Current Affairs 26 February 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 26 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

Cabinet approvals on Feb 24, 2021On February 24, 2021, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the following proposals:

• The Union Cabinet approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme with an outlay of Rs 15,000 crore for the pharmaceuticals and with Rs 7,350 crore for IT (Information Technology) hardware.
• The Union Cabinet also approved the proposal of the Home Ministry to dissolve the Puducherry Assembly and impose President’s rule in the Union Territory. This decision has been taken as no party claimed to form a government following the resignation of the Chief Minister, Velu Narayanasamy.

About Puducherry:
Capital– Puducherry
Governor– Telangana Governor Tamilsai Soundararajan has been given additional charge after Kiran Bedi removed as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry
<<Read Full News>>

India hosts First Meeting of BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies under its 2021 Chairshipi.On February 24, 2021, India hosted the meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) finance and central bank deputies. Notably it was the first meeting on the BRICS Financial Cooperation under India Chairship in 2021.
ii.It was co-chaired by Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj and RBI Deputy Governor Michael Patra along with the participation of BRICS countries’ finance and central bank deputies.
iii.Notably, India assumed the chairship in the year of 15th anniversary of BRICS i.e. 2021.
About BRICS:
Establishment– 2009
Theme for India’s Chairship: BRICS @ 15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus
The 13th BRICS Summit is going to be held under India’s Chairship in 2021. It will be the third time that India will be hosting the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016.
<<Read Full News>>

MCA & CBIC Signed MoU for Exchange of Data to Enhance Ease of Doing Business in Indiai.On 25th February 2021, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs(MCA) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) for data exchange between the two organisations.
ii.The MoU was signed by Manoj Pandey, Joint Secretary, MCA, and B. B. Gupta, ADG, CBIC.
iii.The MoU will ease the sharing of data and information between MCA and CBIC on an automatic and regular basis for enhancing the ease of doing business in India.
iv.This will also enable the sharing of specific information like details of Bill of Entry (Imports), Shipping Bill (Exports) Summary from CBIC and financial statements filed with the Registrar by corporates, returns of allotment of shares.
About Ministry of Corporate Affairs:
Union Minister– Nirmala Sitharaman
Minister of State– Anurag Singh Thakur
About Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC):
Chairman- M. Ajit Kumar
Headquarters– New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Erroneous Information on Indian Navy’s Participation in ‘Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021’

Officials from Indian Navy have said that the information regarding the participation of Indian Navy alongside Russian & Iranian Navy is unreal. This misinformation came as a result of Iran’s Navy Chief Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi statement regarding the participation of Indian Navy in the “Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021” in February 2021.This is the 2nd joint Russian-Iranian naval exercise since December 2019, where Chinese Navy co-participated.

We AffairsCloud apologize for the misinformation given through our website on 18th February 2021.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

US officially rejoined Paris Climate Agreement

On 19th February 2021, the United States of America(USA) formally rejoined the Paris Climate agreement which was adopted by 196 countries in 2015. The new government of America under Joe Biden aims to strengthen the US’s 2030 emission reduction pledge under the pact by 22nd April 2021, Earth day.
Gina McCarthy has been named as the head of a new National Climate Task Force
The US is the biggest historical polluter and 2nd biggest current emitter after China.
European Union nations and India are in 3rd and 4th position.

BANKING & FINANCE

SEBI to introduce Pre-Expiry Margins to Curb Negative Price Scenariosi.In order to strengthen the risk management framework, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will introduce pre-expiry margins on cash settled contracts with effect from April 1, 2021.  Under this underlying commodities are deemed to be susceptible to possible near zero or negative prices.
ii.These margins will be levied during the last five trading days prior to expiry date, wherein they will increase by 5% every day.
iii.These will be applicable on certain commodities under the Alternate Risk Management Framework (ARMF).
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
Establishment– 1992
Chairman– Ajay Tyagi
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
<<Read Full News>>

ICICI Bank in Partnership with GCC and CSCL Launched ‘Namma Chennai Smart Card’i.On February 23, 2021 ICICI Bank in partnership with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Chennai Smart City Limited (CSCL) launched  ‘Namma Chennai Smart Card’, a Common Payment Card System (CPCS).
ii.The Rupay powered co-branded, contactless prepaid card was unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister(CM) Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
iii.Aim: To enable residents of Chennai, Tamil Nadu to make seamless payments for various services within the city
About Chennai Smart City Limited (CSCL):
Chairman and Director– G.Prakash, I.A.S.
CEO–  Raj Cherubal
Headquarters– Chennai, TamilNadu
About ICICI Bank:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Sandeep Bakhshi
Tagline– Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka
Incorporated-1994
<<Read Full News>>

Social Alpha and SIDBI Partnered to Set up 1st of its Kind Swavalamban Divyangjan ATMA Fund 
i.Social Alpha, a multistage innovation curation and venture development platform has partnered with Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to set up the  Swavalamban Divyangjan Assistive Tech Market Access (ATMA) fund,  a Social Impact fund.
ii.It is a first of its kind inclusion fund that offers financial grants to  Social Alpha-incubated startups that work in the Assistive Technology(AT) sector.
iii.Purpose: To promote innovation and reduce the expenses for persons with disabilities to procure new technologies
About Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI):
HeadOffice– Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Deputy Managing Director–  V Satya Venkata Rao
Set up– 2nd April 1990 under an Act of Indian Parliament
About Social Alpha:
Co-Founder, CEO– Manoj Kumar
Headquarters– Bangalore, Karnataka
<<Read Full News>>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

DV Sadananda Gowda presents 10th National Awards for Technology Innovation in Petrochemicals & Downstream Plastics Processing Industry for FY19-20i.On February 23, 2021, Union Minister Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers presented the 10^th National Awards for Technology Innovation in Petrochemicals and Downstream Plastics Processing Industry for Fy 2019-20 at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
ii.Out of 273 nominations 4 nominations have been selected as Winners and 09 nominations as Runners-up.
iii.The award is aimed at felicitating and recognizing the innovative efforts of renowned scientists, researchers and industrialists in the broad areas of Polymer Science and Technologies.
About Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers (MoC&F):
DV Sadananda Gowda Constituency– Bangalore North, Karnataka
Minister of State (I/C)– Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya
<<Read Full News>>

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

Mohamed Bazoum Won the Presidential Run-off of NigerOn 23rd February 2021, Mohamed Bazoum, 61 years old, of Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (Parti Nigérien pour la Démocratie et le SocialismeTarayya, PNDS Tarayya), the ruling party of Niger was declared as the winner of the parliamentary run off held on 21st February 2021.
He won the election with 55.75% of the vote cast against the former President Mahamane Ousmane who secured 44.25%.

• He is set to succeed the outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou who is voluntarily stepping down after two 5 year terms.
• This marks Niger’s first handover of power between two elected leaders since its independence from France in 1960.

Note:
Mahamane Ousmane was the first democratically elected president of Niger in 1993 and after 3 years he was overthrown in a coup.
Presidential Election of Niger:
i.The first round of the election was held on 27th December 2020 in which Mohamed Bazoum got around 39% of the vote and Mahamane Ousmane finished 2nd with around 17% votes.
ii.The second round of the election was conducted on 21st February 2021.
About Mohamed Bazoum:
i.Mohamed Bazoum has been serving as the president of PNDS-Tarayya since 2011.
ii.He has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996 and 2011 to 2015.
iii.He has also served as the Minister of State at the Presidency from 2015 to 2016.
iv.He was the minister of State for the Interior since 2016.
About Niger:
Capital– Niamey
Currency– West African CFA franc
Niger ranks last among the 189 countries in the 2020 Human Development Index of United Nations Development Programme.

Former Union Minister Vijay Sampla Assumed Charge as Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castesi.On February 24, 2021 Former Union Minister Vijay Sampla assumed charge as chairman of 6th National Commission for Scheduled Castes(NCSC) in New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.Prior to him, Prof.(Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria was the chairman of NCSC, whose term ended in May 2020.
About National Commission for Scheduled Castes(NCSC):
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

Russian Supermodel Natalia Vodianova Becomes New Goodwill Ambassador of UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA), the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, has appointed Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova as its new Goodwill Ambassador to tackle stigma and advance women’s health
Role 
She will empower women and girls by promoting sexual and rights of them and tackling the stigma and taboos that surround their bodies and health, including menstruation that lead to  discrimination and exclusion.
Note:
She has teamed up with UNFPA over the past 3 years to launch a  series of “Let’s Talk” events worldwide. This series have mobilised policy makers, civil society and the private sector to address shame, exclusion and discrimination, faced regularly by millions of women and girls.
About Natalia Vodianova:
i.In addition to being a supermodel, she is a  philanthropist, and impact investor
ii.She is nicknamed Supernova.
iii.In 2004, she founded the Naked Heart Foundation, a philanthropic organization to help children with special needs and their families
iv.She launched “Elbi”, a digital platform to enable people to make micro-donations.
v.She is also a member of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors.
Awards & Honours
i.She was given Harper’s Bazaar as Inspiration of the Year in  2010.
ii.She made into the Forbes top models list in 2012
iii.Mattel created the first Russian Barbie under her name in 2016.
iv.In 2014 Glamour recognized her as Woman of the Year and awarded her its The Voice for Children award
About  United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA)
Executive Director– Dr. Natalia Kanem
Headquarters– New York, United States (US)

Levi’s® Announced Actress Deepika Padukone as its Global Brand AmbassadorOn 24th February 2021, Levi’s, a premium American denim brand announced Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone as its Global Brand Ambassador. This strategic partnership highlights the increasing focus of Levis on women’s category.

• Deepika became the first female celebrity to endorse the brand in India.
• As a part of this partnership, Deepika Padukone will work on the new campaign of levis which is focused on a new range of fashion fits from Levis.

Objective:
To attract a new generations of women consumers with a relevant fashion-forward offering in line with identity of the Brand – quality and comfort.

IRDAI Forms 14 Member Committee Headed by Janakiram to Review its Information & Cyber Security Guidelinesi.The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has formed a 14 member committee to review its information and cyber security guidelines.
ii.The committee is  headed by Prof Janakiram, chairman of Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT).
iii.A R Nithiyanantham, CGM-IT, IRDAI will be a member convenor of the working group.
About Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI):
Chairman – Subhash Chandra(C.) Khuntia
Headquarters – Hyderabad, Telangana
<<Read Full News>>

Dushyant Chautala, Deputy CM of Haryana Re-elected as President of TTFIOn 24th February 2021, Dushyant Chautala, the Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, was re-elected as the President of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). He was unanimously elected during the 84th Annual meeting of TTFI at Panchkula, Haryana.

• He will hold the post for a period of 4 years. 
• He is the youngest president of any National sports federations in India.
• He would venture to provide opportunities to the youngsters to represent India and their respective states in international and national events.

Other Appointments:
i.Arun Kumar Banerjee of Uttar Pradesh has been elected as the Secretary General of TTFI and Gurpreet Sing has been elected as the Treasurer.
ii.Dhanraj Choudhary has been named as the Chief Executive officer(CEO) and V K Bawa has been named the Chief Financial officer(CFO). 
iii.Sanjay Singh from Bihar and Rajeev P. Bodas from Maharashtra has been named as the Senior Vice President.
iv.Chiranjib Choudhury (Meghalaya), Manjinder Singh Sirsa (Delhi), Rabindra Kumar Parida (Odisha), Vero Nunes (Goa), Sharad Shukla (Chhattisgarh), V. Bhaskar Ram (Andhra), P. Prakash Raju (Telangana) and Om Soni (Madhya Pradesh) were chosen as the Vice Presidents.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

IRDAI Gives Nod to Acquisition of upto 12% Stake in Max Life Insurance by Axis Entitiesi.The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has given its formal approval to acquisition of up to 12% stake in Max Life Insurance company  ltd by Axis entities(Axis Bank ltd and its subsidiaries, Axis Capital Ltd and Axis Securities Ltd ).
ii.Under the proposed transaction, Axis entities can acquire up to 19% stake in Max Life.
iii.In January 2021 CCI gave approval to this deal.
About Max Life Insurance Company Ltd:
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)– Prashant Tripathy
About Axis Bank Ltd:
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD and CEO–  Amitabh Chaudhry
Tagline– Badhti Ka naam Zindagi
Founded– 1993
<<Read Full News>>

ENVIRONMENT

India’s 1st fossil of a Dickinsonia Discovered in ‘Auditorium Cave’ at Bhimbetka, MP: GSI

Two experts from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) found three fossils of a  Dickinsonia, the Earth’s ‘oldest animal’, dating back 570 million years in the roof of Auditorium Cave at Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, Madhya Pradesh. It is India’s 1st fossil of Dickinsonia. The cave  is a UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site for Paleolithic and Mesolithic cave art.
i.The discovery was published in Gondwana Research titled,  ‘Dickinsonia Discovered in India and Late Ediacaran Biogeography’.
ii.The five authors of the article are Gregory J. Retallack, Neffra A. Matthews, Sharad Master, Ranjit G. Khangar and Merajuddin Khan.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Snigdha Poonam Authors a New Book Titled ‘India: A Scamster Born Every Minute’Snigdha Poonam authors a new book titled  ‘India: A Scamster Born Every Minute’.
Penguin Random House India acquired the book from the leading international literary agency, The Wylie Agency. It will be released under Penguin’s Viking imprint in 2022.
Essence of the Book:
i.The book provides insight about the subculture of scams, cons and frauds in India.
ii.It proposes to navigate the sociocultural landscape of India and maps the evolution of corruption in India.
About Snigdha Poonam:
i.In addition to being an author, she is a journalist.
ii.Her debut book ‘Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing the World released in 2018 won the 2018 ‘Crossword Book Award’ for non-fiction.
iii.This book was also published by Penguin.

Madhavi S Mahadevan’s New Book Titled ‘Bride of the Forest: The Untold Story of Yayati’s Daughter’Madhavi S Mahadevan has authored her latest and 2nd Novel titled ‘Bride of the Forest: The Untold Story of Yayati’s Daughter’, a story about the sacrifice and nobility of Drishadvati, a little known character from mythology.
The book is published by Speaking Tiger Publishing Private Limited.
About the Book:
i.The book features the stories of the little known women in the epis who suffered various systemic atrocities of that period.
ii.The book is about a girl, Drishadvati, whose fertility was bartered in exchange for rare horses.
iii.The book also features various characters like Garuda, the divine bird who flies Lord Vishnu, kings of Ayodhya, Pratisthan and Kashi, Queen Devayani, and her duplicitous maid.
iv.The book also features the rivalries between the devas and asuras which led to the man’s desire towards immortality which transmuted as the desire of sons which is the origin of commercial surrogacy.
Other books of Madhavi Mahadevan:
i.Madhavi Mahadevan has authored 2 collections of short stories, Paltan Tales and Doppelganger.
ii.She has also authored an e-novella, Swansong.
iii.Her debut novel was the Kaunteyas, Mahabharata from the perspective of Kunti, the mother of Pandavas.

IMPORTANT DAYS

10th World Pangolin Day – 20th February 2021World Pangolin Day is annually observed across the globe on the 3rd Saturday of February to raise awareness about the Pangolins, a unique mammal and the difficulties they face.
20th February 2021 marks the 10th edition of the World Pangolin Day.
The first World Pangolin day was observed in February 2012.
Pangolins:
i.Pangolins are known as scaly anteaters, which are covered in hard, pate-like scales.
This nocturnal mammal is insectivorous, which feeds on ants and termites.
ii.Around 8 species of pangolins are majorly found in Asia and Africa.
Asia:

• Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)
• Phillipine Pangolin (Manis culionensis)
• Sunda Pangolin(Manis javanica)
• Chinese Pangolin(Manis pentadactyla)

Africa:

• White Bellied Tree Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis)
• Giant Ground Pangolin(Smutsia gigantea)
• Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii)
• Black Bellied Tree Pangolin(Phataginus tetradactyla)

Threats to Pangolins:
i.Pangolins are the most trafficked and poached mammal in the world.
ii.The Pangolins are mainly poached for the meat which is a delicacy in China and VietNam and their scales which are widely used in the chinese traditional medicine.
Efforts to protect Pangolins:
i.All the 8 species of pangolins are protected under the national and international laws.
ii.Pangolins on the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN Red List:

• Chinese, Sunda and Philippine pangolins are listed as Critically Endangered
• Indian, White Bellied and Giant pangolins are listed as Endangered.
• Black Bellied and Ground Pangolin are listed as Vulnerable.

STATE NEWS

Tarkishore Prasad presented Bihar Govt Rs 2,18,302.70cr budget for FY22i.On February 22, 2021, the Deputy Chief Minister (CM) of Bihar Tarkishore Prasad, who holds the finance portfolio, presented his maiden Rs 2,18,302.70 crore revenue-surplus state budget of Bihar for FY22, which is Rs 6,541.21 crore more than the FY21 estimates of Rs 2,11,761.49 crore.
ii.The state’s fiscal deficit in the budget has been estimated at Rs 22,510.78 crore  which is 2.97% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), estimated at Rs 7,57,026 crore. The budget proposed to keep the fiscal deficit target within the 3% limit.
iii.Notably, no new taxes are imposed and it is proposed to develop infrastructure and social sectors, and entrepreneurship.
iv.Bihar has consistently claimed to be a revenue-surplus state since 2004-05.
About Bihar:
Chief Minister– Nitish Kumar
Capital– Patna
Governor– Phagu Chauhan
<<Read Full News>>

Government of Assam Appointed World Championship Sprinter Hima Das as DSP

The Government of Assam has appointed World Champion sprinter Hima Das, nicknamed ‘Dhing Express’ as the Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) in Assam. The decision of the appointment was taken during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on 10th February 2021.

• Hima Das was the first ever Indian athlete to win a gold medal in any form of global track event at the International Association of Athletics Federations(IAAF) World U20 Championships.
• The Assam Cabinet has also decided to amend the integrated sports policy of Assam by appointing sports persons as Class I and Class II officers in various departments of the state like Police, Excise and Transport.
• The medal winners in the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games will be appointed as Class- I officers.

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