14-20 february, 2021
TRANSCRIPT
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
14-20 February, 2021
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
NATIONAL NEWS
1.PM Modi visited Tamil Nadu to inaugurate and lay foundation stone of
multiple projects
Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I
extension, completed at a cost of Rs 3770 crore, and commission the
passenger services from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar.
PM Modi will inaugurate the fourth Railway line between Chennai Beach
and Attipattu.
Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Railway Electrification of single
line section in Villupuram - Cuddalore - Mayiladuthurai - Thanjavur and
Mayiladuthurai-Thiruvarur. Completed at a cost of Rs. 423 crore, the
electrification of this 228 km route will enable free flow of traffic without
the need for a change of traction between Chennai Egmore and
Kanyakumari and would result in saving of Rs.14.61 lakh per day on fuel
cost.
2.Puducherry launches a campaign to become COVID-free by February 28
In Puducherry, a campaign has been launched titled “Zero COVID by Feb
28” to ensure that there is no COVID-19 cases by the end of February 2021,
in the union territory.
Under the "Zero COVID by Feb 28" campaign, all those who had come into
contact with people infected with coronavirus would be identified and
provided treatment, so that the further spread of the pathogen could be
prevented, Health and Family Welfare Director S Mohan Kumar said.
Kumar said only eight new cases of infection were reported in the last 24
hours ending 10 a.m. on Sunday after testing 1,930 samples.
3.Mandu festival started at Mandu in Dhar district of MP
In Madhya Pradesh, the three-day Mandu Festival begun at Mandu in the
historic town of Dhar district.
State culture and tourism minister Usha Thakur inaugurated the mandu
festival.
Handicrafts related to handmade art are also being displayed in the Mandu
Utsav to encourage vocal for locals.
The State Minister informed that the Dinosaur Park is the country's first
modern fossil park which has 24 eggs and other fossils of dinosaurs on
display.
4.Minority Affairs Ministry organising 26th Hunar Haat in New Delhi from
20th February to 01st March 2021
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
Minority Affairs Ministry is organising 26th Hunar Haat of indigenous
artisans and craftsmen from across the country at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
in New Delhi.
More than 600 artisans and craftsmen, including a large number of women
artisans, from more than 31 States and Union Territories will participate in
the event.
The Hunar Haat will be organised with the theme of Vocal for Local from
20th February to 1st March this year.
Hunar Haat will also be available at virtual and online platform
www.hunarhaat.org and on GeM Portal where the people of the country and
abroad can buy Hunar Haat products digital and online also.
5.UP govt started training programme for aspirants of various competitive
exams under 'Abhyudaya Yojana'
In Uttar Pradesh, the State Government had started a training programme
for aspirants of various competitive examinations under 'Abhyudaya
Yojana'.
Under the scheme, free of cost training will be provided to the candidates
who are preparing for various competitive examinations.
More than five lakh candidates had done their registration and 50 thousand
aspirants had been selected for training in the first phase.
Under the Abhyudaya Coaching Scheme, candidates will get high-level
guidance regarding examination and interview by skilled mentors including
IAS, IPS, IFS, PCS, PPS and other state-level officers.
Retired officers would also be called for the training of aspirants for better
management.
6.PM Modi laid foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial in UP's
Bahraich
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 16th
February laid the foundation stone of
Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake in
Uttar Pradesh, via video conferencing.
The event in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh marks the birth anniversary of
Maharaja Suheldev. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath was
also present on the occasion.
The complete project will include installation of an equestrian statue of
Maharaja Suheldev and development of various tourist amenities like
cafeteria, guest house and a children's park, a government statement said.
7.Kerala launched fibre optic network to provide free internet to 20 lakh
families
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
To bridge the digital divide by providing high-speed, affordable internet
connectivity to every household, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on
Monday launched the KFON (Kerala Fibre Optic Network) in the state.
Speaking at the launch event, the Chief Minister said that KFON will
revolutionise the digital space.
With KFON, free internet connectivity will be provided to 20 lakh BPL
families. It will also cover villages in all 14 districts.
Earlier only 10% of government offices had high-speed Internet, with the
launch of KFON, 30,000 government institutions will have high brand
width connectivity.
KFON is a joint venture of Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited and
Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). A consortium led by Bharat
Electronics Limited (BEL) was selected to implement the project in March
2019.
8.PM Modi launched ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ initiative and several
development projects in Assam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra, lay
the foundation stone of Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge and perform Bhoomi
Poojan for construction of Majuli Bridge Assam.
The launch of Mahabahu-Brahmaputra will be marked by the inauguration
of the Ro-Pax vessel operations between Neamatighat and Majuli, North
and South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari .
The Ro-Pax services will help in reducing the travel time by providing
connectivity between banks and thus reducing the distance to be travelled
by road.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the longest river bridge
of the country over the Brahmaputra between Dhubri in Assam and Phulbari
in Meghalaya.
The 19 kilometer long 4 lane bridge will reduce the distance of 205
kilometer to be travelled by road to 19 kilometer only.
9.4th edition of PM’s Interaction Programme 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' to be
held next month
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has announced that
the fourth edition of Prime Minister’s Interaction Programme 'Pariksha Pe
Charcha' will be held next month. Through this programme Prime Minister
Narendra Modi holds a brainstorming session with school students, teachers
and parents in connection with the upcoming examinations.
The registration process for the forthcoming 'Pariksha Pe Charcha'
programme has begun which will be open till 14th of March. This time the
programme will be held virtually. The first edition of ‘Pariksha pe Charcha’
was held in 2018.
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
10.Odisha CM announced Rs 200-cr package for Samaleswari shrine
development
Naveen Patnaik announced a Rs 200-crore package for the development of
the 16th-century shrine of Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of western
Odisha.
The SAMALEI (Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local
Economy Initiatives) project will be implemented during the 2021-22 fiscal.
It envisages construction of a km-long walkway for 'parikrama', separate
entry and exit gates, emergency facilities for the temple office,
interpretation centre and preservation of Gopalji Math besides
accommodation, parking facilities, toilets, information kiosks and donation
centres.
11.Hyderabad got recognition as Tree City of the World
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Arbor Day
Foundation had recognized Hyderabad as a 2020 Tree City of World, for its
commitment to growing and maintaining urban forests.
In another feather in the cap of the city, Greater Hyderabad has been
recognized as a 2020 Tree City of the World by the Arbor Day Foundation
and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Telangana's capital is the only city from India to have been recognized as a
Tree City. The city was chosen for this recognition for its commitment
towards growing and maintaining the urban forest
INTERNATIONAL NEWS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS
1.China banned BBC World News from broadcasting
China had criticised the BBC for its reporting on coronavirus and the
persecution of ethnic minority Uighurs.
It follows British media regulator Ofcom revoking state broadcaster China
Global Television Network's (CGTN) licence to broadcast in the UK.
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
Separately, the broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) said it
would stop relaying BBC World Service programming in the region,
prompting condemnation from the BBC.
2.‘Pahela Phagun’ spring festival celebrated in Bangladesh
The first day of the spring called ‘Pahela Phagun’ was celebrated in Dhaka
despite the continued shadow of Corona pandemic in the country. Cultural
organisations held programmes at different venues in the city to herald the
beginning of the spring.
The Jatiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan Parishad organized the programme at the
Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. Young women wearing yellow saris and
youth dressed in ‘Punjabis’ took part in the festivity. The programme
featured dance and musical performances.
The traditional programme of ‘Basanta Utsab’ at the Fine Arts faculty in
Dhaka University was cancelled since educational institutions have been
closed till Feb. 28 by the government due to the Corona pandemic.
3.China overtakes US as EU's biggest trading partner
China bucked a wider trend, as trade with most of Europe's major partners
dipped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trade between China and the EU was worth $709bn (€586bn, £511bn) last
year, compared with $671bn worth of imports and exports from the US.
Although China's economy cratered in the first quarter due to the pandemic,
its economic recovery later in the year fuelled demand for EU goods.
China was the only major global economy to see growth in 2020, stoking
demand for European cars and luxury goods.
4.Facebook blocked Australian users from viewing or sharing news
Facebook had blocked Australian users from sharing or viewing news
content on the platform, causing much alarm over public access to key
information.
It comes in response to a proposed law which would make tech giants pay
for news content on their platforms.
Australians woke up to find that Facebook pages of all local and global
news sites were unavailable.
Several government health and emergency pages were also blocked -
something Facebook later asserted was a mistake.
Those outside of the country are also unable to read or access any
Australian news publications on the platform.
5.Foreign Ministers of India, Australia, Japan and US to meet to discuss free,
open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
The Third India-Australia-Japan-USA QUAD Foreign Minister's Meeting
will be held with participation of the respective Foreign Ministers. The
QUAD meeting will provide an opportunity to continue the useful exchange
of views from their last meeting in Tokyo in October last year.
The Ministers will exchange views on regional and global issues especially
practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and
inclusive Indo-Pacific region. They will also discuss ongoing efforts to
combat the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing global climate change and
other issues of mutual interest.
Talking exclusively to AIR News, former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar termed
the meeting very important as it will give strong impulse to the cooperation
and collaboration among these four countries.
NEW APPOINTMENTS AND PERSON IN NEWS
1.Indian woman “Rashmi Samant” from Karnataka elected as Oxford
Student Union President
Rashmi Samant won the prestigious position of Oxford Student Union
Presidency. An alumna of Manipal Institute of Technology, MAHE is the
first Indian woman to occupy the position of Oxford Student Union
President after she received more than the combined votes of the other three
candidates for the post.
According to the official data present on the web portal of Oxford Student
Union, the election saw 4,881 students cast 36,405 votes. Samant received
1966 of the 3708 casts for the position of President, more than all the other
candidates combined.
Samant contested the election with four main goals that include
decolonization and inclusivity, COVID-19 interventions for all, access to
quality mental health resources and decarbonizing the university.
2.Mario Draghi sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy
The former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi had been sworn in
as Italy’s prime minister at the head of a unity government called on to
confront the coronavirus crisis and economic slump.
Draghi, a respected figure at home and internationally, managed to convince
almost all of the country’s main parties to support his government, with
leaders from the far-right League and populist Five Star Movement (M5S)
adopting more moderate, pro-European tones in recent days.
Draghi’s appointment ends weeks of political turmoil triggered after Matteo
Renzi withdrew his Italia Viva from a ruling coalition made up of M5S and
the centre-left Democratic party because of clashes over how the
government was planning to spend the €200bn-plus that Italy is poised to
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
receive from the EU’s Covid-19 recovery fund. Renzi’s move led to
Giuseppe Conte stepping down as prime minister.
3.Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar sworn-in as Chief Justice of
Manipur HC
Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar had been sworn-in as the Chief
Justice of Manipur High Court at Raj Bhavan, Imphal.
Manipur Governor Dr. Najma A. Heptulla administered the oath of office to
the new Chief Justice with strict adherence of COVID-19 SOPs.
Justice PV Sanjay Kumar was appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court
of Manipur by the President of India on 12th February, 2021. Prior to this,
he served as a Judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
4.Tribal painter Bhuri Bai of MP invited as Chief Guest at Foundation Day
celebrations of Bharat Bhavan
The tribal painter Bhuri Bai of Madhya Pradesh was invited as the Chief
Guest at the Foundation Day celebrations of Bharat Bhavan.
The motivational thing is that when the construction of this building started,
she used to work here as a labourer on a daily wage of Rs six. She never
expected that she would become the Chief Guest in this Bharat Bhavan.
Bhuri Bai, also awarded Padma Shri, is a Master of Tribal Painting Art.
Bharat Bhavan is an autonomous multi-arts complex and museum in
Bhopal.
5.Kiran Bedi removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi was removed from her post
night amid a political crisis in the Union territory after the resignation of
several Congress leaders from the V Narayanasamy government and just
ahead of the assembly elections in April-May this year.
President Ram Nath Kovind said, according to a brief communique issued
by Rashtrapati Bhavan late in the evening, that Bedi "shall cease to hold the
office of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry" and gave the additional
charge of the Union territory to Telengana Governor Tamilisai
Soundararajan.
6.Indian-origin Preeti Sinha to lead United Nations Capital Development
Fund
The UN Capital Development Fund had appointed Indian-origin investment
and development banker Preeti Sinha as its Executive Secretary, whose
focus will be on providing micro-finance assistance to women, youth, small
and medium-sized enterprises in under-served communities.
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Sinha commenced her tenure as UNCDF Executive Secretary, the highest
leadership rank in the institution.
Established in 1966, the New York-headquarted organisation provides
micro-finance access to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), with the
mandate to unlock the full potential of public and private finance.
7.Garibashvili Named Georgian PM Post After Gakharia Resigns
Georgia’s ruling party had nominated Irakli Garibashvili took over as prime
minister hours after Giorgi Gakharia handed in his resignation following a
court ruling that ordered the arrest of the head of the Caucasus country's
main opposition force.
The governing Georgia Dream party named the Paris-educated Garibashvili,
39, who was serving as defense minister in Gakharia's cabinet before the
prime minister stepped down on February 18.
Garibashvili’s appointment needs to be confirmed by parliament, which is
boycotted by the opposition
BANKING
1.India Tunisia Business Council launched with collaboration of Ministry,
Trade and Academia
The India Tunisia Economic Forum held recently gave impetus to the
growing possibilities between India and Tunisia.
Indian Economic Trade Organization organized this event which was
attended by representation from the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of
India, Ministry of Foreign Affairs based in Tunis, business owners,
Academia, and industrialists.
An MOU was signed between Tunisia Africa Business Council and Indian
Economic Trade Organization by Anis Jaziri, President, Tunisia Africa
Business Council and Dr Asif Iqbal, President of the IETO. At the event, Dr
Srikar Reddy IFS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt of
India, spoke about the Tunisia India fertilizer joint venture.
2.Production of Khadi records 29 % growth in country: KVIC Chairman
Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Vinai Kumar
Saxena said that the production of Khadi has recorded 29 per cent growth in
the country. Talking to news persons in Guwahati, Mr. Saxena said that
KVIC has approached various educational institutes and departments to
adopt khadi products. He said that 94 million square metres of Khadi has
been produced during the last six years.
The Chairman mentioned that MoU was signed with Tribal Affairs Ministry
to supply six lakh metres of Khadi clothes to school by March this year. He
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also said that North Eastern states have tremendous potentiality to promote
the indigenous products.
3.Finance Ministry to infuse Rs 3,000 cr in state-owned General Insurers this
quarter
The Finance Ministry will infuse Rs 3,000 crore capital into state-owned
general insurance companies during the current quarter in a bid to improve
their financial health.
Last year, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
cleared proposal to provide capital support to National Insurance, Oriental
Insurance and United India Insurance.
The cabinet had also decided to increase the authorised share capital of
National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) to Rs 7,500 crore and that of
United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL) and Oriental Insurance
Company Limited (OICL) to Rs 5,000 crore each to give effect to the
capital infusion decision.
4.RBI constituted expert committee on Urban Co-operative Banks
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted an eight-member expert
committee on Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) that is tasked with
examining existing issues and provide a road map for strengthening the
sector. The panel will function under the chairmanship of former RBI
Governor N S Vishwanathan.
The committee will take stock of the regulatory measures taken by the
central bank and other authorities related to UCBs and assess their impact
over the last five years. The objective will be to identify key constraints and
enablers.
The primary job of the committee will be to “consider the need for
differential regulations and examine prospects to allow more leeway in
permissible activities for UCBs with a view to enhance their resilience”. It
will also have to draw up a vision document to achieve a vibrant and
resilient urban co-operative banking sector that will prioritise the “principles
of cooperation as well as depositors’ interest and systemic issues”.
5.ICICI Lombard partnered with Flipkart to offer Hospicash insurance
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
Flipkart had partnered with ICICI Lombard General Insurance to offer
Hospicash insurance, which allows consumers to avail a fixed amount for
each day of hospitalisation.
“The fixed daily amount enables consumers to pay for incidental medical or
emergency expenses. The insurance is affordable price, paperless, and
flexible, covering both accidental hospitalisations or planned surgeries or
treatment,” the two companies said in a statement on Wednesday.
6.Union Cabinet approved Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and
Partnership between India, Mauritius
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the
signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership
Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius on February 17, 2021.
This will be the first trade agreement to be signed by India with an African
country. The Agreement is a limited agreement, which will cover trade in
Goods, Trade in Services, Telecom, Rules of Origin,Technical Barriers to
Trade (TBT), Dispute Settlement, Financial services, Sanitary and
Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Movement of Natural Persons, Customs
Procedures and Cooperation in other Areas.
7.Oxford Economics ups India growth forecast to 10.2% for 2021
Global forecasting firm Oxford Economics revised India's economic growth
projection for 2021 to 10.2 per cent from the earlier 8.8 per cent, citing
receding COVID-19 risks and the shift in the monetary policy outlook.
The forecasting firm also noted that India's latest Union Budget has raised
hopes that fiscal policy will finally pick up the growth baton and ease
pressure on the RBI to continue to lead the pandemic policy response.
SCIENCE TECH & DEFENCE
1.Skills Development Ministry launched Mahatma Gandhi National
Fellowship in partnership with IIMs
The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship had
launched the nationwide Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF)
programme to strengthen skills training at district level.
The two-year government-funded programme had been launched under the
World Bank loan assisted programme SANKALP (Skills Acquisition and
Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion).
To implement this programme, the Ministry had partnered with the top nine
Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) across India.
The selected fellows under the programme will be given a stipend of about
Rs 50,000 per month during the first year and Rs 60,000 per month during
the second year. Tata Motors Names Marc Llistosella as New MD, CEO
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
2.Tata Motors had appointed Marc Llistosella as its managing director and
chief executive officer.
He is the former president and CEO of Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. and head
of Daimler Trucks in Asia.
Llistosella, whose appointment will be with effect from July 1, 2021, will
succeed Guenter Butschek, who has expressed his desire to relocate to
Germany at the end of the contract for personal reasons, Tata Motors said in
a regulatory filing.
Llistosella is currently on the board of Swedish transport company Einride
and prior to that, he was associated for a long time with Daimler Trucks.
He was the President and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp.
during 2015-2018, where he worked on improving the profitability and sales
potential of the business.
3.‘Robotic Spa’ facility inaugurated at Visakhapatnam railway station
Waltair Division, in its efforts to enhance the passenger amenities
at Railway stations, has commissioned another innovative facility called
Robotic Spa under Non-fare revenue here at Visakhapatnam railway
station. The first of its kind facility at Railway station in East Coast
Railway was inaugurated by Divisional Railway Manager, Waltair Chetan
Kumar Shrivastava.
The Robotic Spa comprising Relaxing Chair, Foot massager and Fish
pedicure spa gives a pleasant experience to the Rail Customers waiting at
Visakhapatnam railway station.
The motto behind such an innovative model is to facilitate the esteemed rail
customers to spend quality time while waiting for trains.
4.ISRO to launch Brazil’s Amazonia-1 by month-end
In its first dedicated commercial mission of the newly-formed New Space
India Limited (NSIL), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will
launch the PSLV-C51/ Amazonia-1 Mission at the end of the month.
Amazonia-1 is an optical earth observation satellite developed by National
Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil. This will be the first launch of a
Brazilian satellite from India.
5.PM handed over indigenously designed and manufactured Arjun Main
Battle Tank to the Army
India has undertaken massive effort to become self-reliant in the defence
sector. The Prime Minister also handed over the indigenously designed and
manufactured Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Army.
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
It has been indigenously designed and manufactured by the Combat
Vehicles Research and Development Establishment of Defence Research
and Development Organisation.
A tank made in Tamil Nadu will be used in northern borders to keep the
nation safe. This showcases India's unity- Bharat's Ekta Darshan.
Among the projects, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Chennai Metro Rail
Phase-I extension, completed at a cost of 3770 crore rupees, and flagged off
the passenger services from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar.
6.ISRO, MapMyIndia Join Hands to Take on Google Maps/Earth With
Made-in-India Alternative
Indian Space Research Organisation and location and navigation technology
solutions provider MapmyIndia announced an initiative to partner together
to offer India's best, and fully indigenous, mapping portal and geospatial
services.
It combines the power of MapmyIndia's digital maps and technologies with
ISRO's catalogue of satellite imagery and earth observation data, according
to MapmyIndia's CEO and Executive Director, Rohan Verma.
MapmyIndia is an Indian technology company that creates digital maps in
India.
The new indigenously-developed alternative app will be known as
‘Bhuvan’, to provide mapping and other location-based services in India.
The collaboration will use ISRO’s database of satellite images and
MapmyIndia’s digital map platform to develop the new app.
7.International Solar Alliance Special Assembly Elected Dr Ajay Mathur As
New Director General
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) announces Dr. Ajay Mathur as its
new Director General following his election at the first special assembly,
held virtually.
A coalition of 73 member countries, ISA was established at the end of 2015
to accelerate the demand for and use of safe, sustainable, and affordable
solar energy for all.
It aims to mobilize over $1 trillion USD of investment into solar projects by
2030 through focused advocacy, policy and regulatory support, capacity
building, and by overcoming perceived investment barriers.
Dr. Mathur replaces Mr. Upendra Tripathy, who has served as Director
General since the ISA was founded in 2015.
8.Third Scorpene class submarine delivered to Indian Navy
The Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) delivered the third Scorpene-class
submarine to the navy after two years of sea trials. The submarine was
14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)
launched in January 2018 for sea trials and will be commissioned as INS
Karanj.
MDL chairman and managing director Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad
(retired) and Rear Admiral B Sivakumar, Western Naval Command’s chief
of staff officer (technical), signed the acceptance document.
INS Karanj is India’s third of the six Scorpene-class submarines with
superior stealth and combat capabilities. The diesel-electric attack
submarine has been built under MDL’s Project-75 in collaboration with a
French firm.
9.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launches e-Chhawani portal for online
civic services to Cantt Boards
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently launched an online portal ‘e-
Chhawani’ and mobile app, to facilitate ‘ease of living’ and ‘ease of doing’
for the residents of the Cantonment Boards across the country.
The ‘e-Chhawani’ portal will provide online municipal services to more
than 20 lakh citizens across all 62 Cantonment Boards of India while sitting
at home.
The residents of cantonment areas can register their complaints regarding
civic issues and even get their documents like trade licence, sewerage
connectivity applications through the portal.
10.Amazon India to start manufacturing electronic products in India
Amazon India will start manufacturing electronics products in India. To
begin with, it is going to start manufacturing Amazon Fire TV sticks from
India. The announcement came after Electronics and IT Minister Ravi
Shankar Prasad's virtual meeting with Amazon’s Global Senior Vice
President and Country Head for India Amit Agarwal.
The Minister welcomed Amazon’s decision to set up a manufacturing line
in Chennai, as it will enhance domestic production capacities, and create
jobs as well. He added that it will further our mission of creating an Atma
Nirbhar Bharat which is digitally empowered.
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11.Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a Pilot Pey Jal
Survekshan under Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban, JJM-U. Secretary Housing
and Urban Affairs Durga Shanker Mishra informed that it will be
conducted in cities to ascertain equitable distribution of water, reuse of
wastewater and mapping of water bodies with respect to quantity and
quality of water through a challenge process.
As a first step, the Ministry had decided to launch the Survekshan in 10
cities- Agra, Badlapur, Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala,
Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur.
Jal Jeevan Mission Urban is designed to provide universal coverage of
water supply to all households through functional taps in all 4,378 statutory
towns in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal - 6.
12.Union Cabinet approved PLI scheme for telecom sector worth Rs 12,195
crore
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 12,195-crore Production
Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for domestic manufacturing of telecom and
networking products such as switches, routers, radio access network,
wireless equipment and other internet of things (IoT) access devices.
With the inclusion of telecom equipment manufacturing under the ambit of
PLI schemes, the total number of sectors under such programmes stands at
13. All the sectors included under the various PLI schemes are mostly
labour intensive and aim to attract global manufacturing giants into the
Indian manufacturing space.
13.'Snakepedia' mobile app launched in Kerala to help people, doctors treat
snake bites
A team of scientists, nature lovers and doctors have come up with a mobile
application 'Snakepedia' on snakes in Kerala to help the public as well as
doctors to treat snake bites.
Snakepedia is a comprehensive android mobile application that documents
information on snakes with the help of pictures, infographics and podcasts
and analyses its first aid, treatment, myths and superstitions.
Sandeep Das, the EDGE fellow, Zoological Society of London said, "We
have a habit of bringing snakes to the hospital along with the bitten patient.
Even if it is not necessary, if snakes are identified, the treatment will be
better. WhatsApp groups for helping doctors identifying snakes are working
with the help of research. This app will help doctors as well as the public."
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BOOKS AND AWARDS
1.Four Women Scientists won SERB Women Excellence Award 2021
The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of
the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has announced the SERB
Women Excellence Award for the year 2021, on the occasion of the
International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February.
Four young women fellows of National Science Academies had been
awarded SERB Women Excellence Award 2021. The winners include: Dr.
Shobhna Kapoor, Dr. Antara Banerjee, Dr. Sonu Gandhi, Dr. Ritu Gupta
It is a one-time award being presented by SERB to women scientists since
2013 to support basic research in the frontier areas of science and
engineering.
2.Peter Mukerjea pens memoir ‘Starstruck: Confessions of a TV Executive’
Former media baron Peter Mukerjea has come out with his memoir
‘Starstruck: Confessions of a TV executive’.
The book is presented as a recollection of his experiences in the satellite
television industry in India and the changes it has gone through over the
years.
Mukerjea is the former chief executive of Star India. Through this book, he
has shared his journey, to highlight and showcase the plenty of mistakes
made and the plenty of lessons learnt over almost three decades
It must be remembered that Mukerjea was arrested by the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) in November 2015 in connection with the Sheena Bora
murder case.
3.Meghna Pant Pens her new novel ‘The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Good
News’
Meghna Pant had penned a new novel named ‘The Terrible, Horrible, Very
Bad Good News’. Meghna is a writer, journalist and speaker and has won
awards for her contribution to literature, gender issues and journalism.
Penguin Random House India has published the novel and will be released
in April 2021.
4.S. Theodore Baskaran won Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award 2020
S. Theodore Baskaran who is a writer, a historian, a naturalist and an
activist had won the Sanctuary Lifetime Service Award, 2020. The award
was instituted by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation.
Theodore Baskaran was chosen for the award in the light of his dedication
to the wildlife conservation. He won the award for his writing prowess in
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English and Tamil contributing towards the conservation discourse. He was
also chosen for the award in the backdrop of inspiring the young naturalists.
5.Thaawarchand Gehlot Virtually Released Third Edition of Indian Sign
Language Dictionary
The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri
Thaawarchand Gehlot released the “third edition of the Indian Sign
Language (ISL) Dictionary, in a virtual event on February 17, 2021.
The 3rd edition of the ISL dictionary contains total 10,000 terms. These
includes the 6000 terms of the first and second edition of the dictionary.
The terms are of everyday use from academic terms, legal & administrative
terms, medical terms, technical terms and agricultural terms.
6.The National Informatics Centre had launched an instant messaging
platform called Sandes on the lines of WhatsApp.
Like WhatsApp, the new NIC platform can be used for all kinds of
communications by anyone with a mobile number or email id.
The instant messaging app, called Sandes, has an interface similar to many
other apps currently available in the market.
Although there is no option to transfer the chat history between two
platforms, the chats on government instant messaging systems (GIMS) can
be backed up to a users’ email.
GIMS, like other instant messaging apps in the market, uses a valid mobile
number or email id to register the user for the first time. It also offers
features such as group making, broadcast message, message forwarding and
emojis.
7.Award-winning author Irwin Allan Sealy's new novel ‘ASOCA’ to be
published by Penguin
Penguin Random House India proudly announces the acquisition and
publication of a stunning new novel, titled ASOCA: A Sutra, by
prizewinning writer Irwin Allan Sealy. Earlier, Penguin had published the
30th anniversary edition of Sealy’s critically acclaimed debut novel ‘The
Trotter-Nama’ and this is the second book by the author to be published by
PRH. This book will be released under Penguin’s Viking imprint in July
2021.
The novel will be presented as an imagined memoir of ‘Ashoka-The Great’,
the emperor who ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent and played a pivotal
role in the spread of Buddhism from India to other parts of Asia in the 3rd
century BC.
8. WCCB received Asia Environmental Enforcement Award-2020
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The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) had received the Asia
Environmental Enforcement Award-2020 awarded by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).
Sharing the information, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar
said that WCCB getting the award twice in three years is a testimony of
India's commitment towards ending wildlife crime. Wildlife Crime Control
Bureau (WCCB) has been awarded this year under the Innovation category.
Earlier, the Bureau had received the award in 2018 under the same category.
SPORTS
1.Ravichandran Ashwin Became First-ever Bowler To Dismiss Left-handers
200 Times In Test Cricket
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin became the first-ever bowler to dismiss
left-handed batsmen 200 times in Test cricket. The 34-year-old achieved the
feat on the second day of the second Test against England in Chennai.
He dismissed Stuart Broad with the fifth ball of the 60th over to complete
his 29th five-wicket haul and also reached the milestone of dismissing 200
left-handers in the longest format of the game.
In the process, Ashwin also broke James Anderson's (22 in 89 Tests) record
of most fifers in home Test. Ashwin has now 23 such hauls in 45 home
Tests. Muttiah Muralitharan (45), Ragana Herath (26) and Anil Kumble
(25) have taken more fifers at home.
2.Naman Ojha announced retirement from all forms of cricket
India wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha had announced his retirement
from all forms of cricket on February 15, 2021. He played one Test, one
ODI, and two T20Is for India across all formats from 2010-2015. Both his
T20Is and only ODI came in 2010 and his only Test came in 2015 against
Sri Lanka.
Making his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh in the 2000-01 season,
Nama Ojha played 146 first-class games, scoring 9753 runs at an average of
41.67, scoring 22 centuries, 55 fifties, and a highest of 219*. He also
featured in 143 List A games and 182 T20s.
3.VIVO Back As Title Sponsor For Indian Premier League 2021 season
Indian Premier League Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel revealed
at the IPL 2021 Auction that VIVO is back as the title sponsor of the league.
Brijesh Patel spoke ahead of the auction in Chennai on February 18 and
announced that VIVO is back as the title sponsor of the T20 league after
Dream 11 had been roped in as sponsor for the 2020 season. Last year, the
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IPL signed up Dream 11 for Rs 222 crore for one season whereas they had
been getting Rs 440 crore per year from VIVO.
In August 2020, VIVO had pulled out as sponsor of the Indian Premier
League following a backlash on social media. In 2018, VIVO had signed a
five-year deal worth Rs 2199 crore.
4.Former South Africa's Faf du Plessis retired from Test cricket
Former South African captain Faf du Plessis announced his retirement from
cricket's longest format, Tests, but said that he will continue to play white-
ball cricket for his country.
The 36-year-old player said that he "strongly" believes that he has a lot to
offer to South Africa in this format.
The cricketer also clarified that his retirement does not mean that ODI
cricket was "no longer in the plans" adding that he is "just making T20
cricket the priority in the short-term".
OBITUARIES
1. Home Minister Amit Shah paid tributes to Pulwama martyrs
Nation was remembering the martyrs of Pulwama attack who made the
supreme sacrifice in a dastardly terrorist attack in 2019. Forty Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred when their convoy
on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne
suicide bomber at Lethpora in Pulwama.
Home Minister Amit Shah had said that India will never forget their
exceptional courage and supreme sacrifice. In a tweet, Mr Shah said, he
bowed down to the brave martyrs who lost their lives in the gruesome
Pulwama attack on this day in 2019.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also paid homage to those brave CRPF
personnel who sacrificed their lives in Pulwama terror attack. He said, India
will never forget their service to the nation and their supreme sacrifice. Mr
Singh said, we continue to stand with their families, who had to suffer due
to this attack.
2.Retired Supreme Court judge Justice P B Sawant passed away At 91
Retired Supreme Court (SC) Justice P B Sawant passed away in Pune. He
was 91.
He passed away due to age related issues. He was 91 and had not been
keeping well from more than the last one month. His death has caused an
irreparable damage to legal and social fraternity. He is survived by his wife
and three children and their families,” said former Judge of Bombay High
Court, BG Kolse Patil, who has had a long association with Justice Sawant.
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3.Former Governor and noted jurist M Rama Jois passed away at 88
Former Bihar-Jharkhand governor and noted jurist Justice (Retd.)
Mandagadde Rama Jois passed away at 88 after a period of prolonged
illness, according to his family.
M Rama Jois, a former Rajya Sabha MP, had also served as the Chief
Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was suffering from age-
related ailments, family members were quoted as saying in a PTI report.
Born on July 27, 1932, at Shivamogga, M Rama Jois did his BA and Law
degree. He was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)
from the beginning.
He was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh from the
beginning.
4.Congress leader and Gandhi loyalist Capt Satish Sharma died at 73
Congress leader and former union minister Captain Satish Sharma died in
Goa after a brief illness. He was 73.
Sharma was suffering from cancer and was ailing for some time.
A close aide of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sharma was Union
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas from 1993 to 1996 in the Narasimha
Rao government.
Born on October 11, 1947 in Andhra Pradesh's Secunderabad, Sharma was
a professional commercial pilot.
He first became a member of Rajya Sabha in June 1986 and was later
elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi in 1991 after the death of Rajiv
Gandhi
IMPORTANT DAYS
1. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav being held from 14th to 28th Feb
The 11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is being held between 14th to 28th
February at Cooch Behar, Darjeeling and Murshidabad in West Bengal. The
inaugural programme is going to take place this evening at Coochbehar.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union Minister of State for Culture and
Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel will be present in the inauguration.
The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is a flagship programme of the Ministry
of Culture, organised under the “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” programme,
since 2015, to celebrate the idea of unity in diversity.
In 2021, the 11th edition of the festival is being celebrated and West Bengal
has been chosen as the focus destination.
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14-20 Feb, 2021 Weekly Current Affairs (English)