India’s Largest Online Test Series 1 Current Affairs Capsule I February 2018 Table of Contents Union Budget & Economic Survey Highlights..................................................................................................... 3 Awards & Honours ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Days & Events ................................................................................................................................................... 5 International Affairs .......................................................................................................................................... 7 National Affairs ............................................................................................................................................... 13 India & World ................................................................................................................................................. 23 Personalities in News ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Environment ................................................................................................................................................... 31 Government Policies & Schemes ..................................................................................................................... 32 Art & Culture .................................................................................................................................................. 36 Science & Technology ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Places in News ................................................................................................................................................ 40 Books & Authors ............................................................................................................................................. 41 Committees & Recommendations................................................................................................................... 41 Business & Economy ....................................................................................................................................... 41 Sports ............................................................................................................................................................. 50 Defence .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 Polity .............................................................................................................................................................. 57 India’s Largest Online Test Series 2 Current Affairs Capsule I February 2018 Union Budget & Economic Survey growth in direct taxes in 2017-18; 18.7% growth in Highlights indirect taxes in 2017-18. • Corporate Tax has been reduced from 30 percent to GST in Union Budget 2018 25 per cent for companies with turnover up to Rs 250 • Instead of 12 months, government will account for 11 crore, move to boost MSME sector. months of revenue only, under GST for 2017-2018. • Rs 21.57 lakh crore has been transferred in form of Technology and IT Sector net GST to finance the shortfalls of states against the • Allocation of Rs 3,073 crore was done for Digital predicted amount of Rs 21.47 lakh. India scheme. • As many as 5 lakh Wi-Fi hotspots will be installed to Railways in Union Budget 2018 give access of broadband services to 5 crore rural • Total capital expenditure for Indian Railways set at citizens. Rs 1, 48, 528 crores. • Government will now explore the usage of • A Special Railway University will also be set up in Blockchain technology but it will also take steps to Vadodara, Gujarat. prohibit circulation of Cryptocurrencies. • In order to cut travel times and delays, the FM proposed cutting 4, 267 unmanned railway crossings. Agriculture & Allied Sectors and Rural Development • Minimum support price (MSP) for all upcoming Kharif crops has been raised to 1.5 times the cost of production. • Agricultural market and infra fund of with corpus of Rs 2,000 will be created for 22,000 gramin agricultural markets and 585 APMCs. • Export of agricultural commodity has been liberalized to meet India’s agricultural exports potential of $100 billion. Health & Social Security • Govt to set up 1.5 lakh centres under Aayushman Bharat Programme to provide health facilities with an allocation of ₹1,200 crore. • 10 crore people to get Rs 5 lakh Health Coverage for hospitalization every year. • Government has set a target to construct at least 2 crore toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission. Education in Union Budget 2018 • Allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore has been proposed for revitalizing and upgrading education sector. • Education in country to be treated without segmentation from KG till class 12. • By 2022, every block with over 20,000 tribals and over 50 per cent STs will have a special Eklavya school. Banks in Union Budget 2018 • Mudra Yojana lending target set at Rs 3 lakh crore. • PM Jivan Bima Yojana gave benefits to 5.22 crore families in 2017. • Allocation of ₹52,719 crore for social inclusion of scheduled castes is proposed in the budget. Taxation in Union Budget 2018 • Government proposes no change in personal income tax rates for salaried class. There has been a 12.6% India’s Largest Online Test Series 3 Current Affairs Capsule I February 2018 Awards & Honours Vikas Sathaye honoured at Oscars Pranab Mukherjee to get honorary D.Litt • Vikas Sathaye has been honoured with the Scientific and Engineering Academy Award at the Oscars • Former President Pranab Mukherjee will be Scientific and Technical Awards 2018. conferred an honorary D.Litt. by the Indian Institute • Sathaye and his team received the award for his of Engineering Science and Technology. contribution towards conceptualisation, designing, • Mukherjee will be conferred the honour during IIEST engineering, and the implementation of the 'Shotover convocation for his role as a public figure for many K1 Camera System. decades. • The Shotover K1 Camera System is a camera mount • Mukherjee was also awarded an honorary D. Litt by that is used in aerial filming. Jadavpur University in December last year. EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Umang App wins Best M-Govt Service award • Sanjiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Finserv, has • Umang App was announced the winner of the Best been named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017. M-Government Service award in the Accessible Govt • Bajaj Finserv has emerged as the country’s leading category while Aadhar won the best emerging name in financial services with solutions across technology award at the World Government Summit lending, life and general insurance and wealth 2018 in Dubai. advisory. • Aadhaar was also recognized as the world’s largest • Bajaj will now represent India at the EY World biometric-enabled identification programme. Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte • The award acknowledged Govt of India’s efforts to Carlo from June 13-17, 2018. provide convenient services to its citizens. 'Startup of the Year' 2017 RIL wins Golden Peacock Award for CSR • Milkbasket, India's first and largest micro-delivery • Reliance Industries has won the Golden Peacock platform has been recognised as 'Startup of the Year' Award 2017 for success of its Corporate Social 2017 at the 7th Small Business Awards. Responsibility initiatives. • Milkbasket delivers milk, bread, eggs, butter, juices • One of RIL's key social projects aim at impacting the and other daily need items every morning. livelihood of farmers through water and food security • The startup of the year award is dedicated to young interventions. SMEs, aged 7 years or less, with great potential to • The award aims to give attention to social & become big in local/international markets. environmental concerns & encourage companies to Asha Bhosle honoured with Yash Chopra Award balance financial profits, value addition & social good • Legendary singer Asha Bhosle has been honoured Modi gets Grand Collar of State of Palestine with the Yash Chopra Memorial Award. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred • Bhosle, who is the fifth recipient of the award, was with the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’. felicitated by actress Rekha during the ceremony. • The Grand Collar is Highest order given to foreign • Bhosle’s illustrious music career spans 7 decades dignitaries, in the past it has been awarded to King having recorded over 11,000 songs in 20 different Salman of Saudi Arabia & President Xi Jinping of languages. China among others. • Previous recipients of the award are Lata • Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to make an Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha & Shah Rukh official visit to Palestine. Khan. TCS recognized as the world's Best employer • Tata Consultancy Services has been recognized as the world's best employer by the Top Employer Institute for the 3rd consecutive year. • TCS was selected from a pool of 1,300 companies in 113 countries for offering exceptional services to its employees. • Top Employer rankings are based on criteria including Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning, Learning & Development & On-boarding among others. The