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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Atal Innovation Mission partnered with Nasscom to launch AI-based module in 5000 ATLs
Niti (National Institution for Transforming India)) Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has collaborated with Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) to launch the artificial intelligence (AI) based module including AI kits across 5000 Atal Tinkering Labs for the beneficial of 2.5 million students in the country from February 27, 2020 so that students can get for better knowledge of AI. Additionally, an AI Step-up Module is under development that is to be launched as next step.
- This curriculum will make available technologies to school students from one of the top partner companies including Adobe, SAP Labs, Microsoft, Wipro and Nasscom among others….Click here to Read More
International Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha Systems of Medicine (ICoSDiTAUS-2020) held in New Delhi
The two day International Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha Systems of Medicine-ICoSDiTAUS-2020 was held in New Delhi on February 25-26, 2020.This is the biggest ever international conference on standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies of Traditional Medicine.It was organized by Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in association with World Health Organisation (WHO) at the Ministerial level. The objective of this conference was to underline the power of Traditional Medicine (TM) systems and their significance in addressing the public health challenges of the 21st century.
Participants of ICoSDiTAUS-2020:
16 Countries– Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Serbia, Curacao, Cuba, Myanmar, Equatorial Guinea, Qatar, Ghana, Bhutan, Uzbekistan, India, Switzerland, Iran, Jamaica and Japan….Click here to Read More
Government approves Rs 162 crore under Operation Green Scheme
On February 26,2020 The government approved Rs 162 crore under Operations Green(OG) Scheme which was announced in 2018-19 budget with an outlay of 500 crore to stable the supply of TOP crops( Tomato, Onion & Potato) & to confirm their availability throughout the year without price volatility.The scheme works under Ministry of Food Processing Industries(MoFPI).
Key Points
- Totally 5 projects have been sanctioned under OG scheme with a total cost of Rs 426(425.83) crore….Click here to Read More
NCAER releases India’s 1st NCAER land records and services index 2020: MP emerges as top performer, Ladakh at bottom
On February 27, 2020,According to the 1st edition of NCAER Land Records and Services Index (N-LRSI 2019-20) released by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) , Madhya Pradesh (MP) emerged as the best performing state in terms of digitising land records with the score of 74.9.It was followed by Odisha (67.5points) and Maharashtra (65.3 points).
While Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh ranked at bottom at 33rd position with a score of 2.0.
NCAER Land Record Services Index (N-LRSI) 2019-20 ranking:
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| Rank | State/Union Territory | Score |
| 1 | Madhya Pradesh | 74.9 |
| 2 | Odisha | 67.5 |
| 3 | Maharashtra | 65.3 |
| 33rd | Ladakh | 2.0 |
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i.The Index has been released during a half-day programme held in New Delhi by NCAER under the aegis of the NCAER Land Policy Initiative (NLPI), supported by the Omidyar Network, India….Click here to Read More
Govt approved 32 projects under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)
On February 27, 2020 Government approved a total of 32 projects under ‘unit’ scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) [scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro Processing Clusters] in the meeting of Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) presided over by Union Minister of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
The project covers about 17 states, leveraging an investment worth of Rs 406 crores.
Objective: The main objective of the scheme is creation of processing and preservation capacities & modernisation of existing food processing units to increase the level of processing and value addition leading to reduction of wastage….Click here to Read More
Tribal affairs ministry launches Capacity building programme of ST representatives in LSG & ‘1000 Springs Initiatives’ in Bhubaneswar, Odisha
On February 27, 2020, Shri Arjun Munda ,the Union Tribal Affairs Minister has launched the “Programme for Capacity Building of Scheduled Tribe (ST) Representatives in Local Self Governments (LSG)” in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in the presence of Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Navin Patnaik and Smt. Renuka Singh Saruta, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs.
Arjun Munda also launched “1000 Spring Initiatives” and an online portal on GIS (Geographic Information System)-based Spring Atlas with hydrological and chemical properties of the Springs during the event.
i.The event also saw the release of a short documentary film on FRA in Odisha (Odisha’s Journey in FRA) and FRA (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 Atlas of Odisha….Click here to Read More
BANKING & FINANCE
HDFC bank ties-up with IndiGo to launch co-branded credit card ‘Ka-ching, powered by Mastercard
On February 27, 2020, HDFC(Housing Development Finance Corporation) bank,an Indian banking and financial services company, has entered into a partnership with IndiGo airlines to launch its first travel credit card named ‘Ka-ching’- powered by Mastercard.
Key Points:
i.The co-branded cards are available in 2 variants. It includes basic ‘6E Rewards’ and the premium card ‘6E Rewards XL’ & annual membership fee of ‘6E Rewards’ will be Rs 750 while that of ‘6E Rewards XL’ will be Rs 3,000.
ii.The credit card customers can get complimentary air tickets on activation worth between Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,000 as per the variant, 14 travel and lifestyle benefits which include cashback of 5 % or reward points on Indigo bookings, and 3 % on dining, grocery, entertainment.They can also enjoy rich travel experience with varied benefits and unmatched rewards on domestic / international travel.
About HDFC(Housing Development Finance Corporation):
Establishment– 1994
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director– Aditya Puri
Country Head, Payment Solutions and Marketing– Parag Rao
Tagline– We understand your world.
About IndiGo airlines:
Founded– 2005
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
Whole Time Director & CEO– Mr. Ronojoy Dutta
About Mastercard:
Founded– 1966 (as Interbank Card Association) &1979 (as Mastercard)
Headquarters– New York,U.S.
President & CEO– Michael Miebach (effective from March 1, 2020)
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Diplomat Abhishek Singh appointed as next Ambassador of India to Venezuela
On February 27, 2020, The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India Appointed diplomat Shri Abhishek Singh as the next Ambassador of India to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. He will succeed Rajiv Kumar Napal, who passed away recently.
Key Points:
i.Abhishek Singh is a 2003-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Mission, at Embassy of India in Kabul, Afghanistan.
About Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela:
Capital- Caracas
Currency- Petro Bolivar Soberano
President- Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
ONGC & HPCL acquires 34.56 % of bankers’ stake in Petronet MHB for Rs 371 crore
On February 27, 2020 State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and its subsidiary Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) acquired 17.28% stake each from 34.56 % of bankers’ stake in Petronet MHB, the firm that owns a petroleum product pipeline in Mangalore, Karnataka for about Rs 371 crore.
Key Points:
i.A consortium of 8 public sector banks held 34.56 % while HPCL and its subsidiary ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) presently hold 32.72% stake each in PMHBL.
ii.The acquisition is expected to be completed by March 31, 2020 and the acquisition will promote opportunities for synergy, better cost economics and revenue maximization.
iii.The share-holding of HPCL in Petronet MHB will be about 49.996 % after acquisition and ONGC owns 51.11 % stake in HPCL.
iv.About Petronet MHB: Petronet MHB limited had a networth of Rs 793.60 crore as of March 31, 2019.
v.Petronet MHB was founded on July 31, 1998 to provide petroleum product transportation facility from Mangalore refinery to the oil marketing company terminals at Hassan & Devangonthi (Karnataka).
vi.Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) is also a subsidiary of ONGC. MRPL uses the pipeline of Petronet MHB for moving fuel.
vii.Petronet MHB had revenue from operation of Rs 128.33 crore in 2016-17, which rose to Rs 130.89 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 158.44 crore in the year 2019-20.
About HPCL:
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Chairman & Managing Director (MD)- Shri Mukesh Kumar Surana.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Union Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates new Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Production Hangar at HAL complex in Bengaluru
On february 27, 2020 Union Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Production Hangar at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) complex in Bengaluru, karnataka. LCH is designed & developed by HAL, a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU).
About LCH
i.LCH is a 5.5 ton class combat helicopter powered by 2 Shakti engines .
ii.It has many technical features like Advanced Light Helicopter namely- sleek & narrow fuselage, tri-cycle crashworthy landing gear,….Click here to Read More
6th offshore patrol vessel “Yard 45006 VAJRA” launched in Chennai
Objective of 6th OPV
To strengthen the efforts of Indian Coast Guard….Click here to Read More
L&T-built 5th offshore patrol vessel called ‘ICGS Varad’ commissioned in Chennai, Tamil Nadu for Indian Coast Guard
On February 28, 2020, The Indian Coast Guard’s (ICG) 98 meter long 5th Offshore Patrol Vessel called “ICGS Varad” was inducted into service by Shri. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertiliser at LOT Kattupalli shipyard, near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The vessel has been designed and built by the L&T (Larsen & Toubro Limited).
i.With the ICGS Varad’s induction, the ICG will now have 147 ships and boats and 62 aircraft. The vessel is equipped with 30 mm and 12.7 mm guns & has special onboard features like the Integrated Bridge System, Platform Management System, Automated Power Management System and High Power External Fire-Fighting system.
ii.The vessel has the capability to carry four high-speed boats and a twin-engine helicopter for search and rescue operations and law enforcement and maritime patrol. It can also took up pollution response equipment in case of an oil spill at the sea….Click here to Read More
Astronomers at UBC Astronomy club discovers 17 new planets, including earth-sized world
On February 28, 2020, A team of Astronomers including a student Michelle Kunimoto at University of British Columbia (UBC) astronomy in Canada, has discovered 17 new planets, including a potentially habitable Earth-sized rocky body that may have liquid water, by combing through data collected by NASA’s ( National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Kepler Space Telescope, which was launched in 2009, and retired in October 2018.
Key Points:
i.The findings has been published in ‘The Astronomical Journal’.The finding also includes one such rare planet named ‘KIC-7340288 b’ which is one and a half times the size of Earth and in the habitable zone of its star & one of only 15 small habitable zone planets found in the Kepler Telescope data till now, however it is 1,000 light-years away.
ii.The Earth-sized rocky world has a year that is 142 and a half days long and orbits 41 million miles from its parent star at 0.444 Astronomical Units (AU, the distance between Earth and our Sun. This is just larger than Mercury is from the Sun in our Solar System but it receives only a third of the light Earth gets from the Sun.
iii.Out of the other 16 new planets discovered, the small planet is just only two-thirds the size of Earth ,which is one of the smallest planets to be discovered with Kepler till now. The rest range in size with the largest around 8 times the size of Earth.
About National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA):
Founder– Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., United States(US).
Administrator– Jim Bridenstine
ENVIRONMENT
‘Henneguya salminicola’-First ever animal that can survive without oxygen discovered by Scientists from Tel Aviv University (TAU)
On February 26, 2020, Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU), Israel have discovered a jellyfish-like parasite,’Henneguya salminicola’, without a mitochondrial genome, the first multicellular organism known to have this absence. That means it doesn’t breathe and lives its life completely free of oxygen dependency. The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The finding was led by Prof. Dorothee Huchon of the School of Zoology at TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences and Steinhardt Museum of Natural History.It is part of the same family as jellyfish, coral and anemones.
Key Points:
-It is less than 10-celled parasite and lives within the muscle tissue of salmon fish.
-It causes “milky flesh” or “tapioca” disease in the fish.
-It’s not yet clear to us how the parasite generates energy,
-The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell where oxygen is captured to make energy, so its absence indicated that the animal was not breathing oxygen.
OBITUARY
Centenarian Vedic Scholar & Kannada Rajyotsava awardee Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away at 122
Key Points:
i.About Chaturvedi: He was closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle and later the Arya Samaj Movement. Chaturvedi was the title given to him for his mastery over the 4 vedas.
ii.He was also called “Gandhi’s postman” as he delivered the letters dictated by Gandhi addressed to the Viceroys or Governor-general and Gandhi called him ‘Karnataki’.
iii.He was also the eye-witness of the 1919, Jallianwala Bagh massacre and many independence movements.
iv.Awards: Chaturvedi was awarded the Kannada Rajyotsava Award in 2012 to felicitate his role in the freedom movement.
v.He had authored over 50 books in Sanskrit, Kannada, Hindi, and English language and has explained vedas in 20 volumes.
Famous Historian and Professor S Settar passed away at 85 in Karnataka
Key points:
i.Settar was Born at Hampasagara, Ballari district, Karnataka in 1935. He held the position of Director of the National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology (NMIHACM) in 1978 and became Chairman, Indian Council of Historical Research(ICHR), New Delhi in 1996.
ii.He was bilingual Historian who wrote books in Both English and Kannada language, In 2007 he won Sahitya Akademi Bhasha Samman award for his book “Shangam Tamilagam” which considered as seminal work in the study of the early period of Dravidian languages.
iii.In 2008 Settar was honoured with the Sham.Ba. Joshi(Sankara Bala Deeksha Joshi) Award for his contributions to Historical research.
IMPORTANT DAYS
National Science Day (NSD) was observed on Feb 28, 2020
National Science Day (NSD) was observed all over India on Feb 28, 2020. This day marks the discovery of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir ChandraShekhara Venkata Raman (also called Sir C V Raman) on 28th February 1928 for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.
In 1986, the Government of India (GOI) declared Feb 28 as National Science Day.
Theme of the NSD 2020: “Women in Science”.
Key Points:
i.On this celebration, President Ram Nath Kovind presented several awards for science communicators and women scientists at the function held in Vigyan Bhavan, Delhi.
ii.The day aims at spreading the message about the importance of science in our daily life, efforts & achievements in the field of science for human welfare….Click here to Read More
World NGO Day was observed on 27th Feb, 2020
World NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Day was observed annually on February 27, the human Right activists & all individuals celebrated World NGO Day 2020, to raise awareness about the NGO sector and to encourage people worldwide who are involved & dedicatedly working for a good cause.
Key Points:
i.The day was officially recognized and declared by 12 member countries of the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of the Council of the Baltic sea states in 2010 and was first marked by the UN (United Nations), EU (European Union) leaders and international organizations in 2014.
ii.NGO Day serves as an opportunity to discuss the issues that affect their work and form partnership through which they can resolve a mutual problem.
STATE NEWS
M.H Assembly passed bill, teaching Marathi language compulsory across all schools in the state
On February 27,2020, The Maharashtra(MH) state government assembly has unanimously approved a law, compulsory “ Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Bill, 2020 ” to make Marathi Language as a mandatory subject in all schools of the state. As per the bill, schools which fails to implement the new rule have to pay a penalty of Rs. 1 lakh.
Key points:
i.Marathi will become a compulsory subject in all schools from Class I to Class X….Click here to Read More
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi-Farsi University renamed as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti languages University in Lucknow
On February 27, 2020 The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved a proposal to change the name of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi-Farsi University to Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Languages University in Lucknow.
i.The decision is based on the belief that French, German, Japanese are essential for employment & development of knowledge besides English & Foreign languages.
ii.The State University Act 1973 to be amended for this purpose.
About Uttar Pradesh
Capital– Lucknow
Chief Minister– Yogi Adityanath
National Park– Dudhwa National Park
State Bird– Sarus crane
Haryana CM Manohar lal khattar presents Rs 1,42,343-crore budget for 2020-21
On February 28, 2020 ,Haryana Chief Minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar ,who also holds the charge of the state Finance Ministry,has presented a budget of Rs 1,42,343 crore in the state assembly for 2020-21 for the 1st time.
i.The Haryana state’s debt will increase from Rs 1.76 lakh crore in the current financial year-FY (2019-20) to Rs 1.98 lakh crore in 2020-21. The expenditure would increase by 7.7 % to Rs 1,42,343 crore. While, the Revenue receipts are estimated to increase by 15.96 % to Rs 89,964 crore in 2020-21.
ii.Allocation: The state government has provided Rs 5,474.25 crore for agriculture, Rs 19,343 crore for education and sports and culture, Rs 6,533 crore for health and medical education, Rs 349 crore for industry and for pension 9,000 crore has been allocated….Click here to Read More
Maharashtra:”Smart gram yojana” will be named after ex-minister R R Patil
On February 27, 2020 The Maharashtra’s Government’s “Smart gram yojana” will be named after former Deputy Chief Minister the late Raosaheb Ramrao Patil.
Key Points:
i.Smart Gram Yojana: Smart gram yojana (Smart Village) was implemented by the Maharashtra state in 2016 to increase the performance on certain parameters in gram panchayats at taluka and district level.
ii.The scheme also seeks to transform rural Maharashtra through development initiatives.
iii.Villages performing well in a range of areas such as cleanliness, health, education, environment, use of infotech and renewable energy sources are rewarded by the state government.
iv.About Patil: Patil was the former rural development minister & home minister of Maharashtra State in the Congress government, had implemented cleanliness and quarrel-free village schemes.
About Maharashtra:
Chief Minister- Uddhav Bal Thackeray.
Governor- Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
National Parks (NP)- Chandoli NP, Gugamal NP, Pench NP, Sanjay Gandhi NP, Tadoba NP, Navegaon NP.
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| Current Affairs Headlines: 28 February 2020 |
| Atal Innovation Mission partnered with Nasscom to launch AI-based module in 5000 ATLs |
| International Conference on Standardisation of alternate medicines, ‘ICoSDiTAUS-2020’ held in New Delhi |
| Government approves Rs 162 crore under Operation Green Scheme |
| NCAER releases 1st edition of land records and services index 2020: MP emerges as top performer, Ladakh at bottom |
| Govt approved 32 projects under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) |
| Tribal affairs ministry launches Capacity building programme of ST representatives in LSG & ‘1000 Springs Initiatives’ in Bhubneshwar ,Odisha |
| HDFC bank ties-up with IndiGo to launch co-branded credit card ‘Ka-ching, powered by Mastercard |
| Diplomat Abhishek appointed as next Ambassador of India to Venezuela |
| ONGC & HPCL acquires 34.56 % of bankers’ stake in Petronet MHB for Rs 371 crore |
| Union Minister of Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates new Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Hangar at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) complex in Bengaluru |
| 6th offshore patrol vessel “Yard 45006 VAJRA” launched in Chennai |
| L&T-built 5th offshore patrol vessel called ‘ICGS Varad’ commissioned for Indian Coast Guard |
| Scientists found first-Ever Animal ‘Henneguya salminicola’ that doesn’t need oxygen to survive |
| Astronomers at UBC Astronomy club discovers 17 new planets, including earth-sized world |
| Centenarian Vedic Scholar & Kannada Rajyotsava awardee Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away at 122 |
| Famous Historian and Professor S Settar passed away at 85 in Karnataka |
| National Science Day (NSD) was observed on Feb 28, 2020 |
| World NGO Day was observed on 27th Feb, 2020 |
| M.H Assembly passed bill, teaching Marathi language compulsory across all schools in the state |
| Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi-Farsi University renamed as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti languages University in Lucknow |
| Haryana CM Manohar lal khattar presents Rs 1,42,343-crore budget for 2020-21 |
| Maharashtra:”Smart gram yojana” will be named after ex-minister R R Patil |
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