Current Affairs Today 11th and 12th February 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 11th and 12th February 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

• International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed globally on 11 February.
• World Unani Day is observed annually on 11 February.
• National Productivity Day is observed on 12 February annually.
• State-owned lender Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Union Bank of India (UBI) has lowered their lending rates by 5-10 basis points (bps).
• Ministry of Coal (MoC) has launched a web portal for star rating of coal mines to promote the green, safe and sustainable mining practices with the help of technology.
• National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad will be renamed as Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM).
• Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) has collaborated with Zonal Cultural Centers of Ministry to prepare a list of ICH elements for the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
• A study by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) stated that the highest incidence of children and women being trafficked was observed from the cities of Mumbai and Kolkata.
• S. President Donald Trump has been scheduled to visit India on 24-25 February.
• The Government of India has decided to consider all medical devices including implants and contraceptives as “Drugs”.
• In Delhi Assembly Election, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party scored a landslide victory.
• The government of India has announced all medical devices sold in the country would be treated as “drugs” with effect from 1 April 2020.
• The Uttarakhand Government has approved the design of a glass floor suspension bridge, the first of its kind in the country to have a floor made of toughened transparent glass.
• In Chhattisgarh, the State Government has decided to impose a permanent ban on hookah bars across the state.
• The West Bengal Finance Minister, Dr. Amit Mitra today proposed 2 lakh 55 thousand 677 crores rupees Budget for the next fiscal in the state assembly.
• The Andhra Pradesh State government signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with 11 premier agricultural institutions in the country on 10 February 2020.
• The Jammu & Kashmir government has approved the two light metro rail projects in the state to ease the public transport in twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar.
• The first-ever Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival has been scheduled to be held in Mumbai on 15 February 2020.
• National Horticulture Fair 2020 was concluded in Bengaluru.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially named the disease caused by the new coronavirus as “Covid-2019“.
• The 33rd edition of the African Union (AU) summit was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• The 6th edition of the mega industrial exhibition ‘Engiexpo 2020’ is being organised in Vadodara, Gujarat from February 15 to 17, 2020.
• ClimFishCon 2020, an international conference on the impact of climate change on ‘hydrological cycle, ecosystem, fisheries and food security’ will begin in Kerala on 12 February.
• India is hosting the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
• National Water Conference was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Well-known water experts in the country have expressed concern over the growing water crisis.
• The State of the World’s Children Report 2019 stated more than 8 lakhs under 5 Mortality Rate in India.
• The command of the Eastern Fleet was handed over to Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsyayan by Rear Admiral Suraj Berry at a ceremony at Visakhapatnam on 11 February 2020.
• Australia was awarded the ICC (International Cricket Council) Women’s Championship trophy 2020, which they maintained by winning victories in the 8-team one-day championship between 2017 and 2020.
• Sweden’s Pole Vaulter, Armand Duplantis has break the Pole Vault World Record set by Renaud Lavillenie of France in 2014.
• Aditya Mehta & Vidya Pillai has won the National Snooker Championship held in pune, Maharashtra.
• India forward Lalremsiami has been named as the 2019 FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year by the International Hockey Federation.
• The International Cricket Council has penalized three Bangladesh as well as two Indian U-19 cricketers.
• India and the United Kingdom will conduct their 5th edition of joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior-2020’ at Salisbury Plains, the United Kingdom from February 13-26.
• The Vice President of India Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled ‘A Child of Destiny’ an autobiography penned by Prof. K. Ramakrishna Rao.
• Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar released a book titled “A Commentary and Digest on The Air, Act 1981,” at Chandigarh.
• The Chief National coach for the Indian Badminton team Pullela Gopichand honour with Coaches lifetime achievement award by International Olympic Committee’s (IOC).
• Noted cricket journalist and film historian Raju Bharatan passed away.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

International Day of Women and Girls in Science observed globally on 11 February

• International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed globally on 11 February.
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science to recognize the critical role of women and girls play in science and technology.
• In December 2015, the United Nations adopted a resolution to celebrate February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
• In 2016 is the first time it was celebrated.
• The idea behind this day is to ensure equal participation and involvement of women and girls in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Extra Shots:

United Nations: It is an International Organization. Its Objective of UN is to not only maintain International Peace and Security but also to develop Friendly relations among nations.

• Founded – 24th October, 1945
• Headquarter- New York,United States
• Secretary General- Antonio Guterres (9th SG OF UN)
• He is from PORTUGAL
• Portugal (Capital/Currency) – Lisbon/ Euro
• United States (Capital/Currency) – Washington, D.C/ US Dollar

World Unani Day observed on 11^th February

• World Unani Day is observed annually on 11 February.
• This day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of great Unani scholar and social reformer Hakim Ajmal Khan.
• He was an eminent Indian Unani physician who was a versatile genius, a great scholar, a social reformer, a noted freedom fighter, a Unani medical educationist and founder of scientific research in Unani System of Medicine.
• He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
• The main objective of World Unani Day is to spread awareness about health care delivery through Unani system of medicine through its preventive and curative philosophy.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be the Chief Guest at the function being organized by AYUSH Ministry in New Delhi on this occasion.

National Productivity Day observed globally on 12 February

• National Productivity Day is observed on 12 February annually.
• The day is celebrated by the National Productivity Council (NPC) to promote productivity culture in India.
• National Productivity Council (NPC) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Government of India is a premier institution for propagating productivity movement in India.
• NPC works for providing solutions towards accelerating productivity, enhancing competitiveness, increasing productivity.
• The seven days period from 12th February to 18th February 2020 as “Productivity Week” throughout the country.

Extra Shots:

NPC: National Productivity Council is an autonomous registered society under DIPP (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade), Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It was established in the year 1985. Its core function is to promote and adopt the new and improved culture of productivity in India.

• Founded: 12 February 1958
• Headquarters location: New Delhi

BANKING AND FINANCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

BoB, UBI cuts lending rates by 5-10 bps

• State-owned lender Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Union Bank of India (UBI) has lowered their lending rates by 5-10 basis points (bps).
• BoB has reduced its one-year Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) by 10 bps to 8.15% and one-month MCLR by 5 bps.
• The announced new rates will come into effect from 12 February.
• Also, UBI has reduced its 3-month MCLR rate by 5 bps to 7.80% from 7.85%.
• The one-year MCLR capital remains unchanged at 8.10%.
• The revised rates will come into effect from 11 February 2020.
• The Bank has recently reduced its home loan interest rates for different categories of borrowers by up to 30 bps from 8.20% to 7.90%.

Extra Shots:

Bank of Baroda: Bank of Baroda is a government-owned International banking and financial services company. It is the second-largest bank in India, next to the State Bank of India (SBI).

• Established on: 20 July 1908
• Nationalized on: 19 July 1969
• Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat
• Chairman: Hasmukh Adhia
• MD & CEO: Sanjiv Chadha

Union Bank of India: UBI is one of the Indian state-owned banks in India.

• Established on: 11 November 1919
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• MD & CEO: Shri Rajkiran Rai G.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

Coal Ministry launches Web Portal for Star Rating of Mines in India

• Ministry of Coal (MoC) has launched a web portal for star rating of coal mines to promote the green, safe and sustainable mining practices with the help of technology.
• The web portal for star rating of coal mines enables all operational coal mines across India for self-rating, their subsequent validation by Coal Controller’s Organization (CCO), further evaluation and finally award of star rating.
• The mines scoring the highest score in the country will be awarded in a public ceremony on the basis of the star ratings obtained on this web portal.
• The Star Rating Policy for Coal Mines in India is formulated by the Ministry of Coal.
• The mines that score from 91 to 100% will get 5 star
• The mines that score from 81 to 90% will get 4 star
• The mines that score from 71 to 80% will get 3 star
• The mines that score from 61 to 70% will get 2 star
• The mines that score from 41 to 60% will get 1 star
• The mines that score from 0 to 40% will get no star

NIFM, Faridabad to be renamed as Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management

• National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad will be renamed as Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM).
• The renaming of the institution is decided by the Government of India to align the vision and aspiration of the Institute for the future with the vision and contribution of Late Shri Arun Jaitley.
• Late Shri Arun Jaitley was the former Union Finance Minister of India.

SNA to compile National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage

• Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) has collaborated with Zonal Cultural Centers of Ministry to prepare a list of ICH elements for the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
• The information was shared by the Union Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel.

National List of ICH:

♦ A list of ICH elements will be compiled and at least 100 elements will be documented by March 2020.

♦ The aim is to document at least 20 new elements in the ICH list every year.

♦ Along with this listing, the establishment of an ‘Indian Institute for Culture’ is at a conceptual stage.

♦ Apart from this, the National Culture Mapping portal is being conceptualized for aggregating art forms and artists. It is in the pilot phase.

Extra Shots:

Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA):

Sangeet Natak Akademi is an autonomous organization. It was established in 1952. It functions under the Ministry of Culture. SNA is the nodal agency for the Scheme for ‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’.

NCRB reported Mumbai and Kolkata holds the highest cases on women and child trafficking

• A study by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) stated that the highest incidence of children and women being trafficked was observed from the cities of Mumbai and Kolkata.
• NCRB’s data on missing children and women was compiled on the directions of the Supreme Court (SC).

Report Highlights:

♦ The NCRB study on women and child trafficking was based on the annual Crime in India Report compiled by the agency for the years 2016, 2017 and 2018.

♦ NCRB study highlighted that the common causes of trafficking were child labour, forced marriages, domestic help, and sexual exploitation, among others.

♦ Mumbai and Kolkata reported the maximum number of trafficking.

♦ In the case of missing women, Maharashtra reported the maximum number.

♦ Madhya Pradesh reported a maximum number of cases of missing children.

♦ Mumbai, Pune, and Thane are considered the most vulnerable.

Extra Shots:

NCRB: The National Crime Records Bureau, abbreviated to NCRB, is an Indian government agency responsible for collecting and analysing crime data as defined by the Indian Penal Code and Special and Local Laws. NCRB is headquartered in New Delhi and is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Founded: 11 March 1986
• Motto: Empowering Indian Police with Information Technology
• Director: Ramphal Pawar
• Jurisdiction: India
• Parent department: Ministry of Home Affairs

US President Trump to visit India

• S. President Donald Trump has been scheduled to visit India on 24-25 February.
• Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump will visit Ahmedabad and New Delhi.
• Ahmedabad was chosen for the visit as it was in Gujarat, as it is home to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that it had played an important role in Mahatma Gandhi’s life.

Agenda:

♦ During the visit, President Trump and the First Lady will attend official engagements in New Delhi and Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

 ♦ They will interact with a wide cross-section of Indian society.

♦ It is expected that the leaders will sign to put together a limited trade deal on to during the visit.

♦ They are also expected to approve a $2.6 billion deal for 24 MH-60 Seahawk helicopters from Lockheed Martin.

Extra Shots:

USA (Capital/Currency): Washington, D.C./ United States Dollar

• President: Donald Trump
• Official languages: English

Delhi Election Results 2020 Updates: AAP gets 62 seats, BJP 8

• In Delhi Assembly Election, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party scored a landslide victory.
• This is the second time in a row as Aam Aadmi Party swept aside both BJP, which was again restricted to a single digit and Congress which could not win a single seat.
• In the 2015 Assembly Election, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won 67 seats out of 70. BJP has won eight seats, five more than the 2015 assembly election.
• Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjeev Jha records the biggest victory margin of over 88,000 votes from Burari Assembly/Vidhan Sabha seat.
• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal won the elections from New Delhi while Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia from Patparganj Assembly/Vidhan Sabha seat.

Centre announces to treat all medical devices as drugs with effect from 1 April

• The government of India has announced all medical devices sold in the country would be treated as “drugs” with effect from 1 April 2020.
• All devices will be regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.
• The announcement was made by the ministry of health and family welfare on 11 February.
• The decision was made after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB).
• Currently, 23 medical devices have been classified as drugs.
• Out of these, only a few including cardiac stents, intrauterine devices, drug-eluting cardiac stents, condoms, have been brought under price control.

Extra Shots:

Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB):

• DTAB is the apex statutory decision-making body on technical matters related to drugs in India.
• It was constituted under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• DTAB is part of CDSCO under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

CDSCO: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is the national regulatory body for Indian pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and serves parallel function to the European Medicines Agency of the European Union, the PMDA of Japan, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom.

• Headquarters location: New Delhi
• Minister responsible: Harsh Vardhan
• Parent agency: Government of India

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

India’s 1st glass floor suspension bridge to be built in Rishikesh

• The Uttarakhand Government has approved the design of a glass floor suspension bridge, the first of its kind in the country to have a floor made of toughened transparent glass.
• This bridge will be built across the River Ganga in Rishikesh. The bridge is as an alternative to the iconic Lakshman Jhula, almost 94 years old, which was closed in 2019 due to safety reasons.
• The bridge design has been prepared by the Public Works Department (PWD).

Extra Shots:

Uttarkhand

• Capital- Dehradun
• Governor- Baby Rani maurya
• CM-Trivendra Singh Rawat
• National Park -Jim Corbett NP, Gangotri NP, Nanda Devi NP, Rajaji NP

Chhattisgarh Govt decides to impose permanent ban on hookah bars

• In Chhattisgarh, the State Government has decided to impose a permanent ban on hookah bars across the state.
• The decision comes in the wake of complaints that school students, children and youth are getting attracted towards tobacco use and other addictions.
• The State Cabinet has also decided to close 49 liquor shops as part of its declared policy of gradually moving towards prohibition.

Extra Shots:

Chhatishgarh:

• Capital: Raipur
• Chief Minister: Bhupesh Baghel
• Governor: Anusuiya Uikey
• Literacy Rate: 60.21%
• National Park: Indravati (Kutru) National Park, Kanger Valley National Park, Guru Ghasi Das (Sanjay) National Park

West Bengal govt presents Rs 2,55,677 crore budget for next fiscal

• The West Bengal Finance Minister, Dr. Amit Mitra today proposed 2 lakh 55 thousand 677 crores rupees Budget for the next fiscal in the state assembly.
• The Budget for 2020-21 shows a limited deficit of eight crore rupees.
• In his Budget, Dr. Mitra proposed Revenue Receipts of 1 lakh 79 thousand 398 crore rupees while receipts from public debt and loans around 80 thousand crore rupees.
• The Budget puts emphasis on employment generation and economic development besides launching of several social sector schemes.
• Mitra proposed an old-age pension of one thousand rupees monthly for Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes, free electricity to the poor people whose quarterly consumption is up to 75 units.
• To encourage Small Scale Industries, a new incentive scheme for MSME named “Bangashree” has been proposed.
• To make unemployed youth self-reliant the Budget mooted a proposal to assist one lakh unemployed youths.
• Under the scheme, they will be provided a soft loan, subsidy for the new income-generating project up to 2 lakh rupees.
• To ease housing problems in tea gardens, the Finance Minister proposed a new scheme for the permanent residents of the gardens named as “Chaa Sundari”.

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West Bengal:

• Capital: Kolkata
• Chief Minister: Mamta Banerjee
• Governor: Jagdeep Dhankhar
• State Formed in: 1947
• Literacy Rate: 76.26%
• National Park: Buxa National Park, Gorumara National Park, Neora Valley National Park, Neora Valley National Park, Sunderban National Park, Jaldapara National Park

AP govt signed MoUs with Agri institutions to provide technical assistance to farmers

• The Andhra Pradesh State government signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with 11 premier agricultural institutions in the country on 10 February 2020.
• MoUs were exchanged between the state Agriculture Department and institutions, including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Institute of Plant Health Management, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Central Fertiliser Quality, and Training Institute, and National Seed Research and Training Institute, Amaravati.
• The aim is to usher in revolutionary changes in the agriculture sector through technology and knowledge transfer to farmers in the state.
• MoU Provisions:Under the MoU, the institutions will provide technical assistance which will lead to a sustainable increase in farmers’ income using organic and natural farming processes.

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Arunachal Pradesh:

• Capital: Itanagr
• Chief Minister: Pema Khandu
• Governor: B. D. Mishra
• Literacy Rate: 66.95%
• National Park: Mouling National Park, Namdapha National Park

JK government approved the two light metro rail projects

• The Jammu & Kashmir government has approved the two light metro rail projects in the state to ease the public transport in twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar.
• The Administrative Council (AC) approved the proposal of the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) in a meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor, GC Murmu.

Light metro rail projects proposal:

♦ HUDD proposed to build an elevated Light Rail System in both the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar.

♦ The move comes as an efficient urban transport system including Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) is essential for an inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth process.

♦ It is expected that elevated Light Rail Systems will provide best-in-class mobility in terms of reliable, safe, cost-effective, convenient, and sustainable public transport systems.

Extra Shots:

Jammu & Kashmir:

• Capitals- Jammu (Winter), Srinagar (Summer)
• Lt Governor- Girish Chandra Murmu
• National Parks: City Forest (Salim Ali) National Park, Dachigam National Park, Hemis National Park, Kishtwar National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Baltal-Thajwas WLS, Changthang Cold Desert WLS, Gulmarg WLS, Jasrota WLS, Karakoram (Nubra Shyok) WLS etc

First-ever Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival to be held in Mumbai

• The first-ever Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival has been scheduled to be held in Mumbai on 15 February 2020.
• The festival aims to promote artistic and cultural ties between India and Israel.
• The festival will be held on 15-16 February.
• Aim:The festival aims to promote artistic cooperation in the diverse fields of culture, such as culinary art, music, and dance.

Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival:

♦ The Festival will showcase the special links between the two cities and demonstrate their unique cultural traditions.

♦ It will provide a platform to promote collaborations between Jerusalem and Maharashtra in the cultural domain and inspire artists from Jerusalem and Mumbai to work together.

♦ It will deepen the growing partnership between the two countries.

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Maharashtra:

• Capital: Mumbai
• Chief Minister: Uddhav Thackeray
• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• State Formed in: 1 May 1960
• Litracy Rate: 82.34%
• National Parks: Chandoli National Park, Nawegaon National Park, Gugamal National Park, Pench National Park, Sanjay Gandhi (Borivilli) National Park, Tadoba National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Amba Barwa WLS, Bor WLS, Great Indian Bustard WLS,Lonar WLS, Melghat WLS, Gangewadi New Great Indian Bustard WLS, etc.

National Horticulture Fair 2020 concluded in Bengaluru

• National Horticulture Fair 2020 was concluded in Bengaluru.
• It was inaugurated by Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR) on 5 February 2020. The fair was held from 5-8 February.
• It focused on creating awareness about the nutrition and vertical gardening for nutritional security and accentuated the need for horticulture-based integrated farming systems.

Highlights:

♦ The fair addressed the malnutrition problem in the country.

♦ 8 farmers representing Andhra Pradesh,  Karnataka, Mizoram, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu were felicitated for their significant contributions in the field of horticulture and popularising the varieties/technologies of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR).

♦ The event witnessed the launch of a web application “ICAR-IIHR Seed Portal”. The portal is capable of capturing information on seed handling and seed process flow, seed quality testing, seed packaging and storage in the back-end of application and online sale of seeds and planting material produced by the institute.

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Karnataka:

• Capital: Bengaluru
• Chief Minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala
• National Park: Anshi NP, Bandipur NP, Bannerghatta NP, Kudremukh NP, Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) NP.

INTERNATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

WHO officially names Coronavirus disease as “Covid-19”

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially named the disease caused by the new coronavirus as “Covid-2019“.
• The new name “Covid-2019” has been taken from the words “corona”, “virus” and “disease”, with 2019 representing the year in which it emerged.
• The word coronavirus refers to the group of viruses it belongs to.
• The naming of the disease was done as the researchers were calling for an official name of the disease to avoid confusion and stigmatisation of any group or country.
• The virus was also designated as SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

Extra Shots:

WHO: The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Head: Tedros Adhanom
• Founded: 7 April 1948
• Director General: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

33rd African Union (AU) summit held in Ethiopia

• The 33rd edition of the African Union (AU) summit was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• The 33rd edition of the African Union (AU) summit was held with the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development“.
• President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa took over the chair of African Union (AU) from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
• Heads of the states and the government officials from across Africa gathered in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa and focused on ways to end the regional violence, including the conflicts in South Sudan and Libya.

Extra Shot:

AU: The African Union is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. Wikipedia

• Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Founder: Muammar al-Gaddafi
• Founded: 9 July 2002, Durban, South Africa
• French: Union Africaine
• Swahili: Umoja wa Afrika
• Parent organizations: Organisation of African Unity, African Economic Community

‘Engiexpo 2020’ to be held in Vadodara, Gujarat

• The 6th edition of the mega industrial exhibition ‘Engiexpo 2020’ is being organised in Vadodara, Gujarat from February 15 to 17, 2020.
• The three-day mega exhibition will be organised by the Federation of Small Scale Industries (FSSI), to promote ‘Made in India’ products. Over 10,000 industrial products will be showcased in more than 300 stalls.
• Several companies from Uzbekistan are also participating in the exhibition.

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Gujarat:

• Capital: Gandhinagar
• Chief Minister: Vijay Rupani
• Governor: Acharya Devvrat
• State formed on: 1 May 1960
• Literacy Rate: 79.31%
• National Park: Vansda NP, Blackbuck NP, Gir Forest NP, Marine NP, Gulf of Kutch

Kerala to host global meet on climate change, ocean health

• ClimFishCon 2020, an international conference on the impact of climate change on ‘hydrological cycle, ecosystem, fisheries and food security’ will begin in Kerala on 12 February.
• More than 300 delegates from 12 countries including scientists, researchers, administrators, policymakers, academicians, and entrepreneurs will participate in the event. Fishers, aqua farmers, students and other stakeholders will also attend.
• The conference is organised jointly by the CUSAT School of Industrial Fisheries and the Department of Fisheries, Kerala.

Extra Shots:

Kerala:

• Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan
• Festivals: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Nehru Trophy Boat Race
• National Parks: Anamudi Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Pambadum Shola National Park, Periyar National Park,Silent Valley National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Aralam WLS, Chimmony WLS, Idukki WLS, Periyar WLS, Wayanad WLS, Peppara WLS, Neyyar WLS, Kurinjimala WLS, Malabar WLS etc

India to host COP-13 of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals

• India is hosting the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
• The conference will be held during 17-22 February 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• The announcement was made by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.
• The theme of CMS COP13 is “Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home”. The CMS COP 13 logo is inspired by ‘Kolam’, a traditional art form from southern India.

Extra Shots:

COP-13:

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conference on 17 February 2020.
• The meetings will include the Stakeholder Dialogue, High-Level Segment Meeting, and the Champion Night Award Ceremony.
• Side Events and Working Group meetings will be held.
• Many national and international organizations will showcase best practices in wildlife conservation in the exhibition area.
• As India is hosting the event, India shall be designated as the Presidency during the intersessional period following the meeting.

National Water Conference was held in Madhya Pradesh

• National Water Conference was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Well-known water experts in the country have expressed concern over the growing water crisis.
• The Conference was inaugurated by Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

Highlights:

♦ The inaugural session was addressed by the State Water Resources Minister Sukhdev Panse and Rajendra Singh, known as Jal Purush.

♦ The experts discussed that water conservation technological development should be included with traditional means to solve the growing water crisis.

♦ They discussed the importance and revival of traditional water sources, the right to water, river rejuvenation campaign in Madhya Pradesh.

♦ Discussions are aimed at amalgamating new technologies that could solve future problems.

TRIFED organized a workshop on Van Dhan and Entrepreneurship Development

• Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) organized a workshop on Van Dhan and Entrepreneurship Development.
• It was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda.
• The workshop held discussions implementing and expanding the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) in their respective constituencies.

Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY):

♦ PMVDY initiative targets livelihoods generation for tribals by harnessing the wealth of the forest.

♦ It aims to tap the traditional knowledge and skills of tribals and add branding, packaging and marketing skills to optimize their income through a market enterprise model by setting up Van Dhan Kendras (VDVKs).

♦ PMVDY focuses to create tribal enterprise comprising of tribal gatherers/ entrepreneurs, who would collectively undertake all related activities starting from the collection of NTFPs through sustainable harvesting, value-addition, packaging, branding, and marketing of value-added products.

Extra Shots:

TRIFED: TRIFED functions under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It aims to serve the interest of tribes through socio-economic betterment. There is a wide range of handicrafts in the tribes of India. These include handwoven cotton, wool, and silk fabrics, woodcrafts, metal craft, terracotta, beadwork, masques, and other objects paintings and so on. TRIFED has introduced a retail chain called “Tribes India” to buy the products from tribal and sell the same in the market.

RANKS AND INDICES

UNICEF released 2019 State of the World’s Children Report

• The State of the World’s Children Report 2019 stated more than 8 lakhs under 5 Mortality Rate in India.
• The report was released by the United Nations Children’s Fund is a United Nations agency (UNICEF).

 Highlights:

♦ The report has ranked countries in the order of ‘highest burden of death among children of under-5’ to the ‘lowest burden Of death among children Of under-5’.

♦ The report analyses the global state Of children’s health vis-a-vis malnutrition, obesity, anemia, and other health issues.

♦ The report showed the Under 5 Mortality Rate in India is 37 per 1,000 live births against the Global average of 39 per 1,000 live births in 2018.

GoI’s measure:

♦ To address the malnutrition changes in India. GoI has launched Prime Minister Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN).

POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to prevent and reduce stunting, underweight and low birth weight by 2% per annum and the reduction of anemia by 3% per annum.

♦ Government also launched several schemes including Anganwadi Services, Scheme for Adolescent Girls (SAG) and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna (PMMVY) to improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years.

♦ Government also supports all States/UTs under National Health Mission (NHM) to implement Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) strategies to address child mortality and morbidity.

Extra Shots:

UNICEF: The United Nations Children’s Fund is a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children around the world.

• Headquarters: New York, New York, United States
• Head: Henrietta H. Fore
• Founded: 11 December 1946, New York, New York, United States
• Founders: United Nations General Assembly, Ludwik Rajchman

APPOINTMENT

Sanjay Vatsyayan took over as Eastern Fleet Commander

• The command of the Eastern Fleet was handed over to Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsyayan by Rear Admiral Suraj Berry at a ceremony at Visakhapatnam on 11 February 2020.
• He previously served as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at New Delhi. Rear Admiral Suraj Berry will take over as Chief of Staff of the tri-services Andaman and Nicobar Command shortly.

Extra Shots:

Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsyayan:

Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsyayan is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Naval War College, Mumbai and the National Defence College, New Delhi.

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

Australia presented with ICC Women’s Championship trophy

• Australia was awarded the ICC (International Cricket Council) Women’s Championship trophy 2020, which they maintained by winning victories in the 8-team one-day championship between 2017 and 2020.
• Australia’s team was led by Meghann Moira Lanning, which also won this trophy last time(ie 1st edition 2014–16).
• The ICC Women’s Championship has given hosts New Zealand and four top teams a direct place in the World Cup 2021.
• The remaining teams will play qualifiers through the Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2020 scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from July 3 – 19,2020.

Extra Shots:

ICC: The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

• Chairperson: Shashank Manohar
• CEO: Manu Sawhney
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founded: 15 June 1909
• Membership: 104 members

Armand Duplantis breaks Pole Vault World Record

• Sweden’s Pole Vaulter, Armand Duplantis has break the Pole Vault World Record set by Renaud Lavillenie of France in 2014.
• Armand Duplantis break the world record with a jump of 20 feet 2.9 inches or 6.17 metres at Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland.

Aditya Mehta & Vidya Pillai wins National Snooker Championship

• Aditya Mehta & Vidya Pillai has won the National Snooker Championship held in pune, Maharashtra.
• Aditya Mehta defeated the world champion Pankaj Advani to win the men’s title of the National Snooker Championship.
• While representing the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), he defeated Pankaj Advani with a score line of 6-2.
• Vidya Pillai of Karnataka defeated Amee Kamani of Madhya Pradesh to win the women’s title of the National Snooker Championship.
• She defeated Amee Kamani with a score line of 3-2 to defend her senior ladies snooker title.

India’s Lalremsiami named as 2019 FIH Women’s Rising Star of Year

• India forward Lalremsiami has been named as the 2019 FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year by the International Hockey Federation.
• 19-year-old Lalremsiami took the prize ahead of Argentina’s Julieta Jankunas and Frederique Matla of the Netherlands.

Extra Shots:

IFH: The Fédération Internationale de Hockey, commonly known by the acronym FIH, is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and the president is Narinder Batra.

• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President: Narinder Batra
• Founded: 7 January 1924
• CEO: Thierry Weil
• Abbreviation: FIH
• Membership: 137 national associations

ICC penalizes 3 Bangladesh and 2 India U-19 cricketers

• The International Cricket Council has penalized three Bangladesh as well as two Indian U-19 cricketers.
• The players have been sanctioned by ICC for violating the Code of Conduct for players. ICC found them guilty of the Level 3 breach during the U-19 World Cup finals between India and Bangladesh, held in South Africa.
• ICC found them guilty as they were involved in an exchange of words with some pushing and shoving on the field after the final match.

Extra Shots:

ICC: The International Cricket Council is the global governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

• Chairperson: Shashank Manohar
• CEO: Manu Sawhney
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Founded: 15 June 1909
• Membership: 104 members

DEFENCE CURRENT AFFAIRS

India and UK to hold joint military drill ‘Ajeya Warrior’

• India and the United Kingdom will conduct their 5th edition of joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior-2020’ at Salisbury Plains, the United Kingdom from February 13-26.
• The exercise is being held from 2005.
• The exercise will comprise of 120 soldiers each from Indian and United Kingdom Army who would be sharing their experiences gained during conduct of various counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations in the past.
• The participants have also been trained in combat shooting, rock craft training, Jungle survival and martial arts for unarmed combat.

Extra Shots:

United Kingdom (Capital/Currency): London/ Pound sterling

• Prime minister: Boris Johnson.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Vice President releases the book ‘A Child of Destiny’

• The Vice President of India Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled ‘A Child of Destiny’ an autobiography penned by Prof. K. Ramakrishna Rao.
• Ramakrishna Rao was an Eminent Scholar, Author, Researcher, Scientist and Gandhian.
• He was born in the coastal region in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The Government of India awarded him “The Civilian Honour of Padma Shri in 2011”.

A book titled A Commentary and Digest on The Air, Act 1981 was released

• Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar released a book titled “A Commentary and Digest on The Air, Act 1981,” at Chandigarh.
• The book was written by Dr. K K Khandelwal, Chairman, Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA), Gurgaon and authored by Apoorva Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning and Urban Estates Department.

A Commentary and Digest on The Air, Act 1981:

♦ The book focuses on ways to prevent and control air pollution.

♦ The book has given an elaborate explanation of law devised to prevent air pollution.

♦ The book aims to create awareness on air pollution in society.

AWARDS

Pullela Gopichand honoured with lifetime achievement award by IOC

• The Chief National coach for the Indian Badminton team Pullela Gopichand honour with Coaches lifetime achievement award by International Olympic Committee’s (IOC).
• He is the 1st Indian coach to be Honoured with this Lifetime award by the Olympics Committee.

Extra Shots:

IOC: The International Olympic Committee is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Founded by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas in 1894, it is the authority responsible for organising the modern Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President: Thomas Bach
• Honorary President: Jacques Rogge
• Director General: Christophe De Kepper
• Founded: 23 June 1894, Paris, France
• Founders: Pierre de Coubertin, Demetrios Vikelas

OBITUARIES

Veteran cricket journalist Raju Bharatan passes away

• Noted cricket journalist and film historian Raju Bharatan passed away.
• Bharatan, who wrote on Indian cricket and Bollywood music, worked for a weekly features magazine, The Illustrated Weekly of India, and an Indian films weekly newspaper, Screen.

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