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Home , 2021 in science, Belle Monappa Hegde, Kalbe Sadiq, Kerala Bank, NewSpace India Limited, Nripendra Misra

Contents

Free Vaccines and 's Humanitarian Diplomacy ------1 Topics of the Month ------4 Economy ------14 RBI in News ------14 SBI in News ------15 Other Banks in News ------15 Financial News ------18 Rating and Survey ------20 Loan and Agreement ------20 MOU and Agreement ------21 Committee and Its Head ------24 State News ------25 National ------37 International ------45 Bilateral ------48 International and National Summits ------50 Ranking and Index ------53 Award ------54 Person in News/Newly Appointed ------56 Sports ------59 and Technology ------62 Defence ------64 Important Days ------66 Book and Author ------67 Obituary ------68 Miscellaneous ------69 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – 2021

FREE VACCINES and INDIA'S HUMANITARIAN DIPLOMACY

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As per health ministry data showed, as many as 1.8 crore people have received vaccine doses so far. Of these 68,53,083 are healthcare workers who received first dose, and 31,41,371 healthcare workers got their second. As many as 60,90,931 frontline workers received the first dose and 67,297 frontline workers got the second dose. Meanwhile, 2,35,901 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities and 16,16,920 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years took their first Covid-19 shots. The vaccination pace increased in last week of February after Prime Minister kicked off an expansion of the drive to include the elderly and those aged 45-59 suffering from medical conditions. While organising a COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, the Indian government announced an elaborate ‘vaccine diplomacy’ strategy of providing vaccines to most of its neighbours and other developing countries. For over two decades, India has earned a reputation for being the ‘pharmacy of the world’ thanks to its strong generic pharmaceutical industry, which supplies affordable and quality medicines to the global market. Medicine exports from India have grown from around US$1 billion at the turn of the century to over US$20 billion in 2019–20. Indian companies made critical interventions during the HIV/AIDS pandemic by supplying affordable antiretroviral medicines to African countries, where major pharmaceutical producers were demanding excessively high prices. After the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria took shape as a multi- stakeholder initiative to reduce the burden of these diseases, India’s generic pharmaceutical industry emerged as one of the largest suppliers. India has emerged as a major supplier of COVID-19 vaccines. India has a partnership with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses. In June 2020, SII entered into a licensing agreement with British-Swedish biopharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, to supply one billion doses of the Oxford University COVID- 19 vaccine to middle- and-low- income countries, including India. SII currently supplies its vaccine, Covishield, to the Indian government. Prior to this, another Indian biopharmaceutical company, Bharat Biotech International Limited, together with the Indian Council of Medical Research, began collaboratively developing a COVID-19 vaccine, ‘Covaxin’. Large parts of the world are still reeling from the spread of the coronavirus, with renewed lockdowns in effect in many places. With every stricken country focused on tackling its COVID-19 crisis, there is little international generosity in donating large quantities of medicines or vaccines when demand for them is sky-high.So, when India in recent days delivered millions of COVID-19 vaccines as gifts to countries in the Indian Ocean region, it attracted international attention. India’s neighbours, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, will benefit from vaccine supplies as part of India’s development cooperation initiative. Afghanistan, the Seychelles, Myanmar and Mauritius are also expected to be beneficiaries. In South Asia, where China’s presence has grown in recent years, India’s ‘vaccine diplomacy’ could help to even out the playing field. India has agreed to supply 10 million vaccine doses to Africa and one million to UN health workers under the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility coordinated by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI). Several other countries, including Mongolia, Oman, the Philippines, Bahrain, and the Dominican Republic could also be included in India’s ‘vaccine assistance’ program. India is using its soft power to assist developing countries, a role that it has increasingly been playing as a development partner. Around 40 years ago in the 1980s, India and China were almost on the same level in terms of economy, now the Chinese economy is approximately five the size of the Indian economy. But when it comes to credibility, India essentially stands far ahead of its neighbour. Vaccine diplomacy is the latest evidence in which India has truly outraced China and reliability is a big factor behind it.

How India beat China in vaccine diplomacy?  India’s free-vaccine diplomacy, however, has been driven by more than altruism. There are geopolitical considerations at play, including building goodwill and influence and countering China’s growing strategic

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footprint in the Indian Ocean region. Supplying free vaccines to combat a raging pandemic also seems a better choice for than providing direct aid in another form.  China had promised around 3.9 million free vaccines to the world, but India has already provided around 6.8 million free vaccines to various countries. Not only that, for the COVAX initiative of the World Health Organisation - launched to get vaccines for the poorer countries - China assured 10 million doses of vaccines, but the first dispatch of 6 lakh vaccines was made by India .  What makes the contrast sharper is that the pandemic has hit India more severely in comparison to China, killing over 157,000 people here, while the Chinese official toll stands at 4,636. , China claims to have contained the spread of coronavirus within three months of its outbreak, while the second wave Covid-19 looms in India.  Economically, due to lockdowns, the pandemic had severe negative impacts worldwide and India went into recession after 25 years, but China not only managed to avoid the decline but reported a 2.1% growth in GDP in 2020.  To top it all, China claimed to be the first country to develop vaccines against Covid-19 and rollout the inoculation drive. But it has achieved only four-fifths of its immunisation target reportedly. Even though, China has four vaccines now to inoculate its approximately 1.4 billion population. India built trust, China created confusion  China failed to infuse confidence in its citizens because the vaccine producers Sinopharm, Sinovac and Cansino kept their trial data under wraps. The lower efficacy rate of Chinese vaccines has further damaged their credibility.  It is important to note that the Chinese vaccines are still under the WHO regulatory evaluation while the Serum Institute of India's Covishield vaccine has already been approved by the international body.  This is how India has built substantial trust to have exported over 33 million vaccine shots to different countries (apart from the number of free vaccines). India didn't disappoint even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he sought help from PM Modi.

In the race for political influence in the developing world, two Asian giants, India and China, have always been competing with each other. But vaccine diplomacy, based on -founded trust, has distinctly given India an edge over China. With the Serum Institute of India being the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, India always had this lead but it refused to resort to vaccine nationalism and came to the world's rescue when the world needed it.

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ATAL BIMIT VYAKTI 1 KALYAN YOJANA (ABVKY) The Ministry of Labour and Employment announced Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana to financially support Insured Person (IP) who lost their jobs and were covered under the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948.  This scheme has been approved by the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) that aims to benefit its subscribers, who are mainly formal sector workers who have become unemployed.  The scheme is implemented on pilot basis for a period of two years initially.  It provides relief to the extent of 25% of the average per day earning during the previous four contribution periods (total earning during the four contribution period/730) to be paid up to maximum 90 days of unemployment once in lifetime of the IP on submission of claim in form of an Affidavit. Eligibility conditions  IPshould have been rendered unemployed during the period the relief is claimed.  IP should have been in insurable employment for a minimum period of two years.  IP should have contributed not less than 78 days during each of the preceding four contribution periods.  Aadhar and Bank Account of the IP should be linked with insured person data base.  In case the IP is working for more than one employers and is covered under the ESI scheme he will be considered unemployed only in case he is rendered unemployed with all employers. Other features of the scheme  As specified in Section 65 of the ESI Act, an IP shall not be entitled to any other cash compensation and the Relief under ABVKY simultaneously for the same period. However, periodical payments of Permanent Disability Benefit (PDB) under ESI Act and Regulations shall continue.  The contribution in respect of him should have been paid or payable by the employer.  The contingency of the unemployment should not have been as a result of any punishment for misconduct or superannuation or voluntary retirement.  The IP will be eligible for Medical benefit as provided under the Act for the period he is availing this relief.  The claim for Relief under ABVKY may be submitted by the claimant any after rendering unemployed, but not later than one year from the date of unemployment to the appropriate Branch Office in form of affidavit in prescribed Form. No prospective claim i.e. claim for relief under ABVKY for any future period will be allowed.  The IP will submit his claim online through the ESIC Portal.  The Relief under ABVKY shall be paid/ payable by Branch Office to IPs directly in their bank account only. Significance of this scheme  The current scenario of employment in India which has transformed from a long-term employment to fixed short-term engagement in the form of contract and temping. This scheme is a relief payable in cash directly to their bank account in case of unemployment and while they search for new engagement.  It will curtail the multiple registrations of same IPs and thus enable them to avail the benefits requiring longer contributory conditions.  This relaxation will immensely help the Insured Persons and their beneficiaries to avail super specialty treatment free of cost as per revised eligibility. Employees’ State Insurance (ESI)  The ESI Act 1948 was the first major legislation on social security for workers in India. It provides for health-related events, such as sickness, maternity and temporary or permanent disability.  It also covers occupational disease or death due to employment injury, resulting in loss of wages or earning capacity — either total or partial.  Under the Act, employers and employees contribute their share, respectively, with the rate of contribution being decided through the Ministry of Labour and Employment.  It applies to premises where 10 or more persons are employed.

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 Employees with wages up to Rs. 21,000 a month (earlier Rs. 15,000 per month) are entitled to the health insurance cover and other benefits under the ESI Act.  ESIC, which is an autonomous body, regulates medical services being provided by the ESI Scheme in the respective states and Union Territories. US OFFICIALLY RE-JOINED 2 THE PARIS CLIMATE DEAL The United States has officially re-joined the Paris climate accord on February 19, 2020. It has joined the deal again after 107 days it left. Highlights  With the rejoining of US, the world leaders expects that now the country will prove its seriousness as it was mostly absent for four years.  The countries are also waiting for the announcement from Washington on the US’s goal to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases by 2030.  The president of US, Joe Biden, had signed the executive order to reversed the withdrawal ordered by former President, Donald Trump. Background In the year 2019, the Donald Trump administration had announced its withdrawal from the Paris accord. This order came into effect on November 4, 2020. the day after the election, because of provisions in the agreement. Paris Climate Agreement It is an agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on (UNFCCC). This agreement was signed in 2016 and deals with the climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. This agreement was negotiated by the representatives of 196 states. It was signed at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in France. The agreement was later adopted by consensus in December 2015. Currently, 190 members of the UNFCCC are parties under the agreement. Countries like Turkey, Iran, and Iraq are not parties to it. Goals under Under the Paris Agreement, there is a long-term goal of keeping the average temperature to well below 2 °C above the pre-industrial levels. It also seeks to put efforts in order to limit the increase to 1.5 °C. This will help in reducing the risks and impacts of climate change. The agreement further aims to increase the ability of parties so as to adapt with the adverse impacts of climate change. It also seeks to make the flow of finance towards low emissions and climate-resilient development. WHY FACEBOOK 3 RESTRICTED NEW CONTENTS IN AUSTRALIA? The tech-giant Facebook has recently blocked the Australian users from reading and sharing any local and international news. Facebook has initiated this move in the backdrop of the dispute over new media payment that Australia has initiated.

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Highlights  The Facebook has retaliated over the new legislation that was brought by Australian government. This legislation pushes the tech companies to pay publishers for the news content they share.  With this act, the Australian government wants the tech giants like Google and Facebook to pay for the news which is shared on their platform.  The government had reported that the advertising revenue that earlier supported the publishers is now depleting.  So, this new legislation forces them to make deals with media companies separately or to set fees for them.  But Facebook has initiated this move to oppose the legislation stating that the proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between Facebook and publishers who use the platform to share news content.  Facebook has also dealt with the Google to challenge Australian parliament for the proposed law.  On the other hand, Google has also started to sign agreements on revenue-sharing with the publishers. Implication of the move  This move by Facebook has sparked outrage in the country. Because, with this move several government and emergency response pages such as fire services, health authorities and police were removed from platform.  Now, the users in Australian will not have access on the news content on Facebook coming from the Australian and international media.  Also, the international users will not have the access news content coming from Australia on Facebook.  The media houses and Independent publishers from Australia will be restricted from sharing or posting their content on Facebook Pages. Background The Parliament in Australia has proposed a legislation following which the Google and Facebook will require to make payment negotiations with the media companies for using their content. However, the Facebook & Google have argued that these media industry were already benefiting from traffic routed to them through the digital platforms. The tech giants also stated that, this legislation result into “unmanageable levels of financial risks as well as the operational risk” for them. ISA TO LAUNCH WORLD 4 SOLAR BANK The International Solar Alliance (ISA) have planned to launch the World Solar Bank (WSB) at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in that is scheduled for November 2021. Highlights  The development of the World Solar Bank will support India’s attempt to secure its leadership in the climate arena.  The development of the bank is significance because the green finance will be one of the priority themes at the climate meet called COP-26.  COP-26 will be organised in the backdrop of US re-joining the Paris climate accord.  The headquarter of the World Solar Bank is expected to be set up in India. It will be first multilateral development bank (MDB) that will be set up in India.  The WSB have planned to disburse around $50 billion to the member countries of ISA over next 10 years. Why WSB will be launched? The WSB will be launched because many member countries of the ISA face the challenge of raising finances on their own. Further, it was launched to assist the 800 million people who do not have access to power. International Solar Alliance The ISA was co-founded by India. It was founded at 2015 climate change conference in Paris. It is the first treaty-based international government organization which is headquartered in India. It is the nodal agency to implement the global electricity grid plan of India called “One One World One Grid (OSOWOG)”. One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) This plan was launched with the objective of transferring the solar power generated in one region to feed the electricity demands of another region. Under the OSOWOG vision, India aims to replicate its global solar

6 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – 2021 leadership through phased development of a single globally connected solar electricity grid. This would have multiple benefits such as Low cost, Zero pollution. MYANMAR’S 5 MILITARY COUP The Myanmar military grabbed power in a coup on February 1 morning, ahead of a scheduled meeting of the country’s newly elected Parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide win in the 2020 elections, and the de facto leader of the ousted government, has been detained. The military declared a one-year state of Emergency. What triggered the coup The military has alleged that the general elections held in November 2020 were full of “irregularities” and that therefore, the results — a sweep for NLD — are not valid. It has questioned the veracity of some 9 million votes cast in the election. The military had demanded that the United Elections Commission (UEC) of Myanmar which oversees elections, or the government, or outgoing parliamentarians prove at a special session before the new parliament convenes on February 1, that the elections were free and fair. The demand had been rejected. Background of the Event: Timeline of Myanmar’s Political History: 1992: Than Shwe emerged as head of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) and commander in chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces. Under military rule, he became ruler. 2008: Military wrote a new constitution with the following aims.  To safeguard military Generals’ interests.  To promote Shwe loyalists Some controversial provisions of this constitution passed by Junta (a military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force) amidst Cyclone Nargis via referendum were:  Military held 25 percent of the seats of the parliaments. (Art. 14)  Military reserved the nomination of ministers of defence, internal security and border affairs for itself. (Art. 17 b)  Military had the right to take over power in a state of emergency. (Art. 40 c)  The National Defence and Security Council was set up as the most powerful body during the crisis with military representatives enjoying an upper hand (Art. 201) 2010: NLD under Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi started protests by boycotting 2010 elections. Military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won 2010-2015: Military started loosening its grip on government and society.  Political prisoners including Ms Suu Kyi were released  Censorship was eased.  Barak Obama’s 2012 visit marked a thaw in US-Myanmar relations.  NLD accepted Army written Constitution 2015: NLD won the country’s first free and fair election and formed the government  It raised hopes of Myanmar’s full transition to democracy. 2017: Military launched a campaign targeting Rohingya in name of Security in order to gain prominence against Suu Kyi.  Commander in Chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was projected as the saviour of the nation.  Social media was also used to popularise his activities forcing 7,00,000 Rohingyas to flee. (His Facebook pages were taken down after the Rohingya crackdown)  None of these tactics helped the USDP in 2020. 2017-2020: Ms Suu Kyi tried to buy peace with the Army by supporting its endeavour in Rohingya but failed. She was also criticised by the UN for the same. 2020: Fresh elections arrived. NLD won nearly 80% seats.  USDP raised concerns about the fairness and neutrality of elections. 2021: Just before the start of new Parliament, Military staged a coup, declared an emergency and promised a fresh election without any timeline.

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Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?  Suu Kyi came to power as state councilor in 2016 after the country’s first fully democratic vote in decades.  Her ascension to leadership was seen as a critical moment in the transition of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to democracy from military dictatorship.  Suu Kyi, the daughter of the country’s independence hero General Aung San, spent more than 15 years under house arrest.  Her time in detention made her an international icon, and she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.  Since her release, her reputation has been tarnished by her cooperation with the military and her deadly campaign against the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority group. India’s response to the takeover  India is “deeply concerned” with the return to military rule, which is a repeat of events thirty years ago.  It sees only option to engage, building on its outreach in recent years via the security and defence establishment.  India seeks a more pragmatic approach, engaging the military while pushing for more freedoms and democracy in Myanmar. Various issues concerning India  One important reason for the change is that India’s security relationship with the Myanmar military.  These days, it has become extremely close, and it would be difficult to “burn bridges” with them given their assistance in securing the North East frontiers from insurgent groups.  Apart from strategic concerns, India has cultivated several infrastructure and development projects with Myanmar, which it sees as the “gateway to the East” and ASEAN countries.  These include the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-modal transport network, as well as a plan for a Special Economic Zone at the Sittwe deep-water port. RBI ISSUES DIRECTIONS 6 FOR HOUSING FINANCE COMPANIES  The Reserve (RBI) came out with a slew of directions related to maintenance of liquidity coverage ratio, risk management, asset classification and loan-to-value ratio, among others, for Housing Finance Companies (HFCs).  The said these directions, which shall come into force with an immediate effect, are aimed at preventing the affairs of any HFCs from being conducted in a manner detrimental to the interest of investors and depositors.  All non-deposit taking HFCs with asset size of Rs.100 crore and above and all deposit taking HFCs (irrespective of asset size) shall pursue liquidity risk management, which inter alia should cover adherence to gap limits, making use of liquidity risk monitoring tools and adoption of stock approach to liquidity risk.  The RBI issued a Master Direction-Non-Banking Financial Company-Housing Finance Company (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2021.As per the definition, an HFC is an NBFC whose financial assets, in the business of providing finance for housing, constitute at least 60% of its total assets.  The RBI said HFCs shall maintain a liquidity buffer in terms of Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR), which will promote their resilience to potential liquidity disruptions by ensuring that they have sufficient high-quality liquid asset (HQLA) to survive any acute liquidity stress scenario lasting for 30 days.  All non-deposit taking HFCs with an asset size of Rs.10,000 crore and above, and all deposit taking HFCs irrespective of their asset size will have to achieve a minimum LCR of 50 per cent By December 1, 2021 and gradually to 100% by December 1, 2025  Non-deposit-taking HFCs with an asset size of Rs.5,000 crore and above, but less than Rs.10,000 crore will have to reach a minimum LCR of 30% by December 1, 2021 and to 100% by December 1, 2025.  As per the new directions, HFCs lending against the collateral of listed shares shall maintain a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 50%.

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 Any shortfall in the maintenance of the 50% LTV occurring on account of movement in the share price shall be made good within seven working days  For loans granted against the collateral of gold jewellery, HFCs shall maintain an LTV ratio not exceeding 75%.  No HFC shall invite or accept or renew public deposit at a rate of interest exceeding twelve and half per cent per annum or as revised by the Reserve Bank  In case an HFC fails to repay any public deposit or part thereof as per the terms, it shall not grant any loan or other credit facility or make any investment or create any other asset as long as the default exists, as per the directions.  The central bank also barred HFCs to lend against their own shares.No housing finance company shall grant housing loans to individuals up to Rs.30 lakh with LTV ratio exceeding 90% and above Rs.30 lakh and up to Rs.75 lakh with LTV ratio exceeding 80%.  These entities also cannot offer housing loans to individuals above Rs.75 lakh with LTV ratio exceeding 75%.  Every housing finance company shall maintain a minimum capital ratio on an ongoing basis consisting of tier-I and tier-II capital, which shall not be less than 13% as on March 31, 2020, 14% on or before March 31, 2021, and 15% on or before March 31, 2022, and thereafter.  An HFC also cannot lend to any single borrower exceeding 15% of its owned fund, and any single group of borrowers exceeding twenty-five per cent of its owned fund.  It also cannot invest in the shares of another company exceeding 15% of its owned fund and in shares of a single group of companies exceeding 25% of its owned funds.  In case of companies in a group engaged in real estate business, HFCs may undertake exposure either to the group company engaged in real estate business or lend to retail individual home buyers in the projects of such group companies.  In case HFC prefers to undertake exposure in group companies, such exposure by way of lending and investing, directly or indirectly, cannot be more than 15% of owned fund for a single entity in the group and 25% of owned fund for all such group entities.  The RBI said the aggregate exposure of an HFC to the capital market in all forms (both fund based, and non- fund based) should not exceed 40% of its net worth as on March 31 of the previous year. IIM 7 ANNOUNCES NATIONAL ROLL-OUT OF MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP  IIM Bangalore announced the launch of ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship’ (MGNF) 2021-23 in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), and State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs).  The Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship 2021-23 has been rolled out nationally in more than 660 districts across India. The programme is being hosted by nine IIMs (IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Jammu, IIM , IIM , IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Udaipur and IIM Visakhapatnam) separately, with IIM Bangalore managing the common admission process. Things to know  Selected fellows will be given a stipend of Rs 50,000 per month during the first year and Rs 60,000 per month during the second year of the fellowship programme.  The government has invited applications from the interested candidates and the registrations will remain open between 15 February and 27 March 2021.

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 The fellowship is being offered under the World Bank loan assisted programme SANKALP(Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion).  This programme will be offered at the following management institutes – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jammu, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Nagpur, Ranchi, Udaipur and Visakhapatnam.  The admission process is being handled by IIM Bangalore.  This programme has been rolled out nationally in more than 660 districts across India.  This fellowship is a certificate programme in Public Policy and Management and the same will be given to candidates who successfully complete the course. Eligibility criteria  Candidates must be citizens of India.  Candidates should be in the age group of 21-30 years at the time of applying.  Candidates should be at least a graduate in any discipline (Engineering, Law, Medicine, Social , etc.) from a recognised university or a postgraduate from a recognised university.  Three years of work experience after secondary schooling in the social/non-profit sector with an interest in working in rural areas is preferred.  However, candidates with no work experience and a strong motivation to work in this area may apply.  Ability to express proficiency in the official language used in the state is preferred. CABINET APPROVES PLI 8 SCHEME FOR TELECOM SECTOR WORTH RS 12,195 CRORE  The Union Cabinet approved a Rs 12,195-crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for domestic manufacturing of telecom and networking products such as switches, routers, radio access network, wireless equipment and other internet of things (IoT) access devices.  The core component of this scheme is to offset the huge import of telecom equipment worth more than Rs 50,000 crore and reinforce it with ‘Made in India’ products, both for domestic markets and exports.  Currently, India imports over 80 per cent of its telecom and wireless networking equipment.  In April last year, the central government had for the first time notified the PLI scheme for mobile phones and allied component manufacturing. As a part of the scheme, companies which set up new mobile and specified equipment manufacturing units or expanded their present units would get incentives of 4 to 6 per cent, with the total outlay on the scheme amounting to Rs 41,000 crore.  In November, the PLI scheme was expanded to include 12 more sectors such as automobile and automobile components, pharmaceutical drugs, textile products, food products, high efficiency solar photo-voltaic modules, goods such as air conditioners and LED bulbs, and speciality steel products. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in her Budget for 2021-22 said the total outlay on PLI schemes in these 13 sectors over the next five years would be Rs 1.97 lakh crore.  Like the other PLI schemes, the incentives for companies in the telecom and networking equipment manufacturing space would be on achievement of a minimum threshold of cumulative incremental investment and incremental sales of manufactured goods net of taxes.  Eligible Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) will get an incentive of 7 per cent for the first and the second year, followed by an incentive of 6, 5, and 4 per cent in the third, fourth and fifth year, respectively.  Other companies, which do not fall under the MSME category but are eligible, will receive an incentive of 6 per cent for the first two years, 5 per cent for the next two years and 4 per cent in the fifth and final year.  The minimum investment threshold for MSMEs has been kept at Rs 10 crore, while for other companies it has been kept at Rs 100 crore. The scheme, which will be operational from April 1, will run over the next five years with a total outlay of Rs 12,195 crore for providing these incentives.

10 | Page MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – 2021 LIST OF PADMA 9 AWARDEES 2021  Padma Awards are one of the Highest Civilian Awards of India. These are conferred in three categories-- , and Padma Shri-- in various disciplines/ fields of activities such as art, social work, public affairs, science and affairs, and so forth.  President Ram Nath Kovind has approved conferment of 119 Padma Awards, including 1 duo case for the year 2021. The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri Awards. 2021 Padma Awards from odisha 1. Odisha’s noted orthopaedic surgeon :-Dr Krishna Mohan Pathi 2. Centenarian Nanda Prusty Fondly known as ‘Nanda Mastre' of Kantira in Sukinda block 3. Divine poetess Purnamasi Jani from Odisha’s Kandhamal 4. Rajat Kumar Kar:-Literature and Education 5. Shanti Devi:-Social Work Padma Vibhushan S.No. Name Field State/Country 1. Shinzo Abe Public Affairs Japan

2. S. P. Balasubramaniam (Posthumous) Art Tamil Nadu

3. Dr. Belle Monappa Hegde Medicine

4. Narinder Singh Kapany (Posthumous) Science and Engineering The U.S.A.

5. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Others- Spiritualism Delhi

6. B. B. Lal Others- Archaeology Delhi

7. Sudarshan Sahoo Art Odisha

Padma Bhushan S.No. Name Field State/Country

1. Krishna Nair Shantakumari Chithra Art Kerala

2. (Posthumous) Public Affairs Assam

3. Chandrashekhar Kambara Literature and Education Karnataka

4. Public Affairs Madhya Pradesh

5. Civil Service

6. (Posthumous) Public Affairs Bihar 7. (Posthumous) Public Affairs Gujarat

8. (Posthumous) Others- Spiritualism Uttar Pradesh

9. Rajnikant Devidas Shroff Trade and Industry Maharashtra

10. Public Affairs Haryana

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Starts from 18th March 2021

Page | 13 MAGAZINE FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH – 2021 ECONOMY RBI IN NEWS RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 4%, pegs GDP growth at 10.5%  The (RBI) decided to keep key lending rates unchanged for fourth time in a row, in its February policy review meeting. While, it projected (GDP) to grow at a rate of 10.5 per cent for the financial year 2021-22, on the back of recovery in economic activities.  Policy Repo Rate: 4.00%  Reverse Repo Rate: 3.35%  Marginal Standing Facility Rate: 4.25%  Bank Rate: 4.25%  CRR: 3%  SLR: 18.00%  The MPC has been mandated by the government to maintain retail inflation at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side. RBI makes panel for strengthening Urban Co-operative Banks RBI has established a panel on urban co-operative banks (UCBs) in order to review their issues and offer a roadmap for strengthening the sector. This panel will have eight-members. RBI Expert Panel Members N. S. Vishwanathan former RBI Deputy Governor Harsh Kumar Bhanwala Former Chairman of the NABARD Mukund Chitale Chartered Accountant NC Muniyappa and RN Joshi Retired Indian Administrative Service officers MS Sriram IIM Bengaluru Professor Jyotindra Mehta Neeraj Nigam Chief General Manager-in-Charge, Department of Regulation RBI to set up a 24×7 helpline for digital payment services  RBI has announced certain measures of protection of common bank account holders in the Monetary policy statement.  It includes setting up of 24 x 7 helpline for digital payment services, integrated ombudsman scheme, CTS across all bank branches and allowing retail investors to open Gilt accounts with RBI. RBI Organises Financial Literacy Week from February 8-12  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched the Financial Literacy Week (FLW) from February 8-12, 2021, to propagate financial education. RBI conducts Financial Literacy Week (FLW) every year since 2016 to propagate financial education messages on a particular theme every year across the country, through a focused campaign.  The theme for 2021 FLW is ”Credit Discipline and Credit from Formal Institutions”. MCA amends definition of small companies, allows NRIs to incorporate One Person Companies  The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) amended the Companies Rules to revise the definition of a small company and to allow Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to incorporate one person companies (OPCs) in India.  The changes, announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her budget speech will come into effect from April 1, according to the notifications.  Previously NRIs were not allowed to incorporate OPCs. Now any natural person, who is an Indian citizen, whether resident in India or otherwise would be allowed to form an OPC.  For being considered as a resident in India, the residency period has been proposed to be reduced to 120 days from 182 days for NRIs.  Amendments to the Act in 2018, contained provisions for increasing the paid up capital and turnover thresholds for small companies up to Rs 10 crore and Rs 100 crore, respectively. RBI releases Annual Report of Ombudsman Schemes for 2019-20  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Annual Report of the Ombudsman Schemes for the year 2019-20. There was an increase of around 65 per cent in the receipt of complaints out of which almost 92 per cent have been disposed of. AIR correspondent reports that RBI has three Ombudsmen- Banking, Non-Banking Finance

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Company (i.e. NBFC) and digital transactions. A common man can approach these Ombudsmen for their grievances.  As per the RBI’s report, all three received in total 3,30,543 complaints in 19-20 as compared to 2,00,362 in 18- 19. Banking Ombudsman received major complaints regarding ATM & Debit Cards, Mobile & Electronic Banking while NBFC’s Ombudsmen received most complaints about non-observance of regulatory guidelines, lack of transparency in contract/ loan agreement and levy of charges without notice.  Digital Transactions Ombudsmen received most complaints about fund transfer. RBI has taken various measures for creating awareness among various stakeholders to minimise the grievances. RBI permits residents to make remittances to IFSCs under LRS  The Reserve Bank permitted resident individuals to make remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) to International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in the country.  The RBI, in a notification, said it has reviewed the extant guidelines on LRS and decided to permit resident individuals to make remittances under LRS to IFSCs set up in India under the Special Economic Zone Act, 2005.  The remittance shall be made only for making investments in IFSCs in securities, other than those issued by entities/companies resident (outside IFSC) in India.  Further, resident individuals may also open a non-interest bearing Foreign Currency Account (FCA) in IFSCs, for making the above permissible investments under LRS.  Any funds lying idle in the account for a period upto 15 days from the date of its receipt into the account shall be immediately repatriated to domestic INR account of the investor in India.  However, resident individuals cannot settle any domestic transactions with other residents through these FCAs held in IFSCs.

SBI IN NEWS SBI revises India’s GDP estimates to -7.0 percent for FY21 The ’s (SBI) Economic Research Department has revised GDP estimates of India for FY21 to contract 7.0%. Earlier this was estimated GDP at -7.4%. The SBI Research Report has retained its GDP forecast for FY22 at 11 per cent. Meghalaya police inks MoU with SBI for e-Challan  A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Meghalaya police and the State Bank of India for implementation of the e-Challan within the jurisdiction of the Shillong Traffic Police (STP).  The e-Challan system which will be launched in the days to come is a digital traffic enforcement solution whereby, imposing penalties on violators of traffic rules and generating of challan will be done digitally.  The system has been integrated with VAHAN & SARATHI applications and this will enable the Traffic Officials to fetch the details of the traffic violator such as vehicle and driver’s details through these applications, thereby, reducing the time taken to issue challan. State Bank of Sikkim under Reserve Bank of India’s regulatory purview  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has brought State Bank of Sikkim under its regulatory purview.  The State Bank of Sikkim was established as an autonomous body wholly owned by the Government of Sikkim, in the year 1968, five years before Sikkim became part of India in 1973.  It was established under the State Bank of Sikkim Proclamation, 1968.  The bank provides treasury operations for the state government and operates only within the jurisdiction of Sikkim.  The bank currently has 42 branch offices and operates three revenue counters for government works. SBI joins JPMorgan’s blockchain-based payment network  State Bank of India has tied up with JPMorgan to use the US bank’s blockchain technology to speed up overseas transactions.  The tie up is expected to reduce SBI customers’ transaction costs and time taken for payments.

OTHER BANKS IN NEWS StashFin Partners with SBM Bank India to launch contactless prepaid cards  Singapore-based neobanking startup StashFin and SBM Bank India announced the launch of their co-branded contactless prepaid cards.  The Visa powered card comes with a contactless EMV chip, offering the cardholders 24×7 access to funds. With its enhanced safety and security features, the prepaid card acts like a personal overdraft facility, allowing the customer to take loans up to Rs 5 lakh.  This card can be used for free ATM cash withdrawals and online/offline payments at all merchant platforms and PoS terminals across India.

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RBI cancels licence of Kolhapur-based Shivam Sahakari Bank  The RBI said the licence of Maharashtra-based Shivam Sahakari Bank has been cancelled as it does not have adequate capital and earning prospects.Consequently, the bank ceases to carry on banking business, with effect from the close of business on January 29, 2021.  As per the data submitted by the Kolhapur-based bank, more than 99 per cent of the depositors are fully insured by Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).  As per the DICGC Act, 1961 every depositor would be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of his/her deposits up to a monetary ceiling of Rs 5,00,000 from the DICGC unveils special account for children  Federal Bank has announced the launch of FedFirst, a special savings account scheme for children below 18 years of age.  The bank said the account helps children develop healthy saving and spending habits, thereby giving them the freedom to save, spend and earn.  The account holder is provided with a FedFirst contactless Debit Card with daily cash withdrawal limit of Rs 2,500 and POS/eCom limit of Rs 10,000, in addition to free online facilities including access to internet banking, mobile alerts and e-mail alerts. PNB Restricts Withdraw of Money from non-EMV ATMs  (PNB) has decided to restrict its customers from withdrawing money from non-EMV automated teller machines (ATMs) with effect from 01 February 2021, in an attempt to check frauds, related to money transactions. This restriction will apply to both, financial and non-financial transactions. To overcome this, PNB will introduce OTP based systems for withdrawing cash.  Non-EMV ATMs are those which reads data through magnetic strips and do not hold the ATM card during the transaction.  PNB has also decided to replace the old IFSC and MICR codes. This means that the old codes will not work after March 31, 2021.  Customers will have to get a new code from the bank  This decision has been taken due to merger of Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and on 1st April 2020. Kerala Bank launches ATM demo vans  The Kerala Bank has launched ATM demonstration vans to promote digital transactions.  NABARD has sanctioned 10 vans for the Kerala Bank from its financial inclusion fund. CREDAI, IPPB ink pact to open bank accounts for construction workers  Realty developers’ body, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) has entered into a memorandum of understanding(MoU) with Indian Payments and Postal Bank (IPPB) to facilitate opening of bank accounts for construction workers.  This labour welfare initiative is aimed at ensuring financial literacy and digital inclusion of construction workers in the long run and would make financial services accessible to them.  At present, around 3 crore workers are engaged in construction activities across real estate projects in the country. The pact aims to cover around 10 lakh workers under this initiative in a year. ICICI Lombard partners with Flipkart to offer ‘Hospicash’ insurance  The e-commerce company Flipkart has partnered with ICICI Lombard to offer its customers the ‘Group SafeGuard’ insurance, a group health insurance policy.  The ‘Group SafeGuard’ comes with daily cash benefits starting from Rs 500, and ‘Hospicash’ benefit for Flipkart consumers.  The product will allow consumers to avail a payout for each day of hospitalisation.  The fixed daily amount will enable consumers to pay for incidental medical or emergency expenses. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance launches new product ‘ICICI Pru Guaranteed Income for Tomorrow’  ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has launched a new goal based savings product – ‘ICICI Pru Guaranteed Income for Tomorrow’ (GIFT), which provides guaranteed income to policyholders to help them achieve their long-term financial goals.  This non-participating savings product can enable customers to eliminate the uncertainty of future income streams to a large extent.  The life cover provides financial security to the family, which is essential for a robust financial plan. ICICI Lombard launches Corporate India Risk Index  Private general insurer ICICI Lombard has launched the ‘Corporate India Risk Index’. This is intended to be a unified, standardised corporate risk index that spans industries and companies.  This will help companies understand the level of risk that their business is facing and also assist in developing a successful risk aversion plan. It has worked with consulting firm Frost and Sullivan to develop the risk measurement tool.

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Kotak Mahindra Bank launches Kotak Remit on mobile to send money abroad directly from phone  launched its outward forex remittance service, Kotak Remit, hence allowing its users to directly send money abroad from their phones. The feature is already live on the Kotak Mobile Banking App.  For the first time, Kotak customers can conveniently transfer money internationally to their beneficiaries straight from their mobile.  It is an industry-first move, and customers will not have to furnish any physical documents for transactions up to $25,000 or equivalent seamlessly to permissible geographies across the world. SIDBI, COWE launch campaign to promote Stand-Up India scheme  Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi), along with the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs of India (COWE), has launched a campaign to give a fillip to the government”s Stand Up India (SUI) scheme.  The mega campaign – Swavalamban Sashakt is a 20 webinar series aimed at creating awareness about the SUI scheme.  The scheme is a flagship programme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to at least one scheduled caste (SC) or scheduled tribe (ST) borrower. The scheme has now been extended up to FY2025. Bank of India to acquire 49% stake each in BOI AXA Investment Managers, BOI AXA Trustee Services  Fair trade regulator CCI approved Bank of India’s acquisition of 49 per cent stake each in BOI AXA Investment Managers and BOI AXA Trustee Services.  According to a combination notice filed with the regulator, total Asset Under Management (AUM) of BOI AXA Mutual Fund was Rs 2,426 crore as of November 30, 2020. Equitas launches country’s first FASTag powered truck terminal  Equitas Small Finance Bank said it has launched a FASTag powered truck terminal at Khalapur, in Maharashtra.  Equitas Small Finance Bank (Equitas SFB) has partnered with Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) and Ocean Highway Facilities and Solutions Pvt Ltd for launching country’s first FASTag powered truck terminal at Khalapur, Maharashtra on the Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai – Pune Expressway.  The terminal has a capacity of 160 trucks, which can be parked at any given point in time. At this juncture more than 350 trucks visit the terminal in a day. PNB inks deal with Indian Oil to provide up to Rs 2 cr loan to dealers  State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) has inked a pact with Indian Oil Corporation to provide up to Rs.2 crore to the oil company’s dealers.  The MoU would benefit dealers with credit facilities at lower interest rates, nil margin, and with minimum or zero collateral requirements through the PNB e-Dealer scheme.  The loan can be availed maximum up to Rs.2 crore with zero-margin. Also, PNB said it will not ask for any collateral security from those having dealership with Indian Oil of 5 years or more. Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched ‘Salute to Caregivers – Ek Naya Nazariya Campaign‘ Bharti AXA General Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading business groups, and AXA, one of the world’s largest insurance companies, launched its unique campaign ‘Salute to Caregivers – Ek Naya Nazariya Campaign’ to support cancer survivors in the battle against the killer disease. PhonePe partners with on UPI multi-bank model  Digital payments platform PhonePe announced that it has partnered with Axis Bank on a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) multi-bank model.  The partnership will provide PhonePe users with the option to create and use multiple UPI IDs with Axis Bank’s “@axl” handle.  PhonePe will also start acquiring merchants with Axis Bank in addition to its partnership with . ties up with LoanTap Credit for co-lending to MSMEs Bank of Maharashtra said it has entered into a co-lending agreement with Pune-based non-banking financial company LoanTap Credit Products for MSME loans.The co-lending model provides ease of loan sanctions at borrower’s convenience through digital lending platforms, which cover end-to-end loan processing cycles without manual intervention or visiting bank branches. ICICI Bank signs MoU with MUFG Bank to cater banking requirements of Japanese corporates in India  ICICI Bank announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Japan’s MUFG Bank for collaboration towards catering to the banking requirements of Japanese corporates present in India.  The MoU establishes a framework of partnership between the banks across various domains including trade, investment, treasury, corporate and retail banking.It also paves way for the two banks to cater to the banking requirements of Japanese corporates operating in India.

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RBI has included Fino in the category of a scheduled commercial bank The Reserve Bank has included Fino Payments Bank in the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. The scheduled commercial bank, also called scheduled bank, status allows Fino to enhance its banking position in the treasury and participation in liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) window as per the RBI. It also helps the bank strengthen its business proposition on liabilities generation. Bank of Maharashtra partners with Vayana Network to offer help MSMEs  Bank of Maharashtra has entered into a strategic partnership with Vayana Network, India’s largest Supply Chain Financing (SCF) platform to offer financial support to MSME sector.  Through this association, Bank of Maharashtra will provide short term credit to meet funding requirements of dealers/ vendors of reputed corporates through “Mahabank Channel Financing Scheme” launched by the bank, through Vayana Network’s expertise in this segment.  Under the partnership, Vayana Network will provide its unique SCF solutions to Bank of Maharashtra supported by Vayana’s technology and service expertise. signs MOU with SID of IISc, for funding Start-ups and MSMEs  State-owned Indian Bank said it has entered into an MOU with Society for Innovation and Development (SID), an initiative of Indian Institute of Science, for extending exclusive credit facilities to Start-ups and MSMEs.  The Bank will extend loans of up to Rs 50 crore to these start-ups for their working capital requirements or for purchase of machinery, equipment etc. Govt to infuse Rs 1,500 cr into Exim Bank next fiscal  Tge government has decided to infuse Rs 1,500 crore capital into state-owned Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) in the financial year 2021-22.  The government doubled the authorised capital of the bank from Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore in 2019.  Established in 1982, the bank primarily lends for exports from India, including supporting overseas buyers and Indian suppliers for export of developmental and infrastructure projects, equipment, goods and services from the country. LIC launches new plan Bima Jyoti  Amid the fall in interest rates offered by banks, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched a non-linked, non-participating, individual savings plan called Bima Jyoti.  The plan offers a combination of protections and savings. While it will provide life cover in case of unfortunate death of the policyholder, it also provides guaranteed lumpsump payment at maturity.  The plan offers guaranteed addition at the rate of Rs 50 per 1,000 basic sum assured (or 5 per cent) at the end of each policy year. The minimum sum assured is Rs 1 lakh, with no upper limit.  The plan term can be for 15-20 years, while premium paying term will be 5 years less than the plan term. The minimum entry age for Bima Jyoti is 90 days, while the maximum is 60 years. ICICI Bank launches ‘Namma Smart Card’  ICICI Bank partnered with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Chennai Smart City Limited (CSCL) for the launch of the Namma Chennai Smart Card.  Namma Chennai Smart Card is a Ru-Pay powered co-branded, contactless prepaid card that facilitates various digital payments like tax and utility bill payments Greater Chennai Corporation centers.  Additionally, the prepaid card facilitates retail payments within Chennai as well as in retail stores and e- commerce websites across the country. Stellapps, IPPB tie up to drive financial inclusion for dairy farmers  Dairy-tech start-up Stellapps has tied up with (IPPB) to digitise the milk procurement value chain and promote banking facilities at milk collection centres.  As part of memorandum of understanding, a pilot project has been launched in four villages with 200 farmers at a greenfield dairy in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district.

FINANCIAL AWARENESS Paypal to shut domestic payments service in India from April 1 The California-based global digital payment platform PayPal has announced that the company has decided to wind down its domestic payment services in India with effect from April 01, 2021. The decision has been taken because the company wants to shift its focus on cross-border payments business. Govt to increase FDI from 49% to 74% in insurance  To attract more overseas capital inflows, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to amend the Insurance Act, 1938 to increase the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector from the existing 49% to 74%.  In 2015, the government hiked the FDI cap in the insurance sector from 26% to 49%. The government has earlier allowed 100% foreign direct investment in insurance intermediaries. Intermediary services include

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insurance brokers, reinsurance brokers, insurance consultants, corporate agents, third party administrators, surveyors and loss assessors. India to emerge as most resilient economy after Germany in 2021: PHDCCI  India will emerge as the most resilient economy after Germany in 2021 exhibiting a strong economic resurgence to the global economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released by industry body PHDCCI.  Germany ranks first in the PHDCCI International Economic Resilience (IER) Rank followed by India and South Korea at second and third positions, respectively. BSE sets up innovation sandbox web portal  Leading stock exchange BSE said it has set up an “innovation sandbox” web portal where fintech firms and individuals may use the environment for offline testing of their applications in a test environment.  This will help in creating an ecosystem which promotes innovation in the securities market. AMC to contribute Rs.150 crore as share capital for setting up of limited purpose clearing corporation (LPCC)  Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said that asset management companies (AMCs) will have to contribute Rs.150 crore as share capital for setting up of limited purpose clearing corporation (LPCC) by mutual funds.  The LPCC is an entity established to undertake the activity of clearing and settlement of repo transactions. Start-ups to get tax holiday till March 2022  The Centre has proposed to extend tax holiday by one more year till March 31, 2022.  The Union Finance Minister also announced one year tax holiday for affordable housing till March 31, 2022.In order to incentivise purchase of affordable house, it is proposed to extend the eligibility period for claim of additional deduction for interest of Rs 1.5 lakh paid for loan taken for purchase of an affordable house to March 31, 2022. Cabinet gives in-principle approval for 100% divestment in RINL  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave in-principle approval for 100 percent divestment of Centre’s stake in Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) said.  The government has budgeted Rs 1.75 lakh crore from disinvestment in 2021-22 fiscal beginning April 1.Strategic disinvestment of BPCL, Air India, Shipping Corporation of India, Container Corporation of India, IDBI Bank, BEML, Pawan Hans, Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd, among others, is scheduled to be completed in 2021-22. Mastercard Launches Priceless India To Showcase Rich Heritage To Domestic, Global Travellers Mastercard announced the launch of its flagship Priceless program - known as Priceless India - will enable domestic and global travellers who are Mastercard cardholders to attain unique insights and exclusive access to several unparalleled experiences in the country. Govt to infuse Rs 3,000 crore in general insurance companies this quarter  The Finance Ministry will infuse Rs 3,000 crore capital into state-owned general insurance companies during the current quarter in a bid to improve their financial health.  Last year, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared proposal to provide capital support to National Insurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance.  The cabinet had also decided to increase the authorised share capital of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) to Rs 7,500 crore and that of United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL) and Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL) to Rs 5,000 crore each to give effect to the capital infusion decision.  Recently, the government sought Parliament nod for gross additional expenditure of Rs 6.28 lakh crore for 2020-21 as part of second and final batch of supplementary demands for grants.  This included Rs 3,000 crore for providing additional funds towards recapitalisation of insurance companies.  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget announced privatization of two public sector banks and one general insurance company in 2021-22 beginning April. Foreign exchange reserves decline by $6.24 billion to $583.94 billion  The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by a massive USD 6.24 billion to reach USD 583.945 billion in the week ended February 5.  In the previous week, the reserves had touched a record high of USD 590.185 billion after rising by USD 4.852 billion.  The decline in the foreign exchange reserves was mainly on account of a fall in foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves. The Foreign exchange reserves of India consists of below four categories 1-Foreign Currency Assets(FCAs decreased by USD 4.88 billion to USD 542.338 billion) 2-Gold(The gold reserves decreased by USD 1.327 billion to USD 34.967 billion)

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3-Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)(dipped by USD 6 million to USD 1.503 billion) 4-Reserve Tranche Position( declined by USD 27 million to USD 5.138 billion) NPCI enables UPI AutoPay live on music streaming platform ‘Gaana’ National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced that UPI AutoPay has now gone live on Gaana. Its integration with UPI AutoPay has made Gaana the first player in the Media and Entertainment industry to rollout the innovative e-mandate feature on UPI.

RATTING Nomura Projects GDP of India to contract 6.7% in FY 21 & grow 13.5% in FY22 The Japanese brokerage Nomura has projected the GDP of India to grow at 13.5 percent in FY22 (2021-22). The brokerage expects the real GDP to contract by 6.7 per cent in FY21, followed by a growth of 13.5 per cent in FY22. Oxford Economics Revises India’s GDP to 10.2% for 2021 The global forecasting firm Oxford Economics has revised India’s economic growth projection for the Calendar year 2021 to 10.2 percent, compared to previous estimate of 8.8 percent. Nomura estimates Indian GDP to contract 6.7% in FY21 The Nomura has estimated that The GDP of India will be contracted by 6.7 per cent in FY21 (2020-21). however, it will grow at 13.5% in FY22 (2021-22). India Ratings: India will grow 10.4% in FY22 India’s growth would bounce back to 10.4% in the upcoming fiscal according to India Ratings and Research (Ind- Ra). FY22 would broadly be covering the lost ground of FY21. Global rating agency Moody's ups India's growth projection for FY22 to 13.7 per cent from 10.8 per cent estimated earlier  Moody's upped India's growth projection for the financial year 2021-22 to 13.7 per cent from 10.8 per cent estimated earlier.  In its 'Global Macro Outlook 2021-22, Moody's said, India's Economy has rebounded quickly from one of the world's longest and most stringent lockdowns, which also came with the steepest fall in GDP in the second quarter of 2020.  For the current fiscal year, the agency expects the Indian economy to contract by 7 per cent, lower than its previous estimate of 10.6 per cent contraction.

LOAN AND AGREEMENT India, World Bank sign 500 million dollar Programme to improve quality of school education in India  The Government of India and the World Bank signed a 500-million US dollar Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Programme () to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states.  These include Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan. Some 250 million students (between the age of six and 17) in 1.5 million schools and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the programme.  The STARS programme builds on the long partnership between India and the World Bank (since 1994), for strengthening public school education and to support the country’s goal of providing Education for All. World Bank to provide USD 500 million to Bangladesh for improving Road and Digital Connectivity The government of Bangladesh signed an agreement with the World Bank for the upgradation of rural roads and connectivity in the western region. Exim Bank to provide $400 million for Maldives project  Mumbai Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) will provide $400 million to Maldives to fund Greater Male Connectivity Project, the Reserve Bank of India said.The agreement under the line of credit is effective January 28, 2021.  The 6.7 km Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) will be the largest civilian infrastructure project in Maldives, connecting Male with three neighbouring islands — Villingili, Gulhifahu and Thilafushi. World Bank signs project to support Nutrition-Supportive Agriculture in tribal-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh  The Government of India, the Government of Chhattisgarh and the World Bank signed a $100 million project to develop sustainable production systems that allow tribal households in remote areas of Chhattisgarh to practice round-the-year production of diversified and nutritious food.  CHIRAAG – Chhattisgarh Inclusive Rural and Accelerated Agriculture Growth Project will be implemented in the southern tribal-majority region of the state where a large population is undernourished and poor.  The project will benefit over 180,000 households from about 1,000 villages in eight districts of Chhattisgarh.

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NDB to invest USD 100 million in NIIF Fund of Funds  The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund- NIIF announced that the Shanghai-based New Development Bank has committed to invest USD 100 million, which is around Rs. 728 crores, in NIIF Funds of Funds- FoF.  The FoF, with the NDB’s investment, will be able to secure USD 800 million in commitments. With this decision, NDB has joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank- AIIB, Indian Government, and the Asian Development Bank- ADB as an investor in FoF.  The multilateral development bank has been established by the BRICS countries. ADB, Medanta sign debt financing to support Covid-19 response Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a Rs 100 crore debt financing agreement with Global Health Private Ltd (Medanta) to provide essential health care services and medical equipment to help combat the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. Govt. and AIIB sign loan agreement for USD 304 million Assam Intra-State Transmission System Enhancement Project  India and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has signed a $304 million loan agreement for the Assam Intra-State Transmission System Enhancement Project to improve reliability, capacity and security of the power transmission network in the northeastern state.  The project aims to strengthen Assam's electricity transmission system by constructing 10 transmission substations and laying transmission lines with the associated infrastructure.  The project will also upgrade 15 existing substations, and transmission lines and existing ground wire to optical power ground wire and provide technical assistance to support project implementation.  The total estimated cost of the project is $365 million, of which $304 million will be financed by the AIIB while the counterpart funding from the state government is $61 million. The $304 million loan from the AIIB has a 5-year grace period and a maturity of 24 years. Exim Bank extends credit line of USD 15 mn to Sierra Leone Export-Import Bank of India [Exim Bank], on behalf of the Government of India, has extended Line of Credit [LOC] of USD 15.00 million to the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone for the purpose of expansion of the ongoing projects for rehabilitation of existing potable water facilities in four communities in the Borrower’s Country. Centre, Nagaland govt sign 68 USD project with World Bank to improve Quality of Education  The Centre along with the Nagaland State government has signed a 68 million dollar project with the World Bank in order to Improve the Quality of Education in Nagaland.  The project named “Nagaland: Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources” will improve classroom instruction; create opportunities for the professional development of teachers; and build technology systems to provide students and teachers with more access to blended and online learning. Google to invest $75 million in coronavirus-hit small businesses  Google is teaming up with the European Investment Fund (EIF) and two other organisations in Latin America and Asia to provide $75 million in funding to small- and medium-sized companies suffering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.  The funds are part of an $800 million initiative announced in March last year in response to the pandemic.

MOU, MERGER AND ACQUISITION Ford, Google join hands to offer cloud-based data services  Ford Motor Co will tap into software, artificial intelligence and cloud computing offered by Alphabet Inc’s Google to develop new consumer services and modernize internal operations.  As part of a six-year partnership, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker will incorporate the tech giant’s Android operating system into its Ford and Lincoln vehicles starting in 2023. NBCFDC signs MoU with Apollo Medskills for providing COVID Vaccine Administration training  The National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) has signed an MoU with Apollo Medskills Private Ltd for providing COVID Vaccination Administration training to Nurses, Medical and Nursing students and Pharmacists.  The Corporation has sanctioned training programmes for 1,000 trainees in the State of Bihar, Delhi, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. HAL inks deal with MIDHANI to develop, manufacture composite raw materials  The state-owned and defence company, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyderabad-based Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) for development and production of composite raw materials for use in aerospace.  The MoU was signed during the Aero India 2021 on February 04, 2021, in Bengaluru.

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 These composite raw material, mainly in the form of prepregs, are used in platforms like Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). Serum Institute of India, UNICEF Enter into Long-term Supply for COVID-19 Vaccines  The Serum Institute of India (SII) and UNICEF have entered into a long-term supply agreement for the AstraZeneca/Oxford and the Novavax vaccines, with the UN children’s agency saying it will have access to up to 1.1 billion doses of vaccines for around 100 countries.  India is one of the world’s biggest drugmakers, and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring coronavirus vaccines.  While Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, and the Novavax is being produced by US-based Novavax Inc. Housing ministry, Zomato partner to take street food vendors’ businesses online  After tying up with Swiggy in October 5, 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has now entered into a memorandum of understanding with Zomato to empower street food vendors with digital technology and facilitate greater income-earning opportunities for them on the food-tech platform.  As part of Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme, the ministry has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Zomato, the online platform for ordering and delivery of food in India, to onboard street food vendors on its food-tech platform  The PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on June 01, 2020 for providing affordable Working Capital loan to 50 lakh street vendors to resume their livelihoodsthat have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.  The duration of the scheme is until March 2022.Vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs. 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments in the tenure of one year.  On timely/ early repayment of the loan, an interest subsidy @ 7% per annum will be credited to the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer on quarterly basis. SpearUAV, Paras Aerospace ink pact to unveil Ninox 40 system in India  SpearUAV, Israel-based developers and suppliers of unique Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) solutions for defence and Homeland Security (HLS) applications — signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Paras Aerospace, a subsidiary of Paras Defence and Space Technologies Limited, to introduce the unique encapsulated Ninox 40 system to the Indian market for use by military forces, paramilitary, internal security, and law enforcement agencies.  Ninox 40 is a micro-tactical, cost-effective drone system, featuring an encapsulated drone and control unit.  The Ninox 40 has a flight capacity of up to 40 minutes, extensive ISTAR capabilities, day and night camera for enhanced situational awareness, automatic tracking, and can be launched on the move even in harsh environmental conditions. IIT-KGP inks MoU with NIUA to develop framework for inclusive city planning IIT Kharagpur has inked an MoU with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) to develop a framework for universal city planning inclusive for all sections of the society. Defence Ministry inks pact with BEL to procure ship-borne modern radio system The defence ministry has signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to procure a software-defined radio tactical (SDR-Tac) ship-borne system worth over Rs 1,000 crore. The procurement of SDR-Tac (software- defined radio tactical) “will bring strategic depth to the armed forces. Goa govt inks MoU with CII for model career centre To address the challenge of unemployability and the skill gap among Goan youth, the state government inked an agreement with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to operate the model career centre on a public-private partnership basis. Skyroot, Bellatrix signs MoU to use latter’s orbital transfer vehicle has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with to make use the Orbital Transfer Vehicle, being developed by Bellatrix Aerospace, in the upper stage of Vikram series of launch vehicles, being developed by Skyroot. The vehicle is expected to launch to low in 2023 on the Vikram rocket. The vehicle is expected to help global operators reduce time and costs for launching communication and earth observation . GMR Group inks MoU with Airbus for aircraft maintenance & other airport services  GMR Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus (a leading manufacturer of commercial aircrafts) to explore collaboration opportunities across aviation services, technologies and innovation.  The MoU was signed at Aero India 2021, Bangalore.  As part of the MoU, GMR Group and Airbus will collaborate to explore a broad scope of aviation services, both for commercial and military aircraft to benefit the entire aerospace ecosystem in the country.

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HAL, Wipro3D collaborate to manufacture metal 3D printed aircraft engine component Wipro 3D and Engine Division of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have collaborated for the development, manufacturing and air worthiness certification of a critical aero-engine component operating in the hot zone, using metal 3D printing. Siemens ties up with IISc, CMTI to set up digital transformation labs  Siemens said it has signed pacts with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI)establish first-of-its-kind digital transformation lab.  The labs are aimed at enhancing the expertise of researchers at IISc as well as technical skills of professionals in the machine tool industry. AGS Transact Technologies, Mastercard partner to Introduce first-ever ‘contactless’ cash withdrawals on ATMs in India AGS Transact Technologies (AGSTTL) has partnered with Mastercard to provide a pan India ‘contactless’ cash withdrawal experience at ATMs. In a first, Mastercard cardholders will be able to withdraw cash by scanning a QR code displayed on the ATM screen of all participating Banks. Health Insurance partners with PhonePe to offer Digital Health Insurance  Star Health and Allied Insurance, a leading standalone health Insurance company in India, announced the launch of its Arogya Sanjeevani policy on PhonePe – a popular Indian digital payments platform.  All PhonePe users can now protect their families from financial burdens in the event of any medical emergency. The policy is available at an annual premium of only Rs. 2985/- (excluding GST) for sum insured of Rs. 1 lakh.  This policy has been designed to cover the most essential aspects of any instance of hospitalization in the family. The policy covers anyone up to 65 years with sum insured options up to Rs. 10 lakh. MoU signed between Indian Navy and IIT Delhi Furthering the relationship between Indian Navy and IIT Delhi on research in underwater domain of Naval Electronic Systems, a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed.The research carried out at IIT Delhi has played an important role in the technological advances made by the Indian Navy. NSDC inks partnership with HP to impart skills to students Hewlett Packard (HP) India and National Skill Development Corporation inked a partnership to provide worksheets and content to facilitate home learning and early skill development of students across India.Under the partnership, NSDC will host content from HP’s Print Learn Center on its digital skilling platform–eSkill India, and make it available for potential users as well as aspiring students, free of cost. HCL Tech inks pact with IIT Kanpur to build up competence in cybersecurity HCL Technologies has inked an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) to collaborate in the area of cybersecurity. As part of the pact, the IT company will work with C3iHub, a specialised cybersecurity research centre at IITK. IETO, Karnataka govt sign MoU for SDGs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Economic Trade Organization (IETO) and the Government of Karnataka for working closely to implement the Sustainable Development Goals in the state with much effective manner and expanding the scope of the sustainable future. ESIC join hands with the National Health Authority  Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has joined hands with the National Health Authority (NHA) to leverage the medical infrastructure available under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in the state of Maharashtra.  The tie-up with PM-JAY was initially implemented on a pilot basis in Maharashtra in the district of Ahmednagar and now has been extended to the entire state sans the south Mumbai region, Pune and Kolhapur districts. Amazon, Foxconn to start device manufacturing in India  US e-commerce giant Amazon announced commencement of its first manufacturing line in India for making its Fire TV Stick devices in the country. It will partner contract manufacturer Cloud Network Technology, a subsidiary of Foxconn, and production will start later this year from Chennai.  Amazon is committed to partner with the Indian government to advance the vision of an Atma Nirbhar Bharat.  Amazon has pledged to invest $1 billion to digitize 10 million small and medium businesses, help Indian businesses sell worldwide thereby enabling $10 billion in cumulative exports, and create an additional 1million jobs by 2025 Mastercard and Razorpay partner to make digital payments more accessible for MSMEs and startups Mastercard and Razorpay have launched a strategic partnership to drive digital payments acceptance by small businesses and startups in India.The partnership will enable Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in digitising their operations, maintaining business continuity in the challenging environment and preparing for the future beyond cash.

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Tata Communications Announces Partnership With Google Cloud to ‘Transform’ Indian Businesses  Tata Communications announced partnership with Google Cloud to drive cloud adoption and transform Indian businesses.  The partnership will enable organisations to deploy and access Google Cloud services through Tata Communications’ IZO managed cloud. State-owned GAIL acquires IEX’s 5% stake in Indian Gas Exchange  The Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) said state-owned GAIL (India) Ltd has acquired five per cent stake of the IEX in its arm Indian Gas Exchange (IGX).  Last month, Adani Total Gas and Torrent Gas had acquired five per cent stake each in the IGX. GAIL is the third strategic investor in IGX. Hyderabad software firm unveils intelligent neo banking solution Hyderabad-based product development and software services startup Machint Solutions has launched an intelligent neo banking platform, Uluka.The launch took place at Hyderabad International Convention Center, Novotel & HICC. Piramal group gets RBI nod for DHFL acquisition The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cleared the Rs 34,250-crore acquisition of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) by the Piramal group. CSIR inks MoU with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote health research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the development, conduct and promotion of health research in India. Essar Oil and Gas signs MoU with Indian School of Mines Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL), India’s leading Coal Bed (CBM) gas producer, said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration with the prestigious IIT (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, to jointly work on research and development of various advanced CBM technological innovations indigenously. Social Alpha, SIDBI join hands to launch a fund for startups in assistive technology space  Social Alpha and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have partnered up to set up the Swavalamban Divyangjan Assistive Tech Market Access (ATMA) fund, an inclusion fund offering financial grants to Social Alpha-incubated startups working in the Assistive Technology sector.  Each startup working in this space will have access to implementation support of up to Rs.20 lakh.  The fund will finance up to 50 per cent of the product price for the initial users. IRCTC Partners With E-Ticketing Platform Abhibus to Offer Bus Ticket Booking Facility Online e-ticketing platform AbhiBus announced its partnership with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to provide bus ticket facility to the IRCTC customers. Ministry of Corporate Affairs, CBIC sign MoU for exchange of data to enhance Ease of Doing Business in India  Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs have signed an MoU for exchange of data for enhancing ease of doing business in India and improve overall regulatory enforcement.  Both the organisations will benefit from access to each other’s databases which include details of, AZimport- export transactions and consolidated financial statements of companies registered in the country. Tatas acquire 68% stake in bigbasket for Rs.9,500 crore The Tata group will acquire 68% stake in online grocery platform BigBasket for about Rs.9,500 crore. The group has signed an agreement. COMMITTEE AND ITS HEAD RBI to set up expert committee for Urban Co-operative Banks to strengthen sector  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will set up an expert committee on Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs). The committee, involving all stakeholders, will provide a medium-term road map for strengthening the sector, enable faster resolution/rehabilitation of UCBs.  Along with enabling faster resolution of UCBs, the committee will also examine critical aspects related to the urban co-op banks.  The provisions of the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 have become applicable to Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs) from June 26, 2020.  The amendments have brought near parity in supervisory and regulatory powers between UCBs and commercial banks in respect of regulatory powers, including those related to governance, audit, and resolution.

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IRDAI Panel Suggests Introduction Of Index-Linked Insurance Products  An IRDAI panel has made a case for the introduction of index-linked insurance products (ILIP) an apt alternative to the current conventional guaranteed products and ULIPs.  The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had constituted a working group (WG) for the purpose of examining the need of index linked products in India. Centre Reconstitutes NITI Aayog Governing Council With PM Modi As Head  The Centre has reconstituted the governing council of the NITI Aayog with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairperson.  According to a notification of the Cabinet Secretariat, chief ministers of all states and those of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Puducherry are full time members of the council.  The Lieutenant Governors of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, and the administrators of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep will be special invitees of governing council. NITI Aayog: Formed: 1 January 2015 Chairperson: Narendra Modi Vice Chairperson:-Rajiv Kumar CEO:- IRDAI forms panel to review security guidelines to deal with cyber-attacks  Insurance sector regulator IRDAI said it has formed a committee to review its information and security guidelines due to exponential increase in cyber-attacks across the globe in the wake of Covid-19.  The 14 member committee is to be headed by Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) Chairman Janakiram. STATE NEWS ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR Andaman and Nicobar Islands becomes first Union Territory to be corona free  Andaman and Nicobar Islands has become the first state or Union territory in the country to become Covid-19 free with active cases falling to zero in the islands.  The UT had reported a total of 4,932 cases and 62 deaths from the virus.  The share of Kerala in India’s daily cases crossed 50 percent for the first time  There were 11,024 fresh cases in the country out of which Kerala alone reported 5,716, 51.8 percent of the total.  The state also has the highest count of active cases at 69,157, out of around 1 lakh 61 thousand in the country.

ANDHRA PRADESH Andhra rolls out ‘EBC Nestham’ scheme for six lakh women  The Andhra Pradesh government approved a scheme titled ‘EBC Nestham’, under which it would grant Rs 15,000 each to economically-backward women among dominant castes.  The new scheme, which will be an addition to a similar scheme ‘Cheyuta’ for women belonging to SC, ST, BC, Kapu and minority communities launched last year, is expected to cost the government an extra Rs 900 crore per annum.  EBC Nestham, a new scheme, will be implemented from the next fiscal to provide Rs 45,000 financial assistance to eligible women between 45 and 60 years of age. The assistance will be doled out at a rate of Rs 15,000 each per annum for a span of three years. Robotic Spa’ facility inaugurated in Visakhapatnam railway station  Waltair Division, in its efforts to enhance the passenger amenities at Railway stations, has commissioned another innovative facility called Robotic Spa under Non-fare revenue here at Visakhapatnam railway station.  The Robotic Spa comprising Relaxing Chair, Foot massager and Fish pedicure spa gives a pleasant experience to the Rail Customers waiting at Visakhapatnam railway station. SEC launches its own poll app, eWatch, in Andhra Pradesh  State Election Commissioner Ramesh Kumar launched a software application called ‘eWatch’ to keep tabs on poll-related irregularities.  It was an in-house software application developed at the request of the State Election Commission by Reliance Jio for use in the ensuing gram panchayat elections.

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ASSAM Assam CM Sonowal lays foundation of first skill university of eastern India  Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation of the first skill university of eastern India in Darrang district, aimed at imparting training to over 10,000 students in 12 disciplines.  The varsity would be built with a financial outlay of Rs.1,000 crore.  It is expected to be completed by 2026, and will have understandings with countries like Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, Japan, England. As per latest census, Kaziranga National Park records 93 thousand 491 birds  In Assam, the Kaziranga national park has recorded a total of 93 thousand 491 birds as per the latest census.  There are 112 bird species and 22 families found during the enumeration.  The recent bird census has witnessed an increase of over 59 thousand birds in the Kaziranga national park.  Last year, the figure stood at 34 thousand 284.  The park authority has recently conducted a 2 day census where 35 teams were involved.  Kaziranga National Park is a protected area in the northeast Indian state of Assam. PM Modi launches ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ initiative and several development projects in Assam  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra, lay the foundation stone of Dhubri- Phulbari Bridge and perform Bhoomi Poojan for construction of Majuli Bridge Assam.  The launch of Mahabahu-Brahmaputra will be marked by the inauguration of the Ro-Pax vessel operations between Neamatighat and Majuli, North and South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari .  The Ro-Pax services will help in reducing the travel time by providing connectivity between banks and thus reducing the distance to be travelled by road.  The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the longest river bridge of the country over the Brahmaputra between Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari in Meghalaya.  The 19 kilometer long 4 lane bridge will reduce the distance of 205 kilometer to be travelled by road to 19 kilometer only.  The Prime Minister will perform bhumi pujan for the much awaited 8 km long Jorhat - Majuli bridge. This bridge will connect river island Majuli with mainland Assam FM Nirmala Sitharaman Initiates 3rd Phase of Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar Mela in Guwahati  Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman initiated the ceremonial distribution ceremony of Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar Mela in Guwahati.  It is to be mentioned that as many as 7,46,667 beneficiaries of tea gardens were covered under the scheme. Notably, the scheme was launched in Financial Year (FY) 2017-18.  The main objective of the scheme is to incentivize and strengthen the efforts of financial inclusion of the tea tribe community.  Further, in the 1st phase of the scheme, Rs. 2500 was credited to 6,33,411 bank accounts of tea garden workers in FY 2017-18 through Direct Benefit Transfer.  In phase 2, an additional amount of Rs. 2500 was credited to 7,15,979 bank accounts of tea garden workers in FY 2018-19.  At the phase, Rs.3000 will be credited to 7,46,667 beneficiaries of tea garden workers. Assam CM launches schemes for college students, literary bodies  Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched two schemes to provide monetary assistance to college students and literary bodies of the state.  Under Bharati scheme, 3,26,046 college students were given Rs 1,500 each for purchasing textbooks, while a total of Rs 161 crore was reimbursed for the free admission of 4 lakh eligible students.  The second scheme is Bhasha Gourab, under which the state government provided 21 Sahitya Sabhas (literary bodies) with a total of Rs 43 crore as a contribution towards their corpus funds.Under the scheme, 600 writers have also got Rs 50,000 each to help in their literary activities. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the first heliport of the state in Majuli  The heliport having facility for simultaneous landing of three helicopters was constructed at an expenditure of Rs 50 lakh.  The heliport was built with an aim to boost tourism in Majuli, which has a distinct identity as the world’s largest river island.The state government has also undertaken several projects to strengthen road infrastructure in the river island, and steps are being taken for construction of the bridge connecting Majuli with Jorhat. PM Modi launches Asom Mala in Assam’s Sonitpur district  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Asom Mala’ programme in Dhekiajuli of Sonitpur district, Assam.  As per the PMO, this initiative will boost the state’s road infrastructure and contribute to Assam’s economic progress and improve connectivity.

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 PM Modi also laid the foundation stones of medical colleges and hospitals in Biswanath and Charaideo with an aim to boost Assam’s health infrastructure.  The two medical colleges and hospitals are being set up at Biswanath and Charaideo at a total estimated project cost of over Rs 1,100 crores. Each hospital will have a 500-bed capacity and 100 MBBS seat capacity.

CHANDIGARH Chandigarh becomes the first Union Territory in India to launch Carbon Watch Chandigarh became the first state or Union Territory in India to launch Carbon Watch, a mobile application to assess the carbon footprint of an individual. Although the app can be accessed by everyone, it has specific options for the residents of Chandigarh to compile a detail study. India’s First ‘amputee clinic’ Launched In Chandigarh The first of its kind ‘amputee clinic’ in India, has been launched by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), a premier medical and research institution in Chandigarh.

DELHI India’s First Museum of Illusions Comes up in Delhi  Museum of Illusions, New Delhi, a mind-bending “edutainment” experience where guests enter the fascinating world of mental deception, has opened to the public.  Situated on Connaught Place, New Delhi, this is the first India outpost and 30th location for the rapidly expanding Museum of Illusions brand that started in Zagreb, Croatia in 2015.  With over 50 intriguing exhibits, MUSEUM OF ILLUSIONS, offers more eye-fooling fun than any other destination in New Delhi. Delhi Cabinet Approves ‘Mukhyamantri Vigyan Pratibha Pariksha’ Scheme  The Delhi cabinet has approved “Mukhyamantri Vigyan Pratibha Pariksha” in which Rs 5,000 will be provided to 1,000 meritorious students of Class 9 in schools of Delhi as a science scholarship. The scholarship will provide a boost to science education in secondary classes at the school level.  According to the release, the students studying in Delhi schools who have secured more than 60 per cent in Class 8 are eligible for the examination. Students belonging to SC, ST, PH, or OBC category will be given a relaxation of up to 5 per cent of marks. Delhi CM launches ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign to promote EV policy  To promote the use of electric vehicles in the Capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign.  It will educate people about the benefits of electric vehicles (EV) and urge them to make a switch from polluting vehicles to zero-emission electric vehicles.  The government has fixed an ambitious target of 25 per cent electric vehicles among total vehicle registrations in Delhi by 2024

GOA Government announces to invest Rs. 400 crores in Goa to make it fisheries hub  The Union Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh announced an investment of Rs. 400 crores in Goa for making the coastal state a fisheries hub in India.  Out of the said amount, the Union Government has already sanctioned Rs. 41.7 crores to the state, which will help in reviving the fisheries industry and ensure safe fishing. Goa becomes 6th State in country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies reforms  Goa has become the 6th State in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure.  The state has now become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of 223 crore rupees through Open Market Borrowings.  Goa has joined five other states - Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan and Telangana, who have completed Urban Local Bodies reforms.  these five states have been granted a total additional borrowing permission of 10435 crore rupees. Reforms in Urban Local Bodies and the urban utilities reforms are aimed at financial strengthening of Urban Local Bodies in the States and to enable them to provide better public health and sanitation services to citizens.

GUJARAT PM Narendra Modi unveils postage stamp on Gujarat High Court’s Diamond jubilee event

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Gujarat High Court. The prime minister also virtually released a commemorative postage stamp on Gujarat High Court, as part of the institution’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Gujarat govt to set up Indian Institute of Skills in Gandhinagar Indian Institute of Skills- IIS is being set up by the Labour and Employment Department of Gujarat along with Tata Group at Nasmed village of Gandhinagar. The State Government has allotted around 20 acres of land for Tatas to start Indian Institute of Skills.

HARYANA Haryana, Switzerland agree to share expertise in skill training, tourism  Haryana and Switzerland have agreed to share their expertise in fields of tourism, dairying and skill development training, a state government statement said after Swiss Ambassador Ralf Heckner called on Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.  Besides exploring the possibilities of signing MoUs for the teacher-student and cultural exchange programmes to further strengthen the bilateral ties between Switzerland and India, particularly with Haryana.

HIMACHAL PRADESH Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur launches ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’  Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’.  It has been launched to provide faceless services to the people of the State regarding Driving Licence/Registration Certificates/Permits etc.  The State Government also started first e-Vidhan Sabha, then e-Budget and now it has started an e-cabinet. He said the e-Parivahan was a step forward in this direction.  He also released ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’ publicity literature on the occasion. Himachal Pradesh becomes first State to implement e-cabinet  Himachal Pradesh has become first State in the country to make the end to end processing of the cabinet paperless by implementing e-cabinet application.  Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated first e-cabinet at Shimla . The entire process from initiation of a cabinet memo, approval of the cabinet memo through concerned Secretary, Chief Secretary, concerned Minister and finally by Chief Minister to place in the cabinet has been made online.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR Govt approves new schemes for industrial development worth Rs 28,000 crore for J&K  Government has announced a new Central Sector Scheme for Industrial Development of Jammu and Kashmir. The scheme is approved with a total outlay of 28 thousand 400 crore rupees.  It will be effective from 1st April this year and will remain in force up to 31st March 2037.  The main purpose of the scheme is to generate employment which directly leads to the socio economic development of Jammu and Kashmir. e-Kuber payments system launched in J&K  Jammu and Kashmir formally rolled out e-Kuber payments system of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The new payments system of RBI would replace the existing system for the purpose of government payments.  All types of government payments including employee’s salaries and pensioner’s pensions will be done through RBI’s e-Kuber. 4G mobile internet services being restored in entire Jammu & Kashmir  The high-speed mobile data services have been restored in Jammu and Kashmir  The services were suspended on August 5, 2019 when the central government abrogated the special status of J&K and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories. Lt Governor Inaugurates General Bus Stand Jammu, Multilevel Car Parking Cum Commercial Complex In Jammu Worth Rs 213.08 Crore  Taking a major step towards making Jammu city more vibrant, citizen friendly and congestion free, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha inaugurated the much awaited General Bus stand, Multi-level Car Parking cum Commercial Complex worth Rs 213.08 crore.  Constructed by Jammu Development Authority (JDA), the new facility has built-up area of around 60,064 sqm, having a parking capacity of 80 Buses in bus terminal, 1312 cars, 177 two wheelers and 239 commercial shops, besides dedicated space for restaurants and food courts.  The LG added that Jammu is the only place across the country where there is IIM, AIIMS and IIT.

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Kanchoth festival celebrated across J&K”s Chenab valley The ancient Kanchoth festival, a symbol of ancient culture, was observed with religious fervour and gaiety across the Chenab valley region of Jammu and Kashmir. Over 22 lakh people applied for golden card in Jammu and Kashmir  In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, over 22 lakh people have so far applied for the golden card under newly launched Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY) SEHAT scheme in various districts across the Union Territory.  Before the launching of SEHAT scheme, only people in the deprived category under the socio-economic census could have availed the facility, however, under SEHAT scheme every J&K resident is being covered under Rs 5 lakh health insurance. J&K Reorganisation Amendment Bill introduced in Rajya Sabha  Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Rajya Sabha.  The bill will replace Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Ordinance of 2021 which merged the J & K cadre of the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian Forest Service with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory cadre, also known as AGMUT cadre.  The President had promulgated the ordinance last month to amend the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.

KARNATAKA Karnataka To Set Up 2,500 Smart Classrooms For Digital Learning In Next 2 Months As part of promoting digital learning, 2,500 classrooms of higher education in the state will be converted into smart classrooms in the next two months. Aequs, Foxconn of toy world, to set up India's first toy cluster in Karnataka  It is Foxconn of the toy world, manufacturing some of the most popular superhero figures and toy dart guns at a factory in Karnataka for some of the biggest names in the global toy industry. And it is now setting up India's first toy manufacturing cluster to boost domestic industry.  Aequs Private Limited is developing a 400-acre toy manufacturing cluster at Koppal in Karnataka at an investment of USD 500 millio  Toy industry globally is a USD 90 billion-market and Indian market size is about USD 1.7 billion. Karnataka govt sign MoU with 34 Aerospace and Defence firms  Karnataka Government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 34 Aerospace and defence firms with an investment prospect of 2464 crore rupees.  Karnataka has a vibrant aerospace and defence sector manufacturing ecosystem contributing over 65 per cent of defence and aerospace exports in the country.  The state Industrial policy of 2020-25 provides several incentives and regulatory reforms related to land access and labour market regulations. Ramnath Kovind Inaugurates Museum Dedicated to General KS Thimayya  President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated a museum, dedicated to the life of former Army Chief General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, in Karnataka. General Thimayya served as the Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961.  The ancestral house of General Thimayya called “Sunny Side” at Madikeri in Kodagu district of Karnataka has been renovated and converted into a museum. Karnataka Digital Economy Mission Office inaugurated to increase contribution of digital economy in state  The Karnataka Digital Economy Mission- KDEM office has been inaugurated with an objective of increasing digital economy contribution to the Gross State Domestic Product to 30%. Along with it, the ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ which will facilitate achieving this target was also launched.  KDEM will aim at attracting investments for the IT/ITeS sector in the state and to create 10 lakh jobs by 2025.  KDEM will also help Karnataka in reaching the goal of 150 billion dollars in IT exports and also in becoming a 300 billion dollar economy by 2025. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike launches Swach Sarvekshan Abhiyan  The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has launched Swach Sarvekshan Abhiyan in Bengaluru to educate citizens about solid .  The Special Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, Randeep Dev informed that Bengaluru received 214 marks in Sarvekshan last year.  To gain a higher rank, he informed that 40 percent of waste is segregated and 18,000 municipal workers, 8000 drivers are pressed into garbage collection work every day in the city.

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Vijayanagara officially declared as 31st District of Karnataka The Karnataka government issued an official gazette notification to declare Vijayanagara as the 31st district of the state. The new district has been carved out of Ballari and named after the Vijayanagara empire that ruled from this region.

KERALA TCS signs MoU with invest up to Rs.1,500 cr on Kerala digital hub Global IT leader TCSwill invest an estimated 1,200 – Rs.1,500 crore to expand operations in Kerala and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Technopark here for leasing 97 acres of land at its Technocity campus to set up a digital hub for engineering, product development and IT services across manufacturing sectors. Kerala to Host Annual Folk Art Fest ‘Utsavam 2021’ From February 20 Bringing alive Keralas rich and diverse folk and ritualistic art traditions in 30 venues across the state, the 7-day annual cultural festival ‘Utsavam 2021’ is to get off to a colourful start on February 20. India’s first digital university comes up in Kerala  Kerala took a major step forward in its progress towards a knowledge society with the inauguration of the country’s first Digital University, based in Technocity at Mangalapuram.  The Digital University is set up by upgrading two-decade old Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management Kerala (IIITM-K), a center of excellence in information technologies established by . PM Modi unveils several development projects in Kerala  Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled several key development projects worth 6,100 crore rupees at INS Garuda Naval Air Station at in Kerala.  The Prime Minister also inaugurated the country’s first full-fledged international cruise terminal, at Cochin Port and Marine Engineering Training Institute of Cochin Shipyard Ltd. Kerala launches ‘Snakepedia’ mobile app launched in to help treat snake bites A team of scientists, doctors and photographers in Kerala have launched a mobile application named “Snakepedia”.The app will present all relevant information on snakes, to help the public as well as doctors in treating snake bites. Kerala launches fibre optic network to provide free internet to 20 lakh families  To bridge the digital divide by providing high-speed, affordable internet connectivity to every household, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the KFON (Kerala Fibre Optic Network) in the state.  With KFON, free internet connectivity will be provided to 20 lakh BPL families.  It will also cover villages in all 14 districts.  Earlier only 10% of government offices had high-speed Internet, with the launch of KFON, 30,000 government institutions will have high brand width connectivity.  KFON is a joint venture of Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). A consortium led by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) was selected to implement the project in March 2019. India’s First ‘Gender Park’ inaugurated in Kozhikode, Kerala  The Kerala government’s Gender Park in Kozhikode became operationalized after the inaguration of International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II).  Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also lay the foundation of the International Women’s Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC) that envisages a secure and sustained ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and a space for them to market products.  The overall cost of establishing the park is around Rs 300 crore. spread over 24 acre land. Kerala to Open its First Milk Bank  Kerala will open its first Human Milk Bank (HMB) on February 5, 2021. This is a state-of-the-art facility, and Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja will open at General Hospital.  This milk bank will establishe with the support of the Rotary Club of Cochin Global.

LAKSHADWEEP Union Environment Minister inaugurates Atal Paryavaran Bhavan in Lakshadweep Union Environment Minister recently inaugurated Lakshadweep Forest Department's headquarters, Atal Paryavaran Bhavan.

LEH UPSC adds Leh as exam centre for Civil Services candidates from Ladakh

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In a first of its kind the Union Public Service Commission UPSC has opened a new centre for the Civil Services Examination, in Leh for the candidates from Union Territory Ladakh. Preliminary exam will be held on the 27th of June this year. Leh all set for Rs 100 crore holistic development  One of the famous tourist destinations in the country, Leh is all set for a near 100 crore rupees holistic development. A team of consultants from Tourism Ministry visited Leh for spot inspection.  In Ladakh, Leh town is shortlisted under the National Mission on Pilgrimage and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme. ONGC to establish India’s first geothermal field development project in Ladakh  India’s first-ever geothermal power project will be implemented by state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at Puga village of eastern Ladakh. The project, known as Geothermal Field Development Project, will be implemented in three phases and is planned to commission by the end of 2022.  A tripartite agreement for this historic geothermal project was signed between Union Territory Administration Ladakh, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Leh and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Energy Centre on February 08, 2021.

MADHYA PRADESH 47th Khajuraho Dance Festival begins The week-long 47th Khajuraho Dance Festival began in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh which is based on the Indian classical dance tradition.The festival is being organized by the Culture Department through Ustad Alauddin Khan Music and Arts Academy Bhopal. Online four day Toy Fair commeneced in MP  In Madhya Pradesh, online four-day Toy Fair will begin on 27th February.  It will include artists from all over the country making unique toys and creations, many artists and organizations from Madhya Pradesh are also participating in this unique event.  In a landmark initiative toward Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Government of India presents 'The India Toy Fair 2021'. Hoshangabad in MP to be renamed as Narmadapuram: Shivraj Singh Chouhan Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that Hoshangabad city in the state would be renamed as Narmadapuram and a proposal to that effect would be sent to the Centre. He made the announcement during the Narmada Jayanti programme held in Hoshangabad. Madhya Pradesh launches ‘SAANS’ campaign to reduce infant mortality  In Madhya Pradesh, the state health department has launched a Social awareness campaign called ‘Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully (‘SAANS’), to curb infant mortality or death rate due to pneumonia.  Under the SAANS campaign, training will be imparted to medical staff at the community and primary health centres.  The state has set up around 4,000 Health and Wellness Centres for this purpose.  The Madhya Pradesh government has also partnered with PGIMER, Chandigarh, and UNICEF to develop training modules which will be used to enhance the skills of health workers, including doctors and paramedical staff. Rajnath Singh inaugurates ‘Jalabhishekam’ campaign in Madhya Pradesh  The state government of Madhya Pradesh has launched a water conservation campaign called ‘Jalabhishekam’, under which more than 57,000 water structures has been constructed. The campaign was inaugurated by the Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually.  Water conservation work is being undertaken with public participation and will be helpful in achieving the goal of building self-reliant Madhya Pradesh.  The Campaign will also fulfil the intention of ‘water for every farm and work for every hand’.  These water structures cost over Rs. 2,000 crore and will irrigate 2.50 lakh hectares of land without submerging an inch of land. Famous Mandu Festival Begins in Madhya Pradesh  The three-day famous “Mandu Festival” began at the historic town of Mandu in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.The festival is organised by the state government of Madhya Pradesh to showcase each and every aspect of the ancient Mandu city, ranging from food, music, history & heritage, art & craft etc.  During the festival, the state culture and tourism minister Usha Thakur inaugurated the newly constructed Dino Adventure Park and Fossils Museum in Mandu and construction of Astro Park building at a cost of Rs 59 lakh. The Dinosaur Park is the first modern fossil park in India which has 24 eggs and other fossils of dinosaurs on display.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates more than 57,000 water structures in MP under ‘Jalabhishekam’ campaign  Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated more than 57,000 water structures constructed in Madhya Pradesh under ‘Jalabhishekam’ campaign from New Delhi.  These water structures were created during COVID era by linking the work with the MNREGA scheme.  The ‘Jalabhishekam’ Campaign is fulfilling the intention of ‘water for every farm and work for every hand’. This will prove to be helpful in the betterment of the villages.

MAHARASTRA Byculla zoo in Mumbai reopens after almost a year  Almost a year after shutting its gates for visitors due to COVID-19 pandemic, Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, popularly known as Byculla zoo, in Mumbai reopened.  The zoo, which houses a variety of ranging from deer and monkeys to elephants and a hippopotamus besides birds, was closed to the public on 15th of March last year. Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Flipkart to promote wooden toys, local artifacts, handicrafts In order to promote wooden toys, local artifacts, handicrafts Maharashtra Small Industries Development Corporation and Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries Board have signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Flipkart. Maharashtra govt launches scheme for startups to help file IT patents  In a bid to boost the startup ecosystem in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched a scheme aimed at providing financial assistance to innovative startups to file for IT patents.  As per a statement, around 125-150 startups will be supported in the first phase of the scheme with the financial help of Rs.2 lakh to Rs.10 lakh, along with financial assistance up to Rs.2 lakh for quality testing and certification for the startup’s ideas. Maharashtra Government Approves Water Conservation Programme  The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the implementation of the Chief Minister Water Conservation Programme, costing 1,340.75 crore.  Under the programme, water sources would be repaired, which will enhance the State’s irrigation capacity.  The period of the programme is from April 2020 to March 2023

MANIPUR Manipur CM N Biren Singh launches PM FME Scheme  In Manipur, the State Chief Minister N. Biren Singh launched the Prime Minister Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME) Scheme. The launching of the Scheme was done during the inaugural function of Conference Cum Buyer Meet at Hotel Imphal.  The PM FME Scheme aims to provide financial, technical and business support to micro food processing units, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Self Help Groups (SHGs).The Scheme will also promote One District One Product to reap the benefit of scales in terms of procurement of inputs, availing common services and marketing of products. Manipur chief minister launches organic products and Loumiconnect App  Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh launched a new range of packaged organic products and Loumi Connect App apart from distributing Bolero Camper vehicles and nurseries to seven Farmers Producer Companies (FPCs).  A function organized jointly by Directorate of Horticulture and Soil Conservation and Eastern Border Areas Development Authority (EBADA) at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Imphal.  He also launched Loumi Connect App which would enable connect farmers with Horticulture and Agriculture experts.  The chief minister also released Illustrative guide booklets on organic farming and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER).  The chief minister also informed that Food Park, Nilakuthi, will have a packaging facility soon. He also informed that the state government has already submitted a INR400 crore project proposal for bamboo to the union government.

NAGALAND Two new grants announced by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio  Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announced two new grants, namely, the Chief Minister’s Grant for Journalism and the Chief Minister’s Research Grant.

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 Delivering the Budget Speech at the ongoing Budget Session, Mr Rio said, the journalism grant will support the strengthening of democracy and thereby positively impact good governance as it is an endeavor to empower a vibrant fourth estate.  He said, the research grant will support advancement of science and extend funding to research and research scholars.

ODISHA Odisha hosts 17th India International Mega Trade Fair The 17th India International Mega Trade Fair and Home Décor exhibition, organised by the Odisha Chapter of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), was inaugurated at Janata Maidan. Balasore to get country’s first thunderstorm research testbed  Odisha’s Balasore will get the country’s first thunderstorm research testbed, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.  The objective of setting up the thunderstorm testbed is to minimalise human fatalities and loss of property due to lightning strikes.  The thunderstorm testbed will be established in a collaboration between the Ministry of Earth Sciences, IMD, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).  A first-of-its-kind monsoon testbed is also being planned near Bhopal Odisha to implement REWARD project with World Bank  The state cabinet has approved a proposal to implement ‘Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development (REWARD)’ project.  REWARD envisages an expenditure of Rs 500 Cr on science-based watershed management for a period of six years starting from April 2021. Out of this, World Bank will provide loan assistance amounting Rs 350.00 Cr. Odisha To Construct ‘COVID Warrior Memorial’ in Bhubaneswar In order to recognize the sacrifice and services rendered by the Covid warriors who lost their lives fighting the pandemic, the government has decided to construct a Covid Warrior Memorial in Odisha. The Biju Patnaik Park in Bhubaneswar has been selected for this purpose. Odisha Govt to develop Rs 200 crore Development Package for Maa Samaleswari Shrine The Odisha government has launched the development work for the SAMALEI Project (Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives), to offer divine experience to tourists & devotees.Odisha Government has announced a package of Rs 200-crore for the 2021-22 fiscal for the implementation of the project

PUDUCHERRY Union Cabinet approves President’s rule in Puducherry The Union Cabinet approved a proposal by the Home Ministry to dissolve the Puducherry Assembly and impose President’s rule in the Union Territory. The decision comes days after the Congress-led government had lost power during a vote of confidence. Puducherry begins a campaign to ensure Covid-free  Puducherry UT begins a new campaign named “Zero Covid by Feb28” that ensures no COVID-19 cases by the end of February 2021, in Puducherry.  The citizens will be identified and provided treatment who came in contact with infected people or patients, as a result, the further spread of the pathogen could be prevented.

PUNJAB Punjab Cabinet approves mission ‘Lal Lakir’ in all villages The Punjab Cabinet approved implementation of mission ‘Lal Lakir’ aimed at facilitating villagers to monetise property rights and availing benefits provided by government departments, institutions and banks in all villages across the state. Punjab becomes 13th State to complete ONOR Card  Punjab has become the 13th State in the country to successfully undertake “One Nation One Ration Card system”  The State has become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of one thousand five hundred and sixteen crore rupees through Open Market Borrowings.  12 other States which have completed this reform are Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.  The implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System ensures availability of ration to beneficiaries under National Act and other welfare schemes at any Fair Price Shop across the country.

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Punjab CM launches ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ mission  Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh virtually launched the ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ mission as part of the government’s campaign to accomplish the goal of 100 per cent potable piped water supply in all rural households by March next year. The Chief Minister also inaugurated one Mega Surface Water Supply Scheme covering 85 villages in the Moga district, 144 new water supply schemes for 172 villages, 121 Arsenic, and Iron removal plants.  The scheme is being funded by World Bank, Central Government’s Jal Jeewan Mission, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and the State Budget.

RAJASTHAN Rajasthan amends Rajasthan Prison Rules 1951 The state govt of Rajasthan has amended the Rajasthan Prison Rules, 1951.The main reason was to do away with the caste-based assignment of labour. Rajasthan Prison Rules 1951 Amendments A) Rule 67 under Section 2 This section is about “cooking of food”. prior to this, “any Brahmin or sufficiently high caste Hindu prisoner from this class is eligible for appointment as a cook”. but, now, “No inmate shall be selected for cooking on the basis of his caste or religion.” B) Rule 17, Clause (d) of Section 1 in Part 15 The state govt has removed clause (d) and it explains “any member of a criminal tribe subject to the discretion of the Government”. C) Rule 13 of Section I of Part 10 “No tradesman shall be chosen on the basis of his caste or religion.”

SIKKIM ‘Free Gift Milk to Girl Students of Sikkim’ initiative to benefit around 1,500 students Sikkim Chief Minister P. S. Tamang launched the ‘Free Gift Milk to Girl Students of Sikkim’ initiative at Gangtok. The initiative will benefit around 1,500 students who would be provided 200 mls of milk every day.

TAMIL NADU Nitin Gadkari says, Tamil Nadu has become reducing road accidents by 50 per cent  Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Tamil Nadu has become a pioneer in reducing road accidents by fifty per cent.  Inaugurating Road Safety Schemes in Chennai, the Minister told that all other states should follow Tamil Nadu model for road safety. Flipkart, Tamil Nadu MSME inks MoU to support small, local products  Flipkart, Tamil Nadu MSME inks MoU to support small, local products.  Flipkarthas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tamil Nadu MSME Trade and Investment Promotion Bureau (MTIPB) to bring local artisans, weavers, craftsmen and Small and Mid-size Business (SMBs) of the State into the e-commerce fold. Retirement age of Tamil Nadu govt employees raised to 60 years In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palananiswami announced that the retirement age of State Government employees has been increased from 59 to 60 years. Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several developmental projects worth over 8000 crore rupees at Chennai in Tamil Nadu Projects unveiled by PM Modi: • Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. • Ro-Ro vessels at Willingdon Islands, Cochin. International Cruise Terminal ‘Sagarika’ at Cochin Port. • Marine Engineering Training Institute of the Cochin Shipyard Limited. • Laid the foundation stone of the reconstruction of South Coal Berth at Cochin Port.  Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project- Prime Minister Modi while inaugurating the project informed that it will help in strengthening India’s journey towards being Atmanirbhar. He added that a wide range of industries will gain employment opportunities with this project.  According to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, PDPP will be located close to its Kochi refinery and will produce Oxo-Alcohol, Arcylic Acid, and Acrylates, which are predominantly imported. These products specifically have applications in solvents, paints and coatings, construction industries, water treatment chemicals among others.

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 Vigyana Sagar: According to the Prime Minister, the Marine Engineering Training Institute, Vigyana Sagar will be the new college campus of the Cochin Shipyard. Through this training Institute, India will be able to expand its human resource development capital.  International Cruise Terminal: India’s first full-fledged international cruise terminal will be situated at the Ernakulam Wharf on Willingdon Island. The terminal has state-of-the-art facilities and it has been constructed at the cost of Rs. 25.72 crores.  Ro-Ro Vessels: The two new vessels that have been deployed between Bolgatty and Willingdon Island on National waterway-3, will have the capacity of carrying six 20-feet trucks, three 4-feet trailer trucks, three-20 feet trailer trucks, and 20 passengers each.  The service which will be operated by the Inland Waterways Authority will benefit the trade in the state as a result of reduced transportation cost and transit time. It will also lead to the reduced congestion on the roads of Kochi.  Projects in Chennai:  Earlier on February 14, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension project. It has been completed at the cost of Rs. 3,770 crores.  PM Modi also laid the foundation stone for the Discovery Campus of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Tamil Nadu set to create state’s 5th tiger reserve  Following the Centre’s approval, Tamil Nadu government passed an order for creating the fifth tiger reserve in the state and the 51st in the country.  The Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve will span the forests of Megamalai wildlife sanctuary and Srivilliputhur grizzled squirrel wildlife sanctuary spread across the districts of Theni, Virudhunagar and Madurai.

TELANGANA Telangana’s Manasa Varanasi Crowned VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020 Manasa Varanasi, an engineer from Telangana, emerged as the winner of VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020. While Haryana’s Manika Sheokand was declared VLCC Femina Miss Grand India 2020, Uttar Pradesh’s Manya Singh was crowned VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 – runner-up.

UTTAR PRADESH Uttar Pradesh govt to develop Jewar Airport as Asia's biggest airport with six runways  Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh govt plans to develop Jewar Airport as Asia's biggest airport. The state govt has proposed to set aside Rs.2,000 crore for Jewar Airport.  The state govt has also increased the number of runways of the Jewar Aiport to six, from two proposed earlier. The UP government presented its first paperless budget in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 2021-22. UP to export 20 tonnes of 'Kala Namak' rice to Singapore by March end The state of Uttar Pradesh is all set to export a consignment of 20 tonnes of Kala Namak rice to Singapore. This move is a major boost to the farm exports from the state.The government has also planned to set up a Kala Namak Rice Research Centre at Siddharth Nagar in association with the International Rice Research Centre, Varanasi Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill passed  The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed by voice vote a bill aimed at curbing religious conversions by fraudulent or any other undue means, including through marriage.  The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2021 seeks to replace the ordinance promulgated in November 2020 that provides for imprisonment up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 for violators. Under the bill, a marriage will be declared “null and void” if the conversion is solely for that purpose, and those wishing to change their religion after marriage need to apply to the district magistrate. IKEA signs MoU with UP, to invest 5,500 crore in Uttar Pradesh Paving way for international furniture and home goods store IKEA to set up its first store in the state, and the largest in the country, UP Government signed an MoU with the company for a Rs 5,500 crore investment. Union Defence Minister inaugurates skill development centre for fire safety training Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Skill Development Centre (SDC) for Fire Safety Training at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh through virtual mode. UP Government announces unique 16-digit Unicode to identify landholdings  Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a system of issuing a unique 16-digit Unicode to mark all kinds of landholdings in the state.  The main purpose of the system is to check the cases of land disputes, put an end to fake registries of the disputed land and save people from falling into the trap of fraudsters.

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PM Modi laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial in Uttar Pradesh  The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing.  Mr Modi also inaugurated a medical college in the name of Maharaja Suheldev.The event marked the 112th birth anniversary celebration of Maharaja Suheldev. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath launches Abhyudaya scheme Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Abhyudaya scheme via video conferencing. Under the Abhyudaya scheme, free of cost coaching centres for the preparation of competitive government exams will be provided by the UP government.

UTTARAKHAND Uttarakhand brings ordinance to give co-ownership rights to women in husband’s property The Uttarakhand state government has brought an ordinance that will give co-ownership rights to the women in the ancestral property of their husbands.The ordinance by the government has been brought in view of the large-scale migration of men from hilly areas of the state in search of livelihood.Uttarakhand has become the first state to give co-ownership rights to women in the ancestral property of their husbands. Union Environment Ministry Approves Lakhwar Electricity Project  Union Environment Ministry approved the Lakhwar electricity project on Yamuna river in Uttarakhand.  Apart from electricity generation, six states(Haryana,Rajasthan,Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, UP and Uttarakhand will also get irrigation and pure drinking water from this project. Its construction will provide 330 metric cusec meters of additional water.  The total cost of the Lakhwar power project is Rs 5747.17 crore. Uttarakhand Sets up Shivalik arboretum(a botanical garden devoted to trees) An arboretum showcasing the floral diversity of the Shivalik hills was inaugurated at Jeolikot in Nainital district. It is Mainly for conserving over 210 species of trees found in the Shivalik range of Himalayas. “Shivalik Arboretum” inaugurated by noted environmental activist Ajay Rawat Uttarakhand Chamoli glacier burst  The glacier burst took place at the Rishiganga power project after a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Tapovan area of Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on 7th February morning and damaged the Rishiganga dam on Alaknanda river.  National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) Tapovan Vishnugad project on Dhauliganga river and Rishi Ganga Power Corporation Ltd’s project, with a planned capacity of 520 MW and 13.2 MW, respectively, have been nearly washed away.

WEST BENGAL PM Narendra Modi dedicates four projects worth Rs 4700 Crore in West Bengal  Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated four projects worth around Rs 4700 crore in gas, oil and infrastructure sectors during his visit to Haldia, West Bengal.  The projects include those of NHAI, Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL),Gas Authority of India (GAIL) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL). The four projects are listed below: 1. Catalytic-Isodewaxing Unit  The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Catalytic-Isodewaxing Unit at the Haldia refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited, which will serve as an import substitution project.  The dewaxing unit will produce base oil which is mostly imported.  It will cost around Rs 1019 crore and the proposed date of completion is April 2023.  The unit will save foreign exchange of USD 185 million with reduced imports. 2. New LPG Terminal The Prime Minister inaugurated BPCL's new LPG terminal at Haldia to meet the growing demand of the eastern region. The terminal was built at a total cost of Rs 1100 crore and its nameplate capacity is one million tonne per annum. 3. Dobhi-Durgapur pipeline  PM Modi also dedicated GAIL’s 347-km-long Dobhi-Durgapur pipeline, which is a part Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project.  The pipeline will be built at a cost of Rs. 2400 crore, as per E S Ranganathan, director (marketing) of GAIL.  The pipeline aims to provide natural gas to Sindri fertiliser plant and Matix fertiliser plant at Durgapur.  It will also provide gas to the city gas distribution projects in major towns of West Bengal.

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4. Four-lane road overbridge cum flyover The Prime Minister also dedicated NHAI's Rs 190 crore worth road over bridge-cum-flyover at Ranichak in Haldia for seamless traffic movement at Haldia port gate. Mamata Banerjee launches ‘Maa’ scheme to provide meals at Rs 5 West Bengal government launched “Maa” canteens for providing subsidised cooked meals for the poor and the destitute at a nominal cost of Rs.5. The govt will give a subsidy of Rs.15 and people have to pay Rs.5. The kitchen will run by Self-Help Groups (SHG). The government allocated Rs. 100 crores for this project. NATIONAL NEWS Microsoft launches Taj Mahal inspired engineering hub in Noida  Microsoft announced the launch of its new India Development Center (IDC) facility at NCR that will serve as a premier hub for driving cutting-edge engineering and innovation.  IDC NCR is Microsoft’s third Development Center in India after Bengaluru and Hyderabad.  The IDC NCR workspace architecture is inspired by the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world.  The IDC in NCR will collaborate with Microsoft teams worldwide to and create products that drive digital innovations.  Microsoft :CEO : Satya Nadella, Founder : , Paul Allen Lucknow Metro becomes first metro to use UV rays to sanitise train coaches The Lucknow Metro has become the first metro in the country to use ultraviolet (UV) rays to sanitise train coaches.DRDO approved the equipment in October last year and Lucknow Metro has become the first metro to use this to sanitize the coaches. The remote operated equipment also reduces the cost by 40 times less than what comes in sanitizing the coach by sodium hypochlorite. Govt. nods release of Rs 1,751 cr to Assam, Arunachal, Odisha, Telangana & UP  The High-Level Committee under the Chairmanship of Home Minister Amit Shah approved Additional Central Assistance of over one thousand seven hundred 51 crore rupees under the National Disaster Response Fund, NDRF to five states, which were affected by floods, landslides during South-West Monsoon-2020 and hailstorm during Rabi 2019-20.  Rs 437.15 crore has been approved for Assam, Rs 75.86 crore to Arunachal Pradesh, Rs 320.94 crore to Odisha, Rs 245.96 crore to Telangana and Rs 386.06 crore to Uttar Pradesh. Commerce Ministry notifies Rs 945 crore seed fund Scheme for startups  The government has approved the Rs 945-crore Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) for the period 2021- 25.  It is implemented by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).  The Rs 945 crore Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) will be operational from April 1, 2021, to 2025 as the government looks to boost the ecosystem, providing the crucial capital for young companies. India gets its first Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management  A dedicated Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM) has been established at the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management(NCSCM), Chennai, an institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.  This was announced by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Babul Supriyo on the occasion of the World Wetland Day on 2nd February 2021. Union Ministers jointly launch unified web portal for monitoring progress of GOBARDHAN activities Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Petroleum Minister Pradhan, Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria today jointly launched a unified web portal for monitoring the progress of GOBARDHAN activities across the nation. Gobardhan is an important component of Swachh Bharat Mission Phase-2 for organic solid waste management. PM Modi inaugurated Chauri Chaura centenary celebrations Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chauri Chaura centenary celebrations at Chauri Chaura in Uttar Pradesh.Mr Modi also released a postal stamp dedicated to the Chauri Chaura incident. Budget 2021-22 proposes setting up of 100 new Sainik Schools in country  Union Budget for Financial Year 2021-22 has proposed to set up 100 new Sainik Schools in the country, in partnership with NGOs, private schools and State-owned schools. The endeavor is to provide schooling opportunities in ‘CBSE Plus’ type of educational environment.  At present, there are 33 Sainik Schools functioning all over the country.

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 From the academic session 2021-22, girl candidates are also eligible for admission to Class 6th in all 33 Sainik Schools. Reliance gets world's first 'carbon-neutral' oil from US Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Ltd has received the world’s first consignment of ‘carbon-neutral oil’ from Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV), a division of US oil major Occidental.This feat will further help the oil major to accomplish its target of becoming a net zero-carbon company by 2035.The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Sea Pearl containing the carbon-neutral oil from Permian basin, unloaded the cargo at Jamnagar on January 28, 2021.It must be noted that Reliance operates the world’s largest single location oil refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat with capacity of 68.2 million tonnes a year.This transaction is the first major petroleum shipment of Reliance, for which Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from the entire crude lifecycle, including oil extraction, transport, storage, shipping, refining, subsequent use, and combustion, have been offset. Pulse Polio Programme for 2021  President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind launched the Pulse Polio Programme for 2021 by administering polio drops to children less than five years old at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, in the presence of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.Around 17 crore children of less than 5 years of age will be given polio drops as part of the drive of Government of India to sustain polio free status of the country.The countrywide drive will be supported by about 24 lakh volunteers, 1.5 lakh supervisors and many Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), WHO, UNICEF, Rotary etc. Healthcare workers will be visiting as many as 2 crore households to ensure that no child is left without the protection of the polio vaccine.  Before the start of the program, India had 60% caseload of Polio worldwide. With the last case of Polio reported in Howrah on 13th January, 2011, the country has been free of Polio for a decade now. Govt to give Rs.1 lakh cr additional income to farmers  The government will provide Rs.1 lakh crore additional income to farmers that will be generated by converting waste into energy.  The govt. has started the Gobar Dhan scheme. Cow dung, agriculture waste, city waste, forest waste, the carbon in biomass, everything will be converted into energy.  The energy that we will make from that, are going to give additional income of Rs.1 lakh crore in the accounts of farmers.  Government has come up with a scheme to procure ethanol worth Rs.20,000 crore which will help increase farmer's income. Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions to be under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways  The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will, from now on, also look after the development of ropeways and alternate mobility solutions.  The move is expected to give a boost to the sector, by setting up a regulatory regime, and facilitating research and new technology to come into this sector.  An amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 has been notified to enable this step. The Ministry will have responsibility for development of ropeways and alternative mobility solutions technology, as well as construction, research and policy in this area. MSME wing of GoI to cooperate in setting up industries in Dhanbad  In Jharkhand, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) wing of the Government of India will cooperate in setting up industries up to 20 crore rupees in Dhanbad.  The central government will give 70% amount, while the remaining 30% is to be borne by the state government and industrialists.  MSME is the apex executive body for the formulation and administration of rules, regulations and relating to micro, small and medium enterprises in India. Centre permits BCCI to use drones for live aerial filming of matches  The Civil Aviation Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation- DGCA have given a conditional exemption to the Board of Control for Cricket in India- BCCI for the deployment of drones for the live aerial cinematography of the Cricket season in India in 2021.  The BCCI will require to obtain necessary clearances from (a) local administration (b) Ministry of Defence (c) Ministry of Home Affairs (d) Air Defence Clearance from Indian Air Force and (e) Airport Authority of India before the operation of RPAS.  M/s Quidich engaged by BCCI as RPAS operator will only be able to operate the RPAS models that are specified in the approved standard operating procedures (SOP) dated January 8, 2021. Rural Infra Development Fund increased to Rs 40,000 crore in FY22  Presenting the Budget for 2021-22 amid the ongoing farmers' protest, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that provision to agriculture infrastructure fund outlay will be increased to Rs 40,000 crore from Rs 30,000 crore, and micro-irrigation corpus will be doubled to Rs 10,000 crore from rs 5000 crore.

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 She also proposed to increase the agriculture credit target to Rs 16.5 lakh crore.  Presenting the Budget for 2021-22, she said the operation green scheme will cover 22 more perishable commodities.  Sitharaman further said 1,000 more mandis will be integrated with the electronic national market and the agriculture infrastructure fund would be made available to APMCs to augment infrastructure facilities. Post devolution revenue deficit grant of Rs 6,195 crore released to 14 states  The Department of Expenditure has released monthly Post Devolution Revenue Deficit (PDRD) grant of Rs 6,195 crore to the states.  This was the 11th instalment of the PDRD grant released. So far, an amount of Rs 68,146 crore has been released to eligible states as PDRD grant in the current financial year.  The PDRD grants are provided to states under Article 275 of the Constitution. The grants are released in monthly instalments as per recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission to meet the gap in revenue accounts of states post devolution.  The commission has recommended PDRD grants to 14 states.  The states are: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Education Ministry to name residential schools, hostels after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose  The Ministry of Education has decided to name residential schools and hostels funded under Samagra Shiksha of the Ministry as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose residential schools or hostels.  The association of these schools with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose will act as an inspiration to the children and also motivate the teachers, staff and administration to enable them to achieve high standards of excellence. ICAR organized hackathon to promote innovation in Agriculture  The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has started organising KRITAGYA- a National level hackathon to promote innovation in agriculture and allied sectors in the country.  Advantages of organising Agri-Hackathon are to give opportunity to the students along with faculties, innovators for showcasing their innovative approaches & technologies in agriculture and allied sectors. FSSAI caps trans fatty acids to 2% in food products from January 2022  The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has restricted the permissible amount of industrial Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) in food products to 2 per cent. The latest amendment will come into effect from January 01, 2022. Currently, the permissible limit for trans fats in food products in 2021 is 3 per cent, cut down from the previous limit of 5 per cent.  FSSAI has amended the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011 to put into effect the new Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2021.  As per the new rule, the food products in which edible oils and fats are used as an ingredient shall not contain industrial trans fatty acids more than 2% by mass of the total oils/fats present in the product, starting from January 01, 2022. Indian Army lays foundation of 100-foot-high national flag in Gulmarg The Indian Army has laid the foundation stone of the tallest ‘Iconic National Flag’ at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. The flag will be on a 100 feet-high pole, the highest Tricolour in the Valley. The Indian Army in collaboration with the Solar Industry India will install the ‘Iconic National Flag’ at Gulmarg. Expert committee to review proposal to ban 27 pesticides  The government has appointed an expert panel to review industry’s objections to the proposed ban on 27 widely used pesticides which officials say are harmful to animals and .  The committee, led by chairman TP Rajendran, former assistant director general of ICAR, is likely to submit its report in three months. His report will decide the fate of those 27 pesticides which the government wants to ban.  These are part of the 66 contentious pesticides which are being reviewed for their toxicity. In 2018, the government had already banned 18 of them. Centre Launches Official Website of India Toy Fair 2021 The Government of India organised the first-ever ‘The India Toy Fair, 2021′ from February 27, 2021, to March 02, 2021, on a virtual platform. The official website for India Toy Fair-2021 is www.theindiatoyfair.in. This initiative is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a global hub for the Toy Industry. India’s first ever CNG Tractor launched  India’s first-ever diesel tractor converted to CNG formally launched by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.  It added that the conversion, carried out jointly by Rawmatt Techno Solutions & Tomasetto Achille India, will help farmers increase their income by lowering costs and help in creating job opportunities in rural India.  The most important benefit for the farmer will be to save more than Rs 1 lakh annually on fuel costs, which will help them improve their livelihood.

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CCEA approves grant-in-aid of Rs 100 crore to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi accorded approval to the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for Grant-in-aid of Rs.100 crore to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Namrup (Assam) to sustain operations of it's urea manufacturing units. Govt launches new Central Sector Scheme titled ‘Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs  The Ministry of Agriculture has said that the government has launched a new Central Sector Scheme titled ‘Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Produce Organizations (FPOs)’ and it has committed resources in this regard with a budgetary provision of Rs 6,865 crore.  The FPOs are to be developed to produce clusters, wherein agricultural and horticultural products are grown for leveraging economies of scale and improving market access for members.  FPOs will be provided financial assistance upto Rs 18 lakh per FPO for a period of three years. In addition to this, provision has been made for matching equity grant up to two thousand rupees per farmer member of FPO with a limit of 15 lakh rupees per FPO and a credit guarantee facility upto Rs two crore of project loan per FPO from eligible lending institutions to ensure institutional credit accessibility to FPOs. Govt allocates Rs.16000 crore for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for 2021-22  The Central government has allocated Rupees 16,000 crores for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for the upcoming fiscal year 2021-22.  The budgetary amount has increased this year by around Rs.305 crore as compared to the fiscal year 2020-21.  Thus, this shows that, government is committed towards the growth of agriculture sector in the country.  The agriculture minister also allowed to use drones for the purpose of remote sensing data collection under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). India to be largest source of energy demand growth to 2040: IEA  India will make up the biggest share of energy demand growth at 25% over the next two decades, as it overtakes the European Union as the world's third-biggest energy consumer by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.  India's energy consumption is expected to nearly double as the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) expands to an estimated $8.6 trillion by 2040 under its current national policy scenario.  India’s oil demand is expected to rise to 8.7 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2040 from about 5 million bpd in 2019, the IEA said, while its refining capacity will reach 6.4 million bpd by 2030 and 7.7 million bpd by 2040, from 5 million bpd. Defence Minister launches e-Chhawani Portal  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the e-Chhawani portal.The main aim of it is to provide online municipal services to over 20 lakh citizens across 62 Cantonment Boards through a multi-tenancy central platform. e-Chhawani portal Benefits:  Citizens could submit their complaints regarding civic issues.  Citizens will get municipal services easily.  People could get their documents like sewerage connectivity applications and trade licenses. Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani rolls out commercial Jute seed distribution scheme  Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani rolled out the commercial Jute seed distribution scheme.  Jute Corporation of India had last year signed an MoU with National Seeds Corporation for commercial distribution of 1 thousand Metric Tonne certified jute seeds for the year 2021-22.  The government increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Jute by nearly 76 per cent in the last 6 years. The first edition of Pariksha pe Charcha was in 2018  Home Minister Amit Shah pays tributes to Ramakrishna Paramhansa on his Birth Anniversary  Home Minister Amit Shah paid tributes to Ramakrishna Paramhansa on his Birth Anniversary.  Ramakrishna Paramhansa was one of the leading Hindu spiritual leaders in the 19th century.  He was born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay on February 18, 1836, in Kamarpukur, in Hooghly district of West Bengal.  Among his most famous disciples was Swami Vivekananda, who became famous across the world in his own right. Nitin Gadkari calls for 'all-round' efforts to reduce road accidents by 50 pct before 2025  Union Minister for Road Transport, Nitin Gadkari has called for all-round efforts by all stakeholders to ensure that deaths due to road accidents are reduced by 50 per cent before 2025.  The Minister informed this at inauguration of the Webinar series launched by International Road Federation, India Chapter, on the theme of “Road Safety Challenges in India & Preparation of an Action Plan.”  India stands at number one position in road accidents in the world, ahead of US and China.  India observed the Road Safety Month from 18th January 2021 to 17th February 2021 to build awareness on road safety issues.

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India has 1% of world’s vehicles, accounts for 11% accidents: World Bank  With only 1 per cent of the world’s vehicles, India accounts for 11 per cent of the global death in road accidents, the highest in the world, according to a report by the World Bank.  The country accounts for about 4.5 lakh road crashes per annum, in which 1.5 lakh people die.In the last decade, 13 lakh people died and another 50 lakh got injured on Indian roads.  The 2019 World Bank report, titled ‘Guide for Road Safety Opportunities and Challenges: Low- and Middle- Income Countries Country Profiles’, puts the road crash and serious injury cost estimate at 7.5 per cent of India’s GDP or Rs 12.9 lakh crore for 2016. It is more than twice the figure cited by the government at 3 per cent of GDP or Rs 4.3 lakh crore. Recykal becomes member of WEF’s Circulars Accelerator programme  Recykal, a digital ‘waste-commerce’ solutions provider, has been selected as the first member from India for The Circulars Accelerator Program 2021.  The Circulars Accelerator, led by Accenture, in partnership with Anglo American, Ecolab and Schneider Electric, and in collaboration with UpLink and the World Economic Forum, will connect industry leaders with 17 ground-breaking circular economy entrepreneurs to scale up disruptive, cross-sector value-chain innovation at an unprecedented pace.  Recykal’s unique, integrated approach marks India’s first digital waste-commerce (w-commerce) company that connects waste generators with waste processors and recyclers, and brand owners to solve some of the biggest challenges faced by the industry. More than 1 crore MSMEs registered in country over period of 5 years  Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry has informed that more than one crore two lakh MSMEs were registered in the country within five years.  In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Nitin Gadkari said that as per Udyog Portal a total of one crore two lakh 32 thousand 468 MSMEs were registered between 2015 to June 2020. Dharmendra Pradhan Participates in 11th IEA, IEF, OPEC Symposium  The 11th IEA-IEF-OPEC Symposium on Energy Outlooks was held virtually, under the patronage of the Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud.  From India, the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan, participated in the symposium. Headquarters -  International Energy Agency (IEA) headquarter – Paris,France  International Energy Forum (IEF) Secretariat – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – Vienna, Austria. Government launches pilot survey on drinking water in 10 cities  The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched a pilot survey to collect data on drinking water in 10 cities under the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban).  As part of the survey, ‘Pey Jal Survekshan’, data will also be collected on wastewater management and condition of water bodies in the cities.  As the first step, the ministry has decided to launch the survey in 10 cities, including Agra, Badlapur, Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala, Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur. Based on the learnings of the pilot, this survekshan (survey) will be extended to all the AMRUT cities.  Funding from the government for the project will be in three tranches of 20:40:40. The third instalment will be released based on functional outcomes achieved and credible exclusion will be exercised while funding.  The Government has proposed a total outlay of Rs 2.87 lakh crore for JJM (U) in fiscal 2021-22, which includes Rs. 10,000 crore for continuing financial support to AMRUT Mission. Aarogya Setu gets CoWIN app integration India’s Covid-19 tracing app Aarogya Setu has been integrated with the vaccine registration app CoWIN.This will users download their vaccination certificates and get other information about the vaccine drive from the Aarogya Setu app itself. TIFAC launches SAKSHAM portal and Seaweed Cultivation Mission The Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) have launched a job portal called SAKSHAM to map the skills of workers as required by the MSMEs. It also launched a Seaweed Cultivation Mission. About SAKSHAM Portal  TIFAC highlighted that the Saksham portal will help in eliminating the middlemen and labour contractors.  The portal will also help in the development of skill cards for ‘shramiks’ (workers).  This portal will also reduce the hardship of workers to find the jobs in nearby MSMEs.  Seaweed Cultivation Mission

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 The Seaweed Cultivation is also called as the kelp farming. It is the practice of cultivating and harvesting the seaweed. The process comprises of management of naturally found batches in the simplest form. While in the advanced form, the process comprises of fully controlling the life cycle of the algae.  As per the estimate of the department, if seaweed cultivation is done in 10 million hectares or in the 5% of the Exclusive Economic Zone area in India, it would help in providing employment to 50 million people.  Thus, with this objective, TIFAC will showcase a model, in collaboration with other in-line ministries, of the commercial farming of seaweeds and its processing. Seaweed Cultivation would help in boosting the economy. Govt to sell 20% stake in NFL  The government will sell 20% of its stake in National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL) through an offer for sale and has invited bids from merchant bankers for managing the share sale. The deadline for submitting the bids is March 2, 2021.  At the current market price, selling 20% stake can fetch about Rs 400 crore to the exchequer. Shares of NFL closed at Rs 41.80, up 2.33% over the previous close on the BSE. The government holds 74.71% stake in the company. Centre committed to bring natural gas under GST; plans to spend Rs 7.5 lakh cr on oil & gas infra: PM Modi  The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation of key projects of the oil and gas sector in Tamil Nadu via video conferencing.  Asserting that the central government is committed to bringing natural gas under the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that centre plans to spend Rs 7.5 lakh crore on creating oil and gas infrastructure over five years.  Prime Minister said that India will generate 40 per cent of all its energy from renewable sources by 2030.And also to increase the share of gas in our energy basket from 6.3 per cent currently to 15 per cent  Prime Minister dedicated the Ramanathapuram – Thoothukudi natural gas pipeline and Gasoline Desulphurisation Unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Manali.  He also laid the foundation stone of Cauvery Basin Refinery at Nagapattinam. Governor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas were present on the occasion. Centre clears 20 food processing projects worth Rs 363.4 cr  The Union Food Processing Industries Ministry has cleared 20 projects worth Rs 363.4 crore under two central government schemes.  The government will provide a grant-in-aid of Rs 102.91 crore for these projects, which together are expected to generate nearly 12,000 jobs and benefit 42,800 farmers, it said in a statement. 3 crore 53 lakh rural household provided tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission  The Jal Jeevan Mission has reached a new milestone by providing three crore 53 lakh rural household tap water connections. The mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 with the aim to provide tap water connection to every rural household by 2024.  Goa has become the first state in the country to provide 100 per cent tap water connection followed by Telangana. Government has made FASTag mandatory on the National Highways. All lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways were declared as FASTag lanes. As per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag, entering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza will have to pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category. President inaugurates Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal in President’s Estate  President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal in the President’s Estate which includes renovated Football Ground and Basketball Court.  On the occasion, an exhibition football match was played between the children of My Angels Academy, a trust working for the cause of underprivileged children. Civil Aviation Ministry allows – drones to Kochi Metro Rail Ltd  Civil Aviation Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation have granted permission for usage of drones to Kochi Metro Rail Limited, Kerala.  The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System is to be used for Integrated Urban Regeneration & Water Transport System Project.  The permission is valid till 31st December 2021 from the date of issue of the letter or until the full operationalization of Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1), whichever is earlier. Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar launches applications for five pan-India surveys  The importance of accurate data for policy making, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar launched software applications for five pan-India surveys, including on migrant and domestic workers.  The minister also released instruction manuals with questionnaires for the five pan-India surveys being conducted by the Labour Bureau.

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 These five surveys being undertaken by the Labour Bureau are — All-India Survey on Migrant workers, All- India Survey on Domestic Workers, All-India Survey on Employment Generated by Professionals, All-India Survey on Employment Generated in Transport Sector, and All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey. India becomes 1st country in world to identify need for action for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease  Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today said that India has become the first country in the world to identify the need for action for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.  He launched the operational guidelines for integration of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with the National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke.  The abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver in the absence of secondary causes of fatty liver is a serious health concern as it encompasses a spectrum of liver abnormalities. Nitin Gadkari inaugurates 50 artisan-based SFURTI clusters spread over 18 states  Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated 50 artisan-based SFURTI clusters spread over 18 States.  In these clusters, over 42 thousand artisans have been supported in the traditional segments of muslin, khadi, coir, handicraft, handlooms, wood craft, leather, pottery, carpet weaving, bamboo, agro processing, tea and others.  These clusters have been inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.  The MSME Ministry has funded 85 crore rupees for development of these SFURTI clusters.  The Center is implementing the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) to organize traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and increase their income. Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 launched  Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan has launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 (IMI 3.0). The aim of the mission is to expand immunization coverage across the country.  The Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 will have two rounds. Round 1 is starting on February 22 and Round 2 will start on March 22. Both rounds will be for 15 days each.  The rounds will be conducted in pre-identified 250 districts and urban areas across 29 States and UTs in the country.  The major focus of IMI 3.0 will be the children and pregnant women who have missed their vaccine doses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The beneficiaries will be identified and vaccinated during the two rounds.  This campaign will aim to achieve 90% Full Immunization in all districts of the country and strengthen the immunization system. DGCA gives necessary clearance to Kushinagar Airport  Aviation Regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given necessary clearance to Kushinagar Airport.  Kushinagar will be the third licensed international airport of Uttar Pradesh.  Kushinagar Airport will help boost tourism in the region and facilitate travel on Buddhist circuits. Government launches National Urban Digital Mission  The Central Government launched National Urban Digital Mission- NUDM with an aim to create a digital infrastructure for the Indian cities.  According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, the step will institutionalize an ecosystem-driven and a citizen-centric approach to Urban governance and service delivery in cities by the year 2022, and across all the towns and cities of the country by 2024.  The National Urban Digital Mission was launched at a virtual event by the Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad and the Minister of Union Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri.  Some other key initiatives including India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), SmartCode, Smart Cities 2.0 website, and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) — were unveiled during the ‘National Urban Digital Mission’ (NUDM) launch. NDA government's flagship programme PM KISAN completes two years  The second anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM KISAN was observed on 24 February 2021.  The Scheme was formally launched in the year 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.  PM KISAN was started with a view to augment the income of the farmers by providing income support to all landholding farmers’ families across the country.

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 Under the PM KISAN Scheme, an amount of 6000 rupees per year is transferred in three installments of 2000 rupees directly into the bank accounts of the farmers.  The Scheme initially provided income support to all Small and Marginal Farmers’ families across the country, holding cultivable land upto 2 hectares. Centre kicks off 'Go Electric' campaign to promote e-mobility awareness, adoption  The Union government launched the 'Go Electric' campaign to spread awareness about the benefits of e- mobility and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in India.  Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, is mandated to undertake an awareness drive for promoting public charging, e-mobility and its ecosystem. Jal Shakti Ministry announces 12 iconic sites for transforming them into Swachh Tourist Destinations  The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Jal Shakti Ministry has announced the selection of 12 iconic sites that will be transformed into ‘Swachh Tourist Destinations’ under Phase IV of Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G).  The project is being coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation of Jal Shakti Ministry in association with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and the concerned State/UT governments.  These sites include Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Jaisalmer Fort and Ramdevra in Rajasthan, Golconda Fort in Telangana and Konark Sun Temple in Odisha.  Chandigarh's Rock Garden, Jammu and Kashmir's Dal Lake, Banke Bihari Temple in Mathura, Agra Fort in Uttar Pradesh and Kalighat Temple in West Bengal are the other sites.  The Swachh Iconic Places initiative is focused on cleaning up 100 places across India that are “iconic” due to their heritage, religious or cultural significance. DGCA allows flight operators to give concessions in ticket prices to travellers who carry no baggage  Directorate General of Civil Aviation, DGCA has allowed domestic flight operators to give concessions in ticket prices to travellers who carry no baggage or only cabin baggage.  At present, a traveller can carry up to 7 kilograms of cabin baggage and 15 kilograms of check-in baggage without having to pay any additional cost.  The new rule will allow airline operators to provide tickets at lesser prices to those who opt to travel with no baggage or only with cabin baggage within the permissible weight limit.  The airlines will however have to prominently display the additional charges applicable in case the passenger turns up with extra baggage. IWAI inks pact with MOL for transportation of LPG through inland waterways  A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Inland Waterways Authority of India and the MOL (Asia Oceania) Limited for transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas through barges on National Waterways-1 and National Waterways-2.  The Inland Waterways Authority will provide support for, facilitating with adequate fairway, handling of LPG cargo on IWAI terminals or Multimodal Terminals at Haldia, Sahibganj and Varanasi.  NW1: Prayagraj-Haldia stretch of the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River.  NW2: Sadiya-Dhubri stretch of Brahmaputra River EC announces schedule for Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry  Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be held between 27th March to 29th April.  The counting of votes in all the four states and one Union Territory will take place on 2nd May.  The assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be held in a single phase on 6th April.  In West Bengal, the polling will be held in eight phases on 27th March, 1st, 6th, 10th, 17th, 22nd, 26th and 29th April.  Assam will go to polls in three phases on 27th March, 1st and 6th April. West Bengal assembly seats: 294 Assam assembly seats: 126 Tamil Nadu assembly seats: 234 Kerala assembly seats: 140 Puducherry assembly seats: 30 India recorded $1422 mn FDI inflow from UK in 2019-20: Grant Thornton report The FDI inflow from the UK to India has increased from $898 million in 2015- 16 to $1,422 million in 2019-20, according to Grant Thornton Bharat’s Britain Meets India report.The report prepared in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and with the support of the UK’s Department of observes the latest trends on the UK investments in India.Maharashtra has come out as the top investment destination for UK companies, followed by Haryana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka.

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President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates world's largest cricket arena; Sardar Patel stadium renamed to Narendra Modi stadium  President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad’s Motera. Known earlier as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, the rebuilt stadium can house 1,32,000 people, 10,000 more than Melbourne Cricket Ground, which was the largest earlier.  The stadium in Ahmedabad has been built at an estimated cost of Rs. 800 crores and is constructed by Larson & Toubro.  Narendra Modi Cricket stadium- that spreads across over 63 acres of land has three entrances. It has 76 air- conditioned corporate boxes with a seating capacity of 25 each. It has an Olympic-size swimming pool and four dressing rooms, a parking area that can accommodate around 3000 cars and 10000 two-wheelers.  The stadium has a clubhouse with 55 rooms, gymnasium, indoor practice pitches and food courts. Instead of flood lights, LED lights have been installed on the roof of Motera stadium. Common Service Centres to be integrated with e-daakhil portal to facilitate rural consumers E-Daakhil portal for Consumer grievance redressal is now operational in 15 States and Union Territories. Consumer Affairs Ministry said, the e-daakhil portal empowers the consumer and their advocates to file the consumer complaints along with payment of requisite fees online from anywhere for the redressal of their complaints. INTERNATIONAL NEWS 2020 worst year for global tourism: UNWTO In accordance with the latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN-WTO) “World Tourism Barometer”, the year 2020 was the “worst year on record” as global tourism suffered adversely due to international travel bans implemented to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. International arrivals dropped by 74% with an estimated US$1,3 trillion revenue loss. UK to join Asia-Pacific free trade pact CPTPP  The UK government has announced that it is applying to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), one of the world's largest free-trade areas made up of 11 developed and emerging economies in the Pacific.  Joining the CPTPP reflects the UK's post-Brexit Pacific tilt and is dubbed as a critical part of the Prime Minister Boris Johnson led government's wider trade strategy, which aims to deepen links with faster-growing parts of the world and partnering with countries who believe in free and fair trade, including India.  CPTPP trade agreement formed in 2018 which includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and . UK opens visa scheme for Hong Kong residents to become citizens Residents of Hong Kong can apply for a new visa offering them an opportunity to become British citizens as the United Kingdom opens its doors to those wanting to escape China’s crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous city. Aung San Suu Kyi detained as army grabs power in Myanmar  Myanmar’s military seized power in a bloodless coup detaining democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and imposing a one-year state of emergency.  The intervention ended a decade of transition from outright military rule in Myanmar, with the generals justifying the power grab by alleging fraud in the November elections that Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won in a landslide. World’s First ‘Energy Island’ to be built by Denmark in North Sea The Government of Denmark has approved a project to build the world’s first energy island, in the North Sea that will produce and store enough green energy to meet the electricity needs of three million households in European countries. South Korea to Build World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm  President Jae-in-led, South Korea Government has approved a plan to build the world’s largest wind power plant in the country by 2030. Currently, the world’s largest offshore wind farm is Hornsea 1 in Britain, which has 1.12 GW capacity.  The project will help to foster an environmentally-friendly recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and fasten the step to achieve the target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.  The estimated cost of the project is 48.5 trillion won ($43.2 billion).  The Windpower Plant will be located in the southwestern coastal town of Sinan. It will have a maximum capacity of 8.2 gigawatts.

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Square Kilometre Array Observatory launched  The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), a new intergovernmental organisation, has been launched. It is the world’s second intergovernmental organisation to be dedicated to radio astronomy.  Its headquarters have been set up in the United Kingdom.  French-born Dr Catherine Cesarsky has been appointed as the first Chair of the SKAO Council.  The construction of the first phase of the SKA is estimated to be completed by 2027.  The organisation hopes to get Early Science verification results by 2025. 14th International Children’s Film festival concludes in Bangladesh  The 14th International Children’s Film Festival of Bangladesh (ICFFB) came to an end in Dhaka  Films from Bangladesh, India, Armenia, US, UK, Ireland, Japan and China among others were shown in the course of the festival  Best International Feature Film Award: Jackie and Oopjen (Dutch Film)  The Best Director award: Ani Oganesyan for his film Stork’s Nest from Armenia  Bangladeshi Maati got The Young Talent Award  Lottery won the Special mention under the Young Talent Award US government moves to rejoin UN Human Rights Council  The United States President Joe Biden has moved to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council- UNHRC three years after the former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the global body. This move is another reversal by Biden of Trump’s administration.  The Trump administration had withdrawn from the world’s most significant human rights body in 2018 over what Trump and his allies called unfair targeting of Israel. Reversing other decisions of former US President, Joe Biden has also joined the World Health Organisation and Paris Climate Accord which the Trump administration withdrew from while he was in office. China as Largest Trading Partner of European Union  China as Largest Trading Partner of European Union  India’s neighbour country China has overtaken the United States and becomes the biggest trading partner of the European Union (EU) in 2020. This data has bee shared by the European Union statistics agency, Eurostat.  Followed by, the United States and Britain has been as 2nd and 3rd biggest trading partner of the European Union (EU) in 2020 US extends New START Nuclear Arms Control Treaty with Russia for five years  United States has extended the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) nuclear arms control treaty with Russia for five years. Announcing the move, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it made the world safer. He said an unconstrained nuclear competition would endanger us all.  The treaty had been set to lapse on 5 February, as the Trump administration had refused to approve the extension. Now the pact has been extended to 5th February 2026.  The treaty, which first went into effect in 2011, limits the United States and Russia to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads each and imposes restrictions on the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them. China celebrates Lunar New Year China is celebrating Lunar New Year as it ushered into the Year of the Ox. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals, also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. Iraq invites 52 countries to monitor elections  The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of Iraq has sent invitations to embassies of 52 countries to monitor the country’s elections slated to take place on 10th of October this year.  IHEC Spokeswoman Jumana al-Ghalai said that the Commission’s law allows the recruitment of international observers to monitor the election process to ensure its transparency. ‘Pahela Phagun’ spring festival celebrated in Bangladesh The first day of the spring called ‘Pahela Phagun’ was celebrated in Dhaka, Bangladesh despite the continued shadow of Corona pandemic in the country. Biden Officially Cancels Funding Of US-Mexico Border Wall, Ends Emergency In South US President Joe Biden Canceled funding for the US-Mexico border wall, one of the most ambitious projects of his predecessor Donald Trump.The newly minted President stressed upon his decision to block all the funding that was directed to the concrete wall. Facebook blocks Australian users from sharing or viewing news content  Facebook has blocked Australian users from sharing or viewing news content on the platform, causing alarm over public access to key information.  Several government health, emergency and other pages were also blocked. Later the tech giant asserted it was a mistake.  Those outside of Australia are also unable to read or access any Australian news publications on the platform.

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Bangladesh Supreme Court launches AI based translation software ‘Amar Vasha’  The Bangladesh Supreme Court launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) based translation software ‘Amar Vasha’ through a virtual event.  The software will translate orders and judgements of the Supreme Court from English to Bangla.  The Software has been developed with ‘EkStep’ foundation of India. It is based on their ‘Anuvaad’ translation software used in India to translate from English to Indian languages including Bangla.  Anuvaad was deployed by the Supreme Court of India as SUVAS (Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software) from November 2019. France Passes Anti-radicalism Bill The French Parliament has approved an Anti-radicalism Bill in a bid to fight the Islamic radicalism. The bill would strengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists and ensure respect for French values, one of President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark projects. Prime Minister Hasina hands over Ekushey Padak 2021 in Dhaka  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the prestigious Ekushey Padak 2021 to 21 eminent persons of Bangladesh in Dhaka.  The awards were given on the eve of ‘Amar Ekushey’ day which is celebrated on February 21 to honour the martyrs of the language movement of Bangladesh.  Ekushey Padak is the second highest civilian award of Bangladesh.  Introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952, it is given annually to personalities for their outstanding contribution in various fields. US officially re-joins Paris climate agreement overturning Donald Trump's decision to exit  The United States has officially rejoined the Paris Agreement.  The work to reduce US emissions has already begun, and we will waste no time in engaging our partners around the world to build our global resilience.  President Biden plans to host a climate summit of world leaders on Earth Day, April 22, where he will roll out the US' goal for reductions of carbon emissions by 2030 -- known as the nationally determined contribution under the Paris accord. The goal of the Paris Agreement  To curtail the rise of global temperature this century below 2-degree Celsius, above pre-industrial levels; and also pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees celsius.  Develop mechanisms to help and support countries that are very vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. An example would be countries like the Maldives facing threat due to sea-level rise.  Confirms the obligation that developed countries have towards developing countries, by providing them financial and technological support. The agreement talks about 20/20/20 targets, i.e.  emissions reductions by 20%,  Work on increasing the renewable energy market share by 20%  Target to increase energy efficiency by 20% Russian Scientists have detected the first case of transmission of Avian Flu to humans  Russia has said that its scientists have detected the first case of transmission of the H5N8 strain of Avian Flu to humans and ed the World Health Organization in this regard.  The head of Russia's health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova said that information about the world's first case of transmission of the Avian Flu (H5N8) to humans has already been sent to the World Health Organization.  Highly contagious strain H5N8 is lethal for birds but it has never been reported before to have spread to humans. Saudi Arabia women can join armed forces in latest widening of rights  Saudi Arabia has opened up the armed forces for Women.Saudi Arabian women can be employed as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants.  This move aims to increase the rights of women in the country.The plan to allow women in the armed forces was first announced in the year 2019. President Xi Jinping declares complete victory in eradicating poverty in China President Xi Jinping declared that China has scored a “complete victory” in its fight against poverty by lifting over 770 million people out of it in the last four decades. China celebrates traditional ‘Lantern Festival’  China is celebrating its traditional Lantern festival.Celebrated on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month, the Lantern Festival traditionally marks the end of the Chinese New Year also known as ‘Spring Festival’ period.  In 2021, China ushered into Lunar New Year - the ‘Year of the Ox’ on 12th February.

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 The Lantern Festival is also the first full moon night in the Chinese calendar, marking the return of spring and symbolizing the reunion of family. Israel launches green pass for people with vaccination certificate  Israel has launched a coronavirus “green pass” system, which allows people who have been vaccinated to access public facilities that would otherwise be off limits.  Israelis who have gotten both Pfizer vaccine shots and those who have recovered from the virus get a “Green Pass” certificate in the form of a QR code or printout for people without smart phones.  The pass allows entry to gyms, swimming pools, hotels, entertainment venues and sporting events. Restaurants and bars will be added to the list since March. BILATERAL India to gift COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring countries under “Vaccine ”  India to gift COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring countries. Recently, Sri Lanka and Bahrain have received the COVID-19 vaccines from India under the initiative. The Vaccine Maitri initiative was launched by India on January 20 to gift COVID-19 vaccines to neighbouring countries.Under Scheme India Airlifted COVID vaccines to 10 countries, will gradually supply to WHO’s COVAX facility.  The 7 countries are-  Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius and Seychelles.  Commercial supplies of Covishield -  Morocco (2 million doses), Brazil (2 million doses) and Bangladesh (5 million doses). Mexico receives shipment of 870,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from India Mexico received a shipment of 870,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine from India.Mexico, which has one of the world's highest coronavirus death tolls, started vaccinating healthcare workers in December but struggled to hit its targets amid global shortages and delays of Pfizer's vaccine. India sends COVID-19 vaccine to Mongolia  In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, India has sent 13 boxes of COVID-19 vaccine to Mongolia.  The vaccine was sent from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai to Mongolia.  25 nations across the world have already received Made in India vaccines and 49 more countries will be supplied in the coming days, ranging from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean to Africa, South-East Asia and the Pacific Islands. Ghana becomes 1st country to receive Coronavirus vaccines through Covax vaccine-sharing initiative  The western African country Ghana has become the first country to receive Coronavirus vaccines through the Covax vaccine-sharing initiative.  Around six lakhs doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and produced by the Serum Institute of India arrived in Ghana's Capital Accra.  Covax is aiming to deliver about two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines globally by the end of the year. Prakash Javadekar Launches 2021 as Indo-French Year of the Environment  Minister for Environment,Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar and Ms Barbara Pompili, the French Minister for Ecological Transition launched the Indo-French Year of the Environment in New Delhi.  The basic objective is to strengthen Indo-French cooperation in sustainable development, increase the effectiveness of actions in favor of global environment protection and give them greater visibility. Nepal awarded contract for construction of 679 mega watt Lower Arun Hydropower Project to India’s Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN)  State-owned SJVN Ltd has bagged a 679 MW hydro electric project in Nepal.  The Nepalese government has allotted 679 MW Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project in Nepal to SJVN through international competitive bidding.  The Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project is located in Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur districts of Nepal. On completion, the project will generate 3,561 million units of electricity per annum.  SJVN is already constructing 900 MW Arun 3 HEP (hydro projects) in Nepal and 217km 400 kV associated transmission system.  With addition of Lower Arun Hydro Electric Project to its kitty, SJVN portfolio now stands at 8960.5 MW.  SJVN’s present installed capacity is 2016.51 MW and aims to be 5000 MW company by 2023, 12000 MW Company by 2030 and 25000 MW Company by 2040.

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India-Bahrain holds first Joint Working Group meeting in the field of Renewable Energy The first India-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting in the field of Renewable Energy was held in virtual format on February 04, 2021, for promoting bilateral cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy.The Indian delegation was led by Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. First India-EU High-Level Dialogue On Trade, Investment Held  The first High-Level Dialogue (HLD), co-chaired by the Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and the European Union Executive Vice-President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, was held on Feb 05, 2021.  Commitment to the establishment of this Dialogue was a major outcome of the 15th India-EU Leaders Summit held in July 2020. India and Afghanistan Inks MoU for the construction of the Lalandar “Shatoot” Dam India and Afghanistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding MoU over video-teleconferencing (VTC), for the construction of the Shahtoot Dam (Lalander Dam) on a tributary of the Kabul river in Afghanistan. The project, which costs nearly $ 300 million, is a part of the New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan. Cabinet approves Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement between India and Mauritius The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius.The India-Mauritius CECPA is the first trade agreement to be signed by India with an African country. Foreign Ministers of India, Australia, Japan and US to meet to discuss free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region  The Third India-Australia-Japan-USA QUAD Foreign Minister's Meeting will be held with the participation of the respective Foreign Ministers.  The QUAD meeting provides an opportunity to continue the useful exchange of views from their last meeting in Tokyo in October last year. AIM kick-starts India-Australia Circular Economy Hackathon 2021  AIM(Atal Innovation Mission) and Australia’s national science agency (CSIRO) kick-started the India- Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon, 2021 with the goal to enable talented innovative students and start-ups from Australia and India to address common national issues through innovative technology solutions.  The concept of I-ACE joint Hackathon originated in the virtual bilateral summit between the and the Hon. Prime Minister of Australia, held on June 4th, 2020 where they committed to joint circular economy innovation initiatives between the two countries. India to fund USD 50M for restoration of 3 cultural heritage projects in Nepal  India will provide Nepalese Rupees(NR) 142 million to Nepal for the restoration and conservation of three cultural heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley.  The projects are being implemented under USD 50 million grant assistance committed by India for post- earthquake reconstruction of the cultural heritage sites across eight districts of Nepal.  The agreements were signed by the Project Director of CLPIU (Building) of National Reconstruction Authority and Contractors for conservation and retrofitting of Seto Machindranath Temple, construction of Dharamshala at Budhaneelkantha and conservation and development of Kumari Home in Lalitpur district. Brazilian, Indian startup in ISRO’s first mission in 2021 on Feb 28  In its first mission in 2021, India’s space agency ISRO planned to launch on February 28 Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 and three Indian payloads, including one built by a home-grown start-up.  The satellites are slated to be launched on board the Polar (PSLV) C-51 at 10.28 am from the Sriharikota spaceport, over 100 kms from Chennai.  PSLV – C51/Amazonia – 1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India company under the .  Secretary in the Department of Space and Chairman of Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) K Sivan confirmed the PSLV-C51 schedule to PTI.  Amazonia – 1 is the primary payload on board ISRO’s PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket.  ‘Anand’ is built by Indian space startup, , and ‘ Satellite’ by Chennai-based Space Kidz India.  UNITYsat is a combination of three satellites designed and built as a joint development by Jeppiaar Institute of Technology, Sriperumbudur (JITsat), G.H.Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur (GHRCEsat) and Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore (Sri Shakthi Sat).  “PSLV – C51 marks the launch of the country’s first commercial private remote-sensing satellite (Anand) on an ISRO PSLV rocket.

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India, Nepal sign MoU – reconstruction of secondary schools in Himalayan Nation  India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the reconstruction of six secondary schools in the Himalayan nation.  The MoU was signed between the Indian Embassy and Nepal’s Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Education) of Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA).  The MoU was for the construction of six secondary schools at a total cost of Nepali Rupees 518 million, according to a statement by the Indian Embassy. India, Ethiopia sign agreements on visa facilitation & leather technology  India and Ethiopia signed two agreements related to visa facilitation and leather technology.  The agreements were signed in the presence of Ethiopia Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.  The two ministers agreed to expand India and Ethiopia bilateral agenda especially defence, economic, S&T, digital and cultural cooperation. Siliguri-Dhaka train service to start on Independence Day of Bangladesh  The new Passenger train service between India and Banglades startd from 26th of March.Independence Day of Bangladesh is observed on 26 March every year.  The train will leave NJP on every Thursday and Monday while it will depart from Dhaka on Friday and Thursday.  The Haldibari-Chilahati (in Bangladesh) train route was opened after a gap of 55 years for goods trains on 17th of December last year.  The passenger train between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka will take the same route.  Haldibari, which is on the India-Bangladesh border, is in Cooch Behar district of the state, while Chilahati is the first station on the other side of the border, located in the Nilphamari district of the neighbouring country. Indian company ‘Omega Seik’ to set up electric vehicle plant in Bangladesh An Indian company Omega Seiki will set up an electric vehicle plant in Bangladesh.The manufacturing unit will be set up near Dhaka with an investment of Rs. 100 crore.It is the first project of any Indian company producing Electrical vehicles in the international market. India signs 50 million dollar Defence line of Credit agreement with Maldives Reaffirming its commitment for overall development and security of its maritime neighbour, India has signed a 50 million dollar Line of Credit agreement in defence sector with the Maldives.India also extended a new line of credit of US dollar 40 million for the development of new sports infrastructure in the Maldives. Indian Oil signs pact with Greenstat Norway for hydrogen fuel  Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has signed a Statement of Intent with Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Greenstat Norway, to set up a Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen.  This association aims to develop a Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen (CoE-H) including CCUS and Fuel Cells by IndianOil and M/s Greenstat for clean energy in cooperation with Indo-Norwegian Hydrogen Cluster companies/organizations. India, Australia, and France hold trilateral dialogue with Indo-Pacific in focus  With a focus on better coordination on Indo-Pacific, a trilateral meet was held among India, France, and Australia at the senior officials’ level.  The three sides had held the first Foreign Secretary-level Trilateral Dialogue in September of 2020. All three countries are key supports of the Indo-Pacific vision.The Indian side was led by Joint Secretary (Europe West) in MEA, Sandeep Chakravorty.  Other key focus areas were greater maritime domain awareness of Indo Pacific countries, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, oil spill management, and disaster resilience of small island states INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL SUMMIT Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahotsav’  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate Aadi Mahotsav, a National Tribal Festival at Dilli Haat in INA in the National Capital.It will continue till 15th Feb.

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 Aadi Mahotsav – A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Crafts, Cuisine and Commerce is a successful annual initiative that was commenced in 2017.  The festival was an attempt to familiarise the people with the rich and diverse craft, culture of the tribal communities across the country, in one place. Smriti Irani inaugurates India International Silk Fair  Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the 8th India International Silk Fair on Virtual Portal.  India is the 2nd largest producer of Silk.  India is the only country in the world which produces all the four major varieties of silk – Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga. Ministry of Education launched ASEAN India Hackathon 2021  The Union Education Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has addressed the inaugural ceremony of the ASEAN India Hackathon 2021 on February 1. The Ministry of Education has launched the ASEAN India Hackathon 2021.  The ASEAN India Hackathon 2021 is being conducted virtually from February 1 to 3, 2021. The 10 ASEAN countries are- Malaysia, , Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.  This unique hackathon presents opportunities for India and all the 10 ASEAN countries to improve and strengthen their economic and cultural ties through cooperation in science and technology and education. Aero India 2021 Begins in Bengaluru  The Aero India 2021 event, country’s premier aerospace and defence exhibition, kick-started at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru.  The Conclave inaugurated by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath  The 13th edition of the international event touted as the world’s first-ever hybrid aero and defence show will see several aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF), Army, Navy, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), and the Coast Guard participating in the show.  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited would exhibit its Aatmanirbhar Formation Flight. Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) Conclave Organised at Bengaluru Raksha Mantri, Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the ‘Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) Conclave’ at Air Force Station Yelahanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Air Chief Marshal: Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria. India hosts Indian Ocean Region Defence Ministers’ Conclave  India will host Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ Conclave on the sidelines of Aero India 2021.  The broad theme of the conclave is ‘Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean’.  The conclave is an initiative to promote dialogue in an institutional, economic and cooperative environment that can foster the development of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region. PM Modi at World Sustainable Development Summit 2021  PM Modi virtually inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit on February 10, 2021.  The event was attended by the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar; President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali; Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Honourable James Marape; Speaker of the People’s Majlis, Republic of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed and Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations Amina J Mohammed.  The 20th edition of the World Sustainable Summit, a flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI), held online from February 10-12.  The theme of the World Sustainable Development Summit 2021 is ‘Redefining our common future: Safe and secure environment for all’. National Horticulture Fair 2021 begins  The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Kailash Choudhry has inaugurated the National Horticulture Fair (NHF) 2021 on February 08, 2021, in Bengaluru via virtual mode.  The five-day-long event has been organised by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), from February 8 to February 12 at its IIHR campus situated in Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru.  The theme of NHF 2021 is ‘Horticulture for Start-Up and Stand-Up India’. 6th edition of ‘Indian Pharma & India Medical Device 2021. The total market size of the Indian pharma industry is expected to reach $130 billion by 2030. The medical devices industry in India has the potential to grow at 28 percent per annum to reach $50 billion by 2025. India has been serving more than 200 countries with its pharma products and will continue to discharge its responsibilities. Centre for Land Warfare Studies organises Indian Army National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named Divya- Drishti 202  Indian Army National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named as Divya-Drishti 202 on Multi-Domain Operations: Future of Conflicts was organised by Centre for Land Warfare Studies, CLAWS.

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 Divya-Drishti 2021, meaning divine or cognitive perception required for an informed vision, aimed to bring together national and international experts and practitioners to deliberate on the complex and emerging subject on multi-domain operations. 3-Days Annual Convention of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India  Tourism & Culture Minister Mr Prahlad Singh Patel starts the 10th Annual Convention-cum-Exhibition of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) at the Statue of Unity (SOU) in Kevadia, Gujarat.  The main purpose of this is to create public confidence to travel for the revival of domestic tourism in the country.  The three-day event starts on 12th February and will end on 14th February 2021.  The Tourism Ministry organized this event in the collaboration with ADTOI and Gujarat Tourism. 11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav starts in West Bengal  11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav has been inaugurated by Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar (West Bengal’s Governor). he begins Mahotsav at Cooch Behar Palace at Cooch Behar.  The 11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav will be conducted from 14th February to 28th February in West Bengal. India host workshop on ‘COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward’  India hosted a workshop on ‘COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward’.  Ten countries - India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka will participate.  The Health Secretary of India will chair the event. 11th World PetroCoal Congress and World Future Fuel Summit organised in Delhi  The joint conferences of the 11th World PetroCoal Congress and World Future Fuel Summit was organised in New Delhi on February.  Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan highlighted the increase in LPG coverage from 56 per cent to nearly 99.5 per cent in less than seven years.  He also mentioned that to reduce vehicular pollution, the country leapfrogged from BS-4 to BS-6 emission standards from April 2020. PM Modi to address NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum  Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum, NTLF through video conferencing.  The 29th edition of NTLF is being organized from 17th to 19th February.  It is the flagship event of the National Association of Software and Service Companies, NASSCOM.  The theme of this year's event is 'Shaping the future towards a better normal'.  Chairman of NASSCOM: UB Pravin Rao Minority Affairs Ministry organized 26th Hunar Haat in New Delhi  Minority Affairs Ministry is organising 26th Hunar Haat of indigenous artisans and craftsmen from across the country at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.  The Hunar Haat organised with the theme of Vocal for Local from 20th February to 1st March this year. Taj Mahotsav – Observed on 18 February to 27 February  Taj Mahotsav has been celebrated successfully since 1992 in Agra in the month of February for ten days, from 18th February to 27th February in Shilpgram, Near Taj Mahal, Agra.  Organized by:Department of Tourism, Government of India  2021 Theme: Together in the diverse culture Pune International Centre to co-chair this year’s Asia Economic Dialogue  The Pune International Centre will co-chair this year’s Asia Economic Dialogue that.  The dialogue will be addressed by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and his counterparts from Japan, Australia, Maldives, Mauritius and Bhutan.  The conference under the theme of ‘The post-COVID global trade and finance dynamics’ will begin with an inaugural session on ‘Resilient global growth in the post-pandemic world’. 2nd edition of Global Bio-India to be organised from 1st to 3rd March  To showcase the strength and opportunities of the India’s biotechnology sector at national level and to the global community, the second edition of Global Bio-India will be organised from 1st to 3rd March.  The theme for this year is Transforming lives and tag line Biosciences to Bioeconomy.  Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will inaugurate the event virtually.  Global Bio-India is one of the largest biotechnology stakeholders’ conglomerates that is being co-organised by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.  Global Bio-India 2021 is expected to have representatives from more than 50 countries with Switzerland being the partner country and Karnataka as its state partner till date.

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PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate Second Edition of ‘Maritime India Summit’ in March 2021  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the virtual Maritime India Summit (MIS) 2021, from March 2 to 4, 2021.  The ‘Maritime India Summit 2021’ is the flagship initiative of the Union Ministry of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Government of India.  FICCI is the industry partner for the summit.  The theme of the event is “Exploring the potential business opportunities in Indian Maritime sector and making Aatmanirbhar Bharat”. Saras Aajeevika Mela, bringing rural women SHGs under one platform, opens at Noida Haat  The Saras Aajeevika Mela 2021 is underway at Noida Haat.  The fair was inaugurated by Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.  It will continue till 14th March. More than 300 rural self-help groups and craftsman from 27 states are participating in the Mela which is being run by the Ministry of Rural Development. Piyush Goyal addresses the 6th International Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices  The 6th edition of International Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Device sector was inaugurated by Union Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, and Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Shri Piyush Goyal.  The conference which includes INDIA PHARMA 2021 & INDIA MEDICAL DEVICE 2021 is organised every year by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, along with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).  The theme of India Pharma 2021 is : ‘Indian Pharma Industry: “Future is Now”.The theme of India Medical Device 2021 is “India MedTech Future: Innovate & Make in India through Global Alliance”. Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurates International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium  Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has inaugurated the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium in New Delhi.  The theme of the symposium is “Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins”. More than 300 delegates from across the country and abroad will participate in the Symposium.  The symposium has been organised by the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) in Hybrid format, in collaboration with Central Water Commission (CWC), Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP) and National Hydrology Project (NHP). BioAsia 2021 held online with theme ‘Move the Needle  Call it the Covid-19 effect if you will, but the pandemic has put the spotlight firmly on vaccine capital Hyderabad and the biggest beneficiary of this attention seems to have been annual lifesciences and healthcare conclave BioAsia, the 18th edition held online.  BioAsia, 2021, being held on the theme ‘Move the Needle’. Participation from around 30,000 life sciences professionals, one and a half times the number of participants (20,000) it saw in all these 17 years. India Hosts First Meeting of BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies Under Its Chairship  India hosted a meeting of BRICS finance and central bank deputies and shared priorities under financial cooperation agenda with the grouping of developing countries.  This was the first meeting on the BRICS Financial Cooperation under India Chairship in 2021.  It was co-chaired by Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj and RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra. RANKING AND INDEX India ranks 10th in Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index  India ranked 10th out of 11 Asia Pacific countries in a newly-launched health index to measure the progress towards personalised healthcare.  Overall, Singapore has topped the index. It is followed by Taiwan (2nd), Japan (3rd) and Australia (4th).  Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report "Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index” Maharashtra tops 2nd India Justice Report for delivering justice to people  Maharashtra once again at the top of the 18 Large and Mid-sized states (with population of over one crore each), followed by Tamil Nadu (2019: 3rd), Telangana (2019: 11th) Punjab (2019: 4th) and Kerala (2019: 2nd).  The India Justice Report (IJR) is an initiative of Tata Trusts in collaboration with Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS–Prayas, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and How India Lives.

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India slips two positions to 53rd spot in EIU’s Democracy Index  India slipped two places to 53rd position in the 2020 Democracy Index’s global ranking, according to Intelligence Unit.  Norway topped the report titled “Democracy in sickness and in health?”, with Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada making up the top five. UP’s Shrawasti tops Niti Aayog aspirational district ranking in December  Shrawasti in Uttar Pradesh has topped in the ranking of aspirational districts by government think tank Niti Aayog in December 2020.Dhalai (Tripura) and Garhwa (Jharkhand) have been placed at the second and the third positions, respectively.  The rankings took into account incremental progress made by over 112 aspirational districts across six developmental areas in December 2020. AWARD Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021 The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021 were announced, to honour the best in Indian cinema, television, music, and OTT. Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput was posthumously awarded ‘Critics Best Actor’ for his performance in Dil Bechara. List of 2021 awards: Best Actor (Female) – Deepika Padukone, Chhapaak Best Actor (Male) – Akshay Kumar, Laxmii. Critic’s Best Actress – Kiara Advani, Guilty Critic’s Best Actor – Sushant Singh Rajput Best Film – Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior Best International Feature Film – Parasite Most Versatile Actor – Kay Kay Menon Best Director – Anurag Basu, Ludo Best Actor (Web Series) – Bobby Deol, Aashram Best Actress (Web Series) – Sushmita Sen, Aarya Best Web Series – Scam: 1992 Album of the Year – Titliyaan Best Television Series – Kundali Bhagya Photographer of the Year – Daboo Ratnani Performer of the Year – Nora Fatehi Outstanding Contribution to Film Industry – Dharemendra Outstanding Contribution to Literature in Indian Cinema – Chetan Bhagat AR Rahman and social activist from Saidapet Hari Krishnan win awards for being Good Samaritans Music composer AR Rahman and social activist from Saidapet Hari Krishnan were among the 14 people who were presented the fourth edition of the Alert Being Awards 2020 by the NGO ALERT, for their Good Samaritan work. Indian Documentary ‘Writing With Fire’ Wins Audience Award At Sundance Film Festival “Writing with Fire”, an Indian film chronicling the rise of Khabar Lahariya, India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women, has won the audience award in the World Cinema Documentary category at the Sundance Film Festival 2021. 17-year-old Robert Irwin wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 for bushfire image Australia's Robert Irwin has been awarded the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award 2020 for his drone image of Bushfire in northern Australia. The 17-year-old is the son of Australian wildlife conservationist and icon, the late Steve Irwin. “Koozhangal” Wins Tiger Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival 2021 The Tamil film “Koozhangal” has won “Tiger” award, at the 50th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021. The Tiger award is the top honour of the festival, given for best film. Koozhangal (meaning Pebbles) has been Produced by Nayanthara and directed by Vinod Raj PS. India’s ‘Pebbles’ Wins Top Prize At International Film Festival Rotterdam Indian Tamil language film “Pebbles”, directed by filmmaker Vinothraj PS, has won the top honour, the Tiger Award for best film, at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Bengaluru Airport Bags ACI World’s ‘Voice Of The Customer’ Award  The Bangalore International Airport Limited’s (BIAL) or Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru has bagged global recognition from the Airports Council International World’s ‘Voice of the Customer’ award.

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 The ‘Voice of the Customer’ recognises airports that continued to prioritise their customers and remained committed to ensuring that their voice was heard during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.  BLR Airport has made significant efforts in gathering passenger feedback through ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme and this helped better understand the customers and demonstrate BIAL’s commitment towards delivering a superior customer experience under trying circumstances.  Under the #WeAreHereForYou umbrella of BIAL, various campaigns were launched to spread the message and rebuild passenger confidence in air travel following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020. SERB announces Women Excellence Award 2021 in Science on the International Day of Women  The SERB Women Excellence Award was announced on the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021.  The SERB Women Excellence Award that has been conferred on them provides a grant of 15 lakhs for a period of three years to the awardees to pursue their research ideas.  The award given by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) supporting basic research in the frontier areas of science and engineering, was launched in the year 2013.  It is a one-time award given to women scientists below 40 years of age who have received recognition from any one or more of the National Academies such as Young Scientist Medal, Young Associateship, etc. List of winners Shobhna Kapoor, Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, working in the area of Chemical Biology with expertise in ‘Host-Pathogen Interactions and Membrane Biology, Chemical Biology and Biophysics’ Antara Banerjee, Scientist B National Institute For Research In Reproductive Health, Mumbai, Maharashtra from the Health Sciences area with expertise in Signal Transduction, Biology of Reproduction and Endocrinology, Sonu Gandhi Scientist D from National Institute Of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad from Bionanotechnology area focusing on Nanosensors, Design and Fabrication of Label-free Biosensors Ritu Gupta, Assistant Professor at Indian Institute Of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan working on Nanotechnology with expertise in Materials Science, Nanodevices and Sensors, Health & Energy. CM Pinarayi Vijayan hand over National Bal Shree awards Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the National Bal Shree awards to M Madhurima, S Ananthan and K Prajwal at Cliff House. Madhurima won the award for creative performance, Ananthan for arts, and Prajwal for science. ITC Grand Chola bags ‘Swachh Hotel’ award The ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Guindy was awarded the ‘Swachh Hotel’ award as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021 by the Greater Chennai Corporation, for its sustained initiatives in solid waste management. UST certified as ‘Top Employer’ for third time Leading digital transformation solutions company UST has been certified as a ‘Top Employer’ in the US, the UK, Malaysia, India, Mexico, , Singapore, and the Philippines for 2021 by the Top Employers Institute (TEI), the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices in the workplace. Hyderabad gets recognition as 2020 Tree City of the World The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Arbor Day Foundation have recognized Hyderabad as a 2020 Tree City of World, for its commitment to growing and maintaining urban forests.The recognition was a testament to the city’s sustained and institutional efforts to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, development of urban and peri-urban forestry actions, projects and strategic planning and commitment to building a healthy city. Ministry of Tribal Affairs bags Award of Appreciation in the 18th CSI SIG E-Governance Awards 2020  The Ministry of Tribal Affairs bags the prestigious Award of Appreciation in the Project Category-Central Government Entity – in the 18th CSI SIG eGov Awards 2020 for their ‘Performance Dashboard Empowering Tribals Transforming India through various ICT initiatives.  The award was received by the joint secretary of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Dr. Navaljit Kapoor from the honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji in Lucknow. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy conferred SKOCH Chief Minister of the Year Award The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been conferred the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year Award. The Award has been presented to the CM by Chairman, Skoch Group, Sameer Kochhar personally at Tadepalli in Andhra Pradesh. Delhi Police receives Best Marching Contingent Trophy-2021  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented the trophies of best marching contingents of the Republic Day Parade 2021 in New Delhi on February 15, 2021.  Jat Regimental Centre bagged the trophy of best marching contingent among the Tri-Services while Delhi Police was adjudged as the best marching contingent among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and other auxiliary services.

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Theodore Baskaran won Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020 S. Theodore Baskaran who is a writer, a historian, a naturalist and an activist has won the Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award, 2020. The award was instituted by the Sanctuary Foundation. Muthalankurichi Kamarasu honoured as Tamil Semmal award winner Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami handed over Tamil Semmal award to Kamarasu during a function held at the secretariat in Chennai.From a bus conductor to a writer, Muthalankurichi Kamarasu has come a long way in his life.From a bus conductor to a writer, Muthalankurichi Kamarasu has come a long way in his life. WCCB receives Asia Environmental Enforcement Award-2020 The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has received the Asia Environmental Enforcement Award-2020 awarded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Theodore Baskaran wins Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020 Theodore Baskaran who is a writer, a historian, a naturalist and an activist has won the Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award, 2020. The award was instituted by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation. Bharat Biotech bags Genome Valley Excellence Award BioAsia, organised by the Government of Telangana, has announced that the Genome Valley Excellence Award for the year 2021 will be bestowed upon Bharat Biotech International for research, development and commercialisation of vaccines including COVAXIN (COVID-19 Vaccine), Rabies vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine, Japanese vaccine, Polio vaccine and Typhoid Conjugate vaccines, among others. UP receives award for fastest implementation of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana  Uttar Pradesh received award for fastest implementation of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.  More than 27110 crores has been transferred in the accounts of the farmers of state under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi yojna.  Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar awarded the top-performing States and Districts for their exemplary work with respect to the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme.  Uttar Pradesh has been awarded in the category of fastest take off in year 2020-21. Karnataka to set up a Flower Processing Centre to add value to its flower power  The Karnataka State Horticulture Department is setting up a “Flower Processing Centre”, in collaboration with the International Flower Auction Bangalore (IFAB), to convert unsold flowers into various useful products.  The incubation centre will process flowers and convert them to value-added products such as natural dyes, floral papers, incense sticks, flower petal powder for cosmetic usage, floral embedded works, floral arts, and silica- stored flowers. Anantapuramu District in Andhra Pradesh Chosen for PM Kisan National Award  The Anantapuramu district of Andhra Pradesh has been chosen for the Prime Minister Kisan national award as it completed 99.6 per cent physical verification of the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi.  The district has a total of 5,76,972 beneficiaries of whom 28,269 were chosen for physical verification in all the 63 mandals. wins World HRD Congress Awards Union Bank of India was awarded “Best Service Provider” in Human Resources and also the best institution for “Excellence in Learning & Development” at the 29th Global HRD Congress awards function held at Mumbai. Kalyan Kumar, Chief General Manager, HR was named as “Chief Human Resources Officer of the Year”. Three children from Kerala selected for national awards  Three children from the state have been selected for the national bravery awards instituted by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW).  Ummer Mukthar of who won the special award will get a medal and a cash prize of Rs 75,000, while Jayakrishnan Babu of Wayanad and Muhammed Hamras K of Malappuram who won the general awards will each get a medal and a cash prize of Rs 40,000. PM Modi to Receive CERAWeek Global Energy and Environment Leadership Award Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the CERAWeek global energy and environment leadership award during an annual international energy conference in recognition of his commitment to sustainability in the energy and the environment. PERSON IN NEWS/NEWLY APPOINTED

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Five Indian-origin Persons, Indian Activist Feature in TIME Magazine’s List of 100 Emerging Leaders  Five Indian-origin personalities, including Twitter’s top lawyer Vijaya Gadde and UK’s finance minister Rishi Sunak, and an Indian activist feature in TIME magazine’s annual list of 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future”.  The 2021 TIME100 Next, released, is an expansion of TIME’s flagship TIME100 franchise of the most influential people in the world and highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future.  Other Indian-origin personalities on the list are Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta, doctor and Executive Director of nonprofit Get Us PPE Shikha Gupta and founder of nonprofit Upsolve Rohan Pavuluri.Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad is also on the list.  Bhim Army is a Dalit rights organisation based in Uttar Pradesh to help Dalits escape poverty through education. It was founded by Satish Kumar, Vijay Ratan Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad in 2015. Mario Draghi The former European Central Bank Chief Mario Draghi has been sworn in as the new Prime Minister of .He replaces Giuseppe Conte Sylvestre Ilunga The prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resigned Ilunkamba Jean-Michel Sama Jean-Michel Sama appointed new PM of Congo.President Felix Tshisekedi appointed the 43-year-old Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge to be the new prime minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been chosen as the next Director- General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Mohamed Bazoum Mohamed Bazoum declared Niger’s new president Giorgi Gakharia The Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia has announced his resignation. Irakli Garibashvili The Parliament of Georgia confirmed Irakli Garibashvili as Prime Minister of Georgia Abdul Hamid Dbeibah Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah elected as interim PM of Libya Bhavya Lal NASA appointed Indian-American Bhavya Lal as its acting chief of staff. Woochong Um The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Woochong Um as its Managing Director General. Preeti Sinha The UN Capital Development Fund has appointed Indian-origin investment and development banker Preeti Sinha as its Executive Secretary Usha Rao-Monari India’s Usha Rao-Monari, a leading investment professional, has been appointed by UN chief Antonio Guterres as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UNDP Ajai Malhotra Ajai Malhotra has been elected as the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Ligia Noronha United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Ligia Noronha of India as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme. Seiko Hashimoto Japan Olympics Minister Hashimoto to accept the role as head of Tokyo 2020. The previous leader Yoshiro Mori quit due to sexist remarks.He resigned as President of the committee last week after saying women talk too much, a fresh blow to the games, already marred by an unprecedented delay of a year due to the Coronavirus pandemic and strong public opposition. Yoshiro Mori Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organising committee Chief Yoshiro Mori will be stepping down from his position Preeti Sinha The UN Capital Development Fund has appointed Indian-origin investment and development banker Preeti Sinha as its Executive Secretary, the highest leadership rank in the institution. Michael Bloomberg United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres re-appointed Michael Bloomberg as his Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions. Praveen Sinha Department of Personnel and Training, under Personnel Ministry, has appointed Praveen Sinha, as the interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with immediate effect on 03 February 2021. Jay Shah The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Secretary Jay Shah was unanimously elected as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). RS Sharma The National Health Authority (NHA) has appointed RS Sharma as the new Chief Executive to head its health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana a flagship programme of the government.He will be replacing Indu Bhushan whose three years term comes to an end. S.N. Subrahmanyan The Ministry of Labour & Employment has appointed S.N. Subrahmanyan as the new Chairman of the National Safety Council (NSC) of India for a period of three years.

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Vijay Sampla Shri Vijay Sampla assumed charge as the new Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC). Mahender Singh Kanyal Mahender Singh Kanyal has been appointed as the next Indian Ambassador to Syria.

Justice Puligoru Venkata Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar is appointed as the Chief Justice of Manipur Sanjay Kumar High Court. his appointment was done by Ramnath Kovind (India President) under clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India Ram Sewak Sharma Senior bureaucrat and former TRAI chairman Ram Sewak Sharma is the new Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority (NHA), an autonomous body which is responsible for implementing India’s $1.43 billion public health insurance / assurance scheme Ayushman-Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojaya (AB- PMJAY). Kiran Bedi Kiran Bedi Removed As Puducherry Lt Governor. Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Governor of Telangana, has been given additional charge as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry till a permanent replacement will be announced. Umakant Dash The Institute of Rural Management- Anand (IRMA) announced the appointment of Dr. Umakant Dash to the post of Director. Siddharth Chatterjee Senior UN official Siddharth Chatterjee of India has formally taken over as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China. Demeke Mekonnen Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen Hassen Hassen arrived in New Delhi on a four-day official visit to India. Nihar N Jambusaria Nihar N Jambusaria elected as President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India(ICAI). Debhashis Mitra has been elected as Vice President. Dr Ajay Mathur Dr Ajay Mathur has been appointed as new Director-General of International Solar Alliance.He will take place of Upendra Tripathy who worked as Director-General. Sridhar Vembu Zoho founder and Padma Shri recipient Sridhar Vembu has been appointed to the newly reconstituted National Security Advisory board (NSAB) headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. V Narayanasamy Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy resigned ahead of a floor test to prove his majority weeks before assembly elections are due in the Union Territory Ajay Singh Ajay Singh re-elected as President of Boxing Federation of India Dushyant Chautala Haryana”s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala was re-elected as President of Table Tennis Federation of India for a four-year term. GS Bedi Air Marshal GS Bedi took over as Director General (Inspection & Safety) at Air Head Quarters. Jiten Chopra Airline IndiGo appointed Jiten Chopra as its chief financial officer (CFO). Aditya Mittal Steel giant ArcelorMittal announced that Aditya Mittal, the son of company founder Lakshmi Mittal, will replace him as the group’s chairman and CEO. Mahesh Palashikar GE T&D India Ltd (GETDIL) has announced Mahesh Palashikar as Chairman of its Board of Directors. Henry Moniz Facebook appoints Henry Moniz as its first Chief Compliance Officer Amrit Singh Amrit Singh appointed as Max Life Insurance Chief Financial Officer Anish Shah Anish Shah appointed as chairman of Mahindra Finance Andy Jassy Andy Jassy, who is currently serving as the chief executive of Amazon Web Services (AWS), will replace Bezos as CEO of Amazon.Amazon.com Inc founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos has announced that he would step down as CEO of the company and become Executive Chairman in Q3 of 2021, i.e. with effect from July 01, 2021. Bikram Singh Bedi Google Cloud has appointed Bikram Singh Bedi as the new Managing Director for its India Business. He will succeed Karan Bajwa, who has been elevated as Vice president for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region cloud operations at Google Cloud. Google Cloud is also on track to launch its Delhi cloud region in India this year – its second after Mumbai that was launched in 2017. Shantanu Mitra Shantanu Mitra appointed CEO and MD of Fullerton India Credit Company A Sakthivel Exporters’ body Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said it has elected A Sakthivel as its new president. Gautam Thakar OLX Autos appoints Gautam Thakar as global CEO Mr Marc Llistosella Tata Motors Limited has decided to elect Mr Marc Llistosella as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD).

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Rama Mohan Rao SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd (SBI Card) appointed Rama Mohan Rao Amara as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for a period of two years.

Sharad Goklani Sharad Goklani appointed President & CTO at AU Small Finance Bank Matam Venkata Rao Matam Venkata Rao appointed as MD & CEO of Satishwar Balakrishnan Aegon Life Insurance, India’s first digital-only life insurance company, elevated Satishwar Balakrishnan to be the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer. Ayesha Aziz A 25-year-old Kashmiri woman, Ayesha Aziz, has become the youngest female pilot in the country. In the year 2011, Aziz became the youngest student pilot to get a license at the age of 15 and underwent training to fly a MIG-29 jet at Russia’s Sokol airbase the following year. She later graduated in aviation from the Bombay Flying Club (BFC) and obtained a commercial license in 2017. Darshan Toogudeepa Actor Darshan Toogudeepa has been appointed as the ambassador of Agriculture Department to popularise programmes meant for farmers’ welfare. Hima Das Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal chaired a meeting of his cabinet where a decision was taken to appoint World Championship sprinter Hima Das as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the state. Sachin Tendulkar Unacademy ropes in Sachin Tendulkar as Investor, Brand Ambassador Natalia Vodianova Russian supermodel and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova became a United Nations goodwill ambassador, pledging to promote the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls and tackle stigmas surrounding their bodies. Deepika Padukone Levi’s® announces Deepika Padukone as global brand ambassador Rana Daggubati Tyre maker CEAT has roped in actor Rana Daggubati as its brand ambassador for promoting the ‘Puncture Safe’ range of bike tyres. SPORTS Ranji Trophy cancelled for the first time in 87 years The BCCI will not be conducting its premier first-class domestic tournament Ranji Trophy for the first time in 87 years as the parent body opted for the Vijay Hazare Trophy . The BCCI will also host the U-19 National One Day tournament for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and the Women’s national 50-over tournament as per a letter sent by BCCI secretary Jay Shah to the state units. Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy In Cricket, Tamil Nadu lifted the coveted Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy after defeating Baroda by seven wickets in the final at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad.This was Tamil Nadu’s second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Asian Online Shooting Championship  India tops medal tally at first Asian Online Shooting Championship.The squad won four out of the eight gold medals on offer, besides two silver and five bronze medals, for a total of 11 podium finishes.  The two-day competition was organised by the Kuwait Shooting Federation. List of Medal Winners from India Gold  Saurabh Chaudhary – men’s 10m air pistol  Divyansh Singh Panwar- men’s 10m air rifle  Kynan Chenai – men’s trap  Rajeshwari Kumari – women’s trap Silver  Babuta – men’s 10m air rifle  Shreyasi Singh – women’s trap Bronze  Manu Bhaker – women’s 10m air pistol  Sarabjot Singh – men’s 10m air pistol  Deepak Kumar – men’s 10m air rifle  Prithviraj Tondaiman – men’s trap  Manish Keer – women’s trap There were a total of eight events on the roster with no final rounds in the pistol and rifle competitions. In the shotgun events, 150-bird matches were held.

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Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches first Reference Material synthesized by NDTL and NIPER to strengthen anti-doping measures  The Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju recently launched a Reference Material, for use in the anti-doping field for chemical testing.  This RM is jointly synthesized by the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) and the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Guwahati.  This first-of-its kind RM is a rarely available substance globally and while testing of a sample, the RM will provide identity confirmation for prohibited substances which do not have threshold limits.  This would be used to strengthen anti-doping measures in all World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited labs.  It is one of the 20 RMs, that will be produced by NDTL and NIPER-G.NDTL and NIPER-G had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in August 2020 to synthesize 20 rare RMs over three years. Joe Root becomes first batsman to score 200 in 100th Test  Joe Root, the England captain, sent India on a leather hunt, becoming the first player in history to score a double century in his 100th Test match.  In the process, Root also surpassed former Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq as the player with the highest individual score playing the 100th Test match of his career. Inzamam had hit 184 against India in a Test match in Bengaluru in 2005. Drass Red win 13th CEC Cup Ice Hockey Championship In Kargil Ladakh, Drass Red has won the 13th CEC Cup Ice Hockey Championship beating Hockey Club Chiktan team in the Final match. The 1st Women CEC Ice Hockey Cup 2021 was lifted by Shakar Chiktan Team defeating Wakha Mulbekh Team. 2021 Australian Cricket Awards: Former Australian captain Steve Smith won the third Allan Border Medal of his career at the Australian Cricket Awards for the period 2020-21. Apart from this, Beth Mooney bagged Belinda Clarke Award, the top honour for a female player at the Australian Cricket Awards. List of 2021 Australian Cricket Awards: Belinda Clark Award: Beth Mooney. Allan Border Medal: Steve Smith. Men’s Test Player of the Year: Pat Cummins. Women’s One Day International Player of the Year: Rachel Haynes. Male One Day International Player of the Year: Steve Smith. Female International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Beth Mooney. Male International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Ashton Agar. Female Domestic Player of the Year: Elyse Villani. Male Domestic Player of the Year: Shaun Marsh. Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Hannah Darlington. Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Will Sutherland. Community Impact Award: Joshua Lalor. Hall of Fame inductions: Johnny Mullagh, Merv Hughes, Lisa Sthalekar. Rishabh Pant wins inaugural ICC Player of the Month January 2021  The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has won the inaugural ICC Player of the Month award 2021.  Apart from this, Shabnim Ismail of South Africa has been named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month following her performances across three ODIs and two T20Is in January 2021. Ishant Sharma becomes third Indian pacer to take 300 Test wickets Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma became the sixth Indian and third pacer after Kapil Dev (434) and Zaheer Khan (311) from the country to take 300 wickets in Test cricket. ICC announces BYJU’S as global partner until 2023  The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced Indian edu-tech company BYJU’S as its global partner from 2021 to 2023.  The three-year agreement will see BYJU’S partner all ICC events over the period, including the forthcoming men’s T20 World Cup in India and the women’s World Cup in New Zealand. Vivo is back as title sponsor for Indian Premier League 2021 Season The Chinese mobile and technology company brand Vivo has returned as the title sponsors of IPL for the 2021 edition.This was informed by the Indian Premier League Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel at the IPL 2021 Auction in Chennai.

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Karnataka to host second Khelo India University Games this year  Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has announced that the second Khelo India University Games will be hosted by Karnataka.  The largest University games in the country scheduled later this year will be held in Bengaluru in partnership with the Association of Indian Universities.  Over 4,000 sportsmen under the age of 25 will compete with an opportunity to be selected for the national teams.  The first edition of University games was held in Bhubaneswar last year.  In the second edition of the games, Yogasana and Mallakhamb have been added. IOC President says weightlifting could be removed from Olympic programme by 2024  International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has said that weightlifting could be removed from the Olympic programme by 2024, if the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) fails to implement reforms in the fight against doping.  The IWF has been hit by doping scandals and accusations of corruption in recent years.  The International Weightlifting Federation, headquartered in Budapest, is the international governing body for the sport of Olympic weightlifting. 2nd edition of Khelo India Winter Games begins in Gulmarg  The second edition of 'Khelo India Winter Games' started from February 26 and culminate on March 2 in Jammu and Kashmir's winter destination of Gulmarg.  Around 1200 athletes and guests from across the country are scheduled to participate in the mega sports event.  Athletes from 27 states and Union Territories will converge on the snow-bound slopes of Gulmarg during the event to compete in different categories of sports. Novak Djokovic wins his 9th Australian Open title  In Tennis, Defending Champion Novak Djokovic has won his ninth Australian Open title, beating Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in a one-sided final at Melbourne Park.  In Men’s doubles, ninth seeded Croat -Slovak pair Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek won the title. LThey defeated defending champion and fifth seeded pair British Joe Salisbury. Naomi Osaka wins Australian Open 2021 Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title by pulling away to beat Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 in the Australian Open final. India’s women’s contingent finishes at top in 30th Adriatic Pearl tournament in Budva, Montenegro  In Boxing, Arundhati Choudhary in 69 kilogram category and Naorem Babyrojisana Chanu 51 kilogram category won gold medals as India’s women contingent ended the 30th Adriatic Pearl tournament in Budva, Montenegro, with five gold, three silver and two bronze medals in addition to three male boxers winning bronze.  India’s women’s contingent thus finished top of the podium at the tournament and took home the trophy.  Babyrosijana beat Sabina Bobokulova of Uzbekistan while Arundhati beat Ukraine’s Marina Stoiko in their final bouts. Ankita Raina claims her second WTA doubles title Ankita Raina, partnering Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova, captured her maiden WTA 250 doubles title, beating Anna Blinkova and Anastasia Potapova of Russia 2-6, 6-4, [10-7] in the final of the Phillip Island Trophy tennis tournament. Merv Hughes Former Australian right-arm fast bowler Merv Hughes has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. Ashok Dinda Fast bowler Ashok Dinda, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Yusuf Pathan Cricketer Yusuf Pathan announces retirement from all formats of game Deepak Kumar In Boxing, Deepak Kumar (52kg) wins the silver medal at the 72nd Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Vinay Kumar Former India cricketer and Karnataka captain R. Vinay Kumar announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket. Upul Tharanga Veteran Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga announced his retirement from international cricket after a career spanning 15 years and during which he also enjoyed a brief stint as captain. Naman Ojha The Indian Former wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha has decided to take retirement from all forms of cricket. Faf du Plessis Former captain of South Africa, Faf du Plessis has announced his retirement from Test

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cricket. Chris Morris South-African all-rounder Chris Morris has broken all record as he became the costliest player in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, held in Chennai. IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals has bought Chris Morris for Rs 16.25 crore. The 33-year-old played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020 season. Dhammika Prasad Sri Lanka fast bowler Dhammika Prasad has announced his retirement from international cricket. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SriShakthiSat satellite developed by Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology  SriShakthiSat, the satellite is developed by the Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology at Chinniyampalayam.  It could perform all Internet of Things (IoT) right from detecting an underground pipeline leakage to fire in forest or multi-storeyed buildings.  The Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) is expected to launch this satellite, along with two other satellites built by JPR Institute of Technology in Chennai and GH Raisoni College of Engineering at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, through PSLV-C51 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on February 28. Students in Karnataka’s Hubballi made robot to help in banking services  KLE Technological University's students in Hubballi have come up with ‘Maya’,a robot that has been programmed to serve in banks and speaks in many regional languages.  The students of the Automation and Robotics department of KLE Technological University have spent nearly eight months and spent Rs 5 lakh to develop the robot.  With the help of artificial intelligence, it recognises customers’ faces and to them by using a chatbot.  After the banking hours, it automatically goes to the docking yard and charges its batteries without the help of any human being. UAE's enters Martian orbit in historic flight  First Arab Mission: The United Arab Emirates' space probe entered the orbit of Mars on February 9, 2021, marking a historic moment for the Arab world.  UAE's space probe called Al Amal, which means 'Hope' in Arabic has finally reached its destination after a 7- month long journey. Turkey announces space program including 2023 moon mission The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled an ambitious 10-year space program that includes missions to the moon, developing internationally viable satellite systems, and sending Turkish astronauts into space.President Erdogan informed that Turkey plans on establishing its first contact with the moon in 2023 when the nation will mark the centennial of the founding of the Turkish Republic. Chinese Tianwen-1 enters Mars orbit  Chinese media reported that China’s Tianwen-1 successfully entered the orbit around Mars after a nearly seven- month voyage from Earth.  China's Mars probe became the second spacecraft in two days to reach the red , following UAE's Hope space probe that entered Mars orbit on February 9, 2021.  In total, three Mars missions had taken flight in July 2020 within days of each other, taking advantage of the planet’s close alignment with Earth that occurs only once in every two years.  The missions belong to the United States, United Arab Emirates and China. While UAE and China's missions have already entered the Mars orbit, the US probe will enter soon. NASA chooses SpaceX to launch $99M astrophysics mission  NASA has chosen SpaceX to provide launch services for its upcoming two-year astrophysics mission slated to kick off in June of 2024.  The mission is dubbed Spherex, which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer.  Its goal is to “survey the sky in the near-infrared light,” which could then help answer questions about the birth of the universe and the development of .  The mission will allow astronomers to collect data on more than 300 million galaxies, and more than 100 million stars in the .  The small astrophysics spacecraft, SPHEREx, weighs 329-lb. (178 kilograms).

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 The mission, which costs around $98.8 million to launch, will take off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The human module of will be launched  The human spaceflight module of Gaganyaan will be launched after the second unmanned mission planned in 2022-23.  It was initially envisaged that the Rs 10,000 crore Gaganyaan mission aims to send a three-member crew to space for five to seven days by 2022 when India completes 75 years of independence.  First unmanned mission is planned in December 2021. Second unmanned flight is planned in 2022-23.first unmanned launch is slated for December 2021. ISRO opens satellite testing centre for private sector  Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has opened its UR Rao Satellite Centre for testing satellites developed by the private sector for the first time in its history.  Two satellites, developed by the Indian startups SpaceKidz India and Pixxel (incorporated as Sygyzy) were tested at the UR Rao Satellite Centre.  ISRO also helped these two companies in fixing problems with the solar panels on their respective satellites.  So far in its history, the space agency has only taken help in manufacturing and fabrication of various parts of satellites and rockets from the Indian industry. Both these two companies will also test their engines at the Sriharikota spaceport and rocket centre in coming days. MapmyIndia will make with ISRO  MapmyIndia has made a partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in order to provide an indigenous satellite-based mapping service “Bhuvan”.  Bhuvan will be an alternative app to Google maps.  it will provide mapping and other location-based services in India.  Along with it, the app will use ISRO’s database of satellite images and MapmyIndia’s digital map platform. Indian astronomers detect huge optical flare in ‘BL Lacertae’  Indian astronomers have reported one of the strongest flares from a feeding or blazar called BL Lacertae, analysis of which can help trace the mass of the black hole and the source of this emission, the Department of Science and Technology said.  Blazars or feeding supermassive black holes in the heart of distant galaxies receive a lot of attention from the astronomical community because of their complicated emission mechanism. Hyundai Develops ‘TIGER X-1’ vehicle  Hyundai Motor Company has launched a Transformer-like robocar dubbed as TIGER X-1.  The vehicle can travel over the most challenging terrains on the Earth as well as on other .  TIGER stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot, and the X-1 denotes its experimental status.  The Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV) TIGER is being developed by Hyundai in partnership with Autodesk and Sundberg-Ferar. SpaceKidz India-built Satish Dhawan Nanosatellite to be launched on Feb 28  The Chennai-based SpaceKidz India has developed the nanosatellite called Satish Dhawan Satellite, or SD SAT.  The SD SAT, a 30x10x10cm cuboid, is an experimental communication satellite, to test the capabilities of LoRa (Long range) technology in Space.  The indigenously designed and developed miniature spacecraft will be launched on February 28 by the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV), C51 rocket of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization).  Besides its scientific payloads, the nanosatellite will also carry a copy of Bhagavad Gita, a photograph of Prime Mister Narendra Modi, and the names of 25,000 common individuals to space.  SpaceKidz India is an organization dedicated to promoting space science among students. IIT Madras-incubated Pi Beam launches PiMo e-bike  An IIT Madras-Incubated start-up Pi Beam Electric has recently launched a sustainable electric two-wheeler, dubbed as PiMo. The utility e-bike has been developed for personal and commercial use. It does not require a licence or registration.  The cost of the electric two-wheeler has been fixed at Rs. 30, 000. Centre Launches new Instant Messaging platform ‘Sandes’ The National Informatics Centre (NIC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has launched an instant messaging platform called “Sandes”. Similar to WhatsApp, the new government instant messaging systems (GIMS) platform can be used for all kinds of communications by anyone using a mobile number or email id.

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IIT Bombay launches fundraising campaign ‘Cherish IIT Bombay 2021’  IIT Bombay has launched its first-ever annual fundraising campaign in India, Cherish IIT Bombay 2021. As per information shared by the IIT, the funds will be used for the creation of world-class laboratory complexes, modernization of lecture halls and continuation of awards to attract and retain faculty.  The donations made to IIT Bombay by corporate bodies and individuals are 100% tax-deductible under section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act. American space agency NASA lands its fifth rover ‘’ on Mars successfully  The American space agency NASA successfully landed its fifth rover ‘Perseverance’ on Mars in a deep crater near the planet’s equator called .  It touched down the surface of Mars after successfully overcoming a risky landing phase known as the seven minutes of terror. The six-wheeled vehicle will now spend at least the next two years drilling into the local rocks, looking for evidence of past life. Indian-American scientist Swati Mohan leads NASA’s mission As the world witnessed the historic landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on the Martian surface, it was Indian- American scientist, Swati Mohan, who led the guidance, navigation, and control operations of the Mars 2020 mission. DEFENCE Indian Navy’s largest TROPEX-21 continues in Indian Ocean  The largest war game of the Indian Navy- Theatre level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX-21)- which started in early January 2021, is currently underway in the Indian Ocean.  The exercise is seeing the participation of all operational units of the Indian Navy including submarines, aircraft, ships as well as the units of the Indian Army, Coast Guard, and Indian Air Force. First Women Team Inducted in CRPF’s CoBRA Commando Unit A maiden contingent of 34 CRPF women personnel has been inducted into its specialized jungle warfare commando force CoBRA. The contingent will soon be deployed in the anti-Naxal operations grid of the country. Indian Navy receives 3 Mk III Advanced Light Helicopters from HAL The Indian Navy received three “Made in India” Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) from the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The helicopters are customised for coastal security. PM Narendra Modi to dedicate battle tank Arjun to the nation on February 14 Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the main battle Tank Arjun Mark1A to the nation. The Defence Ministry had recently in a high-level meeting cleared the induction of 118 Arjun Mark1A tanks into the Indian Army. The tanks would be worth around Rs 8,400 crore and are expected to boost the strength of the force in land warfare. Pakistan successfully test fires Babur  Pakistan’s military successfully test-fired a short range surface-to-surface capable of hitting land and sea targets with ‘high precision’ up to 490 kilometers (about 280 miles) away.  The Babur cruise missile IA was launched from Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle. DRDO Carries successful user trials of indigenously-developed Anti-Tank Guided Missile Systems ‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’  The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out joint user trials of indigenously developed Helina and Dhruvastra Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) from the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) [HAL Dhruv] at the Pokhran deserts.  Helina is the Army version and Dhruvastra is the Air Force version for the ALH. Indian Navy Ship Pralaya Participates in NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21 in Abu Dhabi, UAE The Indian Naval Ship Pralaya reached Abu Dhabi in UAE to participate in the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX 21) and International Defence Exhibition (IDEX 21) from February 20 to 25, 2021. Indian Navy gets third Scorpene submarine, to be commissioned as INS Karanj  The Indian Navy got its third Scorpene submarine, which will be commissioned as INS Karanj, of Project P-75 in Mumbai.  MDL, one of the India's leading shipyards with the capacity and the capability to meet the requirements and aspirations of the Indian Navy, has delivered three Scorpene submarines named Khanderi, Kalvari and now Karanj.  The fourth submarine, Vela, launched on May 6 2019, has commenced sea trials, the fifth submarine Vagir, was launched on November 12, 2020 and has commenced harbour sea trials whilst the sixth submarine is presently in an advanced stage of outfitting.

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 All the six submarines are being constructed under Project 75. India joins Iran-Russia’s two-day navy exercise India joined Iran and Russia in the naval exercise dubbed as “Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021”, which kicked-off in the northern part of the Indian Ocean. The Chinese navy will also join the exercise. BHEL bags order to supply 2 Super Rapid Gun Mounts for Indian Navy frontline ships State-run engineering firm BHEL said it has bagged an order from the Indian Navy for supplying two Super Rapid Gun Mounts (SRGM), main guns standardised for all warships of the Indian Navy. Navy’s fast attack craft T-81 decommissioned Indian Naval Fast Attack Craft (IN FAC) T-81 of the Super Dvora MK II class, was decommissioned on 28 January 2021 at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai after having served the nation successfully for more than 20 years. Rajnath Singh inaugurates HAL’s second Tejas Light Combat Aircraft’s  Defence minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) second Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas production line in Bengaluru, ahead of the upcoming Aero India 2021.  Last month, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about Rs 48,000 crores to buy 83 LCA Tejas Mark1A fighter jets.  The Aero India, which provides a platform for aerospace companies to showcase their products and services is scheduled to be held from February 3 to 5 at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. India to spend $130 Billion on Military Modernisation, Says Rajnath Singh  India plans to spend 130 billion dollars on military modernisation in the next 7-8 years to strengthen its security apparatus, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said at the 13th edition of ‘Aero India’ show, country’s premier aerospace and defence exhibition.  To achieve the twin goals of self-reliance and exports, he said, a target has been set to achieve a turnover of Rs 1,75,000 crore, including exports worth Rs 35,000 crore in aerospace and defence goods and services by 2024. HAL to develop world’s first high-altitude pseudo satellite that can fly unmanned for upto 3 months  The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is developing a futuristic high altitude pseudo satellite with a start- up company, to strengthen the country’s military strike capabilities.  It is a first of its kind project in the world, where a manned aircraft will operate within the boundary and the unmanned aircraft will enter the enemy zone and can carry out strikes deep inside the enemy territory.  The high altitude pseudo satellite will be solar energised and the unmanned object will fly around 70,000 ft for 2-3 months to take information.  The technology has been named Combined Air Teaming System (CATS).  It will have a manned aircraft (will be known as mother ship), operating from faraway, and four autonomous known as CATS Warrior.  CATS Warrior will have the capacity to carry out strike stealthily entering 700 kilometres inside enemy territory.  The mother ship can be LCA or Jaguar or other combat manned aircraft. Navy’s Ilyushin 38SD Aircraft Fires Anti-Ship Missiles during Exercise  The Indian Navy’s Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft Ilyushin 38SD successfully fired Combat Kh35E anti-ship missiles during the ongoing Theatre level Readiness and Operational Exercise 2021 (TROPEX-21).  TROPEX 21 is aimed at testing combat readiness of the Navy along with the assets of the Air Force, Army and Coast Guard in a “complex multi-dimensional exercise set in the context of the current geo-strategic environment”. Pakistan test fires Ghaznavi Ballistic Missile Pakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile named Ghaznavi which can strike targets up to 290 kilometres. ‘Yudh Abhyas 20’ The India-US joint military exercise “Yudh Abhyas 20” commenced in Mahajan Field Firing Range of Bikaner district in Rajasthan. GRSE signs contract to deliver fast patrol vessel to Seychelles  Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) has signed a contract to deliver a fast patrol vessel (FPV) to Seychelles.  The signing of the contract with Seychelles comes within a month of the shipyard concluding an agreement for one ocean-going passenger and cargo ferry vessel with Guyana.  The Seychelles Coast Guard ship ”Zoroaster” will be a powerful, fuel-efficient platform designed to perform multipurpose operations, such as patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching, and search and rescue.

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L&T Delivers 100th & Final K-9 Vajra Howitzer to Indian Army  The Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane flagged off the 100th and final K9 Vajra 155mm/52 calibre Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzer, at Hazira near Surat in Gujarat.  The indigenously made K-9 Vajra has been developed by Larsen and Toubro (L&T), under the Rs 4,500-crore contract awarded to it by the Ministry of Defence in May 2017, to develop 100 units of K9 Vajra howitzer. DRDO conducts two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile  Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).  The launches were carried out from a static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.  Indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO for Indian Navy, VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets. Israel begins developing advanced anti-missile Arrow-4 system with US Israel has begun developing a long-range ballistic missile interceptor, named Arrow-4, together with the US. Arrow-4 will be “the next generation” of Israel’s multi-layered defence doctrine to intercept missiles in the atmosphere and space. Indian Coast Guard receives 17th indigenously made Interceptor Boat Indian Coast Guard has got a new interceptor boat ICGS C-453. It was commissioned in Chennai. It is the 17th of the 18 Interceptor Boat (IBs) project indigenously constructed by Larsen & Toubro Ltd. Indian and Indonesian navies conduct exercise in Arabian sea The Indian and Indonesian navies carried out a military exercise Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Arabian sea to enhance operational interoperability and overall cooperation. IMPORTANT DAYS 6th Soil Health Card Day Observed on 19 February 2021 Every year India observes the Soil Health Card Day on 19 February to commemorate the launch of the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme, and create awareness about the benefits of the scheme. 2021 marks the sixth year of the launch of the SHC Scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme on 19th February 2015 at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to farmers every two years so as to provide a basis to address nutritional deficiencies in the soil. The scheme ensures additional income to farmers by an increase in yields and it also promotes sustainable farming. Safer Internet Day Safer Internet Day is observed every year on the second day of the second week of February with an aim to provide safer and better internet, where every user gets to use the internet responsibly and without getting their data leaked. This year’s SID celebration took place on 9 February 2021. This year, the theme is “Together for a better internet”.

Day Days February 1 Indian Coast Guard Day The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) celebrated its 45th Raising Day Director General, Indian Coast Guard K Natarajan February 1 February 2 World Wetlands Day ‘Wetlands and Water’ February 4 World Cancer Day This international day is a ‘global uniting initiative’ led by the Union of International Cancer Control (UICC) and is meant to encourage the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer as early as possible. In 2019, the theme ‘I Am and I Will’ was introduced and was to be carried on till 2021 UICC :Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland February 4 International Day of Theme of 2021 is A Pathway to the future Human Fraternity February 6 International Day of Zero Theme 2021: No time for global inaction: unite, fund and act Tolerance to Female to end FGM/C Genital Mutilation February 8 International Epilepsy The International Epilepsy Day is observed on the second Day Monday of February

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February 10 National Deworming Day 2021 February 10 World Pulses Day Theme:- “Nutritious Seeds for a Sustainable Future,” February 11 International Day of Theme:- ‘Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight Women and Girls in against COVID-19’. Science February 11 World Unani Day This day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of great Unani scholar and social reformer Hakim Ajmal Khan. February 11 National Inventors’ Day February 12 National Productivity Day February 13 World Radio Day Theme:-‘New World, New Radio

February 13 National Women’s Day of India February 15 International Childhood Theme:-“Better Access to Care for Children and Adolescents Cancer Day Everywhere” February February 17 World Human Spirit Day Theme:- “A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy.” February 20 World Pangolin Day 2021 The World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the “Third Saturday of February” every year. The day aims to raise awareness about these unique mammals and speed up conservation efforts. February 20 World Day of Social Justice February 20 World Day of Social Theme:“A Call for Social Justice in the Digital Economy” Justice February 21 International Mother Theme:- ‘Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education Language Day and society’ February 21 International Mother Theme: “fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education Language Day and society.”

February 22 World Thinking Day Theme:- “Stand together for Peace” February 24 Central Excise Day February 27 World NGO Day February 27 National Protein Day Theme for 2021: Powering with Plant Protein February 28 National Science Day The aim of this day is to commemorate the discovery of Raman effect. Indian physicist Sir C V Raman discovered the Raman effect on 28 February 1928.and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for it. Theme for 2021 – ‘Future of STI: Impact on Education Skills and Work’

February 28 Rare Disease Day Rare Disease Day is observed every year on the last day of February. This year in 2021 it falls on February 28, 2021. BOOK AND AUTHOR Jual Oram launches book on economic awareness in India Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Defence and MP Jual Oram has launched ‘Turn Around India: 2020- Surmounting Past Legacy’, a book on creating economic awareness among masses. The book is authored by RP Gupta. Samarpan Diwas: Deen Dayal Upadhyay Death Anniversary Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays floral tribute to former Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on his 53rd death anniversary as part of ‘Samarpan Diwas’, in New Delhi on Feb. 11, 2021.

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Best novel award for Hareesh’s ‘Meesha’  S Hareesh’s novel ‘Meesha’, which mixes magic, myth and metaphor into a tale set in Kuttanad, was named the best novel for the year 2019 by Kerala Sahitya Akademi.  Writer P Valsala and writer-academician N V P Unithiri were selected for the Akademi fellowships, which comprise a cheque of Rs 50,000, a gold plaque and a citation.  P Raman’s ‘Rathri Pandhradarakku Oru Tharattu’ was selected for the best poem award while Vinoy Thomas’s ‘Ramachi’ received Akademy’s award for the best short story for 2019.  Sajitha Madathil’s ‘Arangile Matsyagandhikal’ and Jisha Abhinaya’s ‘Eli Eli Lama Sabaktani’ shared the award for the best play. Home Minister releases book ‘Rashtra Pratham – 82 varshon ki Swarnim Gatha’  Home Minister Amit Shah released a book ‘Rashtra Pratham – 82 varshon ki Swarnim Gatha(Nation First – The Golden Story of 82 Years)’ in New Delhi.  The book chronicles the glorious history of CRPF since its raising in 1939 and it has detailed and thoroughly researched account of CRPF’s journey, challenges, successes, and sacrifices.  CRPF celebrated its first-ever Veterans Day on 19th February . The third Friday of February will be celebrated every year as the Veterans Day of the force. Book Author ‘Yes Man: The Untold Story of Rana Kapoor’ by Pavan C. Lall “Yearbook“ Seth Rogen ‘The Little Book of Encouragement’ Dalai Lama ‘Beautiful Things’ Joe Biden’s Son Hunter Biden “The Last Queen” Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni “Because India Comes First” Ram Madhav ‘Stories I Must Tell’ Kabir Bedi “#Me Too” Karan Puri “Bride of the Forest THE UNTOLD STORY OF YAYATI’S” Madhavi Mahadevan “India: A Scamster Born Every Minute” Snigdha Poonam ‘The Epic Battle of Longewala’ Air Marshal Bharat Kumar ‘LOUIZ BANKS: A Symphony of Love’ Ashis Ghatak ‘Indian Economy’s Greatest Crisis: Impact of Coronavirus and theArun Kumar Road Ahead’ Fractured Mosaic Sabarna Roy ‘Leadership Lessons from 22 Yards’ Srikanth Ram ‘Agriculture Acts 2020’ Justice A.K. Rajan “Parliamentary Messenger in Rajasthan” Dr K.N. Bhandari ‘Whereabouts’ Jhumpa Lahiri 1857 – The Sword of Mastaan Vineet Bajpai “Platform Scale: For a Post-Pandemic World” Sangeet Paul Choudhary By Many a Happy Accident: Recollections of a Life’ M Hamid Ansari Platform Scale for a Post-Pandemic World Sangeet Paul Choudhary “The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Good News” Meghna Pant ‘Mapping Love’ Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari “Unfinished: A Memoir” Priyanka Chopra Jonas “Kamala’s Way” Dan Morai ‘Starstruck: Confessions of a TV executive’ Peter Mukerjea ‘ASOCA: A Sutra’ Irwin Allan Sealy “Tipane Kashmirchi (notes on Kashmir), untold stories Arun Karmarkar OBITUARY Hilton Valentine Guitarist and founding member of The Animals, Hilton Valentine has died. Cloris Leachman Oscar winner and multiple Emmy-winning actor Cloris Leachman has passed away. Paul Crutzen The Nobel Prize-winning chemist Paul J. Crutzen, has passed away. Akhtar Ali Indian tennis great Akhtar Ali passes away Christopher Plummer Oscar-winning Canadian actor Christopher Plummer passes away Rajiv Kapoor Bollywood actor and Raj Kapoor’s son Rajiv Kapoor passed away

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Rahul Khullar Former chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Rahul Khullar passed away in New Delhi Bansi Kaul Theatre director Padma Shri Bansi Kaul (71-years) passed away at his residence in Delhi. Akhtar Ali Tennis legend Akhtar Ali, a father figure in Indian tennis, passed away following prolonged illness. He was 81. George Shultz Former US Secretary of State, George Shultz who significantly shaped foreign policy in the late , has died at the age of 100 Ezra Moseley Ezra Moseley, the former West Indies fast bowler, has died at the age of 63 Bruce Taylor Former New Zealand all-rounder Bruce Taylor, the only player to score a century and take a five-wicket haul on test debut, has died Leon Spinks Leon Spinks, who won Olympic gold and then shocked the boxing world by beating Muhammad Ali to win the heavyweight title in only his eighth pro fight, has died. Tony Trabert Tony Trabert, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion from the United States who produced one of the greatest seasons in tennis history in 1955, died. He was 90. BK Mahapatra Indo-Pak War Veteran retired Major General BK Mahapatra passes away Carlos Menem Argentina’s former President Carlos Menem has died at age 90 in Buenos Aires. M Rama Jois Former Governor of Bihar and Jharkhand M Rama Jois passes away M Rama Jois The former Governor of Bihar and Jharkhand, Justice M. Rama Jois has passed away. Captain Satish Sharma Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Captain Satish Sharma passed away in Goa after a brief illness, and suffering from cancer. Issac Thomas Music director Issac Thomas Kottukapally passed away in Chennai. Kottukapally Vishnunarayanan Malayalam Poet Vishnunarayanan Namboothiri Dies Namboothiri MISCELLANEOUS ‘Atmanirbharta’ named Oxford Hindi word of 2020  Oxford Languages, the world’s leading dictionary publisher, has named ‘Aatmanirbharta’ as the Hindi word of the year 2020.  ‘Aatmanirbharta’ means self-reliance. The word was chosen as it “validated the day-to-day achievements of the countless Indians who dealt with and survived the perils of a pandemic”. 45th Kolkata International Book Fair to be held in July 2021  The 45th Kolkata International Book Fair will be held in July this year at the Central Park Ground of Salt Lake.  This year the focal theme country is Bangladesh to mark the country’s Golden Jubilee Year of Independence and the Centenary of Bangabondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.  The 125th Birth year of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Birth Centenary of Satyajit Ray will also be celebrated in the Book Fair. Earlier, the Kolkata International Book Fair was deferred due to the pandemic situation. Average Salary in India Projected to Increase of 6.4 Percent in 2021: Survey  Salaries in India are projected to rise by an average of 6.4 per cent in 2021, marginally higher than the average actual increase of 5.9 per cent in 2020, according to a Willis Towers Watson survey.  According to Willis Towers Watson’s latest Salary Budget Planning Survey report, an average salary increase of 6.4 per cent in 2021 translates to a median increase of 7 per cent.  As per the survey, on average, 20.6 per cent of the salary increase budget is being allocated to top performers, which represent 10.3 per cent of the employees in India. This implies that for each INR 1 allocated to an average performer, INR 2.35 is allocated to a top performer and INR 1.25 is allocated to an above average performer. Family pensions upper ceiling raised from Rs 45,000 to Rs 1,25,000 per month  In a bid to bring ‘ease of living’ to the family members of deceased government employees, the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) has decided to raise the upper ceiling of family pensions from Rs.45,000 to Rs.1.25 lakh per month.  The amount of both the family pensions will now be restricted to Rs.1,25,000 per month, which is over two and half times higher than the earlier limit.  In accordance with sub-rule (11) of rule 54 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules 1972, in case both wife and husband are government servants and are governed by the provisions of that rule, on their death, the surviving child is eligible for two family pensions in respect of the deceased parents.

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Tribal painter Bhuri Bai of MP invited as Chief Guest at Foundation Day celebrations of Bharat Bhavan  The tribal painter Bhuri Bai of Madhya Pradesh was invited as the Chief Guest at the Foundation Day celebrations of Bharat Bhavan.  When the construction of this building started, she used to work here as a labourer on a daily wage of Rs six. She never expected that she would become the Chief Guest in this Bharat Bhavan.  Bhuri Bai, also awarded Padma Shri, is a Master of Tribal Painting Art.  Bharat Bhavan is an autonomous multi-arts complex and museum in Bhopal ‘Black day for India’- Observed on Feb 14  40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14, 2019, when their convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in J&K’s Pulwama district.  It was said to be the worst-ever terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in 1989.  A ‘black day’ in the history of India – February 14, 2021 marks two years of the Pulwama terror attack, when 40 Indian soldiers were martyred in one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. PM Modi addresses on ‘Samarpan Diwas’ to commemorate contributions of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya  Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the party MPs on the occasion of ‘Samarpan Diwas’ to commemorate the contributions of his party’s founder leader Deen Dayal Upadhyay on his death anniversary.  He is addressing BJP MPs at Ambedkar International Center, Janpath.  Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) thinker and former leader of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of Bharatiya Janata Party. 21-year-old Jasmine Harrison from UK becomes youngest woman to row solo across Atlantic Ocean  A British woman, Jasmine Harrison of England has become the youngest woman to row solo across an Ocean.  The 21-year-old from Thirsk, North Yorkshire in UK, achieved the feat by finishing top in the 2020 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, organized by Atlantic Campaigns.  Harrison, who is a swim instructor and bartender by profession, traveled 3,000 miles (4,828km) across the Atlantic Ocean in 70 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes.  Harrison began her journey in Spain’s Canary Islands on December 12, 2020 and arrived in Antigua on February 20, 2021. Mumbai will soon have India’s 1st undersea tunnel  By 2023, Mumbai will be home to India’s first undersea tunnel, part of the city’s Rs 12,000 crore Coastal Road project.  The Coastal Road project is an under construction 22.2-kilometre freeway that would run along Mumbai’s western coastline connecting Marine Lines in the south to Kandivali in the north.  The 2.07 kilometre tunnel, which will have two lanes, will be 10 to 70 metres deep sub-surface. These lanes will be bored between Priyadarshini Park and Chhota Chowpatty at Marine Drive. Katherine Johnson is honored with a new spacecraft named after her  A spacecraft named for the famed NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson has arrived at the International Space Station with about 8,000 pounds of cargo in tow.  The S.S. Katherine Johnson, a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft, launched from a NASA facility in Virginia and made it to the space station.

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