional Initiative for Energy Integration (SARI/EI) and US AID (United States Agency for International Development) organized the 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 capital Dhaka. During the conference they released the report “prospect of regional energy cooperation and cross-border energy trade in the BIMSTEC region” showing that the BIMSTEC region has 323,504 million tonnes(MT) of coal, 664 million tonnes of oil, 99 Trillion Cubic Feet(TCF) of gas, 11,346 MT of biomass, 328 Giga Watts(GW) of hydropower and 1,117 GW of renewable energy. India tops on all energy resources.
MP tops in the list of outgoing patients for treatment under PM-JAY: NHA According to the analysis carried out by the National Health Authority (NHA) on the portability feature of the Narendra Modi government’s flagship insurance scheme, PM-JAY -Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (generally referred to as the Ayushman Bharat) availed by 81,254 patients through which people can seek treatment in other states under the PM-JAY, MP (Madhya Pradesh) tops the listfor outgoing patients at a number of at least 11,765. It sends its patients to Gujarat, where a person has been treated under ‘portability’ option, which allows patients to go to the best hospital in any state to avail of free treatment. MP has been followed by UP (Uttar Pradesh), which has sent 4,288 patients to Uttarakhand, and 3,572 patients to Maharashtra.
NTPC and CPCB signed MoU to set up air quality monitoring stations in 6 States & 3 UTs State run power-giant NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) signed aMoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) to provide financial support for installation & commissioning of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS). The data collected from these stations will be used as inputs for Air Quality Index evaluation for the respective cities. NTPC will provide financial support of Rs 80 crore for installation of 25 CAAQMS across 6 states- Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Patna (Bihar), Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur & Allahabad (all in Uttar Pradesh [UP]), Pimpri Chinchwad (Maharashtra) andMadurai (Tamil Nadu), and 3 Union Territories (UTs)- Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Port Blair), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (Silvassa) and Daman & Diu (Daman).
Overview of Cabinet approvals on February 26, 2020 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) Shri Narendra Modi
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has approved the following proposals on February 26, 2020. o Cabinet approvesthe Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill,2020. o Cabinet approves placing 37 Central laws in the concurrent list for the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under Section 96 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. o Cabinet gave its nod for the exemption of the India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) from the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) guidelines, except reservation and vigilancepolicies. o Cabinet approves National Technical Textiles Mission costing Rs 1,480crore. o Cabinet has approved a bill to give the status of Institute of National Importance (INI) to 2 National Institutes of Food Technology at Kundli, Haryana and Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu(TN). o Cabinet approves amendment of the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands Land Revenue and Tenancy Regulation, 1965 to confer occupancy rights to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population in the union territory (UT) ofLakshadweep.
Cabinet approved three MoUs with Myanmar The Union Cabinet approved 3 MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for cooperationbetween India and Myanmar on combating timber trafficking, conservation of tigers & other wildlife, and in the fields of petroleum products and communications. India will also provide training to Myanmar officials and Mou on petroleum products for setting up a joint working group in the petroleum sector.
Ordnance factory boards becomes the 1st govt entity to adopt centralised invoicing platform, TreDS Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), an industrial organisation, functioning under the Department of Defence Production of Ministry of Defence, Government of India (GoI), has become the 1st government entity to adopt centralised invoicing platform, TreDS (Trade Receivables electronic Discount System), under which a total of 41 OFBs adopted this platform, which would help smaller MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) vendors access working capital easily. At present, the government departments such as the Defence Ministry transact only through a treasury account with the State Bank of India (SBI).
Atal Innovation Mission partnered with Nasscom to launch AI-based module in 5000 ATLs NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has collaborated with Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) to launch the artificial intelligence (AI) based module including AI kits across 5000 Atal Tinkering Labs in the country so that students can get for better knowledge of AI. Additionally, an AI Step-up Module isunder development that is to be launched as next step. This curriculum will make available technologies to school students from one of the top partner companies including Adobe, SAP Labs, Microsoft, Wipro and Nasscom among others.
International Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha Systems of Medicine (ICoSDiTAUS-2020) held in New Delhi The two day International Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha Systems-ICoSDiTAUS-2020 of Medicine was held in New Delhi on February 25-26, 2020. It was organized by Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in association with World Health Organisation (WHO) at the Ministerial level.The objective of this conference was to underline the power of Traditional Medicine (TM) systems and their significance in addressing the public health challenges of the 21st century. o Participants of ICoSDiTAUS-2020: 16 Countries– Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Serbia, Curacao, Cuba, Myanmar, Equatorial Guinea, Qatar, Ghana, Bhutan, Uzbekistan, India, Switzerland, Iran, Jamaica andJapan
Government approves Rs 162 crore under Operation Green Scheme The Ministry of Food Processing Industries(MoFPI) has approved Rs 162 crore under Operations Green (OG) Scheme which was announced in 2018-19 budget with an outlay of 500 crore to stable the supply of TOP crops( Tomato, Onion & Potato) & to confirm their availability throughout the year without price volatility. Totally 5 projects have been sanctioned under OG scheme with a total cost of Rs 426(425.83) crore & the grant to be given is Rs 162(161.17) crore. The projects are- projects are-Andhra Pradesh (AP)Food Processing Society(Chittor, Anantapur,AP), Nedspice Dehydration India (Bhavnagar, Gujarat), Hindustan Agro Co-op Ltd &, Khemanand Dudh & Krishi Producer Company Ltd (Ahmednagar, Maharashtra), Banaskantha District Coop Milk Producers Union LTd (Banaskantha, Gujarat).
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NCAER releases India’s 1st NCAER land records and services index 2020: MP emerges as top performer, Ladakh at bottom According to the 1st edition of NCAER Land Records and Services Index (N-LRSI 2019-20) released by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), Madhya Pradesh (MP) emerged as the best performing state in terms of digitising land records with the score of 74.9.It was followed by Odisha (67.5points) and Maharashtra (65.3 points). While Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh ranked at bottom at 33rd position with a score of 2.0. The Index has been released during a half-day programme held in New Delhi by NCAER under the aegis of the NCAER Land Policy Initiative (NLPI), supported by the Omidyar Network, India.
Govt approved 32 projects under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) Government approved a total of 32 projects under ‘unit’ scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) [scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro Processing Clusters] in the meeting of Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) presided over by Union Minister of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The project covers about 17 states, leveraging an investment worth of Rs 406 crores. Ministry of Food Processing Industries [MoFPI] is implementing PMKSY for the period of 2016-20 with a total outlay of Rs 6000 crore to double the farmers income and enhancing the export of the processed foods.
Tribal affairs ministry launches Capacity building programme of ST Representatives in LSG & ‘1000 Springs Initiatives’ in Bhubneshwar, Odisha Shri Arjun Munda, the Union Tribal Affairs Minister has launched the “Programme for Capacity Building of Scheduled Tribe (ST) Representatives in Local Self Governments (LSG)” in Bhubhaneswar, Odisha in the presence of Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Navin Patnaik and Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs. He also launched “1000 Spring Initiatives” for improvement of tribal communities and an online portal on GIS (Geographic Information System)-based Spring Atlas with hydrological and chemical properties of the Springs during the event.
President gives nod for delimitation exercise in NE States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod for resuming delimitation exercise in the northeastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland by rescinding/cancelling the February 8, 2008 order following an improvement in the security situation. A Delimitation Commission was set up underthe Delimitation Act, 2002 to readjust the division of each state and union territory into territorial constituencies for the purpose of Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. The Delimitation Commission completed the delimitation exercise on November 26, 2008 in respect of all the states, except in these four northeastern states due to threat to the peace and public order.
19th edition of World Productivity Congress (WPC) 2020 will be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka The 19th edition of World Productivity Congress (WPC) will be held from May 6 to May 8, 2020 at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre, Bengaluru, Karnataka. WPC is the world’s largest convention for productivity development which promotes innovation and world class practices that shape future productivity growth and to be held in India after 45 years. WPC was held in India in 1974. Theme of 19th Productivity Congress 2020 was “Industry 4.0 – Innovation and Productivity”.
Indian Railways launched its First “Restaurant on Wheels” at Asansol Station, West Bengal Indian railways launched its first “Restaurant on Wheels” at Asansol Station (division of Eastern railway), West Bengal, for railway passengers and citizens of the city. It was inaugurated by Shri Babul Supriyo, Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoSEFCC). The restaurant is named ‘Wow Bhojan’ and the tea boutique has been developed named ‘Chai-Chun’. Babul Supriyo also launched 2 new air-conditioned retiring rooms & Electronic Reservation Chart Display System (through MPLAD fund [Members of the Parliament Local Area Development Scheme]) and a Battery operated car at Asansol station.
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2019 Global Go to Think Tank Index Report: India’s ORF ranks 27th; CEIP, US tops the list 2019 Global Go to Think Tank Index Report (GGTTI), complete ranking report of the world’s think tank was released by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of Pennsylvania, United States (US). The index ranked top think tanks from around the world. As per the report India’s Observer Research Foundation (ORF) was ranked at 27th place among 176 global think tanks. The report was topped by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) of US. India’s other think tanks that featured on the list include Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) at 41st rank; Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at 83rd rank; Indian Council for Research on International Economic Research (ICRIER) was at 110th rank; The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) at 111th rank; Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) was ranked at 149th rank.
Maldives readmitted and becomes 54th member of Commonwealth family Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives announced that Maldives has once again become a member of the Commonwealth family after the meeting between Abdullah Shahid, Foreign Minister of Maldives & Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of the Commonwealth. The Maldives became the 54th family member of the Commonwealth family. Maldives joined the Commonwealth in 1982 and withdrew its membership in 2016 by its former President Abdulla Yameen.
Counterpoint data: India surpassed US to become 2nd largest smartphone market globally; China tops According to the recently released Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor service report, India surpassed the United States (US) for the first time to become the 2nd largest smartphone market in the world. India recorded 158 million shipments in 2019 with 7% year-on-year growth which was mainly due to Chinese smartphone brands that were introduced. The list was topped by China. Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi topped the smartphone market for the second consecutive year with 28% market share. Xiaomi was followed by South Korean brand Samsung in the 2nd place with 21% market share.
India and Maldives inks 5 MoUs to establish Addu tourism Zone India & Maldives signed 5 MoUs (memorandum of understanding) to establish Addu tourism Zone on 5 islands of Addu Atoll in Maldives with a project cost of $2.49 million. In addition, 6th MoU to set up a bottled water plant at Hoarafushi, an inhabited island in Maldives was also signed. All 6 projects will be granted under India’s High Impact Community Development Scheme (HICDP), which was signed during the visit of Former External Affairs Minister late Sushma Swaraj to Male in March 2019, and, a total grant of $ 5.6 million was announced. The MoUs were signed by the High Commissioner of India Sunjay Sudhir, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Addu City Council.
IHME Report: 14% of India’s under-five aged deaths were due to pneumonia Acccording to a recent report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation(IHME), 14% of under 5 years of age deaths in India occurred mainly due to pneumonia. This accounted for approximately 1,27,000 deaths annually where the figure was around 1,78,000 in 2013. 50% of the under-5 deaths caused by pneumonia were from the northern belt of India.
Pakistan, Somalia declare locusts a ‘national emergency’ after worst locust invasion The Government of Somalia announced a National Emergency on Locusts (family- Acrididae) attack because these insects caused major damage to the food supply in one of the world’s poorest countries & and most vulnerable regions in the world. Somalia is the 1st country to make such a declaration & its declaration aims to intensify the national effort to combat these insects. The Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan Imran Khan has also declared a national emergency due to the massive locusts attack. These locusts have destroyed entire crops in the Punjab province of Pakistan, which now needs Rs 730 croreto overcome thiscrisis.
One in 10 Indians to have cancer in their lifetime: WHO report In order to mark World Cancer Day on February 4, 2020, WHO (World Health Organization) and its specialized International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have released 2 reports namely, “Report on Cancer: Setting priorities, investing wisely and providing care for all” by WHO & “World Cancer Report “Cancer research for cancer prevention” by IARC aimed at setting the global agenda on the disease & focused on research and
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prevention. As per the report by the WHO, one in 10 Indians suffered cancer in their lifetime and one in 15 died of the disease.
Bhutan ends free entry for Indian tourists The Government of Bhutan, Thimphu decided to implement a daily fee of Rs.1200 ($17) for “regional tourists” from India, the Maldives, Bangladesh from July 2020. The fee is called SDF “Sustainable Development Fees” inorder to regulate a new tourism policy (tourism facilities, better infrastructure). The decision was passed by the National Assembly (lower house of Bhutan) as a “Tourism Levy & Exemption Bill of Bhutan 2020”.
India slips to 40th rank on GIPC’s 8th International Intellectual Property (IP) Index for 2020, US tops The U.S. (United States) Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) has released the 8th edition of International Intellectual Property (IP) Index for 2020 namely ‘Art of the possible’ which was authored by Meir Pugatch and David Torstensson. The 2020 index mapped the IP ecosystem in 53 global economies which included three new economies-Greece, Dominican Republic, and Kuwait, on the basis of 50 unique indicators. In 2020 GIPC’s IP Index, India’s position has downgraded to 40th rank in comparison to 36th position out of 50 countries in 2019. The index has been topped by the United States (US) followed by UK (United Kingdom), Sweden, France and Germany. Among Asia, India is ranked 4th which is topped by Australia and followed by Brunei (2nd) and China (3rd).
Prince Charles unveils children’s protection fund for India & Katy Perry as new Ambassador Britain’s Prince Charles unveiled a new Children’s protection fund for India as part of British Asian Trust and announced Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (Katy Perry), American singer as the new ambassador for the British Asian Trust Children’s Protection Fund for India during a function at Banqueting House in London, England. The British Asian Trust Children’s Protection Fund will protect the child from child labour, child sexual abuse, anti- trafficking fund in South Asia. The British Asian Trust is chaired by Indian-origin businessman ManojBadale.
G7 to work with WHO, EU, China to tackle nCoV; Hong Kong reported 1st Coronavirus death The G7(Group of 7) countries has announced to work with the World Health Organisation(WHO), the European Union (EU) and People’s Republic of China, inorder to tackle the recent outbreak of Novel Coronavirus(nCoV). Meanwhile Hong Kong has reported the 1st nCoV death. Hong Kong was the 2nd place outside mainland China to report the death of a coronavirus patient.
U.S. announces launch of International Religious Freedom Alliance United States (US) launched the 27-nation International Religious Freedom Alliance, which will try to adopt a collective approach in protecting and preserving religious freedom across the world. It was announced by US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. o Reason behind this launch: More than eight in ten people in the world today live in a place where they cannot practice their faith freely. So in order to provide them religious freedom, this alliance has beenlaunched.
UN releases USD 30mn for humanitarian operations in Syria’s ldlib province Syria’s Idlib province has received additional USD 30 million for the humanitarian operations from United Nations’ (UN) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). It has been informed by UN Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock UN Security Council meet in New York, United States (US). CERF is established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005 as the United Nations global emergency response fund. It is managed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator on behalf of the UN Secretary-General and is supported by the CERF secretariat.
Treating female genital mutilation annually costs $1.4 bn globally: WHO On the occasion of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (On February 6, 2020), the United Nations’s (UN) health agency, the WHO (World Health Organization) has presented the interactive modelling tool. As per this tool, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) poses a serious threat to women’s health & to avoid its ill effects, a burden of $1.4 billion is incurred worldwide. FGM consists of all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non- medical reasons.
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IIM Bengaluru ranks third in Global MOOC Business School Rankings 2020 Indian Institute of Management Bengaluru (IIMB), Karnataka, secured third rank in Global MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) Business School Rankings 2020 for its provision, design and delivery of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). This is the first-ever Business School rankings based on theprovision of MOOCs. MOOCLabs published ranking for the business schools globally who are providing MOOC courses. The list has been topped by HEC Paris, France followed by Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, United States (US) at 2nd place.
India-UK joint Military EX: Ajeya Warrior to be conducted in Salisbury plains, UK Fifth Edition of Joint Military Exercise between Indian Army and United Kingdom(UK) Army AJEYA WARRIOR- 2020 will be conducted at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom(UK) from February (13 to 26) 2020. 120 Army Individuals each from Indian and United Kingdom Armies will participate in this Exercise and the Next Edition will be conducted in India, vice-versa. The Main Aim of this Exercise is to conduct Joint Training Operations with High number of Soldiers and also giving Special Importance on Counter Terrorists operation in Urban and Semi Urban Areas.
India stands 17th on a list of countries at risk of importing coronavirus, Thailand tops: Study According to a mathematical model for the expected global spread of the coronavirus developed by the researchers at Germany’s Humboldt University and Robert Koch Institute, India is at number 17 on the list of countries at risk of importing novel coronavirus (nCoV) that originated in China’s Wuhan area in December 2019. The top 5 countries at risk of importing coronavirus cases include: Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, USA (United States of America).
33rd edition of African Union (AU) Summit 2020 held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia A 2-day long 33rd African Union (AU) Heads of State Summit 2020 under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development” was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, is the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union for one year.He replaces Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.
WHO renames deadly coronavirus from China as ‘COVID-19’ UN(United Nations) health agency, the WHO(World Health Organization) has officiallyrenamed Coronavirus as ‘COVID-19’ [“co” stands for “corona”, “vi” for “virus” and “d” for “disease”, while “19” was for the year, as the outbreak was first originated in China’s Wuhan area in December 2019]. Earlier the WHO had given temporary name for the virus as “2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease” & China’s National Health Commission named it as “novel coronavirus pneumonia” or NCP. o Wild mammal pangolin suspected as coronavirus host: According to the researchers at South China Agricultural University, pangolin, an endangered, scaly, ant-eating mammal that is imported in huge numbers to Chinese markets for food and medicine, is believed to be the cause of coronavirus infection in Wuhan, China. Until now, it was believed that bats and snakes were the cause of coronavirusinfection.
43rd IFAD Governing Council in Rome, Italy: Climate Change to push 100 millions to poverty by 2030 The IFAD’s 43rd Governing Council meeting was held in Rome, Italy on 11-12 February 2020 on the theme “Investing in sustainable food systems to end hunger by 2030”. During the meet, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) stated that the sequences of climate change and it’s impacts on agriculture will push around 100 million people to poverty by 2030.
IISS Study: World Defence spending rose by 4.0% in 2019; India ranked 5th & US tops The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) annual “Military Balance” report states that global spending on defence hiked by 4% percent in 2019, showing largest growth in 10 years (2010- 2019). The report showed top 15 countries, among them, the world’s biggest defence spendersare United States (US), China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India. The increase in US spending alone from 2018 to 2019 is USD 53.4 billion which is around Britain’s entire defence budget.
Mobile World Congress 2020 cancelled GSM Association (Global System for Mobile Communication) has cancelled the MWC 2020 (Mobile World Congress) to be held in Barcelona, Spain due to Coronavirus outbreak. Mobile World Congress meeting is held
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annually since 2006, in Barcelona, Spain, where governments, ministers, policy makers, operators and industry leaders across the world will be presented & discuss developments in the technology sector.
2020 UN Climate Summit ‘COP26′ to be held in Glasgow, UK in November The 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) is scheduled to be held from 9-19 November 2020,at Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Scotland under the presidency of the UK (United Kingdom) government. Indian-origin Alok Sharma (52) from Agra, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has been appointed as the minister in charge of the UK’s COP26 climate change summit.
Pak High Commission issues visas to Indian pilgrims to visit Katas Raj temples The Pakistan High Commission has issued visas to a group of Indian Hindu pilgrims for visiting Katas Raj temples in Chakwal city of Pakistan’s Punjab province from February 19 to 25, 2020. This visit governs under The Pakistan-India Protocol on visits to Religious Shrines (1974) signed by both the countries. Katas Raj temple is also known as Qila katas or complex of Katas temple is considered as one of the holiest places for the Hindu community, the temples form a complex and its surrounded by a pond named Katas.
UAE becomes 1st Arab Nation to issue license to operate a reactor at its Nuclear power plant The United Arab Emirates representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency Mr. Hamad al- kaabi announced that the National Nuclear Regulator has issued an Operating license for a reactor at its Barakah nuclear power plant and becomes the 1st Arab country in the world to operate a nuclear power plant. The Barakah nuclear power plant on the Gulf coast of Abu Dhabi is built by the Korea Electric Power Corporation after USD 20 billion deal. The UAE has set a target to produce 27% of its electricity needs with the combined nuclear and renewable energy by 2021.
Hindi is the 3rd most spoken language in the world after English & Mandarin Chinese : 22nd edition of World language database, Ethnologue The 22nd edition of the world language database Ethnologue stated Hindi, as the 3rd most spoken language of the world in 2019 with 615 million speakers. English language was at the top of the list with 1,132 million speakers and Mandarin Chinese was at the 2nd position with 1,117 million speakers.Ethnologue publish an yearly database of living languages of the world, since its establishment in 1951.
India ranked 35th in Worldwide Education for The Future Index (WEFFI) 2019, Finland tops The Worldwide Education for The Future Index (WEFFI) 2019 ranked India in 35th position, whereas in 2018 it was ranked 40th position. The WEFFI report is created by The Economist Intelligence unit and commissioned by Yidan Prize foundation. The index is topped by Finland, followed by Sweden in second place and New Zealand in third place while India ranked 35th with a score of 53.
THE’s emerging economies university rankings 2020: India has 11 institutes among world’s top 100 universities, IISC at No. 16th According to the Times Higher Education’s (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings2020, which ranks a total of 533 universities from 47 countries, India has 11 institutes among world’s top 100 universities where Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (Karnataka) emerged as India’s top-ranked institution by getting the rank 16th with the score 48.4. Tsinghua University in China has topped the list with the score of 83.8 followed by Peking University and Zhejiang University of China.
India ranks 77th in terms of sustainability & 131st in flourishing index: UN report According to the report, “A future for the world’s children?” commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet medical journal, India ranks 77th in terms of Sustainability Index and 131st in the Flourishing IndexofChildren’s Survival, health,education and Well-being. Sustainability index is associated with per capita carbon emissions and ability of children in a nation to live healthy lives. o Norway tops the list of Child Flourishing Index followed by Republic of Korea (2nd) and the Netherlands (3rd). o In Sustainability Index, Burundi secures top spot followed by Chad (2nd ) and Somalai(3rd )as these are lowestemitters.
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EAM Jaishankar attends Munich security conference 2020 in Germany External Affairs minister (EAM), Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has attended the 3-day long Munich Security Conference 2020, the world’s leading forum for debate on international security policy, held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany from February14 – 16 2020. On the sidelines of the security conference, Jaishankar met several other world leaders attending the meet including his counterparts of Georgia, Portugal, Singapore and Lithuania.
Indian Pavilion inaugurated by external affairs minister Dr S. Jaishankar at 70th Berlinale 2020 External affairs minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar inaugurated Indian Pavilion at the 70th edition of Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) 2020 in Berlin, Germany. EAM invited Berlinale participants, directors, filmmakers to participate at 51st International film festival of India (IFFI) through films, delegates and partnership. EAM revealed the poster of the 51st edition of Indian International Film Festival to be celebrated in Goa 2020. Jaishankar also held talk with German Minister of Foreign affairs Heiko Maas.
India & Sri Lanka signed MoU for up-gradation of infrastructure in plantation schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka India and Sri Lanka have signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for up-gradation of infrastructure in plantation schools for estate workers of Indian origin. The MoU was signed between Mr. Vinod K. Jacob, acting High Commissioner of India and Secretary, Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka, Mr. N.H.M Chithrananda at Colombo, Sri Lanka. The project is implemented to upgrade the infrastructure of 9 plantation schools as identified by Sri Lanka under an Indian grant assistance of Rs 30 crores.
Nitin Gadkari led India to the 3rd High Level Global Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm, Sweden The 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety with theme “Achieving Global Goals 2030” was held in Stockholm, Sweden on 19–20 February 2020. It was hosted by Government of Sweden in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO). The aim of the meet was to chart future strategic directions for global road safety and to share successes and lessons from implementation of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020. It should be noted that United Nations (UN) has set a goal under the UN Decade of Action of reducing road crashes by 2030. Indian delegation was led by Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Nitin Gadkari. o Nitin Gadkari visit to Swedish Logistics Automotive manufacturer ‘Volvo’ in Gothenburg, Sweden o Nitin Gadkari held Bilateral Dialogues with SwedenCounterpart o Union Minister Nitin Gadkari reaffirmed India’s commitment in reducing road accidents by 2030 o India Needs Additional $109 Billion for Safer Roads: World BankReport
Saudi Arabia, 1st Arab Nation that hosts G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting 2020 from Feb 22-23 The G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors Meeting was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 22- 23 February 2020 on the theme “Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All”. The meet was chaired by the Saudi Arabia’s finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan and central bank governor Ahmed al-Kholifey. It should be noted that Saudi Arabia is the first Arab nation to hold the G20 presidency and will hold the fifteenth meeting of Group of Twenty (G20) i.e. G20 Leaders Summit 2020 from 21-22 November 2020, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Sri Lankan Govt withdraws from UNHRC resolution on war crimes The Government of Sri Lanka has formally notified the United Nations (UN) that it is withdrawing from a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution that called for accountability to human rights abuses committed during a decades-long conflict with Tamil separatists. This announcement was made by Dinesh Gunawardena, Sri Lanka”s foreign minister during 43rd session of the UNHRC in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Bank of Baroda signed pact with CARE Ratings to assess the credit quality of SMEs State owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) has partnered with Care Ratings for assessing the credit quality of small and medium enterprises (SME) customers. This partnership will help to grade the credit quality of the bank’s current and prospective SME customers by processing and analyzing structured, unstructured and new data streams. Loan value for SMEs will be identified through 8 –Point scale. Number 1 indicates the highest creditworthiness and 8 – poor creditworthiness.
NABARD approved loan worth Rs 140 crore at low interest to Punjab Agri Development Bank The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has given its approval for loan worth Rs 140 crore at low interest rate to Punjab State Agricultural Development Bank (PSADB). This has been done to strengthen as well as provide financial support to PSADB.The decision to provide Rs 140 crore was taken during a meeting between Punjab Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa-led delegation with NABARD Chairman Harsh Kumar Banwala in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Govt data: BoM & SBI were only PSBs rated ‘good’ in digital transactions in Dec 2019 According to data released by Government via Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) and State Bank of India(SBI) were the two only Public SectorBanks(PSBs) rated as “good” in digital transactions for December 2019. BoM and SBI obtained a score of 77 and 68 respectively.he score for an individual bank was given by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) based on various parameters. The banks performance will also be rated on a monthly basis.
Paytm unveils all-in-one QR, PoS device and merchant SDK Paytm, India’s leading digital payments company,has launched an all-in-one QR (Quick Response), point-of-sale (POS) device for merchants across India & SDK (software development kit) for third-party integration. With the help of QR & POS device, businessmen will be able to get unlimited payments across the country at zero percent fees through Paytm wallet, Rupay Cards & all UPI (Unified Payments Interface ) based apps directly.
RBI hikes Insurance cover on bank deposits to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the Insurance cover on bank deposits to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh effective from February 4, 2020 with a view to giving protection to depositors. The cover is provided by a wholly owned subsidiary of the RBI, the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). The DICGC does not directly charge any premium from the depositor on this insurance. So Now Banks will pay a premium of 12 paise against 10 paise per Rs 100 deposit.
Digital transactions through IMPS, UPI and BHIM at record high in January 2020 According to the latest data from NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India ) comes against the backdrop of the decision made by government on encouraging digital payments, Unified Payments Interface( UPI), IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) & BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) registered a new record in the amount of cash transaction in January 2020. o Record by IMPS: It handle much of the online payments via internet banking, round the clock (24×7) & registered a total of 25.95 crore transaction, aggregating Rs.2.16 lakh crore in the first month of the calendar year2020. o Record by UPI: It replicated its volume of transactions of 1.3 billion with value of transactions to Rs 2.16 trillion (Rs 2,16,241 crore ) in January2020. o Record by BHIM: This app also registered all time high volume of transactions with 1.85 crore transaction worth Rs.6611.22 crore in January2020.
Reliance general insurance introduces comprehensive health insurance plan “Infinity” Reliance General Insurance Company Limited , one of the leading insurance companies in India, has launched a comprehensive health insurance plan called “Reliance Health Infinity”. Under the plan, the minimum sum insured will be Rs. 3 lakh while the maximum sum insured limit will be Rs. 1 crore.
Overview of 6th Bi-monthly monetary policy 2020 released by RBI The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced its 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Rates for 2020-21 in Mumbai , Maharashtra. The three-day (February 4-6,2020) policy review meeting by the 6 members of Monetary Policy
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Committee (MPC) was headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das with the members Dr. Chetan Ghate, Dr. Pami Dua, Dr. Ravindra H. Dholakia, Dr. Janak Raj, Dr. Michael Debabrata Patra. The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled during March 31, April 1 and 3, 2020.
Reserve Bank set to conduct Financial Literacy Week (FLW) 2020 from February 10–14 India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is going to conduct the Financial Literacy Week (FLW) 2020 from February 10 – February 14, 2020 based on the theme “Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)”. RBI will also launch a centralized mass media campaign in February 2020 to broadcast essential financial awareness messages to MSME entrepreneurs. RBI conducts FLW everyyear since 2016 to spread the financial education on a particular theme across India. FLW 2018 & FLW 2019 were conducted with the theme “Consumer Protection” and “Farmers” respectively.
ADB approved $2 million fund amount to combat nCoV Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved to sponsor $2 million as funding to combat the outbreak of novel coronavirus (nCoV). Under the funding, regional technical assistance will be provided in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. ADB has also partnered with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other regional experts to respond to the 2019 nCoV situation.
PFRDA doubles minimum net worth for pension fund managers to Rs 50 cr from Rs 25 cr The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), the regulator of the National Pension System (NPS), has doubled the minimum net worth criterion for pension fund managers to ₹50 crore from the ₹25 crore stipulated earlier. Now, pension funds are on par with mutual funds which have to meet a minimum net worth requirement of ₹50 crores, under SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) rules. Provision has also been made for licenses to have indefinite validity. Earlier, the licenses of pension fund managers were granted for a period of 5 years. But now, the license will remain valid until cancelled by the regulator.
RBI grants 5-year CRR relief to banks for lending to auto, housing, MSMEs In a major step to boost the credit growth, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has eased Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) requirement of commercial banks for 5- years. So now the banks would not be needed to maintain the cash reserve ratio (CRR) for 5- years on their deposits for the amount equivalent to loans lent to automobiles, residential housing, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) between 31 Jan-31 July, 2020 from their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) for maintenance of the CRR. The banks can get first such exemption will be started on 14 February, 2020 for 6 months till July 31, 2020. However, the net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) will be calculated as of January 31, 2020.
Union Ministry of Finance has notified ‘Printing of One Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2020’ Union Ministry of Finance has notified ‘Printing of One Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2020’ which will feature bilingual signature of Shri Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, Ministry of Finance. It shall be rectangular 9.7 x 6.3 cms, with its paper made of 100% (cotton) rag content. The pink green colour note will have a design of grains, which depicts the “agricultural dominance of the country”. The note will be 110 microns thick, weighing 90 GSM (Grams per SquareMeter).
RBI publishes draft framework for New Umbrella Entity (NUE) for retail payment systems The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published draft framework to set up new pan-India New Umbrella Entity (NUE) for retail payment systems. It will be incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 and will be given authorization by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under Section 4 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act). At present, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is an umbrellaorganisation for retail payments systems.
PSBs recover record ₹2.03 lakh crore bad loans in last one-and-half years: FM The public sector banks’ (PSBs) bad loans trimmed to ₹7.27 lakh crore at the end of September 2019 in comparison to ₹8.96 lakh crore at the end of March 2018. The information was provided by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 10, 2020. It is a result of measures taken by the government to improve financial health of the banks in the country through governance, underwriting, monitoring and recovery, and has leveraged technology in all aspects of banking, resulting in reduction in their Non-performing asset (NPA).
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Induslnd Bank records highest growth in brand value among Top 500 Banking Brands 2020 As per the The Banker’s ‘Top 500 Banking Brands 2020’ report, India’s IndusInd Bank has topped the list of ‘Highest increase in brand value’ among global banks. Its brand value saw an increaseof 122% over the past 12 months. The bank reported total assets of Rs 3.1 lakh crore at the end of Q3 FY20. As a part of the report, the list “Top 50 By Total Brand Value by Country” has been toppedby China, followed by United States (US) at 2nd position while Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) ranked at 3rd and 4th spots. India has ranked 8th in this list in comparison to 10th place in 2019.India’s brand value is 26,516 $m in 2020 showing an increase of 13% in comparison to 23,409 $m in 2019.
Odisha MSME Dept inked MoU with HDFC Bank to boost startups The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department of government of Odisha has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) Bank Limited to provide smart banking solutions to Startups recognised by the Startup Odisha and will also extend incubation and acceleration support to all Startups, banking with them.
RBI board recommends aligning accounting year with fiscal year from 2020-21 The Central Board of Directors of the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) at its 582nd meeting recommended aligning the financial year of RBI, currently July-June, with the government’s fiscal year (April-March) from the year 2020-21. Now, the proposal is sent to the government for its approval. The meeting was addressed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She was accompanied by Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar and Expenditure Secretary T V Somanathan.
RBI conducts 3- year Long Term Repo Operations (LTRO)’s for Rs.25,000 crore Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has started the first tranche of Long Term Repo Operation (LTROs) by conducting a three-year issue worth Rs 25,000 crore for which it received bids of more than Rs 1.944 lakh crore. The central bank has accepted bids of ₹25,035 crore. The RBI will conduct the second issue for Rs 25,000 crore on February 24 which will have one-year tenor. LTROs aimed at providing cheaper money to banks at the repo rate so that it can be used to boost credit growth. RBI is injecting Rs 1 lakh crore into the banking system through auctions with long term maturity periods (compared to one day repos) of 1 year and 3 year.
Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY): World Bank inks $ 450 mn loan with India for groundwater management in select states The Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank(WB) have inked a $ 450 million (mn) loan agreement to support Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) – National Groundwater Management Improvement
SEBI to tighten eligibility criteria for investment advisors Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator for the securities market in India, has decided to tighten the eligibility rules for investment advisors with the intention of protecting the interests of investors. It has also decided to set a upper limit on their fees & proposed a fee of 2.25% of assets under management (AUM) / an amount of ₹75,000 per annum. The fee can be charged for up to 2 quarters at a time and cannot be fully charged upfront. SEBI has also approved rules for regulatory sandboxes (RS), which will enable live-testing of new financial products / services in a controlled ecosystem.
HDFC, MasterCard and SAP concur partnered to manage spending in corporate sector HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation), MasterCard and SAP concur collaborated to manage the spending of the corporate sector. HDFC Bank will offer a corporate credit card for business travellers, providing a one-stop solution for payment and expense management during businesstrips. SAP Concur offers credit for travel, expense, and invoice management solutions and the corporate credit card is supported by MasterCard.
Kotak Mahindra Bank gets RBI’s approval for reducing the promoter’s stake to 26% Kotak Mahindra Bank, an Indian private sector bank has received final approval from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to reduce the promoter’s stake to 26%. Along with this, the bank is moving towards bringing back the case filed against RBI in the Bombay High Court (HC) for reducing the stake of promoters. In August 2018, the bank proposed to issue preferential shares to reduce promoter’s stake to 19.70%, which was rejected by RBI. The bank then challenged the RBI decision in the Bombay High Court (HC).
SBI Card join hands with Landmark group to launch 3 new retail co-branded credit cards SBI (State Bank of India) Cards & Payments Services Ltd (previously known as SBI Cards and Payment Services
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Private Limited), a payment solutions provider in India, has entered into the partnership with Landmark Group, one of the largest retail and hospitality organizations, to launch 3 new retail co- branded credit cards namely Lifestyle Home Centre SBI Card, Max SBI Card and Spar SBI Card with 4 LandmarkGroupbrands- Lifestyle,HomeCentre,MaxandSpar.Theco-brandedcardsareavailableinthree variants. It includes, Base, SELECT and PRIME and caters to the needs of consumers ranging from Value for Money to Premium and Super Premium.
RBI unveils 5 year National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI): 2019-2024 In order to promote financial literacy among customers and to provide access to formal financial services in an affordable manner, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2019-24. The strategy has been prepared by Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee (FIAC) of the RBI in consultation with the Centre, Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and Pension Fund Regulatory andDevelopment Authority of India (PFRDA). NSFI has been finalized and approved by the Financial Stability Development Council (FSDC). The document was formally released by Mahesh Kumar Jain, Deputy Governor, RBI at the High Level Meeting on Financial Inclusion for the North East region convened at Agartala, Tripura.
Securities market regulator SEBI redefines ‘pledge’ to protect client securities Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI) ,the regulator for the securities market in India, has amended the SEBI (Depositories and Participants) Regulations,2018 by including an extra explanation that states that ‘pledge’ would also refer to ‘re-pledge of securities for margin or settlement obligations.’ The decision was approved by the SEBI Board meet in Mumbai, Maharashtra. With this SEBI’s amendment, now the depository will have the liability of the bonafide pledge ,which is created from the margin account of a stock broker.
NABARD grants Rs 400.64 cr for UT of J&K to boost infrastructure National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), an Apex Development Financial Institution in India, has granted a sum of Rs 400.64 crore to the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K). The amount has been sanctioned under its ‘Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) – Trench XXV’for boosting rural infrastructure during the current financial year-FY (2019-20). Out of the total amount, Rs. 209.87 crore will be provided for the construction of 82 rural roads length of 291 kms & 3 bridges. Also, an amount of 47.11 crore rupees will be provided to improve the Animal and Sheep Husbandry sectors of the UT.
Microsoft, SBI join hands to train differently-abled for employment in BFSI sector Global tech giant Microsoft has collaborated with the Centre run State Bank of India (SBI) to train differently- abled people to find jobs in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector. In the first year of partnership 500 differently-abled youths will be upskilled. As a part of this partnership, SBI Foundation and Microsoft will develop an artificial intelligence powered market sothat BFSI industry can connect more easily with differently-abled people for employment opportunities.
CIC increased 10.2% over the past 5 years despite growing digitization: RBI report According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) study titled “Assessment of the progress of digitisation from cash to electronic” cash payments are still the essence of transactions but digital payment are also increasing rapidly. The parameters used for this assessment are the value of Currency in Circulation (CIC) versus Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the value of ATM withdrawals that take place across the country.
RBI allows Bandhan Bank to open new branches without prior approval India’s central Bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lifted the ban on Bandhan Bank & allowed it to open new branches without prior permission. However, the RBI came up with some regulatoryconditions& directed the bank to order about 25 % of the total banking outlets to be opened in rural areas where banking facilities are not available.
IRDAI forms 9-member panel led by Srinivasan to examine the possibility of allowing life insurers offer indemnity based health policies After banning life insurers from selling indemnity-based health policies a few years back in July2016, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), an autonomous body tasked with regulating and promoting the insurance has formed a 9-member committee led by Mr. G. Srinivasan, Director of National Insurance Academy (NIA) to examine the possibility of allowing them again and extant statutory provisions that are applicable in this regard. The committee, co-chaired by Mr MR Kumar, Chairman of LIC of India, will have to
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submit its recommendations within 2- months.
RBI introduced 12 indicators for calculating India’s growth by paper titled “Nowcasting Indian GDP growth using a Dynamic Factor Model” Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has came up with a new method of calculating India’s growth through a Working Paper titled “Nowcasting Indian GDP growth using a Dynamic Factor Model” under the RBI Working Paper Series, introduced in March 2011.The Paper is co-authored by Soumya Bhadury, Saurabh Ghosh and Pankaj Kumar. The paper introduces the Dynamic Factor Model of calculating Gross Domestic Product (GDP), using 12 indicators. o Here are the 12 indicators: Index of industrial production (IIP) –consumer goods, IIP- core sectors, Automobile sales, Non-oil non-gold imports, Exports, Rail freight, Air cargo, Foreign tourist inflows, Government tax receipts, Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER), Sensex, and Bank Credit.It should be noted that the above indicators are similar but not the same as the dynamic factor models (DFMs) of Stock and Watson (1989).
Finance Minister unveils EASE Roadmap for Banking of the Future EASE 3.0, and PSB EASE Reforms Annual Report 2019-20 Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled EASE 3.0, the Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda 2020-21 for smart, tech-enabled banking, and the PSB EASE Reforms Annual Report 2019-20 in during an event in New Delhi. The function was organized by Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), which is headed by its Chairman Rajnish Kumar. EASE 3.0 sets the agenda and roadmap for FY21 for PSB’s transformation into digital and data-driven NextGen Banking of the Future for an aspiring India.
Finance secretary Rajiv kumar launches ”Baroda Startup Banking” initiative for start-ups in 15 cities Finance Secretary Shri Rajiv Kumar has inaugurated the ‘Baroda Startup Banking’ service with the objective of making Bank of Baroda (BoB) a preferred ally of startup companies and connecting more than 2,000 startups over the next 2- years. The initiative was launched simultaneously in 15 cities across India. A total of 15 Baroda startup branches will be opened under this initiative. It will provide banking products and services as per the needs of startup companies.
Capri Global Capital Ltd launched UDAAN new SME lending scheme for Women Entrepreneurs The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Capri Global Capital Limited (CGCL) has launched an SME(Small and medium-sized enterprises) lending product “UDAAN” for women entrepreneurs to provide secured loans upto Rs.40 lakhs only for Business purpose with the loan repayment period of 10years to 15 years at a competitive interest rate after conducting due diligence.
HDFC bank ties-up with IndiGo to launch co-branded credit card ‘Ka-ching, powered by Mastercard HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation) bank, an Indian banking and financial services company, has entered into a partnership with IndiGo airlines to launch its first travel credit card named‘Ka-ching’- poweredbyMastercard.Theco-brandedcardsareavailablein2variants.Itincludes6E Rewards and the premium card ‘6E Rewards XL’ & annual membership fee of ‘6E Rewards’ will be Rs 750 while that of ‘6E Rewards XL’ will be Rs 3,000.
DPIIT amended FDI Policy to allow 100% FDI for insurance intermediaries The foreign direct investment (FDI) policy has been amended by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to allow 100% FDI for insurance intermediaries, which includes insurance brooking, insurance companies, third party administrators, surveyors and loss assessors. The decision has been taken on the lines of last year’s Union budget (2019-2020) which had proposed 100% FDI for insurance intermediaries. The FDI policy earlier allowed 49% foreign investment in the insurance sector, which includes insurance intermediaries. Insurance intermediaries are brokers or agents who act as an interface between insurance companies and customers.
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MPPSC 2020 PRELIMS BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Fiscal deficit reached 132.4 % of budget estimate for 2019-2020 till December: CGA According to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the fiscal deficit reached132.4 % of the full fiscal target in December 2019 itself due to the slow pace of revenue collection in the current financial year-FY 2019-2020.As per the data, in the first 9 months of the current FY, the fiscal deficit i.e. the difference between expenses & receipts stood at Rs 9,31,725 crore.While, the government in its Medium Term Fiscal Policy (MTFP) Statement presented with the Budget 2019-20, had set a target of limiting the fiscal deficit to Rs 7,03,760 crore, or 3.3 % of gross domestic product (GDP), in the current FY ending March 2020.
NSO revises India’s GDP growth rate for 2018-19 to 6.1% from 6.8% National Statistics Office (NSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in its 1st revised estimates for Fiscal year-FY19, has revised the India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth rate for the FY 2018-19 to 6.1 % as against the earlier forecast of 6.8 % due to a decrease in mining, manufacturing and agriculture. According to the revised statistics, the real GDP or GDP at constant prices (base year 2011-12) stood at Rs 139.81 lakh crore and Rs 131.75 lakh crore in 2018-19 and 2017-18 respectively. Similarly, the growth rate was 6.1 % in 2018-19 and 7 % in 2017-18.
Fitch forecast India’s GDP growth to 4.6 % for FY20 & 5.6 % for FY 21 Fitch Ratings Inc., an American credit rating agency in its ‘India’s economic growth outlook’, has estimated India’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth to 5.6 % for the financial year-FY21. For the current fiscal 2019- 20 (FY 20), GDP is projected at 4.6 %. This estimation is less than what the central government had estimated in the Economic Survey 2020, presented just a day before the Union Budget for 2020-21.
Bank credit up by 7.21%, deposits up by 9.51%: RBI According to the latest Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, Bank credit and deposits grew by 7.21 % and 95% to Rs 100.05 lakh crore and Rs 131.26 lakh crore, respectively, in the fortnight ended January 17,2020. The banks advance was 93.32 lakh crore rupees in the same period a year ago, while deposits stood at 119.85 lakh crore rupees.
Amazon India partnered with Eastern Railways to set up kiosk at Sealdah railway station in Kolkata Multinational technology company (MNC) Amazon India has partnered with Eastern Railways inorder to set up a pick-up kiosk at the Sealdah railway station in Kolkata, West Bengal. Previously successful pilot of pickup kiosks in 4 railway stations across Mumbai, Maharashtra was set up in 2019. Customers can use this point as a pickup location on the checkout page of their order.
Unemployment rate in India was 6.1% in 2017-18 as per new PLFS As per the new Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) being conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MosPI), the labour force participation is 36.9 % and the rate of unemployment for 2017-18 is 6.1%. The government is conducting a new PLFS with new parameters and bigger sample size, and its results cannot be compared with previous surveys. It’s an attempt to provide authentic data.
Govt data: $118.3 billion received in remittances since 2018-19 Indian govt. has released data of remittances received in the country since April 2018- September 2019. As per the report around 13.62 million Indian nationals are staying abroad & around $118.3 billion has been received as remittance. As per data of the Reserve Bank of India(RBI), $76.4 billion was received as remittances during 2018-19 while $41.9 billion was received during2019-20.
GSTN formulates panel to improve IT system Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), a non-profit, non-government organization which manages the entire IT (Information Technology) system of the GST portal has formed a consultation committee to give feedback on new functionalities in the GST system and adoption of new information technology (IT) platforms. The panel will provide suggestions related to policy and technology including feedback on major changes that have been brought in the system. .
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Retail inflation rises to 7.59% in January 2020; industrial output declines 0.3% in December 2019: NSO data According to the data released by the National Statistical Organisation (NSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Retail inflation rose to a 68-month high of 7.59 % in January 2020 as against 7.35% in December 2019 due to prices of food items such as vegetables, eggs, meat and fish, along with fuel became costlier. On the other hand, Index of industrial production (IIP) can also be seen falling, with industrial production slipping 0.3 % in December 2019 as compared to 2.5 % growth in the same month a year ago.
Facebook launched digital literacy training to 1 lakh women in 7 Indian states Facebook launched “We Think Digital” Programme to provide digital literacy training to 1 lakh women across 7 states, including Uttar Pradesh (UP), West Bengal & Bihar. It has been launched in partnership with National Commission for Women (NCW) and Cyber Peace Foundation. We Think Digital, Facebook’s global digital literacy programme, was announced in 2019 during the 2nd edition of South Asia Safety Summit.
Amazon Web Services to invest $1.6 billion for 2 data centres in India Amazon, E-commerce (electronic commerce) company and leader in cloud computing service with its Amazon Web Services (AWS), is setting up 2 data centers near Hyderabad, Telangana, with a total investment of Rs. 11,630 crore (around $ 1.6 billion). The data center aims for safe and secure storage, to manage and process customer data & information through cloud computing.
SEBI constituted municipal bonds development committee headed by Sujit Prasad SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has constituted Municipal Bonds Development Committee headed by Shri Sujit Prasad, Executive Director, SEBI in order to get recommendations on policy matters pertaining to development of municipal debt securities market. The members of the committee include representatives from ministry, Municipal Corporation, lawyers, professionals and market practitioners.
Moody’s lowers India’s GDP growth estimate for 2020 to 5.4% from 6.6% Moody’s Investors Service, an American credit rating agency, has lowered India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth estimate for the current financial year (2019-20) to 5.4% from 6.6% and for the next financial year (2020-21) it decreased to 5.8% from 6.7%. It also estimated that G20 (Group of 20) economies will grow at a rate of 2.4% in 2020 & will be 2.8% in 2021.
World Population Review Report: India becomes 2019’s 5th largest economy; US tops In accordance with the US-based think tank World Population Review, India has become the fifth- largest in the world with a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of $2.94 trillion overtaking the UK (United Kingdom) and France in 2019. The size of the UK economy is $2.83 trillion and that of France is $2.71 trillion. The list has been topped by the United States (US) with $21.44 trillion GDP. India’s service sector is the fast-growing sector in the world accounting for 60% of the economy and 28% of employment. The US-based World Population Review is an independent organization without any political affiliations.
Women entrepreneurship can create 170 million jobs: ‘Women Entrepreneurship in India— Powering the economy’ report In accordance with the report titled ‘Women Entrepreneurship in India – Powering the economy with her’ by Bain & Company and Google, Indian women entrepreneurs can generate transformational employment in India with 150–170 million job opportunities, which is more than 25% of the new jobs required for the entire working age population by 2030. The lead author of the report was Meghna Chawla, a Bain & Company partner. The report identifies six dominant segments of female entrepreneurs and estimates India to have 13.5–15.7 million enterprises owned by women, representing about 20% of all enterprises.
EESL, BSNL inks MoU for installing 1000 public EV charging stations State-owned Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) has signed a MoU with BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) for installing 1000 public charging stations for Electric Vehicles. EESL will set up public charging stations in 1000 BSNL sites in a phased manner while BSNL would be responsible for providing the requisite space & power connections for installing the charging infrastructure.
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Amulya Mica chosen as Most Promising Brand 2019 at 7th MSME Excellence Award in New Delhi Amulya Mica (Purbanchal Laminates Pvt Ltd), spear-headed by its Managing Director Rakesh Agarwal, was chosen as the Most Promising Brand of the Year Award 2019, Gold Category during the 7th edition of the MSME Excellence Award. The award & summit was organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) at Le Maiden in New Delhi. The award was given by MSME minister Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari to Ankur Maheshwari, Channel Partner Delhi and Sunil Thakore, General Manager of Export at Amulya Mica.
MP won 1st place for implementation of PMMVY; Indore topped for better performance Madhya Pradesh (MP) state won the 1st position for its implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). Union Minister of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) Smt Smriti Zubin Irani presented the award to Madhya Pradesh’s MoWCD Imarti Devi and Principal Secretary Anupam Rajan for implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). Indore (Madhya Pradesh) has also won 1st place for better performance in PMMVY. o Best performers >1 crore population: Among states/UTs having more than 1 crore population, Madhya Pradesh (MP) was ranked 1st for best performance since inception of the scheme. MP was followed by Andhra Pradesh and Haryana in the 2nd and 3rd placerespectively. o Best performers <1 crore population: Among states/UTs having less than 1 crore population, Dadra & Nagar Haveli ranked 1st. It was followed by Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh in the 2nd and 3rd placerespectively.
RBI governor Shaktikanta Das wins ‘Central banker of the year 2020, Asia-Pacific’ award The Banker magazine, a British English-language monthly financial affairs publication owned by The Financial Times Ltd, has named Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das as the ‘Central Banker of the Year 2020’, Asia-Pacific for encouraging growth and balancing the economy. Apart from this, the announcement of the title of Global Central Banker award 2020 has been given to Jorgovanka Tabakovi , the head of the National Bank of Serbia. As per Banker magazine, Shaktikanta Das has made many efforts to improve India’s banking system from NPAs (non-performing assets) loans to banks struggling with fraud.
Noted Hindi writer Vinod shukla wins 1st Mathrubhumi book of the year 2020 award Eminent Hindi poet-novelist and 1999 Sahitya Akademi honouree Vinod Kumar Shukla (83) has won the 1st Mathrubhumi Book of the Year award 2020 for his translated book ‘Blue Is Like Blue’, which deal with common people and their daily struggles. He received this award from Keralabased Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi at the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters 2020 which concluded in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
73rd BAFTA 2020 in London, UK: ‘1917’ wins best film award 73rd British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards 2020 ceremony, popularly referred to as BAFTA Awards 2019 was held on February 2, 2020 in Royal Albert Hall,London, United Kingdom. It honours the best national and foreign films of 2019. The ceremony was hosted by Graham Norton,an Irish television and radio presenter, comedian and commentator.First World War drama ‘1917’ won the Best Film award, which was directed by Sam Mendes.
Big Bang Boom Solutions wins prestigious SKOCH Award Big Bang Boom Solutions Pvt Ltd (BBBS), start-up company in the defence sector was awarded the prestigious SKOCH Award for “Boron Nitrate Based Personal Hybrid Combat Armour ” at New Delhi, India. It also won in the MoD (Ministry of Defence) competition around See-Through-Armour and Illegal Defence Drones in iDex (Innovations for Defence Excellence) category. BBBS was the first company to consolidate Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the defense sector.
Rishabh Pant appointed as brand ambassador of JSW Steel Steel producer of India, JSW steel has appointed Indian cricketer Rishabh Rajendra Pant as its brand ambassador. His contract term will be for a period of 3 years and will promote JSW steel products such as SW Colouron+ color coated sheets & JSW Neosteel TMT bars etc.
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Uddhav Thackeray presents lifetime achievement award to veteran journalist Raikar Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Uddhav Bal Thackeray presented an award to senior journalist Dinkar Keshav Raikar for his contribution to journalism at Mumbai, Maharashtra. Raikar was given the lifetime achievement award instituted by the Mantralaya & Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh.
Kohli most-valuable celebrity 3rd time in a row; Akshay, SRK in top 5 in Duff & Phelps’ celebrity report Duff & Phelps published the celebrity brand evaluation report for 2019. Indian Captain Virat Kohli has retained the top position for the third consecutive time. Kohli’s brand value has gone up to $237.5 million in 2019 with a jump of 39%. Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar ranked at 2nd position with a brand value of $104.5 million. Bollywood couple, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone became the 3rd position with a brand value of $93.5 million each. Padukone has also retained the most valuable female celebrity status for the 2nd consecutive year.
Padma Shri awardee Manoj Das to receive Mystic Kalinga Literary Award Famous Odia and English writer Manoj Das, 85 years old, will receive Mystic Kalinga Literary award– Indian and Global languages, during the 4th edition of the 2 day Mystic Kalinga Festival (MSF) which commences in Swosti Premium, Odisha, Bhubaneswar on February 8 & 9, 2020. Mystic Literary award has been instituted to recognize and celebrate inspiring writers, poets and performers. The Mystic Kalinga Literary Award will carry a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, khadi shawl and a certificate.
President of India Presents International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy President of India Shri. Ram Nath Kovind presented the International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy to Dr. N.S. Dharmashaktu under the Indian nomination individual category and the Leprosy Mission Trust under the institutional category at New Delhi, India. The awards aim to recognize the outstanding work by individuals & organisations to fight leprosy and eliminate the prejudices associated with it.
Pullela Gopichand -1st Indian to receive International Olympic Committee’s Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award Pullela Gopichand, the Chief National coach for the Indian Badminton team has receivedthe International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award in Male Category of the year 2019 during the 3rd edition of International Olympics Committee Annual Awards, He is the 1st Indian coach to be Honoured with this Lifetime award by the Olympics Committee. Gopichand is a former Indian Badminton player who is an awardee of Arjuna award (1999), Rajiv Gandhi khel Ratna (2001), Padma Shri (2005), Dronacharya award (2009) and Padma bhushan (2014).
Mumbai’s Kaamya Karthikeyan-Youngest Girl in the World to climb South America’s Highest Peak Mt. Aconcagua Kaamya Karthikeyan, 12 years old, a class 7 student of Navy Children School (NCS) in Mumbai, Maharashtra, became the youngest girl in the world to climb Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina, (highest peak in South America) which ranges about 6962 metres. She also climbed Mt.Mentok Kangri II, Ladakh (6,260 meters), on August 24, 2019. By 2021, she aims to complete “Explorers Grand Slam”.
23rd National conference on e-Governance 2020 held in Mumbai, Maharashtra; NAeG 2019-20 awards presented A 2-day long 23rd edition of National Conference on e-Governance 2020 based on the theme “India 2020: Digital Transformation” with 6-sub themes was held at Mumbai, Maharashtra from February 7-8 2020. The conference was jointly organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) along with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, in association with Government of Maharashtra. o India FinTech Festival (IFF) 2020, India’s 1st home based global platform to promote Fintech innovation will be held in Mumbai, Maharashtra in March2020 o The National Awards for e-Governance were also presented in the Conference to honor and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governanceinitiatives. o The Conference also assessed the national e-governance services being delivered by all the states and Union Territories. Delhi, Chandigarh and Daman and Diu emerged as the leaders in delivering e- governance services among Union Territories. Among the states, Haryana and Rajasthan emerged as leaders.
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Overview of 92nd Academy awards 2020 (Oscars 2020) held in Los Angeles, US 92nd Academy Awards ceremony 2020 (commonly known as Oscars), presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2019 was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States (US). The ceremony was hosted by actor and singer Billy Porter, award- winning journalist and talk show host Tamron Hall, supermodel Lily Aldridge and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Actor Zachary Robin Gottsagen, starring in the 2019 comedy- drama “The Peanut Butter Falcon, has created history as 1st Oscar presenter with down syndrome. An American actor Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (45) cliched the best actor trophy for his performance in “Joker”, whereas American actress, Renée Kathleen Zellweger (50) won the best actress award for “Judy”.
Indian hockey players Lalremsiami & Vivek sagar wins FIH women and men’s rising star of year 2019 Indian professional hockey player Lalremsiami (19) from Mizoram was voted thebest FIH(International Hockey Federation) Women’s Rising Star of the Year 2019. At the same time, Indian team’s midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad (19) was selected as the best FIH Men’s Rising Star of the Year 2019.
13th edition of ESPNcricinfo Awards 2019: England’s Eoin Morgan named captain of the year ESPNcricinfo (sports news website) announced the 13th edition of the Annual ESPNcricinfo Awards 2019. Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan was named as the ‘captain of the year’ for leading England to win the World Cup Title against New Zealand. Ben Stokes was awarded the ‘ODI (One Day International) batting performance of the year’. The jury was comprised of former cricketers such as Ian Chappell, Ajit Agarkar, Daniel Vettori, Mark Butcher, Michael Hussey, Daryll Cullinan, Russel Arnold, Shahriar Nafees, Isa Guha, Snehal Pradhan and Peter Borren, and ESPNcricinfo’s senior editors, writers, and global correspondents.
South Indian Bank bags 6 Awards at IBA Banking Technology Awards Indian Bank Association’s 15th Annual Banking Technology Conference, Expo and Awards 2020 heldin Mumbai, Maharashtra in that South Indian Bank Has Bagged Two Awards at the Banking Technologycategory. South Indian Bank emerged winner in the ‘Most Customer Centric Bank Using Technology’ category and runner up in the ‘Best Payments Initiative’ category for Small Banks.
BioAsia 2020 announces Genome Valley Excellence Award American immunologist and oncologist Dr. Carl H June and Novartis CEO Dr. Vasant Narsimhan will be presented with the Genome Valley Excellence Award of BioAsia 2020. The function will be organized by the Telangana government annual global biotechnology & life sciences forum on February (17 to 19, 2020). o Dr. Carl H June will be awarded for his work in immunotherapy, research in development of CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor- T cells) for treatment of cancer & commercialization of world’s first FDA (Food and Drug Administration, United States)- approved genetherapy. o Dr. Narasimhan has been selected for his new vision in the pharmaceutical business in digital technology andhealthcare.
India’s renowned Feminist scholar & activist Gita Sen wins Dan David Prize 2020 Gita Sen, an Indian feminist scholar, activist has won the prestigious Dan David Prize2020 under “present” category for her path-breaking work in the fields of population policies, reproductive and sexual health, women’s rights, poverty, labour markets and global governance. Ms. Sen is the Distinguished Professor & Director at the Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity & Social Determinants of Health, at the Public Health Foundation of India.
India’s President Shri Ram Nath Kovind awarded President’s Colour to Indian Naval Station Shivaji Shri Ramnath Kovind, President of India & Supreme Commander of IAF (Indian Armed Forces), awarded President’s colour (highest military honour) to INS (Indian Naval Station) Shivaji, Lonavala, Maharashtra. The award was received by Nishan Adhikari, INS Shivaji and A special cover marking the Platinum Jubilee of INS Shivaji (completed 75 years of service) was released by the President. The ceremonial parade was organized by INS Shivaji consisting of 130 officers, 630 sailors of the Indian Navy, 150 men Guard of Honor and was commanded by Commodore Ravnish Seth.
Rajendra Indraman Singh and Dr Sohini Sastri won Indian Achievers Award 2020 Rajendra Indraman Singh, Founder & Chairperson of Priyadarshini Group of Schools & Colleges has been awarded the Indian Achievers Award (IAA) in recognition of his “Outstanding Contribution to Indian
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Education”. Kolkata-born renowned astrologer Dr Sohini Sastri awarded IAA as Best Astrologer of the year. The award was presented by Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, Union HRD (Human Resource Development) Minister, in a special ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, India.
Hockey player Manpreet singh became the 1st Indian to receive FIH player of the year award 2019 Manpreet Singh Pawar (27), the captain of India men’s national field hockey team, has been selected as the FIH Men’s Player of the Year 2019 by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).With this he becomes the 1st Indian to receive this honor. At the same time, Netherlands women’s captain Eva de Goede (30) has been named as FIH Women’s Player of the Year 2019. FIH Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year 2019- Vincent Vanasch(Belgium) FIH Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year 2019- Rachael Lynch(Australia) FIH Men’s Coach of the Year 2019- Colin Batch(Australia) FIH Women’s Coach of the Year 2019- Alyson Regina Annan(Australia)
DMart’s Founder Radhakishan Damani becomes India’s 2nd richest person after Mukesh Ambani Supermarket chain DMart’s Founder Radhakishan Damani becomes India’s 2nd richest person after Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited. According to Forbes ‘Real Time Billionaires’ Index, Damani has a net worth of $17.8 billion. DMart’s shares surged 700% in March 2017, with a market capitalisation of Rs 1.55 lakh crore.
65th Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020 in Guwahati, Assam: Gully Boy’ bags best film The 65th edition of Amazon Filmfare Awards 2020 was held at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadiumin Guwahati, Assam from 15 Feb 2020 – 16 Feb 2020. The event was hosted by Karan Kumar Johar (often referred to as KJo), an Indian film director, producer, actor and television personality along with Varun Dhawan, and Vicky Kaushal. Zoya Akhtar’s directorial ‘Gully Boy’ emerged as big winner as it bagged 13 awards including the prestigious best film award. Ranveer Singh bagged Best Actor’strophy for his performance in Gully Boy, while Alia Bhatt won the Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) for the same film.
20th edition of Laureus world sports awards 2020 held in Berlin, Germany: Sachin Tendulkar won sporting moment of the year 2000-2020 20th edition of Laureus World Sports Awards 2020 was held in Berlin, Germany.It was the 2nd Laureus World Sports Awards to take place in Berlin, following the 2016 ceremony which took place at the Messe Berlin. It was organized by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.Laureus World Sports Awards is known as ‘Oscars of Sport’.The event was hosted by Actor Hugh Grant. o Indian former international cricketer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar’s 2011 World Cup-winning moment was voted the Laureus Sporting Moment of 2000-2020. With this win, he became the first Indian sportsperson to win a Laureus World SportsAward. o Argentine star footballer Lionel Messi and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton were jointly voted Sportsman of the Year2020.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw won EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for 2019 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director (MD) of Bengaluru based biopharmaceutical company Biocon, won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year 2019 (for her innovation & affordable life saving medicines), at the 21st edition of the awards held in New Delhi, India. Adi Godrej, Godrej Group Chairman was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award while Tuhin Parikh, senior managing director (Real Estate), BlackStone India become the first recipient awarded with “Transformational Impact Person of the Year award”.
ESPN Multi-Sport Annual Awards 2019 announced: PV Sindhu & Saurabh Chaudhary becomes Sportperson of the year Female & Male Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) Multi-Sport Annual Awards 2019 announced PV Sindhu & Saurabh Chaudhary as ‘sportsperson of the year 2019 female & male’. PV Sindhu received this ‘Sportsperson of the year’ (Female) award for the third consecutive time. Dutee Chand was named as the first winner of the ESPN India courage award and Balbir Singh Senior fromgame Hockey presented with Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Indian freelance journalist Ahmer Khan wins AFP’s Kate Webb Prize The 27-year old Indian freelance reporter Ahmer Khan was announced as the winner of the 2019 Kate Webb Prize by the Agence France-Presse, for his series of videos and written reports on how people in Kashmir impacted while scraping article 370 by the Government of India. In 2008 AFP established theKate Webb Prize with a cash reward of euro 3000 (approximately Rs.3.2 lakhs) to recognize Journalists working in difficult conditions in Asia.
Venkaiah Naidu presented the Ideal Legislative Assembly Speaker/ Ideal Legislative Council Chairman Award 2019 to P. Ramakrishnan, Speaker of Kerala Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the Ideal Legislative Assembly Speaker/ Ideal Legislative Council Chairman Award 2019 to the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Shri P. Ramakrishnan, during the inauguration of the 10th edition of the 4 day function “Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad” (Indian Student Parliament), from february 20 to 23, 2020, held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, India. The selection committee was chaired by Shri Shivraj Patil -Former Speaker of the Parliament.Ideal Chief Minister (CM) Award 2019 was awarded to Amrinder Singh, CM of Punjab.
Indian Railways Customer grievance portal “RailMadad” gets National e-Governance Awards RaidMadad, the grievance redressal portal of Indian Railways, has been awarded Silver award under Category-II of National e-Governance Awards– “Excellence in providing Citizen-centric delivery” at the 23rd National Conference on e-Governance which was held at Mumbai on 7 & 8th February 2020.RailMadad is the single portal for grievance, inquiry and assistance for all railway customers- passenger, freight, parcel.
1 Million Dollar worth ‘Food Planet Prize’ created by The New Curt Bergfors Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden The New Curt Bergfors Foundation created the world’s largest prize for sustainable food solutions in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. The name of the prize is Food Planet Prize and its worth one million dollar. It will be presented in two categories. The jury prize will be chaired by Johan Rockstrom the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research. The objective of the prize is to provide solutions to feed people where climate change scares the world’s food supply and to create a sustainable food system for growing population. Later in 2020, the first prize will be awarded.
Dharampal Satyapal Limited won Best In-House direct tax Team of the Year award in BRICS CCI’s 2nd edition of Annual Direct Tax Summit & Awards 2020 In New Delhi BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCI) organised the 2nd edition of Annual Direct Tax Summit & Awards 2020 in union with Achromic Point an international consulting firm.The Award aimed to resolve the issues related to direct tax and its implications. Dharampal Satyapal Limited won the award for Best In-house Direct Tax Team of the year.
Padma Shri awardee Manoj Kumar felicitated by London’s World Book of Records for his contribution to Indian cinema Famous actor Manoj Kumar, 82 years old, has been felicitated by the World Book of Records (WBR), London, with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood honour for highlighting patriotic, social and cultural feelings through his contribution to Indian Cinema. Manoj Kumar is the winner of 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015 and also awarded Padma Shri award by the Government of India in 1992.
Hrithik Roshan awarded as the Best Actor in Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival 2020 The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2020 was held in Mumbai,Maharashtra. Hrithik Roshan bagged the Best Actor award for film “Super 30” and the title for Best Film also went to “Super 30”. The award for Best Actor in Television Series was awarded to Dheeraj Dhoopar and Best Actress in Television award was conferred to Divyanka Tripathi. The Best Reality Show title was bagged by Big Boss 13.
Mangalore’s Adline Castelino won LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2020 title Adline Castelino from Mangalore, Karnataka has won LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2020 title and was crowned by Vartika Singh, the winner of previous edition, at an event held in YRF (Yash Raj Films) Studios, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Now, Adline Castelino will represent India at Miss Universe pageant 2020. On the other hand, Aavriti Choudhary of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (MP) crowned as LIVA Miss Diva Supranational 2020. She will represent India at Miss Supranational 2020. Neha Jaiswal of Pune, Maharashtra was declared as LIVA Miss Diva 2020, Runner-up.
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CDRI’s scientist Dr. Niti kumar got SERB women excellence award-2020 Dr Niti Kumar, a Senior Scientist from Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR- CDRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Drug Research Institute), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) honoured with SERB (Science and Engineering Research Board) Women Excellence Award-2020 by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind during National Science Day Celebrations on February 28, 2020, in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The award recognized her research on understanding the protein quality control machinery in human malaria parasite for exploration of alternative drug targets for malaria intervention.
Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ presented 3rd Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards 2019; 4 MoUs inked Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank’ presented Chhatra Vishwakarma Awards (CVA) 2019 to 23 teams under 8 sub- categories during an ocassion in New Delhi. The award function was organised in All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Apart from CVA, 6 institutes were felicitated under the Utkrisht Santhan Vishwakarma Award (USVA). This was the 3rd edition of awards. The winners are recognized for their projects on the theme of “How to enhance the income of Village”. o Four MoUs inked: During the event, four MoUs were also exchanged between AICTE & IIT Kanpur, IIT Ropar, IIT Bhubaneshwar & IISER (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research) Pune. The MoUs are aimed at creating internship opportunities for the students of J&K. o Launch of digital version of AICTE Activity Book: Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ also launched the digital version of the AICTE Activity Book which has been hosted on the web portal ofAICTE
Dr N Kumar TNAU VC conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) Vice-Chancellor (VC) Dr N Kumar was awarded with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award” by ICAR- National Research Center for Banana, duringthe International Conference on Banana (ICB) 2020 held in Trichy, Tamil Nadu (TN). Theme of ICB 2020 was Innovations in Sustainable Production and Value Chain Management in Banana. The award is conferred to Dr Kumar in recognition of his specific contribution to the banana industry, by systematic banana breeding programmes which were started by TNAU in 1998.
The Indian Air Force (IAF), The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) won trophies for Republic Day Parade 2020 Defense Minister Rajnath Singh presented trophies to the best marching contingents for Republic Day Parade 2020 at Delhi.The Indian Air Force contingent named as the best among the three services. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is named as the best marching contingent in the Central Armed Police Forces and other additional forces category.
Hurun Global Rich List 2020: India ranked 3rd among countries;Jeff Bezos retains 1st rank, Mukesh Ambani at 9th position The Hurun Global Rich List 2020 was jointly released by Shanghai-based Hurun Research Institute and Shenzhen-based Shimao Shenkong International Center. Jeff Bezos retains 1st rank for the third running year and Mukesh Ambani is positioned at 9th. The list ranks 2,816 billionaires from 71 countries and from 2,182 companies. The total Wealth rises to 16% to US $11.2 trillion, 479 were new to the list & 130 dropped off. 4 Indians in total were listed in top 100- Mukesh Ambani in 9th rank, Gautam Adani & Shiv Nadar(& Family) tie in 68th rank, & Banker Uday Kotak is listed as The World’s Richest self-made banker.
Susan Daniel won Sahitya Akademi’s Translation Prize 2019 for translating Kannada novel ‘Kusumabale’ toEnglish Sahitya Akademi’s Translation Prize for 2019 for English has been awarded to Susan Daniel for her novel titled “Kusumabale”, which was translated from theKannada novel “Kusumabale” written by Devanur Mahadeva. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and a copper plaque.
Forest Man of India & environmentalist Padma Shri Jadav Payeng honoured with 6th Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award 2020 Forest Man of India & environmentalist Padma Shri Jadav ‘Molai’ Payeng is honoured with the 6th annual Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi award 2020 for his consistent efforts in creating a man made forest through afforestation.The award comprises of a trophy, a recitation & a reward of Rs 1 Lakh. Karmayogi award is presented to recognize extraneous achievement towards development of the North east region of India.
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MPPSC 2020 PRELIMS ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
India’s top refiner IOC acquires minority stake in Israeli battery developer Phinergy Indian Oil Corporation Limited-IOC (commonly known as IndianOil), an Indian government owned oil and gas company, has acquired a minority stake in Phinergy Ltd, an Israeli start-up company specializing in battery development with the aim to make ultra lightweight metal-air batteries that can be used in electric vehicles (EVs). Both firms also decided to adopt this technology in 3Ws, cars & buses in future as well.
Cognizant Tech Acquires EI Technologies and Code Zero Consulting Companies Cognizant technology solution corporation has made two strategic acquisitions EI technologies, a Paris- based digital technology consulting company and Code Zero, Georgia-based consultancy for cloud- based CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote) & Billing Solutions for the development of global salesforce practice before its fourth Quarter Earnings. Code zero company provides cloud-based configure-price-quote and billing solutions.
Energy major Total to acquire 50% in Adani’s solar portfolio for $510 mn French energy major Total Gas & Power Business Services SAS (TOTAL) will acquire 50% stake in all operational renewable energy projects of Adani Green Energy Ltd. (AGEL) for $510 million (Rs 3633 crore) along with other tools in a solar energy joint venture (JV) that will house 2,148 mw now possessed by the Adani group firm.The remaining 50 % in the JV will be held by AGEL.
DoT okays merger of Bharti Airtel, Tata Teleservices The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a department of the Ministry of Communications has approved the merger of consumer mobile operations of the Tata group –Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) with Bharti Airtel Limited (also known as Airtel). The merger will expand Airtel’s spectrum footprint and 4G (4th Generation) coverage and its ability.
Emami Group Signs Binding Pact with Nuvoco Vistas for selling of its 100% stake in Emami Cement Emami Group announced the selling of its 100% equity stake in Emami Cement Limited, an Integrated Cement Manufacturing plant for an amount of Rs. 5500 crores to Nuvoco Vistas Corporation limited, part of Nirma Group. The main objective of the deal is to become Debt-Free. Emami Cement has a debtof Rs. 2,000-2,200 crores and loan against shares of Rs. 1,000 crores. After accruing Emami cements, Nuvoco will become one of the leading companies in India, especially in Eastern Region. The transaction is expected to be approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 3-4 months.
Cipla acquires 4 key brands from Wanbury for up to Rs 88.60 crore Cipla pharmaceutical company in Mumbai, Maharashtra has acquired 4 brands from Wanbury pharmaceutical company of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. Wanbury had received up to Rs.88.60 crore for the sale of the brands to Cipla. The 4 brands acquired by cipla are CPink, CDense, Productive and Folinine. This has been done to strengthen Cipla’s presence in the women’s health segment.
CCI approved joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the Joint Venture (JV) between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor and transfer of automotive business of Ford India to JV. The proposed combination envisages the formation of joint venture, called Ardour Automotive Private Limited, between Mahindra & Mahindra (51%) (M&M) & Ford Motor (49%). In October 2019, Mahindra & Mahindra and the US-based Ford Motor Company had signed an agreement to create a JV in India valued at $275 million (Rs 1,925 crore).
Adani Transmission sold 25.1% stake in arm AEML to QIA for Rs 3,220 crore Adani Transmission has sold 25.1% stake in its arm Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML) to Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) for approximately Rs. 3220 crore. The agreements of the transactions were signed on December 11, 2019. AEML has recently completed an investment grade, USD (United States Dollar) 1 billion bond insurance.
NCLAT clears JSW Steel’s acquisition of Bhushan power for Rs 19,700 cr The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has approved JSW Steel’s (formerly known as Jindal
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South West) bid of Rs 19,700 crore for the acquisition of the bankrupt Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd (BPSL). Also, EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) earned by BPSL during its Corporate Insolvency resolution process will also be handed over to JSW Steel. However, the lawsuits filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 may continue against Bhushan Power’s former promoters.
CCI approves acquisition of WABCO Holdings by ZF Friedrichshafen AG Under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved for the acquisition of WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Company) Holdings Inc.by ZF (“Zahnradfabrik” which means Gear Factory) Friedrichshafen AG (Automotive industry in Germany), As per the agreement, ZF will acquire 100% shares of WABCO for USD 136.50 per share under all-cash transaction method for a total equity value of USD 7 billion (approximately Rs. 50,391 crores). ZF proposed the transaction to CCI under Regulation 25 (1A) of the Competition Commission of India (Procedure regarding to the transaction of business relating to combinations) Regulations, 2011.
Twitter acquired Chroma Labs founded by Facebook veterans Twitter has acquired California-based Chromo Labs for an undisclosed amount. Chromo Labs develop tools for short-form video & photo creation and was founded by 7 Facebook and instagram workers in 2018. The Chroma Stories app let users fill in stylish layout templates and frames for posting collages and Instagram stories, Snapchat etc. In 2019, Chroma Labs has enabled creators and businesses around the world to create millions of stories with the Chroma stories app.
GOVT approves merger of Indus Towers with Bharti Infratel The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) of India has given Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approval for the merger of India’s largest mobile tower company Indus Towers with Bharti Infratel. After the merger, the new Entity will become the world’s second largest Tower Company after China tower Corporation Ltd in Beijing, China. Bharti Infratel the tower infrastructure arm of Bharti Airtel has own 42% stake in Indus Towers and the United Kingdom based Vodafone holds 42%, Vodafone Idea holds 11.15% and remaining 4.85% by a private equity firm.
CCI approves NTPC to acquire 100% of the issued & paid-up share capital of NEEPCO & 74.5% stake of THDC India The Competition commision of India(CCI) has given approval to state owned NTPC under Section 31(1)of the competition act,2002 to acquire 100% of the issued and paid-up share capital of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) & 74.5% stake of Tehri Hydro development Corporation limited (THDC), the rest 25.5% stake to be held by Uttar Pradesh government. NTPC will spend close to Rs 15,000 crore to buy NEEPCO & THDC.
Crisil completed acquisition of 100% stake in Greenwich Associates Rating Agency Crisil completed the acquisition of 100% stake in Greenwich Associates. The transaction was announced on December 19, 2019. Greenwich is a leading provider of proprietary benchmarking data, analytics and qualitative insights to financial services firms worldwide.
ONGC & HPCL acquires 34.56 % of bankers’ stake in Petronet MHB for Rs 371 crore State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and its subsidiary Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) acquired 17.28% stake each from 34.56 % of bankers’ stake in Petronet MHB, the firm that owns a petroleum product pipeline in Mangalore, Karnataka for about Rs 371 crore. A consortium of 8 public sector banks held 34.56 % while HPCL and its subsidiary ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) presently hold 32.72% stake each in PMHBL. The acquisition is expected to be completed by March 31, 2020.
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Ajay Bisaria Appointed as Next High Commissioner of India to Canada Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (GoI) announced Ajay Bisaria as Next High Commissioner of India to Canada. Bisaria is an IFS (Indian Foreign Service) officer batch 1987.He will succeed Vikas Swarup who served as High Commissioner of India to Canada, he is now appointed as Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) at the Ministry of External Affairs. .Bisaria served as High Commissioner of India to Pakistan after India scrapped the article 370 (a constitution which gives special status to Jammu Kashmir) in 2019, he returned to New Delhi after Pakistan forced India to recall its Envoy.
Indian-origin techie Arvind Krishna elected as CEO for IBM Indian origin technology executive Arvind Krishna has been elected as Chief Executive Officer of American IT giant International Business Machines Corp (IBM) after a “world-class succession process” will be effective on April. He becomes the third Indian to head US-based multinational company after Microsoft corporation chief Satya Nadella and Google ceo sundar Pichai. Krishna is currently IBM Senior Vice President for Cloud and Cognitive Software and will succeed Virginia “Ginni” Marie Rometty.
Abidali Neemuchwala quits as CEO and MD from Wipro Abidali Neemuchwala quits as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) from Wipro IT (Information Technology) service providing company. He will continue in office until new CEO has been appointed. During Neemuhwala’s tenure, Wipro’s stock had a growth of 13%, while the stocks of Infosys and TCS grew 33% and 78% respectively and Also Wipro lost its 3rd position to HCL Technologies.
Govt appoints M.Ajit kumar as chairman of CBIC The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of M.Ajit Kumar as chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). Ajit is an IRS (Indian Revenue Service) officer of the batch 1984. Ajit served as member of CBIC and he will replace Pranab Kumar Das. The appointment comes as a part of the closure of Sabka Vishwas scheme (last date on January15, 2020).
Canara Bank MD & CEO R.A. Sankara Narayanan retires Public sector lender, Canara Bank announced that its Managing Director (M.D) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sankara Narayanan (60) has retired, because Narayanan attains the age of “superannuation” (which means completing the age for retirement).
Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi appointed as new PM of Iraq Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, 65 years old, was appointed as the Iraq’s new Prime Minister (PM) by its President Barhim Salih. He was the successor of Adil Abdul-Mahdi who resigned in November 2019 due to anti- government protests. The 2019 Iraq Protests was also named as Tishreen revolution (October revolution) or Iraqi Intifda.
BCCI inducted Madan Lal, R.P. Singh & Sulakshana in Cricket Advisory Committee The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the appointment of its 3-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) for a 1 year period. o Madan Lal: He represented India in 39 tests and 67 One Day Internationals (ODI). He represented India during the 1983 World Cup where India won against West Indies. He also served as national selector and coach of Indianteam. o R.P Singh: He played for India in 14 Tests, 58 ODIs, 10 T20I (Twenty Twenty International) and was part of the Indian team which won the World T20 against Pakistan. It was hosted in South Africa in2007. o Sulakshana: She had played two Tests, 46 ODIs and 31 T20Is for India in a career spanning 11 years.
Gopal Baglay appointed as Next High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Ministry of External Affairs has announced Experienced Diplomat Shri Gopal Baglay, a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the Next High Commissioner of India to The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Baglay will replace Taranjit Sandhu, who has been appointed as Indian Ambassador to U.S. Currently Baglay serving as Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister of India’s (PMO) Office.
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Padma Shri awardee Deepa Malik elected as President of Paralympic Committee of India India’s lone woman Paralympic medalist Deepa Malik, 49 years old, Sonipat from Haryana, was elected as President of the Paralympic Committee of India. He was the successor of the acting interim president Gursharan Singh. Deepa Malik won a silver in shot put F-53 event in the 2016 Rio Paralympic games. She is an awardee of Padma Shri award, Rajiv Gandhi khel Ratna Award.
Pramod Agrawal became the Chairman of Coal India Limited Pramod Agrawal became the new Chairman & Managing Director (MD) of Coal India Limited (CIL). He was the successor of Anil Kumar Jha who retired on 31st January 2020. Agrawal, 1991 batch IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer, served as the principal secretary for urban development and housing department in Madhya Pradesh (MP), Bhopal.
Albin Kurti appointed as the new PM of Kosovo Former rebel leader Albin Kurti (44 years) has been appointed as the new and 4th Prime Minister (PM) of the Republic of Kosovo by its parliament. Albin replaced Ramush Haradinaj as the PM, as Ramush resigned the post in July 2019 when he was summoned to be questioned at the war crimes court in The Hague, Netherlands.
WB chief economist Pinelopi announced resignation American Greek economist and Chief Economist of the World Bank (WB) Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg (57- years) announced her resignation. She will step down from her post on March 1, 2020 and will be teaching at Yale University in Connecticut, United States (US). WB research director Aart Kraay will bethe interim WB chief economist until the appointment of a new permanent chief economist. Pinelopi took over as the chief economist of WB succeeding Paul Romer at the end of April 2018.
Jeff Weiner becomes Executive Chairman of LinkedIn Jeff Weiner became the Executive Chairman (EC) of Linkedin. He was the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Linkedin for the past 11 years. Linkedin is the professional networking company owned by Microsoft. Ryan Roslansky, senior Vice President (VP) of Linkedin will become the CEO of the company as of JuneHe is the successor of Jeff Weiner. Tom Cohan, current Vice President of Marketing Solutions will replaceRoslanky.
Diplomat Philip Barton Appointed as Britain’s New High Commissioner to India The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of Great Britain announced that it has appointed Philip Robert Barton KCMG OBE (Knight Commander order of British Empire) as its new high commissioner of Great Britain to India, He will Replace Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith KCMG and will take charge on Spring Season. Currently Barton is serving as Director-General, consular and Security at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Tidjane Thiam resigns as Credit Suisse CEO after spying scandal Tidjane Thiam (57), a French-Ivorian banker has resigned chief executive officer (CEO) of Swiss bank Credit Suisse Group AG following a spying scandal. The board of directors (BOD) of the bank unanimously accepted Thiam’s resignation & also appoints Thomas Gottstein as the new CEO.
Prasar Bharati Chairman Surya Prakash gets retired Prasar Bharati (India’s public service broadcasting agency), Chairman, A Surya Prakash retired from his position after completing 2 consecutive terms of service that started in 2014. The farewell function for Prakash was held at the organisation’s 159th board meeting in New Delhi, India. He is a author of 2 books namely What Ails Indian Parliament & The Emergency-Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour.
Arvind Kejriwal sworn as Delhi CM for 3rd time on Feb. 16, 2020 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party leader Shri Arvind Kejriwal, 51 years old, sworn as Chief Minister (CM) of New Delhi on February 16, 2020 at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi, with his cabinet members. He serves as a CM of Delhi for consecutively 3rd time during the period of 2013, 2015 and 2020. The AAP won 62 of the 70 seats in the 2020 Assembly election & in 2015, it had won 67 seats.
Former India all-rounder Robin Singh appointed as UAE’s Director of Cricket Former India all-rounder Robindra Ramnarine Singh, 56 years old, appointed Director of Cricket of the UAE (United Arab Emirates). He was appointed by Emirates Cricket Board after the dismissal of head coach Douglas Robert Brown. Robin Singh represented India for 1 test and 136 ODIs (One Day International) between 1989 & 2001. He was associated with the (IPL) Indian Premier League’s of Mumbai Indians franchise, Caribbean
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Premier League’s Barbados Tridents since 2013 & T10 franchises in the T10 league.
AICF elects Ajay patel as its new president, Bharat singh as secretary Ajay H. Patel was elected unopposed as the President of All-India Chess Federation (AICF) byJustice Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla, returning officer for the AICF & former Supreme Court (SC) judge. He will succeed P R Venketrama Raja as the new president. Other persons who were elected unopposed to AICF are Bharat Singh Chauhan as the Secretary, Naresh Sharma as Treasurer, M. Arun Singh as Joint Secretary and Vipnesh Bharadwaj as Vice President.
ISRO space scientist G Narayanan becomes chairman of NSIL Veteran ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) space scientist G Narayanan has been named as the Chairman of NSIL (New Space India Limited), a Public Sector Unit (PSU) of Government of India. He served as Deputy Director (systems reliability & quality assurance) in LPSC (Liquid Propulsion Systems Center), a Thiruvananthapuram-based unit of ISRO that designs, develops liquid propulsion stages for launchvehicles.
Government of India appointed Rajiv Bansal as new CMD of Air India Government of India appointed Rajiv Bansal as CMD (Chairman & Managing Director) of Air India. He was the successor of Ashwani Lohani, who didn’t agree to extend his 1 year contract, which expired on February 11, 2020. Rajiv Bansal served as an additional secretary with the oil & gas ministry and also served as a CMD of Air India in 2017.
CARE Ratings Chairman S B Mainak resigned Suryakanth Mainak, resigned as Chairman of CARE (Credit Analysis and Research Limited) ratings due to irregularities in the agency’s rating of bankrupt shadow-banking firm Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS). Mainak served as the Managing Director (MD) of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India and joined the board of CARE ratings in August 2015.
Indian origin, Rishi Sunak, named UK’s new Chancellor of the Exchequer Indian origin Rishi Sunak (39) has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s (UK) new Chancellor of the Exchequer by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the UK government’s chief financial minister. He succeeds Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid who resigned as Chancellor. Now, British cabinet has three Indian-Origin MPs namely Alok Sharma, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, Priti Patel, Home Secretary, and Rishi Sunak as Finance Minister.
Vinay Dube appointed as CEO of GoAir Vinay Dube was appointed as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of GoAir. He was the successor of Cornelis Vrieswijk who resigned in February 2019. GoAir MD (Managing Director), Jehangir Waldia was holding the additional charge of chief executive.
15th Finance commission constitutes 8-member panel headed by ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri to boost agri exports The 15th Finance Commission has set up 8-member group led by ITC chairman and managing director (MD) Sanjiv Puri to recommend measurable performance incentives for the states, so as to promote exports & also to encourage the concerned crops to ensure replacement of more imports. The committee will submit its recommendations within 3 months. This expert group consists of members including (i) Ms. Radha Singh, Former Agriculture Secretary (ii) Representative of Ministry of Food Processing Industries (iii) Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry (iv) Shri Suresh Narayanan, CMD, NESTLE India (v) Mr. Jay Shroff, CEO-UPL Limited. (vi) Shri Sanjay Sacheti, Country Head India-Olam Agro IndiaLtd. (vii) Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS.
Australia appointed Barry O’Farrell as new high commissioner to India Australia has appointed former NSW (New South Wales) premier Barry O’Farrell as the next high commissioner to India. Barry O’ Farrell is the successor of Harinder Sidhu. Barry served in the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament from 1995-2015 as the 43rd premier of the province.
Ashraf Ghani wins second term as Afghanistan’s President Afghanistan’s Incumbent president Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai(70) wins second term as Afghanistan president as an Independent Candidate securing 50.64% votes in september 2019 election announced by the Election Commission of Afghanistan. Mr. Ghani served as president of Afghanistan from 2014, and he also served as
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Finance minister of Afghanistan (2002-2004) and the Chancellor of Kabul University.
Supratim Bandyopadhyay appointed as PFRDA Chairman Supratim Bandyopadhyay was appointed has been chairman of the PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Supratim appointment for a period of 5 years from the date of assumption or till attaining the age of 65 years. He is the successor of Shri Pankaj Jain. Supratim Bandyopadhyay served as Member (Finance) in the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
Ex-IAS officers Sanjay Kothari and Bimal Julka to become next Chief Vigilance Officer (CVC) and Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) A high powered selection committee headed by Narendra Modi has selected Sanjay Kothari, current Secretary to the President as the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and former Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka, currently serving as Information Commissioner became new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) in the Central Information Commission. Sanjay Kothari will succeed K. V. Chowdary as CVC while Bimal Julka to succeed Sudhir Bhargava as CIC.
Centre appoints three experts as NDMA members The Government of India has approved the appointment of Rajendra Singh (former Director General of the Indian coast guard), Syed Ata Hasnain (former Lt. General of Army) and Krishna Vatsa (Policy and Recovery Advisory, Climate change and disaster risk reduction, United Nations Development Program) as the members of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Along with the appointments, the government also extended the tenure of Kamal Kishore presently serving as NDMA member for another 5 years. NDMA is an apex body of the government of India to lay down the policies for Disaster management.
RBI appointed Sunil Gurbaxani as Dhanlaxmi Bank MD & CEO Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed Sunil Gurbaxani as MD (Managing Director) and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Dhanlaxmi Bank for a period of 3 years. Sunil was the successor of T.Latha. Sunil Gurbaxani served as the Executive Vice President of Axis Bank. Dhanlaxmi bank was removed from the RBI PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) framework, as the bank is found to be not breaching any of the risk thresholds of the framework.
Irish PM Leo Eric Varadkar resigns, retains as interim leader Irish Prime Minister Leo Eric Varadkar resigned due to the insufficiency of the majority after the parliamentary vote. He submitted his resignation to Irish President Micheal Daniel Higgins. He will remain as an interim leader and the government will continue to carry on their duties until the successor has been appointed. Leo Varadkar served as ‘Taoiseach’ (means Prime Minister of Ireland) since June 2017.
Mahant Nritya Gopal Das is elected as the President and Champat Rai as general secretary of The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust Mahant Nritya Gopal Das is elected as the President and Champant Rai as General Secretary of the The Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust in its meeting. The aim of the meeting is to speed up the construction of The Ram temple in Ayodhya. It was decided to open an Account in Ayodhya’s State Bank of India (SBI) branch for donations for the construction. The trust was formed in obedience to the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute in November 2019.
US-India Business Council (USIBC) appoints Vijay Advani as a new chairman of Global board The US-India Business Council (USIBC) appointed Vijay Advani as a new chairman of its Global board of directors. USIBC represents the top global companies across the United States, India and Indo-Pacific. Prior to the current position as an Executive Chairman, Vijay Advani was the CEO of Nuveen and earlier was Co- President of Franklin Templeton Investments.
Rajlaxmi Singh Deo re-elected as President of Rowing Federation of India Rajalaxmi Singh Deo was re-elected as the President of RFI (Rowing Federation of India) and M V Shriram elected as the Secretary General of RFI, after the successful completion of election held in Hyderabad, Telangana. The election was conducted under the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) observer K Govindraj. Rajpal Singh, G Bhasker, Souvik Ghose and Sreekunura Kurup were elected as 4 Vice-Presidents (VP) and Nababudin Ahmed as treasurer. The winning candidates will remain at the post for 4 years till 2024.
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Ms. Padmaja has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner to Vanuatu Ms. Padmaja, presently High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Fiji, has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Vanuatu, with the residence inSuva. She worked in Indian Council of World Affairs before proceeding to London in 2010, and dealt with Media & Information and Public Diplomacy.
World’s oldest govt leader Mahathir Mohamad (94) resigned as Malaysia’s PM The world’s oldest government leader Mahathir bin Mohamad (94) resigned as Malaysia’s Prime Minister (PM). His resignation has been accepted by Malaysia’s king Al-Sultan Abdullah of Pahang and also named him as the Interim prime minister of Malaysia until a successor is appointed. Mahathir served as Malaysia’s Prime Minister in 1981 and retired in 2003 and returned to office in 2018. In 1994 Mahathir was honoured with the “Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding” presented by the Government of India.
Abhay Kumar Singh appointed as CMD of NHPC Abhay Kumar Singh, 57 years old, was appointed as CMD (Chairman & Managing Director) of State-run hydro power giant NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) till (August 31, 2022). He is the successor of Ratish Kumar. He is also acting as a Nominee Director in Loktak Downstream Hydroelectric Development Corporation Limited.
Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe re-elected for a fourth term after winning 72% of votes The National electoral commission declared Faure Gnassingbe as Togo’s (country in West Africa) president. Faure Gnassingbe is from political party The Union for the Republic party.He took 72% of votes in the first round of presidential election and was re-elected for a fourth term. Final result to be announced by the Supreme Court.He defeated Agbeyome Kodjo, who won only 18% of the votes.
Michael Miebach named as Mastercard’s new President & CEO, Ajay Banga moves to Executive Chairman Mastercard named Michael Miebach as its new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will replace Ajaypal Singh Banga from January 1, 2021, who assumes charge as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ajay Banga, will replace Richard Haythornthwaite who is going to retire.
Shri Jawed Ashraf to be next Ambassador of India to France Shri Jawed Ashraf is appointed as the next Ambassador of India to France, he succeeds Vinay Mohan Kwatra. Vinay Mohan Kwatra will become the next Ambassador of India to Nepal, he succeeds Manjeev Singh Puri. Jawed Ashraf is currently serving as an Indian High Commissioner to Singapore.
Diplomat Abhishek appointed as next Ambassador of India to Venezuela The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India has appointed diplomat Shri Abhishek Singh as the next Ambassador of India to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. He will succeed Rajiv Kumar Napal, who passed away recently. Abhishek Singh is a 2003-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Mission, at Embassy of India in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Ajay Tyagi Chairman of SEBI gets 6 month extension Chairman of Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI)Ajay Tyagi gets a 6 month extension from the government, whose tenure of 3 years (from 2017) to end on February 29, 2020. He is an Indian Administrative Officer (IAS) of the Himachal Pradesh Cadre. His chairmanship of SEBI is been extended according to Sub- Section (1)(a) and Sub-Section (4) of Section 4 of the SEBI Act, 1992 (15 of 1992), read with Rule 3 of the SEBI (Terms and Conditions of Service of Chairman and Members) Rules, 1992.
UGC to set up 11 Chairs in the names of women scientists across India: Smriti Irani According to the Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, 11 Chairs will be set up by UGC (University Grants Commission) across India in the names of women scientists, including eminent anthropologist Iravati Karve. The Chairs will be set up for 5 years in the Universities to honor their contribution in the field of science. Each chair will be given Rs 50 lakh each for a year with a total expenditure of Rs 5 crore per annum.
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In a first IAF’S AN-32 aircraft landed at Leh with indigenous bio-jet fuel Indian Air Force’s (IAF) successfully operated AN-32 aircraft powered with 10% blend of Indian bio-jet fuel. This is the 1st time both engines of the aircraft were powered by bio-jet indigenous fuel. Aircraft was took-off from Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh because it was considered to be one of world’s highest and most difficult operational airfield. The test was conducted by a team of pilots from the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bengaluru, Karnataka.Bio-jet fuel is produced from non-edible ‘Tree Borne Oils’. They are grown and procured from the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh.
ISRO to unveil low-cost satellite launch vehicles Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced preparing low-cost launch vehicles where the first launch is expected to take place in the next four months in 2020. The cost of the launch vehicles ranges from Rs. 30-35 crores each and weighs 500kgs. ISRO has also announced in public at a 2-day space conclave named EDGE 2020, that it has built up the capacity to manufacture such launch vehicles in a turnaround time of around three weeks.
NASA decommissioned its Spitzer Space Telescope after 16 years National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has decommissioned its Spitzer Space Telescope. The telescope which was used to study the universe by detecting cosmic infrared radiation for more than 16 years was first launched in 2003. Spitzer was planned to be decommissioned in 2018 in anticipation of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), but as JWST launch mission was postponed spitzer was given 5th and final extension till 2020.
ICAR & IVRI released Classical Swine Fever (CSF) cell culture vaccine in New Delhi Dr.Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, Departments of Agricultural and Research Foundation (DARE) & Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) released the Live attenuated Classical Swine Fever (CSF) cell culture Vaccine at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi. The vaccine was developed by ICAR and IVRI (Indian Veterinary ResearchInstitute).
IIT-Madras develops new AI tech to convert speech Impaired Humans Brain Signals into Meaningful Language Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) researchers team lead by Vishal Nandigana, assistant Professor in Fluid Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering have developed an Artificial Intelligence technology to convert Brain signals of Speech-Impaired Humans into simple Human Language English. This technology also helps the researchers to collect the information or action of Natural Reactions like Plant Photosynthesis and also what Nature is trying to communicate with us, this helps to predict Monsoons, Earthquakes, Tsunami and other Natural calamities by converting their signals into Human Language.
L&T MBDA Missile Systems sets up missile integration facility in Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu Engineering & Construction Company L&T (Larsen & Toubro Limited) and European defence major MBDA Missile Systems have set up a missile integration facility in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (TN). L&T MBDA Missile Systems (LTMMSL) has set up the assembly,’inert’ integration (without explosives) and testing the Missile Subsystems & Weapon launch systems.
In a 1st, HAL to make advanced armed UAVs with Israeli Company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company will sign a partnership pact with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at the upcoming DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh (UP) to manufacture advanced Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) in India for the 1st time.
UAE discovers new natural ‘Jebel Ali gas field’ between Abu Dhabi, Dubai The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has discovered huge shallow gas resources called ‘Jebel Ali gas field’ with estimated reserves of 80 trillion standard cubic feet spanning an area of 5,000 square kilometres (sqkm) in the cross-border area of the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the government-owned energy giant, will jointly develop the reservoir with distributor the Dubai Supply Authority (DSA).
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World’s oldest Bamboo Fossil Discovered turns out to be Conifer A fossil of leafy branch was discovered in Eocene, Patagonia in 1941, at that time of Examination it considered as bamboo’s fossil and still it became the oldest bamboo of the world, but in recent Examination of that fossil by Dr. Peter Wilf from Pennsylvania state university revealed the real nature of the plant’s fossil (chusquea oxyphylla name of the fossil) and it was published in open-access journal Phytokeys. It needs a new name, with the priority of the older name, he combined Chusquea oxyphylla with Retrophyllum spiralifolium (fossil’s genus discovered by Wilf) to come up with Retrophyllum oxyphyllum. Retrophyllum is a genus of six living species of rainforest conifers.
Navy to get third Scorpene submarine in December 2020 Nicolas de La Villemarque, Vice President (VP) of India, Asia & Pacific of Naval Group reported that the 3rd Scorpene submarine, Karanj, will be delivered to the Indian Navy by Dec.2020 and all 6 sub-marine deliveries would be completed by 2022. The Scorpene submarine is to be equipped with the AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) system from 2023. It replaces the diesel-electric propulsion system of non- nuclear vessels.
IIT-H finds molecule to cure rare ALS neurodegenerative disease Researchers from IIT-H, Telangana (Indian Institute of Technology- Hyderabad) had found a molecule called “AIM-4” that can help in the treatment of rare neurodegenerative disease called “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis” (ALS) known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”. ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects voluntary movement of muscles & leads to paralysis and death.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after record longest stay in ISS NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) astronaut Christina Koch(41 years) from United States(US)who made the 1st all female space walk in 2019 landed in Kazakh desert steppe of Kazakhstan in a Soyuz MS-13 capsule. She has landed after making a record of longest stay on the International Space Station (ISS). She made her landing after ending a 328 days mission in space.
IT department introduced e-calculator to compare due tax under new and old regime Income Tax (IT) Department launched an e-calculator for individuals to estimate their tax liability for new tax slabs without claiming deductions & exemptions for ITR (Income Tax Return) filing. The calculator, with a comparative table comparing the taxes of the old and new tax for the financial year (2020-21) has been hosted on the official e-filing website of the department. The web portal is used for filing electronic income tax returns (ITRs) by individuals and various other taxpayers.
Indian leopard population declined by 75-90% as per study conducted by CWS & WII Scientists found that the Leopard population has decreased to 75-90% in India over the past 120 to 200 years, suggesting that leopards need similar conservation attention like tigers in India. The study was conducted by scientists from the Centre for Wildlife Sanctuaries (CWS), Bengaluru, Karnataka and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Uttarakhand, Dehradun.
NCL sets up R&D centre for sustainable coal mining Coal India Limited (CIL) subsidiary NCL (Northern Coalfield Limited) sets up a R&D (Research and Development) centre named ‘SARAS’ (Science and Applied Research Alliance and Support) in collaboration with IIT (BHU)-Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP). Shri. Prabhat Kumar Sinha, NCL, CMD (Chairman and Managing Director), announced the new (R&D) centre, at the World Confederation of Productivity Science seminar, New Delhi, India.
Indian Army Major Anoop mishra develops world’s 1st bulletproof helmet that can stop AK-47 firing In a vital development, a Major in the Indian Army, Anoop Mishra has developed the world’s1st bulletproof helmet which can stop an AK-47 bullet round from a distance of as less as 10 meters. The helmet is developed under the Indian Army’s “Abhedya” project. In addition to bulletproof helmet, the Indian Army’s College of Military Engineering, in association with a private firm, has developed India’s first and world’s cheapest gunshot locator, which can detect the exact location of the bullet from a distance of 400 meters.
IIT Madras & AIIMS Mangalagiri to collaborate for patient safety, quality healthcare delivery Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), in Tamil Nadu and All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh has announced to collaborate together in areas such as patient safety
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and quality healthcare. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by ProfBhaskar Ramamurthi, Director of IITM, and TS Ravikumar, President of AIIMS Mangalagiri. The partnership will enhance areas of mutual interest, exchange of scholarly information, sponsorship of joint seminars, workshops etc.
Astronomers discover monster galaxy XMM-2599 from early universe International team of astronomers led by scientists at the University of California, United States (US) has discovered a monster galaxy dubbed as XMM-2599. This galaxy existed around 12 billion years ago just 1.8 billion years after the formation of the universe. The details of this discovery have been published in the Astrophysical Journal. The detailed measurement of XMM-2599 was taken using spectroscopic observations from the W. M. Keck Observatory’s powerful Multi-Object Spectrograph for Infrared Exploration or MOSFIRE.
Indian Army & Private firm developed the World’s Cheapest Gun Shot Locator “Parth” The Indian Army’s College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune, Maharashtra, jointly with a private firm developed gunshot locators named as “Parth”. The device is much cheaper than the imported ones.Major Anoop Mishra displayed the Parth gun shot locator at DefExpo 2020 held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP). Parth gunshot locator costs around Rs 3 lakhs which is less than the imported ones, which costs around Rs 65 lakhs. It can detect the exact location of the bullet from a distance of 400 meters.
Iran unveils new ballistic missile ‘Raad-500’; dedicated to former Major General Qasim Sulemani In the midst of increased tension with the US (United States), Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has launched a short- range ballistic missile, “Raad-500” having a power generation engine ‘Zoheir’ (which is made of alloy) to put the satellite into orbit. Zoheir is lighter than the steel engine built earlier, so it is much easier for the missile to catch fast speed. It has been dedicated to the former head Quds Force, a unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a drone strike by the US in Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020.
DRDO developing a new ballistic missile Pranash with striking range of 200km The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is developing Pranash, a new 200Km strike range ballistic missile which will be the advanced version of Prahaar, with the strike range of 150Km. Pranash is a single stage solid propellant surface-to-surface missile. Prahaar is a short range Ballistic missile having a strike range of 150 Km and it can carry the nuclear warheads up to 200Kg. It is a solid propellant surface to surface missile which can travel at the speed of Mach 2.
Ministry of Coal (MoC) launched Web Portal for Star Rating of Mines in India The Ministry of Coal (MoC) launched a web portal for star rating of coal mines, to promote green, safe and sustainable mining practices. Union Minister of Coal & Mines Shri Pralhad Joshi launched the web portal in New Delhi, India. The web portal enables all operational coal mining across India for self- rating and Coal Controller’s Organization (CCO) will evaluate and award star rating. Shri Anil kumar Jain, Coal Secretary and Shri Vinod kumar Tiwar, Additional Secretary were also present on the occasion.
U.S. approves sale of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System to India The United States of America, President Donald Trump’s Administration has approved the sale of an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) to India for an estimated cost of USD 1.867billion announced by the Defence Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) part of United States Department of Defence. This proposed sale will upgrade India’s Air Defence Technology and also to strengthen the US-India Strategic relationship and India also purchased 13 MK45 Naval guns and related Equipment at a cost of USD 1.0210 billion.
Ananth Technologies first Indian private firm to build foreign-owned satellites Aerospace firm Anand technologies (ATL), Hyderabad has signed a deal to build 6 foreign-owned satellites in India. This is the 1st time a private firm is making satellites for global customers. The firm will soon open a satellite making facility in Bengaluru. Ananth Technologies will build a foreign-ownedsatellite weighing between 50 kg and 250 kg for customers in Sweden and France & integrate satellites around 30% lower costs. The company is a supplier of systems to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
BARC’s Bhabha Kavach inducted in CISF During a ceremony held at CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) UNIT, BARC Camp, Trombay in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Director BARC handed over 55 Bhabha Kavach bullet proof jackets to Rajesh Ranjan, Director General, CISF. Developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), it is India’s lightest level III plus bullet proof jacket (6.8 kgs nominal weight) based on indigenous hot pressed boron
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carbide and carbon nanotube technologies. It t can stop 7.62 x 39 mm hard steel core bullets fired from AK 47 rifles, 5.56 x 45mm Ball MK M bullets of Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles and Self Load Rifles (SLR)/Bolt action rifles with a back face signature of less than 15 mm.
NASA’s ‘SuperCam’ to study mineralogy of Mars during Mars 2020 rover mission NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is all set to send a new laser-toting robot named ‘SuperCam’ to Mars for studying mineralogy and chemistry from up to about 20 feet (7 meters) away, to help scientists in finding the signs of fossilized microbial life on the Red Planet i.e. Mars. SuperCam, a rock-vaporizing instrument is a part of seven instruments aboard the Mars 2020 rover.
US scientists discover the newborn massive planet closer to earth called “2MASS 1155-7919 b” Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), in Rochester, New York, US (Uinted States) have detected the nearest- known ‘baby giant planet’ called 2MASS 1155-7919 b, just 330 light-years from Earth. It is located in the Epsilon Chamaeleontis Association.The scientists discovered this very young exoplanet by using data from Gaia space observatory. The study has been published in the journal Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.
ISRO to launch 10 surveillance satellites in 2020-21 As per the annual report of the Department of Space, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is planning to launch 10 earth observation satellites space surveillance feature during 2020-21 including first ever Geo Imaging Satellite GISAT-1. For FY20-21, ISRO has been allotted the highest-ever budgetary outlay of Rs 13,480 crore by Union Ministry of Finance.
Kerala CM launched “Yodhavu” mobile app to combat drug menace Kerala Chief Minister (CM) Pinarayi Vijayan launched “Yodhav” (Warrior) mobile app (application) at Kochi, Kerala, through which the public can inform police about drug abuse & its distribution. The application was introduced by the Kochi city police and the informer’s identity could be kept secret. The Kerala CM also inaugurated a modern cyberdom cyber crime police station and unveiled the model of a new complex for Kochi city police in Kochi, Kerala.
Credai launched ‘Credai Awaas’ app to connect homebuyers with developers CREDAI (The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India) launched an ‘Credai Awaas’ app (application) to connect homebuyers with its member developers to purchase properties. The app was launched by Mohammad Akbar, Minister of Transport, Housing & Environment, Forest & Law, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The app will facilitate ease of purchase of residential properties by homebuyers.
Delhi Police integrated with Uber launched “Himmat Plus app” Delhi Police along with Uber launched “Himmat Plus app”, at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, New Delhi, to ensure safety and security of the people travelling in cabs. The police headquarters will receive the real time location of a driver or rider in case of emergency through this app so that PCR (Police Control Room) van can be assigned to provide assistance.
Lithium reserve found in Mandya near Bengaluru The Researchers of India’s Atomic Energy Commission have found lithium reserves of 14,100 tonnes in Mandya, Bengaluru, Karnataka. Lithium is a rare metal used for manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles. India currently imports all its lithium needs, and these reserves will be useful to promote clean-energy vehicles. India has set up Khanij Bidesh India Limited to source and acquire mines in Argentina (Buenos Aires), Bolivia (Sucre) and Chile (Santiago).
India-Russia defence deals set to cross USD 16 billion The defence deals between India and Russia are set to cross USD 16 billion (approximately Rs.1.151 lakh crores) as India signed 14 MoUs (Memorandum of Understandings) with Russia during the defexpo 2020 that covered development and production of land, naval and systems and hi-tech civilian products, and separately contracts signed for the production of Kalashnikov rifles, Kamov helicopters and S-400 air defence systems. Russia was the largest foreign Exhibitor at the Defexpo held from February 5-9,2020 in Lucknow, UttarPradesh.
GRSE delivers 4th Anti-Submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy Kolkata based defence PSU (Public Sector Undertakings) GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers ltd.) has delivered its fourth and Last Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette (ASWC) INS (Indian Naval Ship) Kavaratti to Indian Navy under Project-28. The first 3 ships under project-28 are INS Kamorta, INS Kadmatt and INS
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Kiltan(Participated in EX-MALABAR) are delivered to Indian Navy by GRSE, Only INS Kavaratti and Kiltan have the unique feature of superstructure made of carbon-fibre composite material & it is for the 1st time in India that such composite material is being integrated with steel hull of a ship, and GRSE is the 1st shipyard in India to have successfully achieved this task.
Pakistan successfully tests nuclear-capable air launched cruise missile Ra’ad-II Pakistan successfully completed the flight test of the air launched cruise missile Ra’ad-II with a range of 600 km significantly boosting the military’s “deterrence capability” on land and at sea. Ra’ad-II weapon system is equipped with state of the art guidance & navigation systems ensuring of engagement targets with high precision. Ra’ad-II missile is planned to be attached to Mirage aircraft or F-16 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force.
First ever long Endurance solar-powered unmanned aircraft PHASA-35 flies successfully High Altitude Long Endurance vehicle (HALE), Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA)- 35 has the potential to remain airborne for a year is the First ever long endurance solar-powered unmanned aircraft which has successfully completed its maiden test flight and it developed by BAE systems in collaboration with Prismatic Ltd.PHASA-35. It has a wingspan of 35 metres and can carry upto 15 Kilos. PHASA-35 can be used for fire detection, maritime surveillance and Border protection, etc. The flight trial is conducted at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Woomera range in South Australia.
Cabinet approved Procurement of 24 US made MH-60R Seahawk helicopters The Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi has approved the acquisition of 24 Sikorsky MH (Maritime Helicopters)-60R(Romeo) seahawk multi-role Helicopters from The United States, worth of USD 2.6 billion (approximately Rs.1871 crores) for Indian Navy. Lockheed Martin, who built the helicopters for the US, will be the principal contractor for the sale. The helicopters will be procured through the foreign military sales (FMS) method administered by The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
Indian Railways launched HRMS Mobile app for its employees Shri Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board, launched HRMS (Human Resource Management System) Mobile application (app) through which all employees of Indian Railways can view and access data related to their services. The app was designed and developed by CRIS (Centre for Railway Information System). The app allows employees to view their historical data since the date of joining in Railways. Apart from this, Indian Railways announces the launch of joint research initiatives and teaching programmes with University of Birmingham at National Rail Transportation Institute (NRTI).
IRCTC ‘ASKDISHA’ upgraded to converse with Railway Customers in Hindi Language Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) upgraded ASKDISHA (Digital Interaction to Seek Help Anytime) in Hindi language by voice as well as text in order to enhance the customer services and also converse with customers in the e-ticketing site (www.irctc.co.in). In order to resolve the queries of railway passengers over the internet related to the various services offered, IRCTC introduced Artificial Intelligence based ASKDISHA chatbot in October 2018. It was initially launched in English language.
Scientists discover breathable oxygen in galaxy outside of Milky Way for 1st time A team of astronomers at China’s Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, led by Junzhi Wang has identified molecular oxygen in a galaxy outside the Milky Way.The team identified the presence of molecular oxygen by analyzing light waves that had reached Earth from Markarian 231, a galaxy around 581 million light years away. The discovery has been published in Astrophysical Journal. The light wave readings were taken at two different locations: the IRAM (Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range) 30-meter telescope in Granada, Spain, and the Northern Extended Millimeter Array telescope in the FrenchAlps.
HPF validated its 1st exoplanet called G 9-40b Habitable-Zone Planet Finder (HPF) ,an astronomical spectrograph installed on the 10-meter Hobby- Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory in Texas, Unites States(US) & built by Penn State University scientists, has validated its 1st planet (exoplanet) called G 9-40b. The planet G 9-40b, is about twice the size of the Earth, but likely closer in size to Neptune, orbiting a nearby low mass bright M-dwarf star (100 light years from Earth) with an orbital period of 6 Earth-days.
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4,000-year-old crafts village unearthed near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh by Banaras University The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology Professor, Anil Kumar Dubey and his team discovered a 4000-year-old urban settlement, which is mentionedascraftvillagesasperAncienttexts,inBabhaniyavvillage,VaranasiinUttarPradesh.Onthepreliminary survey of the site, BHU found a temple which belongs to the 5th Century AD through 8th Century AD, potteries which are 4000-year-old and walls which are 2000-year-old.
Shri Injeti Srinivas Secretary of Ministry of Corporate Affairs inaugurated the SPICe+ web form Shri Injeti Srinivas, Secretary of Ministry of Corporate Affairs inaugurated the SPICe+ web form(Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically Plus) that replaces SPICe (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically) form.It 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.
An e-commerce app “Thirumathi Kart” for SHG products launched at Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu An e-commerce mobile application called “Thirumathi Kart” developed by National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi (NIT-T) for promoting products developed by self-help groups (SHG), waslaunched in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu (TN) by Collector of Tiruchi, S. Sivarasu in the presence of Mini Shaji Thomas, Director, NIT-T, and other officials at the inauguration ceremony of ‘Marketing strategies in the digital era: self-promotion of SHG products through Thirumathi Kart’ programme. The app has been developed under the project, ‘Design and development of ICT-enabled cloud-based mobile application for self-promotion of products developed by SHG’ assisted by Department of Science and Technology (DST).
Union Labour Minister Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar to launch “Santusht” mobile app for ESI beneficiaries The Union Labour Minister Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) foundation day announced about launching “Santusht” mobile app for the benefit of ESI beneficiaries & launched ESIC’s Special Service Fortnight from February 24 to March 10. The minister also renamed ESIC Hospital Basaidarapur, New Delhi to Sahib Singh Verma ESIC Hospital and ESIC AYUSH Hospital to Padma Vibhushan Brihaspati Dev Triguna ESIC AYUSH Hospital.
INCOIS launched three new advance warning systems The Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad has launched 3 new ocean based specialised products for the benefit of fishermen & people living in the coastal areas of South India. The 3 warning systems are Small Advisory and Forecast Services System (SVAS), Swell Surge Forecast System (SSFS) and Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS). o SVAS is aimed at improving the operations of numerous small marine vessels, particularly fishingvessels. o SSFS is designed to predict the kallakkadal or swell waves in the coastalregion. o ABIS provides information on harmful algal blooms that tend to cause respiratory problems in the coastalpopulation.
Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal Launched Market Intelligence and Early Warning System(MIEWS) Union Food Processing Industries (FPI) Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal Launched Market Intelligence & Early Warning System (MIEWS) at Delhi. MIEWS portal is a ‘First-of -its-kind’ platform that monitors the prices of TOP Crops (Tomato, Onion & Potato) & generates alert for timely market intervention under the terms of Operation Greens(OG) scheme for price stabilization during glut situations.
Union Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates new Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Production Hangar at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) complex inBengaluru Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light CombatHelicopter(LCH) Production Hangar at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) complex in Bengaluru, karnataka. LCH is designed & developed by HAL, a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU). LCH is a 5.5 ton class combat helicopter powered by 2 Shakti engines. LCH TD (Technology Demonstrator) – 1 is the firs.attack helicopter in India to land in Forward bases at Siachen, 4700 metres above the sea level with 500 kg Load on March 29,2010.
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Astronomers discovered a mini-moon or planet’s 2nd moon, “Dubbed 2020 CD3” Mini- moon or planet’s 2nd moon “Dubbed 2020 CD3” was discovered by Kacper Wierzchos and Teddy Pruyne of the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) in Arizona, US.It is an asteroid about the size of the car & its diameter is about 1.9-3.5 metre. It is a temporary moon, dissimilar to our permanent moon which will break free of Earth’s orbit & go off on its own way.
Astronomers at UBC Astronomy club discovers 17 new planets, including earth-sized world A team of Astronomers including a student Michelle Kunimoto at University of British Columbia (UBC) astronomy in Canada has discovered 17 new planets, including a potentially habitable Earth- sized rocky body that may have liquid water, by combing through data collected by NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Kepler Space Telescope, which was launched in 2009, andretired in October 2018. The findings has been published in ‘The Astronomical Journal’.The finding also includes one such rare planet named ‘KIC- 7340288 b’ which is one and a half times the size of Earth and in the habitable zone of its star & one of only 15 small habitable zone planets found in the Kepler Telescope data till now, however it is 1,000 light-years away.
8,000 years old Carbon founded inside The Yongle Blue Hole (YBH) Peng Yao & his team at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao found 8,000 years old Carbon inside The Yongle Blue Hole (YBH), the world’s deepest blue hole, in the South China Sea. YBH has a depth of 300 metres from top to bottom which puts down Dean’s Blue Hole in Bahamas of 202 metres depth from the position of the world’s deepest blue hole.
Astronomers detect biggest explosion in the Universe since the Big Bang in Ophiuchus galaxy cluster An international team of Astronomers including from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Perth, Australia, have discovered biggest explosion seen in the universe since the Big Bang. The explosion occurred in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster, 390 million light- years from Earth. The discovery has been published in The Astrophysical Journal & Lead author of the study was Dr Simona Giacintucci, from the Naval Research Laboratory in America. Astronomers used 4 telescopes for the discovery of explosion including Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India.
ENVIRONMENT
million-year-old fossils of new Thanatotheristes found inCanada The University of Calgary’s graduates Jared Voris and Darla Zelenitsky has discovered that the 79- million-year- old dinosaur fossils at Alberta, Canada in 2010 is belongs to a new species of Tyrannosaur named as Thanatotheristes degrootorum after John and Sandra De Groot found the fossil in 2010, which means “reaper of death”. Tyrannosaurs were one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs, researchers found that Thanatotheristes is the oldest tyrannosaurs from North America, and it preyed large plant- eating dinosaurs.
World’s largest species of cave fish discovered in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills A team of experts from UK (United Kingdom), Switzerland, and India have discovered the world’s largest species of cave fish in Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. The fish, Tor putitora has no eyes and is white due to lack of melanin pigmentation. The details of the finding are published in the issue of Cave and Karst Science, published by British Cave Research Association. Thee fishes are commonly found in the rivers that flow along the foothills of Himalayas, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar andNepal.
‘Henneguya salminicola’-First ever animal that can survive without oxygen discovered by Scientists from Tel Aviv University (TAU) Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel have discovered a jellyfish-like parasite,’Henneguya salminicola’, without a mitochondrial genome, the first multicellular organism known to have this absence. That means it doesn’t breathe and lives its life completely free of oxygen dependency. The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding was led by Prof. Dorothee Huchon of the School of Zoology at TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.
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Rubigula state bird of Goa declared as official Mascot for 36th National Games in Goa The Flame-Throated Bulbul or Rubigula bird the state bird for Goa, which is officially declared as the Mascot for the 36th National Games going to held in Panaji, Goa. The Mascot was unveiled by the Union Minister of State Independent Charge for Ministry of Sports and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Minister of State for Ministry of Minority Affairs Mr.Kiren Rijiju and the Mascot has been designed by Sharmila Coutinho (Goa based Artist). Goa will be hosting the 36th National Games from 20th October,2020 to 4th November, 2020.
NADA suspends Weightlifter Ramshad AR for 2 year & Wrestler Ravinder Kumar for 4 years The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) banned Indian weightlifter Ramshad AR for a period of 2 years after he was found guilty of violating the anti-doping rule. Similarly, Indian wrestler Ravinder Kumar was banned for a 4-year period by NADA for failing the dope test. Ramshad AR was found guilty of anti-doping violation where he violated article 2.1.1 which states that it was the athlete’s personal duty to ensure no prohibited substance entered his/her body.As per Rule 10.08 of NADA’s Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, all competitive results of Ravinder from the date of sample collection will be disqualified.
Overview of 108th Australian open 2020 held in Melbourne, Australia Australian open 2020, a Grand Slam tennis tournament was held from 20 January – 2 February 2020 at Rod Laver Arena, a multipurpose arena located in Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Australia.The tournament marks the 108th edition of the slam and the 52nd edition in the Open Era. The prize money of the tournament was AUD 71 million (USD 49.1 million) and comprised singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. The winners are: o Men’s Singles- Novak Djokovic(Serbia) o Women’s Singles- Sofia Kenin(US) o Men’s Doubles- Rajeev Ram (US) & Joe Salisbury (UnitedKingdom) o Women’s Doubles- Kristina Mladenovic (France) & Timea babos(Hungary) o Mixed Doubles- Nikola Mektic (Croatia) & Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic)
Highlights of India Vs Newzealand T20I series 2020 The Indian men’s cricket team Played 5 T20I (Twenty Twenty Internationals) series against New Zealand as part of the India Tour of New Zealand 2020 from January 24- February 02, 2020. The matches were held in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Mount Maunganui and Christchurch cities of New Zealand. The Indian men’s cricket won the match against New Zealand for a 5-0 win. o India became 1st team to win a 5 match T20I series for5-0 o Ross Taylor became the 1st New Zealand male cricketer to play 100 T20Imatches. o Indian opening batsman Rohit Sharma became the 8th Indian batsman to complete 14,000 runs in international cricket. He achieved this feat during the final T20I match at NewZealand. o Rohit Sharma became 8th Indian to score 14,000 internationalruns o KL Rahul attains career-best second position in ICC T20I batsmenrankings o India fined by ICC for slow over-rate in final T20I
ICC test batsmen rankings: Kohli retained no. 1 spot; Rahane slips to 9th place International Cricket Council (ICC) released its latest test batsmen rankings. Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli retained no.1 spot in the rankings while Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara remained in 6th place and India’s Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane slipped to the 9th spot. Virat was followed by Steveen Peter Devereux Smith (Australia) and Marnus Labuschagne(Australia) in the 2nd and 3rd spot respectively. o Bowling rankings: Indian bowler Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah was the best placed Indian at the 6thspotandwasfollowedbyRavichandranAshwinatthe8thspot.MohammedShamiAhmed was the third Indian placed in the top 10 rankings placed at 9thspot. o All rounder rankings: Indian cricketer Ravindra Anirudhsinh Jadeja remained at the 3rd Ashwin was ranked4th.
Rohit Rajpal to continue as India's Davis Cup captain 2020 All India Tennis Association (AITA) announced Rohit Rajpal will continue as India’s non-playing Davis Cup captain 2020, in the selection committee meeting held at New Delhi, India.India will travel to Croatia for their next tie on 6th and 7th of March, 2020. Zeeshan Ali will be the coach of the team.
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American tennis player Spears handed 22-month doping ban American tennis player Abigail Spears (38 years) was given a 22 month doping ban by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The ban was announced on spears after she failed the doping test from the 2019 US (United States) open match. The ban which was started from November 07, 2019, will end at midnight on September 6, 2021.
Bangladesh won the 13th ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup 2020 defeating India in South Africa 13th edition of 2020 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, an international limited-overs cricket tournament was held in South Africa from 17 January – 9 February 2020. It was administered by International Cricket Council (ICC). The Finals were held at the JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom, South Africa between Bangladesh & India. Bangladesh’s youth team defeated India by three wickets in a thrilling match in the final. With this, the Bangladesh team won the under-19 World Cup title for the first time. o India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, was adjudged Player of thetournament. o ICC suspends Canada’s Under-19 spinner Raqib Shamsudeen for illegal bowlingaction.
Australia clinches ICC women’s championship trophy 2020 for the 2nd time Australia were awarded the ICC (International Cricket Council) Women’s Championship trophy 2020, which they maintained by winning victories in the eight-team one-day championship between 2017 and 2020. The Australia’s team was led by Meghann Moira Lanning (also known as Meg Lanning). With this, Australia makes it to the Women’s Cricket World Cup to be held in New Zealand 2021.
ITF women’s tennis event 2020 in Thailand: India’s Ankita Raina wins 18th career doubles title Ankita Ravinderkrishan Raina (27), an Indian professional tennis player along with her partner Bibiane Schoofs of the Netherlands, won the finals of the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Women’s doubles event against the pair of Miyabi Inoue of Japan and Jia-Qi Kang of China with a 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 scores held in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The winner pair, won $ 25,000, earlier clinched their 1st doubles title together in Belgium in 2017. This is the 18th career doubles title for the Ankita in the professional circuit, and the 3rd with Schoofs.
National snooker championship 2020 in Pune, Maharashtra: Aditya Mehta & Vidya Pillai wins men and women’s title Indian former professional snooker player, Aditya Mehta (34) & Vidya Viswanathan Pillai (42) have won their men & women’s title respectively in Indian National Billiards & Snooker Championship 2020 held at PYC Hindu Gymkhana in Pune, Maharashtra from 11 January – 09 February 2020. Aditya Mehta, who represented the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) has defeated several-time world champion Pankaj Advani with 6-2 scores and won the title.
Mondo Duplantis breaks pole vault world record with 6.17m jump Armand Mondo Duplaints, 20 years old, American-born Swedish pole vaulter, broke the World record of frenchman Renaud Lavillennie. Mondo Duplaints jumped a height of 6.17 meters on his 2nd attempt at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Torun, Poland. Duplaints was born on 10 November 1999, at Lafayette, Louisiana, United States (US). Renaud Lavillennie’s, french-player, record was 6.16 meters in February 2014 in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Premier Badminton League 2020 in Hyderabad,Telangana: Bengaluru Raptors become champions for 2nd time in a row Bengaluru Raptors, led by World Championships bronze medallist B. Sai Praneeth and World No. 2 Tai Tzu Ying has defeated the mixed doubles pair -Chan Peng Soon and Eom Hye Won of North Eastern Warriors to clinch the Premier Badminton League (PBL) title 2020 for the 2nd time in a row by 4–2 scores. The tournament was held at the GMC Balayogi SATS IndoorStadium in Hyderabad,Telangana January 20, 2020 – February 9, 2020. Player of the Tournament was won by Taiwanese badminton player,Tai Tzu Ying; Emerging Player of the League won by Priyanshu Rajawat & Indian Player of the League was bagged by Sikki Reddy.
ICC Men’s test rankings 2020: Kohli continues at No.1, Babar azam moves up two places to 5th As per the ICC (International Cricket Council) Men’s test ranking 2020 released on 11th February 2020, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has retained his top position with 928 points in the list of batsmen. At the same time, Pakistan batsman Babar Azam, who scored a century in the first Test match against Bangladesh, has jumped two places to 5th in test batting rankings with 800 points. Among Indian bowlers, Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah is at 6th, Ravichandran Ashwin at 8th and Mohammed Shami Ahmed is at 9th rank.
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54th All India Bombay Gold cup hockey championship 2020 in Mumbai, Maharashtra: Indian navy wins the title Indian Navy, Mumbai (Maharashtra) has defeated South Central Railway (SCR), Secunderabad (Telangana) to win the 54th All India Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Tournament title for the 1st time with 4-1 scores in the final played at Mahindra Hockey Stadium, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Inaugural National winter games 2020 to be held in Ladakh and J&K’s Gulmarg As a part of Khelo India programme, Union Territory of Ladakh will host the inaugural Khelo India Winter Games 2020 in the third week of February and Kongdori, Gulmarg of Jammu and Kashmir will host from March 7, 2020. The Union sports ministry will fund both the Khelo India Winter Games 2020 which will be organised by JandK Sports Council and Winter Games Association of J&K, with 15 teams from different states and organisations.
Boxer Amit Panghal ranks world No. 1 in IOC’s ranking for Olympic qualifiers A 24-year-old world championship silver medalist boxer Amit Panghal has ranked No.1 in 52kg weight category in International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Boxing Task Force rankings for Olympics Qualifiers with 420 points. The ranking was based on the performance of players in the last two World championships (2017,2019) and the continental championships.
Womens T20I Tri-Series 2020 in Melbourne; Host Australia beats India by 11 runs Indian women’s cricket team played Women’s T20I Tri-Series 2020 in Australia held from January 31 – February 12, 2020 at the Junction Oval ground in Melbourne. The series has been won by Australia. The Indian team was led by Harmanpreet Kaur. The Australian team was led by Meghann Moira Lanning.
ICC women’sT20I rankings 2020: Smriti mandhana reached 4th place According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I (Twenty-twenty International) rankings 2020 for Women players, Indian women’s cricket team’s star batsman Smriti Shriniwas Mandhana has moved up three places to 4th in the batsmen’s rankings with 732 points, while Jemimah Rodriques slipped to number 7. Harmanpreet Kaur holds the 9th position in this list of batsmen. o Batting ranking: New Zealand batsman Suzannah Wilson “Suzie” Bates is at the first place with a rating of765. o Bowling: In the bowling rankings, Australia’s Megan Scutt ranks first & India’s Poonam Yadav slipped six places to drop out of the top 10 and now remains in the 12thposition.
“United by Emotion” to be 2020 Tokyo Olympics Motto The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic games revealed the official motto, “United By Emotion”, which reflects the “universal values” and “unifying power of sport”, for the upcoming 2020 Olympics to be held in Tokyo, Japan from July 24, 2020 to August 9, 2020. The official Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius” or “Faster, Higher, Stronger”, but each host city chooses its own motto to accompany that edition of the Games.
India wins bronze in Badminton Asia team championships 2020 held in Manila, Philippines Indian men’s team clinched bronze medal at the Badminton Asia team championships 2020 after losing to two- time defending champions Indonesia with 2-3 scores in semi-finals of the tournament held at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila, Philippines from 11 – 16 February 2020. This is the 2nd time that India bagged bronze medal in the championship after it won the 1st bronze in 2016 at Hyderabad, Telangana. Members of Indian Team that won bronze medals were Arjun M.R., Subhankar Dey, Dhruv Kapila, Srikanth Kidambi, Prannoy Kumar, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, B. Sai Praneeth, Lakshya Sen, and Chirag Shetty.
India’s Koneru Humpy wins Cairns Cup chess tournament 2020 held in United States (US) Grandmaster Koneru Humpy has won the Cairns Cup Chess tournament held at St.Louis, US (United States). She won the title after finishing 6 points off 9 rounds and a cash prize of $45,000. This was the second edition of the Cairns Cup.With this win, she has ranked 2nd in the recently released chess world ranking. Reigning world champion Ju Wenjun finished with 5.5 points secured 2nd place while Russia’s Alexandra Kosteniuk came 3rd who finished with 5 points.
India to host 16-team FIH Junior Men’s World Cup 2021, South Africa to host women’s edition The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced that India will host Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2021
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and the women’s Junior Hockey World Cup would be held for the first time in Potchefstroom, South Africa. This is the third time that India will be hosting the prestigious tournament, having staged in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP) in 2016 & New Delhi, India in 2013. India had also hosted the FIH senior men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
Indian Captain Virat Kohli slips to 10th position in ICC T20I Rankings On February 17, 2020 Indian captain Virat Kohli slipped to the 10th position but K L Rahul and Rohit Sharma remained static at the 2nd and 11th place in the T20I (Twenty20 International) ranking released by the International CricketCouncil. o T20I Batting Ranking: Rohit was steady at the 11th spot with 662 points in th batting list, which is topped by Pakistan’s Babar Azam with 879 points, followed by India’s Lokesh Rahul with 823points. o T20I Bowling Ranking: Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was static at the 12thspot. o Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi continued to occupy the top position among bowlers and all- roundersrespectively.
NADA bans Javelin thrower Amit Dahiya for four years The Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) has passed an order to National Anti-DopingAgency (NADA) to ban javelin thrower Amit Dahiya for four years for sending wrong sample collection and trying to cheat officials during the 2nd National Javelin throw open Championship 2019 held at Sonipat in Haryana.
Football — India to host 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup The Women’s Committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) informed that India has been recognised as the first South Asian to host the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, in the meeting held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Besides India, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan were the other competing candidates.The venues are D.Y. Patil Stadium (Maharashtra), TransStadia Arena (Gujarat) and Fatorda Stadium (Goa).
AIFF received ‘Grassroots Charter Bronze Level’ membership of AFC The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had received the “Grassroots Charter BronzeLevel” membership which will allow the national body to promote its basic-level events recognised by Asian Football Confederation (AFC). This declaration accords AIFF the right to promote its grassroot events & activities with support and recognition of the AFC in accordance with the applicable terms of the AFC Grassroots Charter. AIFF had achieved a podium finish for its work at the grassroots levels along with Japan and Vietnam in the year 2013.
Brazil Para badminton International 2020 in Sao Paulo: India finish with 11 medals Badminton World Federation (BWF), the international governing body for the sport of badminton has organizedBrazilParabadmintonInternational2020inSaoPaulo,Brazilfrom10–15February2020.The tournament consists of Men’s Singles, Doubles, Women’s Singles, Doubles & Mixed Doubles play. India ended its campaign with 11 medals (4 Gold, 5 Silver,2 Bronze). While,China emerged the most successful team with 8 gold medals. Get winner list here:
India to host the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup 2020; ‘Kick Off the Dream’ is official slogan Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju announced the 5 host cities of India for the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) Under-17 Women’s Football World Cup which begins on 2nd November 2020. The official slogan of the tournament is “Kick Off the Dream”. The host cities are Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Bhubaneshwar (Odisha), Guwahati (Assam), Kolkata (West Bengal) and Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra). 16 teams will compete across 32 matches to lift the title.
Left arm Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha announced retirement from all forms of cricket Left arm Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha tweeted about his retirement from all forms of cricket on twitter.The 33- year-old player has 16 years experience in professional cricket.He hailed fromBhubaneshwar. He played 108 matches, scored 848 runs and took 424 wickets. In December 2014 he was barred due to his illegal action. But on 30th January he cleared the test.
Great Britain Olympic hockey champion Alex Danson-Bennett announced her retirement Great Britain Women’s field hockey captain Alex Danson-Bennett, 34 years old, announced her retirement from the sport due to head injury. She is Great Britain and England women’s all-time joint leading scorer with 115 goals in 306 appearances.
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Russia will host new edition of AIBA World Cup 2020 Russia will be the 1st country to host the new format of AIBA (Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur or International Boxing Association) Team World Cup 2020 which was approved by AIBA Executive committee members, at the meeting held at Budapest, Hungary, Europe. The Boxing tournament will be coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II under the motto “Boxing for Peace”.
FC Goa created history by becoming the 1st Indian club to reach 2021 AFC Champions league group stage FC Goa, an Indian professional football club (FC) has created new history in Indian football when it defeated Jamshedpur FC in an Indian Super League (ISL 2019-20)) match to become the 1st Indian club to qualify for the group stage of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League 2021. This is Goa’s 12th win in 18 matches this season. FC Goa received the ‘League Winners Shield’ and a cash prize of Rs.50 lakh for winning the league phase.
PM Modi inaugurated first-ever Khelo India University Games at Cuttack, Odisha Prime Minister (PM) Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the first-ever Khelo India University Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha through video conferencing. Nearly 3,400 athletes from 159 universities across the country will participate in 17 disciplines including rugby which is among the 6 team events. Khelo India was started in 2018 in order to attract youth towards sports & recognising young talents in every part of the country. The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) will be the main center for sporting extravaganza.
Overview of Asian Wrestling Championship 2020 held in New Delhi The 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships, organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and United World Wrestling (UWW), an international governing body for the sport of amateur wrestling, was held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi from February 18 – 23, 2020. China was barred from entering into the competition due to the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak. Japan topped the medal tally with 16 medals (8 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Bronze). India finished 3rd rank with 20 medals (5 Gold, 6 Silver, 9 Bronze). Indian Gold medal Winners are:
Player Name Category Medal
Ravi Kumar Dahiya Men’s freestyle- 57kg Gold
Sunil Kumar Men’s Greco-Roman-87 kg Gold
Pinki Women’s freestyle-55 kg Gold
Sarita Mor Women’s freestyle- 59 kg Gold
Divya Kakran Women’s freestyle- 68 kg Gold
CGF approved India to host 2022 Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships in Chandigarh The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has approved the proposal from Commonwealth Games India (CGI) to host the 2022 Commonwealth Archery and Shooting Championships in Chandigarh, India to be held in January 2022, while the Birmingham Commonwealth Games is scheduled from July 27 to August 7, 2022. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) will largely bear the cost for shooting championship and the archery event would be funded solely by the Government of India.
Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurated 1st Khelo India Winter Games in Leh, Ladakh Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, inaugurated the first ever Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh at Leh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The event is organized to promote winter sports in India and to popularise these games among the youth of the country. The second level of the Khelo India winter games will be held at Kongdari, Gulmarg, J&K from 7 to 11 March, 2020
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MPPSC 2020 PRELIMS BOOKS & AUTHORS
Vice President released the book ‘A Child of Destiny’ an Autobiography by Prof K. Ramakrishna Rao The Vice President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Shri Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu released a Book titled ‘A Child of Destiny’ Autobiography penned by Professor Koneru Ramakrishna Rao at GITAM (Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management) University Vishakatapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Rao currently serving as Chancellor of GITAM (Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management) University Vishakatapatnam, honoured with Padma Shri in 2011.
Dharmendra Rai, Mind Map & Brain Literacy trainer launched his book “The Thin Mind Map” Dharmendra Rai, Mind Map & Brain Literacy trainer launched his book “The Thin Mind Map”. The book is designed to be an expert in mind mapping. Dharmendra Rai was the first person in the world to talk on TEDx on creativity & mind mapping. He has conducted 380 plus mind map seminars less than 10 years which is a world record. He is an awardee of UN (United Nations) award for Mind mapping and Brain Literacy.
A book “Messages from Messengers” by Priti K Shroff launched “Messages from Messengers” book written by Priti K Shroff was launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The book deals with Indian culture and tradition and is suitable for everyone in all stages of life, as a tool for self-guidance. MD (Managing Director) and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the Bombay stock exchange, Ashish Chauhan was the chief guest of the function.
Haryana CM released book titled “A Commentary and Digest on The Air, Act 1981” Haryana Chief Minister (CM), Manohar Lal Khattar, released a book titled “A Commentary & Digest on The Air, Act 1981” at Chandigarh, Haryana. The book was written by Dr K K Khandelwal (Chairman, Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority, HRERA) and Apoorva Kumar Singh, (Principal Secretary, Town & Country Planning & Urban Estates Department) and was published by The Bright Law House. The book focuses on ways of preventing and controlling air pollution.
Penguin published the Book Chanakya Niti: Verses on Life and Living translated by A.N.D. Haksar Indian Diplomat Aditya Narayan Dhairyasheel Haksar has translated the famous aphorisms(sayings) of the ancient master of statecraft Chanakya or Kautilya from Sanskrit to current existing languages for the readers and the book titled as “Chanakya Niti: Verses on life and Living” and it has been published by Penguin Random House India. These Aphorisms are mainly about everyday life and living, family and social surroundings, friends and enemies, adequate or absence of wealth, good and bad in life and how to deal with difficult situations.
Union Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar unveils an annual reference book India/Bharat 2020 The Union cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri. Prakash Javadekar has released the 64th Edition of the book “The Reference Annual- India/Bharat-2020” in both English and Hindi and also released the e-version of the book. The book consists of the information about India and its developments, progress and achievements of various Government Ministries, Departments and Organisations during the year 2019. The book has been published by the Publications Division (India) along with New Media Wing (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).
Manmohan singh released the books “who is bharat mata” in Both English and Kannada versions The Former Prime Minister of India Mr. Manmohan Singh has released the book “who is bharat mata” in English, which is penned by Professor Purushottam Agarwal, along with its Kannada version titled “Yaaru Bharat Maate”, which is translated by Professor K E Radhakrishna. The books were published by the Swapna Book House, Bengaluru in association with Delhi Karnataka Sangha. The book contains gatherings of speeches and writings of the 1st Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu released Sadhguru’s book ‘Death-An Inside Story’ Vice-President President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu,who was the chief guest at the 26th Maha Sivaratri celebrations at Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (TN), has launched a booktitled “Death; An Inside Story: A book for all those who shall die” penned by Jaggi Vasudev, (generally referred to as Sadhguru),an Indian yogi ,author & founder of Isha Foundation. The book has been published by Penguin Ananda & talks about the author’s inner experience as he explains the more profound aspects of death that are rarely spoken about.
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MPPSC 2020 PRELIMS IMPORTANT DAYS
World Wetlands Day 2020 was observed on February 2 On February 2,2020 World Wetlands Day (WWD) was observed to spread awareness and to conserve the wetlands all over the world. Theme for 2020 is “Wetlands and Biodiversity”. The theme highlights the importance of biodiversity conservation, which conveys nearly 40% of the world’s plant & animal species live or breed on wetlands.
World Cancer Day 2020 was observed on February 4 The World Cancer Day is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Geneva, Switzerland, every year on February 4 to raise awareness to encourage cancer’s prevention, detection and treatment. The primary goal of World Cancer Day is to reduce the illness & death caused by cancer. The theme of WCD from 2019-21 is “I am and I will”. The theme highlights that all of us can fight against cancer. This year marks the 20th Anniversary from the commencement of initiative.
International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation 2020 was observed on Feb 6 International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was observed. It was observed since 2003, as part of the UN’s efforts to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation. The day spreads the awareness about FGM which is a violation of the human rights of girls and women. The 2020 theme is “Unleashing Youth Power: One decade of accelerating actions for zero female genital mutilation”. A special campaign titled ‘A Piece of Me’ was organized by the UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities).
National Deworming Day was observed on February 10, 2020 National Deworming Day (NDD) was observed across the country. The day was organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). This will be followed by the mop-up day on February 17, 2020. The objective of the day is to deworm children and adolescents to reduce the prevalenceof parasitic worms in the intestine. NDD is observed every year bi-annually on February 10 & August 10 in all states and UT.
World Pulses Day 2020 was observed on February 10, 2020 World Pulses Day was observed on Feb 10, 2020, which was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognize the importance of pulses (dry beans, lentils, dry peas, chickpeas, lupins) as global food. The day is celebrated to bring awareness about the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production aimed towards food security and nutrition. India hosted the UN World Pulses Day celebrations in New Delhi: The event was organized by National Agricultural Cooperative Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) in collaboration with Global Pulse Confederation(GPC).
International Day of Women and Girls in Science was observed on February 11, 2020 International Day of Women & Girls in Science was observed on 11th February, 2020. The day was celebrated to achieve equal participation & access to womens and girls in science. Theme: “Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth”. The theme aims to encourage women and girls to opt for science. According to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization) data (2014 – 2016), only around 30% of female students select STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) -related fields in higher education.
World Unani Day was observed on February 11, 2020 World Unani Day was celebrated on February 11, 2020, since 2017. The day marks the birthday of great Unani scholar and social reformer “Hakim Ajmal Khan”. Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh was thechief guest of the 4th Unani day function organized by AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) Ministry, New Delhi, India. The main objective of the day is to spread awareness about health care delivery through the Unani system of Medicine through its preventive and curative philosophy.
National Productivity Day 2020 was observed on February 12, 2020 National Productivity day was observed on February 12 annually to increase the productivity culture in India. The day commemorates the foundation of the National Productivity Council (NPC) and Productivity week will be celebrated from (Feb 12 to Feb 18, 2020).
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International Darwin Day celebrated on February 12, 2020 On February 12, 2020, Darwin Day was celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of the father of evolutionary biology, Charles Darwin. He was born 12 February, 1809 at Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. This year’s 12th February has marked the 211th birth anniversary of the Charles Darwin. In 2015, Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’ was voted the most influential academic book in history. It was published in 1859 by British publisher, John Murray.
World Radio Day (WRD) celebrated on February 13, 2020 On February 13, 2020, World Radio Day (WRD) is celebrated all over the world with the theme “Radio and Diversity”. The day aims to highlights the unique power of radio which connects lives and brings people together from across the world. In the year 1924, Radio was 1st introduced to India by Madras Presidency Club, which worked on radio broadcasting for 3 years, but due to financial constraints, the club closed it in 1927.
National Women’s day observed on February 13, 2020 To commemorate the birth anniversary of independence activist, Sarojini Naidu (also named Nightingale of India), every year India observes February 13 as it’s National Women’s day. She was born in 13 February 1879 in Hyderabad British India (now in Telangana, India). It should be noted thatthe International Women’s Day is observed on 8th March annually. In 1925 Sarojini Naidu became the president of the Indian National Congress. She also served as the 1st Governor of United Provinces from 15 August 1947 – 2 March 1949.
Safer Internet Day 2020 was observed on February 11, 2020 Safer Internet Day was observed on Feb. 11, 2020. The day is observed every year on the 2nd day of the 2nd week of February with an aim to provide safer & better internet, without getting their data leaked. The day was first initiated in Europe in 2004 as part of the EU SafeBorders Project. The 2020 theme was “Together for better Internet”. Safer Internet day was organized by the Insafe/INHOPE (International Hotline Operators of Europe). Google launches internet safety campaignnamed #PehleSafety to create awareness around internet safety and reiterate its efforts to protect netizens.
World Pangolin Day & Madhya Pradesh radio-tags first-ever Indian Pangolin on February 15 World Pangolin Day is observed every year on 3rd Saturday in February month to raise awareness & to protect these unique species from extinction. The 9th World Pangolin day was observed on February 15, 2020. The Madhya Pradesh (MP) forest department & Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) has radio- tagged an Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) for the first time in order to know its ecology and develop an effective conservation plan. Pangolins are also known as “scaly anteaters”, toothless animals & most trafficked wildlife species in the world.
Soil Health Card Day was observed on February 19, 2020 Fifth year of the launch of Soil Health Card Day was observed across the country on February 19, 2020. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme on February 19, 2015 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan, to increase the fertility of the soil. The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to farmers every 2 years to identify the nutritional deficiencies in the soil. The scheme also ensures additional incomes to the farmers by increasing yields & also promotes sustainable farming.
World Day of Social Justice was observed on February 20, 2020 World Day of Social Justice is observed annually on February 20. The day creates awareness against social injustice regarding gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability. The theme for 2020 was “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice”. The theme aims to uphold the principles of social justice by promoting gender equality, or the rights of indegenous people or migrants.
International Mother Language Day (IMLD) was observed on Feb 21, 2020 International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed annually on February 21 since 2000 as a worldwide observance of UNESCO (United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). The day creates awareness on linguistic, cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism and in India the day is observed as ‘Matribhasha Diwas’. The theme of IMLD for the year 2020 was “Languages without Border”. Celebration in India: The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) celebrated “Matribhasha Diwas” on february 21, 2020 across the country. Vice President Shri M Venkaih Naidu was the chief guest of the function held in New Delhi, India. The Theme for the year 2020 is “Celebrating our Multilingual Heritage”. The theme reflects the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.
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World Thinking Day celebrated on February 22, 2020 Each year on February 22 Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 150 countries celebrate World Thinking Day. The theme of World Thinking Day 2020 is “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”. On this day girls from every part of the world does the same activity around a shared theme. The day is observed in the memory of Scouting and Guiding Founder Lord Baden-Powell’s birth anniversary since 1926.
Central Excise Day was observed on Feb 24, 2020 Central Excise Day was celebrated every year on February 24 across India to encourage the employees of the excise department to carry out the central excise duty in a better way and to prevent corruption. The Central Excise Day is celebrated to commemorate the Central Excise and Salt Act, which was enacted on February 24, 1944. Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) was renamed as Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) in 2018, which functions under the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance.
India’s First Protein Day was observed on February 27, 2020 Right To Protein, a national-level public health initiative, has launched India’s 1st Protein Day on February 27, 2020 to raise awareness about the health benefits of protein.Theme of the Protein Day 2020 was ProteinMeinKyaHai. The theme aims to include proteins in our every meal. To Know about the protein- conscious, people can log on to www.righttoprotein.com and can access Protein-O-Meter tool that calculates one’s daily protein requirement basic individual information such as body profile, type of lifestyle and meals consumed at different times of the day.
National Science Day (NSD) was observed on Feb 28, 2020 National Science Day (NSD) was observed all over India on Feb 28, 2020. This day marks the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Sir ChandraShekhara Venkata Raman (also called Sir C V Raman) on 28th February 1928 for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930. In 1986, the Government of India (GOI) declared Feb 28 as National Science Day. Theme of the NSD 2020was “Women in Science”. On this celebration, President Ram Nath Kovind presented several awards for science communicators and women scientists at the function held in Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi.
World NGO Day was observed on 27th Feb, 2020 World NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Day is observed annually on February 27, the human Right activists & all individuals celebrated World NGO Day 2020, to raise awareness about the NGO sector and to encourage people worldwide who are involved & dedicatedly working for a good cause. NGO Day serves as an opportunity to discuss the issues that affect their work and form partnership through which they can resolve a mutual problem.
Rare Diseases Day was observed on February 29, 2020 Rare Disease Day (RDD) is an observance held on the last day of February. This year marked the 13th observance of International Rare Disease Day, which was observed on February 29, 2020. The day creates an awareness of rare diseases and improves access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases & their families. Slogan of RDD 2020 was “Rare is Many. Rare is Strong. Rare is Proud”. Rare disease is also called an orphan disease or disorder that affects a small percentage of the population.
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