Current Affairs 25 February 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 25 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

Defence Acquisition Council approves Procurement worth INR 13, 700 CroreOn February 23, 2021, The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath singh approved 3 Acceptance of Necessities (AoNs) worth INR 13, 700 Crore for procurement of various weapons/platforms/equipment/systems for the Indian Army, Indian Navy & Indian Air Force.

• All 3 AoNs have been placed under the ‘Buy [Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)]’ Category of India’s new Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020.
• All equipment/systems/weapons/platforms to be procured will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Components cleared by DAC

• Out of INR 13, 700 Crore, (~) INR 8, 300 Crore will be sent for procuring 118 indigenously developed Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A).
• The new tank will come with 71 upgrades over the existing variant including 14 major improvements.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over a prototype of the Arjun Mk-1A tank to army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane in Chennai on February 14 2021 .

INR 70, 000 Crore to be set aside for domestic procurements
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that 63% of the Defence outlay for the year 2021-22 will be set aside for Domestic Procurements (INR 70, 000 Crore out of INR 1.35 Lakh Crore allocated in Defence budget.
<<Read Full News>>

Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami Inaugurates AIIRLAS, Asia’s Largest Cattle Park in Salemi.On February 22, 2021 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister(CM) Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated Asia’s biggest cattle park, Advanced Institute for Integrated Research on Livestock and Animal Sciences (AIIRLAS) in Thalaivasal, Salem district. It was constructed at a cost of Rs 1,023 crore. It is the state’s 5th veterinary college.
ii.In addition to this he also inaugurated a veterinary medical college and Thalaivasal revenue taluk office.
iii.On the occasion, he also announced that a frozen semen station will be set up in Karumandurai, Salem  at the cost of Rs 100 crore.
About Tamil Nadu:
i.Power Plant– Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS)
ii.NickName of Tamil Nadu Cities:
Erode– Turmeric city, Yellow city, Textile city
Coimbatore (Kovai)– Capital of Kongu Nadu or Chera Nadu , Hardware City of India, Sports Capital of South India, Manchester of South India
<<Read Full News>>

Govt launches National Urban Digital Mission for Creating Digital Infrastructure in Urban Indiai.On February 23, 2021, Minister of State (MoS) Hardeep Singh Puri, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad,  Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) virtually launched a “National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM)” to create a digital infrastructure for Indian cities.
ii.This mission envisages supporting all ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) in serving all citizens on the lines of sabkasaath – sabkavikas – sabkavishwas.
iii.Both Ministers also launched other initiatives viz. India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), SmartCode, Smart Cities 2.0 website, and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS) following the efforts of MoHUA and MeitY to attain Digital India and AtmaNirbhar Bharat by catering the needs of citizens.
About Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY):
Ravi Shankar Prasad Constituency– Patna Sahib, Bihar
Minister of State– Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
<<Read Full News>>

2nd Anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN) 24th February, 2021 is the 2nd Anniversary of the starting of the Central Sector Scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN)’. It was launched on 24th February 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

• It is 100% Funded by the Central Government

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN)
The objective of the Scheme: To supplement the income of farmers by providing income support to all farmer families in India irrespective of the size of their landholdings.
Key Points

• Under the Scheme, an amount of INR 6000 rupees per year will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of farmers.
• The amount will be paid in 3 installments of INR 2000 rupees.

Financial Outlay
The Government has allocated INR 65, 000 Crore for the scheme in the Union Budget 2021-22.

Awarded to Best Performing states:-Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh were awarded by the Agriculture Minister

About Ministry of Agriculture:
Union Minister –  Narendra Singh Tomar (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS) –  Parshottam Rupala (Rajya Sabha MP representing Gujarat), Kailash Choudhary (Lok Sabha MP, Constituency – Barmer-Jaisalmer, Rajasthan)
<<Read Full News>>

18th Edition of BioAsia 2021 held in HyderabadThe 18th Edition of BioAsia 2021 was conducted virtually from Hyderabad during the dates of February 22-23, 2021. Organized by the Telangana Government, BioAsia is Asia’s Largest Life Sciences & healthcare forum.  It is also a flagship event of the Telangana Government.

• Theme – Move the Needle
• It is the 18th edition in the annual series and was held virtually for the first time.

Focus Topics of BioAsia2021

• Discussions on COVID-19, Global Health, Pharma, and MedTech. The event also served as a platform for Biotech start-ups, Academic Institutions, Scientists & Researchers, Policy Makers & Regulatory Experts across the globe for discussion related to the Life Sciences Industry.

Awards presented during BioAsia 2021
Genome Valley Excellence Award 2021

• The Genome Valley Excellence Award for the year 2021 was awarded to ‘Bharat Biotech’ for its commitment to development of India’s 1st Indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 called ‘COVAXIN’.

Special Award of FABA

• Special Award of the Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA) was presented to Balram Bhargava, Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Secretary to Central Government’s Department of Health Research.

About Telangana:
Dams – Nizam Sagar (on River Manjira), Singur Dam (on River Manjira)
<<Read Full News>>

Worlds Largest Cricket Stadium Inaugurated in Ahmedabad;Renamed to Narendra Modi Cricket Stadiumi.President of India, Ram Nath Kovind was on a 2 day visit to Gujarat from February 23 to 24, 2021. As part of his visit, he inaugurated the World’s Largest Cricket Stadium, the refurbished Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which was renamed as  Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium on February 24, 2021.
ii.It is named after the sitting Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi. It has been set up by the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA).
iii.The stadium has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 800 crore and has an accommodation capacity of 1.32 lakh spectators.
iv.It has taken the top spot from Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia which can accommodate 90,000 to become the largest cricket stadium in the world
v.Ahmedabad to become the ‘sports city’ of India.
About Gujarat:
Festival– Rann Utsav, Navratri, Uttarayan, Janmashtami, Bhadra Purnima
Fort– Bhujia Fort, Roha Fort, Kanthkot Fort, Tera Fort,  Zinzuwada Fort
<<Read Full News>>

Cochin Shipyard bags Indian Navy order for 6 Next Generation Missile VesselsCochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) emerged as the Lowest Bidder in a tender floated by the Ministry of Defence for construction of 6 Next-Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV) to be utilized by the Indian Navy. The order is estimated to be around INR 10, 000 Crore.

• NGMVs are a planned class of anti-surface warfare corvettes for the Indian Navy.
• At Present, CSL is also building India’s First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier called ‘INS Vikrant’ (also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1)).

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL)

• It was started in 1972 and has emerged as India’s largest shipbuilding & maintenance facility. CSL is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) and Miniratna company under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.

About Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL):
Chairman & Managing Director – Madhu S Nair
Location – Cochin, Kerala
<<Read Full News>>

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Inaugurated Atal Paryavaran Bhavan in LakshadweepOn 19th February 2021, Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change inaugurated the Atal Paryavaran Bhavan, Forest Department Headquarters in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep during his 4-day visit to Lakshadweep (19th February 2021 to 22nd February 2021).

• Atal Paryavaran Bhavan is a unique eco-friendly green building in an area of 22,150 sq. ft. with modern hi-tech facilities for coral and other marine biodiversity research.
• This is the biggest office complex of the Union Territory.

Key Points:
i.He stated that environmental permits for various tourism projects as a part of the NITI Aayog scheme were issued in 3 islands.
ii.These projects will ensure growth of the UT and create more employment opportunities in the islands.
Events of 4day Visit:
i.He participated in various official events and programmes organised in Suheli, Kadmat and Bangaram islands.
ii.He evaluated major innovative initiatives of the Forest and Environment department.
Releases:
i.He released the “Lakshadweep Forest Code-2020” and “Annual Report-2020” of the Department of Environment & Forest of UT of Lakshadweep Administration, Atal Paryavaran Bhawan, Kavaratti.
ii.He also released the book titled “Fishes and Corals of Lakshadweep with New Records” authored by Dr. Rajkumar Rajan, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Damodhar A.T, IFS and Abdul Raheem, Range Forest Officer(RFO).

GSL is Set to Build Damage Control Simulator for Indian Navy at Port Blair

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) is set to build the Damage Control Simulator(DCS) for the Indian Navy at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
On 20th February 2021, Lt. Gen. Manoj Pande, Commander in Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command laid the foundation stone to build the State-of-the-Art for the Damage Control Training Facility, a simulator to train the naval personnel for managing battle damage on board warships
On 7th August 2020, Indian Navy and GSL formally signed the contract for setting up the simulator. This will be the 7th Simulator built by GSL for the armed forces.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Highlights of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visit to Maldives and Mauritiusi.The Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had a four-day visit to Maldives and Mauritius on February 20-21, 2021 and February 22-23, 2021 respectively.
ii.Notably, both the Maldives and Mauritius are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupy a special place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
iii.India handed over 100,000 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Maldives and also inked 5 pacts for its development.

• The Second Amendatory Dollar Credit Line Agreement
• Geydhoshu Fish processing plant in N. Kendhikulhudhoo
• Cooperation in the Field of Sustainable Urban Development
• Cooperation and Collaboration in Broadcasting
• Letter of Intent (LoI) between the Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation and the Export-Import Bank of India(EXIM Bank).

iv.After the Maldives visit, he visited Mauritius where he inked the India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA).It is a first trade Agreement signed by India with a country in Africa.
v.India offers $100 mn credit line to Mauritius to procure defence assets.
vi.Jai Shankar inaugurates new chancery building of Indian High Commission in Mauritius.
About Mauritius:
Capital– Port Louis
Currency– Mauritian rupee
About Maldives:
Capital– Male
Currency– Maldivian rufiyaa
<<Read Full News>>

BANKING & FINANCE

GoI & AIIB sign agreement for $304mn for Assam Intra-State Transmission System Enhancement Projecti.On February 24, 2021, the Government of India (GoI) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a loan agreement of $304 million (mn) for Assam Intra-State Transmission System Enhancement Project to strengthen the quality, capacity and security of the power supply in Assam along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
ii.The agreement was signed by Baldeo Purushartha, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of GoI and Rajat Misra, Acting Director General, Investment Operations on behalf of the AIIB.
About Assam:
Tiger Reserve– Manas Tiger Reserve, Nameri Tiger Reserve, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve
Ramsar site– Deepor Beel
About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
India, which was among the AIIB’s 57 founding members in 2016. It is also the second-largest shareholder (with 7.62% voting shares) after China (26.06%) and  the largest recipient of AIIB’s funds.
Established in – 2016
Headquarters – Beijing, China
Member Countries– 103
President – Jin Liqun (China)

<<Read Full News>>

Stellapps Signs MoU with IPPB to Digitise Milk Procurement

On February 23, 2021  Stellapps, an IIT(Indian Institute of Technology) Madras incubated dairy-tech startup signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) to digitize the dairy milk procurement value chain and improve  banking facilities at milk collection centres.
ii.Purpose: To expand access to a range of financial services for millions of unbanked and underbanked dairy farmers.
About Stellapps
It is the first of its kind startup in India working towards the digitization of the dairy supply chain.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Ranjith Mukundan
HeadQuarters– Bangalore, Karnataka
About India Post Payments Bank (IPPB):
It was set up under Department of Post, Ministry of Communications with 100% equity owned by Govt of India.
Establishment– 2018
MD & CEO– J Venkatramu
Tagline– Aapka Bank, Aapke Dwaar
Headquarters–  New Delhi, Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS      

Georgian Parliament Confirmed Irakli Garibashvili as Prime Minister of Georgia On 22d February 2021, the Parliament of Georgia confirmed the appointment of Defence Minister Irakli Garibashvili (38 years old) of Georgian Dream party, as the new Prime Minister(PM) of Georgia. He took office immediately after the vote.

• He was appointed as the PM following the resignation of former PM Giorgi Gakharia on 18th February 2021.
• He was elected as the head of the government with 89 votes in favor and 2 against.

Note:
Giorgi Gakharia resigned following the court ruling which ordered the arrest of Nika Melia, the chairman of the United Nations Movement opposition party.
About Irakli Garibashvili:
i.Irakli Garibashvili has been serving as the Defence minister from 2019 to 2021 under the premiership of Giorgi Gakharia.
ii.He served as the Prime Minister of Georgia from 2013 to 2015 prior to which he served as the Internal affairs minister from 2012 to 2013.
Georgian Parliamentary Election (October 2020):
i.The ruling party Georgian Dream won the Georgian parliamentary election held in October 2020 with 48% votes.
ii.The opposition alliance led by the United Nations Movement opposition party came second with 27% votes.
Changes in the Cabinet:
i.Irakli Karseladze was appointed as the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure.
ii.Juansher Burchuladze was appointed as the Minister of Defense replacing Irakli Garibashvili.
About Georgia:
President– Salome Zourabichvili
Capital– Tbilisi
Currency– Georgian lari    

President Ram Nath Kovind accepted the Resignation of Puducherry CM, V NarayanasamyOn 23rd February 2021, the notification of the Union Home ministry stated that President Ram Nath Kovind has accepted the resignation of V Narayanasamy, Chief Minister of Puducherry and his council of Ministers with effect from 22nd February 2021.

• The Congress government led by Narayanaswamy submitted the resignation after losing the floor test held in Puducherry Assembly on 22nd February 2021.
• V Narayanasamy lost the majority in the 33 member house after the resignation of 5 Congress and 1 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) legislators in the past weeks.
• VP Sivakolundhu, speaker of Puducherry Assembly announced that the CM failed to prove the majority and adjourned the house without assigning a day for a further meeting.

President Rule:

On 24th February 2021, Union cabinet approved to impose President Rule in Puducherry after BJP and its allies did not stake a claim to form a Government in Puducherry.

• According to Article 356, President’s Rule can be imposed on any state of India on the grounds of the failure of the constitutional machinery.
• Article 356 of the Constitution of India is based on Section 93 of the Government of India Act, 1935.

Padma Shri Dr A Sakthivel Elected as New President of FIEO; Succeeds Sharad KumarSarafThe Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has unanimously elected Padma Shri Dr A Sakthivel as its president. He is the owner and  Founder of Poppys Group of Companies of Tirupur, Tamil Nadu and is currently the Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council(AEPC). He succeeds Sharad Kumar(S K) Saraf, a Mumbai-based businessman.
About Dr A Sakthivel 
Key Position
i.He was the Founder President of Tirupur Exporters’ Association(TEA)
ii.He has served as President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Coimbatore and was the First Chairman of  Apparel Made-Ups & Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC).
iii.In addition to this he has served as the chairman of India Knit Fair Association (IKFA) and Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), Tamil Nadu among others.
iv.He also served as Director on the Boards of UCO Bank(formerly United Commercial Bank), Industrial Development Bank of India(IDBI)and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC).
Awards
i.He received Padma Shri in 2009 for Trade and Industry
ii.He has been conferred with Degree of Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
iii.He has been a recipient of awards  namely, ‘KnitSarathi’, ‘KonguNattu SathanaiyaalarViruthu’ and ‘KonguMamaniViruthu’.
About  Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO):
It is set by the Ministry of Commerce, Govt of India.
HeadOffice– New Delhi, Delhi

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

NTPC Signs Share Purchase Agreement with GAIL to Buy GAIL’s 25.51% stake in RGPPLi.On February 23, 2021 NTPC Ltd(formerly- National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) signed a share purchase agreement with  GAIL (India) Ltd.
ii.As per the agreement NTPC will buy  GAIL’s 25.51%  in Ratnagiri Gas and Power Pvt Ltd (RGPPL), which is commonly known as Dabhol project.
iii.Apart from this, NTPC will sell its 14.82% stake  in Konkan LNG Ltd (KLL) on a fully diluted basis to GAIL.
iv.After the transaction,  NTPC’s shareholding in RGPPL will stand at 86.49%. In addition to this, NTPC will exit from KLL.
About NTPC Limited:
Headquarters– New Delhi, India
Chairman and Managing Director(CMD)– Gurdeep Singh
About GAIL (India) Ltd:
CMD– Manoj Jain
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian-American scientist Swati Mohan leads NASA’s Mars missionOn February 18, 2021, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Perseverance rover of Mars 2020 mission successfully landed on the surface of Mars.
Notably, its Guidance, Navigation, and Controls Operations (GN&C) were handled by Indian-American Swati Mohan.

• She is responsible for the training of the GN&C team, scheduling the mission control staffing for GN&C, as well as the policies/procedures the GN&C uses in the mission control room

Key Points:
–She completed her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and her M.S. and Ph.D from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Aeronautics/Astronautics.
–During her career with NASA, she has worked on the Cassini mission to Saturn and GRAIL, a pair of formation flown spacecraft to the Moon.
Click Here to Read about Mars 2020 Mission

ENVIRONMENT

Scientists Discovered Cremanthodium indicum, New Alpine Plant Species in Arunachal PradeshA group of scientists from 3 institutes across India discovered a new species of Alpine plant in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The new species of Himalayan Sunflower family has been named “Cremanthodium indicum”.
The discovery of the species was published in ‘Biodiversitas: Journal of Biological Diversity’ an international peer reviewed publication.
Team:

• Dr Lobsang Tashi Thungon, research fellow of North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology(NERIST), Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Dipankar Borah, an associate professor of Botany at Goalpara College, Assam.
• Dr Rajeev Kumar Singh, scientist at the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

About Cremanthodium indicum:
i.Cremanthodium indicum is a perennial herb that bears flowers from July to August.
ii.The plant stands around 16 to 24 cm tall.
ii.It is grows in the boggy soil and it is endemic to the Penga Teng Tso lake in Tawang district.
iii.According to the IUCN guidelines, this species has been assessed as critically endangered.

SPORTS

Sri Lankan Cricketer Upul Tharanga announces retirement from International CricketFormer Sri Lankan Limited Overs Captain (ODIs & T20Is) & Batsman Upul Tharanga announced retirement from International cricket at the age of 36.

• He has represented Sri Lanka in 31 tests, 235 ODIs & 26 T20Is.
• He has scored 1754 runs in Tests, 407 runs in T20Is & 6951 runs in ODIs.
• He has hit 15 Centuries which is the 5th most by a Sri Lankan Batsman & he is the Fastest Sri Lankan to reach 4000 ODI runs.
• Tharanga captained the Sri Lankan Team occasionally during the years 2016-2017 in the Limited Overs format.

Tennis : India’s Ankita Raina claims her Maiden WTA doubles title 

India’s Ankita Raina partnered with Russia’s Kamilla Radhikova to defeat the Russian pair of Anna Blinkova & Anastasia Potapova in the final of Phillip Island Trophy Tennis Tournament at Melbourne, Australia to win her maiden WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) 250 Doubles title.  The win made Ankita India’s First WTA Champion since Sania Mirza. The win will catapult her to a Ranking of 94 from the current 115 in the WTA Doubles chart. She will become the 2nd Indian player to crack the doubles top-100 since Sania Mirza.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Karan Puri Launched his 2nd Book Titled ‘#METOO’Karan Puri launched his second book titled, ‘#METOO’. The book is a collection of 6 short stories. It is published by  Invincible publishers.
Note: Author’s 1st fiction novel is ‘Shit Happens – A desi boy in America’. This book was a best seller and also as mentioned in India Today Top 20 books in 2012.
Essence of the Book:
Central Idea
i.The book highlights the strength of human beings who have lived through the trauma of sexual violence.
ii.It also motivates all the people to become more evolved and compassionate in our intimate connections.
Stories
i.The stories come from contributors from 16 to 72 years old.
ii.Each of the 6 stories are unique, different and are written from a human perspective,
without perceiving women  as more vulnerable, men as more strong and vice versa.
About Karan Puri:
i.Apart from being an Indian author he is a  columnist and influencer.
ii.He is a freelance writer in Lifestyle for various publications,  a mentor in a few start-ups and also runs his own digital marketing consultancy.
iii.He also worked in marketing in leading corporates like Coca-Cola and Ernst & Young among others.

Avinuo Kire Released Her New Book titled “The Last Light of Glory Days: Stories from Nagaland” On 11th February 2021, Dr. Avinuo Kire’s new book titled “The Last Light of Glory Days: Stories from Nagaland” was released by Dr. Ralimongla, the principal of Kohima college in Kohima, Nagaland.
The book was published by Speaking Tiger Books, a Delhi based publishing house.
About the book:
i.The book is a collection of 10 short stories divided into 2 parts,

• The Disturbance
• New Tales from an Old World

ii.‘The Disturbance’ part of the book has 3 interconnected stories which were based on the events of Indo Naga conflict from 1940s to 1990s.
iii.‘New Tales from an Old World’ part of the book contains 7 standalone stories that were based on Naga Folk legends with everyday life.
iv.The author stated that some of the stories featured in the book were inspired by the oral narrators.
About Avinuo Kire:
i.Dr. Avinuo Kire works as an assistant professor (English) at the Kohima college, Kohima, Nagaland.
ii.Her works have featured in magazines like India Today, Caravan and The Hindu.
Books:
i.She has authored numerous books which includes, ‘The Power to Forgive and other stories’, a collection of short stories; Where Wildflowers Grow, a collection of poetry.
ii.She has co-authored a collection of oral narratives “Naga Heritage Centre: People Stories” with Meneno Vamuzo Rhakho.

“Bare Necessities”, a Book on How to Live Sustainable Lifestyle in India ReleasedSahar Mansoor founder and CEO of Bare Necessities, a zero-waste social enterprise and Tim de Ridder, sustainability consultant, have authored a new book titled “Bare Necessities: How to Live a Zero Waste Life”, a one stop guide promoting a sustainable lifestyle in India.
The book was published by Penguin Random House. 
About the book:
i.The book provides the Indian perspective on zero waste living in India.
ii.The book presents a wide range of ideas and opportunities through which a sustainable lifestyle can be pursued in a fun and interactive step by step manner.
iii.The book features activities, insights and topic specific ideas through 9 chapters and around 80 tips and tricks.
iv.It also contains a few recipes and suggestions of resources to reduce waste.
Note:
This is the second book of Tim de Ridder, he has authored his self-published book titled “Tales from the Roadside”, a memoir about his bicycle trip across Europe.

STATE NEWS

Tamil Nadu FM O Panneerselvam presents Interim State Budget for the year 2021-22On February 23, 2021, Tamil Nadu’s Finance Minister O Panneerselvam presented the Interim State Budget for the year 2021-22 at Chennai’s Kalaivanar Arangam. It was Paneerselvam’s 11th Budget presentation.
Financial Points

• Tamil Nadu’s (TN) Debt is set to increase to INR 5.7 Trillion from INR 4.85 Trillion.
• The revenue for the year 2021-22 has been projected at INR 1, 80, 700.62 crore.
• The State’s Fiscal Deficit is expected to be at 4.99%

Growth

• TN is expected to register a positive GSDP(Gross State Domestic Product) growth of 2.02% in 2020-21 compared to 7.7% negative growth project at all-India level.

Key Points

• INR 1, 738.81 Crore was allocated for the revamped Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
• The budget has provided accident-cum-life insurance cover for 55.67 lakh breadwinners (single source of income) from Below the Poverty Line (BPL) families & enhanced medical insurance cover for government employees.
• Tamil Nadu has received INR 1492 crore from the World Bank for financing TN’s housing sector.
• A report is being prepared for Establishing Metro Rail in Coimbatore at a cost of INR 6, 683 crore

Click here to read the full Budget document
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister – Edappadi K Palaniswami
Governor – Banwarilal Purohit
<<Read Full News>>

AP Cabinet approves ‘EBC Nestam’ Welfare Scheme for providing Financial Assistance to WomenOn February 23, 2021, the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy approved a new welfare scheme called ‘Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) Nestam’ for providing Financial Assistance to women belonging to the EBCs.

• An assistance of INR 15, 000 per year will be extended to women in the age group of 45-60 for a period of 3 years.
• The scheme is set to be implemented from November, 2021 and will benefit 6 lakh women.
• The state government has allocated INR 670 crore per annum for the scheme, totalling to INR 2, 010 crores for 3 years.
• The scheme is an addition to a similar scheme called ‘Cheyuta’ being provided by the AP Government for women belonging to the SC, ST, BC, Kapu & Minority communities.

About Andhra Pradesh:
RAMSAR Site – Kolleru Lake
Forts – Kondapalli Forts, Chandragiri Fort & Vizianagaram fort
<<Read Full News>>

Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal Laid Foundation of the 1st Skill University of Eastern India in Darrang district

On February 15, 2021 Assam Chief Minister(CM) Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation of the first skill university of eastern India in Darrang district, Assam. This is the 3rd skill university in India. The university aims to impart training to over 10,000 students in 12 disciplines. It will be built with a cost of Rs 1,000 crore and is expected to be completed by 2026. It will have understanding with countries like Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, Japan and  England.
Note: The 1st skill university of India is Shri Vishwakarma Skill University (SVSU), Gurugram, Haryana

Madhya Pradesh’s Hoshangabad to be renamed as ‘Narmadapuram’

On February 19, 2021, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that the Hoshangabad city in the state will be renamed as ‘Narmadapuram’ as a tribute to River Narmada. The river is one of the major rivers of the states and flows through important cities like Jabalpur, Omkareshwar, Jhabua.  The name change proposal has been sent to the Central Government.

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