Current Affairs Today 23rd and 24th February 2020-Download in PDF

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Current Affairs Today – 23rd and 24th February 2020

NEWS AT A GLANCE

1. Central Excise Day is celebrated on 24 February in India. The day recognizes the contribution of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (at present Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs).
2. The fourth Anniversary of the launch of Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) was observed on 21 February 2016.
3. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NF) Construction Organisation has built India’s tallest railway pier bridge across river Makru in the Tamenglong district of Manipur.
4. The mega event Namaste Trump is to be held at cricket stadium Sardar Patel Stadium, also known as Motera Stadium, in Ahmedabad on 24 February 2020.
5. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) celebrated the first anniversary of the new Central Sector Scheme on 24 February 2020.
6. J&K Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan flagged off a group of students from across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories for a ten-day tour ‘Watan Ko Jano’, a youth exchange programme.
7. Union Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the country’s first floating jetty here and an immigration facility at a cruise terminal in Vasco at Goa.
8. Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) is set to launch “Export Cold Zone”, an exclusive terminal for processing and storage of agro and pharma products.
9. The first anniversary of the iconic National War Memorial (NWM) will be observed on 25 February.
10. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched PM-KISAN mobile application on the first anniversary of the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) on 24 February.
11. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered gold deposits to the tune of around 3,000 tonnes in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh.
12. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced 5 schemes for children living in government-run homes on the birth anniversary of former Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa.
13. Haryana state government is to open Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens in all mandis and sugar mills across the state.
14. NITI Aayog is organizing Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation and Development of North Eastern states in Guwahati, Assam.
15. Pakistan hosted the 9th Defence and Security Expert Working Group (EWG) meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Islamabad.
16. National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has organized a 3-day international conference on Ensemble Methods in Modelling and Data Assimilation (EMMDA) in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
17. Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 2nd Edition of Exhibition and Conference on Agri-technology & Innovation at Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University in Hyderabad on 22 February 2020.
18. The International Judicial Conference was held in New Delhi. The Conference was addressed by PM Modi.
19. Delhi and Ahmedabad topped the list of seven metro cities in daily average consumption of “added fat” in dishes such as dal fry, stuffed paratha, and mutton biryani.
20. Rajlaxmi Singh Deo has been re-elected as the president of the Rowing Federation of India (RFI).
21. The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has appointed Vijay Advani as new Chair of its Global Board of Directors.
22. India’s Grandmaster D Gukesh has won the 34th Cannes Open in France.
23. Russia will be the first country to host the new format of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Team World Cup 2020.
24. Veteran actor Manoj Kumar has been felicitated by the World Book of Records, London with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood honour for being a legendary actor and for his contribution to Indian cinema.
25. Dr Niti Kumar has won the SERB Women Excellence Award-2020. She is a Senior Scientist from Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow.
26. Former Indian footballer Ashok Chatterjee passed away.
27. Academic-turned-politician, Krishna Bose, passed away in West Bengal due to cardiac arrest.

NEWS IN DETAILS

IMPORTANT DAYS AND THEMES

Central Excise Day is celebrated on 24 February

• Central Excise Day is celebrated on 24 February in India.
• The day recognizes the contribution of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (at present Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs).
• The day marks the enactment of the Central Excise and Salt Act in 1944.
• Aim:The day aims honours the contribution of the Central Board of Excise and Custom to India’s economy.
• The day recognizes the hard work and accomplishments of its employees.

Shyama Prasad Mukherji National Rurban Mission completed four years on 21 February

• The fourth Anniversary of the launch of Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) was observed on 21 February 2016.

Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission:

♦ The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The aim of the vision is to deliver catalytic interventions to rural areas on the threshold of growth.

♦ The Mission was aimed to transform the Rurban clusters by stimulating local economic development.

♦ It also focused on enhancing basic services and creating well planned Rurban clusters.

♦ This will lead to the holistic development of the region and encourage integrated and inclusive rural development.

NATIONAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

NFR Construction builds Indias tallest pier bridge in Manipur

• The Northeast Frontier Railway (NF) Construction Organisation has built India’s tallest railway pier bridge across river Makru in the Tamenglong district of Manipur.

India’s tallest pier bridge:

♦ India’s tallest pier bridge is 100 m tall. It is equivalent to a 33-storey building.

♦ The total cost of the bride is Rs.283.5 crore

♦ The span of 555 m is part of the 111-km Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge line.

♦ The pier bridge has 47 tunnels. Of which the longest is 10.28 km.

♦ The steel girders of the bridge were prefabricated at a workshop in Kolkata. It was transported in segments and erected at the site by cantilever launching that required meticulous planning and execution.

Extra Shots:

The Northeast Frontier Railway, is one of the 18 railway zones in India. Headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati in the state of Assam, it is responsible for rail operations in the entire Northeast and parts of West Bengal and Bihar.

• Headquarters: Maligaon, Guwahati
• Date of operation: 15 January 1958
• Predecessor: NorthEastern Railway
• Track gauge: Broad Gauge; Narrow Gauge
• Previous gauge: Metre Gauge
• Locale: Assam, Nagaland, West Bengal, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Bihar

Namaste Trump to be held at Motera Stadium on 24 February

• The mega event Namaste Trump is to be held at cricket stadium Sardar Patel Stadium, also known as Motera Stadium, in Ahmedabad on 24 February 2020.

Namaste Trump event:

♦ The Donald Trump Nagarik Abhivadan Samiti (Citizen Felicitation Committee for Donald Trump) will organize the high-profile public event which will feature cultural performances.

♦ Renowned Indian composer A.R. Rahman along with singers Sonu Nigam and Shaan will give a special performance in the event.

♦ Cricketing legends Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, and Sunil Gavaskar will also be present in the mega event.

About President Trump’s visit:

U.S. President Donald Trump has been scheduled to visit India on 24-25 February. Mr.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.

Extra Shots:

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

PM-KISAN completed the first year on 24 February

• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) celebrated the first anniversary of the new Central Sector Scheme on 24 February 2020.
• The Central Government has released more than Rs.50850 crores so far.
• The total number of beneficiaries covered under the scheme, based on estimates of the Agriculture Census 2015-16, is about 14 crore.

PM-KISAN scheme:

♦ The scheme was aimed to augment the income of the farmers, with less than 2 hectares of land, by providing income support to all landholding farmers’ families across the country.

♦ The scheme will enable the farmers to take care of expenses related to agriculture and allied activities and domestic needs.

♦ Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs.6000 per year is transferred in three 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000. The amount will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the farmers, subject to certain exclusion criteria relating to higher-income status.

Farooq Khan flags off ‘Watan Ko Jano’ youth exchange programme

• J&K Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan flagged off a group of students from across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories for a ten-day tour ‘Watan Ko Jano’, a youth exchange programme.
• This programme has been organised by Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Council, Department of Social Welfare under the aegis of Department of JK Affairs, Government of India.
• Through this programme, children will get an opportunity to visit monuments and places of historical and cultural significance in Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar.
• It is a great opportunity for these children and the unique feature of unity in diversity of great nations like India.
• This tours expose children to different cultures and areas of the country and go a long way in their overall personality development.

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

India’s first floating jetty inaugurated in Goa

• Union Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the country’s first floating jetty here and an immigration facility at a cruise terminal in Vasco at Goa.
• The jetty is located in the state port department’s premises on the banks of Mandovi river.
• This floating jetty is the first such facility in the country. It is made of cement concrete.
• It will boost inland waterways.
• They are environment-friendly and can be built in a short time. “Jetty” refers to a walkway accessing the centre of an enclosed waterbody.
• The floating jetty is quick to install and can be shifted from one place to another.

Extra Shots:

Goa

• Capital: Panaji
• Chief Minister: Pramod Sawant
• Governor: Satya Pal Malik

MIAL to launch Export Cold Zone to store agro and pharma products

• Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) is set to launch “Export Cold Zone”, an exclusive terminal for processing and storage of agro and pharma products.
• Mumbai airport is the largest gateway for the movement of pharma and agro products in the country.

Export Cold Zone:

♦ The Export Cold Zone facility will be operated by cargo handling service provider and MIAL’s business partner, Cargo Service Centre.

♦ The world’s largest airport-based temperature-controlled facility can hold over 700 tonnes of such cargo at one time with a combined annual capacity of 5.25 lakh tonnes.

♦ The fully automated infrastructure will cater to the rapidly growing demand for pharma and Agri goods.

♦ MIAL connects 500 cargo destinations across 175 countries through 60 airlines.

♦ The export cold zone is equipped with 12 truck docks with dock-levelers, spacious acceptance and examination area, automated workstations, X-Ray machines, unit load device (ULD) storage, ballmat system for ULD transfer and cold rooms.

♦ The facility is equipped with 10 ULD build-up workstations and 172 ULD storage positions, of which 140 ULD positions is for pharma terminal and 32 ULD positions for the agro terminal.

♦ It is spread over an operational area of 6,000 square metres.

CDS to celebrate first anniversary of National War Memorial

• The first anniversary of the iconic National War Memorial (NWM) will be observed on 25 February.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the monument to the nation on 25 February 2019.
• The memorial is a tribute to the fallen heroes in the line of duty during various wars and internal security challenges since Independence.

Event:

♦ A solemn ceremony will be held to mark the first anniversary at NWM on 25 February.

♦ Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and veterans from the three services will lay wreaths and pay homage to the fallen soldiers.

♦ The events for the first anniversary was commenced on 22 February 2020 with a static band display by the three Services.

♦ Quiz competition based on Indian military history is also being held between 24-25 February 2020 in which students from various schools and colleges across Delhi are participating.

Extra Shots:

National War Memorial:

♦ National War Memorial has names of 25,942 soldiers martyred after Independence engraved.

♦ The Memorial is spread over 40 acres in the India Gate complex in Delhi. It was built at a cost of around Rs.176 crore in a record time of one year.

♦ The memorial has been built in the memory of the martyred jawans who lost their lives protecting India during the Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka and the Kargil Conflict in 1999.

♦ The memorial consists of four concentric circles namely the ‘Amar Chakra’ or Circle of Immortality, ‘Veerta Chakra’ or Circle of Bravery, ‘Tyag Chakra’ or Circle of Sacrifice and ‘Rakshak Chakra’ or Circle of Protection.

Narendra Singh Tomar launched PM-KISAN mobile application

• Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched PM-KISAN mobile application on the first anniversary of the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) on 24 February.

PM-KISAN App:

♦ PM-KISAN App aimed to broaden the reach of the scheme further.

♦ Using the app, the farmers can know their payment status, correct their name besides knowing their eligibility for the scheme and other information.

♦ Government’s has planned to double farmer’s income by 2022. The mobile application will play an important role in doubling farmer’s income.

♦ Government has taken several initiatives like promoting organic farming and promoting export of agri-products in order to boost the income of farmers.

GSI discoverd gold deposits in Sonbhadra district

• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered gold deposits to the tune of around 3,000 tonnes in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh.
• The deposit is almost five times India’s current reserve of gold.

Gold deposits:

♦ The gold deposits were found in Son Pahadi and Hardi areas of Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh.

♦ The British reportedly initiated the process of finding gold reserves in the Sonbhadra region first. Then, the project of finding gold began in 1992-93 by GSI.

♦ Auctioning of these blocks through e-tendering will begin.

♦ The newly found deposit in Son Pahadi has been estimated to be around 2,943.26 tonnes and the deposit at Hardi block is around 646.16 kg.

♦ Apart from gold, some other minerals have also been found in the area.

♦ World Gold Council stated that India currently has 626 tonnes of gold reserves.

♦ The new reserves have been estimated to be worth nearly Rs.12 lakh crore.

Extra Shots:

Sonbhadra is the second largest district of Uttar Pradesh. It is the only district in India, that shares borders with four states namely Madhya Pradesh (west), Chhattishgarh (south), Jharkhand (south-east) and Bihar (east).

Uttar Pradesh:

• Capital: Lucknow
• Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath
• Governor: Anandiben Patel
• State formed in: 24 January 1950
• Literacy Rate: 67.68%
• Nation Park: Dudhwa National Park

STATE CURRENT AFFAIRS

TN CM announces 5 schemes for children living in government-run homes

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced 5 schemes for children living in government-run homes on the birth anniversary of former Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa.
• The aim is to honour the late leader CM J. Jayalalithaa’s birthday.

5 Schemes:

♦ The state government announced special financial assistance for girls who face difficulties after leaving government-run homes on completion of 18 years of age. The scheme will ensure the social and financial safety of the girls.

♦ The TN State Government has increased the monthly amount paid to the foster parents of the girls to Rs.4,000 from Rs.2,000.

♦ The state government will deposit Rs.2 lakh to an orphan girl residing in government-run homes when she completes 21 years of age. The aim is to help them get a better life in society after they leave government homes.

Extra Shots:

Tamilnadu

• Capital: Chennai
• Chief Minister: Edappadi K.Palanisamy
• Governor: Banwarilal Purohit
• Chief Justice of Madras High Court: Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani
• National Park: Guindy NP,Gulf of Mannar Marine NP, Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) NP,             Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP.

Haryana government to open Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens to provide meals

• Haryana state government is to open Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens in all mandis and sugar mills across the state.
• The announcement was made by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya at the Budget Session of State Assembly which commenced in Chandigarh.

Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens:

♦ The aim of the move is to provide affordable and cheap meals to farmers and labourers at a concessional rate of Rs.10 per plate.

♦ 25 Atal Kisan-Majdoor canteens will be established in 2020 in the state.

♦ Haryana government will also provide free and concessional travel facility to 41 different categories of residents in the ordinary buses of Haryana Roadways.

Extra Shots:

Haryana:

• State formed on: 1 November 1966
• Capital: Chandigarh
• Governor: Satyadev Narayan Arya
• Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
• Official language: Hindi

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

NITI Aayog to organize North East SDG Conclave 2020 in Assam

• NITI Aayog is organizing Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation and Development of North Eastern states in Guwahati, Assam.
• The event will see representations from the North-Eastern states, Central Ministries, academia, civil society and international development organizations.
• The conclave is to focus on SDG localization in the northeastern region.
• It includes climate adaptive agriculture, sustainable livelihoods, education, health and nutrition, skill development, connectivity, entrepreneurship, infrastructure development.
• Every session is to chaired by respective field specialist.
• NITI Aayog has the mandate of overseeing the adoption and monitoring of SDGs at the national and sub-national level. Progress in the northeast region is crucial in this decade of action for the country to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
• This conclave is part of the NITI Aayog’s continuous efforts towards fostering partnerships at the sub-national level.

Extra Shots:

NITI Aayog: The NITI Aayog is a policy think tank of the Government of India, established with the aim to achieve sustainable development goals with cooperative federalism by fostering the involvement of State Governments of India in the economic policy-making process using a bottom-up approach.

• Website: niti.gov.in
• Formed: 1 January 2015
• Jurisdiction: Government of India
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Chairperson: Narendra Modi

Pakistan hosts SCO’s Defence Experts Working Group meeting

• Pakistan hosted the 9th Defence and Security Expert Working Group (EWG) meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Islamabad.
• This event is a part of the ‘Shanghai Cooperation Organization Defense & Security Cooperation Plan 2020’.
• The participating countries besides Pakistan as a host included China, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and India, whereas Belarus attended the meeting as the observer state.

Extra Shots:

SCO: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai.

• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• Deputy Secretaries General: Sabyr Imandosov; Wang Kaiwen; Aziz Nosirov; Vladimir Potapenko
• Secretary General: Vladimir Norov
• Founded: 26 April 1996
• Abbreviation: SCO
• Founders: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

NCMRWF organizes international conference on “EMMDA” in Noida

• National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has organized a 3-day international conference on Ensemble Methods in Modelling and Data Assimilation (EMMDA) in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
• The conference was organized to have a concrete discussions and deliberations on the present status, future prospects as well as optimum use of Ensemble Prediction System (EPS).
• The Ensemble Prediction System has been developed by leading weather forecasting centres of the world to quantify the forecast uncertainty and to probabilistic forecasting of weather.

Extra Shots:

NCMRWF: National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting is a national agency for weather forecasting under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. It is a premier institute in India to provide Medium Range Weather Forecasts through deterministic Methods and to offer Agro-Advisory Service to the farmers.

Vice President inaugurated 2nd Edition of Exhibition and Conference on Agri-technology and Innovation

• Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 2nd Edition of Exhibition and Conference on Agri-technology & Innovation at Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University in Hyderabad on 22 February 2020.

Highlights:

♦ The scientist and researchers were urged to come up with new innovations and ideas to find solutions to the challenges faced by the Indian farmers.

♦ It emphasized the need for post-harvest management and providing support to the farmers.

♦ The conference highlighted e-NAM should be expanded to all regions in every state.

International Judicial Conference was held in New Delhi

• The International Judicial Conference was held in New Delhi.
• The Conference was addressed by PM Modi.
• The theme of the conference is “Gender Just World”. The topic of the one-day conference is “Judiciary and The Changing World”.
• The conference discussed the changes made by GoI to bring gender equality including recruitment of women in military service, changes in the selection process of fighter pilots, and the freedom to work at night in the mines.
• The synergy of artificial intelligence (AI) and human conscience is expected to give further impetus to judicial processes in India.
• Centre has established National Judicial Data Grid, in order to make court procedures easier.
• The Conference also focused on the need for technology to deliver rapid justice.
• The initiative “E-Court Integrated Mission Mode Project” of GoI, to integrate every court of India with the E-Court system was highlighted.

RANKS AND INDICES

Delhi, Ahmedabad topped the list of seven metro cities in daily average consumption of added fat

• Delhi and Ahmedabad topped the list of seven metro cities in daily average consumption of “added fat” in dishes such as dal fry, stuffed paratha, and mutton biryani.
• The seven cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Survey Highlights:

♦ The survey was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN).

♦ The database of the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau study (2015-16), ICMR-NIN-Hyderabad was used for the survey.

♦ International Life Sciences Institute-India (ILSI-India) supported tha analysis

♦ Hyderabad ranked last in the survey.

♦ As per the review, men consume more fat at 34.1 gram per person daily, than women who consume 31.1 gram.

♦ The report highlighted that added fat was high in dishes such as dal fry, chuduva, rice, stuffed paratha, bisibele bath, and puliyodharai also known as tamarind rice.

♦ The survey stated that Mutton Biryani has more fat than chicken biryani or cereal-based and non-vegetarian recipes.

♦ People who eat deep-fried food consumed more added fat than those who ate boiled and shallow-fried food.

♦ It stated that all non-vegetarian foods, mostly consumed in urban areas, have high amounts of added fat.

APPOINTMENT

Rajlaxmi Singh Deo again elected as president of Rowing Federation of India

• Rajlaxmi Singh Deo has been re-elected as the president of the Rowing Federation of India (RFI).
• The elections were conducted under the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) observer K Govindraj.

Other Appointments:

• Rajpal Singh, G Bhasker, Souvik Ghose, and Sreekunara Kurup were elected as vice-presidents.
• MV Sriram was voted as secretary-general of the RFI.
• Krishna Kumar Singh and Chirajit Dhukan were chosen as joint-secretaries of the federation.
• Jasbir Singh, Venkateshwara Rao, Ismail Baig, Jacob, and Manjunatha were elected as the executive committee members.

Extra Shots:

RFI: The Rowing Federation of India is the central body for the game of rowing in India. It was formed on August 30, 1976 with a view to make the sport of Rowing popular in India. It is affiliated with the Indian Olympic Association and Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron.

• President: Mrs. Rajlaxmi Singh Deo
• Founded: 30 August 1976
• Sport: Rowing
• Affiliation: International Rowing Federation
• Headquarters: Mumbai

USIBC appoints Vijay Advani as new Chairman of Global Board

• The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has appointed Vijay Advani as new Chair of its Global Board of Directors.
• Prior to this, he served as Executive Chairman of the Board in January 2020.
• The council also announced two new members of the Global Board of Directors Lockheed Martin International Senior Vice President Tim Cahill and GE South Asia President & CEO Mahesh Palashikar.
• US India Business Council (USIBC) represents top global companies operating across the United States, India, and Indo-Pacific.

Extra Shots:

USIBC: The U.S.-India Business Council was formed in 1975 as a business advocacy organization to enlighten and encourage the private sectors of both India and United States to enhance investment flows.

• Headquarters location: Washington, D.C., United States
• Founded: 1975
• Key person: Nisha Desai Biswal (Chairman)
• Type of business: Non-profit organisation

SPORTS CURRENT AFFAIRS

India’s Grandmaster D Gukesh wins 34th Cannes Open in France

• India’s Grandmaster D Gukesh has won the 34th Cannes Open in France.
• He defeated Harutyun Bargseghyan of France in 50 moves to win the chess tournament.
• Siva Mahadevan of India secured the 10th place with six points.
• D Gukesh from Tamil Nadu also became the world’s second youngest Grandmaster ever in 2019 when he won the Hillerod 110th Anniversary Open event in Denmark.

Russia to host new edition of AIBA World Cup 2020

• Russia will be the first country to host the new format of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Team World Cup 2020.
• AIBA Executive committee members voted in favour to approve the Russian bid at its meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
• The tournament will be coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II under the motto “Boxing for peace”.

Extra Shots:

Russia (Capital/Currency): Moscow/Ruble

• Prime Minister: Dmitry Medvedev
• President: Vladimir Putin

AIBA: The International Boxing Association or AIBA, originally the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur, is a sport organization that sanctions amateur boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.

• Headquarters location: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President: Gafur Rakhimov
• Abbreviation: AIBA
• Founded: 1946

AWARDS

Manoj Kumar felicitated by World Book of Records, London

• Veteran actor Manoj Kumar has been felicitated by the World Book of Records, London with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood honour for being a legendary actor and for his contribution to Indian cinema.
• The certificate of honour was presented to Manoj Kumar by Santosh Shukla, Supreme Court Advocate (President World Book of Records), Usman Khan (Vice President, World Book of Records, India) and Professor Rajeev Sharma.
• Before this, legendary actor Dilip Kumar has also been felicitated with the honour.

Dr. Niti Kumar to be honoured with SERB Women Excellence Award-2020

• Dr Niti Kumar has won the SERB Women Excellence Award-2020. She is a Senior Scientist from Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow.
• Her research team is testing the protein quality control machinery in human malaria parasite for exploration of alternative drug targets for malaria intervention.
• President of India will confer the award during the celebrations of National Science Day.
• This award is conferred to women scientists who are below 40 years of age and have received recognition from national academies.

OBITUARIES

Former Indian footballer Ashok Chatterjee passes away

• Former Indian footballer Ashok Chatterjee passed away.
• Chatterjee, who made 30 appearances for the senior national team, made his international debut when he came on as a second-half substitute for PK Banerjee against Japan in the Merdeka Cup in 1965.
• Ashok Chatterjee scored 10 goals for India, including a brace against Japan in their 3-0 win at the group league stage in 1966 Merdeka Cup.
• Chatterjee also represented India in the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, and the Asian Cup Qualifiers in 1967.
• He was honoured with the Mohun Bagan Lifetime Achievement Award by the club in 2019.

Former MP Krishna Bose passed away in Kolkata

• Academic-turned-politician, Krishna Bose, passed away in West Bengal due to cardiac arrest.
• She was 89 years old.
• She served as a Member of Parliament elected from the Jadavpur constituency in West Bengal as an All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate.

Extra Shots:

Krishna Bose:

Krishna Bose was the daughter-in-law of Subhash Chandra Bose’s elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose. She taught at the City College in Kolkata. She was elected to the Lok Sabha thrice. She gave an immense contribution to Indian society and Bengali culture.

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