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Current Affairs 19 February 2021

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

PM Narendra Modi Virtually addressed 29th NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum 2021PM addresses NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forumi.On February 17-19, 2021, a three-day 29th NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) 2021 is being held virtually on the theme “Shaping the future towards a better normal”. It is organized by NASSCOM with Maharashtra Government as a state partner and Microsoft as Technology Partner. NASSCOM stands for National Association of Software and Service Companies.
ii.On February 17, 2021, the forum was virtually addressed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
iii.It is being attended by 1600 participants from over 30 countries and more than 30 products.
About NASSCOM:
President– Debjani Ghosh
Headquarter– Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
<<Read Full News>>

PM Inaugurates & Lays Foundation Stone of Key Projects of Oil & Gas sector in TNPM dedicates to the nation and lays foundation stoneOn February 17, 2021, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi virtually Inaugurated & Laid Foundation Stone for several key projects related to Oil & Gas Sector in Tamil Nadu (TN).
The projects are

  • Inauguration of 143 Km Long Ramanathapuram-Thoothukudi section of Natural Gas Pipeline
  • Inauguration of Gasoline Desulphurisation unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Manali, Chennai.
  • Laid Foundation stone of Cauvery Basin Refinery at Nagapattinam

Benefits:
The projects will result in major socio-economic benefits & boost India’s progress towards Atma Nirbhar Urja for Atma Nirbhar Bharat on the energy front.
About Tamil Nadu:
Stadium – M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Cricket)
Forts – Gingee Fort, Vellore Fort, Fort St. George in Chennai
<<Read Full News>>

Cabinet approval on Feb 17, 2021cabinet approval on feb 17, 2021On February 17, 2021, the Union Cabinet Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra has gave its approval to the following proposals:
i.The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) to make amendments in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 or JJ Act by introducing measures for the strengthening of Child Protection. These mainly include empowerment of District Magistrate.
ii.The Union Cabinet also approved enhanced delegation of Financial Powers under Capital Procurement to levels below Vice-Chief of Armed Forces for items of Capital nature such as overhauls, refits, upgrades etc.
iii.The cabinet approved signing of India’s first Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) with a country in Africa i.e. Mauritius.
About Mauritius:
Capital: Port Louis
Currency: Mauritian rupee
<<Read Full News>>

Harsh Vardhan Inaugurates ‘Common Research and Technology Development Hub’ at CDRI, LucknowHarsh Vardhan inaugurates CRTDHOn February 17, 2021, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated ‘Common Research and Technology Development Hub (CRTDH)’ – a Research Facility at CSIR-CDRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Drug Research Institute), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) on occasion of the institute’s 70th Annual Day Celebrations.

  • CRTDH aims to provide support to hospitals & Pharma Industry, MSMEs and Academia for conducting advanced research in the field of Drug discovery.

i.Harsh Vardhan also announced the recipients of CDRI Awards-21 for Excellence in Drug Research & Inaugurated a series of lectures named ‘Atal National Colloquium on Healthcare and Innovation’.
CDRI Awards-21 for Excellence in Drug Research
The recipients of CDRI Awards-2021 were announced during the event.
Awardees & Categories (Chemical Science, Life Science)
Chemical Science:

  • Dr Vishal Rai, Associate Professor, IISER (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research), Bhopal

Life Sciences:

  • Siddhesh Shashikant Kamat, Associate Professor, IISER, Pune
  • Chandrima Das, Associate Professor, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata

Atal National Colloquium on Healthcare and Innovation
a series of lectures from highly eminent persons to commemorate former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision and support for ‘Vigyan’ (Science).
About Central Drug Research Institute:
Director – Professor Tapas K. Kundu
Location – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
<<Read Full News>>

Essar Oil and Gas signs MoU with Indian School of MinesEssar Oil and Gas signs MoU with Indian School of MinesOn February 17, 2021, Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL), India’s leading Coal Bed Methane (CBM) gas producer has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT (Indian School of Mines-ISM), Dhanbad (Jharkhand) for collaboration.

  • Through this MoU both entities will work together on research and development of various advanced Coal Bed Methane (CBM) technological innovations.
  • EOGEPL is an investee company of Ruia-family owned Essar Global Fund Ltd (EGFL) producing over 1 million standard cubic meters per day of gas.

Functions under Partnership:

–The partnership will see R&D in the space of advanced exploration and development in the area of CBM.

–The research and development will cover a plethora of technological frontiers like microbial enhanced recovery, advance reservoir simulation, CBM exploitation technology from deeper coal seams, among others.

Key Points:
–EOGEPL will propose an initial list of research topics and provide data for the same to industry experts and researchers of IIT Dhanbad. The IIT (ISM) will provide advanced training to EOGEPL officials in mutually agreed areas.

–EOGEPL has already invested over Rs 4,000 crore in the Raniganj East CBM Block (West Bengal) towards drilling wells, setting up supply infrastructure, and laying customer pipelines to Durgapur and nearby industrial areas.

–Notably, Raniganj has 1.1 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of certified CBM reserves.
About Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Santosh Chandra
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharshtra

West Bengal Governor Inaugurates 11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav at Cooch Behar11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in West BengalOn February 14, 2021, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the 11th Edition of ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav’ at Cooch Behar Palace at Cooch Behar, West Bengal in the presence of Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Tourism.It is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Culture and is organized under the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ Programme.

  • The 11th Edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is being held between February 14-28, 2021 in West Bengal at Cooch Behar (February 14-16, 2021), Darjeeling, West Bengal (February 22-24, 2021) & Murshidabad, West Bengal (February 27-28, 2021).
  • The programme is a platform for showcasing folk & Tribal art, dance,music, cuisines, culture of various states besides providing an opportunity to artists & artisans to support their livelihood.
  • The main aim of the Mahotsav is to enhance mutual understanding & bonding between people of diverse cultures of India which will help in strengthening the Unity & Integrity of India.

About Ministry of Culture:
Minister of State (I/C) – Prahlad Singh Patel (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Damoh, Madhya Pradesh)
<<Read Full News>>

PM Launches ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ Programme & lays Foundation Stone for 2 Bridges in AssamPM-launches-‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’-and-lays-foundation-stone-of-2-bridges-in-AssamOn February 18, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ programme & laid the foundation stone for 2 Bridges ‘Dhubri-Phulbari’ bridge which is set to be India’s Longest Bridge & ‘Majuli’ Bridge in Assam.

  • The 19.282 Km ‘Dhubri Phulbari’ 4-lane bridge will connect Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari in Meghalaya. It will be constructed on the River of Brahmaputra.
  • ‘Majuli’ Bridge is an 8 Km long Two-Lane bridge on the River Brahmaputra, it will connect Neematighat (on Jorhat side) & Kamalabari (on Majuli side).

‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ Programme
This program will strengthen water connectivity across the region through the waters of the River Brahmaputra & Barak. The Total cost of the programme is INR 3, 231 Crore. The Initiatives Launched under the programme are

  • Launch of Ro-Pax vessel operations to reduce travel time.
  • Construction of a Permanent Inland Water Transport (IWT) Terminal at Jogighopa, Assam to uninterrupted movement of cargo.

Launch of Digital Solutions:
Launched 2 e-portals Car-D (Cargo Data) & PANI (Portal for Asset and Navigation Information) for promoting Ease of Doing Business.
North East’s First National Data Centre:
He laid the Foundation Stone for Construction of North East’s 1st National Data Centre (NDC-NER) at Guwahati, Assam.
About Assam:
Rivers – Jiadhal, Barak
Tribes – Bodo, Karbi, Deori
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India recorded $1422 mn FDI inflow from UK in 2019-20; Maharashtra TopsIndia recorded $1422 mn FDI inflow from UK in 2019-20i.In accordance with the 7th edition of Grant Thornton Bharat’s Britain Meets India report, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow from the UK to India has increased from $898 million in 2015- 16 to $1,422 million in 2019-20.
ii.The report is prepared in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and with the support of the UK’s Department of International Trade
iii.It should be noted that Maharashtra is the top investment destination for UK companies, followed by Haryana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka.
iv.The UK is currently the sixth largest investor in India, with a cumulative inflow (2000–2020) estimated at USD 29.5 billion, which represents about 6% of the total FDI into India.
About United Kingdom (UK):
Capital– London
Currency– Pound sterling
Prime Minister– Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

Google Partners with EIF, Inter-American Development Bank & Kiva to Invest $75 million in COVID-19 Hit Small Businesses Google to invest $75 million in coronavirus-hit small businessesi.Google has partnered with European Investment Fund (EIF), Inter-American Development Bank(IDB) and Kiva, an organisation that crowdfunds loans to unlock capital for the underserved around the world to invest  $75 million(about Rs. 545 crore) to small and medium-sized companies outside U.S who are suffering from the impact of COVID-19.
ii.The funds are part of $800 million (about Rs. 5,820 crores)commitment announced by Google in March 2020 to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 pandemic.
iii.Google also plans to invest $15 million in India to support the small and micro enterprises across the country.
About Google:
Headquarters– California, United States
CEO– Sundar Pichai
About European Investment Fund(EIF):
Chief Executive– Alain Godard
Headquarters– Luxembourg
<<Read Full News>>

RBI issues Master Directions for Housing Finance CompaniesRBI issues directions for housing finance companiesi.On February 17, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued “Master Direction – Non-Banking Financial Company – Housing Finance Company (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2021” in exercise of the powers conferred under sections 45L and 45MA of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and Sections 30, 30A, 32 and 33 of the National Housing Bank Act, 1987.
ii.These directions are come into force with immediate effect.
iii.These are applicable to every Housing Finance Company (HFC) registered under Section 29 A of the NHB Act, 1987.
About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Formation– 1 April 1935
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, and M Rajeswar Rao)
<<Read Full News>>

Piramal Group Gets RBI nod to Acquire DHFL Piramal-group-gets-RBI-nod-for-DHFL-acquisitioni.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given approval to the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation(DHFL) resolution plan from Piramal Capital and Housing Finance (PCHFL), a company of Piramal group.Committee of Creditors(CoC) has approved the resolution plan in its 18th meeting ended on January 15, 2021.
ii.The resolution plan is to revive the debt-ridden DHFL.
iii.This approval paves way for Piramal group to acquire DHFL.
iv.After RBI’s Approval, Piramal Group has to seek approval from The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to acquire DHFL.
About Piramal Group:
Chairman– Ajay Piramal
Head Office– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

Exim Bank Extended LOC of 15 Million USD to Republic of Sierra LeoneExim Bank extends credit line of USD 15 mn to Sierra Leonei.On 17th February 2021, the Export-Import (Exim) Bank, government of India, extended a Line of Credit(LOC) of 15 million USD (around Rs. 109.11 crore) to the government of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
ii.The agreement to this effect was signed by Saroj Khuntia, General Manager, Exim Bank, and Jacob Jusu Saffa, Finance Minister, Government of Republic of Sierra Leone on 5th February 2021
iii.With this LOC the Exim bank has signed a total of 5 LOC’s worth 168 million USD to the Republic of Sierra Leone.
iv.The LOC will be used for the expansion of the projects for the rehabilitation of existing potable water facilities in 4 communities of Sierra Leone.
About Sierra Leone:
President – Julius Maada Bio
Capital– Freetown
Currency– Sierra Leonean Leone
About Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank):
Managing Director– David Rasquinha
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Regulated by –  Reserve Bank of India
Established in– 1982
<<Read Full News>>

Govt to Infuse Rs 1,500 Crore into EXIM Bank in FY 22Govt-to-infuse-Rs-1,500-cr-into-Exim-Bank-next-fiscalThe government has decided to infuse Rs 1,500 crore capital into Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) in FY 22. This equity support/subscription is to maximise the paid up capital of the bank to the level of its authorised capital.
Amount is Higher than amount earmarked in FY 21
This amount is Rs 200 crore higher than the amount(Rs 1,300 crore) earmarked by the government to be infused in the bank in FY 21.
Note:
The government had doubled the authorised capital of the bank from Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore in 2019.
Benefit of Infusing Amount into EXIM Bank:
Exim Bank is the principal export credit agency in India and the capital infusion will give an impetus to new initiatives such as supporting Indian textile industry, likely changes in the concessional finance scheme, likelihood of new letters of credit in future in view of the country’s active foreign policy and strategic intent.
About Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank):
It is wholly owned by the Government of India.
Established– 1982 under The Export-Import Bank of India Act, 1981
MD–  David Rasquinha
HeadQuarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Regulated by– Reserve Bank of India(RBI)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

WCCB received Asia Environmental Enforcement Award 2020 from UNEPWCCB-receives-Asia-Environmental-Enforcement-Award-2020i.On 17th February 2021, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change(MoEF&CC), Government of India was selected as one of the winners of the 5th Asia Environmental Enforcement Award, 2020 by the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP). WCCB has won the award under the Innovation category.
ii.WCCB was selected as a winner for its contribution against transboundary environmental crime.
iii.This is the 2nd time for WCCB to win the award in the same category.
iv.WCCB’s initiated an operation WILDNET-II to warn off the potential traders and bring in the offenders.
About WCCB:
WCCB was established as Tiger and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau in 2007 which was later renamed as Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in 2007 and became operational in 2008.
It was formed under Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
Headquarters– New Delhi.
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Usha Rao-Monari of India Appointed as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDPUsha Rao-Monari of India appointed Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDPi.On February 17, 2021 António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General appointed Ms. Usha Rao-Monari of India as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
ii.She succeeds Mourad Wahba of Egypt, who served as the acting associate administrator. He also serves as the UNDP Regional Director for Arab States.
iii.The previous Associate Administrator of UNDP was Tegegnework Gettu.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Administrator– Achim Steiner
Headquarters– New York, USA
<<Read Full News>>

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

Tata Group to Acquire 68% Stake in BigBasket for About Rs 9,500 Crore; Tata Communications Partners with Google Cloud in IndiaTata set to acquire 68% stake in BigBasket for ₹9,500i.Tata Group has signed a deal to acquire 68%  stake in bigbasket for about  Rs 9,500 crore. The stake will be acquired by Tata Digital, a subsidiary of Tata Sons. Post acquisition, the enterprise value of BigBasket becomes more than Rs 13,500 crore.
ii.Tata Communications has partnered with Google Cloud in India to drive cloud adoption and transform Indian businesses.
About Tata Digital:
CEO– Pratik Pal
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
About Tata Communications:
MD & CEO– Amur Swaminathan Lakshminarayanan (Lakshmi)
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar Launched Software Applications for 5 Pan-India SurveysGangwar-launches-software-application-and-releases-instruction-manuali.On 18th February 2021, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State (Independent Charge(IC)) of Labour and Employment launched the software application for 5 pan-India surveys which are being conducted by the Labour Bureau.

  • Government has constituted an Expert Group under the chairmanship and co-chairmanship of Dr. S. P. Mukherjee and Dr. Amitabh Kundu respectively with leading economists and statisticians as members to guide Labour Bureau for conducting these surveys.

ii.He also released the instruction manuals with questionnaires for these 5 surveys.
iii.The 5 pan India surveys are,

  • All-India Survey on Domestic Workers (DW)
  • All-India Survey on migrant workers
  • All-India survey on employment generated by professionals
  • All-India Survey on employment generated in the Transport Sector
  • All-India Quarterly Establishment based Employment Survey

iv.The results of these surveys will be announced in 7 to 8 months (including 6 months of field work).
v.The use of Information Technology(IT) in conducting surveys will save around 30 to 40% of time which will be spent on conducting these 5 surveys for which an IT partner will be involved in the conducting the surveys.
About Ministry of Labour and Employment:
Minister of State (IC)- Santosh Kumar Gangwar (constituency – Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh)
<<Read Full News>>

OBITUARY

Former MP & Congress leader Captain Satish Sharma, passed away at 73Former Congress MP Satish Sharma dies at 73On 17th February 2021, Captain Satish Sharma, Veteran congress leader and the former Member of Parliament, passed away at the age of 73 in Goa.  He was born on 11th October 1947 in Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
About Captain Satish Sharma:
i.Captain Satish Sharma was a professional commercial pilot with Air India.
ii.He served as the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas from 1993 to 1996 under the premiership of Narasimha Rao.
iii.He was first elected to Rajya Sabha in 1986 and served as the member of Rajya sabha from 2004 to 2016.
iv.As a Rajya Sabha member for 3 terms he represented the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
v.He has served as the member of Lok Sabha for 3 terms representing RaeBareli and Amethi constituency.
vi.He represented Amethi in 1991 in Lok Sabha, following the death of Rajiv Gandhi.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Arun Kumar Authors a New Book, ‘Indian Economy’s Greatest Crisis: Impact of Coronavirus and the Road Ahead’Economic costs of COVID-19Arun Kumar has authored a new book titled, ‘Indian Economy’s Greatest Crisis: Impact of Coronavirus and the Road Ahead’. The book is published by Penguin Random House.
Essence of the Book:
The book attempts to answer the following questions among others:

  • People have experienced viral attacks-H1N1, Ebola and Nipah, but what is strange about Coronavirus?
  • What are Ways through which COVID-19 has affected India and the world?
  • How has India responded to COVID-19?
  • Is life or livelihood important?
  • What are the ways and means through which India can recover itself from  the sudden economic shock caused by the pandemic?

About Arun Kumar:
i.He is a veteran Indian economist.
ii.Currently, he is the  Malcolm S. Adiseshiah chair professor at the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi.
iii.His popular books include:

  • Indian Economy Since Independence: Persisting Colonial Disruption (2013), Understanding the Black Economy and Black Money in India: An Enquiry into Causes, Consequences and Remedies (2017).
  • Demonetization and the Black Economy (2017) and The Ground Scorching Tax (2019).

“Louiz Banks: A Symphony of Love”, the Biography of Louiz Banks Authored by Ashis GhatakA Symphony of Lov“Louiz Banks: A Symphony of Love”, authored by Ashis Ghatak is the biography of Louis Banks, the Godfather of Indian Jazz. Ustad Zakir Hussain, the tabla maestro has written the foreword of this book.
The book published by Rupa Publications was released on 11th February 2021, the 80th Birthday of Louiz Banks.
About the book:
i.The book of 15 chapters each named after a song by Banks provides a detailed narrative about the life incidents and experiences of Louiz Banks.
ii.The book features the mastery of banks in Jazz and fusion music along with his expertise as a jingle composer who contributed to many iconic commercials of Britannia, Vico, Liril, among others, and Doordharshan’s ‘Freedom Run’, “Mile Sur”.
iii.The book also traces back to the roots of Indian Jazz during the colonial period of India and provides a glimpse of the sociopolitical and cultural scenario of that period.
About Louiz Banks:
i.Louis Banks started his career as a pianist in a Band in Kolkata.
ii.He has worked as a pianist with RD Burman, Bappi Lahiri and Laxmikant Pyarelal.
iii.In 1980 he did his first European tour as the leader of Sangam, a fusion bank with Ramamani ,Ranjit Barot ,Karl Peters ,TAS Mani with KCP and saxophone giant Charlie Mariano.
About Ashis Ghatak:
i.Ashis Ghatak, English teacher of a government aided school, Kolkata is a film and music enthusiast, a photographer and a traveller.
ii.He has contributed to numerous travelogues in various travel magazines.
iii.He has various academic books to his credit.

IAF Chief R K S Bhadauria Launched the Book “The Epic Battle of Longewala” Authored by Air Marshal Bharat KumarRKS Bhadauria released a book ‘the epic battle of longewala'On 18th February 2021, As a part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary year of India’s victory over Pakistan in 1971 war, Indian Air Force(IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria launched the book “The Epic Battle of Longewala” authored by Air Marshal (retd) Bharat Kumar at the event organised at the IAF Museum in Palam, New Delhi.

  • The book aims to document the stories of valour and pass it to the next generation.
  • This book will provide a better understanding about the battle of longewala to the present and future generation.

About the Book:
i.The book features the candid details about the events that happened during the 1971 battle of Longewala.
ii.The book features the details of every mission, the crew, tank kills claimed and accounts for every tank and soft vehicle destroyed in the battle.
iii.The book also features the firsthand accounts of all the surviving fighter pilots who were involved in the battle.
About the Battle of Longewala:
i.The battle of Longewala took place in December 1971 in Thar Desert, Rajasthan.
ii.The pakistan army planed an armoured thrust over India which failed since they didn’t factor the half squadron at Jaisalmer, the air power of Indian Air force.

STATE NEWS

Punjab’s 1st solar-based water supply project set up at Jalandhar DistrictSolar-based water supply project set up in Punjab's JalandharPunjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department has set up First of its kind Solar-based Water Supply Projects at Jagrawan-Muradpur & Talwara villages of Jalandhar district. The pilot project has been set up under ‘Har Ghar Paani, Har Ghar Safai’ Mission.
Objective – To ensure Uninterrupted potable water (drinking water) supply in rural areas of Punjab.

  • The project is expected to benefit around 141 households of Jagrawan & Muradpur and 102 households of Talwara village.
  • The Solar-based projects have been commissioned at a cost of INR 67.71 Lakhs.
  • The Solar based project will significantly reduce the electricity bill of the farmers, and the amount will be utilized for development works of the villages.

Har Ghar Paani, Har Ghar Safai

  • It was launched by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on February 1, 2021 to provide 100% potable water supply to all rural households of the state by March, 2022.

About Punjab:
Governor – VP Singh Badnore
Forts – Gobindgarh Fort, Lodhi Fort, Manauli Fort
<<Read Full News>>

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Current Affairs Today (AffairsCloud Today)

S.noCurrent Affairs 19 February 2021
1PM Narendra Modi Virtually addressed 29th NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum 2021
2PM Inaugurates & Lays Foundation Stone of Key Projects of Oil & Gas sector in TN
3Cabinet approval on Feb 17, 2021
4Harsh Vardhan Inaugurates ‘Common Research and Technology Development Hub’ at CDRI, Lucknow
5Essar Oil and Gas signs MoU with Indian School of Mines
6West Bengal Governor Inaugurates 11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav at Cooch Behar
7PM Launches ‘Mahabahu-Brahmaputra’ Programme & lays Foundation Stone for 2 Bridges in Assam
8India recorded $1422 mn FDI inflow from UK in 2019-20; Maharashtra Tops
9Google Partners with EIF, Inter-American Development Bank & Kiva to Invest $75 million in COVID-19 Hit Small Businesses
10RBI issues Master Directions for Housing Finance Companies
11Piramal Group Gets RBI nod to Acquire DHFL
12Exim Bank Extended LOC of 15 Million USD to Republic of Sierra Leone
13Govt to Infuse Rs 1,500 Crore into EXIM Bank in FY 22
14WCCB received Asia Environmental Enforcement Award 2020 from UNEP
15Usha Rao-Monari of India Appointed as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDP
16Tata Group to Acquire 68% Stake in BigBasket for About Rs 9,500 Crore; Tata Communications Partners with Google Cloud in India
17Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar Launched Software Applications for 5 Pan-India Surveys
18Former MP & Congress leader Captain Satish Sharma, passed away at 73
19Arun Kumar Authors a New Book, ‘Indian Economy’s Greatest Crisis: Impact of Coronavirus and the Road Ahead’
20“Louiz Banks: A Symphony of Love”, the Biography of Louiz Banks Authored by Ashis Ghatak
21IAF Chief R K S Bhadauria Launched the Book “The Epic Battle of Longewala” Authored by Air Marshal Bharat Kumar
22Punjab’s 1st solar-based water supply project set up at Jalandhar District