Current Affairs February 14 2019

We are here for you to provide the important Current Affairs February 14 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

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited Haryana on 12th Feb

• On 12^th February 2019, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi visited Kurukshetra in Haryana where he launched several development projects. He laid foundation stone for 5 projects and inaugurated various programmes and institutions during his visit.
• Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during his visit to Haryana participated in ‘Swachh Shakti 2019’ and distributed Swachh Shakti 2019 awards. Around 15000 women from all over the India participated in the Swachh Shakti event……………………………….Click here to Read more

Overview of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Andhra Pradesh
On 10^th Feb. 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his day-long visit to the three states (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka) arrived at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, which was the first destination. PM launched three major projects during this visit.
Highlights
i. 1.3 MMT Vishakhapatnam Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility of Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Limited (ISPRL) was dedicated to the nation for the purpose of boosting energy security of India.Total cost of the Project is Rs. 1125 crore.
ii. Foundation stone was laid for setting up Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) Coastal Installation Project at Krishnapatnam to ensure security of the petroleum products of Andhra Pradesh. The estimated cost of the project, spread over 100 acres, is Rs 580 crores.
iii. ONGC’s S1 Vasishta development project, located in Krishna-Godavari (KG) Offshore Basin in Andhra Pradesh was also announced by the PM. The project will contribute in reducing oil imports by 10% by 2020. The cost of this project is about Rs 5,700 crore.
iv.This is the first time the Prime Minister was in Andhra Pradesh after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) broke ties with the NDA government last year.
About Andhra Pradesh
♦ Chief Minister – N. Chandrababu Naidu
♦ Governor – E. S. L. Narasimhan
♦ Capital – Amravati

New Delhi hosted the 3^rd Indo-German Environment Forum on 13^th Feb
On 13^th February 2019, bilateral meeting between India and Germany,3^rd Indo-German Environment Forum held in New Delhi. The outcomes of discussion made in Indo-German Working Group held in Delhi on 6^th February 2019 taken up to higher alliance discussed in the forum.Theme of the forum is “Cleaner Air, Greener Economy”.

Key Points
i.It was organized by the two environment ministries in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
ii.Two Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) were also exchanged on clean air and combatting air pollution and on preparation of Reference /COINDS Documents for textile sector.
iii. Both the countries agreed to work together on developing reference document for Textile Sector, air, water governance, Marine litter, waste to energy, bio-methanation, landfill sites, water quality management, training and capacity building of local bodies and circular economy.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
♦ Union Minister: Harsh Vardhan
♦ Minister of state: Mahesh Sharma

Centre released Publication on Climatic Actions in New Delhi
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan released a Publication on climate actions in India titled “India – Spearheading Climate Solutions” in New Delhi. It refers to the vital actions India has taken under multiple sectors to combat and adapt to climate change.

Key points
i. Major initiatives mentioned in the publications are National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC), Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP), State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC), International Solar Alliances (ISA), and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
ii. The Government aims to generate 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022.
iii. Electric vehicles, smart cities and energy efficiency initiatives were also covered in the publication.
iv. Advancement from Bharat Stage-IV to BHARAT Stage-VI emission standards by April 2020 have been undertaken to minimize the effect of climate change.

Indian Army carried out the annual exercise named ‘Exercise Topchi’
Indian army demonstrated its artillery firepower, aviation and surveillance capacity at the annual ‘Exercise Topchi’ at Deolali Camp near Nashik.
i. The latest ultra-light Howitzer M-777, self-propelled gun K-9 Vajra and indigenous Swathi weapon-locating radar was demonstrated.
ii. The aviation assets showcased were the indigenous advanced light helicopter, light combat helicopter, Cheetah & Chetak helicopters.
Related points
♦ Chief of the Army Staff – General Bipin Rawat

Bihar Budget 2019-20 presented by Sushil Kumar Modi
Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, presented the state budget of Rs 2,00,501 crore for the Financial Year 2019-20.Bihar has finished with highest growth rate among all the states by size of this budget at Rs 2 lakh crore is nine times more than the budget of 2004-05.
i. The maximum allocation of Rs 34,799 crore is made to the Education Sector.
ii.Rs 2,958.77 crore allocated for Rural Development and Rural Works Department .
iii. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna, over 1 lakh farmers have been registered in the state.
iv. Rs. 901 crore transferred to the bank accounts of farmers as subsidy in more than 280 draught affected blocks in 24 districts.
About Bihar
♦ Capital – Patna
♦ Chief Minister – Nitish Kumar
♦ Governor – Lalji Tandon

Nation’s first Aqua Mega Food Park commissioned in AP by Harsimrat Kaur
Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park, first aqua mega food park was commissioned by Secretary of Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Pushpa Subrahmanyam on behalf of Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal via video conferencing in Bhimavaram of West Godavari District ,Andhra Pradesh.
i. The park is set up on 57.81 acre of land and the facilities at its Central Processing Centre (CPC) includes pre-processing line, freezing and cold storage of fish and shrimp, an ice plant and food testing laboratory.
ii. The modern infrastructure is set to benefit farmers, growers, processors and consumers of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas and boost the growth of food processing sector in the state. People of West-Godavari district and nearby districts of East Godavari and Krishna of Andhra Pradesh and nearby districts of Telangana will also be benefitted.
iii.The park, promoted by Godavari Mega Food Park Private Limited (GMAFP) has been set up at a cost of Rs. 122.60 crores.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Macedonia officially changed its name to North Macedonia
Ending a long running dispute with Greece, the Republic of Macedonia has officially changed its name to North Macedonia.

i. Greek province of Macedonia is related with Alexander the Great and Greece has issue with the name, so Greece had disapproved the name of the country,as the’ Greek province of Macedonia’, which results in blocking of  Macedonia’s entry into the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
ii. On 6^th Feb. 2019, NATO member states signed an accession protocol allowing North Macedonia to join the alliance and become the 30^th member.
About North Macedonia
♦ Capital – Skopje
♦ Currency – Macedonian Denar
♦ President – Gjorge Ivanov
About Greece
♦ Capital – Athens
♦ Currency – Euro
♦ President – Prokopis Pavlopoulos

BANKING & FINANCE

NTPC signed a pact with SBI for Rs. 5,000 Crore Term Loan
State owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) signed a term loan agreement for Rs 5,000 crore with the State Bank of India (SBI).
i. The agreement was signed by NTPC’s General Manager (Finance), Masood A. Ansari, and Deputy General Manager of SBI, Neelabh Sinha.
ii. The loan facility is extended at an interest rate linked to3-month MCLR of the bank and has a door to door tenure on 15 years, which will be utilised to part finance the capital expenditure of NTPC.
About NTPC
♦ Chairman & MD – Gurdeep Singh
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
About SBI
♦ Chairman – Rajnish Kumar
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

NITI Aayog signs SoI with MSDF to document Systematic Transformation in Education
A Statement of Intent (SoI) was signed between the NITI Aayog and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) to codify, document and share best practices to improve learning outcomes in public school education through systematic reforms, based on their collective experiences of working with various State Governments.

i. The SoI was signed by Alok Kumar, Adviser (HRD) of NITI Aayog and Barun Mohanty, MD (International) of MSDF.
About NITI Aayog
♦ Chairperson – PM Narendra Modi
♦ Vice Chairman – Rajiv Kumar
♦ CEO – Amitabh Kant

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards cannot be used as Titles
On 12^th Feb. 19, replying to a written question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Shri Hansrah Gangaram Ahir said that National Awards, such as Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri do not amount to titles within the meaning of Article 18(1) of the Constitution and hence, cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes to the name of the recipient.
i. In case of any misuse, the defaulter shall forfeit the award conferred on him/her as per the Regulation 10 related to creation of awards, which says that the president may cancel or annul the awards, after which the name of the awardee would be erased from the records and he would have to surrender it.
ii. India’s highest civilian award,Bharat Ratna, has been awarded to 38 personalities since 1995. 307 people have been awarded Padma Bhushan whereas, 1,225 Padma Bhushan and 3,005 Padma Shri.
Key Points
Article 18 of the Indian Constitution, one of the Fundamental Rights, deals with ‘Abolition of Titles’. Article 18(1) says “No title, not being a military or academic distinction, shall be conferred by the State.”

Siddhartha Lal won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2018
Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO of Eicher Motors has won the EY Entrepreneur of the year 2018 after transforming Eicher Motors and helping the company resurrect the Royal Enfield motorcycle brand in India and making it a global brand icon.EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 is the 20th edition of the programme.
i. He will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo from 6^th to 8^th June 2019.
ii. Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro won the Lifetime Achievement Award for putting the Indian Information Technology industry in the global market and his notable contribution to society as a philanthropist.
Other EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 winners in other categories
Start-up -Byju Raveendran(BYJU’S)
Business Transformation – Kishore Biyani (Future Group)
Manufacturing – Nirmal K Minda(Minda Industries)
Services -Ritesh Agarwal(OYO Hotels and Homes)
Financial Services – Sanjay Agarwal (AU Small Finance Bank)
Consumer Products & Retail – Rajesh Mehra(Jaquar Group)
Life Sciences & Healthcare -BinishChudgar (Intas Pharmaceuticals)
Entrepreneurial CEO – Bhaskar Bhat (Titan Company)
Energy, Real Estate & Infrastructure – Atul Ruia(The Phoenix Mills)

NFDC declared winner under Miniratna Category by MSME Ministry
National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) was announced as the winner under the Miniratna Category by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in its campaign to felicitate Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) in recognition for their work in promoting SC/ST entrepreneurs.

i. NFDC has funded over 300 films in various Indian languages which have been widely acclaimed and have won many national and international awards.
About NFDC
♦ Incorporated in 1975, it is a 100% owned Central Public Sector Undertaking, with the primary objective of planning and promoting development of Indian Film Industry.
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai
♦ Director – Anupama Chopra

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

e-AUSHADHI portal launched for Online Licensing System of AYUSH Medicine
Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik launched the e-AUSHADHI portal for online licensing of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs and related matters.

i. The new e-portal is an acronym for Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy Automated Drug Help Initiative.
ii. The portal’s objective is increasing transparency and accountability and improving information management facility and data usability. It will aid the licensing authority, manufactures and consumers by providing real time information of the license manufactures and their products, cancelled and spurious drugs, contact details of the concerned authority for specific grievances.

SPORTS

‘Clouded Leopard’ to be Mascot for National Games 2022
The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Games 2022 has chosen the ‘Smiling Clouded Leopard’ to be the Mascot for the National Games 2022.

Key points
i. Meghalaya will host the 2022 National Games, which is coinciding with its 50 years of statehood.It will be the third northeastern state after Manipur and Assam hosted the National Games in 1999 and 2007, respectively.
ii. Clouded Leopard is among the wild cats that live throughout the forests of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills.Clouded Leopard is the state animal of Meghalaya.
iii. The main stadium of National games will be funded by the Ministry of Social Justice, which will be constructed over 50 acres in Mawdiangdiang.
About Meghalaya
♦ Capital- Shillong
♦ Chief Minister- Conrad Sangma
♦ Governor- Tathagata Roy
♦ Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs- Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

SAI defeated Chandigarh to win women’s national hockey title
On 10^th February 2019, Sports Authority of India Won 9^th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship (B Division) held in Hisar, Haryana. They defeated Hockey Chandigarh by 4-1 in the final.Sarabdeep Kaur was the line scorer for Chandigarh in the final.
Key Points
i. In 9^th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship (A-division) Hockey Jharkhand beat Hockey Haryana for 2-1 in the final. The event concluded at Kollam Hockey Stadium, Kerala.
ii. Steel Plant Sports Board beat UCO Bank for 1-0 and secured third place in the match.
iii. The 9th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2019 (A Division) is going on in Hisar, Haryana, which is scheduled between Feb 08 – Feb 18.

Railways win Senior National Men’s Hockey Title by defeating Punjab
The Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB)won the 9th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2019 (A Div),defeating Punjab by 3-2 at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
i. RSPB’s Harsahib Singh scored two goals in the 35th and 45th minute while Dilpreet Singh scored in the 57th minute. Punjab’s Rupinder Pal Singh scored in the 23^rd minute and Ramandeep Singh scored in 60th minute.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran becomes the third Indian to reach Top-100 in ATP rankings
Indian tennis player, Prajnesh Gunneswaran made it to the top-100 in Men’s Singles Tennis rankings, jumping 6 places to rank 97, becoming the third Indian player after Somdev Devvarman and Yuki Bhambri.

i. He reached to the semi-finals of the ATP Chennai Challenger and if he maintains the rank inside top-100, it will secure his place into the Grand Slam singles main draws.

Russia’s Medvedev clinched Sofia Open Title
22-year old, Daniil Medvedev of Russia has achieved his fourth ATP title after a triumph against Hungary’s Morton Fucsovics by 6-4, 6-3 in the Finale of Sofia Open 2019.
Key points
i. The 2019 Sofia Open was the 4^th edition of the Sofia open as part of the 2019 ATP Tour, which was held at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria, from February 5-11.
ii. Daniil Medvedev has already set his sight among top ranks after winning titles in Sydney, Winston-salem, and Tokyo last year.
About Russia
♦ Capital- Moscow
♦ Currency- Russian Rubel
♦ Prime Minister- Dmitry Medvedev
♦ President- Vladimir Putin

OBITUARY

Legendary Goalkeeper of England, Gardon Banks Passed away at the age of 81
On 12^th February 2019, one of the world’s most famous goalkeeper Gordon Banks passed away at the age of 81 in England.He was born in Sheffield, England.

i. Gordon Banks was named as FIFA (The Federation Internationale de Football) Goalkeeper of the year six times and earned 73 caps for England between 1963 and 1972. He won World Cup in 1966.
ii. Banks was suffering from kidney cancer for the second time since 2016. He was widely considered as one of the greatest goalkeeper of his generation.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

P Chidambaram’s book “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” launched by Hamid Ansari
Former Vice President Hamid Ansari on 8^th Feb. 2019, launched the new book of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram named “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” at Nehru Memorial Museum, New Delhi.

i. The book is a collection of essays on the country’s atmosphere of fear and how the constitutional values are being threatened.

IMPORTANT DAYS

UNESCO celebrated “World Radio Day” on 13^th February
On 13^th February 2019, the 8^th edition of World Radio Day is celebrated globally by The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to commemorate radio as a powerful and influential medium that has been in existence for over 80 years.

Key Points
i. This year World Radio is celebrated with the theme of “Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace”.
ii. World Radio day signifies the era where people throughout the world listen to radio and how it has shaped everyone’s life.
iii.Initiated in 2012, the day was proposed by Spain, that was officially announced on 3 November 2011 during UNESCO’s 36th General Conference.
About UNESCO
Headquarters: Place de Fontenoy, Paris, France
♦ Director General: Audrey Azoulay

International Darwin Day celebrated on 12^th Feb
The birthday of the British scientist “Charles Darwin” was celebrated across the globe by various scientists, activists, and fans as ‘International Darwin Day’ on 12^th February every year.He born in the year 1809.
Key points
i. This year on 12^th February has marked the 210^th birth anniversary of the Charles Darwin’s birth.
ii.He wrote the book “On the Origin of Species”, which is considered as the foundation of “evolutionary biology”. It was published in 1859 by British publisher, John Murray.
iii. Darwin Day, an international event,aims to educate and inspire people around the globe to reflect the importance of the scientific discovery, thinking, works, curiosity to find new things, etc. of Charles Darwin.