Government of Tamil Nadu

Department of Employment and Training

Course : Competitive Exam

Subject : Current Affairs

Topic : Current Affairs - February 2021

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CONTENTS

HISTORY 01

19 POLITICAL SCIENCE

GEOGRAPHY 21

22 ECONOMICS

SCIENCE 27 NATIONAL–DIARY OF EVENT 32

INTERNATIONAL 42 AFFAIRS

TAMILNADU AFFAIRS 44

56 PRACTICE QUESTIONS 1. HISTORY

1.1 IMPORTANT DAYS

Date Day Theme / Remark

▪ The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is celebrating its 45th Raising Day on 01 February 2021. ▪ The ICG was formally established on February Indian Coast Guard 1, 1977, by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India. 1-02-2021 celebrates its 45th ▪ It operates under the Ministry of Defence. Raising Day ▪ With just 7 surface platforms in 1978, ICG currently comprise of 156 ships and 62 aircraft in its inventory and is likely to achieve targeted force levels of 200 surface platforms and 80 aircraft by 2025. ▪ The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2-02-2021 World Wetlands Day 2021 is ‘Wetlands and Water’. ▪ On November 3, 2011, UNESCO decided during its 36th conference that a day will be dedicated to 13-02-2021 World Radio day the humble radio and its importance in the forever growing world. ▪ As the world marks International Mother Language Day - February 21, vice president and Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urged everyone to promote the use of their mother tongues. ▪ The 2021 theme is “Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society”. International Mother 21-02-2021 ▪ Since 2000, the United Nations Educational, Language Day Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has led the world in celebrating languages with a view to promoting linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. ▪ About 200 Indian languages are facing extinction and the UNESCO has expressed concern over one world language becoming extinct every two weeks. 2 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

Date Day Theme / Remark

▪ When: Central Excise Day is celebrated every year on February 24 in India. ▪ Objective: to encourage the employees of excise department in carrying out the central excise duty 24-02-2021 Central Excise Day in a better way. ▪ The Central Excise Day is also celebrated to commemorate the Central Excise and Salt Act, which was enacted on February 24, 1944. ▪ Theme- 2021 - “Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills, and Work”. ▪ Purpose – To commemorate the discovery of 28-02-2021 National Science Day 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.

1.2 DEFENCE, NATIONAL SECURITY AND TERRORISM Tejas Mark II to roll out next year interoperability between the two armies and ▪ A more potent version of the indigenous will focus on counter-terrorism operations Tejas multi-role combat jet featuring a much under the United Nations mandate. powerful engine, greater load-carrying ▪ As part of military-to-military exchange capability and next-generation electronic programmes, U.S. Army troops will be warfare system is expected to be rolled out arriving in India on February 5 for the 16th next year and its first high-speed trials will edition of Exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ with Indian start in 2023. Army troops. ▪ Tejas Mark II is likely to roll out by August- ▪ The bilateral training exercise will be September of 2022. After that, the first flight conducted at the Foreign Training Node at will take some time. The first high-speed trial Mahajan Field Firing Ranges. of the jet will start in 2023 and we expect the Defense (MSME) production to start somewhere around 2025. ▪ A three-day defence expo, which will see the Indo-U.S. joint military exercise ‘Yudh participation of more than 400 micro, small, Abhyas’ to begin in Rajasthan on and medium enterprises (MSMEs), will be February 8 held between March 19 and 21 at the Chennai Trade centre ▪ The exercise near the India-Pakistan ▪ The expo is being organised by Swatantra border aims at enhancing cooperation and Foundation, a Chennai based policy research interoperability between the two armies and and advocacy institution, and the Aerospace will focus on counter-terrorism operations Industry Development Association of Tamil under the United Nations mandate Nadull (AIDAT). ▪ The 16th edition of Indo-U.S. joint military ▪ The ‘Defence Expo Empowering MSME ‘21’ exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ will be held in is aimed at connecting MSMEs with end Rajasthan between February 8 and 21. users in the defence services, Indian defence ▪ The exercise near the India-Pakistan manufacturing majors and the various R&D border aims at enhancing cooperation and institutions under the DRDO and DPSUs

2 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 3

MSME ‘Yudh Abhyas’ begins in Rajasthan ▪ Headquarters: New Delhi ▪ The 16th edition of the Indo-US joint military ▪ Founded: 2007 training exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ commenced ▪ Ministers responsible: Nitin Gadkari, Cabinet at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in the Minister, Pradap Chandra Sarangi, Minister of western sector of Rajasthan. State INS Virat Robust stance led to stability at border: ▪ The Supreme Court stopped further Rajnath dismantling of decommissioned aircraft ▪ India’s robust stance, immediate and calibrated carrier INS Virat. response and its soldiers’ unrelenting spirit ▪ It served in the British Navy as HMS Hermes on the border led to the stabilisation of the from November 1959 to April 1984 and after situation and showed the resolve to defend its sovereignty and integrity. refurbishment, was commissioned into the Indian Navy. ▪ “The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ conclave would reinforce the ▪ The centaur-class aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, relevance of the region and its continued was in service with the Indian Navy for 29 importance for stakeholders, from the years before being decommissioned in March perspective of trade, security and freedom or 2017. navigation,”. China and India Border issue ▪ The deal for 83 LCA for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to cost around `47,000 crore is set to be ▪ The rising footprint of China in India’s signed at Aero India. neighborhood and its attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo along India’s disputed Rs 48,000 crore Tejas aircraft deal to be borders have created an environment of signed confrontation and mutual distrust. ▪ The government is set to formally seal on ▪ Army chief- General Manoj Naravane. February 3 the Rs 48,000 crore deal to procure 83 Tejas light combat aircraft from state-run PM hands over Arjun Mk-1A tank to aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Army Limited for the Indian Air Force. ▪ The Arjun Mk-1A has superior firepower, 34 CRPf women personnel join CoBRA high mobility, excellent protection and crew force comfort, with 14 major upgrades from Arjun ▪ 34 Women personnel of the Central Reserve Mk1.It also uses indigenous ammunition. Police Force (CRPF) on Saturday joined National Security Advisor of India- Ajit the Commando Battalion for Resolute Doval Action (CoBRA), the elite CRPF component specializing in jungle warfare and counter- Naxal operations. 100th K-9 Vajra ▪ The chosen women personnel from the 6 ▪ Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane Mahila Battalions of CRPF will undergo a flagged off the 100th K-9 Vajra tracked self- strenuous CoBRA pre-induction training of 3 propelled howitzer from a production facility months. of its maker Larsen and Toubro at Hazira near ▪ The Central Reserve Police Force (cRPF) for Surat. the first time inducted 34 women commandos in its elite Commando Battalion for Resolute ICG ship C-453 commissioned Action (CoBRA) lunit, which was raised in ▪ Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICG) C-453, 2009. the 17th of the 18 Interceptor Boats being www.vetriias.com 3 4 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

indigenously built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd., ▪ The military exercise between the navies of was commissioned in Chennai. ICGS C-453, both the countries, aims to enhance operational the 27.80-m-long interceptor boat with a interoperability and overall cooperation displacement of 105 tonnes and a maximum among them. speed of 45 knots (85 kmph) is capable of ▪ Indian naval ship INS Talwar and Indonesian undertaking multifarious tasks, including Navy’s multirole corvette KRI Bung Tomo surveillance, interdiction, closecoast patrol participated in the exercise. and search and rescue. Indian Army celebrates historic 1971 Indian Navy Ship Pralaya Participates war victory in NAVDEX 21 ▪ Serving members of India’s Armed Forces ▪ The Indian Naval Ship Pralaya reached Abu and war veterans took part in ‘Swarnim Dhabi in UAE to participate in the Naval Vijay Run’, an event held by the Indian Army Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX 21) and Headquarters Dakshin Bharat Area. The run International Defence Exhibition (IDEX 21) was held as a part of the year-long celebration from February 20 to 25, 2021. of 50th anniversary year of victory in the 1971 ▪ NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21 is one of the leading Indo-Pak war. The historic military victory is international naval and defence exhibitions of being celebrated with much fanfare all across the region. the country as ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ (Golden Anti-Tank Guided Missile Systems Jubilee Year of Victory). ‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’ ▪ Over 700 participants from across age groups ▪ The Defence Research and Development ran the under three distance categories - 2km, Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out 5 km and 10 km. joint user trials of indigenously developed ▪ Col A Krishnaswamy, Vir Chakra, (Retd), a Helina and Dhruvastra Anti-Tank Guided war hero of the 1971 Indo-Pak War flagged off Missiles (ATGM) from the Advanced Light the run, which also saw the participation of Helicopter (ALH) [HAL Dhruv] at the Pokhran war veterans, most of whom are now nearing deserts in Rajasthan on February 19, 2021. eighty years of age. ▪ Helina is the Army version and Dhruvastra is DRDO Skill Development Centre for Fire the Air Force version of the ALH. Safety Training at Pilkhuwa in Uttar ▪ The missile systems have been designed Pradesh and developed indigenously by the Defence Research and Development Organisation ▪ Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh (DRDO). inaugurated Skill Development Centre (SDC) for Fire Safety Training of Defence Research DRDO and Development Organisation (DRDO) ▪ Formed – 1958 through virtual mode on February 22, 2021, at ▪ Chairman - Satheesh Reddy Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh. ▪ Head Quarters – New Delhi ▪ The first of its kind in India facility has been PASSEX Exercise In Arabian Sea created by Delhi based DRDO laboratory ▪ The Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy ‘Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment conducted the Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in Safety (CFEES)’. the Arabian Sea. 4 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 5 1.3 WORLD ORGANISATIONS – PACTS AND SUMMITS World Organization (UN Human Rights with future medical emergencies, including a Council) special visa regime for medical personnel and ▪ U.S. to rejoin UN human rights forum The U.S. technology-driven steps to counter pandemics. announced plans to reengage with the much ▪ The workshop was chaired by India’s maligned UN Human Rights Council health secretary Rajesh Bhushan. The other countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, UN Human Rights Council the Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, ▪ It is an inter-governmental body within the Seychelles and Sri Lanka. United Nations system made up of 47 States. ▪ It was founded in 2006 as a substitute to UN BRICS summit Commission on Human Rights. ▪ China’s President Xi Jinping visit India in the ▪ Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. second half of this year to attend the BRICS ▪ The General Assembly elected the following (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) 15 members: Bolivia, China, Côte d’Ivoire, leaders’ meeting. Cuba, France, Gabon, Malawi, Mexico, BRICS - (2006) Nepal, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Senegal, ▪ BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the Ukraine, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan. world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. India accounts for 10% of global road ▪ The BRICS Leaders’ Summit is convened crash victims annually. ▪ India, which has one per cent of the world’s ▪ President - Marcos Prado Troyjo vehicles, accounts for 10 per cent of all road crash victims, the latest World Bank report on Indian economist Ligia Noronha road safety. appointed as UN Assistant Secretary- ▪ Hartwig Schafer, World Bank’s Vice General President for South Asia announced the ▪ UN chief Antonio Guterres has appointed Indian government in recent years has taken leading Indian economist Ligia Noronha as significant steps to address the issues related Assistant Secretary-General and Head of to road safety. the New York Office of the United Nations World bank Environment Programme (UNEP). ▪ President – David Malpass ▪ Noronha will succeed fellow Indian and ▪ Head Quarters - Washington DC development economist Satya Tripathi to whom Secretary-General Guterres is grateful ▪ Founded - 1945 for his leadership and dedicated service Regional countries back PM Modi’s during his tenure. suggestions to boost cooperation in South Asia ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed five measures to prepare countries in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region to cope

www.vetriias.com 5 6 | Current Affairs, February - 2021 1.4 EMINENT PERSONS

Modi praises Solo effort at lake clean- ▪ Thimayyal served as the Chief of Army Staff up from 1957 to 1961, has been renovated and ▪ The untiring efforts of a 69-year-old man, converted into a museum in Karnataka’s paralysed below his knees, towards cleaning Kodagu district. up Vembanad Lake, have earned recognition from the highest office of the country. Devaneya Bhavanar 119th Birthday ▪ In this month’s edition of this radio programme, ▪ The 119th birthday of Devanaya Bhavanar has Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi been celebrated at Aagara Mudhali Tamil hailed the commitment of S. Rajappan, a programme. differently abled man from Kaippuzhamuttu, ▪ On 1974, Devaneya Bhavanar appointed as the near Kumarakom, Kottayam. Director of Tamil Etymology Agra Kugali. India’s youngest female pilot - 25-year- Child rights activist Thomas Jeyaraj old Ayesha Aziz from Kashmir dead ▪ Ayesha Aziz, the 25 -year-old from Kashmir who is the youngest female pilot in the country ▪ Senior child rights activist Thomas Jeyaraj, acts is a source of inspiration and a beacon who was the founder and director of the of empowerment for numerous Kashmiri Centre for Child Rights and Development women. (CCRD), died of a massive heart attack. He ▪ In the year 2011, Aziz became the youngest was one of the first persons in the country to student pilot to get a license at the age of 15 start an organisation that had child rights in and underwent training to fly a MIG-29 jet at its name. He is the founder of THOZHAMAI Russia’s Sokol airbase the following year. and it was incepted on 23rd November 2006 ▪ She later graduated in aviation from the as a trust under the Indian Trusts Act of 1882. Bombay Flying Club (BFC) and obtained a commercial license in 2017. Commission for Child Rights ▪ The National Commission for Protection of New acting chief of staff at NASA Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March ▪ Indian-American woman Bhavya Lal was 2007 under the Commissions for Protection roped in as the Acting Chief of Staff of the US of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, an Act of space agency NASA (National Aeronautics Parliament (December 2005). Serving as the and Space Administration). State co-convenor of the Tamil Nadu Child ▪ Lal brings extensive experience in engineering Rights Watch (TNCRW). and space technology, serving as a member of Important Acts the research staff at the Institute for Defense ▪ National Policy for Children, 1974 Analyses Science and Technology Policy ▪ Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 (Amended Institute (STPI) from 2005 to 2020. in 1979). ▪ Lal served as a member of the Biden ▪ Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Presidential Transition Agency Review Team. Act, 1986. K.S.Thimayya in Madikeri ▪ Protection of Children from Sexual Offences ▪ The President of India ( Ram Nath Govind) Act, 2012. inaugurated the General Thimayya Museum ▪ Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. in Madikeri. The museum has been built at Sunnyside, the former residence of General KS Thirumuruga Kirupanandha Variyar Thimayya. ▪ Tamil Nadu Government has celebrated 6 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 7

Thirukuruga Kirupanandha variyar’s Birthday ▪ He is mentioned in the 17th century Persian- as its holiday language historical romance Mirat-i-Masudi. ▪ He was a Murugan devotee. ‘Veeran Pollan’s birth anniversary a ▪ Variyar, popularly known as Variyar Swamigal, was born in 1906 in Kangeyanallur State event’ village on the bank of Palar river. This province ▪ Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami is referred to as Thondai Nadu in Sangam announced that Veeran Pollan’s birth literature. anniversary would be celebrated as a ▪ Variyar Swamigal received the award Isai State event. A manimandapam would be Perarignar in 1967, given to Tamil musicians constructed in honour of the freedom fighter. every year by the Tamil Isai Sangam of Tamil nd Nadu in Southern India. 162 Birthday of M. Singaravelar ▪ Kirupanandha Variyar on a 2006 stamp of Honored by Tamil Nadu Ministers India. ▪ The 162nd birthday of ‘Singer of Thought’ M. ▪ Born - 25 August 1906 ,Kangeyanallur, Vellore, Singaravelar was celebrated. On behalf of India the Government of Tamil Nadu, Ministers ▪ Died -7 November 1993 (aged 87), Other Jayakumar, Benjamin, Pandiyarajan and names: Variyar Swamigal, 64th nayanmar Tamil Nadu Textbook Association President ▪ Parents - Father : Mallayadasan, Mother : P. Valarmati paid floral tributes to the picture Kanagavalli. which was adorned under his statue located at the Chennai District Collectorate premises. Annamalai Kavirayar ▪ His 130th Remembrance Day observed near First Indian Chairperson of the Advisory Sankarankoil. Committee of the UN Human Rights Annamalai Kavirayar Council ▪ He is particularly remembered for his Kavadi ▪ Ajai Malhotra has been elected as the Chindu, a genre of songs chanted by devotees Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the of Lord Murugan while performing Kavadi United Nations Human Rights Council Attam. [Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland]. ▪ He was born in Sennikulam, Sankarankoil taluk, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, he ▪ He is the first Indian to be elected to the post. studied Tamil under Ramaswami Pulavar ▪ Malhotra first joined the Indian Foreign and U. V. Swaminatha Iyer and was later Services in 1977 and has previously served as patronised by the zamindar of Uttrumalai. ambassador to Russia, K u w a i t , Maharaja Suheldev Memorial Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New ▪ Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev York and Romania. Memorial and development work of Chittaura UN Human Rights Council Lake on 16th February 2021 at through video ▪ It was established in 2006. conferencing. The event in Bahraich, Uttar ▪ Headquarter: Geneva, Switzerland Pradesh marks the birth anniversary of Maharaja Suheldev. ▪ Aim: Promoting and protecting human rights around the globe, as well as investigating Maharaja Suheldev alleged human rights violations. ▪ Suhaldev or Suheldev is an Indian king from Shravasti, popularly known to have defeated ▪ Features: The UNHRC has 47 members elected and killed the Ghaznavid general Ghazi for staggered three-year terms on a regional Saiyyad Salar Masud at Bahraich in 1034 CE. group basis from 5 groups. www.vetriias.com 7 8 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

V.O.C, Ramasamy Chettiyar, IAEA, Iran agree temporary deal Subbarayan Photos ▪ Iran held “fruitful discussions” with UN ▪ V.O.C, Ramasamy Chettiyar, Subbarayan nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi in Photos to be opened at Legislative Assembly, Tehran. Mr. Grossi, head of the Vienna-based announced by CM Panalanisamy. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). ▪ Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, Gandhi, Rajaji, quide 21-year-old Jasmine Harrison from UK millath, Muthuramalinga Thevar, Periyar, becomes youngest woman to row solo Kamarajar, Anna, M.G.R, Ramasamy across Atlantic Ocean Paadatchiyar Photos are already placed at Legislative Assembly . ▪ A British woman, Jasmine Harrison of England has become the youngest woman to row solo V.O.C across an Ocean. ▪ Valliyappan Ulaganathan Chidambaram, popularly known by his initials, V.O.C., also ▪ Harrison, who is a swim instructor and known as Kappalottiya Tamizhan “The Tamil bartender by profession, traveled 3,000 miles Helmsman”, was an Indian freedom fighter (4,828km) across the Atlantic Ocean in 70 days, and leader of Indian National Congress. 3 hours and 48 minutes. ▪ Born: 5 September 1872, Ottapidaram ▪ Harrison began her journey in Spain’s Canary ▪ Died: 18 November 1936, Thoothukudi Islands on December 12, 2020 and arrived in ▪ Movement: Indian Independence Movement Antigua on February 20, 2021. ▪ Books: Meyyaram Indian citizen Kaushik Barua conferred Ramasamy Reddiyar with Royal Order in Cambodia ▪ 13th Chief Minister of Madras Presidency ▪ The Cambodian government has conferred ▪ 23 March 1947 – 6 April 1949 its national honour to Indian citizen Kaushik ▪ Born - 1 February 1895, Omandur, Madras Barua, currently the country director of Presidency, British India the International Fund for Agricultural ▪ Died - 25 August 1970 (aged 75) Vadalur, Development (IFAD) in Cambodia and Laos, Tamil Nadu, India for rendering distinguished services. ▪ Political party Indian National ▪ Barua has been awarded the national medal by Congress the Cambodian government under the Royal ▪ Profession - lawyer Order of Sahametrei, conferred primarily on foreigners who have rendered distinguished Subbarayan services to the King and the people of ▪ Paramasivan Subbarayan Gounder (11 Cambodia, according to the website of the September 1889 – 6 October 1962) was an Indian United Nations in Cambodia. politician, freedom fighter and diplomat and was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, U. Ve. Sa., composer of Tamil India’s ambassador to Indonesia and Union keerthanas Minister of Transport and Communications in ▪ The relatively lesser-known face of U.Ve. Jawaharlal Nehru’s government. Swaminatha Iyer (U.Ve.Sa.), the grand old Women Pilot is a Kashmir Hero man of Tamil, has drawn the attention of Tamil ▪ Ayesha Aziz, 25, became the country’s scholars and musicians. He had composed keerthanas on Lord Muruga at Ilanthai Nagar youngest pilot when she acquired her flying in Sri Lanka and published them in 1891. license at the age of 16. Ms. Aziz was given the Author and vocalist T.M. Krishna has set First Ladies’ Award by the President of India two of them to music and rendered it on the in 2018 and figured among the country’s top occasion of U.Ve.Sa.’s 166th birth anniversary 100 women achievers. on February 19 8 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 9

▪ Those who are familiar with his autobiography Swathantryathe Kurichoru Geetham, Pranaya would know that U.Ve.Sa., born into a family Geethangal, India Enna Vikaram, ‘Ujjayiniyile of musicians, learnt music from Gopalakrishna Raappakalukal,’ ‘Aranyakam,’ Parikramam,’ Bharathiyar, the author of Nanda Charitram, ‘Aparajitha,’ ‘’Bhoomigeethangal,’ and when he was in Mayiladuthurai. ‘Mukhamevide.’ Other works include ▪ Kumarasamy Chettiar was cover various ‘Asaahitheeyam,’ ‘Kavithayude DNA,’ and genres, including Oosal, Etcharikkai and ‘Alakadalum Neyyambalukalum,’ ‘Rithu Mangalam. The Etcharikkai song was set to Samharam’ and ‘Kuttikalude Shakespeare.’ raga Saveri by U.Ve.Sa. himself. The book was ▪ Born at Iringolil, Thiruvalla, on June 2, 1939, reprinted again in 1944 by U.Ve.Sa.’s son. Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri taught U.Ve. Saminadha Iyer English at government colleges at Kozhikode, ▪ He was born on February 19,1855. Pattambi, Kollam, Ernakulam, Tripunithura, ▪ He is affectionately called Tamil Thatha. Chittoor and Thalassery before retiring from (Grandfather of Tamil) service as head of the department at the ▪ U.V.Sa has collected more than 90 books University College, Thiruvananthapuram. and collected more than 3,000 books and ▪ A recipient of the coveted literary prizes manuscripts. in Malayalam literature including the ▪ U.V.Sa is an student of Thiru.Meenakshi Odakuzhal Award, Vallathol Prize, Vayalar Sundaram Pillai. Award and the Ezhuthachchan Award, Books: Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri received ▪ Kalai magal thuthi the Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award in 1979 ▪ Tirulokamalai for ‘Bhoomigeethangal’ and the Central Sahitya Akademi Award in 1994 ‘Ujjayiniyile ▪ Anantavalliyammai Raappakalukal.’ The nation honoured him ▪ Pancarattinam with the Padma Shri in 2014. Some of his compilations are: Senior CPI leader D Pandian passes ▪ Cevaka Cintamani away in Chennai ▪ Pattupattu ▪ Senior Communist leader and former Tamil ▪ Cilappathikaram Nadu state secretary of the Communist Party ▪ Purananuru of India (CPI) D. Pandian passed away in ▪ Manimegalai. Chennai. Awards: ▪ D Pandian was elected to the Lok Sabha as ▪ Mahamagopatiya and Dakshina an Indian National Congress’s United People ▪ Indian Postal department issued a Alliance (UPA-1) - United Communist Party commemorative postage stamp on 18 February of India (UCPI) candidate from North Chennai 2006. constituency in 1989 and 1991 elections. He was the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Death: Communist Party of India for nearly six ▪ He Died on April 28, 1942. years till 2015 when he was succeeded by R. Poet Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri Mutharasan. passes away PM Modi pays tribute to Saint Ravidas ▪ Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri, the eminent on 644th birth anniversary poet and academic whose verses reflected ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to a serene blend of tradition and modernity, the mystic poet, Saint Ravidas on the occasion passed away. of his birth anniversary, also known as Ravidas ▪ His important poetical works include Jayanti www.vetriias.com 9 10 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

▪ Saint Ravidas belonged to the bhakti Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. Also known by movement during the 15th to 16th century Raidas, Rohidas and Ruhidas - his devotional and his hymns are included in the Guru songs and verses created a lasting impact upon Granth Sahib. He is considered the founder of the Bhakti Movement. the 21st-century Ravidassia religion. Ravidas ▪ Around 40 of the poems accredited to Ravidas Jayanti is celebrated on Magh Purnima, which were included in the Adi Granth, the sacred is the full moon day of the Magh month as per scripture of Sikhism. It is generally believed the Hindu calendar. that Ravidas met Nanak, the first Guru, and ▪ The Jayanti is especially celebrated in North founder of the Sikh tradition. India including Chandigarh, Himachal

1.5 SPORTS AND GAMES

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, 2021 Runs Oppo- Venue Year ▪ Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 Final: nent ‘Invincibles’ Tamil Nadu overwhelmed third- Javed 145 Vs. Lahore 1989 time finalists Baroda by eight wickets to claim Miandad India their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) (Pak) title at Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad . Inzamam- 184 Vs. Benga- 2005 India top medals tally with 11 ul-Haq India luru medals at first Asian Online Shooting (Pak) Championship Joe Root 128* Vs. Che- 2021 (Eng) India nnai ▪ The Indian shooting contingent has topped the medals tally in the first-ever Asian Online Devender, Nimisha win gold Shooting Championship, organised by Kuwait ▪ Para athletes Devender Kumar and Nimisha Shooting Federation on 29 and 30 January Suresh Chakkungalparambil won a gold 2021. medal at the 12th Fazza International World ▪ The 24-member Indian shooting contingent Para Athletics Grand Prix event by winning won total 11 medals, which included four gold six medals. medals, two silver and five bronze medals. ▪ It was held at UAE ▪ 274 shooters from 22 Asian countries took part ▪ Pardeep, Pranav bag silver; Vinod, Rakshita in the competition. clinch bronze.

Joe Root receives special cap for his India’s 5 Medals : World Para Atheltics ▪ Indian para-athletes continued their good 100th Test show at the 12th Fazza International World ▪ Joseph Edward Root ( cricketer ) received a cap Para Athletics Grand Prix winning five medals, from team-mate Ben Stokes for featuring in his including two golds. milestone 100th Test and he marked their 100th ▪ Para-athlete Simran got closer to her Test with a century. Paralympic dream as she clinched the 10 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 11

gold medal in women’s 100m T13 final, Alfiya Pathan wins India’s first gold clocking 12.74 seconds. This was her second ▪ Indian women boxers continued their fine run international medal after the China Grand Prix as Alfiya Pathan (81+kg) claimed the country’s in 2019. first gold medal even as five others stormed into the finals of the 30th Adriatic Pearl ▪ 36-year-old Neeraj Yadav hurled the discus to Tournament in Budva, Montenegro. a distance of 35.49m to take the gold in men’s discus throw F55. Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka ▪ In men’s long jump final T44, Praveen Kumar wins Australian Open 2021 Tennis (5.95m) and Pardeep (5.73m) claimed the Championship second and third positions with jumps of ▪ In tennis, Japan’s Naomi Osaka won her 5.95m and 5.73m, respectively and finishing fourth Grand Slam title on February 20, 2021, Kantinan Khumphong (5.50m in T63). It was a after she beat American Jennifer Brady in the combined T44/63 event. women’s singles game of Australian Open final 2021. The four Grand Slam title for Osaka ▪ Bhagyashri Mahavir Jadhav claimed the comes two Australian Open title (2021 and bronze medal in women’s Javelin F34 with a 2019) and two US Open title (2018 and 2020). throw of 11.36m. ▪ In Men’s single final, Novak Djokovic claimed his ninth Australian Open crown and the 18th India claims four more gold medals Major Grand Slam overall, as he defeated ▪ Indian men’s javelin throwers came up with Daniil Medvedev. a brilliant show as reigning World champion Sandeep Chaudhary (F44), Ajeet Singh (F46) Karnataka to host Khelo India and Navdeep (F41) won gold on the 12th Fazza University Games 2021 International World Para Athletics Grand Prix ▪ Karnataka will be hosting the second Khelo on UAE. India University Games (KIUG) 2021, which is ▪ Pranav Prashant Desai in the men’s 200m F64, scheduled to take place later this year. while World champion javelin thrower Sundar ▪ The announcement was made by Karnataka Singh Gurjar (F46) finished with a bronze. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Highly Priced IPL Cricket Players Rijiju. ▪ India - K. Gautham (CSK) Babyrojisana, Arundhati clinch gold ▪ South Africa - Chris Morris (Rajasthan Royals). ▪ Babyrojisana Chanu (51kg) and Arundhati National table tennis championship Choudhary (69kg) triumphed as Indian ▪ Manika Batra clinched her second title by women boxers ended with five gold medals in th defeating Reeth Rishya 4-2 in the women’s the 30 Adriatic Pearl tournament in Budva, Montenegro. Lucky Rana (64kg) secured a singles final of the Senior National Table silver as India emerged as the top team with Tennis Championship. 10 medals (five gold, three silver and two ▪ Commonwealth Games gold medallist bronze). Manika, representing Petroleum Sports FIFA Promotion Board (PSPB), had won her maiden title in 2015 at Hyderabad Nationals and ▪ FIFA is a non-profit organization which describes itself as an international governing finished a runner-up at Ranchi in 2017. body of association football, fútsal and beach Rajiv Ram soccer. ▪ Rajiv Ram won the mixed doubles title at ▪ Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland Melbourne Park with Barbora Krejcikova. ▪ President - Gianni Infantino

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2nd Khelo India National Winter Games ▪ The second edition of Khelo India-Winter in Gulmarg Games has been organised at the world- ▪ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi delivered famous ski-resort Gulmarg in Baramulla the inaugural address at 2nd Khelo India district of Jammu and Kashmir. National Winter Games through video ▪ The 5 days Games will be held from February conference. 26 to March 02, 2021.

1.6 BOOKS & AUTHORS Meghna Pant Pens’s new novel written by Mayuram Vedanayagam Pillai . For ▪ The award-winning writer, journalist and the first time, the books going to be launch as speaker Meghna Pant has come up with her Audio new novel titled ‘The Terrible, Horrible, Very K.R.Rajanarayan’s Book Released Bad Good News’. ▪ “Micha Kathaigal “ book of Former Writer First Audio Tamil book K.R.Rajanarayan has been released. ▪ The first novel written in Tamil was Pratapa Mudaliar Charithram published in 1876. It was

1.7 AWARDS & HONOURS Tamil Nadu Awards Ceremony publishing work in such a way as to enrich the ▪ The Government of Tamil Nadu Awards Tamil, after discovering the rare manuscripts Ceremony is held annually on the 2nd day of inscriptions, excavations, manuscripts, texts of the month of Thiruvalluvar Thirunal. In available etc. this festival, the following awards are being ▪ Presenting critiques of Kambar, one of the presented to highlight the Tamil scholars who best in the world of Tamil literature, critics of have been working in Tamil all their lives to Kambar’s works, Poetry Energy Story show uphold the pride of Tamils and to add pride character creation and poetry writers to spread to Tamils. his fame and other charitable Tamil scholars. ▪ Awarding the “Tamiltai Award” to the best Awards for Women entrepreneurs organization for Tamils living in Tamil Nadu ▪ The Working Women’s Forum (India), a social and other states and other countries who organisation, will be giving away founders have set up various organizations to preserve day awards to women entrepreneurs across their cultural roots and carry out works on South India on the occasion of the 89th language, literature and art. (Award Rs. 5.00 birth anniversary of Jaya Aruncachalam, a Lakhs, Eligibility) legendary social worker who spearheaded ▪ Providing traditional Tamil / antiquity, several women empowerment initiatives. history, civilization, culture etc. to the Tamil ▪ A statement by Nandini Azad, president of scholar who invents traditional poems / the Indian Co-operative Network for Women poems in a way that is visible and adds team Limited (ICNW) and the Working Women’s to Tamil. forum (India). ▪ To provide the scholar who is carrying out the

12 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 13

Working Womens Forum Poetry Collection “High Bird, Best Short Story ▪ The Working Women’s Forum is a women’s Collection Arun. organisation in southern India. It was founded ▪ Moe’s “Injustice Stories”, Srinivasan in 1978 by Jaya Arunachalam in Madras. Natarajan’s “Thaladi” for Best Novel, The WWF aims to empower poor women in Thenmozhi Das for Best Female Writing, southern India by providing microcredit, a Amuthan Pachaimuthu for Best Painting and trade union, health care and training. K. Jayapalan for Best Buddhist Ideal Writing. Turtle conservationist honoured Prof. Thirumavalavan’s book ‘Organizational ▪ TREE Foundation’s founder-chairper-son Gathering’ has been selected as the best Supraja Dharini has been awarded a place political-ideological work published in the last in the inaugural Explorers Club-50 People five years. Changing the World Govt. announces Kalaimamani TREE Foundation awards ▪ TREE Foundation was founded in 2002 with ▪ Veteran cine actors B. Saroja Devi and Sowcar the aim of protecting marine turtle population, Janaki, noted playback singers P. Susheela understanding the interrelatedness between and Jamuna Rani and Bharatanatyam coastal communities and the marine resources artistes Ambika Kameshwar and Parvathi upon which the former survive. Ravi Ghantasala have been named for the Miss India 2020 Puratchi Thalaivi Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Special ▪ Manasa Varanasi, an engineer from Telangana, Kalaimamani Awards for 2019 and 2020 by the was named winner of the VLCC Femina Miss Tamil Nadu government. India 2020. ▪ Noted artistes Vani Jayaram and S. Rajeswari ▪ Haryana’s Manika Sheokand was declared have been named for receiving the all-India VLCC Femina Miss Grand India 2020, while award the M.S. Subbulakshmi Award (Music) Manya Singh was crowned runner-up of the for 2019 and 2020 respectively. pageant. ▪ Artistes Alarmel Valli and Chandra Dhandayuthapani, too, are to receive the all- Nihal Singh welcomed on receiving India award the Balasaraswathi Award (Dance) President Jeevan Raksha Medal for 2019. A total of 59 personalities have been ▪ Nihal Singh of Chaugan, who saved the lives named for receiving the Kalaimamani Award of the people by putting his life on the palm, for 2019 and another 65 for 2020. will get the President’s Survival Medal. ▪ Pollachi Tamil Isai Sangam and Tamil Isai Sangam at the Raja Muthiah Mandram in Prani Mitra’ award Madurai will receive shields for best cultural ▪ S. Chinny Krishna, the co-founder of Blue organisations. Sabari Nadaka Kuzhu in Cross of India, has been conferred with the Tiruvannamalai will receive the rolling shield ‘Prani Mitra’ award for 2021 by the Animal for the best drama troupe. It has also named Welfare Board of India for his lifetime service nine senior Kalaimamani artistes for receiving to animals. the Porkizhi (cash award). Prani Mitra ▪ The ‘Akkarai Sisters’ S. Subhalakshmi and S. ‘Prani Mitra’ is the country’s highest award Sornalatha Nagaswaram artiste Achalpuram for animal welfare. S. Chinnathambi, singer Jolly Abraham, actors Ramarajan, Yogi Babu and Devadarshini, cinema producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu, cine Ezhuchi Thamizhar Literary Award editor Antony and K.N. Ramaswamy of the 2020 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan will also receive the ▪ Ezhuchi Tamizhar Literary Awards (2020) Kalaimamani Award for 2019. have been announced. Kadirbharati’s Best

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Anantapur bags PM Kisan National Actress Aishwarya Rajesh received a special Award mention award for her role in the film Ka Pae ▪ Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh Ranasingham and cinematographer Shanmuga has been awarded the PM Kisan National Sundaram was given the special jury award Award for achieving 99.60% of verification of for his work in the film Endravadhu Oru Naal. beneficiaries under the Central government ▪ Around 91 films from 53 countries were scheme meant for the farmers. screened over the last seven days as part of ▪ Under the Central government scheme, the film festival organised by the Indo Cine income support of `6,000 per year in three Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) in association equal instalments is Provided to all farmers. with PVR Cinemas. 18th Chennai International Film Festival Global energy and environment ▪ Endravadhu oru Naal, directed by Vetri leadership award Duraiswamy, was given the best Tamil feature ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will film award in the Tamil film competition held receive the CERAWeek global energy and as part of the 18th Chennai International Film environment leadership award during an Festival (CIFF). annual international energy conference. ▪ Chiyangal, directed by Vaigarai Balan, won the second-best Tamil feature film award.

1.8 CULTURAL PANORAMA Discovery of the ancient Perumal Statue stones and a slab of stone flattened on them. ▪ Madurantakam Near King temple area behind Palaniswami to launch 7th phase of Srivaratharaja Perumal Temple, about 4 feet Keezhadi excavation high Ancient Perumal stone statue were found. ▪ Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will Discovery of 3,000-year-old stone inaugurate the seventh phase of excavation monuments near Uttiramerur in Keezhadi and its cluster villages through video conference. ▪ Edamachchi Village is located near ▪ The State Archaeology department got Uttiramerur, Salavakkam. Eema symbols were permission to conduct the seventh phase found, such as stone and stone circles dating excavation in Keezhadi and its cluster villages - back to 3000 years have been found on the Manalur, Agaram and Konthagai - from Centre Chinnamalai village. Advisory Board of Archaeology. Among ▪ These boulders are a type of monument to the the six phases of excavations carried out so dead based on Paleolithic culture. It is usually far, three were conducted by Archaeological a structure consisting of three or more steep Survey of India.

14 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 15 1.9 LATEST HISTORICAL EVENTS

PM Modi to inaugurate ‘Chauri Chaura’ Prime Minister will also release a postal centenary celebrations on Feb 4 stamp dedicated to the Chauri Chaura Prime Minister Narendra Modi will centenary during the event. Chief Minister inaugurate the Chauri Chaura Centenary of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath will also Celebrations at Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, be present on the occasion. The centenary Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing. celebrations and various events planned The day marks 100 years of the Chauri by the State government will begin in all Chaura incident, a landmark event in the 75 districts of the State from Thursday and th country’s fight for independence. The will continue till 4 February. 2022.

1.10 APPOINTMENTS – WHO IS WHO? Rajeev Ranjan is Chief Secretary Pensions. ▪ The Tamil Nadu government named senior Current Chairman - Adarsh Kumar Goel IAS officer Rajeev Ranjan as Chief Secretary. ▪ It is a specialised body set up under the It also appointed the outgoing Chief Secretary, National Green Tribunal Act (2010) for effective K.Shanmugam, as its Adviser for one year and expeditious disposal of cases relating to from February 1. environmental protection and conservation of ▪ Mr.Ranjan has held various positions in his forests and other natural resources. over three decades of service. He began his ▪ Only two Acts- (Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 over three decades of service. He began his and Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional career as Sub-Colllector in Tiruvannamalai Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) (1987-89) and became Tiruvannamalai (1987- Act, 2006) have been kept out of NGT’s 89) and became Tiruchi Collector in April jurisdiction. 1995, a post he held until August 1997. He was one of the handful of Collectors who survived Leader of Opposition the regime change in May 1996. ▪ Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is all set to be the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Praveen Sinha takes over as CBI Sabha following the exit of another veteran interim chief Ghulam Nabi Azad. ▪ Gujarat cadre IPS officer Praveen Sinha, ▪ Karke belongs to Gulbarga district of currently Additional Director of the CBI, was Karnataka. appointed as its interim chief on Wednesday as current chief R.K Shukla’s two-year tenure WTO head ended. The Central Bureau of Investigation ▪ Nigeria’s Ngozi OkonjoIweala was appointed (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of as the first female and first African head of India. Formed under Santhanam committee the beleaguered World Trade Organization recommendation on 1st April, 1963. (WTO) ▪ CBI derives power to investigate from the WTO Delhi special police Establishment Act 1946. ▪ Founded - 1st January 1995 ▪ It Operates under the jurisdiction of the ▪ President -Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and ▪ Head Quarters - Geneva, Switzerland www.vetriias.com 15 16 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

Kiran Bedi removed as Puducherry L-G Justice of India and only seven judges until the ▪ Kiran Bedi was removed as the Lieutenant Parliament by law prescribes any more judges. Governor of Puducherry. ▪ CJI –Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde ▪ Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan ▪ Formed - 28 January 1950 has been given additional charge of the Union ▪ First CJI - H. J. Kania Territory. ▪ Term duration– 65 years Dr Ajay Mathur elected new Director Siddharth Chatterjee takes over as top ▪ The International Solar Alliance (ISA) has UN diplomat in China elected Dr. Ajay Mathur as its new Director ▪ Senior UN official Siddharth Chatterjee of General on February 15, 2021, at the first India has taken over as the United Nations special assembly of ISA members. He will take Resident Coordinator in China, a key posting over the leadership of ISA on March 15, 2021. of overseeing the work of 27 agencies, funds ▪ Dr. Mathur will replace Mr. Upendra Tripathy, and programmes of the global organisation in who has served as Director-General since the the world’s most populous country. inception of the ISA in 2015. UN ISA ▪ Formed on - 24 August 1945 ▪ The ISA, is an Indian initiative that was launched by the Prime Minister of India and ▪ Chairman- António Guterres the President of France on 30th November ▪ Head Quarters-Newyork 2015 in Paris, France on the side-lines of the Pranita Gupta Conference of the Parties (COP-21), with 121 solar resource rich countries lying fully or ▪ Indian-American Pranita Gupta has been partially between the tropic of Cancer and named Special Assistant to US President Joe tropic of Capricorn as prospective members. Biden on the Labor and Workers’ Domestic Council. Indian-origin Preeti Sinha appointed Information Commissioners appointed to head United Nations Capital ▪ P.Dhanasekaran and M.Sreedhar have Development Fund been appointed as State Information ▪ The UN Capital Development Fund has Commissioners in the Tamil Nadu Information appointed Indian-origin investment and Commission. Their appointment comes after development banker Preeti Sinha as its R.Dhakshinamurthy and G.Murugan ceased Executive Secretary, the highest leadership to hold the posts. rank in the institution. SIC UNDP ▪ The Right to Information Act of 2005 provides ▪ The New York-based United Nations Capital for the creation of not only the Central Development Fund is an autonomous UN Information Commission but also a State organization affiliated with UNDP. Information Commission at the state level. ▪ It was established in 1966. ▪ Term Length – 65 years or 3 years. ▪ The organisation provides micro-finance access to the 47 Least Developed Countries National Sanitary Commission (LDCs) of the world, to Help them unlock the ▪ M.Venkatesh appointed as the Chairman of full potential of public and private finance. the National Sanitary Commission CJI T. Anand and Ajay Yadav named Joint Article 124 (1) CEOs ▪ It provides for the setting up of the Supreme ▪ The State government posted IAS officers T. Court which will be composed of one Chief Anand and Ajay Yadav as Joint Chief Electoral 16 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 17

Officers in the Public (Elections) Department. ▪ The Chairperson and the Members of the ▪ Mr. Anand has been serving as Joint Secretary Commission will hold office for three years. in the Agriculture Department. ▪ The tenure of other two existing members of ▪ Mr. Yadav has been the Joint Secretary in the the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women Health and Family Welfare Department. who were nominated by the government among the members of the Legislative CEO Assembly will cease to be the members of ▪ Election (Part) 324 -329 the Commission from the day on which they ▪ Appointed by – President cease to be the members of the Tamil Nadu ▪ Term Length – 65 years or 6 years Legislative Assembly. ▪ Removed by – He can be removed from New chief for National Commission for his office by the President on the basis of SCs a resolution passed to that effect by both the houses of parliament with a two-thirds ▪ Vijay Sampla, a former Union Minister of majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya State for Social Justice and Empowerment and Sabha on the grounds of proved misbehavior former BJP MP, took charge as the Chairman or incapacity. of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, a post that was vacant since May 2020. First female additional commissioner ▪ Mr. Sampla, the former MP from Hoshiarpur ▪ K.P.Bhavaneeswari assumes as the Chennai in Punjab and Minister of State from 2014- Transport Division First Female Additional 2019. Commissioner. Tamil Nadu ▪ National Commission for SCs comes under Article 338 A of Indian Constitution. IAEA, Iran agree temporary deal ▪ Iran held “fruitful discussions” with UN Exporters’ body FIEO elects A Sakthivel nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi in as its new president Tehran. ▪ Exporters’ body Federation of Indian Export ▪ Mr. Grossi, head of the Vienna-based Organisations (FIEO) announced it has elected International Atomic Energy Agency A Sakthivel as its new president. ▪ Founded: 29 July 1957. ▪ Sakthivel, a leading knitwear exporter, is currently chairman of Apparel Export Gowri Ashokan is head of women’s Promotion Council. panel ▪ He has replaced S K Saraf, who is a Mumbai- ▪ The Tamil Nadu government has reconstituted based businessman. the State Commission for Women with Gowri Ashokan as its Chairperson.

1.11 INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS

Sri Lanka Currency Swap with India RBI ▪ The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) settled ▪ Governor - Sir Osborne Smith a $400 million currency swap facility from the ▪ Current Governor ( 25th ) – Shakthikanta Das Reserve Bank (RBI) of India. ▪ Head Quarters – Mumbai in Villupuram. Currency Swap Pangong Lake located between China ▪ A currency swap is an agreement in which two parties exchange the principal amount of and India a loan and the interest in one currency for the ▪ According to the consensus reached at the principal and interest in another currency. Chinese and Indian Foreign Ministers’ www.vetriias.com 17 18 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

meeting in Moscow and the ninth round of ▪ Pakistan has decided to register Himalayan commander¬ level talks between the two sides, pink salt as Geographical Indications (GI) the frontline troops of the Chinese and Indian to prevent its unauthorised use by other mili¬taries began to conduct si¬multaneous countries. A GI tag is a sign used on products and planned disengagement in the Pan¬gong that have a specific geographical origin and lake on February 10. possess origin-based qualities and reputation Pangong Lake in the region. ▪ Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic ▪ The precious salt is extracted from the Salt lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet. Range in Punjab which extends along the ▪ The lake is in the process of being identified south of the Potohar Plateau and the north under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of of the Jhelum River. The decision was taken international importance. in a meeting with the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Pakistan chaired by ▪ This will be the first trans-boundary wetland Commerce Adviser Razak Dawood. in South Asia under the convention. ▪ Pakistan is fighting a case in the 27-member Ramsar Site European Union against India’s move to get ▪ The Convention on Wetlands, known as the Basmati rice registered as its product. Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO, which came into force in 1975.

18 www.vetriias.com 2. POLITICAL SCIENCE 2.1 PROBLEMS IN CONDUCT OF PUBLIC ELECTIONS Election Commission Collaborated with cities without going to the designated polling IIT Madras station of their respective constituencies. ▪ The “two-way block chain remote voting” ▪ The Election Commission has collaborated process would involve voter identification and with IIT Madras to work on a new technology authorisation using a multi-layered IT enabled which will allow electors to vote from far away system working on the Election Commission.

2.2 POLITICAL PARTIES AND POLITICAL SYSTEM IN INDIA Puducherry headed for President’s rule Rule can be imposed if any state fails to ▪ After the resignation of the Congress comply with all directions given by the Union government of V. Narayanasamy, the Union on matters it is empowered to. Territory appears headed for President’s rule ▪ The President’s Rule is initially for a period as the Opposition parties are not keen on of six months. Later, it can be extended for forming a government with the election a period of three years with parliamentary President’s Rule approval, every six months. ▪ Article 356 of the Constitution of India is based ▪ The 44th Amendment to the Constitution (1978) on Section 93 of the Government of India Act, brought in some constraints on the imposition 1935. of the President’s Rule beyond a period of one This is of two types: year. ▪ If the President receives a report from the ▪ It was used for the first time in 1951 in Punjab. state’s Governor or otherwise is convinced Between 1966 and 1977, Indira Gandhi’s or satisfied that the state’s situation is such government used it about 39 times against that the state government cannot carry on the various states. governance according to the provisions of the ▪ In the S.R. Bommai case (1994), the Supreme Constitution. Court of India put forth strict guidelines for ▪ Article 365: As per this Article, President’s the imposition of Article 356.

2.3 GOVT – WELFARE ORIENTED GOVT SCHEMES, THEIR UTILITY Water supply, Swachh Bharat 2.0 focusing on management of sludge, waste missions for urban areas water and construction and demolition waste ▪ The government would launch a mission in cities, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to provide universal water supply to areas announced in her Budget speech. under all the 4,378 urban local bodies and ▪ “The World Health Organisation has the next phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission repeatedly stressed the importance of clean 20 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

water, sanitation, and clean environment, as a ▪ The scheme was succeeded by Deen Dayal prerequisite to achieving universal health. The Antyodaya Yojana on 25 September 2015. Jal Jeevan Mission [Urban], will be launched. It aims at universal water supply in all 4,378 Jal Jeevan Mission to help revive urban Urban Local Bodies with 2.86 crore household waterbodies tap connections, as well as liquid waste ▪ The urban water supply mission announced management in 500 AMRUT cities,”. in the Budget would include rejuvenation of ▪ This mission would be implemented over five water bodies as well as 20% of supply from years with an expenditure of `2.87 lakh crore. reused water, the Housing and Urban Affairs ▪ The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), which is Ministry. being implemented by the Housing and Urban ▪ The Ministry said there was an estimated gap Affairs Ministry, would get a second round. of 2.68 crore urban household tap connections ▪ The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 would that the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) [JJMU] be implemented over five years – 2021 till 2026 would seek to bridge in all 4,378 statutory – with an outlay of `1.41 lakh crore. towns. The Mission would also aim to bridge the gap of 2.64 crore sewer connections in PM KISAN Scheme the 500 cities under the existing Atal Mission ▪ PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana was for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation launched on 24th February 2019. (AMRUT). ▪ Under the scheme, the government has been providing annually Rs. 6000 in three equal Govt targets 1,000 routes under UDAN installments to all land holding farmers. scheme ▪ The amount has been transferred directly into ▪ Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep the bank accounts of beneficiaries through Singh Puri announced ministry has set a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. target of operationalising 100 unserved and Scheme underserved airports and starting at least ▪ The government’s maternity benefit scheme, 1,000 air routes under the UDAN scheme. or Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, UDAN Scheme has crossed 1.75 crore eligible women till ▪ Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was financial year 2020. launched as a regional connectivity scheme ▪ Under PMMVY, pregnant Women and under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016. lactating mothers receive `5,000 on the birth of their first child in three instalments, after Health Minister Harsh Vardhan fulfilling certain conditionalities. launches Mission Indradhanush 3.0 ▪ The scheme was announced on December 31, ▪ The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister 2016, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0, (IMI 3.0) on Krishak Bandhu scheme February 19, 2021, to expand immunization ▪ Krishak Bandhu scheme has been increased coverage across the country. to Rs 6,000 crore from Rs 5,000 crore for the ▪ The focus of IMI 3.0 will be on children and interest of farmers in West Bengal. pregnant women who missed their vaccine ▪ National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is doses during the COVID-19 pandemic. a poverty alleviation project implemented by Ministry of Rural Development, Government Mission Indradhanush of India. This scheme is focused on promoting ▪ The scheme was launched in 2014 to provide self-employment and organization of rural affordable and accessible healthcare to all poor. citizens of the country. It aims to immunise ▪ This programme is supported by the World all children under the age of 2 years, as well Bank with a credit of $1 Billion. as all pregnant women, against eight vaccine preventable diseases. 20 www.vetriias.com 3. GEOGRAPHY

3.1 POLICY ON ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY A bullet through an Island’s heart Greenpeace Southeast Asia analysis of cost to ▪ A plan for the sustainable and holistic the economy due to air pollution. development of the 680 sq km, fragile Little ▪ Six Indian cities Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Andaman Island in the Andaman and Chennai, Hyderabad and Lucknow feature in Nicobar group has raised the alarm among the global analysis. conservationists. GPR ▪ The Sustainable Development of Little ▪ Greenpeace India is the Indian branch of the Andaman Island – Vision Document’ is the global environmental group Greenpeace, NITI Aayog’s proposal to leverage the strategic a non-profit NGO, with a presence in 55 location and natural. countries across Europe, the Americas, and Three Zones Asia. Greenpeace India has legally registered ▪ The proposal is pivoted along three society in 4 locations with Bengaluru has its development anchors and zones. headquarters and other branches at Delhi, ▪ Zone 1 -spread over 102 sq km along the east Chennai, Patna. coast of Little Andaman – will be the financial ▪ The organization states that it receives 60% of district and medi city and will include and its funding from donors in India. aerocity, and a tourism and hospital district. ▪ Spread over 85 sq km of pristine forest, Zone Red-eared turtle 2, the leisure zone, will have a fim city, a ▪ It was found in Kerala. residential district and a tourism SEZ. ▪ Scientifically called Trachemys scripta elegans. New plant species with possible ▪ This turtle is considered one of the world’s medicinal properties discovered worst invasive species. ▪ Chennai based botanists have discovered Winter pollution on the rise a plant species, Hedyotis sithiravaraiensis ▪ The levels of PM 2.5, the most threatening (Karumthumbai or Senthumbai or of particulate matter, worsened in 43 of 99 Sakkaraithumbai), a critically endangered cities whose winter air in 2020 and 2019 was species of the Rubia-ceae family in Pakkamalai compared by the Centre for Science and in the Gingee Hills, one of the ranges of the Environment (CSE). Eastern Ghats. ▪ The cities with the worst pollution spikes in ▪ The species had been named after its 2020 over 2019 include Gurugram, Lucknow, type locality Sithiravarai (Sethavarai), an Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Agra, Navi Mumbai, archaeologically important site, as it has 3,500 and Jodhpur. Kolkata is the only mega city in year old rock paintings in natural caverns. The this group. etymological meaning of the term is Sithiram (painting) and Varai (hills). ▪ 23 of the most polluted cities are from north India. Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in Green Peace Report the northern belt. ▪ Air pollution claimed approximately ▪ Mysuru is the least polluted, followed by 54,000 lives in Delhi in 2020, according to a Satna in Madhya Pradesh and Kochi in Kerala. 4. ECONOMICS

4.1 NEW ECONOMIC POLICY & GOVT. SECTOR `50,000 cr. for National Research of doing business rankings while adding that Foundation national security is the Centre’s top priority. ▪ Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraraman Reserve Bank of India ` earmarked 50,000 crore over five years for the ▪ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was creation of a National Research Foundation established on April 1, 1935 in accordance (NRF) – an umbrella body that is expected to with the provisions of the RBI Act, 1934. fund research across a range of disciplines, ▪ Management of currency is one of the core from science and technology to humanities. central banking functions of the RBI. According ▪ Ms. Sitharaman had first announced such a to of Section 22 of the RBI Act, the Reserve foundation in her 2019 Budget speech after Bank is the sole authority for issue of currency it was proposed in a draft of India’s New in India. Though the Government of India Education Policy (NEP). It NRF will ensure issues coins, they are put into circulation only that the overall research ecosystem in the through the RBI. This function is carried out country is strengthened with a focus on by the Department of Currency Management. identified national priority thrust areas. ▪ The RBI was nationalised on January 1, 1949. e-payments in smaller cities TN gets GST compensation ▪ The government proposed a Rs.1,500 crore- ▪ The provisional GST compensation due to scheme to promote digital transactions in the Tamil Nadu for FY2020-21 (till November) country, a move that the industry believes will stands at `15,475 crore, according to drive adoption of e-payment in smaller cities information provided in the Rajya Sabha. and spur innovation by fintech firms. GST Nirmala Sitharaman quotes Tirukkural ▪ Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a federal ▪ Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tax. GST is an indirect tax, imposed on the quoted Tamil poet and philosopher sale of goods and services. It is implemented Thiruvalluvar in her Union Budget 2020 throughout the country since July 1, 2017. presentation. In her Budget sppech, she There will be no distinction between goods and services for the purpose of taxation. GST mentioned Thiruvalluvar’s philosophy on will be a destination-based tax. This implies “what a good country is”. that all State GST collected will ordinarily ▪ She stated five “jewels” required for a “good accrue to the State where the consumer of the country” while quoting Thirukkural’s goods or services sold resides. ‘Piniyinmai Selvam Vilaivinpam Emam ▪ GST Compensation: Due to a shift from Aniyenpa Naattiv Vaindhu’ saying, which origin based to destination based indirect translates that a country’s jewels are these tax structure, some States might face drop five: without epidemic or illness, wealth, farm in revenue in the initial years. To help the productivity happiness and good defence. States in this transition phase, the Centre has ▪ For these five “Jewels”, Sitharaman mentioned committed to compensate all their losses for a that the government took a Bharat’ and ease period of 5 years. ECONOMICS | 23

Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016 GDP growth projected at 10.5% in FY22: In order to suitably implement the GST RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das legislation, this Act resulted in the insertion, ▪ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) projected deletion and amendment of certain Articles a GDP growth rate of 10.5 per cent for the of the Constitution. financial year beginning 1 April. RBI projects GDP at 10.5% in FY22. Article 246A: Special Provision for GST ▪ The economy will rebound to 10.5 per cent in This Article was newly inserted to give the next financial year. power to the Parliament and the respective ▪ India was hit hard by the pandemic, suffering State/Union Legislatures to make laws on the worst contraction in the June quarter, and the GDP is projected to contract by a record GST respectively imposed by each of them. 7.7 per cent in the current fiscal ending March However, the Parliament of India is given 31, 2021. The Pre-Budget Economic Survey the exclusive power to make laws with predicted a “V-shaped” recovery, that the respect to inter-state supplies. The IGST Indian economy will rebound, with 11 per cent Act deals with inter-state supplies. growth, in the next financial year. ▪ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has held Article 269A: Levy and Collection of GST for policy rates at 4 per cent in monetary policy Inter-State Supply committee announcement. This is the first ▪ While Article 246A gives the Parliament the monetary policy announcement after the exclusive power to make laws with respect to presentation of the Union Budget on February 1. inter-state supplies, the manner of distribution of revenue from such supplies between the Fiscal indicators deteriorated Centre and the State is covered in Article 269A. drastically: Finance Commission Article 279A: GST Council ▪ Tamil Nadu’s fiscal indicators have ▪ This Article gives power to the President to deteriorated drastically from 2012-13 to 2018- constitute a joint forum of the Centre and States 19 and most borrowings in the recent years have gone to fund its revenue deficit, instead called the GST Council. The GST Council is an of capital expenditure. apex member committee to modify, reconcile ▪ Tamil Nadu moved from a “revenue surplus” or to procure any law or regulation based on to a “revenue deficit” State after 2012-13. the context of Goods and Services Tax in India. ▪ A revenue deficit is the difference between the Article 286: Restrictions on Tax Imposition government’s revenue receipts and revenue ▪ This was an existing article which restricted expenditure and reflects that the government’s states from passing any law that allowed them earnings are not adequate to meet its day-to- to collect tax on sale or purchase of goods day operational expenses. either outside the state or in the case of import ▪ Tamil Nadu’s Debt-Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) ratio has increased to 22.6% transactions. in 2018-19, from 17.2% in 2012-13. ▪ Present Governor- Shaktikanta Das. ▪ As per the report, Tamil Nadu’s revenue Amazon CEO deficit-fiscal deficit ratio has approached 50% in the recent years, implying that most ▪ Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon as an online borrowings were being used to finance its bookstore and built it into a shopping and revenue deficit. entertainment behemoth, will step down later ▪ Capital expenditure-GSDP ratio has fallen this year as CEO. Bezos will be replaced by between 2011 and 2019 (except for 2016-17 summer by Andy Jassy. when the State joined the UDAY scheme) www.vetriias.com 23 24 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

Finance Commission 91 lakh guarantees issued till Jan 25 ▪ The Finance Commissions are commissions under ECLG scheme periodically constituted by the President ▪ MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari announced of India under Article 280 of the Indian under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Constitution to define the financial relations (ECLG) Scheme, around 91 lakh guarantees between the central government of India and have been issued till January 25 this year. the individual state governments. ▪ Under Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Current Commission- 15th Scheme, around 91 lakh guarantees have been ▪ 15th Finance Commission led by - N.K.Singh issued till 25.01.2021. ▪ Formed: 22 November 1951 ▪ The government has announced several ▪ Objectives: Financial relations between the measures under Aatmanirbhar Bharat centre and the state package to increase availability of credit to the MSME sector which include `3 lakh crore ▪ Headquarters: New Delhi collateral free automatic loans for business, ▪ First executive: Kshitish Chandra Neogy including MSMEs under Emergency Credit Tamilnad Mercantile Bank reports net Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS). profit of Rs 180.81 crore Crypto bill being finalised, will be sent ▪ Stepping into their centenary 12 months, the to cabinet soon Board of the Thoothukudi(Tuticorin)-based ▪ Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB) has revealed Affairs Anurag Thakur proclaimed the Rajya the reviewed outcomes for the quarter ended Sabha that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December thirty first, 2020. and Securities and Exchange Board of India ▪ The Bank has reported a net profit of (SEBI) lack a legal framework to regulate Rs.180.81cr, with a growth of 95.64%, when cryptocurrencies which are neither currencies in comparison with the 2019-20 determine of nor securities or commodities. Rs.92.42cr. ▪ In 2018, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had FDI to develop infrastructure in Tamil banned banks from processing transactions relating to cryptocurrency. However, in Nadu March last year, the Supreme Court had lifted ▪ Tamil Nadu accounts for 7% of the FDI that the ban. comes into India. ▪ Regulatory bodies like RBI and Sebi etc also ▪ The Finance Commission also noted that don’t have a legal framework to directly forestry and tourism were sectors with regulate cryptocurrencies as they are significant potential for the State. neither currencies nor assets or securities or FDI Status commodities issued by an identifiable user. ▪ Highest FDI equity inflows to India – Singapore Inflation down to 4.06 %, IIP rises 1% ▪ Inflation and Deflation - Inflation occurs when ▪ Largest Recipient ( Country ) of FDI -USA the prices of goods and services rise, while ▪ Largest Recipient ( State ) of FDI – Gujarat deflation occurs when those prices decrease. Global Investors Meet Wholesale Price Index WPI ▪ The GIM 2015 was officially inaugurated by ▪ It is the most widely used inflation indicator Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa at the in India. Chennai Trade Centre. ▪ Published by the Office of Economic Adviser, ▪ On 23 and 24 January 2019, the second Global Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Investors Meet was held at the Chennai Trade ▪ All transactions at the first point of bulk sale in Centre. the domestic market are included. 24 www.vetriias.com HISTORY | 25

▪ The base year of All-India WPI has been for combating money laundering, terrorist revised from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in 2017. financing and other related threats to the Consumer Price Index CPI integrity of the international financial system. ▪ It measures price changes from the perspective ▪ Its Secretariat is located at the Organisation of a retail buyer. for Economic Cooperation and Development ▪ It measures changes over time in the level of (OECD) headquarters in Paris. retail prices of selected goods and services on ▪ Member Countries: it consists of thirty-seven which consumers of a defined group spend member jurisdictions. India is one of the their incomes. members. ▪ Base Year for CPI is 2012. FATF has two lists: Index of Industrial Production ▪ Grey List: Countries that are considered safe ▪ The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an haven for supporting terror funding and index that indicates the performance of various money laundering are put in the FATF grey industrial sectors of the Indian economy. list. This inclusion serves as a warning to the ▪ It is calculated and published by the Central country that it may enter the blacklist. Statistical Organisation (CSO) every month. ▪ Black List: Countries known as Non- Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs) Money Bills are put in the blacklist. These countries ▪ Article 110 deals with money bills. support terror funding and money laundering ▪ They deal with ‘only’ provisions mentioned in activities. The FATF revises the blacklist Article 110. regularly, adding or deleting entries. ▪ Speaker decides whether a bill is a money bill ▪ It meets three times per year. or not. SEBI ▪ They can be introduced only in Lok Sabha. ▪ SEBI is a statutory body established on April ▪ President’s recommendation is needed to 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of introduce them. the Securities and Exchange Board of India ▪ It cannot be amended or rejected by the Rajya Act, 1992. Sabha. ▪ SEBI is a quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial ▪ President can either accept or reject a money body which can draft regulations, conduct bill but cannot return it for reconsideration. inquiries, pass rulings and impose penalties. ▪ No provision for joint sitting of both the houses ▪ The headquarters of SEBI is situated in to resolve the deadlock. Mumbai. The regional offices of SEBI are located in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Financial Action Task Force Delhi. ▪ Pakistan, which continues to remain on the ▪ A Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has “grey list” of FATF, had earlier been given been constituted to protect the interest of the deadline till the June 2020 to ensure entities that feel aggrieved by SEBI’s decision. compliance with the 27-point action plan against terror funding networks and money NABARD Bank laundering syndicates, or face “black listing”. ▪ NABARD Bank allocated 2978 crore fund for ▪ The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an Irrigation Project in Tamilnadu. inter-governmental body established in 1989 NABARD Bank during the G7 Summit in Paris. ▪ It is a statutory body established in 1982 ▪ The objectives of the FATF are to set standards under Parliamentary Act-National Bank for and promote effective implementation of Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. legal, regulatory and operational measures ▪ Headquarter –Mumbai

www.vetriias.com 25 26 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) brings State ▪ The IRDAI is headquartered in Hyderabad in Bank of Sikkim under its regulatory Telangana. Prior to 2001, it was headquartered purview in New Delhi. ▪ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has brought ▪ Chairman- Subhash Chandra Khuntia. State Bank of Sikkim under its regulatory Moody’s forecasts 7% GDP contraction purview, on February 22, 2021. for India in FY21 ▪ Till now, RBI had the right and obligation to ▪ Global rating agency Moody’s has announced function as banker to all the state government India’s economy will shrink by 7 per cent in except for the state government of Sikkim. FY21 and revised India’s growth estimate for ▪ Now the bank will be regulated by the RBI on the next financial year 2021-22 to 13.7 per cent a par with other banks, however the bank’s from 10.08 per cent earlier. The agency in its ownership structure will not change. earlier estimates had predicted India’s GDP RBI to shrink 10.6 per cent in the current financial year. Year Event Eight core industries’ output up 0.1% 1934 The British enacted the Reserve Bank of India Act. ▪ The output of eight core infrastructure sectors grew marginally by 0.1 per cent in January, 1935 Reserve Bank of India was mainly due to growth in the production of established on 1st of April in fertiliser, steel and electricity. Calcutta. ▪ The core sectors had expanded by 2.2 per cent 1937 Reserve Bank of India was in January 2020, according to the provisional permanently moved to Mumbai data released by the Commerce and Industry 1949 Got nationalized after Ministry. independence. The bank was held ▪ The eight core industries constitute 40.27 per by private stakeholders before this. cent of the Index of Industrial Production. 8 Core Sectors ▪ In the year 2016, the original RBI Act of 1934 ▪ The eight core industries include coal, crude was amended and that provided the statutory oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, basis for the implementation of the flexible steel, cement and electricity. inflation-targeting framework. IRDAI State Bank of India joins ‘Liink’ ▪ The Insurance Regulatory and Development blockchain-based payment network of Authority of India or the IRDAI is the JPMorgan apex body responsible for regulating and ▪ The State Bank of India has tied up with developing the insurance industry in India. It JPMorgan to use the blockchain technology is an autonomous body. “Liink” of the US-based bank to speed up ▪ It was established by an act of Parliament overseas transactions. known as the Insurance Regulatory and ▪ With this, SBI has become the first bank in Development Authority Act, 1999. Hence, it is India to go live on the blockchain-based a statutory body. payment network of JPMorgan.

26 www.vetriias.com 5. SCIENCE

5.1 LATEST INVENTIONS ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Garbage-to-power plant in veggie by a manned mother aircraft, a fighter jet, market gets PM’s pat being customised around a LCA and Jaguar ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his aircraft. “We will be ready to fly it in four-five years time and have put in ` 400 crore of our rst Mann Ki Baat address for the year, made a own money on the CATS warrior.” mention of the garbage-to-power plant being commissioned inside the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar ▪ The CATS warrior would be armed and be Agriculture Market in Bowenpally. Vegetable able to strike deep inside the enemy territory, and fruit waste is used to generate power to while the mothership would be in the Indian the extent of 500 units a day and 30 kilos of territory. It would be powered by the HAL green manure at the plant. engine that was powering pilotless target aircraft Lakshya. ▪ This is being done by making use of 10 tonnes of left over market waste. The power generated HAL is being used to light up the market and also ▪ Founder: Walchand Hirachand run the canteen in the premises enabling the ▪ Founded: 23 December 1940 market committee to make substantial savings ▪ Headquarters: Bengaluru in power bills. ISRO to launch PSLV-C51 on February HAL planning to export light combat air 28 with 1 Brazil & 20 Indian satellites ▪ Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was onboard actively looking for exports of the Light ▪ India’s first space mission of 2021, the Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas with interest Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from countries in South East Asia and West announcef that it would launch 21 satellites Asia and each LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) MK1A jet would cost ` 306 crore. in Sriharikota on February 28, subject to ▪ At Aero India, HAL received the Request weather conditions. Onboard the PSLV-C51 For Proposal (RFP) from the IAF for the basic will be Amazonia-1 of Brazil as the primary trainer aircraft HTT-40. satellite along with 20 co-passenger satellites Unmanned fighter at 10:23 AM on February 28, ISRO stated. The ▪ HAL also announced an ambitious futuristic launch will be the first one to mark the entry project for the development of an unmanned of private players in space after the Indian fighter jet, which would be controlled by a government brought in reforms in the space manned aircraft called ‘manned–unmanned’ sector last year. teaming and be able to strike deep inside the ▪ The Brazilian satellite, which will be the enemy territory called Combat Air Teaming primary one on board the 53rd PSLV mission, System (CATS). is an optical earth observation satellite of the ▪ It would consist of CATS Hunter, CATS National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Warrior and Alpha-S, all of which are ▪ ISRO’s last mission was the successfull unmanned systems and would be controlled launch of communication satellite CMS- 28 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

01 on December 17. CMS-01 onboard the to-surface ballistic missile that has a range of PSLV-C50 was ISRO’s second launch during up to 290km. the COVID-19 pandemic and aimed at putting India’s 42nd communications satellite in orbit. UAE’s Hope probe: First photo from Mars mission released Sputnik V vaccine shows 91.6% efficacy ▪ The image comes from the spacecraft named ▪ An interim analysis of a Phase-3 trial of Russia’s Hope, or Amal in Arabic, which swung into Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 shows orbit around Mars following a seven-month the vaccine is safe and has 91.6% efficacy. flight. ▪ The 93.6% efficacy was seen 21 days after ▪ It shows Mars’ north pole, as well as Mars’ the first dose. Although the study was not largest volcano, Olympus Mons. designed to assess the efficacy of a single dose regimen, the researchers observed a possible ISRO to build ‘Bhuvan’ partial protective effect of a single dose. The ▪ The Indian Space Research Organisation result were published in The Lancet. (ISRO) has entered into an agreement with ▪ Storage at 2-8oC, a favourable temperature ‘MapmyIndia’ to offer an indigenous satellite- profile for global distribution, has been based mapping service to the country, as well approved by Russia’s Health Ministry. as give an alternative to widely-used Google maps and similar products. India launched 328 satellites from 33 ▪ MapmyIndia is an an Indian technology different countries till date company that creates digital maps in India. ▪ Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that ▪ Headquarter- New Delhi `900 crore was allocated to the Indian Space ISRO Research Organization (ISRO) for the financial ▪ Chairman- K.Sivan year 2020-21 for developing capacity for the ▪ Head Quarters- Bengaluru launching of satellites. ▪ Founded- 15th August 1969 ▪ The total number of satellites launched till date is 328 from 33 different countries and IIT-M researchers working on effective the revenue earned till date is 25 million US drugs against HIV/AIDS dollars and 189 million Euros. ▪ Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), are working ISRO on a new idea that could pave the way ▪ Formed – 15 August 1969 for developing effective drugs for treating ▪ Headquarters – Bangalore HIV/AIDS by using molecular dynamics ▪ Chairman – Kailasavadivoo Sivan simulations. Pakistan successfully test-fires Babur ▪ The results of their research were recently published in the peer-review Journal of the Cruise Missile American Chemical Society – Biochemistry. ▪ Pakistan conducted a successful Training ▪ Current inhibitors that target HIVPR make Launch of Babur Cruise Missile IA with a use of the weak forces of attraction called ‘van range of four hundred and fifty kilometers. der Waal’s forces’ to attach themselves to the ▪ According to the ISPR, Babar Cruise Missile protease molecule. Given that these forces are is capable of engaging targets at land and sea weak, the efficacy of the drug is variable and with high precision. the virus will soon become resistant to them. ▪ The missile was launched from a state of the art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle. Indian-American behind NASA rover’s ▪ Pakistan already tetes a Ghaznavi missile and Mars landing its (Hatf-III) a solid-fuel, road mobile, surface- ▪ Indian-American scientist Swati Mohan, who 28 www.vetriias.com SCIENCE | 29

leads the guidance, navigation, and control ISRO tests two satellites developed by operations of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, private sector for the first time played a pivotal role in landing the U.S. space ▪ In a first ISRO tested two satellites, SpaceKidz agency’s historic Perseverance rover on the India and Pixxel which have been developed Martian surface. by the private sector. Chandrayaan-3 launch ▪ The tests took place at the UR Rao Satellite Centre of the ISRO. This is a first for the space ▪ Chandrayaan-3, India’s third mission to Moon, agency, which has so far only taken help in is likely to be launched in 2022, ISRO chief K manufacturing and fabrication of various Sivan. parts of satellites and rockets from the Indian Sonam Wanghchuk, The Real-life industry. Phunsukh Wangdu’s Innovative Gift For ▪ The ‘Sri Sakthi Sat’ satellite developed by the Jawans in Ladakh college students of Coimbatore for ISRO will be launched on February 28. ▪ Sonam Wanghchuk, the man behind the ▪ Sri Shakthi College of Engineering and character of ‘Phunsukh Wangdu’ in the Technology is located on the L & T Bypass Bollywood blockbuster ‘3 Idiots’ has found a Road, Chinniyampalayam, Coimbatore. The solution to keep the Army jawans stationed in college has developed a satellite called ‘Sri the Ladakh region warm. He has built a solar- Sakthi Sat’ with its students. powered portable military tent for the soldiers Sri Shakthi Sat that could accommodate 10 jawans at a time. ▪ It is developed by the students of Sri Shakthi The weight of the tent, he claimed, is less than Institute of Engineering and Technology 30 kilos. ▪ This is a nanosatellite that weighs only 460 ▪ The innovator and education reformist further grams said that the military tent could work even ▪ It will be launched under Indian National under sub-zero temperatures such as -14 Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre degrees Celcius. called IN-SPACe. ▪ ISRO would launch the satellite developed INCOIS to go for aerial mapping by two other institutions from Chennai and ▪ The Indian National Centre for Ocean Nagpur along with Sri Shakhthi satellite in its Information Services (INCOIS) is planning UNITYSat. to take the help of the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for aerial mapping IISER Kolkata scientists simulate Mars of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and on the computer Lakshwadeep to get a better picture of the ▪ Scientists from Indian Institution for Science ocean floor, also called ‘bathymetric’ study. Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata NRSC suggest that it was the planet’s intrinsic ▪ National Remote Sensing Centre, or NRSC, magnetic dynamo which, by shielding its located in Hyderabad. atmosphere from the sun’s solar wind, protected its atmosphere. When the magnetic ▪ Founder –Vikram Sarabhai dynamo switched off, the atmosphere slowly INCOIS was eroded by the solar wind and eventually ▪ Indian National Centre for Ocean Information vanished, leaving the thin remnant we see Services. today. These results have been published ▪ INCOIS is an autonomous organization under in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). Astronomical Society. ▪ It is located in Hyderabad & was established ▪ The researchers build a computer model of a in 1999. It is a unit of the Earth System Science Marslike planet interacting with the plasma Organization (ESSO), New Delhi. wind from a Sunlike star. www.vetriias.com 29 30 | Current Affairs, February - 2021 5.2 LATEST DISCOVERIES IN TANGEDCO ▪ Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) was HEALTH SCIENCE formed on July 1, 1957 under section 54 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1948 for power CMC did country’s first successful Kidney generation, transmission and distribution. transplant 50 years ago ▪ As per the provisions under the section ▪ It has been 50 years since a team of doctors 131 of the Electricity Act,2003 TNEB was at the Christian Medical College (CMC) restructured on 1.11.2010 into TNEB Limited; here performed the country’s first successful Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution kidney transplant. Since then, the departments Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO); and of Urology and Nephrology of the CMC have Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation performed 3,755 transplants and 188 deceased Limited (TANTRANSCO). donor transplants. CoWIN App ▪ Mohan Rao, who was a surgeon at the CMC, ▪ CoWIN is a Grand Challenge to strengthen recalled the incidents that led to the first the COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network transplant on February 2, 1971. In 1965 and (CoWIN) system. CoWIN is a digital platform 1966, there were three unsuccessful kidney that can be used to effectively promote and transplantation attempts — two in Mumbai expand the mechanism of the COVID vaccine and one in Varanasi. distribution system nationwide. ▪ It was launched by the Ministry of Health and 5.3 MASS MEDIA & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry COMMUNICATION of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Govt orders internet shutdown in areas Kerala’s first human milk bank close to farmers protest sites in Delhi ▪ Health Minister K K Shailaja inaugurated ▪ The government ordered shut down of internet the state’s first human milk bank Nectar services in parts of Delhi NCR amid protests of Life at Ernakulam General Hospital via by farmers in the national capital. videoconferencing. ▪ Government has invoked Temporary ▪ 3,600 babies are born in the general hospital a Suspension of Telecom Sevices (Public year and out of those, 600 to 1,000 sick babies Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017 in are admitted into the Neonatal intensive care the interest of maintaining public safety and unit (NICU). The breast milk from the bank averting public emergency to suspend internet will reduce the risk of infections and boost the services in areas closer to farmers protest sites. immunity of the newborn babies. TANGEDCO takes digital route for ease Oxford names Aatmanirbharta as Hindi of business Word of 2020 ▪ As a step towards ease of doing business ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis for customers, Tangedco has launched an on Aatmanirbharta in the wake of the novel automation and steam-lining procedure to coronavirus pandemic, this particular word assign new services for both domestic (low has been named by Oxford Languages as its tension) as well as industrial consumers (heigh Hindi Word of the Year 2020 as it validated tension) without much human intervention. the day-to-day achievements of the countless ▪ Tangedco has finalized the procedure Indians who dealt with and survived the perils for making name transfer for electricity of a pandemic. connections through online mode. The online ▪ Previous Hindi words of the year are Aadhar facility for domestic consumers is proposed to (2017), Nari Shakti (2018) and Samvidhaan be launched on April 1. (2019). 30 www.vetriias.com SCIENCE | 31

Ambitious BharatNet all set to be rolled ▪ The app was developed by Aparameya out Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka. ▪ The ‘BharatNet Project’ will be rolled out to ▪ The app is available in several languages, one-third of the revenue villages in Tamil including Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Nadu by March 31, 2021, and to the remaining Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, villages by November 30, 2021. This was Odiya and Assamese. announced by Governor Banwarilal Purohit in Mobile app developed by TNeGA his customary address to the State Assembly. ▪ A mobile application developed in house ▪ The Rs 1,815-crore project will benefit 12,524 by the Tamil Nadu eGovernance Agency villages, which will be connected through (TNeGA) based on artificial intelligence optical fiber network and will be provided techniques is being tested in a few districts with not less than 1 GBPS high speed network by Tamil Nadu State Blind Control Society connectivity in each village. (TNSBCS) for screening the public for cataract. Kiran Service Helpline TNeGA ▪ The ‘Kiran’ service was set up by the Social ▪ CM has launched the ‘Namadhuarasu’ portal. Justice and Empowerment Ministry. The Kiran This portal is created with help of National helpline (18005990019) of the Department of e-Governance Division. The portal will help Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities people engage with the Government and give (DEPwD) of the Ministry was launched on their feedback and suggestions. September 7 by SJE Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot. e-Chhawani portal for online civic services C-DAC ▪ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently ▪ Cybercrime investigations are set to scale launched an online portal ‘e-Chhawani’ and new heights in Tamil Nadu with the State mobile app, to facilitate ‘ease of living’ and ‘ease police identifying as many as 185 young sub- of doing’ for the residents of the Cantonment inspectors, mostly graduates in Electronics Boards across the country. The ‘e-Chhawani’ and Communications Engineering, and portal will provide online municipal services hundreds of graduate police constables for to more than 20 lakh citizens across all 62 deployment in cybercrime police stations in Cantonment Boards of India while sitting at all cities/districts. home. C-DAC e-Kuber payments system launched in J&K ▪ C-DAC was created in November 1988, ▪ Jammu and Kashmir formally rolled out originally as the Centre for Development of e-Kuber payments system of Reserve Bank Advanced Computing Technology (C-DACT). of India (RBI). The system is capable of ▪ This was in response to issues purchasing making 50,000 transactions at a time, while supercomputers from foreign sources. all government-related financial transactions ▪ Centre for Development of Advanced would be dealt directly with RBI, without any Computing (C-DAC) is the premier R&D intermediary bank. organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for carrying Sandes App out R&D in IT, Electronics and associated ▪ Sandes, which is the Indian government’s areas. instant messaging app, is now accessible to everyone. The app, which has been launched Koo App by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), ▪ Koo is an app like Twitter which was launched gives a boost to PM Narendra Modi’s Digital on March 2020. India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant ▪ It had won the Aatmanirbhar App challenge. India) initiative. www.vetriias.com 31 6. NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT

Centre likely to postpone Census to cranes for loading and unloading equipment 2022 to the Iranian government. ▪ The Centre is on track to push the 2021 Census ▪ The cranes, part of a full consignment of six to 2022 on account of the country’s continuing Mobile Harbour Cranes (MHC) worth about pre-occupation with the COVID-19 pandemic. $25million were sourced from Italy and ▪ The Census exercise was to be conducted formally released at a ceremony at Chabahar’s in two phases-House Listing and Housing Shahid Beheshti port after official talks Census from April to September 2020 and between India and Iran. Population Enumeration from February 9 to ▪ India’s plans to invest further in the port project February 28, 2021. are seen as an indicator that the government ▪ The first phase of the Census and the updating expects some easing up in U.S. sanctions in of the National Population Register (NPR) the upcoming months, once the new Biden were intiallly to be rolled out in some States administration begins to address its policy on on April 1, 2020, but were postponed due to re-entering the Iran nuclear deal. the pandemic. Vasuki Train 3-language policy is not applicable to ▪ The South-East Central Railways (SECR) Central govt. offices zone in Chhattisgarh breaks its own previous ▪ The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has record by successfully operating the longest announced that the three language policy is not ever freight train by amalgamating five rakes applicable to offices of the Union government. of goods trains as one unit of around 3.5 km. The ministry gave this response to a question ▪ Named as ‘Vasuki’, it covered the distance of filed under the Right to Information (RTI) 224 km between the railway stations of Bhilai Act on the recent CRPF event at Bhadravati and Korba and took about seven hours. in Shivamogga district, where the plaques ▪ The ‘Vasuki’, comprising of 300 wagons of unveiled to mark the foundation stone-laying long haul rake of five goods trains, ran with ceremony were only in English and Hindi. the help of one pilot, one assistant loco pilot ▪ The reply furnished by the ministry on and a guard. January 29 stated that “as per the provision ▪ The nation’s most profitable railways zone of the Official Language Act, 1963, and the SECR had earlier operated 177 loaded wagons Official Language Rules, 1976, the provision of “Super Anaconda” of 2 km long freight bilingual policy is applicable in the offices of train on 29 June 2020, then connecting three the Central government”. goods trains using the latest technology of ▪ Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation Distributed Power Control System (DPCS). stone for the 97th battalion of the Rapid Action Textile Minister Smriti Irani inaugurates Force in Bhadravati on January 16. 8th India International Silk Fair India delivers 2 cranes for Chabahar ▪ The Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani ▪ In its latest push to develop Iran’s Chabahar inaugurated the 8th India International Silk port project, India handed over two 140-tonne Fair on Virtual Portal on 31st January 2021. NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 33

▪ The five days event is being held on Indian Silk ▪ The India Justice Report (IJR) is launched Export Promotion Council’s virtual platform by Tata Trusts in collaboration with due to COVID-19 pandemic. Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, ▪ The fair is considered to be India’s biggest silk Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, fair. DAKSH, TISS–Prayas, Vidhi Centre for Legal ▪ More than 200 overseas buyers and equal Policy and How India Lives. number of their representatives in India Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launches are participating to interact with more than first Reference Material synthesized by 100 renowned and big Indian companies manufacturing and trading silk and silk NDTL and NIPER to strengthen anti- blended products. doping measures ▪ India is the only country in the world which ▪ The Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports produces all the four major varieties of silk, Kiren Rijiju recently launched a Reference which are Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga. Material, for use in the anti-doping field for chemical testing. Uttarakhand sets up Botanical Garden ▪ This RM is jointly synthesized by the National to conserve 210 species of trees of Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) and the Shivalik range National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education ▪ In Nainital district of Uttarakhand, a first of and Research (NIPER), Guwahati. its kind botanical garden named ‘Shivalik About RM Arboretum’ has been inaugurated, for ▪ This first-of-its kind RM is a rarely available conserving over 210 species of trees found in the Shivalik range of Himalayas. substance globally and while testing of a sample, the RM will provide identity ▪ Shivalik Arboretum aims to spread nature confirmation for prohibited substances which education among people so that they are able do not have threshold limits. to feel an emotional connect with the trees, and make them more active towards conservation. ▪ This would be used to strengthen anti-doping measures in all World Anti-Doping Agency ▪ The facility will showcase information like (WADA) accredited labs. scientific information about particular species, cultural significance, medicinal use, country of ▪ It is one of the 20 RMs, that will be produced origin, type of habitat in which it is found and by NDTL and NIPER-G. all possible uses including as timber, dyes or ▪ NDTL and NIPER-G had signed a any other peculiar use. memorandum of understanding (MoU) in August 2020 to synthesize 20 rare RMs over Maharashtra tops 2nd India Justice three years. Report for delivering justice to people ▪ Maharashtra has retained its top rank in the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme second edition of the India Justice Report – in 32 states, UTs 2020, which judges states in terms of delivery ▪ ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme of the of justice to people. Union Government is being implemented ▪ Maharashtra retained its number one position by 32 States and Union Territories, reaching among 18 large and mid -sized states (where about 69 crore beneficiaries, announced population is over one crore each). Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while ▪ Tamil Nadu and Telangana were second and announcing the Union Budget. third respectively in the same category. ▪ The Finance Minister informed that the scheme ▪ Among the 7 small states (where the population has covered 86 per cent of the beneficiaries, is less than one crore each), Tripura has topped adding that the remaining four states and UTs the list followed by Sikkim and Goa. will be integrated into the scheme. www.vetriias.com 33 34 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

India has highest number of new ▪ The objective of the event was to encourage all leprosy cases annually: WHO agencies involved and show appreciation to ▪ India needs to take special measures to ensure all in the process of treatment and care. economic security for people with leprosy Jamtara turns a new page with public as situations like the ongoing COVID-19 library movement pandemic have jolted the ostracised ▪ A library movement developed in a short community, making them rely merely on span of time in Jharkhand’s Jamtara district handouts to survive. is receiving a steady flow of students and ▪ People with leprosy had been ignored helping them turn a new page. during these trying times and not many had ▪ The district love for books assumes huge come forward to check on their well-being, significance as it has the dubious distinction of Sasakawa, who was awarded the Gandhi being the “phishing capital of India”. Peace Prize in 2019 for his fight against leprosy, especially in India. Public library movement ▪ The public library movement began in mid- ▪ According to the World Health Organisation nineteenth-century New England, building (WHO), India has the highest number of upon a wide range of enabling social conditions new cases of leprosy in the world annually, and individual motivations. followed by Brazil and Indonesia. ▪▪India reported 1,35,485 new cases in 2016, Indian Air Force which is 63 per cent of the 2,14,783 new ▪ Founded: 8 October 1932 cases reported globally. ▪ Headquarters: New Delhi ▪ Commander-in-Chief: President Ram Nath First Ultraviolet ray to sanitize train Kovind coaches ▪ Current Air Chief Marshal - Rakesh Kumar ▪ Lucknow Metro has become the first metro in Singh Bhadauria India to use ultraviolet (UV) rays to sanitise train coaches, a senior official of the Lucknow National Investigation Agency Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) said on ▪ The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was Friday. constituted under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008. ▪ For this, the LMRC has procured UV sanitization apparatus from M/s FB TECH, an ▪ It’s objective is also to combat terror in India. Indian firm in Jaipur, Rajasthan. ▪ It acts as the Central Counter-Terrorism Law ▪ The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Enforcement Agency. (UPMRC) has taken inspiration from the New ▪ Headquarters: New Delhi York Metro’s experiment to sanitise trains ▪ Branches: Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kochi, with UIV lamp rays. Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur and ▪ The apparatus, which was certified by Jammu. the Defence Research and Development ▪ Governing body: Ministry of Home Affairs Organisation (DRDO) in October 2020, ▪ Chief: Yogesh Chander Modi sanitizes the entire coach in just seven minutes. Association For Democratic Reforms Apollo Hospitals launches hand print (ADR) campaign ▪ The contribution reports of only 78 (3.39%) of ▪ Apollo Hospitals decided to recognize this the total 2,301 registered unrecognised political effort and celebrate the work put in by parties are available in the public domain for patients, cancer survivors and doctors. World 2018-19, while the reports of only 82 such Cancer day 4th February. parties (3.56%) for 2017-18 are uploaded on 34 www.vetriias.com NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 35

the respective State Chief Electoral Officers’ Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) created a green websites, according to the Association For corridor to facilitate the nonstop transport of Democratic Reforms (ADR). a heart from the Kamineni Hospitals to save a ▪ The number of these parties increased two- patient admitted to the Apollo Hospital, fold in the last 10 years, from 1,112 in 2010 to ▪ A special train was arranged at Nagole, which 2,301 in 2019. picked up the heart at around 3.30-4 p.m., and raced through the entire stretch of 21 km ▪ There are 2,360 political parties registered with and crossing 16 stations. It took less than 30 the Election Commission of India and 2,301 or minutes for it the reach Jubilee Hills, at an 97.50% of them are unrecognised. average speed of 40 kmph. ADR ▪ The Association for Democratic Reforms is Impact on Green Verdicts an Indian non-partisan, non-governmental ▪ The NITI Aayog the government’s apex organization which works in the area of think tank has commissioned a study that electoral and political reforms. seeks to examine the unintended economic ▪ Founded: 1999 consequences of judicial decisions that have hindered and stalled big ticket projects on ▪ Founders: Rajesh Agarwal, Ajit Ranade, Brij environmental grounds. Kothari NITI Aayog Mega Food Parks ▪ NITI Aayog was established on 1st January ▪ About 22 mega parks are operational out of 37 2015, which was a replacement of the Planning approved across the country, Minister of State Commission. for Food Processing Industries Rameshwar ▪ It serves as an advisory body or a “Think Teli informed Parliament. Tank” of the government of India to advice on ▪ The operational mega food parks are located social and economic issues. in 15 states including Assam, Punjab, Odisha, Mizoram, Maharashtra, among others. ▪ Chairperson:-Shri Narendra Modi ( Prime Minister ). Vice Chairperson:-Dr. Rajiv Kumar ▪ The Minister providing data in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha. Under the Mega FSSAI Food Park Scheme, the government had given approval for 42 mega food parks in the ▪ The Food Safety and Standards Authority of country. India (FSSAI) has amended its rules to cap transfatty acids (TFAs) in food products. Food ▪ The Ministry ahs accorded final approval to 37 mega food parks and in-principle approval to products in which edible oils and fats are used two mega food parks in the country under the as an ingredient shall not contain industrial Mega Food Parks Scheme. transfatty acids more than 2% by mass of the total oils/fats present in the product, on and IIT-M’s ‘Saarang’ to be held as online from 1st January, 2022. event Trans fatty acids ▪ ‘Saarang’, the Indian Institute of Technology- ▪ Trans fatty acids (TFA) or trans fats are a form Madras’s annual cultural festival, will be an of unsaturated fat and come in both natural online event this year. ‘Vintage Vogue’ is the and artificial forms. theme of the festival that is slated to be held FSSAI from February 4 to 7. ▪ The Food Safety and Standards Authority of Metro transport live heart for India (FSSAI) was established in 2008 under transplant the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 as a ▪ For the first time in Telangana, the Metro Rail statutory body. was used to transport and organ from one ▪ Current CEO - Shri Arun Singhal. hospital to another for transplantation. The ▪ Head Quarters- New Delhi. www.vetriias.com 35 36 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

KurubasTribes located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, ▪ Kurubas seek ST tag At Karnataka leaders between the Rishiganga valley on the west of the Kuruba community urged the State and the Goriganga valley on the east. government to recommend to the Centre Tributaries of Ganga inclusion of the Kuruba community in the ST ▪ The important tributaries of Ganga are the list. Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara, the ▪ The word Kuruba means “warrior.” Gandak, the Kosi , Mahanada and the Yamuna. ▪ They live in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Undersea Metro Rail To see Chhatrapati Maharashtra, and Karnataka. Shivaji Maharaj’s memorial ▪ Traditionally they have been farmers and ▪ Maharashtra’s Public Works Department shepherds. In addition to farming, they weave (PWD) is exploring the option of building an rough blankets made of wool. They are not undersea metro rail for Chhatrapati Shivaji vegetarians, and they eat grains such as rice Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea to reach and wheat. the memorial site. Assam ▪ The work on the 212-metre-tall Chhatrapati ▪ Capital- Dispur Shivaji Maharaj memorial in the Arabian Sea commenced in 2016. ▪ Chief Minister (CM)- Sarbananda Sanowal (14th) Medicity ▪ Governor- Jagdish Mukhi ▪ Medicity is being setup at a cost of 2000 crore ▪ Important National Parks (NP)- Kaziranga in Karaikkal. NP, Manas NP, Dibru Saikhowa NP, Nameri ▪ Allopathy, Siddha, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, NP, Orang NP Unani Medicine, Yoga, Naturopathy and Herbal Cultivation are the major projects of Glacial burst in Uttarkhand this project ▪ Seven persons were killed and over 125 reported missing after a “glacial burst” on Sustainable Development (SDG) Nanda Devi triggered an avalanche and caused ▪ In January 2015, the General Assembly began flash floods in Rishiganga and Dhauliganga the negotiation process on the post-2015 rivers in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. development agenda. The process culminated ▪ Tapovan hydel project was washed away in the subsequent adoption of the 2030 Agenda after the glacial burst in Uttarakhand. for Sustainable Development, with 17 SDGs. ▪ Rishiganga River – Originates from ▪ It has three main goals. That are Universality, Vasundhara Tal and its located on Nanda Integration and Transformation. Devi. Vasundhara Tal is the largest glacial lake ▪ SDG 3rd Goal - To ensure health and well-being in Uttarakhand. for all, including a bold commitment to end ▪ Dhauliganga River - The Dhauliganga is one the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030. of the six source streams of the Ganges river. It meets the Alaknanda River at Vishnuprayag Five Indian colleges in top 100 FT at the base of Joshimath mountain in Global MBA ranking 2021 Uttarakhand.It emerges from Deovan Himani ▪ Five Indian business schools including four Glacier. Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have Nanda Devi found a place in the top 100 schools in Financial ▪ Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain Times’ Global MBA Ranking 2021. in India after Kangchenjunga and the highest ▪ According to the rankings released on located entirely within the country. Monday, Indian School of Business (ISB) has ▪ It is part of the Garhwal Himalayas, and is been ranked 23 in the world, IIM Bangalore 35, 36 www.vetriias.com NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 37

IIM Calcutta and IIM Ahmedabad 44 and 48, Parliament House: 100 Years Ago, On and IIM Indore 94. This Day, Foundation Stone Was Laid ▪ While IIM Indore entered the top 100 list for ▪ Exactly a hundred years ago, on 12th February, the first time, ISB improved four positions and the foundation stone of Parliament House IIM-A climbed 13 places. But IIM Calcutta was laid. 26 years before India became dropped two spots and IIM Bangalore Independent, Britain’s Duke of Connaught dropped eight spots. laid the foundation stone and said it would stand “as the symbol of India’s rebirth to yet Govt’s helpline for women from Apr- higher destinies”. Jun 2020 ▪ The building, with a diameter of 560 ft and ▪ Over 2.47 lakh phone calls were registered by circumference of one-third of a mile, was the government’s women helpline from April designed by Sir Herbert Baker, who along to June last year when the country was under with Sir Edwin Lutyens was chosen to design lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the new imperial capital in Delhi in the Raisina Hill area. the Women and Child Development Ministry. ▪ The architectural masterpiece, which ▪ Women and Child Development Minister was originally called Council House, was Smriti Irani announced the scheme of inaugurated six years later in 1927, 20 years ‘Universalisation of Women Helpline (WHL)’ before India attained its freedom on August through toll free number 181 is operational in 15, 1947, by then Viceroy, Lord Irwin. 33 states and Union Territories. ▪ The sprawling edifice covering an area of Mullaperiyar dam is protected from nearly six acres and its creamy sandstone quakes colonnade of 144 pillars on the first floor is one of the most distinctive parliament buildings ▪ The Mullaperiyar dam is located on the anywhere in the world. In 1929, Bhagat Singh confluence of the Mullayar and Periyar rivers hurled a bomb into its chambers. in Kerala’s Idukki district. ▪ Mullaperiyar dam was Constructed between Koozhangal wins Tiger Award 1887 to 1895 by John Pennycuick ▪ Director PS Vinothraj’s Koozhangal (Pebbles) ▪ It is operated and maintained by the Tamil won the coveted Tiger Award at the 50th Nadu for meeting the drinking water and International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021. irrigation requirements of five of its southern Koozhangal becomes the first Tamil film to districts. win the prestigious award at the film festival. ▪ According to a 999-year lease agreement made Dekho Apna Desh Webinar during the British rule the operational rights were handed over to Tamil Nadu. ▪ The Ministry of Tourism’s Dekho Apna th ▪ The dam intends to divert the waters of the Desh Webinar series held its 76 webinar west-flowing river Periyar eastward to the titled “Vocal for Local : Empowering Local th arid rain shadow regions of the Tamil Nadu. Communities : Gujarat Experience” on 13 February 2021. Periyar River ▪ The Periyar River is the longest river in the India’s first full-fledged international state of Kerala with a length of 244 km. cruise terminal in Kerala ▪ It is also known as ‘Lifeline of Kerala’ as it is ▪ The Prime Minister also inaugurated the one of the few perennial rivers in the state. country’s first full-fledged international cruise ▪ Periyar River originates from Sivagiri hills of terminal, Sagarika at Cochin Port and Marine Western Ghats and flows through the Periyar Engineering Training Institute of Cochin National Park. The main tributaries of Periyar Shipyard Ltd. are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, ▪ Prime Minister announced Thanjavur and Perinjankutti. Pudukkottai will be specially benefited after www.vetriias.com 37 38 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

the foundation for the extension, renovation into a paperless work. The Himachal Pradesh and modernization of six hundred and thirty Cabinet is proud to be the first Paperless six kilometre long Grand Anicut Canal System cabinet in the country. was laid. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs ▪ It will improve irrigation facilities for 2.27 lakh acres of land in the delta districts. launches Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan in 10 Cities Tesla Selects Karnataka for Electric ▪ The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Vehicle Plant has launched the Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan ▪ Tesla Inc. chose the state of Karnataka for its under Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban. first plant in India as the electric vehicle maker ▪ The Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan has been sets its sight on Asia’s third-biggest economy. launched in 10 cities, which are Agra, ▪ Head Quarters - USA Badlapur, Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala, Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur. PM Modi to address Nasscom event ▪▪ Objective: to ascertain equitable distribution ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address of water, reuse of wastewater and mapping the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership of water bodies with respect to quantity and Forum (NTLF) via video conferencing. quality of water through a challenge process. ▪ The 29th edition of NTLF is being organised Jal Jeevan Mission from February 17 to 19 and it is the flagship ▪▪ Launched on - August 15, 2019. event of the National Association of Software ▪▪ Aim - To provide to all households in rural and Service Companies (NASSCOM). India safe and adequate water through Education Ministry to train 56 lakh individual household tap connections by 2024. school teachers through NISHTHA Centre approves projects worth `363 ▪ The Union Ministry of Education is planning crore in food processing sector to train about 56 lakh school teachers from ▪ The Centre has approved projects worth `363.4 across the country in the current year 2021-22. crore in the food processing space. The nod The Education Ministry’s decision is in line was given by the Inter-Ministerial Approval with the announcement made by the Union Committee chaired by the Union Minister of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Food Processing Narendra Singh Tomar. mentioned that about 56 lakh school teachers ▪ The proposals were received under the scheme will be trained from across the country. for creation for infrastructure for Agro- ▪ The budget announcement had also mentioned Processing Cluster (APC) and the scheme that the training of teachers will be conducted for Creation/ Expansion of Food Processing through NISHTHA. and Preservation Capacities (CEFPPC) under NISHTHA Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana ▪ NISHTHA which expands to National (PMKSY). Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ ‘Snakepedia’ mobile Holistic Advancement is a teacher training initiative that aims at equipping teachers to ▪ Kerala have launched a mobile provide better learning outcomes. NISHTHA applicationnamed “Snakepedia”, that will was launched by the Department of School present all relevant information on snakes, to Education and Literacy. help the public as well as doctors in treating snake bites. The country’s first Paperless Cabinet cabinet Nathu la Pass ▪ The state government has turned the entire ▪ Nathu La on the India China border in Sikkim functioning of the Himachal Pradesh cabinet ▪ Nathu La, meaning “listening ears”, is in 38 www.vetriias.com NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 39

East Sikkim district and is one of the highest ▪ The Lieutenant Governors of Andaman motorable roads in the world at 14,450 feet and Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, and the above sea level. administrators of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Kambala Lakshadweep will be special invitees of ▪ Kambala is an annual buffalo race held in the governing council. southwestern Indian state of Karnataka. NITI Aayog India inaugurates its first digital ▪ Planning has been in Indian psyche as our university at Thiruvananthapuram leaders came under influence of the socialist District, Karala clime of erstwhile USSR. ▪ The Indian state of Kerala recently inaugurated ▪ Planning Commission was replaced by a new the country’s first Digital University, the Kerala institution – NITI Aayyog on January 1, 2015 with emphasis on ‘Bottom –Up’ approach to University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and envisage the vision of Maximum Governance, Technology (KUDSIT). The launch is part of Minimum Government, echoing the spirit of the state’s resolve to embrace new technologies ‘Cooperative Federalism’. and become a global hub for higher learning and technology. ▪ Chairperson: Prime Minister ▪ Sprawled across the 10-acre campus in ▪ Vice-Chairperson: To be appointed by Prime- Technocity, the first phase of the university Minister has been completed with an academic and Telangana achieves 100% tap water a hostel block. Once fully developed, it will connections to schools provide education to 1,200 residential scholars from its campus. ▪ Telangana has joined a group of States that has ensured tap water connections to all schools India’s First Skill University in Darrang and anganwadi centres (AWCs). District, Assam ▪ The State was the first to provide tap water ▪ The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda connections to all households and the Sonowal laid the foundation of the first skill achievement was acknowledged by the university of eastern India in Darrang district Central government a few days ago. Work on in Assam. providing connection to schools, AWCs and ▪ The state-of-the art skill university would be ashramshalas was taken up under the 100-day built with a financial outlay of Rs 1,000 crore. special campaign of the Ministry of Jal Shakti under the Jal Jeevan Mission. ▪ It will impart training to over 10,000 students in 12 disciplines. Another City Renamed Madhya ▪ The university is expected to be completed Pradesh’s Hoshangabad by 2026. It will have “understandings” with ▪ Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh countries like Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Chouhan has announced that Hoshangabad Israel, Japan, England. city in the state would be renamed as Narmadapuram and a proposal to that effect PM Modi to chair 6th Governing Council would be sent to the Centre. ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the sixth meeting of the Governing Council of Reliance Industries to set up ‘world’s NITI Aayog via video conferencing. largest zoo’ in Gujarat ▪ According to a notification of the Cabinet ▪ Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is set to build Secretariat, chief ministers of all states and what it claims to be the world’s largest zoo in those of the Union Territories of Jammu and Gujarat’s Jamnagar. The zoo will house close Kashmir, Delhi and Puducherry are full time to 100 different species of animals, birds and members of the council. reptiles from India and across the world. www.vetriias.com 39 40 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

▪ It will be built on about 280-acre land, close to Eat Right Campus’ tag the company’s refinery project at Moti Khavdi ▪ The Food Safety and Standards Authority of near Jamnagar. India (FSSAI) has begun certifying private ▪ The zoo will host a variety of species including institutions, including colleges and hospitals barking deers, slender loris, sloth bears, in the city that have in¬house canteens, as “Eat fishing cats, komodo dragons, Indian wolves Right Campuses”. and Rosy pelicans as per the proposal. ▪ The Madras Veterinary College Hostel and Apollo Hospitals, Greames Road, have been PM to inaugurate virtual maritime given such certification by the department summit based on the guidelines issued by the Food ▪ The Chennai Port Trust will sign more than 15 Safety and Standards Authority of India MoUs with various institutions ahead of the (FSSAI). Virtual Maritime Summit 2021 being held from FSSAI March 2 to 4. The summit will be inaugurated ▪ Food Safety and Standards Authority of by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India (FSSAI) is an autonomous statutory ▪ The Sagarmala is a series of projects to body established under the Food Safety and leverage the country’s coastline and inland Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act). waterways to drive industrial development. ▪ Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, It was originally mooted by the Vajpayee Government of India is the administrative government in 2003 as the waterways Ministry of FSSAI. equivalent of the Golden Quadrilateral. ▪ Headquarters: Delhi. Indo - Pak War ▪ CEO – Arun Signhal ▪ The Suryakiran aerobatic team of the IAF flew Free NEET coaching started for students over Chennai and Puducherry as part of the of Corporation Schools celebrations of the 50-year anniversary of the ▪ Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Indo-Pak War of 1971. G. Prakash launched free NEET coaching for War students of Corporation schools. ▪ The Government of India decided on 3rd ▪ The civic body will train the students for 100 December 1971, that India would go for war days under the ‘NEET, Ennal Mudiyum’ (I with Pakistan to save Bengali Muslims and can) programme. The smart classrooms will Hindus. have modern digital boards with internet connectivity. ▪ This war was fought between India and Pakistan for 13 days. National Consumer Disputes Redressal ▪ Mukti Bahini refers to the armed organizations Commission (NCDRC) that fought against the Pakistan Army during ▪ NCDRC is a quasi-judicial commission in India the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was a which was set up in 1988 under the Consumer guerrilla resistance movement. Protection Act, 1986. The World Largest Cricket Stadium ▪ Headquarter -New Delhi. ▪ Head – Justice R K Agrawal ▪ The refurbished Sardar Patel stadium, now renamed Narendra Modi stadium, in Lok Adalat Ahmedabad. ▪ The term ‘Lok Adalat’ means ‘People’s Court’ ▪ The world’s largest cricket arena can and is based on Gandhian principles. accommodate 1.1 lakh spectators. ▪ As per the Supreme Court, it is an old form of ▪ The stadium will be a part of the larger planned adjudicating system prevailed in ancient India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in the and its validity has not been taken away even city. in the modern days too. 40 www.vetriias.com NATIONAL – DIARY OF EVENT | 41

▪ It is one of the components of the Alternative ▪ The importance of intellectual property was Dispute Resolution (ADR) system and delivers first recognized in the Paris Convention for informal, cheap and expeditious justice to the the Protection of Industrial Property (1883) common people. and the Berne Convention for the Protection ▪ The first Lok Adalat camp was organised in of Literary and Artistic Works (1886). Both Gujarat in 1982 as a voluntary and conciliatory treaties are administered by the World agency without any statutory backing for its Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). decisions. India ▪ In view of its growing popularity over time, ▪ India is a member of the World Trade it was given statutory status under the Legal Organisation and committed to the Agreement Services Authorities Act, 1987. The Act makes on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual the provisions relating to the organisation and Property (TRIPS Agreement). functioning of the Lok Adalats. ▪ India is also a member of World Intellectual Property Organization, a body responsible for TRIPS the promotion of the protection of intellectual ▪ To approve the COVID-19 waiver for property rights throughout the world. equitable access to medicines under the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) National Policy Agreement could dent global economic output ▪ The National Intellectual Property Rights by trillions of dollars at the cost of protecting (IPR) Policy 2016 was adopted in May 2016 as a vaccine makers’ business worth just $30¬40 vision document to guide future development billion, India’s ambassador to the World of IPRs in the country. ▪ India and South Africa have jointly moved ▪ It’s clarion call is “Creative India; Innovative a proposal at the WTO’s TRIPS council for a India”. waiver to help more countries get access to Achievements medicines and vaccines during the pandemic. ▪ Improvement in GII Ranking: India’s rank in Intellectual Property Rights the Global Innovation Index (GII) issued by nd ▪ These rights are outlined in Article 27 of the WIPO has improved from 81st in 2015 to 52 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, place in 2019. which provides for the right to benefit from WTO the protection of moral and material interests ▪ Founded on – 1995 resulting from authorship of scientific, literary ▪ Head Quarters – Switzerland or artistic productions. ▪ President - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

www.vetriias.com 41 7. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Myanmar: Military stages coup, Israel declares a state of emergency for one ▪ Capital – Jerusalem year ▪ Preseident - Reuven Rivlin ▪ Myanmar’s military staged a coup on February ▪ Geographical Importance - Israel is located 1, 2021, detaining de-facto leader Aung San at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea Suu Kyi and declaring it had taken control in Western Asia. It is bounded to the north of the country for one year under a state by Lebanon, the northeast by Syria, the east of emergency. The military recently made by Jordan and the West Bank, and to the allegations of fraud in general elections by southwest by Egypt. the civilian government. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won the India’s vaccine lands in Caribbean elections held in November 2020 easily. Along Island with Suu Kyi, President Win Myint has also ▪ Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit been detained in capital Naypyidaw. showered praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India for New Delhi’s World Economic Forum swift response to his request for 35,000 ▪ The World Economic Forum is a non- Covid-19 vaccines that can shield nearly half governmental organization, which was his country’s 72,000-strong population from founded in 1971. The forum aims to improve the deadly virus. the state of the world by bringing together key ▪ Capital – Roseau leaders from political, business and academic backgrounds to redefine global, regional and Italy’s new PM industry agendas. The forum comprises some ▪ Prime Minister - Mario Draghi of the world’s largest corporations. ▪ President - Sergio Mattarella ▪ The World Economic Forum holds its annual ▪ Capital-Rome meeting in January every year at Davos. This year is its 50th meeting. Discovery of the world’s oldest distillery WEF ▪ Archaeologists have unearthed a distillery ▪ Current President - Borge Brende in Egypt that dates back 5,000 years. The distillery may have been built during the reign ▪ Headquarters - Cologny, Switzerland of King Naom, who created the first empire Iran’s President Rouhani rules out from 3150 BC to 2613 BC. changes to nuclear deal Quad ▪ President Hassan Rouhani ruled out changes ▪ It known as the Quadrilateral Security to Iran’s nuclear accord with world powers Dialogue, the Quad was created in 2004. and dismissed calls to broaden the terms of the ▪ Nations- India, Japan, Australia, USA and deal and include regional countries. now including Myanmar ▪ Iran’s Capital – Tehran ▪ Aim - To ensure and sustain an open, free and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS | 43

TIME’s 100 Emerging Leaders List 3. Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta ▪ Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad 4. Get Us PPE executive director and doctor Shikha and five Indian-origin personalities have been Gupta featured in the 2021 TIME Next List 100. 5. Founder of nonprofit Upsolve’s Rohan Pavuluri ▪ TIME100 Next 2021 is the second edition of the Bhim army annual list of Time magazine’s 100 ‘emerging It is a dalit rights organisation based leaders who are shaping the future.’ in Uttar Pradesh to help Dalits escape ▪ The five Indian-origin persons in Time100 poverty through education. It was founded Next list are: by Satish Kumar, Vijay Ratan Singh and 1. Twitter lawyer Vijaya Gadde Chandrashekhar Azad in 2015. 2. UK’s Finance Minister Rishi Sunak

www.vetriias.com 43 8. TAMILNADU AFFAIRS

City’s first Miyawaki forest Operation Smile to rescue missing kids ▪ As the first Miyawaki forest in Chennai ▪ A special camp Operation Smile aimed at turns one this week, the Greater Chennai rescuing missing children was inaugurated Corporation wants the residents’ associations at Trichy railway junction. Superintendent to notify details about unused spaces in their of police, government railway police (GRP), neighbourhood for raising a similar forest. Trichy T Senthilkumar proclaimed that the ▪ The Corporation aims at raising 1,000 such camp will be held under the jurisdiction of plantations. It has already raised Miyawaki 24 government railway police (GRP) stations forest in about 20 locations in the last one year and six outposts in Trichy railway police limit in the city. from February 1 to 15. ▪ The first Miyawaki forest was created in Tamil Nadu drops disciplinary action Kotturpuram near the MRTS station after and cases against govt employees, clearing 1,600 tonnes of debris one year ago. teachers Govt. will form a Valaiyar Reclamation ▪ Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Board Palaniswami announced dropping of ▪ Tamilnadu Stated Government will take steps disciplinary proceedings initiated against to establish a Valaiyar Reclamation Board, 7,898 government employees and teachers Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami. and 408 cases registered against 17,686 staff and teachers for holding indefinite protests in ▪ PM announce, the government was also 2019. taking steps to protect the memorials for the rulers of the Mutharaiyar community. The ▪ The government employees and teachers’ government, as announced in the Assembly, associations held indefinite agitation in January laid the foundation for the statue of Perarasar last year urging a charter of demands, including Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar in Tiruchi. pending 21-month arrears as per the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, reverting ▪ The Mutharaiyar community members are to the old pension scheme, elimination of mostly farmers who feed the people of the wage discrepancies, regular pay for all those State. under consolidated and special time scale pay ▪ The government had introduced several and revoking a government order setting up pro-farmers schemes, including the staff rationalisation committee. ‘kudimaramathu’ scheme. Metro Lite CM launches free internet data card ▪ The Finance Minister added that the scheme government will raise the share of public ▪ Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami transport in urban areas through the expansion launched the distribution of free 2 GB internet of the metro rail network and the city bus data cards to students of government, aided service will be strengthened. A new scheme colleges and polytechnics across the State to will be launched at a cost of ` 18,000 crores to help them attend online classes till May this support the expansion of public bus transport year. services. TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 45

`400 victims of sexual assault benefited writ petition filed by a student, C.V. Gayathri, from Thozhi scheme’ through her father, S. Vaitheeswaran, ▪ City Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar challenging the constitutionality of the Tamil Aggarwal announced around 400 victims of Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and sexual assault were given counselling and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in other support from women police personnel, Educational Institutions and of appointments who have been functioning under a scheme or posts in the Services under the State) Act called ‘Thozhi’ in the city since its launch last of 1993. year. ▪ Section 4 of the Act provides 30% reservation to ▪ ‘Thozhi’ was launched as a special wing last the Backward Classes, 20% for Most Backward November to provide counselling to victims Classes and de-notified communities, 18% for and their parents and guide them through Scheduled Castes and 1% for Scheduled Tribes. legal procedures. Thus, a total of 69% reservation is provided. CM GIVES `75 lakh cheque to CIFF TN BharatNet tender re-jigged in organisers October 2020 ▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. ▪ The Centre has not cancelled the Palaniswami handed over a cheque of `75 lakh implementation of the `1,950-crore BharatNet to the organisers of the Chennai International project in Tamil Nadu but the tender was Film Festival (CIFF) re-floated in October 2020, clarified Sanjay ▪ The 18th edition of the film festival is scheduled Dhotre, Minister of State for Communications, to be held from February 18 to 25, 2021 Education and Electronics and IT in the Rajya ▪ In 2019, the State government had handed Sabha. over `75 lakh to conduct the film festival. ▪ The State government signed an MoU with Universal Service Obligation Fund and Bharat APEDA opens regional office in Chennai Broadband Network (BBNL) in 2017, for ▪ The facility in the premises of the Tamil Nadu implementing the BharatNet project. State Agricultural Marketing Board was jointly TANFINET inaugurated by Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Tamil ▪ State Legislative Assembly under Rule 110 Nadu Agriculture Production Commissioner that “BharatNet” scheme will be implemented and M Angamuthu, Chairman of APEDA. in Tamil Nadu through State led model and a ▪ APEDA has provided financial assistance Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) namely Tamil to the State department of Agriculture Nadu FibreNet Corporation (TANFINET) will and Marketing for setting up of common be incorporated for the same. infrastructure facility (cold storage, sorting and grading facility) at Dindigul, Villupuram ▪ BharatNet project ensures connecting Gram and Coimbatore districts to facilitate exports Panchayat to block-level offices situated of fresh vegetables. within the district. ▪ It was started on 14.7.2017. Supreme Court to examine plea against T.N.’s 69% quota in colleges, govt. jobs Tamil Nadu to soon have five more ▪ The Supreme Court agreed to examine a airports being built under UDAN petition seeking an immediate stay on the scheme implementation of a Tamil Nadu law that ▪ Union Minister for Civil aviation Hardeeep allows 69% quota in educational institutions Singh Puri told Rajaya Sabha (February 3) that and government jobs in the State. five airports in Tamil Nadu — Salem, Neyveli, ▪ A three-judge Bench led by Justice Ashok Vellore, Ramnad and Tanjore — are being Bhushan issued notice and gave the Tamil Nadu built under the ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik’ government two weeks to file its response to a (UDAN) programme of the Modi government. www.vetriias.com 45 46 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

UDAN Scheme ▪ The project is prohibited under the ▪ It was started on 2017 at Shimla, Himachal Environmental Protection Act 1986. Pradesh. ▪ Kattupalli Port is a large shipyard/port project ▪ UDAN-RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme), in Tamil Nadu, India. It was built by Larsen & UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is a Toubro (L&T) in 2013. regional airport development and “Regional ▪ Kattupalli is located in between Ennore, Connectivity Scheme” (RCS) of Government Pazhaverkadu and Minjur in North of of India, with the objective of “letting the Chennai. common citizen of the country fly”. CRZ CM inaugurated marriage assistance ▪ The coastal areas of seas, bays, creeks, rivers, scheme and backwaters which get influenced by tides ▪ 95,000 peoples get benefits under Marriage up to 500 m from the high tide line (HTL) and assistance Scheme. the land between the low tide line (LTL) and the high tide line have been declared as coastal ▪ Under this scheme 1,791 crore 5 lakhs fund has regulation zone (CRZ) in 1991. been allotted for 12, 50,705 peoples. ▪ Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Ninaivu ▪ The coastal regulation zones have been Marriage Assistance Scheme, 1989 declared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change under the ▪ Objective : To improve the educational status Environment Protection Act 1986. of the poor girls (only one girl from a family is eligible). CM opens cancer centre at Tirunelveli ▪ Annual income limit : `72,000 hospital ▪ Age limit ▪ Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami ▪ Bride – 18 years. unveiled various infrastructure projects ▪ Bridegroom – 21 years through video conference. ▪ Educational Qualification: Minimum – std. X ▪ He opened the new regional cancer centre pass or fail; For ST – Std. v. set up at the Government Medical College ▪ Time for submitting application: Within 40-45 Hospital in Tirunelveli at a cost of `24.35 crore days before the date of marriage. and also the new buildings constructed at a cost of `31.78 crore. TN CM announces `12,110 crore crop ▪ The Chief Minister launched work on the loan waiver radiology oncology block in the Mohan ▪ Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswami Kumaramangalam Government Medical announced a major decision to waive `12,110 College Hospital in Salem. crore farm loans from cooperative banks to relieve farmers of the state. ▪ The Chief Minister unveiled the new building in ▪ The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu has Saidapet, built at a cost of `27.79 crore, to house stated that 16.43 lakh farmers will benefit from the Tamil Nadu Information Commission. the farm loan waiver and the decision was He also inaugurated new buildings for the taken as farmers suffered huge losses due to Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Cyclone Nigar and Burevi and also due to the Department. novel coronavirus pandemic. First Cancer Institute Kattupalli port expansion project ▪ The Cancer Institute (WIA), also known as ▪ According to the company’s own environment the Adyar Cancer Institute, is a non-profit impact assessment (EIA), the coast on which cancer treatment and research centre based the project is to be located is eroding at 8.6 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Cancer Institute m/year due to the existing Kattupalli and (WIA) was established in the year 1954 under Kamarajar Ports. the leadership of Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy. 46 www.vetriias.com TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 47

Dr.J.Jayalalithaa University in initiative taken by the Vellore City Municipal Villupuram Corporation. ▪ The Tamil Nadu assembly passed the Thekkampatti elephant camp from Dr.J.Jayalalithaa University Bill 2021 to February 8 establish a new university. The Bill would give effect to chief minister Edappadi K ▪ The annual rejuvenation camp for temple Palaniswami’s announcement on September elephants for the year 2021 is being held at the 16 last year that Thiruvalluvar University banks of Bhavani river in in Thekkampatti. would be bifurcated and a new university The camp was started from 2003. would be established in Villupuram. Sorkkuvai Thittam ▪ It has been very well received among the City to get fourth integrated bus World Tamilans. The ‘Sorkuvai Student terminus soon Ambassador’ training program for college ▪ The industrial belt of the Chennai-Bengaluru students from Chennai was held under Agara Highway beyond Poonamallee is set to Mudhali Programme Movement. become busier in the coming years once the Thirumazhisai bus terminus is thrown open to Megamalai Tiger Reserve the public. ▪ The SrivilliputhurMegamalai Tiger Reserve ▪ The Chennai Metropolitan Development is officially the fifth tiger reserve in Tamil Authority (CMDA) is planning to build Nadu. Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, the integrated mofussil bus terminus at Srivilliputhur, and the Megamalai Wildlife Kuthambakkam village, near Thirumazhisai. Sanctuary have been combined to create the reserve. ▪ Spread over 25 acres of land on an outlay of `314 crore, the terminus will achieve the ▪ Periyar and Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger twin objectives of easing traffic congestion in Reserves, the water needs of several southern Koyambedu and provide the much-needed districts have mostly been taken care of. public transport facility to nearly 40,000 With the new Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger people working in the industrial complexes, Reserve. including SIPCOT. ▪ In Tamil Nadu, the Anamalai Tiger Reserve provides one of the largest habitats for the TIIC to get fresh capital of `1,000 crore tigers and other co-predators. Tiger reserves over three years, Governor announces in Tamil Nadu. in Assembly ▪ 4 Tiger Reserves viz. Anamalai, Kalakkad- ▪ The registration fee was reduced to 0.1% Mundanthurai, Mudumalai and from 1% for agreements for micro and Sathyamangalam. small enterprises. To further ease access to ▪ These Protected Areas have been established formal credit, the government will amend under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. the Registration Act, 1908, to permit online ▪ Further Tamil Nadu also has the distinction of registration of agreements relating to the having 3 Biosphere Reserves viz. Nilgiris, Gulf memorandum of deposit of tittle deeds for of Mannar and Agasthiar malai. term loans and working capital loans and do ▪ Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is located in the away with the need for the physical presence Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu state at the tri- of borrowers and lenders for the execution of junction of three states, viz, Kamalaka, Kerala such deeds. and Tamil Nadu. Segregate waste, win gold and silver ▪ Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) coins lies in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari District of ▪ Segregate waste and get a chance to win Tamil Nadu.] gold and silver coins. This is the latest ▪ Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) is www.vetriias.com 47 48 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

located at the confluence region of Western traditionally used during religious ceremonies and Eastern Ghats. and to make garlands, has been submitted by ▪ Aanaimalai Tiger Reserve is located between the Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Malar Valparai to Udumalaipettai (Pollachi) in Tamil Motha Vyabarigal Nala Sangam. Nadu. ▪ Karnataka has the highest number of GI tags i.e. 47 products followed by Tamil Nadu (39). e-challan system inaugurated ▪ The Chief Minister inaugurated the system GI Tag of paying money through e-challan and ▪ A GI or Geographical Indication is a name or obtaining e-receipts under Integrated Finance a sign given to certain products that relate to a and Human Resource Management System specific geographical location or origins like a (IFHRMS). E-receipts can be obtained from region, town or country. www.karuvoolam.tn.gov.in ▪ The GI tags are given as per the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and CM opens 30.5 km Nemilichery-Minjur Protection) Act,1999. GI tags are issued by section of ORR the Geographical Indication Registry under ▪ The road forms the second phase of Chennai the Department of Industry Promotion and Outer Ring Road project in which the road Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and from Nemilicheri connects Padiyanallur, Industry. Tiruvottiyur, Ponneri and Panjeti. ▪ Darjeeling tea was the first product that got Kudi Maramathu Scheme GI tag in 2004–05 in India, since then 365 goods had been added to the list as of May ▪ It aims to restore the water bodies of Tamil 2020. Recently Kashmir saffron and black rice Nadu such as dams, lakes and reservoirs with Manipur got this GI tag. the help of local farmers. ▪ It was Launched on 13 March 2017 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami at ▪ Salem Fabric Manimangalam village in Kancheepuram ▪ Kancheepuram Silk district. ▪ Kancheepuram Silk ▪ It included maintenance works in canals, ▪ Madurai Sungudi tanks, shutters and reconstruction works. ▪ Coimbatore Wet Grinder ▪ It has been allocated an amount of 100 crores ▪ Thanjavur Paintings in its first phase. ▪ Temple Jewellery of Nagercoil ▪ The scheme has also received financial ▪ Thanjavur Art Plate assistance from the World Bank. ▪ East India Leather ▪ It aims to remove weeds from water bodies and strengthen their water-banks. ▪ Salem Silk known as Salem Venpattu ▪ Kovai Kora Cotton Sarees Slavery abolition Day Feb 9 ▪ Arani Silk ▪ Chennai Promising to eradicate bonded ▪ Swamimalai Bronze Icons labour for good, the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu announced it would ensure strict ▪ Eathamozhi Tall Coconut enforcement to root out a form of slavery that ▪ Thanjavur Doll persists, despite being banned 45 years ago. ▪ Nilgiri (Orthodox) GI tag sought for fragrant ‘Madurai ▪ Virupakshi Hill Banana marikolunthu’ ▪ Sirumalai Hill Banana ▪ Geographical indication (GI) tagfor the ▪ Madurai Malli famous ‘Madurai marikolunthu’ (davana), ▪ Pattamadai Pai (“Pattamadai Mat”) 48 www.vetriias.com TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 49

▪ Nachiarkoil Kuthuvilakku (“Nachiarkoil Tab for school students Lamp”) ▪ 6th to 8th standard school students will get Tab ▪ Chettinad Kottan and its was announced my Education Minister ▪ Toda Embroidery Senkottaiyan. ▪ Thanjavur Veenai Govt. seeks Rotary Club’s support for ▪ Thanjavur Art Plate (Logo) vaccination drive ▪ Swamimalai Bronze Icons (Logo) ▪ The Rotary Club of Madras (RCM) will be ▪ Temple Jewellery of Nagercoil (Logo) partnering with the State government in its ▪ Mahabalipuram Stone Sculpture COVID-19 vaccination drive. ▪ Erode Manjal (Erode Turmeric) ▪ The Rotary Club of Madras will serve as the ▪ Thirubuvanam Silk Sarees nodal agency in Tamil Nadu and coordinate with the State government on behalf of Rotary ▪ Kodaikanal Malai Poondu Clubs in the State and as a channel for raising ▪ Palani Panchamirtham CSR funding for the vaccination drive. ▪ Dindigul Locks High level committee approves `3,113cr ▪ Kandangi Saree for 5 states as disaster relief ▪ Srivilliputtur Palkova ▪ A high-level committee headed by Union ▪ Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai Home Minister Amit Shah approved around ▪ Thanjavur Pith Works Rs 3,113 crore to five states that faced natural ▪ Arumbavur Wood Carvings disasters and pest attacks in 2020. Tamil Nadu sets up TALMEDCO under ▪ The states and union territory that will get the Companies Act additional central assistance from the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) ▪ The State government has set up the Tamil Nadu Linguistic Minorities Social are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Economic Development Corporation Puducherry and Madhya Pradesh. (TALMEDCO) under the Companies Act, ▪ The committee, under the chairmanship of the 2013, to cater to the requirements of notified home minister, has approved the additional linguistic minorities who are not included or central assistance to the five states and UT, covered by the religious minorities. which were affected by floods, cyclones (Nivar ▪ It is aimed at benefiting linguistic minorities and Burevi) and pest attack during 2020. in Tamil Nadu groups of people whose 143 federal Government Awards in 10 mother tongue is different from the principal language of the State - Telugu,Kannada, Years Malayalam,Urdu and Saurashtra speakers, ▪ The Tamil Nadu Local Government among others. Department has received 143 Central Government Awards in the last 10 years. Of ▪ As per the 2011 Census, the population of these, the Department of Rural Development linguistic minorities in Tamil Nadu is 83.84 alone has received 122 awards. lakh,which is 11.63% of the State’s population. ▪ Based on the Rural Cleanliness Survey, Tamil Washermenpet-Wimco Nagar stretch of Nadu emerged as the best state in the overall Chennai Metro Phase 1 Extension category in 2019 and was awarded by Prime ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Minister Narendra Modi. Washermenpet-Wimco Nagar stretch on Feb ▪ Under the Department of Municipal 14, 2021. This 9-km stretch of Chennai Metro Administration and Drinking Water Supply, Rail’s phase I extension has been built at a cost Trichy Corporation has won the National of `3,770 crore. Electricity Saving Award for Power Saving, www.vetriias.com 49 50 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

the Clean City Award 5 times and the Digital PM Modi lays stone for IIT Madras’ Rs India Award Coimbatore and Madurai 1,000-cr scientific discovery campus Corporation. ▪ The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT ▪ The Metropolitan Corporation of Chennai has Madras) is setting up a Discovery Campus at received national awards from 5 departments a cost of around Rs 1,000 crore near Chennai. namely, Central Government’s Progressive ▪ The institute aims to develoo the facility as a Capital, Central Housing and Rural key destination for global scientific discovery. Development Corporation, Ministry of Rural Development, Central Department of Housing ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the and Rural Poverty Alleviation and Somigu foundation stone of the Discovery Campus of City Council. IIT Madras, which will be located at Thaiyur near Chennai, to accommodate the growing Tamil Nadu CM launches helpline research infrastructure requirements of no ‘1100’ for redressing people’s students and faculty. grievances ▪ IIT Madras allotted 163 acres of land in 2017 ▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami at Thaiyur, which is located about 36 km from launched a helpline service for expeditious the main campus at Guindy. redressal of people’s grievances under which Operation Smile plan Completed public may register their complaints by calling ▪ ‘Operation in collaboration with the a toll free number ‘1100.’ Department of Social Security to help roadside children, missing children and children in Ather Energy announces Rs 635 crore need of care and maintenance in Chennai. investment ▪ The ‘Operation Smile’ project is nearing ▪ Ather Energy started operations at its new completion. More than 300 children have been 1,23,000 sq ft production facility in Hosur, rescued and placed in orphanages in Chennai Tamil Nadu starting 2nd January 2021. The due to the formation of special forces. Bengaluru-based start-up has already begun 44 more Corpn schools to get deliveries of its electric scooters in cities like Montessori classes Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, ▪ The Chennai Corporation schools will have Chennai, and Hyderabad with more deliveries 100 Montessori education classes as the civic planned in a phased manner across 21 other body has decided to create more such facilities cities by Q1. under the Smart City Mission. ▪ According to a Corporation source, 66 PM Modi Quoted Avvaiyar and Corporation schools have Montessori classes Bharathiyar Quotes now. To create new Montessori environments ▪ Quoting Tamil poet Avvaiyar, Mr. Modi in 44 more Corporation schools. underscored the need for water conservation. ▪ With the newest addition, the Corporation “When water levels rise, cultivation rises, will have 100 Montessori classes. people prosper and the state prospers. We ▪ The new Montessori classes would be have to do whatever we can to conserve developed at a cost of Rs 9 crore under City water. This is not only a national issue. It is a Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain global subject. Always remember the mantra (CITIIS) initiative, which is a part of Smart of ‘per drop more crop’ and also he quoting City Mission. Tamil Poet Bharathiyar “Aayudham seivom nalla kaakidham seivom aalaigal seivom Smart City Mission kalvi saalaigal vaippom, ooyudhal seiyom ▪ The Government of India has launched thalaisayudhal seiyom “. the Smart Cities Mission on 25 June 2015. The objective is to promote sustainable and 50 www.vetriias.com TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 51

inclusive cities that provide core infrastructure Objectives of MSME Policy 2021: and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, ▪ Attracting new investments worth `2 lakh a clean and sustainable environment and crore int eh sector by 2025. application of ‘Smart’ Solutions. ▪ Creating employment opportunities for 20 lakh people. PM to lay foundation stone for a ▪ 28 MoUs signed, entailing investments worth `31,500-cr refinery in TN `28,053 crore with the potential for creating ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate 68,775 jobs. These investments would be two oil and gas projects to the nation and spread across sectors like electric vehicles, lay the foundation stone for a `31,500 crore wind energy, auto components, city gas and textiles. refinery project in Tamil Nadu on February 17. ▪ Foundation stones laid for four Sipcot ▪ The Prime Minister will also dedicate the industrial parks at Manapparai, Maanallur, Ramanathapuram - Thoothukudi section (143 Orgadam and Dharmapuri, with the aim pf km) of the Ennore-Thiruvallur-Bengaluru- creating one lakh jobs. Puducherry-Nagapattinam- Madurai- ▪ Foundation stones laid for six industrial estates Tuticorin Natural Gas pipeline pipeline, which of the Tamil Nadu Small Industries. has been set up at the cost of about `700 crore. ▪ Development Corporation Limited, with the aim of generating 13,300 jobs. Chief Minister’s Girl Child Protection Scheme ▪ TICEL Bio Park inaugurated in Coimbatore. ▪ Completed projects worth `3,469 core ▪ Social Welfare officials said maturity amounts inaugurated by the CM. had been paid into the bank accounts of 1,598 beneficiaries of the chief minister’s girl child CIFF 2021 protection scheme. ▪ Chennai International Film Festival has begun. ▪ The Chief Minister’s Girl Child Protection ▪ It is the 18th CIFF and its going to be held at Scheme was introduced by the Government of Chennai. Tamil Nadu in 1992. Over Rs. 50,000 Crore worth oil and ▪ Under this scheme, if there is a girl child in gas projects have been approved for the family, an initial investment of Rs. 50,000 implementation in Tamil Nadu will be paid on behalf of the Social Welfare ▪ The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Department to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Fund dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation and Infrastructure Development Corporation. of key projects of the oil and gas sector in CM unveils industrial, MSME policies Tamil Nadu today via video conferencing. Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the ▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Ramanathapuram – Thoothukudi natural gas launched new industrial and MSME policies pipeline and Gasoline Desulphurisation Unit aimed at providing further impetus to at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, the industrial growth by attracting more Manali. He also laid the foundation stone of investments and also offering sops for Cauvery Basin Refinery at Nagapattinam. development in the industrially backward ▪ The Prime Minister raised the issue of India districts. importing over 85 percent of oil and 53 per Objectives of Industrial Policy 2021: cent of gas to meet the demand in 2019-20. ▪ Achieving an annual growth rate of 15% in the Asia’s biggest Rs 1,022-crore cattle manufacturing sector park ▪ Attracting investments worth `10 Lakh crore ▪ Animal husbandry minister Udumalai and create 20 lakh jobs by 2025. Radhakrishnan announced chief minister

www.vetriias.com 51 52 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

Edappadi K Palaniswami would inaugurate National Highways Authority of India the cattle park at Thalaivasal in Salem district (NHAI) on February 22. ▪ The Tamil Nadu State government and the ▪ Touted to be the Asia’s biggest cattle park, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) chief minister had laid foundation stone for for a multi¬modal logistics park at Mappedu. the Rs 1,022-crore project on February 9, 2020. NHAI Pugalur-Thrissur Power Project ▪ Formed – 1998 Inaugurated ▪ Head Quarters –New Delhi ▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ▪ Chairman - Sukhbir Singh Sandhu the 320 kV 2000 MW Pugalur (Tamil Nadu) CM announces cross-breeding cattle - Thrissur (Kerala) HVDC project through video conference and also dedicated a 50 MW research centre in Salem Kasaragod solar power project to the nation. ▪ Inaugurating the Veterinary Science College ▪ The cost of the project is Rs.5,070 crores, and buildings for Asia’s biggest Advanced according to the government. The minister Institute for Integrated Research in Livestock added that as the demand increases, it is and Animal Science in (AIIRLAS) Thalaivasal expected to touch 5,000 MW by the year 2022. ▪ A cross-breeding cattle research centre will be established in Karumandurai at Rs 100 crore. TN urges Centre to declare Godavari- ▪ The AIIRLAS, which also accommodates the Cauvery river link plan a national State’s fifth veterinary college, was constructed project at a cost of Rs 1,022 crore on 1,100 acres at ▪ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Thalaivasal. urged the Centre to declare the Godavari- T.N. debt burden to cross 5 lakh crore in Cauvery river link initiative as a national 2021-22 project and said if it was done, it would benefit ▪ The interim Budget was largely devoid of people in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and populist announcements, barring schemes Tamil Nadu. providing accident-cum-life insurance cover ▪ The NITI Aayog being chaired by Prime for 55.67 lakh breadwinners from Below the Minister Narendra Modi, Palaniswami noted Poverty Line (BPL) families and enhanced that Tamil Nadu stood first in the country in medical insurance cover for government employees. coverage under micro irrigation in 2019-20 ▪ Around 32.51 lakh beneficiaries in rural and 2020-21 areas and 23.15 lakh in urban areas will be ▪ State had been ranked Number One in the brought under the Puratchi Thalaivi Amma Good Governance Index released by the Comprehensive Accident-cum-Life Insurance Government of India and had bagged the ‘Best Scheme. Performing State’ title in the National Water ▪ The scheme has been formulated on the lines Award, 2019. of the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Cauvery-Gundar river link work set to Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha take off Bima Yojana of the Central government. ▪ Tamil Nadu is all set to launch its ambitious ▪ Tamil Nadu is set to buck the national trend intra-State river linking project by building a and register a 2.02 per cent GSDP growth in canal from the Cauvery to the Vaigai through 2020-21 even as the country’s GDP shrinks by Gundar. The massive project seeks to divert 7.7 per cent. surplus flows from the Cauvery to the water ▪ For 2021-22, Rs 2,634 crore has been provided scarce southern parts of the State. for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), an Indian government scheme that 52 www.vetriias.com TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 53

focuses on providing food, primary education ▪ On 1 November 2010, TNEB Limited became and healthcare to children under age six and a holding company with two subsidiaries, their mother. Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Interim Budget Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO), ▪ A full budget gives the government of the day responsible for power generation, and Tamil spending rights until the end of the financial Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited year (which ends on 31st March). (TANTRANSCO), responsible for power transmission. ▪ It is not practical for the government to present a full budget when there are elections nearing, UDAY so the government presents an interim budget, ▪ Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana is the which is like a budget for the transition period financial turnaround and revival package for (few months remaining in power). electricity distribution companies of India. ▪ State’s Own Tax Revenue expected to fall by ▪ Launched on – 2015 ` about 18% to 1,09,968.97 crore. Chief Minister inaugurates ▪ Total revenue receipts expected to fall by infrastructure projects in T.N. around 18% to `1,80,700.62 crore. ▪ Mr. Palaniswami launched the boiler light ▪ Total revenue expenditure in 2020-21 up, a key step towards the commissioning of ` estimated at 2,46,694.69 crore. the 800 MW North Chennai Thermal Power ▪ Tamil Nadu’s Gross State Domestic Product Station Stage III, which is being set up at a expected to grow by 2.021% in 2020-21 at cost of `6,376 crore at Athipattu, in Tiruvallur constant prices. district. ▪ Agriculture grew by 5.23% National Technology Awards 2020 ▪ Overall outstanding debt estimated to be `4,85,502.54 crore as on March 31, 2021, and ▪ A total of 12 companies have been selected `5,70,189.29 crore as on March 2022. for the National Technology Awards 2020 for commercialization of successful ▪ ` ▪ 5,000 crore provided for the crop load waiver commercialization of innovative indigenous scheme. technologies. ▪ Computer science to be taught as a separate ▪ They have been selected under three subject to students of Classes 6 to 10 at all categories –indigenous technologies, MSME, government high and higher secondary and startups. schools. VP Laser Technologies Private Limited, ▪ Allocation of `19,420.54 crore for the Health and Family Welfare Department. Chennai ▪ The company has indigenously developed Tangedco mission critical Digital Manufacturing ▪ A total of 4,563 crore has been provided technologies like MultiCNCTM CNC towards the fifth and final instalment for controller, AutoCAM2D CAM software, converting Tangedco’s debt into a grant over a and various CNC controlled machines for five ¬year period under UDAY, in the interim applications. Budget estimates for 2021¬22. M/s AlgalR NutraPharms Private Limited, TANGEDCO Thanjavur ▪ TNEB was formed on 1 July 1957 as the ▪ AlgalR has developed a Green Technology Madras State Electricity Board according to to produce Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the Electricity Supply Act of 1948. an important omega-3 fatty acid, from ▪ In October 2008, the Government of Tamil microalgae. DHA extracted from microalgae is Nadu decided to divide TNEB into two 100% Vegan and is currently marketed in the subsidiaries. name of “AlgalR’s DHA”.

www.vetriias.com 53 54 | Current Affairs, February - 2021

Tamil Nadu becomes 11th State to ▪ The conference was held at Thanjavur Bharat complete ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ College of Science and Management. reform Mettur surplus water scheme launched th ▪ Tamil Nadu has become the 11 state in the ▪ Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami country to successfully undertake the Public announced 24-hour three¬ phase electricity Distribution System (PDS) reforms stipulated supply would be provided to farm pumps by the Department of Expenditure. from April 1. CM unveils slew of infrastructure Mettur Dam projects ▪ The Stanley Reservoir, Salem District, was ▪ Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami opened in 1934 by Sir George Stanley, the then unveiled several infrastructure projects via Governor of Madras. The Mettur Dam was videoconference at the Secretariat. constructed by the Madras Presidency Public Works Department to capture the water and ▪ He also laid the foundation for several projects, create the Resevoir from the Cauvery River including hospital buildings and a food park. (now named Kaveri) where the river enters ▪ He unveiled new buildings constructed for the plains. the Social Welfare Department at a total cost of over ` 25 crore. Bill to provide 10.5% special quota to ▪ He launched the social media services of the Vanniyars passed in Assembly ‘181’ helpline set up under the Nirbhaya Fund ▪ Legislation to temporarily provide for 10.5% Scheme. special reservation for the Vanniakula ▪ He laid the foundation for the construction of Kshatriyas within the quota for the Most an office for the Commercial Taxes Department Backward Classes (MBCs). at Avalpoonthurai, near Modakkurichi, in ▪ The Bill provides for internal reservation Erode, at a cost of `14.3 crore for the MBCs and Denotified Communities. ▪ The Chief Minister unveiled the foundation The Most Backward Class of the Vanniakula for a food park at the Gangaikondam SIPCOT Kshatriyas will get 10.5%, the Most Backward in Tirunelveli district. Classes and Denotified Communities 7% and Nirbhaya Fund Scheme the Most Backward Classes 2.5%. This quota ▪ Nirbhaya Fund was announced by the Finance will be created from within the 20% reservation Minister in his 2013 budget speech, with for the Most Backward Classes and Denotified Government contribution of Rs. 1000 crores for Communities. empowerment, safety and security of women ▪ This Act is based on the recommendations and girl children. The fund is administered by made by the committee led by Justice M.S. J. Department of Economic Affairs of the finance Opening of Dr.J.Jayalalithaa University ministry. at Villupuram World Thirukkural Conference ▪ Dr.J.Jayalalithaa University has been opened ▪ The Third World Thirukkural Conference will in Villupuram. be held in Thanjavur for 3 consecutive days ▪ The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had starting. announced in the Assembly that the university ▪ The conference will be held on behalf of the would be separated from Thiruvalluvar World Tamil Research Institute, Government University and would be headed by of Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur Bharat College Villupuram. of Science and Management, Australia Anti-Sterlite protest: Judicial Melbourne Tamil Association, Ilangadu Narthamilch Association, Thanjavur Tamil commission Thai Foundation. ▪ Judicial commission probing the police firing

54 www.vetriias.com TAMILNADU AFFAIRS | 55

during the anti-Sterlite protest in 2018. The ▪ National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) was team led by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan. launched in October 2011 and was renamed as Bharat Net Project in 2015. Bharat Net Project ▪ BharatNet is a flagship mission implemented Sitharaman inaugurates CCI’’s south by Bharat Broadband Network Ltd. (BBNL). regional office in Chennai ▪ It is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up by ▪ Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman the Government of India under the Companies inaugurated Competition Commission of Act, 1956 with an authorized capital of Rs 1000 India’’s (CCI) south regional office in Chennai. crore. ▪ The regional office will cater to the requirements ▪ Initially, it was under the Ministry of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra of Communications and Information Pradesh, Telangana and the union territories Technology, which was bifurcated into the Puducherry and Lakshadweep. Ministry of Communications and the Ministry ▪ The Chennai Office of CCI will act as an of Electronics and Information Technology in office to facilitate enforcement, investigation, July 2016. advocacy function in coordination with Delhi ▪ Currently, it is being implemented by the office. Department of Telecommunication under the Ministry of Communications.

www.vetriias.com 55 9. PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. Which state’s Forest Department conducted (A) Jharkhand (B) Karnataka a water birds census for the first time in (C) Odisha (D) Rajasthan January-February 2021? 10. The National Horticulture Fair 2021 has (A) West Bengal (B) Maharashtra been organised in which city? (C) Assam (D) Tripura (A) Mumbai (B) Bengaluru 2. Which city is hosting the Aero India (C) Chennai (D) New Delhi International air show? 11. Who is the author of the book titled (A) Pune (B) Bengaluru (C) Delhi (D) Hyderabad ”Parliamentary Messenger in Rajasthan”? (A) K N Bhandari (B) M V Naidu 3. Which state has unveiled as system of (C) Chinmay Tumbe (D) Suman Dubey issuing a unique 16-digit Unicode to mark all kinds of landholdings in the state? 12. Where is the World’s tallest swing ride (A) Madhya Pradesh (B) Kerala Bollywood Skyflyer located? (C) Uttar Pradesh (D) Haryana (A) Mumbai (B) London (C) Paris (D) Dubai 4. Which state was launched Kudi Maramathu Scheme? 13. What is India’s rank in the Innovation Index (A) Kerala (B) Andhra Pradesh 2021 released by Bloomberg? (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Goa (A) 40 (B) 48 5. When was C-DAC (Centre for Development (C) 50 (D) 60 of Advanced Computing) created? 14. Who is the author of the book titled (A) 1988 (B) 1977 ‘BY MANY A HAPPY ACCIDENT: (C) 1989 (D) 1978 Recollections of a Life’? 6. Which state has the third highest number of (A) M Hamid Ansari cybercrimes? (B) Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (A) Karnataka (B) Tamil Nadu (C) M Venkaiah Naidu (C) Uttar Pradesh (D) Maharashtra (D) Krishan Kant 7. Which app had won the Aatma Nirbhar 15. Who has won the prestigious “Wildlife App Challenge? Photographer of the Year People’s Choice (A) Koo App (B) CoWIN App Award” for 2021? (C) Your Quote (D) Chingari (A) Sergey Gorshkov (B) Brent Stirton (C) Tim Laman (D) Robert Irwin 8. When was the Kudi Maramathu project launched in Tamil Nadu? 16. Name the author of the book “Platform (A) 2016 (B) 2017 Scale: For a Post-Pandemic World”? (C) 2018 (D) 2019 (A) Nandan Nilekani 9. Which state government has resolved to move (B) Sangeet Paul Choudary Centre for implementation of Swaminathan (C) N. S. Raghavan Committee recommendations? (D) Romesh Wadhwani PRACTICE QUESTIONS | 57

17. Who sang the song ‘Kavidi Sindhu’? 27. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the (A) Maraimalaiyadigal (B) Ayodhidasar foundation stone of the Grand Anicut Canal (C) Annamalai Kavirayar System in which state? (D) Bhavanar (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Kerala (C) Rajasthan (D) Tamil Nadu 18. The standard ‘Tab’ next to the computer is provided to Tamil Nadu students. It is to be 28. Who is the recipient of Jeevan Raksha Padak given to students belonging to which class? Award? (A) 6th to 10th std (B) 6th to 12th std (A) Abdul Asi (B) Bagathur (C) 6th to 9th std (D) 6th to 8th std (C) Nihal Singh (D) Suler 19. Who won the Miss India 2020 award? 29. What is Arjun Mark 1? (A) Abarshakthi Kurana (B) Manasa (A) Cannon (B) Warship (C) Manish Bowl (D) Ritish Desh (C) Warplane (D) Gun Mukh 30. Who is the author of the novel ‘The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Good News’? 20. Vijayanagara has become which state’s 31st district? (A) Nikita Singh (B) Samhita Arni (C) Meghna Pant (D) Anita Desai (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Telangana (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Karnataka 31. Mario Draghi was recently sworn-in as Prime Minister of which country? 21. When is the second unmanned flight of (A) Vietnam (B) Italy Gaganyaan is expected to be launched as announced by the government? (C) France (D) Indonesia (A) 2024-25 (B) 2021-22 32. India to start the trials of which air-to-air (C) 2022-23 (D) 2023-24 missile this year? (A) Astra Missile (B) Trishul Missile 22. Who is the author of the novel “ kotti” (C) Nag Missile (D) Agni Missile (A) Aadhavan (B) Pa. Raghavan (C) Kazhaniyuran (D) Karuthudaiyaan 33. Where is going to be set up the crude oil refinery located? 23. Who won gold in discus throw at World (A) Mayiladudurai (B) Nagapatna Para Athletics Championships? (C) Sivaganga (D) Tutukorin (A) Devender Kumar (B) Neeraj Yadav (C) Praveen Kumar (D) Pradeep 34. When was the CM’s Girl child protection scheme launched? 24. Where is the headquarters of the World (A) 1992 (B) 1994 Trade Organization located? (C) 1996 (D) 1999 (A) Paris (B) Geneva 35. Which state recently become India’s first (C) Norway (D) Basel e-state status? 25. Which airport has won the ‘Voice of the (A) Uttarkhand (B) Uttar Pradesh Customer’ award? (C) Haryana (A) Chennai (B) Mumbai (D) Himachal Pradesh (C) Kanpur (D) Bangalore 36. Who has been elected as the new Director- 26. The memoir titled ‘Unfinished’ is written by General of the International Solar Alliance? which Indian celebrity? (A) Dr. Ajay Mathur (A) Anuskha Sharma (B) Priyanka Chopra (B) Upendra Tripathy (C) Arun Kumar (C) Kareena Kapoor (D) Shilpa Shetty (D) Madhur Dipankar

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37. PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation 46. Which state has got 100% drinking water of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial in which pipe connection? state? (A) Karnataka (B) Goa (A) Maharashtra (B) Madhya Pradesh (C) Kerala (D) Tamil Nadu (C) Uttar Pradesh (D) Bihar 47. Which year did Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act come into force? 38. Which corporation has won the Clean City (A) 2016 (B) 2017 Award for 5 times? (C) 2018 (D) 2019 (A) Trichy (B) Chennai (C) Madurai (D) Coimbatore 48. The sustainable electric two-wheeler, named ‘PiMo’ has been developed by which 39. When was the SIPCOT launched? institution? (A) 1969 (B) 1971 (A) IIT Madras (B) IIT Delhi (C) 1982 (D) 1991 (C) IIT Kanpur (D) IIT Kharagpur 40. The Government of Tamil Nadu has 49. Which country is not a part of Quad? received 143 awards from the Central (A) USA (B) China Government in the last 10 years. Which of (C) India (D) Australia the following awards has been received 50. Who is also known as the Thinker Specialist only by the Home Department? (Sinthanai Sirpi)? (A) 136 (B) 115 (A) Maraimalai aadigal (B) Bhavanar (C) 122 (D) 106 (C) M. Singaravelar (D) Periyaar 41. Who is the Vice Chancellor of Universities? 51. What is Sandes? (A) President (B) Vice President (A) Software (B) Portal (C) Prime Minister (D) Governor (C) Vaccine (D) Currency 52. Who has been appointed as the Chairperson 42. Name the online portal launched by the of the Advisory Committee of the United Government to provide online civic services Nations Human Rights Council? to residents of 62 Cantonment Boards (A) K. Raghunath (A) e-Basti (B) e-Chhawani (B) Shivshankar Menon (C) e-Samuh (D) e-Padaav (C) Brajesh Mishra (D) Ajai Malhotra 43. Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary is in which state? 53. Which Indian ship is participating in the (A) Odisha (B) West Bengal Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX 21) (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Kerala and International Defence Exhibition (IDEX 21) in Abu Dhabi? 44. The Galathea National Park is in which of (A) INS Vibhuti (B) INS Veer the following State/UT? (C) INS Nirghat (D) INS Pralaya (A) Nagaland 54. In which year was the Soil Health Card (B) Andaman & Nicobar Islands (SHC) Scheme launched? (C) Lakshadweep (A) 2014 (B) 2017 (D) Goa (C) 2015 (D) 2016 45. Who has been won the Mitra Shaurya 55. Himalayan Pink salt is extracted from award? which region? (A) Kalpana Vasudevan (A) Southern states (B) Chinny Krishnan (B) Northern states (C) Sangeerthan (C) North-east states (D) Giriraj Singh (D) Western states 58 www.vetriias.com PRACTICE QUESTIONS | 59

56. Who wrote the book titles “Amaippaai 66. In which year did ISRO announce the Thiralvom”? launch of Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft? (A) Thirumavalavan (B) Natarajan (A) 2022 (B) 2023 (C) Srinivasan (D) Arun (C) 2024 (D) 2025 57. When is the international mother language 67. The foundation stone of the first ever ‘Skill day observed? University of the Eastern India’ has been (A) February 20 (B) February 21 laid in which state? (C) February 23 (D) February 24 (A) Assam (B) West Bengal 58. Where is the largest zoo is going to set up? (C) Jharkhand (D) Sikkim (A) Maharashtra (B) West Bengal 68. Who won Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2021 in (C) Gujarat (D) Odisha the ‘Critic’s Best Actor’ category? 59. Which country hosted a workshop on (A) Sushant Singh Rajput COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good (B) Akshay Kumar Practices and Way Forward’? (C) Ajay Devgun (A) India (B) SriLanka (D) Kay Kay Menon (C) Nepal (D) China 69. Which state has become the first one to table Which campaign was launched by central a paperless budget? government to ensure energy security in the (A) Kerala (B) Delhi country? (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Uttar Pradesh (A) In Electric (B) Save Energy 70. Where is the Indian Maritime Summit to be (C) Go Energy (D) Go Electric held? 60. Which country successfully test fired (A) Bengaluru (B) Chennai antitank guided missile “Helena” and (C) Kochi (D) Hyderabad “Dhruvastra” recently? (A) India (B) Pakistan 71. Who is the recipient of the Best Female (C) Nepal (D) Japan Athlete Award in Youth Tournament? 61. Where is the Head Quarters of United (A) Priyansi (B) Preeti Nation Human Rights Council? (C) Sahia (D) Vinka (A) Vienna (B) Geneva 72. Which state is celebrated the cultural (C) Rome (D) Paris Kambala festival? 62. The Chitaura Lake is in which of the (A) Telangana (B) Karnataka following State/UT? (C) Odisha (D) Tamil Nadu (A) Uttar Pradesh (B) Odisha (C) Andhra Pradesh (D) Uttarakhand 73. The central government aims to eliminate which disease by 2025? 63. Giant Leatherback turtle nests is located in (A) Hepatitis (B) Dengue which state of India? (C) Malaria (D) Tuberculosis (A) Goa (B) Odisha (C) Andaman & Nicobar (D) Gujarat 74. Who becomes youngest woman to row solo 64. Who wrote the book titled “Remaining across Atlantic Ocean? Stories “? (A) Jasmine Harrison (B) Avani Saturvedi (A) Ki. Ra (B) Srinivasan (C) Arunima Sinha (D) Juliana Helan (C) Natarajan (D) Arun 75. When was the Food Security Act launched? 65. When was the Prime Minister’s Agricultural (A) 2004 (B) 2005 Financial Assistance Scheme launched? (C) 2000 (D) 2013 (A) 2017 (B) 2018 (C) 2019 (D) 2020

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76. On which day is Vijay Divas celebrating (A) Mahendra Nath Pandey India’s victory in the war? (B) Ram Shankar Katheria (A) December 10 (B) December 16 (C) Dharmendra Pradhan (C) January 10 (D) January 16 (D) Vijay Sampla 77. Where will be the 800 MW Thermal Power 86. Which film won ‘Best Film’ at the Dadasaheb Station to has opened recently? Phalke International Film Festival Awards (A) Mettur (B) Thuthukudi 2021? (C) Athipattu (D) Karakudi (A) Chhapaak (B) Laxmii (C) Dil Bechara (D) Tanhaji 78. Who won the 8th National Senior Table Tennis Championship in Haryana? 87. The first undersea tunnel of India will be (A) Sathyan (B) Sarathkamal built in which city? (C) Pankaj kumar (D) Raveendran (A) Bengaluru (B) Mumbai (C) Kochi (D) Hyderabad 79. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar used which language for the first 88. National Schedule caste commission has time at UNSC debate on climate change? been set up under which Article? (A) Sanskrit (B) Urdu (A) 333% (B) 338A (C) Hindi (D) Bhojpuri (C) 335 (D) 334A 80. The world’s first human case of H5N8 virus 89. Where will be the Food park opened in has been reported by which nation? Tamil Nadu? (A) France (B) Ireland (A) Udumalapet (B) Thalaivasal (C) Russia (D) Germany (C) Karumamdurai (D) Gangaikondan 81. Who has written the book titled “Agriculture 90. Indian social activist Anjali Bhardwaj was Acts 2020”? honoured with an anti-corruption award by (A) A.K. Rajan (B) T.S. Sarthi which nation? (C) Umesh Rai (D) Vipin Awasthi (A) USA (B) UK (C) France (D) Canada 82. Where the Third World Thirukkural Conference to be held? 91. The book titled ‘Stories I Must Tell: The (A) Tanjore (B) Tiruvarur Emotional Journey of an Actor’ is a memoir (C) Madurai (D) Kumbakonam of which actor? (A) Kabir Bedi (B) Shatrughan 83. Who has recently been appointed as Sinha (C) Amitabh the Chairman of Export Development Bachchan (D) Dilip Kumar Authority of India? (A) Dr. A. Sakthivel (B) K. Gunasekaran 92. Who presided over the first convention of (C) Sunil Agarwal (D) Suresh the Communist Party of India? Chandran (A) S. Singaravelan (B) Thiru.Vi.Ka (C) Pandiyan (D) Jeevanandham 84. Which country was the largest trading partner of India in the year 2020? 93. Where did the Southern Regional Branch of (A) Japan (B) UAE the Trade Competition Authority of India (C) United States (D) China start? (A) Hyderabad (B) Chennai 85. Who has been appointed as the new (C) Kochin (D) Bengaluru Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC)?

60 www.vetriias.com 94. Where is Dr. J. Jayalalithaa University (A) Mars (B) Venus started? (C) Jupiter (D) Saturn (A) Viluppuram (B) Karur 98. Which bank in India has recently tied (C) Thoothukudi (D) Kanyakumari with JPMorgan to go live on the blockchain 95. Which is one of the oldest dams in India? technology “Liink” of the US-based bank? (A) Kallanai Dam (B) Azhiyar Dam (A) ICICI Bank (C) Manimuthar Dam (D) Mettur Dam (B) State Bank of India (C) Punjab National Bank 96. Who receive global energy and environment (D) HDFC Bank leadership award? (A) Prime Minister Modi 99. Which day is observed as the National (B) Lakshmi Agarwal Science Day in India? (C) Kailash Sathyarthi (A) 28 February (B) 25 February (D) Metha Patcha (C) 26 February (D) 27 February 97. Which planet may have lost its atmosphere due to solar wind?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A B C C A B A B C B 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 A D C A D B C D B D 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 C D A B D B D C A C 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 B A B A D A C A B C 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 D B A B A B A A B C 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 B D D C B A B C A D 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 A B A C A C A A A D 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 B D B D A D B C A A 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 C A A A D D D B B D 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 A A A B A D A A B A

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