Current Affairs: February 01, 2019
February 01, 2019
New India Youth Conclave held in Surat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the New
India Youth Conclave in Surat. In a Town Hall like
interactive session, Prime Minister shared New
India's journey since 2014 and set out the agenda
ahead. He contrasted the spirit of negativity that
existed before 2014 with the surging New India that
is leaving its mark globally.
Finance Minister to present Interim Budget today
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will present the
Interim Budget in Parliament on 1st February. The
government is likely to announce several welfare
measures for various sections of society.
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Current Affairs: February 01, 2019
RBI launches ombudsman scheme for digital payments
The Reserve Bank of India has launched the
ombudsman scheme for digital payments, the banking
regulator announced in a release today. It had first
spoken about the scheme in the December 5 monetary
policy statement promising to create a separate
ombudsman for digital payments. Laying out the
jurisdiction of the functioning, the RBI said that the new ombudsman will start working from
the 21 existing offices of the Banking Ombudsman and work within the existing territorial
jurisdictions.
GST collections cross Rs 1 lakh crore in January: Finance Ministry
GST collections have jumped to Rs 1 lakh crore in January
this year from the Rs 94,726 crore collected in December
last year, Finance Ministry said today. This has been a
significant improvement over collection of Rs 94,725 crore
during last month and Rs 89,825 crore during the same
month last year. Final figures and details of collections for
the entire month will be intimated on February 2, the ministry said in a statement. This is only
the second time when the collections have crossed Rs 1 lakh crore in this fiscal after April.
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Current Affairs: February 01, 2019
Govt renames DIPP as Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
The Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) has been renamed as the
Department for Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade with a mandate to deal with
matters related to start-ups, facilitating ease of
doing business among others, an official order
said. The newly-named department is under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Republic Day Parade: Gorkha Brigade wins best marching contingent award
On January 30, 2019, Gorkha Brigade
received the best marching contingent
trophy of the Republic Day parade
whereas, The CRPF won the best marching
contingent prize for the para-military
forces.
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Current Affairs: February 01, 2019
Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra takes over as NCC Director General
On January 31, 2019 Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra took charge
as the Director General of NCC (DGNCC) in New
Delhi. He has been awarded Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
for his distinguished service in January 2018.
India to host 2021 Champions Trophy and 2023 World T20
India are in no danger of losing out on the 2021
Champions Trophy and 2023 ICC World T20 hosting
rights after tax exemption issues presented a threat on
the same. ICC CEO Dave Richardson has confirmed
that India will host both the events and that cricket's
international body is looking to sort out the speculation.
The International Cricket Council recently appointed
media professional Manu Sawhney as its new chief executive officer, replacing incumbent
David Richardson, who will step down after the World Cup.
ICC HQ: Dubai
Chairman: Shashank Manohar https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: February 01, 2019
Haryana Hammers beat Punjab Royals to win Pro Wrestling League season 4 title
Haryana Hammers beat Punjab Royals 6-3 in
the summit clash to win the Pro Wrestling
League (PWL) season 4 title on 31st January.
Riding on Aleksander Khotsianivski, Ali
Shabanov, Kiran, Ravi Kumar and Anastasia
Nichita’s dominating performance, Haryana
Hammers, the runners-up in the last three editions, against defending champions Punjab
Royals, won the first five bouts to clinch the title.
UNESCO names International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements 2019
On January 29, 2019, UNESCO launched
2019 as The International Year of the
Periodic Table of Chemical Elements in
Paris. The launch of International Year of the
Periodic Table of Chemical Elements 2019
also recognized 150th anniversary of the
establishment of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements by the Russian scientist, Dmitri
Mendeleev, one of the father of Modern Chemistry.
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
February 02, 2019
Highlights of Interim Budget 2019-20
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented the
Interim Budget for 2019-20 in Parliament on
1st February. Here are the 10 key highlights
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal’s announced in
Interim budgets 2019.
1. Taxation:
Tax rebate raised for income up to Rs 5 lakhs
Benefit of rollover of capital tax gains increased from one residential house to two
houses
This roll over on capital gains up to Rs 2 crore can be exercised once in a lifetime
Income Tax returns to be processed within 24 hours and returns will be paid
immediately in next 2 years
2. Agriculture:
Rs 6,000 per year assured income for small and marginal farmers holding upto two
hectares of land under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) in 3 equal
installments. Govt to allocate Rs 75,000 crore for the scheme
2% interest subvention for farmers affected by natural disasters, additional 3% if they
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
2% interest subvention for farmers pursuing animal husbandry, fisheries
3. Rural sector:
Budgetary allocation of Rs 19,000 crore for construction of rural roads under Gram
Sadak yojana in 2019/20
Government to allocate Rs 60,000 crore for a MNREGA scheme
4. Employment:
New social security coverage scheme for unorganised sector workers
Assured monthly pension of Rs 3,000 rupees per month, with contribution of 100 rupees
per month, for workers in unorganized sector after 60 years of age
Scheme to benefit 10 crore workers in unorganized sector, may become the world's
biggest pension scheme for unorganized sector in 5 years
5. GST:
Group of Ministers to suggest ways to reduce GST for house buyers
Small and medium-sized businesses registered under the GST to get 2% interest
subvention on loan of Rs 1 crore
6. Economy:
Average monthly tax collection at Rs 97,100 crore per month so far this year
Gross market borrowing seen at Rs 7.04 lakh crore in 2019/20
Goyal says expects other banks on the central bank's Prompt Corrective Action list to be
removed soon
7. Fiscal maths:
Fiscal deficit for 2018-19 seen at 3.4% of GDP
Fiscal deficit for 2019-20 estimated at 3.4% of GDP
Fiscal deficit for 2020-21 seen at 3% of GDP
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
Government's stated commitment earlier was to bring down the fiscal deficit to 3.1% of
GDP by the end of March 2020, and to 3% by March 2021
India's current account deficit for 2018-19 seen at 2.5 pct of GDP
Debt to GDP ratio to be brought down to 40% by 2024-25
8. Railways:
Railways operating ratio seen 96.2% in FY19 Vs 95% FY20
Railway capex for FY20 set at record Rs 1.6 lakh crore
Today there is not a single unmanned railway crossing on the broad gauge in India
9. Defence Budget:
Govt increases defence budget to over Rs 3 lakh crore. Govt will provide additional
funds for Defence, if needed
Govt disbursed Rs 35,000 crore under OROP scheme in the last few years
10. Film Industry:
A single window clearance for filmmakers
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival all set to begin from 2nd February
The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival - KGAF, India’s
largest multi-cultural street festival, is all set to
begin from Saturday. Commemorating 20
years of its inception, KGAF 2019 will celebrate
two glorious decades of art and culture
through cinema, theatre, dance, literature and
sculpture through various spots on Mumbai’s map.
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
International conference on 8th century sage Guru Padmasambhava held in New Delhi to mark 50 years of India-Bhutan ties
Celebrating 50-years of formalization of diplomatic
ties between India and Bhutan, a two-day
international conference on 8th century Himalayan
sage Guru Padmasambhava was held in New
Delhi that saw the participation of distinguished
scholars from both countries. The conference,
organized by the Centre for Escalation of Peace
(CEP) and titled 'Life and Legacy of Guru Padmasambhava', was held on January 29-30.
Government revises GDP growth rate to 7.2% for 2017-18 from 6.7% estimated earlier
On 31st January 2019, the Central Statistical
Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and
Programme implementation has revised the
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Growth
forecast to 7.2% from earlier estimate of 6.7%.
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
RBI Lifted up the restrictions on BoI, Bank of Maharashtra, Oriental Bank of Commerce
On 1st February, RBI has eased out the
operational curbs on 3 banks, Bank of India
(BoI), Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) and
Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and
also allowed them to have a exit from the
Prompt Corrective Action ( PCA)
framework fully. These three banks were part of 11 government-owned banks that were put
under the Prompt Corrective Action framework in 2017 and 2018. And the government gave a
capital infusion of Rs 10,000 crore for Bank of India, Rs 5,500 crore for Oriental Bank of
Commerce and Rs 4,500 crore for Bank of Maharashtra, which helped the banks to come out of
the framework.
Bank HQ CEO Tagline
Bank of India Mumbai Dinabandhu Relationships beyond Banking Mohapatra Bank of Maharashtra Pune AS Rajeev One Family One Bank
Oriental Bank Of Gurugram Mukesh Kumar Jain Where Every Individual Is Commerce Committed
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
Government sets up committee to explore prepaid payments by discoms to generator companies
On 1st February, on recommendation of Cabinet
Secretary P K Sinha, the Union Govt. has constituted
a committee under the Central Electricity Authority
(CEA) to explore prepaid payments by state
electricity distribution companies to power plants.
WhatsApp Announces 'Startup India-Grand Challenge'
In an effort to encourage entrepreneurs and small
businesses in India, Facebook-owned messaging
app WhatsApp on 31st January announced the
"Startup India-WhatsApp Grand Challenge". The
top five startups will receive a total grant of
$250,000 (roughly Rs. 1.8 crores), the company said
in a statement. "Ideas and business models capable
of making a large-scale socio-economic impact and solve day-to-day problems have been
invited to apply for the challenge by March 10," said WhatsApp.
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
Mithali raj becomes first woman to play 200 ODI matches
Cricketer Mithali Raj made us proud yet again as
she became the first woman to play 200 matches
in the one-day international format when she
played in Hamilton against New Zealand on 1st
February. India’s one-day international captain
already holds the record for being the most
capped woman in one-day internationals.
Sathiyan surpassed Sharath to become highest-ranked Indian at 28, Manika Batra breaks into top-50
On 30th January, Indian Table Tennis player
G Sathiyan achieved a new career rank of 28
in the world rankings. Sathiyan surpassed
Sharath to become highest-ranked Indian at
28. He surpassed Sharath after he gained
three spots in his recent game. Manika Batra
became the first female from India to be enlisted in top 50 list, she made herself in rank 47.
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
Vani Kapoor becomes first Indian to grab Australian LPGA card
Golfer Vani Kapoor has become the first
Indian to grab Australian Ladies PGA Tour
(LPGA) after securing 12th Rank tied with three
others in the first ever qualifying tournament at
the Ballarat Golf Club in Australia.
World Wetlands Day: 2 February
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every
year on 2 February. This day marks the date
of the adoption of the Convention on
Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian
city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian
Sea. Theme of World Wetlands Day 2019 is
“Wetlands and Climate Change”.
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Current Affairs: February 02, 2019
Former Planning Commission member and Ex- IIMC director Hiten Bhaya passed away
On 31st January, Former Planning Commission
member and ex-director Indian Institute of Mass
Communication (IIMC) Hiten Bhaya passed away
in New Delhi. He also served as the chairman of
Hindustan Steel.
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Current Affairs: February 03-04, 2019
February 03-04, 2019
CJI Ranjan Gogoi inaugurates Andhra Pradesh High Court new building at Amaravathi
The Andhra Pradesh High Court new building at
Amaravathi, had inaugurated by the Chief Justice of
India, Ranjan Gogoi. It’s after functioning from
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Camp Office for
over a month’s time, the AP High Court moved to a
new building at Amaravathi on a temporary basis.
ISRO launches Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru
On 30th January 2019, Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) launched
the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC)
which will act as the hub of ISRO’s future
manned missions at the headquarters of
ISRO in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
ISRO Chairman: K.Sivan
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Current Affairs: February 03-04, 2019
Indus River Dolphin declared Punjab’s State aquatic animal
One of the world's rarest mammals, Indus River
Dolphins has received an exceptional distinction.
Found only in India and Pakistan in the Beas river,
the generally playful Indus Dolphins have been
declared Punjab’s State aquatic animal on Friday.
The decision was taken in the Punjab State Wildlife
Board presided over by the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who shared the
information on his official Twitter handle.
4th International Spice Conference 2019 held in Hyderabad
The 4th edition of this conference was held in the
City of Pearls and the capital city of Telangana-
Hyderabad. The theme for the conference 2019 is
‘Challenges of Change, Redefining the Value
Chain’. 3rd edition of this conference was held in
Jaipur.
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Current Affairs: February 03-04, 2019
Rishi Kumar Shukla new CBI Chief
Rishi Kumar Shukla, 1983 batch IPS officer of
Madhya Pradesh cadre, was on Saturday appointed
as the new chief of the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI). The appointment came almost a
day after his name was shortlisted during the second
meeting of the PM Narendra Modi-led selection
committee.
Qatar stuns Japan to win AFC Asian Cup
Qatar produced the most famous moment in its
sporting history Friday after defeating Japan 3-1 in
the final of the Asian Cup. In a tournament that has
been as much about the geopolitical struggle in the
region as much as the football itself, Qatar secured
the sweetest of triumphs courtesy of goals from the
competition's top scorer Almoez Ali, Abdelaziz Hatim and Akram Hassan Afif.
Capital: Doha
Currency: Qatari riyal https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: February 03-04, 2019
Anjali Saraogi retains her title in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Marathon
Anjali Saraogi retained her title in the IDBI Federal
Life Insurance Kolkata Marathon with a career-best
timing today. Tlanding Wahlang won the men's full
marathon. The 45 year old Saraogi achieved the feat
less than three months after recovering from a
surgery.
Sana Mir becomes first Asian woman to play hundred T20Is
On 3rd February, Former captain of the Pakistan
women team Sana Mir became the first Asian
woman to play hundred T20Is. Sana Mir becomes
first Asian woman to play hundred T20Is. She
achieved this milestone, when she played against
West Indies in her final T20I that was held in
Karachi. Sana Mir is the sixth woman in the world
to complete 100 T20Is, whereas Deandra Dottin of West Indies lead the list with 110 T20Is.
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Current Affairs: February 03-04, 2019
World Cancer Day: 4 February
World Cancer Day, organized by the Union
for International Cancer Control (UICC) and
celebrated each year on 4 February, is an
opportunity to rally the international
community to end the injustice of
preventable suffering from cancer. This year,
the Union for International Cancer Control, which organizes World Cancer Day, is launching a
new 3-year campaign with the theme: “I Am and I Will.” It calls for a personal commitment to
help reduce the global burden of cancer.
Former Law Minister of Nepal Nilambar Acharya appointed as country's ambassador to India
Former Law Minister of Nepal Nilambar Acharya
has been appointed as country's ambassador to
India. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered
the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Acharya in
Kathmandu on 3rd February evening.
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Current Affairs: February 05, 2019
February 05, 2019
National Road Safety Week begins; Motor car rally flagged off in New Delhi
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin
Gadkari today flagged off Suraksha Yatra - a
motor car rally from Rajghat in New Delhi to
commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi. The flag off was also part of
an event to launch the 30th National Road Safety Week. The rally will travel through places
historically associated with Gandhiji, both in India, as well as in Bangladesh and Myanmar. It
will conclude at Yangon in Myanmar on the 24th of this month, covering a total distance of over
seven thousand kilometre.
Operation Smile: TS police rescues 2,119 children
The ‘Operation Smile-V’ initiative launched by
Hyderabad Police has helped in rescuing 325
children, who were either working as labourers or
begging on the streets, since January 1 this year. To
trace the missing children and rescue child
labourers, Operation Smile-V was launched on
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Current Affairs: February 05, 2019
January 1 across Telangana. Operation Smile also called as Operation Muskaan is an initiative
of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to rescue/rehabilitate missing children.
2 RRBs are to be merged to form Tamil Nadu Grama Bank
Under the sponsorship of Indian Bank, two regional
rural bank – Pallavan Grama Bank and Pandyan
Grama Bank will be amalgamated to form a single
RRB i.e. Tamil Nadu Grama Bank in Tamil Nadu.
The consolidation will be effective from April 1, 2019.
Pallavan Grama Bank is sponsored by Indian Bank
and Pandyan Grama Bank is sponsored by Indian
Overseas Bank. This newly integrated bank will be
sponsored by Indian Bank and will have its head office located at Salem, Tamil Nadu.
ADB buys 14% stake in Annapurna Finance
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has bought
a 14% stake in micro-financier Annapurna Finance
for Rs 137 crore, reinforcing the belief that India’s
microfinance sector is on course to attracting long-
term funds from global lenders and investors.
ADB’s investment in the Bhubaneswar-based https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: February 05, 2019
Annapurna is an equity expansion, while a few of the existing investors such as Oman India
Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF), Oikocredit and Bamboo Finance Partners raised their holding in
the MFI through secondary market deals totaling Rs 75 crore, Dibyajyoti Pattanaik, director at
Annapurna Finance, told.
Fino Pay integrates with Suryoday
Fino Payments Bank has integrated its systems
with Suryoday Small Finance Bank to enable
customers deposit larger amounts into their
Fino account without breaching RBI norms. The
payments bank was last year penalised by the
central bank for allowing balances in customer
accounts to cross Rs 1 lakh, the maximum
permissible under RBI norms.
Fino Payments bank and Suryoday Small Finance Bank Headquarters: Navi Mumbai
India-Monaco Business Forum held in New Delhi
Huge scope exists between businesses of India
and European country Monaco to boost
cooperation in services sector and high-end
technologies, Commerce and Industry Minister
Suresh Prabhu said 4th February. He was
addressing businesses of both the countries at
India Monaco Business Forum, in the presence of Albert II, Prince of Monaco.
Capital: Monaco, Currency: Euro https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: February 05, 2019
Gopi foundation, Kotak Mahindra Bank ink MoU
P. Gopi Chand’s efforts to take coaching to the next
level got a major fillip with Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd.
signing an MoU with the Pullela Gopi Chand
Badminton Foundation on 4th February towards setting
up a new world class indoor facility and other related
centres at a cost of Rs. 35 crores.
Indian squash player Ramit Tandon wins Seattle Open title
On 3rd February 2019, Indian squash player Ramit
Tandon wins the fourth title of Seattle open title by
defeating Mohamed El Sherbini of Egypt. Seattle
Open is a PSA challenger squash Tour held in USA.
Ramit Tandon who belongs to Kolkata won by 11-4,
11-7, 2-11, 11-2 for his first PSA title. Jacques
Fountaine is president of World squash federation which is headquartered at East Sussex,
England.
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Current Affairs: February 05, 2019
El Salvador: Nayib Bukele wins presidential election
Former mayor Nayib Bukele on Sunday won El
Salvador's presidential election, the Supreme
Electoral Court said. Bukele had 54 percent of the
votes with 90 percent of ballots counted.
Capital: San Salvador
Currency: US Dollar
US pull out of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia
On 1st February 2019, the United States of America
pulls out of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
treaty with Russia. This was announced by the US
on 20 October 2018. Russia also pulls out of treaty
on 2nd February 2019.
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Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
February 06-07, 2019
Union Cabinet Decisions on 6th January
The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra
Modi has approved the following:
The revised Office Memorandum
pertaining to the Cabinet Note on
“Amendment of Constitution to provide for
reservation for Economically Weaker Sections”
Regularization of certain allowances being paid over and above the 50% (pre-revised)
ceiling prescribed by DPE to the executives of certain operational category employees of
AAI
Abolition of Institution of Income-Tax Ombudsman and Indirect Tax Ombudsman
Proposal for higher allocation of power to Home State from Under Construction Projects of
NTPC Ltd.
Framework Agreement between India and Indonesia on cooperation in the exploration and
uses of outer space for peaceful purposes
Tackling Film Piracy & Copyright infringement
Introduction of National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management
Bill, 2019 in the Parliament
Establishment of a unified authority for regulating all financial services in International
Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in India through International Financial Services Centres
Authority Bill, 2019
Establishment of Circuit Bench of Calcutta High Court at Jalpaiguri https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
Proposal for Official Amendments to the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill,
2018
Establishment of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog for Conservation protection and
development of cows and their progeny
Proposal for setting up 12,000 MW grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Projects
Continuation for the Central Sector Scheme of Exploration of Coal and Lignite for a period
of 3 years from 2017-18 2019-2020
"Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development" scheme of Prasar Bharti
CCEA approves creation of Agri-Market infrastructure fund for development and
upgradation of Gramin Agriculture Markets
MoU between India and Malaysia for Mutual Cooperation in the field of Company
Secretaryship
MoU between India and Election Management Bodies of Namibia and Panama
MoU between India and Norway on India-Norway Ocean Dialogue
MoU between India and Brazil on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of
Medicine and Homoeopathy
MoU between India and Maldives for Establishing Mutual Cooperation to Improve the
Ecosystems for Agribusiness
Signing of Agreement between India and Ukraine for cooperation in Agriculture and Food
Industry
MoU between India and the UAE on Development cooperation in Africa
MoU between India and Finland in the field of Biotechnology
MoU between India and Uzbekistan for promoting Bilateral cooperation in the area of e-
Governance
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Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
India's communication satellite GSAT-31 successfully launched from French Guiana
India’s communication satellite GSAT-31 has been
launched successfully from French Guiana in the wee
hours today. The Ariane-5 rocket lifted off with it
from Kourou Launch Base at 2:31 am Indian time, and
in 42-minutes, placed it in the intended
Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
2019 Asia LPG Summit organized by World LPG Association in New Delhi
On 5th of February, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan,
Union Minister for petroleum and natural gas,
inaugurated the 2019 Asia LPG summit in New
Delhi. The two-day summit with the theme ‘LPG –
Energy for Life’ will deliberate over series of
subjects including how India’s successful Pradhan
Mantri Ujjwala Yojana can become a viable model for other countries to replicate particularly
those striving to provide clean cooking fuel to its people.
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Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
Darwaza Band – Part 2’ campaign was launched by Swatch Bharat Mission Grameen
On 06th February, the “Darwaza Band- Part 2”
campaign was launched by Swachh Bharat
Mission Grameen focuses on sustaining the
open defecation free status of villages across
the country. The campaign launched by the
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in
Mumbai in the presence of actor Amitabh Bachchan.
ICICI Bank introduces FD Xtra - term-deposit with insurance, savings
ICICI Bank Ltd on 6th February launched its new
term deposit called ‘FD Xtra’. The FD Xtra will
include term-insurance, savings for the down-
payment of home and car, retirement planning
and others. It will be available to customers within
the next few days.
HQ: Mumbai
MD & CEO: Sandeep Bakshi
Chairman: GC Chaturvedi
Tagline: Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
Federal Bank launches Open Banking Platform start-ups & fintech companies
Federal Bank has launched an Open Banking
platform which enables start-ups and fintech
companies to consume the Bank’s APIs and
innovate new products and integrate various
banking services. This platform will help
corporates, fintechs and start-ups create value
by way of smart integrations
HQ: Aluva, Kochi
MD & CEO: Shyam Srinivasan
Tagline: Your Perfect Banking Partner
SBI UK chief awarded 'Freedom of the City of London'
India's largest state-owned lender SBI's regional
head in the UK has been honoured with the
'Freedom of the City of London' award in
recognition of his contribution to promoting the
bilateral relations. Sanjiv Chadha, who oversaw
State Bank of India (SBI) UK's transition into a
subsidiary in April last year, was nominated for the honour by Lord Mayor of London Peter
Estlin and Sheriff Vincent Keaveny. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
Praveen Sinha appointed CBI additional director
The government on 6th February formally
cleared the proposal to promote Praveen
Sinha, a 1988-batch Gujarat cadre officer
working in the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) as a joint director, as
additional director in the agency.
Air India Chief Pradeep Singh Kharola Appointed Civil Aviation Secretary
Air India chief Pradeep Singh Kharola has been
appointed Civil Aviation secretary as part of a
minor top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected on
Wednesday, according to an official order.
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Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
Gajanan Mallya appointed new SCR GM
Gajanan Mallya has been appointed as the new
general manager of the South Central Railway
(SCR), according to an official SCR release.
SCR HQ: Secunderabad
Macedonia signs accord to join NATO
Macedonia on 6th February signed an accord to
join NATO to become the 30th member of the
US-led alliance. At a formal signing of the
NATO accession protocol, Macedonia’s Foreign
Minister Nikola Dimitrov hailed the moment as
showing that the country will never walk alone
once in the alliance.
Capital: Skopje
Currency: Macedonian denar
NATO HQ: Brussels, Belgium
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Current Affairs: February 06-07, 2019
Punjab beat Bengal to win CK Nayudu Trophy
The game went down to the wire and finished with
two days to spare, as the Punjab under-23 side beat
Bengal by one wicket on a rank turner to lift Colonel
CK Nayudu Trophy in Patiala.
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Current Affairs: February 08, 2019
February 08, 2019
RBI cuts repo rate, reverse repo rate in its 6th bi-monthly Monetary Policy of 2018- 19
The Reserve Bank of India in its bi-monthly
monetary policy has reduced repo rate by 25
basis points to 6.25%. RBI's 6-member monetary
policy committee also brought down reverse repo
rate to 6%. The repo rate is the rate at which the
Reserve Bank lends short-term money to the
banks, while the reserve repo rate is the rate at
which the central bank borrows money from commercial banks. It was the first policy review by
the RBI after appointment of its governor Shaktikanta Das in December last year. The RBI
governor said that they expect GDP growth rate to be at 7.4% in fiscal 2019-20 which is up from
7.2% estimated for financial year 2018-19 by central statistical organization.
Present Key Rates are as follows:
Repo Rate 6.25%
Reverse Repo Rate 6%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) 4%
Statutory Liquidity ratio (SLR) 19.25%
Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) 6.5%
Bank Rate 6.5%
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Current Affairs: February 08, 2019
Parmanu Tech 2019-Nuclear Energy Conference in New Delhi
The Parmanu Tech conference was organised by
the Ministry of External Affairs and Department
of Atomic Energy (DAE) in New Delhi. The
keynote address at the ‘Parmanu Tech 2019’
conference was delivered by Dr. Jitendra Singh,
Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space.
RBI raises collateral-free farm loan limit to Rs 1.6 lakh
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has announced
that the limit of collateral free agricultural loans
has been increased from one lakh to 1.6 lakh.
Addressing the post monetary policy
announcement in Mumbai on 7th February, Mr. Das
said the decision has been taken in view of the
overall inflation and rise in the agricultural input costs since 2010 when the limit was last
revised. Mr. Das said this move will enhance coverage of small and marginal farmers in the
formal credit system.
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Current Affairs: February 08, 2019
India becomes world's 2nd largest LPG consumer and Importer after government's Ujjwala push
India is now the 2nd largest consumer and
importer of the LPG in the world. This is
attributed to government initiatives to push for
cleaner alternatives to traditional cooking fuels
such as firewood and cow dung. The import of
LPG grew by 12.5% over the past five years to
12 million metric tons (13 million tons) in 2018-19. India now stands at 2nd place behind China.
The exporters of LPG to India include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait
and Iran.
Smriti Irani launches India Size project in Mumbai
Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani launched
the India Size project in Mumbai yesterday. A
first-of-its-kind project in the history of the
country, India Size aims to arrive at a standard
Indian Size for the ready-to-wear clothing
industry, on the lines of the standardized sizes
available in countries such as the USA and the UK.
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Current Affairs: February 08, 2019
Vidarbha beat Saurashtra to clinch second successive Ranji Trophy title
On 7th February, Defending champions Vidarbha
won the Ranji Trophy 2018-19, which is 85th
season of the Ranji Trophy by defeating
Saurashtra. This victory is their Successive
victory since they won the Trophy last year. The
Ranji Trophy is played from the month of
November, 2018 to 7th February 2019, in which
37 Teams Participated.
Mirabai Chanu notched up gold at EGAT Cup in Thailand
World champion Indian weightlifter Saikhom
Mirabai Chanu as notched up a gold medal at the
EGAT Cup in Thailand. Chanu won the 48 kg
category gold with an effort of 192 kg in the silver
level Olympic qualifying event.
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Current Affairs: February 08, 2019
FIFA Rankings: India dropped out of 100 and Belgium remains at the top
On February 6,2019, With the end of AFC
Asian cup in UAE, the world ranking list had
some changes, in which India is dropped out
of the top 100 ranks with 103rd position, but
Belgium‘s pole position remained same.
India jumps eight places to 36th spot in US Chamber's global IP index
Recognition of international standards of copyright
protection and incentives for intellectual property
have helped India jump eight places to 36th position
on the International Intellectual Property (IP) Index,
the highest gain for any country this year. The index,
which analyses the IP climate in 50 global economies,
is brought out by the US Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC).
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Current Affairs: February 08, 2019
Thailand names Siamese fighting fish its national aquatic animal
Thailand has named the tiny, eye-catching,
colourful fin plumaged Siamese fighting fish as
its aquatic animal with a aim to boost the
conservation and breeding of the same.
Capital: Bangkok
Currency: Thai baht
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
February 09-11, 2019
After Arabic and English, Abu Dhabi includes Hindi as 3rd official court language
In a landmark decision, Abu Dhabi has included
Hindi as the third official language used in its courts,
alongside Arabic and English, as part of a move
designed to improve access to justice. The Abu Dhabi
Judicial Department said it has extended the adoption
of interactive forms of statement of claims filed before
courts by including the Hindi language alongside
Arabic and English in labour cases.
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Currency: UAE Dirham
Ladakh declared Jammu & Kashmir’s third administrative division
The Jammu & Kashmir Government on 8th
February declared Ladakh as the third
administrative division of the state. An order
issued by Governor Satya Pal Malik‘s
administration said, “The Government has
approved the creation of a separated
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
administrative/revenue division of Ladakh”. The division will comprise Leh and Kargil
districts, with Leh as the division’s headquarters.
PM Modi inaugurates DD Arun Prabha TV channel and Sela tunnel project in Arunachal Pradesh
On 9th February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched the DD ‘Arun Prabha’ Channel in
Itanagar. It will be a 24x7 satellite television
channel and is Doordarshan’s second channel for
the north-eastern region, after DD North East.
Modi has also laid the foundation stone of the
Sela Tunnel Project in Arunachal Pradesh. Once completed, the project would provide all-
weather connectivity to Tawang and forward areas. Sela Tunnel Project is estimated to cost Rs.
687 crore. It is being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and is expected to be
completed in the next three years. It covers a total distance of 12.04 kilometers and consists of
two tunnels of 1790 and 475 meters each.
Surging Silk, Mega Event held in New Delhi
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister
of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj assured
the Textiles ministry to provide all support
for promoting global trade of silk. She said
that silk is a strong commodity and there is a
huge demand for it in the international
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
market. Union Minister for Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani in her address said that silk production
has increased by 41% since 2013-14. The Textiles Minister said the Buniyad Reeling machine
will not only rid the woman reelers of the painful practice of thigh reeling but also enhance
their income and help them live a dignified life.
2nd ASEAN – India Youth Summit concluded in Guwahati on 7th February
On 7th February 2019, 2nd ASEAN – India
Youth Summit concluded in Guwahati
which was conducted to strengthen the
mutual cooperation among ASEAN
countries. It was inaugurated by Assam
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and
Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons. The theme of the summit was ‘Connectivity:
Pathway to Shared Prosperity’.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates 13th PETROTECH 2019 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida
The 13th International Oil and Gas
Conference - PETROTECH - 2019 got
underway at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida.
Over 95 Energy Ministers from partner
countries are expected to participate in the
three day Conference.
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurates Cremica Food Park, the 1st Mega Food Park of Himachal Pradesh
Union Minister for Food Processing Industries
Harsimrat Kaur Badal has inaugurated Cremica
Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd via video conference. The
Park is located at Village Singhain Una District of
Himachal Pradesh. This is the first Mega Food Park
operationalized in the State of Himachal Pradesh.
RBI Doubles the limit of bulk deposits from Rs. 1 crore to Rs 2 Crore
On 7th February 2019, Reserve Bank of India
decided to treat deposits to over Rs.2 crore as
‘bulk’ as they doubled the limit for the same
from the earlier Rs.1 crore. This move will
enhance operational freedom of Banks.
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
RBI slaps fine of Rs 1 crore on State Bank of India
State Bank of India Thursday said the Reserve
Bank of India has slapped Rs 1 crore penalty on
the country's largest lender for violating norms.
RBI "in exercise of powers conferred under
Section 47 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949
has levied a penalty of Rupees one crore on the
bank for not monitoring the end use of funds in respect of one of its borrowers," SBI said in a
regulatory filing.
Mukesh Ambani tops Hurun India Philanthropy list 2018
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani
who is not only the richest Indian person but is
also the richest Asian, recently topped the Hurun
India Philanthropy List 2018 followed by the
chairman of the Piramal Group, Ajay Piramal.
According to the list, Mukesh Ambani and family
donated Rs 437 crore from October 2017 to September 2018. Ajay Piramal donated Rs 200 crore
during the same period.
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam wins Israel's prestigious $1mn Dan David award
Noted Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam
has won Israel's prestigious Dan David Prize
for this year for his work on inter-cultural
encounters between Asians, Europeans and
people of North and South America during the
early modern era.
Nagaland gets ‘Best Eri Silk Producing State’ award
Nagaland was awarded as the ‘Best
Eri Silk Producing State’ by Union
minister of External Affairs
Sushma Swaraj at a mega silk
event – Surging Silk – in New Delhi
on 9th February. Informing about it
on twitter, Nagaland chief minister
Neiphiu Rio on 10th February said: “Nagaland was awarded the “Best Eri Silk Producing State”
in India by MoEA Sushma Swaraj at a mega silk event, Surging Silk, in New Delhi.
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
Tarun Vijay conferred Thirukuralin Porwal award in Muscat
For spreading the message of Thirukkural, the
revered ancient Tamil literary work, BJP leader
Tarun Vijay was conferred a unique award
known as ‘Thirukkuralin Porwal’ (Sword of
Thirukkural). The award was presented by
Thangamani, Director-General, Institute of
Thirukkural Sciences in the presence of Omanese dignitaries and members of Tamil
organizations at a recent function held at the Al Maasa Hall in Muscat, said a statement from
Tarun Vijay.
Egypt's el-Sisi elected new chairman of African Union
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi has been
elected chairman of the African Union at the
continental body's summit in Ethiopia. The
Egyptian leader addressed the summit, saying he
would focus on security on the African continent.
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Current Affairs: February 09-11, 2019
International Day of Women and Girls in Science: 11 February
The International Day of Women and
Girls in Science, celebrated on 11
February, is implemented by UNESCO
and UN-Women (link is external), in
collaboration institutions and civil society
partners that aim to promote women and
girls in science.
2019 Theme: "Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth".
First World Pulses Day: 10 February, 2019
The United Nations General Assembly voted to
add “World Pulses Day” to the official UN
calendar of awareness raising holidays and
commemorations. So, World Pulses Day will be
commemorated for the first time at the United
Nations on February 10. Pulses are a catch-all
phrase for legumes, like lentils, beans and peas.
They provide an excellent source of protein and also boast a number of environmental benefits.
They are good for both people and the planet — so, it would make sense that the United
Nations would champion pulses.
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Current Affairs: February 12, 2019
February 12, 2019
Akshaya Patra Mid-day Meal: PM Modi serves 3rd billion-th meal
PM Narendra Modi visited Vrindavan
where he unveiled a ceremonial plaque at
the event to mark the serving of "3rd
billionth meal" by Akshaya Patra
Foundation at Vrindavan Chandrodaya
Mandir campus in this holy city. Akshaya
Patra is a not-for-profit organisation that works with the government on mid-day meal
schemes. PM also distributed Akshaya Patra to some of the children. The foundation has a state-
of-the-art kitchen in Vrindavan.
Yogi Adityanath flags off 33 'Sarthi Sandesh Vahini' vehicles in Gorakhpur
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on
February 10th flagged off 33 'Sarthi Sandesh
Vahini' vehicles. The 'Sarthi Sandesh Vahini' is a
mission started by the state family welfare
department with an aim to spread awareness
regarding family planning in urban and rural
areas.
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Current Affairs: February 12, 2019
Meghalaya government to rename Dikki Bandi stadium after P A Sangma
On 9th February, the Meghalaya Cabinet has
decided to rename the Dikki Bandi stadium
in Tura town after former Lok Sabha Speaker
Purno A Sangma. Purno Agitok Sangma
served as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya
from 1988 to 1990.
Ruchira Kamboj to be India’s Ambassador to Bhutan
On 11th February, Ruchira Kamboj, currently serving
as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa,
was appointed as the Ambassador of India to
Bhutan. Kamboj has previously served as the
Ambassador/PR to Permanent Delegation of India to
UNESCO, Paris.
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Current Affairs: February 12, 2019
Corentin Moutet clinches Chennai Open ATP Challenger title
In Tennis, France’s Corentin Moutet has clinched
the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tournament
title after beating Andrew Harris of Australia 6-3,
6-3 in the singles final. The second seeded
Frenchman played confidently to dash the hopes
of Harris, the conqueror of top-seeded Prajnesh
Gunneswaran. It was the second Challenger title for Moutet, who received 80 ATP points, while
Andrew got 48 ATP points.
Railways lift Senior Men's National hockey title
Railway Sports Promotion Board on Sunday
lifted the 9th Senior National Men's Hockey
Championship crown at Gwalior. They dished
out a scintillating performance to stun defending
champions Punjab 3-2 and claim the gold medal.
Harsahib Singh (35', 45') scored a brace while
Dilpreet Singh (57') struck late for the winners.
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Current Affairs: February 12, 2019
Jamie Chadwick becomes the first female driver to win MRF Challenge title in Chennai
Jamie Chadwick from Bath, England made
history by becoming the first female driver to
win the MRF challenge title after scoring a
triple win in the final round in Chennai. The
British driver, 20, won three of the five races in
Chennai, India, to close an 18-point margin on
Belgium's Max Defourny and take the title. In doing so, she added her name to a prestigious
list of former winners that includes Formula 1 drivers Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and
Daniel Ricciardo.
Union Bank of the Philippines Launches Two-Way Crypto ATM
Union Bank of the Philippines, one of the largest
commercial banks in Philippines, has launched the
country’s first two-way cryptocurrency ATM. The
crypto ATM, which is part of the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas’ regulatory sandbox, will allow clients
to purchase and sell cryptocurrencies for cash.
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Current Affairs: February 12, 2019
7th session of World Government Summit held in Dubai
The seventh session of the World Government
Summit kicked off on Sunday in Dubai, with the
participation of more than 4,000 people from 140
countries. Global leaders are gathering in Dubai
for the World Government Summit, a forum
dedicated to "shaping the future of
governments". IMF Director Christine Lagarde, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and
former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are participated in the event.
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Current Affairs: February 13, 2019
February 13, 2019
President unveils life size portrait of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Parliament
President Ram Nath Kovind on 12th February
unveiled the life size portrait of former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Central
Hall of Parliament. Vice President Venkaiah
Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok
Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Leader of
Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi
Azad, Union Ministers, and leaders of various parties were present during the event.
Union Govt. names Great Indian Bustard as the mascot for COP-13
The Centre announced the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) as
the mascot for the 13th UN Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS)(COP 13),
scheduled to be held in Gujarat next year. The bird has
been fondly named by the ministry as 'Gibi'.
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Current Affairs: February 13, 2019
`Exercise Rahat´ concluded in Jaipur on 12th February
On 12th February 2019, Joint Humanitarian
Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise `Exercise
Rahat´ concluded in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was
demonstrated in Jaipur, Kota and Alwar in Rajasthan.
The joint exercise will see participation from Armed
Forces, National Disaster Management Response
Mechanism (NDMRM), State Disaster Management Authority of Rajasthan and District LMAs.
RBI imposes monetary penalty on seven banks for violation of norms
The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a
monetary penalty of Rs. 1.50 crore each on
Allahabad Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and
Indian Overseas Bank, and Rs. 1 crore on
Andhra Bank. The penalty has been imposed
on the public sector banks (PSBs) for non-
compliance with various directions issued on monitoring of end use of funds, exchange of
information with other banks, classification and reporting of frauds, and on restructuring of
accounts. The central bank also imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 20 lakh each on HDFC
Bank, IDBI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank for non-compliance with various directions
issued by the RBI on Know Your Customer (KYC) norms / anti-money laundering (AML) https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: February 13, 2019
standards.
In the case of these seven banks, the RBI, in a statement, said: “These penalties have been
imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of the Banking Regulation
Act, 1949, taking into account failure of the above banks to adhere to the aforesaid directions
issued by RBI.
Retail inflation dips further to 2.05% in January; lowest in 19 months
Retail inflation fell to a 19-month low of 2.05% in
January due to fall in prices of food articles, mainly
fruit and vegetables, coupled with easing of fuel
cost, government data showed on 12th February.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based retail
inflation was revised downwards for the preceding
month December to 2.11% from the earlier estimate of 2.19%, showed data from the Central
Statistics Office (CSO). In the year-ago month, January 2018, the retail inflation was at 5.07%.
Axis Bank launches 5th edition of ‘Evolve’ for SME customers
Axis Bank, India’s third largest private sector bank,
today hosted the 5th edition of ‘Evolve’, an annual
knowledge series for the bank’s Small and
Medium Enterprises (SME) customers. Evolve is a
platform for SMEs to learn and interact with leaders
who have driven the wheels of innovation in their
companies across areas of Manufacturing, Distribution, Marketing & Technology etc.
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Current Affairs: February 13, 2019
Avendus launches India's first ESG Fund; to focus on top 100 cos by market cap
The Avendus India ESG Fund made its
maiden investment on February 1, marking the
first time a fund of this kind has been launched
in India. ESG stands for environment, social
and governance. The fund will invest $1 billion
and takes into account India's top 100
companies by market capitalisation.
Two-day ‘Start-up walk’ to be held from February 14 in Chennai
A two-day event to provide an opportunity for
participants to meet founders of various start-
ups and understand its functioning will be
held here from February 14. Some of the
companies that are participating in the city-
wide open office event are SPI Cinemas,
Orangescape, FlintoBox, NotionPress, InkMonk etc, The StartUp Centre, the organisers, said in
a statement.
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Current Affairs: February 13, 2019
Nitin Gadkari presented with Innovation Award by Global NCAP
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
(MoRTH) head Nitin Gadkari was presented with
the Innovation Award by the Global New Car
Assessment Program (GNCAP) at its World
Congress 2018 event held in Delhi. The honour
was awarded to the Government of India in
recognition of its contribution to enhance vehicle safety and was handed over to Gadkari and
Abhay Damle, joint secretary of MoRTH, by David Ward, President of the GNCAP and Max
Mosley, former chairman of the GNCAP.
Siddhartha Lal wins the EY Entrepreneur Of the Year for 2018
Siddhartha Lal, managing director and chief
executive officer, Eicher Motors, has been awarded
the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018. Having led
an impressive transformation at Eicher Motors since
he took over the reins in 2006, helping the company
resurrect the Royal Enfield motorcycle brand in India
and establishing it as a global brand icon. Lal will
now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo
from 6 – 8 June 2019.
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Current Affairs: February 13, 2019
First joint initiative signed between India and Norway to combat Marine Pollution
India signed a letter of intent with Norway to fight
marine pollution on 11th February, and establishes
the India-Norway Marine Pollution Initiative.
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate
Change (MoEFCC) signed the letter establishing
the initiative with the Norwegian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
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Current Affairs: February 14-15, 2019
February 14-15, 2019
New Delhi hosts the 3rd Indo-German Environment Forum
On 13th February, bilateral meeting between
India and Germany, 3rd Indo-German
Environment Forum held in New Delhi. The
outcomes of discussion made in Indo-
German Working Group held in Delhi on 6th
February 2019 taken up to higher alliance
discussed in the forum. Theme of the forum is “Cleaner Air, Greener Economy”.
Rajasthan passes 5% quota bill for Gujjars, four other communities
Rajasthan government on 13th February passed
a bill to provide five percent quota in jobs and
educational institutions to Gurjars and four
other communities. The government
introduced the Rajasthan Backward Classes
Amendment Bill, 2019, which was passed by
the assembly. The government has also decided to increase the ceiling of creamy layer from Rs
2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. The bill seeks to increase the backward classes' reservation from present 21
percent to 26 percent with five percent reservation to Gurjars, Banjaras, Gadia Lohars, Raikas
and Gadaria. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: February 14-15, 2019
Bihar govt announces universal old age pension scheme-Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension Yojna
Bihar government has announced a universal old age
pension scheme - Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension
Yojna- MVPY for all people above 60 years of age.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told state assembly
that the scheme will come into force from the 1st of
April this year. He said, except those senior citizens
who have retired from government service, all will be
eligible for 400 rupees monthly pension irrespective of caste, religion or community.
PM-Kisan scheme and Annadatha Sukhibhava scheme has been amalgamated by Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has made a significant move by
merging Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
Portal with its own Annadatha Sukhibhava
scheme. This move will further allow a fixed
amount of Rs. 10,000 per annum to all farmers in
the state, irrespective of the size of their land.
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Current Affairs: February 14-15, 2019
India’s first Aqua Mega Food Park commissioned in AP by Harsimrat Kaur
Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park, first
aqua mega food park was commissioned
by Secretary of Ministry of Food
Processing Industries (MoFPI), Pushpa
Subrahmanyam on behalf of Food
Processing Industries Minister
Harsimrat Kaur Badal via video conferencing in Bhimavaram of West Godavari District,
Andhra Pradesh.
New Species of ‘Crying Snake’ Discovered in Arunachal Pradesh
A new species of crying snake has been
discovered in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lepa-Rada
district. Guwahati-based reptile expert
Jayaditya Purkayastha made the discovery of
the non-venomous crying keelback in the
Basar area of Arunachal Pradesh. The crying
keelback’s, the zoological name is Hebius lacrima. ‘Lacrima’ means a tear in Latin.
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Current Affairs: February 14-15, 2019
NTPC signed a pact with SBI for Rs. 5,000 Crore Term Loan
State owned National Thermal Power
Corporation (NTPC) signed a term loan
agreement for Rs 5,000 crore with the State
Bank of India (SBI). The loan facility is extended
at an interest rate linked to 3-month MCLR of
the bank and has a door to door tenure on 15
years, which will be utilised to part finance the capital expenditure of NTPC.
CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra appointed as new Election Commissioner
Sushil Chandra, the chairman of the Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT), has been appointed as the
new Election Commissioner on 14th February. A
1980-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) official
and an IIT alumnus, Chandra has recently retired
from the CBDT, who was given a one-year
extension till May 31, this year. His appointment came ahead of the 2019 general election, which
is due by May.
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Current Affairs: February 14-15, 2019
Ashwani Lohani appointed Air India CMD for second time
Ashwani Lohani, former chairman of Railway
Board, has been reappointed as the Chairman
and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India for
the second time after his previous tenure from
August 2015 to August 2017.
SAI defeated Chandigarh to win women’s national hockey title
On 10th February, Sports Authority of India
Won 9th Hockey India Senior Women National
Championship (B Division) held in Hisar,
Haryana. Sonia (16th minute), Anima Tiru
(32nd), Alka Dungdung (41st) and Pramila
Sorena (60th) scored a goal each to clinically
demolish Chandigarh's defence. Sarabdeep Kaur was the lone scorer for Chandigarh.
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Current Affairs: February 14-15, 2019
World Radio Day: 13 February
This year World Radio is celebrated with the theme
of “Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace”. World Radio
day signifies the era where people throughout the
world listen to radio and how it has shaped
everyone’s life.
International Darwin Day: 12 February
Darwin Day is a celebration to commemorate
the birthday of Britain scientist Charles
Darwin on 12 February 1809. The day is used to
highlight Darwin's contributions to science and
to promote science in general.
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Current Affairs: February 14-15, 2019
Legendary Goalkeeper of England, Gardon Banks Passed away at the age of 81
On 12th February 2019, one of the world’s most
famous goalkeeper Gordon Banks passed away at
the age of 81 in England. He was born in Sheffield,
England. The legendary England footballer, who
was part of the victorious 1966 World Cup side,
passed away overnight on Monday.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
February 16, 2019
PM flags off India’s fastest train Vande Bharat Express
India’s first semi-high speed train, the Vande
Bharat Express, was flagged off by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 15th February
from the New Delhi Railway Station amid
sombre mood in the backdrop of the terror
attack in Pulwama.
Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan pension scheme comes into effect from 15 February
The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan
scheme will be implemented from 15th
February. Under the scheme, workers of the
unorganised sector will receive a minimum
assured pension of three thousand rupees per
month after attaining the age of 60 years. The
workers whose monthly income are 15 thousand rupees per month or less and belong to the
entry age group of 18 to 40 years are eligible for the scheme.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
UAE's Tabreed to build India's first district cooling system in Amaravati
A UAE-based international cooling provider has
entered into a 30-year concession with Andhra
Pradesh government to build, own, operate and
transfer India's first district cooling system in the
state's new capital Amaravati. The agreement
between the National Central Cooling
Company (Tabreed) and Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA)
is for a contracted cooling capacity of 20,000 refrigeration tonnes and this will be the company's
first plant outside its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market, a statement released by the firm
said.
World Sustainable Development Summit 2019 held at New Delhi
World Sustainable Development Summit
(WSDS) 2019, the flagship event of ‘The Energy
and Resources Institute’ (TERI), was
inaugurated by Vice President Shri M.
Venkaiah Naidu at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
It saw the presence of more than 2000 delegates
in the fields of sustainable development, energy and environment sectors.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
5th International Dam Safety Conference 2019 held in Bhubaneswar
State Water Resources minister Niranjan Pujari and
Union Water Resources & Ganga Rejuvenation Secretary
U.P. Singh inaugurated the 5th International Dam
Safety Conference 2019 in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
Early Ed Asia 2019, Asia’s largest early childhood conference, held in Jaipur
Early Ed Asia 2019, the two-day event which is
Asia’s largest conference on Early Childhood,
was held at the City Palace in Jaipur,
Rajasthan.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
Wholesale inflation falls to 10-month low of 2.76% in January
India's wholesale inflation fell to a 10-month low
of 2.76 percent in January 2019 as against 3.80
percent in December 2018, helped by a smaller
increase in prices of manufactured goods and fuel
products, government data released on Thursday
showed. The core inflation data for the month of
January was at 2.9 percent as compared to 4.2
percent, monthly. Wholesale inflation in food rose to 1.84 percent as against 0.07 percent in
December 2018. WPI inflation in primary articles also rose to 3.54 percent versus 2.28 percent in
the previous month.
IWAI launched portal ‘LADIS’ for real time information
On 15th February, Inland Waterways
Authority of India (IWAI) launched a
new portal ‘LADIS’ for real time data on
available depth on stretches of National
Waterways. Least Available Depth
Information System (LADIS) will ensure
real time data on ship and cargo owners on which they can undertake transportation on
National Waterways (NW) in a more planned way.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
GS1 signs MoU with Government eMarketplace
GS1 India, a standards organisation set up
by the commerce and industry ministry on
15th February signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Government
eMarketplace (GeM). The ministry of
commerce and industry said in a statement
that the MoU will enable GeM's buyers and vendors to access accurate and standardised
information on attributes of thousands of products across categories, empowering them to
make more informed decisions.
$40 million loan agreement signed between Indian and Himachal Pradesh Government and World Bank for Shimla water supply
A loan agreement of $40 million was signed
between the Government of India, Himachal
Pradesh Government and World Bank, to help
bring clean and reliable drinking water to the
citizens of Greater Shimla area, who have been
facing severe shortages of water and water-borne
epidemics in the last few years.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
Union Minister Arun Jaitley assumes charge as Finance Minister
Union Minister Arun Jaitley has assumed the
charge of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of
Corporate Affairs. The charge of the Ministries
was given to Union Minister Piyush Goyal on a
temporary basis on the 23rd of January.
UN appoints Chandramouli Ramanathan as ASG in Management Strategy dept
The UN has appointed an Indian official in one of
the top most positions in its Department of
Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at the
United Nations that Chandramouli Ramanathan
has been appointed as Controller, Assistant
Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Finance in the management strategy,
policy and compliance department.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
Pramod Chandra Mody takes over as new CBDT chairman
IRS officer Pramod Chandra Mody on 15th
February took over as the new chairman of the
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy
making body of the Income Tax Department.
Mody, a 1982-batch Indian Revenue Service
(Income Tax cadre) officer has been appointed in
place of Sushil Chandra, who was on 14th February named as Election Commissioner ahead of
the Lok Sabha polls due this summer.
SCCL selected for India’s Best Company award
Public sector miner Singareni Collieries Company
Limited added another feather to its cap. The
company has been selected for the “India’s best
company” award for 2018 by the US-based brand
consulting and marketing research firm Berkshire
Media Private Limited. Berkshire Media CEO
Hemanth Kaushik invited SCCL Chairman and
Managing Director N. Sridhar to receive the award in Mumbai on March 8.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
NASA to launch SPHEREx mission to investigate Universe
NASA’s next SPHEREx mission will aim to
understand how our universe evolved and the
prevalence of ingredients for life in galaxy. For
this mission, Epoch of Reionization and ICES
explorer ‘SPHEREx’ program is slated to launch
in 2023.
India withdraws Most Favoured Nation status from Pakistan
India has withdrawn the Most Favoured
Nation status granted to Pakistan
following the Pulwama terror attack in
Jammu and Kashmir. A decision in this
regard was taken during the meeting of
the Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS in
New Delhi on 15th February. MFN is a status or level of treatment accorded by one state to
another in international trade to ensure non-discriminatory trade between all partner countries
of the WTO.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
“World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2019” report released by International Labour Organization
On 14th February, The International Labour
Organization released World Employment and
Social Outlook Trends 2019 report. The report says
unemployment rates will fall to 4.9% in 2019 and
remains steady in 2020.
ILO HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
Sri Lanka to develop Kankesanthurai harbour with Indian assistance
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
has said steps would be taken to develop a vibrant
economic hub around the Kankesanthurai
harbour in Northern Province with Indian
assistance. Wickremesinghe visited the area on 14th
February to discuss the implementation of the
45.27 million US dollars development project provided by Indian government last year.
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Current Affairs: February 16, 2019
Former Goa Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza passed away
On 14th February, Former Goa Deputy Chief Minister
and BJP Lawmaker, Francis D’Souza died in
Healthway hospital in Old Goa at the age of 64. Mr.
Francis was undergoing treatment after undergoing
surgery for cancer at a hospital in the US.
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Current Affairs: February 17-18, 2019
February 17-18, 2019
President launches Digital Kisan Platform in 4th Agri Leadership Summit in Sonipat
President Ram Nath Kovind on 17th February
graced the closing ceremony of the Fourth Agri
Leadership Summit at Sonipat in Haryana. On the
occasion, the President presented the Haryana
Kisaan Ratna Puraskaar and the Haryana Krishi
Ratna Puraskaar.
Hina Jaiswal becomes first woman IAF flight engineer
Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal "created history”
on Friday by becoming the first female flight
engineer to be inducted by the Indian Air Force.
Hina, who was commissioned in the IAF's
engineering branch in 2015, completed her course
at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka.
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Current Affairs: February 17-18, 2019
IAF conducts Day-Night exercise 'Vayu Shakti' in Rajasthan
The Indian Air Force put on a
spectacular display of its
operational capabilities during Day-
Night excercise 'Vayu Shakti' at
Pokhran range near Jaisalmer in
Rajasthan. Air Chief Marshal B S
Dhanoa, in his opening address,
assured the nation of the Indian Air Force's commitment to national defence and of its
capability to thwart any external aggression.
Infosys unveils a learning app ‘InfyTQ’ for engineering students
Infosys, the country’s 2nd largest IT firm has
launched a next generation digital platform
‘InfyTQ’ to facilitate engineering students with best
learning experiences by imparting technical and
professional skills.
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Current Affairs: February 17-18, 2019
RBI withdraws 20% limit on investments by FPIs in corporate bonds
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15th February
withdrew the 20 percent limit on investments by
FPIs in corporate bonds of an entity with a view to
encourage more foreign investments. As part of the
review of the FPI investment in corporate debt
undertaken in April 2018, it was stipulated that no
FPI should have an exposure of more than 20 percent of its corporate bond portfolio to a single
corporate (including exposure to entities related to the corporate).
India's Yuwa program announced as Laureus Sport for Good Award winner
The Indian sport for development program
Yuwa has been announced as the 2019
Laureus Sport for Good Award winner, one
day ahead of Laureus World Sports Awards
ceremony. The Laureus Sport for Good
Award is presented to an organization or
individual who has used the power of sport
to improve the lives of young people. The Laureus World Sports Academy believes that Yuwa https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: February 17-18, 2019
has made an outstanding contribution to society using football as a tool to transform the lives of
young girls.
Maharashtra: Shiv Chhatrapati awards for Smriti Mandhana, Uday Deshpande
While the Shiv Chhatrapati life-time
achievement award was presented to
Deshpande, who has dedicated his life to the
traditional sport, the Shiv Chhatrapati
award for players among several others was
presented to Mandhana, who hails from
Sangli district in western Maharashtra. The
awards were presented by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao in presence of state sports
Minister Vinod Tawde, a media release issued by the minister’s office said.
Vidarbha clinches the Irani Cup title
On 16th February, Vidarbha became the only
3rd team in Indian Domestic Cricket history
to defend their Irani cup titles at Jamtha
Stadium in Nagpur by defeating rest of
India. Vidarbha becomes the 3rd team after
Bombay and Karnataka to defend the Ranji https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: February 17-18, 2019
Trophy and Irani Cup.
Senior Badminton Nationals: Saina wins Women's singles Title; Sourabh Verma bags Men's singles crown
In badminton, Saina Nehwal won her
fourth title at the Yonex-Sunrise 83rd Senior
Nationals, defeating P.V.Sindhu
convincingly 21-18, 21-15 in Guwahati
today. Sourabh Verma completed a hat-
trick of titles, claiming the men's singles
crown after defeating young Lakshya Sen in
straight games of 21-18, 21-13.
Chris Gayle announces retirement from One-day Internationals
West Indian batsman Chris Gayle has
announced that he will retire from One-day
Internationals after the forthcoming World Cup.
The 39-year old left-hander has scored 9,727 ODI
runs, second only to the legendary Brian Lara
among West Indians in 284 matches. He needs 677
more runs to surpass Lara as the West Indies' all-time record ODI run scorer, a feat he will be
hoping to achieve at his fifth World Cup.
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Current Affairs: February 17-18, 2019
Elise Mertens wins Qatar Open title beating Simona Halep
In tennis, Belgium's Elise Mertens has claimed the
biggest title of her career by beating top seed
Simona Halep 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to win the Qatar Open.
India hikes Customs Duty to 200% on goods imported from Pakistan
On 16th February, 2019, India with immediate effect
has boosted the Customs Duty on all the goods
imported from Pakistan to 200% followed by the
day after India repealed Most favoured Nation
(MFN) status from Pakistan.
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Current Affairs: February 17-18, 2019
Argentinian President Mauricio Macri arrives in India for a 3-day visit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with
Argentinian President Mauricio Macri in New Delhi
on 18th February. Mr. Macri arrived in India 17th
February morning on a three-day visit. He landed in
Agra and visited the Taj Mahal before reaching New
Delhi.
JP Morgan launches ‘JPM Coin’ the first US bank-backed Cryptocurrency
American multinational investment bank JP
Morgan has created first US bank-backed
blockchain-based asset called JPM Coin for
its wholesale payments business. Called as
JPM Coin, the newly created cryptocurrency
is permission blockchain-based asset which
will require JP Morgan KYC. One JPM Coin will have the value equivalent to one U.S. dollar.
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Current Affairs: February 19, 2019
February 19, 2019
India’s first ‘Fulldome 3D Digital Theatre’ inaugurated by Mahesh Sharma
Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma
inaugurated India’s very first ‘Fulldome 3D
Digital Theatre’ at the Science City in
Kolkata, West Bengal. It has a 23-metre tilted
dome to offer a fully immersive experience to
the visitors and is capable of screening high
resolution, full dome, and digital 2D/3D content by utilising 6 high-end projectors in a 23-meter
diameter dome using Ulteria Seam technology.
Conference on VISION ZERO inaugurated in Mumbai for promoting safety and health at work
Heeralal Samariya, Secretary, Ministry of
Labour and Employment inaugurated the three
days Conference on the VISION ZERO and its
relevance to Occupational Safety and Health
being held from 18th to 20th, February 2019 in
Mumbai.
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Current Affairs: February 19, 2019
2 new Districts created in Telangana making a total of 33
On 17th February, 2019, Revenue Department of
Telangana has issued a notification stating about the
creation of 2 new districts in Telangana– Mulugu
and Narayanpet. With the creation of 2 districts,
total number of districts in Telangana has
augmented to 33.
RBI to transfer Rs 28,000 cr interim dividend to government
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its board
meeting on February 18 decided to transfer Rs
28,000 crore as interim dividend to the
government for the period of July to December
2018. With this surplus transfer, the total
dividend payout by the RBI to the government
in FY19 stands at Rs 68,000 crore. The RBI
follows the July-June fiscal calendar. According to a written reply by Finance Ministry in Rajya
Sabha on February 12, the RBI transferred Rs 40,000 crore in August 2018 as excess surplus to
the government.
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Current Affairs: February 19, 2019
HDFC Bank opens 5,000th branch in Andheri, Mumbai
Aditya Puri, Managing Director, HDFC Bank
inaugurated the 5,000th branch in MIDC, Andheri,
Mumbai accompanied by school children from a
nearby school and senior colleagues from the Bank.
HDFC Bank on 18th February opened its 5,000th
branch in the country. In a double milestone, this
branch was launched on the same day that it
commenced operations in 1995, marking the start of its 25th year. The first branch was launched
in Mumbai at Sandoz House, Worli.
Raigarh Municipal Corporation wins 'Swachhata Excellence awards 2019', Hyderabad tops in big cities
Chhattisgarh's Raigarh municipal corporation
recently won the "Swachhata Excellence
awards 2019". The municipal corporations of
Ambikapur and Kumbakonam bagged the
second and third prizes respectively.
According to the statement issued by the Union
Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, Nagar Palika Parishad of Jashpur Nagar, Malappuram
Municipality, and Nagar Palika Parishad Surajpur have claimed the prizes in the "Statutory https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: February 19, 2019
Towns" category. It said that for million-plus cities, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal
Corporation has won the award.
Rabindranath Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony awarded by the President
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the
Rabindranath Tagore Award for Cultural
Harmony for the year 2014, 2015 and 2016 at the
Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, New Delhi.
The awardees were:
Rajkumar Singhajit Singh for the year 2014
Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh) for the year 2015
Ram Sutar Vanji for the year for 2016
Football: Sunil Chhetri was awarded the first-ever ‘Football Ratna’
Talismanic Indian striker Sunil Chhetri was
awarded the first-ever ‘Football Ratna’ by Football
Delhi, the State Association governing the sport in
Delhi. Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran, President, Delhi
Football presented the honour a function at the
majestic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Chhetri, who
was recently named as the 6th Indian Footballer in the elite Padma Shri list, said: “I am
honoured by the kind gesture of Football Delhi for recognizing me with the Football Ratna
award.” https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: February 19, 2019
Djokovic, Biles win Laureus Sports awards
Tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic of
Serbia won his fourth Laureus World
Sportsman of the Year here on 18th February,
and American record-holding gymnast
Simone Biles bagged the World
Sportswoman of the Year Award thanks to
her dominant world championship
performance last year.
Saudi Crown Prince to visit India today (19th February)
"At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, His Royal Highness Mohammed bin
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is paying his first
State visit to India on 19 and February 20, 2019," an
announcement by the Ministry of External Affairs
said. Saudi-India bilateral trade was $27.48 billion during the year 2017-18, making Saudi
Arabia India's fourth largest trading partner. Saudi Arabia contributes about 20 percent of
India's crude requirements. Recently, Saudi ARAMCO in partnership with ADNOC entered https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: February 19, 2019
into a joint venture for $44 billion worth Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemical project Ltd.
Capital: Riyadh
Currency: Saudi Riyal
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Current Affairs: February 20, 2019
February 20, 2019
Union Cabinet decisions on 19th February
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has given its approval for the
following:
Setting up a new company under
Department of Space
Promulgation of the Banning of
Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019
Release of an additional installment of DA to Central Government employees and DR to
Pensioners, due from 1.1.2019
Proposal for promulgation of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Ordinance,
2019
MoU between India and Morocco on the Reciprocal facilitation of procedures for issue of
Business Visa
Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project Phase II
Creation of one post of Secretary and one post of Joint Secretary in the newly created
Department of Fisheries
“Reforms in Exploration and Licensing Policy for enhancing domestic exploration and
production of oil and gas”
Continuation of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin beyond March, 2019 (PMAY-G
Phase-II)
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Current Affairs: February 20, 2019
Agreement on simplification of visa requirements for travel of certain categories of citizens
between India and South Africa
Agreement on Proposed Participation of India in PISA
Implementation of the “National Rural Economic Transformation Project under the
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)
Swadesh Darshan Scheme: Integrated Development of Theme-based Tourist Circuits in the
country
Proposal for Constitution of Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and
Semi-Nomadic Communities
Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Corridor of RRTS
MoU between Korea and India on combating transnational crime and developing police
cooperation
Promulgation of the Companies (Second Amendment) Ordinance 2019
Cadre Review of 8 organized Group 'A' Services in Railways
Proposal of National Policy on Electronics 2019
MoU between India and Vietnam for Cooperation in the field of Communications
MoU between India and Morocco to Facilitate Mutual Recognition of Academic
Qualifications
Proposal for Promulgation of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage),
Second Ordinance, 2019
Transfer of 50.76 acres land at Sarangpur, Chandigarh to the PGIMER, Chandigarh
Continuation of Khadi Gramodyog Vikas Yojana from 2017-18 to 2019-20
Revisions/modifications in National Programme for Mid-Day Meal in Schools
Phase-II of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme for achieving cumulative capacity of
40,000 MW from Rooftop Solar Projects by the year 2022
Launch Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) scheme
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Current Affairs: February 20, 2019
Rajnath Singh launches pan-India number 112 for women safety
Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for
Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi
have launched a range of citizen safety initiatives in
New Delhi. It includes the Emergency Response
Support System, ERSS, for women safety in 16 states
and Union territories. A citizen may Press power
button on a smartphone thrice quickly to activate a panic call to ERC. In case of a feature phone,
long press on number 5 or 9 on the phone keypad will activate the panic call.
Bhopal to host 79th Indian History Congress
79th session of IHC to be organised at Barkatullah
University, Bhopal from February 26. After Savitribai
Phule Pune University allegedly backed out stating
financial problems, the Congress government in Madhya
Pradesh has decided to host the 79th Indian History
Congress here beginning February 26, an IHC official
said on 18th February.
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Current Affairs: February 20, 2019
Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram to host Attukal Pongala, world's largest religious congregation of women
In Kerala, the capital city of
Thiruvananthapuram is all prepared to host the
Attukal Pongala festival which is considered as
one of the world's largest religious gathering of
women on a single day. Lakhs of women will
prepare 'Pongala'- the offering in makeshift brick
stoves to worship the presiding deity of Attukal
Bhagavathy temple. The women, who reached Thiruvananthapuram from all over the state and
outside, will prepare 'pongala' which is mix of rice, jaggery and scraped coconut for about two
hours in fresh earthen or metal pots by lining up on either side of the roads around the shrine.
Swaraj accepts Spain's top civic award ‘Grand Cross of Order of Civil Merit’ during her visits to Spain
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj accepted
the prestigious Grand Cross of Order of Civil Merit,
which has been conferred by the Spanish government
in recognition of India's support in evacuating its
citizens from Nepal during the earthquake in 2015.
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Current Affairs: February 20, 2019
Union Government relaxes Angel Tax norms for start-ups from 7 years to 10 years
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in an
attempt to provide relief to and boost investments
into start-ups in India, has decided to simplify the
process for them to get exemptions under the
Income Tax Act, 1961. It will now recognize an
entity as a start-up up to 10 years from the date of
its incorporation or registration instead of the
existing duration of 7 years. It will also recognize an entity as a start-up if its turnover for any of
the financial years since its incorporation or registration does not exceed Rs 100 crore unlike the
previous amount of Rs 25 crore. Under Section 56 (2) (viib) of Income Tax Act, a start-up will be
eligible for exemption if it is a private limited company recognised by the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Commerce Minister launches ‘SWAYATT’ on GeM
SWAYATT is an initiative to promote Start-ups,
Women and Youth Advantage Through
eTransactions on Government e Marketplace
(GeM). This will bring together the key stakeholders
within the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem to
Government e-Marketplace the national https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: February 20, 2019
procurement portal. On this occasion, Commerce Minister also dedicated GeM Start-up
Runway-an initiative of GeM in association with Start -up India to facilitate Start-ups registered
with Start -up India to access the public procurement market and sell innovative products and
services to government buyers.
Anuj Sharma replaces Rajeev Kumar as Kolkata police chief
In a major shuffle in the IPS cadres, the state
government has appointed Additional Director
General (ADG) of West Bengal Police (law and order)
Anuj Sharma as the new Kolkata Police
Commissioner, replacing Rajeev Kumar, a
government notification said on 19th February.
Anupama elected Astronomical Society of India president, first
Dr. G C Anupama has been elected president of
the Astronomical Society of India (ASI), becoming
the first woman to head the prime association of
professional astronomers in the country. She was
elected to the post in the ASI Executive Council
elections for triennium 2019-22 held last week,
according to the Society website. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: February 20, 2019
Nikhat, Meena win gold medals at Strandja Memorial Boxing
Nikhat Zareen and Meena Kumari Devi became the
first Indian women boxers to win gold medals at the
Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria on
19th February. Zareen, a multiple-time national
medalist, claimed a 5-0 win in the 51kg category
finals against Filipino Irish Magno. Devi defeated
another Filipino Aira Villegas 3-2, in the bantamweight (54kg) summit clash.
World Day of Social Justice: 20 February
Social justice is an underlying principle for
peaceful and prosperous coexistence within
and among nations. We uphold the principles
of social justice when we promote gender
equality or the rights of indigenous peoples
and migrants. We advance social justice when
we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or
disability.
2019 theme: If You Want Peace & Development, Work for Social Justice. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 7
Current Affairs: February 21, 2019
February 21, 2019
Air show 'Aero-India' takes off in Bengaluru
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on
20th February invited investors to capitalise
on the ecosystem in Aerospace and other
sectors in India which offered a big market
for Defence manufacturing. In her
inaugural remarks at the Aero India 2019,
the 12th edition of Asia's premier air show at
the Yelahanka air base, Sitharaman made a strong pitch for “Make in India" and referred to a
slew of initiatives taken by the government, including permitting 100 percent Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in Defence manufacturing
4th India-Asean Expo Summit on 21 – 23 February 2019 in New Delhi
The 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit will be
held on 21-23 February, 2019 in New Delhi.
This is a flagship event of Department of
Commerce, being organised with FICCI to carry
forward the momentum and to further
strengthen India-ASEAN relations under the
Act-East Policy. The 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit, 2019 will build upon the success of the https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: February 21, 2019
previous edition of ASEAN-India Business and Investment Meet and Expo which was held in
2018 as a precursor to India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit.
8th World CSR Congress 2019 in Mumbai
World Corporate Social Responsibility Congress
(World CSR Congress 2019) is one of the admired
meetings which promote Entrepreneurship, Social
Responsibility, Sustainability and Social
Development.
Operation Digital Board launched to provide better digital education
Government has launched Operation Digital
Board on the lines of Operation Blackboard to
provide better digital education in schools.
Briefing reporters in New Delhi, Human
Resource Development Minister Prakash
Javadekar said, under the initiative, seven lakh
classrooms of 9th, 10th and 11th standards and two lakh classrooms of colleges and Universities
will be equipped with digital boards in the next three years.
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Current Affairs: February 21, 2019
Modi flags off world's first diesel to electric converted locomotive in Varanasi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday
flagged off an electric locomotive converted
from a diesel engine at the Diesel Locomotives
Works (DLW) in his constituency. In a first, the
Indian Railways has converted a diesel
locomotive into an electric one, as part of efforts
to completely electrify the broad gauge network.
12 State-run banks set to get Rs 48,239 crore fund infusion
The Finance Ministry on 20th February announced to
pump in Rs 48,239 crore in 12 public sector banks
(PSBs) in this fiscal to help them maintain regulatory
capital requirements and finance growth plans. With
this funding, the total amount of capital infusion
would increase to Rs 1,00,958 crore of the planned
recapitalisation of Rs 1.06 lakh crore for PSBs for the current fiscal, according to Financial
Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar. The remaining Rs 5,000 crore capital infusion would be used as
a buffer for any contingency or growth capital for Bank of Baroda which is in the process of
merging Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with itself. Corporation Bank is the biggest beneficiary of
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Current Affairs: February 21, 2019
this round of capital infusion with Rs 9,086 crore of funding, followed by Allahabad Bank with
Rs 6,896 crore.
Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank merger with Bank of Baroda to be effective from Apr 1
Bank of Baroda (BoB) said the merger of Dena Bank
and Vijaya Bank with itself would be effective from
April 1 as per the scheme of amalgamation approved
by the government. This scheme may be called the
amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with
Bank of Baroda Scheme, 2019, BoB said citing the
government notification. The government in September last year had announced merger of
state-owned Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank, with larger peer Bank of Baroda, aiming to create the
third largest lender after SBI and ICICI Bank.
PM Modi arrives in Seoul on a two-day visit; to receive Seoul Peace Prize
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Seoul
this morning on a two-day visit to South Korea.
Mr. Modi will hold bilateral talks with South
Korean President Moon Jae-in and receive the
Seoul Peace Prize in recognition of his dedication
to international cooperation, global growth and https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: February 21, 2019
human development. Besides summit meeting with President Moon Jae-in, Prime Minister
Modi will also have a number of engagements with the Korean leadership, businesses and
Indian Community.
International Mother Language Day: 21 February
International Mother Language Day is
observed on the 21st of February every year
to promote linguistic and cultural diversity
and multilingualism. Since 2019 is also the
International Year of Indigenous
Languages, the theme of this year’s Mother
Language Day is Indigenous Languages as a factor in development, peace and reconciliation.
Namvar Singh, doyen of Hindi literary criticism, passes away
Prof. Namvar Singh, one of the titans of
contemporary Hindi literature, died after a
prolonged illness on 20th February, his family said.
The noted writer-cum-poet-cum-critic was 92. Mr.
Singh gave Hindi literary criticism a new direction
with his books such as Chhayavaad, Itihas Aur
Alochana, Kahaani Nayi Kahaani, Kavita Ke Naye Pratimaan and Dusri Parampara Ki Khoj.
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Current Affairs: February 22, 2019
February 22, 2019
Union Home Minister inaugurates “Waste to Wonder” Park in South Delhi
Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh said
that waste disposal should be done properly for
which the Municipal corporations will have to
play a lead role. He was speaking at the
inauguration of the “Waste to Wonder” Park
under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation
(SDMC) here on 21st February. The main
attractions of the “Seven Wonders Park” are the different sized tall replicas of the Taj Mahal (20
ft.), the Great Pyramid of Giza (18 ft.), the Eiffel Tower (60 ft.), the Leaning Tower of Pisa (25ft.),
Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue (25 ft.), Rome’s Colosseum (15 ft.), and New York’s
Statute of Liberty (30 ft.). In all 150 ton scrap/waste has been used.
Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram celebrated Statehood Day on 20th February
The two hill states of the northeast, Arunachal
Pradesh and Mizoram, celebrated their 33rd
Statehood Day on 20th February. The festival aims
to rejoice the multi-dimensional cultural identity,
communal harmony and propagate the spirit of
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Current Affairs: February 22, 2019
national integration. In 1972, the North East Frontier Agency was named Arunachal Pradesh
and granted Union Territory status. It took 15 more years before Arunachal Pradesh attained its
statehood. Similarly, Mizoram got its name after Lushai Hills district was declared a union
territory in 1972. Mizoram became a full-fledged federal state of Indian Union in 1986.
EPFO hikes interest rate on provident fund to 8.65%
Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation,
EPFO has decided to provide 8.65% interest on
Provident Fund deposits for 2018-19 against
8.55% in the last year. Labour Minister Santosh
Gangwar on 21st February said in New Delhi
that all members of the Central Board of
Trustees of EPFO have agreed to give a higher interest for subscribers for the current fiscal.
FDI during April to December 2018-19 falls 7% to USD 33.49 billion
According to the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Foreign direct investment (FDI) into
India fell by 7% to USD 33.49 billion during
April-December 2018 in the current fiscal and
Foreign Fund Inflows during this period stood
at USD 35.94 billion. Singapore was the largest https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: February 22, 2019
source of FDI during this period USD 12.97 billion inflow, followed by Mauritius (USD 6
billion), the Netherlands (USD 2.95 billion), Japan (USD 2.21 billion), US (USD 2.34 billion), and
the UK (USD 1.05 billion).
NPCI appoints Praveena Rai as COO, Arif Khan CDO
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
has appointed Praveena Rai as its chief operating
officer (COO) and Arif Khan as chief digital
officer (CDO) with effect from February 20 and
February 18, respectively. As COO, Rai will be in-
charge of formulating and deploying the
marketing, business development, product management and operations strategy. She will drive
product penetration, reach and visibility of NPCI’s offerings through suitable partnerships.
SC appoints former judge D K Jain as first ombudsman in BCCI
The Supreme Court, on 21st February, appointed
former Supreme Court Judge, Retired Justice DK
Jain as the new BCCI Ombudsman, in charge of
adjudicating on matter of conflict. Jain will be the
first BCCI Ombudsman under the new constitution,
and will take charge as soon as possible. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: February 22, 2019
Government signed MoU with Canadian University, UBC, for research on environment issues
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change (MoEFCC) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the University of British
Columbia (UBC), Canada for next 10 years to
explore opportunities for collaborations in the field
of Forestry Science and to work on various
environmental issues like Climate Change, Forest Resource Management and Wildlife.
ISSF Shooting World Cup 2019 opens in Delhi
The International Shooting Sport
Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup 2019
officially opened with the opening
ceremony held at the Karni Singh Shooting
Ranges in Delhi. The tournament will have
16 Tokyo 2020 Olympics quota places up for
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Current Affairs: February 22, 2019
grabs. India is fielding a 23-member squad with 11 shooters in the non-competition Minimum
Qualification Score category.
ISSF HQ: Munich, Germany
Israel's Maiden Moon Mission Blasts off From Florida to Become World's First Private-Sector Landing
A rocket took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida
on 20th February night carrying Israel's Beresheet
spacecraft, aiming to make history twice: as the
first private-sector landing on the Moon, and the
first from the Jewish state. The 585-kilogram
(1,290-pound) Beresheet, which means "Genesis" in
Hebrew, lifted off at 8:45 pm (0145 GMT Friday)
atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the private US-based SpaceX Company of entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Capital: Jerusalem
Currency: Israeli new shekel
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Current Affairs: February 23-25, 2019
February 23-25, 2019
PM Modi launches PM-KISAN Scheme
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-
KISAN) scheme for Jammu and Kashmir was
launched by MoS Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra
Singh, and BJP president and MP Amit Shah in a
function held in Jammu on 24th February.
PM Modi addresses Global Business Summit in New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid out his
vision for making India a 10 trillion dollar economy,
and the third-largest in the world. Addressing the
Global Business Summit in New Delhi, Mr Modi
said, he wants the nation to have countless startups,
and be a leader in the global drive towards renewable
sources of energy. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: February 23-25, 2019
Justice Uma Nath Singh takes oath as First Lokayukta of Nagaland
The first Lokayukta of Nagaland, Justice Uma Nath
Singh, took the oath of office recently. Nagaland
Governor PB Acharya administered the oath to him at
a function held at Raj Bhavan.
Apurvi Chandela wins gold in women's 10m air rifle
Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in the
women's 10-metre air rifle event at the Dr Karni
Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on 23rd
February. This is India's first medal of the ISSF
World Cup 2019. She set a new world record by
registering a score of 252.9 points in the final.
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Current Affairs: February 23-25, 2019
Manpreet Singh honoured with AHF's Player of the Year
The Asian Hockey Federation has honoured
Indian skipper Manpreet Singh with the 2018
Player of the Year award. Women team's striker
Lalremsiami has bagged the Rising Player of The
Year prize.
Chennai Spartans crowned champions of inaugural Pro Volleyball League
Chennai Spartans were crowned as the
winners of the inaugural Pro Volleyball
League as they beat Calicut Heroes in straight
sets 3-0 (15-11; 15-12; 16-14) in the final on
Friday. League's top scorer and Best Spiker
Rudy Verhoeff again delivered as he scored 13
points (11 spikes and 2 blocks). For Calicut, league's MVP Ajith Lal was the highest scorer with
9 points (9 spikes).
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Current Affairs: February 23-25, 2019
Zimbabwe Starts Trading New Currency RTGS dollar
Zimbabwe’s central bank announced the
discontinuation of its official currency, quasi-
currency bond note officially pegged at parity with
the U.S. dollar and launched a new currency called
RTGS dollars, to resolve a long-term monetary crisis.
SpaceX launched Israel’s first moon lander, “Beresheet”, from Florida
Israel’s first moon lander, the 585 kg “Beresheet”
(“Genesis” in Hebrew), was launched atop a Falcon
9 rocket from the private US-based SpaceX in
Florida, United States.
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Current Affairs: February 23-25, 2019
Afghanistan begins export to India through Iran’s Chabahar port
Afghanistan has begun exports to India through
Iran’s Chabahar port, as the landlocked country
turns to overseas markets to improve its economy.
Sudanese President declares year-long state of emergency
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a
year-long state of emergency, dissolving his cabinet
and local governments throughout the country.
Omar al-Bashir in a televised address yesterday
called on Sudan's parliament to postpone
constitutional amendments that would allow him
to run for another term in a presidential election in
2020.
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Current Affairs: February 26, 2019
February 26, 2019
PM Modi dedicates National War Memorial to the nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to
the nation the National War Memorial near India
Gate in New Delhi on 25th February evening. He
lighted the eternal flame at the central obelisk in
the war memorial complex. The memorial
honours about 26 thousand soldiers, who have
laid down their lives in the service of the nation since Independence.
Bihar becomes the 1st state to deploy dog squad to check liquor smuggling
Bihar has become the first state to deploy
specially-trained dogs to check smuggling
of liquor which continues to take place
inspite of total ban imposed in the state for
the last 3 years. 20 liquor-tracker dogs were
trained rigorously for nine months in
Hyderabad, Telangana.
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Current Affairs: February 26, 2019
Rs 300 crore Women’s Livelihood Bond launched by World Bank, UN and SIDBI
World Bank, United Nations Entity for Gender
Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN
Women), and Small Industries Development
Bank of India (SIDBI) launched new social
impact bonds exclusively for women, called
Women’s Livelihood Bonds (WLBs), with an
initial corpus of Rs 300 crore.
Central Excise day observed on 24th February, 2019
On 24th February 2019, Central Excise day is
observed annually on 24th February in India. 14th
Agricultural Science Congress held at New Delhi.
Various programs and seminars were organized
New Delhi and other states.
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Current Affairs: February 26, 2019
Brij Bhushan Sharan elected as WFI President for third time
Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan Sharan
Singh has been elected third time unopposed as
the President of Wrestling Federation of India
(WFI). Election of the Office Bearers and Executive
Committee Members of WFI for the next years
term (2019-2023) were held here at the
Constitution Club of India on 24th February.
91st Academy Awards (Oscars)
The 91st Academy Awards (commonly known
as Oscars), presented by the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored
the best films of 2018, on February 24, 2019, at
the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles,
California. The 91st Academy Awards turned
out to be quite a delight for India as the UP-based documentary film Period. End of Sentence
emerged winner in the Best Documentary short category.
Here is the full list: https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: February 26, 2019
Category Winner
Best picture Green Book
Best actress Olivia Colman – The Favourite
Best actor Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
Best supporting actress Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Best supporting actor Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Best director Alfonso Cuaron – Roma
Best original screenplay Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly – Roma
Best adapted screenplay Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee – BlacK Klansman Best animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best foreign language film Roma – Mexico
Best documentary feature Free Solo
Best original song Shallow (A Star Is Born) – Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt Best original score Ludwig Goransson – Black Panther
Best production design Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart – Black Panther
Best costume design Ruth E Carter – Black Panther
Best cinematography Alfonso Cuaron – Roma
Best visual effects Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and JD Schwalm – First Man Best makeup and hairstyling Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney – Vice
Best sound editing John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone – Bohemian Rhapsody
Best sound mixing Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali – Bohemian Rhapsody Best film editing John Ottman – Bohemian Rhapsody
Best animated short Bao
Best documentary short Period. End of Sentence. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: February 26, 2019
Best live action short Skin
Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta lifts Cannes International Open trophy
In Chess, Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta lifted
the Cannes International Open trophy yesterday.
He took an easy draw with Pier Luigi Basso of Italy
in the ninth and final round.
Cobra Gold, one of world’s largest multinational military exercises, held in Thailand
Thailand and the United States hosted the annual
Cobra Gold military exercise, the biggest activity of
its type in the Asia-Pacific region with 29 nations
taking part as participants or observers.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: February 27, 2019
February 27, 2019
PM Modi unveils 'Astounding' 800-kg Bhagavad Gita
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a
giant Bhagavad Gita, running into 670 pages
and weighing 800 kg, at the ISKCON temple in
New Delhi on 26th February. Measuring over
2.8 meters and over 800 kg, the 'Astounding
Bhagavad Gita' is one of the kind in the world.
It will have the original verses of Bhagwad Gita along with commentary.
India-Bangladesh joint military exercise 'Sampriti 2019' in Tangail
A joint military exercise Sampriti 2019 between
India and Bangladesh will be conducted at
Tangail in Bangladesh from 2nd March. It will be
the eighth edition of the exercise which is
hosted alternately by both countries.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: February 27, 2019
Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti Dashboard
Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti
Dashboard, an online portal containing information
related to passenger and freight trains and links to
live feed of IRCTC kitchens. Piyush Goyal launched
Rail Drishti Dashboardi. The URL of the dashboard is
raildrishti.cris.org.in and it is very well optimized
and user friendly so that those in remote villages can also access and know everything about
railways. It can be accessed using desktop/laptop or a mobile device such as phone or tablet.
Smriti Irani inaugurates ‘Titanwala Museum’ in Rajasthan's Bagru
Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani 25th February
inaugurated the 'Titanwala Museum' in Bagru that
showcases the Chhipa community's hand-block
printing. The Union minister was accompanied by
Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra who requested for setting
up of a sewage treatment plant in Bagru.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 2
Current Affairs: February 27, 2019
Health Minister inaugurates 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit in New Delhi
Union Health Minister JP Nadda inaugurated
the 4th Global Digital Health Partnership
Summit in New Delhi on 25th February.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Nadda said, the
government is committed to secure Universal
Health Coverage for the underprivileged and
deprived section of the society.
RBI removes Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank from PCA framework
In a statement, RBI said the Board for Financial
Supervision (BFS) reviewed the performance of
banks under PCA and noted that the government
has infused fresh capital on February 21 into
various banks including some of the banks
currently under the PCA framework. "Of these
banks, the Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) noted that Allahabad Bank and Corporation
Bank had received Rs 6896 crore and Rs 9086 crore respectively. This has shored up their
capital funds and also increased their loan loss provision to ensure that the PCA parameters https://examprep.talentsprint.com 3
Current Affairs: February 27, 2019
were complied with," RBI said. Bank of India (BoI), Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) and Oriental
Bank of Commerce (OBC) were taken out of PCA framework on January 31 after infusion of
capital in these banks.
Delhi govt presents Rs 60,000 crore budget for 2019-20
The Delhi government presented a Rs 60,000 crore
budget for 2019-20 in the Assembly on 26th February.
Presenting the budget, Deputy Chief Minister and
Finance Minister Manish Sisodia said, 26 percent of
total budget have been earmarked for education.
Paytm Payments Bank launches Zero Balance Current Account
Following a six month ban on starting new
accounts by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI),
Paytm Payments Banks has launched a zero
balance current account with features such as
unlimited free digital transactions and free debit
card etc. This new feature targets individuals,
sole business owners and other small businesses who could not meet the minimum required
balance of current accounts offered by traditional banks.
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Current Affairs: February 27, 2019
President confers Gandhi Peace Prize
President Ramnath Kovind on 26th
February gave away the Gandhi Peace
Prize for four years from 2015 to 2018. The
list is as follows:
Vivekananda Kendra,
Kanyakumari, got the award for 2015 for
their contribution to rural development,
education, development of natural resources.
For 2016, it has been jointly given to Akshaya Patra foundation for its contribution in
providing mid-day meals to children and Sulabh International for improving the
condition of sanitation and emancipation of manual scavengers.
Ekal Abhiyan Trust has won the award for 2017 for their contribution in providing
education to rural and tribal children in remote areas, rural empowerment, gender, and
social equality.
Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organisation for Leprosy Elimination
Yohei Sasakawa has been honoured with Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018 for his role in
leprosy eradication.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: February 27, 2019
PepsiCo’s former CEO Indra Nooyi joins Amazon’s Board of Directors
PepsiCo's former CEO Indra Nooyi has joined
Amazon's Board of Directors. She is second
woman on the Amazon’s Board of Directors, the
first one being Starbucks executive Rosalind
Brewer. Nooyi will join as a member of the audit
committee.
Suresh Raina became first Indian to score 8000 runs in T20s
Indian batsman Suresh Raina became the first
Indian to score 8000 runs in T20 cricket after
scoring just 12 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali
Trophy match against Puducherry. He was
playing for Uttar Pradesh. He has scored the 6th
most runs in T20s after Chris Gayle (12298 runs),
Brendon McCullum (9922), Kieron Pollard (8838 runs), Shoaib Malik (8603 runs) and David
Warner (8111 runs).
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 6
Current Affairs: February 27, 2019
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari re-elected for second term
AFP Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has
been re-elected for a second four year term. The
country's Election Commission said, 76-year-old
Buhari defeated his main rival, former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar with a margin of around
four million votes. Abubakar's People's Democratic
Party has rejected the result.
Capital: Abuja
Currency: Nigerian Naira
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Current Affairs: February 28, 2019
February 28, 2019
National Science Day: 28 February
National Science Day is celebrated in India on 28
February each year to mark the discovery of the
Raman Effect by Indian physicist Sir C V Raman on
28 February 1928. For his discovery, Sir C.V. Raman
was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
This phenomenon, subsequently known as Raman
scattering, results from the Raman Effect. In 1954,
India honoured him with its highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.
The theme for 2019 is - "Science for the People, and People for the Science"
Andhra Pradesh gets South Coast Railway (SCoR) with HQ at Visakhapatnam
The Centre on 27th February announced the
creation of a separate Railway zone in Andhra
Pradesh — a long pending demand of the ruling
NDA’s erstwhile ally, the Telugu Desam Party
(TDP). The new zone, South Coast Railway
(SCoR), would comprise the existing Guntakal,
Guntur and Vijayawada divisions. Additionally,
the Waltair division would be bifurcated. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 1
Current Affairs: February 28, 2019
Assam launches PRANAM Commission to protect parents of govt employees
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal
had launched the PRANAM Commission, a
panel set up to look after the issues
concerning a Bill , for protection of parents of
state government employees. Launching The
Parents Responsibility and Norms for
Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM)
Bill in Guwahati yesterday, Mr. Sonowal said, it is an effort to protect elderly parents of
government employees in their times of need.
Union HRD Minister launches the Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) for providing industry apprenticeship opportunities
The Minister for Human Resources Development,
Shri Prakash Javadekar has launched the Scheme
for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship
and Skills (SHREYAS) for providing industry
apprenticeship opportunities to the general
graduates exiting in April 2019 through the
National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS). Launched in New Delhi, the program
aims to enhance the employability of Indian youth by providing ‘on the job work exposure’ and
earning of stipend.
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Current Affairs: February 28, 2019
Suresh Prabhu inaugurates ‘Aviation Conclave 2019’ in Delhi with theme of “Flying for All”
Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Commerce,
Industry and Civil Aviation has said that aviation
sector has the potential to add to the growth of
Indian economy. Inaugurating the Aviation
Conclave 2019 with an overarching theme of
“Flying for All” in New Delhi.
BioAsia 2019-Asia’s largest Life-sciences and healthcare forum held in Hyderabad
From 25th – 27th February 2019, the 16th edition
of BioAsia 2019 -Asia’s largest biotechnology
and life-sciences forum was conducted in
Hyderabad, Telangana. It was inaugurated by
the Governor of Telangana –E.S.L Narasimhan
.The theme of the conference was “Life
Sciences 4.0 – Disrupt the Disruption”. BioAsia is an annual event organised by the
Government of Telangana and it is largely focuses on re-imagining healthcare after
technological disruptions.
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Current Affairs: February 28, 2019
IDBI Bank appoints LIC's Hemant Bhargava as non-executive chairman
IDBI Bank has appointed Hemant Bhargava as
non-executive, non-whole time chairman. Bhargava
is currently the Chairman (in-charge) and
Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation
of India (LIC). The bank said Bhargava has been
appointed for three years or until he continues in
his position at LIC. The life insurer is now the
majority shareholder in IDBI Bank with a 51 percent stake.
NBT appoints Govind Prasad Sharma as Chairman
The National Book Trust (NBT) has appointed
educationist and author Govind Prasad Sharma as its
new Chairman. NBT, an autonomous organisation under
the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human
Resource Development, was previously chaired by
Baldeo Sharma since 2015.
https://examprep.talentsprint.com 4
Current Affairs: February 28, 2019
India Ranks 47th out of 100 nations in Facebook Inclusive Internet Index 2019
India has been ranked 47th in the overall
"Inclusive Internet Index 2019" score while
Sweden topped the chart, followed by
Singapore and the US, a Facebook-led
study has revealed. According to the
Inclusive Internet Index (3i) prepared by the
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for Facebook, there are demonstrable benefits from
comprehensive female e-inclusion policies, digital skills programmes and targets for women
and girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Donald Trump meets North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Vietnam for 2nd Nuclear Summit
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Donald
Trump met in Hanoi on 27th February for their
second summit, with the US president saying he
was not walking back on U.S. demands for North
Korea's denuclearisation. Kim and Trump shook
hands and smiled briefly in front of a row of their
countries' flags at the Metropole hotel in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. At their historic first
summit in Singapore last June, Trump and Kim pledged to work toward denuclearisation and
permanent peace on the Korean peninsula. https://examprep.talentsprint.com 5
Current Affairs: February 28, 2019
ISSF World Cup: Manu, Saurabh clinch 10 m Air Pistol Mixed Team gold
In shooting, the duo of Saurabh Chaudhary and
Manu Bhaker claimed a gold medal for India in 10-
metre air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World
Cup in New Delhi on the last day of the competition
on 27th February. They shot a total of 483.5 points to
finish on top of the podium at the Dr Karni Singh
Shooting Range.
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