Daily Current Affairs

Current Affairs Today 20th February 2019 | Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 20th Feb 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day of Social Justice

  • World Day of Social Justice is observed annually on 20th February
  • The United Nations General Assembly approved the day on November 2007 and every year since 2009 social justice day is observed to raise awareness about social injustices throughout the world.
  • The theme of 2019 World Day of Social Justice is ‘If You Want Peace & Development, Work for Social Justice’.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Rajnath Singh inaugurated cyber crime fighting facility

  • Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a state of the art national cyber forensic lab (NCFL) and the Delhi Police’s cyber crime unit Cyber Prevention, Awareness & Detection Centre (CyPAD).
  • Both the cybercrime fighting units are based in a complex at Dwarka, New Delhi.
  • NCFL is part of the Union Home Ministry’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center.
  • CyPAD of Delhi Police deal with crypto-currency frauds and international tech-supported frauds.

14th Agricultural Science Congress inaugurated in New Delhi

  • Union Minister for Agriculture and Animal Welfare Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated the 14th Agricultural Science Congress in New Delhi.
  • A four-day event aims to doubling farmers’ income by 2022
  • Theme of 14th Agricultural Science Congress is ‘Innovations for Transformation’
  • The event being organised by the National Academy of Agricultural Science (NASS), Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) and Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)
  • The Congress, organised once every two years, About 2,000 delegates from 17 countries are expected to attend the event
USEFUL INFO
Union Minister of Agriculture and Animal Welfare Radha Mohan Singh
Constituency Purvi Champaran, Bihar

 

79th Indian History Congress to be held in Bhopal

  • The 79th Indian History Congress (IHC) will be held at Barkatullah University in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from February 26
  • This session was earlier scheduled at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) from December 28. but it was cancelled by the local hosts due to financial reason
  • This is the second time the IHC would be held in Madhya Pradesh, Earlier it was hosted in 2011.
  • Over 1,000 delegates including prominent historians are expected to participate in the IHC in Bhopal
  • Indian History Congress was established in 1935 and this is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians. It promotes and encourages scientific study of Indian history

Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu launched ‘SWAYATT’ on GeM in New Delhi

  • Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, launched SWAYATT in New Delhi
  • SWAYATT is an initiative to promote Start-ups, women and youth advantage through e-transactions on Government e Marketplace (GeM).
  • This will bring together the key stakeholders within the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem to Government e-Marketplace the national procurement portal.
USEFUL INFO
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu
Constituency Andhra Pradesh, Rajya Sabha
CEO of Government e Marketplace (GeM) Radha Chauhan

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE

Drainage cleaning robot introduced in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

  • a drainage-cleaning robot has been introduced for the first time at the Chennai city corporation as part of efforts to rid of manual scavenging
  • The robot named Bandicoot has been introduced at a cost of 18 lakh rupees
  • Drainage cleaning could be detected by viewing the blockages on the screen. The robot could be taken to any place in the corporation area
USEFUL INFO
Tamil Nadu Capital Chennai
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E. Palanisamy
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit

 

Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons inaugurated the ‘Eco Circuit’ Project in Kerala

  • J. Alphons, Union Minister for Tourism inaugurated the project ‘Development of Eco Circuit: Pathanamthitta – Gavi – Vagamon – Thekkady’under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of Ministry of Tourism
  • This Eco Circuit project was sanctioned in December 2015 for Rs. 76.55 crores. Major works carried out under the project includes Eco Adventure Tourism Park at Vagamon, Cultural Centre at Kadamanitta, Idukki
  • Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship schemes of Ministry of Tourism for development of thematic circuits in the country
  • The scheme was launched in 2014 -15 and as on date the Ministry has sanctioned 77 projects worth projects for Rs. 6131.88 Crore to 30 States and UTs.
USEFUL INFO
Kerala Capital Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala Governor P. Sadasivam

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

HDFC ERGO Launched the first-of-its-kind ‘Trip Protector’ Policy

  • HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, India’s third-largest non life insurance provider in the private sector, launched the Trip Protector insurance policy, a pioneering policy in the non-life insurance segment in India.
  • In the event of a cancellation, either a flight or hotel booking, Trip Protector insurance policy will safeguard travellers financially against the cost of cancellation levied by Hotels or Airlines
  • The policy is initially offered to customers of HDFC Bank on the purchase of Airline tickets or Hotel Bookings done using their individual HDFC Bank credit cards
USEFUL INFO
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Headquarters Mumbai
HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company MD & CEO Ritesh Kumar

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Laureus World Sports Awards 2019 Monaco

  • The Laureus World Sports Awardsis an annual award ceremony honouring individuals and teams from the world of sports along with sporting achievements throughout the year.
Category Winner Country Sports
Sportsman of the year Novak Djokovic Serbia Tennis
Sportswoman of the year Simone Biles USA Gymnastics
Comeback of the year Tiger Woods USA Golf
Breakthrough of the year Naomi Osaka Japan Tennis
Action sportsperson of the year Chloe Kim USA Snowboarding

Team of the year

France World Cup Team

France

Football

Academy exceptional achievement

                         award

Eliud Kipchoge

Kenya

          Running

Lifetime achievement award Arsene Wenger France Football (Manager)
Spirit for sport award Lindsey Vonn USA Skiing
Sportsperson of the year with a

disability

Henrieta Farkkasova

Slovakia

Skiing

 

Jharkhand-based NGO Yuwa wins Laureus Sport for Good honour

  • Jharkhand based NGO Yuwa won the Laureus Sport for Good award
  • Yuwa works for girl empowerment and became the third Indian entry to receive this honour.
  • The NGO, was founded in rural Jharkhand in 2009 by Americans Franz Gastler and Rose Thomson Gastler, runs a football program in rural Jharkhand covering 450 girls.
  • Laureus Awards for the first time in 2004 when the Indian cricket team and its Pakistani counterpart shared the Sport for Good honour for resuming bilateral ties despite tensions between the two countries.
  • Magic Bus from India won the Laureus Sport for Good award in 2014.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the International Conference & Exhibition on Energy and Environment

  • President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the International Conference and Exhibition on Energy and Environment – Challenges and Opportunities (ENCO-2019) in New Delhi.
  • This conference was organized by CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad
  • The 3 day conference aims to deliberate and identify the R&D needs to innovate new techniques, technologies and applications for clean, safe, symbiotic sustenance of society, environment, energy and industries

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

OFB gets nod for producing long-range artillery gun ‘Dhanush’

  • The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has received clearance from the Indian Army and the Ministry of Defence for production of 114 ‘Dhanush’ long range artillery guns
  • ‘Dhanush’ is the first long-range artillery gun to be produced in India
  • It is the product of joint efforts by the OFB and the Army with contributions from the DRDO, DGQA, Bharat Electronics Limited, SAIL and several private enterprises.
USEFUL INFO
Ordnance Factories Board Headquarters Kolkata
Ordnance Factories Board Chairman Shri Saurabh Kumar

 

PM Modi inaugurated Asia’s biggest air show ‘Aero India- 2019’ in Bengaluru

  • 12th edition of Asia’s premier Air show ‘Aero India-2019’ begins at Yelahanka air force station, Bengaluru
  • The five-day long biennial event Aero India-2019, will showcase India’s air defence prowess, and also act as a platform for aviation companies, the defence sector and government to forge new alliances and contracts
  • Sixty-one aircraft would be on display and 403 exhibitors are participating in the aero India show
  • Over 600 companies, including 295 Indian and 328 foreign ones, are participating in the exhibition.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Nikhat and Meena became the first Indian women boxers to win gold at the Strandja Memorial Tournament

  • Nikhat Zareen and Meena Kumari Devi became the first Indian women boxers to win gold medals at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Zareen, a multiple-time national medallist, claimed a 5-0 win in the 51kg category finals
  • Meena Kumari Devi win the bantamweight (54kg) summit clash
  • Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (49kg) claimed a second successive gold at the Strandja Memorial Tournament
  • Manju Rani settled for a silver in 48kg category
  • Pwilao Basumatari (64kg), Neeraj (60kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) had settled for bronze medals after losing their semifinal bouts

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Noted Hindi writer Namvar Singh passed away

  • Noted Hindi writer Namvar Singh passed away in New Delhi
  • Singh was the first chairman of JNU’s Centre of Indian Languages
  • He has authored over a dozen works. Prominent among them are Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman, Chhayavaadand Dusari Parampara Ki Khoj among others
  • He received the Sahitya Akademi award for literary criticism in the year 1971 for `Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman

W.E.B. Griffin ‘Badge of Honor’ military novelist passed away

  • American military veteran and novelist, William E. Butterworth III passed away
  • He wrote more than 200 books under W.E.B. Griffin and various other names and sold millions of copies
  • His many popular series included “Badge of Honor,” ”Clandestine Operations” and “Presidential Agent.”
  • The upcoming novel “The Attack,” was written with his son, William E. Butterworth IV.

 

This post was last modified on May 1, 2021 12:17 pm