FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs through capacity building in government and State empowering citizens to exercise their right to 1. Praveen Sood is the new DG&IGP of service. Karnataka Chief Minister: B S Yediyurappa Minister for Sakala and Primary and Secondary Education: S Suresh Kumar

5. Commercial flight operations at Bidar Airport in Karnataka begin

Praveen Sood, a 1986 batch IPS officer took charge as the new Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) of Karnataka, following the retirement of incumbent Neelamani N. Raju. About: Post the successful commencement of flight operations from the Kalaburagi 2. Dr. Siddhalingaiah conferred with pampa airport in Karnataka, Ministry of Civil award Aviation (MoCA) flagged off the first direct Dr. Siddhalingaiah conferred with flight from Bidar airport (8th airport in the prestigious pampa Award, awarded by Karnataka) to Bengaluru in Karnataka under Karnataka government. The award will be RCS-UDAN. presented at function to be held at Banawasi UDAN-RCS, UDAN on Feb 08th. (UdeDeshkaAamNaagrik): is a regional airport development and "Regional 3. Gurubasavapuraskara for K Sivan Connectivity Scheme" (RCS) of Government of India, with the objective of "letting the common citizen of the country fly" RecentlyUDAN achieved milestone under by commencing the 250th route. With the inauguration of the Bengaluru-Bidar route, MoCA has successfully operationalized 252 routes and 45 airports under this flagship scheme. ISRO president K Sivan will be conferred Bidar: region in Karnataka is widely with Gurubasavapuraskara awarded by known for its Bidriware, an ancient metal Basavaseva foundation. handicraft that showcases the fusion of Persian, Arabic, and local craftsmanship which 4. Karnataka launches Janasevaka scheme is a testimony of the rich heritage and culture About: The Karnataka government of Bidar. launched the Janasevaka under the Sakala Important places: such as Bidar fort, and scheme in a few municipal corporation wards Mahals like RangeenMahal, TarkashMahal, to ensure home delivery of various services GaganMahal, TakhtMahal. Furthermore, the like ration cards, senior citizen identity and place is also known for its SolahKhambha health cards. Mosque popularly known as Zanana Masjid. Aim: Sakala aims to ensure in-time delivery of Chief Minister of Karnataka: B.S. government services to citizens by practicing Yediyurappa innovative and efficient management systems

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs 6. 15th Finance Commission cuts Karnataka‟s share in Central taxes

 About: Based on the criteria and weights adopted by the 15th Finance Commission, Karnataka‘s share in Central taxes has been fixed at 3.646% for 2020-21. This is 1.07 percentage points lower than the share of 4.713% that was applicable during the 14th Finance Commission‘s award period of 2016- 20.  Up and down: Consequent to the FFC‘s recommendations, the tax share of southern States such as Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka has come down, while that of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat has gone up.  15th Finance Commission chairman: Nand Kishore Singh

7. KSNDMC to assist Ethiopia on weather monitoring

 About: Karnataka's agro-meteorological technology to provide real-time weather updates, which is beneficial especially for farmers, is all set to make a mark in faraway Africa.  Collaboration: Ethiopia and Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) are keen on collaboration for 'knowledge sharing' and 'technical assistance'.  This is expected to be the first international collaboration for the KSNDMC, which already provides assistance on local weather monitoring to states such as Bihar and Maharashtra.

8. List of Karnataka Cabinet Ministers

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs Ministers Portfolio 9. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) GovindKarajol PWD, Additional launches „Vikas Yuva Prerana‟ Charge of Social Vikas Yuva Prerana: Welfare 10. A special scheme to encourage students of Ashwath Narayan C N Higher Education, IT, polytechnics and Industrial Training Institutes BT & ST (ITI) to take up entrepreneurial activities. This move is expected to help students explore LaxmanSavadi Transport career opportunities in the field of K S Eshwarappa Rural Development and entrepreneurship and take up self-employment. Panchayati Raj R Ashoka Revenue 11. UK launches a new £ 2 million challenge JagadishShettar Large & Medium Scale fund in Bengaluru Industries  About: UK has launched a new £ 2 million B Sreeramulu Health & Family challenge fund focused on Artificial Welfare Intelligence (AI) and Data Science innovations S Suresh Kumar Primary & Secondary in Bengaluru. Education  Aim: at advancing research and development V Somanna Housing of projects in AI and Data Science as well as encourage industry and academic collaboration C T Ravi Tourism, Additional on tech solutions tackling social, economic and Charge of Kannada & environmental challenges. Culture  The fund invites proposals in nine challenge BasavarajBommai Home (Excluding areas: healthcare, environmental protection, Intelligence) water management, energy, future mobility, ShrinivasPoojari Muzrai, Fisheries, Ports agriculture, education, increasing access to & Inland Transport information and financial inclusion. J C Madhu Seamy Law, Parliamentary Successful bidders will likely have Affairs & Minor international partners, including from the UK Irrigation UK government also recently launched a £ 2 C CPatil Mines & Geology million Future Mobility Innovation Challenge H Nagesh Excise Fund in Maharashtra. The overall value of the Fund is £4 million. PrabhuChauhan Animal Husbandry

ShashikalaJolleAnnasaheb Women & Children 12. Invest Karnataka-Hubballi Conference Welfare ST Somashekar Co-operation Ramesh Jarkiholi Water Resources Anand Singh Forst K Sudhakar Medical Education ByrathiBasavaraj Urban Development A ShivaramHebbar Labor BC Patil Agriculture Invest Karnataka-Hubballi Conference to th K Gopalaiah Food & Civil Supplies be held in Hubballi on 14 January. Aim: of attracting investors to the northern KC NarayanaGowda Horticulture & districts of the State, including Hubballi- Municipal Dharwad. Administration Minister for Large and Medium ShrimantBalasahebPatil Textiles, minority welfare WWW.IASJNANA.COM 5

FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs Industries:JagadishShettar entertainment for the rural population in those Chief Minister: B.S. Yediyurappa areas. Traditionally the Tuluva landlords of the area sponsor it along with households in the 13. . Oscar glory for Karwar man coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and  AmitGanapathiBadkar, the native of Karwar, Udupi of Karnataka did excellent animation works for the computer-animated comedy fil Toy Story 4, which bagged the coveted Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film category

14. Indian Oil to invest 500 crore in Karnataka

16. Reserves of lithium found in Mandya

 About: Indian Oil Corporation will be investing  About: Researchers at the Atomic Minerals Rs.500 crore in the State for setting up a Directorate, a unit of India‘s Atomic Energy petroleum products receiving, storage, and Commission, have estimated lithium reserves distribution terminal under common user of 14,100 tonnes in a patch of land surveyed in facility on the area of about 120 acres in Mandya, 100 km from Bengaluru Chitradurga.  Lithium:It is a rare metal, critical for  Memorandum of understanding: Between manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles. Indian oil and state government  Other major producers: 8.6 million tonnes in  Invest Karnataka conference: Hubballi Chile, 2.8 million tonnes in Australia, 1.7 million tonnes in Argentina or 60,000 tonnes 15. „kambala jockey‟ SrinivasaGowda faster in Portugal than Bolt  Import of Lithium: India currently imports all its lithium needs. It imported lithium batteries worth $1.2 billion in fiscal 2019, up from $384 million in FY17.

17. Global rice milling center to come up in Mysuru

About: Karnataka‘s SrinivasaGowda ran in traditional Indian sport called ‗kambala‘- of 142.5 metersin 13.62 seconds, which when back-calculated, equates to 100m run in around 9.55 seconds, which is 0.03 seconds faster than Usain Bolt‘s record time of 9.58 seconds About: The Global Centre for Rice Kambala: This sport is prevalent in the Technology (GCRT), the first of its kind in the coastal areas of Karnataka. It is a source of country, is coming up in Mysuru

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs Aim: To facilitate the rice milling industry to keep pace with technological advancements in the field. Collaborative venture: It will be a collaborative venture between the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, Buhler India Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru, and Apit, Bengaluru. CFTRI: is one of the constituent laboratories  About: SangameshBiradar (27), wrestler from under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Athanitaluk in Belagavi district, won the Industrial Research (CSIR). It was opened on Karnataka Kesari title at the State-level 21 October 1950 in Mysore, Karnataka. wrestling competitions. C.F.T.R.I. also has its resource centers in  He was awarded ₹ 3.50 lakh in cash and a 1.50 Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai kg silver mace.  Mahila Karnataka Kesari title:LeenaSiddi 18. M.M. Wildlife Sanctuary to be tiger reserve from Haliyal in Uttara Kannada defeated her soon opponent Shweta from Gadag. About: The MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary  LeenaSiddi bagged a cash reward of ₹ 1.50 in Chamarajanagara district will soon get the lakh, while Shweta received ₹ 1 lakh in cash. status of a tiger reserve, the sixth one in the  BalKesari: Played for U-14, AdarshTodar of state and the 51st in the country. Bagalkot floored Sachin from Dharwad Highlight: Once notified, Chamarajanagar  Karnatak Kishore: Mahesh Langati of district will have the rare distinction in the Belagavi country of harbouring three tiger reserves. It already has Bandipur and BiligiriRanganatha 20. Bandipur Tiger Reserve wins Best National Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve within its Park award territorial limits. About: Bandipur National Tiger Reserve Tiger reserves in Karnataka in Chamarajanagar district bagging the Best  Nagarahole, National Park award by Outlook Traveller  Bhadra, The Outlook Travellers award is presented  Anshi-Dandeli, every year under various categories. Bandipur  Bandipur, has been identified under national park  BRT Tiger Reserves category. Bandipur Tiger Reserve:This National Park was formed by including most of the  The sanctuary will be renamed as forest areas of the then Venugopala Wildlife MalaiMahadeshwara Hill Tiger Reserve Park and the area was enlarged in 1985 (MMH TR) with a core area of 670.95 sq km extending over an area of 874.20 Sq.Km and spread across MalaiMahadeshwara Reserve named as Bandipur National Park. This reserve Forest was brought under Project Tiger in 1973.

19. Sangamesh Biradar wins Karnataka Kesari 21. Joint IAF - RAF EX Indradhanush - V 2020  About: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF) of UK jointly commenced the fifth edition of Ex Indradhanush at Air Force Station Hindan  Theme: 'Base Defense and Force Protection'. Ex Indradhanush provides a platform for the

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs IAF and RAF to share and jointly validate strategies and tactics to counter terror threats to their installations.

22. Akademi award for English translation of „Kusumabale‟  About: Madhya Pradesh has bagged the first position for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.  Indore district has also bagged the first place  About: SahityaAkademi‘s Translation Prize for better performance of the scheme. for 2019 in the category of translation into  Union Minister of Women and Child English has been awarded to Kannada novel  Development: Smriti Irani Kusumabale by DevanurMahadeva, rendered  Matru Vandana Yojana: To provide into English by Susan Daniel. incentives of five thousand rupees for the loss  Kusumabale: published in 1988, is a classic in of wages of working women and to ensure Kannada literature. Written in a dialect their proper rest and nutrition during typically spoken in Chamarajnagar district in pregnancy. The payment of the incentive Southern Karnataka, it combines prose and amount is deposited directly into the bank poetry, mythology and realism to weave a account. tapestry of Dalit life.

2. Navy conducts coastal security exercise Praveen Sood is the new DG&IGP of 23. 'Matla Abhiyaan‟ Karnataka

 About: The Indian Navy carried out a five-day coastal security exercise, 'MatlaAbhiyaan', with personnel of two naval boats, holding interactions with all stakeholders along the Praveen Sood, a 1986 batch IPS officer took riverine border with Bangladesh charge as the new Director General and Inspector  Aim: The exercise, named after Matla River, General of Police (DG&IGP) of Karnataka, aimed to interact with coastal communities to following the retirement of incumbent Neelamani spread awareness on coastal security and N. Raju. understand the navigational complexities in the Sunderban deltaic waters.

National 3. IAF‟S AN-32 Lands at LEH with 1. Madhya Pradesh bags first position for Indigenous Bio-Jet Fuel implementation of PMMVY  About: AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, powered with a 10% blend of Indian bio-jet fuel took-off from KushokBakulaRimpochee Airport, Leh.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Highlight: This is the first time that both pickup kiosks at four railway stations in engines of the aircraft were powered by the Mumbai. bio-jet indigenous fuel. The aircraft was flight  Benefit: Sealdah railway station will help tested and its performance was validated at Amazon customers in the region pick up their Chandigarh Air Base prior to undertaking the packages while commuting to work, home or operational flight to Leh. even on vacation. Customers can select this  The technology to produce this fuel was point as a pickup location on the checkout developed by CSIR-IIP in 2013. Bio-jet fuel is page of their order while shopping on produced from non-edible ‗Tree Borne Oils, Amazon.in grown and procured from the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh state. 6. Union Budget 2020-21

4. First Banana Container Train sent to JNPT for Exports

 Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman  About: Agricultural and Processed Food presented the first Union Budget of the third Products Export Development decade of 21st century Authority(APEDA), along with State  The government proposes to spend Rs Government of Andhra Pradesh dispatched the 30,42,230crore in 2020-21, which is 12.7% first shipment of 890 MTs of high quality higher than the revised estimate of 2019-20. bananas containers, from Tadipatri, Anantpur Three prominent themes of the Budget in Andhra Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai for export to international  Aspirational India - better standards of living markets. with access to health, education and better jobs for all sections of the society  Government of India under Agri Export Policy has notified banana cluster in Anantpur and  Economic Development for all - ―SabkaSaath Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh. ,SabkaVikas , SabkaVishwas‖.  Aim: to provide a good opportunity for India  Caring Society - both humane and to increase its share in world trade of banana. compassionate; Antyodaya as an article of faith.

5. Amazon partnered with the Eastern Tax A new tax regime has been announced. Those who Railways want to be in the old regime with exemptions, can continue to pay at the old rates. Income Tax  Between ₹5 lakh and ₹7.5 lakh: Tax reduced to 10% from the current 20%  About: Amazon India announced to expand  Between ₹7.5 lakh to ₹10 lakh: Tax reduced to pickup points to Kolkata, with launching a 15% from the current 20% kiosk at the Sealdah railway station that would  Between ₹10 lakh to ₹12.5 lakh: Tax reduced act as a convenient and easy pickup point for to 20% from the current 30% customers.  Between ₹12.5 lakh to ₹15 lakh: Tax educed to  Previous point: In 2019, the company 25% from the current 30% partnered the Indian Railways to launch

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Above Rs.15 lakh Continue at 30%, but  Rs.99,300 crore for education sector in 2021 without exemptions and about Rs.3,000 crore for skill  Over 70 deductions have been removed. development.  Companies will no longer be required to pay  Urban local bodies to provide internship to Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT). young engineers for a year.  Aadhaar-based verification for GST  Degree-level full-fledged online education compliance to be introduced. programmes by institutions ranked in top 100  Aadhaar-based quick issuance of PAN in NIRF rankings, especially to benefit announced. underprivileged students. Economy and Finance:  A national police university and a national  Bank deposit insurance cover had been forensic science university are proposed to be increased from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh per setup. depositor.  IND SAT exam for students of Asia and  Government plans to amend the Companies Africa to promote ―study in India‖ programme. Act to decriminalise civil offences. Infrastructure:  Government to sell part of its stake in LIC via  Budget proposes to provide Rs.1.7 lakh crore public offering. for transport infrastructure in 2021 Agriculture:  National Logistics Policy to be released soon.  A budget allocation of ₹2.83 lakh crore for the  Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway to be started. sector comprising agriculture and allied  Aim to achieve electrification of 27,000 km of activities. lines.  Doubling farmers‘ incomes by 2022.  Plan to have a large solar power capacity for  Agri-credit availability set at ₹15 lakh crore Indian Railways. for 2020-21.  The government also proposes a Bengaluru  Comprehensive measures for 100 water suburban rail project at a cost of ₹18,600 stressed districts. crore.  Provide 20 lakh farmers to set up standalone  Govt to monetize 12 lots of national highways solar pumps. Help another 15 lakh farmers to by 2024. solarize their power grid.  100 more airports will be developed by 2024  Village storage scheme proposed to be run by to support UDAN. women SHGs. Culture & Tourism  Indian Railways to have refrigerated coaches  Allocation of Rs. 2500 crore for 2020-21 for capability in ‗kisan trains‘ to carry perishables tourism promotion. and milk.  Rs.3150 crore proposed for Ministry of  Krishi UDAN on international and national Culture for 2020-21. routes.  An Indian Institute of Heritage and Health and Sanitation: Conservation under Ministry of Culture  An allocation of ₹69,000 crore for the health proposed; with the status of a deemed sector. University.  ₹12,300 crore for Swachh Bharat this year.  5 archaeological sites to be developed as  Proposal to set up hospitals in Tier-II and Tier- iconic sites with on-site Museums: III cities with the private sector using PPP.  Rakhigarhi (Haryana)  Expand Jan Aushadhi scheme to provide for  Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh) all hospitals under Ayushman Bharat by 2025.  Shivsagar (Assam) Education:  Dholavira (Gujarat)  Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu)

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Re-curation of the Indian Museum in Kolkata, 1. DefExpo 2020 announced by Prime Minister in January 2020.  About: 11th Edition of the Biennial Mega  Museum on Numismatics and Trade to be Defence Exhibition DefExpo2020 at Lucknow, located in the historic Old Mint building in Uttar Pradesh, on the 5th February 2020. Kolkata.  Theme: ‗India: The Emerging Defence  Support for setting up of a Tribal Museum in Manufacturing Hub‘ Ranchi (Jharkhand).  Aim: To bring the leading technologies in the Banking: defense sector under one roof and provide a  Cooperative Banks to be strengthen by myriad of opportunities for the government, amending Banking Regulation Act for: private manufactures and startups. Increasing professionalism, enabling access to  Sub theme: ‗Digital Transformation of capital, Improving governance and oversight Defence‘ for sound banking through the RBI.  NBFCs eligibility limit for debt recovery 8. APEDA-CFTRI Sign MoU for Liason reduced from: Rs. 500 crore to Rs 100 crore Office in Guwahati asset size, Rs 1 crore to Rs 50 lakh loan size.  Government to sell its balance holding in IDBI Bank to private, retail and institutional investors through the stock exchange.

 Memorandum of understanding (MoU): was signed by CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research)-CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) with APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) to set up a Liaison Office in Guwahati, Assam  Aim: To provide technical support to the food 7. India, Maldives sign MoUs industries in the North East region. It will benefit the farmers, producers and entrepreneurs  CFTRI: 1950, Mysore, Karnataka

9. Ninth edition of India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise SAMPRITI-IX  About: India and Maldives five MoUs for establishing the Addu Tourism zone in five islands of Addu atoll at a cost of 2.49 million dollars  The MOUs were signed between the High Commissioner of India SunjaySudhir, Minister  Location: Umroi, Meghalaya of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Addu  Focus: Focus of this edition of the fourteen City Council. days joint exercise is on Counter Terrorism  Addu: is a city in Maldives that consists of the Operations in mountainous and jungle terrain. inhabited islands of the southernmost atoll of To achieve interoperability in joint operations, the archipelago. a Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field

Training Exercise (FTX) will be conducted

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs simultaneously second position toUnain Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry was in the third position. 10. DST launches SATHI Initiative  PMMVY: is a maternity benefit programme being implemented in all districts of the country from 01.01.2017. Under PMMVY a cash incentive of Rs. 5000 is provided directly to the bank/ post office account of Pregnant  About: the Department of Science & Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) for Technology has launched a unique scheme the first living child of the family subject to called ―Sophisticated Analytical & Technical fulfilling specific conditions relating to Help Institutes (SATHI)‖. maternal and child health.  Aim: To address the need for building shared, professionally managed and strong 12. Indian Coast Guard commissions high Science and Technology infrastructure in the speed interceptor boat in Mangaluru country which is readily accessible to academia, start-ups, manufacturing, industry and R&D labs.

11. States/ UTs and Districts Awarded for Best Performance under PMMVY  About: Coastal security received a fillip with the Indian Coast Guard commissioning a high speed interceptor boat in Mangaluru.  Highlight: The water-jet-propelled vessel will be deployed for patrolling and rescue  About: Union Minister of Women & Child operations. The boat is fitted with state-of-the- Development and TextilesSmritiZubinIrani art navigation and communication equipment gave away the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana designed for high-speed interception close- Yojana (PMMVY) awards to States, Union coast patrol, low-intensity maritime Territories and Districts for best performance operations, search-and -rescue and maritime at a function in New Delhi. surveillance.  Best performance since inception of the Scheme: 13. Kerala govt declares coronavirus outbreak  State population more than 1 crore: the first as state disaster position was awarded to the State of Madhya Pradesh, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Haryana  State population less than 1 crore: Dadra & Nagar Haveli is in the first position. Himachal stood second and Chandigarh is at the third position.  About: Kerala government has declared the  District population more than 1 crore: the coronavirus outbreak a 'state disaster' first position went to Indore in Madhya following three confirmed cases of the deadly Pradesh. Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh is in infection in the state. second position and South SalmaraMankachar in Assam was third. 14. India develops vaccine for swine fever  Districts of population less than 1 crore: the first position went to Serchhip in Mizoram,

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs

16. India becomes second largest steel producer of Crude Steel  As per World Steel Association data, India became the second largest steel producer of  IVRI (Indian veterinary research institute) crude steel after China in 2018 and 2019, by developed Classical Swine Fever (CSF) cell replacing Japan. culture vaccine  Top 5 Crude steel producers in the world  CSF: is one of the most important diseases of 2019 pigs causing high mortality with annual loss of 2019 approx. Rs.4.299 billion. Rank Country Qty (mt)  Previously used: A lapinized CSF vaccine 1 China 996.3 (Weybridge strain, UK) is being used in India since 1964 for controlling the disease.The 2 India 111.2 vaccine is produced by sacrificing large 3 Japan 99.3 numbers of rabbits for each batch. 4 USA 87.9  Highlight: This vaccine would be the most 5 Russia 71.6 economical CSF vaccine costing around less Union Minister of Steel:DharmendraPradhan than Rs 2/- per dose as against Rs 15-25/- of lapinized CSF vaccine and Rs.30/dose 17. Jaipur receives UNESCO World Heritage (approx) for an imported Korean vaccine being City certificate used in the country. Besides, the new vaccine gives immunity for two years as compared to 3 to 6 month‘s protection under the vaccines currently being used

15. Cabinet gives approval for setting up a new  About: Jaipur (Pink City), as the capital of Major Port in Maharashtra Rajasthan is known, renowned for its art, architecture and culture in the world, when Auditor General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay presented the World Heritage City certificate to Minister of Urban Development Shanti Dhariwal.  History: The historic walled city of Jaipur in  About: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Rajasthan, was founded in 1727 AD under the Prime Minister NarendraModi, has given its patronage of Sawai Jai Singh II. It serves as 'in-principle' approval for setting up a Major the capital city of the culturally-rich state of Port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra. Rajasthan.  Vadhavan port will be developed on "land lord  UNESCO world heritage sites in India: model". ASpecial Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will 1. Agra Fort be formed with Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust 2. Ajanta Caves (JNPT). 3. Ellora Caves  Jawaharlal Nehru Port: the biggest container 4. TajMahal port in India is 28thin the world with a traffic 5. Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram of 5.1 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent 6. Sun Temple, Konârak Units). With the development of Vadhavan 7. Kaziranga National Park port, India will break into the countries with 8. Keoladeo National Park top 10 container ports in the world.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs 9. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary grade crude oil during the year 2020 to 10. Churches and Convents of Goa Indiawas signed. 11. FatehpurSikri  Sourcing of Russian crude oil through long 12. Group of Monuments at Hampi term contracts is a part of India‘s strategy for 13. Khajuraho Group of Monuments diversifying the country‘s crude oil supplies 14. Elephanta Caves from non-OPEC countries. 15. Great Living Chola Temples 13  Rosneft: is the leader of the Russian oil 16. Group of Monuments at Pattadakal sector and the largest global public oil and gas 17. Sundarbans National Park corporation 18. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks 19. Fourth East Asia Summit (EAS) Conference 19. Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi on Maritime Security Cooperation 20. Humayun's Tomb, Delhi 21. QutbMinar and its Monuments, Delhi 22. Mountain Railways of India 23. Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya 24. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka 25. Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park  About: The Ministry of External Affairs 26. ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus (formerly (MEA) in partnership with the Governments of Victoria Terminus) Australia and Indonesia will organize the 27. Red Fort Complex fourth EAS Conference on Maritime Security 28. The JantarMantar, Jaipur Cooperation in Chennai on 6-7 February 2020. 29. Western Ghats The first Conference was organized in New 30. Hill Forts of Rajasthan Delhi in November 2015, the second in Goa in 31. Great Himalayan National Park November 2016 and the third in Bhubaneswar Conservation Area in June 2018. 32. Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen‘s Stepwell) at  Experts from the EASparticipating countries Patan, Gujarat will deliberate upon various aspects of 33. Archaeological Site of NalandaMahavihara maritime security cooperation under five at Nalanda, Bihar thematic sessions; namely Holistic Maritime 34. Khangchendzonga National Park Security, Maritime Safety, Transition to a 35. The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, Regional Blue Economy, India's Indo-Pacific an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Oceans' Initiative and the Way Forward. Movement 36. Historic City of Ahmadabad 20. RBI governor Shaktikanta Das is Asia 37. Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles Pacific central banker of the year of Mumbai 38. Jaipur City, Rajasthan

18. IOCL signs first Term contract for importing Russian crude oil to India  The Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel:Dharmendra Pradhan  About: First-ever Term Contract between IOCL (Indian Oil Corporation)and Rosneft for  About: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor importing 2 Million Metric Tonnes of Urals Shaktikanta Das has been named the Central

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs Banker of the Year, Asia-Pacific 2020, by the  About: M Prashanthi, District Collector of Banker magazine, a unit of Financial Times Nirmal, inaugurated National Level India's (FT). Biggest Rural Technical Festival titled  Global Central Banker of the Year: 'Antahpragnya 2020' in the state of Telangana Jorgovanka Tabakovi, National Bank of Serbia at Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies-Basar (RGUKT-Basar), 21. HAL & Israel Aerospace Industries to Telangana. jointly make armed UCAVs  Theme:'Spot and encourage rural tech innovators  Events: Campus Farming competition, Robo Racing, Robo Soccer, Development of Ideal Villages, National Science Fair

24. IFS Gopal Baglay Appointed Indian High  About: In a first, advanced Unmanned Commissioner to Sri Lanka Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) will be manufactured in India, with leading aeronautical entity Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) set to formalize a partnership with an Israeli firm that specializes in autonomous weaponry.  Gopal Baglay, a 1992-batch officer of HAL is signed a partnership pact with Israel Indian Foreign Service, Baglay succeeds Aerospace Industries (IAI) at the upcoming Taranjit Singh Sandhu in Sri Lanka. Sandhu DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow has been appointed Indian Ambassador to the  HAL: Founded in1940 as Hindustan US. Aircraft, renamed as Hindustan Aeronautics in 1964, HQ: Bengaluru, chairman: R Madhavan 25. Government initiatives for uplift of women

22. Prez presents International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy

 Constitutional Provisions: Articles such as Article 14, Article 15 (3), Article 39A, and Article 42 make special provisions for rights of  President RamNath Kovind Presented the women to ensure gender equality. International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy to  Legislative Provisions: Dowry Prohibition Dr N.S. Dharmashaktu and the Leprosy Act, 1961; Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Mission Trust in New Delhi. Diagnostics Act (PCPNDT), 1994; Sexual Harassment of Women and Workplace 23. India's biggest rural technical festival (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 'Antahpragnya 2020' 2013; Equal Remuneration Act, 1976; Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (Amended in 2017) aimed at mandating women‘s rights.  Schemes/Programmes –

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  BetiBachaoBetiPadhao (BBBP) ensures the provides access to institutional finance to protection, survival and education of the girl micro/small business. child. Educational Attainment:  Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) aims to  National Curriculum Framework (NCF) empower rural women with opportunities for 2005 and flagship programme like skill development and employment. SamagraShiksha and the subsequent Right to  Working Women Hostel (WWH) ensures the Education Act (RTE). safety and security for working women.  Kasturba Gandhi BalikaVidyalayas  Mahila Police Volunteers (MPV) envisages (KGBVs) have been opened in Educationally engagement of Mahila Police Volunteers in Backward Blocks (EBBs). States/UTs who act as a link between police Political Participation: and community and facilitates women in  Government has reserved 33% of the seats distress. in Panchayati Raj Institutions for women.  RashtriyaMahilaKosh (RMK) is an apex  Capacity Building of Elected Women micro-finance organization that provides Representatives (EWRs) programme by micro-credit at concessional terms to poor Ministry of Women and Child is conducted women for various livelihood and income with a view to empower women to generating activities. participate effectively in the governance  The National Crèche Scheme ensures that processes. women take up gainful employment through  Minister of Women and Child providing a safe, secure and stimulating Development: Smriti Zubin Irani environment to the children.  PradhanMantriMatruVandnaYojna aims to 26. Committee on Malnutrition provide maternity benefit to pregnant and  About: The National Council on India‘s lactating mothers. Nutritional Challenges has been set up under  PradhanMantriAwaasYojana aims to the Chairpersonship of Vice-Chairman, NITI provide housing under the name of the woman Aayog, Dr. Rajiv Kumar also.  Aim: To provide policy directions to address  DeenDayalUpadhyay National Urban India‘s nutritional challenges through Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) focuses coordinated inter-sectoral action and review on creating opportunities for women in skill programmes for nutrition on a quarterly basis. development, leading to market based  Executive Committee: has also been set up employment. under the Chairpersonship of Secretary,  PradhanMantriUjjwalaYojana empowers Ministry of Women and Child Development women and protects their health by providing with representation of line Ministries and States LPG cylinder free of cost. for nutrition related activities for children and  Pradhan Mantri Sukanya Samriddhi women to provide direction, policy and Yojna- Under this scheme girls have been guidelines for implementation of various economically empowered by opening their programmes/schemes under the POSHAN bank accounts. Abhiyaan.  Female Entrepreneurship: To promote  Reports: NFHS-4 (National Family Health female entrepreneurship, the Government has Survey) conducted in 2015-16, 35.7% children initiated schemes like Stand Up India and under 5 years of age are underweight and Mahila e-Haat (online marketing platform to 38.4% are stunted. support women entrepreneurs/ SHGs/NGOs).  As per the recent report of Comprehensive PradhanMantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) 2016-18, the prevalence of underweight and stunting

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs among children is 33.4% and 34.7% respectively.  Government scheme: POSHAN Abhiyaan, PradhanMantriMatruVandanaYojana, Anganwadi Services and Scheme for Adolescent Girls under the Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) as direct targeted interventions to address the problem of malnutrition in the country including the State of Maharashtra.  POSHAN Abhiyaan: on 18.12.2017. The goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan are to achieve improvement in nutritional status of children from 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers in a time bound manner with fixed targets  In tribal areasunder Dr. APJ Abdul  About: In Madhya Pradesh, the state KalamAmrutAaharYojna, 1 square meal is government has decided to use drones for provided to pregnant and lactating women, mapping villages. So far, land survey work is which contains 1215kcal and 39.51g proteins. being done either manually or with the help of satellite images in Madhya Pradesh. 27. Govt launched NCAP The drone technology will be used for the first time to make maps in the state. 55 thousand  Minister of State for Environment, Forest villages of the state have been selected for and Climate Change: Babul Supriyo mapping.  About: The Central Government launched

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a 29. National conference on e-governance 2020 long-term, time-bound, national level strategy held in Mumbai to tackle the air pollution problem across the country  Target: To achieve 20 to 30 per cent reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.  PM: is particulate matter, and 10 and 2.5 are diameter measurements: 10 micrometers or  The 23rd National Conference on e- less, and 2.5 micrometers or less. They are Governance, a platform for policy makers, created when chemicals react in the practitioners, industry, academia for actionable atmosphere, but others are "emitted directly strategy in public service delivery. from a source, such as construction sites,  Theme: India 2020: Digital Transformation. unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires".  National e-Governance Awards 2020:  National Health Authority, Ministry of Health 28. MP govt to use drones for mapping villages and Family Welfare received Gold for Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana  Antyodaya Saral Haryana of Department of IT, Haryana received the Gold for Excellence in providing citizen-centric delivery

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  IIT Roorkee‘s Satellite-Based Agriculture subsequent validation by Coal Controller‘s Information System: An Efficient Application Organization (CCO), further evaluation and of ICT - received the Gold Award for finally award of star rating Outstanding Research on Citizen-Centric  Star rating criteria under seven broad Services. modules namely: Mining Operations Related Parameters, Environment related parameters, 30. Andhra gets Disha police station to fight Adoption of Technologies: Best Mining crimes against women and children Practices, Economic performance, Rehabilitation & Resettlement related parameters, Worker related Compliance and Safety and security related parameters.

32. Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Campaign launched

 About: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday inaugurated the first ‗Disha Police Station‘ in Raja mahendravaram city in East Godavari district to exclusively deal with crime against women and children.  Organized by: the Information and  The special police station has been established Broadcasting Ministry as part of the Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law  Objectives: of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (also known as Disha include celebrating the Unity in Diversity of Act), passed by state assembly on December our nation and promoting the spirit of national 13. integration through engagement between all  Disha Act: The Act envisages the completion states and union territories. of investigation in seven days and trial in 14  Jammu and Kashmir has been paired with working days, where there is adequate Tamil Nadu, Punjab with Andhra Pradesh, conclusive evidence, and reducing the total Uttarakhand with Karnataka, Himachal judgment time to 21 days from the existing Pradesh with Kerala, Delhi with Sikkim, and four months. Rajasthan with Assam in the Ek Bharat  The AP Disha Act also prescribes life Shreshtha Bharat programme. imprisonment for other sexual offences against children and includes Section 354 F and 354 G 33. First 'Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival' to be in IPC. held in Mumbai

31. Web Portal Launched for Star Rating of Mines in India  Union Minister for Coal & Mines:Pralhad Joshi  About: In order to promote green, safe and sustainable mining practices using technology as a tool, Ministry of Coal (MoC) has launched  Objective: To showcase the special links a web portal for star rating of coal mines. between the two cities and to promote ties  Benefits: This enables all operational coal between India and Israel mines across India for self-rating, their

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Highlight: This is first such collaborative  Migratory species in India: snow leopard, cultural event for the Jerusalem municipality Amur falcons, bar headed Geese, black necked in an Asian city. cranes, marine turtles, dugongs, humpbacked  Screening: Israeli cinema in 2019, The whales, etc. and has signed non legally binding Mossad, a hilarious comedy, will be screened MOU with CMS on the conservation and at the festival in the presence of its director management of Siberian Cranes (1998), AlonGurArye Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008) and  The Jerusalem municipality has done such Raptors (2016). cultural collaborations in cities like Prague, Moscow and Brussels in line with its tradition 35. Indian Army develop world's cheapest to expose young artists to different cultures. gunshot locator

 About: 'Parth' gunshot locator device developed by the Army's College of Military Engineering jointly with a private firm costs 34. NarendraModi to inaugurate the key UN much cheaper than the imported ones. Summit on migratory species  Highlight: The device costs around Rs 3 lakhs, and if inducted, would replace a similar imported item which costs around Rs 65 lakhs. The device can locate the exact location of a bullet from a distance of 400m and will help to locate and neutralize terrorist faster.  Union Minister for Environment, Forest  Helmet: Major Mishra, who had and Climate Change:PrakashJavadekar developed a bulletproof jacket for protection  About: The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) against sniper bullets, has developed a helmet of the Convention on the Conservation of which is claimed to be first such in the world Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an that can stop an AK-47 bullet round from a environmental treaty under the aegis of United distance of 10 meters. Nations Environment Programme, is going to be hosted by India during 17th to 22nd 36. Hunar Haat” to be organised in New Delhi February 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.  Seven species that include Dugong, Whale Shark, Marine Turtle (two species), have been identified for preparation of Conservation and Recovery Action Plan.  Theme: Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home (logo is inspired  Theme: ―Kaushal Ko Kaam‖ by ‗Kolam‘, a traditional artform from  Organized by: Ministry of Minority southern India) Affairs from 13th February, 2020 at India Gate  Mascot: ―Gibi - The Great Indian Bustard‖ is Lawns, Rajpath, New Delhi a critically endangered species which has been  Union Minister for Minority Affairs: accorded the highest protection status under Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  HUNAR HAAT: provides platform to the 40. Cabinet approves MoU between India and artisans / crafts-persons from the Minority Iceland communities for marketing their products

37. BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise in Bhubaneswar  Organized by: the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Odisha,  BIMSTEC member countries: Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and India  About: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the participating in the exercise, Bhutan and Prime Minister NarendraModi, was apprised Thailand are not participating this time. of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  Objective: of this exercise is to test the signed between India and Iceland in the field existing emergency procedures for of Fisheries. The MoU was signed on 10th notification, preparedness and emergency September, 2019. response, during a major earthquake and flood  The salient features of the MoU are: scenarios and to enhance the coordination and  Creation of facilities for exchange of scientists co-operation involving multi-agency and technical experts in areas of estimating operations in an earthquake, flooding and Total Allowable Catches in off shore and deep storm surge. sea areas;  Odisha CM: Naveen Patnaik  Provision of training to fisheries professionals from key fisheries institutions in the various 38. Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojna management aspects  Exchange of scientific literature research findings and other information  Exchange of experts / expertise to study the prospects of fishing  Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar  Processing and marketing of products from launched a welfare scheme which provided Rs high seas fisheries for entrepreneurship 6,000 per year to families having an annual development. income below Rs 1.80 lakh and land holdings up to five acres. 41. National Workshop on Disaster Risk  Only those with 'Parivar Pehchan Patra' Financing, Insurance and Risk Transfer (family identification cards) can avail the benefits under the 'Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojna'.

39. India, UK to hold joint military exercise  Military exercise: ''Ajeya Warrior 2020'' Location: Salisbury Plains in the UK  About: A one-day National Workshop on  Aim: of the exercise is to conduct Disaster Risk Financing, Insurance and Risk company-level joint training with emphasis on Transfer is being held in Mumbai on February counter terrorist operations in urban and semi 13, 2020. urban areas. Training on modern weapon  Organized by: National Institute of systems, equipment and simulator training has Disaster Management (NIDM), in partnership also been planned. with Insurance Institute of India

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Focus: on the importance of financing Grievance Redress and Monitoring System, resilience in areas frequently hit by natural CPGRAMS. disasters. The workshop will also discuss the  CPGRAMS: is an online web-enabled issues and challenges faced by different system over NICNET, objective of speedy stakeholders in assessment of insurance, along redress and effective monitoring of grievances with the capacity gap in undertaking such by Ministries/Departments/Organizations of initiatives. Government of India. This system besides providing a faster access offers the following 42. Puducherry Assembly adopts resolution facilities to citizens. against CAA  Developed by: NIC in association with the  About: The Puducherry Legislative Assembly Department of Administrative Reforms and adopted a resolution against CAA and Public Grievances (DARPG) demanded the central government to withdraw the amendments made in the Law.  Chief Minister:Narayana swamy  Other states passed resolution against CAA are: Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Kerala, Punjab and Rajasthan.

43. Cabinet approves proposal for capital infusion for OICL, NICL and UIICL  The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime 45. Cabinet approves Uttar Pradesh Minister NarendraModi, has given its in Groundwater Protection Bill principle approval for capital infusion for three Public Sector General Insurance Companies, namely, Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL), National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) and United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL).  Cabinet has allowed immediate release of Rs.  Groundwater Protection Bill: under which 2500 Crore in the light of the critical financial people having submersible pumps will have to position and breach of regulatory solvency get them registered and houses of over 300 sq requirements of 3 PSGICs viz. OICL, NICL metre area will have to install rainwater and UIICL. harvesting systems.  The act would also check ground water 44. Dr.Jitendra Singh launches CPGRAMS pollution and defaulters would be penalized as Reforms per clauses of the Act.  Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath  Governor: Anandiben Patel

46. BARC‟s BhabhaKavach will now protect the CISF

 About: Minister for Personnel and Public Grievances DrJitendra Singh inaugurated a National Workshop on e-office in New Delhi also launched the Centralized Public  Director of BARC:Dr. A. K. Mohanty

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Director General of CISF (central  About: The President of India, Ram industrial security force): Rajesh Ranjan NathKovind, presented ‗Colour‘ to the INS  BhabhaKavach: developed by Bhabha Shivaji in Lonavala, Maharashtra Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is the  President‟s Color: It is the highest honor that lightest level III plus bullet proof jacket (6.8 is bestowed upon a military unit. The Indian kgs nominal weight) available in India. The Navy was the first of the three Services to be jacket is based on indigenous hot pressed awarded the President‘s Color on May 27, boron carbide and carbon nanotube 1951. technologies.  7.62 x 39 mm hard steel core bullets fired from AK 47 rifles, 5.56 x 45mm Ball MK M bullets of Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles and Self Load Rifles (SLR)/Bolt action rifles with a back face signature of less than 15 mm.

47. ONGC highest Profit-making PSUs in FY19

49. Rajiv Bansal becomes Air India's new CMD

 Survey by: The Public Enterprises Survey 2018-19,  Public Enterprises Survey:which maps the annual financial performance of all central  About: The government appointed the PSUs 1988 batch IAS officer of Nagaland Cadre  Top three profit making PSUs: Oil and Rajiv Bansal as the Chairman and Managing Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Director of Air India. Corporation and NTPC contributed 15.3 per  Air India: founded by J. R. D. Tata as cent, 9.68 per cent and 6.73 per cent, Tata Airlines in 1932, headquartered at New respectively to the total profit earned by all Delhi. profitable CPSEs.  BSNL, Air India and MTNL incurred highest 50. Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi losses for a third consecutive year, according renamed as Sushma Swaraj Bhawan to a survey tabled in Parliament on Monday.  About: Government has decided to rename Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi as 48. President of India Presents Color to INS Sushma Swaraj (former External Affairs Shivaji Minister)Bhawan and Foreign Service Institute in the national capital as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.

51. Jamuna Progresses joint Hydrographic Operations off Sri Lanka  About: Indian Navy‘s Sandhayak class Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS Jamuna (J16), commanded by Captain HA Hardas, arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 06 Feb 20.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Mutual agreement: The ship has been  NitinGadkari Flags off Apiary on deployed to Sri Lanka based on a mutual Wheels agreement to carry out Joint Hydrographic  Union Minister of MSME: NitinGadkari Survey off the South West Coast of Sri Lanka.  Chairman KVIC: V.K. Saxena  Hydrographic Survey: Over the two months  Designed by: KVIC (Khadi and Village deployment period, the ship will carry out Industries Commission) detailed hydrographic surveys and several  „Apiary on Wheels‟: a unique concept for shore-based survey activities. Sri Lanka Navy the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes personnel will embark the ship during the having live Bee colonies, conduct of the Joint Survey.  It is a platform which can carry 20 Bee Boxes from one place to another without any 52. School Health Ambassador Initiative under difficulty. Two large wheels on either side of Ayushman Bharat the Apiary on Wheels and 4 separate compartments with independent doors, having 5 bee boxes each help the platform to remain intact without disturbing the live bee colonies.  Honey Mission: KVIC launched Honey Mission in 2017 and has been training beekeepers, distributing Bee Boxes and helping rural, educated but unemployed youth to earn extra income through beekeeping  Union Minister of Human Resource activities, at their doorstep. Development: Ramesh Pokhriyal  Union Minister of Health & Family 53. Pesticides Management Bill gets Cabinet Welfare: Harsh Vardhanjointly nod  School Health Programme (SHP): under Ayushman Bharat was launched on April 14, 2018 by the Prime Minister, ShriNarendraModi in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh  The initiative targets both Education and Health implementers and is envisaged to

facilitate an integrated approach to health  About: The Union Cabinet on had programming and more effective learning at approved Pesticides Management Bill, 2020. the school level. Pesticide business is regulated by 1968 rules  “Health and Wellness Ambassadors‖: which have become age old will disseminate various key information by  Objective: To protect the interest of organizing culturally sensitive activity based farmers and ensure they get safe and effective sessions for one hour per week for 24 weeks in pesticides. a year to promote joyful learning.  Farmer now can know about the strength  Developed by: Ministry of Human and weakness of pesticides, the risk and Resource & Development and Ministry of alternatives and this will be an open data in Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) along digital format also. with NCERT has developed curriculum  If there is any loss because of the spurious framework and training material for training of or low quality of pesticides then there is a nodal teachers, in line with Sustainable provision for compensations. This is unique Development Goals (SDG- 3) feature of this bill.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs 54. Maharashtra govt announces five-day  Organized by: Ministry of Food Processing working week for its employees Industries (MoFPI)  Aim: 3 day Food Festival Aims to strengthen Organic Market and Encourage Women Entrepreneurs  Union Minister for Food Processing Industries (FPI): Harsimrat KaurBadal,  India‟s Organic Market Potential: With 9th largest World‘s Organic Agricultural land and  About: The Maharashtra government largest number of producers India is fast announced a five-day working week for its growing in the organic food segment. officers and employees. The new routine India produced around 1.70 million MT (2017- would start from February 29. 18) of certified organic products which  Chief Minister:Uddhav Thackeray. includes all varieties of food products namely Uddhav Thackeray assumed office on Oil Seeds, Sugar cane, Cereals & Millets,  November 28, 2019 after being elected as Cotton, Pulses, Medicinal Plants, Tea, Fruits, leader of the newly-formed post-poll coalition Spices, Dry Fruits, Vegetables, Coffee etc. MahaVikasAghadi.  Highlight: Growth in the organic food segment which is expected to grow at a CAGR 55. Manipur CM launches 'Anganphou Hunba' of 10% during the period 2016-21 programme  Chief Minister: N Biren 58. “Know Your Forces” event  'Anganphou Hunba' (Early Paddy Crop):To provide irrigation water by the Minor Irrigation Department to places having adequate arable land and large number of farmers.

56. Portugese Prez, Culture Minister  Organized by:Air Force Station Sarsawa inaugurate exhibition at National Museum Aim: To reach out to the youths of Saharanpur  Portuguese president: Marcelo Rebelo de area and familiarize them with the Indian Sousa Armed Forces in general and Indian Air Force in particular. More than 3000 school children  Minister for Culture and Tourism:Prahlad of various age group participated in the event. Patel  They were briefed about the role of IAF and  Cha-Chai: an installation of art work of various career opportunities available in the Portuguse artist Joana Vasconcelos, at the IAF. They were also apprised about the National Museum importance of maintaining the cleanliness in  Cha-Chai, a wrought-iron sculpture shaped as the area to avoid birds‘ menace, for safe flying. a teapot, and its iron railings represent the

bridge between urban and rural landscape. 59. Indian Railways to launch third corporate The installation by Vasconcelos represents the passenger train tradition of serving tea in Portugal that  About: KashiMahakal Express Premium originated in the 17th century Train to be run by IRCTC; the train will

connect three Jyotirlinga – Omkareshwar 57. National organic food festival (Near Indore), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) and  Location: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New KashiVishwanath (Varanasi) Delhi

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Highlight: This will be the first overnight secrecy to Mr. Kejriwal and six Cabinet journey private train in the country. Ministers at RamlilaMaidan in the national It will be inaugurated on 16th February, 2020 capital. followed by routine commercial run from 20th  The AamAadmi Party swept the Delhi February 2020 onwards. The inaugural run of assembly polls held last week, bagging 62 out the train will be flagged off from Varanasi by of 70 seats. Prime Minister NarendraModi through video link. 24. RBI to sync its accounting year with govt's  Other corporate trains: Tejas Express fiscal year trains operating on the Lucknow-Delhi and Ahmedabad-Mumbai routes

60. India and Portugal sign 14 agreements

 About: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will align the financial year of the RBI, currently July-June, with the government‘s fiscal year (April-March) from the year 2020- 21 Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de With this move, the central bank will do away Sousa who is on a four-day visit to India with nearly eight decades of practice. The RBI, India and Portugal signed 14 agreements to which was established in April 1935, used to boost cooperation in a range of areas including follow January-December as its accounting defense, investment, transport, ports, culture year before it was changed to July-June in and industrial and intellectual property rights March 1940. and yoga.  A move that may put an end to the practice of the exchequer getting interim dividend from 61. PM Modi to unveil DeendayalUpadhyaya the central bank statue  Recommended by: Jalan committee, led  PM Modi will be dedicating to the nation by former RBI governor BimalJalan the63-foot tall PanchaLoha Statue of  RBI Governor:Shaktikanta Das PanditDeendayalUpadhyaya Memorial Centre at varanasi. 63. CDS aims to set up Air Defense Command by June 2020 62. Arvind Kejriwal sworn in as Chief Minister of Delhi for third time

 About: Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Gen BipinRawat is aiming to set up the first integrated tri-services command for handing  AamAadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal the air defense of the entire country by June took oath as Chief Minister of Delhi for the 2020 which will be headed by an Indian Air third consecutive time. Lieutenant Governor Force (IAF) officer. Anil Baijal administered the oath of office and

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Aim: To combine the resources of the three services under one command and activate it to protect the air space of the country.  Army Chief General:ManojMukundNaravane and

 Air Force Chief: RKS Bhadauria

64. Exercise MILAN 2020

 About: The Election Commission of India has  About: The largest gathering of navies from been awarded ‗Silver‘ for Excellence in across the globe will be coming to India for the Government Process re-engineering for digital next edition of Naval Exercise MILAN 2020 transformation for the year 2019-20. which will be off the coast in Vishakhapatnam.  Objective: To recognize the projects that  Participating countries: 41 countries involved analysis and re-design of workflow including Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and which resulted in improvement in Bahrain, Bangladesh, South Korea, the US, the outcomes related to efficiency, effectiveness of UK, Australia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Iran, Sri process, cost, quality, service delivery or a Lanka, Thailand among others are going to combination of these. participate.  23rd National Conference on e-Governance:  MILAN:The first edition of the MILAN Mumbai Exercises was in 1995 when just four countries  ERONET: is a common database for all States from the neighborhood including – Indonesia, and UTs with data of 91 crore electors. It Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand provides bedrock of electoral roll in providing participated and the focus was on promoting various web services to Conduct of Elections deeper cooperation in areas like maritime applications of Election Commission of India. security and humanitarian assistance and  Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sunil disaster relief (HADR) Arora

65. NitinGadkari Inaugurates India's First 67. New World Bank Project to Improve Groundwater Management Inter-City Electric Bus  Union transport minister:NitinGadkari  Operated routes:between Mumbai and Pune  Manufactured by:Mitra Mobility Solution  Highlight: The 43-seater capacity luxury electric bushas a range of 300 kilometer on a single charge and would be operated twice  About: The Government of India and the daily between the two cities. World Bank today signed a $450 million loan agreement to support the national programme 66. Election Commission of India gets „Silver‟ to improve the management of groundwater award resources in selected states

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Atal BhujalYojana:The World Bank- supported AtalBhujalYojana (ABHY) – National Groundwater Management Improvement Programme will be implemented in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh and cover 78 districts.  Criteria:States were selected based on several  List of winners: criteria, including degree of groundwater  Best Film- Gully Boy exploitation and degradation, established legal  Best Director- ZoyaAkhtar for Gully Boy and regulatory instruments, institutional  Best Film (Critics) - Article 15 readiness, and experience in implementing (AnubhavSinha) and Sonchiriya initiatives related to groundwater management. (AbhishekChaubey)  Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) - 68. BioAsia forum 2020 Ranveer Singh for Gully Boy About: Telangana to host the three-day  Best Actor (Critics) - Bio Asia 2020, Asia‘s largest Biotechnology AyushmannKhurrana for Article 15 and Life Sciences Forum in Hyderabad  Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) - Theme: ‗Today for Tomorrow‘ Alia Bhatt for Gully Boy Partner Country: Switzerland  Best Actress (Critics) - BhumiPednekar and TaapseePannu for Saand Ki Aankh 69. India and Norway to work jointly towards mitigating marine plastic litter and Micro 71. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses plastics Renamed as ManoharParrikar

 About: The Government has decided to  About: India marks the beginning of super rename 'The Institute for Defence Studies and year of Biodiversity with the hosting of the Analyses' (IDSA) as ‗ManoharParrikar 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Institute for Defence Studies andAnalyses‘. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory The decision has been taken to honour the Species of Wild Animals (CMS), from 17th to commitment and legacy of late 22nd February 2020 at Gandhinagar in ManoharParrikar. Gujarat.  IDSA:An autonomous body under Ministry of  The Union Environment Minister Prakash Defense, IDSA was established as a registered Javad ekarmet Norwegian Minister of Climate society in New Delhi in 1965, dedicated to and Environment, H.E. Mr. SveinungRotevan. objective research and policy relevant studies Both the countries agreed to jointly tackle on all aspects of defence and security. concerns related to oceans, environment and Its aim is to promote national and international climate matters. security through the generation and

dissemination of knowledge on defense and 70. Filmfare Awards 2020 security-related issues.

72. KALA KUMBH – Handicrafts Exhibitions for promotion of GI Crafts

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Objective: To promote Geographical Twenty-second Law Commission of India for Indication (GI) crafts and heritage of India a period of three years from the date of  Organized by: The Ministry of Textiles publication of the Order of Constitution in the The exhibitions are planned in various major Official Gazette. cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata and  Benefits Chennai.  The Government will have the benefit of  GI tag: is used on handicrafts which recommendations from a specialized body on correspond to a specific geographical location different aspects of law which are entrusted to or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). As the Commission for its study and on August 2019, 178 GI handicraft products recommendations, as per its terms of reference. were registered from all over India.  The Law Commission shall, on a reference made to it by the Central Government or suo- 73. Soil Health Card motu, undertake research in law and review of existing laws in India for making reforms therein and enacting new legislations.  Background  The Law Commission of India is a non- statutory body constituted by the Government of India from time to time. The Commission  About: The Soil Health Card Day Scheme was was originally constituted in 1955 and is re- launched by the Prime Minister NarendraModi constituted every three years. The tenure of on February 19, 2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan; twenty-first Law Commission of India was the International Year of Soils was celebrated upto 31st August, 2018. the same year. The 22nd Law Commission will be constituted  Objectives:To issue soil health cards to for a period of three years from the date of farmers every two years so as to provide a publication of its Order in the Official Gazette. basis to address nutritional deficiencies in It will consist of: fertilization practices. Soil testing is developed  a full-time Chairperson; to promote soil test based on nutrient  four full-time Members (including Member- management. Secretary)  Soil testing reduces cultivation cost by  Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs as ex- application of right quantity of fertilizer. It officio Member; ensures additional income to farmers by  Secretary, Legislative Department as ex officio increase in yields and it also promotes Member; and sustainable farming.  not more than five part-time Members.

74. Cabinet approves Constitution of 22nd Law 75. Govt to launch Tilhan Mission Commission of India for a term of three  About: On the occasion of a Soil Health years Card Day on 19th February, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar announced to launch Tilhan Mission to make the country self-reliant in oilseed production.

76. India to switch to world's cleanest petrol, diesel from April 1  About: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, NarendraModi has approved

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs

 About: India will switch to the world's cleanest petrol and diesel from April 1 as it  Ranking by: Times Higher Educations shifts to Euro-VI emission compliant fuels (THE‘s) from Euro-IV grades now.  Highlight: The achievement marks the second  Highlight: India will join the select league time 11 Indian institutions have held top 100 of nations using petrol and diesel containing positions since 2015. Overall, 56 Indian just 10 parts per million of sulphur as it looks universities appear in the full ranking of the to cut vehicular emissions that are said to be 533 universities in total. one of the reasons for the choking pollution in  With 30 varsities, China has more universities major cities. in the top 100 than India, from a total of 47  India adopted Euro-III equivalent (or countries and territories included in the Bharat Stage-III) fuel with a sulphur content of ranking. 350 ppm in 2010 and then took seven years to  Top position among Indian universities: move to BS-IV that had a sulphur content of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore fell by 50 ppm. From BS-IV to BS-VI it took just two places to 16, followed by Indian Institute three years of Technology (IIT)-Kharagpur and IIT- Bombay at 32nd and 34th positions. 77. Delhi's IGI Airport becomes first single-use plastic-free airport of India 79. State of India‟s Birds 2020‟

 Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport has

become first single-use plastic free airport in  About: The research titled ‗State of India‘s India Birds 2020‘ (SoIB), put together by over ten  Prime Minister's vision to abolish all single- institutions and numerous citizen scientists, use plastic from India by 2022 was released at the ongoing United Nations  In September 2018, World Environment Day 13th Conference of the Parties to the theme of 'Beat Plastic Pollution,' Delhi Airport Convention on Migratory Species in was the first Indian airport to make 'single-use Gandhinagar, Gujarat. plastic-free' commitment in 2019. Highlights:  Delhi Airport is a leading Indian airport both  A first-of-its-kind report on Indian birds in passenger and cargo capabilities with annual claims that over a hundred species of birds traffic of 68.5 million passengers per annum in exhibit a decline in the long term and short- 2019. term, raising their threat of extinction.  The populations of raptors (eagles, hawks, 78. 11 Indian universities in top 100 of Times kites, etc.), migratory seabirds and birds that Higher Education Rankings live in specialized habitats were the most affected in the past decades.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  The number of birds in the Western Ghats,  The Government of India has declared Indian which is considered one of the world‘s elephant as National Heritage Animal. Indian foremost biodiversity hotspots, also declined elephant is also provided highest degree of by almost 75 per cent since 2000. legal protection by listing it in Schedule I of  Indian Peafowl, the national bird, has shown a the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. dramatic increase in both abundance and Great Indian Bustard distribution across the country.  The Great Indian Bustard is a Critically  The number of house sparrows has also Endangered species with a small population of stabilized nationwide, although there is still a about 100–150 individuals that is largely marked decline in their population in cities. restricted to TharDesert in Rajasthan,  For the long-term, over 25 years, the data India.The species has disappeared from 90% found that 52 per cent of 261 species were of this range; their population has reduced by projected to decline, while for the short-term; 90% within 50 years (six generations); and almost 80 per cent of 146 species were on a their threats are expected to increase in future. decline. Bengal Florican  It categorises 101 species as ‗High  The Bengal Florican an iconic, critically Conservation Concern for India‘ and suggests endangered species of topmost conservation many urgent policy measures to be adopted priority, exhibits trans boundary movements, immediately and its migration exposes it to threats such as  319 species are classified under the ‗Moderate land use changes, collision with power Conservation Concern‘ category. These transmission line at boundary area of India- species must be carefully monitored to rapidly Nepal and probable power-line collisions. detect and act upon signs of continuing decline  Convention on Migratory Species: Adopted  126 species, including the peafowl, house in 1979 and entered in to force in 1983, the sparrow, Asian Koel, rose-ringed parakeet and Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) aims the common tailorbird, are expected to to build and strengthen global conservation increase in numbers, primarily due to their efforts for migratory species in the air, on land, ability to survive in human habitats. and in the seas.  eBird‟app: The data for these birds was  Appendix I:The Convention divides species collected through the citizen science app into two appendices, Appendix I, lists species ‗eBird‘, which received a record ten million that are threatened with extinction and entries by approximately 15,500 citizen  Appendix II, species that need or would scientists. Cornell University‘s Laboratory of benefit greatly from international cooperative Ornithology hosts the app conservation efforts.

80. International protection for Great Indian 81. Vinod Kumar Yadav launches HRMS Bustard, Bengal Florican and Asian Mobile App Elephant  About: India‘s proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Convention on migratory species was accepted at the on going

thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the  Chairman, Railway Board: Vinod Kumar Convention on MigratorySpecies (CMS) in Yadav Gandhinagar. All employees of Indian Railways can now  Asian Elephant access data related to their service, it is an

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs important milestone in computerization of HR  About: Haryana government will open related functions in Indian Railways. AtalKisan - Majdoor canteens in all mandis  Developed by: Centre for Railway and sugar mills across the state Information System (CRIS).  Aim: To provide affordable and cheap meals  HRMS app: This Mobile Application allows to farmers and laborers at a concessional rate employee to view his historical data since his of 10 rupees per plate. date of joining in Railways including details  Governor:SatyadeoNarainArya related to his Increments, Promotions, Awards,  CM: ManoharLalKhattar Transfers, Postings, Leave, Training, and composition of Family as per records and Nominations for retirement benefits. 84. India jumps five ranks to 35th in Worldwide Education for Future Index 82. RailMadad gets Silver award 2019

 RailMadad: The grievance redressal portal of Indian Railways has been awarded Silver under Category II of National e-  Report by: The Economist Intelligence Governance Awards – ―Excellence in Unit providing Citizen-centric Delivery‖.  Top rank:Finland followed by Sweden  23rd National Conference on e-  Worldwide Education for Future Governance: Mumbai Index:The index ranks countries based on  Aim: To recognize and promote excellence their abilities to equip students with skill-based in implementation of e-Governance initiatives, education. The report analyses education Department of Administrative Reforms and system from the perspective of skill-based Public Grievances (DARPG) presents National education ―in areas such as critical thinking, e-Governance Awards every year. problem-solving, leadership, collaboration,  RailMadad: is the single portal for creativity and entrepreneurship, as well as grievances, inquiry & assistance of all digital and technical skills.‖ categories of railway customers, this portal can be accessed by Railways customers using 85. CSIR tops scientific research institutional RailMadad Helpline 139 (with IVRS, voice ranking and SMS facility), RailMadad website: railmadad.indianrailways.gov.in &RailMadad App (on android &iOS).

83. Haryana govt to open AtalKisan - Majdoor canteens  About: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been ranked first in the Nature Ranking Index-2020.  The rankings are based on total research output which the institutions have carried out from December 01, 2018 to 30th November, 2019.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Second rank: Indian Institute of Science Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and (IISc), Bangalore Tripura would present at the event  Third rank: Tata Institute of Fundamental  Focus: SDG localization in the northeast, Research (TIFR-Mumbai) economic prosperity, and sustainable livelihoods, climate adaptive agriculture, 86. India ranks 131 on flourishing index health and nutrition, education, skill development and entrepreneurship, connectivity and infrastructure development & inequality and exclusion.  Agenda: To achieve the SDGs by 2030

 Report by: Commission of World Health 88. Online Chatbot „ASKDISHA‟ upgraded Organization (WHO), UNICEF and The Lancet India stands at 131 in terms of flourishing and at 77 on sustainability index.  The report includes a new global index of 180 countries, comparing performance on

child flourishing, including measures of child  ASKDISHA: Artificial Intelligence based survival and well-being, such as health, chatbot introduced by Indian Railwaysin education, and nutrition; sustainability, with a October 2018, to resolve queries of railway proxy for greenhouse gas emissions, and passengers over the internet pertaining to equity, or income gaps. various services offered  Best performers: The index shows that  Highlight: The ASKDISHA Chatbot was children in Norway, the Republic of Korea, initially launched in English language, IRCTC and the Netherlands have the best chance at has now powered voice enabled ASKDISHA survival and well-being. to converse with customers in Hindi language  Least performers:Children in Central also in the e-ticketing site www.irctc.co.in. African Republic, Chad, Somalia, Niger and Mali face the worst odds. 89. Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurates Organic Food Festivalin New Delhi 87. NITI Aayog to hold SDG Conclave 2020 in  Aim: To provide an opportunity to women Guwahati entrepreneurs for capacity building and economic empowerment  MoU: Organic Food Festival is as an outcome of the MoU signed between the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Ministry of Women and Child Development  About: NITI Aayog is organizing (M/o WCD). "Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)  Highlight: India is 9th largest World‘s Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation and Organic Agricultural land and largest number Development of North Eastern States" in of producers Guwahati,Assam  Export: India exporting organic products  Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog: Dr. Rajiv worth $ 515 million in 2017-18(based on Kumar, APEDA report). Organic products mainly oil  Vice Chairman Chief Ministers of seeds, cereals & millets, sugar, fruit juice Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, concentrates, tea, spices, pulses, dry fruits,

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs medicinal plant products etc. are being manner. It aims to promote financial literacy exported to USA, European Union, Canada, among customers. Switzerland, Australia, Israel, South Korea,  Recommendations: The Financial Inclusion Vietnam, New Zealand and Japan. Advisory Committee of the RBI in  Union Minister for Food Processing consultation with the Centre, SEBI, IRDAI  Industries:HarsimratKaurBadal and Pension Fund Regulatory and  Union Minister for Women and Child Development Authority of India (PFRDA) has  Development and Textiles:SmritiZubinIrani recommended various ways in which the objective can be fulfilled: 90. Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission  Access to financial service providers in every (SPMRM) village within a range 5-km radius  Every adult registered under the PradhanMantri Jan DhanYojna (PMJDY) should be enrolled in insurance, pension scheme  Public credit registry has to be made fully operational by March 2022 so that authorized  Modi launched the Mission with the vision to financial entities can leverage the same for deliver catalytic interventions to rural areas on assessing credit proposals. the threshold of growth.  Strengthening of digital financial services to  Rurban Cluster: would be a cluster of facilitate less cash society geographically contiguous villages with a  Every new entrant should be given govt population of about 25000 to 50000 in plain livelihood programme and coastal areas and a population of 5000 to 15000 in desert, hilly or tribal areas. 92. PM-KISAN Scheme completes one year on  Rurban Mission: follows the vision of February 24, 2020 "Development of a cluster of villages that preserve and nurture the essence of rural community life with focus on equity and inclusiveness without compromising with the facilities perceived to be essentially urban in nature, thus creating a cluster of "Rurban  PM-KISAN Scheme:Under the Scheme an villages‖. amount of Rs.6000/- per year is transferred in  Objectives: To transform these Rurban three 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000/- clusters by stimulating local economic directly into the bank accounts of the farmers, development, enhancing basic services, and subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to creating well planned Rurban clusters. This higher income status. would lead to holistic development of the  The Scheme was formally launched on 24th region and encourage integrated and inclusive February, 2019 by the Prime Minister rural development. NarendraModi at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.  Aim: The scheme was started with a view to 91. RBI unveils 5-yr financial inclusion strategy augment the income of the farmers by  About: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has providing income support to all landholding come up with a National Strategy for Financial farmers‘ families across the country Inclusion 2019-24, aimed at providing access to formal financial services in an affordable 93. US surpasses China to become India's top trading partner

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs tallest railway pier bridge — 100 m tall equivalent to a 33-storey building, across river Makru in the Tamenglong district of Manipur.

96. 10th edition of BharatiyaChhatraSansad

 About: The United States has surpassed China to become India's top trading partner. The bilateral trade between the US and India stood at nearly 88 billion dollars in 2018-19 fiscal. During the period, India's trade with China was at 87.1 billion dollars.  Similarly, during April-December 2019-20,  About: The Vice President, M. Venkaiah the bilateral trade between the US and India Naidu presenting the Ideal Legislative stood at 68 billion dollars against a nearly 65 Assembly Speaker/Ideal Legislative Council billion dollars trade with China in the same Chairman Award to the Speaker of the Kerala period. Legislative  Assembly, P. Ramakrishnan, at the 94. Farooq Khan Flags off youth exchange inauguration of the 10th edition of Bharatiya programme „WatanKoJano‟ Chhatra Sansad, in New Delhi

97. Mahagovt to destroy breeding centers of Thai Mangur fish

 Advisor to Lieutenant Governor J&K:Farooq Khan  WatanKoJano: A youth exchange programmeacross Jammu and Kashmir and  About: The Maharashtra government has Ladakh Union Territories for a ten day tour. launched a special drive to destroy the The children will get an opportunity to visit cultivation centers of the exotic Thai Mangur monuments and places of historical and fish. cultural significance in Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer  Reason: Thai Mangur is cultivated in highly and Pushkar. unhygienic conditions, which may lead to

people falling sick after consuming it 95. NF Railway builds India‟s tallest pier  Thai Mangur:The fish is popularly known as bridge in Manipur Thai Mangur or African Mangur or foreign Mangur, as appearances is somewhat like fresh water Mangur.  Background: The National Green Tribunal banned it in 2000 and a fresh order was also issued regarding the same in January last year.

 About: The Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organization has built India‘s

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs 98. Naval special child felicitated for creating  If a shooter is renowned in more than two world record events, he can keep maximum twelve (previously it was seven) firearms under exempted category.  The junior target shooter/ aspiring shooter are now allowed to possess two weapons (previously one) of any category in which the person is junior target shooter/aspiring shooter. This provision shall facilitate shooters in practicing with various types of fire arms.  About: MsJiyaRai, an eleven year old  Apart from the above exemptions, the shooters daughter of MadanRai, Master Chief at Arms are entitled to possess two firearms as normal II, posted in INS Shikra, created a world citizens under provisions of the Arms Act, record by becoming the fastest special girl to 1959. swim 14 Km in open water.  The VI standard student of Navy Children 100. Ramesh Pokhriyal „Nishank‟ presents School (NCS), Mumbai swam from Elephanta ChatraVishwakarma Awards 2019 Island to Gateway of India, a distance of 14 Km in 03 hours 27 minutes and 30 seconds.

99. Amendments in Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016

 Union HRD Minister: Ramesh Pokhriyal ‗Nishank‘  Six institutes were felicitated by the Union Minister under the  UtkrishtSanthanVishwakarma Award (USVA).

 About: The Ministry of Home Affairs has  Organized by: All India Council for amended the provisions of the Arms Act, 1959 Technical Education and the Arms Rules, 2016 to increase the  ChatraVishwakarma Award: The awards number of firearms that can be kept by the have been instituted for promoting innovative shooters and enhanced the quantity of spirit and scientific temperament for holistic ammunition fixed for their practice for the development of society through the year. These provisions shall greatly facilitate stakeholders of its approved institutes their shooting practice.  Aim: The Awards are aimed at motivating Amendments: young individuals, inspiring leaders and  As per the new rules, now International institutions/ organizations to raise their Medalists/Renowned Shooters are allowed to performance in their specific domains leading keep additional weapons up to a total of to significant contribution towards the growth twelve under the exempted category, which and development of the Nation as a whole earlier was seven. Applications were called in 02 categories:  If a shooter is renowned in one event, he can  Category-I: ChhatraVishwakarma Awards keep maximum eight (previously it was four), (CVA), for Outstanding Innovative Team (for if a shooter is renowned in two events he can Students & Mentor). keep maximum ten (previously it was seven)

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Category-II: to welcome to US president Donald Trump on UtkrishtSansthanVishwakarma Award his first visit to India alongside the Indian (USVA), for exemplary Institutional prime ministerModi, at a rally dubbed intervention. ―Namaste Trump‖, event organized in  Appreciation certificates and cash prices Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (Rs 51,000, Rs 31,000 &Rs 21,000) were  Trump announced a deal had been made for awarded to the top three teams in each sub- India to purchase $3bn of US category by the Hon‘ble Minister. 104. Military training exercise Ajeya 101. Five-day training course on Vessel Warrior-2020 Search Technique begins in Chennai  Organized by: Indian Coast Guard jointly with the Australian Border Force began  About: The course by the Mobile Training Team of the Australian Border Force is being conducted for the Indian Coast Guard personnel, Customs officials and Coastal  About: Exercise AJEYA WARRIOR - 2020, a Security Group members of the Tamil Nadu joint military training exercise between India Police. & United Kingdom (UK) culminated at West  Aim: To bolster efforts of both the down Camp, Salisbury Plains Training Area, countries for realizing the common national UK. maritime objectives of ensuring safety and security at sea. 105. Nityanand Rai presides over 1st „National Conference on Coastal Disaster 102. New Army HQ in Delhi Cantt Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R)  About: Defense minister Rajnath Singh – 2020‟ laid the foundation stone for the new Indian  Union Minister of State for Home Army headquarters of 'ThalSenaBhawan  Affairs:Nityanand Rai (TSB)' on at Delhi Cantonment.  Organized by: the National Institute of  Highlight: the new Army headquarters Disaster Management (NIDM), in New Delhi will accommodate 1,684 officers and 4,330  Aim:To explore and debate the most recent staff personnel. It will also bring together eight advances in the discipline, to enhance the existing offices of the force from different understanding of the issues and solutions on parts of the Capital under one single roof. various facets for coastal disaster risk reduction and resilience. 103. Namaste Trump 106. India and United States finalizedefense deals worth three billion dollars  India and the United States finalized defense deals worth three billion dollars and signed three agreements, including in health and oil sectors.  The Defense deals include procurement of 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters by India from the US at a cost of $2.6 billion. Another contract  About: The 125,000-strong crowd in world‘s to acquire six AH-64E Apache helicopters for biggest cricket stadium, Motera, had gathered $800 million from the US

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  A Memorandum of Understanding was signed  The event will start with a Startup Challenge – on mental health between the health Pitchfest followed by the two-day summit, departments of the two countries. organized by Government of India along with  Another MoU on the safety of medical Ministry of Electronics and Information products was signed between the Central Technology will witness robust participation Drugs Standard Control Organization with the from global industry leaders, key opinion US Food and Drug Administration. makers, Government representatives and  A Letter of Cooperation was signed between academia. Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Exxon Mobil India LNG Limited and Chart Industries 109. ISRO to launch GISAT-1 Inc, US.

107. MP becomes first state to launch unified vehicle registration card  Chief Minister: Kamal Nath

 Highlight: Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to introduce the  GISAT-1, the country‘s first earth imaging unified registration card and the second state to satellite in a geostationary orbit, will be launch the unified driving license after Uttar launched in the evening of March 5 from the Pradesh. Sriharikota launch center by Indian Space  The unified smart cards for driving license and Research Organization (ISRO) vehicle registration will each have a QR code  GISAT-1 will facilitate near real time that will help in verifying authenticity of the observation of the Indian sub-continent, under data printed on the cards. The unified driving cloud free condition, at frequent intervals. license card will also have information about  Weighing about 2275 kg, GISAT-1 is a state- the ability of the driver to drive in hilly and of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite dangerous areas and an emergency contact which will be placed in a Geosynchronous number. Transfer Orbit by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) 108. RAISE 2020  It will be the 14th flight of the GSLV. A 4- metre diameterogive shaped payload fairing is being flown for the first time in this flight.

110. INCOIS launches three new advance warning systems

 About: The Government of India (GoI) announced the event, RAISE 2020- ‗Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020,‘ to be held from April 11-12 in New Delhi.  RAISE 2020: It is a first of its kind, global  About: The Indian National Centre for meeting of minds on Artificial Intelligence to Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has drive India's vision and roadmap for social launched three new products for the benefit of empowerment, inclusion and transformation fishermen, people living in coastal areas of through responsible AI. South India and others

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Warning systems: Small Advisory and  The OPV will have two Navigation Radars Forecast Services System (SVAS), Swell Surge with ultra-modern technology, sophisticated Forecast System (SSFS) and Algal Bloom navigational and latest communication Information Service (ABIS). systems.  SVAS: is for small vessels operating in Indian coastal waters warning about potential 112. Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog sites where vessel overturning can take place, join hands with NASSCOM 10 days in advance.  SSFS:It has been designed for forecasting swell surges occurring in the west coast two- three days in advance as they generally catch the local people by surprise.  ABIS: is to help fishermen, fishery resource managers and ecologists get realtime  About: NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation information about the spread of phytoplankton Mission (AIM) in collaboration with the blooms with details of species and size in North National Association of Software and Services Eastern Arabian Sea, coastal waters off Kerala, Companies (NASSCOM) launched an AI Gulf of Mannar and coastal waters of Gopalpur. based Module rolled out for students in Indian schools. 111. Offshore Patrol Vessel-6 (OPV-  Objective:Students to leverage the full 6)“VAJRA” is launched at Chennai potential of AIM‘s Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) and further empowers them to innovate and create valuable solutions benefiting societies at large. The module contains activities, videos and experiments that enable students to work through and learn the various concepts of AI.  NITI Aayog CEO: Amitabh Kant  NASSCOM President: DebjaniGhosh,  Atal Innovation Mission: housed at NITI  Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and Aayog is the Government of India‘s flagship Chemicals & Fertilizers: MansukhMandaviya initiative to promote a culture of innovation  OPV-6 is truly state of the art platform which and entrepreneurship. At the school level, AIM will enhance the capabilities of Indian Coast is establishing ATLs in all districts across Guard in terms of Operation, Surveillance, India. Search & Rescue.  it will strengthen the efforts Indian Coast 113. India and Myanmar Sign 10 MoUs Guard for securing over 7500 km vast coastline, an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of over 20 lakh sqkms and more than one lakh merchant ships transiting per year through Indian waters for global trade .  The ship would be utilized for day and night patrol/surveillance along with anti-terrorist/ anti-smuggling operations in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as well as Coastal  About: India and Myanmar signed on 10 Security. agreements with a focus on the socio- economic development of the Southeast Asian

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs nation during Myanmar‘s President U Win  With EASE 1.0 and 2.0 laying a firm Myint visit to India. foundation of robust banking and MoU: institutionalized systems, PSBs are set to  'Cooperation for Prevention of Trafficking transform into digital- and data-driven in Persons; Rescue, Recovery, Repatriation, NextGen banks. and Re-Integration of Victims of Trafficking'  EASE 3.0 emphasizes on the use of digital,  Indian Grant Assistance for analytics & AI, FinTech partnerships across Implementation of Quick Impact Projects customer service, convenient banking, end-to- (QIP) was also signed between the two sides. end digitalised processes for loan sourcing and  Three agreements for development projects processing, analytics-driven risk management in the conflict-torn Rakhine state of Myanmar. as well as decision support systems for HR. The Rakhine state has witnessed a lot of  Key Reform Action Points in EASE 3.0 violence in the past and scores of Rohingyas include: had fled the state facing persecution.  Dial-a-loan: Digitally-enabled doorstep facilitation for initiation of retail and MSME 114. Cabinet approves amendments to give loans. Customers will have the facility to occupancy rights to scheduled tribes in register loan requests through digitally-enabled Lakshadweep channels  Partnerships with FinTechs and E- commerce companies for customer-need driven credit offers  Credit@click: End-to-end digitalised, time-bound retail and MSME lending by larger PSBs, leveraging Account Aggregators, FinTechs and PSBloansin59minutes.com  About: The union cabinet on approved  Cash-flow-based MSME credit by larger amendment of the Laccadive, Minicoy and PSBs, using FinTech, Account Aggregator and Amindivi Islands Land Revenue and Tenancy other third-party data and transactions-based Regulation, 1965 to confer occupancy rights to underwriting models the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population in the union territory.  Tech-enabled agriculture lending  The Lakshadweep Island mostly comprises ST  Palm banking: End-to-end digitalized population, previously they did hadoccupancy delivery of a full bouquet of financial services rights. in regional languages and with industry-best service quality 115. Finance Minister unveils EASE 3.0  EASE Banking Outlets: On-the-spot banking at frequently visited places such as train stations, bus stands, malls, hospitals, etc. through paperless and digitally-enabled banking outlets and kiosks

116. Jawed Ashraf has been appointed as the  Union Minister for Finance & next Ambassador of India to France Corporate Affairs: NirmalaSitharaman  Minister of State for Finance and Corporate  Affairs:Anurag Thakur

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs ShriNitish Kumar; CM West Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee; Finance Minister, Jharkhand, Ramesh Oraonattended event  Key points discussed:  Issue of increase in royalty on coal  The issue of delay in payments of GST

 Jawed Ashraf presently High Commissioner of proceeds and devolution of funds India to the Republic of Singapore, has been  Formulation of National Silt Management appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Policy to take care of floods in Ganga river. France.  Issues related Phulbari Dam under the agreement of 1978 signed by the States of 117. Prime Minister to launch 10,000 Farmer Bihar and West Bengal on Upper Mahananda Producer Organizations (FPOs) Water Scheme  About: Prime Minister NarendraModi shall  Extension of Nuapada-Gunupur-Therubali launch 10,000 Farmers Producer Organizations Rail Link Project in northern districts of all over the country at Chitrakoot,Uttar Odisha Pradesh on 29th February 2020.  Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) -  Farmers challenges: Small, marginal and land transfer by CPSU, landless farmers face tremendous challenges  Speedy investigation of cases of sexual during agriculture production phase such as for offence/rape against women and children access to technology, quality seed, fertilizers  Prevention of cattle smuggling/illegal and pesticides including requisite finances. transportation of cattle to the Indo-Bangladesh They also face tremendous challenges in Border marketing their produce due to lack of  Lack of telecom and bank connectivity in economic strength. Odisha  FPOs: help in collectivization of Small,  Illegal cultivation and trading of hemp / marginal and landless farmers in order to give cannabis in the State of Odisha. them the collective strength to deal with such issues. Members of the FPO will manage their activities together in the organization to get better access to technology, input, finance and market for faster enhancement of their income.

118. Amit Shah chairs the 24th Meeting of Eastern Zonal Council at Bhubaneswar

119. Rajnath Singh inaugurates LCH Production Hangar at HAL Complex  About: RakshaMantriRajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light Combat Helicopter Production Hangar at Helicopter Division in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Complex at Bengaluru, Karnataka  Union Minister for Home Affairs: Amit  The new production hangar will augment the Shah LCH production capacity to reach a peak Chief Minister Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, production of 30 helicopters per year. as Vice Chairman and host; CM Bihar,  LCH: is a 5.5-tonne class combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL. It is powered

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs by two Shakti engines and inherits many Chairman: Dr. K Sivan technical features of the Advanced Light Helicopter. LCH has the distinction of being 121. Maharashtra to undertake the genetic the first attach helicopter to land in Forward study to conserve the native species of cattle Bases at Siachen, 4,700 mts above sea level with 500kg load. HAL:  Founded: 1940 (As Hindustan Aircraft), 1964 (Renamed Hindustan Aeronautics)  Chairman and Managing director: R Madhavan  Aim: To conserve the native species of cattle  Headquarters: Bengaluru and domesticated animals in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, the state government is 120. Redmi Phone Coming With Support for planning to undertake their genetic study ISRO NaVIC Navigation System Under this project, the genetic traits of Osmanabadi goat, Red Kandhari cow, Deoni bull, Caravan or Pashmi dogs will be studied. Their abilities and adaptation capabilities will also be analyzed.

 About: Manu Kumar Jain, Managing Director of Xiaomi India, has now announced that the International next Redmi-branded phone set to launch in 1. Pakistan declares national emergency to India will offer NaVIC support. battle locusts  Xiaomi will be one of the first brands to launch a phone powered by the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC, which happens to offer NaVIC positioning system.

 NavIC- Navigation with Indian Constellation -  About: Pakistan, which is facing its worst is the regional geo-positioning system locust attack in decades, has declared national designed in India by ISRO to provide accurate emergency to tackle the insects destroying positioning in India and around the Indian crops on a large scale in Punjab province. mainland  The swarms of locust are currently on the  NavIC is designed to provide accurate Pakistan-India border along Cholistan, insects positioning in India and 1,500km around the had entered Cholistan and Nara from Sindh Indian mainland. The system comprises 7 and Balochistan. satellites, 3 of which are in geostationary orbit  Locusts used to move to Iran after over the Indian Ocean and 4 in sometime, but perhaps this time due to low geosynchronous orbit. NavIC is capable of temperatures they are still in Pakistan. providing location positioning accuracy better than 20 meters.  Prime Minister: Imran Khan ISRO:  Locusts:  Founded: 15 August 1969  Scientific name: Acrididae  Founder: Vikram Sarabhai  Type: Invertebrates  Headquarters: Bengaluru  Diet: Herbivore  Group name: Swarm

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Locusts are related to grasshoppers and the two insects look similar. However, locust behavior can be something else entirely. Locusts are sometimes solitary insects with lifestyles much like grasshoppers.  Locust swarms devastate crops and cause major agricultural damage and attendant  After two months of political deadlock, human misery—famine and starvation Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed  The desert locust (Schistocercagregaria) is Mohammed Allawi to replace Prime Minister notorious. Found in Africa, the Middle East, Adel Abdul Mahdi. and Asia, they inhabit some 60 countries and

can cover one-fifth of Earth's land surface. 2. Maldives rejoins Commonwealth as UK  WHO declares coronavirus outbreak a leaves EU global health emergency  About: The World Health Organization on declared the outbreak of anovel coronavirus a global health emergency, an acknowledgement of the risk the virus poses to countries beyond its origin in China.  Public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC: is meant to help support  About: Maldives was officially readmitted to less developed countries and to try to prevent the Commonwealth, The island nation had quit the virus from spreading in those places that the Commonwealth in October 2016 after are less equipped to detect the disease and being threatened with suspension over its handle infections. human rights record and lack of progress on  Coronaviruses, a family that includes SARS democratic reform. and MERS, are thought to originate in bats and  President: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih can jump from there or another animal to Maldives joined the Commonwealth in 1982 humans. Many of the early cases in Wuhan and was a member until it withdrew in 2016. were tied to a seafood market that also sold  Commonwealth: is a political association of live animals for meat. 54 member states, nearly all of them former  The emergence of a global coronavirus territories of the British Empire. Its members outbreak from China is reminiscent of the have agreed to shared goals like development, SARS outbreak of 2002 to 2003, which went democracy and peace. on to kill nearly 800 people  Any country can join the modern  The first PHEIC: was declared for the 2009 Commonwealth. The last country to join the H1N1 flu pandemic, and others have included Commonwealth was Rwanda in 2009. the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak and the Zika outbreak in 2016. 3. UAE finds new natural gas field between  Ahead of WHO‘s decision there were two Abu Dhabi, Dubai active PHEICs: the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the continued transmission of polio. Mohammed Allawi appointed new Iraq PM

 About: The United Arab Emirates on announced the discovery of a natural gas field

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs containing 80 trillion standard cubic feet of gas 6. Mumbai girl becomes youngest girl to between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. summit Mount Aconcagua  Agreement was signed between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Dubai Supply Authority for the exploration and development of the gas resources.  ADNOC and the Dubai Supply Authority will explore and develop the shallow gas field, which spans some 5,000 square kilometres  About: KaamyaKarthikeyan, a class VII (1,930 square miles) student of Navy Children School (NCS), Mumbai, became the youngest girl in the world to summit Mt. Aconcagua (6962 m 4. Bhutan ends free entry for Indian tourists height), the highest peak in South America and  About: Ending decades of free entry to Indian outside of Asia. tourists visiting Bhutan, the government in Thimphu has decided to levy a daily ₹1,200 7. Solar Orbiter Mission by European Space ($17) fee for ―regional tourists‖ from India, the Agency's Maldives and Bangladesh, beginning July 2020.  Sustainable Development Fee (SDF): The feeis meant to help the government deal with

burgeoning numbers in tourist traffic, which it  Solar Orbiter Mission: is a mission carried is seeking to regulate through a new tourism out by ESA with collaboration of NASA, policy. dedicated to solar and heliospheric physics.  Countries offer free entry for Indian The programme outlines key scientific tourists: questions which need to be answered about the  Indonesia development of planets and the emergence of  Maldives life, how the Solar System works, the origins  Mauritius of the Universe, and the fundamental physics  Nepal at work in the Universe.  SEYCHELLES  Launcher: Atlas V 411  Fiji  Launch site: Cape Canaveral, USA  Launch date: 10 February 5. International Intellectual Property Index  Karnataka engineer in mission: An engineer 2019 from Chickmagalur, Sandeep Ramanath plays a key role behind a unique probe to look under the 'skin of the Sun' on-board European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter mission that is scheduled to be launched on Feb 10th.

 Report by: US Chamber of Commerce‘s Global Innovation Policy Center  India‟s Rank: 40th position (36th rank in previous year)  Top ranking: The US, the UK, Sweden, France and Germany respectively

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Oldest woman living:Kane Tanaka (117 8. Oscar awards 2020 years)

11. Narayana Murthy's son-in-law appointed as UK's new Finance Minister

 Best Picture - 'Parasite'(South Korean film, first time non-English film winning award)  Leading Actress - Renee Zellweger for

‗Judy‘  About: Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's  Leading Actor - Joaquin Phoenix for son-in-law, Rishi Sunak has been appointed as ‗Joker‘ UK's Finance Minister. He replaced Pakistani  Best Director - Bong Joon Ho for Chancellor Sajid Javid. ‗Parasite‘  Three Indian origin Members of Parliament are  Supporting Actor - Brad Pitt for ‗Once now a part of Britain's cabinet led by UK Upon a Time in Hollywood‘ Prime Minister Boris Johnson.  Supporting Actress - Laura Dern for ‗Marriage  Other appointments: The 47-year-old Priti Story‘ Patel has been appointed as the Home Minister. The 51-year-old Alok Sharma has 9. WHO named new coronavirus as Covid- been appointed as the Business Secretary in 2019 the British Cabinet.  The UN health agency announced that "COVID-19" will be the official name of the 12. Antarctic temperature rises above 20C for deadly virus from China, saying the disease first time on record represented a "very grave threat" for the world.  About: The Antarctic has registered a "co" stands for "corona", "vi" for "virus" and temperature of more than 20C (68F) for the "d" for "disease", while "19" was for the year, first time on record, prompting fears of climate as the outbreak was first identified on instability in the world‘s greatest repository of December 31. ice.

 Previous record: 19.8C, taken on Signy 10. Japan's Chitetsu Watanabe confirmed as Island in January 1982. the world‟s oldest man living

13. UK to host 2020 UN climate summit, COP26

 About: Chitetsu Watanabe from Niigata, Japan, has been officially confirmed as the oldest person living (male) at 112 Years 344 days as of 12 February 2020.He was born on 5th March 1907

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  About: The UK has been chosen to host The fields chosen for honoring contributions in the major UN climate change summit at the the three categories this year are cultural end of 2020. preservation and revival (past category),  UN climate summit: The United Nations gender equality (present category), and Framework Convention on Climate Change artificial intelligence (future category). (UNFCCC), the UN‘s climate body, holds an  Dan David:The prize was established by late annual summit known as a COP, or Dan David, an international businessman and Conference of the Parties, attended by national philanthropist whose aim was to reward those ministers and, for the key ones, heads of state. who have made a lasting impact on society and All of the world‘s countries are 'parties to the to help young students and entrepreneurs Convention', and the COP is its supreme become the scholars and leaders of the future. decision-making body.  Significance of the 2020 summit: COP26 17. US removed „developing‟ tag for India will take place five years after the landmark  About: The U.S. removed more than a Paris Agreement was reached at COP21, and is dozen countries, including India, from its list essentially when the Paris Agreement comes of countries that are classified as ―developing‖ into effect; as such, it will be the most for trade purposes. These countries will now significant UN climate summit since Paris in be classified instead as ―developed‖ 2015. economies, thus stripping them of various  Why UK: The UK is recognized among trade benefits. major economies as a leader on climate  Developing country status: change. Bringing in the landmark Climate  The office of the United States Trade Change Act in 2008, which contained the Representative (USTR) maintains a list of world's first legally binding national countries that it classifies as ―developing‖, commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions, ―developed‖, and ―least-developed‖. the UK recently committed to reduce  Countries that are classified as emissions to ‗net zero‘ by 2050, the first G7 ―developing‖ are allowed to export certain economy to do so. goods to the U.S. without being hit by punitive tariffs that are usually imposed on goods from 14. Indian scholar Gita Sen wins prestigious ―developed‖ countries. Dan David Prize  The ―developing country‖ status owes its origin to the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, which authorized the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to help poor countries develop faster.

18. Ashraf Ghani secures 2nd term as President

 About: India‘s pioneering feminist scholar and  In Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani has won a second activist Gita Sen, has won the prestigious Dan term as President of the country. His opponent David Prize for her expansive work in the was Abdullah Abdullah. fields of population policies, reproductive and sexual health, women‘s rights, poverty, labour 19. Hindi is 3rd most spoken language in the markets and global governance. world  Dan David Prize: The internationally renowned Dan David Prize annually awards three prizes of $1 million each to globally inspiring individuals and organizations

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs About: Canada doctors have used a robot to perform a surgery to treat brain aneurysm in a 64-year-old female patient, an advance that may lead to improved use of robotic technology in cardiology and neurology.  About: Hindi is the 3rd most spoken language The surgeons, including those from the of the world in 2019 with 615 million speakers Toronto Western Hospital in Canada, used  Report by: world language database software and hardware adaptations which Ethnologue enabled them to accommodate guidewires and  Most spoken languages: English at the top of other devices used for procedures involving the list with 1,132 million speakers. Chines blood vessels in the brain. Mandarin is at the second position with 1,117 million speakers.Bangla has been ranked as the 7th most spoken language of the world. Bangla has 228 million native speakers. Sports  Ethnologue: brings out a yearly database of 1. Novak Djokovic wins Australian Open living languages of the world since its establishment in 1951. The current round of the database covers 7,111 living languages of the world. In addition to living languages Ethnologue also contains data on languages which have gone out of use in recent history. This edition lists 348 such languages.  Men‟s single: In tennis, Serbia's Novak Djokovic won his record 8th Men's singles title 20. Malaysia's PM Mahathir resigns in Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.  He beat first-time Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiemof Austria.  Men's doubles title: Joe Salisbury of UK and American Rajeev Ram  Australian Open: American Sofia Kenin wins

her first Grand Slam title  Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad  Women‟s single: Sofia Kenin (youngest has announced his resignation as Prime Australian Open champion) of America (over Minister, but was asked to stay on as interim Spain's GarbineMuguruza) leader by the country's monarch.

 Malaysia king: Abdullah of Pahang 2. Rani Rampal wins 2019 World Games  Currency: Malaysian ringgit Athlete of the Year award  Capital: Kuala Lumpur

21. Sri Lanka formally informs UNHRC to withdraw from co-sponsoring UNHRC resolution on war crimes

22. Doctors successfully treat brain aneurysm  About: India womens hockey captain Rani using a robot Rampalwon the 2019 World Games Athlete of the Year award given for outstanding

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs performance, along with social commitment  Highest wicket-taker in the tournament: and fair behavior. Bishnoi(India)

6. Aditya Mehta defeatedPankajAdvani

3. Deepa Malik elected president of Paralympic Committee of India  About: Aditya Mehta defeated multiple-time World champion PankajAdvani 6-2 to win the National snooker championship here.  Women‟s: Karnataka‘s VidyaPillai edged out AmeeKamani of Madhya Pradesh  About: Indian Paralympic medal-winner Deepa Malik has been elected president of the Paralympic Committee of India. Malik, who 7. Pullela Gopichand receives honorable won silver in shot putt F-53 at Rio 2016, was mention of IOC Coaches Lifetime elected unopposed Achievement Awards

4. RakhiHalder bags gold at Senior Women's National Weightlifting Championships

 About: Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has received an honorable

 In Senior Women's National Weightlifting mention in the male category of the prestigious Championships, Rakhi Halder of Bengal has 2019 International Olympic Committee's bagged gold in the 64kg category of the 35th Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award in edition of the event in Kolkata. recognition of the role he played in the development of the game. 5. Bangladesh beat India to win maiden U19  IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Cricket World Cup title Awards: is an initiative of the IOC Athletes' Entourage Commission to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions a coach has made to develop and encourage athletes in line with the Olympic values in summer or winter Olympic sports.

 Bangladesh beat India by three wickets to win 8. India Striker Lalremsiami Named 2019 FIH maiden ICC U-19 World Cup title in Women's Rising Star of Year Potchefstroom, South Africa by the Duckworth-Lewis method.  Player of the Tournament and highest run- scorer: Yashasvi Jaiswal (India)

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  India forward Lalremsiami has been named as the 2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of the Year, the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

9. Gulmarg to host national winter games from March 7

 About: The Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir  About: World rapid champion Koneru Humpy is all set to host a five-day national winter claimed her second title in the last two months games from March 7 under the Khelo India by winning the Cairns Cup Chess Tournament programme. at St Louis in USA.  There will be 30 events under four disciplines  Highlight: Humpy was crowned as the world including snowboarding, snow skiing, cross champion in the last week of December country and snow show in which players from 2019. across the country would participate. 13. India to host 2020 junior men's Hockey 10. GS Lakshmi becoming first woman referee World Cup to oversee a men's ODI  India will host next year's Junior Men's World Cup. This is the second time that India will be hosting the prestigious tournament, having staged it in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in 2016, where the India lifted the coveted trophy.  About: India‘s GS Lakshmi will create history  The International Hockey Federation as the first female match referee to oversee a (FIH): Headquartered atSwitzerland men's One-Day International in the opening match of the third series of the ICC Men‘s 14. Haryana govt announces Rs six crore to Cricket World Cup League 2 in the United those winning gold medals at Olympics Arab Emirates.  Lakshmi is first woman appointed to the ICC International Panel of Match Referees in May.  Claire Polosak: first woman umpire to stand in a Men‘s One Day International at the final of the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in April 2019. Chief Minister:ManoharLalKhattar  About: Haryana government has decided to give 6 crore rupees to players of the state that bag gold medals at the Olympic Games. 3 11. Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh crore rupees will be given to those winning named Player of the Year 2019 by IHF gold medals at Asian Games and 1.5 crore  About: The Indian men's hockey team captain rupees to the winners of gold medal at Manpreet Singh named Player of the Year for Commonwealth Games. 2019 by the International Hockey Federation.  An amount of 15 lakh rupees will be given to  Highlight: Manpreet, a midfielder, became the each player participating in the Olympic first Indian to win the accolade since the awards Games. were introduced in 1999. 15. Laureus best sporting moment 12. Koneru Humpy wins Cairns Cup Chess  About: Indian cricketing great Sachin Tournament in US Tendulkar being carried on the shoulders of his

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs team mates following India's world cup  Team of the Year: Manu Bhaker- triumph in 2011 was voted as the Laureus best SaurabhChaudhary sporting moment in the past 20 years.  Para-Athlete of the Year:Manasi Joshi  Annual Laureus Sports award:First held in  Lifetime Achievement award: Hockey 2000, ithonors the greatest and most legend Balbir Singh inspirational sporting triumphs of the year. On the 20th anniversary of the awards, the 18. Divya Kakran wins a gold medal at Asian Laureus sporting moments award allowed Wrestling Championships people to vote for the most inspiring sporting moment of the past 20 years.

16. India to host U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020

 DivyaKakran became only the second Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships defeating junior world champion NaruhaMatsuyuki in New  About: India will host the U-17 Women's Delhi. World Cup in 2020,this will be the second  NavjotKaur had become the first Indian FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after woman to win a gold medal at the Asian the U-17 Men's World Cup in 2017. Championships in 2018 in Bishkek,  U-17 women's tournament: began in 2008, Kyrgyzstan in 65 kilogram. when New Zealand hosted it. Spain is the current champions and they had beaten Mexico 2-1 in the final in Uruguay last year. The 19. Ross Taylor becomes first player to play 100 tournament in India will be the seventh matches in all three formats edition.

17. P.V.Sindhu wins ESPN's Female Sportsperson of the Year award  About: World champion shuttler P V Sindhu won the ESPN's Female Sportsperson of the  New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor became Year award for a third consecutive time the first player in the world to play 100  Female Sportsperson of the Year: young matches in all three formats of cricket. shooter SaurabhChaudhary  The 35-year-old played his 100th T20  Courage award: Sprinter Dutee Chand. International against India last month. He has  Comeback of the Year: Ace chess player also played 231 ODIs for New Zealand. The Koneru Humpy right-handed batsman is already his country's  Emerging Sports Person of the Year: leading run-scorer in Test and ODI. Wrestler Deepak Punia  Coach of the Year: National Badminton 20. Pragyan Ojha announces retirement from Coach PullelaGopichand international cricket  Moment of the Year:Sindhu's World Championship win, the first by an Indian in badminton

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  The two events will be held in Chandigarh in January 2022 while the Birmingham Commonwealth Games is scheduled from 27th of July to 7th of August , 2022.

23. Young Indian GM Gukesh wins title at  Indian left-arm spinner PragyanOjha Cannes Open chess tourney announced retirement from international and first-class cricket with immediate effect. The 33-year-old last played for India in 2013 during Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test against the West Indies in Mumbai. In all, he played 24 Tests between 2009 and  About: India's 13-year old Grandmaster D 2013 in which he took 113 wickets. From 18 Gukesh emerged champion in the 34th Cannes ODIs, he grabbed 21 wickets. Open in Cannes, France, beating Harutyun

Bargseghyan of the host nation in the final 21. Prime Minister to Declare Open the First round to end with 7.5 points. ever Khelo India University Games Gukesh (Elo rating 2542), who last year became the world's second youngest Grandmaster ever,

24. Sharapova says goodbye to Tennis

 About: The first-ever Khelo India University Games will take off in Odisha, it is being launched by the Government of India in

association with the Government of the State of  About: Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Odisha. Sharapova, announced her retirement from  Highlight: This is the largest ever competition tennis. held at university level in India and will have  The Russian won her first Grand Slam at about 3500 athletes from over 150 universities Wimbledon in 2004 aged 17 and completed across the country taking part in it. the career slam, all four major titles, by  Khelo India Programme: It was introduced to winning the French Open in 2012. revive the sports culture in India at the grass- root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in the country and establish India as a great sporting nation.

22. India to host Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in January 2022 Special days  India will host the Commonwealth Shooting 1. World Cancer Day and Archery Championships in January 2022. The medals from the two events will be counted for ranking of competing nations at the Birmingham Games.

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs Obituary 1. Former Karnataka Minister D. Manjunath passes away

 World Cancer Day is observed on the 4th of February every year to create awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.  On February 4, 2000, World Cancer Day was written into the Charter of Paris Against Cancer. The document was signed in between Former Karnataka Legislative Council then French President Jacques Chirac and Chairman D. Manjunath, 92, passed away here UNESCO General Director at that time, after a brief illness. Koichiro Matsuura.  Theme: ―I am and I will‖ 2. Kenya's former President Daniel arapMoi dies aged 95 2. World Radio Day being observed About: World Radio Day is observed every year on 13 February to raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of radio and to encourage decision makers to establish and provide access to information through radio. Daniel arapMoiwas Kenya's longest- Theme: World Radio Day is Radio and serving president. He was in office for 24 Diversity. R years. During its 67th Session, the UN General Current President:Uhuru Kenyatta Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 13 February as World Radio Day. UN Secretary: General Antonio Guterres 3. RajendraPachauri, dies aged 79

3. National Science Day 2020  About: NSD is celebrated every year on 28 February to commemorate the discovery of the ‗Raman Effect‘. Government of India designated 28 February as National Science  About: The Indian environmentalist Rajendra Day (NSD) in 1986. Kumar Pachauri, under whose leadership a UN  Highlight: On this day, Sir C.V. Raman climate change panel shared the 2007 Nobel announced the discovery of the 'Raman Effect' peace prize, has died after recent heart surgery. for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in He was 79. 1930. On this occasion, theme-based science  Pachauri won civilian awards from India‘s communication activities are carried out all government in 2001 and 2008. over the country.

 Theme: ―WOMEN IN SCIENCE‖ 4. Actor KishoriBallal dead Minister of Science & Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences :Harsh Vardhan

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FEBRAURY – 2020 JNANAGANGOTHRI Monthly Current Affairs  Centenarian freedom fighter and Vedic scholar Sudhakar Krishna Rao, widely known as SudhakarChaturvedi died. Rao, an eye-witness to the Jalianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919. He was said to be 122 year old.

About: Veteran Kannada actor KishoriBallal died in a private hospital. Ms. Ballal was best known for her role Kaveriamma in the Hindi film Swades, in which she acted with Shah Rukh Khan. She has acted in over 50 movies.

5. Hosni Mubarakdies

 Hosni Mubarak, the former president of Egypt, died in Cairo. He was 91.

6. Historian Shettar passes away at 85

 He had extensively worked on the Jain practice of ritual death in Karnataka and Asoka edicts. He had studied and compiled early edicts in Kannada and worked extensively on the growth of Kannada language down the ages.  His 2007 book ―ShangamTamilagam‖ is considered a seminal work in the study of the early period of Dravidian languages. It won him BhashaSamman from Central Sahitya Akademi. He later wrote two works on Halegannada, classical Kannada. His most recent work was ―PrakritaJagadvalaya‖ in 2018.

7. Renowned Vedic Scholar Sudhakar Chaturvedi passes away

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