Daily Current Affairs

Current Affairs Today 15th, 16th & 17th February 2020| Current Affairs News

Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Read Current Affairs here and stay updated with current news. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this and try Current Affairs Quiz to test your knowledge level.

Daily Current Affairs PDF of 15th, 16th & 17th February 2020

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Govt sets up teams to examine villages bordering Nepal for novel coronavirus infection

  • Union Health Ministry has constituted central teams of experts for examination of villages bordering Nepal for novel coronavirus infection.
  • According to the Ministry, villages bordering Nepal in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim and West Bengal will be inspected by central teams for community-level Information Education Communication activities for novel coronavirus.
  • Five separate teams of doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control, Safdarjung Hospital, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital among others have been set up.

Indian Railways zone becomes 1st in India to have energy-neutral stations

  • Indian Railways takes a huge leap towards environmental sustainability.The Indian Railways South Central Railways (SCR) zone has become the first zonal railway in the country to have functional “energy neutral” railway stations on the network.
  • The anticipated energy generation from these energy neutral stations is coming to be around 3 lakh units annually. The SCR zone expects that solar power generated at these stations will lead to savings of Rs 13 lakh per year.
  • The total capacity of all the solar panels installed at the 13 energy neutral stations is 99 kWp
  • The South Central Railways has converted a total of 13 railway stations into “energy neutral” stations, which is the highest amongst all the zones across the Indian Railways network.
  • Energy-neutral railway stations are capable of meeting 100 per cent energy requirements by tapping into solar power through solar photovoltaic panels which have been commissioned at the station buildings.
  • The concept of the energy neutral stations is based on the principle of developing railway stations and buildings with total solar power in order to meet the complete energy requirements. This has been done by the installation of the solar photovoltaic panels on the roof tops, which are further integrated with the on-grid as well as off-grid solar energy plants for deriving power supply for the entire station.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

India, Norway to strengthen bilateral cooperation to contain marine pollution

  • Union Minister for Environment Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar stated, the year 2020 will be a Super Year for Environment.
  • He stated, India has initiated Ocean dialogue with Norway to address the problem of Marine Plastic litter. Both countries decided to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in the field of environment and climate change particularly in the field of marine pollution.
  • Both countries discussed ways to ensure that the coming decade will be of rapid global action on the Environment. India and Norway have formed joint working groups on Blue economy with sustainable development.
  • That both the ministers issued a joint statement after the meeting which envisages joint efforts in dealing with challenges of climate change, sharing of technology and research and development in the field of environment.
About Norway
  • Capital: Oslo
  • Currency: Norwegian kron

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

Simplified tax compliance regime to be rolled out by April 1: Nirmala Sitharaman

  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that simplified tax compliance regime will be rolled out by April 1st, this year. Addressing economists and experts as part of Jan Jan Ka Budget held in Hyderabad the minister directed senior officials to conduct district level interactions in person to clear all GST related issues of traders and industry people.
  • The Finance Minister also stated, the state governments are also on board with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and the state governments also have the responsibility to create awareness about GST. The Finance Minister stated that many aspects have been taken into consideration before imposing cess and taxes in the Budget 2020-21.
  • Minister made it clear that the 5 per cent cess on imports of Medical equipment is applicable to only those equipment which are also produced in India.  She further stated, the cess collected will be spent on creating medical infrastructure like hospitals in tier-two and tier-three cities in the country.

Moody’s lowers GDP growth rate for 2020 to 5.4 per cent

  • Coronavirus dents optimism just as global economy was starting to show signs of stabilisation
  • Amidst indications of the deadly coronavirus hitting global growth, international rating agency Moody’s Investors Service lowered the estimate for India’s economic growth rate for 2020 by 120 basis points (100 basis points make up one percentage point).
  • Revised growth forecasts to 4 per cent for 2020 and 5.8 per cent for 2021, down from our previous projections of 6.6 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively .This revision has come at a time when the government thinks at least seven green-shoots are visible.
  • These include higher foreign direct investment (FDI), higher foreign portfolio investment, stock market indices ruling at near-life-time highs and strong recovery seen in PMI. However, a day after this claim, industrial growth contracted and retail inflation again surged to a 68-month high.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

SEBI constitutes municipal bonds development committee

  • Markets regulator Sebi stated it has constituted a committee which will suggest on policy matters pertaining to development of municipal debt securities and facilitate municipalities for issuance of such bonds.
  • The regulator has constituted a municipal bonds development committee headed by its Executive Director Sujit Prasad and comprises representatives from municipal corporations, lawyers, professionals and market practitioners.
  • The panel will advise SEBI on issues related to regulation and development of primary and secondary market of municipal debt securities, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) stated in a statement.
  • It will suggest the regulator on matters required to be taken up for changes in legal framework to introduce simplification and transparency in systems and procedures in the primary and secondary market
About SEBI:
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India is the regulator for the securities market in India owned by the Government of India. It was established in 1988 and given Statutory Powers on 30 January 1992 through the SEBI Act, 1992.
  • Founded: 12 April 1992
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi

IRDAI to set up common electronic platform to settle health insurance claims

  • The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is looking at setting up a common electronic platform for settling health insurance claims.
  • The platform, which is expected to come up soon, will help standardise settlements and ensure that they are done within a specific period of time.
  • IRDAI has already formed a committee on this, and the platform will be developed by the Insurance Information Bureau. The idea of forming this platform is (to ensure) that all are there on a single platform, that is the insurer, insured, and hospitals – and the claims will be processed on this platform.
  • This will give a rich wealth of data, apart from standardising settlement and ensuring that settlements are done within a specific period in time, stated at a health insurance summit organised by Assocham.
About  IRDAI:
  • The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India is an autonomous, statutory body tasked with regulating and promoting the insurance and re-insurance industries in India.
  • Founded: 1999
  • Headquarters: Hyderabad
  • Chairperson: Subhash Chandra Khuntia

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

‘Pyaar ka Paudha’ campaign launched by Bihar govt to encourage practice of planting trees

  • ‘Pyaar ka Paudha’ (a plant of love) campaign has been launched by the Bihar government’s Department of Environment and Forest in Patna, to encourage the practice of planting trees in the state.
  • The environment department has appealed to the people to gift the plant of love to their close ones as it will be alive for years & also stalls of Patna plants have been planted for this purpose.
About Bihar
  • Capital– Patna
  • Governor– Phagu Chauhan
  • Chief minister– Nitish Kumar

Gadkari Inaugurates First Inter-City Electric Bus Service in Maharashtra

  • Union Minister for Transport, Highways, and MSMEs, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the first inter-city electric bus service, between Mumbai and Pune in
  • The 43-seater capacity luxury electric bus, manufactured by Mitra Mobility Solution, has a range of 300 kilometres on a single charge and would be operated twice daily between the two cities.
  • The company, which claims to already have around 1,300 electric buses in operation, is also looking to extend these services in other parts of Maharashtra and adjoining states.
  • The government is ready to provide policy support to serious investors and also appealed them to come forward in the field of alternative fuel including bio-CNG and electric vehicles.
About Maharashtra
  • Capital- Mumbai
  • Chief Minister-Uddhav Bal Thackeray
  • Governor- Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Gandhinagar railway station to have 5-star hotel

  • In a first of its kind in India, the Indian Railways is going to build a five-star hotel above the railway tracks in the station.
  • Gandhinagar will be the first railway station to have a 5-star facility above the tracks.
  • Railways has allowed for pillars to come on the tracks to form the ceiling which will allow for the hotel to be constructed on top.
  • The five-star hotel, which will be run by the Leela Group, is expected to be completed by December this year.
  • It’s a unique model, the design has been made in a way that no vibrations or noise from the trains on the tracks below will be felt by the occupants of the hotel.
  • The 5-star hotel will have over 300 rooms with the ground floor 22 metres above the ground. The entire Gandhinagar station will have 3 towers that will give the impression of petals from an aerial view.
  • The three towers will have 6, 8 and 10 levels with the hotel making the station one of the tallest buildings in the city. The railway station will have a revamped station building with concourse areas that will boast retail shops, food courts etc for the comfort of passengers.

Haryana to give cash prizes, employment to sportspersons

  • Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar stated that in order to promote sports in the state and encourage youths to excel in sports, the State government has made provision of cash prizes and employment in the Sports Policy.46th Junior National Kabaddi Competition organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Association Haryana at Sports Complex of Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
  • A provision has been made to give of Rs 6 crore to players who have won gold medals at the Olympic Games, Rs 3 crore to the players who have won gold medals at the Asian Games and Rs 5 crore to the players who have won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. An amount of Rs 15 lakh will be given to each player participating in the Olympic Games so that the players can make the state, as well as the country, proud.
  • The Chief Minister also honoured Dronacharya and Arjuna Awardee players on this occasion. On behalf of the association, the Chief Minister was honoured with a turban and badge. The Chief Minister interacted with the officers of Sports Authority of India and also with the players.
About Haryana:
  • Capital: Chandigarh
  • Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya
  • Chief minister: Manohar Lal Khattar

J&K, Ladakh to come under jurisdiction of CAT soon

  • Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh has stated that Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will soon be covered by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
  • Addressing the annual conference of the CAT in New Delhi, he stated the tribunal will have jurisdiction to handle disputes and other issues related to the UT services. The CAT so far had jurisdiction only over central services issues in Jammu and Kashmir.
  • Dr Singh stated that in due course of time, an exclusive bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal will be set up in Jammu and Kashmir and till then the Chandigarh bench of the tribunal may attend to the service disputes and other cases from the Union territory.

Arunachal Pradesh govt to form panel for Stilwell Road Development

  • Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein stated that the state government will form a committee on Stilwell Road Development and would appeal Govt. of India for prioritizing on restoration of the road. He stated both India and Myanmar would be mutually beneficial by the road, further deepening the age old cultural linkage and help promoting spiritual tourism.
  • Mein reiterated that North East region is the gateway to the ASEAN countries. He stated the re-opening of the Stilwell Road would also act as catalyst for cross border trade. The Historic Ledo Road or Stilwell Road was constructed by the Allied Soldiers lead by America during the Second World War.
  • The road links northeastern India with the Burma Road (Myanmar), and from Myanmar to China. It started from Ledo, in Assam, passing through Lekhapani, Nampong and the Pangsau pass in Arunachal Pradesh on the India-Myanmar border.

Uttarakhand CM inaugurates web portal of Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti

  • Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivender Singh Rawat inaugurated official web portal of Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti. He also launched Mandir Samiti’s diary and calendar.
  • This web portal is designed by National Informatics Centre (NIC). Mr Rawat stated, all the important information regarding Chardham yatra will be accessible to the people from any part of the world through the official portal.
About NIC:
  • National Informatics Centre is an attached office under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. NIC provides infrastructure to help support delivery of Government IT services and delivery of some of the initiatives of Digital India.
  • Founded: 1976
  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Director General: Neeta Verma
  • Parent organisation: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Manipur: Seed sowing festival ‘Lui-Ngai-Ni’ celebrated at Ukhrul

  • The Naga tribes of Manipur celebrated it’s seed sowing festival ‘Lui-Ngai-Ni’, under the theme “Oneness through Culture”, with much fanfare at Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) ground in Ukhrul.
  • Leaders from other communities of the State, mainly Meitei, Kuki and Zomi also participated at Lui-Ngai-Ni Festival to show mutual solidarity for peaceful co-existence.
  • Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh stated, Lui-Ngai-Ni reflects the rich cultural heritage of the Nagas and expressed the hope that the festival usher joy, happiness, prosperity and strengthen the bond of oneness and brotherhood among all communities

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

Gujarat Tourism- ITDC sign MoU to develop light, sound show at major tourist places

  • Gujarat Tourism Department and ITDC of Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU for consultancy service to develop innovative and decorative light and sound show at major tourist places in the state.
  • MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of State for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Kutch.
  • Both the leaders were present on the occasion of opening of three-day All India Council of Tourism Secretaries organized by the Union Ministry of Tourism and Culture in cooperation with the Gujarat Government at Dhordo in the Great Rann of Kutch.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Vinay Dube appointed as GoAir CEO

  • Wadia group-promoted GoAir has appointedVinay Dube as the airline’s Chief Executive Officer.
  • Dube would be responsible for the management of the airline and also for meeting the goals and long-term growth objectives of the company.
  • Earlier, Dube has served as Senior Vice President-Asia Pacific at Delta Air Lines, CEO at Delta Technology LLC, Vice President-Consulting & Marketing Solutions at Sabre Airline Solutions, among other positions.

1988 batch IAS officer Rajiv Bansal becomes Air India’s new CMD

  • The government appointed the 1988 batch IAS officer of Nagaland Cadre Rajiv Bansal as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India. Mr Bansal is presently serving as the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
  • 1987 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh Cadre Debashis Panda has been appointed as the Secretary, Department of Financial Services. Rajkumar, 1987 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre has been appointed Secretary Defence Production.
  • Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India, Usha Sharma has been appointed Youth Affairs Secretary. Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Pawan Kumar Agarwal will be Consumer Affairs Secretary.
  • Rajiv Ranjan has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Fisheries and Saraswati Prasad as Secretary of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.

Karnataka Deputy CM Laxman Savadi set to be elected unopposed

  • Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi from BJP is set to win the lone vacant seat of legislative Council following the withdrawal of candidature by Independent candidate Anil Kumar who was supported by JD(S).
  • Laxman Savadi who had lost the Assembly election was made Deputy Chief Minister and hence it is necessary for him to be elected to the House to retain his position.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Renowned Feminist Scholar Gita Sen Wins Dan David Prize

  • Feminist scholar and activist Gita Sen has won the prestigious Dan David Prize for her expansive work in the fields of population policies, reproductive and sexual health, women’s rights, poverty, labour markets and global governance.
  • The Dan David Prize annually awards three prizes of $1 million each to globally inspiring individuals and organisations. It is endowed by the Dan David Foundation and headquartered at Tel Aviv University.
  • The award recognises and encourages innovative and interdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and paradigms.

Dr Sohini Sastri wins Best Astrologer of the Year at Indian Achievers Award ceremony

  • Kolkata-born renowned astrologer Dr Sohini Sastri, has been graced with prestigious Indian Achievers Award, wherein she was adjudged the Best Astrologer of the Year.
  • The award was presented to Dr Sohini Sastri by Union HRD Minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, in a special ceremony conducted at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
  • Dr Sohini Sastri is an internationally acclaimed Astrologer by profession. She has won various national and international awards for her professional and social initiatives on society.
  • She received the prestigious “Champions of Change” award from former President, Dr Pranab Mukherjee, “Pride of the Nation” award from the Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh and the “Brilliance Award” from the Governor of Uttarakhand, Baby Rani Maurya.
  • Rajendra Indraman Singh, Founder & Chairperson of Priyadarshini Group of Schools & Colleges has been awarded the Indian Achievers Award (IAA) in recognition of his “Outstanding Contribution to Indian Education”.

Scientist from CDRI gets Tata Innovation Fellowship

  • Dr Ritu Trivedi, Principal Scientist from Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) has been conferred with prestigious Tata Innovation Fellowship for the year 2019-2020.The fellowship has been given to her in recognition of her contributions in translational research by innovative scientific knowledge and platform technologies.
  • Major scientific contributions of Dr Trivedi are in the area of Metabolic Bone Disorders, specifically post-menopausal osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Her work has led to pipeline of potential products from natural resources and small molecules for improvement of bone health.
  • Out of these, one compound antiresorptive agent had shown promise for the treatment of osteoporosis accompanying menopause and other estrogen deficiency conditions and which has got Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approval for clinical trial.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Difficult Dialogues 2020

  • The fifth edition of Difficult Dialogues will be held from February 14 to February 16 at the International Centre Goa, Dona Paula.
  • The conference will see leading experts, policymakers, politicians, lawyers, judges and academicians gather to discuss the state of law.
  • The conference is organised in partnership with the University of Oxford (UK), the Bar Association of India, Centre for Study of Law and Governance at Jawaharlal Nehru University, OP Jindal Global University, PLAN India, PHIA, International Centre Goa, Goa University and VM Salgaocar College of Law.

Delhi to host 3-day global conference on traditional medicines

  • The 7th International Congress of the Society for Ethnopharmacology (SFEC 2020), to be inaugurated by Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik, will be attended by more than 2,000 experts and representatives from the industry in New Delhi
  • Experts from India and abroad will deliberate on the strengths of the traditional medicine system and the challenges it faces at a three-day conference.
  • It is organised by Jamia Hamdard University.
  • The mega event is being supported by the Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Biotechnology among others.
  • The SFE – Herbal Industry Leader Award – 2020 will be conferred upon K K Sharma, founder of AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (India) for his contribution in the field of herbal drugs as an industrialist, while the SFE Lifetime Achievement award will be given to Dr Nitya Anand in recognition to his role in discovering, designing and development of herbal medicines.
  • Similarly, the award for Outstanding International Ethnopharmacologist – 2020 will be given to Dr Roy Upton, founder of American Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

All India Conference of Central Administrative Tribunal 2020 held in New Delhi

  • The annual All India Conference of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) was held in New Delhi.
  • The one day conference was attended by Judicial and Administrative Members from all 17 Benches of CAT from across the country, members of the CAT Bar Association and eminent Jurists, who deliberated on key issues related to the functioning of the Tribunal and priorities for 2020.
  • The Conference was presided over by Union Minister for Law and Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad.
  • It is a platform to discuss issues related to the work of CAT, including structural and institutional issues, the functioning of administrative tribunals in other legal systems and methodology for the functioning of the tribunal among others.

PM Modi inaugurates ‘Kashi Ek Roop Anek’ exhibition in Varanasi

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Kashi Ek Roop Anek’– a cultural, arts and handicrafts exhibition, at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Hastakala Sankul in
  • ‘Kashi Ek Roop Anek’ showcased products from over 10,000 artisans from all over Uttar Pradesh.
  • Artistes and weavers at the two-day event will be imparted skills for improving the quality and branding of their wares suitable for the larger national and international markets.
  • There are 23 lakh artisans and weavers residing in Uttar Pradesh. Of these, about 35,800 artisans and 1.5 lakh weavers stay in Varanasi alone.
  • The Uttar Pradesh government had launched the ambitious scheme ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) in which one craft per district was identified.
  • The state government has established raw material banks, testing labs, common facility centres, and facilitated direct market access to artisans and weavers and helping them improve their income.
  • Unveiled the63 feet Statue of Deendayal Upadhyay (largest statue of the leader in the country) and dedicated to the nation the Deendayal Upadhyay Memorial in Varanasi.
  • Flagged off the third corporate train‘Kashi Mahakal Express’ which links 3 Jyotirling Pilgrim Centres – Varanasi, Ujjain and Omkareshwar.
  • Inaugurated 36 developmental projects including a 430 Bed Super-Speciality Government Hospital and laid foundation stone for 14 developmental projects, worth over Rs 1254 crore.
  • Attended the Centenary Celebration of Jagadguru Vishwaradhya Gurukul at Jangamwadi Mutt.
  • Released the translated version of‘Shri Siddhant Shikhamani Granth’ in 19 languages and also launched the ‘Shri Siddhant Shikhamani Granth’ Mobile App

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

DMart’s Radhakishan Damani is second richest man in India: Forbes

  • Riding on the ongoing stock rally of Avenue Supermarts, founder Radhakishan Damani has become the second most richest in India, behind Reliance Industries’s Mukesh Ambani ($57.4 billion).
  • According to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires Index, the total net worth of Damani is at $17.8 billion.
  • Damani’s net worth surged to nearly 16 per cent jump in Avenue Supermart’s DMart shares over the past 10 days.
  • Avenue Supermarts is the most profitable grocery retailer in India and has 196 stores across the country. Damani got into retailing in 2002 with one store in suburban Mumbai and has been unstoppable since. He was also a mentor to billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.

Global defence spending: the United States widens the gap

  • In 2019, the United States remained by far the world’s largest defence spender, widening the gap between it and the second largest spender, China. US investments in weapons procurement and R&D alone were larger than China’s total defence budget. The United States’ defence investments in weapons procurement and R&D were also worth around four times as much as European states’ combined.
  • IISS data shows that in 2019the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and India retained their positions as the world’s top defence spenders.
  • Indeed, the only movement in the top 15 saw Italy and Australia swap places, with Italy taking the 12th position and Australia the 13th.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

Anti-hijack mock drill conducted in Vishakapatnam

  • A mock anti-hijack exercise was conducted by INS Dega at Visakhapatnam airport.
  • The anti-hijack exercise was conducted with a mock situation created that involved the actions of various agencies including Marine Commandos (MARCOS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the State Government agencies.
  • The objective of the exercise was to test the efficacy of the contingency plans and procedures to deal with hijack threats by all stakeholders.
  • The anti-hijack exercise was conducted with a mock situation created using a naval Dornier aircraft for initiating coordinated actions by all stakeholders from the Navy, the airport and other Central and State agencies. On completion of the exercise, a debrief was conducted and the standard operating procedures were revalidated in order to effectively deal with future contingencies.
  • The Anti-Hijack Mock Drill is conducted at every Indian airport annually as mandated by the National Civil Aviation Security Programme with an aim to test the efficiency of the airport’s Contingency Plan and to familiarise all agencies about their respective responsibilities in a hijack situation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NIT, Trichy develops a mobile app for Self Help Group products

  • The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy, Tamilnadu has developed Thirumathikart – a mobile app for SHG (Self Help Group)
  • The application was developed in coordination with the Union Department of Science and Technology.The main objective of the app is to empower women and help them access market opportunities in a seamless manner.The platform will also enable Self Help Groups to showcase their products to a wider audience.
  • The app will be introduced to the market at a function to be held in Trichy as part of a five-day executive development programme being conducted by the Central Department of Science and Technology.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Indian athletes clinch 3 medals in World SnowShoe Championship

  • Indian athletes finished with three medals in different categories in the World SnowShoe Championship at Myoko, Japan .
  • Ayan Bin Shahnaz bagged silver, while Zain Ali and Muzamil Hussain Mir, all are from Kashmir,  bagged bronze medals in their respective categories.
  • Athletes from 17 countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden and France participated in the championship. The Indian contingent was fielded by SnowShoe Federation of India.

Vidit Gujrathi continues to lead standings in Masters category of Prague Chess Festival

  • Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi continued to lead the standings in the Masters category of the Prague Chess Festival, after sharing a point with Swedish GM Nils Grandelius in the fourth round.
  • Gujrathi, the second-ranked Indian chess player behind Viswanathan Anand, was forced to draw against Grandelius, the lowest-rated player in the field, in a 35-move game.
  • P Harikrishna, the other Indian in the 10-player field, held Sam Shankland of the USA to a draw.He had suffered a defeat in round three at the hands of the world’s top junior Alireza Firouzja.

Manchester City banned from European competition for two seasons by UEFA

  • The Premier League stated in March that it had opened its own investigation into Manchester City and Financial Fair Play after UEFA began its probe.
  • English champions Manchester City have been banned from European competition for the next two seasons and fined 30 million euros ($32.53 million) by European soccer’s governing body UEFA after an investigation into alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
  • UEFA announced in a statement that City had committed “serious breaches” of the rules while the Premier League club swiftly stated on their website that they will appeal the decision to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Parikrama lead guitarist and founder Sonam Sherpa passes away

  • The founding member and lead guitarist of acclaimed band Parikrama, Sonam Sherpa passed away.
  • Sherpa formed Parikrama on June 17, 1991 in Delhi along with Subir Malik, who is also the organ player in the band.
  • Sherpa was known for giving music to the band’s many hits including But It Rained, Tears of the Wizard and Am I Dreaming.

DAILY CA 14TH FEB

  • Sarojini Naidu’s 141st Birth Anniversary: National Women’s Day
  • Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi renamed as Sushma Swaraj Bhawan
  • PM Modi to hold talks with Portuguese President in New Delhi
  • E-Cigarettes Banned Across All Indian Airports and Aircrafts – Aviation Security Regulator
  • Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visits Indian Military Academy
  • 15th Finance Commission forms panel on defence, internal security funding
  • Allahabad Bank cuts MCLR by 0.05 per cent across tenors
  • RBI to conduct ₹25-lakh cr reverse repo auction
  • EIU lowers global growth forecast for 2020
  • UP govt inks MoU with eGov Foundation for state-wide implementation of municipal financial accounting platform
  • Puducherry Passes Resolution Against Citizenship Amendment Act
  • Manipur CM launches ‘Anganphou Hunba’ programme at Arapti Mayai Leikai in Imphal East
  • Former India all-rounder Robin Singh appointed UAE’s Director of Cricket
  • Ajay Patel new AICF president, Bharat Singh Chauhan Secretary
  • Narayana Murthy’s son-in-law appointed as UK’s new Finance Minister
  • Indian-origin UK Minister Alok Sharma to lead UN climate summit
  • Senior IAS officer Debasish Panda appointed finance secretary
  • Kovind awards President’s Colour, highest military honour, to INS Shivaji
  • 43rd Session of IFAD Governing Council
  • Organic Food Festival for women entrepreneurs in delhi
  • OneWeb: London start-up launches first big batch of satellites
  • Book titled “Messages from Messengers” by Priti K Shroff
  • Indian, Sri Lankan Navies to conduct joint hydrographic survey
  • Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh named Player of the Year 2019 by IHF
  • Vidit Santosh Gujrathi posts win in Prague Chess opener
  • Amit Panghal ranked No 1 by IOC’s Boxing Task Force rankings for Olympic Qualifiers
  • Fashion designer Wendell Rodricks passes away
  • Former TERI chief R K Pachauri passes away at 79

DAILY CA 15TH 16TH AND 17TH FEB

  • Govt sets up teams to examine villages bordering Nepal for novel coronavirus infection
  • Indian Railways zone becomes 1st in India to have energy-neutral stations
  • India, Norway to strengthen bilateral cooperation to contain marine pollution
  • Simplified tax compliance regime to be rolled out by April 1: Nirmala Sitharaman
  • Moody’s lowers GDP growth rate for 2020 to 4 per cent
  • SEBI constitutes municipal bonds development committee
  • IRDAI to set up common electronic platform to settle health insurance claims
  • ‘Pyaar ka Paudha’ campaign launched by Bihar govt to encourage practice of planting trees
  • Gadkari Inaugurates First Inter-City Electric Bus Service in Maharashtra
  • Gandhinagar railway station to have 5-star hotel
  • Haryana to give cash prizes, employment to sportspersons
  • J&K, Ladakh to come under jurisdiction of CAT soon
  • Arunachal Pradesh govt to form panel for Stilwell Road Development
  • Uttarakhand CM inaugurates web portal of Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti
  • Manipur: Seed sowing festival ‘Lui-Ngai-Ni’ celebrated at Ukhrul
  • Gujarat Tourism- ITDC sign MoU to develop light, sound show at major tourist places
  • Vinay Dube appointed as GoAir CEO
  • 1988 batch IAS officer Rajiv Bansal becomes Air India’s new CMD
  • Karnataka Deputy CM Laxman Savadi set to be elected unopposed
  • Renowned Feminist Scholar Gita Sen Wins Dan David Prize
  • Dr Sohini Sastri wins Best Astrologer of the Year at Indian Achievers Award ceremony
  • Scientist from CDRI gets Tata Innovation Fellowship
  • Difficult Dialogues 2020
  • Delhi to host 3-day global conference on traditional medicines
  • All India Conference of Central Administrative Tribunal 2020 held in New Delhi
  • PM Modi inaugurates ‘Kashi Ek Roop Anek’ exhibition in Varanasi
  • DMart’s Radhakishan Damani is second richest man in India: Forbes
  • Global defence spending: the United States widens the gap
  • Anti-hijack mock drill conducted in Vishakapatnam
  • NIT, Trichy develops a mobile app for Self Help Group products
  • Indian athletes clinch 3 medals in World SnowShoe Championship
  • Vidit Gujrathi continues to lead standings in Masters category of Prague Chess Festival
  • Manchester City banned from European competition for two seasons by UEFA
  • Parikrama lead guitarist and founder Sonam Sherpa passes away

 

This post was last modified on September 29, 2020 11:44 am

5 years ago

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