Current Affairs 24 February 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 24 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

Highlights of PM Narendra Modi Visit to West Bengal and Assami.On February 22, 2021, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Assam and West Bengal where he dedicated to the nation important projects of the oil & gas sector in an event organized at Silapathar in Dhemaji, Assam and inaugurated several railway projects in Hooghly, West Bengal.
ii.INDMAX Unit at Indian Oil’s Bongaigaon Refinery (Assam): This unit is set up to increase the Refinery’s crude processing capacity from 2.35 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) to 2.7 MMTPA.
iii.Dhemaji Engineering College in Assam: It is built on 276 bighas of land, at the cost of about Rs 45 Crore. It is the seventh Government Engineering College in the state and will offer B.Tech courses in Civil, Mechanical and Computer Science.
iv.Extension of Metro Railway from Noapara to Dakshineswar (West Bengal): This 4.1 KM extension is built with a fully funded by the Central Government outlay of Rs. 464 crore. The PM also flagged off the first service on this stretch.
About Assam:
Tiger Reserve– Manas Tiger Reserve, Nameri Tiger Reserve, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve
Ramsar site– Deepor Beel
About West Bengal:
Chief Minister– Mamata Banerjee
Governor– Jagdeep Dhankhar
<<Read Full News>>

CIL Signed MoU with CRIS for Automated Access to Coal Freight Data Through FOIS
i.On 22nd February 2021, Coal India Limited(CIL), Kolkata based public sector coal mining and reigning company signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), under the Ministry of Railways for fast and customised automated access to coal freight data through Freight Operation Information System(FOIS).

• This is the first of its kind data sharing which will support CIL to rationalise the coal supply matriz through rail mode.
• The contract period of this MoU is 1 year with annual technical support.

ii.This will enable CIL to monitor the movement of the coal laden rakes and coal dispatch activities.
iii.CIL has developed a portal which will support in sharing the FOIS data with the subsidiary coal companies.
About CIL:
Chairman & Managing Director– Pramod Agrawal
Established in November 1975
Headquarters– Kolkata, West Bengal
<<Read Full News>>

Harsh Vardhan launched Operational Guidelines for Integration of NAFLD with NPCDCSi.On February 22, 2021, Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) launched the operational guidelines for Integration of NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) with NPCDCS (National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke).
ii.India has become the first country in the world to identify the need for action for NAFLD.
iii.NAFLD is a abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver in the absence of secondary causes of fatty liver, such as harmful alcohol use, viral hepatitis, or medications.
About Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan Constituency– Chandni Chowk, New Delhi
Minister of State– Ashwini Kumar Choubey
<<Read Full News>>

Goa to become India’s First Fisheries Hub with an investment of INR 400 CroreUnion Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Giriraj Singh has stated  that the Central Government is set to Invest INR 400 crore in Goa to transform the state into India’s First Fisheries Hub.

• Of the INR 400 Crore Investment, The Union Minister has already sanctioned INR 41.7 Crores to Goa under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).
• Goa has the required coastline, inland waterways & saline Khazan lands for producing the large quantity of fish in the country.

Planned Activities for making Goa as Fisheries Hub

• INR 30 Crore to be allocated for setting up  Aquarium Cluster under ornamental fisheries for generating employment and income.  A Seaweed complex  will also be set up for the same purpose.

• INR 50 Crore for upgrading the Margao Wholesale Fish Market.
• INR 2.5 Crore for construction of a marine hatchery

Development of ‘Cage Culture’
CSIR-NIO (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-National Institute of Oceanography), Dona Paula, Goa has highlighted the enormous potential of Cage Culture fishing in Goa.
About Goa:
Chief Minister – Pramod Sawant
Governor – Bhagat Singh Koshyari
<<Read Full News>>

Odisha hosts the 17th India International Mega Trade Fair 2021Odisha is currently hosting the 17th India International Mega Trade Fair & Home Decor Exhibition 2021 at Janata Maidan, Bhubaneswar from February 19-March 1, 2021. It is being organized by the Odisha Chapter of the Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI).

• Partner Country for the 2021 Fair –  Bangladesh & focus countries are Afghanistan & Iran.
• Bihar is the Partner State for the Fair.
• It was inaugurated by the Odisha Law Minister Pratap Jena.

Objective

• It will also showcase the latest developments in the field of real estate.
• To display Home & Decor products which adhere to the International Standards
• To serve as a platform for joint ventures, strategic tie-ups & other business possibilities.

Key Points

• 9 countries are also participating in the exhibition, they are Bangladesh, Dubai, Iran, Thailand, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Lebanon & Tunisia.
• The Fair was organized in collaboration with Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI), Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and GS Marketing Associates.

About Odisha:
Capital – Bhubaneswar
Tiger Reserve– Similipal Tiger Reserve, Satkosia Tiger Reserve
<<Read Full News>>

TERI signs MoU with POSOCO to encourage Research in Domestic Power SectorThe Energy and Resources Institute  (TERI), New Delhi signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO), New Delhi for promoting research in the domestic power sector. The entities will work towards addressing the challenges of the Power Sector.
Objective

• To enhance the interaction between the industry-research bodies for knowledge sharing and capacity building through collaboration.
• To encourage research on issues related to the Indian power sector.

Action Plan under the MoU

• To develop power system simulation models
• Integrated resource planning which includes demand and supply on a short-term, long-term & medium-term perspective.
• To undertake preparation of joint reports & collaborate for capacity building of state utilities.

About Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO):
Chairman & Managing Director – K V S Baba
Head Office – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

MPEDA Signed a MoU with NCDC to Bring Better Value to Stakeholdersi.On 22nd February 2021, the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), under the Ministry of commerce and Industry, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) to coordinate their programs in export oriented captures and culture of fisheries and allied sectors to bring better value to the stakeholders.

• K S Srinivas, Chairman of MPEDA and Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Managing Director of NCDC, signed the MoU in Kochi, Kerala.

ii.Under this MoU, along with its Societies NETFISH, NaCSA & RGCA and NCDC, MPEDA will formulate programs to provide technical knowledge to cooperatives.
iii.MPEDA will share a list of all the clusters across various states with NCDC, which may approach the clusters to achieve scale and aggregation with export orientation.
iv.MPEDA and its societies and NCDC will work together to showcase the Indian and global market, the products, technologies, processes, knowledge and services by the stakeholders through various modes, that are identified by them.
About Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA):
Chairman– K.S. Srinivas
Headquarters– Kochi, Kerala
About National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC):
Managing Director– Sundeep Kumar Nayak
Head Office– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

India to start trials of Astra Mark2 BVRAAM Missile in 2021

India is set to begin the trials of Astra Mk2 Missile in 2021. Astra Mark2 is a Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) which has a strike range of 160 kms. It is capable of flying at a speed of Mach 4.5, and is set to be integrated into the indigenous LCA Tejas. The missile will be fully developed by the end of 2022.

BANKING & FINANCE

NBFCs in India need to plan for effective IBOR transition: EY IndiaIn accordance with the new EY (Ernst & Young) India report titled “Impact of IBOR transition on NBFCs in India”, Indian Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) require an effective plan for Inter Bank Offered Rate (IBOR) transition, as majority of London Inter Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rates are likely to be phased out by the end of 2021.
ii.LIBOR indicates the average rate at which large banks in London can borrow unsecured short term loans from other banks.
About EY India:
Chair– Rajiv Memani
Headquarter– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

GoI, World bank sign USD 68 Million Project for Improving Education in NagalandGovernment of India, Government of Nagaland & the World Bank signed a USD 68 Million (~ INR 490 Crore) Project for improving the governance of schools across Nagaland. The program is called  ‘Nagaland: Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project’.

• The project will also  improve teaching practices and learning environments in select schools of Nagaland.
• Around 1, 50, 000 students & 20, 000 Teachers  in the government education system in Nagaland will benefit from the reforms.
• The project will support Nagaland Government’s efforts to develop a strong education system in the state.

Mission of the Project:

• To improve Classroom instructions
• Create Opportunities for professional development of teachers
• Build Technology systems for providing students & teachers with access to both offline & online learning systems
• Better Monitoring of policies & Programs.
• The new approach will complement the existing conventional delivery models & will help in reducing the challenges posed by COVID-19.

About World Bank:
HeadQuarters– Washington, DC, New York, United States(US)
President – David Malpass
Founded– 1944
Member Countries– 189 (including India)
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Woochong Um appointed as new Managing Director General of ADB
i.On 22nd February 2021, Woochong Um of Republic of Korea was appointed as the new Managing Director General of Asian Development Bank (ADB).  He assumed office on 22nd February and will be reporting to Masatsugu Asakawa, President of ADB.
ii.He will assist the President of ADB to institute the bank wide coherence on various key initiatives and issues.
iii.He has served as the Director General of the sustainable development and climate change department of ADB and concurrently Chief Compliance Officer since June 2018.
About ADB:
ADB is owned by 68 members(49 from Asia and the Pacific and 19 from others)
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
Headquarters– Metro Manila, Philippines
Established in 1966
<<Read Full News>>

Sachin Tendulkar Roped in as Brand Ambassador of Unacademy; also picked up stake in UnacademyOn 23rd February 2021, Former Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar signed a strategic partnership with Unacademy, India’s largest online learning app to pick up small stakes in the platform and he also became its brand ambassador. 
Features of the Partnership:
i.As a part of the partnership, Sachin will host a series of live interactive classes which can be accessed by the users of Unacademy at free of cost.
ii.Sachin will also share his life lessons and experiences with the users of the Unacdemy and coach them.
iii.He will also work with Unacademy in developing a deeper content-led partnership and Unacademy will also work towards developing a deeper content with Sachin in sports learning category.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS  

CCI approves Stake Purchase by Panatone Finvest in TCLi.On February 23, 2021, The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of shares of Tata Communications Ltd (TCL), by Panatone Finvest Ltd. In accordance with the deal, the Panatone Finvest Ltd will buy a shareholding of 26.12% which will increase its total shareholding to 74.99% from 48.87%.
ii.This acquisition is on the lines of divestment of Government of India’s 26.12% equity stake in TCL which was approved by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in December 2020.
About Competition Commission of India (CCI):
Establishment– 2003
Chairman– Ashok Kumar Gupta
Headquarters– New Delhi
About Tata Communications Ltd (TCL):
Former Name– Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL)
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer– Amur Swaminathan Lakshminarayanan (Lakshmi)
Headquarter– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>    

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DRDO successfully conducts Maiden launch of VL-SRSAM MissileOn February 22, 2021, Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted 2 launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha.  This is the maiden launch of the missile system.

• The missile has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO for Indian Navy.
• It has a Strike Range of 40-50 kms.
• It is a Surface to Air Missile & will provide defence against various aerial targets like Jets, Fighter Aircraft & Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) & also sea-skimming targets.
• Once deployed, the missile will be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.

Rajnath Singh Inaugurates 1st of its Kind DRDO SDC for Fire Safety Training
Union Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated DRDO Skill Development Centre (SDC) for Fire Safety Training at Pilkhuwa, Uttar Pradesh. It is a first-of-its-kind facility in India.

• The facility has been created by Delhi based DRDO laboratory Centre for Fire, Explosive & Environment Safety (CFEES).
• The main objective of the facility is to develop trained human resources, fire safety technology & products for saving human lives & assets.

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

SPORTS

Boxing : Indian Contingent wins 12 Medals Tally at 30th ‘Adriatic Pearl’ Tournament Indian Boxing Contingent finished with 12 medals at the 30th Youth International Boxing Tournament  ‘Adriatic Pearl’ held at Budva, Montenegro from February 16-22, 2021. It finished 2nd in the overall medals tally, Uzbekistan took the 1st place while Ukraine finished 3rd in the medals tally.

• Indian women’s team won 10 medals (5 Gold, 3 Silver & 2 Bronze) while Indian Men’s team bagged 2 Bronze medals.
• With 10 medals, Indian Women’s Team finished at the Top of the Women’s Medals Tally. Uzbekistan (2 Gold) & Czech Republic (1 Gold) finished at the 2nd & 3rd position.
• Vinka (60 Kg) who won the Gold Medal received the Best Woman Boxer of the Tournament Award.

List of Winners (Indian Women’s Contingent)

List of Winners (Indian Men’s Contingent)

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Author & Politician Ram Madhav Launched his New Book Titled “Because India Comes First” 
On 22nd February 2021, Ram Madhav, an Indian Politician, author and the former National General Secretary of BJP launched his new book titled “Because India Comes First: Reflections on Nationalism, Identity and Culture” in Kolkata, West Bengal. The book examines the decisions of the BJP led government in the past few years.  The book was published by Westland limited. 

• The book was launched in the presence of Sangeeta Dutta.
• The launch event was hosted by Kitaab, a literary initiative of Prabha Khaitan Foundation in association with ITC Sonar in Kolkata.

About the book:
i.The book calls out liberal fascism and deconstructs the understanding on terrorism in India.
ii.In this book the author discusses the analogy and rationality behind the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA), Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC), abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir in detail from historical-political discourse to their implementation in the current scenario.
iii.The essays of the book are the observations of the author on the various decisions taken by the Modi government, diplomatic relationship between the neighbouring countries and the confrontations with China.
About Ram Madhav :
i.Ram Madhav has been a member of the National Executives of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS).
ii.He is also a member of the Governing Board of India Foundation.
iii.He has authored numerous books in English and Telugu.
iv.He has also contributed to several publications like the Indian Express and Open Magazine.
v.He has served as the Editor of Bharatiya Pragna, English monthly magazine published by Pranga Bharati and worked as associate editor of Jagriti, a Telugu weekly.
vi.He has authored a book titled “Uneasy neighbours: India and China after 50 years of the war” which was published in 2014.

Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk’s Picture Book ‘The Lost Soul’, English translation of “Zgubiona dusza” to hit BookstoresPolish Author and 2018 Nobel Prize winner (Literature) Olga Tokarczuk’s latest book ‘The Lost Soul’, English translation of “Zgubiona dusza” is set to hit the bookstores. The book is translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones and the illustrations were done by Joanna Concejo. 
This is the first time that Olga Tokarczuk’s prose will be accompanied by illustrations in the form of a picture book.
The book is published by Seven Stories Press.
This is also her first book for both children and adults.
About the book:
i.The book is a reflection of the capacity of the individuals to live in peace with themselves, to remain patient, attentiv to the world.
ii.The book winds together the ideas of Olga Tokarczuk and the drawings of Joanna Concejo which creates a parallel universe of secrets.
iii.The book is about a man who forgets what makes his heart feel content and moves away from his familiar surroundings and waits for his soul to return.

• “The lost soul” was awarded a special mention of the Bologna Ragazzi Award in 2018.

About Olga Tokarczuk:
i.Olga Tokarczuk hails from Sulechów, Poland, she made her debut as a fiction writer in 1993 with “The journey of the Book-People”.
ii.She has authored around 8 novels and 2 short story collections.
iii.Her popular works include Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead: A Novel (translated into English by Antonia Lloyd-Jones), Flights, among others.
iv.Her works were translated into numerous languages.
Awards:
i.She won the 2018 Nobel Prizes in Literature for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life, the prize was presented to her in 2019.
ii.She also won the 2018 International Man Booker Award for her novel, Flights, which was translated by Jennifer Croft.
iii.She won Poland’s highest literary honor in 2009 and in 2015.

Veteran Actor Kabir Bedi’s Autobiography Titled “Stories I Must Tell: the Journey of an Actor” is set to releaseVeteran Indian Actor Kabir Bedi(75 years old) is set to release his autobiography titled ‘Stories I Must Tell: the Journey of an Actor’ in April 2021. The memoir features the journey of a middle class boy from Delhi who reached the heights of success in his acting career.
The book is published by Westland Publications.
About the book:
i.The book presents the highs and lows of Kabir Bedi’s professional and personal life.
ii.The book features his experiences in films, televisions and theatre in India as well as in Europe and hollywood.
iii.The book also features the journey of Kabir from bollywood to hollywood and becoming a star in Europe.
About Kabir Bedi:
i.He has acted in more than 65 Hindi Movies which include Khoon Bhari Maang, Main Hoon Na, Mohenjo Daro and has starred in James Bond’s film “Octopussy”.
ii.He starred in the Bold and Beautiful as Prince Omar Rashid and in Sandokan, an Italian television series.
iii.Some of his popular English series were Highlander, Murder She Wrote, Magnum P.I and Dynasty among others
iv.He has also starred in Taj by John Murrel at the Luminato Festival in Canada and in Far Pavilions by M M Kaye.

STATE NEWS

UP FinMin Suresh Kumar Khanna presented Rs 5,50,270.78cr state budget for FY21-22 targeting “Atmanirbhar”i.On February 22, 2021, the Finance Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Suresh Kumar Khanna, presented Rs 5,50,270.78 crore in the presence of UP Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath.
ii.Notably, this was the state’s and Adityanath government’s first paperless budget and also the largest budget in the history of UP in terms of fund allocation. It marks an increase of around Rs 37,000 cr from the previous year’s budget size.
iii.This was the 5th budget of the present government.
iv.Rs 100cr budgeted for new migrant workers scheme “Mukhyamantri Pravasi Shramik Udyamita Vikas Yojana”
v.In order to boost the agriculture sector and for the farmer’s welfare the UP government earmarked Rs 1,800 crore under various schemes. Additionally, the government allocated Rs 3,098 crore for completion of canal linking projects.
About Uttar Pradesh:s
Governor – Anandiben Patel
Capital– Lucknow
<<Read Full News>>

Odisha FM presents State Budget for FY 2021-22 with an outlay of INR 1.7 Lakh CroresOn February 22, 2021, Odisha’s Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari presented the State Budget for the Financial Year 2021-22 with an budget outlay of INR 1, 70, 000 Crores.

• The Budget was presented  through the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) & Odisha Budget Mobile App.
• It was presented in 2 parts – ‘Agriculture Budget’ & ‘General Budget’.

The Major emphasis of the budget was ‘New Odisha-Empowered Odisha’. The major areas of focus were health, agriculture, education, livelihoods, infrastructure & industries.
Key  Points:

During the Budget presentation, Niranjan Pujari  launched or introduced many key initiatives. Some of them are

• Introduction of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Budget document.
• Conversion of SCB Medical College, Cuttack into ‘AIIMS plus Institute’ for providing world-class health care facilities by spending INR 3500 Crores over 3 years.
• Allocation of INR 542 Crore under ABADHA (Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA)) scheme to transform Puri into a World Heritage City.
• Establishment of a New World Class Hockey Stadium in Rourkela with an outlay of INR 90 Crore.
• Introduction of Fiscal risk statement for managing risk exposures.
• INR 795 Crores for the construction of ‘In-stream Storage Structures (ISS)’ in all major rivers of Odisha
• Provision of INR 450 Crore under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Click here to read the full Budget
About Odisha:
Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik
Governor – Ganeshi Lal
<<Read Full News>>

Anil Mukim Chief Secretary of Gujarat Gets 2nd 6 Months Extension

On 22nd February 2021, following the Central’s approval, the Government of Gujarat granted the 2nd 6months extension to Anil Mukim, IAS of 1985 batch, the Chief Secretary(CS) of Gujarat. He will serve as the CS of Gujarat till August 2021. This extension comes into effect from 1st March 2021.  
He was first appointed as the CS of Gujarat in November 2019 and in August 2020, prior to this retirement, he got his first 6 month extension till February 2020.

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