FEBRUARY 2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE

FEBRUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS 2019

MP CURRENT AFFAIRS

Madhya Pradesh Government launched 100-day employment scheme for youths Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath launched the State Government’s flagship scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Swabhiman Yojana’ that guarantees 100 days of employment every year to urban youth from Economically Weaker Sections(EWS). a) Under the scheme, Rs 4,000 stipend per month during 100 days of period, would be given to the youth and they will also be given skill development training in order to become independent. b) Each youth enrolled under the scheme will get total Rs 13,500 for the 100 days period. c) Only those youths, whose family’s annual income is less than Rs 2 lakh and who are in the age group of 21-30 years, are eligible for the scheme. d) 1.5 lakh urban youths have so far registered themselves for this scheme. 2 new NIDs inaugurated at Bhopal and Jorhat by Suresh Prabhu National Institutes of Design (NID) at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jorhat in Assam were inaugurated by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, through video conference from New Delhi. a) They are autonomous institutions and under the Department for Promotion of Industry and InternalTrade (DPIIT),Ministry of Commerce and Industry. b) NID Jorhat (Assam) is the first Design Institution at the national level in the North Eastern Region of India. c) The recommendation for setting up design institutes, on the lines of NID Ahmedabad, in other parts of India, in order to promote design programs, was given by National Design Policy (2007). d) 4 new NIDs have been set up in Andhra Pradesh (Amaravati), Assam (Jorhat), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal) andHaryana (Kurukshetra) with a total outlay of Rs. 434 crore. e) The project has been executed and implemented by NBCC (India) Ltd. (formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd.). Railways win Senior National Men’s Hockey Title by defeating Punjab The Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) won the 9th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2019 (A Div),defeating Punjab by 3-2 at Gwalior, Madhya

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Pradesh. RSPB’s Harsahib Singh scored two goals in the 35th and 45th minute while Dilpreet Singh scored in the 57thminute. Punjab’s Rupinder Pal Singh scored in the 23rdminute and Ramandeep Singh scored in 60th minute. NATIONAL

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Visit to Surat Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Surat and Dandi in Gujarat, where he dedicated National Salt Satyagraha Memorial in Dandi to the nation. Government approves 4 lakh houses under PMAY(U) Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry approves construction of 4 lakh houses under the Pradhan MantriAwasYojana (Urban). It makes the total numbers of houses to about 71.5 lakh. Implementation models under the Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana The Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana (PMJAY) proposes three models through which the states can implement the scheme. The models are 1. insurance model 2. trust-based model and 3. hybrid model. India’s unemployment rate hit 4 decade high of 6.1%in 2017-18 As per National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) periodic labour force survey (PLFS), India’s unemployment rate hit a 45 year high of 6.1% in 2017-18. It is the first comprehensive survey on employment conducted by a government agency after demonetization. Government renames DIPP as Department for promotion Of Industry and Internal Trade Centre has renamed the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) as Department of promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). DPIIT will work under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Union Minister Prakash Javadekarinaugurates new campus of National Museum Institute at Noida

Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar inaugurated new Campus of the National Museum Institute in Noida. Punjab govt gave approval for ‘Smart Village Campaign’ worth of Rs 385 crores Punjab government approved a rural development scheme, “Smart Village Campaign” worth Rs 384.40 crore to build village infrastructure and provide essential amenities.

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INTERIM BUDGET 2019 HIGHLIGHTS

• Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented an Interim Budget for 2019 in Parliament on February 1 2019.

• India to become a USD 5-trillion economy in the next five years and aspires to become a USD 10-trillioneconomy in the next 8 years

1. Fiscal deficit for 2018/19 seen at 3.4% of GDP

2. FY20 total expenditure seen at 27.84 trillion rupees

3. FY20 capital expenditure seen at 3,36,292 crore

4. Central schemes to get 3,27,679 crore FY20

5. Recovered 3 lakh crore via bankruptcy code

6. Current account deficit for 2018/19 seen at 2.5% of GDP

7. Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and Oriental Bank no more under RBI’s prompt corrective action

• Direct Tax proposals

1. No income tax for earnings up to Rs5 lakh - Individuals with gross income of up to 6.5 lakh need not pay any tax if they make investments in provident funds and prescribed equities.

2. More than Rs. 23,000 crore tax relief to 3 crore middle class taxpayers

3. Standard tax deduction for salaried persons raised from 40,000 to 50,000

4. Tax Deducted at Source(TDS) threshold to be raised from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 40,000 on interest earned on bank/post office deposits

5. I-T processing of returns to be done in 24 hours

6. Within the next 2 years, all verification of tax returns to be done electronically without any interface with the taxpayer

7. Existing rates of income tax to continue

8. Tax exempted on notional rent on a second self-occupied house

9. Housing and real estate sector to get boost-

• TDS threshold on rental income increased from Rs1.8 lakh to Rs 2.4 lakh.

• Benefit of rollover of capital gains increased from investment in one residential house to two residential houses for capital gains up to Rs. 2 crores.

• Tax benefits for affordable housing extended till 31st March, 2020 under Section 80-IBA of Income Tax Act

• Tax exemption period on notional rent, on unsold inventories, extended from one year to two years

• Direct tax collections from 6.38 lakh crore rupees in 2013-14 to almost 12 lakh crore rupees; tax base up from Rs 3.79 crore to Rs 6.85 crore. 99.54% returns have been accepted without any scrutiny. In January 2019, GST collections has crossed 1 lakh crore rupees.

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• Farmers

1. Under Pradhan MantriKisanSamman Nidhi(PM-KISAN), 6000 rupees per year for each farmer, in three installments, to be transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts, for farmers with less than 2 hectaresland holding.This initiative is likely to benefit 12 crore small and marginal farmers, at an estimated cost of Rs 75,000 crore for FY 2019-20 with additional Rs. 20,000 crores in RE 2018- 19.

2. Outlay for RashtriyaGokul mission increased to Rs 750 crore.

3. RashtriyaKamdhenuAyog to be setup for sustainable genetic up-gradation of the Cow resources.

4. New separate Department of Fisheries for welfare of 1.5 crore fishermen.

5. 2% interest subvention to Farmers for Animal husbandry and Fisheries activities; additional 3% in case of timely repayment.

6. Interest subvention of 2% during disaster will now be provided for the entire period of reschedulement of loan.

7. Decision taken to increase MSP (minimum support price) by 1.5 times the production cost for all 22 crops.

• Labour

1. Pradhan MantriShram Yogi Mandhan scheme to provide assured monthly pension of 3000 rupees permonth, with contribution of only Rs 100/55 per month, for workers in unorganised sector after 60 years of age.This will benefit 10 crore workers in unorganized sector & become the world’s biggest pension scheme for unorganized sector in five years.

2. New Pension Scheme (NPS) had been increased 10% to 14% with effect from April 1, 2019.

3. Gratuity limit payment increased from Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 20 lakhs

4. ESI Cover limit increased to Rs 21,000. Minimum pension also increased to Rs 1000.

• Health

1. 22nd AIIMS to be setup in Haryana

2. National Health Mission budget estimates were hiked from Rs 30,634 crore to Rs 32,251 crore from the previous fiscal.

• North East

1. Allocation to be increased by 21% to Rs. 58,166 crores in 2019-20 BE(Budget Estimates) over 2018-19 BE

2. Arunachal Pradesh came on the air map recently

3. Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram came on India’s rail map for the first time

4. Container cargo movement through improved navigation capacity of the Brahmaputra

• Defence - Defence budget hiked to over Rs 3 lakh crore for first time ever

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• Railways

1. Capital support of Rs.64,587 crore proposed in 2019-20 (BE) from the budget

2. Overall capital expenditure programme to be of Rs. 1,58,658 crores

3. Operating Ratio expected to improve from 98.4% in 2017-18to 96.2% in 2018- 19 (RE) and to 95% in 2019- 20 (BE)

4. Safest year’ for railways in its history

5. All Unmanned Level Crossings on broad gauge network eliminated.

6. Semi high-speed “Vande Bharat Express” introduced – first indigenously developed and manufactured.

• Major Fund Allocations

1. Rural Development: increased by 4.6 per cent to Rs 1.18-lakh crore for the next financial year as compared to Rs 1.12-lakh crore in the current fiscal.

2. 60, 000 crore allocation for MGNREGA in 2019-20 BE(Budget Estimates).

3. For fiscal year 2018-19, NREGS was allocated Rs 55,000 crore.

4. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) promises unskilled manual work to every adult for at least 100 days in rural parts of the country. It was introduced in 2005.

5. PMAY-G, the allocation is less at Rs 19,000 crorefromRs 21,000 crore in 2018- 19.

6. PMGSY stands at Rs 19,000 crore for 2019-20, same as in 2018-19.

7. Rs 93,847.64 crore allocated for education sector for 2019-20, an increase of over 10 per cent from Rs 85,010 crore 2018-19Rs 37,461.01 crore has been allocated for higher education, Rs 56,386.63 crore has been earmarked for school education.

8. Job and Skill Development from Rs 5,071 crore to Rs 7,511 crore 2019-20.

9. Urban Rejuvenation Mission AMRUT and Smart Cities Mission: BE were increased from Rs 12,169 to Rs 13,900 crore for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

10. Food subsidy to Food Corporation of India under National Food Security Act: increased from Rs 1,38,123 crore to Rs 1,51,000 crore.

11. Space Technology: increased from Rs 6,576 crore to Rs 7,483 crore.

12. National Highways Authority of India: increased from Rs 29,663 crore to Rs 36,691 crore.

13. Direct Benefit Transfer: increased from Rs 16,478 crore to Rs 29,500 crore.

14. Urea subsidiary: raised from Rs 45,000 crore to Rs 50, 164 crores.

15. Sports Budget: increased from Rs 2002.72 (2018-2019) crore to Rs 2216.92 crore.

16. Allocation for Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) increased by over 18% to Rs. 27,584 crores in BE 2019-20

17. Substantial increase in allocation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled

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Tribes –Allocation for SCs increased by 35.6% – from Rs. 56,619 crores in BE 2018-19 to Rs. 76,801 crores in BE for 2019-20. Allocation for the STs increased by 28% – from 39,135 crore in BE 2018-19 to Rs. 50,086 crores in 2019-20 BE

Digital Villages

• The Government to make 1 lakh villages into Digital Villages over next five years

Women

• Rs.1330 Crore allocate for the Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women.

• Maternity leave of 26 weeks under Pradhan MantriMatruVandanaYojana for pregnant women in work.

• More than 70% of the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana are women.

• 6 crore free LPG connections under the UjjawalaYojana.

MSME and Traders

1. 2% interest subvention on an incremental loan of Rs 1 crore for GST registered SMEs

2. Atleast 3% of the 25% sourcing for the Government undertakings will be from women owned SMEs

3. Renewed Focus on Internal trade; DIPP renamed to Department for Promotion of Industries and Internal trade

Fiscal Programme

1. Fiscal deficit pegged at 3.4% of GDP for 2019-20

2. Target of 3% of fiscal deficit to be achieved by 2020-21.

3. Fiscal deficit brought down to 3.4% in 2018-19 RE from almost 6% seven years ago

4. Total expenditure increased by over 13% to Rs.27,84,200 crore in 2019-20 BE

5. Capital Expenditure for 2019-20 BE estimated at Rs. 3,36,292 crores

6. Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) allocation increased to Rs. 3,27,679 crores in BE 2019-20

7. Government confident of achieving the disinvestment target of 80,000 crore

8. Focus now on debt consolidation along with fiscal deficit consolidation programme.

Entertainment Industry

1. Indian filmmakers to get access to Single window clearance as well for ease of shooting films

2. Regulatory provisions to rely more on self-declaration

3. To introduce anti-camcording provisions in the Cinematograph Act to control

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piracy

Others

1. New National Artificial Intelligence portal to support National Program on Artificial Intelligence

2. A new committee under NITI Ayog to identify all the remaining De-notified nomadic and semi-Nomadic tribes.

3. New Welfare development Board under Ministry of social justice and empowerment for development and welfare of De-notified nomadic and semi nomadic tribes

Vision 2030 in Budget - Ten dimensions of Vision for India of 2030:

1. Next Generation Infrastructure – to provide an “ease of living”.

2. Digital India – reached every corner of the economy and every citizen.

3. Clean and Green India – Making India pollution free by leading transport revolution with Electric Vehicles and focus on Renewables.

4. Rural Industrialization – using modern digital technologies to generate massive employment

5. Clean Rivers – safe drinking water to all Indians using micro-irrigation techniques.

6. Oceans and Coastlines – scaling up of Sagarmala

7. Space Programme – India becoming a launchpad of the world by placing an Indian astronaut in space by 2022

8. Self-Sufficient – in food and improving agricultural productivity with emphasis on organic food

9. Healthy India – with a distress-free and comprehensive wellness system for all

10. Minimum Government, Maximum Governance – with proactive, responsible, friendly bureaucracy and electronic governance.

International conference on 8th Century Sage held to mark 50 years of India- Bhutan ties

To mark the 50-years of formalization of diplomatic ties between India and Bhutan, a two-day international conference on 8th century Himalayan sage Guru Padmasambhava was held in New Delhi.

Government sets up committee to explore prepaid payments by discoms to generator companies A committee containing chairmen of distribution companies of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, representatives from Power Ministry and Power associations was set up under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to explore the prepaid payments by state electricity distribution companies to power plants. Indus River Dolphin declared as Punjab’s State aquatic animal

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Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, declared one of the rarest mammal, Indus River Dolphin, which is only found in Beas River as Punjab State Aquatic Animal. Sikkim and Microsoft inked an agreement for digital learning In order to improve the education system Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sikkim government. Railway electrification ofAndal-Sainthia-Pakur-Malda and Khana-Sainthia Sections in West Bengal Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Railway electrification of 294-km long Andal-Sainthia-Pakur-Malda and Khana-Sainthia sections in West Bengal. Piyush Goyal publicized the IEA’s "The Future of Rail" report Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal publicized the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) a report named “The Future of Rail” report, which analyzed the current and future importance of rail around the world.

Assam tops the ranking of "best budgetary practices followed by states" As per the survey conducted by Transparency International, Assam tops in the ranking of best practices followed by states in budget formulation. It is the only state to publish a citizen’s budget in the public domain and also to conduct budget awareness campaign across 17 districts. Sopan 2019, Festival for young artists held in New Delhi The 6-day long music and dance festival, Sopan 2019, to encourage young artists to take up traditional art, took place in New Delhi. Kala GhodaFestival 2019 was held in Mumbai The Kala ghoda festival-KAGF, India’s largest multi-cultural street festival begins in Mumbai to celebrate it’s 20 years of art and culture through cinema, theatre, dance,literature and sculpture. Odisha launched Kalia scholarship scheme to boost education for farmers children Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, launched scholarship scheme named "KALIA ChhatravrittiYojana", for the children of farmers, who are the beneficiaries of, Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme. Kerala, first Indian state to set up a Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU) Kerala became the first state to set up watchdog, "price monitoring and research unit (PMRU)", to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices.

6.23 Crore free LPG connections issued under PMUY Oil Marketing companies (OMC) have released 6.23 crore free LPG connections to BPL (below poverty line) households, under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), across the country.

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Government notifies Rules to allow women to work in mines Ministry of Union Labour and Employment has allowed women to work in mines, both in opencast and underground, during the day and night, as part of the efforts to build more opportunities for women. This decision has been taken, in line with the recommendations of the section 12 committee constituted under Mines Act, 1952. Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation launched Shehri Samridhi Utsav Shehri Samridhi Utsav, an initiative of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has been initiated in New Delhi, with aim to extend the reach of DeendayalAntyodaya Mission – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). MoU in the field of Coal Mining and Clean Coal technologies was signed between India and Poland Coal Ministry of India signed MoU with Ministry of Energy, Republic of Poland in- order to foster relations in the field of coal mining and clean coal technologies. World Heritage Centre to be set up at Mayapur in West Bengal International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has decided to set up a "World Heritage Centre" housing "spiritual camps" of 45 countries, at its headquarter, Mayapur in Nadia district of West Bengal. The camp of each country would reflect its culture, dress, lifestyle, food and ambiance. Words Count Festival 2019 was held in Pune Second edition of World Count festival 2019 was held in Pune, Maharashtra, with an aim to bring together speakers from several socio-political spheres and share their insights on various issues. "Darwaza Band – Part 2" campaign was launched by Swatch Bharat Mission Grameen The “Darwaza Band- Part 2” campaign was launched by Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen, which focuses on sustaining the open defecation free status of villages across the country. Boeing 747-200 - Air India’s first ever Flight Simulator was exhibited in Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai

Air India’s First ever Flight Simulator known as ‘Boeing 747-200’ was exhibited in Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai. The Simulator was acquired by Air India in 1980, which is designed and manufactured by the CAE (Canadian Aviation Electronics), Canada.

Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers welfare issued Categorization of farmers in Agriculture Census Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued Categorization of farmers in agriculture census as marginal, small, semi-medium, medium and large classes. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled tribes and others are the sub classification of operational holdings on the basis of social groups.

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2nd Phase of River Information System between Farakka-Patna inaugurated by Nitin Gadkari Union Minister, Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the 2nd Phase of River Information System (RIS) between Farakka and Patna on National Waterway-1 (River Ganga) in Prayagra. The new arrangement of Navigation Lock will enable breeding of Hilsa fish in River Ganga. Smriti Irani instigated India Size project in Mumbai Union Minister of Textiles SmritiIrani launched the India Size project in Mumbai with an aim to get a standard Indian Size for the ready-to-wear clothing industry, on the lines of the standardized sizes available in countries such as the USA and the UK. Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Qutub Minar are now under Top 10 Revenue Generating Monuments Dr. Mahesh Sharma said that Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Qutub Minar are among the top 10 Revenue Generating Monuments for 2015-2018. The other monuments in the list are Ellora caves, Sun Temple in Konark, Mamallapuram monuments, Khajuraho monuments, Ajanta caves in Aurangabad, Red Fort. India inked MoU with Bangladesh to train its 1800 civil servants India and Bangladesh have signed an MOU for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants under Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG). 2nd ASEAN – India Youth Summit concluded in Guwahati on 7th February 2nd ASEAN – India Youth Summit, was conducted to strengthen the mutual cooperation among ASEAN countries. It was inaugurated by Assam Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal and Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons with a theme "Connectivity : Pathway to Shared Prosperity". Boori Boot Yollo festival celebrated Nyishi tribe in Arunachal Pradesh Nyishi tribe celebrated ’52nd Boori Boot Yollo festival’ with great enthusiasm to welcome spring and a successful harvest. It is celebrated in the month of feb. Steps taken for the protection of Sentinelese Tribe The Sentinelese Tribe is the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in India .The Sentinelese tribe is at the verge of extinction. The 2011 census estimates their quantities at a mere 50.

Great Indian Bustard (GIB) announced as the New Mascot for the 13th UN Convention on the CMS COP-13 Union Environment Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Friday announced the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) as the mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in 2020.

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Voter verification and Information Programme was launched by Election Commission Election Commission of India (ECI) launched a Voter Verification and Information Programme (VVIP) for citizens to verify their details, change the details, new registration and corrections. It also launched voter helpline number-1950. Two day Bengal Global Summit held in Kolkata The 5th edition of West Bengal Global Business Summit was inaugurated by state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. It was a two day summit held in Rajarhat, Kolkata. ILO Centenary Celebrations launched by Labour Minister The International Labour Organization (ILO) centenary celebrations have been inaugurated by the Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar at V.V. Giri National Labour Institute in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Health Ministry has apprised 8 medical equipment as ‘drugs’ In a proposal to modulate diagnostic and medical device in India, the Health Ministry has notified 8 medical equipment, comprising of all implantable devices, as “Drugs” under section 3 of the ‘Drugs and Cosmetics Act’ with effect from April 1, 2020. Govt has funded Rs 59 crore for Lion conservation in Gujarat’s Gir Lions, identified as one of the endangered species by the government, the Ministry of Environment launched a three-year Asiatic Lion Conservation Project in collaboration with the state of Gujarat. Himalayan Cloud Observatory set up in Tehri A Himalayan Cloud Observatory is set up in Tehri district with a motive to forecast and monitor cloudburst incidents in the Himalayan region and help minimising the damage. Ladakh declared Jammu & Kashmir’s third administrative division The Jammu & Kashmir Government declared Ladakh as the third administrative division of the state. The division will comprise Leh and Kargil districts, with Leh as the division’s headquarters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Visit to Assam Narendra Modi has visited Assam to attend the several programs and to lay the foundation stone of ALL India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) at Changsari in Guwahati. India gets its 4 Chinook heavy lift helicopters from US

On the lines of Indo-US $2.5 billion deal in 2015, stating the purchase of 22 Apaches and 15 Chinook helicopters for IAF, India received a batch of first four, Boeing Co’s, CH-47F Chinook military helicopters, from US which arrived at the Mundra Port in Gujarat.

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Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurates Cremica Food Park, the 1st Mega Food Park of Himachal Pradesh Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated Cremica Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd in Village Singhain ,Una District of Himachal Pradesh. This is the first Mega Food Park operationalized in the State of Himachal Pradesh. Surging Silk, Mega Event held in New Delhi Surging Silk, a mega event by Ministry of Textiles and Central Silk Board was held in New Delhi. It was organized with a motive to highlight the growth of silk industry in India. Meghalaya government to rename DikkiBandi stadium after P ASangma The Meghalaya Cabinet decided to rename the DikkiBandi stadium in Tura town after former Lok Sabha Speaker PurnoASangma, who served as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. Prime Minister Visited Hubli in Karnataka Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Hubli in Karnataka on the final leg of one day long his tri state visit of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to initiate various development projects. He laid the foundation stone of IIT Dharwad and IIIT Dharwad in Dharwad, Hubli. Immediate steps taken for the Promotion and Protection of Maithili Language and its scripts by the HRD Ministry The Committee, constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development in 2018, for making a report for the Promotion and Protection of Maithili Language and its scripts, has submitted its report to the ministry with several recommendations. First joint initiative signed between India and Norway to combat Marine Pollution India signed a letter of intent with Norway to fight marine pollution and establishes the India-Norway Marine Pollution Initiative. Additional Secretary, MoEFCC, Mr. Anil Kumar Jain and Norway’s Ambassador to India, Mr. Nils Ragnar Kamsvag signed the joint initiative. Exercise "Rahat" concluded in Jaipur

The Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise, `Exercise Rahat´ was concluded in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was demonstrated in Jaipur, Kota and Alwar in Rajasthan.

Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram by Kerala CM Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan inaugurated the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV), in Bio 360 Life Sciences Park at Thonnakkal in the capital city ,Thiruvananthapuram .

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Centre released Publication on Climatic Actions Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan released a Publication on climate actions in India titled “India – Spearheading Climate Solutions” in New Delhi. It refers to the vital actions India has taken under multiple sectors to combat and adapt to climate change. Indian Army carried out the annual exercise named ‘Exercise Topchi’ Indian army demonstrated its artillery firepower, aviation and surveillance capacity at the annual ‘Exercise Topchi’ at Deolali Camp near Nashik. Cabinet has approved 4 proposals with foreign countries The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved various agreements with foreign governments in areas of terrorism, counter-terrorism and space, including MoU for peaceful uses of Outer Space between India and Finland. Life-size portrait of Atal Bihari Vajpayee unveiled by the President Former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s life size portrait was unveiled at the Central Hall of Parliament by President Ram NathKovind. The portrait was made by Krishna Kanhai. PM-Kisan scheme and Annadatha Sukhibhava scheme has been amalgamated by Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh has made a significant move by merging Pradhan MantriKisanSamman Nidhi Yojana with its own AnnadathaSukhibhava scheme. This move will further allow a fixed amount of Rs. 10,000 per annum to all farmers in the state, irrespective of the size of their land. 13th edition of International Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition ‘PETROTECH-2019’ The 13th edition of PETROTECH-2019 was held at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida,National Capital Region,New Delhi. The theme of PROTECH-2019 was “Shaping the New Energy World through Innovation & Collaboration”. Government proposed Liberalization of e-Visa regime to make it tourist friendly This step has been taken into consideration by Ministry of Tourism with Ministry of Home Affairs to ease the Visa regime in the country over the period of time. Among proposals, there has been removal of restriction of allowing foreigner for a maximum of 3 times.

India’s fastest train, Vande Bharat Express The semi-high-speed Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the New Delhi railway station. The train produced indigenously at the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph. "Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan" Scheme

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Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi MandhanYojana is a pension scheme for the labours, associated in the unorganized sector, whose monthly income is less than Rs. 15,000. Workers can avail the benefits by contributing Rs. 100 per month to further get Rs. 3000 per month after 60 year of age. Dera Baba Nanak land post designated as Immigration checkpoint for Kartarpur corridor Union Home Ministry issued a notification designating Dera Baba Nanak’s land post located in Gurdaspur district of Punjab as an authorized immigration check point to enter and exit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. EU-India to fund 7 Projects to deal with Water challenges India and the European Union have made a decision to mutually invest up to 40 Million Euros (Rs.323 Crore) on 7 Research and Innovation projects to tackle and handle immediate water challenges in the country. The 7 projects includes India- H20, LOTUS, PANI WATER, SAEASWATI 2.0, SPRING, PAVITR. World Sustainable Development Summit 2019 held at New Delhi World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2019, the flagship event of ‘The Energy and Resources Institute’ (TERI), was inaugurated by Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The theme of WSDS 2019 was "Attaining the 2030 Agenda: delivering on our promise". Early Ed Asia 2019, Asia’s largest early childhood conference, held in Jaipur Early Ed Asia 2019, the two-day event, which is Asia’s largest conference on Early Childhood, was held at the City Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The motto of the event was "Our Children. Our Future" Second National Conference on “Sustainable and Environment-friendly Industrial Production” held in New Delhi Second National Conference was organised in New Delhi on “Sustainable and Environment-friendly Industrial Production (SEIP) Project”. It was organised by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under Indo- German Development Cooperation. India’s first District Cooling System to be built in Amravati United Arab Emirates (UAE) based international cooling provider, National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed) entered into a 30-year concession with Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to build India’s first district cooling system in Amaravati, Hyderabad. Scrapping of Section 66A of IT Act, SC directs States to sensitize cops

The Supreme Court directed all state governments to make their police personnel aware of the verdict which scrapped Section 66A of Information Technology Act. Sensitising the police will reduce unnecessary arrest of people under their provision. IAF carried out ‘Vayu Shakti’ exercise at Pokhran

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Indian Air Force conducted mega exercise ‘Vayu Shakti’ in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The exercise was conducted two days after 40 CRPF personnel killed in a suicide attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama. For the first time, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALP) and the Akash surface-to-air missile were deployed in military exercise. 4th Agri leadership Summit 2019 inaugurated by Radha Mohan Singh Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare,RadhaMohanSingh, inaugurated the 4th Agri Leadership Summit 2019 at the India International Horticulture Market (IIHM) in Ganaur, Sonipat district, Haryana. The theme of the summit was “Entrepreneurship &Agri Business; Agri Allied – A Promising Sector and Agri Service- Direct Marketing”. 3 day International Annual Desert Festival begins in Jaisalmer

40thInternational Annual Desert Festival kicked off in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. It will exhibit rich cultural heritage of the state and attract thousands of tourists from all over the world to the Golden City. The festival was organised by the Rajasthan tourism and district administration. 2 new Districts created in Telangana Revenue Department of Telangana has issued a notification stating about the creation of 2 new districts in Telangana – Mulugu and Narayanpet. Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the One Health India Conference 2019 in New Delhi Union Science & Technology Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, inaugurated the 2-day long One Health India Conference 2019 in New Delhi. The purpose of the conference was to launch India‘s new One Health Initiative – an inter sectoral approach to tackling the most urgent health threats in India as well as in low- and middle-income countries across South and South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. SmritiIrani laid the foundation stone of a Hastshilp Complex in New Delhi Union Textiles Minister, SmritiIrani, laid foundation stone of Hastshilp Complex in New Delhi which is to be built in a period of 18 months by NBCC (formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd) and at a cost of Rs.113.56 crores.

Report on “Magnitude of Substance Use in India” sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment submitted by NDDTC of AIIMS, New Delhi

The report “Magnitude of Substance Use in India” is sponsored by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The report was released by National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and submitted to the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot in Delhi. Unemployment among educated citizens rose sharply in 2017-18: NSSO According to the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) first periodic labour force survey, levels of unemployment were observed to be much higher among educated people than ones with lower level of education in 2017-18.

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Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a Bill to make Sanskrit as the second official language of the state Himachal Pradesh became the second state to adopt Sanskrit as the second official language of the state after Uttarakhand. Mahender Singh Thakur, the Irrigation and Public Health minister introduced the bill Himachal Pradesh Official Language Bill, 2019 (Amendment). Cabinet Approvals on 19th February 2019 The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a new company under Department of Space (DoS), to commercially exploit the research and development work carried out by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)Centers and constituent units of DOS. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, launched SWAYATT in New Delhi Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation has launched SWAYATT and GeM Start-up Runway in New Delhi. SWAYATT (Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions) is an initiative to bring together the indian stakeholders to Government e-Marketplace (GeM), the national procurement portal. Textiles Minister Launches four projects in North East for the development of Silk Sector The projects launched are Muga silk seed production centre in Tura, Meghalaya, Eri spun silk mill in Sangaipat, Imphal, Silk printing and processing unit in Agartala, Tripura and Sericulture development project in Mamit, Mizoram. Operation Digital Board launched by HRD Ministry to provide better digital education The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry launched Operation Digital Board on the lines of Operation Blackboard to provide better digital education in school. The government has aimed at equipping 9 lakh classrooms in schools and colleges across the country with digital facilities for teaching by 2022. 8th World CSR Congress 2019 in Mumbai

8th World CSR Congress held between Feb 17 and Feb 18 ,2019 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.It was attended by participants from 33 countries to encourage the efforts of individuals and organizations. Theme of the year 2019 is "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)". Regional Conference on ‘Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation scheme (DDRS)’ organised by DEPwD at Kolkata, West Bengal

A regional conference on ‘Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS)’ was organised in Kolkata, West Bengal. DDRS is a scheme implemented by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment. This was the third of a series of Regional Conferences held across the country. AttukalPongala festival, world’s largest religious congregation of women

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Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala shall host the AttaukalPonkala festival-one of the largest religious gathering of women on a single day. Attukal temple is also called ‘women’s Sabarimala’ as only women perform the ritual. 4 Ordinances including one criminalising practice of triple talaq promulgated by the President President Ram Nath Kovind promulgated 4 Ordinances, including the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Second Ordinance, 2019, which declares Triple Talaq to be void and punishable with imprisonment up to 3 years and a fine. The other 3 are - The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2019, Companies (Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2019, and The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019. NARI decided to drop focus on AIDS and undergo change name The National Aids Research Institute (NARI) has decided to drop its focus on research into the Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and to undergo a name change in the coming months due to major drop in number of HIV positive cases. Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri 3-Day Visit To India Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri was on 3 days visit to India. He inked Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) with India, becoming the 72nd country to do this. Changes in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 approved by President Ram NathKovind President Ram NathKovind gave his assent to the amendments to the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, which were introduced in the Parliament as part of the Finance Act 2019. These amendments have been introduced to regularise the system of levying stamp duty and to help in curbing tax evasion. National Conference on Logistics Policy held in New Delhi The“National Conference on Logistics Policy: Context, Issues &The Way Forward”was held in New Delhi. On this ocassion, SAFAR Mobile App was launched to gauge the actual issues faced by transporters on the road.

First Mega Food Park of Tripura Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti,inaugurated Tripura’s first mega food park named Sikaria Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd at Village Tulakona in Agartala. The cost of project is Rs 87.45 crore. NITI Aayog co-hosted Conference on The Future of Indian Banking

“The Future of Indian Banking” conference was co-hosted by NITI Aayog along with the Foundation for Economic Growth and Welfare (EGROW Foundation) at the Civil Services Officers’ Institute (CSOI) in New Delhi. Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, inaugurated the event. PM Modi addressed the Global Business Summit in New Delhi

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He highlighted that India would be a 10 trillion-dollar economy- the third largest in the world. The government would provide conducive environment for start-ups and promote renewable sources of energy. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Waste to Wonder Park in Delhi Waste to Wonder Park houses the replicas of Seven Wonders of the World made from scrap material at Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi. It was built by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). Odisha approved Rs 466 Crore Sanitary Napkin Scheme for adolescent girls Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, approved Khusi scheme aimed at improving menstrual hygiene among adolescent girl students of Class 6 to 9 studying in government and non-government aided schools in the state, with an outlay of Rs 466.08 crore over a period of 5 years. TN Becomes First State in mainland to get 2 Coast Guard Districts Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit inaugurated the second Coast Guard district headquarters at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to get a second Coast Guard district headquarters. The first district headquarters is Chennai. Government decided to stop share of Indus water to Pakistan On the lines of Pulwama terror attack, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced that India has decided to stop the flow of its share of water to Pakistan. Under the Indus Waters Treaty, India shares water of the Beas and Sutlej rivers with Pakistan. 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit held in New Delhi Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, inaugurated the 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit in New Delhi. The flagship event of Department of Commerce was organised with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) to carry forward the momentum and to further strengthen India-ASEAN relations under the Act-East Policy. 14th Agricultural Science Congress held at New Delhi The 14th Agricultural Science Congress was organized by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Agricultural Research Institute at National Agricultural Science Complex (NASC) in New Delhi. The theme of the event was “Innovations for Agricultural Transformation”.

44th Global Summit of International Advertising Association held in Kochi The 44th IAA World Congress was organised in Kochi International Advertising Association (IAA),Kerala. The highlight of the event was a robot trying to answer theme-based question-“Brand Dharma, What’s coming next?” 12th Aero-India 2019 held in Bangalore

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Defence Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the 12th biennial edition of International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition, the Aero India 2019 on 24th February 2019 at the Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru. The theme of the event was “‘Runway to a Billion Opportunities”. Pradhan MantriKisanSamman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme The scheme will provide Rs 6,000 per year to small and marginal farmer families having combined land holding/ownership of upto 2 hectares. 33rd GST Council meeting chaired by Union Finance Minister, ArunJaitley in New Delhi The meet was attended by the Finance Ministers of various States and Union Territories. In order to boost the residential segment of the real estate sector, following recommendations were made regarding GST rate:

• GST shall be levied at effective GST rate of 5% without Input Tax Credit (ITC) on residential properties outside affordable segment.

• GST shall be levied at effective GST of 1% without ITC on affordable housing properties. Ashwini Kumar Choubey launched National Programme to Eliminate Viral Hepatitis Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey in the presence of Amitabh Bachchan, the goodwill ambassador for hepatitis, WHO South-East Asia Region, launched the “National Action Plan – Viral Hepatitis” in Mumbai. National War Memorial Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the National War Memorial (NWM) near India Gate in New Delhi which commemorates the soldiers who participated and made the supreme sacrifice in Peacekeeping Missions and Counter Insurgency Operations. The outlay of the memorial is Rs 176 crore and is constructed by NCC (Nagarjuna Construction Company) Limited. 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda, inaugurated the ‘4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit ’, the global intergovernmental meeting on digital health, hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP).The summit held in New Delhi. EVM is ‘information’ under Right to Information Act, rule Central Information Commission The Central Information Commission (CIC) has announced that an electronic voting machine (EVM) is “information” under Section 2(f) and 2(i) of Right to Information Act and it can be demanded by a citizen from the Election Commission (EC) by paying Rs. 10. Skill Saathi Youth Conclave inaugurated by Dharmendra Pradhan in Odisha

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Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, inaugurated the first-ever, Nua Odisha – DharmapadaSamvaad – Skill Saathi Youth Conclave at Rail Auditorium in Bhubaneswar which was aired live across 427 locations in Odisha. 2 new NIDs inaugurated at Bhopal and Jorhat by Suresh Prabhu National Institutes of Design (NID) at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jorhat in Assam were inaugurated by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, through video conference from New Delhi. They are autonomous institutions and under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT),Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Titanwala Museum has been inaugurated by SmritiIrani at Bagru, Rajasthan ‘Titanwala Museum” showcases the Chhipa community’s art of traditional hand- block printing at Bagru, Rajasthan. The initiative of setting up the museum was taken up by Suraj Narayan Titanwala. 800-kg “Astounding Bhagavad Gita” Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has unveiled a 800-kg “Astounding Bhagavad Gita” at ISKCON temple in Delhi. This book is the world’s largest sacred book. The book measured around 2.8m by 2 meters, weighed over 800 kg, contains 670 pages and has the original 700 Sanskrit verses of Bhagavad Gita. BioAsia 2019-Asia’s largest Life-sciences and healthcare forum held in Hyderabad The 16th edition of BioAsia 2019 -Asia’s largest biotechnology and life-sciences forum was conducted in Hyderabad, Telangana. It was inaugurated by the Governor of Telangana –E.S.L Narasimhan .The theme of the conference was “Life Sciences 4.0 – Disrupt the Disruption”. BioAsia is an annual event organised by the Government of Telangana. INDIA AND WORLD

US pulls out of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with Russia The United States of America pulls out of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with Russia. The treaty was on the elimination of their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles.

Observer Research Foundation listed as India's Highest Ranked Think Tank Think tanks and Civil Societies Programme by Lauder Institute has declared Observer Research Foundation (ORF) as India's top think tank under "Best New Idea or Paradigm developed by Think tank category". Singapore named as most livable for Asian expats

As per ECA international survey, Singapore comes out as the most liveable location for Asian expatriates for the 14th year from the list of 480 location.

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Siamese Fighting Fish become the National Aquatic Animal of Thailand Thailand named the tiny,eye-catching ,colourful fin plumaged Siamese fighting fish as its aquatic animal with a aim to boost the conservation and breeding of the same. Macedonia inked agreement to join NATO Military Alliance Macedonia signed an accord, to become the 30th member of the NATO military alliance. India ranked 36th on 7th International IP Index US Chambers of Commerce released the annual International IP Index of top 50 economies in the world. As per the ranking, India climbed 8 positions to 36th rank in comparison to last year's 44th rank. Multinational Maritime Exercise ‘Aman 19’ The 5-day multinational maritime exercise ‘AMAN-19’ in which 46 nations participated from all over the world was held at Pakistan Navy Dockyard with motto “Together for Peace”. Indian warship INS Trikand, participated in “Cutclass Express 2019” INS Trikand, the frontline warship of the Indian Navy, participated in a multi- national training exercise ‘CUTCLASS EXPRESS 2019’ held from 27th January to 06th February 2019.INS Trikand, commanded by Captain Srinivas Maddula. Hindi becomes the third high court language in Abu Dhabi Hindi is included as the third official language in the Abu Dhabi court system with a motive to improve access to justice for foreign workers. Red Cross calls for ban on nuclear weapons The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched a global campaign to raise awareness about the rising nuclear threat facing the world. Macedonia officially changed its name to North Macedonia Ending a long running dispute with Greece, the Republic of Macedonia has officially changed its name to North Macedonia. WHO and ITU issued new standard for Music Devices to make them safe for listening

Ahead of World Hearing Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Trade Union (ITU) have issued a new international standard regarding fabricating and utilization of musical devices, which includes smart phones and audio players, to make them safe for listening. Security Protection Agreement signed between India and Sweden Union Minister of Defence, Nirmala Sitharaman signed a Security Protection agreement between India and Sweden during her visit to Sweden which will enable both the countries to share classified information each other.

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“World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2019” report released by International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization released World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2019 report. The report says unemployment rates will fall to 4.9% in 2019 and remains steady in 2020. India Withdrawn ‘Most Favoured Nation’ Status from Pakistan India has withdrawn ‘Most Favoured Nation’ or MFN to Pakistan just a day after the terror attach in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmr in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) personal lost their lives. It was in 1996 India granted MFN status to Pakistan. WHO says Measles cases nearly doubled in 2018 World Health Organization says the number of Measles cases reported in 2018 is nearly double the number of infections contracted, in comparison to previous year. The number of Measles cases reported in 2018 was 2,29,068. It was 1,10,000 for 2017. Measles is a viral infection caused by rubeola virus. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant led high level delegation visited Saudi Arabia A high-level delegation comprising of leading Indian CEOs and India’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ahmad Javed, led by NITI Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant, visited Saudi Arabia from 16th February to 17th February, 2019 to take part in discussions with the Saudi Centre for International Strategic Partnerships (SCISP) and with Ministerial level representations from 12 Saudi Ministries in Riyadh. 55th Munich Security Conference (MSC) held at Munich, Germany 55th Munich Security Conference (MSC), an annual meeting that brings together leaders and security experts from across the world, was held from 15th to 17th February 2019. India, Sri Lanka ink MoU to establish business centre for ICT incubators in Jaffna A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by India and Sri Lanka for the establishment of a business centre for ICT incubators in Jaffna, Sri Lanka through grant of 25 crore Sri Lankan rupees from India. EuropeanUnion agrees on greenhouse gas emission cut for trucks

The European Union (EU) and the Council agreed on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new trucks and buses by 30 percent by 2030. This reduction shall be in comparison to the 2019 levels.

FATF remained Pak in “Grey” list for failing to stop terror financing Financial Action Task Force (FATF)condemned the Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir, which led to death of 40 CRPF jawans and decided to keep Pakistan in the ‘grey’ list owing to continued funding of terrorist groups such as Jaish-e- Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat-ud-Dawa. President Bashir declares year-long state of emergency in Sudan

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A state of emergency was declared in Sudan by its President Omar al-Bashir. It was due to continuous protests by the general public since 19 December who were furious by the mismanagement of the nation’s economy and wanted the leader to step down. Cobra Gold, one of world’s largest multinational military exercises, held in Thailand Thailand and the United States hosted the annual Cobra Gold military exercise, the biggest activity of its type in the Asia-Pacific region with 29 nations took part as participants or observers. The Indian Army participated in the military training exercise with a 14-member contingent. Month-long ‘Festival of India’ begins in Nepal A month-long ‘Festival of India’ began was inaugurated in Kathmandu, Nepal on 19th February 2019 by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation RabindraAdhikari and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri. It is being organised by the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Embassy of India. Indian passport improved its ranking on global index by jumping 10 ranks in 5 years The Passport Index of 2019, which ranks almost 199 countries in the world based on their Visa-Free Scores and their ranking according to the UNDP human development index, showed that Indian passport has steadily strengthened in a period of 5 years from rank 77 in 2015 to 67 in 2019. Afghanistan opens new export route to India through Iran’s Chabahar port Afghanistan began exporting to India through the Chabahar port in Iran, for the first time by bypassing the Pakistan route. India ranked 47th in the “Inclusive Internet Index 2019”

India has ranked 47th in the ‘Inclusive Internet Index 2019’, prepared by ‘Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for Facebook. The index was expanded to include 100 countries representing 94% of the world’s population and 96% of global GDP. Sweden topped the index followed by Singapore and USA. ECONOMY

RBI Lifted up the restrictions on BoI, Bank of Maharashtra, Oriental Bank of Commerce

The Reserve Bank of India eased out the operational curbs on three banks, Bank of India (BoI),Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) and Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and also allowed them to have a exit from the Prompt Corrective Action ( PCA) framework fully. Government sets up committee to explore prepaid payments by discoms to generator companies On recommendation of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha , the government constituted a committee under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to explore prepaid payments by state electricity distribution companies to power plants.

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Fiscal Deficit of April-December raised to 112% of FY19 budget target India’s fiscal deficit has touched 112% of the FY19 Budget target of Rs. 6.24 lakh crore during the period of 9 months from April to December 2018. It is the gap between income and expenditure of the government. India’s export growth may diminish to 7.3% in FY19 As per a statement released by Government, India’s export may slow down to 7.3% in 2018-19 from earlier growth rate of 9.8% of 2017-18 due to poor growth of traditional exports like gems and jewellary, marine, farm and engineering. 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Released By Reserve Bank Of India (RBI) Reserve Bank of India(RBI)’s six-member monetary policy committee chaired by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das released its 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy.This is the First Bi-Monthly Policy for Shaktikanta Das after he took charge as the RBI Governor. RBI had reduced 0.25 basis points in the Policy Rates with immediate effect. Israel Aerospace industries announces agreement worth $93 million with Indian Navy Cochin Shipyard An agreement was signed between Israel and Aerospace Industries, Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard for providing Naval Medium Range Surface to air missile systems to India. Government revises GDP growth rate to 7.2% for 2017-18 from 6.7% estimated earlier The Central Statistical Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation has revised the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Growth forecast to 7.2% from earlier estimate of 6.7%. Government forecasted 7.5 per cent GDP growth in FY20 Finance ministry expected the GDP growth to reach 7.5 per cent in 2019-20 from 7.2 per cent projected for the current fiscal. Centre to constitute working group to resolve startup's angel tax issue Government is all set to form a small working group to observe the matter of angel tax, as profiled by startups. An angel investor is a person who invests his money as capital for business start-up in exchange for an ownership stake in the company.

New set of E-commerce Policy rules comes into effect

The new E-commerce Policy has comes into effect which was notified in December 2018 by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) headed by the ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The limit on collateral-free agriculture loans is increased to Rs. 1.6 lakh by RBI RBI has announced to increase the limit on collateral-free agriculture loans to Rs.1.6 lakh from Rs.1 lakh. It will help to boost liquidity particularly among small and marginal farmers in the farming sectors.

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RBI penalized Rs 1 crore on State Bank of India Reserve Bank of India has slapped Rs 1 crore penalty on SBI for not monitoring the end use of funds in respect of one of its borrowers, by exercising its powers under Section 47 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Asian Development Bank raised $100 million in international market The Asian Development Bank raised $100 million from peso-linked bonds in the international market. It was their maiden issue of Philippine peso. Forex reserves rises USD 2.06 billion According to RBI’s report,country’s foreign exchange reserves increased by USD 2.063 billion to USD 400.24 billion. The data reveals that country’s reserve position with the IMF also increased by USD 11.2 million to USD 2.654 billion. Yes Bank cleared of Divergence charges imposed by RBI The Reserve Bank of India cleared Yes Bank of Divergence charges i.e. disparity in reporting bad loans and provisioning numbers for the year ended March 2018. NITI Aayog signs SoI with MSDF to document Systematic Transformation in Education A Statement of Intent (SoI) was signed between the NITI Aayog and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) to codify, document and share best practices to improve learning outcomes in public school education through systematic reforms, based on their collective experiences of working with various State Governments. India signed a deal with US to procure 72,400 Assault Rifles The Indian Government has signed a deal with the US under Fast Track Procurement (FTP) to avail the Indian Army with 72,400 new ‘Sig Sauer Assault Rifles’ which will overhaul the army’s inventory of frontline rifles. $40 million loan agreement signed between Centre, Himachal Pradesh and World Bank for Shimla water supply A loan agreement of $40 million (4 crore INR) was signed between the Government of India, Government of Himachal Pradesh and World Bank, for bringing clean and reliable drinking water to the citizens of Greater Shimla area, who have been facing severe shortages of water and water-borne epidemics in the last few years.

J P Morgan became First US Bank with Cryptocurrency JP Morgan rolled out as the first US bank with cryptocurrency. The change in opinion of JP Morgan is the first step in the program of making it more competitive. The currency is designed to be decentralized so that no one has control over transactions being sent over the network.

FPI investment cap on corporate bonds lifted by RBI Reserve Bank of India lifted the limit on Corporate bonds. RBI withdrew 20% limit on investment by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in corporate bonds of an entity. The move will encourage more foreign investors to invest in corporate bonds in the country.

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Introductory “Trip Protector” policy launched by HDFC ERGO The first-of-its kind ‘Trip Protector’ insurance policy was launched by HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company for non-life insurance segment in India.It is the third- largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector in India. Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) launched a new micro insurance plan ‘Micro Bachat’ A new micro insurance plan ‘Micro Bachat’ was launched by the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India. It provides coverage of up to 2 lakhs and is the first micro-insurance plan to do so. Amazon launched ‘Amazon Pay UPI’ in collaboration with Axis Bank for Indian android users Amazon in partnership with Axis Bank launched ‘Amazon Pay Unified Payment Interface (UPI)’ to facilitate secure payments and financial transactions on its platform. Government raised Rs.10000 crore from Bharat-22 ETF offering Government of India gets Rs.10000 crore from Bharat-22 Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) by additional offering. The government has absorbed approximately Rs.46000 crore by way of disinvestment with the successful offering of Bharat-22 ETF. Centre has increased Minimum Selling Price of Sugar by Rs 2/kg Worried over mounting sugarcane arrears, summing up to nearly Rs 20,000 crore at the end of January, the government on 14th February 2019 increased the minimum selling price of sugar by Rs 2 per kg, from Rs 29 to Rs 31 to facilitate millers in timely payment of dues of the sugarcane growers. India boosts Customs Duty to 200% on goods imported from Pakistan India, with immediate effect has boosted the Customs Duty on all the goods imported from Pakistan to 200%,has followed day after India repealed Most Famous Nation (MFN) status from Pakistan. RBI approved transfer of Rs 28,000 crore as interim dividend to the Government of India The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to transfer Rs. 28,000 crore as interim dividend to the Government of India in the current Financial Year (FY) 2018-19, in order to enable the Centre to meet its revised fiscal deficit target of 3.4% of the GDP for FY19.Now, GoI have Rs 68,000 crore as dividend for the 2018-19 fiscal, as Rs 40,000 crore dividend was transferred to govt in August 2018.

A deal of USD 1.5 billion signed by IOC to buy US crude oil Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), has signed its very first annual deal to buy U.S. crude oil, paying USD 1.5 billion for 60,000 barrels a day beginning April 2019 to March 2020 to diversify its crude sources.

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Government relaxes Angel Tax norms for start-ups Under the IT Act, Section 56 (2) (viib) money invested by angels in a company is treated as income from other sources. Exemption under Section 56 (2) (viib) for startup recognized by the DPIIT is as follows:

• Investments by listed companies with a net worth of Rs 100 crore or turnover of Rs 250 crore will be exempted up to Rs 25 crore.

• Investments of up to Rs 25 crore in eligible startups by Non-Residents, and Alternate Investment Funds – Category I will also be exempt under Section 56 (2) (viib) of the Income Tax Act. Merger of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with BoB (Bank of Baroda) to be effective from April 1 According to a statement by Bank of Baroda, its merger with Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank shall come into force from 1st April 2019. This scheme has been named as ‘Amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda Scheme, 2019’. RBI bundles NBFCs into a single type to offer operational flexibility Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in accordance with an announcement made during the last bi-monthly policy, decided to create a single category for the NBFCs (non- banking financial companies) by bundling their present three-tier structure. It was also decided that exposures to all NBFCs, excluding core investment companies, will be risk weighted as per credit ratings. RBI formalised USD 75-billion swap pact with Bank of Japan The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank of Japan formalised the USD 75- billion swap agreement, which would act as a cushion against any sharp swings in the local currency whenever the international financial markets turn volatile. Rs 300 crore Women’s Livelihood Bond launched by World Bank, UN and SIDBI World Bank, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) launched new social impact bonds exclusively for women, called Women’s Livelihood Bonds (WLBs), with an initial corpus of Rs 300 crore to provide funds at an annual interest rate of around 13% to 14% annual interest rate of around 13% to 14%.

RBI extends KYC deadline for digital wallets by six months The Reserve Bank of India extended the deadline for prepaid payment instrument (PPI) issuers to complete their Know Your Customer (KYC) norms by six months.

CBDT set up panel to help bring down tax litigation

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) formed a 4-member committee, headed by income tax commissioner Sanjeev Sharma, to look into the matter of taxation related pain points and submit its final report and recommendations by mid- March.

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Jio Saavn only Indian company to make it to ‘50 Most Innovative Companies’ list JioSaavn– an India-based global audio and music scored 1st rank among Indian companies and 28th rank globally in the 2019 list of “50 Most Innovative Companies”. Government released draft e-commerce policy Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) released a new 41-page "Draft National e-Commerce Policy-India’s Data for India’s Development" that provides setting up a legal and technological framework for restrictions on cross-border data flow. MoU inked between Inland Waterways authority of India and Indian Oil on fuel needs for national waterways A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for development of infrastructure for fuels, lubricating oil, LPG, Natural Gas and any other related fuel and gas for meeting the requirement of National Waterways. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

World’s largest digital sky survey issues biggest-ever astronomical data release The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in US in partnership with the University of Hawai’s Institute for Astronomy released the second edition of data from Pan-STARRS , the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System — the world’s largest digital sky survey. Scientists Developed Artificial Pancreas Smartphone App For Diabetics Scientists developed an artificial pancreas smart phone app that will help to analyze blood sugar levels in diabetes patients. This application is formed with the capacity of to connect with glucose monitors, insulin pump devices, and decision- making algorithms. ISRO lists 10 firms to make Li-ion cells The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) selected 10 companies jointly with the NITI-Aayog from a list of 141 companies for transfer of its Lithium-ion cells technology developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thumba. Hoveizeh- Long-Range Surface to Surface Missile Unveiled by Iran on 1979 Islamic Revolution Anniversary Iran Unveiled its Long Range Cruise surface to surface Missile, named Hoveizeh with a Strike range of 1,300 km (800 miles), to mark the remembrance of 1979 Islamic Revolution Anniversary. NASR - short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile test fired by Pakistan Pakistan has test fired a short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Nasr’ with a strike range of about 70-km.

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Mashoka 5 – Mobile App Launched for booking of Bungalow No.5, in New Delhi Mashoka5, the mobile app for booking of Bungalow No.5, New Delhi was launched by Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs Shri HardeepS Puri.5 Ashoka Road bungalow is a popular wedding venue, maintained by the housing and urban affairs ministry. National Testing Agency (NTA) introduced mobile app for Mock Tests for JEE Mains 2019 National Testing Agency has embarked a mobile application through which students can take mock tests for JEE Mains 2019 & other competitive exams via their smart phones. India’s 40th Communication Satellite, GSAT-31 has been successfully launched from French Guiana Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched its 40th communication satellite “GSAT-31” from French Guiana by Arianespace launch vehicle. It will replace the InSAT satellite. ISRO instigated a Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) at the headquarters of ISRO in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It which will act as the hub of ISRO’s future manned mission "Gaganyaan". Anti-tank missile “Helina” sucessfully test-fired in Balasore India test-fired Helina, a helicopter-launched version of the Nag anti-tank guided missile, with a hit range of 7-8 km, from the Odisha Coast. It is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR),indigenously developed missile system successfully flight tested in Odisha The second indigenously developed ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet’ (SFDR), propulsion- based missile system was successfully flight tested from ITR, Chandipur, Odisha, by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) e-AUSHADHI portal launched for Online Licensing System of AYUSH Medicine Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik launched the e-AUSHADHI portal for online licensing of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs and related matters. Hardip Singh Puri launched the PMAY-U Mobile Application

Union Minister of State (I/C) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri launched the Pradhan MantriAwasYojna – Urban (PMAY-U) mobile application at New Delhi. It will allow the beneficiaries of the Pradhan MantriAwasYojna(Urban) to capture and upload high resolution photographs of completed houses along with their families

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NASA to launch SPHEREx mission to investigate Universe NASA is all set to launch, SPHEREx, a space telescope mission, with an aim to understand the origins of life and the universe, in 2023. The word SPHEREx is the abbreviation of Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer. Infosys unveils a learning app ‘InfyTQ’ for engineering students Infosys, the country’s 2nd largest IT firm has launched a next generation digital platform ‘InfyTQ’ to facilitate engineering students with best learning experiences by imparting technical and professional skills. India’s first ‘Fulldome 3D Digital Theatre’ inaugurated by Mahesh Sharma Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated India’s very first ‘Fulldome 3D Digital Theatre’ at the Science City in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is fully funded by the Ministry of Culture at a cost of Rs 20 crore. AntBot, the first walking robot to navigate without GPS, developed AntBot is the first walking robot to have navigational capabilities without GPS or mapping. It has been designed by French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille University researchers at ISM, on lines similar to desert ants who use polarised lights and UV radiation to navigate in space. Iran’s first semi-heavy missile-equipped submarine unveiled Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani unveiled the first Iranian made semi-heavy submarine named “Fateh” (“Conqueror” in Persian), capable of being fitted with missiles. It has subsurface-to-surface missiles with a range of about 2,000 km (1,250 miles). Chennai got its first Drainage-cleaning robot, Bandicoot Bandicoot, a drainage-cleaning robot, has been introduced in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is a semi-automatic robot can enter manholes for cleaning sewage lines with its robotic arm and is equipped with 5 night-vision cameras to relay the scenario underneath. Tele-law mobile app, Nyaya Bandhu launched by Department of Justice A tele-law mobile application ‘Nyaya Bandhu’ was launched by the Union Minister for Law and Justice and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad. It is pro bono legal service which is designed to connect practising lawyers and the registered eligible beneficiaries in a hassle-free manner.

China’s Xinhua unveils world’s first female AI news anchor Chinese news agency Xinhua unveiled the world’s first female AI news anchor Xin Xiaomeng. She has been developed by Xinhua in collaboration with SogouInc, a search engine company.She was modelled after real-life Xinhua news anchor Qu Meng.

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Lockheed Martin unveiled new F-21 fighter jet to be made in India US defence firm, Lockheed Martin, unveiled the F-21 multi-role fighter jet at Asia’s biggest air show Aero India-2019, which will be manufactured in India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s flagship programme ‘Make in India’. SpaceX launched Israel’s first moon lander, “Beresheet”, from Florida Israel’s first moon lander, the 585 kg “Beresheet” (“Genesis” in Hebrew), was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the private US-based SpaceX in Florida, United States. At a cost of USD 100 million, it is the lowest-budget spacecraft to ever undertake such a mission. Scientists have discovered 300,000 new galaxies using a Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope A study conducted by 200 scientists from 18 countries has led to discovery of 300,000 new galaxies using a Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope in Netherlands. Scientists discovered exo planet named ‘hot Earth’ that orbits its star in just 11 hours A Team of Scientists from Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics had discovered a exo planet named ‘hot Earth’ that orbit’s its dwarf star in eleven hours by using the data of NASA’s planet-hunting satellite Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Piyush Goyal initiated Rail Drishti Dashboard for passengers to promote transparency Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti Dashboard, an online portal containing information related to passenger and freight trains and links to live feeds of IRCTC kitchens. It has been developed by the Centre for Railway Information System (CRIS). The URL of the dashboard is raildrishti.cris.org.in. India successfully test fired surface-to-air missile “QRSAM” from Odisha India successfully test fired the short range Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM), developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian Army, from a test range along the coast at Chandipur in Balasore district, Odisha. It will replace the ‘Akash’ missile. Tejas Networks Launches World’s First Ultra-Converged Broadband Product At Mobile World Congress, Barcelona Tejas Networks today launched its broadband access product which provides both wireline as well as wireless broadband services from a single integrated platform. It was launched by Mr. Anshu Prakash, Additional Secretary, Department of Telecom, Government of India at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Barcelona.

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ENVIRONMENT

Bedin 1- New Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy discovered by Hubble Space Telescope Astronomers from Italy, the UK, Germany and the United States discovered the Bedin 1- New Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy from Hubble Space Telescope. It is located 28.38 million light years from Earth. Global warming’s impact on El Nino in 2019 El Nino is a climatic chain characterized by high air pressure in the Western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern. Its impact on El nino may make year 2019 as the warmest year. A New Snake Species "Hebiuslacrima" discovered in Arunachal Pradesh A non-venomous snake species has been discovered by Herpetologists Jayaditya Purkayastha and Patrick David in Guwahati, Arunachal Pradesh. The Snake has been named as “Crying Keelback (Hebiuslacrima)” due to the presence of black spots below the snake’s eye which is taken as an allusion for crying.

Coastal and Marine sites got identified under National Wildlife Action Plan According to a biennial report released by the government, the Centre has identified 106 Coastal and Marine sites as Conservation Reserves under its National Wildlife Action plan for the period of 2017-2031. Dolphin numbers have shrunk in Odisha, reveals Census A census carried out by the Odisha’s forest and environment department on January 19, 2019 revealed that the population of dolphins in its waters has drastically declined from 469 in 2018 to 259 this year. Rare frog species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh A rare frog species was found by Scientists at Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. The Crimson coloured, Convex- Vented Horned Species (Megophryspachyproctus), was collected from Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary of the district in 2017. Tortoise feared extinct for 100 years spotted on Galapagos island A species of tortoise- Fernandina Giant Tortoise, labelled by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered and possibly extinct for the last 100 years, was rediscovered in Galapagos Island of Fernandina.

Australian small brown rat becomes World’s first mammal to go extinct due to climate change

A small brown rat of bramble cay melomys species lived on a tiny island off northern Australia and becomes the world’s first mammal to have become extinct due to “human-induced climate change”.It was found only on a small sand island near the coast of Papua New Guinea.

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World’s largest BEE spotted Wallace’s giant bee (Megachilepluto), the largest bee known on the Earth which was considered to be extinct since 1981 was re-spotted in an Indonesian forest. Himachal Pradesh government declared Monkeys as vermin Monkey’s are declared as vermin by the Himachal Pradesh government again, in 11 districts,91 tehsils and sub-tehsils for the next one year. SPORTS

ICC roped in Coca-Cola as official sponsor The International Cricket Council (ICC) signed a five-year global partnership deal with beverage manufacturer Coca-Cola Company.ICC and Coco-cola’s partnership will be continue till 2023 INS Dronacharya wins Kochi Area Boat Pulling Regatta 2019 INS Dronacharya team won the Regetta trophy in the Area Pulling Regatta Kochi 2019 of the (SNC Southern Naval Command) held in Kochi. is one of the most prestigious and traditional naval sporting activities conducted by the Southern Naval Command. Mithali becomes first female to play 200 ODIs 36 years old India’s Women Cricket team captain, Mithali Raj became the first female player to play 200 ODIs during the 3rd and Final ODI against New Zealand. Vani Kapoor becomes first Indian to grab Australian LPGA card Golfer Vani Kapoor has become the first Indian to grab Australian Ladies PGA Tour (LPGA) after securing 12th Rank tied with three others in the first ever qualifying tournament at the Ballarat Golf Club in Australia. SundeepJora of Nepal becomes the youngest man to hit T20 International fifty Nepal’s cricketer SundeepJora, who made his debut in T-20 International, against UAE, became the youngest man to score a half-century in T20 Internationals at the age of 17 years and 103 days and entered the book of records.

Smriti Mandhana attains the Women’s ODI Batting Record

India’s Smriti Mandhana attained top position in the ICC ODI rankings for batswomen after the match against New Zealand. SmritiMandhana scores fastest T20I fifty

India’s opening batswoman Smriti Mandhana stroked fastest fifty for India in Women’s T20Is against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Rohit Sharma, 14th Indian cricketer to achieve a landmark of 200 ODI's Indian Cricket Team Vice-Captain, Rohit Sharma became the 14th Indian Cricketer to play 200 One Day International (ODIs) in the fourth Match against New Zealand held at Hamilton, New Zealand.

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FIFA Rankings: India drop outside top-100, Belgium remain top With the end of AFC Asian cup in UAE, the world ranking list had some changes, in which India is dropped out of the top 100 ranks, but Belgium ‘s pole position remained same. Ricky Ponting has been appointed the assistant coach of Australia for 2019 World Cup Cricket Australia appointed Ricky Ponting as assistant coach for Australia’s cricket team for 2019 World Cup. He had won world cup for three times. International Paralympics committee lifted ban on Russian athletes International Paralympics Committee (IPC) lifted the ban on Russian Para athletes under certain conditions. The ban was active since August 2016 as Russia had made insufficient efforts to restore its status as per IPC. Jamie Chadwick becomes the first female driver to win MRF Challenge title in Chennai

The 20 years old, Jamie Chadwick from Bath, England made history by becoming the first female driver to win the MRF challenge title after winning 3 out of 5 races in the final round in Chennai. New Zealand wins the T20I series beating India by 2-1 New Zealand won the Twenty20 International (T20I) 3-match series at Seddon Park Ground, Hamilton, New Zealand after beating India in the final match by 4 runs. ‘Clouded Leopard’ to be Mascot for National Games 2022 The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Games 2022 has chosen the ‘Smiling Clouded Leopard’ to be the Mascot for the National Games 2022. Clouded Leopard is the state animal of Meghalaya. PrajneshGunneswaran becomes the third Indian to reach Top-100 in ATP rankings Indian tennis player, PrajneshGunneswaran made it to the top-100 in Men’s Singles Tennis rankings, jumping 6 places to rank 97, becoming the third Indian player after SomdevDevvarman and Yuki Bhambri. Steyn overtakes Kapil, becomes joint 7th highest Test wicket-taker South African pacer Dale Steyn overtook former Indian captain Kapil Dev to become joint 7th highest wicket-taker along with England’s Stuart Broad in the all- time list of Test cricket after registering figures of 4/48 against Sri Lanka. 83rd edition of the Senior National Badminton Championship held in Guwahati, Assam

During 83rd Yonex Sunrise Senior Badminton Nationals, Saina Nehwal retained her women’s singles crown while SorabhVerma grabbed the men’s singles title. India Win Team Event at Mallakhamb World Championship in Mumbai

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First Mallakhamb World Championship was held in Shivaji Park in central Mumbai in which India became the winner. Chris Gayle announces retirement from ODI West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has announced his retirement from One Day Internationals (ODIs) after the forthcoming World Cup in England and Wales. Chris Gayle broke Shahid Afridi’s record for “Most Sixes in International Cricket” West Indies’ batsman, Chris Gayle, broke the record for “Most Sixes in International Cricket” by achieving a feat of 477 international sixes at the 1st ODI between West Indies and England at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. It was his 444th match. Shreyas Iyer slams 55-ball 147, highest ever T20 score by an Indian Shreyas Iyer slammed a 55-ball 147 in Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy 2019 Group C match against Sikkim in Indore. This is the highest ever T20 score by an Indian cricketer.It comprises of 7 boundaries and 15 sixes. Sri Lanka became the first ever Asian team to win Test Series in South Africa Sri Lanka cricket team became the first Asian side to win a Test series in South Africa after winning the series by 8 wickets with a score of 2-0 at Port Elizabeth. This was Sri Lanka’s sixth series in South Africa and their first win. Rashid Khan became first bowler in T20I history to pick 4 wickets in 4 balls Afghanistan cricket team’s leg spinner, Rashid Khan, became the first bowler to take out 4 wickets in 4 balls in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) during the third and final T20I against Ireland in Dehradun. Afghanistan broke Australia’s record for the highest Twenty20 cricket total Afghanistan created history against Ireland in their second Twenty20 International at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, by scoring 278 runs for the loss of 3 wickets from their allotted 20 overs, to register the highest-ever total in T20s. Abhijeet Gupta won the Cannes International Open trophy Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta won the Cannes International Open held in Cannes,France.After taking an easy draw with Pier Luigi Basso of Italy in the ninth and final round.

Suresh Raina became first Indian to score 8000 runs in T20s Indian batsman Suresh Raina became the first Indian to score 8000 runs in T20 cricket after scoring just 12 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match in New Delhi against Puducherry. He was playing for Uttar Pradesh. SanathJayasuriya banned from all forms of cricket for 2 years Former captain of Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya has been banned from all forms of cricket for 2 years after admitting breaching two counts of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code viz. “Article 2.4.6” and “Article 2.4.7”.

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APPOINTMENTS

Vice Admiral MS Pawar, AVSM, VSM Assumes Charge as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral MS Pawar, AVSM, VSM took charge as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. He is an awardee of Herbert Lott Prize and the VishistSeva Medal in 2010 and the AtiVishistSeva Medal in 2016. PunitGoenka re-elected as new BARC India Chairman PunitGoenka , managing director and CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has been re-elected the new chairman of TV viewership measurement company, BARC India. ICICI Bank sacks Chanda Kochhar ICICI Bank decided to terminate the contract of former Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar. A panel lead by B.N Srikrishna found that she violated the bank code of conduct. Sanjiv Ranjan appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia Ministry of External Affairs appointed 1993 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer SanjivRanjan who is current Ambassador to Argentina as the new Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia. Rishi Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Government has designated Rishi K Shukla, former Madhya Pradesh DGP , as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fixed tenure of two years. EU parliament appointed Juan Guaido as Venezuelan interim President European Parliament has appointed Juan Guaido as interim President of Venezuela, highlighting the international crisis and the pressure of public against President Nicolas Maduro. B.S.Mubarak became Ambassador of India to the Republic of Honduras B.S. Mubarak, an Indian Foreign Service officer of 2001 batch, has been appointed as the ambassador of India to the Republic of Honduras.

Dinesh Bhatia appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Argentina

Shri Dinesh Bhatia, an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1992 batch has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Argentina. Air India CMD Pradeep Singh Kharola named as Civil Aviation secretary 1985 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, Pradeep Singh Kharola has been designated as the new civil aviation secretary.

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France’s highest Civilian Honour is conferred to 92 years Old Bengal Priest Father Francois Laborde Father Francois Laborde, a 92-year-old priest, has been awarded the Legion d’Honneur, the highest civilian award of France, to recognize his work for specially- abled children in Howrah. RadheyshyamJulaniya designated as new Union Sports Secretary IAS officer (Madhya Pradesh cadre), Radheyshyam Julaniya has been named as the Union Sports Secretary. He will succeed Rahul Bhatnagar, who has joined the Ministry on Panchayati Raj. Shri Sailesh assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs Shri Sailesh, IAS, Assam-Meghalaya Cadre, took charge as the Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs. He will also hold the post of Secretary, Department of Official Language as an additional charge. Sanjay Kumar Verma concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Marshall Islands Shri Sanjay Kumar Verma (IFS: 1998), presently Ambassador of India to Japan, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Marshall Islands, with residence in Tokyo. African Union elects Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi as its new chairman Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the President of Egypt, was elected as the African Union’s new chairman during 32nd AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He will succeed Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame. Centre has named Ruchira Kamboj as India’s new ambassador to Bhutan Ruchira Kamboj, currently serving as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, was appointed as the Ambassador of India to Bhutan. She will succeed Jaideep Sarkar. Australia spin legend Shane Warne named brand ambassador of Rajasthan Royals Australia spin legend Shane Warne was entitled as the brand ambassador of Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming 12th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).

President appointed Sushil Chandra as new Election Commissioner

President Ram NathKovind has appointed Sushil Chandra, the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), to be designated as the new Election Commissioner on 14th February, 2019. He made this appointment by exercising the powers given under clause (2) of Article 324 of the Constitution. Union Minister Arun Jaitley resumed charge as Finance Minister Union Minister Arun Jaitley has resumed the charge as Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs. He was on three weeks break, from January 23 to

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February 14, due to health reasons. In his absence, the charge of both ministries was assigned to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. Hina Jaiswal became the first Indian Woman Flight Engineer Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh, became the First Indian Woman Flight Engineer of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The Flight Engineer branch was opened to women officers in 2018. UN Secretary-General Appointed Chandramouli Ramanathan of India as Controller, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance and Budget Chandramouli Ramanathan of India was appointed as the Controller, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance and Budget in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance by United Nations Secretary- General AntónioGuterres. He succeeds Bettina TucciBartsiotas of Uruguay. PC Mody designated as new CBDT chairman Pramod Chandra Mody, a 1982-batch IRS Officer was appointed as the new chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) which is the policy making body of the Income Tax Department. He will succeed Sushil Chandra. CBIC appoints Sandeep Mohan Bhatnagar and Ashok Kumar Pandey as its members Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)appointed 2 senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers, Sandeep Mohan Bhatnagar and Ashok Kumar Pandey as its members. Mary Kom designated as women’s training Ambassador of PUMA German sports and lifestyle brand PUMA has appointed the 6 time world champion woman M C Mary Kom as its new brand ambassador. She steer brand’s advertising campaign #DoYou that aims to motivate women across the nation to be strong and accomplish their goals. GC Anupama becomes first woman President of Astronomical Society of India The Astronomical Society of India will be Presided over by a woman, GC Anupama for the first time in its history. She will succeed RK Tyagi and has been elected to this post for a tenure of 3 years.

Former Judge, Justice D.K. Jain, appointed as First BCCI ombudsman by SC The Supreme Court appointed its former judge, Justice D K Jain as the first ombudsman for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The ombudsman will be resolving any issue that comes with regards to the players, as also financial issues.

Justice Uma Nath Singh takes oath as First Lokayukta of Nagaland Justice Uma Nath Singh took the oath as the first lokayukta of Nagaland. He was formerly the Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court. His tenure would last for a period of 5 years or until he turns 70, whichever occurs earlier.

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Dr. KJ Srinivasa designated as Indian High Commissioner to Cooperative Republic of Guyana Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 2002 batch has been named as next High Commissioner of India to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.He will succeed V. Mahalingam. PepsiCo’s former CEO IndraNooyi appointed to Amazon’s Board of Directors Former CEO of PepsicoIndraNooyi has joined Amazon‘s Board of Directors. With her appointment, Amazon’s 11-member board now has five women, including Nooyi, Brewer, Jamie Gorelick, Judith McGrath and Patricia Stonesifer. Govind Prasad Sharma appointed as NBT Chairman The autonomous organization under the Department of Higher Education, National Book Trust (NBT) appointed educationist and author Govind Prasad Sharma as its new Chairman replacing Baldeo Sharma. Muhammadu Buhari got his second term as Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, who is a member of All Progressive Congress (APC) has defeated AtikuAbubakar with more than three million votes in the election to become the President of Africa’s most populous country – Nigeria for the second time. IMPORTANT DATES AND DAYS

Year 2019 International Year of the UNESCO has named the year 2019 as Periodic Table of Chemical The International Year of the Periodic Elements 2019 Table of Chemical Elements in Paris. February 2 World Wetlands Day World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on the 2nd of February to raise global awareness on the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet. It was observed with a theme, “Wetlands and Climate Change”.

February 4 World Cancer Day World Cancer Day is observed annually on Feb 4 to raise awareness about cancer and encourage its prevention, and treatment. This year it was observed with a theme “I Am and I will”. February 4 30th National Road Safety On 4th February 2019, External Affairs Week Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the 30th National Road Safety Week, 2019 at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan, Rajghat, New Delhi. The theme of the 30th National Road Safety Week is “Sadak Suraksha-Jeevan Raksha”. February 6 International Day of Zero February 6th is observed as the Tolerance for Female International Day of Zero Tolerance for Genital Mutilation Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),which is also called as Female Genital

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Cutting (FGC) that is , removal of all or part of a female’s genitalia for non- medical reasons. February 8 National Cleft Day India’s first toll free national cleft helpline named Smile Train India cleft Helpline launched by Smile Train India on National Cleft Day. National Cleft Day is observed on February 8 2019.

February 10 World Pulses Day On February 10, 2019, was the first- ever World Pulses Day, a United Nations global event to celebrate pulses worldwide and continue the important gains made with the 2016 International Year of Pulses.

February 10 National Deworming Day National Deworming Day (NDD) is observed bi-annually on 10th February and 10th August every year in all states. But National Deworming Day (NDD) 2019 was observed on 8th of February, two days prior to its usual date (February 10) with a motive to showcase the importance of worm free lives and maintaining sanitation to all school kids and children.

February 11 International Day of The United Nations (UN) General Women and Girls in Assembly declared 11th February as Science the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, in order to achieve full and equal participation and access to women and girls in science, and to further achieve gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. The theme 2019 was “Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth".

February 11 World day of the Sick 11th February is observed as the World Day of the Sick. It was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1992 with an aim to encourage people to pray for those who suffer from ill and for their caregivers. February 12 National Productivity Productivity Day is observed annually Council on 12th February. This year it has commemorated the 61st Foundation Day of National Productivity Council (NPC). Every year, NPC also celebrates National Productivity Week from 12th Feb to 18th Feb, 2019. February 13 World Radio Day On 13th February 2019, the 8th edition of World Radio Day is celebrated globally by The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to commemorate radio as a powerful and influential medium that has been in

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existence for over 80 years. • Theme 2019 -“Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace”. February 20 World Day of Social World Day of Social Justice is observed Justice annually on February 20 to create attentiveness about social justice based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability. Theme of 2019 – ‘If you want Peace and Development, Work for Social Justice’ to focuses on the goal of achieving full employment for the bottom 40 per cent of people and support for social integration. February 21 International Mother International Mother Language day is Language Day observed annually on February 21 since 2000. It is observed to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education. Theme for the year 2019- “Indigenous languages matter for development, peace building and reconciliation” February 22 World Thinking Day Every year, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides celebrate the World Thinking Day on 22nd February. The theme 2019 was "Leadership". February 24 Central Excise Day Central Excise day is observed annually on 24th February in India to commemorate the establishment of the Central Excise and Salt Act on 24 February 1944. February 27 World NGO Day On 27th February 2019, the human Right activists and all individuals celebrated world NGO Day 2019. It was officially recognized and declared by the 12 member countries of the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and first time marked by the rest of the world, UN, EU leaders and international organizations in 2014.

BOOKS IN NEWS

Shri Justice RanjanGogoi released a book “Law, Justice and Judicial Power – Justice P N Bhagwati’s Approach”

The book “Law, Justice and Judicial Power – Justice P N Bhagwati’s Approach” written by Mool Chand Sharma was launched by the Chief Justice of India, Shri Justice RanjanGogoi.

Malay and ArindamChaudhari’s new book ‘What Marx Left Unsaid’ released by Manish Tewari

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Indian Politician and author, Manish Tewari, launched ‘What Marx Left Unsaid’ – Production of Skills by Means of Skills, authored by Dr. Malay Chaudhari, Dr.ArindamChaudhari and CheKabirChaudhari at Indian International Centre, New Delhi.

“Let’s Talk On Air: Conversations with Radio Presenters”by Rakesh AnandBakshi released

On the occasion of World Radio Day (WRD-2019), on February 13, the book titled “Let’s Talk On Air: Conversations with Radio Presenters” has been released. It has been authored by Rakesh AnandBakshi.

P Chidambaram’s book “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” launched by Hamid Ansari

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari on 8th Feb. 2019, launched the new book of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram named “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” at Nehru Memorial Museum, New Delhi.

Governor of West Bengal, KeshariNathTripathi launches book ‘Simplicity & Wisdom’ authored by Mr. Dinesh Shahra

‘Simplicity & Wisdom’ written by Dinesh Shahra was launched at Parmarth Ashram in KumbhMela. Launched by the Governor of West Bengal– KeshariNathTripathi and Swami ChidanandSaraswati, Head of Parmarth Ashram, this book is dedicated to Late Vedanti Swami Pragananandji.

Book containing Venkaiah Naidu’s selected speeches released by Pranab Mukherjee

Former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee released the book Selected Speeches: Volume-1, which is a compilation of 92 selected speeches of Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu, in New Delhi.

Venkaiah Naidu Launched the book ‘Quality, Accreditation & Ranking’ by Dr. H Chaturvedi

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu publicized the book titled ‘Quality, Accreditation and Ranking – A Silent Revolution in the Offing in Indian Higher Education‘ edited by EPSI’s Alternate President, Dr. H Chaturvedi at the book launch function organized by the Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI), BIMTECH and Bloomsbury Pvt Ltd.

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AWARDS AND HONOURS

Republic Day Parade: Gorkha Brigade wins best marching contingent award

Gorkha Brigade received the best marching contingent trophy of the Republic Day parade whereas, the CRPF won the best marching contingent prize for the para-military forces.

Manus Island refugee Behrouz Boochani won Australian literary prize

Manus Island ’s refugee Behrouz Boochani ’s debut book “No Friends But the Mountains” won both the 25,000 dollars non-fiction prize at the Victorian premier’s literary awards and the 100,000 dollars Victorian prize for literature , in Australia.

President of India presented SangeetNatakAkademi Awards 2017

SangeetNatakAkademi Awards for 2017 was presented by President Ram NathKovind to 42 artists in a ceremony held in New Delhi. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists.

Ernest and Young announced the finalists for ‘Entrepreneur of the Year 2018’ Awards

The global professional services organization, released a list of 16 country’s ‘most exceptional’ entrepreneurs as finalists for the ‘20th Entrepreneur of the Year India 2018′ award, where Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd will be felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

MSME to honour NFDC for promotion of SC/ST entrepreneurs

National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has been named a winner under the ‘Miniratna’ category by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Chennai Police Commissioner launches mobile app Digicop

Chennai Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan and actor Vijay Sethupathi have launched the mobile app "DigiCop", of Chennai's police department.

Yes Bank wins the Aegis Graham Bell Award 2018 for ‘Innovation in Data Science’

Aegis Graham Bell Award 2018 announced Yes Bank as winner in ‘Innovation in Data Science’ category for their industry-first project ‘Yes EEE (Engage Enrich Excel)’ at Panaji, Goa.9th edition of Aegis Graham Bell Award 2018 was hosted by the Government of Goa.

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Sena Medals awarded to 92 army men, including Lance NaikWani

Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, GOC-in-C (General Officer Commanding), Northern Command, presented Gallantry and Distinguished Service Awards to army officers, other ranks and next of kin (for posthumous awards). The Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry) conferred to Late Lance NaikWani.

Canadian Academy conferred Deepa Mehta with Lifetime Achievement award

Acclaimed Indo-Canadian filmmaker, Deepa Mehta conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. She is best known for her trilogy- “Fire”, “Earth” and “Water”.

Mukesh Ambani ranked 1st in Hurun India Philanthropy list 2018

Reliance Industries chairman MukeshAmbani and also richest person in Asia, topped the Hurun India Philanthropy list with donation amount of 437 crores. MukeshAmbani is followed by the chairman of the Piramal Group, Ajay Piramal who donated 200 crores.

BAFTA Awards 2019 – “Roma” Film Won Best Picture

72nd British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards ceremony, popularly referred to as BAFTA Awards 2018 was held on 10th February 2019 in Royal Albert Hall,London, United Kingdom.

Sanjay Subrahmanyam wins Israel’s Million Dollar Dan David Prize

Indian Historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam won Israel’s prestigious Dan David Prize in the category ‘Past time dimension’ for his work in macro history.

Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards cannot be used as Titles

On replying to a written question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Shri HansrahGangaramAhir said that National Awards, such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri do not amount to titles within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution and hence, cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes to the name of the recipient.

Siddhartha Lal won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO of Eicher Motors has won the EY Entrepreneur of the year 2018, recognizing his efforts to resurrect the Royal Enfield motorcycle brand in India and making it a global brand icon.

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Bradley Cooper wins PETA’s ‘Oscat’ award for A Star is Born

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) awarded actor-director Bradley Cooper ‘Oscat’ award for casting his own dog, rather than one supplied by animal exhibitors, in his movie A Star is Born.

AMRUT cities and Municipal Corporations of Raigarh, Ambikapurand Kumbakonam won the top Swachhata Excellence Awards 2019

Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) cities and municipal corporations of Raigarh (1st prize), Ambikapur (2nd prize) and Kumbakonam (3rd prize) won the top Swachhata Excellence Awards 2019, during the ShehriSamridhiUtsav in New Delhi.

Abdul Aziz Muhamat, a Manus Island refugee, wins INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS prize

Sudanese refugee, Abdul Aziz Muhamat, who spent 5 years in Australian detention centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, was given the Martin Ennals Award 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland, for exposing “the very cruel asylum seeker policy of the Australian Government”.

Rabindranath Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony awarded by the President

President Ram NathKovind presented the Rabindranath Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the year 2014, 2015 and 2016 at the PravasiBhartiya Kendra, New Delhi. The awardees were: Shri RajkumarSinghajit Singh for the year 2014, Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh) for the year 2015 and Shri Ram SutarVanji for the year for 2016.

Dhanya became the First woman to climb Kerala’s Agasthyarkoodam peak

Bureaucrat DhanyaSanal K. became the first woman to climb Agasthyarkoodam peak in Kerala. There was an unofficial ban for women to trek the peak which was swept aside by Kerala High Court.

Sunil Chhetri awarded the India’s first-ever “Football Ratna”

The 34-year-old,Sunil Chhetri , was awarded India’s first-ever “Football Ratna”by Football Delhi president ShajiPrabhakaran, former player and administrator at the All India Football Federation(AIFF) and FIFA(Federation Internationale de Football Association).Football Delhi is the state association governing the sport in Delhi.

RajyavardhanRathore presented the 7th National Photography Awards in New Delhi

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Union Minister of State (IC) for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports Col RajyavardhanRathore presented the 7th National Photography Awards in New Delhi.13 people were awarded in total, in different categories.

TCS ranked as global Top Employer for fourth year in a row

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been ranked by the Top Employers Institute as global Top Employer for the fourth year in a row. TCS the only firm among the top 10 IT services brands which has received this certification.

DivyaKarnad became First Indian Woman to receive Future of Nature Award

33-year-old Ashoka University teacher and Wipro Sustainable Fellow, DivyaKarnad became the First Indian Woman to be honoured with the “Global Future of Nature Award” for her work on marine conservation. She is the second Indian to receive this award after Dr.Charudutt Mishra.

Digital India Awards 2018

The Digital India Awards are aimed at encouraging Government entities, which have made significant contributions towards the implementation of e- Governance and shown an exemplary & innovative approach to achieve administrative efficiency and transparency.

Union Minister of Electronics & IT, Law &Justice,Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, conferred 35 “Digital India Awards 2018” under different categories.

Kareena Kapoor Khan named brand ambassador of Swasth Immunised India

Bollywood actress, Kareena Kapoor Khan is named as the brand ambassador of Swasth Immunised India, a year-long campaign initiated by Network18 and Serum Institute of India which promotes immunisation of babies under two years of age.

Harmanpreet Singh named as Player of the Year and Lalremsiami as Rising Player of The Yearby the Asian Hockey Federation

Harmanpreet Singh was awarded the 2018 Player of the Year award while women’s team striker Lalremsiami as the Rising Player of The Year,by the Asian Hockey Federation. The Indian men’s team was awarded the Best Performance of The Year.

91stAcademy Awards (Oscars 2019)

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The 91st Academy Awards (commonly known as Oscars), presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018, on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

President presented Gandhi Peace Prize for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018

President Ram NathKovind presented the “Gandhi Peace Prize” at RashtrapatiBhawan in New Delhi. The following are the awardees:

• 2015 – Vivekanand Kendra, Kanyakumari • 2016 – Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sulabh International (jointly) • 2017 – EkalAbhiyan Trust • 2018 – YoheiSasakawa

G.R. Karthikeyan received the Lifetime Achievement Award

G.R. Karthikeyan was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the FMSCI(Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India) annual awards function held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He is the father of NarainKarthikeyan– India’s first Formula One Racer.

National e-Governance Awards 2019 was presented by Shri Jitendra Singh

Minister of state in Prime Minister’s office, Dr.Jitendra Singh presented National e-Governance Awards 2019 in New Delhi with a view to recognize and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives.

SUMMITS/CONFERENCES

Name of the Organized / Venue Aim/ Theme Summit and Led by Conference Asia LPG summit Indian oil New Delhi Theme: ‘LPG – Energy for Life.’ 2019 marketing companies (OMCs) Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum together with the World LPG Association (WLPGA) World Sustainable Vice President New Delhi Theme: ‘Attaining the 2030 Development Shri M. Venkaiah Agenda: delivering on our Summit (WSDS) Naidu promise’. 2019 High-profile US Vietnam's Aim: To discuss second summit President Donald capital, Han denuclearisation amid claims Trump and North oi from Michael Cohen ahead of

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Korea's leader Kim public hearing. Jong-un Global All India New Delhi Theme: Digital Disruption and Procurement Management Innovation: Future of Summit 2019 Association, in Procurement. partnership with Ministry of Finance, Government of India and the World Bank India IoT Entraine Business Mumbai Focus on the areas of control, Conference 2019 Services communications, industrial robot, industrial cloud, smart sensors and actuators, informatics and security India IoT Summit Entraine Business Mumbai To connect people, devices and 2019 Services accessories and events in a seamless manner to simplify the process of simpler tasks and improve the quality of complex decision making. Open Source -- New Delhi Summit 2019 Debt Syndication -- Mumbai Focus on developing strategies India Summit for thriving in a challenging 2019 market, emerging structures in financing channels and how Banks and institutional investors are redefining the market with various financing solutions and business model revisions and understand what drives the scale and depth of loan market. Software Product International Bengaluru To celebrate excellence in the Management Software Product software management (SPM) Summit Management practices & showcase the best 2019 Association practices and role models. (ISPMA) along with Indian Institute of Management- Bangalore (IIMB World Sustainable The Energy and New Delhi Provides a platform for global Development Resources leaders and practitioners to Summit 2019 Institute – TERI discuss and deliberate over climatic issues of universal importance. India Cloud Knowledge Hut Bengaluru to network, share ideas and Summit 2019 have meaningful conversations about how others are implementing Cloud in their organizations, Cloud migration, Devops . Global Business Yes Bank and New Delhi To provide solutions to key Summit 2019 Economic Times macroeconomic challenges being faced in the current

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context and put forth a blue print for sustainable, inclusive economic growth. 5th Service Inventicon Mumbai Help improve your Quality Excellence Business economic competitiveness, Summit India Intelligence customer satisfaction, and 2019 organization's bottom line. 4th India Asean Federation of New Delhi Theme: “Reviving the Expo & Summit Indian Chambers Millennial Partnership” 2019 of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), with Government of India International Centre for New Delhi Titled: ‘Life and Legacy of Conference on Escalation of Guru Guru Peace (CEP). Padmasambhava’, Aim: To Padmasambhava commemorate 50-years of formalization of diplomatic ties between India and Bhutan. 7th Annual World World Dubai (UAE) Provides a unique platform to Government Government showcase and exchange best Summit 2019 practices and smart solutions to the challenges that nations face 4th Global Digital Union Health New Delhi To support governments and Health Minister J P health system reformers in Partnership Nadda improving the health and well- Summit 2019 being of their citizens through digital technologies. World Mobile Nokia Spain To discover how the innovative Congress Summit technologies and comprehensive portfolio will create a world that intelligently adapts, learns, evolves, and anticipates their every need. International Shuchita New Delhi Theme: “Honoring the Past, Conference On Prakashan (P) Ltd. Appreciating the Present, Research In Influencing the Future: A Business - 2019 Business Perspective.” 591st The IIER New Delhi To be one of the leading International international conferences for Conference on presenting novel and Social Science and fundamental advances in the Economics fields of Social Science and (ICSSE) Economics. 441st Academics World Chennai To bring together leading International academic scientists, Conference on researchers and research Language, scholars to exchange and Literature and share their experiences and Culture (ICLLC) research results about all aspects of Development in Language, Literature and Culture IIER International New Delhi To be one of the leading 592nd Internation Institute of international conferences for al Conference on Engineers and presenting novel and Natural Science Researchers fundamental advances in the

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and Environment (IIER). fields of Natural Science and (ICNSE) Environment. 4th International Association of New Delhi To develop quality of life of Conference on Occupational & each Indian by scaling of Occupational & Environmental technologies in the area of Environmental Health (AOEH), climate change, energy, waste Health Dept. of management, livelihood and Community education. Medicine – Lady Harding Medical College & Vardhman Mahavir Medical College. Second Department of Sikkim To gather scientists, engineers, International Computer Science academicians and industry Conference on and Engineering personnel to discuss on Advanced (CSE), Sikkim various topics ranging from Computational Manipal Institute artificial intelligence, robotics, and of Technology mobile communications, Communication (SMIT) geographical information Paradigms systems and internet of things. International Indian Institute of Bhopal To bring together researchers, Conference On Forest academicians, practitioners Multi- Disciplinary Management and policy makers to present Approach Towards their research findings, new Sustainable concepts and cases on Development practices adopted to face this global challenge. Indian Institute Indus Exposium New Delhi Theme: "Energy from Waste of Forest Industry Conferences and Management Expo". Electric Vehicle Explore New Delhi Theme: "Electrifying Indian India Summit Exhibitions Mobility by comprehensive and 2019 and Conference L cumulative collaborations" LP Retail Leadership Retailers Associati Mumbai Theme: Customer Experience Summit 2019 on of India (RAI) - Key to Mindshare & Marketshare. World Quality Asia Inc. 500 Hyderabad To create one of the largest Summit 2019 conference of Quality Assurance(QA) professionals worldwide. 2-day National Ministry of New Delhi For the distribution of AYUSH Conference on AYUSH Awards for Unani Medicine Unani Medicine during the conference. for Public Health

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