Current Affairs February 12 2020

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 12 February 2020, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2020 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

2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2020 held at Bhubaneswar, Odisha; inaugurated by Naveen Patnaik
The “2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2020 (BIMSTEC DMEx-2020)” was held at Bhubaneswar/Puri, Odisha from 11-13 February, 2020 with themes “A cultural heritage site that suffers severe damage in the Earthquake” & “Flooding or Storm”. Organized by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), on behalf of the Government of India, BIMSTEC DMEx-2020 was inaugurated by Chief Minister Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik on Feb 11, 2020. While Minister of State (Home), Nityanand Rai launched field training exercise scheduled on 12th February, 2020 at Ramachandi Beach, District-Puri, Odisha. The first similar kind of exercise took place in 2017.
Participants: It was attended by Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Bhutan and Thailand were not participated in the exercise…..Click here to Read More

20^th ‘Hunar Haat’ 2020 to be held in New Delhi from Feb 13
The 20^th ‘Hunar Haat’, an initiative of the Minority Affairs Ministry, showcases handmade indigenous products of master artisans and craftsmen are made available to the people, will be held from February 13-23, 2020 based on the theme of “Kaushal Ko Kaam” at India Gate Lawns, Rajpath, New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.The Union Minister for Railways, Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and the Union Minister for Urban Development (Independent Charge), Shri Hardeep Singh Puri will inaugurate the festival.
ii.The festival will see the participation of more than 250 master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts.
iii.Still now, “Hunar Haat” have been organized at different places in India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Jaipur, Puducherry and Indore. The next will be held at Ranchi from 29^th February – 8^th March and in Chandigarh from 13th to 22nd March, 2020.
iv.The central  Government has sanctioned 100 “Hunar Hubs” in different parts of the country to train master artisans, craftsmen.
About Ministry of Minority Affairs:
Formed– 29 January 2006
Headquarters– New Delhi
Union Minister– Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Union health ministry notifies medical devices used on humans and animals into the category of “drugs”
On February 11 , 2020, In order to ensure all medical devices is of the same standard & quality, the Union Health Ministry has issued a notification declaring all medical devices used on humans or animals as the category of  “drugs”.
This notification, effective from April 1, 2020, was made in accordance with sub-clause (iv) of clause (b) of section 3 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
i.New rule: So now all imported & indigenously built medical devices sold in India need to ensure clear specific safety and to be verified by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)before they are introduced in the India market. With this, companies making medical devices have to be accountable for the safety and quality of their products.
ii.Equipments: Medical devices include all implantable medical devices, CT (computed tomography) scan, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) equipment, defibrillators, dialysis machine, PET equipment, X-ray machine and bone marrow cell separator & devices used in diagnosis, monitoring or treatment namely Syringes, Catheters, Glucometer, Digital thermometer included in the category….Click here to Read More

NIFM, Faridabad renamed ‘Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management’
On February 11, 2020 The Government of India decided to rename the National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad, Haryana, as “Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM)” .
Key Points:
i.About Arun Jaitley: Late Shri Arun Jaitley, former Union Finance Minister & Padma Vibhushan awardee played a major role during the period of 26th May 2014 to 30th May 2019.
ii.He oversaw the introduction of GST (Goods and Services Tax) which brought the country under one tax regime, merger of railway budget with general budget, introduction of  the Insolvency & Bankruptcy code etc.,
iii.About NIFM: NIFM, Faridabad was set up in 1993 as a registered society under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, which train officers of various finance & accounts service recruited by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) through the civil service examination and also officers of the Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICoAS).
iv.The Union Finance Minister is the President of the NIFM society.
About Haryana:
Capital- Chandigarh.
Chief Minister (CM)- Manohar Lal Khattar.
Governor- Satyadev Narayan Arya.
National Parks (NP)- Sultanpur NP, Kalesar NP.

Kerala to hosts Intl conference on Climate change & Ocean health “CLIMFISHCON-2020”
The “CLIMISHCON” is a Four-day International Conference on changes in Hydrological cycle, Ocean ecosystem, Fisheries and Food security due to Global climate change with the theme ‘Climate Change-Effective Adaptation for a Secure Future’. And the conference is going to be held at the Le Meridian Convention center in Kochi, Kerala from February 11 to February 14, 2020.
Key points:
i.The conference is jointly organized by the Department of Fisheries, Kerala and the CUSAT (Cochin University of Science and Technology) School of Industries Fisheries.
ii.More than 300 delegates from 12 countries including researchers, administrators, scientists, academicians, policymakers, entrepreneurs, fishers, aqua farmers and students are going to participate in the conference and they will discuss about the strategies to deal with changing hydrological cycles and preservation of Ocean and other Aquatic Biodiversity from climate change.
About Kerala:
Capital- Thiruvananthapuram
Chief Minister- Pinarayi Vijayan
Governor- Arif Mohammad Khan
Dams- Banasura Sagar, Kakkayam, Neyyar, Parambikulam, Idukki, Mullaperiyar, Malampuzha.

Mumbai to get India’s largest air quality monitoring network
On february 12, 2020 The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will develop an air quality monitoring network across 90 locations in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It will be the largest network in India.
Key Points:
i.The new project is led by Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Conservation Action Trust (CAT) & partnered by pan-India air pollution research groups Respirer Living Sciences Private Limited (UrbanSciences) and Urban Emissions.
ii.The project will be completed within next 5 years, funded by BMC and private organisations.
iii.BMC is planning to invest Rs.9.5 crores to install 80 real-time air monitoring stations and the new project overtakes Delhi, which has 38 air quality networks at present.
iv.At present, Mumbai has 30 air quality monitoring stations: 15 stations come under Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), 10 under System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) and 5 under BMC.
v.According to the survey from CSE (Center of Science & Environment) Mumbai ranked first among 24 peninsular cities with the dangerous concentration of PM10 (Particulate Matter 10- solid and liquid particles less than 10 microns suspended in air).
vi.The air in Mumbai had PM10 concentrations of 166 µg/m3 (microgrammes per cubic meter), which is highly toxic & up to 3 times the safe standard of 60 µg/m3.
About Maharashtra:
Capital- Mumbai.
Governor- Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
Chief Minister (CM)- Uddhav Bal Thackeray.
Deputy CM- Ajit Anantrao Pawar.

SNA to compile a National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) has collaborated with Zonal Cultural Centers of Culture Ministry to prepare a list of ICH elements for the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The information was provided by the Union Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel.
Key Points:
i.At least 100 elements will be documented by March, 2020 and to document at least 20 new elements in ICH list every year.
ii.Apart from list of ICH,  the establishment of an ‘Indian Institute for Culture’ is at conceptual stage and a mission called National Culture Mapping portal is being conceptualized for aggregating art forms and artists.
About Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA)
It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture is the nodal agency for the Scheme for ‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’.
Establishment– 28 January 1953

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

33^rd edition of  African Union (AU) Summit 2020 held in Addis Ababa, EthiopiaOn February 9, 2020, A 2-day long  33^rd African Union (AU) Heads of State Summit 2020 under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development” was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, is the newly elected Chairperson of the African Union for one year.He replaces Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Key Points:
i.The summit saw the participation of more than 35 heads of state and government, along with officials of regional and international organizations.
ii.It saw the discussion over the issues including progress made in the implementation of the Agenda 2063, a blueprint for prosperous and peaceful Africa by 2063, operationalization of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African candidatures in the international system, the International Criminal Court, and Africa’s digital transformation strategy.
iii.The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.
About Ethiopia:
Capital– Addis Ababa
Currency– Ethiopian birr
Prime minister– Abiy Ahmed

WHO renames deadly coronavirus from China as ‘COVID-19’
On February 11, 2020, UN(United Nations) health agency, the WHO(World Health Organization) has officially renamed Coronavirus as ‘COVID-19’ [“co” stands for “corona”, “vi” for “virus” and “d” for “disease”, while “19” was for the year, as the outbreak was first originated in China’s Wuhan area in December 2019].
i.Earlier the WHO had given temporary name for the virus as”2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease” & China’s National Health Commission named it as”novel coronavirus pneumonia” or NCP.
ii.The new name had been picked to avoid references to a specific geographical location, animal species or group of people and was pronounceable and related to the virus.
Wild mammal pangolin suspected as coronavirus host
According to the researchers at South China Agricultural University, pangolin, an endangered, scaly, ant-eating mammal that is imported in huge numbers to Chinese markets for food and medicine,is believed to be the cause of coronavirus infection in Wuhan,China.
Until now,it was believed that bats and snakes were the cause of coronavirus infection….Click here to Read More

BANKING & FINANCE

Union Ministry of Finance has notified ‘Printing of One Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2020’On February 7, 2020, the Union Ministry of Finance has notified ‘Printing of One Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2020’ which will feature bilingual signature of Shri Atanu Chakraborty, Secretary, Ministry of Finance.
Features of One Rupee Note as per ‘Printing of One Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2020’
i.It shall be rectangular 9.7 x 6.3 cms, with its paper made of 100% (cotton) rag content.
ii.The note will be 110 microns thick, weighing 90 GSM (Grams per Square Meter).
iii.The pink green colour note will have a design of grains, which depicts the “agricultural dominance of the country”.
Obverse side of one rupee note:
i.It will contain the words “भारत सरकार‟ above the words “Government of India”.
ii.It has replica of New Rupee One coin with ‘₹’ symbol of 2020 issued with ‘सत्यमेव जयते‟ and capital Inset letter ‘L’ in numbering panel.
Reverse side of one rupee note:
i.One rupee note contains ‘भारत सरकार’ above the words “Government of India” with the year 2020 on the representation of the One Rupee coin with ‘₹‘ symbol having design of grains depicting the agricultural dominance of the country.
ii.Surrounding design consist of picture of ‘Sagar Samrat’ the oil exploration platform.The rig drilled the first offshore well in 1974 and has been in service with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) since.
Points to be noted:
-Currency notes were introduced in India in 1861, and the one-rupee note was introduced by the British on November 30, 1917. Although printing of the note was discontinued in 1994, it was reintroduced in 2015 after a gap of 22 years.
-A one rupee note of 1985 signed by Finance Secretary S. Venkitaramanan was sold for Rs 2,75,000 at Classical Numismatics Gallery on January 21, 2017. Another one, of 1944, issued by British India, signed C.E. Jones, was sold for Rs 130,000 for a pack of 100 at Todywalla Auctions in October 2009.

RBI publishes draft framework for New Umbrella Entity (NUE) for retail payment systems
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published draft framework to set up new pan-India New Umbrella Entity (NUE) for retail payment systems. It will be incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 and will be given authorization by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under Section 4 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act). RBI has invited comments on the draft framework from all stakeholders.
Key Points:
i.Responsibility of NUE: The newly set up entity will manage and operate new payment system in the retail space comprising of but not limited to ATMs, White Label PoS; Aadhaar based payments and remittance services; develop new payment methods, standards and technologies; monitor related issues in the country and internationally; take care of developmental objectives….Click here to Read More

PSBs recover record ₹2.03 lakh crore bad loans in last one-and-half years: FM
The public sector banks’ (PSBs) bad loans trimmed to ₹7.27 lakh crore at the end of September 2019 in comparison to ₹8.96 lakh crore at the end of March 2018. The information was provided by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 10, 2020.
Key Points:
It is a result of measures taken by the government to improve financial health of the banks in the country through governance, underwriting, monitoring and recovery, and has leveraged technology in all aspects of banking, resulting in reduction in their Non-performing asset (NPA).

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS      

South Indian Bank bags 6 Awards at IBA Banking Technology Awards
On February 10, 2020, Indian Bank Association’s 15^th Annual Banking Technology Conference, Expo and Awards 2020 held in Mumbai, Maharashtra in that South Indian Bank Has Bagged Two Awards at the Banking Technology category.
Key points:
i.South Indian Bank emerged winner in the ‘Most Customer Centric Bank Using Technology’ category and runner up in the ‘Best Payments Initiative’ category for Small Banks.
ii.The awards were received by Mr. Raphael T J Chief General Manager (CGM) and Chief Information Officer (CIO) in south Indian bank and Mr. Sony A Joint General Manager (JGM) in south Indian bank on behalf of south Indian bank and the awards presented by Rajesh Gopinath, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tata Consultancy Services and Rajnish Kumar, Chairman of State Bank of India.
iii.Mr. V. G. Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), Prof. N. Balakrishnan, Director, Super Computer Education & Research Centre in Indian Institute of Science, Mr. Sunil Mehta, Chairman, Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), Mr. R. Sridharan, MD, CCIL-Clearing Corporation of India were also presented in the Award Ceremony.
Other awards that bank won are,
Best Technology Bank of the Year, Best use of data and analytics for business, Best IT risk management and cyber security initiatives, Best CIO were the awards bagged by the South Indian Bank at the event.
About South Indian Bank:
Headquarters- Thrissur, Kerala
Founded- 1929
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- V.G. Mathew
Tagline- Experience Next Generation Banking.
About Indian Banks’ Association (IBA):
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded- 1946

   ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

CCI approved joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor
On February 11, 2020 The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the Joint Venture (JV) between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor and transfer of automotive business  of Ford India to JV.
Key Points:
i.The proposed combination envisages the formation of joint venture, called Ardour Automotive Private Limited, between Mahindra & Mahindra (51%) (M&M) & Ford Motor (49%).
ii.In October 2019, Mahindra & Mahindra and the US-based Ford Motor Company had signed an agreement to create a JV in India valued at $275 million (Rs 1,925 crore).
iii.Ford Motor Company (FMC) is an American automobile company. FIPL (Ford India Private Limited) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of FMC.
About Mahindra & Mahindra:
Founded- 2 October 1945.
Founders- Jagdish Chandra Mahindra, Kailash Chandra Mahindra, Malik Ghulam Muhammad.
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
About Ford:
Founded- 16 June 1903.
Founder- Henry Ford.
Headquarters- United States (US).

Adani Transmission sold 25.1% stake in arm AEML to QIA for Rs 3,220 crore
On February 11, 2020 Adani Transmission has sold 25.1% stake in its arm Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML) to Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) for approximately Rs. 3220 crore.
Key Points:
i.The agreements of the transactions were signed on December 11, 2019.
ii.AEML has recently completed an investment grade, USD (United States Dollar) 1 billion bond insurance.
About Adani Transmission:
Founded- 2013.
Headquarters- Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Anil Kumar Sardana.
About Qatar Investment Authority:
Founded- 2005.
Headquarters- Doha, Qatar.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Mansoor Bin Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

U.S. approves sale of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System to India
On February 11, 2020, The United States of America, President Donald Trump’s Administration has approved the sale of an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) to India for an Estimated cost of USD 1.867 billion announced by the Defence Security Co-operation Agency(DSCA) part of United States Department of Defence.
Key points:
i.India has requested to DSCA to buy IADWS comprised of 5 AN/MPQ-64FI Sentinel radar system, 118 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) AIM-120C-7/C-8 Missiles, 3 AMRAAM Guidance Sections, 4 AMRAAM Guidance Sections, 134 Stinger FIM-92L missiles, 32 M4A1 Rifles, 4320 M855 5.56mm cartridges, Fire Distribution center(FDC), Handheld Remote Terminals, Electrical Optical/Infrared sensor systems (EO/IR), AMRAAM Non-Developmental Item- Airborne Instrumentation Units (NDIAIU), Multi-spectral Targeting System-Model A (MTS-A), Canister Launcher (CN), High Mobility Launchers (HML), Dual Mount Stinger (DMS) Air Defence System and Vehicle Mounted Stinger Rapid Ranger Air Defence System.
ii.This proposed sale will upgrade India’s Air Defence Technology and also to Strengthen the US-India Strategic relationship and India also purchased 13 MK45 Naval guns and related Equipment at a cost of USD 1.0210 billion.
About United States of America (U.S.A)
Capital- Washington, D.C
Currency- United States Dollar
Number of States- 50

Ananth Technologies first Indian private firm to build foreign-owned satellites
On February 11, 2020 Aerospace firm Anand technologies (ATL), Hyderabad, has signed a deal to build 6 foreign-owned satellites in India. This is the 1st time a private firm is making satellites for global customers. The firm will soon open a satellite making facility in Bengaluru.
Key Points:
i.Ananth Technologies will build a foreign-owned satellite weighing between 50 kg and 250 kg for customers in Sweden and France & integrate satellites around 30% lower costs.
ii.The company is a supplier of systems to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
iii.India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has emerged to launch small & medium satellites into space. ISRO earned Rs 1259.14 crore for launching satellites for global customers from the US (United States), UK (United Kingdom), Japan, Germany etc.,
iv.PSLV has carried about 319 foreign satellites to space.
About Ananth Technologies:
Founded- 1992.
Chairman & Managing Director (MD)- Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri.

SPORTS

Premier Badminton League 2020 in Hyderabad,Telangana: Bengaluru Raptors become champions for 2^nd  time in a rowOn February 9, 2020, Bengaluru Raptors, led by World Championships bronze medallist B. Sai Praneeth and World No. 2 Tai Tzu Ying has defeated the mixed doubles pair -Chan Peng Soon and Eom Hye Won of North Eastern Warriors to clinch the Premier Badminton League (PBL) title 2020 for the 2^nd time in a row by 4–2 scores, performing best in the final of the league’s fifth season.
The tournament was held at the GMC Balayogi SATS Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad,Telangana January 20, 2020 – February 9, 2020.
Key Points:
i.Player of the Tournament was won by Taiwanese badminton player,Tai Tzu Ying Emerging Player of the League was Priyanshu Rajawat & Indian Player of the League was bagged by Sikki Reddy.
About Premier Badminton League 2020:
It is also known as Star Sports PBL for sponsorship reasons & was the 5^th edition of Premier Badminton League.
The total prize money of the League was Rs 6 crore, where winners can get prize money of Rs 3 crore & Runner can get Rs 1.5 crore.

New Zealand beats India to win the ODI 2020 series held in New Zealand from Feb 5 – 11
Indian men’s cricket team played ODIs (One Day Internationals) against New Zealand from February 5 – 11, 2020. New Zealand defeated India in the 3 match ODI series in 3-0. The ODI was part of the India tour of New Zealand, which were held at Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand (1^st ODI), Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand (2^nd  ODI), Bay Oval, Tauranga, New Zealand  (3^rd ODI).Ross Taylor of New Zealand won the Player of the series.
i.Indian cricketer, Shreyas Santosh Iyer has surpassed former Australia cricketer Ian Chappell with a half-century and took a special world record.
ICC men’s ODI rankings 2020: Jasprit bumrah loses No.1 spot, Jadeja jumps to 7^th

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OBITUARY

Famous journalist Nandu R Kulkarni passed away at 70
On February 11, 2020 Famous journalist Nandu R Kulkarani, 70 years old, passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was the bureau chief of the Kolkata- based newspaper “The Statesman” in 1992 & also reported on a wide range of subjects including politics & business.
Key Points:
i.Nandu Kulkarni started his career with “The Indian Express” in 1976 & reported on economic offenses.
ii.He worked in Indian Express for 16 years.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Dharmendra Rai, Mind Map & Brain Literacy trainer launched his book “The Thin Mind Map”On February 10, 2020 Dharmendra Rai, Mind Map & Brain Literacy trainer launched his book “The Thin Mind Map”. The book is designed to be an expert in mind mapping. Dharmendra Rai was the first person in the world to talk on TEDx on creativity & mind mapping. He has conducted 380 plus mind map seminars less than 10 years which is a world record.
Key Points:
i.About Dharmendra Rai: He had trained over 1,900 startups in mind mapping & has over 25 years of work experience in training, sales and marketing with companies like Xerox, Alliance capital etc., His last position was National Sales Head in Benchmark Mutual Fund.
ii.Dharmendra Rai conducted seminars for giant companies like Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, Adobe, Unilever, Nestle, IBM, HP, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Oxford, Tata communications, Airtel etc.,
iii.Awards: Rai received UN (United Nations) award for Mind mapping and Brain Literacy. He also recently nominated for an award by Forbes (american business magazine) and by the Great Manager Institute.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Productivity Day 2020 was observed on February 12, 2020National Productivity day was observed on february 12 annually to increase the productivity culture in India. The day commemorates the foundation of the National Productivity Council (NPC) and Productivity week will be celebrated from (Feb 12 to Feb 18, 2020).
Key Points:
i.National Productivity Council (NPC) comes under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
ii.NPC increases productivity, competitiveness, profits, augments safety and ensures better quality.
iii.Objective: The objective of the celebration is to encourage stakeholders in implementing productivity tools & techniques.
iv.About RD-Kanpur: Regional Directorate (RD)-Kanpur was one of the oldest offices of NPC & was established in the year 1958 & provides productivity services in the states of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Uttarakhand.
v.RD- kanpur organizes special talks, discussions, meetings, workshops, essay/ painting/ slogan competitions, special training programs relevant to productivity & special drive, campaign on the Productivity concept.

International Darwin Day celebrated on February 12, 2020On February 12, 2020,Darwin Day was celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of the father of evolutionary biology, Charles Darwin.
He was born 12 February, 1809 at Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England.
i.This year on 12^th February has marked the 211^th birth anniversary of the Charles Darwin.
ii.This day highlights Darwin’s contribution to evolutionary and plant science. In 2015, Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’ was voted the most influential academic book in history. It was published in 1859 by British publisher, John Murray.
iii.Several events are conducted around theglobe. Also, the birthplace of Darwin i.e. Shrewsbury began ‘Darwin Festival’ in 2003 which now lasts the full month of February.

STATE NEWS

Ground water act 2020 approved by Uttar Pradesh cabinet
On February 11, 2020, The Uttar Pradesh (UP) state Cabinet, chaired by its Chief Minister(CM) Yogi Adityanath has approved the Ground Water Act-2020 with the aim to improve the falling level of ground water.
i.The cabinet has also approved the provisions of penalty and punishment against the person who contaminate the ground water level.
ii.Ground Water Act 2020 :
Under this new act, online registration will be mandatory to install submersible pumps. Domestic consumers and farmers will not have to pay any fee for this registration.
The cabinet has made it mandatory to install rainwater harvesting system in the buildings of all private and government schools and colleges through this act.
If a landlord applies submersible pumps to build a house larger than 300 sqm in the urban area, then it will be necessary to install a rainwater harvesting system….Click here to Read More

AP govt inks MoU with 11 agri institutions to help farmers
On February 10, 2020 Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government (govt.) signed MoU (Memorandum of Understandings) with 11 agricultural institutions in the country to establish revolutionary changes in the agriculture sector through technology & sustainable increase in farmers’ income using organic and natural farming processes.
Key Points:
i.MoU: Chief Minister (CM) Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy supervised the exchange of MoUs in Amaravati, AP, between the state Agriculture Department and institutions, the Indian Council Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Institute of Plant Health Management, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Central Fertiliser Quality & Training Institute, National Seed Research & Training Institute.
ii.CM also announced 11,158 Rythu Bharosa Kendras will be set up across the state by June 2020,  which will be administered by agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and aquaculture assistants to guide farmers in best practices.
iii.Quality seed, fertiliser and pesticides guaranteed by state government will be made available at these centers.
iv.Agriculture Minister K Kanna Babu, Animal Husbandry Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, Civil Supplies Minister K S V Rao, Agriculture Special Chief Secretary Poonam Malakondaiah were present on the occasion.
About Andhra Pradesh (AP):
Capital- Amaravati.
Chief Minister (CM)- Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy.
Governor- Biswabhusan Harichandan.

Tamil Nadu CM Inaugurates SCF cricket ground in Salem
On February 10, 2020, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniwami along with National Cricket Academy Head and Former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid inaugurated the Salem Cricket Foundation (SCF) ground at Valapadi, Salem in Tamil Nadu.
Former BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) president N. Srinivasan and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) president Rupa Gurunath were also presented in the inauguration ceremony.
About BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India):
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded- 1928
President- Sourav Ganguly
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)- Rahul Johri
About Tamil Nadu:
Capital- Chennai
Governor- Banwarilal Purohit
National Parks(NP)- Gulf of Mannar Marine NP, Guindy NP, Mudumalai NP, Mukurthi NP.

 AC GAZE

India’s foreign investment jumps 40% to USD 2.10 bn in January 2020
According to Reserve Bank of India(RBI) on RBI data on ‘Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI), India ‘s Foreign investment irose by nearly 40 per cent to USD 2.10 billion on a yearly basis in January 2020. In Previous year 2019, Indian companies had invested USD 1.47 billion in their overseas ventures.

Current Affairs Headlines: 12 February 2020

1. 2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise-2020 held at Bhubaneswar, Odisha; inaugurated by Naveen Patnaik
2. 20^th ‘Hunar Haat’ 2020 to be held in New Delhi from Feb 13
3. Union health ministry notifies medical devices used on humans and animals into the category of “drugs”
4. NIFM, Faridabad renamed ‘Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management’
5. Kerala to hosts Intl conference on Climate change & Ocean health “CLIMFISHCON-2020”
6. Mumbai to get India’s largest air quality monitoring network
7. SNA to compile a National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
8. 33^rd edition of  African Union (AU) Summit 2020 held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
9. WHO renames deadly coronavirus from China as ‘COVID-19’
10. Union Ministry of Finance has notified ‘Printing of One Rupee Currency Notes Rules, 2020’
11. RBI publishes draft framework for New Umbrella Entity (NUE) for retail payment systems
12. PSBs recover record ₹2.03 lakh crore bad loans in last one-and-half years: FM
13. South Indian Bank bags 2 Awards at IBA Banking Technology Awards
14. CCI approved joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor
15. Adani Transmission sold 25.1% stake in arm AEML to QIA for Rs 3,220 crore
16. S. approves sale of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System to India
17. Ananth Technologies first Indian private firm to build foreign-owned satellites
18. Premier Badminton League 2020 in Hyderabad,Telangana: Bengaluru Raptors become champions for 2^nd time in a row
19. New Zealand beats India to win the 3^rd ODI 2020 series held in New Zealand from Feb 5 – 11
20. Famous journalist Nandu R Kulkarni passed away at 70
21. Dharmendra Rai, Mind Map & Brain Literacy trainer launched his book “The Thin Mind Map”
22. National Productivity Day 2020 was observed on February 12, 2020
23. International Darwin Day celebrated on February 12, 2020
24. Ground water act 2020 approved by Uttar Pradesh cabinet
25. AP govt inks MoU with 11 agri institutions to help farmers
26. Tamil Nadu CM Inaugurates SCF cricket ground in Salem
27. India’s foreign investment jumps 40% to USD 2.10 bn in January 2020

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