Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (1st to 8th February 2020)

By Priyanka Priya - Feb 15 2020

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 1st week  January 2020. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2020 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

Indian Coast Guard celebrated its Foundation Day

  • Indian Coast Guard has celebrated its raising day on 1 Feb. ICG is an armed force that protects India’s maritime interests and enforces maritime law, with jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.

World Wetlands Day

  • Celebrated annually on 2 February, World Wetlands Day aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and planet.
  • The theme for 2020 WWD is “Wetlands and Biodiversity”.

World Cancer Day

  • Every year on 4 February World Cancer Day is observed globally and is celebrated by WHO to aware people of the disease Cancer.2020 Theme is ‘I Am and I Will’.

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

  • The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is a United Nations (UN) campaign held on February 6 to stop genital mutilation to girls and women.
  • The theme for 2020 is “Unleashing Youth Power: One decade of accelerating actions for zero female genital mutilation.”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Indian Railways implementing Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) of Rolling Stock (RFID Project)

  • Indian Railways(IR) undertook the Radio-frequency identification (RFID) project which aims for automatic identification & data collection of rolling stock with focus on improving the safety and reliability.
  • Two works for RFID project have been sanctioned by Railway Board for a total of Rs. 112.96 Crores.

First Banana Container Train sent to JNPT for Exports

  • Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority(APEDA), along with State Government of Andhra Pradesh and one of the largest member exporter of banana, dispatched the first shipment of 890 MTs of high quality bananas,loaded in 43 refrigerated containers,from Tadipatri, Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai for export to international markets.

Union HRD Minister chairs the meeting of the Indian National Commission For Cooperation (INCCU) with UNESCO in New Delhi

  • Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired the meeting of the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU) in New Delhi .
  • The membership of National Commission consists of members of five Sub Commissions namely, Sub Commission for (i) Education (ii) Natural Sciences (iii) Social Sciences (iv) Communication (v) Culture. The members of the Sub Commissions briefed the chair about the activities carried out by their respective Sub Commissions.

Prez Kovind to inaugurate 34th Suraj kund Mela

  • President Ram Nath Kovind will visit Haryana to inaugurate the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad.
  • The year, partner country in the fair is Uzbekistan and Himachal Pradesh is the theme-state.

Union Budget proposes 16-point action plan to boost agriculture & farmers’ welfare

  • Union Budget has proposed a 16-point actionplan to boost agriculture and farmers welfare and doubling farmers’ income by Comprehensive measures for 100 water-stressed districts have also been proposed in the Budget. Meanwhile, agricultural credit target has been set at 15 lakh crore rupees.

Country’s first special security team for RBI currency chests in Bihar

  • In a first of its kind initiative in the country, Bihar’s Home Guard wing of armed police force, in association with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), jointly constituted a Special Security Team (SST) with 440 specially trained Home Guard jawans in Bihar

Union govt sets target of 30km of highways a day in current fiscal

  • Union Government has set the target for construction of highways about 30 kilometres per day in the current fiscal.
  • Road Transport and Highways Minister NitinGadkari stated, the average construction of Highways is 25.23 kilometres per day till December in 2019-20 whereas it was 24.37 kilometres per day during the corresponding period in 2018-19.

723 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras established till Jan 2020: Govt

  • Government stated that as on January this year, 723 Pradhan Mantri Kausha Kendras (PMKK) have been established in the country.

38 Cr bank accounts opened under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana till last month: MoS Anurag Thakur

  • Around 38 crore bank accounts have been opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana till last month. Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur stated, out of 38 crore accounts, around 31 crore accounts are operative and the number of these accounts has increased every year since the launch of the scheme.

DST launches SATHI Initiative for building shared, professionally managed strong S&T infrastructure

  • To address the need for building shared, professionally managed and strong Science and Technology infrastructure in the country which is readily accessible to academia, start-ups, manufacturing, industry and R&D labs, the Department of Science & Technology has launched a unique scheme called “Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI)”.

PM Modi sets target of 5 billion dollars for defence exports in next five years

  • Prime Minister NarendraModi has stated that his government has set a defence export target of 5 billion dollars in the next five years.
  • The eleventh edition of the mega defence event is being held in Lucknow with the theme “India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: CABINET APPROVALS

Cabinet approves to confer the status of Institution of National Importance to five IIITs

  • The Union Cabinet gave its approval to confer the status of Institution of National Importance to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology, IIITs.
  • Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar stated, the Five IIITs in PPP mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur will now be able to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology, BTech or Master of Technology or PhD degree.

Cabinet gives in principle approval to set up a new major port in Maharashtra

  • Union Cabinet has given in principle approval to set up a new major port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra. The total cost of the project is likely to be over 65 thousand crore rupees. Vadhavan port will be developed on land lord model.

Cabinet approves amendment to bring cooperative banks under regulatory control of RBI

  • Union Cabinet has decided to bring Cooperative banks under the regulatory mechanism of Reserve Bank of India.
  • Mr Javedkar stated Cooperative Banks need to fulfill regulatory requirements set for scheduled commercial banks.

Cabinet approves India-Sri Lanka Alliance Air flights

  • The Union Cabinet has granted ex-post facto dispensation to Alliance Air, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Air India, to fly on international sectors between India and Sri Lanka.

MSME implemented new scheme SFURTI to set up traditional industries clusters

  • Ministry of MSME is implementing a ‘Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries’ (SFURTI) Scheme under which financial support is being provided for setting up of traditional industries clusters viz. Khadi, Coir & Village industries clusters.

Govt has set target of installation of 100 GigaWatt solar power by Dec 2022

  • The Government has set a target of installation of 100 GigaWatt solar power and 60 GigaWatt wind power capacity in the country by December 2022 by implementing various schemes.

39 Mega Food Parks and 298 Integrated Cold Chain Projects sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)

  • The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has sanctioned 39 Mega Food Parks and 298 Integrated Cold Chain Projects throughout the country to fill in the gaps across the value chain and establishing the Cold Chain Grid.

India-Central Asia business council launched

  • Initiative to boost business amid an economic slowdown, the Modi government and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) together launched India-Central Asia Business Council.
  • The nominated chambers from India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan came together to formally declare their association to collaborate and provide an industry view to the governments of the six countries.

More than 1.27 cr pads of Suvidha Sanitary Napkins sold through Jan Aushadhi Kendras

  • The government stated, more than one crore twenty-seven lakh pads of Suvidha Sanitary Napkins priced at one rupee per pad have been sold through Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country till the end of last month

Govt launched NCAP as a long-term national level strategy to tackle air pollution: Babul Supriyo

  • Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Babul Supriyo informed that the Central Government launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to tackle the air pollution problem across the country.
  • The Minister stated that the programme targets to achieve 20 to 30 per cent reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations by 2024 keeping 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration.

SC appoints retired Kerala HC judge to prepare inventory of ornaments at Sabarimala temple

  • The Supreme Court appointed retired Kerala High Court judge C N Ramachandaran Nair to prepare an inventory and valuation report of ornaments of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala temple. Different sects of the Pandalam Royal family have claimed those ornaments.

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DST (Department of Science and Technology):

  • Founded– May 1971
  • Headquarters– New Delhi

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Somalia declares national emergency following locust infestation sweeping Horn of Africa

  • Somalia has declared a national emergency following locust infestation sweeping the Horn of Africa, as insects devastate food supplies in one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions in the world.
  • Food sources for people and their livestock are at risk.

India, Maldives sign five MoUs for establishing Addu Tourism zone

  • India and Maldives signed five MoUs for establishing the Addu Tourism zone in five islands of Addu atoll at a cost of 2.49 million dollars.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh inaugurated the month long Ekushey Book fair at the Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka.

  • Ekushey Book Fair is the biggest and longest book fair of Bangladesh. It is organised every year in February commemorating the martyrs of the language movement during which eight people laid down their lives on February 21, 1952 for establishing Bangla as the official language of the then East Pakistan.

India send relief supplies to cyclone-hit Madagascar using its naval ship INS Airavat

  • India has sent relief supplies to cyclone-hit Madagascar using its naval ship INS Airavat.
  • Indian Navy launched operation Vanilla to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief at Madagascar.

Maldives rejoins Commonwealth

  • The Maldives has once again become a member of the Commonwealth of nations. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the announcement fulfilling one of his key presidential pledges and confirmed Maldives’ reinstatement into the organization as its 54th member state..

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

  • Two lawmakers in Sweden have nominated Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.Thunberg, 17, has encouraged students to skip school to join protests demanding faster action on climate change, a movement that has spread beyond Sweden to other European nations and around the world.
  • She founded the Fridays for Future movement that has inspired similar actions by other young people.

Pakistan declares national emergency to battle locusts

  • Pakistan, which is facing its worst locust attack in decades, has declared national emergency to tackle the insects destroying crops on a large scale in Punjab province, country’s main region for agricultural production

UK to ban new petrol car sales from 2035

  • Britain will bring forward a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles to 2035, including hybrids. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make the announcement at an event launching the 2019 United Nations Climate Change conference, COP26, to be held in Glasgow in

Bhutan to charge Rs 1200 entry fee for Indian tourists

  • Entry into Bhutan will no longer be free for Indian tourists. The Bhutan government passed legislation imposing an entry fee on tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives.The fee will be charged from July 2020.
  • Tourists from India, Bangladesh ad Maldives will have to pay a ₹1,200 fee for entering the country. The fee is called a ‘Sustainable Development Fee’ (SDF).

WHO calls for USD 675m in donations to fight novel coronavirus

  • The World Health Organization has called for 675 million US dollar in donations for a plan to fight the novel coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly “at risk“.

India’s Ambassador to UAE assumes responsibility of India’s Co-Chair of Expo-2020 Dubai Committee

  • Navdeep Singh Suri, who was until very recently India’s Ambassador to the UAE, has assumed the responsibility of India’s Co-Chair of the Expo-2020 Dubai Committee. Mr Suri was also a recipient of the UAE’s Order of Zayed II honour.
  • FICCI is the industry partner of the Indian Government for its participation in Expo-2020 Dubai.

Prince Charles unveils children’s protection fund for India

  • Britain’s Prince Charles has unveiled a new children’s protection fund for India as part of British Asian Trust.The heir to the British throne announced popular American singer Katy Perry as the ambassador of the new fund, which will be focussed on reducing the exploitation of children by 50 per cent in India over 10 years.

Gates Foundation announces USD 100 million for coronavirus response

  • The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to commit up to USD 100 million for the global response to the novel coronavirus epidemic that has claimed nearly 500 lives.

US India’s preferred trade partner in journey to be $5 trn economy: Envoy

  • America is India’s preferred trade and business partner in its journey to become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024, the country’s new envoy to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu has stated.

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Country Capital Currency Prime Minister/President
Pakistan Islamabad Pakistani rupee Prime minister: Imran Khan

President: ArifAlvi
UK London Pound Sterling Prime minister: Boris Johnson
Bhutan Thimphu Bhutanese ngultrum,

Indian rupees

 King: Jigme Khesar

Namgyel Wangchuck
Iraq Baghdad Dinar
Madagascar Antananarivo Malagasy ariary President : Andryrajoelina
Maldives Malé Maldivian rufiyaa President : Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Somalia Mogadishu Somali shilling President  : Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed

 

WHO:

  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Head: TedrosAdhanom
  • Founded: 7 April 1948

Be updated with Daily Current affairs News

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

ICICI Bank Launches iBox, a 24X7 Self-Service Delivery Facility for Customers

  • Private sector lender ICICI Bank Ltd has launched ‘iBox’, a 24×7 self-service delivery facility that allows its customers to collect their deliverables such as debit card, credit card, cheque book and returned-cheques.
  • The Bank has introduced the facility, called ‘iBox’, at over 50 branches in 17 cities in the country.

Indian Bank launches tailor made credit products for textile

  • Public sector Indian Bank announced the launch of two tailor-made credit products for the benefit of the textile sector.
  • The products — Corporate Loan and Ind Surya Shakthi, Indian Bank Solar — would be available for all textile units across the country.

Gross GST collection for January cross Rs 1 lakh cr

  • Ahead of the Budget presentation, a remarkable growth in GST collection for last month has been reported by Finance Ministry. GST revenues during the month of January from domestic transactions showed a growth of 12% over the revenue during the month last year.

E-commerce companies to collect 1 per cent TDS from sellers under new levy

  • The government proposed a new levy of one per cent TDS (tax deducted at source) on e-commerce transactions, a move that could increase burden on sellers on such platforms.
  • In order to widen and deepen the tax net by bringing participants of e-commerce (sellers) within tax net, it is proposed to insert a new section 194-O in the Act so as to provide for a new levy of TDS at the rate of one per cent, as per 2020-21 Budget documents.

Government allocates Rs 100 crore to host G-20 Presidency in 2022

  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated India will host the G-20 Presidency in 2022 and Rs 100 crore has been allocated for this purpose.

Bank of Baroda signed pact with CARE Ratings to assess the credit quality of SMEs

  • State-owned Bank of Baroda stated it has signed a pact with Care Ratings to assess credit quality of its small and medium enterprises (SME) customers.
  • The rating agency will evaluate the credit quality of existing and prospective SME customers of the bank.
  • The biggest challenge for SMEs has been the availability of finance.

Insurance on bank deposits hiked to Rs 5 lakh

  • To create confidence among depositors that their money is safe with commercial banks, Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman in her Budget speech proposed to hike the bank deposit insurance in scheduled commercial banks to Rs 5 lakh per depositor from the current Rs 1 lakh.

Banks, select financial institutions report frauds involving ₹1.13 lakh crore in H1 of FY20: Sitharaman

  • Frauds involving ₹1,13,374crore were reported by banks and select financial institutions in the first half of the current financial year. ‘Framework for timely detection, reporting, investigation relating to large value bank frauds’ for public sector banks (PSBs) to deal with suspected frauds involving sums of money in excess of ₹50 crore.

RBI announces external benchmarking of loans for medium enterprises from April 1

  • The RBI announced that it has decided to link pricing of loans by scheduled commercial banks for the medium enterprises also to an external benchmark effective April 1, 2020. It had mandated the external benchmarking of retail loans and those to micro and small enterprises from October 1, 2019.

IOC signs first term contract for importing Russian crude oil

  • State-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) signed first term contract for importing Russian crude oil as the world’s third largest energy consumer looks to diversify its sources away from the volatile Middle East.
  • IOC signed the contract to import up to 2 million tonne of Urals grade crude oil from Rosneft of Russia.India is 83 per cent dependent on imports to meet its oil needs.

RBI’s 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy 2019-20 released: RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 5.15%

  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das-led Monetary Policy Committee announced its decision to keep the key lending rates at existing levels.
  • All six members of the MPC voted in favour of maintaining the status quo on monetary policy, which was in line with economists’ expectations.

Current rates:

  • Policy Rates under Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)
  • Repo Rate 15%
  • Reverse Repo Rate 90%
  • Marginal standing facility (MSF) Rate 40%
  • Bank Rate 40%

Reserve Ratios

  • Cash reserve Ratio (CRR) 4%
  • Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) 25%

GDP Prediction

  • GDP for 2020-21 6 % (from 5 % in FY20)

SBI cuts MCLR by 5 basis points across tenors

  • The State Bank of India (SBI) announced a 5 basis points reduction in its marginal cost of fund-based rate (MCLR) across tenors, effective February 10.
  • It slashed term deposits rates by 10-50 bps in the retail segment and 25-50 bps in the bulk segment.
  • With this reduction, the one-year MCLR has come down to 85 per cent per annum from 7.90 per cent

LIC new biz premium crosses Rs 1.5L-cr-mark

  • Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) stated its new business premium has crossed the 5-lakh-crore-mark for the first time, helping the national insurer improve market share to 77.61 per cent. Its’s total income grew by 17.79 per cent to Rs2,97,017.28 crore as of September 2019 from Rs2,52,149.60 crore a year ago

Income tax dept launches e-calculator to compare due tax under new, old regime

  • The Income-Tax Department has launched an e-calculator for individuals to estimate their tax liability if they opt for the new tax slabs, without claiming deductions and exemptions, for ITR filing as announced in the recent Budget, officials
  • The calculator, with a comparative table to compare taxes in the old and the new tax regime, for resident individuals (financial year 2020-21) has been hosted on the official e-filing website of the department.

RBI to conduct first repo operation on February 17 for Rs 25,000 crore

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will begin the first tranche of its long-term repo operations on February 17 with three-year repo of Rs 25,000 crore, followed by another on February 24 for an equal amount.
  • The operations date is announced a day after the RBI’s monetary policy wherein it said long-term repos aggregating up to Rs 1 lakh crore will be conducted in tranches from mid-February to ease liquidity in the system.

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SBI

  • Chairperson: Rajnish Kumar
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Founded: 1 July 1955
  • Managing director: Anshula Kant (Stressed Assets, Risk and Compliance)

IOC

  • Indian Oil Corporation Limited, commonly known as IndianOil is an Indian government owned oil and Gas Company headquartered in New Delhi. It is the largest commercial oil company in the country, with a net profit of INR 19,106 crore for the financial year 2016–17.
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Chairperson: Sanjiv Singh

Bank of Baroda

  • Chairman :HasmukhAdhia
  • Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat
  • MD & CEO :SanjivChada

G20

  • Leader: Salman of Saudi Arabia (2020)
  • Chairman: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2020)
  • Founded: 26 September 1999
  • Venue of G20: 2019: Japan
  • 2020: Saudi Arabia
  • 2021: Italy
  • 2022: India

ICICI Bank

  • Founded– 1994
  • Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Tagline– Hum Hai Na, KhayalApka

LIC

  • Founded : 1 September 1956
  • Headquarters: Mumbai, India
  • Chairman : Mr. Kumar

Indian Bank

  • Founded- 1907
  • Headquarters- Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • Tagline- Your Tech-friendly bank

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

India bans exports of all kinds of personal protection equipment

  • India has banned exports of all kinds of personal protection equipment, including clothing and masks used to protect people from air borne particles.

Fitch predicts India’s FY21 GDP growth at 5.6 per cent

  • Fitch Ratings stated India is expected to clock a GDP growth of 6 per cent in the next financial year, lower than the projection made by the government’s Economic Survey, as Budget 2020 has not “materially altered” its view on the country’s growth outlook.

Amazon partners Eastern Railway to have pick-up kiosks at Sealdah

  • Amazon India has partnered with the Eastern Railway to set up a pick-up kiosk (for packages) at Sealdah Railway Station in Kolkata.
  • Sealdah is one of the busiest railway stations in the country, with a daily footfall of nearly 2 million .

HCL to set up global delivery center in Colombo

  • IT major HCL Technologies stated it has entered into a pact with Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment for setting up a global delivery Centre in Colombo.
  • HCL Technologies (HCL) aims at boosting employment, providing resources and skilling the local talent to serve its global clients.

Tech Mahindra launches Blockchain accelerator

  • Tech Mahindra (TechM) and the Telangana government have launched T-Block Accelerator, the maiden accelerator programme for the newly-created Telangana ‘Blockchain District’.
  • About 25 start-ups would be inducted for the accelerator programme.

All-in-One Android PoS device unveiled by Paytm

  • India’s largest pay ments platform Paytm (owned by One97 Communications) has announced the launch of an All-in-One Android PoS device for merchant partners across the country.
  • This device helps merchants to accept payments through Paytm Wallet, UPI-based apps, debit and credit cards and, most importantly, cash.

Instamojo buys digital commerce platform GetMeAShop for $5 million

  • Fintech start-up Instamojo has acquired GetMeAShop, a digital commerce platform for MSMEs, for $5 million in an equity deal. This acquisition, which is its first since inception in 2012, will allow Instamojo to branch into software offerings as it aims to help small businesses adopt and leverage technology without any prior technical know-how.

PhonePe to create world’s biggest ATM network of 2 mn in India by year end

  • PhonePe says it will by the end of this year create an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) network of 2 million users, helping the Walmart-owned service to fight rivals Alibaba-backed Paytm, Google Pay and Amazon Pay as they compete in India’s crowded digital payments market.

AIIB likely to lend $3 bn to Andhra Pradesh for development projects

  • The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) offered to extend a $3 billion loan to Andhra Pradesh for development projects. This was revealed at a meeting of AIIB representatives with chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, according to the chief minister’s office.

NABARD estimates Rs 34,421 crore credit potential for Chhattisgarh

  • The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) projected a credit potential of Rs 34421.38 crore for Chhattisgarh in the financial year 2020-21.

WhatsApp gets NCPI nod to launch digital payments platform WhatsApp Pay, say reports

  • WhatsApp will soon be able to roll out its digital payments platform WhatsApp Pay in India.
  • The Facebook-owned messaging platform finally received the go-ahead from the National Payments Corporation of India to roll out its services in phases. The platform had received RBI’s approval as well after ensuring authorities that it will comply with data localisation norms

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NABARD:

  • Founded: 12 July 1982
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Chairperson: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala

AIIB:

  • Headquarters: Beijing ,China
  • President : Jin liqun

Phonepe:

  • Parent organization: Flipkart
  • Founded: December 2015
  • CEO: Sameer Nigam
  • Headquarters location: Bengaluru

Paytm:

  • Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
  • CEO: RenuSatti
  • Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Telanagana:

  • Capital: Hyderabad
  • Governor: TamilisaiSoundararajan
  • Chief minister: K. ChandrashekarRao

HCL:

  • CEO: C Vijayakumar
  • Headquarters: Noida
  • Founders: Shiv Nadar, ArjunMalhotra

Amazon:

  • CEO: Jeff Bezos
  • Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States

Fitch ratings:

  • Headquarters: New York, United States
  • CEO: Paul Taylor

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

TN CM unveils Direct CTO scheme for green category industries

  • Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced a new initiative, ”Direct CTO”, to enable companies operating under ”green category industries” receive faster clearances from government to commence operations.
  • The move would largely benefit micro, small and medium enterprises planning to set up operations in the state.

Andhra govt launches doorstep pension distribution scheme

  • Andhra Pradesh Government has initiated a doorstep pension delivery scheme across the state, under which, various welfare pensions is being delivered at the doorstep of the pensioners.
  • “YSR Pension Kanuka” initiative to end the struggles of old people who find it difficult to go to the pension office.Also, the age for old age pensioners (OAP) has been reduced from 65 to 60 years

Mumbai’s favourite arts festival Kala Ghoda kicks off

  • Mumbai’s favourite arts festival Kala Ghoda kicked off. In its 21st edition, this year the annual arts extravaganza is packed with a bigger, tighter selection of vibrant events

Punjab government bans sale of online lottery schemes to check illegal sales

  • Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh decided to ban the sale of all types of online lottery schemes in the state.
  • The ban on ‘Online Lottery Schemes’, under section 5 of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act 1998, would not only check the spread of illegal lottery business, which was proliferating under the guise of online lotteries but also give a boost to the state’s tax and non-tax revenue

India’s biggest rural technical festival Antahpragnya 2020

  • National Level India’s Biggest Rural Technical Festival titled Antahpragnya 2020 in the state of Telangana at Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies-Basar (RGUKT-Basar).
  • Rural areas cannot afford to miss the development bus. Most of the developments in the two lakh years have taken place in the last century.

Karnataka to get another airport with flights between Bidar and Bengaluru

  • GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) has signed a concession agreement to commission, operationalize and maintain the Civilian Enclave at Bidar Airport in North Karnataka.
  • The agreement was signed under the centre’s Regional ConnectivityUDAN (UdeDeshKaAamNagrik)

Telanganagovt opens new virology lab at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad

  • In Telangana, the State Government has opened the new virology lab at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad to enable taking up diagnostic tests for Novel Coronavirus in the state itself

Mughal Gardens to open for public

  • The iconic Mughal Garden at the heart of the President’s Estate will be opened to the public
  • The main attraction of this year’s “Udyanotsav“, beside Tulips and Exotic flowers, are bulbous flowerings.

Maharashtra records highest number of missing women: NCRB

  • NCRB stated that the highest number of women and children who go missing in the country are from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

Karnataka launches Janasevaka scheme for home delivery of govt services

  • The Karnataka government launched the Janasevaka scheme in a few municipal corporation wards to ensure home delivery of various services like ration cards, senior citizen identity and health cards.
  • Janasevaka under the Sakala scheme is a programme to avail the benefits of government schemes at the doorstep.

Kumbhabhishekam of Brihadeeswarar temple in Tamil Nadu

  • The ‘kumbhabhishekam‘ of the 1,000-year old Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur is being held with traditional rites and rituals.
  • Lakhs of pilgrims have flocked to the temple town of Thanjavur, on the banks of the river Cauvery, to witness the rare spectacle.

MP govt to use drones for mapping villages

  • In Madhya Pradesh, the state government has decided to use drones for mapping villages. So far, land survey work is being done either manually or with the help of satellite images in Madhya Pradesh.The drone technology will be used for the first time to make maps in the state.

Telangana CM to inaugurate 11-km stretch of elevated Hyderabad Metro Rail

  • Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will inaugurate the 11-km stretch of corridor-II of elevated Hyderabad Metro Rail. The stretch starts from Jubilee Bus Station in Secunderabad and joins at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station in Hyderabad facilitating bus commuters with two major Railway Stations in the State Capital.

Gehlot government to create separate identity card for transgender community in Rajasthan

  • A major initiative by the Gehlot Government to connect the transgender community with the mainstream society has been undertaken. Now, separate identity cards will be issued for transgenders in the state, so that the people of the community can get the benefit of government jobs as well as all government schemes.

Jammu and Kashmir government to announce horticulture policy

  • Jammu and Kashmir government will announce a horticulture policy to tackle upcoming marketing challenges and increase the production manifold.
  • The Policy will focus to increase production and tackle climate change, given the unique temperature of this place.

Telangana CM inaugurates JBS-MGBS corridor-II of Hyderabad Metro Rail

  • Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao has inaugurated the Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) – Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) corridor -II of Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) in
  • The JBS – MGBS stretch is part of 14.78 km JBS – Falaknuama metro corridor.

Energy department sanctions Rs 740 crore

  • The Energy Department has sanctioned Rs 740 crore towards letter of credit (LoC) to be given to central generating stations (CGSs) and other generators for the month of February. The department has also sanctioned another Rs 432.6 croreto be paid as interest for various series of Andhra Pradesh Power Finance Corporation bonds.

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Madhya Pradesh

  • Capital: Bhopal
  • Governor: LaljiTandon
  • Chief minister: Kamal Nath

 Karnataka

  • Capital-Bengaluru
  • Chief Minister-B SYediyurappa
  • Governor-VajubhaiVala

NCRB

  • Headquarters : New Delhi
  • Founded: 1986

Punjab

  • Capital- Chandigarh.
  • Governor- Vijayender Pal Singh Badnore.
  • Chief Minister- Amarinder Singh.

Telangana

  • Capital: Hyderabad
  • Governor: TamilisaiSoundararajan
  • Chief minister: K. ChandrashekarRao

Andhra Pradesh(AP)

  • Governor- Biswabhusan Harichandan.
  • Chief minister- Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

Mangalore varsity pact on radioecology research

  • Mangalore University has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, for conducting joint research in the field of radioecology.
  • Under the MoU, the Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Radioactivity (CARER) of Mangalore University will be conducting joint research with scientists of IGCAR.

India-Norway sign MoUs in field of research and higher education

  • India and Norway signed a total of four memorandum of understanding (MoUs) in the field of research and higher education.A delegation of prominent education and research institutions from Norway led by Director-General, Anne Line Wold, Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research is in the capital

APEDA-CFTRI Sign MoU for Liason Office in Guwahati :Will Promote Food Processing & Organic Agri Exports in North-East States

  • A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by CSIR-CFTRI with APEDA to set up a Liaison Office in Guwahati, Assam to provide technical support to the food industries in the North East region.
  • It will benefit the farmers, producers and entrepreneurs. Capacity building is another such area where APEDA is keenly focusing to hand-hold the new exporters from the North East region.

HAL signs MoU with Israeli firm to make, sell drones

  • To manufacture and sell drones, Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru based Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) and Israel Aerospace Industries Limited (IAI) at DefExpo 2020

UP government signs 23 MoUs worth Rs 50,000 crore during DefExpo

  • The Uttar Pradesh government signed 23 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) of worth Rs 50,000 crore with different firms during the ongoing DefExpo-2020. Confirming the signing of MoUs by UP Industrial and Expressway Development Authority (UPIEDA) on behalf of UP government

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HAL

  • Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
  • Chairman and MD: R. Madhavan

CSIR-CFTRI

  • CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI), is one of the constituent laboratory under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
  • It was opened on 21 October 1950 in Mysore, Karnataka.
  • F.T.R.I. also has its resource centers in Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai, rendering technical assistance to numerous entrepreneurs.

Norway

  • Capital: Oslo
  • Currency : Norwegian krone
  • Prime minister: Erna Solberg

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

Maker Village to tie up with AICTE on entrepreneurship 

  • Maker Village is planning to associate with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) by launching pioneering schemes that promote entrepreneurship and innovation.
  • As the country’s largest electronic hardware incubator and Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) facility, Maker Village aims to sign a pact on the project with Delhi-headquartered AICTE that functions as a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development

Cognizant acquires Code Zero, a consultancy for Cloud-based CPQ & billing solutions

  • Acquisition deepens Cognizant’s expertise in Sales force Platform Advisory, implementation and managed services Cognizant, announced it has acquired Code Zero Consulting, a privately-held provider of consulting and implementation services for cloud-based Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) and billing solutions.

Emami inks pact with Nirma group arm to sell cement biz for Rs 5,500 crore

  • Kolkata-based diversified conglomerate Emami Group has agreed to sell its cement unit to Nuvoco Vistas Corporation Ltd — a subsidiary of Nirma Group — in an effort to pare debt. It has entered into a binding agreement with Nuvoco Vistas for the sale of Emami Cement Limited (ECL) for an enterprise value of Rs. 5,500 crore. The transaction is subject to approval from the Competition Commission and is expected to be completed in the next 3-4 months.

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Competition Commission of India (CCI):

  • Headquarters- New Delhi
  • Founded- 2003
  • Chairman- Ashok Kumar Gupta

Emami Group:

  • Headquarters- Kolkata, West Bengal
  • Founded- 1974
  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- ShriVivekChawla

Cognizant:

  • CEO: Brian Humphries
  • Founded: 26 January 1994
  • Headquarters: Teaneck, New Jersey, United States

Maker Village:

  • Founded in 2016, Maker Village is a joint initiative of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala established by the state government.

AICTE:

  • Founded: November 1945
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Agency executive: Anil Sahasrabudhe (Chairperson)
  • Parent agency: Department of Higher Education

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Mohammed Tawfik Allawi named as new prime minister of Iraq

  • Mohammed Tawfik Allawi has been named as the new prime minister of Iraq.
  • The former communications minister was named by President BarhamSalih as the country’s new prime minister. Allawi succeeds Adel Abdel Mahdi, who resigned two-months ago due to public protest.

Canara Bank MD, CEO R A Sankara Narayanan retires

  • Public sector lender Canara Bank Managing Director and CEO R A Sankara Narayanan has retired.

M Ajith Kumar IRS appointed as new CBIC Chairman

  • The Government of India appointed M Ajit Kumar IRS (C&CE 84) as chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
  • The new Chairman’s immediate responsibilities will include accelerating the Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues and to deal with the changes introduced in customs duties in the Union Budget for 2020.

Abidali Neemuchwala quits as Wipro CEO and MD

  • Abidali Z Neemuchwala has quit as the chief executive officer and managing director of Wipro, the IT services company.

Lt Gen Y K Joshi takes over as GOC-in-C Northern Command

  • Lieutenant General YK Joshi took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command at Udhampur .

Gopa lBaglay appointed Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka

  • Seasoned diplomat Gopa lBaglay was appointed India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. A 1992-batch officer of Indian Foreign Service, Baglay succeeds Taranjit Singh Sandhu in Sri Lanka.
  • Sandhu has been appointed Indian Ambassador to the US. Baglay is currently serving at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Pramod Agrawal takes over as Coal India chairman

  • Pramod Agrawal assumed charge as the new chairman and managing director of Coal India Ltd.
  • Prior to this appointment, Agrawal, a 1991 batch IAS officer, was principal secretary for departments of technical education, skill development and labour of the Madhya Pradesh government.

Deepa Malik elected Paralympic Committee of India president

  • Decorated para-athlete and India’s lone woman Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik has been elected as president of Paralympic Committee of India
  • The 49-year-old, who won a silver in shot put F-53 event in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, was elected unopposed as president in the PCI polls held in Bengaluru.

Canara Bank gets new MD and CEO

  • LV Prabhakar has assumed office as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Canara Bank. Prabhakar was earlier the Executive Director at Punjab National Bank.

MadanLal,RP Singh and SulakshanaNaik named in BCCI’s three-member Cricket Advisory Committee

  • Former India cricketers MadanLal, RudraPratap Singh and SulakshanaNaik were named in Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) three-member Cricket Advisory Committee.
  • The term of appointment will be for one year.

Sourav Ganguly to accept India’s goodwill ambassador offer for Tokyo Olympics

  • BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has accepted Indian Association’s (IOA) offer to become the goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics this year.
  • The IOA extends the honour to Ganguly to be the Goodwill Ambassador of Team India to the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.

Kosovo forms new government, Kurti elected for Prime Minister.

  • The new Prime Minister of Kosovo is AlbinKurti, the leader of the Self-determination movement.

Pramod Kumar Singh appointed wholetime member of pension fund regulator

  • Pramod Kumar Singh has been appointed as wholetime member (law), Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), the pension regulator of the country

World Bank chief economist announces resignation

  • World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg announced she will be leaving the institution.Calling it a “difficult decision,” Goldberg wrote that she will step down from her post on March 1 to return to teaching at Yale University.

JSW Steel signs cricketer Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador

  • JSW Steel, the flagship company of the JSW Group, has signed Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant as its brand ambassador to promote its steel products which include JSW Colouron+ color coated sheets and JSW Neosteel TMT bars, for a three year period.

Big Bang Boom Solutions Wins Prestigious SKOCH Award

  • India’s fastest growing startup in the defence sector, Big Bang Boom Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (BBBS) was accorded the prestigious SKOCH award. ceremony at New Delhi, was conferred the highest individual honour for Boron Nitrate Based Personal Hybrid Combat Armor.

LinkedIn chief executive Jeff Weiner is stepping down as CEO after 11 years

  • Jeff Weiner became the Executive Chairman of Linkedin. He was the CEO of Linkedin for the past 11 years. Linkedin is the professional networking company owned by Microsoft.

Britain appoints Karen Pierce as next ambassador to U.S.

  • Britain appointed its current UN envoy Karen Pierce as the next ambassador to the United States.
  • Britain’s previous top diplomat in Washington Kim Darroch had resigned last year over his controversial comments on US President Donald Trump in leaked diplomatic cables.

Philip Barton appointed Britain’s new High Commissioner to India

  • Britain appointed career diplomat Philip Barton as its High Commissioner to India to succeed Dominic Asquith.

Credit Suisse CEO TidjaneThiam exits after spying scandal

  • Credit Suisse had accepted Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam’s resignation following a spying scandal. The Zurich-based bank stated he would be replaced by Thomas Gottstein, the head of the bank’s Swiss business. Credit Suisse’s board also said Chairman UrsRohner had backing to complete his term that runs until April 2021.

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Credit Suisse

  • Founded– 1856
  • Founder– Alfred Escher &Allgemeine Deutsche Credit-Anstalt
  • Headquarters– Zürich, Switzerland

 LinkedIn

  • Founded- 2002
  • Headquarters- California, US
  • Big Bang Boom Solutions (BBBM)
  • CEO -Praveen Dwarakanath

SKOCH Awards

  • SKOCH Award, instituted in 2003, is the highest civilian honour in the country conferred by an independent organisation. It recognises people, projects and institutions that go the extra mile to make India a better nation.
  • SKOCH Award covers the best of efforts in the area of digital, financial and social inclusion.

JSW Steel

  • Headquarters location: Mumbai
  • Founder: Sajjan Jindal
  • Founded: 1982

Republic of Kosovo

  • Capital:Prishtina
  • Currency: Euro
  • President:HashimThaci

BCCI

  • Secretary: Jay Shah
  • CEO: Rahul Johri
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Vice president(s): MahimVerma
  • Presidents: C.K. Khanna, SouravGanguly

 Canara Bank

  • Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
  • Tagline: Together we Can

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Kashmiri journalist Yusuf Jameel wins PEN GauriLankesh Award for 2019-’20

  • Kashmiri reporter Yusuf Jameel has received the second edition of an award set up in the memory of journalist Gauri Lankesh.
  • The inaugural “PEN GauriLankesh Award for Democratic Idealism” was given to cartoonist P Mahamood in September 2018.

WaheedaRehman to be conferred MP govt’s Kishore Kumar Samman

  • Noted yesteryear actor Waheeda Rehman will be conferred the Madhya Pradesh government’s National Kishore Kumar Samman.Rehman, one of Hindi film industry’s most successful leading ladies with a string of box office hits and several awards.

VinodShukla bags first Mathrubhumi Book of the Year award

  • Noted Hindi poet-novelist and Sahitya Akademi honouree Vinod Kumar Shukla has bagged the inaugural Mathrubhumi Book of the Year award for his translated book “Blue Is Like Blue”.

7th MSME Excellence Award For Most Promising Brand 2019: Amulya Mica

  • 7th MSME Excellence Awards & summit was organized by ASSOCHAM at Le Meridien, New Delhi.
  • With an objective of acknowledging the inestimable contributions made by MSMEs to various sectors of the economy, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), India’s Apex Chamber for Commerce & Industry has constituted the “ASSOCHAM MSMEs Excellence Awards”.

Madhya Pradesh bags first position for implementation of PMMVY

  • Madhya Pradesh has bagged the first position for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.

60-year-old pharmacy worker becomes 1st deaf person to row across Atlantic Ocean

  • A 60-year-old pharmacy worker has become the first deaf person on record to row an ocean by finishing a 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic.
  • Mo O’Brien and her fellow crew members, including her daughter, landed on the Caribbean island of Antigua 49 days after setting out from the Canary Island of La Gomera in December.

RBI governor Shaktikanta Das is Asia Pacific central banker of the year

  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das has been named the Central Banker of the Year, Asia-Pacific 2020, by the Banker magazine, a unit of Financial Times (FT).

Babenco: Tell Me When I Die by Barbara Paz bags Golden Conch Award for Best Documentary Film at MIFF 2020

  • The awards for the best films of the 16th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival have been presented at the closing ceremony, held in Nehru Centre Auditorium, Worli, Mumbai.
  • The prestigious Golden Conch Award for Best Documentary Film at MIFF 2020 has been awarded to Babenco: Tell Me When I Die, directed by Barbara Paz.

Thackeray presents award to veteran journalist Raikar

  • Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray presented an award to senior journalist Dinkar Keshav Raikar for his contribution to journalism.
  • Raikar, currently consulting editor of Lokmat group, was conferred with the lifetime achievement award instituted by the Mantralaya and

President Kovind presents International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy

  • The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy for the year 2019 to Dr N.S. Dharmashaktu under the Indian nomination (individual) category and the Leprosy Mission Trust under the institutional category on February 6, 2020, New Delhi.

Veteran writer Manoj Das to receive Mystic Kalinga Literary Award

  • Celebrated Odia and English writer Manoj Das to receive the much coveted Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (Indian and Global Languages).
  • The central theme of 2020 Mystic Kalinga Festival is “Divine Madness: Knowledge, Ecstasy, and Transformation

Sridhar Vembu, Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Keshav Murugesh among 17 shortlisted for EY award

  • EY has announced 17 finalists for the Entrepreneur of the Year – India (EOY) 2019 Awards.
  • Sridhar Vembu, KiranMajumdar Shaw, KeshavMurugesh were among the 17 people in the shortlist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The finalists were selected from among 225 nominations, and will be felicitated on 19 February in New Delhi.

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PMMVY:

  • The main objective of the MatruVandanaYojana is to provide incentives of five thousand rupees for the loss of wages of working women and to ensure their proper rest and nutrition during pregnancy. The payment of the incentive amount is deposited directly into the bank account.
  • The incentive of Rs 5000 is given in 3 installments

ASSOCHAM:                         

  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • President:B K Goenka

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Rajnath Singh at 12th South Asia Conference on “India’s Neighbourhood First’ Policy: Regional Perceptions”

  • The 12th edition of the annual South Asia Conference was held in New Delhi.
  • The theme of the South Asia Conference 2020 was India’s “Neighbourhood First” Policy: Regional Perceptions.

India to host EAS conference in Chennai

  • India is set to host an East Asia Summit conference in Chennai with a focus on maritime security cooperation and tackling challenges in the maritime domain.
  • As announced by Prime Minister NarendraModi at the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok in November 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in partnership with the governments of Australia and Indonesia, will organise the fourth EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation in

Country’s biggest horticultural fair begins

  • The four-day mega event ‘National Horticultural Fair 2020’ at ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research kick-started in Bengaluru. The institute is expecting 50,000 farmers from various States of the country.

IIMB to host meet on future of aviation and aerospace

  • Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), in partnership with Toulouse Business School (TBS), France, will host an international conference on ‘Future of Aviation & Aerospace’ on February 22.

Prime Minister inaugurates DefExpo in Lucknow

  • Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi, inaugurated the 11th edition of DefExpo in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The Theme of the Expo is ‘India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub’ with main focus on ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’.

22nd India International Seafood Show

  • 22nd India International Seafood Show 2020 is one of the largest Seafood Fairs in Asia. It is a biennial show and a common forum for Seafood processors, Exporters, Importers, Aquaculturists, Processing Machinery manufacturers and allied industries to meet under one roof.
  • 22nd India International Seafood Show 2020 will be held on 07th-09th February 2020 ,
  • The theme of this year’s seafood show is “Blue Revolution- Beyond Production to Value Addition”.

FADA to organise 11th Auto Summit 2020

  • The Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) is all set to organise the eleventh edition of the Auto Summit 2020, the biennial flagship convention for Indian automobile dealers.
  • The theme of this edition of the convention is ‘Thriving Amidst Disruption’ and is scheduled in New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

IAF’s AN-32 plane with bio-jet fuel takes off from Leh airfield

  • AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with indigenous bio-jet fuel has taken off successfully from Leh airfield for the first time.
  • The IAF’s AN-32 aircraft was flight tested and its performance was validated at Chandigarh Air Base prior to undertaking the operational flight to

ISRO announces it is preparing low-cost satellite launch vehicles

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it is preparing low-cost satellite launch vehicles costing around 30-35 crores rupees each, which can put into orbit satellites weighing 500 kgs.
  • The first such launch is expected to take place in the next four months from the country.

NASA decommissions Spitzer Space Telescope after 16 years of service

  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)has decommissioned its Spitzer Space Telescope, after being into service for more than 16 years.
  • The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), was an infrared space telescope launched.

Researchers at IIT Madras develops AI technology to convert brain signals of speech-impaired humans into English language

  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras announced that its researchers had developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to convert brain signals of speech impaired humans into language.

ICAR lab develops cheaper vaccine for swine flu

  • Researchers at the Izatnagar-based Indian Veterinary Research Institute (ICAR-IVRI) — a constituent institute of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research — have developed a more efficient and cost-effective vaccine against classical swine fever, a disease associated with heavy mortality and morbidity in pigs

L&T MBDA Missile System sets up integration facility in Tamil Nadu

  • L&T MBDA Missile Systems (LTMMSL) has set up a missile (inert) integration facility at
  • LTMMSL is a joint venture between engineering and construction major L&T and the European defence company MBDA. L&T owns 51% stake in LTMMSL while MBDA has 49%.

HAL to make advanced armed UAVs with Israeli Co

  • In a first, advanced Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) will be manufactured in India, with leading aeronautical entity Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) set to formalise a partnership with an Israeli firm that specializes in autonomous weaponry.

Molecule to treat ALS identified

  • IITH research team hopes ‘AIM4’ will help arrest the disorder, which is only managed .A drug molecule that promises to help in the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a rare disease of the nervous system, has been identified by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH).

NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after record-setting stay in space

  • NASA’s astronaut Christina Koch returned from space to Earth safely. Koch returned after an 11-month mission, breaking the world record for the most time spent by a woman in space.
  • Koch has spent 328 days on International Space Station ISS, surpassing the previous record of 289 days held by fellow American Peggy Whitson.

IIT Madras to join hands with AIIMS Mangalagiri for quality healthcare delivery

  • The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will join hands with AIIMS Mangalagiri on affordable future technological solutions in multiple areas such as patient safety and quality healthcare.

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NASA

  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United State
  • Jim Bridenstine, Administrator
  • James Morhard, Deputy Administrator
  • Jeff DeWit, Chief Financial Officer

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)

  • Headquarters– Bangalore, Karnataka.
  • Chairman and managing director– R Madhavan

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Bengaluru has the worst traffic in the world

  • India has topped the TomTom Traffic Index 2019 with 4 of its cities amongst the 10 most congested cities globally.
  • Bengaluru (71%), Mumbai (65%), Pune (59%) and New Delhi (56%) ranks 1st, 4th, 5th and 8th respectively.

Telangana tops country in sustainable growth goals: UN Development Programme

  • Telangana has emerged as the best performing state in promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2019, according to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India.

Natural disasters cost world $232 billion in 2019: Report

  • Death toll in India was the highest at 1,750
  • The world lost as much as $232 billion due to natural disasters in 2019, with India leading in casualties with 1,750 deaths, stated a recent report by AON, global professional firm which provides risk solutions to insurance firms, among other things.

Maharashtra tops list of States hit by global medical data leak

  • Medical details of over 120 million Indian patients have been leaked and made freely available on the Internet, according to a recent report published by Greenbone Sustainable Resilience, a German cybersecurity firm.
  • The updated report places Maharashtra at the top of the States affected by the leak, with 3,08,451 troves offering access to 6,97,89,685 images. The next is Karnataka, with 1,82,865 data troves giving access to 1,37,31,001 images.

India ranks 40 out of 53 countries on global intellectual property index

  • India has been ranked 40th out of 53 countries on a global intellectual property index, even as the country has shown improvement in terms of scores when it comes to the protection of IP and copyright issues, a top American industry body. India was placed at 36th position among 50 countries in

ViratKohli retains top spot as the most valuable celebrity in 2019 : Duff & Phelps

  • Kholi’s brand value grew 39% to $237.5 million. New faces in the top 20 include AyushmannKhurrana, Tiger Shroff and RohitSharmaAce cricketer ViratKohli retained the top spot. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar bagged the second spot. Meanwhile, celebrity couple DeepikaPadukone and Ranveer Singh held the third spot on the list with a brand value of $93.5 million each.

IIM-Bengaluru ranks third in MOOC performance among B-Schools globally

  • Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) secured the third rank in the global list of Top Business Schools of 2020 by
  • This was the maiden ranking for business schools globally who are offering MOOCs (massive online open courses) courses

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United Nations Development Programme(UNDP)

  • Founded–1965
  • Headquarters– New York, United States(US)

TomTom

  • Founded- 1991.
  • Headquarters- Amsterdam, Netherlands.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

India-Bangladesh joint military exercise at Umroi from Feb 3

  • A 14-day Indo-Bangladesh joint military training exercise, Sampriti-IX, will be conducted at Umroi in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district from February 3.
  • The exercise will be held as part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defence cooperation.

Navy conducts coastal security exercise ‘Matla Abhiyaan’

  • The Indian Navy carried out a five-day coastal security exercise, ‘Matla Abhiyaan’, with personnel of two naval boats, holding interactions with all stakeholders along the riverine border with

Ninth edition of India-Bangladesh joint military exercise begins in Meghalaya

  • The ninth edition of Indo-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise SAMPRITI-IX commenced at Umroi, Meghalaya. The main focus of this edition of the fourteen days joint exercise is on Counter-Terrorism Operations in mountainous and jungle terrain.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses Third Defence Attachés Conference in New Delhi

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has stated that terrorism poses a serious challenge, but India has displayed that it can disrupt and deter terrorist groups and their patrons. He was addressing the Third Defence Attachés Conference in New Delhi.

Navy to get third Scorpene submarine in December

  • The third Scorpene submarine, Karanj, will be delivered to the Indian Navy by December and all six submarine deliveries would be completed by 2022.

Russian S-400 missile delivery to India to begin by end-2021

  • Russia will begin delivering S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to India by the end of 2021.
  • India signed a $5 billion deal for S-400 missiles in 2018, drawing warnings from the United States that such an acquisition would trigger sanctions as part of a wider program against Russia.

DefExpo 2020: ‘Lucknow Declaration’ adopted at India-Africa Defence Conclave

  • In the ongoing defence expo, the ‘Lucknow Declaration’ was adopted at the India – Africa Defence Conclave held on the sidelines of the event. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his counterparts from 12 African countries along with representatives of 38 other African countries were present at the conclave, which was organised for the first time.

BDL introduces new missile at DefExpo-2020

  • Hyderabad-based missile systems and ammunition manufacturer Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) launched its new product, the Amogha-IIIAnti-Tank Guided Missile, during the Defexpo-2020 at Lucknow.
  • The missile, with a dual-mode IIR seeker, has a range of over 200 to 2,500 metres. Equipped with a tandem warhead, Amogha-III is a top direct attack missile. It will be commercialised after successful completion of user trials.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

Bengali Novel “Calcutta Nights” 

  • RajatChaudhuri, an Indian novelist and short story writer, has written the book named Calcutta Nights.
  • The book is an English translation of Bengali fiction, ‘Raater Kolkata’, originally written by writer Hemendra Kumar Roy in 1923.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

Bala Devi 1st Indian woman to become a professional footballer after being signed by Rangers FC

  • Indian women’s football star NgangomBala Devi has become the first Indian woman to earn a professional football contract abroad after signing for Scottish giant Rangers FC.
  • The move, facilitated by Bengaluru FC which entered into a two-year collaboration with Rangers last September, was announced at the SreeKanteerava Stadium.

Flame-Throated Bulbul ‘Rubigula’ official mascot for Goa 2020 National Games

  • ‘Rubigula‘, Flame-Throated Bulbul, has been unveiled as the official mascot for the Goa 2020 National Games in Panaji, Goa.
  • Goa will be hosting the 36th edition of the National Games from 20th October to 4th November 2020.

Australian Open: Novak Djokovic wins his record 8th Men’s singles title

  • In tennis, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic won his record 8th Men’s singles title in Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne beat
  • He beat first-time Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem of Austria

Australian Open: American Sofia Kenin wins her first Grand Slam title

  • In Tennis, American Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title with victory over Spain’s GarbineMuguruza at the Australian Open.

Kohli continues to top ICC Test batsmen’s ranking, Rahane slips

  • Indian Captain ViratKohli continued to top the ICC Test batsmen’s ranking but his deputy AjinkyaRahane slipped a place to the ninth spot.
  • Kohli has 928 points, 17 more than second-placed Australian run-machine Steve Smith. CheteshwarPujara also remained in sixth place with 791 points. Rahane has 759 points.

Vinesh, Sindhu, Mary Kom among nominees for inaugural BBC Sportswoman of the year award

  • Wrestler VineshPhogat, Shuttler P.V. Sindhu and Boxer M.C. Mary Kom will compete for the inaugural BBC Indian sportswoman of the year award after being nominated for the honour.

Indian boxers bag six gold at Golden Girl Championship in Sweden

  • In Boxing, India’s junior youth dominated the ring at the Golden Girl Championship in Boras, Sweden, claiming 14 medals, including six golds, the overall championship trophy and the ‘Best Boxer’ award.  Haryana’s PrachiDhankar (50 kilogram), playing in the junior category, won the ‘Best Boxer’ award

Sachin Tendulkar’s World Cup triumph shortlisted for Laureus Sporting Moment award 

  • Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has been shortlisted as one among five contenders for the greatest Laureus Sporting Moment 2000-2020 Award.
  • The moment, titled ‘Carried On the Shoulders Of A Nation’, is a reference to the Indian cricket team’s 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup triumph.

Weightlifting: Mirabai Chanu betters her own national record; wins gold with 203 kg lift

  • In Weightlifting, former world champion Mirabai Chanu bettered her own national record by two kilogram as she lifted a total of 203kg to win the 49kg gold in the National Championships in Kolkata.

Wasim Jaffer becomes first player to score 12,000 runs in Ranji Trophy

  • Vidharba batsman Wasim Jaffer became the first batsman to register 12,000 runs in Ranji Trophy.
  • He achieved the feat while batting against Kerala in the ongoingRanji Trophy Elite Group A and B match here at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

Jagmohan Dalmiya’s son Avishek becomes youngest CAB president

  • Former BCCI president late Jagmohan Dalmiya’s son Avishek became the youngest president of Cricket Association Bengal after being elected unopposed. Avishek, 38, was holding the post of joint secretary before his elevation.

Rakhi Halder bags gold at Senior Women’s National Weightlifting Championships

  • In Senior Women’s National Weightlifting Championships, Rakhi Halder of Bengal has bagged gold in the 64kg category of the 35th edition of the event in Kolkata.

Mizoram win Junior National Football C’ship for Dr BC Roy Trophy

  • In Football, Mizoram has won the final of the Junior National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong

Rohit Rajpal to continue as India’s Davis Cup captain

  • Rohit Rajpal will continue as India’s non-playing Davis Cup captain while veteran Leander Paes, too, has retained his place in the six-member squad picked for the tie against Croatia next month. Zeeshan Ali will be the coach.

SAI, Hockey India launch High Performance Centres

  • Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Hockey India announced the establishment of the High Performance Centres in seven places across the country to provide state-of-the-art facilities to Junior and Sub-Junior players.

Weightlifting: Chandrakant Mali creates 3-records in his men’s 109kg title victory

  • In Weightlifting, Chandrakant Mali created three records in his men’s 109kg title victory on the concluding day of the National Championships at Kolkata

Shooting: Ayushi Podder wins women’s 50 metres Rifle 3 Positions

  • In Shooting, Ayushi Podder won the women’s 50 metres Rifle 3 Positions (3P), while T.S. Divya and Adarsh Singh claimed the titles in the women’s 10 metres Air Pistol and men’s 25 metres Centre Fire Pistol T1 events on the penultimate day of the National Trials for Rifle and Pistol in Thiruvananthapuram

STATIC GK

Sports Authority of India (SAI):

  • Formed- 1984.
  • Headquarters- New Delhi, India.
  • Founder: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
  • Sandip Pradhan Indian Revenue Service, Sports Secretary-cum-Director General

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Veteran social activist and feminist writer VidyaBal passes away

  • Veteran social activist and feminist writer Vidya Bal passed away. She was 84.
  • Known for her heroic crusade against oppressive practices involving women, Bal was in the forefront in the fight for women’s rights and equality with men.

Former Indian basketball team captain Matthew SatyaBabu passes away

  • Veteran basketball player P Matthew SatyaBabu passed away after a brief illness.
  • He led the country in the 6th Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970 and was a qualified NIS basketball coach and a ‘B’ panel Basketball Federation of India referee

Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passes away

  • Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passesd away. He was 97.
  • He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy in March 2016 for his contribution to Urdu poetry.

Veteran Odia poet Rabi Singh passes away

  • Renowned Odia poet Rabi Singh passed away. He was 89.
  • The revolutionary poet had received many awards for his contribution to Odia literature. He received AtibadiJagannath Das Samman in the year 2017.

Punjabi novelist and ‘writer of movements’ Jaswant Singh Kanwal passes away

  • Noted Punjabi novelist Jaswant Singh Kanwal passed away. He was 100.
  • Known as the ‘writer of movements’ his works on the Naxalbari (Left), Muzara Lehar (tenancy) and Khalistan (separatist) movements in Punjab, Kanwal penned about 100 books.

Eminent Punjabi novelist Dalip KaurTiwana passes away

  • Noted Punjabi novelist Dalip Kaur Tiwana passed away after a brief illness. She was 84.
  • Known for ”Teeli da Nishaan” and ”SoorajteSamandar”, Tiwana was also a former president of the Punjabi SahitAkademi.

Kenya’s longest serving President Daniel ArapMoi passes away

  • Former Kenyan President Daniel ArapMoi, who ruled the country for 24 years, has passed away. Moi was 95. He became Kenya’s second president after independence and went on to rule from 1978 to 2002.

Former Nizamabad MP Narayana Reddy passes away

  • Former Nizamabad MP and one of the protagonists of the Telangana statehood movement M Narayana Reddy passed away.He was 89.

Former Assam Assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi passes away

  • Former Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly and sitting Congress MLA Pranab Kumar Gogoi passed away.

Former Karnataka Minister D. Manjunath passes away

  • Former Legislative Council Chairman Manjunath, 92, passed away.Manjunath was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1967 from Hiriyur and became Deputy Speaker.

Alice Mayhew, celebrated book editor, passes away

  • Alice Mayhew, the celebrated and influential editor of political and historical works whose authors included Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Taylor Branch and Doris Kearns Goodwin, has passed away at age 87.

Kirk Douglas, Hollywood legend passes away

  • Actor Kirk Douglas, whose Hollywood career spanned seven decades, passed away aged 103.
  • He rose to prominence during Hollywood’s “golden age”, earning his first Oscar nomination for the 1949 film Champion.

Former minister of Madhya Pradesh, RajendraPrakash Singh passes away

  • Senior BJP leader and former minister Dr RajendraPrakash Singh passed away after battling cancer.Singh served as health and general administration department minister in the then state chief minister SunderlalPatwa’s government.

Kolkata’s first cabaret dancer Miss Shefali passes away

  • Kolkata’s first cabaret dancer Arati Das, popularly known by her stage name Miss Shefali, passed away.
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