We are here for you to provide the important Current Affairs February 8 2019, which have unique updates of all daily events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Cabinet Approvals On 6th February, 2019
- Cabinet approves the revised Office Memorandum of ‘Amendment of Constitution to facilitate reservations for Economically Weaker Sections of Society’
- Cabinet approves formulation of certain allowances to the executives of AAI prescribed by DPE
- Abolition of Institutions of Indirect Tax Ombudsman and Income-Tax Ombudsman was approved by Cabinet
- The Proposal of Ministry of Power for higher power allocation to Home State from Under Construction Projects of NTPC
- Introduction of National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019 approved by Cabinet
- Cabinet approves establishment of a unified authority to regulate all the financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSCs) in India
- The Establishment of Circuit Branch of Calcutta High Court at Jalpaiguri, West Bengal has been approved by Union Cabinet
- Cabinet approves amendments to ban Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018
- Cabinet approves establishment of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog for Cows
- A proposal for setting up 12000 MW grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Projects was approved by CCEA
- CCEA approves continuation of the Scheme of “Exploration of Coal and Lignite” for a period of 3 years with a cost of Rs.1875 crore
- “Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development” scheme of Prasar Bharati has been approved for 3 years
- Cabinet approves creation of AMIF for development and upgradation of Agricultural marketing infrastructure ………………………………………….Click here to Read more
Cabinet Approvals With Foreign Countries On 6th February, 2019
- MoU between India and Malaysia for Mutual Cooperation in the field of company secretaryship is approved by Union Cabinet
- MoU between India and Election Management Bodies of Namibia and Panama is approved by the Union Cabinet
- MoU between India and Norway on India – Norway Ocean Dialogue is approved by Union Cabinet
- MoU on cooperation in the field of medicine and homeopathy between India and Brazil is approved by Union Cabinet
- Cabinet approves MoU between India and Maldives to improve the ecosystem for agribusiness
- Cabinet approves MoU on development Cooperation in Africa between India and UAE
- Cabinet approves agreement between India and Ukraine for cooperation in agriculture and food industry
- MoU between India and Finland in the field of biotechnology is approved by Union Cabinet
- Cabinet approves MoU between India and Uzbekistan for promoting bilateral cooperation in the area of e-Governance
- Cabinet approves Framework Agreement between India and Indonesia…………………..Click here to Read more
UNESCO organised Second Edition of the India Heritage Walk in partnership with Sahapedia
Sahapedia in partnership with UNESCO organised the second edition of India Heritage Walk Festival (IHWF) 2019.It is also supported by the National Mineral Development Corporation.
i. The IHWF, presented the PATA Gold Award 2018 in “Heritage and Culture” category for its first pan-India event.
ii.This festival offers opportunity to discover the hidden gems linked to the history.
Heritage Walks of 2019 edition.
i. In the list of heritage walks ,Delhi has a new attraction.
ii. The heritage walk plans to introduce Sanjhi- a paper-cutting art by stencil of Vrindavan and the lanes of Bandra in Mumbai.
iii. And the authentic taste of food in the holy city of varanasi,get mesmerized by the textile design of jaipur.
iv. Then to the city of Gardens Bangalore to stroll through various green parks.
Parmanu Tech 2019 was held in New Delhi
Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) organised Parmanu Tech 2019 in New Delhi to discuss the issues related to Nuclear Energy and Radiation Technologies.
Sectors discussed in the conference:
i.Health care – Discussions were held on the theme “Nuclear Medicine and Radiation therapy – Care to cure”.
ii.Food Preservation, Agricultural & Industrial Applications – Issues were discussed on the theme “From farms to factories – Serving the National Cause”
iii.India’s capabilities in Nuclear Energy – “Security with environmental responsibility – the Onward March”
Zero Fatality Corridor is launched by Delhi Government to reduce Road Accidents
On 4th February 2019, Delhi Government launched ‘Zero Fatality Corridor’ project under its annual road safety action plan to reduce the number of road accidents on the outer ring road stretch between Burari and Bhalaswa Chowk.
Key Points
i. As per Kailash Gahlot, Delhi’s Transport Minister, Delhi witnessed 1691 road accidents in Delhi and this project is aimed at reducing deaths to near zero level on the Outer ring road stretch.
ii. As per a report, The 3 km proposed stretch witnessed 67 deaths due to road accidents in 2016 and 2017. After scientific investigation of high number of accidents on this stretch, Zero Fatality Corridor was launched.
About Delhi
♦ Lt. Governor: Anil Baijal
♦ Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
7th edition of Kolhapur International film festival inaugurated in Kolhapur,Maharashtra
The 7th edition of the film festival began on February 7 th of 2019 in Kolhapur, Maharastra.It is eight day festival,in which Veteran actress Rohini Hattangadi is chief guest at the inaugural function.
Important points:
i. Veteran filmmaker Govind Nihalani was honoured with the Kalamaharshi Baburao Painter Award for his contribution to the film industry.
ii. Focus country of the festival is the Hungarian cinema.
iii. Abhijit Deshpande, editor of Marathi films like ‘Deool’, ‘Bucket List’ and ‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’, will be presented the Chitramaharshi Anandrao Painter Award at the closing ceremony of the festival.
Indian Coast Guard and AAI signed MoU for maritime search and rescue Operations in Port Blair
Indian Coast Guard(ICG) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed a MoU with an objective to coordinate the aeronautical and maritime Search And Rescue(SAR) operations in congruence with the International Aeronautical Maritime Search And Rescue(IAMSAR) standards.
The MoU enhances Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC),Kolkata and Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC),Port Blair and AAI’s mutual interactions, interoperability and validating procedures on the occasion of SAR operations.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Siamese Fighting Fish become the National Aquatic Animal of Thailand
On February 5,2019, Thailand named the tiny,eye-catching ,colourful fin plumaged Siamese fighting fish as its aquatic animal with a aim to boost the conservation and breeding of the same.
About Siamese Fighting Fish:
i. Siamese fighting fish is the native of Mekong basin of Thailand and is mostly found in the Chao Phraya river in Thailand.
ii. The Siamese fighting fish was registered as intangible cultural heritage in 2013.
About Thailand:
♦ Currency: Thai baht
♦ Capital: Bangkok
Macedonia inked agreement to join NATO Military Alliance
On February 6,2019, Macedonia signed an accord, to become the 30th member of the NATO military alliance.
The historic agreement was signed between Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
About Macedonia:
♦ Capital-Skopje
♦ Currency-Macedonian denar.
Related News:
♦ Montenegro-joined NATO as its 29th member
India ranked 36th on 7th International IP Index
US Chambers of Commerce released the annual International IP Index of top 50 economies in the world. As per the ranking, India climbed 8 positions to 36th rank in comparison to last year’s 44th rank.
i. The index has been topped by US, followed by UK, Sweden, France and Germany, while Venezuela stood at last rank.
ii. In 2018, India’s rank was 44th of 50 countries,the increase in the rank is dedicated to the various reforms made to the better alignment of India’s IP environment ,and one of the reforms ,was the agreement with Japan to initiate a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH).
BANKING & FINANCE
6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Released By Reserve Bank Of India (RBI)
On 7th February 2019,Reserve Bank of India(RBI)’s six-member monetary policy committee chaired by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das released its 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy.This is the First Bi-Monthly Policy for Shaktikanta Das after he took charge as the RBI Governor.
KeyPoints:
i. RBI had reduced 0.25 basis points in the Policy Rates with immediate effect.The Change in Policy rates are as follows:
| Policy Rates | 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy(Feb 2019) | 5th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy(Dec 2018) |
| Repo Rate | 6.25% | 6.50% |
| Reverse Repo Rate | 6.00% | 6.25% |
| Marginal Standing Facility Rate | 6.50% | 6.75% |
| Bank Rate | 6.50% | 6.75% |
| Reserve Ratios | 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy(Feb 2019) | 5th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy(Dec 2018) |
| Cash Reserve Ratio(CRR) | 4% | 4% |
| Statutory Liquidity Ratio(SLR) | 19.25% | 19.5% |
ii. RBI Projected the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) growth for the year 2019-20 at 7.4%,While the GDP growth is at 7.2-7.4 per cent in H1, and 7.5 per cent in Q3.
iii. Inflation was fallen 18 months low in December at 2.2% and it is expected to remain at 3.2-3.4% in H1-2019-20 and 3.9% in Q3-2019-20.
About Reserve Bank of India:
♦ Governor-Shaktikanta Das
♦ Headquarter-Mumbai.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
India becomes World’s Second Largest Consumer and importer of LPG
As per Oil Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, India has become the second largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) after China,due to rising demands of cleaner alternatives to the traditional cooking fuels like firewood and cow dung.
Key Points
i. India surpassed Japan as the imports of LPG grew 12.5% over the last 5 years to 12 million metric tons.
ii. The demand of LPG is expected to rise 34% from 2014 to 2025.
iii. In India, LPG is mainly imported from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iran.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
France’s highest civilian honour is conferred to 92 years Old Bengal Priest Father Francois Laborde
On February 6,2019,Father Francois Laborde, a 92-year-old priest, was conferred with the Legion d’Honneur, the highest civilian award of France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children in Howrah.He was entitled by the French Ambassador to India, Alexandre Ziegler.
i. Father Francois Laborde,French-origin with indian citizenship,is considered to be the third person from the state to be entitled with the Legion of Honor after film maestro Satyajit Ray and actor Soumitra Chatterjee.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Chennai Police Commissioner launches mobile app Digicop
Chennai Police Commissioner A.K. Viswanathan and actor Vijay Sethupathi have launched the mobile app “DigiCop”, of Chennai’s police department.
Uses of the App
i. This app as of now have details of 18,000 stolen mobile phones are stored.
ii. Using this app,user can lodge mobile theft complaints and also check if the user’s mobile is in the police list of retrieved mobiles.Moreover if someone is buying a phone from a second-hand shop they can verify if the phone is stolen or genuine.
iii. Using this app,Users can also follow,if their stolen two-wheeler had been traced by the police.
ENVIRONMENT
2018 was the fourth-hottest year on record, NASA and NOAA report
On February 6,2019,National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) released their report on analysis of global climatic change for the year 2018 ,and remarked 2018 as the fourth hottest year.
i. It is predicated that there is a rise of 5-9 degree celsius temperature in this century.
SPORTS
Vidarbha clinched second successive Ranji Title defeating Saurashtra
On 7th February 2019,Defending champions Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy 2018-19,which is 85th season of the Ranji Trophy by defeating Saurashtra.This victory is their Successive victory since they won the Trophy last year.The Ranji Trophy is played from the month of November,2018 to 7th February 2019, in which 37 Teams Participated.Vidarbha won Rs.5 Crore Rupees.
i. Most Runs Scored in the Series is Milind Kumar.He Scored 1,331 Runs.He belongs to Team Sikkim.
ii. Ashutosh Aman took Most wickets taken in the Series.He took 68 Wickets.He belongs to Team Bihar.
India slipped to 103rd in latest FIFA ranking
On February 6,2019, With the end of AFC Asian cup in UAE,the world ranking list had some changes,in which India is dropped out of the top 100 ranks,but Belgium ‘s pole position remained same.
Changes in the Rank List:
- India -103
- Qatar – 55
- Japan -27
- Korea Republic -38
- UAE – 67
- Jordan – 97
- iraq -80th
- Iran -22
- Uzbekistan – 89
