Current Affairs 20 February 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 20 February 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 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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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

MoHUA shortlists 25 Cities for ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ CohortOn February 18, 2021, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) shortlisted 25 Cities for the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ Cohort, the challenge is hosted by the Smart Cities Mission, MoHUA in collaboration with  Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF), Urban95 of BvLF & technical partner World Resources Institute (WRI) India.

• The shortlisted cities will receive support & technical assistance for the next 6 months to implement their proposals.
• ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ is a 3-year challenge that will help Indian cities to  adopt & Implement neighbourhood-level pilot projects in public space, mobility, and access to services to enhance the physical and psychological health of young children (0-5 years old) & their caregivers.
• They will create a childhood-friendly environment by  ‘re-imagining parks & open spaces, improving access to early childhood facilities, adapting public space with early childhood-oriented amenities, and creating accessible, safe, walkable streets for young children and families’.

Shortlisted Cities:

• Agartala, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Dharamshala, Erode, Hubballi-Dharwad, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Kakinada, Kochi, Kohima, Kota, Nagpur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Rohtak, Rourkela, Salem, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruppur, Ujjain, Vadodara, and Warangal.

About Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF):
Executive Director – Cecilia Vaca Jones
Headquarters – The Hague, Netherlands
About World Resources Institute (WRI) India:
CEO – O P Agarwal
<<Read Full News>>

IOC inked SoI with Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt. Ltd to set up Centre of Excellence on Hydrogeni.On February 18, 2021, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Greenstat Norway for setting up a Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen (CoE-H) including CCUS and Fuel Cells.
ii.It will be set up through Indo-Norwegian Hydrogen Cluster companies/organizations which will facilitate the transfer and sharing of technology, know-how and experience for  R&D (Research & Development) projects in Green and Blue Hydrogen.
iii.The agreement has been signed by both the companies in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Ambassador of Norway to India Hans Jacob Frydenlund, and senior officials of MoPNG.
About Indian Oil Corporation(IOC):
Chairman– Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
Headquarter– New Delhi
About Greenstat:
Manager for Greenstat Hydrogen– Tomas Fiksdal
Headquarter– Bergen, Norway
<<Read Full News>>

Dharmendra Pradhan addressed Joint Conference of 11th World PetroCoal Congress 2021 & World Future Fuel Summit 2021 in New Delhii.On February 18, 2021, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) addressed the Joint Conference of the 11th World PetroCoal Congress 2021 and World Future Fuel Summit 2021 in New Delhi.
ii.The 11th World PetroCoal Congress-International Conference and Expo was organized by Energy and Environment Foundation on the theme “Petroleum-Coal-Gas: Towards a Win-Win Strategy for Producer and Consumer”.
iii.The World Future Fuel Summit and Exp 2021 was also organized by Energy and Environment Foundation. It is an annual summit to bring together global business leaders, future leaders (students), government, specialist exhibitors from globally, it showcases state-to-art technologies in clean future energy for globally.
About Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG):
Dharmendra Pradhan Constituency– Madhya Pradesh
Headquarter– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

India, Indonesia Navies conduct ‘PASSEX’ exercise in Arabian Sea On February 18, 2021, the Indian Navy conducted a Bilateral Military Exercise ‘PASSEX’ (Passage Exercise) with the Indonesian Navy in the Arabian Sea. The main aim of the exercise is to increase interoperability & strengthen the Bilateral Maritime Cooperation between the two navies.

• Indian Navy Ship INS Talwar & Indonesian Navy’s multirole Corvette KRI Bung Tomo participated in the exercise.
• Maritime Cooperation with India & Indonesia is increasing rapidly in the last few years.
• PASSEXs are regularly conducted by Indian Navy with friendly foreign navies while visiting each other’s ports or during an engagement at sea.

PASSEX with other Countries
Russia
Indian Navy undertook a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region (IOR) from December 4-5, 2020.
Vietnam
Indian Navy & Vietnam People’s Navy undertook a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) 2020 in the South China Sea from December 26-27, 2020.
About Indonesia:
President – Joko Widodo
Capital – Jakarta
Currency – Indonesian rupiah
<<Read Full News>>

India hosted Workshop on ‘COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward’i.On February 18, 2021, India organized a virtual workshop on the theme “Covid-19 Management: Experience, good practices and way forward” for health officials and experts from the eight members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Mauritius and Seychelles. It was chaired by India’s health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
ii.The workshop was addressed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi where he proposed five measures to cope with future medical emergencies for the countries in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
iii.Notably, all countries including Pakistan accepted the measures and proposed a discussion on the same to take them forward.
iv.The key measure includes creating a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses so that medical personnel can travel quickly within the region during health emergencies.
About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):
Secretary General– Esala Ruwan Weerakoon (Sri Lanka)
Headquarter– Kathmandu, Nepal
Current Chair– Nepal
Till date India held its chairmanship for 3 times i.e. in 1986-87, 1995-1997, and 2007-2008
<<Read Full News>>

Union Minister Piyush Goyal Delivered Keynote Address At 2nd Meeting of India Singapore CEO ForumOn 18th February 2021, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry(FICCI) jointly with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) organised 2nd Meeting of India-Singapore CEO forum 2021.The Meeting was co-chaired by Harshavardhan Neotia & Gautam Banerjee.
Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution delivered the keynote address at the Meeting.
Note:
The Forum was first launched in November 2018.
Highlights:
i.The members of the Forum agreed to work on resolving the regulatory issues and process which are affecting the bilateral trade and investment between India and Singapore.
ii.Union Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the expanding relations between India and Singapore greatly depends on people and people relationships and 3 Bs: Buddhism; Bollywood; Business.
The Bilateral Benefits:
i.S Iswaran, Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Singapore highlighted 3D’s: Development, Diversification and Digital Economy to build the partnership that benefits both the countries.
ii.Union Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the partnership between India and Singapore has supported India to become Atma Nirbhar and provide an opportunity to expand the global footprint of India.
iii.He called out the company to expand their engagement and works on the ways to encourage the young people to use more innovative technology.
iv.Both India and Singapore are working in cybersecurity and disaster relief and education and skills development.
v.India offers a large market for E-commerce, fintech, smart manufacturing and healthcare.
Singapore and the GIFT city, India’s first operational smart city have tied up with Singapore exchange to boost the international investment in India.
vi.He stated that the female entrepreneurs can open up great potential in this area and enhance the relation between both the countries.
vii.India recognises Singapore, the significant member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) and considers that it will boost India to the region.

India, Nepal sign MoU for Reconstruction of 6 Schools in NepalOn February 18, 2021, India & Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Reconstruction of 6 Secondary Schools in Nepal at a cost of Nepali Rupees 518 Million (NPR) (~ INR 32.63 crore).

• The MoU was signed by Indian Embassy & Nepal’s Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Education) of Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA).
• Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, a leading institute in India in the field of earthquake-resilient reconstruction will provide technical assistance for construction of these schools.
• 6 Secondary Schools to be reconstructed are Kanti Bhairab Secondary School, Champa Devi Secondary School, Dhapasi Secondary School and Bishnu Devi Secondary School, Siddheshwar Secondary School and Harisiddhi Secondary School.
• The signing of the MoU took place at a ceremony for the reconstruction of Shree Kanti Bhairab Secondary School at Kageshwari Municipality in Kathmandu in Nepal, which is being reconstructed at a cost of NPR 266 Million.

About Nepal:
President – Bidya Devi Bhandari
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese Rupee (NPR)
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Environmental Degradation Poses Triple Threat to Humans: UNEP Assessmenti.In accordance with the scientific assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) title “Making Peace With Nature”, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution posing a triple threat to human health due to environmental degradation.
ii.There is a massive need of adopting renewable energy methods and eliminating habitat loss for saving our future generations from unacceptable risks.
iii.The lead author of the report is Robert Watson, Ivar A. Baste.
About United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
Executive Director– Inger Andersen
Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya
<<Read Full News>>

3rd Quad Ministerial Meeting, FMs reaffirm commitment to strengthen co-op on advancing free and open Indo-Pacifici.On February 18, 2021 The 3rd India-Australia-Japan-USA Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) Ministerial meeting 2021 held virtually from Washington DC, United States(US).The meeting was attended by Foreign Ministers of Japan, India, Australia and the US(QUAD) countries.
ii.The QUAD nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation including support for freedom of navigation and territorial integrity.
iii.Myanmar was the key focus of the meet.
iv.The Indian side was represented by Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
About Quad ministerial:
In 2017, the above mentioned four countries approved the proposal of setting up the “Quad” or the Quadrilateral coalition to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.

• It is held annually at the Ministerial level and on a regular basis at senior and working levels.
• The first meeting of this framework was held in New York in September 2019.

<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

Bank of Maharashtra Partnered with Vayana Network Launches its Mahabank Channel Financing Scheme for MSMEsi.On February 18, 2021 Bank of Maharashtra(BoM) in partnership with Vayana Network, India’s largest Supply Chain Financing (SCF) platform, launched its Mahabank Channel Financing Scheme, a  Channel Financing solution for  Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs).
ii.This partnership enables BoM to provide short term credit to meet funding requirements of corporate dealers and vendors through its channel.
iii.Under the partnership, Vayana Network will provide SCF solutions to more than 1,870 branches of BoM through its technology and service knowledge. SCF solutions include vendor and dealer financing programs.
About Bank of Maharashtra(BoM):
HeadOffice– Pune, Maharashtra
Incorporated on– September 16, 1935
Commenced Operations– February 8, 1936
MD & CEO– A.S Rajeev
About Vayana Network:
Founder & CEO– R. N. Iyer
Headquarters– Pune, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

Indian Bank signs MoU with SID of IISc to Provide Credit Facility to Start-ups and MSMEi.On February 19, 2021 Indian Bank signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Society for Innovation and Development (SID), an initiative of Indian Institute of Science(IISc), Bengaluru to provide exclusive credit facility to start-ups and  Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs).
ii.This initiative is a part of the Bank’s scheme ‘Ind Spring Board for financing Start-ups’
About  Society for Innovation and Development (SID):
Chief Executive– Prof B Gurumoorthy
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
About Indian Bank:
On April 1, 2020, Allahabad Bank amalgamated with Indian Bank.
MD & CEO– Padmaja Chunduru
Tagline– Your Own Bank
Headquarters– Chennai, TamilNadu
<<Read Full News>>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Hyderabad, Recognised as the ‘2020 Tree City of the World’ by Arbor Day Foundation & FAOOn 4th February 2021, the Arbor Day Foundation and the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations(UN) has recognised Hyderabad (Telangana) as one of the ‘2020 Tree City of the World’ for its contributions and commitment towards growing and maintaining urban forest.

• Hyderabad became the first and only city in India to be recognised as the 2020 Tree City of the World.
• With the recognition as the 2020 tree city of the world, Hyderabad became a part of the network of cities who recognise the vital role of trees towards building healthy, resilient and happy cities.
• Along with Hyderabad, 51 other cities were recognised as the ‘2020 Tree Cities of the World”, most of which were from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and others.

About Tree Cities of the World:
The tree cities of the world is a programme was inaugurated in 2019 by FAO of UN and Arbor Day Foundation.
Aim:
To call cities to invest in forest-based solutions towards a sustainable and resilient model of urban development.
Highlights:
i.68 cities from 17 countries were recognised in the 1st year of the programme.
ii.2020 ‘Tree cities of the world’ is the 2nd year of the programme. 
iii.Presently around 120 cities from 63 countries were assessed as the Tree cities of the World.
Standard of recognition:

• The city should have established responsibility, a tree board  responsible for the care of trees within the municipal boundary.
• The city should have a law and official policy that governs the management of forest and trees.
• The city should have updated inventory of the local tress resources which will support the effective long term plans.
• The city should have a dedicated budget for the implementation of tree management.
• The city should hold an annual celebration of trees.

About Arbor Day Foundation:
Arbor Day Foundation is a non profit organization dedicated towards planting trees.
Chief Executive– Matt Harris
Headquarters– Lincoln, Nebraska
Founded in 1972

Team TRIFED led by MD Pravir Krishna bag 4 awards at World Leadership Congress & AwardsTeam TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India), the commercial wing of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and its Managing Director, Pravir Krishna won Four Awards in the 19th Global Edition & 4th India Edition of World Leadership Congress and Awards. The Economic Times presents ‘Business Leader of the Year’ took place in Mumbai, Maharashtra on February 17, 2021.

• TRIFED won the Collective Award of Excellence in PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) for investment in start-ups under the Organisational Award Category.
• Pravir Krishna won 3 awards in the Individual Category for his leadership – ‘CEO of the year’, ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ (both under ‘Business Leader of the Year’ category) & ‘Brand Builder of the Year’ (under Health Category).
• The Awards are hosted by World Leadership Congress and Awards.

About TRIFED:
TRIFED was established in August 1987 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984
MD – Pravir Krishna
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS    

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakahria ResignsOn February 18, 2021 Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister(PM) of Georgia resigned due to a disagreement with his own team over the decision to arrest Nika Melia, chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party. Giorgi Gakharia belongs to Georgian Dream party. He served as the Prime Minister since September 2019
Note: The ruling party is expected to nominate a new PM  and cabinet members for approval by Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili shortly.
Issue:
Gakahria wanted to avoid arrest of Nika melia. As per him, this will increase the  political crisis already underway and destabilize the country.
About Giorgi Gakahria:
Political Career
i.He served as the Business Ombudsman of Georgia(March 2013-July 2016)
ii.He also served as the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia(November 2016-2017)
iii.From November 13, 2017 to September 2019 he served as the  Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Vice Prime Minister of Georgia.
iv.In addition to this, he served as the  Secretary of the National Security Council from April 2019 to September 2019.
Professional Career
From November 2008 to February 2013, he served as the Business Development Director for Eastern Europe, CIS and the Russian Federation at Lufthansa Service Holding AG.
About Georgia:
Capital- Tbilisi
Currency- Georgian Lari(GEL)      

Japan’s Former Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto Takes Over as 2020 Tokyo Olympic PresidentOn 18th February 2021, Seiko Hashimoto, seven time Olympian (speed skater and cyclist) who was serving as the Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games became the president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• Seiko Hashimoto resigned from the role of Minister of Olympics as she takes over as the president of 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
• She succeeds Former chief Yoshiro Mori  following his resignation over the condemned sexist remarks.

About Seiko Hashimoto:
Sports:
i.Seiko Hashimoto a former olympian who represente japan in speed skating at 4 winter Olympic games(1984, 1988, 1992 & 1994)  and in Track cycling at 3 Summer Games(1988, 1992 & 1996).
ii.She won a bronze in the Women’s 1500 m speed skating in 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France.
iii.In 1990 she won a medal at the World Championship for speed skate and became the first japanese achieve the feat.
Politics:
i.Seiko Hashimoto of  Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has served as the Olympic minister from September 2019 to February 2021 and she has also been the Minister In charge of Women’s Empowerment and Minister of State for Gender Equality.
ii.She was the first politician in Japan to take maternity leave while in office and she was also the first upper house lawmaker to give birth while holding the office.
About 2020 Tokyo Olympic:
2020 Tokyo Olympic is officially the Games of the 32nd Olympiad.It is to be held from23 July 2021 to 8 August 2021.
Olympic Mascot– Miraitowa
Paralympic Mascot– Someity

Mohammad Younes Menfi Becomes Interim Head of Presidential Council of Libya & Abdul Hamid Dbeibah as Interim PM of LibyaOn February 5, 2021 UN-led Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) selected Mohammad Younes Menfi as interim president of the 3 member Presidential Council of Libya and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah as interim Prime Minister of the country.
Other members of the Presidential council include, Abdullah Al-Lafi and Mossa Al-Koni.
Note: Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has to form his government in 21 days. He is the founder of  Libya al-Mustakbal (Libya Future) Movement.
Key Points:
i.He will serve as the Interim PM till the National Election that is to be held later 2021.
ii.He also founded Libya al-Mustakbal (Libya Future) Movement and has support from western tribes.
About Libya officially the State of Libya:
Capital– Tripoli
Currency– Libyan Dinar

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

L&T delivers 100th & Final K-9 Vajra Howitzer Gun to Indian ArmyOn February 18, 2021, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) delivered the 100th & Final K-9 Vajra-T 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled Howitzer guns to the Indian army from L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex (ASC) situated at Hazira near Surat, Gujarat. The K-9 Vajra was flagged off by Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane.

• K-9 Vajra has a range of 38 kms and is an indigenized version of K-9 Thunder of South Korea.
• The Howitzers have been produced by L&T with technology transfer from South Korean defence major Hanwha Defense.
• The Howitzers have been delivered with more than 80% indigenous work packages & above 50% indigenisation (by value) 
• With this, L&T has successfully completed delivery of all 100 Howitzer guns under the INR 4, 366 Crore contract awarded to it by the Ministry of Defence in May 2017.

Deployment in Ladakh
Three K-9 Vajra Howitzers are set to be deployed for trials in the High Altitude mountainous area of ladakh.
About Larsen & Toubro (L&T):
Chairman – Anil Manibhai Naik
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director – S. N. Subrahmanyan
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

DRDO completes Joint User Trials for HELINA & Dhruvastra versions of ATGMOn February 19, 2021, DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organization) successfully conducted the trials of HELINA (Helicopter Launched Nag) (Army version) & Dhruvastra (Air Force Version) of the Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

• The Missiles have been developed indigenously byDRDO.
• The Missiles successfully completed Five Missions for evaluating the missile capabilities in minimum and maximum range.
• As they have completed the trials successfully, they will be ordered by the Indian Air Force & Indian Army for their Combat choppers.
• HELINA has a range of 7 Kms.

HELINA:

• It is a 3rd Generation, Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) Fire & Forget ATGMS.
• They can engage targets both in direct hit mode & top attack mode and is Guided by imaging infrared seekers.
• HELINA is one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.

About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
Chairman – Dr G Satheesh Reddy
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

SpaceX Launched 60 Starlink Satellites into Space; Missed its Landing TargetOn February 15, 2021 SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States of America. The satellites were launched using a two-stage rocket, otherwise known as the Falcon 9 booster. This was the 6th launch of this Falcon 9 booster. This launch is part of the 19th Starlink mission.
i.The rocket’s first stage did not land on SpaceX’s drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ in the Atlantic Ocean as planned.
ii.The first-stage booster is the largest and most expensive portion of the rocket, accounting about roughly 60% of the price of building a new Falcon 9 rocket.
Key Info:
i.In 2015, SpaceX did 1st successful booster landing
ii.Since then, the company has landed 67 boosters out of 107 total Falcon 9 launches, and 50 of those flights have made use of previously flown boosters.
SpaceX Created New World Record by Launching 143 satellites in Single Launch by Falcon 9:
On January 24, 2021, SpaceX  successfully created a New World Record by launching 143 Satellites in a single mission. The satellites were launched using the Falcon 9 Reusable rockets  from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States of America.
About SpaceX:
Chief Executive Officer – Elon Musk
Headquarters – California, USA

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Peter Mukerjea’s Book, a Memoir Titled “Star Struck: Confessions of a TV Executive” Peter Mukerjea, the former CEO of Star India Network, has penned down his memoir titled “Star Struck: Confessions of a TV Executive”. The book is a written confession of Peter Mukerjea, a well known media personality who is undertrial for the murder case of Sheen Bora.
The book is published by Westland Books, the publishing arm of Amazon.
About the Book:
i.The book is a collection of Peter Mukerjea’s experiences in Star India and his journey to becoming the CEO of Star India.
ii.The book also features the life events that changed his life over the years.
About Peter Mukerjea:
i.Peter Mukerjea joined Star TV in 1993 and he was promoted as the Executive Vice President in 1997 and later appointed as the CEO of Star India in 1999.
ii.He retired from Star India in 2007.
iii.He has served as the Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of INX media from 2007 to 2009(retired from INX media).
iv.He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) in November 2015, in connection with the Sheena Bora Murder case, in which Indrani Mukerjea his former wife is the main accused.

VP M Venkaiah Naidu Released a Book, ‘Maverick Messiah: A Political Biography of N.T. Rama Rao’On February 18, 2021 Vice President(VP)  M Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled, ‘Maverick Messiah: A Political Biography of N.T. Rama Rao’. The non-fiction book is authored by  senior journalist, Ramesh Kandula and published by Penguin Random house India.
Who is N.T. Rama Rao?
i.Nandamuri Taraka(N.T.) Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996) is widely known as NTR
ii.He is an  Indian actor, producer, director, film editor and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh(AP) for 7 years over three terms.
iii.He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982.
iv.He was the first non-Congress Chief Minister of the state.
Awards:
He received Padma Shri in 1968 for art among others.
Honours:
i.AP Govt in 1996 instituted The NTR National Award  in honour of him.
The award recognises notable film personalities for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry.
ii.NTR Vignan Trust instituted NTR National Literary Award, an annual award to recognise people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to Indian literature.
About Ramesh Kandula:
Presently he is serving as the CEO & chief editor of Mahaa News, a Telugu news channel, broadcasting from Hyderabad.

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