Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Daily Current Affairs 12 February 2019. These are important for the upcoming NIACL AO and SBI PO 2019 Exams.
Daily Current Affairs 12 February 2019 for Bank, SSC and Competitive Exams
India and states
Urban Affairs Ministry launches Light House Project challenge
- The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has instituted a challenge for States and Union Territories to select six sites across the country for constructing the lighthouse projects under Global Housing Technology Challenge- India (GHTC- India)
- The challenge has been launched to bring about paradigm shift in housing construction technology sector. The states and union territories that score the highest marks will be awarded lighthouse projects.
- The Urban Affairs Ministry has encouraged all the states and union territories to participate in the challenge proactively. The last date for participation is February 20, 2019.
- The states and UTs can send their applications in the prescribed format at the earliest and latest by February 20.
SC directs NCM to decide on redefining ‘Minority’ & guidelines for identifying minorities within 3 months
- The Supreme Court on February 11, 2019 directed the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to take a decision within three months on a representation seeking guidelines to redefine the term ‘Minority’.
- A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay to re-file his representation to the Minority Commission and directed the Commission to take a decision in this regard within three months in the context of state-wise population of a community.
- Direct and declare that Section 2(c) of the NCM Act 1992 is void and inoperative for being arbitrary, unreasonable and offending Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India.
- Direct and declare that the Notification on Minority Community dated 23.10.1993 is void and inoperative for being arbitrary unreasonable and offending Articles 14, 15, 21, 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India.
Chinook Helicopters: First batch of 4 Boeing heavy-lift helicopters arrive in India from US
- The first batch of four Boeing heavy-lift Chinook Helicopters, CH-47F (I), arrived at the Mundra airport in Gujarat on February 10, 2019.
- Procured from the United States, the Chinook Helicopters are expected to provide impetus to the heavy-lift capabilities of Indian Air Force (IAF) and strengthen the defence ties with the United States.
- Manufactured by Boeing, the CH-47F (I) will be stationed at Chandigarh air base of the Indian Air Force. The Chandigarh air base takes care of providing necessary items to Siachen and Eastern Ladakh sectors.
- The Indian Air Force is currently using Mi-17 and Mi-26 helicopters, which were manufactured by Russia.
PM Modi laid foundation stone for Sela Tunnel; 7 EHV Sub-stations; 24 LT Sub-stations in Arunachal Pradesh
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 9, 2019 laid the foundation stone for the Sela Tunnel Project in Arunachal Pradesh during his visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Tripura.
- The tunnel will be constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at a cost of Rs. 687 crore.
- The Tunnel would be completed in the next three years. It covers a total distance of 12.04 kms which consist of two tunnels of 1790 meters and 475 meters.
- The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for 7 Extra High Voltage (EHV) Sub-stations and 24 Low Tension (LT) Sub-stations in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. This project is aimed at meeting the objectives of affordable 24X7 power to all, especially in the remote locations.
- The project will be implemented by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), a ‘Navratna’ Company under Union Ministry of Power.
Sapta Shakti Command of Indian Army conducts ‘Exercise Rahat’ in Jaipur
- In Rajasthan, Jaipur based Sapta Shakti Command of Indian Army conducted a two- day Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise “Exercise Rahat”.
- It involves all stake holders at the national and state level.
- This was the eighth such exercise conducted by the Indian Defence Forces.
- The exercise was conducted in pursuance of the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Combined Commanders Conference – 2015 to achieve ‘Disaster Resilient India’.
PM visits Assam, lays foundation stone of North East Gas Grid
- PM visited Assam as a part of his visit to Arunachal, Assam and Tripura.
- He laid foundation stone for North East Gas Grid which will ensure uninterrupted availability of natural gas across the region and boost industrial growth in the region.
- He inaugurated Hollong Modular Gas Processing Plant in Tinsukia which will deliver 15% of the total gas produced in Assam.
- PM inaugurated LPG Capacity Augmentation of Mounted Storage Vessel in North Guwahati.
Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Hubli, Karnataka
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Hubli, Karnataka in the final leg of his one day long tour to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
- He unveiled a plaque to mark the laying of foundation stone of Indian Institute of Technology – Dharwad and Indian Institute of Information Technology – Dharwad.
- City Gas Distribution Project at Dharwad was dedicated to the nation on this occasion.
- To ensure Energy Security, 5 MMT Mangalore Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility and 2.5 MMT Padur SPR facility of ISPRL were also dedicated to the nation.
- The Doubling of 18 km long Chikjajur-Mayakonda Section was dedicated to the nation. Chikjajur-Mayakonda Section is a part of 190 km long Hubli – Chikjajur Doubling project and is located on Bengaluru – Hubballi route of South Western Railway.
- He witnessed the e-Griha Pravesh of 2350 houses constructed under PMAY(U) at Dharwad.
Highlights of PM Modi’s visit to Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu
- The Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu and unveiled several development projects in the State.
- He laid the foundation Stone of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation’s (ESIC) multi speciality Hospital at Tiruppur.
- He dedicated ESIC Hospital Chennai to the nation. This 470-bedded hospital will provide quality treatment on all disciplines of medicine.
- He laid foundation stone for a new integrated building at Trichy Airport for the modernisation of Chennai airport.
- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL’s) Ennore Coastal Terminal was dedicated to the nation on this occasion.
PM Modi served 3 billionth meal to children in Vrindavan
- The Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh on February 11, 2019.
- He unveiled the plaque to mark the serving of 3rd billionth meal by Akshaya Patra Foundation at Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir.
- The Prime Minister served the 3rd billionth meal to underprivileged children from schools.
- Akshaya Patra serves as an implementing partner of Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
- Akshaya Patra foundation has served mid-day meals to 1.76 million children in twelve states covering 14,702 schools.
Finance
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates PETROTECH-2019
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 11, 2019 inaugurated the 13th International Oil and Gas Conference – PETROTECH-2019 at India Expo Centre in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister also addressed the inaugural session of the event.
- Welcoming the delegates, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, India is the third largest consumer of crude oil and petroleum products and the government has taken several measures to provide energy for all.
- The three-day mega event, which will be held from February 10-12, 2019, is considered to be India’s flagship hydrocarbon conference.
- It will showcase the recent market and investor-friendly developments in India’s oil and gas sector.
- It is expected to witness participation from over 95 Energy Ministers from partner countries and 7000 delegates from around 70 countries.
Engineers India enters into MoU with Mongol Refinery, Mongolia
- Engineers India Ltd (EIL) said that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mongol Refinery State Owned LLC of Government of Mongolia.
- As per MOU, EIL shall provide Project Management Consultancy Services to Mongol Refinery for setting up of an Oil Refinery in Mongolia for which terms and conditions are being discussed and will be mutually settled in the form of a contract agreement, company said in a filing with BSE.
Dealer-Owned-Dealer-Operated model for setting up CNG stations by private players launched
- The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan launched the ‘Dealer Owned Dealer Operated’ (DODO) model for setting up CNG stations.
- He released the general guidelines for the schemes, under which the entire earmarked dealer plot will be developed exclusively for setting up of CNG station and allied commercial activities at the discretion of CGD activities.
- Under the scheme, 87 Geographical areas serviced by 23 entities authorised will be covered.
- More than 1500 CNG stations are presently operational in the country, catering to the demands of over 33 lakh CNG vehicles.
- Under the 9th round of CGD bidding, more than 4600 new CNG stations are expected across India in next 8 years.
World
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi elected as new chair of African Union
- Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on February 10, 2019 took over as the chair of the African Union (AU) following a meeting by heads of state from the continent in Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa.
- The post of AU’s chair rotates annually between the five regions of the continent. The Incoming AU chairman President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to focus on the fight against armed groups on the continent and rebuilding efforts of countries recovering from conflict.
- Speaking after his appointment, the Egyptian leader said that terrorism remains a cancer that affects African nations and counter-terrorism requires the identification of those who support and fund it and combating them collectively.
Abu Dhabi adds Hindi as third official court language
- The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has added Hindi as the third official language to be used in the city’s courts, alongside Arabic and English.
- The move is aimed at helping foreigners to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and duties without a language barrier, in addition to facilitating registration procedures through unified forms available through the judicial department’s website.
- The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has extended the adoption of interactive forms of statement of claims filed before courts by including the Hindi language alongside Arabic and English in labour cases.
Days
International Day of Women and Girls in Science observed
- International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed on 11 February, 2019.
- The 2019 Theme was “Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth”.
Awards & Honors
2019 Grammy Awards: Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Cardi B & Qunicy Jones created history
- Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Cardi B and Qunicy Jones created history by winning the 2019 Grammy Awards held at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
- Country singer Kacey Musgraves won the ‘Album of the Year’ award for her record “Golden Hour“. Kacey also won awards for best country album, best country song and best country solo performance.
- Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” won four awards for song of the year, best rap or sung performance, best music video and record of the year.
- “This Is America” became first rap track to get the award in the history of the Grammys.
- Cardi B became the first woman to win the Best Rap Album Grammy award for her debut ‘Invasion of Privacy’.
- Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” from the movie “A Star Is Born” won two awards.
Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt visit India Pavilion at Berlinale 2019; release IFFI 2019 Brochure
- The team of ‘Gully Boy’ movie including Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Zoya Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani visited the India Pavilion at Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) 2019.
- They released the IFFI 2019 Brochure and were apprised by the Indian delegation about activities planned for the Golden Jubilee anniversary of IFFI to be held in 2019.
- Indian Delegation interacted with Stephan Ottenbruch, Head of Indo-German Films, wherein they discussed about a larger German presence at IFFI 2019 and explored possibilities of collaboration.
- The delegation from Israel visited the Indian Pavilion and expressed its keenness to produce a film with an Indian producer under the Indo-Israeli Co-production treaty.
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