Important Monthly Current Affairs Capsule - February 2021: Telegram

Important Monthly Current Affairs Capsule – February 2021
S . No Topics P age No
1 Important Days 2
2 Important Banking News 3
3 Important Financial & Economy Affairs 15
4 Important Business News 18
5 Important State Wise News 19
6 Important National News 42
7 Important International News 75
8 Important Appointments 89
9 Important Awards and Honours 93
10 Important MOU’s 100
11 Important Summit & Conference 109
12 Important Defence News 115
13 Important Science and Technology News 117
14 Important Rankings and Indexes 121
15 Important Books and Authors 125
16 Important Peoples’ in News 126
17 Important Web portals and Mobile Apps 128
18 Important Sports News 132
19 Important Obituaries 141
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Important Days
Dat e Day Theme/Others
February 1 45th Raising Day Celebrated by Indian Coast Guard
February 2 World Wetlands Day Wetlands and Water
February 4 World Cancer Day It led by the Union of International Cancer
Control
February 4 International Day of Human A Pathway to the future
Fraternity
February 6 International Day of Zero No time for global inaction: unite, fund and
Tolerance for Female Genital act to end FGM/C
Mutilation (Since 2003)
February 8 ( 2nd International Epilepsy Day Initiative by the International Bureau for
Monday of Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League
February) Against Epilepsy (ILAE)
February 9 Safer Internet Day (18th edition) Together for a better internet
February 10 National Deworming Day Guide issued by the Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare
February 10 World Pulses Day Nutritious Seeds for a Sustainable Future
February 11 National Inventors Day
February 11 World Unani Day Birthday of Hakim Ajmal Khan
February 11 International Day of Women and Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight
Girls in Science against COVID-19
February 12 to National Productivity Week Celebrated by National Productivity Council
February 18
February 12 National Productivity Day By the National Productivity Council
February 13 National Women’s Day Birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu
(Popularly known as ‘The nightingale of
India)
February 13 World Radio Day New World, New Radio
February 14 Black day for India 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February
14, 2019
February 17 World Human Spirit Day
February 18 to Taj Mahotsav Together in the diverse culture
February 27

February 20 World Day Of Social Justice A Call for Social Justice in the Digital
Economy
Third Saturday of World Pangolin Day It marks the 10th edition of the event
February
February 21 International Mother Language Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in
Day education and society
February 22 World Thinking Day Peacebuilding
February 24 Central Excise Day
Important Banking News

RB I
RB I unveils risk-based internal audit guidelines for s elect NBFCs, UCBs

● The Res erve B ank of I ndia (RBI) issued guidelines on ris k-based internal audit (RBIA) system for select non-bank
lenders and urban co-operative banks (UCBs).

● NBFCs and UCBs have grown in size and become systemically important, prevalence of different audit
systems/approaches in such entities has created certain inconsistency.

● The entities have to implement the RBIA framework by Marc h 31, 2022
● This is mainly for S t rengthen t he quality and effectiveness of t he internal audit system of selected entities.
● The regulator also specified that RBIA policy shall clearly document the purpose, authority, and responsibility of the
internal audit activity, with a clear demarcation of the role and ex pectations from risk management function and risk -based
internal audit function.

● RBI, in its monetary policy statement on December 4, 2020, had announced that suitable guidelines would be issued
to large UCBs and NBFCs for the adoption of RBIA to strengthen the internal audit function, which works as a third line of
defence.
RB I Monetary Policy:repo rate unchanged at 4%
● The Res erve B ank of I ndia’s (RBI) Monetary P olicy Committee (MPC) kept its repo rate unchanged at 4 percent
while maintaining an ‘accommodative stance’ as long as necessary at least through the current financial year to the next
year.
● Reverse Repo Rate- 3.35%
● Marginal Standing Facility Rate- 4.25%
● Bank Rate- 4.25%
● CRR- 3%
● SLR- 18.00%.

● This is the first MPC meeting after the presentation of the Union Budget 2021-22. The six-member MPC headed by
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das meets every two months to analyze the state of the Indian economy and inflation and address
the monetary issues in the country.

● This month, it began the 3-day bi-monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 3.
● The CPI projection is revised to 5.2 percent for Q4 FY21 and CPI inflation is pegged at 5-5.2 per cent in H1 FY22.
● Shaktikanta Das announced an integrated ombudsman scheme for customer grievance redressal, which will be
rolled out by June 2021.
RB I t o set up a 24x7 helpline for digital payment services

● RB I has announced certain measures of protection of common bank account holders in the Monetary policy
statement.
● It includes setting up of 24*7 helpline f or digital payment s ervices, integrated ombudsman scheme, CTS across all
bank branches and allowing retail investors to open Gilt accounts with RBI.
● Reports that the government is enc ouraging various modes of digital payments.
● The helpline will, in addition to building trust and confidence, also reduce expenditure on both financial and human
resources, otherwise incurred for addressing queries and grievances.

● The major payment system operators would be required to facilitate setting-up of a centralised industry-wide 24x7
helpline for addressing customer queries in respect of various digital payment products and give information on available
grievance redress mechanisms by September 2021.

● RBI has decided to move beyond the aggregator model and provide retail inves tors online access to the government
securities market along with the facility to open their gilt securities account.
RB I t o set up expert committee f or urban c o-op banks

● The Res erve B ank of I ndia (RBI) has decided to set up an ex pert committee on Urban Co-operative B anks (UCBs)
involving all stakeholders in order to prov ide a medium-term road map t o strengthen the s ector, enable faster
rehabilitation/resolution of UCBs, as well as examine other critical aspects relating to these entities.
● This follows the provisions of the B ank ing Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 becoming applicable to P rimary
(Urban) Co-operative B anks (UCBs) with effect from June 26, 2020.
● The amendments have brought near parity in regulatory and supervisory powers between UCBs and commercial
banks in respect of regulatory powers, including those related to governance, audit and resolution.
● The constitution of the committee as well as the terms of reference will be notified separately by the RBI.
RB I releases A nnual Report of Ombud sman Schemes for 2019-20

● The Res erve B ank of I ndia (RBI) released the A nnual Report of the Ombudsman S chemes for the year 2019-20.
● There was an inc rease of around 65 per cent in the receipt of complaints out of which almost 92 per cent have been
disposed of.

● RBI has t hree Ombudsman- B anking, Non-Banking Finance Company (i.e. NBFC) and digital transactions. A
common man can approach these Ombudsman for their grievances.

● The Banking Ombudsman received major complaints regarding ATM & Debit Cards, Mobile & Electronic Banking.
● NBFC’s Ombudsman received most complaints about non-observance of regulatory guidelines, lack of transparency
in contract/ loan agreement and levy of charges without notice.

● Digital Transactions Ombudsmen received most complaints about fund transfer
● As announced in the Monetary Policy Statement last week, the three Ombudsman Schemes are being merged
and integrated into a single scheme which will be rolled out starting from June this year.
RB I Observes Financial literacy week 2021

● Res erve Bank of India, Delhi is observing Financial Literacy Week from February 8-12, 2021, t o propagate financial
educ ation.
● The Reserve Bank of India has launched the Financial Literacy Week on the theme of ' Credit Discipline and Credit
f rom Formal Institutions'.

● This theme is one of the strategic objectives of the National Strategy for Financial Education 2020-2025. Focus will
be on responsible borrowing; borrowing from formal institutions and timely repayments.

● This five-day event was launched on Monday by Ajay Kumar, Regional Direc tor, Reserve Bank of India, New Delhi
● The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been conducting Financial Literacy Week (FLW) every year since 2016 to
propagate financial education messages on a particular theme across the country.
RB I : expert committee on Urban Co-operative B anks

● The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday constituted an eight-member expert committee on Urban Co-operative
B anks (UCBs) that is tasked with examining existing issues and providing a road map for strengthening the sector.
● The panel will function under the c hairmanship of former RB I Governor N S Vishwanathan.
● According to a statement from the RBI, the committee will take stock of the regulatory measures taken by the central
bank and other authorities related to UCBs and assess their impact over the last five years.
● The objective will be to identify key constraints and enablers.
● The primary job of the committee will be to “consider the need for differential regulations and examine prospects to
allow more leeway in permissible activities for UCBs with a view to enhance their resilience”.
RB I s ets up 8 member panel t o suggest steps f or s trengthening, consolidating UCBs

● The Reserve B ank set up a c ommittee to draw a vision document for strengthening urban cooperative banks (UCBs)
and exploring the potential of consolidation in the sector.

● The committee, to be headed by f ormer RBI Deputy Governor N.S. Vishwanathan,
Ot her Members are :

● Harsh Kumar Bhanwala ( chairman of Nabard )
● Mukund Chitale

● NC Muniyappa
● RN Roshi
● MS Sriram
● Jyotindra Mehta
● Neeraj Niga
● The panel will "draw up a vision document for a vibrant and resilient urban co-operative banking sector having
regards to the Principles of Cooperation as well as depositors' interest and systemic issues.
● The committee will consider the need for differential regulations and examine prospects to allow more leeway in
permissible activities for UCBs with a view to enhancing their resilience.
S t ate B ank of S ikkim under Reserve B ank of I ndia's regulatory purview

● The Res erve B ank of I ndia (RBI) has brought State B ank of S ikkim under its regulatory purview .
● The bank, established f iv e years before S ikkim acceded to India in 1973, provides treasury operations for the state
government.
● It only operates within Sikkim and is wholly-owned by the state government.
● The bank’s ownership structure will not change, but it will be regulated by the RBI on a par with other banks.
RB I will conduct a s pecial OMO of Rs.15,000 c rore on March 4

● The Res erve Bank of India (RBI ) will conduct simultaneous purchase and sale of government securities for an
aggregate amount of Rs 15, 000 crore each on March 4.

● The central bank will purchase and sell government securities through multiple price auction methods.
● Accordingly, the details of securities for the simultaneous purchase an d sale of Government securities under Open
Mark et Operations (OMOs) for Rs.15,000 crore each on March 04, 2021 are as follows:
● Purchase
The Reserve Bank will purchase the following securities using the multiple price auction method:
S r. No I S IN S ec urity Dat e of Maturity A ggregate Amount
6.18% GS
1 IN0020190396 04-Nov-2024
2024
6.79% GS
2 IN0020170026 15-May-2027
2027 Rs.15,000 crore
6.68% GS (There is no security-wise notified amount)

3 IN0020170042 17-Sep-2031
2031
7.40% GS
4 IN0020050012 09-Sep-2035
2035
Sale
The Reserve Bank will simultaneously sell the following securities using the multiple price auction method:

S r. No I S IN S ec urity Dat e of Maturity A ggregate Amount
8.79% GS
1 IN0020110030 08-Nov-2021
2021 Rs.15,000 crore
8.20% GS (There is no security-wise notified amount)

2 IN0020060037 15-Feb-2022
2022
P olicy Rates:
P arameter P ercentage
Repo Rate 4%
Reverse Repo Rate 3.35%
Marginal Standing Facility Rate 4.25%
Bank Rate 4.25%
Cash Reserve Ratio 3%
Statutory Liquidity Ratio 18%
SBI
Y ONO merchant app launched SBI Payments
● India’s largest lender, State Bank of India, will launch a Y ONO merc hant ’s app to enable 20 million merchants from
tier 2, 3 cities to adopt digital payments.
● The lender plans to deploy low-cost acceptance infrastructure across India over the next two years targeting the
potential merchants across India in the Retail and Enterprise segment.
● The initiative will enable near field communication (NFC) enabled smart phones of merchants to turn into Point -of-
sale devices after downloading the app.
A I IB
Gov t. and AIIB sign loan agreement USD 304 million for A ssam
● Union Government and the Asian Inf rastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) signed a loan agreement for a 304 million
dollar Assam Int ra-St ate Transmission System Enh ancement Project to improve reliability, capacity and sec urity of the power
transmission network in the State of Assam.

● The project aims to strengthen Assam’s electricity transmission system by constructing 10 transmission substations
and laying transmission lines, upgrading 15 existing substations and providing technical assistance to support project
implementation.
World Bank
I ndia and World Bank sign 500 million dollar Programme

● The Government of India and the World Bank signed a 500-million US dollar S t rengthening Teaching-Learning and
Res ults for States P rogramme (STARS) to improve the quality and governance of school education in s ix Indian states.
● These include Himachal P radesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan .
● Some 250 million students (between the age of six and 17) in 1.5 million sc hools and over 10 million teachers will
benefit from the programme.

● The STARS programme builds on the long partnership between India and the World Bank (since 1994), for
strengthening public school education and to support the country’s goal of providing E ducation for All.
● Prior to STARS, the Bank had provided a total assistance of more than three billion US dollars towards this goal.
World Bank to provide US D 500 million to Bangladesh for improving Road and Digital Connectivity
● The government of B angladesh s igned an agreement with the World Ba nk f o r t he u p gr ad at ion of r u ra l r o a ds a nd
c onnectivity in the western region.

● The project is expected to benefit over 20 million people in t he western region of Bangladesh.
● The project will help upgrade the 48 k ilometre t wo-lane J ashore-Jhenaidah road to a modern 4-lane highway.
● It will also help improve 600 kilometre of connecting rural roads and build or develop new rural markets.
● The project will finance installation of fiber-optic cables along the highway to ensure fast and reliable internet service
● The project is the first of a multi-phased USD1.4 billion 10-year program to upgrade the existing 110 kilometre two-lane
highway, Bhomra-Satkhira-Navaron and Jashore-Jhenaidah. In the current phase, the project will be implemented in
four districts namely Jashore, Jhenaidah, Magura, and Chuadanga.
World Bank S igns $100 million P roject t o S upport Nutrition-Supportive A griculture in Tribal-Dominated A reas of Chhattisgarh
● The Gov ernment of India, t he Government of Chhattisgarh and the World B ank signed a $100 million project to
dev elop sustainable production systems.

● That will allow tribal households in remote areas of Chhattisgarh to practice round-the-year production of diversified
and nutritious food.

● CHI RAAG - Chhattisgarh I nclusive Rural and Accelerated A griculture Growth P roject will be implemented in the
southern tribal-majority region of the state where a large population is undernourished and poor.
● The project will benefit over 180, 000 households f rom about 1,00 0 villages in eight districts of Chhattisgarh.

● The loan agreement was signed by Dr. C S Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India and Mr Junaid Kamal Ahmad, Country Director (I ndia) on behalf of
the World Bank
I ndia Accounts for 11 % of Global death in Road Accidents - World B ank

● The World Bank has released a comprehensive report titled ‘Traffic Crash I njuries and Disabilities: The B urden on
I ndian S ociety’ in association with the SaveLife Foundation.
I ndia, World B ank ink project for Nagaland
● Indian government, Government of Nagaland and t he World B ank s igned a $68 million project to enhance the
governance of schools across Nagaland as well as to improve teaching practices and learning environments in select
schools.
● The " Nagaland: E nhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project" will improve classroom ins t ruc t ion; c reat e
opportunities for the professional development of teachers; and build technology systems to provide students and teachers
with more access to blended and online learning as well as allow better monitoring of policies and programs, a Finance
Ministry statement said.
NDB
New Dev elopment B ank t o invest $100 million in NIIF Fund of Funds
● New Dev elopment B ank (NDB), the multilateral development bank established by the B RI CS states, has announced
a commitment of $100 million into the NIIF Fund of Funds (FoF).

● With NDB’s investment, the FoF has secured $800 million in c ommitments and joins the Government of India (GoI),
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) as an investor in the FoF.
● This investment marks NDB ’s first equity investment into India and its first ever investment in an FoF.
● The FoF was established in 2018 with the objective of providing homegrown Indian private equity fund managers
access to an India-focused institutional investor that operates at scale.
Ot her B anking News
E c onomic Survey: India t o become Fastest Growing E conomy in next 2 -years reported by I MF
● The Union Government said that the country's V-Shaped Economic Recovery happened due to Mega Vaccination
Drive, Robust Recovery in the Services Sector and Robust Growth in Consumption and Inves tment.
● Chief Economic Adviser K. S ubramanian said, V-Shaped Recovery is due to Resurgence in High Frequency
Indicators Such as Power Demand, Rail Freight, E-Way Bills, GST Collection and Steel Consumption.
● The Economic Survey said, I ndia is t o become t he Fastest Growing Economy in next t wo years as per the
I nt ernational Monetary Fund (IMF).

● India is to have a Current Account Surplus of two per cent of GDP in financial year 2021, a historic high after 17
years.
Mic rosoft launches Taj Mahal inspired engineering hub in Noida

● Mic rosoft announced the launch of its new I ndia Development Center (IDC) facility at NCR that will serve as a
premier hub f or driving cutting-edge engineering and innovation.

● IDC NCR is Microsoft’s t hird Development Center in I ndia after Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
● The IDC NCR facility will collaborate with Microsoft teams globally to build products and services for driving digital
innovation.
● The center will provide opportunities for engineering talent in the areas of Business & Productivi ty tools, AI, Cloud &
Enterprise, Core Services, and the new Gaming division.

● The IDC NCR workspace architecture is inspired by the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world.
● The IDC in NCR will collaborate with Microsoft teams worldwide to design and create products that drive digital
innovations.
P NB c ustomers won't be able to withdraw money from t hese ATMs

● The P unjab National B ank (PNB) has taken a giant step and won't allow its customers to wit hdraw money f rom non-
E MV automated teller machines (ATMs) from t oday(1 February 2021).

● To protect our esteemed customers from fraudulent ATM activities, PNB will be restricting transactions (f inancial and
non-financial) from Non-EMV ATM machines from February 1, 2021.

● Punjab National Bank has introduced PNB One App that allows PNB debit card users to switch on or off their debit
card through this app.
What are non-EMV ATMs

● Non-EMV ATMs are those which read data through magnetic strips and do not hold the ATM card during the
transaction.
● In such ATMs, Data Magnetic Chips enabled reading is done by the ATM machine and for a f ew seconds one's debit
card gets locked.
Federal B ank launches ‘FedFirst’ s avings account scheme f or c hildren

● Federal B ank has announced the launch of FedFirst, a s pecial s avings account scheme for c hildren below 18 y ears
of age.
● The account helps children develop healthy saving and spending habits, thereby giving them the freedom to save,
spend and earn.
A bout the Account Features :

● The account is designed to enable children to learn the importance of money management. The account comes with
unique features and offers.

● The account holder is provided with a FedFirst contactless Debit Card with a daily cash withdrawal limit of ₹2,500
and POS/e-com limit of Rs.10,000, in addition to free online facilities including access to internet banking, mobile alerts and
email alerts.
● Additional benefits including reward points, seasonal cashback and promotional offers and deals on dining, hotels,
travel, bill payments through their debit card are available.
P honePe, Axis Bank partner on UPI Multi-Bank

● Digital payments platform PhonePe announced that it has part nered with A x is Bank on a Unified P ayments Interface
(UP I ) multi-bank model.

● The partnership will provide PhonePe users with the option to create and use multiple UPI IDs with Axis Bank’s
“@ax l” handle.
● PhonePe will also start acquiring merchants with Axis Bank in addition to its partnership with YES Bank.
● This partnership with Axis Bank will ensure greater business continuity for both our customers and merchant
partners, making their transaction experience seamless .”
I rdai panel okays launch of index-linked insurance policies

● Committee set up by the I ns urance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has recommended the
introduction of index-linked insurance policies (Ilips).

● The committee was formed about four months ago after requests from insurers for reintroducing Ilips, which were
banned by the regulator in 2013.

● The product structures are mainly proposed under the traditional participating (par) and non-participating (non-par)
designs. This way Ilips will give additional options to customers under these designs.
A GS Transact Technologies and Mastercard P artner to Introduce First -Ever ‘Contactless’ Cash Withdrawals on A TMs in
I ndia
● A GS Transact Technologies (AGSTTL) has partnered with Mas tercard to provide a pan India ‘c ontactless’ cash
wit hdrawal experience at A TMs.

● First, Mastercard cardholders will be able to withdraw cash by scanning a QR code displayed on the ATM screen of
all participating Banks.

● A im : The partnership aims to provide a more secure banking experience to customers in India.
● The partnership will allow the Mastercard cardholders to access any participating Bank ATM in the country and carry
out three transactions without any additional charges making it a scalable option for banks providing a consistent experience
to their consumers.
CRE DAI, IPPB ink pact to open bank accounts f or c onstruction workers
● The Conf ederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) has entered into a memorandum of
understanding with I ndian P ayments and P ostal B ank (IPPB) t o f acilitate opening of bank accounts for construction workers.
● This labour welfare initiative is aimed at ensuring financial literacy and digital inclusi on of construction workers

● At present, around 3 c rore workers are engaged in construction activities across real estate projects in the country.
● The pact aims to cover around 10 lakh workers under this initiative in a year.
K ot ak Mahindra Bank launches Ko tak Remit

● K ot ak Mahindra Bank launched its out ward forex remittance s ervice, K otak Remit, hence allowing its users to directly
send money abroad from their phones.

● The feature is already live on the Kotak Mobile Banking App.
● For t he f irst time, Kotak customers can conveniently transfer money internationally to their benef iciaries straight from
their mobile.
● Kotak Remit offers remittances in 15 currencies including the US dollar, Australian Dollar, UK Pound Sterling, Hong
Kong Dollar, Saudi Riyal, Canadian Dollar, Singapore Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen.
K erala Bank launches A TM demo vans

● The Kerala Bank has launched A TM demonstration vans to promote digital transactions.
● NA B ARD has sanctioned 10 v ans for the K erala B ank from its financial inclusion fund.
● Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Cooperation Minister K adakampally Surendran addressed the virtual launch.
● Cooperation Secretary Mini Antony and Registrar of Cooperative Societies Geromic George flagged off the two vans
which have become operational.

● The Kerala Bank’s project brochure was released by Mini Antony by handing over a copy to Nabard chief general
manager P Balachandran.
● NABARD chief general managers V Selvarajan and K C Sahadevan and CEO P S Rajan attended.
I CI CI Lombard launches corporate risk index

● Private general insurer I CI CI Lombard has launched the ‘Corporate I ndia Risk I ndex’. This is intended to be a unified,
standardised corporate risk index that spans industries and companies.

● Corporate risk index that uses a risk measurement tool has been developed with the management consulting firm
Frost & Sullivan covering 150 t op companies from its own investment portfolio across 15 key sectors, ICICI Lombard chief
executive Bhargav Dasgupta told reporters.

● The insurer said that this will help companies understand the level of risk that their business is facing and also assist
in developing a successful risk aversion plan. It has worked with consulting firm Frost and Sullivan to develop the risk
measurement tool.
● The index showed that most of corporate India’s risk management strategies are focused primarily on operational
and natural hazard risks, influenced by COVID-19. It added that there is a scope for improvement in the way market,
economic, technological and crime or security risks are being managed.
I ndian B ank signs MoU with IISc initiative t o f und start-ups, MSMEs
● I ndian B ank has entered into an MOU with Society f or Innovation and Development (SID ), an initiative of Indian
Institute of Science, f or extending exclusive credit f acility t o Start-ups and MSMEs.

● This initiative is a part of the Banks scheme Ind SpringBoard for financing Start-ups and will empower Start-ups and
MSMEs to realise their research efforts powered by financial support from the Bank and backed by incubation facilities
offered by SID,
● The Bank will extend loans of up to Rs 50 c rore to these start-ups for their working capital requirements or for
purchase of machinery, equipment etc,

● Under the MOU, SID will identify the start-ups and MSMEs based on their credentials and past experience and will
refer the list of such members who require financial assistance to the Bank
B ank of Maharashtra partners with Vayana Network to offer help MSMEs

● B ank of Maharashtra has entered into a strategic partnership with V ay ana Network t o offer f inancial s upport t o t he
MS ME sector.
● Through this association, BoM will provide short term credit to meet funding requirements of dealers of corporates via
“Mahabank Channel Financing Scheme” launched by the bank, through Vayana Network’s expertise in this segment.
● Under the partnership, Vayana Network will provide its Supply Chain Financing solutions (SCF) to the bank
supported by Vayana’s technology and service expertise.

● The SCF solutions will include vendor and dealer financing programs across the bank's network of 1, 870 branches
across the country.

● Vayana Network’s proprietary tech platform will help to digitize the transactions of Supply Chain Financing, while the
market services will help to increase penetration in the under-served MSME segment.
I CI CI Lombard partners with Flipkart t o offer 'Hospicash' Insurance

● E -c ommerce company Flipkart has partnered with I CI CI Lombard to offer ' Group SafeGuard' insurance, a gr oup
ins urance policy to its consumers.

● Compared to the standard indemnity health insurance policies, Group S afeGuard is a benefit offering that allows
consumers to avail a payout for each day of hospitalisation,

● The fixed daily amount enables consumers to pay for incidental medical or emergency expenses
● The insurance is af fordably priced, paperless, and f lexible; c overing both accidental hospitalisations or planned
s urgeries/treatment"
With daily cash benefits s t arting from Rs 500, 'Hospicash' benefit under Group S afeGuard insurance will provide cover to
Flipkart consumers.
Rev ision P oints
Organizations Headquarters P resident/CEO/Head
Reserve Bank of India Mumbai Shaktikanta Das
State Bank of India Mumbai Dinesh Kumar Khara
Asian Infrastructure Investment Beijing Jin Liqun
Bank

World Bank Washington DC David Malpass
New Development Bank Shanghai Marcos Troyjo
Microsoft Washington John W. Thompson
Punjab National Bank New Delhi Mallikarjuna Rao
Federal Bank Aluva Shyam Srinivasan
PhonePe Bengaluru Sameer Nigam
Axis Bank Mumbai Amitabh Chaudhry
Insurance Regulatory and Hyderabad Subhash Chandra Khuntia
Development Authority of India
AGS Transact Technologies Mumbai Ravi B Goyal
Mastercard New York Michael Miebach
Confederation of Real Estate Kochi Image result for credai
Developers' Associations of chairman
India Irfan Razack
Indian Payments and Postal New Delhi J Venkatramu
Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank Mumbai Uday Kotak
Kerala Bank Malappuram Gopi Kottamurickal
NABARD Mumbai Harsh Kumar Bhanwala
ICICI Lombard Mumbai Bhargav Dasgupta
Indian Bank Chennai Padmaja Chunduru
Bank of Maharashtra Pune AS Rajeev
FlipKart Bengaluru Kalyan Krishnamurthy
EXIM Bank Mumbai David Rasquinha
Essar Oil and Gas Exploration Mumbai Dinesh Sharma
and Production Ltd
TCS Mumbai Rajesh Gopinathan
Indian Oil New Delhi SM Vaidya
Council of Scientific and New Delhi Shekhar C. Mande
Industrial Research
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Seattle, USA Sue Desmond-Hellmann
Liberty Steel Group Mayfair, London Paramjit Kahlon
Stellapps Bengaluru Ranjith Mukundan

National Cooperative Thiruvananthapuram Sundeep Kumar Nayak
Development Corporation
Marine Products Export Kochi KS Srinivas
Development Authority
Paypal San Jose, USA Dan Schulman
Ola Bengaluru Bhavish Aggarwal
ICRA Gurgaon N. Sivaraman
Moody’s New York, USA Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.
HSBC London, UK Noel Quinn
S&P New York, USA Douglas L. Peterson
Oxford Economics Oxford, UK Adrian Cooper
Nomura Tokyo, Japan Koji Nagai
India Ratings Mumbai Venkataraman Rajaraman
Important Financial & Economy Affairs

Organization GDP – FY 21 GDP - FY 22
Reserve Bank of India 10.5%
State Bank of India - 7.4%
Nomura - 6.7% 13.5%
Oxford Economics - 10.2%
S&P Global Ratings 10%
India HSBC 11.2%
Moody's 13.7%
ICRA - 7% 10.5%
I ndia's GDP - 11 per cent next f iscal - V-Shaped recovery

● The government has said that the country is witnessing a V -S haped Economic Recovery which is a testimony to the
resilience and intrinsic strength of its economy.

● It happened due to Mega V accination Drive, Robust Recovery in the Services Sector and Robust Growth in
Consumption and Investment.

● The E conomic S urvey tabled in the P arliamen t projects I ndia’s real GDP to record an 11 per cent growth in Financial
Y ear 2021-22 and nominal GDP to grow by 15.4 per cent, the highest since independence.

I ns urance stocks advance after FM proposes higher FDI limit

● In the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to amend Insurance Act, 1938 to increase FDI
limit from 49% to 74% in insurance companies, and allow foreign ownership and control with safeguards.
● Shares of six insurance companies added 3% to 5% after the central government proposed to amend Insurance Act
to allow higher foreign direct investment (FDI) in insurance companies.

● ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company (up 5.86%), General Insurance Corporation of India (up 5.41%), The New
India Assurance Company (up 5.16%), HDFC Life Insurance Company (up 4.46%), ICICI Lombard General Insurance
Company (up 3.68%), SBI Life Insurance Company (up 3.49%) advanced.
A bout FDI :
● Foreign direct investment (FDI) is when a company takes controlling ownership in a business entity in another
country. With FDI, foreign companies are directly involved with day -to-day operations in the other country. This means they
aren't just bringing money with them, but also knowledge, skills and technology.
RB I Governor Shaktikanta Das :GDP growth projected at 10.5% in FY22

● The Union Budget 2021, the Reserve B ank of I ndia (RBI) projected a GDP growth rate of 10.5 percent for the
financial year beginning 1 April.

● RBI projects GDP at 10.5% in FY22.
● The growth outlook has improved significantly and the vaccination drive will help the economic rebound.
● RBI's estimate is in line with the pre-Budget Economic Survey that predicted a 'V-shaped' recovery that said that the
Indian economy will rebound with 11 per cent growth in the next financial year.
● The apex bank expects the Indian economy to grow in the range of 8.3 percent to 26.2 percent in the first half of
FY22, Followed by 6 percent growth in Q3FY22.
S B I Research revises I ndia’s FY21 GDP estimates to -7.0 percent

● The S t ate Bank of India’s (SBI) E conomic Research Department has revised GDP estimates of I ndia for FY21 t o
c ontract 7.0%.
● And Earlier this was estimated GDP at -7.4%.
● The SBI Research Report has retained its GDP forecast for FY22 at 11 percent.
I ndia's GDP to bounce back t o 10.4% growth in FY22 - I ndia Ratings

● I ndia Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) estimates I ndia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to bounce back to 10. 4 per
c ent growth in FY22.

● The rating agency expects GDP growth to turn positive at 0.3 per cent in the January-March quarter of FY21 after
shrinking in the first nine months of the year.
Nomura P rojects GDP of India to c ontract 6.7% in FY 21 & grow 13.5% in FY22
● The J apanese brokerage has projected the GDP of India to grow at 13.5 percent in FY22 (2021-22).

● The brokerage expects the real GDP to contract by 6.7 per cent in FY21, followed by a growth of 13.5 per cent in
FY22.
● The brokerage said its proprietary index has been on an uptrend since hitting its trough during the strict lockdown in
April last year.
Ox f ord Economics ups I ndia growth forecast to 10.2% f or 2021

● Global forecasting firm Oxford E conomics revised India's economic growth projection for 2021 to 10. 2 percent f rom
t he earlier 8.8 percent.

● Because the receding COV ID-19 risks and t he shift in t he monetary policy outlook.
● The Budget 2021-22 will create positive externalities for the private sector, and forecast slower fiscal consolidation in
FY22 than the government projections.

● The Economic Survey has projected an 11 per cent growth for 2021-22, aided by a V-shaped recovery and a 7.7 per
cent contraction for the current year. It also projects a lower 6.8 per cent growth in 2022-23.
● The Reserve Bank of India has projected a GDP growth rate of 10.5 percent for the financial year beginning April 1,
on the back of recovery in economic activities.
S & P Global Ratings India to be among the fastest-growing emerging economies in FY22
● S & P Global Ratings said I ndia will be one of the fastest growing emerging market economies with a 10% growth in
t he next fiscal, and future sovereign rating action would hinge on lowering fiscal deficit and sustaining debt burden.
● For the next 2021-22 fiscal, the deficit has been put at 6.8% of the GDP, which will be further lowered to 4. 5% by
2025-26 fiscal ending March 31, 2026.
● The continuous good performance by the agriculture sector, flattening of COVID-19 infection curve, pickup in
government spending and the recently released budget are some of the factors for the positive growth prospect of the
country.
HS B C ups I ndia's FY22 GDP f orecast to 11.2%

● I ndia HSBC has raised their growth forecasts from 9 perc ent to 11.2 percent for the coming fiscal year 2021-22
(FY 22).
● The 2020-21 GDP f orecast of I ndia by HSBC remains -6.3 percent, as projected earlier.
Global rating agency Moody's ups India's growth projection for FY22
● Global rating agency Moody's upped India's growth projection for the financial year 2021-22 to 13.7 percent from
10. 8 percent estimated earlier.

● In its 'Global Macro Outlook 2021-22, Moody's said, India's Economy has rebounded quickly f rom one of the world's
longest and most stringent lockdowns, which also came with the steepest fall in GDP in the second quarter of 2020.
● For the current fiscal year, the agency expects the Indian economy to contract by 7 per cent, lower than its previous
estimate of 10.6 percent contraction.

● The revised numbers came on the back of normalisation of activity and growing confidenc e in the market with the
rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
I CRA expects Indian economy to c ontract 7% in FY21; rebound 10.5% in FY22

● ICRA has projected the Indian economy to c ont ract 7 percent in c urrent fiscal (FY21).
● For the next fiscal, i.e. FY 22 (2021-22), ICRA expects a considerable rebound in India’s ec onomic growth to 10.5
perc ent due to higher c entral government spending, and a pick-up in consumption.
Important Business News

HA L t o launch unmanned fighter jet
● Hindustan A eronautics Limited NSE 3.79 % (HAL) unveiled a leap in technology of teaming up unmanned aircraft
and v ehicles with manned jets similar to the US project of skyborg.

● It will enhance I ndian military strike c apabilities
● The technology named Combined A ir Teaming System (CATS) will have a mother ship, operating from faraway, and
four autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles known as CATS Warrior.

● HAL is also developing a high-altitude satellite system. It will be solar energised.
● This asset will be flying unmanned around 70, 000 feet height for around two to three months and will be taking all the
information.
● HAL is also developing a high altitude asset with long endurance. I t will be flying 50,000 feet for 24 hours and it is
also part of CATS programme.
A bout CATS :
● CATS Warrior with a capacity to carry out strikes stealthily entering 700 kilometres inside enemy territory.
● These unmanned aerial vehicles are capable of autonomous functions and will also have all the manoeuvring
capabilities.
P ay pal to shut domestic payment services in I ndia f rom April 1

● The California-based global digital payment platform PayPal has announced that the company has decided to wind
down its domestic payment services in India with effect from A pril 01, 2021.
● The US-based company will instead focus on enabling more international sales for Indian businesses.
● Moreover,the global customer will be able to pay Indian merchants using Paypal.
● Paypal was one of the payment options on platforms like ticketing services B ookMyShow, MakeMyTrip, and food
delivery platform S wiggy.

● Earlier in December 2020, Financial solutions provider Razorpay had partnered with global digital payments platform
PayPal to facilitate international payments for small businesses and freelancers.

Hy derabad s oftware f irm unveils intelligent neo banking s olution

● Hyderabad-based product development and software services startup Mac hint Solutions has launched an intelligent
neo banking platform, Uluka.

● The launch took place at Hy derabad International Convention Cent er , Novotel & HICC in the presence of Home
Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali, Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, S erilingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi, and Chevella
MP Dr G Ranjith Reddy, and banking & IT leaders.
A ll-women operated customer s ervice c entre opened in Punjab CEAT

● Tyre maker CEAT announced the opening of all-women operat ed customer service centre S hoppes at B hatinda in
P unjab and said it plans to set up such outlets pan-India in the next few months.
● The all-women CEAT Shoppes include women workforce for all service-related assistance to customers.
● This also includes manual jobs like wheel changing, balanc ing and operating various machinery to service a vehicle,
the company said in a release.
Ola begins work on world’s largest electric t wo -wheeler f actory in TN

● Ola, said it had commenced construction of the world's largest two-wheeler mega-factory on its 500-acre site.
● The company announced a Rs. 2,400 crore MoU with the Tamil Nadu government in December 2020 and rapidly
completed the land acquisition in January this year.
A y ushmann Khurrana inscribe BoroPlus products

● Kolkata-based FMCG company, Emami Ltd, has roped in National Award winning Bolly wood actor, Ay ushmann
K hurrana, for its B oroPlus Soaps and Hand Wash range.

● BoroPlus, India’s No.1 Antiseptic Cream Brand, has launc hed soaps & hand washes under its Hygiene portfolio last
year.
Important State Wise News

Lis t of Festivals
Fes tivals P lace
Three-day Mandu Festival Mandu, Madhya Pradesh
47th Khajuraho Dance Festival Khajuraho, Madhya
Pradesh
39th Agartala International Book Tripura
Fair
A ndaman and Nicobar Islands

A ndaman and Nicobar Islands becomes first Union Territory to be c orona free
● Andaman and Nicobar Islands has become the f irst state or Union t errit ory in the country to become Covid-19 free with
active cases falling to zero in the islands.

● Healt h ministry’s website reported that the last four infected persons in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been
declared cured.
● The UT had reported a total of 4,932 cases and 62 deaths from the virus.
● The share of Kerala in India’s daily cases crossed 50 perc ent f or the first t ime
● There were 11,024 fresh cases in the country out of which Kerala alone reported 5,716, 51.8 percent of the total.
● The state also has the highest count of active cases at 69,157, out of around 1 lakh 61 thousand in the country.
A ndhra P radesh
Robot ic S pa’ facility inaugurated in Visakhapatnam railway station

● Walt air Division, in its efforts to enhance the passenger amenities at Railway stations, has commissioned another
innovative facility called Robot ic S pa under Non-fare revenue here at Visakhapatnam railway station.
● The first of its kind facility at Railway station in E ast Coast Railway was inaugurated by Divisional Railway Manager,
Waltair Chetan Kumar Shrivastava.

● The Robotic Spa comprising Relaxing Chair, Foot massager and Fish pedicure spa gives a pleasant experience to
the Rail Customers waiting at Visakhapatnam railway station.

● The motto behind such an innovative model is to facilitate the esteemed rail customers to spend quality time while
waiting for trains.
A s sam
CM S arbananda S onowal inaugurates first heliport of A ssam in Majuli

● A s sam Chief Minister S arbananda Sonowal inaugurated the f irst heliport of the state in Majuli district.
● The heliport having facility for simultaneous landing of three helicopters was constructed at an expenditure of Rs 50
lak h.
● The heliport was built with an aim to boost tourism in Majuli, which has a distinct identity as the world's largest river
island.
● The state government has also undertaken several projects to strengthen road infrastructure in the river island, and
steps are being taken for construction of the bridge connecting Majuli with Jorhat.
● The Assam government made dedicated efforts to put Majuli as an important tourist destination of the world.
● The new heliport would significantly facilitate tourist flow to Majuli.
● The chief minister also laid the foundation for the infrastructure improvement project of Sankarjyoti High School with
a financial outlay of Rs 25 lakh.

P M t o lay foundation stone of various development projects in A ssam

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the f oundation stone of various development projects at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur
dis trict in Assam.

● The Prime Minister will launch ‘A som Mala’, aimed at helping improve state highways and major district roads
net works in the state.

● The programme is unique for its emphasis on effective maintenance through continuous field data collection and its
linkage with the Road Asset Management System.

● Asom Mala’ will provide quality inter-linkage roads between the National Highways and the rural roads network as
well as facilitate seamless multi-modal transportation.

● In addition to that, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of two medical colleges and hospitals, which
are being set up at Biswanath and Charaideo, at a total estimated project cost of over 1100 crore rupees.
FM Nirmala S itharaman Initiates 3rd Phase of Chah Ba gicha Dhan P uraskar Mela in Guwahati
● Union Finance Minister Nirmala S itharaman on February 6, initiated the ceremonial distribution ceremony of Chah
B agicha Dhan Puraskar Mela in Guwahati.

● It is to be mentioned that as many as 7, 46,667 beneficiaries of tea gardens were covered under the scheme. Notably,
the scheme was launched in Financial Y ear (FY) 2017-18.

● The main objective of the scheme is t o incentivize and strengthen the efforts of f inancial inclusion of the tea t ribe
c ommunity.
● Further, in the 1st phase of the scheme, Rs. 2500 was credited to 6,33,411 bank accounts of tea garden workers in
FY 2017-18 through Direct Benefit Transfer.

● In phase 2, an additional amount of Rs. 2500 was credited to 7,15,979 bank accounts of tea garden workers in FY
2018-19.
● At the phase, Rs.3000 will be credited to 7,46,667 beneficiaries of tea garden workers.
K az iranga National Park records 93 thousand 491 birds

● In A s sam, t he Kaziranga national park has recorded a total of 93 t housand 491 birds as per the latest census.
● There are 112 bird species and 22 f amilies found during the enumeration.
● The recent bird census has witnessed an increase of over 59 thousand birds in the Kaziranga national park.
● The park authority has recently conducted a 2 day census where 35 teams were involved.
● Last year, the figure stood at 34 thousand 284.
A s sam govt hikes daily wage of t ea garden workers by Rs 50

● The Assam cabinet , chaired by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonow al, approved a proposal t o increase the
daily wage of tea garden workers to Rs 217, a hike from Rs 167.

● Assam Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the decision was taken by the Assam cabinet after talks
between tea garden owners, workers' union and the sub-committee of the state government.
● The Assam cabinet also gave its nod to a proposal seeking the constitution of a one -member committee f or fixing an
equal wage of small tea garden workers.

● According to the proposal, the labour department's principal secretary JB Ekka will be the only member of the panel.
● The tea tribe community comprising 17% of the state’s population is a deciding factor in almost 40 Assam Assembly
s eats out of the 126.
Gujarat
Gujarat govt to set up Indian Institute of Skills in Gandhinagar

● In Gujarat, the State Government has asked the Tat a group to start the work on s et ting up I ndian I nstitute of Skills-
I I S.
● This was conveyed during a meeting between the high powered team from Tata Group and senior officials of Gujarat
Government held in Gandhinagar.

● IIS is being set up by the Labour and Employment Department of Gujarat along with Tata Group at Nasmed village of
Gandhinagar.
● The State Government has allotted around 20 ac res of land for Tatas to start Indian Institute of Skills.
● The foundation stone for the proposed IIS at Nasmed was performed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is also
Lok Sabha Member from Gandhiagar constituency in Gujarat. Proposed IIS at Nasmed is located in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha
constituency.
● The institute is being developed on a Not-for-profit Public Private Partnership mode by the Tata Group along with the
state’s Labour and Employment Department.
Coas t Guard conducts Pollution Response Workshop and Mock Drill - 2021 in Gujarat
● In Gujarat, the Coast Guard District Headquarters Number-1 conducted the district-level P ollution Response
Work shop and Mock Drill - 2021 at Porbandar.

● It was conducted to revalidate the response mechanism for oil pollution incidents and enable the I ndian Coast Guard
t o f ine t une t he Regional and National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency P lan.
● According t o official sources, the workshop was inaugurated by Deputy Inspector General S.K. Verghese, the
Commander of District HQs Number-1.

● The workshop was conducted in t wo phases.
● The First Phase consisted of Table-top Exercise simulating oil spill while the practical demonstration of oil spill
equipment on-board I CGS Samudra Pavak for containment and recovery of oil spill was covered in the Second Phase.

A nnual Convention of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India concluded

● The Annual Convention of A s sociation of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) concluded at K evadia in
Gujarat.
● The convention was jointly organized by the Ministry of Tourism and ADTOI with support from Gujarat Tourism.
● It aimed at building public confidence to travel for the revival of domestic tourism in the country.
● The conference was attended by around 400 delegates comprising ADTOI members from across India, hoteliers,
airlines representatives, senior government officials, media-persons among other stakeholders of the tourism industry.
Goa
Goa becomes 6th S tate t o s uccessfully undertake ULB reforms

● Goa has bec ome the 6th State in the country to successfully undert ake Urban Local Bodies reform s stipulated by the
Department of Expenditure.
● Financ e Ministry said, the state has now become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of 223 crore
rupees through Open Market Borrowings.

● Goa has joined five other states - A ndhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan and Telangana, who have
completed Urban Local Bodies reforms.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh becomes first S tate t o implement e -cabinet

● Himachal Pradesh has become the f irst State in the country t o make the end t o end processing of t he c abinet
paperless by implementing e-cabinet application.

● Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated the first e-cabinet at Shimla.
● The entire process from initiation of a cabinet memo, approval of the cabinet memo through concerned Secretary,
Chief Secretary, concerned Minister and finally by Chief Minister to place in the cabinet has been made online.
● It will also be possible to monitor the status of implementation of cabinet decisions more effectively through thi s
application.
● The e-cabinet provides for generation of automatic s through SMS on real time basis for various stages involved in
processing cabinet issues like receipt of cabinet memo, finalization of cabinet meeting, advice received on cabinet memo for
various levels like Secretaries and Ministers.

● The e-cabinet application is also available as a Mobile App on android devices .
● The new system will bring greater efficiency in the overall process of conducting a cabinet meeting by removing
dependencies which arise due to the physical movement of cabinet memos.

‘E -Parivahan V yavstha’ launched by Himachal P radesh CM Jai Ram Thakur

● Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched ‘e-P arivahan Vyavstha’ of the State Trans port
Department to provide faceless services to the people of t he State regarding Driving Licence/Registration Certificates/Permits
et c .
● The Chief Minister said stress must be laid on educating the people to avail this facility.
● He said the success of this system would largely depend on how better and easily the people adopt this service.
● Jairam said credit of this goes to the officers and employees of the State.
● He said the State Government first started e-Vidhan Sabha, then e-Budget and now it has started e-cabinet.
● He said the e-Parivahan was a step forward in this direction.
J ammu & K ashmir, Ladakh
Farooq K han reviews f unctioning of One-Stop-Centres f or women

● In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Adviser to Lieutenant Governor Farooq Khan reviewed the functioning
of One-Stop-Centres f or women in the UT during a meeting at Civil Secretariat, Jammu.

● The Mission Director of I nt egrated Child P rotection S ervices (ICPS) gave a detailed powerpoint presentation and
apprised the Adviser about the working of the centres as well difficulties being faced by them whil e performing their duties.
● A im: To help the women affected by violence in private and public spaces, within the family, community or at the
workplace.
● Main objective of One-Stop-Centres: To facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of
services including medical, legal, psychological and counseling support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence
against women.
J & K: Over 22 lakh people applied f or golden c ard

● In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, ov er 22 lakh people have so far applied for the golden card under
newly launched A y ushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan A rogya Y ojana (ABPMJAY) S EHAT s cheme i n various districts across
the Union Territory.

● Before the launching of S E HAT scheme, only people in the deprived category under the socio-economic census
could have availed the facility, however, under SEHAT scheme every J&K resident is being covered under Rs 5 lakh health
ins urance.
J ammu and Kashmir govt restores 4G mobile Internet service in entire Union Territory
● The high speed mobile data services have been res tored in J ammu and Kashmir, bringing respite to people affected
by the ban, especially students, working professionals and business community.

● The services were suspended on A ugust 5, 2019 when the central government abrogated the special status of J&K
and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories.

● The 2G s ervice on mobile phones was restored across J&K in J anuary 2020.

● The high speed mobile data services were restored in twin J&K districts including Ganderbal in Kashmir and
Udhampur in Jammu division on a trial basis on August 16, 2020, as part of calibrated easing of restrictions.
● The pre-paid SIM card holder will be given access to internet connectivity only after verific ation as per norms
applicable to postpaid connections.
I ndia's f irst geothermal power project to be established at P uga v illage of eastern Ladakh
● I ndia's f irst geothermal power project will be established at P uga v illage of eastern Ladakh . P uga has been identified
as the hotspot of geothermal energy in the country by the scientists.

● In the first phase of the pilot project, one megawatt (MW) power generation capacity will be generated.
● A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishment and implementation of the f irst phase was
signed.
● India's first ever geothermal power project, known as Geothermal Field Development Project is planned to
commission by the end of 2022. The t ripartite MOU was signed between ONGC E nergy, LAHDC, Leh and the Power
Department of UT Ladakh.
● In the first phase, the pilot project implemented by the ONGC-OEC will explore within the depth of 500 metres and it
is planned to supply 24 hours free power to 10 neighbouring villages which are not connected with the northern grid for power
supply.
● The second Phase is proposed for deeper and lateral exploration of geothermal reservoirs by drilling optimal number
of wells and setting up of a higher capacity demo plant in Ladakh. The second phase will be the Research and Development
stage or demonstration of the project.

● In the third phase, it is planned to promote joint ventures and commercial projects. Puga is a place where it is
uncovered with a potential of more than 100 mw of geothermal energies.
Manoj S inha inaugurates General B us Stand c um S hopping c omplex Cum Multi Level P arking in J ammu
● In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kas hmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the state of the art
General Bus S tand cum Shopping complex Cum Multi Level Parking constructed at the c os t of Rs. 213 Crore in Jammu.
● The LG urged the people of Jammu to take care of the assets in Jammu city and every single resident must shoulder
responsibility of building s af e & c lean Jammu.

● The LG also said that the multi-level parking cum shopping complex will help thousands of pilgrims who come for the
journey of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine and this will help address the problem of Jammu people and largely help them address
the traffic congestion being faced by them.

● The LG added that Jammu is the only place across the country where there is I I M, A IIMS and IIT.
e-K uber payments system launched in J&K

● J ammu and Kashmir formally rolled out e-K uber payments system of Reserve Bank of India.
● J&K is the f irst Union Territory to implement version 2. 9 of e-Kuber payments system

● e-Kuber would be implemented in the Civil Secretariat treasury on pilot basis and rollout of this system for other
treasuries shall follow shortly.

● The system is capable of making 50, 000 transactions at a time, while all government-related financial transactions
would be dealt directly with RBI, without any intermediary bank.

● The system would also overcome payment delays and eliminate risk of paper vouchers being lost in transit
J harkhand
MS ME wing of GoI t o c ooperate in s etting up industries up t o 20 crore rupees in Dhanbad

● In J harkhand, the Micro, S mall and Medium E nterprises, MSME wing of the Government of India will cooperate in
setting up industries up to 20 c rore rupees in Dhanbad.

● The c entral government will give 70 perc ent amount, while the remaining 30 percent is to be borne by the s t ate
gov ernment and industrialists.

● The Central Government has taken initiatives to set up integrated industries, including the automobile section, tools
room, and other subsidiary industries in Dhanbad for Rs 20 crore and more.
● This amount will be received by industrialists through clusters. Director MSME D K Sahu in Dhanbad has assured the
industrialists to resolve the above issues and problems, and focus upon Prime Minister’s vision of Vocal for L ocal.
J & K: 7-day long exhibition of NSSH scheme concluded

● In the Union Territ ory of Jamm u and K ashmir, a seven day long exhibition of National Scheduled Caste and
S c heduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) scheme concluded at ITI, Ground in Rajouri .

● The valedictory function of the exhibition was attended by Vice Chairperson, Khadi and Village Industries Board
(K V IB), Dr. Hina Shafi, DDC, Rajouri, Rajesh S havan besides officers of K VIB.
● Dr. Hina while speaking on the occasion said that the Government has taken slew of meas ures to ensure the
upliftment of SC and ST communities and such awareness camps and exhibitions are organised for that purpose.
● She added that under NS S H many such exhibitions will be conducted on a regular basis across the Union Territory.
K arnataka
V ijayanagara becomes Karnataka's 31st district

● The K arnataka government issued an official notification announcing V ijayanagara as the s t ate's 31st district, which
was carved out of the ore-rich Ballari district.

● Vijayanagara will have s ix taluks namely Hosapete, Kudligi, Hagaribommanahalli, Kotturu, Hoovina Hadagali and
Harapanahalli.
● Hos apete is the headquarters of the new V ijayanagara district.
● The Yediyurappa government's plan to create Vijayanagara district had run into opposition, especially from within the
ruling BJP.

● Undivided Ballari was politically significant, comprising nine Assembly constituencies of which the Congress
represents five and the BJP four.

● Minister for Infrastructure Development, Haj and Wakf, Anand Singh, who is also the Ballari district in-charge, had
anchored the efforts for the new district.
B ruhat B engaluru Mahanagara Palike launches Swach Sarvekshan Abhiyan

● The B ruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has launc hed Swac h Sarvekshan A bhiyan in B engaluru to educate
citizens about solid waste management.

● The Special Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, Randeep Dev informed that Bengaluru rec eived 214 marks
in Sarvekshan last year.

● To gain a higher rank, he informed that 40 percent of waste is segregated and 18,000 municipal workers, 8000
driv ers are pressed into garbage collection work every day in the city.
J anaushadhi Kendra inaugurated by Union Minister D. V. S adananda Gowda in B engaluru
● All the government hos pitals in the country will have J anaushadhi Kendras that sell affordable generic medicines to
the common man.

● Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers D. V. Sadananda Gowda informed this during the inauguration of a
J anaushadhi Kendra in Bengaluru.

● He appealed to all the doctors in government hospitals to prescribe generic medicines.
● There are 7, 500 Janaushadhi Kendras in the country and Karnataka alone has 850 such shops.
● The Janaushadhi shops provide BP tablets at a price of 250 to 300 rupees as against 2,500 to 3,000 rupees charged
for the branded medicines.
2, 500 c lassrooms at higher education level t o be converted into s mart c lassrooms - K arnataka Deputy CM
● Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C. N. Ashwath Narayana , who holds the Higher Education portfolio, has
informed that 2, 500 classrooms at the higher education level will be converted into smart classrooms in the nex t two months.
● At the Government Arts College in Bengaluru, he said that Integrated Learning Mana gement System with high speed
internet and the state of the art tabs will be available in the smart classrooms.
● The Learning Management System will make the learning process more accessible and enable teachers to track the
learning level of students.
K arnataka to host second K helo I ndia University Games this year
● Union Sports Minister K iren Rijiju has announced that the second K helo India University Game s w ill b e h o s te d b y
K arnataka.
● Bengaluru along with Chief Minister BS Y ediyurappa, Mr Rijiju said that the largest University games in t he c ount ry
scheduled later this year will be held in B engaluru in partnership with Association of Indian Universities.

● Ov er 4,000 sportsmen under the age of 25 will compete with an opportunity to be selected for the national teams.
● The first edition of University games was held in Bhubaneswar.
Union Minister K iren Rijiju inaugurates state of th e art t raining facilities – Bengaluru
● Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju inaugurated gym complex and modern change room
and laid the foundation stone for 330-bedded hostel , upgradation of kitchen and dining hall and synthetic athletics track in the
Bengaluru campus of Sports Authority of India.

● He said that sportsmen who bring laurels to t he country are our heroes and they deserve the best state of the art
training facilities, hostels and nutritious food.
K erala
I ndia’s First ‘Gender P ark’ inaugurated in K ozhikode, Kerala

● The K erala government’s Gender P ark in Kozhikode will become f unctional from next month, coinciding with the
second edition of the I nt ernational Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II).

● Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the February 11-13 I GCE-II and the Gender Park.
● He will also lay the foundation of the I nt ernational Women’s Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC) that envisages a
secure and sustained ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and a space f or them to market products.
● Along with this Park, a Gender Museum, Gender Library, Convention Centre and an Amphitheatre will also be
launched at the event.
A bout the Gender P ark :

● It is the f irst s pace of its kind in the world.
● Currently working under the Department of Women and Child Development, it aims to become a premier
convergence point for gender-related activities,” the website mentions.

● Built with an aim to establish an ecosystem for women entrepreneurs, the Gender Park will also see the launch of a
Gender museum, Gender library, a convention centre and an amphitheatre which, according to KK Shailaja, will form the first
phase of the park.

● The overall cost of establishing the park is around Rs 300 c rore. spread over 24 acre land.
K erala to gets i ts f irst human milk bank

● The southern state of K erala will get its f irst human milk bank. The state-of-the-art facility will be inaugurated by
health minister K K S hailaja at state-owned E rnakulam general hospital in K ochi.

● It is being set up in partnership with Rot ary Club of Cochin Global.
● The facility will provide breast milk to newborn babies who are deprived of it because of various issues, including the
sickness of their mothers.

● According to the state government, 3, 600 babies are born in the general hospital a year and out of those, 600 t o
1, 000 s ick babies are admitted into the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

● A similar milk bank - the Northeast's first - opened at Guwahati's Satribari Christian Hospital in December last year.
● It was the 15th milk bank in the entire country.
K erala Knowledge Mission launched

● The state government has launched K erala K nowledge Mission which aims t o t ransform the state t o a k nowledge
ec onomy.
● Chief Minister P inarayi V ijayan inaugurated the project at an event held at Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram.
● The mission will promote innovative ideas, coordinate knowledge initiatives and equip young people with updated
skills.
● The initiative is a comprehensive digital platform for educated youngsters which would help them upskill, enhance
knowledge and empower them to face the challenges of ever-changing job market.
● This digital platform will create a great opportunity for those who took a break from work and jobless to connect with
global employers.
● They can upskill and earn more knowledge preferred by the employers. This will create at least three lakh jobs in a
year and Kerala government also provides benefits such as insurance and loan assistance for the entrepreneurs through thi s
platform.
● The digital platform was developed in collaboration with the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, I nnovation and
Technology.
● It will provide timely and professional training in diverse and most demanding areas such as data analytics, machine
learning, artificial intelligence, robotic process automation, full stack development, cyber security, digital c ontent creation,
media, synthetic biology, genetic engineering, and agricultural consulting. Trained and educated youth can register on the
portal after meeting the criteria.

● It will also provide job training to unemployed educated youth on the basis of t heir skills and demands from
companies.
Civ il A viation Ministry allows - drones to Kochi Metro Rail Ltd

● Civil Aviation Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation have granted permission for usage of drones to Koc hi
Metro Rail Limited, Kerala.

● The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System is to be used for Integrated Urban Regeneration & Water Transport System
Project.
● The permission is valid till 31st December 2021 from the date of issue of the letter or until the full operationalization of
Digital Sky P latform (Phase-1), whichever is earlier.

● This permission shall be valid only if all conditions and limitations specified are strictly adhered to.
● In case of violation of any condition, the permission shall become null and void.

K erala CM launches K FON to provide f ree internet c onnectivity to Poor families

● K erala Chief Minister P inarayi Vijayan inaugurated the K erala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) project intended to
prov ide free internet connections to Below Poverty Line (BPL) f amilies in the state.
● The f irst phase of t he project, which will also help c onnect users in schools, hospitals, offices and houses, was
launched in E rnakulam, Thrissur, P alakkad, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, K ollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts.
● In K erala, which became t he f irst state that declared access to internet as a basic human right, private sector
Vodafone-Idea is a leading service provider with 51.9% market s hare, Reliance Jio has 22.6% market share, while public
sector BSNL’s share is 12.6%.

● The KFON project is a mega infrastructure project that aims to build a high-speed, reliable and scalable fibre network
across the state to provide connectivity to 30,000 government institutions and 20 lakh households through the transmission
and distribution facility of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).

● Both the KSEB and the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL) have 50% shares each
in KFON. The 52,746 km-long fibre optic cables are being laid using the poles of KSEB.
K erala govt sanctions Rs.9 crore to build 'smart' anganwadis
● The K erala government has sanctioned Rs . 9 c rore to convert the c onventional anganwadis into "smart" structures
wit h better amenities.
● Under the Smart Anganwadi scheme, the Department of Women and Child Development has granted 48 anganwadis
in the state to construct new buildings.
● To provide early childhood care, the Kerala government has decided to build 'smart anganwadis' in a phased
manner. The aim is to make the facility more child-friendly to nurture the mental and physical development of children.
● The smart anganwadis are being designed and constructed as part of the I nt egrated Child Development Scheme
(I CDS).
● It is expected to have various amenities, ranging from study hall, kitchen, dining area, store room, creative zone,
garden to swimming pool and outdoor play area as per the availability of land.
K erala Governor Inaugurates I ndia’s First Digital University

● Digital University has been set up in K erala’s Technocity, Mangalapuram. The Gov ernor of Kerala Arif Mohammed
K han has inaugurated the country’s first Digital University in the state.
● Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (Digital University) is established by upgrading the
two-decade old state government’s I ndian Institute of I nformation Technology and Management K erala (IIITM-K).
● The university is formed with a vision of creating a futuristic institution of higher learning, aspiring to set a global
benchmark in Digital technologies and its management

● The launch of the first Digital University in the country will open tremendous opportunities for youngsters.

● India’s first Digital University will focus on postgraduate programmes and research along with building strong
industry-academic and academic-academic linkages with leading institutions in India and abroad. Developed on a 10-acre
campus in Technocity, the university will provide education to 12,000 residential scholars on the campus and many
technology-linked learners outside.

● The university seeks to lead the Digital Transformation Initiatives announced by the Kerala Government in the
Budget 2021.
● India’s first Digital University has been started with five schools
1. School of Computer Science and Engineering;
2. School of Digital Sciences;
3. School of Electronic Systems and Automation;
4. School of Informatics;
5. School of Digital Humanities and Liberal Arts, covering science, technology and humanities aspects of the Digital
world
Madhya P radesh
Madhya P radesh launches 'SAANS' c ampaign to reduce infant mortality

● The health department in Madhya Pradesh has launched the S oc ial A wareness and A ction to Neutralise Pneumonia
S uc cessfully (‘SAANS’) campaign with the aim of reducing infant mortality due to pneumonia.
P urpose :
● To reduce t he death rate due to pneumonia among inf ants a strategy is being chalked out under the Social
awareness campaign in which medical staff is being trained.

● Training will be imparted at the community and primary health centres.
● Around 4, 000 Health and Wellness Centres have been set up in Madhya Pradesh for this purpose.
● The State government has also developed training modules in partnership with PGIMER, Chandigarh, and UNICEF,
which will be used to enhance the skills of health workers, including doctors and paramedical staff .
Madhya P radesh: Mandu f estival s tarts

● In Madhya Pradesh, the three-day Mandu Festival began at Mandu in the historic town of Dhar district.
● S t ate c ulture and tourism minister Usha Thakur inaugurated the mandu festival.
● Handicrafts related to handmade art are also being displayed in the Mandu Utsav to encourage vocals for locals.
● Dino A dventure P ark & Fossils Museum also inaugurated by the state culture and tourism minister.
● The State Minister informed that the Dinosaur P ark is the country's first modern fossil park which has 24 eggs and
ot her f ossils of dinosaurs on display.

● The park also provides information related to the life of dinosaurs.

● P rincipal S ecretary Tourism and Culture Shri S heo S hekhar Shukla said that Such events will not only familiarize
people around the world with the special culture of rural Madhya Pradesh but will also help in realizing the dream of
Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh by creating new employment opportunities.
Tribal painter B huri Bai of MP invited as Chief Gues t

● The tribal painter Bhuri Bai of Madhya Pradesh was invited as the Chief Guest at the Foundation Day celebrations of
B harat B havan.
● The motivational thing is that when the construction of this building started, she used to work as a labourer.
● The journey of a woman tribal artist from labourer at Bharat Bhavan to Chief Guest on t he occasion of Foundation
Day of Bharat Bhavan is inspirational to many.

● When the construction of this building started, she used to work here as a labourer on a daily wage of Rs six.
● She never expected that she would become the Chief Guest in this B harat Bhavan.
Hos hangabad in MP to be renamed as Narmadapuram

● Madhya P radesh Chief Minister S hivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that Hos hangabad city in the state would be
renamed as Narmadapuram.
● He made the announcement during the Narmada Jayanti programme held in Hoshangabad.
● Narmada is the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh.
● The city is famous for its beautiful ghats along the banks of the Narmada river.
● Hoshangabad was so far named after an attacker Hoshang Shah, but will be known after the lifeline Maa Narmada,
which is a matter of happiness.
47t h K hajuraho Dance Festival begins in MP

● The week -long 47th K hajuraho Dance Festival began in K hajuraho, Madhya P radesh which is based on the I ndian
c lassical dance tradition.

● The festival is being organized by the Cult ure Department t hrough Ustad A lauddin Khan Music and A rts Academy
B hopal. Director of the Academy,

● Festival will give the audience a chance to watch the performance of the dancers amid the aura of the temple as the
event is being held once again in the temple complex of the Western Temple Group of Khajuraho after a gap of 44 years.
A im :
● The festival aims to promote and encourage dance, artists, culture and heritage of India through several Indian
classical dance forms like Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, and Mohiniattam.
● The first day event is dedicated to Bharatanatyam performance by Geeta Chandran and her troupe and Kathak
performance by Deepak Maharaj.
Maharashtra

Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Flipkart to promote wooden t oys, local artifacts, handicrafts
● To promote wooden toys, local artifacts, handicrafts Maharashtra Small Industries Development Corporation and
Maharashtra State Khadi & V illage I ndustries Board have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Flipkart.
● This MoU will enable artisans, weavers, craftsmen & MSMEs from Maharashtra to showcase their products to
millions of customers in India.

● Flipkart will provide free training for packaging and branding to all these manufacturers.
● Also, product photography will also be done by the company.
I I T Bombay launches f undraising c ampaign ‘Cherish IIT B ombay 2021’

● IIT Bombay launched its first-ever annual fundraising campaign in India, Cherish IIT B ombay 2021.
● As per information shared by the IIT, the funds will be used for the creation of world-class laboratory complexes,
modernization of lecture halls and continuation of awards to attract and retain faculty.
● It says, donations made to IIT Bombay by corporat e bodies and individuals are 100% tax-deductible under s ection
80G of t he I ndian I ncome Tax Act.
Maharashtra’s New A griculture Pump P ower Connection scheme bags good response
● In Maharashtra, the St ate Government's New Agriculture Pump Power Connection scheme has been rec eiving a
good response.
● The scheme announced in Oc t ober 2020 has provided various relaxations to farmers to pay their pending dues.
● Since the scheme was announced, as many as three lak h 42 thousand farmers have paid dues to the tune of 312
crore 41 lakh rupees.

● In a bid to provide more relief to the farmers' the State Government has waived-off pending dues of 15 thousand
crore rupees, an official press statement said.

● Farmers who will pay their Agri pumps dues in the first year will get 50 per c ent relaxation on their actual dues.
● Besides, the interest and late fees will also be waived off completely.
● This apart, farmers who will pay their total dues will be given nearly 66 per cent concession.
Manipur
Manipur CM N B iren S ingh launched PM FME S cheme

● In Manipur, the S tate Chief Minister N. Biren Sing h launched the Prime Minister Formalization of Micro Food
P rocessing E nterprises (PM FME) Scheme .

● The launching of the Scheme was done during the inaugural function of Conferenc e Cum Buyer Meet at Hot el
Imphal.
● The PM FME Scheme aims to provide financial, technical and business support to micro food processing unit s,
Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Self Help Groups (SHGs).

● The Scheme will also promote One District One Product to reap the benefit of scales in terms of procurement of
inputs, availing common services and marketing of products.
Nagaland
Two new grants announced by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio

● Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announc ed t wo new grants, namely, the Chief Minister's Grant for Journalism
and t he Chief Minister's Research Grant.

● Delivering the Budget Speech at the ongoing Budget Session, Mr Rio said, the journalism grant will support the
strengthening of democracy and thereby positively impact good governance as it is an endeav or to empower a vibrant fourth
estate.
● He said, the research grant will support advancement of science and extend funding to research and research
scholars.
Odisha
Cit izen-centric on-line s ervices of State Transport department launched by Odisha

● Odisha launched various c itizen-centric on-line services of the State Transport department.
● On the occasion, Chief Minister Naveen P atnaik said that the digit al initiative will allow freedom to the vehicle owners
to choose any transport office of the state for vehicle related services.
● The state road trans port offices going paperless and contactless, long queues in front of the transport of fices across
the state will soon be a thing of the past-said the chief minister while rolling out the services.
● While the chief minister described the initiative as a kind of liberation for thousands of people, an official release to
this effect says that Odisha is the first state in the country to introduce document upload through digital signatu re, using the
NI C platform.
● The state rolled out as many as nine online services that include vehicle registration and ownership transfer.
Odisha Govt announced Rs 200 crore Development Package f or Maa S amaleswari Temple
● Patnaik announced a Rs 200-crore package for the development of the 16t h-century shrine of Maa S amaleswari, the
pres iding deity of western Odisha.

● The SA MALEI (Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives) project will be implemented
during t he 2021-22 f iscal.

● Launching the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiative (SAMALEI), the Chief Minister
said the government will spend Rs 200 crore in 2021-22 to develop an area of 108 acres around the temple.

● Unveiling a slew of measures, the Chief Minister s aid gates will be erected on the four sides of the temple to facilita te
smooth entry and exit of devotees. The temple office, an interpretation centre and other facilities will be developed at the
main gate for convenience of the visitors and smooth darshan of the presiding deity.
● The temple, situated on a 12-acre land on the bank of Mahanadi river, will have adequate f acilities for religious
functions, a bhoga mandap and rest rooms for sevayats.

● Housing will be developed for servitors and a 30 - metre-wide road will be constructed from the temple to the
Mahanadi Gate Road.
Dharmendra P radhan urges Centre t o s et up Centre of Excellence on Maritime Biotechnology in B hubaneswar

● Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the Centre to set up a Centre of Excellence on Maritime
Biotechnology in B hubaneswar in Odisha.

● In his letter to the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Eart h Sciences and Scienc e and Tec hnology, Dr.
Harsh Vardhan, Mr. Pradhan said that in order to strike a balance bet ween Odisha's delicate maritime ecosystems and the
growth of its blue economy , there is a need for enhanced focus on scientific research, which can be ensured by the setting up
of the Cent re of Excellence on Maritime Biotechnology at t he I nstitute of Life Sciences in B hubaneswar.
P unjab
P unjab CM launches 'Har Ghar P ani, Har Ghar S afai' mission

● Punjab Chief Minister Captain A marinder Singh virtually launched the ' Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai' mission as
part of the government's campaign to accomplish the goal of 100 per c ent potable piped water s upply in all rural households
by March next year.

● The Chief Minister also inaugurated one Mega S urface Water Supply S cheme covering 85 v illages in the Moga
dis trict, 144 new water supply schemes for 172 v illages, 121 Arsenic, and Iron removal plants.
● The scheme will benefit more than 1. 6 lakh residents from 155 villages in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur
districts by helping replace groundwater with surface water supply for drinking, besides resolving the problem of arsenic
affected habitations.
● The scheme is being funded by the World B ank, Jal Jeevan Mission of GoI, NA BARD, and S tate B udget.
● The Chief Minister also formally launched 10 new large multi-village surface water supply schemes at a cost of
Rs.1,020 Crore. The scheme will cover 1,018 villages in the water quality affected areas of districts Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib,
Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Tarn Taran.

P unjab becomes 13th State to complete ONOR Card

● P unjab has become the 13th State in the c ountry to successfully undertake “One Nation One Ration Card system”
reform.
● The State has become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of one t housand f ive hundred and s ixteen
c rore rupees through Open Market Borrowings.

● 12 ot her States which have completed this reform are Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
● The implementation of One Nation One Ration Card System ensures availability of ration to beneficiaries under
Nat ional Food S ecurity Act and other welfare schemes at any Fair Price Shop across the country.
P unjab Cabinet approves mission ‘Lal Lakir’ in all v illages

● The P unjab Cabinet approved implementation of mission ‘Lal Lakir’
● It aimed at f ac ilitating v illagers t o monetise property rights and availing benefits provided by government
departments, institutions and banks in all villages across the state.

● ‘Lal Lakir’ refers to land that is part of the village ‘abaadi’ (habitation) and is used for non-agriculture purposes only.
● Under the mission, the right of record of properties within ‘Lal Lakir’ in the villages of the state will be prepared with
the cooperation of the government of India under the S V A MITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with I mprovised
Tec hnology i n V illage A reas) scheme.

● This will enable mapping the land, households, habitation and all other areas falling within ‘Lal Lakir’.
S ikkim
‘Free Gift Milk t o Girl Students of S ikkim’ initiative at Gangtok

● S ikkim Chief Minister P. S. Tamang launched th e ‘Free Gift Milk t o Girl Students of Sikkim’ initiative at Gangtok.
● The initiative will benefit around 1, 500 students who would be provided 200 mls of milk every day.
● Mr Tamang called the initiative a step towards eradicating malnutrition and ot her health problems among the young
generation.
● He said that the State Government is planning to extend it on a larger scale.
● He said that proper nutrition is the foundation of a healthy mind and body, and this should be emphasized in
educational institutions.
Tamil Nadu
P M Modi unveils several key projects of oil & gas s ector in Tamil Nadu
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation of key projects of the oil and gas
sector in Tamil Nadu t hrough v ideo conferencing.

● Mr Modi will dedicate to t he nation the Ramanathapuram -Thoothukudi natural gas pipeline and the Gasoline
Desulphurisation Unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Manali.

● He will also lay the foundation stone of Cauv ery B asin Refinery at Nagapattinam.
● These projects will bring in substantial socio -economic benefits and will boost the country’s marc h towards Urja
A at manirbharta.
Ramk y Enviro contract with Chennai f or waste management

● Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL), a leading waste management company, announced that it has entered into a
seven-year contract with the Greater Chennai Corporation to design and implement an IOT-enabled solid waste collection
programme.
● The Hyderabad-based company said it will cover f our zones in Chennai including Tiruvottriyur (Zone 1), Manali (Zone
2), Madhavaram (Zone 3), and A mbattur (Zone 7 ).

● The programme which has been launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanis wami , will involve 100
per cent waste segregation at source across all the households in the four zones within one year and sustain these efforts
consistently.
Des i cloud storage platform DigiBoxx launched in Tamil Nadu

● DigiBoxx, I ndia’s first digital asset management platform has launched its services in the Tamil Nadu market.
● S t ate I ndustries Minister MC Sampath inaugurated the service.
● Digiboxx is an Indian digital file storage, sharing and management SaaS (Software as a Service) product that
provides storage options for businesses as well as individual users to store all files in one centralised location.
● As part of the A tmanirbhar Bharat initiative, NITI Aayog first launched the indigenously developed platform on
December 22, 2020, to provide affordable storage services to individuals and businesses and most importantly to store user
data within India.
Ret irement age raised t o 60 years f or Tamil Nadu govt. employees

● In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palananiswami announced that the retirement age of State Government
employees has been increased from 59 t o 60 years.

● Making a suo motu statement in the Legislative Assembly, he said, the order would be applicable to employees of the
government and government-aided schools, legal and constitutional bodies, government sectors, local bodies, commissions,
boards and unions.

● He said, all those who were in service and those who would retire on 31st of May this year would be covered under
the announcement.
Tripura

39t h A gartala I nternational Book Fair started at Tripura

● In Tripura, the 39th Agartala International Book Fair with the t heme “Ek Tripura, Shrestha Tripura” has begun at
Agartala.
● State Chief Minister Biplab K umar Deb inaugurated the f air in presence of Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner
Md. Jobayed Hossain and other state cabinet ministers and MLAs.
● The Chief Minister s aid a book fair helps in building a positive minds et among people and that ens ures a positive
approach for overall progress in society.

● Cultural troops coming from Bangladesh, Northeastern States including Sikkim will be performing various cultural
events on each day as part of the fair.
Ut t ar P radesh
UP CM Y ogi A dityanath t o inaugurate A bhyu daya Y ojana

● Ut t ar P radesh Chief Minister Y ogi A dityanath will inaugurate the Muk hyamantri Abhyudaya Y ojana, a free coaching
program meant for students preparing for competitive exams, on Feb 15, 2021
● Under the Abhyudaya Scheme, those students who want to prepare for competitive exams such as I A S , IPS, P CS,
NDS , CDS, NEET and JEE but are unable to do it because of lack of resources, would be provided free coaching.
● Initially, the coaching will begin at the divisional level. This will be followed by district-level coaching centres.
● A 12-member committee headed by a divisional commissioner will make arrangements for guest lectures,
motivational speakers, the supply of study material and other resources.
P M Narendra Modi to lay foundation stone f or Maharaja Su heldev Memorial in Uttar Pradesh
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and Maharaja S uheldev
Dev elopment project and dedicated it to the public Maharaja S uheldev State Medical College (Bahraich) via v ideo
c onferencing.
● The project includes the installation of a horse-riding statue of Maharaja Suheldev, separate tourist facilities such as
a c af eteria, guest house, and c hildren's park.

● The Prime Minister will also address a webinar for consultation on the roadmap for effective implementation of Union
Budget 2021-22 in the infrastructure sector.
First paperless budget t o be presented in Uttar P radesh Assembly
● The f irst paperless budget will be presented in Uttar P radesh Assembly.
● UP will be the first state in the country to table a paperless budget.
● The S tate Finance Minister Suresh Khanna will present the first paperless budget in the history of the State.
● All members of the State Legislature have been provided iP ads to view the budget highlights which will also be
available on two big screens put up in the House.

● The 2021-2022 budget s will also be available on an App which can be downloaded from Google Play Store with the
name ' Ut tar Pradesh S arkar K a B udget'.
Ut t ar P radesh govt t o develop Jewar A irport as Asia' s biggest airport
● Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government plans to develop J ewar A irport as A s ia' s bigges t airport wit h s ix
runways.
● The state government has to set aside 2, 000 c rore for Jewar Airport in its budget for 2021-22 presenting in the
Assembly.
● The state government has also increased the number of runways of the Jewar Airport to six, from two proposed
earlier.
● The under construction airport in Ayodhya will be named as Mary ada P urushottam Sriram Airport.
● A provision of 101 c rore rupees has been made for it in the budget.
● Ayodhya airport will also be subsequently made an international airport.
UP govt presents biggest ever budget of around Rs 5,50,270 c rores t o make s elf -reliant state
● Ut t ar P radesh Government presented the biggest ever budget to the tune of around Rs 5, 50,270 c rores to make
A t ma Nirbhar or s elf-reliant Uttar P radesh.

● The budget presented by Finance Minister S uresh K hanna in the State Assembly was also the first paperless budget
of any state in the country.

● The budget focuses on f armers' welfare, women empowerment and health sector along with the development
projects.
● Atmanirbhar Krishak Samanvit Vikas Yojna has been launched for the welfare of the farmers of the state.
● S ev en hundred crores have been allocated for free irrigation to the farmers
● The State Government also focused on heritage tourism in the state and particularly the overall development of
Ayodhya.
● To improve the tourism in Ayodhya city, Rs 101 crore have been allocated in the budget for development of Maryada
Purushottam Shri Ram Airport.

● Yogi Adityanath Government has also announced to provide financial help to destitute women under Mahila
Samarthya Yojana till they get alimony from the Court.

● The State Government will provide free tablets to the eligible s tudents under Abhyudaya Scheme.
Rajnath S ingh inaugurates DRDO S kill Development Centre for Fire Safety Training
● Rak sha Mantri S hri Rajnath S ingh has inaugurated S k ill Development Centre (SDC) for Fire Safety Training of
Def ence Research and Development O rganisation (DRDO) at P ilkhuwa in Uttar P radesh through virtual mode on February
22, 2021
● The facility, created by Delhi based DRDO laboratory Cent re f or Fire, Explosive and E nvironment Safety (CFEES)

● A im : At developing trained human resources, fire safety technology and products to save precious human lives and
valued assets.
Wes t B engal
Wes t B engal: A mit Shah to flag off B JP's Parivartan Y atra

● Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader A mit S hah will be visiting West Bengal.
● He is scheduled to flag off BJP's Parivartan Yatra from Cooch Behar in North Bengal before addressing a public
meeting at Bangaon Thakurnagar in Nort h 24 Parganas.

● Earlier, Mr Shah's two day visit to the state in the last week of January had been postponed.
Wes t B engal: Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav - 14th to 28th Feb

● The 11t h Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is being held between 14t h to 28th February at Cooch Behar, Darjeeling and
Murs hidabad in West B engal.

● The inaugural programme is going to take place at Coochbehar.
● Governor J agdeep Dhankhar and Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism P rahlad S ingh P atel will be present
in the inauguration.
● All arrangements are in place for hosting the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav at Coochbehar Palace.
Modi inaugurates Railway projects in W est Bengal

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi harped on the importance of infrastructure projects as a development index for West
B engal.
● While he said inf ra development was the priority for his gov ernment, Modi pulled up the ruling Trinamool Congress
for tardy execution of development work.

● Syndicates, extortion and cut-money have been a recurring poll theme in Bengal.
J P Nadda to participate in series of programmes in Kolkata, West B engal

● BJP national president JP Nadda will participate in a series of programmes in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas in
West Bengal.
● Mr Nadda will launch Lokkho Sonar Bangla manifesto crowdsourcing campaign in K olkata in the morning before
visiting Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's residence and museum in Naihati.

● The BJP president will have lunc h at a jute mill worker's household in Gouripur and visit Anandpuri Kalibari Temple,
Barrackpore.
● He will visit Mangal Pandey Memorial before addressing Poriborton Yatra - Nabadwip zone culmination rally in
Anandapuri Khelar Math.

● Later in Kolkata, Mr Nadda is scheduled to begin the Lokkho Sonar Bangla intellectuals meeting in Science City.

Rev ision P oints
S t ate Chief Minister Gov ernor
Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Biswa Bhusan Harichandan
Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu B. D. Mishra (Retd.)
Assam Sarbananda Sonowal Jagdish Mukhi
Bihar Nitish Kumar Phagu Chauhan
Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel Sushri Anusuiya Uikey
Delhi Arvind Kejriwal
Goa Pramod Sawant Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Gujarat Vijaybhai R. Rupani Acharya Dev Vrat
Haryana Manohar Lal Satyadeo Narain Arya
Himachal Pradesh Jairam Thakur Bandaru Dattatraya
Jharkhand Hemant Soren Droupadi Murmu
Karnataka B. S. Yediyurappa Vajubhai Vala
Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan Arif Mohammed Khan
Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan Anandiben Patel
Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Manipur N. Biren Singh Najma Heptulla
Meghalaya Conrad Kongkal Sangma Satya Pal Malik
Mizoram Pu Zoramthanga P.S. Sreedharan Pillai
Nagaland Neiphiu Rio R. N. Ravi
Odisha Naveen Patnaik Ganeshi Lal
Punjab Capt. Amarinder Singh V.P. Singh Badnore
Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot Kalraj Mishra
Sikkim PS Golay Ganga Prasad
Tamil Nadu Edappadi K. Palaniswami Banwarilal Purohit
Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao Tamilisai Soundararajan
Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb Ramesh Bais
Uttar Pradesh Yogi Aditya Nath Anandiben Patel
Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat Baby Rani Maurya
West Bengal Mamata Banerjee Jagdeep Dhankhar
Lis t of Governors & A dministrators
Union Territory Lt . Governor & Administrator

Andaman and Nicobar Island Admiral D K Joshi
Chandigarh V.P. Singh Badnore
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Praful Patel
Delhi (NCT) Anil Baijal
Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha
Lakshadweep Praful Patel
Puducherry Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan (Addl. Charge)
Ladakh Radha Krishna Mathur
Important National News

Gov t. nods release of Rs 1,751 cr to Assam, A runachal, Odisha, Telangana & UP
● The High-Level Committee under the Chairmanship of Home Minister Amit S hah approved Additional Central
Assistance of over one t housand seven hundred 51 c rore rupees under the National Disaster Response Fund,
NDRF to five states, which were affected by floods, landslides during S out h-West Monsoon-2020 and hailstorm
during Rabi 2019-20.

● While approving the Additional Central Assistance, Mr Shah said, the Union Government under the leadership of
P rime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved to help people of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and
Uttar Pradesh who braved these natural disasters.
Union Ministers jointly launch unified web portal f or monitoring progr ess of GOBARDHAN activities
● Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Animal Husbandry Minist er
Giriraj Singh, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria
jointly launched a unified web portal for monitoring the progress of GOB A RDHAN activities across the nation.
● Gobardhan is an important component of S wac hh Bharat Mission Phase-2 for organic solid waste management.
● The Gobardhan scheme aims at s upporting villages effectively to manage their c attle dung and other organic waste.
● The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation will work with all the other stakeholders to implement Gobardhan, a
unified approach across villages.

● Gobardhan pilot project will prove to be an important and useful step in cleanliness
● Through this will get ethanol, bio-diesel and compressed bio-fuel in the coming years.

P olicy of S trategic Disinvestment announced

● Union Minister f or Finance and Corporate Affairs, S mt. Nirmala S itharaman, while presenting the Union Budget
FY 2021-22 in Parliament announced that the government has approved a policy of strategic disinvestm ent of
public sector enterprises

● That will provide a clear roadmap for disinvestment in all non-strategic and strategic s ectors.
● The government aims at making use of disinvestment proceeds to finance various social sector and
developmental programmes and also to infuse private capital, technology and best management practices in
Central Government Public Sector Enterprises

● Two fold classification of Sectors to be disinvested :
● S t rategic Sector : Bare minimum presence of the public sector enterprises and remaining to be privatised or
merged or subsidiarized with other CPSEs or closed.

● Non- S trategic S ector : In this sector, CPSEs will be privatised, otherwise shall be closed.
● Following 4 sectors to come under it :
1. Atomic energy, Space and Defence
2. Transport and Telecommunications
3. Power, Petroleum, Coal and other minerals
4. Banking, Insurance and financial services

● Recognising that Idle assets will not contribute to AtmaNirbhar Bharat and the non-core assets largely consist of
surplus land with government Ministries/Departments and Public Sector Enterprises, the Minister proposed to use
a Special Purpose Vehicle in the form of a company to carry out monetization of idle land.
● This can either be by way of direct sale or concession or by similar means.
● Smt. Sitharaman also proposed to introduce a revised mechanism that will ensure t imely closure of sick or loss
making CPSEs.
Tax holiday f or start ups extended f or another y ear t ill March 2022
● To help I ndia's startups amid the COVID-19 pandemic, t ax holidays f or t hese businesses have been extended by
one y ear till March 31, 2022, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2021-
22
● The government has also proposed to incentivise incorporation of one-person companies (OPCs). The mov e is
likely to help smaller startups and innovators.

● The Government has increased the FDI limit from 49 to 74 percent in Insurance Companies and allowed f oreign
ownership and control with safeguards.

● The Government has proposed to infuse 20 t housand crore rupees to re-capitalized Public Sector Banks.
I ndia gets its first Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management in Chennai
● S h. B abul S upriy o announced the establishment of a Cent re f or Wet land Cons erv at ion and Management

(CWCM), as a part of the Nat ional Centre for S ustainable Coastal Management(NCSCM), Chennai, an institution
under t he Ministry.
● On the occasion of the World Wetland Day and as a part of its commitment towards conservation, restoration and
management of India’s wetlands, the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
● The event was attended virtually by NCSCM, State Wetland Authorities and the knowledge partners of the
Wetland Division.
● India has nearly 4.6% of its land as wetlands, covering an area of 15. 26 million hec t ares and has 42 sites
designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1.08 million hectares.
● The year 2021 also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, celebrated annually as World Wetlands Day.

● The Minister also released publications relating to Faunal Diversity of all the Ramsar sites in the country and a
brochure on Designation of Ramsar sites.
A bout the Wetland Conservation and Management :

● The dedicated CWCM Centre would address specific research needs and knowledge gaps, give a fillip to
capacity development and cutting-edge research on wetlands of India, as well as aid in the application of
integrated approaches for conservation, management and wise use of the wetlands.
I ndia's First Amputee Clinic Launched In Chandigarh

● An ' amputee clinic', the first of its kind in India, with the aim of improving amputation patient care by providing a
collection of services under one roof with significant coordination was launched in Chandigarh.
● The clinic was formally inaugurated by the P os t Graduate I nstitute of Medical E ducation and Research (PGIMER)
Director Prof Jagat Ram.

● The basic intent of this initiative is to bring an Amputee as a near-normal functional human being in society.
● This initiative will attempt to provide appropriate management to amputees to guide them in their path to
rehabilitation in society and will support patients with counseling and medical facilities during their treatment and
recovery.
‘A t manirbharta’ named Oxford Hindi word of 2020

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed for ' A tmanirbhar B harat' (self-reliant I ndia) an Oxford panel has now
chosen ' A tmanirbharta' in Hindi word of 2020.

● The advisory panel of language experts Kritika Agrawal, Poonam Nigam Sahay and Imogen Foxell stated that "it
validated the day-to-day achievements of the countless Indians who dealt with and survived the perils of a pandemic”.
● The Oxford Hindi word of the year is a word or expression that is chos en to reflect the ethos, mood, or
preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.
● The usage of the word 'Aatmanirbharta' after Prime Minister Modi's address has increased significantly.
● There was a massive increase in the usage of aatmanirbharta following the prime minister's address, highlighting

its increased prominence as a phrase and concept in the public lexicon of India
● Previous Hindi words of the year are A adhar (2017), Nari S hakti (2018) and S amvidhaan (2019).
P M Modi to inaugurate Chauri Chaura centenary c elebratio ns

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Chauri Chaura centenary c elebrations at Chauri Chaura in Uttar
P radesh on February 4 via video conferencing.

● Mr Modi will also release a postal stamp dedicated to the Chauri Chaura incident.
● Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the occasion.
● February 4 marks the centenary of a landmark event in the freedom struggle that took place at Chauri Chaura
village in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, known as United Province in B ritish India, when a large group of protesters
participating in Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement clashed with the police, who opened fire.
B udget 2021-22 proposes setting up of 100 new S ainik S chools in country

● Union B udget for Financial Y ear 2021-22 has proposed to set up 100 new S ainik Schools in the country, in
partnership with NGOs, private schools and State-owned schools.

● The endeavor is to provide schooling opportunities in ‘CB SE P lus’ type of educational environment by involving
desirous government, private schools and NGOs to partner in establishing their system with Sainik Schools’ ethos, value
system and national pride.

● The aim of establishing Sainik Schools is to prepare children academically, physically and mentally for entry into
the National Defence Academy and to develop qualities of body, mind and character which will enable the young boys to
become good and useful citizens.

● From the academic session 2021-22, girl candidates are also eligible for admission to Class 6t h in all 33 S ainik
S c hools.
Ut t arakhand Sets up Shivalik arboretum

● An arboretum showcasing the floral diversity of the S hivalik hills was inaugurated at J eolikot in Nainital district.
● It is Mainly for conserving over 210 s pecies of trees found in the S hivalik range of Himalayas.
● One of the unique features of the "Shivalik Arboretum" inaugurated by noted environmental activist A jay Rawat is
that the trees standing there introduce themselves to visitors.

● Shivalik Arboretum aims to spread nature education among people so that they are able to feel an emotional
connection with the trees, and make them more active towards conservation.
● The facility will showcase information like scientific information about particular species, cultural significance,
medicinal use, country of origin, type of habitat in which it is found and all possible uses including timber, dyes or any
other peculiar use.

● The tree species include Kaphal (myrica esculenta), Toon (toona ciliata), Tejpat (cinamomum tamala), Banj oak
(quercus leucotrichophora) and Buransh (rhododendron arboreum).

● Some exotic tree species like Queensland Kauri Pine (agathis robusta), Atlas Cider (cedrus Atlantica) and

Montezuma Cypress also stand at the arboretum.
V enkaiah Naidu t o inaugurate National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahot sav’

● Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate Aadi Mahotsav , a National Tribal Festival at Dilli Haat in INA in
the National Capital.

● It will continue till 15t h Feb.
● The Tribal Affairs Ministry said, the Aadi Mahotsav - A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Crafts, Cuisine
and Commerce is a successful annual initiative that was commenced in 2017.

● The festival was an attempt to familiarise the people with the rich and diverse craft, culture of the tribal
communities across the country, in one place.
S mriti I rani inaugurates I ndia International S ilk Fair

● Tex tiles Minister S mriti I rani inaugurated t he 8th India I nternational Silk Fair on Virtual Portal.
● I ndia has long history of silk production and is the 2nd largest producer of Silk.
● India is the only country in the world which produces all the four major varieties of silk - Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and
Muga.
● The fair is considered t o be I ndia’s biggest silk fair, being held under one roof on Indian Silk Export Promotion
Council’s virtual platform.

● The five days event is being held virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic.
● Mrs Irani said that more than 200 overseas buyers have already registered and equal number of their
representatives in India will be interacting with more than 100 renowned and big Indian companies manufacturing and
trading silk and silk blended products.

● She called upon the exhibitors and overseas buyers to take part in this initiative to celebrat e the beauty and
vibrancy of Indian silk.
Cabinet approves Budget for fiscal y ear 2021-22

● The Cabinet chaired by P rime Minister Narendra Modi approved the B udget for the f iscal y ear 2021-22.
● Earlier, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called on President Ram Nath Kovind before presenting the Union
Budget 2021-22 in Parliament.

● MoS Finance Anurag Thakur and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance also were present during the meeting.
● Traditionally, copies of the Budget are brought to the Parliament complex before the Finance Minister arrives, this
year no document has been printed following the COVID-19 protocol.

● The Budget copies will be disseminated electronically, with documents being uploaded on the government
website as well as being made available on a special app developed for the same.
K as hmir's 25-yr-old Ayesha Aziz becomes India's youngest f emale pilot

● A y esha Aziz, the 25-year-old from K as hmir who is the youngest female pilot in the country, ac t s as a source of
ins piration and a beacon of empowerment for numerous K ashmiri women.

● In the year 2011, Aziz became the y oungest student pilot to get a license at the age of 15 and underwent training
to fly a MI G-29 jet at Russia's S okol airbase the following year.

● She later graduated in aviation from the B ombay Flying Club (BFC) and obtained a commercial license in 2017.
MCA amends One Person Companies (OPCs) rules

● The Ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) amended the Companies Rules to revise the definition of a small
company and t o allow non-resident Indians (NRIs) to incorporate one person companies (OPCs) in I ndia.
● Previously NRIs were not allowed to incorporate OPCs. Now any natural person, who is an Indian citizen,
whether resident in India or otherwise would be allowed to form an OPC.

● For being considered as a resident in India, the residency period has been proposed to be reduced to 120 day s
f rom 182 days for NRIs.

● Amendments to the Act in 2018, contained provisions for increasing the paid up capital and turnover thresholds
for small companies up to Rs 10 crore and Rs 100 crore, respectively.

● The move is expected to lighten the compliance burden of about 200,000 companies.
J & K Reorganisation A mendment Bill introduced in Rajya S abha

● Minister of State for Home Affairs G K is han Reddy introduced the J ammu and K ashmir Reorganisation (Amendment)
B ill, 2021 in the Rajya S abha.

● The bill will replace Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Ordinance of 2021 which merged the J & K
cadre of the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, and Indian F orest Service with the Arunachal Pradesh,
Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territory cadre, also known as AGMUT cadre.
● The President had promulgated the ordinance last month to amend the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.
Four more states complete ease of doing business reforms

● The Department f or Promotion of I ndustry and I nternal Trade (DPIIT), added f our more states have completed the
reforms in the ‘E ase of Doing B usiness’, as stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance as per recent
dat a.
● Four more States are A s s am, Haryana, Himachal P radesh and Punjab .
● These States have become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources and have been granted permission to
raise additional Rs 5, 034 crore through Open Market Borrowings.

● The total number of states that have undertaken the stipulated reforms to facilitate ease of doing business has gone
up to 12.
● Earlier, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have
also reported completion of this reform.

● On completion of reforms facilitating ease of doing business, these twelve states have been granted additional
borrowing permission of Rs 28, 183 c rore.

● The ease of doing business is an important indicator of the investment friendly business climate in the country.
Improvements in the ease of doing business will enable faster f uture growth of the state economy,
● In May 2020, the government had decided to link the grant of additional borrowing permissions to states that will
undertake the reforms to facilitate ease of doing business

● The four citizen-centric areas for reforms identified were as follows:
● The implementation of the One Nation One Ration Card System
● Ease of doing business reform
● Urban local body or utility reforms
● Power sector reforms
● Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh became the first state to complete three out of four citizen-centric reforms and received
additional funds for capital projects. The Department of Expenditure allocated an additional Rs.660 crore to Madhya Pradesh
for capital expenditure.
45t h K olkata I nternational B ook Fair t o be held in July 2021

● The 45t h Kolkata International B ook Fair will be held in J uly this year at the Cent ral P ark Ground of S alt Lake.
● The Publishers and Booksellers Guild announced that the decision has been taken i n view of the Board exams and
the ensuing Assembly Elections in Wes t Bengal.

● This year the focal theme country is Bangladesh to mark the country’s Golden Jubilee Y ear of Independence and t he
Cent enary of B angabondhu S heikh Mujibur Rahman .

● The 125t h B irth y ear of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Birth Centenary of Satyajit Ray will also be celebrated in
the Book Fair. Earlier, the Kolkata International Book Fair was deferred due to the pandemic situation.
P M t o inaugurate World S ustainable Development S ummit 2 021 on Feb 10

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the World S ustainable Development S ummit 2021 on 10t h of
February via video conferencing.

● The theme of the summit is ‘Redefining Our Common Future: S afe and S ecure E nvironment f or A ll’.
● The 20th edition of The E nergy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) flagship event- the World Sustainable
Development Summit, will be held online from 10th to 12th February.

● The summit will bring together a wide number of governments, business leaders, academicians, cl imate scientists,
youth and the civil society in the fight against climate c hange.
● Energy and industry transition, adaptation and resilience, nature based solutions, climate finance, circular
economy, clean oceans and air pollution, are amongst the range of topics to be discussed during the summit.
● The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and
Ministry of Earth Sciences are key partners of the summit.
P M dedicates to nation projects worth Rs 4,700 cr at Haldia in West B engal

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation f our projects related to oil, gas and road sector worth rupees

f our thousand and seven hundred crores at Haldia in West B engal.

● The Prime Minister inaugurated three projects, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited BPCL’s LPG Import
Terminal at Haldia, GAIL’s Dobhi-Durgapur Natural Gas Pipeline and NHAI’s four lane ROB cum flyover at Ranichak.
● Union ministers Dharmendra Singh , Debasree Chaudhary, Governor of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar were
also present on the occasion.
Ut t arakhand glacier burst

● A major accident occurred in Chamoli in Uttarakhand due to the breaking of t he glacier
● The glacier burst took place at the Ris higanga power project after a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in
Tapovan area of J oshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district and damaged the Rishiganga dam on Alaknanda river.
● The 13. 2 MW Rishiganga hydropower project near Jashimath was completely washed away; the 520 MW NTPC
hydro project on the Dhauliganga river near Raini was partially damaged and at least five bridges were impacted by the surge
of water that was unleashed, cutting access to a number of villages in the area.
● A multi-agency rescue operation including — Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and National Disaster Response
Force (NDRF) — is in full swing to release people still stuck in the tunnels. The forces have cleared 90 meter stretch of debris
in the big tunnel at Tapovan till now, with about 100 meters of clearing still left to do.
B udget 2021: A gricultural credit t arget s et at Rs. 16.5 lakh c rore f or FY22
● With the aim of doubling f armers’ income by 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala S itharaman announced that the
agricultural c redit target was set at Rs . 16.5 lakh c rore f or FY22, during Union Budget 2021.
● It is an increase of 10 perc ent over the previous year Rs 15 Lakh Crore
● She also announced that the micro irrigation fund would be doubled by Rs.5,000 crore. Operation green scheme will
be expanded to include 22 perishable schemes.

● Agriculture infra fund to be increased to Rs.40,000 crore and this will be available to APMCs.
● 1,000 more mandis will be integrated with the electronic national market (e-NAM) to enhance the infrastructure of
APMCs.
P resident K ovind Inaugurates General K S Thimayya Museum I n K arnataka
• On Feb 06, 2021, President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated a mus eum, dedicated to the life of f ormer Army Chief
General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, in Karnataka.
• Sunny Side, the erstwhile ancestral house of General Thimayya, who served as the Chief of Army Staff from 1957 t o
1961, has been renovated and converted into a museum.
• General Thimayya is the pride of K odagu and the memorial museum aims to retell the life-story of the General in an
inspiring manner.

• A statue of the General from Kodagu in uniform greets as one enters the museum, which also showcases a slice of
Indian military history.
• The museum also acknowledges the contribution of General Thimayya's siblings, including two of his brothers, who
too were Army officers, and his wife Nina, who was bestowed with ''Kaiser-e-Hind'' award in recognition of her work in
public service.
GMR Group inks MoU with A irbus for aircraft maintenance & other airport s ervices
• GMR Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with A irbus (a leading manufacturer of commercial
aircrafts) to explore collaboration opportunities across aviation services, technologies and innovation.
• The MoU was s igned at A ero I ndia 2021, B angalore.
• As part of the MoU, GMR Group and Airbus will collaborate to explore a broad scope of aviation services, both for
commercial and military aircraft to benefit the entire aerospace ecosystem in the country.
• The main objective of this partnership will be to explore potential synergies in several strategic areas of aviation
services like maintenance, components, training, digital.
I ndia’s First Thunderstorm Research Testbed to be established at B alasore in Odisha
• Odisha's Balasore will get the country's f irst thunderstorm research testbed, the I ndia Meteorological Department
(I MD).
• The objective of setting up the thunderstorm testbed is to minimize human fatalities and loss of property due to
lightning strikes.
• The thunderstorm testbed will be established in a collaboration between the Ministry of Earth Sci ences, IMD,
Def ence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and I ndian S pace Research Organisation (ISRO).
• IMD Director-General Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, while speaking with a private television channel, also revealed that a
first-of-its-kind monsoon testbed is also being planned near Bhopal.
• Both the projects are in the planning stage and detailed project reports are being made.
UP Gov ernment Announces 16-Digit Unicode To Identify Landholdings
• The Ut t ar Pradesh government has introduced a system of issuing a unique 16-digit Unicode to mark all kinds of
landholdings in t he state.
A bout the 16 Digit Unicode :
• The Unicode number of the land will be 16 digits with the f irst six digits based on t he population of the land, the nex t
4 digits determining the unique identity of the land.
• The digits from 11 to 14 will be the number of the division of the land.
• The last 2 digits will have the details of the category, through which, the agricultural, residential and commercial land
will be identified.
P urpose of the Digit Unicode :

• The Unicode will put an end to fake registries of disputed land and the scheme is being implemented across the
state.
• The work has started in most of the districts.
• Every piece of land in the state will have its own unique identity from now onwards that would check c ases of land
disputes and save people from falling into the trap of fraudsters.
• While the Unicode assessment for plots has started in all revenue villages, the work of marking t he disputed plots in
the computerised management system is being done by the revenue courts
S k yroot, B ellatrix s igns MoU to use latter's orbital transfer v ehicle
• S k yroot A erospace and Bellatrix A erospace have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to use the Orbital
Transfer Vehicle being developed by B ellatrix Aerospace in the upper stage of Vikram series of launch vehicles being
developed by Skyroot.
• Skyroot and Bellatrix plan to have the f irst mission of a V ikram launcher with an Orbital Transfer Vehicle by 2023.
• The vehicle is expected to help global operators reduce time and costs for launching communication and earth
observation satellites.
A bout OTV :
• An Orbital Transfer Vehicle is a spacecraft that can perform various in-orbit operations including deployment of
customer payload to precise orbits, allowing a launch vehicle t o deliver satellites to more orbits than what was
conventionally possible.
• In simple terms, it is like a taxi in space to take satellites to their operational orbits.
A bout Skyroot Aerospace :
• Skyroot Aerospace, founded in 2018, is a National Award winning startup building space launch vehicles. It is
founded by former ISRO scientists and plans their first launch to Space in 2021.
• Last year Skyroot successfully tested their upper stage engine Raman and Solid fuel demonstrator Kalam-5.
A bout B ellatrix Aerospace :
• Bellatrix Aerospace, an IP driven space tech company founded in 2015, is a full-suite solution provider of spacecraft
propulsion systems offering both chemical and electric propulsion technologies.
Tamil Nadu s et to create s tate’s 5th tiger reserve

● With the Centre’s approval, Tamil Nadu government passed an order for creating the f ifth t iger reserve in the state
and the 51s t in the country.

● The S rivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve will span the forests of Megamalai wildlife sanctuary and Srivilliputhur
grizzled squirrel wildlife sanctuary spread across the districts of Theni, Virudhunagar and Madurai.
● The 100, 000-hectare area is home to a range of mammals and bird species and more than a dozen tigers
● Fourteen t igers have so far been identified in Meghamalai and Srivilliputhur sanctuaries following scat analysis
between 2017 and 2018.

● Meghamalai is home to a large population of hoofed animals, spotted deers, Indian gaurs, etc. while Sriviliputhur has
Nilgiri tahrs, Sambars, elephants, and bird species among others.

● The first tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu – Kalakkad Mundanthurai – was formed around 1988-89, which was followed by
Anamalai and Mudumalai in 2008 and 2009. The fourth reserve – Sathyamangalam was created around 2013-14.
FS S AI notified regulations t o limit trans f at in food items
● P ac kaged f ood companies said the Food S afety and S tandards A uthority of I ndia’s (FSSAI) move to reduce trans-fat
in f ood items which use edible oil as an ingredient to 2% f rom 2022.

● An FSSAI notification dated February 2 said the latest amendment of the Food Safety and Standards (P rohibition and
Res triction on Sales) Regulations, 2011 will come into effect from January 1, 2022.
● It is c ons umer f riendly and will not put burden on the industry as most companies are already working on reducing
trans-fat in their products

● The permissible limit for trans fats in food products in 2021 is 3 perc ent, cut down from the previous limit of 5 per
cent.
● Food products that incorporate edible oils and fats as ingredients, including edible refined oils, vanaspati/partially
hydrogenated oils, margarine, vegetable fat spreads, mixed fat spreads, bakery shortenings, fall under the ambit of the newly
issued Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2021.
● The World Health Organization (WHO), which has launched a major campaign to eliminate industrially-produced
trans fat from national food supplies by 2023, says trans fat intake is responsible for approximately 500,000 premature deaths
from coronary heart disease each year around the world.
Nat ional Horticulture Fair 2021 B egins in Bengaluru

● The f ive-day National Horticulture Fair 2021 has started in B engaluru on 8 February.
● The fair is organized by the I ndian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) at the Institute’s Hessarghatta campus on
the outskirts of Bengaluru city.

● This is the f irst time when the Horticulture Fair is organized in both physical and virtual ways. Cutting edge
technologies, crop varieties, pest and disease management practices, and processing methods will be demonstrated.
● The theme of NHF 2021 is ‘Horticulture f or Start-Up and Stand-Up I ndia’.
● Virtual preparations have been made across the country to webcast the program in the premises of KVK, FPO,
SSIAT centres of art of living foundation, agricultural training centres of respective state governments.
● Interested farmers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders are requested to register in the NHF 2021 to participate
through virtual mode.
A bout National Horticulture Fair :

● The fair will showcase live demonstrations of improved varieties and technologies , and farmer-entrepreneur-scientist
interactions.
● There will be the sale of seeds, planting materials, and products from ICAR-IIHR and other public and private firms
for the benefit of end-users.

● There will be stalls of both public and private sectors.
Gov t brings bill t o replace ordinance facilitating regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delh i
● The government introduced a bill in the Rajy a S abha, which seeks to replace the Nat ional Capital Territory of Delhi
Laws (Special P rovisions) S econd (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.

● The ordinance was promulgated by P res ident Ram Nath K ovind on December 30, 2020. It amended the National
Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011.

● The 2011 Act was valid till December 31, 2020. The Ordinance extended the deadline to December 31, 2023.
● The 2011 Act provided for the regularisation of the unauthorised colonies that existed in the national capital as on
March 31, 2002 and where construction took place till June 1, 2014.
● Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri introduced the National Capital Territory of Delhi
Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2021
Gov t. launches website - I ndia Toy Fair- 2021

● The government will launch the website of the I ndia Toy Fair- 2021.
● The website will be launched jointly by Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goy al
and Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in New Delhi.
Gov t. launches new Scheme - 'Formation and P romotion of 10,000 FPOs

● The Ministry of Agriculture has said that the government has launched a new Central Sector Scheme titled
'Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer P roduce Organizations (FP Os)' and it has committed res ourc es in this regard
with a budgetary provision of Rs 6, 865 crore.

● The Ministry in a statement said that FPOs are to be developed to produce clusters, wherein agricultural and
horticultural products are grown for leveraging economies of scale and improving market access for members.
● It said, under this Central Sector Scheme with funding from Government of India, formation and Promotion of FPOs
are to be done through implementing agencies and at present, nine such agencies have been finalized.
P M inaugurates World S ustainable Development S ummit 2021

● Prime Minister S hri Narendra Modi inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit 2021 via video
conferencing.
● The theme of the Summit is ‘Redefining our common future: S afe and s ecure environment f or all’.
● The 20th edition of The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI) flagship event, the World Sustainable Development
Summit, will be held online from February 10 to February 12 and will bring together a wide number of governments , business
leaders, academicians, climate scientists, youth, and the civil society in the fight against climate change.

● India's Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of
Earth Sciences are key partners of the Summit.

● The Summit series brings together governments, business leaders, academicians, climate scientists, youth, and the
civil society in the fight against climate change
Rajy a S abha passes Major Port Authorities Bill 2020

● Rajya Sabha passed the Major P ort Authorities B ill, 2020.
● The Bill was put to Division Voting wherein 84 members supported the bill and 44 v ot ed against it.
● The bill seeks to provide for regulation, operation and planning of major ports in the country and provide greater
autonomy to these ports.

● It seeks to replace the Major Port Trusts Act, 1963.
● The legislation provides for the creation of a Board of Major Port Authority for each major port.
● These Boards will replace the existing Port Trusts.
● Union Shipping Minister Mansuk h Mandaviya while replying after the discussion on the bill said that it will make the
major ports in the country more autonomous and provide major thrust in the maritime sector.
60 k m area of India-Bangladesh border cannot be fenced

● Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, there are 60 kilometres area in India Bangladesh border which cannot
be fenced, mak ing it prone t o infiltration.

● Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Rai said due to rivers in the area the fencing is difficult.
● He said, 33 land acquisition proposals are pending with the West Bengal government.
● The minister lamented that the state police does not act in the manner it should act
I ndia’s first ever CNG Tractor to be launched

● Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nit in Gadkari will formally launch I ndia's first-ever diesel t ractor
c onverted into a CNG t ractor on February 12.

● This conversion is jointly done by Rawmatt Techno S olutions and Tomasetto Achille India .
● The CNG tractor will help farmers to inc rease their income, by lowering costs and help to create job opportunities in
rural India.
● This will help them to improve their livelihood.
● The farmers can s av e up to 50 per cent on the fuel cost as the current Diesel prices are around 77 rupees per litre
whereas CNG is only 42 rupees per kilogram

● The conversion from diesel to CNG will be beneficial as it is a clean fuel with lowest carbon and pollutant content. It is
also economical as it has zero lead and is non-corrosive, non-dilutive and non-contaminating which helps in increasing the
life of the engine.

Ov er 1 crore MSMEs registered in country - period of 5 y ears

● Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry has informed that more than one crore two lakh MSMEs were
registered in the country within f ive y ears.

● Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Nitin Gadkari said that as per Udyog Aadhaar Portal a total of one
c rore t wo lakh 32 thousand 468 MSMEs were registered between 2015 to June 2020.
● He said, MSME Ministry has implemented various other schemes for the growth and development of MSME sector in
the country.
● He added that the government has taken a number of initiatives under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to support the
MSME sector in the country especially in Covid-19 pandemic.
Def ence Minister Rajnath S ingh inaugurates 'Jala A bhishekam' campaign

● Union Def ence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurat ed more than 57, 000 water structures constructed in
Madhya P radesh under the 'Jala Abhishekam' campaign from New Delhi.
● Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also attended the program virtually organised in the presence of Chief Minister
S hivraj Singh Chauhan at B hopal.

● Defence Minister Mr Rajnath singh while inaugurating water structures virtually under 'J ala Abhishekam' campaign
said that Water conservation work being done by the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with public participation will be
helpful in achieving the goal of water conservation and building self-reliant Madhya P radesh.
I ndian A rmy - Centre f or Land Warfare Studies organises Nationa l Seminar-cum-Webinar, named Divya Drishti 2021
● Indian Army National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named as Divya-Drishti 2021 on Multi-Domain Operations: Future of
Conf licts was organised by Centre for Land Warfare Studies, CLAWS.
● Divya-Drishti 2021, meaning divine or cognitive perception required for an informed vision, aimed to bring together
national and international experts and practitioners to deliberate on the complex and emerging subject on multi -domain
operations.
● The webinar was attended virtually by Army Chief General MM Naravane, Vice Chief of Army Lieutenant General CP
Mohanty, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command Lieutenant General Raj Shukla, along with
other dignitaries from the Ministry of Defence, three Services, former Chiefs of the Army Staff and leading security Think
Tanks in the country and members of the media.
1s t India Toy Fair - Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani
● The Government is organising the first ever India Toy Fair from 27t h February t o 2nd March.
● Women and Child Dev elopment Minister Smriti Zubin Irani , E ducation Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and
Commerce and I ndustry Minister P iyush Goyal jointly inaugurated the website of The I ndia Toy Fair-2021 in New Delhi.
● Speaking on the occasion, Women and Child Dev elopment Minister Smriti Zubin Irani said, to achieve Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat, to strengthen toy manufacturing industry in the country and to connect
children with toys from a learning-perspective, Government had organized the 1st Toycathon last month.

P M Modi addresses on 'Samarpan Diwas' to commemorate contributions of P andit Deendayal Upadhyaya

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the party MPs on the occasion of ' S amarpan Diwas' to commemorate
t he c ontributions of his party's f ounder leader Deen Dayal Upadhyay on his death anniversary.
● He is addressing B J P MPs at Ambedkar I nternational Center, Janpath.
● Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was a Ras htriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) thinker and former leader of the political
party Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of Bharatiya Janata Party.

● Deen Dayal Ji was behind the ‘vision of building a self-reliant India’. He said that we need to build an India that is
self-reliant not just in agriculture, but also in defence and weaponry.
S k ills development ministry launches Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship in partnership with IIMs
● To s t rengthen skills training at district level, the skills development ministry launched the Mahatma Gandhi National
Fellowship (MGNF) programme nationwide in partnership with nine Indian Institutes of Management across India.
● The programme has been launched under the World Bank loan assisted programme S A NK ALP (Skills Acquisition
and K nowledge A wareness for Livelihood P romotion).

● The t wo-year academic programme will have an in-built component of on-ground practical experience with the district
administration.
● The nine IIMs include the IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Visakhapatnam, IIM -
Udaipur, IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi and IIM-Jammu.

● Selected fellows will be given a stipend of about Rs 50, 000 per month during the first y ear and Rs 60,000 per month
during t he s econd y ear of the fellowship programme.

● The fellows will be imparted training by the nine top IIMs of the country and in the later phase of the fellowship, the
fellows will work on strengthening the District Skill Committees and the District Skill administration.
P M Modi unveils several development projects in K erala

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled several key development projects worth 6, 100 crore rupees at I NS Garuda
Nav al A ir S tation at K ochi in Kerala .

● The Prime Minister said, the projects inaugurated will energize the growth trajectory of India.
● The Prime Minister said, Indians can do wonders in achieving the target of A t manirbhar B harat.
● The Prime Minister said, India has the ability to rise to the occasion and contribute to the global good.
● The Prime Minister also inaugurated the country's f irst f ull-fledged international cruise t erminal, S agarika at Cochin
P ort and Marine E ngineering Training Institute of Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

● Among the projects unveiled by the Prime Minister include the Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project of Bharat
Petroleum Corporation.

P rime Minister Narendra Modi unveils several developmental projects at Chennai in Tamil Nadu
● The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the f oundation stone of several developmental projects worth over 8000
c rore rupees at Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

● The Prime Minister asserted, t hese projects are symbols of Innovation and I ndigenous development.
● The Prime Minister said, India has the ability to rise to the occasion and contribute to the global good.
● The Prime Minister also handed over the indigenously designed and manufactured A rjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A)
t o t he A rmy.
● The Prime Minister asserted, these projects are symbols of Innovation and Indigenous development.
● He stated that the projects will further t he growth of Tamil Nadu.
● P rime Minister s aid, Thanjavur and P udukkottai will be specially benefited after the foundation for the extension,
renovation and modernization of s ix hundred and t hirty six kilometre long Grand Anicut Canal System was laid.
● It will improve irrigation facilities for 2. 27 lakh acres of land in the delta districts.
● The Prime Minister lauded the farmers of Tamil Nadu for record f ood grain production and good use of water
res ources.
● He emphasized the need to remember the mantra of P er Drop More Crop.
FinMin to infuse Rs 3,000 c r in state-owned general insurers t his quarter

● The Finance Ministry will infuse Rs 3, 000 crore capital into state-owned general insurance companies during the
current quarter in a bid to improve t heir financial health.

● The Union Cabinet headed by P rime Minister Narendra Modi cleared proposals to provide capital support to National
Insurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance.

● The cabinet had also decided to increase the authorised share capital of Nat ional I nsurance Company Limited (NICL)
t o Rs 7,500 c rore and that of Unit ed I ndia I nsurance Company Limited (UIICL) and Oriental I nsurance Company Limited
(OI CL) to Rs 5,000 crore each to give effect to the capital infusion decision.
● The capital infusion will enable the three public sector general insurance companies t o improve their financial and
solvency position, meet the insurance needs of the economy, absorb changes and enhance the capacity to raise resources
and improve risk management.
Odisha govt t o construct ‘COVID Warrior Memorial’ at Biju Patnaik P ark in B hubaneswar
● Odisha government to construct ‘COVID Warrior Memorial’ at B iju P atnaik P ark in B hubaneswar in recognition of the
s ac rifice & services rendered by COVID19 warriors who have lost their lives fighting the pandemic.
● More than 60 Covid warriors including health workers in Odisha have succumbed to coronavirus. 19.
● The state government plans to inaugurate the memorial on A ugust 15 2021.
● Last year, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced that the martyr status would be accorded to all
health personnel and other support services who succumbed to Covid19.

● The state government also announced ₹50 lakh ex-gratia to all health personnel (private and public) and members of
all other support services who died of Covid-19.
P M t o lay foundation stone of Maharaja S uheldev Memorial

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Maharaja S uheldev Memorial and development work of
Chittaura Lake in B ahraich, Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing.

● The event marks the birt h anniversary of Maharaja S uheldev.
● UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the occasion.
● The complete project will include installation of an equestrian statue of Maharaja Suheldev and development of
various tourist amenities like cafeteria, guest house and a children’s park
Minority Affairs Ministry organized 26th Hunar Haat in New Delhi

● Minority Affairs Ministry is organising 26t h Hunar Haat of indigenous artisans and craftsmen from across the country
at J awaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

● More than 600 artisans and craftsmen, including a large number of women artisans, from more than 31 S t ates and
Union Territories will participate in the event.

● The Hunar Haat will be organised with the theme of Vocal for Local from 20th February to 1st March this year.
● Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the Hunar Haat is a perfect platform to promote
indigenous products of artisans and craftsmen from across the country.

● He said, it has provided employment and employment opportunities to more than five lakh artis ans, craftsmen and
artists yet.
I S RO and MapmyIndia collaborate t o bring I ndia made rival t o Google Maps

● I ndian S pace Research Organisation (ISRO) and MapmyIndia, the navigation solutions provider, have joined hands
to offer an indigenous mapping s olution to take on Google Maps.

● According to MapmyIndia CEO and Executive Director, Rohan V erma, the services will combine the power of the
company’s digital maps and technologies with ISRO's catalogue of satellite imagery and earth observation data.
● The collaboration will enable them to jointly identify and build a holistic geospatial portal utilising earth observation
datasets, 'NavIC', Web Services and APIs (application programming interface) available in MapmyIndia, ISRO said in a
statement adding that the geospatial portals will be called 'Bhuvan', 'VEDAS' and 'MOSDAC'.
● Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System also known as NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), is an
indigenous navigation system, developed by ISRO.

● Bhuvan is the national geo-portal developed and hosted by ISRO comprising geospatial data, services, and tools for
analysis.
● The collaboration will use ISRO’s database of satellite images and MapmyIndia’s digital map platform to develop the
new app.

I I T Bombay launches f undraising c ampaign ‘Cherish IIT B ombay 2021’

● I I T Bombay launched its f irst-ever annual fundraising campaign in I ndia, Cherish IIT Bombay 2021.
● The funds will be used for the creation of world-class laboratory complexes, modernization of lecture halls and
continuation of awards to attract and retain faculty.

● Donations made to IIT Bombay by corporate bodies and individuals are 100% tax-deductible under section 80G of
the Indian Income Tax Act.
P M Modi to address NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the NASS COM Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) via video
conferencing.
● The three-day 29th edition of NTLF is being organized till 19t h of February.
● It is a flagship event of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM).
● The t heme of this y ear's event is 'Shaping t he f uture t owards a better normal'.
● The event will host 1,600 participants from more than 30 countries.
● Over 30 products will be showcased during the talks.
Def ence Minister presents B est Marching C ontingent award of Republic Day parade 2021
● Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that unity in diversity is the beauty of Indian democracy and this unique
feature is only visible in India.

● He said, India is the largest democ racy in the world and divers ity plays an import ant role in strengthening the
democracy.
● While giving away the B est Marching Contingent Award of Republic Day Parade 2021 , Mr. Singh appreciated the
efforts of armed forces and central armed police forces.

● He said, Republic Day is a national festival and it gives a glimpse of our progress in military prowess to the world.
● He praised the efforts and role played by the Delhi Police in controlling several nefarious acts.
15 s t ates s uccessfully attain E ase of Doing Business reforms

● The number of s t ates successfully completing the E ase of Doing B usiness reforms has increased to 15.
● The Finance Ministry has said that three more states - Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarak hand have completed Ease
of Doing Business reforms.

● On receipt of recommendation from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, t he Department of
Expenditure has granted permission to thes e three states to raise additional financial resources of nine thousand 905 crore
rupees through Open Market Borrowings.

● The Ministry said, earlier, Andhra Prades h, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnat aka, Kerala, Madhya
P radesh, Odisha, P unjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana had also reported c ompletion of t his reform.
● On completion of reforms facilitating ease of doing business, these 15 states have been granted additional borrowing
permission of over 38 thousand crore rupees.

P M Modi unveils several development projects in A ssam

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Mahabahu -Brahmaputra initiative, lay the foundation stone of Dhubri-
P hulbari B ridge and perform Bhoomi Poojan for construction of Majuli Bridge Assam through video conferencing.
● Mr Modi said it is a landmark day for Assam’s development journey as the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra initiative will be
launched.
● Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Minister fo r Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh
Mandaviya, DoNE R minister Dr. Jitendra Singh and Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of
Meghalaya Conrad K Sangma will be present on the occasion.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs unveils P ilot P ey Jal Survekshan

● Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a P ilot Pey Jal S urvekshan under J al Jeevan Mission- Urban,
J J M-U.
● Secretary Housing and Urban Affairs Durga Shanker Mishra informed that it will be conducted in cities to ascertain
equitable distribution of water, reuse of wastewat er and mapping of water bodies with respect to quantity and qualit y of wate r
through a challenge process.

● He said, as a first step, the Ministry has decided to launch the Survekshan in 10 cities - Agra, Badlapur,
Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala, Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur.
Gov t increases budget of Dept of S cience and Technology and Ministry of Earth S ciences by 30 per cent
● The Union Government has increased the budget of Department of Scienc e and Technology and Ministry of Earth
S c iences by 30 per cent as compared to the revised es t imate of 2020-21.

● An allocation of Rs 16,695 crore has been giv en for the two ministries which will add thrust to India's remarkable,
accelerated growth in the fields of Science and Technology.

● Rs 50 t housand crore have been allocated for the Nat ional Research Foundation.
● The Minister informed that the National Research Foundation (NRF) will be an independent society and it will build on
existing national strengths in research and innovation. It will fill gaps in the current research and education ecosystem to
augment India’s research and innovation achievements.
Nit in Gadkari s ays, Tamil Nadu has become reducing road accidents by 50 per c ent
● Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Tamil Nadu has become a pioneer in
reducing road accidents by fifty per c ent.

● Inaugurating Road Safety Schemes in Chennai , the Minister told that all other states should follow Tamil Nadu model
f or road safety.
● He said that there was a need to increase the widt h of the roads in the count ry, identify the black spots and follow
excellent road engineering methods.

P resident inaugurates Rashtrapati B havan K rida Sthal in P resident’s Estate

● President Ram Nat h Kovind inaugurated the Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal in the President’s Estate which includes
renovated Foot ball Ground and Basketball Court.

● On the occasion, an exhibition football match was played bet ween the children of My Angels Ac ademy, a trust
working for the cause of underprivileged children.

● These state-of -art sports facilities are developed with the aim to cater to the needs of the employees of Rashtrapati
Bhavan and their families.
An inter-departmental football tournament with f iv e t eams namely - P resident’s Secretariat Heroes, Household Y oungs, PBG
Warriors, A rmy Guard Daredevils and Delhi Police Stalwarts starts to encourage the employees and their family members to
take part in the sports activities.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs unveils P ilot P ey Jal Survekshan

● Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a P ilot Pey Jal S urvekshan under J al Jeevan Mission- Urban,
J J M-U.
● Secretary Housing and Urban Affairs Durga Shanker Mishra informed that it will be conducted in cities to ascertain
equitable distribution of water, reuse of wastewat er and mapping of water bodies with respect to quantity and qualit y of wate r
through a challenge process.

● He said, as a first step, the Ministry has decided to launch the Survekshan in 10 cities - Agra, Badlapur,
Bhubaneswar, Churu, Kochi, Madurai, Patiala, Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur.
A mazon announces first device manufacturing line in India

● E-commerce giant A mazon has announced its plans to begin manuf acturing devices in I ndia.
● This is the f irst A mazon manufacturing line in India and reiterates the firm’s commitment to the government’s “Mak e
in I ndia'' f or an Atma Nirbhar B harat.

● Amazon will commence manufacturing with contract manufacturer Cloud Network Technology, a subsidiary of
Foxconn, in Chennai, and start production later this year.

● The programme will churn out hundreds of thousands of Fire TV Stick devices every year. Amazon will evaluate
scaling capacity to additional marketplaces and cities, depending on the domestic demand.
● In 2020 Amazon announced “Local Shops on Amazon”, a programme that retailers and local shops be self -
dependent, and benefit from selling online.

● It now has over 22,000 neighbourhood stores registered across the country, gathering additional footfalls through
their online presence and furthering their earning potential by acting as pickup points, logistics partners, and experience
centres for e-commerce.
I I T Madras-incubated P i Beam launches PiMo e-bike

● I I T Madras-incubated startup Pi B eam has launched an electric two-wheeler, P iMo, for Rs 30,000.
● The utility e-bike, which is targeted at personal and commercial applications, has a range of 50 km.

● The e-bik e does not require a license or registration and has localised most of the components including the lithium-
ion batteries and controllers.

● The company aims to sell 10, 000 units by the end of nex t financial y ear (2021-22).
● PiMo is a vehicle that’s between an electric bicycle and entry -level electric scooter.
● Pi Beam is an incubated company at IIT-M to bring electric mobility in India.
P M Modi to inaugurate k ey projects of K erala v irtually

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of key projects of power and urban sector
in K erala through video c onferencing .

● He will inaugurate the 320 K V Pugalur - Thrissur Power Transmission P roject.
● It is a Voltage Source Inverter based High Voltage Direct Current (HV DC) Project and has India's first HVDC link
featuring state-of-the-art VSC technology.

● Built at a cost of Rs 5070 crore, it will facilitate transfer of 2000 MW power from the western region and help meet the
growth in load for the people of Kerala.

● The Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation the 50 MW Kasaragod Solar Power Project.
● It has been developed under the National Solar Energy Mission.
Union Cabinet approves production-linked incentive scheme - telecom s ector

● The Union Cabinet approved a production-linked inc entive scheme for t he telecom sector.
● Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, Electronic and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, the production-
linked incentive worth Rs 12, 195 Crore has been cleared for the telecom sector.
● He said this will create 40 t housand direct and indirect employment.
● Production Linked Incentive Scheme intends to promote manufacture of Teleco m and Net working Products in India
and proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract investments in the target segments of telecom
and networking products in order to encourage mak e in I ndia.

● The scheme will also encourage exports of telecom and networking products ' Made in India'.
● Support under the Scheme will be provided to companies and entities engaged in manufacturing of specified telecom
and networking products in India.
S hri Thaawarchand Gehlot to Virtually Release 3rd Edition of Indian S ign Language dictionary
● Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment S hri Thaawarchand Gehlot will virtually release the 3rd edition of
the Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary with 10,000 terms (including 6, 000 earlier terms) on 17t h February 2021 in a
virtual programme.
● The programme will be webcast live at the following link: ht t ps://webcast.gov.in/msje/
● The Dictionary has been brought out by the I ndian Sign Language Research and Training Cent re (ISLRTC), an
autonomous Institute under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social
Justice & Empowerment.

● The 1st edition of the ISL Dictionary was launched on 23rd March 2018 with 3000 terms and the 2nd edition with
6000 terms (including earlier 3000 terms) was launched on 27th February 2019.
● The 3rd edition of the ISL Dictionary contains a total 10,000 terms of everyday use, aca demic terms, legal &
administrative terms, medical terms, technical terms and agricultural terms.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launches P ilot P ey Jal Survekshan

● Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a P ilot P ey Jal Survekshan under J al J eevan Mission- Urban.
● It will be conducted in cities to ascertain equitable distribution of water, reuse of w astewater and mapping of water
bodies with respect to quantity and quality of water through a challenge process.
● As a first step, the Ministry has decided to launch the Survekshan in 10 cities- Agra, Badlapur, Bhubanes war, Churu,
K oc hi, Madurai, Patiala, Rohtak, Surat and Tumkur
Jal Jeevan Mission Urban is designed to provide universal coverage of water supply to all households through functional taps
in all 4,378 statutory towns in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal - 6.
• The total outlay proposed for JJM (U) is 2 lakh 87 thousand crore rupees which includes 10 thousand crore rupees
for continuing financial support to AMRUT mission.
P M Modi to launch Mahabahu-Brahmaputra initiative in Assam

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra initiative and lay the f oundation stones of
one bridge and perform a ground-breaking ceremony (bhumi pujan) of another in A s sam via video conferencing.
● A im : To improve connectivity in the eastern states, will be marked by the inauguration of the Ro-Pax vessel
operations between Neamati-Majuli Island, North Guwahati-South Guwahati and Dhubri-Hatsingimari.

● Foundation stone of Inland Water Transport Terminal at Jogighopa and various tourist jetties on Brahmaputra and
launch of digital solutions for Ease-of-Doing-Business will also be a part of the initiative.
● The PM will lay the foundation stone for a four lane bridge over the B rahmaputra between Dhubri (on North Bank)
and P hulbari (on S outh Bank).
Labour Minister S antosh Gangwar launches applications for f ive pan-India s urveys
● The importance of accurate data for policy making, Labour Minister S antosh Gangwar launched s of tware
applications for five pan-India surveys, including on migrant and domestic workers.
● The minister also released instruction manuals with questionnaires for the five pan-India surveys being conducted by
the Labour Bureau.

● These five surveys being undertaken by the Labour B ureau are -- All-India Survey on Migrant workers, A ll-India
S urvey on Domestic Workers, All-India Survey on E mployment Generated by P rofessionals, All-India S urvey on E mployment
Generated in Transport S ector, and A ll-India Quarterly Establishment based E mployment S urvey.
● The objectives of the all-India survey on employment generated by professionals are essentially two-fold, firstly to
estimate the total number of active professionals in the country and secondly to capture the employment generated by these
professionals.

P M Modi inaugurates oil and gas s ector projects in Tamil Nadu

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for key oil and gas s ector projects in Tamil Nadu via video
conferencing.
● During his address, the Prime Minister said, I ndian Oil’s 143-km-long pipeline from Ramanathapuram t o Thoothukudi
will monetise the gas from ONG gas fields.

● This is a part of a larger national gas pipeline project being developed at a cost of Rs . 4,500 crore.
● It will benefit Ennore, Thiruvallur, Bengaluru, Puducherry, Nagapattinam, Madurai and Thoothukudi.”
● He will also lay the foundation stone of Cauvery Bas in Refinery at Nagapattinam.
● These projects will result in substantial socio-economic benefits and will boost the country's march towards Urja
Aatmanirbharta.
Chhat rapati S hivaji Maharaj B irth A nniversary - P rime Minister pays rich tribute
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the occasion of his Birth
Anniversary.
● Remembering Chhatrapati Shivaji as an immortal son of Mother India, Mr. Modi said that the saga of indomitable
courage, valour and intelligence of the great Maratha ruler will keep inspiring countrymen for ages.
● Information and Broadcasting Minister Prak ash Javadekar remembered Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a great
warrior and strategist of India.
Foreign Ministers of Quad countries demand pr omoting freedom of navigation in Indo-Pacific region
● Foreign Ministers of Quad countries - I ndia, Australia, Japan and US - discussed the necessity to promot e freedom of
navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.

● E x ternal Affairs Minister Dr S. J aishankar represented India at the Third Quad Ministerial Meeting.
● The Foreign Ministers emphasized their c ommitment to upholding a rules-based international order, underpinned by
respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, rule of law, transparency, and freedom of navigation in the international seas
and peaceful resolution of disputes.

● It was noted that the Indo-Pacific concept had gathered growing international support, including in Europe.
P M c alls f or special visa f or Doctors and Nurses for South A sia t o tackle any medical emergency
● P rime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India is working towards a healthy and COVID-19 free neighbourhood.
● Addressing a Workshop on COVID-19 Management-Experienc e, Good Practices and Way Forward with nearly ten
neighboring countries virtually, Mr Modi said all countries have learned from each other from best practices.
● The Prime Minister said India has achieved the lowest fatality rate globally.
● Mr Modi said all countries should maintain collaborative spirit during the vaccination.
● Mr Modi s uggested that there should be special visas for medical prof essionals and arrangement for s pecial Air
ambulance.
● Prime minister said, I ndia's Ayushman Bharat can be a case study for all the regional countries for healthcare.

● The Prime Minister insisted that a regional platform may be created for studies on forecasting future pandemics.
' P ariksha Pe Charcha' programme with Prime Minister to be held online

● Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriy al Nishank has announced that the f ourt h edition of Prime Minister’s
I nt eraction P rogramme with school students, teachers and parents - Pariksha Pe Charcha will be held next month.
● Mr Nishank also said that the registration process for the forthcoming 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' programme has begun
which will be open till 14th of March.

● He informed me that this time the programme will be held virtually.
● He said the participants of this programme will be selected through an online competition which will be organised on
My Gov platform.
● Mr Nishank also informed that the portal for online creative writing competition will remain open till 14th of March.
I nt ensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 launched t o expand immunization c overage across country
● Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched I nt ensified M ission I ndradhanush 3.0, (IMI 3.0) to
ex pand immunization c overage across the c ountry.

● It will have two rounds starting from the 22nd of this month and the 22nd of March t his year and will be conducted in
pre-identified 250 districts and urban areas across 29 States and UTs in the country.
● Both rounds will be for 15 days each.
● A portal of IMI 3.0 has also been launched besides releasing the Operational Guidelines and the awarene ss material
of the campaign.
● The focus of the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 will be t he children and pregnant women who have missed
t heir vaccine doses during t he COVID-19 pandemic.

● They will be identified and vaccinated during the two rounds.
● Beneficiaries from migration areas and hard to reach areas will be targeted as they may have missed their vaccine
doses during COVID19.
Hy derabad gets recognition as 2020 Tree City of t he World

● The United Nations Food and A griculture Organization and the A rbor Day Foundation have recognized Hy derabad
as a 2020 Tree City of World, for its commitment t o growing and maintaining urban forests.
● Hyderabad earned recognition in the Foundation’s second year of the programme along with 51 other cities globally
(120 c ities from 63 countries assessed) and the only city in India to get this recognition so far.
● List of Fiv e Factors to be E ligible for ‘Tree City’
● To be eligible for Tree City, the city must affirm its five requirements, include
1. Defining responsibility (the declaration written by civic representatives to assign the responsibility for trees)
2. Setting down the rules (the law or official policy that regulates forest and tree management)
3. Knowing what you have (an updated inventory or assessment of the local tree resources)
4. Allocate funds (a dedicated annual tree management plan routine budget)

5. Celebrate achievements (an annual celebration of trees to raise awareness).
I ndia, Maldives sign f ive pacts t o boost infrastructure projects
● I ndia and its Southern neighbour Maldives s igned f ive agreements that would boost infrastructure in the island
nat ion.
● The pacts that were signed during Foreign Minister S Jaishankar’s visit.
● India has offered a standalone Line of Credit of $40 million for sports infrastructure in the Maldives.
● Jaishankar, who arrived here on the first leg of his two-nation tour that will also take him to Mauritius, handed over
100, 000 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the Foreign Minister and Health Minister Kerafa Naseem.
● Apart from this, five pacts were signed between India and Maldives to boost infrastructure in the is land nation.
● Amendatory Agreement to repurpose an older EXIM Bank of India Line of Credit of USD 25 million for Road Devt
● Letter of Intent between EXIM Bank and local authorities for financing a housing project of 2000 units in Hulhumale.
● MoU on grant funding USD 0.5 million for a fish processing plant in Kendhikulhudhoo in the northern Maldives.
● MoU on capacity building and exchange of content and expertise between Prasar Bharati and Public State Media,
Maldives.
● MoU on sustainable urban development between MoHUA and Ministry of national planning, housing and
infrastructure, Maldives.
Tourism Minister to inaugurate I ncredible India Mega Homestay Development
● Cult ure and Tourism Minister P rahlad S ingh P atel will inaugurate the three day I nc redible I n d i a M eg a H o mes t ay
Dev elopment and Training Workshop in Darjeeling.
● The concept of Homestay is getting popular in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of Northern part of West Bengal .
● The involvement of the local community is more than ever in this Homes t ay Touris m at one of the most favoured hill
stations for domestic and inbound tourists.
● The Tourism Ministry said, a total of 450 homes t ay owners will be trained in the workshop where I I A S S c hool of
Management will train them free of cost in different spheres of Hos pitality.
● The aim of this robust hospitality training workshop is to upgrade the hospitality skills of local community stakeholders
by capacity building.
Nat ional Toy Fair to be organized f rom Feb 27
● The f irst-ever National Toy Fair will be organized from 27t h February t o 2nd March through a virtual medium.
● I I T Gandhinagar based Centre for Creative Learning (CCL) will showcase its unique 75 toy creations in the fair.
● IIT Gandhinagar is the only IIT in the country which is running such a centre for creativ e learning.

● The centre is inculcating scientific temperament among students and teachers by developing a range of s c ientific and
educ ational t oys.
● Founder of CCL, Manis h J ain said education is supposed to ignite the brains of the children and for this to happen, it
is important the children find education interesting
S ev eral projects to be launched by P M Modi in A ssam, West Bengal
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit A s sam and West Bengal.
● In Assam, Mr Modi will dedicate important projects of the oil and gas sector to the nation at S ilapat har in Dhemaji
dis trict.
● The Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the I NDMA X Unit at Indian Oil’s Bongaigaon Refinery, Oil India
Limited's Secondary Tank Farm at Madhuban, Dibrugarh and a Gas Compressor Station at Hebeda Village, Makum,
Tinsukia.
● He will also inaugurate the Dhemaji E ngineering College and lay the foundation stone for Sualkuchi Engineering
College.
● These projects will usher in an era of energy security and prosperity, and open bright avenues of opportunity for local
youth.
● They are in line with the P rime Minister's v ision of Purvodaya t o drive E astern India's socio-economic growth.
P rakash Javadekar inaugurates Atal Paryavaran Bhavan in Lakshadweep
● Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, P rak ash Javadekar, inaugurated the A t al P aryavaran
B havan at Lakshadweep on Feb 19, 2021.
● Prakash Javadekar is on a f our day official visit t o Lakshadweep f rom February 19 to 22, 2021.
● The minister attended high level meetings with the Secretaries of various departments in UT’s administration.
● The Minister is to attend programmes at S uheli, K admat and B angaram islands and evaluate major innovative
initiatives of the Forest and Environment Department of the Union Territory.
● S uheli P ar is an oval-shaped and 17 km long coral atoll in Lakshadweep, that is surrounded by a zone of rich marine
fauna.
● It is located in the South-West of Kavaratti and 76 km to the south of Agatti.
● The Nine Degree channel in the Indian Ocean, is located between the Islands of Kalpeni and Suheli Par, and Maliku
Atoll.
● He will also evaluate the major innovative initiatives of the Union Territory's Forest and Environment Department.
A s sam CM S onowal lays foundation of first skill university of eastern India
● A s sam Chief Minister S arbananda Sonowal laid the f oundation of t he f irst skill university of eastern India in Darrang
dis trict, aimed at imparting training to over 10, 000 students in 12 disciplines.
● The varsity would be built with a financial outlay of Rs . 1,000 crore.

● It is expected to be completed by 2026, and will have understandings with countries like Germany, Taiwan, South
Korea, Israel, Japan, England.
● Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary termed the day as historic,
as the process has been initiated for setting up the third skill university in India.
P M Modi to address 66th annual c onvocation of IIT K haragpur
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 66t h annual c onvocation of IIT K haragpur via v ideo conferencing.
● The institute is organizing its convocation in virtual mode, keeping in view the safety measure s during the post
pandemic situation.
● Union E ducation Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister of State for E duc at io n S anja y D ho t re will als o
attend the convocation.
● As many as 75 s t udents including nine Institute Gold medal winners and 66 Institute S ilver medal winners have been
invited to receive the awards in person.
● More than 2, 800 students will be awarded degrees in online mode .
● The Institute will also confer DSc, IIT Kharagpur Life Fellow Award and distinguished Alumnus Award to 27 achievers
for their contribution to academics and research, social service and public welfare.
Gov t s anctions over 56 thousand more houses - P MAY (Urban)
● Government has sanctioned over 56 t housand more houses under the P radhan Mantri Awas Y ojana (Urban).
● The Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee has approved them.
● Hous ing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep S ingh Puri said, out of the total validated demand of one c rore 12 lak h
houses by 2022, nearly one crore 11 lakh homes are now sanctioned.
● He informed that over 73 lakh houses have now been grounded.
● The Minister said, 42 lakh 70 thousand houses have been handed over to the beneficiaries.
U. S . Officially Rejoins P aris Climate Agreement
● The United S tates officially rejoined t he Paris Agreement on c limate c hange designed to limit global warming and
avoid its potentially catastrophic impacts.
● Nearly 200 nations have signed on to the landmark accord and committed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions in
an attempt to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius preferably below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial
temperatures.
● Earlier, in November 2020, the US had officially exited the agreement on the order of the then President Donald
Trump.
● The landmark Paris climate agreement was signed in 2015, as per which countries are expected to enhance their
commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions every five years.

Nit in Gadkari inaugurates 50 artisan-based SFURTI clusters

● Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Nitin Gadk ari has inaugurated 50 artisan-based S FURTI clusters
s pread over 18 States.

● In these clusters, over 42 thousand artisans have been support ed in the traditional segments of muslin, khadi, c oir,
handicraft, handlooms, wood craft, leather, pottery, carpet weaving, bamboo, agro processing, tea and others.
● These clusters have been inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,
Hary ana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tami l
Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

● The MSME Ministry has funded 85 c rore rupees for development of these SFURTI clusters.
● The Center is implementing the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) to organize
traditional industries and artisans into clusters to make them competitive and increase their income.
I ndia becomes 1st c ountry in world - identify need f or action for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
● Healt h Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that India has become the first country in t he world to identify the need for
action for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

● He said this while launching the operational guidelines for integration of Non -Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with the
National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke.
88 Railway projects dedicated t o nation

● Railways Minister Piyus h Goyal inaugurated and dedicated a host of infrastructure proj ects and projects related to
passenger amenities at various railway stations in K erala, Tamil Nadu, Madhy a Pradesh and Karnat aka through video
conferencing.
● 88 Railway projects were dedicat ed to the nation worth over one thousand crore rupees making Indian Railways
future ready.
● Inaugurating the rail projects in Kerala, Mr Goyal said that it is important to improve connectivity in the state which is
a keeper of Indian Heritage and for the railway passengers using the various amenities in the state.
P resident Ram Nath K ovind to inaugurate S ardar V allabhbhai Patel Cricket Stadium
● President Ram Nath Kovind will formally inaugurate the world's largest Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cricket Stadium at
Mot era in Ahmedabad Gujarat.

● The President Kovind is expected to watch the third cricket test match between India and England for some time with
the Union Home Minister Amit Shah soon after the inauguration ceremony.
● Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium at Motera in A hmedabad is all set to make history by hosting the day -night pink ball test
match between India and England.
Home Minister releases book 'Rashtra P ratham - 82 varshon ki S warnim Gatha'

● Home Minister A mit S hah released a book 'Rashtra P ratham - 82 varshon k i Swarnim Gatha' in New Delhi.

● The book chronicles the glorious history of CRPF since its raising in 1939 and it has detailed and thoroughly
researched accounts of CRPF's journey, challenges, successes, and sacrifices.

● The Home Minister said, The Government is working on a scheme that all CAPF jawans should remain at least 100
days out of 365 days with their family members.

● The CRPF celebrated its f irst-ever Veterans Day on February 19, 2021, which was on Friday.
From now on every third Friday of February will be celebrated as the Veterans Day of the CRPF every year.
S ardar P atel Cricket S tadium I n Motera Renamed Narendra Modi Stadium

● P resident Ram Nath K ovind inaugurated the newly revamped Motera c ricket stadium in A hmedabad, which has been
renamed the Narendra Modi Stadium.

● The ground, which was earlier named the S ardar P atel Stadium, and more popularly known as t he Motera stadium,
has been renamed after the Prime Minister, who was also formerly a president of the Gujarat Cricket Association.
● The Narendra Modi Stadium, which is the world's largest cricket stadium with a capacity of 1, 10,000 spectators, will
host the first international match since the stadium was revamped.
● Home Minister Amit Shah and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, along with the B oard of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
s ec retary Jay S hah, were also present at the event.

● The Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket ground in the world will host its first international match on
Wednesday, when India will take on England in the Day-Night Test.

● The stadium will be a part of the planned Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave in the city.
● The stadium is spread across 63 acres of land and has three entry points. It has a seating capacity of 1,32,000
people.
P M K ISAN scheme c ompletes two y ears

● Feb 24 is the second anniversary of P radhan Mantri K isan S amman Nidhi, P M KISAN.
● The Scheme was formally launched on 24t h February in the year 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function
at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

● PM KISAN was started with a view to augment the income of the farmers by providing inc ome support to all
landholding farmers’ families across the country.

● Under the PM KISAN Scheme, an amount of 6000 rupees per year is transferred in three installments of 2000 rupees
directly into the bank accounts of the farmers.
K us hinagar Airport in Uttar P radesh Gets International A irport License From DGCA
● The under-construction K us hinagar A irport in Ut tar P radesh has received the I nt ernational A irport license from
Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

● Once operational, this will be the t hird international airport in UP after Lucknow and Varanasi.
● With this, UP is set to become the state with the highest number of airports after the upcoming Ayodhya Airport also
joins the list.

● That will boost tourism in the region & facilitate travel on Buddhist circuit by providing direct aviation connectivity to
the city.
● Currently the other two international airports functional in Ut t ar P radesh are Chaudhary Charan S ingh International
A irport at Lucknow and Lal B ahadur S hastri International Airport at Varanasi .

● Chitrakoot will be the first airport in Uttar Pradesh with ‘Table Top’ runway.
K arnataka set t o add v alue to its flower p ower

● The Horticulture Department, in collaboration with the I nt ernational Flower A uction Bangalore (IFAB), is setting up a
flower processing centre to convert unsold flowers into various useful products.
● This incubation centre will process flowers and conv ert them to value-added products such as natural dyes, floral
papers, incense sticks, flower petal powder for cosmetic usage, floral embedded works, floral arts, and silica-stored flowers.
● A facility was needed as flower farmers have been suffering huge losses whenever there is a glut or market
disruption. Growers can learn the art of flower processing from the centre.
Cent re Launches National Urban Digital Mission For Creating Digital Infra For Cities
● The Cent ral government launched 'Nat ional Urban Digital Mission'' to create a digital infrastructure for cities in the
country.
● The Union Housing and Urban A ffairs Ministry (MoHUA) said the move will institutionalise a citizen-centric and
ecosystem-driven approach to urban governance and service delivery in cities by 2022, and across all cities and towns by
2024.
● Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar
Prasad launched the 'National Urban Digital Mission' (NUDM) at a virtual event.
● The mission has three pillars – people, process, and platform.
A bout NUDM :
● The National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM) will create a shared digital infrastructure for urban India, working across
the t hree pillars of people, process, and platform to provide holistic support to cities and towns. It will institutionalise a citi zen-
centric and ecosystem-driven approach to urban governance and service delivery in 2022 cities by 2022, and across all cities
and towns in India by 2024.

● NUDM will create a shared digital infrastructure that can consolidate and cross -leverage the various digital initiatives
of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, enabling cities and towns across India to benefit from holistic and diverse forms
of support, in keeping with their needs and local challenges.

● Apart from this, several other digital initiatives of MoHUA were also launched which includes: India Urban Data
Exchange (IUDX), SmartCode platform, Smart Cities 2.0 website, and Geospatial Management Information System (GMIS).
S ev eral development projects launched by PM Modi in Tamil Nadu and P uduc herry
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a day's visit to Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to inaugurat e and lay the
foundation for s ev eral developmental projects.

● Mr.Modi will depart from Chennai to Coimbatore after his visit to Puducherry.
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the f oundation stone of multiple infrastructure projects worth ov er 12 thousand
400 c rore rupees in Coimbatore, the manchester of South India.

● Mr. Modi will dedicate the Neyveli New Thermal Power project, 709 MegaWatt Solar Power Project and the 8-laning
of Korampallam Bridge and Rail Over Bridge built V.O.Chidambaranar Port, Tuticorin.
● Mr.Modi will inaugurate over 4000 t enements constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana scheme.
● Mr.Modi will lay the foundation stone for the extension, renovation and modernization of Lower B havani P roject.
● He will also lay the foundation for the development of Integrated Command and Control Centers.
Cent er approves PLI S cheme f or I T Hardware and Pharmaceuticals

● Union Cabinet approved Production Link ed I ncentive Scheme f or IT Hardware .
● The scheme proposes incentives to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the value chain of
IT Hardware.
● Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shank ar Prasad said, the target segments of the scheme include laptops,
tablets, all-in-one PCs and servers.

● Mr Prasad said, the total cost of the proposed scheme is around Rs 7, 350 c rore over four years.
● Mr. Prasad added that the scheme has direct and indirect employment generation potential of over one lakh 80
t housand.
● The Union Cabinet also approved P roduction Linked I ncentive (PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals over a period of
Financial Year 2020-21 to 2028-29.

● The Scheme will benefit domestic manufacturers, help in creating employment and is expec ted to contribute to the
availability of a wider range of affordable medicines for consumers.
2nd edition of Maritime I ndia Summit 2021 inaugurated by P M Modi

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 2nd edition of the Maritime I ndia S ummit 2021.
● The summit will be organised virtually between 2 nd to 4th March 2021.
● First summit was organised in 2016 in Mumbai.
● Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust informed that the MIS 2021 will provide a unique platform where various
stakeholders in the maritime sectors such as Senior Government Officials, Domestic and International Investors, Shipping
Line Owners, Repres entatives of Major Ports from across the world as well as the Gov ernments of Maritime Stat es in India
will participate.
● The Summit will also include an exclusive CEOs’ forum with the Minister of State (I/c) of Ports, Shipping &
Waterways.
P M Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stone of various development projects in Coimbatore
● On February 25, 2021, P rime Minister visited Tamil Nadu to dedicate to the nation and lay the f oundation stone of
multiple infrastructure projects in Coimbatore.

The P rojects are :

● 1000 MW Neyveli New Thermal Power Project
● 709 MW S olar Power P roject of NLCIL
● He laid the foundation stone for design, supply, installation and commissioning of a 5MW grid connected ground
based solar power plant at V.O.Chidambaranar Port and for the extension, renovation and modernisation of Lower Bhavani
Project System.
● He also laid the foundation stone for development of I nt egrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC) in nine S mart
Cit ies including Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Vellore, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.
● He inaugurated the 8-laning of Korampallam B ridge and Rail Over Bridge (ROB) at V .O.Chida mbaranar Port and the
tenements constructed under the P radhan Mantri A was Y ojana (Urban) scheme.
● The Prime Minister said that the modernization of Bhavani Sagar Dam will irrigate over 2 lakh acres of land and
farmers of several districts will benefit from this project
Governor, Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi were present on the
occasion.
P M Modi will address Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University's 33rd c onvocation
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 33rd Convocation of the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G. R. Medical University
through video conferencing.

● A total of 17 thousand five hundred 91 candidates will be conferred with Degrees and Diplomas in the Convocation.
● Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit will be present on the occasion.
● The University is named after the former Chief Minister Dr. M. G. Ramachandran.
● It has a total of 686 affiliated institutions under its umbrella, encompassing the disciplines of Medicine, Dentistry,
Pharmacy, Nursing, AYUSH, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Allied Health Sciences.
● These institutions are s pread across the length and breadth of the state, including 41 Medical Colleges, 19 Dental
Colleges, 48 AYUS H Colleges, 199 Nursing Colleges, 81 Pharmacy Colleges and the rest being specialty post-doctoral
medical and allied health institutions.
P resident's Rule imposed in Puducherry

● Puducherry has been placed under the P resident's rule days after the Congress-led Gov ernment collapsed after
s ev eral resignations.
● The Home Ministry issued a notification of imposing the President's rule in the Union Territory.
● President Ram Nath Kovind suspended the Puducherry Assembly as well.
● The Legislative Assembly of the Union territory is now placed under suspended animation.
● The Assembly polls are due in the Union Territory shortly.
The I ndia Toy Fair 2021 inaugurate by P M Modi

● P rime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the I ndia Toy Fair 2021 through video conferencing.

● Toys play a significant part in the developm ent of a child’s mind and also help improve psychomotor and cognitive
skills in children.
● The Fair aims to provide an impetus to the underlying t hemes of Atmanirbhar Bharat and vocal for local campaigns,
launched by the Government to promote indigenous industries.

● It also aims to leverage the potential of toys in making learning joyful across all ages in education.
● The four-day event aims to bring together all stakeholders including buyers, sellers, students, teachers and designers
on a virtual platform to create sustainable linkages and encourage dialogue for the overall development of the industry.
● Over one thousand exhibit ors from across 30 States and Union Territories will display their products in e-commerce
enabled virtual exhibitions.

● It will showcase traditional Indian t oys as well as modern toys including electronic toys , plush toys, puzzles and
games.
Rev ision P oints
P ortfolio Union Minister Cons tituency
Ministry of personnel, public grievances Narendra Modi Varanasi
and pensions
Ministry of Defence Rajnath Singh Lucknow
Ministry of Home Affairs Amit Shah Gandhinagar
Ministry of Road Transport and Nitin Gadkari Nagpur
Highways & Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium enterprises
Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda Bangalore North
Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Nirmala Sitharaman Rajya Sabha
Corporate Affairs
Ministry of Consumer affairs, food and Piyush Goyal (Additional Rajya Sabha
public distribution charge)
Ministry of agriculture and farmers Narendra Singh Tomar Morena
welfare, Ministry of Rural Development
& Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Ravi Shankar Prasad Patna Sahib
communications & Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology
Ministry of Food Processing Industries Narendra Singh Tomar Morena
(Additional charge)

Ministry of Social justice and Thaawar Chand Gehlot RS
empowerment
Ministry of External Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam RS (Gujarat)
Jaishankar
Ministry of Human Resource Ramesh Pokhriyal Haridwar
Development ‘Nishank’
Ministry of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda Khunti
Ministry of Women and child Smriti Zubin Irani Amethi
Development & Ministry of Textiles
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan Chandni Chowk
Ministry of Science and Technology &
Ministry of Earth Sciences
Ministry of environment, forest and Prakash Javadekar Rajya Sabha
climate change & Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprise
Ministry of Railways & Ministry of Piyush Goyal Rajya Sabha
Commerce and Industry
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Dharmendra Pradhan Rajya Sabha
Ministry of Steel
Ministry of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Rajya Sabha
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Dharwad
Ministry of coal & Ministry of Mines
Ministry of Skill Development and Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey Chandauli
Entrepreneurship
Ministry of Animal Husbandry, dairying Giriraj Singh Begusarai
and fisheries
Important International News

E x ternal affairs Minister discuss his US counterpart
● E x ternal Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has had a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Antony J.
Blinken.

● Dr J aishankar warmly c ongratulated S ecretary Blinken on his appointment and wished him success in his new
responsibilities.
● Both leaders expressed their commitment to consolidate and expand the multi-faceted strategic partnership.
● They appreciated the robust defence and security ties, growing economic engagement, productive health-care
collaboration and strong people-to-people linkages as its important pillars.
P rakash Javadekar Launches 2021 as Indo-French Year of t he Environment

● Minister for Environment,Forest and Climate Change, S hri Prakash J avadekar and Ms B arbara P ompili, the French
Minister for Ecological Transition launched the I ndo-French Year of t he Environment in New Delhi.
● The basic objective is to s t rengthen I ndo-French cooperation in s ustainable development, increase the effectiveness
of ac tions in f avor of global environment protection and give them greater visibility.
● The Indo-French Year of the Environment over the period 2021-2022 would be based on f ive main t hemes:
environmental protection, climate change, biodiversity conservation, sustainable urban development, and the development of
renewable energies and energy efficiency.

● It is also a platform for engaging in discussions on critical areas of collaboration relating to the environment and allied
areas.
● From the French side, it will be held under the aegis of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, in close collabor ation
with the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs with the support of the Embassy of France in Delhi and its partners.
● From the Indian side, it will be coordinated by the Ministry of E nvironment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
along with the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and
other concerned Ministries/Departments/Organisations.

● A joint screening committee will also be set up to finalise the calendar of the events for the Indo-French Year of the
Environment.
UN World Tourism Organization c onfirms 2020 as “worst year on record”

● According to the global travel and tourism report ‘World Tourism B arometer’ released by the World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO), the year 2020 was the “worst y ear on record.
● Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by -74% year-on-year
according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
● Locations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer worldwide arrivals in 2020 than within the earlier year as a result of
COVID-19 disaster, the associated fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions.
● A s ia and the P acific (-84%) the primary area to endure the influence of the pandemic and the one with the very best
stage of journey restrictions at present in place – recorded the most important lower in arrivals in 2020 (300 million
fewer).
● The Cent er East and A frica each recorded a -75% decline.
● E urope recorded a -70% lower in arrivals, regardless of a quick revival within the Summer season of 2020.

● Based on the most recent UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in worldwide travel represents an
estimated lack of US$1.3 trillion in export revenues – greater than 11 instances the loss recorded in the course of the
2009 world financial disaster.
V ietnam ruling Communist Party c hief Trong re-elected f or t hird t erm

● V ietnam's ruling Communist Party chief Nguy en P hu Trong, 76, has been re-elected for a rare third five-year t erm.
● Mr Trong was granted an exception to party rules that say people over the age of 65 should retire, cementing his
position as one of the country's strongest and longest-serving leaders for decades.
● It aims to bolster V ietnam's ongoing economic success, and the legitimacy of the party's rule.
● V ietnam’s Communist Party governs the nation of nearly 100 million people and has ruled for more than 45 years
since reunification.
● Leadership of the one-party state is split among three positions: the party chief, a president who serves as head of
state and a prime minister who runs the government. Since 2018, Mr. Trong has served as both party leader and president.
● A new study by the independent Lowy Institute in Australia ranked Vietnam second in the world behind New Zealand
in handling the pandemic’s first nine months.
UK applying to join A sia-Pacific free trade pact

● The UK is applying to join a f ree t rade area made up of 11 A s ia and P acific nations, under its post-Brexit plans.
● The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans -Pacific Partnership (CP TP P).
● The trade agreement formed in 2018 which includes A ustralia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, P eru, Singapore and V ietnam.

● In total, it covers a market of around 500 million people, generating more than 13% of the world's income.
● International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will make the request with negotiations expected in the spring.
UK opens visa scheme - Hong K ong residents t o become c itizens

● A visa scheme to allow Hong Kong residents to come to the UK opened, with some THREE LAKH people expected
to apply.
● The visa, which is open to holders of a British National (Overseas ) passport and their immediat e dependents, will
offer a fast track to UK citizenship.

● But the Chinese foreign ministry said it would no longer recognize the BNO passport as a travel document.
● The UK launched the new visa after China imposed a new security law.
● Beijing has previously warned the UK not to meddle in domestic issues.
Nepal decides to award hydropower project

● Nepal has decided to award the contract for construction of 679 mega watt Lower Arun Hydropower Project to India's
S at luj J al V idyut Nigam (SJVN).

● This was decided at a meeting of the Investment B oard Nepal (IB N), chaired by Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma
Oli.
● The project was awarded to the SJVN under the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) delivery method.
● A run III hydel project, which will provide 21 per cent free power to Nepal during the concession period.
Military s eizes power in Myanmar- report 1 y ear emergency

● The My anmar Military Tatmadaw has announced a one year state of emergency in the country.
● The V ice President Myint Swe has been made the acting President and all powers have been transferred to the
Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing.

● The development follows early morning detention of the Stat e Counsellor A ung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint
and other senior leaders from the ruling party National League for Democracy (NLD) by the military.
Denmark t o build world's first energy island in t he North S ea

● The Denmark to build world's f irst energy island in the North Sea
● The €28 billion construction project is the biggest of its kind in Danish history. The government will hold a 51% stake
in the island, with the remainder held by the private sector.

● In that Initial phase will be the size of 18 f ootball fields, will be linked to hundreds of offshore wind turbines and will
supply both power to households and green hydrogen for use in shipping, aviation, industry and heavy transport.
● It will cost around 210 billion Danish c rowns ($33.9 billion) to build, and is an important part of Denmark's legally
binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030 from 1990 levels, one of the world's most ambitious.
● The move came as the European Union unveiled plans to transform its electricity system to rely mostly on renewable
energy within a decade and increase its offshore wind energy capacity 25-f old by 2050.
● The island, to be located 80 k ilometres off Denmark's west c oast, and its surrounding wind turbines will have an initial
capacity of 3 gigawatt and be operational around 2033.

● Denmark also has plans for an energy island in the Baltic Sea. The state will hold a controlling stake in both islands.
14t h International Children’s Film f estival concludes in B angladesh

● The 14t h International Children’s Film Festival of B angladesh (ICFFB) came to an end in Dhak a.
● A total of 12 awards were presented to the winners at the concluding ceremony.
● 179 f ilms f rom 37 c ountries were shown at various venues during the 7-day long festival organised by the Children’s
Film S ociety (CFS) of Bangladesh.

● Apart from Bangladesh, films from India, Armenia, US, UK, Ireland, Japan and China among others were shown in
the course of the festival.

● Dut ch Film Jackie and Oopjen was awarded the B es t I nternational Feature F ilm A ward.
● B angldeshi film Maati got The Young Talent Award while Lottery won the Special mention under the Young Talent
Award.

S outh K orea To Build World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

● S outh K orea unveiled a 48. 5 t rillion won ($43.2 billion) plan to build the world’s largest wind power plant by 2030 as
part of efforts to foster an environmentally-friendly recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

● The project is a major component of President Moon Jae-in’s Green New Deal, initiated last year to c urb reliance on
f ossil f uels in A s ia’s fourth-largest economy and make it carbon neutral by 2050
● Moon attended a signing ceremony in the southwestern coastal town of Sinan for the plant, which will have a
maximum capacity of 8. 2 gigawatts.

● The plan is part of the country’s Green New Deal that seeks to transition South Korea to a more sustainable energy
future.
● It is accelerating the eco-friendly energy transition and moving more vigorously toward carbon neutrality.
● The estimated cost of the project is 48.5 trillion won ($43.2 billion).
● The project would provide up to 5,600 jobs and help achieve a goal to boost the country’s wind power capacity to
16.5 GW by 2030 from 1.67 GW now.

● Till date, the world’s largest offshore wind farm is Hornsea 1 in B ritain, which has 1.12 GW capacity.
US f reezes dollar 1 billion f unds of Myanmar govt

● The military government in Myanmar has stepped up actions against leaders of the A ung San Suu Kyi led National
League for Democracy (NLD).

● A close aide to the ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Kyaw Tint Swe was arrested by the army.
● He had served as the minister for the office of the State Counsellor A ung S an S uu Kyi, reports Reuters.
● An official of the NLD has said that four other people linked to the previous government were also picked up f rom
their homes.
● The United States has announc ed that it is going to freeze US D 1 billion in Burmese government funds held in the
Unit ed States.
● President Joe Biden has said that the US is announcing a series of actions to impose consequences on the leaders
of the My anmar coup.

● He announced t hat he has signed a new executive order to sanction against the military leaders who directed the
coup and their close family members.
B angladesh receives USD 200 mn f rom World B ank

● Banglades h has received USD 200 million for Water Sanitation, Hygiene (WAS H) project for rural areas from the
World Bank.
● The agreement was signed between the government of Bangladesh and the World Bank.
● The project is planned to help 3.6 million to access hygienic sanitation facilities and about 6 lakh people to access
clean water in rural areas.

● The WB funding will provide microcredits to both households and entrepreneurs for water and sanitation facili ties.

● More than 3 lak h poorest households will receive fully subsidised toilets.
● Apart from household water connections, the project will construct 3000 c ommunity piped water schemes.
● The project will install about 312 public toilets and 2,514 hand-washing stations at crowded public places, such as
markets and bus stations.

● About 1,280 c ommunity clinics will have new or renovated facilities, said the press release issued by the World
Bank.
● World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh Mercy Tembon said that the project will help prevent diseases and
protect citizens from COVID 19 and other infectious diseases.

● The credit from the World B ank’s International Development Association, has a 30-year term, including a five-year
grace period.
I ndia and United S tates review I ndo-Pacific developments

● External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a "comprehensive discussion
and rev iewed I ndo-Pacific developments and the Quad c ooperation”.

● Mr Jaishankar said that they also exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar.
● The External Affairs Minister said, he looks forward to remaining in touch with him.
● The telephonic conversation between Mr Jaishankar and Blinken came a day after P rime Minister Narendra
Modi had a telephonic conversation with US President Joe Biden.

● During the conversation, both the leaders discussed regional issues and the shared priorities.
‘Hope’ probe of UAE successfully enters Mars orbit

● The United A rab E mirates (UAE) made history as its f irst-ever interplanetary Hope P robe mission successfully
entered orbit around Mars .

● According to CNN, UAE's first mission to Mars arrived at the red planet and successfully entered orbit on its first
attempt.
● When the spacecraft arrived, the Hope Probe marked the UAE as only the fifth country in history to reach the red
planet and the Arab nation's first interplanetary mission.

● The Hope Mars Mission is considered as the biggest strategic and scientific national initiative announced by UAE's
President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in
2014.
● Prior to this, only the Unit ed States, S oviet Union, E urope and I ndia have achieved this f eat.
US P resident Joe Biden revokes national emerge ncy - f und t o Mexico border wall project
● United States President Joe Biden has revoked the national emergency order used to fund former President Donald
Trump's Mexico border wall project.

● In a letter to Congress, Biden wrot e that the order was unwarranted and said that no further tax dollars will be spent
on the wall.

● The announcement is the latest in a series of executive orders from President Biden that have rolled back key parts
of the former president's agenda.

● In 2019, President Trump had declared a state of emergency over the southern border, which had allowed him to
bypass Congress and use military funds for its construction.

● It is estimated that when Donald Trump left the Presidential office, about 25 billion dollars had been spent on the
project.
China celebrates Lunar New Y ear

● China is c elebrating Lunar New Year as it ushered into the Y ear of the Ox.
● It is one of the most important Chinese festivals, also known as the Chinese New Year or S pring Festival.
● Though the occasion is meant to be spent with family and friends, the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has made the
celebrations little different.

● China entered the year of Ox, people welcomed the spring, good luck and new beginnings by staying up lat e after
feast on the New Y ear’s Eve.

● It’s still very wintry, but the spring festival holiday marks the end of the coldest days.
I raq invites 52 c ountries to monitor elections

● The Independent High Electoral Commission (I HEC) of Iraq has sent invitations to embassies of 52 countries to
monitor the country’s elections slated to take place on 10th of October this year.
● IHE C Spokes woman Jumana al-Ghalai told the media that the Commission’s law allows the recruitment of
international observers to monitor the election process to ensure its transparency.

● October’s elections will decide the 328 members of the Council of Representatives who will in turn elect a new
President and Prime Minister.
P ak istan t est-fires s urface-to-surface c ruise missile

● P ak istan conducted a s uc cessful training launch of a s urface -to-surface cruise missile which can s t rike targets up t o
450 k ilometres,
● This was the c ountry's third missile test in t hree weeks.
● The B abar missile "is capable of engaging targets at land and sea with high precision.
● The Babur cruise missile IA was launched from a “s t ate of t he art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle
● On January 20, the army conducted a successful test of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-III.
● Earlier this month, the army successfully conducted the ‘training launch’ of nuclear-capable ballistic missile sile
Ghaznavi as part of its annual field training exercise.

● Earlier in January this year, the army had also test-fired an indigenously developed extended-range guided Multi-
Launch Rocket System (MLRS).
I ndia to fund USD 50M f or restoration of 3 c ultural heritage projects in Nepal

● I ndia will provide Nepalese Rupees(NR) 142 million t o Nepal for the res toration and conservation of t hree c ultural
heritage s ites in the Kathmandu Valley.

● The t hree sites are part of c ultural heritage projects being taken up by India for pos t-earthquake c onservation and
res toration under an MoU s igned between the two c ountries.

● The projects are being implemented under USD 50 million grant assistance committed by India for post -earthquake
reconstruction of the cultural heritage sites across eight districts of Nepal.

● The agreements were signed by the P roject Director of CLPIU (B uilding) of National Reconstruction A uthority and
Contractors for conservation and retrofitting of Seto Machindranath Temple ( Total Cost - NRs 626 million ), construction of
Dharamshala at Budhaneelkantha ( Total Cost NRs - 334 million ) and conservation and development of Kumari Home in
Lalitpur district ( Total Cost NRs - 456 million ), according to a press release issued by the Indian Embassy.
U. S . extends New START nuclear treaty with Russia for 5 y ears

● The United S tates extended the nuc lear arms control treaty known as the New S TA RT with Russia for the next f ive
y ears.
● The United States took the f irst step t oward making good on that pledge when it extended the New S TA RT (Strategic
A rms Reduction Treaty) Treaty with the Russian Federation for five years
● The new strategic arms reduction treaty, was formally s igned on A pril 8, 2010 and after ratification, entered into force
on 5 February 2011.
● Blinken added that extending the New START Treaty ensures the US has v erifiable limits on Russian ICBMs,
SLBMs, and heavy bombers until February 5, 2026.

● The agreement also included a five-year extension clause that allowed both nations to extend the pact with approval
from both presidents.
Foreign S ecretary Harsh V ardhan Sh ringla : 2-day visit to Moscow

● Foreign S ecretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will pay a two-day visit to Moscow on 17t h and 18th of February at the
invitation of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.

● The Foreign Secretary will hold the next round of I ndia-Russia Foreign Office Consultations with Deputy Foreign
Minister Morgulov, during which the two sides will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including the forthcoming
high-level exchanges.
● During the visit, the Foreign Secretary will als o meet Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov for an
exchange of views on topical issues of regional and international importance.

● He will also deliver a speec h on India -Russia relations at the prestigious Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs.
‘P ahela Phagun’ s pring f estival begins in Bangladesh

● The first day of the spring called ‘Pahela Phagun’ was celebrated in Dhaka des pite the continued shadow of Corona
pandemic in the country.

● Cultural organisations held programmes at different venues in the city to herald the beginning of the spring.
● Programmes were held at the S uhrawardy Udy an, Nandan Manch of Shilpakala Academy and several other
loc ations.
● The J atiya Basanta Utsab Udjapan P arishad organized the programme at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.
● Young women wearing yellow saris and youth dressed in ‘P unjabis’ took part in the festivity.
● The programme featured dance and musical performances.
● The traditional programme of ‘Basanta Utsab’ at the Fine Arts faculty in Dhaka university was cancelled since
educational institutions have been closed till Feb. 28 by the government due to the Corona pandemic.
China overtakes US, becomes E uropean Union's biggest trading partner

● China last year overtook the Unit ed S tates as the E U's biggest t rading partner, the E U statistics agency Eurostat
● The European Union, was the third-largest trading partner for the bloc, behind China and the United States.
● Eurostat said the trade volume with China reac hed 586 billion euros ($711 billion) in 2020, compared to 555 billion
euros ($673 billion) for the US.

● The agency said EU exports rose by 2.2 percent to 202.5 billion euros while at the same time, imports from the
People's Republic of China increased by 5.6 percent to 383.5 billion euros.
E t hiopian Deputy PM arrives in New Delhi

● Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen Hassen arrived in New Delhi on
a f our-day official visit t o I ndia.

● Mr Hassen will inaugurate the new Chancery and Residence at E thiopian Embassy in New Delhi along with External
Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.

● He is scheduled to meet Dr Jaishankar at Hy derabad House.
Fac ebook blocks A ustralian users to sharing or viewing news content

● Facebook has blocked A ustralian users from s haring or viewing news content on the platform, causing alarm over
public access to key information.

● Australians woke up this morning to find the Facebook pages of all local and global news sites were unavailable.
● Several government health, emergency and other pages were also blocked.
● Later the tech giant asserted it was a mistake.
● Thos e outside of Australia are also unable t o read or access any Australian news publications on the platform.
● Facebook's move is in response to a proposed law in Australia which would make tech giants pay for news content.
France Passes A nti-radicalism B ill

● The French P arliament has approved an A nt i-radicalism B ill in a bid to f ight t he I slamic radicalism.

● The bill would s t rengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists
and ensure respect for French values, one of President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark projects.
● The vote in the lower house was the first critical hurdle for the legislation that has been long in the making afte r two
weeks of intense debate. The bill passed 347 to 151 with 65 abstentions.
● To adapt to the changes, the bill amends the French law of 1905 guaranteeing the separation of Church and State.
A I based translation software ‘Amar Vasha’ launched by B angladesh S upreme Court

● The B anglades h Supreme Court launched the A rtificial Intelligence (AI ) bas ed translation software ‘Amar V asha’
through a virtual event.

● The software will translate orders and judgements of the Supreme Court from English to Bangla.
● Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, Law Minister Anisul Haq, Law
Secretary Md. Golam Sarwar and High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram Dorais wami spoke during the virtual
function.
● The Software has been developed with ‘E k Step’ foundation of India.
● It is based on their ‘Anuv aad’ translation software us ed in India to translate from English to Indian languages
including Bangla.
● Anuvaad was deployed by the Supreme Court of India as S UVAS (Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad S oftware) from
November 2019.
I ndia and A ustralia - work together f or peace, prosperity and security in Indo-Pacific region
● P rime Minister Narendra Modi s poke with P rime Minister of A ustralia Scott Morrison .
● Mr. Modi said, both the countries reiterated their commitment to consolidate Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
and discussed regional issues of common interest.
He said, India is looking forward to work ing together f or peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Free period products t o all students offered by all New Zealand schools
● The scheme to provide free menstrual products for the next three years comes after a six -month pilot program
launched last year in 15 s c hools in the Waikato region where 3,200 y oung people were provided with period products.
● Every school in New Zealand will be stocked with free period products for female students from June, t he prime
minister, J acinda A rdern, has confirmed.

● Principals and poverty groups have been calling for the move for years, saying period poverty meant some girls
ended up skipping school during their periods becaus e they could not afford the sanitary products to manage them
hygienically.

I ndia signs 50 million dollar Defence line of Credit agreement with Maldives
● Reaffirming its commitment for overall development and security of its maritime neighbour, India has signed a 50
million dollar Line of Credit agreement in the defence sector with the Maldives.
● E x t ernal A f f air Minis t er S J ais hank ar , who was in the Maldives, said that the agreement will facilitate capability
building in the maritime domain.
● The credit line agreement for defence projects was signed between the Finance Ministry of Maldives and t he E xport -
I mport Bank of India to boost the maritime capabilities of the strategically vital Indian Ocean island nation.
● Dr Jaishankar also co-signed the UTF Harbour Project agreement with Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Didi.
● The launches were monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO labs involved in the design and
development of the system.

● During the test launches, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data,
captured by various Range instruments.
I ndia offers USD 100 million line of credit t o Mauritius

● India offered a US D 100 million line of credit to Mauritius to facilitate procurement of defence assets and the two
countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Agreement following talks bet ween External Affairs
Minister S J aishankar and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth here.

● "SAGAR policy reaffirmed. Pleased to witness, along with PM @Jugnaut hKumar, the exchange of USD 100 million
Defence Line of Credit.

● Will facilitate procurement of defence assets, guided by the needs of Mauritius,".
I s rael launches "green pass" f or people with vaccination c ertificate

● Israel has launched a coronavirus ‘green pass’ system,and that allows people who have been vaccinated to access
public facilities.
● Israelis who have gotten both Pfizer vaccine shots and those who have recovered from t he virus ge t a "Green Pas s"
certificate in the form of a QR c ode or printout for people without smartphones.

● Pass-holders could prove their status by presenting a vaccination certificate or downloading a health ministry app
linked to their medical files.

● The pass allows ent ry to gyms, swimming pools, hotels, entertainment venues and sporting events. Restaurants and
bars will be added to the list in March.

● Meanwhile, Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza S trip
from its highly successful vaccination campaign, widening the persistent inequality with Israelis that began long before the
pandemic.

J as mine Harrison becomes youngest woman t o row solo across the ocean
● A British woman, J as mine Harrison of E ngland has become the youngest woman to row solo across an Oc ean by
c ompleting a 3,000-mile ( 4828 k m ) journey across the Atlantic.

● The 21-y ear-old f rom the landlocked town of Thirsk, England, set a world record as the youngest female to row solo
across any ocean 70 day s, 3 hours and 48 minutes by finishing t he 2020 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, according to
organizer Atlantic Campaigns.

● Harrison began her journey in Spain’s Canary Islands on December 12, 2020 and arrived in Antigua on February 20,
2021.
E x ternal Affairs Minister inaugurates new Indian High Commission building i n Mauritius
● External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar inaugurated the new Indian High Commission building in Mauritius in the
presence of P rime Minister of Mauritius P ravind J ugnauth and Foreign Minister Alan Ganoo.
● Dr Jaishankar said, the green and efficient project reflects New India.
● He expressed confidence that it will inspire the work of the Indian High Commission even more.
● He reviewed the Dagotière Social Housing Project in Mauritius accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Housing
Minister Louis Steven Obeegadoo.

● Dr Jaishankar expressed happiness that the 956 Housing Units built with Indian support will be occupied soon.
● He thanked the workers who have done India proud.
China S urpasses US to become India’s t op trade partner in 2020

● China has regained its position as the t op t rading partner of I ndia in 2020, which was held by the Unit ed States, since
2018-19.
● Two-way t rade between the longstanding economic and strategic rivals stood at $77.7 billion last year, according to
provisional data from India’s commerce ministry.

● The U.S. bilateral trade with whom came in at $75.9 billion amid muted demand for goods in the middle o f a
pandemic.
● The bilateral trade gap with China was at almost $40 billion in 2020, making it India’s largest.
● Total imports from China at $58.7 billion were more than India’s combined purchases from the U. S . and the U.A.E,
whic h are its s econd- and t hird-largest trade partners, respectively.
P ak istan unlikely t o exit ‘grey list’ as FATF meets

● Pakistan is unlikely to exit the 'grey list’ of the FATF as some European countries have taken the stand that
Islamabad has not fully implemented all the points of a plan of action set by it, on the eve of the plenary meeting of the global
watchdog for money laundering and terror financing.

● A global dirty money watchdog decided to keep Pakistan on its “grey list”, despite progress by Islamabad on meeting
international anti-terrorism financing norms.

A us tralia passes law to Facebook, Google pay for news

● Australia’s parliament passed landmark legislation requiring global technology giants to pay for the news content
shared on their platforms, in a move that is being closely watched around the world.
● The law was passed after a last-gasp deal that watered down binding rules Facebook and Google had fiercely
opposed and which last week prompted Facebook to remove all news from its Australian platform.
● Google will now pay for news content that appears on its Showcase product and Facebook is expected to pay
providers who appear on its News product, which is to be rolled out in Australia later this year.
Uz bekistan's Foreign Minister meets with E xternal Affairs Minister Dr S J aishankar

● Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan A bdulaziz Kamilov who is on a two day visit to India met with External Affairs Minister
Dr S J aishankar in New Delhi.

● The discussion provided an opportunity to discuss various bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
● The Ministers positively assessed the progress on the outcomes of the I ndia-Uzbekistan Virtual Summit between
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held on 11th December last year.
● Both Ministers also discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan and noted the importanc e of a stable and
peaceful Afghanistan for regional peace, stability and security.
24t h edition of India-USA E xecutive Steering Group meeting concluded

● The 24th edition of the India-USA Executive Steering Group meeting was held at New Delhi from 22nd to 24th
February.
● The meeting was attended by a 12 member delegation from the US Army in person and virtually by 40 officers from
different locations from the US.Major General Daniel McDaniel, Deputy Commanding General; US Army Pacific was t he
Head of delegation from the US side.

● Indian Army delegation consisted of 37 of ficers.
● The forum is an Army to Army engagement that meets every year alternately in India and US to discuss Army to
Army cooperation.
S iliguri-Dhaka t rain service begin on Independence Day of B angladesh

● The new Passenger train service bet ween I ndia and Bangladesh will start from 26th of March, the day the
neighbouring country begins the Golden Jubilee celebrations of its I ndependence.

● Divisional Railway Manager of Katihar Division Ravindra Kumar Verma said, the train will leave NJP on every
Thursday and Monday while it will depart from Dhak a.

● The Haldibari-Chilahati (in Bangladesh) train route was opened after a gap of 55 years for goods trains on 17th of
December last year.

● The passenger train between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka will take the same route.

MoS Dr. Jitendra S ingh label India -Maldives Workshop

● Union Minister of State for P ersonnel, Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that India’s successful commencement of the
COVID-19 vaccination programme with two indigenously developed vaccines, offers a lot of hope of a decisive victory against
the pandemic in the coming months.

● India-Maldives Workshop on Good Governance Practices in a pandemic in New Delhi, the Union Minister said the
roadmap ahead for both the nations in winning the battle against the COV ID-19, lies in restarting the economy, strengthening
cooperative federalism with thrust on stronger institutions, stronger e-Governance models, digitally empowered citizens and
improved healthcare.
‘Lantern Festival’ a t raditional festival celebrated by C hina

● China is celebrating its traditional Lant ern festival.
● Celebrated on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month, the Lantern Festival traditionally marks the end of the
Chinese New Year also known as the ‘Spring Festival’ period.

● In 2021, China ushered into Lunar New Y ear - t he ‘Year of t he Ox’ on 12th February.
● The Lantern Festival is also the first full moon night in the Chinese calendar, marking the return of spring and
symbolizing the reunion of family.

● According to China's various folk customs, people get together on the night of the Lantern Festival to celebrate with
different activities.
● Lantern Festival customs and activities vary regionally including lighting and enjoy ing lanterns, appreciating the bright
full moon, setting off fireworks, flying drones, guessing riddles written on lanterns, eating tangyuan or dumplings, lion dances,
dragon dances, and walking on stilts
Rev ision P oints
Count ry Capital Currency Head
Bangladesh Dhaka Taka Abdul Hamid
Myanmar Naypyitaw Burmese kyat Win Myint
Ethiopia Addis Ababa Birr Sahle-Work Zewde
Denmark Copenhagen Krone Mette Frederiksen
France Paris Euro Emmanuel Macron
Germany Berlin Euro Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Maldives Malé Rufiyaa Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
UK London Pound Sterling Boris Johnson
UAE Abu Dhabi Dirham Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
USA Washington D.C Dollar Joe Biden (Elected)
Nepal Kathmandu Rupee K. P. Sharma Oli

China Beijing Renminbi Xi Jinping
Russia Moscow Ruble Mikhail Mishustin
Italy Rome Euro Giuseppe Conte
South Korea Seoul Won Chung Sye-kyun
Estonia Tallinn Euro Kersti Kaljulaid
Japan Tokyo Yen Yoshihide Suga
Israel Jerusalem Shekel Reuven Rivlin
New Zealand Wellington Dollar Jacinda Ardern
Afghanistan Kabul Afghani Ashraf Ghani
Pakistan Islamabad Rupee Madagascar
Australia Canberra Dollar Scott Morrison
Uzbekistan Tashkent So’m Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov
Vietnam Hanoi Dong Nguyễn Phú Trọng
Mauritius Port Louis Rupee Pravind Jugnauth
Iraq Baghdad Dinar Barham Salih
Georgia Tbilisi Lari Salome Zourabichvili
Albania Tirana Lek Ilir Meta
Ecuador Quito US Dollar Lenín Moreno
Micronesia Palikir US Dollar David W. Panuelo
Guatemala Guatemala City Quetzal Alejandro Giammattei
Guinea Conakry Franc Alpha Condé
Kyrgyz Republic Bishkek Som Sadyr Japarov
Libya Tripoli Dinar Muammar Gaddafi
Philippines Manila Peso Rodrigo Duterte
Sierra Leone Freetown Leone Julius Maada Bio
Ukraine Kyiv Hryvnia Volodymyr Zelensky
Important Appointments
Nat ional A ppointments
Name of t he Person Des ignation P redecessor/Others
RS Sharma Chief Executive of Ayushman Bharat or Indu Bhushan
PMJAY
Bhavya Lal Acting Chief of Staff of NASA

Rama Mohan Rao Amara MD & CEO, SBI Cards and Payment
Services Ltd
Praveen Sinha Interim director, Central Bureau of RK Shukla
Investigation
Air Marshal GS Bedi AVSM Director General (Inspection & Safety)
VMVSM
Ajay Singh President, Boxing Federation of India
Bikram Singh Bedi Managing Director, Google Cloud - India
Sridhar Vembu Doval-led National Security Advisory
Board
Praveen Sinha Acting Chief , CBI Rishi Kumar Shukla
Jiten Chopra Chief financial officer, IndiGo Aditya Pande
VP Joy Kerala's chief secretary
Hima Das Deputy Superintendent of Police Appointed by Assam
Sanjay Bangar Batting consultant, Royal Challengers
Bangalore (IPL 2021)
Aditya Mittal Chairman & CEO, Arcelor Mittal
Satishwar Balakrishnan MD & CEO, Aegon Life Insurance
Marc Llistosella MD & CEO, Tata Motors Ltd
Justice Puligoru Venkata Chief Justice of Manipur HC He served as a Judge in
Sanjay Kumar the Punjab and Haryana

Justice Puligoru Ven
High Court.
Dr Ajay Mathur Director General, International Solar Upendra Tripathy
Alliance
Om Prakash Dadhich and Members in the Central Board of Indirect Dadhich replaces Dr
Sandeep Kumar Taxes and Customs John Joseph & Sandeep
Kumar replaces Ashok
Kumar Pandey
Mahesh Palashikar Chairman, GE T&D India Ltd Vishal K Wanchoo
Preeti Sinha Executive Secretary, UN Capital Oversee UNCDF’s ‘last
Development Fund mile’ finance models
Umakant Dash Director, Institute of Rural Management-
Anand
Debhashis Mitra Vice President, ICAI Debhashis Mitra

Nihar N Jambusaria President, ICAI
Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi
Amrit Singh Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice
President – Strategy , Max Life
Insurance
Mehbooba Mufti President of Peoples’ Democratic Party She is the former Chief
Minister of Jammu and
Kashmir
Yanira Ramirez H&M Country Sales Manager for India
VS Ganesh Executive Director & Chief Executive Vedji Ticku
Officer, Page Industries
K P Krishnan Chairman, Shriram Capital
Sachin Tendulkar Brand Ambassador, Unacademy
Shantanu Mitra CEO & MD, Fullerton India Credit
Company
Timothy Prentice Vice President – Design, TVS Motor
Company
Dr Mangu Hanumantha Rao Executive director, All India Institute
Medical Sciences (AIIMS) - Madurai
Vijay Sampla Chairman, National Commission for
Scheduled Castes
Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti Command of the Eastern Fleet, the
Sword Arm of the Eastern Naval
Command
Kalpesh Kikani CEO, Piramal Alternatives
Ramakrishna Karanth CEO, Siegwerk India
Dushyant Chautala President, Table Tennis Federation of He is Haryana’s Deputy
India Chief Minister
Manu Sharma Vice President and General Manager ,
Nothing India
I nt ernational Appointments
Name of t he Person Des ignation P redecessor/Others
Andy Jassy Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos Executive Chairman, Amazon
Henry Moniz 1st Chief Compliance Officer,
Facebook Inc
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Director general, World Trade First woman and the first African
Organization national to lead the organization
Michael Bloomberg Special Envoy on Climate Ambition Appointed by the United Nations
and Solutions
Mario Draghi Prime Minister, Italy He is the former European
Central Bank chief
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala First female chief, World Trade
(Nigerian Economist) Organization Nigerian economist N
Mahender Singh Kanyal Indian Ambassador to Syria He is the Ambassador of India

Mahender
to Singh Kan
Suriname
Toshihiro Mibe CEO, Honda Takahiro Hachigo
Seiko Hashimoto Next Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori Japan's Seiko Hashim
Gautam Thakar Global CEO, OLX Autos
Natalia Vodianova UN goodwill ambassador She is a Russian supermodel
and philanthropist
Deepika Padukone Global brand ambassador, Levi
Res ignation/Retirement
Name of t he Person Des ignation
Giorgi Gakharia Prime Minister of Georgia
Vedji Ticku CEO, Page Industries
V Narayanasamy Puducherry Chief Minister
G R Arun Kumar Chief Financial Officer, Vedanta
E x pert com mittee to review proposal to ban 27 pesticides

● The government has appointed an ex pert panel to review industry’s objections to the proposed ban on 27 widely
us ed pesticides which officials say are harmful to animals and humans.

● The committee, led by c hairman TP Rajendran, former assistant director general of ICAR
● These are widely used are part of 66 contentious pesticides which are being reviewed for their toxicity. In 2018, the
government had already banned 18 of them.

● Among these 27 pesticides which are widely used, and some of these were used to kill locusts recently industry and
companies are said to have strongly defended 23, by submitting scientific evidence.

● Apart from, the banning will put an additional financial burden on farmers as the cost of these contentious pesticides
range between Rs 275-450 a litre as against the cost of their alternatives which are being imported at Rs 1500-2000 a litre.
Hy d-based Recykal becomes first Indian startup in WEF accelerator program

● Rec ykal, a digital ‘waste c ommerce’ s olutions provider, has been s elected as t he first member from India for the
World Economic Forum’s Circulars Accelerator programme 2021.

● This programme is led by Accenture along with Ecolab, Schneider Electric and the World Economic Forum, and will
connect industry leaders with 17 circular economy entrepreneurs.

● The aim of this programme is to recognise individuals and companies that are making a notable contribution to the
circular economy.
2 new judges in Delhi HC, 4 additional judges in Kerala H C appointed by P resident
● P resident Ram Nath K ovind has appointed J as meet S ingh and A mit Bansal as Judges of the Delhi High Court.
● Mr Kovind has also appointed four Additional Judges in the K erala High Court . Four A ddit ional J udges of t he
K arnataka High Court have been elevated as Judges of t his Court.
● The Law Ministry has issued notifications in this regard.
Important Awards and Honours

Winner P rize A warded By/Theme/Purpose
AR Rahman & Saidapet Hari Fourth edition of the Alert By NGO ALERT, for their Good
Krishnan Being Awards 2020 Samaritan work
Note: Hari Krishnan had been
appointed by the Greater
Chennai Corporation as a district
volunteer head for Covid-19
Hariharan J C Daniel Award Pinarayi Vijayan released the
stamp published in connection
with the International Film
Festival of Kerala
Dr Krishna Mohan Pathi 2021 Padma Shri Award Work in tribal districts of the
Odisha.
Nanda Prusty of Kantira in 2021 Padma Shri award Fondly known as 'Nanda Mastre'
Sukinda block
Purnamasi Jani from Odisha's 2021 Padma Shri Award Her biography was subsequently

Kandhamal written by Dr Surendranath
Mohanty and a teacher
Duryodhan Pradhan compiled all
her songs
K Jayakumar (poet-lyricist) JC Daniel Award
Tamil film Koozhangal Tiger Award At the International Film Festival
of Rotterdam
Manasa Varanasi from VLCC Femina Miss India Suman Ratan Singh Rao from
Telangana World 2020 Rajasthan crowned her
successor,
Uttar Pradesh's Manya Singh
crowned VLCC Femina Miss
India 2020 Runner Up
Muthalankurichi Kamarasu Tamil Semmal award Awarded by Tamil Nadu
Chandana A from a remote Award for 'gourd art' At the National Kala Utsav
village in Mysuru
S Hareesh’s novel ‘Meesha’ Best novel for the year 2019 By Kerala Sahitya Akademi
P Raman’s ‘Rathri Best poem award By Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Pandhradarakku Oru Tharattu’
Vinoy Thomas’s ‘Ramachi’ Akademy’s award for the By Kerala Sahitya Akademi
best short story for 2019
Sajitha Madathil’s ‘Arangile Best Play By Kerala Sahitya Akademi
Matsyagandhikal’ and Jisha
Abhinaya’s ‘Eli Eli Lama
Sabaktani’
Writer P Valsala and writer- The Akademi fellowships
academician N V P Unithiri
Madhurima National Bal Shree award Awarded by Kerala govt
UST 'Top Employer' in the US, the 2021 by the Top Employers
UK, Malaysia, India, Mexico, Institute (TEI), the global
Spain, Singapore, and the authority
Philippines for 2021
ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Guindy ‘Swachh Hotel’ award As part of Swachh Survekshan
2021 by the Greater Chennai

Corporation
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Skoch Chief Minister of the
Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy Year Award
Bharat Biotech Genome Valley Excellence For its “breakthrough, pioneering
Award for 2021 research, development and
commercialisation of vaccines,
including COVID-19 vaccine
Covaxin
Jayakrishnan Babu of Wayanad General Awards Selected for the national bravery
and Muhammed Hamras K of awards instituted by the Indian
Malappuram Council for Child Welfare
Ummer Mukthar of Malappuram Special Awards Selected for the national bravery
awards instituted by the Indian
Council for Child Welfare
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Asia Environmental Awarded by the United Nations
Enforcement Award-2020 Environment Programme
Rafiqul Islam (Nazrul scholar) First International Mother By Bangladesh govt
Language Day award
Mathura Bikash of Tripura First International Mother Cont ribution in preserving and
Language Day award promoting mother languages of
small ethnic groups in
Bangladesh
Uzbek Researcher Islaimov The biennial prize By Bangladesh govt
Gulom Mirzaevich and a Bolivian
organisation named Activismo
Lenguas
Anjali Bharadwaj International Anti-Corruption Named by the B iden Other
Champions Award Winners

1. Ardian Dvorani of
Albania
2. Diana Salazar of
Ecuador
3. Sophia Pretrick of
Micronesia

4. Juan Francisco
Sandoval Alfaro of Guatemala
5. Ibrahima Kalil Gueye of
Guinea
6. Dhuha A Mohammed of
Iraq
7. Bolot Temirov of Kyrgyz
Republic
8. Mustafa Abdullah
Sanalla of Libya
9. Victor Sotto of The
Philippines
10. Francis Ben Kaifala of
Sierra Leone
11. Ruslan Ryaboshapka of
Ukraine
Andhra Pradesh State Road Digital Technology Sabha In the category of “Int ernet of
Transport Corporation Award (2nd time) Things”
J allikattu out of final list at Oscar Awards

● Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu is officially out of the race for the Oscars in the Best International Feat ure F ilm
category.
● The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienc es did not include the Malayalam flick when it publish ed the list of
final 15 movies.
● In all, films from 93 c ountries were nominated to the category.
● The shortlisted 15 will now be viewed by the Academy members and five of them will make it to the final five of Oscar
nominations.
S E RB announces Women Excelle nce A ward 2021 in S cience on t he International Day of Women
● The S E RB Women Excellence A ward was announced on the occasion of I nternational Day of Women and Girls in
S c ience 2021.
● The SERB Women Excellence Award that has been conferred on them provides a grant of Rs . 15 lakhs f or a period
of t hree y ears to the awardees t o pursue their research ideas.

● The award given by the S c ience and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory body of the Department of
S c ience and Technology (DST) supporting basic research in the frontier areas of science and engineering, was launched in
the year 2013.

● It is a one-time award given to women scientists below 40 years of age who have received recognition from any one
or more of the National Academies such as Young Scientist Medal, Young Associateship, etc.
Lis t of winners
● Dr. Shobhna Kapoor, Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, working in the area of Chemic al
Biology with expertise in ‘Host-Pathogen Interactions and Membrane Biology, Chemical Biology and Biophysics’
● Dr. Antara Banerjee, Scientist B National Institute For Research In Reproductive Health, Mumbai, Maharas htra from
the Health Sciences area with expertise in Signal Transduction, Biology of Reproduction and Endocrinology,
● Dr. Sonu Gandhi Scientist D from National Institute Of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad from Bionanotechnology
area focusing on Nanosensors, Design and Fabrication of Label-free Biosensors

● Dr. Ritu Gupta, Assistant Professor at Indian Institute Of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan working on Nanotechnology
with expertise in Materials Science, Nanodevices and Sensors, Health & Energy.
A wards for writing c ompetition: High Commission of India, B angladesh

● The High Commission of India in Dhaka announced the winners of the writing competition on the subject ‘What
Liberation means t o me’ for the youth of Bangladesh.

● The prize giving ceremony was organised at the High Commiss ion of India in Dhaka.
● The competition received over 1050 s ubmissions f rom Bangladesh and abroad.
● The Minister of State for I CT Zunaid A hmed P alak gave away the prizes as Chief Guest of the function.
● I n Cat egory A of Bangla competition, A f sara Tasnim of Dhaka University was adjudged the Champion .
● Farsia Kawsar Chowdhury of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) was given the priz e as
t he f irst runners up.

● In the English category, Maliha Momtaz Oishi from Viqarunnis a Noon School and College was declared as the
Champion while Ipshita Kajuri from North South University was the first runner up.
● In both the categories a t ot al of 14 prizes were given away.
● Champions of each category were awarded with laptops, t he first and second runner up received Tabs.
● Other winners received a smartphone, along with a crest, certificate and book.
● The top essays from each category will be published in Bharat Bichitra magazine of the Indian High Commission,
said the Press release issued by the High Commission of India.

● The aim of the competition was to give Bangladeshi youth a platform to show their creativity and sh are their own
understanding and meaning of Liberation.

● The competition was organised jointly by the High Commission of India, Dhaka and Youth Opportunities.

E nv ironmental E nforcement Awards recognize 8 winners on the f rontline of protecting our planet
● Exceptional efforts on the frontlines to stop environmental crime, including the illegal trade in wildlife and in plastic
waste, have been recognized by t he United Nations, INTERPOL and t he World Customs Organization with t he presentation
of t he 5th Asia E nvironmental E nforcement Awards.

● The Awards are given annually for achievement in c ombating t ransboundary environmental crime.
A bout the Asia Environmental E nforcement A wards 2020

● The 2020 Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards are presented by the UN Environment Programme in partnership
with the UN Development Programme, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, INTERPOL, the secretariat of the Conventi on on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the World Customs Organi zation.
The awards encourage government officials and institutions or teams in the region to combat environmental crime and
reward excellence in enforcement.
P RS I National Awards 2020 - SAIL bags six awards

● The St eel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has bagged six awards for its efforts in the field of communication at the
P RS I National Awards-2020 conferred upon by the Public Relations Society of India.

● The awards were pres ented by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Uttarakhand Governor
B aby Rani Maurya during a virtual ceremony on February 21.

● "SAIL has been awarded in House Journal (E nglish), B est Communic ation Campaign (External Publics),
Communications Campaign of the Year - COVID-19, Special/Prestige Publication, E-newsletter, and Corporat e Website
categories," according to an official statement.
10t h National A wards for Technology Innovation in P etroc h emic als a n d D o w ns tr e a m P las t ic s P r oc es sin g I nd us try -
pres ented by DV S adananda Gowda

● Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister DV Sadananda Gowda will present the 10th National Awards for Technology
Innovation in Petrochemicals and Downstream Plastics Processing Industry in New Del hi.
● The award is aimed at felicitating and recognizing the innovative efforts of renowned scientists, researchers and
industrialists in the broad areas of P olymer Science and Technologies.
S us hant Singh Rajput posthumously honoured at Dadasaheb P halke Int ernational Film Festival A wards
● The Dadasaheb P halke International Film Festival A wards 2021, has honoured late actor Sushant S ingh Rajput with
t he Critic's B est A ctor accolade in the award ceremony.

● The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards was introduced by the Government of India in 1969, to
commemorate ‘the father of Indian cinema’, Dadasaheb Phalke.
The winner of the A ward for 2021 :

1. Best Actor (Female) – Deepika Padukone, Chhapaak
2. Best Actor (Male) – Akshay Kumar, Laxmii
3. Critic’s Best Actress – Kiara Advani, Guilty

4. Critic’s Best Actor – Late Sushant Singh Rajput, Dil Bechara
5. Best Film – Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
6. Best International Feature Film – Parasite Most Versatile Actor – Kay Kay Menon
7. Best Director – Anurag Basu, Ludo
8. Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Vikrant Massey, Chhapaak
9. Best Actress in Supporting Role – Radhika Madan, Angrezi Medium
10. Best Actor in Comic Role – Kunal Kemmu, Lootcase
11. Best Actor (Web Series) – Bobby Deol, Aashram
12. Best Actress (Web Series) – Sushmita Sen, Aarya
13. Best Web Series – Scam: 1992
14. Album of the Year – Titliyaan
A k shaya Oorja Awards distributed in K erala

● The Akshaya Oorja Awards 2019, instituted by the A gency for Non-c onventional Energy and Rural Technology
(A NE RT), were distributed here y at the agency’s headquarters.

● Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the function through videoconference.
● Power minister MM Mani chaired the event.
● The individual award for outstanding cont ribution was handed over to field ex pert and researcher V K Damodaran by
V K Prasanth, MLA, while the best industrial unit went to Malayala Manorama and Neelambari Exports.
● P erinjayam panchayat in Thrissur won the best local body award.
● The best education institution was awarded to National Skill Training Institute, Kozhikode, while the best commercial
establishment was shared by Calicut University Cooperative Stores Ltd and Vallapat Clinic and Dentistry in Thrissur.
● In the category of non-profit organisations, Care Home Helping Hands, Kozhikode, won the award.
Fiv e awards conferred f or V ijayawada postal division

● Vijayawada Postal Division bagged five AP Circle level awards in Aadhaar (first place), Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
(first place), postal life insurance (second place), India P ost Payments Bank (second) and Philately (secon d) for t he financial
year 2019-20.
● The awards were announced at the AP Circle Level Divisional Heads Conference held in Vizag.
● KVLN Murthy, senior superint endent of post offices, Vijayawada division congratulated the staff and appealed to
them to continue the same tempo this year also.
TS S PDCL bags f our energy awards

● Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) bagged four awards, two of which were
the ‘ICC - 8th Innovation with Impact Awards 2020’ , under the categories of Overall Innovation with Impact (General States)
and Quality of Service and Customer Empowerment.

● They were presented at the 14t h I ndia Energy Summit 2020-21.

● The two other awards, as part of IPPAI Awards 2020, were bestowed on Discom under the categories of Best
Distribution Company to Promot e Consumer Awareness and Best Distribution Uti lity Achieving Highest Electrification,
including metering of un-electrified households.
Important MOU’s
Ford, Google join hands to offer cloud-based data services
● Ford Motor Co will tap into software, artificial intelligence and c loud computing offered by A lphabet I nc's Google to
develop new consumer services and modernize internal operations.

● As part of a s ix-year partnership, the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker will incorporate the tech giant's Android
operating system into its Ford and Lincoln vehicles starting in 2023.
● Ford will offer its customers built-in Google apps, including its map and voice technology.
● It will deploy Google artificial intelligence technology to improve the efficiency of vehicle development, supply chain
and manufacturing operations
NB CFDC signs MoU with Apollo Medskills f or providing COVID Vaccine Administration training
● The Nat ional Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC ) has signed an MoU with Apollo
Medskills Private Ltd for providing COVID Vaccination Administration training to Nurses, Medical and Nursing students and
Pharmacists.
● The programme has been sanctioned with the aim of Up-Skilling the c ompetency level of the health care workers as
well contributing to the national programme of vaccination under progress.

● The Corporation has sanctioned training programmes for 1, 000 t rainees in the State of Bihar, Delhi, Telangana,
Tamil Nadu and Uttar P radesh.
A bout NBCFDC :
● National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation was incorporated 13 January 1992 as a non profit
company under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India to improve and develop the economic
activities for the members of Backward Classes who are living below double the poverty line
HA L inks deal with MIDHANI to develop, manufacture composite raw materials

● Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MI DHA NI ) have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for development and production of composite raw materials during the A ero India 2021 in Bengaluru on
February 04, 2021

● This is the f irst time that such an MoU has been signed for composite raw materials.
● The MoU was signed by Chairman and Managing Director, HAL Shri R Madhavan and Chairman and Managing
Director, MIDHANI Dr S K Jha in the presence of other senior officials.

● Composites raw materials, mainly in the form of prepregs used in platforms like Light Combat Aircraft (LCA),
Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) are currently imported.

● The usage of composites in aerospace is going to exist and increase, particularly for fighter aircraft/helicopters
because of its inherent advantages over metallic raw materials.

● In addition, similar requirements exist for other aerospace and def ence programmes, including tho se of Indian S pace
Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) and National A eros pace Laboratories
(NAL).
Reliance receives world's f irst 'carbon-neutral' oil f rom US

● Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd has sourced the world's first consignment of 'carbon -neutral oil'
from the US as it looks to become a net z ero-carbon company by 2035.

● The V ery Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Sea Pearl containing the carbon-neutral oil unloaded the cargo at J amnagar
on J anuary 28.
● This transaction is a first step in the creation of a new market for climate-differentiated crude oil.
● It is also a bridge to the development of a further differentiated petroleum product, net-zero oil, whic h Occident al
intends to eventually produce through the capture and sequestration of atmospheric CO2 via industrial -scale direct air
capture (DAC) facilities and geological sequestration.

● Reliance, which operates the world's largest single loc ation oil refining c omplex at Jamnagar in Gujarat with capac ity
of 68. 2 million t onnes a y ear, got 2 million barrels of consignment Permian basin.
● This transaction, which was arranged in conjunction with Macquarie Group's Commodities and Global Markets group
(Macquarie), is the energy industry's first major petrole um shipment for which greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated
with the entire crude lifecycle, well head through combustion of end products , have been offset.
1s t India-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting in the field of Renewable Energy

● The 1s t meeting of the Joint Working Group in the field of Renewable E nergy between I ndia and the K ingdom of
B ahrain held On Feb 04, 2021 in virtual format.

● H.E. Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, President of Sustainable Energy Authority led the Bahraini delegation.
● The Indian delegation was led by H. E . Mr. Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable
Energy. H.E. Sh. Piyush Srivastava, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Bahrain also participated in the meeting.
● A Memorandum of Understanding between India and Bahrain was signed in July 2018 for promoting bilateral
cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy.
A bout the Meeting :

● It was a very productive meeting, in which both sides underscored the importance of renewable energ y to meet
climate change goals, and presented the initiatives taken, progress made and future targets set by their respective
governments as well as opportunities available in this sector.

● Both sides agreed to forging deeper engagement in capacity building and focused cooperation between concerned
agencies as well as the private sector of the two countries in this sector, particularly in the fi eld of solar, wind and clean
hydrogen.

● The meeting took place in a cordial and friendly atmosphere. It was agreed t o hold the next round of JWG meetings
at mutually convenient dates, which will be decided through diplomatic channels.
201 MoUs Signed:Aero India 2021 Concludes

● A total of 201 MoUs, product launches, and technology transfers were concluded at the B andhan c eremony held on
the last day of A ero India 2021 at Y elahanka, B engaluru on February 05, 2021.
● Over 600 ex hibitors attended physically while 1 08 in virtual mode.
● And then around 3,000 Business-2-Business meetings were conducted.
● Conclave of Defence Ministers of I ndian Ocean Region (IOR)
● Theme: ‘Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean’.
● The first ever IOR Defence Ministers’ Conclave was attended by ministers and delegates from 26 IOR countries.
● A conclave of Chiefs of Air Staff was also organised to pursue the objectives of collaborative security for the region
and beyond.
● The 6th India-Russia Military Industrial Conference, iDEX ‘Start-up Manthan’ was also held.
● Aero India 2021 would help in achieving the target set by the ministry to ac hieve a turnover of Rs 1,75,000 crore,
including exports of Rs 35,000 crore in aerospace and defence goods & services by the year 2024.
P M S VANidhi scheme: Zomato sign MoU t o take street food vendors' businesses online
● The Ministry of Housing and Urban A ffairs (MoHUA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
Zomato f or empowering street f ood vendors with new digital technology and to provide greater income-earning opportunities
on the food delivery platform.

● As part of Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme, MoHUA and Zomato will work
together to onboard street food vendors on Zomato's food-tech platform,

● This agreement will give street vendors access to thousands of customers and would thus help them in growing thei r
business. MoHUA has also introduced 'PMSVANidhi se Samriddhi'
K arnataka govt sign Memorandum of Understanding with 34 Aerospace and Defence firms
● K arnataka has benefitted from the A ero India show that concluded in B engaluru.
● The State Government signed Memorandum of Understanding with 34 A erospace and Defence f irms with an
investment prospect of 2464 c rore rupees that can generate 6462 direct employment opportunities.
● The agreements signed during the Aero India Show will encourage aerospace and defence equipment manufacturers
to set up bases in the state.

● Karnataka has a vibrant aerospace and defence sector manufacturing ecosystem contributing over 65 percent of
defence and aerospace exports in the country

● The state Industrial policy of 2020-25 provides several incentives and regulatory reforms related to land access and
labour market regulations.

Def ence ministry, B EL ink pact to procure ship -borne modern radio system
● I ndia's Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Def ence P ublic S ector Undertaking (DPSU) -hju (BEL) have signed a contract
for procurement of S oftware Defined Radio Tactical (S DR-Tac) worth over ₹1,000 crore.
● The SDR-Tac, jointly designed and developed by Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory (DEA L) of Defence
Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) through a consortium of domestic agencies and industry, comprising
Weapons and Electronics Systems Engineering Establishment (WESEE), BEL, Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
(CAIR) and Indian Navy will bring strategic depth to the Armed Forces.
● The SDR-Tac is a four Channel Multi-mode, Multi Band, 19’’ Rack mountable, ship borne Software Defined Radio
system.
● It is intended to serve ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and ship-to-air voice and data communication for network centric
operations. It supports simultaneous operation of all the four channels covering V/UHF and L Band.
I ndia, Afghanistan ink deal for construction of the Lalandar “S hahtoot” Dam in Afghanistan
● Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in A f ghanistan to end a
spike in violence, as the t wo c ountries signed an agreement f or building a dam to supply water to K abul c ity .
● The project, which costs nearly $ 300 million, is a part of the New Development Partnership between India and
Afghanistan.
● The MoU for Shatoot dam was signed by foreign minister S J aishankar and his c ounterpart Hanif A tmar.
● The Lalandar (Shahtoot) dam would meet the safe drinking water needs of Kabul city, provide irrigation water to
nearby areas, rehabilitate the existing irrigation and drainage network, aid in flood protection and management efforts in the
area, and also provide electricity to the region.

● This is the second major dam being built by India in Afghanistan, after the India-Afghanistan Friendship Dam [Salma
Dam], which was inaugurated by Modi and Ghani in June 2016.
E x im Bank to provide $400 million f or Maldives project

● E x port-Import B ank of India (Exim B ank) will provide $400 million to Maldives to fund Greater Male Connectivity
P roject.
● The agreement under the line of credit is ef f ective January 28, 2021.
● The 6. 7 k m Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) will be the largest civilian infrastructure project in Maldives,
connecting Male with three neighbouring islands Villingili, Gulhifahu and Thilafushi.
● India will fund the implementation of a major connectiv ity project in Maldives through a USD 400 million line of credit
and USD 100 million grant.
HCL Tec h signs MoU with IIT -K for cybersecurity

● HCL Technologies announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of
Technology, K anpur (I ITK) to collaborate in the area of c y bersecurity.

As part of the MoU, HCL will work with C3iHub, a specialised c y bersecurity research center at I I TK, the company said in a
statement.
E s sar Oil and Gas s igns MoU with Indian School of Mines
● Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Ltd (EOGEPL), India’s leading Coal Bed Methane (CBM) gas
producer, said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration with the prestigious IIT (Indian School of
Mines), Dhanbad, to jointly work on research and development of various advanc ed CBM technol ogical innovations
indigenously.
● EOGEPL, an investee company of Essar Global Fund Limited (EGFL), is one of India’s largest operators of
unconventional hydrocarbon acreages.

● EGFL’s investments in EOGEP L are a part of its portfolio of E ssar Capit al’s upstream business, which is increasingly
focused on clean energy.

● As energy transitions happen in the world, CBM gas is widely seen as the green fuel of this century.
I ndia, Nepal s ign MoU - reconstruction of secondary schools in Himalayan Nation

● India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understa nding (MoU) for the reconstruction of six secondary schools in
t he Himalayan nation.
● The MoU was signed bet ween the I ndian Embassy and Nepal's Central Level Project Implementation Unit
(Education) of Nepal Reconstruction A uthority (NRA).

● The MoU was for the construction of six secondary schools at a tot al cost of Nepali Rupees 518 million, according to
a statement by the Indian Embassy.

● Of the six schools, four including K anti Bhairab Secondary School, Champa Devi Secondary School, Dhapasi
Secondary School and Bishnu Devi Secondary School are located in Kathmandu district and remaining two Siddheshwar
Secondary School and Harisiddhi Secondary School are located in Kavre district.
● Of the six schools, a groundbreaking ceremony of one was held amid a ceremony in Thali of Kathmandu.
TCS s igns MoU with invest up t o Rs.1,500 c r on Kerala digital hub

● Global IT leader TCS will invest an estimated Rs. 1,200 - Rs .1, 500 c rore to expand operations in Kerala and has
signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Technopark here for leasing 97 ac res of land at its Technocity campus to
set up a digital hub for engineering, product development and IT services across manufacturing sectors, Kerala Chief
Minister’s office informed.
Flipkart, Tamil Nadu MSME inks MoU to s upport sma ll, local products
● Flipkart, Tamil Nadu MSME inks MoU to s upport small, local products.
● Flipkart has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tamil Nadu MSME Trade and Investment
Promotion Bureau (MTIPB) to bring local artisans, weavers, craftsmen and S mall and Mid-size Business (SMBs) of the State
into the e-commerce fold.

I ndia, Ethiopia sign agreements on visa f acilitation & leather t echnology

● I ndia and Ethiopia signed two agreements related to visa facilitation and leather technology.
● The agreements were signed in the presence of Ethiopia Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke
Mek onnen Hassen and E xternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

● Hassen is on a 4-day visit to India, from February 16.
● S. Jaishankar tweeted that he had useful and productive discussions with Hassen on a range of bilateral and regional
issues.
● The two ministers agreed to ex pan d India and Ethiopia bilat eral agenda especially defenc e, economic, S&T, digital
and cultural cooperation.
I ndian Oil s igns pact with Greenstat Norway for hydrogen fuel
● A nat ional hydrogen mission to accelerate plans to generate the c arbon -free f uel from renewables, state-owned
I ndian Oil Corporation (IOC) s igned a pact with Greenstat Norway f or s etting up a Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen.
● In the Union Budget for 2021-22, the government pledged to focus on generating hydrogen from green power
sources as well as build more diverse and efficient energy infrastructure.
● This association aims to develop a Cent re of Excellence on Hydrogen (CoE-H) including CCUS and Fuel Cells by
IndianOil and M/s Greenstat for clean energy in cooperation with Indo-Norwegian Hydrogen Cluster
companies/organizations.
● The CoE-H will facilitate the transfer and sharing of technology, know-how and experience through the green
hydrogen value chain and other relevant technologies including hydrogen storage and fuel cells.
● The CoE-H will be a vehicle for promoting R&D projects in Green and Blue Hydrogen between Norwegian and Indian
R&D institutions/universities.
● The partnership between IOC and Greenstat will actively assist partners/stakeholders to develop business models
based upon feasibility studies besides facilitating consultancies to industry, utilities and regulators on hydrogen storage,
hydrogen production, refueling stations, fuel cells and CCUS technologies.
Chennai Port Trust to sign port to port MoU
● Development of a multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) and feasibility to run a ferry service between Chennai and
Karaikal in Puducherry are some of the projects for which MoUs will be s igned with various agencies by the Chennai P ort
Trust (ChPT) at t he Maritime I ndia Summit 2021 to be held online from March 2 to 4.
CS I R and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation s ign MoU in area of health research
● B ill & Melinda Gates Foundation and t he Council of Scientific and I ndustrial Research (CSIR ) have signed a
memorandum of understanding to s upport the development, conduct and promotion of health research in t he c ountry.

● Gates Foundation and CSIR will work together t o identify opportunities t o initiate scientific and technological
c ollaborations.
● The MoU was signed by Hari Menon, Director, India Country Office on behalf of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and
G N Dayananda, Head, Technology Management Directorate – Industry Interface, CSIR.

● These will focus on developing and testing new preventions, therapies and interventions that can help to solve major
health concerns that affect India and other developing countries.
A reas of research:
● Genetic diseases that impact infant and neonatal mortality
● New diagnostics and devices for infectious disease and environmental surveillance
● Development of cost-effective processes for drug, vaccines, biologics, and diagnostics manufacturing
● Novel microbiome-directed foods; socio-economic impact of science and technological tools
● Other areas of health and development.
Liberty Steel f orms t ie-up with hydrogen-based steel plant in France

● UK-based Liberty Steel Group, owned by Indian-origin metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, has signed MoUs wit h two
E uropean companies t o set up France''s f irst hydrogen-based steel making plant.

● Liberty Steel Group is part of diversified GFG Alliance, which has a presence in India.
● Last year in February, GFG Alliance made a foray into the domestic steel industry with the acquisition of Adhunik
Metaliks Ltd and its arm Zion Steel for about Rs 425 crore.
S t ellapps tie up with IPPB to drive f inancial inclusion for dairy farmers
● Dairy -tech start-up Stellapps has tied up with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB ) to digitise the milk procurement value
chain and promote banking facilities at milk collection centres.

● Through the tie-up, Stellapps is aiming to deliver dairy farmers within the monetary mainstream throughout villages in
Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Bihar, and Rajasthan within the c oming months, the corporation mentioned in a statement.
● IPPB will present ent ry to money and different banking providers like deposits, A adhar-enabled c ost providers, home
c as h s witch, invoice funds, and different associated providers.

● Stellapps mentioned it plans to leverage IPPB’s last-mile distribution community of over 1.36 lakh publishing plac es
of work and practically 1. 9 lakh postmen and Grameen Dak S evaks, geared up with smartphones and biometric gadgets.
TS I C s igns MoU with Navam

● In the nex t t hree t o f ive years, students in Telangana will get a one-of-its-kind innovation centre.
● Proposed on a 15-acre campus, the Innovation Lab & Cent re of Excellence (ILCE) will come up in Kamareddy
district.
● The Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) signed a MoU with Nav am Innovation Foundation to set up this centre.
● This will be a collaborative effort bet ween A gastya International Foundation and Pravaha Foundation, with an
investment of Rs 3, 000 c rore for the next 10 years.

● The ILCE will serv e as a resource centre for mini science centres, labs-on-bikes and immersive teacher t raining
programmes.
MP E DA ink MoU with NCDC for promotion of m arine exports

● The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the National Cooperative Development
Corporation (NCDC) have inked a memorandum of understanding to synergies their various programmes in the interest of
export-oriented capture and culture of fisheries and allied sectors for bringing better value to the stakeholders.
● The MoU was signed by KS Srinivas, Chairman, MPEDA and Sundeep Kumar Nay ak, Managing Director, NCDC,
here.
I ndia and Mauritius sign ink pact for Comprehensive E conomic Cooperation and P artnership A greement
● I ndia and Mauritius have signed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA).
● This is the f irst trade A greement signed by India with a country in Africa.
● The A greement is a limited agreement , which will cover Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in S ervices,
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute Settlement, Movement of Natural
Persons, Telecom, Financial Services, Customs Procedures and Cooperation in other areas.
● Commerce Secret ary Dr Anup Wadhawan and Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mauritius Haymandoyal Dillum signed
the agreement in Port Louis.

● Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnaut h and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar were also present on the
occasion.
I ndia and Uzbekistan agree to s trengthen multilateral cooperation

● I ndia and Uzbekistan agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation.
● Uzbekistan Foreign Minister A bdulaziz Kamilov and Dr S. Jaishank ar discussed the bilateral relations concerning
both the nations.

● Mr Kamilov, who is in Delhi, also discussed development, defence, connectivity, trade and culture.
● Both the leaders also exchanged views on the Afghanistan situation.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs sign MoU with C BIC for exchange of data t o enhance E ase of Do ing Business in India
● The Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Central B oard of Indirect Taxes and Customs have signed an MoU for
exchange of data for enhancing ease of doing business in India and improving overal l regulatory enforcement.
● Both the organisations will benefit from access to each other’s databas es which include details of import -ex port
transactions and consolidated financial statements of companies registered in the country.

● The MoU was signed by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Corporat e Affairs Manoj Pandey and Additional Director General,
CBIC B. B. Gupta.

I WA I signs inks pact with MOL f or transportation of LPG t hrough inland waterways
● A Memorandum of Understanding was signed bet ween the I nland Waterways Authority of India and the MOL (Asia
Oceania) Limited f or transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas through barges on National Waterways -1 and National
Wat erways-2.
● The MoU was inked in the presence of Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya.
● The Inland Waterways Authority will provide support for, facilitating with adequat e fairway, handling of LP G cargo on
IWAI terminals or Multimodal Terminals at Haldia, Sahibganj and Varanasi.

● MOL Group is the world’s largest gas carrier company and will invest for construction and oper ation of dedicated
LPG barges under Make-in-India initiative.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs sign MoU with CBIC Delhi for data exchange
● The Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Cent ral Board of Indirect Taxes and Custom s signed a Memorandum of
Understanding in New Delhi for data exchange between the two organisations.
● It is in line with the vision of both organisations to harness data capabilities to ensure effective enforcement.
● Both are going to benefit from access to each other’s databases which include details of import-export transactions
and consolidated financial statements of companies registered in the country.

● The data sharing arrangement gains significance in light of development of MCA 21 Version 3 which will utilise state
of the art technology for enhancing ease of doing business in India and improve the regulat ory enf orcement and similar steps
by CBIC like the launch of Advanced Analytics in Indirect Taxation ADVAIT, a 360-degree taxpayer profiling tool.
Rev ision P oints
Organizations P urpose
Ford & Google Cloud-based data services
NBCFDC & Apollo Medskills Providing COVID Vaccine Administration training
HAL & MIDHANI To develop, manufacture composite raw materials
Zomato & Ministry of Housing and To take street food vendors' businesses online
Urban Affairs
Karnataka & 34 Aerospace and To generate 6462 direct employment opportunities.
Defence firms
Ministry of Defence and BEL To procure ship-borne modern radio system
India & Afghanistan For construction of the Lalandar “Shahtoot” Dam
HCL Technologies & IIT Kanpur Cybersecurity
Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and To work on research and development of various
Production Ltd & Indian School of Mines advanced CBM technological innovations

India & Nepal For the reconstruction of six secondary schools in the
Himalayan nation
Flipkart & Tamil Nadu MSME To support small, local products
India & Ethiopia Visa facilitation & leather technology
Indian Oil & Greenstat Norway For hydrogen fuel
TSIC & Navam To set up an Innovation Lab & Centre of Excellence
Marine Products Export Development For promotion of marine exports
Authority & NCDC
India & Mauritius To cover Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in
Services, Technical Barriers to Trade, Sanitary and
Phytosanitary (SPS) measure
India & Uzbekistan To strengthen multilateral cooperation
Ministry of Corporate Affairs & Central To enhance Ease of Doing Business in India
Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
Inland Waterways Authority of India & For transportation of LPG through inland waterways
MOL
Ministry of Corporate Affairs & CBIC For Data Exchange
Delhi
Important Summit & Conference

Union Minister of A griculture informed Lok Sabha about A GRI I NDIA HACKATHON
● The Indian Council of A gricultural Research (ICA R) has started organising K RI TAGYA- a National level hackathon in
the month of August, 2020 to promote innovation in agriculture and allied sectors in the country.
● Agri-Hackathon is to give opportunity to the students along with f aculties, innov ators for showcasing their innovative
approaches & t echnologies in agriculture and allied s ectors .

● Indian Council of Agricultural Res earch (ICA R) has put in place an Institutional mechanism through Research
Institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and A griculture Universities (AUs) to address the problems being faced by the
farming sector.
Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) Conclave Organised at Bengaluru

● The Indian Air Force will host a Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) Conclave on 3rd and 4t h Feb 21 at Air Force Station
Y elahanka.
● The Conclave will be a unique one where Chiefs of Air Staff from various countries would brainstorm and synergize
their thoughts on current issues related to aerospace power strategy and technological developments.

● The Conclave will be inaugurated by Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath It is expected to be attended by about 75
c ountries.
● The Conclave will also be a perfect example of India's Defenc e Cooperation with other countries working as a
diplomatic instrument, giving an opportunity for buildin g bridges of friendship, mut ual trust and capacities on a global basis.
Promoting trans parency in defence cooperation and building areas of c ommon interests in military aviation will be focus areas
of the CAS Conclave.
First ASEAN-India Hackathon 2021 Concludes
● The first-ever A S E AN-India Hackathon concluded on February 4 with more t han 400 students, mentors, and
officials from 10 A S EAN c ountries and India participating.

● Hackathon held by Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India is in line with the vision of ASEAN
- plan of action on science, technology and innovation (APASTI) 2016-2025.

● From the Ministry of Education, the ASEAN-India Hackathon 2021 aims at enhancing the cooperation between
India and ASEAN countries in science, technology, and education

● Mr Pokhriyal and Union Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attended the award ceremony.
A bout ASEAN-India Hackathon 2021:

● The participating teams consisted of 330 students and 90 mentors. The students were divided in 54 cross -country
teams, where each team consists of six students and two mentors.
● These diverse teams competed on developing the best solution for 11 problem statements provided by various
different international organisations and government bodies.
First India-EU High-Level Dialogue On Trade, I nvestment Held

● The f irst High-Level Dialogue (HLD), c o-chaired by t he Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyus h Goyal and the
European Union Executive Vice-President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, was held on Feb 05, 2021.
● Commitment to the establishment of this Dialogue was a major outcome of the 15t h India-EU Leaders S ummit held in
J uly 2020.
● Objective : For ministerial-level guidance towards the bilateral trade and investment relations, according to the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

● The ministers emphasized the importance of global cooperation and solidarity in a post -COVID-19 era and agreed for
further deepening of bilateral trade and investment relationship through a series of regular engagements, aiming at quick
deliverables for the businesses in these tough times.

● The ministers also agreed to meet within the next three months, with an objecti ve for reaching consensus on a host
of bilateral trade and investment cooperation issues viz. a bilateral Regulatory Dialogue; an India-EU Multilateral Dialogue to
explore further possibilities of cooperation; etc.

● They concluded with confidence and commitment towards a renewed India-EU commercial and economic
partnership reflecting the full potential of bilateral commercial relations.
P M Modi to inaugurate Maritime I ndia S ummit-2021 on 2nd March

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Maritime I ndia S ummit-2021 on 2nd March.
● In this 20 t housand delegates will participate, 24 partner c ountries will join and more than 400 Projects are set to be
showcased in the 2nd edition of Maritime India Summit 2021 to be held virtually from 2nd March to 4th Mar ch.
● Maritime India Summit is going to provide a powerful platform for international collaboration and bring in part ner
countries for mutual exchange of knowledge and opportunities.

● The event is being organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways jointly with FICCI as Industrial
Partner and EY as Knowledge Partner.

● The entire summit will be held on virtual platform www.maritime india s ummit.in. The registration for the visitors and
exhibitors has started
A t hree-day A nnual Convention of A ssocia tion of Domestic Tour Operators of India s tarts at Kevadia in Gujarat
● The slogan of ‘Dekho A pna Desh’ by the Prime Minister has given boos t to domestic tourism stated Union Minister of
S t ate (IC) f or Tourism & Culture, S hri P rahlad Singh Pate l, while inaugurating via video conferencing K ev adia, Gujarat.
● The t hree-day event has been organised from February 12 t o 14, 2021.
● The three day ADTOI 10th Annual Convention-cum-Exhibition at the S t atue of Unity (SOU), Tent City 2 in Kevadia, is
based on the theme: ‘Domestic Tourism Hope for the revival- Dekho Apna Desh’.
● This convention has been jointly organized by the Ministry of Tourism and ADTOI with support from Gujarat
Tourism.
● It aims at building public confidence to travel for the revival of domestic tourism in the country and is being attended
by around 400 delegates comprising ADTOI members from across India, hoteliers, airlines representatives, senior
government officials, media-persons among other stakeholders of the tourism industry.
NI TI A ayog’s A tal I nnovation Mission & Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation kick -start the I-ACE
Hac kathon, 2021

● A I M and Australia’s national science agency (CSIRO) kick started the I ndia-Australia Circular E conomy (I-ACE)
Hac kathon, 2021.

● The concept of I-ACE joint Hackathon originated in the virtual bilateral summit between the Hon. P rime Minister of
I ndia and the Hon. P rime Minister of A ustralia, held on June 4th, 2020 where they committed to joint circular economy
innovation initiatives between the two countries.

● I-ACE is supported by the Australian Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER), A IM Atal
Incubation Centre network, and various domain experts.

● The total prize pool for the I-ACE Hackathon is around fifty-six lakh rupees altogether. The winners will be felicitated
in presence of key Government dignitaries from both the countries.

● AIM and CSIRO are committed towards enabling the youth of their countries to further strengthen the circular
economy in both India and Australia.
P M addresses NA SSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum 2021

● Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 29th edition of Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF)
which is being organized f rom 17th - 19th Feb through video conferencing.
● It is the flagship event of the Nat ional Association of Software and S ervice Companies.
● This is a vibrant platform that brings together key leaders from the world of technology and innovation.
● The event is hosting almost 1600 participants from more than 30 countries and m ore than 30 products will be
s howcased during the three-days of talks.

● NTLF 2021 with the overarching theme ' S haping the f uture towards a better normal'
● Aim : To achieve three key objectives – mark as a celebration of technology whic h has served as a backbone to
boost businesses during the crisis, draw a roadmap for the way ahead towards building a better future and br inging out the
importance of trust and responsible tech in this hyper virtual world.

● February 2021 marks the 29th year of NASSCOM Technology & Leadership Forum - a platform whic h has been the
voice of the 190-billion-dollar industry ecosystem.
Dr. Harsh V ardhan addresses ‘Population v ersus P lanet’ Conference

● Dr. Harsh V ardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare today participated and expressed his views in
WI ON and Zee Media’s ‘Population versus Planet’ Conference

● It is a part of its year-long campaign called ' Mission S ustainability: Population V s Planet' .
● This e-conclave marking the campaign’s launch will host deliberations between numerous policy experts,
demographic researchers & academicians on socially important themes like population stabilis ation, empowering women &
youth through education among various others as the world populat ion witnesses an increase from 1 billion in the year 1800
to 7.8 billion today.

● The c rude birth rate which was recorded at 40.8 per 1000 in 1951 has declined t o 20.0 in 2018;
● Tot al Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined from 6. 0 in 1951 to 2.2 in 2015-16;
● The death rate in India has declined from 7 in 2012 to 6.2 in 2018.
A s ia Economic Dialogue 2021 t o B egin on Feb 26

● The A s ia Economic Dialogue 2021 (AED 2021) jointly convened by t he Ministry of E xternal Affairs and Pune
I nt ernational Centre (PIC)

● It will be held over t hree days from February 26 to February 28.
● This is the fifth AED and the second one organised by PIC, a prominent policy research think tank based in Pune ,
with the well-known scientist Dr. R A Mashelkar as its President and the noted economist, Dr. Vijay Kelkar, as Vice President.

● The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Post Covid-19 Global Trade and Finance Dynamics’ featuring high-level
international participation from foreign ministers of a number of countries, senior bureaucrats, industry leaders and global
financial experts.
● The Asia Economic Dialogue is a geoeconomics conference supported by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
11t h India-EU Macroeconomic dialogue held through video c onferencing

● The 11t h India-EU Macroeconomic dialogue was held through video conferencing.
● Secretary Economic Affairs Tarun Bajaj led the Indian delegation. The delegation from European Union was led by
Director General of Economic and Financial Affairs E CFI N in E uropean Commission Maarten Verwey.
● The dialogue today covered sharing of their experiences to enable both sides on various aspects including
collaboration in the G20 on finance track matters.

● It covers all dimensions-political, economic, security, trade and investment, environment, research and innovation.
● The EU is one of India's largest trading partners, one of the largest investors in India and an important source for
technology, innovation and best practices.
I ndia, Australia, and France hold t rilateral dialogue with I ndo -Pacific in focus
● A t rilateral dialogue was held among I ndia, France, and Australia on February 24, 2021 at the senior officials’ level,
with f oc us on further enhancing cooperation in t he I ndo-Pacific.

● The first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue was held virtually on September 9, 2020.
● The meeting was held with the objective of building on the strong bilateral relations t hat t he three countries share
wit h each other and synergising their respective strengths to ensure a peaceful, s ecure, prosperous and rules -based I ndo-
P ac ific Region.
● The three sides agreed to hold the dialogue on an annual basis.
● The Indian side was led by Joint Secretary (Europe West) in MEA, Sandeep Chakravorty, while the French side was
led by Bertrand Lortholary, Director (Asia and Oceania), and the Australian side was led by Mr Gary Cowan, First A ssistant
Secretary (North and South Asia Division) and Mr John Geering, First Assistant Secretary (Europe and Latin America
Division).
I nt ernational Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium on S ustainable Development of Dams & River B asins
inaugurated
● The International Commission on Large Dams (I COLD) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River
Basins was inaugurated by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister for Jal Shakti as Chief Guest and Shri R.K. Singh,
Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Govt. of India presided over the Opening Ceremony.
● The theme of the symposium is “S us tainable Development of Dams & River Basins” .
● International Commission on Large Dams(INCOLD) in collaboration with Cent ral Water Commission (CWC), Dam
Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP) and National Hydrology Project (NHP) is organising Symposium on “S ust ainable

Development of Dams and River Basins” under the aegis of ICOLD at New Delhi as Hybrid event from 24th - 27th February
2021. More than 300 delegates from across the country and abroad will participate in the Symposium.
Objective ICOLD Symposium :

● The symposium is being organised to provide an excellent opportunity to Indian Dam Engineering Professionals and
Agencies to share their experiences, ideas and latest developments in new materials and construction technologies,
advancement in investigation techniques, best engineering practices, dam safety issues etc.
● Besides this offers the opportunity to network with the world renowned dam experts from different countries and
global organizations involved in Dam Construction, management and operation and m aintenance for mutual benefits.
2nd edition of Global Bio-India - organised f rom 1st t o 3rd March

● To showcase the strength and opportunities of the India’s biotechnology sector at national level and to the global
community, the second edition of Global B io-India will be organized from 1st to 3rd March.
● The t heme for this year is t ransforming lives and t ag line is B iosciences to Bio economy.
● S c ience and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan will inaugurate the event virtually.
● Global Bio-I ndia is one of the largest biotec hnology stakeholders’ conglomerat es that is being co -organized by the
Department of Biot echnology, Ministry of Science and Technology along with its Public Sector Undertaking, Biotechnology
Industry Research Assistance Council, BIRAC in partnership with industry association CII, Association of Biotechnology Led
Enterprises and Invest India.
Rev ision P oints
Conf erence/Summits V enue/Host Country Chaired By/The me/ A dd res s ed
B y /Others
KRITAGYA Organized by Indian Council of
Agricultural Research
Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) Conclave Bengaluru Hosted by Indian Air Force
First ASEAN-India Hackathon Held by Association of
SouthEast Asian Nations
The first High-Level Dialogue Co-chaired by Piyush Goyal
Maritime India Summit-2021 Inaugurated by PM Modi
3-day Annual Convention of Slogan - ‘Dekho Apna Organized by the Ministry of
Association of Domestic Tour Desh’ Tourism and ADTOI with support
Operators of India from Gujarat Tourism
India-Australia Circular Economy (I- Organized by AIM and
ACE) Hackathon, 2021 Australia’s national science

agency (CSIRO)
29th edition of Nasscom Technology Shaping the future towards a
and Leadership Forum better normal
‘Population versus Planet’ Campaign-'Mission
Conference Sustainability: Population Vs
Planet
Asia Economic Dialogue 2021 Convened by the Ministry of
External Affairs and Pune
International Centre
11th India-EU Macroeconomic Economic Affairs Tarun Bajaj led
dialogue the Indian delegation
2nd edition of Global Bio-India Theme - Transforming lives and
Tag line -Biosciences to Bio
economy
Important Defence News

A ero I ndia 2021: Asia’s B iggest Aero Show
● In a first, the 13t h edition will see an I ndian Ocean Region (IOR) defence minister's conclave as I ndia s eeks a bigger
role in this volatile hub of global geopolitical rivalry.

● It can be seen that the conclave is an initiative that promotes dialogue in an institutional, economic and cooperative
environment that can foster development of peace and stability.

● It can be seen that Bengaluru has hosted all 13 editions of t he show.
● Since 1996, Aero India has come a long way to become Asia's largest defence and aerospace air show over the
years.
● In its 25th year, the government is using it to further geopolitical goals with strategi c events.
I ndia-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh A bhyas 20’ c ommences in Rajasthan

● The India-US joint military exercise " Yudh A bhyas 20" commenced in Mahajan Field Firing Range of Bikaner district
in Rajasthan.
● This is the 16t h edition of annual bilateral joint exercise of both the armies.
● It will continue till the 21st of this month.
● The previous version of the joint exercise was held at Seattle in the United S tates.
● About 250 US and 250 I ndian army soldiers are participating in the exercise. Both the armies will share their war-
related techniques, skills and experience with each other during this exercise.

● The exercise is one of the largest military training and defense cooperation efforts between India and the United
States.
● This exercise is another step in the growing military cooperation between the two countries, which shows the
growth in Indo-US relations.

● It is also a sign that both India and the US understand the threat of terrorism and are standing shoulder to shoulder
in combating the same.
CRP F I nducts Women Commandos I nto E lite A nti-Naxal CoBRA Unit

● Cent ral Reserve P olice Force (CRPF) inducted women c ommandos in its anti-Naxal Commando B attalion for
Res olute Action (CoBRA) unit which will undergo training and then will be sent to Naxal-hit areas.
● These 34 women personnel were inducted in the elite CoBRA wing during the 35t h Raising Day of the force’s 88th
Mahila Battalion, the first all-women battalion in the world.

● According to the CRPF, on the occasion of the 88th all-women battalion Raising Day, these women commandos
have been inducted along with the introduction of all Mahila brass bands which will make CRPF the first force to have a
women brass band.

● The 34 women personnel from the 6 Mahila B attalions of CRPF who are joining the COBRA, will undergo a
strenuous CoBRA pre-induction training of 3 months, before being sent to Naxal-hit areas of the country.
● Taking another step towards women empowerment, the 88th Mahila battalion of CRPF has the distinction of being
the first all-Mahila battalion in the world.
I ndian A rmy lays foundation of 100-foot-high national flag in J-K's Gulmarg

● The I ndian A rmy has laid the foundation stone of the tallest ' I conic National Flag' at the famous s k i-resort of Gulmarg
in J ammu and Kashmir.

● The flag will be on a 100 f eet-high pole, the highest Tricolour in the Valley.
● The Indian Army in collaboration with the Solar Industry India will install the 'Iconic National Flag' at Gulmarg.
● The foundation stone for the iconic national flag was laid by Dagger Division General Officer Commandin g (GoC)
Major General Virendra Vats along with Bollywood actor-producer Arbaaz Khan and actress Vidya Balan.
● This iconic Indian national flag will be a first in many ways. The site is expected to become another tourist attraction,
among the snow-clad mountains of Kashmir.
I ndia joins Russia-Iran’s two-day naval exercise

● I ndia has joined Iran and Russia in a t wo-day navy exercise dubbed " I ran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021" in the
northern part of the Indian Ocean.
A bout the drill :

● The drill will cover an area of 17,000 square kilometres (6,500 square miles).

● It will include shooting at sea and air targets and liberating hijacked ships, as well as search and rescue and anti-
piracy operations, Al Jazeera reported.
L& T-built I nterceptor B oat, the 17th in series, commissioned at Chennai

● I ndian Coast Guard Ship C-453, the 17t h of the 18 Interceptor B oat (IBs) project indigenously constructed by Lars en
& Toubro Ltd, has been commissioned at Chennai.

● ICGS C-453, the 27. 8-metre-long Interceptor Boat with a displacement of 105 t onnes and Max Speed of 45 k nots (85
k mph) is capable of undertaking multifarious tasks including Surveillance, Interdiction, close coast patrol, Search and
Rescue, in addition to rendering assistance to boats and craft in distress at sea.

● The vessel is equipped with advanced navigation and communication systems. The quick -reaction feature coupled
with modern equipment endows the vessel with the capability to swiftly respond to any maritime situation at very short notice.
● ICGS C-453 is commanded by Assistant Commandant Animesh Sharma and will be based at Chennai under the
operational control of Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).

● The ship will be deployed extensively for EEZ surveillance and other duties as enshrined in the Coast Guard Ch arter,
to safeguard the Maritime interests of India.

● The Indian Coast Guard with this Ship joining the fleet will have 157 Ships & Boats and 62 Aircraft.
Important Science and Technology News

S t udents in Karnataka's Hubballi made robot to help in banking s ervices
● E ngineering c ollege students in Hubballi have come up with ' Maya',a robot that has been programmed to serve in
banks and s peaks in many regional languages.

● The students of the Automation and Robotics department of KLE Technological University hav e spent nearly eight
mont hs and spent Rs 5 lakh t o develop the robot.

● It was developed keeping banking sectors in mind and programmed with all banking activities such as advising the
customers on opening accounts, sending them to designated counters for queries.

● With the help of art ificial intelligence, it recognises customers' faces and responds to them by using a chatbot.
● After the banking hours, it automatically goes to the docking yard and charges its batteries without the help of any
human being.
NA S A c hooses SpaceX t o launch $99M astrophysics mission

● NA S A has chosen S paceX to provide launc h services for its upcoming two-year astrophysics mission slated to kick
off in J une of 2024.

● The mission is dubbed Spherex, which stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, E poc h of
Reionization, and Ices E xplorer.

● Its goal is to "s urvey the sky in t he near-infrared light," which could then help answer questions about the birth of the
universe and the development of galaxies.

● SPHEREx will also look for water and organic molecules in areas where stars are formed from gas and dust, as well
as disks around stars where new planets could be forming.

● The mission will allow astronomers to collect data on more than 300 million galaxies, and more than 100 million stars
in t he Milky Way.
● The small astrophysics spacecraft, SPHEREx, weighs 329-lb. (178 kilograms).
● The mission, which costs around $98. 8 million to launch, will take off on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch
Complex-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
S quare K ilometre A rray Observatory launched

● A new intergovernmental organisation called S quare K ilometre A rray Observatory (SKAO) Council has been formed
with the intention of building the world’s largest radio t elescope.

● The council held its f irst-ever meeting to approve the plans and start a new journey in s pace exploration.
● Though it is headquartered in the UK , SKAO has members f rom Australia, Canada, China, I ndia, Italy, New Zealand,
S outh Africa, S weden and t he Netherlands.

● French-born Dr Cat herine Cesarsky has been appointed as t he f irst Chair of t he S KAO Council.
● The Indian contingent of over 20 institutions will be led by P une-based National Centre f or Radio A strophysics
(NCRA ) of TIFR.
Objective of SKAO
● To look into some of the unexplored areas of the universe and seek answers about its history and evolution, study
fundamental physics in extreme environments and know about galaxies over cosmic time.
● The telescope will enable astronomers to monitor the sky in unprecedented det ail and survey the entire sky much
faster than any system currently in existence.
What are radio telescopes?

● Unlike optical telescopes, radio telescopes can detect invisible gas and, therefore, they can reveal areas of space
that may be obscured by cosmic dust.

● Significantly, since the first radio signals were detected by physicist Karl Jansky in the 1930s, astronomers have used
radio telescopes to detect radio waves emitted by different objects in the universe and explore it.
● According to NASA, the field of radio astronomy evolved after World War II and became one of the most important
tools for making astronomical observations since.
S o what is significant about the S KA telescope?

● The telescope, proposed to be the largest radio telescope in the world, will be located in Africa and Australia whose
operation, maintenance and construction will be overseen by SKAO.

● The completion is expected to take nearly a decade at a cost of over £1.8 billion.

● Significantly, the development of SKA will use the results of various surveys undertaken using another powerful
telescope called the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), which is developed and operated by the
country’s science agency CSIRO.
P et roleum Ministry Launches I nvestment Corner On Revamped Site

● Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Investment Corner under the
Project Development Cell (PDC), on the revamped website of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
● It has taken this initiative to dedicate a section showcasing investible sectors and opportunities and as a means to
channelise investors’ interest to the MOPNG PDC Team.

● The Investor corner will enable the Ministry to effectively implement Union Cabinet’s decision to set up Project
Development Cells (PDC) in GoIMinistries/Departments to enhance the investment friendly ecosystem that supports and
handholds investors for the grounding of investible projects and also supports in coordination of issues with stakeholder
agencies of Government of India and State Governments.
I s ro t ests s atellites developed by private sector for t he f irst time

● The first time in its history, the I ndian S pace Research Organisation (ISRO) has opened its UR Rao S atellite Centre
in B engaluru for t esting s atellites developed by t he private s ector.

● Two satellites by Indian startups S paceKidz I ndia and P ixxel (incorporated as Sygyzy) were tested at the UR Rao
Satellite Centre.
● Isro helped these two companies fix problems with the solar panels on their respective satellites.
● This is a first for the space agency, which so far has only taken help in manufacturing and fabrication of various parts
of satellites and rockets from the Indian industry.

● Two firms will also test their engines at Sriharikota spaceport and Thiruvananthapuram rocket centre.
● A satellite designed by students from SpaceKidz had been launched by ISRO as an experiment in January 2019
using the fourth stage of the PSLV as the platform for the KalamSat.
B razilian, Indian startup satellite in ISRO’s first mission in 2021 on Feb 28

● In its first mission in 2021, I ndia’s space agency ISRO planned to launch on February 28 Brazilian s atellite
A mazonia-1 and t hree I ndian payloads, including one built by a home-grown start-up.
● The satellites are slated to be launched on board the P olar Satellite Launch V ehicle (PSLV) C-51 at 10.28 am from
the Sriharikota spaceport, over 100 kms from Chennai.

● PSLV – C51/Amazonia – 1 is the first dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a
Government of India company under the Department of Space.

● Secretary in the Department of Space and Chairman of Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO (Indian Space Research
Organisation) K Sivan confirmed the PSLV-C51 schedule to PTI.

● A mazonia – 1 is the primary payload on board ISRO’s PSLV (Polar Satellit e Launch Vehicle) rocket.
● ‘A nand’ is built by Indian space startup, Pixxel, and ‘Satish Dhawan Satellite’ by Chennai -based Space Kidz India.

● UNI TYsat is a combination of three satellites designed and built as a joint development by Jeppiaar Institute of
Technology, Sriperumbudur (JITsat), G.H.Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur (GHRCEsat) and Sri Shakthi Institute of
Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore (Sri Shakthi Sat).

● “PSLV – C51 marks the launch of the country’s first commercial private remote-sensing satellite (Anand) on an ISRO
PSLV rocket.
I ndia successfully test fires Helina, Dhruvastra anti-tank guided missiles

● I ndia successfully test fired indigenously-developed anti-tank guided missile systems ‘Helina’ and ‘Dhruvastra’,
paving their induction into the A rmy and t he Indian Air Force respectively.
● The missiles were test fired at P ok hran deserts in Rajasthan.
● The missile systems have been designed and developed indigenously by the Def ence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO).
● Helina, which is the helicopter-launched version of the Nag missile system, is a third-generation fire and forget class
anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system mounted on the ALH.

● The Helina has also undergone successful trials in 2018. Both Nag and Helina were part of the DRDO’s Republic
Day display, which showcased its entire anti-tank missile family
I ndian A nd Indonesian Navies Conduct Exercise In Arabian S ea

● The I ndian and Indonesian navies carried out a military exercise in the A rabian sea t o enhance operational
int eroperability and overall cooperation.

● Indian naval ship INS Talwar and Indonesian Navy's multirole corvette KRI Bung Tomo were part of the exercise,
P urpose :
● E nhancing I nteroperability & strengthening Bilateral Maritime Cooperation Indian Navy S hip INS Talwar and
I ndonesian Navy's multirole Corvette KRI Bung Tomo, conducted P as sage Exercise (PASSEX) in t he Arabian S ea.
● The Indian Navy participated in maritime exercises in the last few months with a number of countries, including
Japan, Russia, Australia and the US.
DRDO c onducts t wo successful launches of V ertical Launch Short Range S urface t o A ir Missile
● Def ence Research and Development O rganisation (DRDO) has conducted t wo s uccessful launches of V ertical
Launch Short Range S urface t o A ir Missile (VL-SRSAM).

● The launches were carried out from a static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the c oast of
Odisha.
● Indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO for I ndian Navy, V L-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various
aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.

● The launches were monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO labs involved in the desi gn and development
of the system.

● During the test launches, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data, captured
by various Range instruments.
E A M S Jaishankar launches B RICS 2021 Website

● The E x ternal Affairs Minister of India S . Jaishankar on February 19, 2021, unveiled India’s B RI CS 2021 website
www. brics2021.gov.in in New Delhi.

● India assumed the BRICS Chairship in 2021, at a time when BRICS is celebrating its 15t h anniversary.
● Under the theme BRICS@15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation, India’s approach is focused on s t rengthening c ollaboration
t hrough Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.

● The newly launched website will be maintaining a dynamic and updated information repository and will be displaying
all the relevant information for BRICS, along with the press releases, documents, a media gallery, and a registration platform
for the events that have been planned over the year.
Important Rankings and Indexes

I ndex I ndia’s rank Top P resented By
Asia-Pacific Personalised 10th Singapore Economist Intelligence
Health Index Unit
International Economic 2nd Germany PHDCCI
Resilience (IER) Rank
2020 Democracy Index 53rd Norway The Economist
Intelligence Unit
I ndia ranks 10th in Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index

● I ndia ranked 10th out of 11 Asia Pacific countries in a newly-launched health index to measure the progress towards
pers onalised healthcare.

● Overall, S ingapore has topped t he index. It is followed by Taiwan (2nd), Japan (3rd) and Australia (4th).
A bout EIU Report :

● The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report Asia-Pacific Personalised Health Index'' measures the readiness of 11
health systems across the region--Australia, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan,
Thailand and New Zealand--in adopting personalised healthcare, enabling the right care to be tailored to the right person at
the right time.

● The ‘Personalised Health Index’ measures performance against 27 different indicators of personalis ed healt h across
four categories called V ital S igns.

● These include Policy Context, Health Information, Personalis ed Technologies and Health Services.

Maharashtra tops 2nd India Justice Report for delivering justice t o people
● The s econd edition of the India Justice Report, I ndia’s only ranking of states on delivery of Justice to people,
announced.
● Maharashtra once again at the t op of t he 18 Large and Mid-sized states (with population of over one crore each),
followed by Tamil Nadu (2019: 3rd), Telangana (2019: 11th) Punjab (2019: 4th) and Kerala (2019: 2nd).
● The India Justice Report (IJR) is an initiative of Tata Trust s in collaboration with Centre for Social Justice, Common
Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS–Prayas, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and How India
Lives. The maiden IJR was announced in 2019.

● Through a rigorous 14-month quantitative research, the India Justice Report 2020 once again tracks the progress
states have made in capacitating their justice delivery structures to effectively deliver services to all.
● It takes account of latest statistics and situations as they existed prior to March 2020. It brings together otherwise
siloed statistics from authoritative government sources, on the four pillars of Justice delivery –Police, Judiciary,
Prisons and Legal Aid.
A bout India Justice Report (IJR)

● The India Justice Report (IJR) is launched by Tata Trusts in collaboration with Centre for Social Justice, Common
Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS–Prayas, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and How India
Lives
● The states are ranked based on publicly available data of different government entities on the four pillars of justice
delivery which are police, judiciary, prisons and legal aid.

● The first edition of IJR was released in 2019.
I ndia to emerge as most resilient economy after Germany in 2021: P HDCCI

● Germany ranks first in the P HDCCI International Economic Resilience (IE R) Rank followed by I ndia and Sout h Korea
at s econd and third positions, respectively, according to the report released by industry body PHDCCI.
● It is based on analysis of f ive lead macroeconomic indicators reflecting a country's economic performance including
1. real GDP growth rate,
2. merchandise export growth rate,
3. current account balance (as percentage of GDP),
4. general government net lending/borrowing (as percentage of GDP)
5. gross debt-to-GDP ratio.

● India's IER Rank stands at second among the top -10 leading ec onomies, indicating strong resilienc e of the Indian
economy to the daunting pandemic of COVID-19,

● India's real GDP growth rate is projected to be the highest at 11.5% in the year 2021 among the top -10 leading
economies in the world, according to the industry body.

I ndia slips t wo places t o 53rd s pot in EIU's 2020 Democracy I ndex

● India slipped two places to 53rd position in the 2020 Democracy Index’s global ranking , according to The Economist
I nt elligence Unit.
● India is ranked higher than most of its neighbouring countries. India’s overall score fell from 6.9 in 2019 to 6. 61 in the
I ndex that provides a snapshot of the current state of democracy worldwide for 167 countries.
● Norway has t opped the Index.Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada are the top five countries in the list.
● Out of 167 count ries, the Democracy Index classifies 23 countries as full democracies, 52 as flawed democ racies, 35
as hybrid regimes and 57 as authoritarian regimes. India has been clas sified as a ‘flawed democracy’ along with countries.
I mportant S chemes List
Commerce Ministry notifies Rs 945 crore s eed fund Scheme f or s tartups

● The government has approved the Rs 945-crore Startup India S eed Fund S cheme (SISFS) for the period 2021-25 to
offer early-stage funding to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and
commercialization.
● It is implemented by the Department f or Promotion of Industry and I nternal Trade (DPIIT).
● The Rs 945 crore Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) will be operational from A pril 1, 2021, to 2025 as the
government looks to boost the ecosystem, providing the crucial capital for young companies.
● The government announced that Startup India Seed Fund Sc heme will provide financial assistance to startups that
have been recognised by the DPIIT and incorporated not more than two years ago at the time of application.
● The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme is sector-agnostic and will have a central common application on Startup India
portal for startups and incubators on an ongoing basis.

● Earlier, on January 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the launch of this Rs 1,000-crore 'Startup India
Seed Fund' to support startups and help budding entrepreneurs pursue innovative ideas.
Maharashtra Government A pproves Water Conservation P rogramme
● The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the implementation of the Chief Minister Wat er Conservation P rogramme,
c osting Rs.1,340.75 crore.

● Under the programme, water sources would be repaired, which will enhance the State’s irrigation capacity.
● The period of the programme is from A pril 2020 t o March 2023,
A bout the Scheme :

● Around 7, 900 water sources need repairing to restore water storage and irrigation capacity
● Under the programme, various ponds, and lakes with the irrigation capacity up to 600 hectares would be repaired.
Also, repair work of canals due to breakage of its lining will also be undertaken.

● The programme will be undertaken by the soil and water conservation department to restore irrigation capacity of the
water sources.
● The canal repair works will also be taken up to stop the wastage of water
Delhi Cabinet A pproves ' Mukhyamantri V igyan P ratibha P ariksha'' Scholarship Scheme
● The Delhi cabinet approved ' ' Mukhyamantri Vigyan P ratibha Pariksha'' in which Rs 5, 000 will be provided to Rs 1,000
meritorious students of Class 9 in s chools of Delhi as a science scholarship.

● The scholarship will provide a boost to science education in secondary classes at the school level.
● According to the release, the students studying in Delhi schools who have secured more than 60 percent in Class 8
are eligible for the examination. Students belonging to SC, ST, PH, or OBC category will be given a relaxation of up to 5
percent of marks.
● In Addition to that The cabinet approved procurement of close to 1200 computers, multi-functional printers, and
UPSs for all the schools, branch offices, and district offices under the education department.
Union Textile Minister S mriti I rani rolls out c ommercial J ut e s eed distribution scheme
● Union Textile Minister S mriti I rani rolled out the c ommercial Jute seed distribution s cheme.
● Jute Corporation of India had last year signed an MoU with Nat ional Seeds Corporation for commercial distribution of
1 t housand Metric Tonne certified jute s eeds for the year 2021-22.
● The government increased the Minimum Support P rice (MSP) for Jute by nearly 76 per cent in the last 6 years.
● Both the Agriculture Ministry and the Textile Ministry are working with enhanced synergy to exten d support to the
Jute growing farmers.

● She informed that centre's decision regarding mandatory packaging in jute materials will benefit ov er 4 lakh
farmers directly including nearly 40 lakh agri-based households.

● The minister also informed that inclusion of excavation for Jute-retting tanks under MGNREGA will help create 46
lakh mandays of work under the central scheme.
Cabinet approves over Rs 12,000-cr PLI scheme for telecom s ector

● The Union Cabinet approved a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme worth Rs 12,195 crore for telecom
equipment manufacturing.
● It will be implemented from April 01, 2021.
● The decision was taken to offset the imports of telecom equipment worth more than Rs 50,000 crore and reinforce
it with “Made in India” products both for domestic markets and exports.
● The support under the PLI scheme will be provided to companies manufacturers of specified telecom and
networking products in India like Gigabit Passive Optical Networks (GPON), base routers, Dense Wavelength Division
Multiplexing (DWDM), Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS/ IPMPLS) and 5G/4G radios.
Gov t directs P ublic S ector Banks t o f acilitate quick and easy loan disbursal under PM -SVANidhi scheme
● Union Government has asked P ublic Sector Banks to facilitate quick and easy loan disbursal under the P M-

S V A Nidhi scheme.
● The Housing and Urban Development Ministry in a letter written to the banks has suggested several measures to
increase the outreach of the scheme extending collateral free loans to the street vendors in the country .
● It also added that the banks need to review their guidelines for extending credit to the vendors having low CIBIL
score under this scheme.

● The Housing and Urban Development Ministry has also informed that camps will be held in various cities across
the country by the bank officials to facilitate a one stop solution for the beneficiaries.
Important Books and Authors

A ut hors/ Released by B ooks
Dalai Lama (Edited by Renuka The Little Book of Encouragement
Singh) (Published by Penguin
Random House)
Hunter Biden Beautiful Things
Hamid Ansari By Many a Happy Accident
Sangeet Paul Choudary Platform Scale for a Post-Pandemic World
(Published by Penguin Random
House India)
R.P.Gupta (launched by Jual Turn Around India: 2020- Surmounting Past Legacy
Oram)
Peter Mukerjea (Former chief Starstruck: Confessions of a TV executive (Published by
executive of Star India) Westland)
Published by Penguin Random Unfinished (Priyanka Chopra’s Childhood & teenage life)
House
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (Released by Mapping Love
Rupa Publications)
Released by M Venkaiah Naidu Maverick Messiah
(political biography of ‘N T Rama
Rao’)
Kabir Bedi's memoir (published Stories I Must Tell
by Westland Publications)

Important Peoples’ in News

B engal fast bowler Ashoke Dinda retires from all forms of cricket
● Fas t bowler Ashoke Dinda, 36, has retired from all forms of the game after 15 y ears in Bengal cricket.
● Addressing the media, in Kolkata, Dinda announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on February 2.
A bout A shoke Dinda:

● The right -handed pacer made his international debut in 2009, in a T20I against Sri Lank a, followed by making his
ODI debut in Zimbabwe in 2010.

● He went on to play 13 ODI s, with the last one being against England at Rajkot in 2013 and 9 T20I matches f or India.
● Dinda played 116 first-class matches for Bengal, bagging 420 wickets at a bowling average of 28.28. In List A
matches, he played 98 fixtures in his career bagging 151 wickets- all for Bengal cricket team.
● He last appeared in T20 fixtures for Goa, last month, in t he S yed Mushtaq A li Trophy.
I CC nominates Rishabh P ant f or Men's P layer of the Month award

● I ndia's wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh P ant has been nominated for the I CC Men's P layer of the Month award along
with England skipper Joe Root and Ireland's Paul Stirling.

● The I nt ernational Cricket Council announced the nominees for the inaugural P layer of the Month Awards which will
rec ognise and celebrate the best performances f rom both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket
throughout the year".

● The 23-y ear-old P ant played two Tests against Australia where he scored a 97 at Sydney to ensure a draw before an
unbeaten 89 at Brisbane that led India to a historic series -clinching win.

● In January, Root played two Tests against Sri Lanka, where he scored a 228 and 186 and led his team to a 2-0 Test
s eries victory.
● The third nominee in the category, Stirling played two ODIs against the UAE and three ODIs vs Afghanistan, where
he scored three centuries.
P ac er Ishant S harma becomes t hird Indian pacer t o t ake 300 Test wickets
● Veteran fast bowler I s hant S harma became the s ixth Indian and t he t hird pacer f rom the country t o t ake 300 wickets
in Test cricket
● The 32-y ear-old Ishant reached the milestone in 98 matches, more than the other Indian bowlers in the club.
● Ishant reached the landmark when he trapped Dan Lawrence with a delivery that swung back sharply before hitting
his pads in England's second innings on the fourth day of the opening Test
● Besides Kumble (619) and Kapil (434), Ravichandran Ashwin (377 before this game), Harbhajan Singh (417), and
Zaheer Khan (311) are the other bowlers from the country who have reac hed the landmark.
● The ICC also lauded the seasoned fast bowler's achievement, coming after more than 13 years of toil.
Naman Ojha announces retirement from all f orms of c ricket

● Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha announced his ret irement f rom all forms of cricket.

● The 37-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, who holds the record for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper i n the Ranji
Trophy, has featured in one Test, one ODI and two T20 Internationals.
● Ojha made his international debut in 2010 in his only ODI against Sri Lanka, followed by his first T20I match in
Zimbabwe a week later. His lone Test came in 2015 against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
● He last appeared in a Ranji Trophy match for MP against Uttar Pradesh in January last year.
● He captained MP in that Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match in Indore.
● In the Indian Premier League, Ojha played for Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils.
5 I ndian Origin Persons, I ndian A ctivist Feature | in TIME Magazine’s List of 100 Emerging Leaders
● B him A rmy Chief Chandra S hekhar Aazad and f ive Indian-origin personalities have been featured in Time
magazine’s annual list of 100 ‘emerging leaders who are shaping the future.'
● Five Indian-origin personalities, including Twitter’s t op lawyer V ijaya Gadde and UK’s finance minister Rishi S unak,
and an I ndian activist f eature in TIME magazine’s annual list of 100 “emerging leaders who are shaping the future".
● The 2021 TIME100 Next, released on Wednesday, is an expansion of TIME’s flagship TIME100 franchise of the mo st
influential people in the world.

● Other Indian-origin personalities on the list are Instacart founder and CEO Apoorva Mehta, doctor and Executive
Director of nonprofit Get Us PPE Shikha Gupta and founder of nonprofit Upsolve Rohan Pavuluri.
S ri Lanka pacer Dhammika P rasad quits international c ricket
● S ri Lanka f ast bowler Dhammika P rasad has announced his ret irement from i nternational cricket.
● Prasad, 37, last played a Test match in October 2015 against the West Indies here.
● He represented Sri Lanka in 25 Tests and 24 ODIs, bagging 75 and 32 wickets respectively.
● He also played lone T20 International against Australia in 2011.
Chris Morris becomes most expensive player in auction history : IPL Auction 2021
● S outh-African all-rounder Chris Morris became the c os tliest player in the history of I ndian Premier League (IPL)
auc tion when Rajasthan Royals snapped him up for Rs 16.25 crore in t he 2021 auction in Chennai.
● The 33-year-old was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore after the IPL 2020 season.
● Morris has played 218 T20s overall and scored 1764 runs at 21 and a strike rate of 151.02. He has also picked up
270 wickets at 22.09 and an economy rate of 7.76 runs per over.
● Morris has played 70 IPL matches for 80 wickets at an economy of 7.81, apart from 551 runs at a strike rate above
157.
● E arlier, Y uvraj Singh was t he c ostliest-ever buy in auction history as he was bought for Rs 16 c rore by Delhi
Daredevils in I PL 2015. Following the former India all-rounder are Pat Cummins (Rs 15.5 crore, 2020) and Ben Stokes (14.5
crore, 2017).

Important Web Portals and Mobile Apps

S E C launches its own poll app, eWatch, in A ndhra Pradesh
● State Election Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar launched a software application called ‘eWatch’ to keep t abs on
poll-related irregularities.
● It was an in-house software application developed at the request of the State Election Commission by Reliance Jio
for use in the ensuing gram panchayat elections.

● Developed exclusively for the election watch, the app comes with features that enable people to interact with the
SEC about everything related to the panchayat polls being held in the state after a prolonged conflict between the SEC and
the government.
● The e-watch app will be available on Google Play Store f rom Thursday, he added and called upon people to use their
franchise with enthusiasm.

● Ramesh Kumar also inaugurated a call center exclusively set up for receiving and resolving election related
complaints.
A rv ind Kejriwal launches ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign t o promote electric vehicles

● Delhi Chief Minister A rv ind K ejriwal launched the ‘S witch Delhi’ campaign t o promote electric vehicles and appealed
to people to buy such vehicles t o c ombat pollution in the city.

● Kejriwal said his government will hire only electric v ehicles f or v arious purposes in the nex t s ix weeks.
● In the ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign, awareness will be created about the benefits of electric vehicles and how it can
contribute to making Delhi clean and pollution free.

● Under its electric vehicle policy, the Delhi government has planned extensive subsidies on purchase of electric two-
wheelers and four-wheelers, besides waiving road tax and registration charges
● More than 6,000 electric vehicles have been purchased since the policy launch in August 2020. The government has
also issued tenders for setting up 100 charging stations across the city,
● The government has fixed an ambitious target of 25 per c ent electric vehicles among total vehicle registrations in
Delhi by 2024.
Manipur c hief minister launches organic products and Loumiconnect A pp

● Manipur chief minister N B iren Singh launched a new range of packaged organic products and Loumi Connect A pp
apart from distributing Bolero Camper vehicles and nurseries to seven Farmers P roducer Companies (FPCs).
● A function organized jointly by Directorate of Horticulture and Soil Conservation and E as tern Border Areas
Dev elopment Authority (EBADA) at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Imphal.

● He also launched Loumi Connect App which would enable connect farmers with Horticulture and Agriculture experts.
● The chief minister also released Illustrative guide booklets on organic farming and Mission Organic V alue Chain
Dev elopment for North E astern Region (MOVCDNER).

● The chief minister also informed that Food Park, Nilakuthi, will have a packaging facility soon. He also informed that
the state government has already submitted a INR400 crore project proposal for bamboo to the union government.
P uducherry launches a c ampaign t o become Covid-free by February 28

● In P uducherry, a campaign has been launched titled “Zero Covid by Feb28” to ensure that there are no COVID-19
cases by the end of February 2021.

● Under the "Zero Covid by Feb 28" campaign, all those who had c ome into c ontact with people infected with
c oronavirus would be identified and provided t reatment , so that the further spread of the pathogen could be prevented
Def ence Minister launches e-Chhawani portal

● Def ence Minister Rajnath S ingh launched e-Chhawani portal.
● Launching the portal, Mr Singh said, residents of Cantonment areas can register their complaints regarding civ ic
issues and resolve them while sitting at home.

● The minister said, government is committed to refine the sy stem and improve the Ease of Living for people.
● Mr Singh said, e-Chhawani project aims to provide online municipal services to more than 20 lakh citizens across 62
Cantonment Boards through a multi-tenancy central platform.

● Through this portal, online application for renewal of leases, online registration of births and deaths and online
application for water and sewerage connection will be very simpler.

● CDS General B ipin Rawat was also present at the event.
I ndian Government Launches S andes, a Whatsapp Like Instant Messaging A pp For Government Employs
● The Nat ional Informatics Centre (NIC) of India has launched an ins tant messaging app just like WhatsApp for
gov ernment employees called S andes.

● The government is currently asking employees to use the GIMS/ Sandes app. There is still no word if this app will
ever be available for all users in the future.

● Just like WhatsApp, one can share images, videos, voice messages, create groups on the app. Users can also set
up their profile pictures and status.

● Notably, this app is an upgrade to NIC's existing Gov ernment Instant Messaging System (GIMS) app.
● While the Sandes app allows users to backup chat histories to a registered email, it does not allow users to change
their mobile number or email address registered with the app
Cent re kicks off 'Go E lectric' c ampaign to promote e -mobility

● The Union government launched the ' Go Electric' campaign to s pread awareness about the benef its of e-mobility and
electric v ehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in India.

● The campaign was launched in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways,
Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise and R K Singh, MoS (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy, MoS Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship.

● B ureau of E nergy Efficiency (BEE), under the aegis of the Ministry of Power, is mandated to undertake an awareness
drive for promoting public charging, e-mobility and its ecosystem

● To implement the Go Electric campaign at the national and state levels, BEE will extend technical supp ort to the
State Designated Agencies (SDAs) and other partners to ensure uniformity of information.
● State agencies are expected to support BEE in consumer awareness initiatives to accelerate the deployment of EV
charging infrastructure and electric mobility ecosystem at the state level.
S nakepedia' mobile app launched in K erala t o help people, doctors t reat snake bites
● A team of scientists, nature lovers and doctors have come up with a mobile application 'Snakepedia' on s nakes in
K erala to help t he public as well as doctors t o treat s nake bites.

● Snakepedia is a c omprehensive android mobile application that documents information on snakes with the help of
pictures, infographics and podcasts and analyses its first aid, treatment, myths and superstitions.
● The main aim of the app is t o help the public identify snakes, avail proper t reatment on time for s nakebites
● There are about 3,600 species of snakes known so far in the world and over 300 species are found in India.
● Snakepedia was developed as an answer to the question of how to find a useful way for the general public to identify
snakes.
V odafone-Idea launches premium V OD service on Vi Movies & TV app
● Vodafone Idea announced the launch of P remium Video On Demand (PVOD) service on V i Movies a nd T V A p p, in
partnership with Hungama, as the Telco looks to strengthen its OTT play.
● The PVOD market in India is " premature but promising" as the Indian audience continues to be price-cons c ious and
choosy, Vodafone Idea (VIL) said in a statement adding such model s are changing in the new post pandemic era as
consumers explore alternate options of entertainment from comfort of their homes.
Chandigarh became t he first state or Union Territory in I ndia to launch Carbon Watch
● Chandigarh became the f irst state or Union Territory in India to launch Carbon Watch, a mobile application t o assess
t he c arbon f ootprint of an individual.

● Although the app can be accessed by everyone, it has specific options for the residents of Chandigarh to compile a
detailed study.
● The application can be downloaded through a QR code in Android s upported s mart cell phones .
● Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases -especially carbon dioxide-released into the atmosphere by a
particular human activity
A bout the Carbon Watch Mobile app :

● As a person downloads the application, they will need to fill details in four parts Water, Energy, Waste Generation
and Transport (Vehicular movement).

● In the category of Water, the person will be required to inform about the consumption of water.

● In the Energy category, the details regarding the electricity units consumed every month at the house, monthly bill etc
and usage of solar energy will have to be furnished.

● In the Waste category, the individual will need to inform about the waste generation on their part and their family. In
the trans port section, the individual will have to inform t hem about the mode of transport used by them - four wheeler, two-
wheeler or bicycle.
● With the mentioned information, the mobile application will aut omatically calculate the carbon footprint of the
individual. The application will also provide information such as the national and world av erage of the emission, an d the
individual’s level of emission generation.

● The mobile application will suggest methods to reduce the carbon footprints. The application will suggest ways as per
the information furnished by the individuals.
I ndian Railways to reactivate facility of UTS ON MOBILE A pp

● Indian Railways has decided to reactivate the facility of UTS ON MOBILE App in zones where unreserved train
s ervices are reintroduced.

● To decongest ticket booking counters and to ensure smooth compliance of social distancing norms, the f acility to
book unreserved tickets through UTS ON MOBILE app is being reactivated by Indian Railways.
● The Railways Ministry said, it has been decided that in addition to UTS ON MOBILE App facility available on
suburban sections, this facility may also be reintroduced on non-suburban sections of zonal Railways.
Dis trict panchayat plans to launch app, website of workers - ‘labour bank’
● Finding blue-collar jobs in t he district will no longer be a herculean task.
● If all goes as per the plan, the opportunity will knock at the door in the form of a mobile message.
● The district panchay at of Kochi Corporation has decided to develop an android-based application to end the
uncertainty that loomed over hundreds of blue-collar workers in the district, especially after Covid-19 hit the country.
● The district panchayat, which has set aside Rs 2 lakh for developing the android -based app and web platform by
associating with an engineering college in the city, is expected to launch the project within six months.
● “There are talented plumbing and construction workers, mechanics and other daily wage employees available in the
district.
But most of the time, it is hard for the employer to find the right person and this has resulted in depending more on the
migrant workers.
Rev ision P oints
A pplications/Web portals Launched By/Developed By
eWatch State Election Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh
Switch Delhi Arvind Kejriwal
Loumi Connect App Manipur

Zero Covid by Feb28 Puducherry
e-Chhawani portal Rajnath Singh
Sandes National Informatics Centre of India
Go Electric Central government
Snakepedia `Scientist in Kerala
Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) service on Vodafone - Idea
Vi Movies and TV App
Carbon Watch Chandigarh
Important Sports News

Cricket
B CCI : Ranji Trophy cancelled for t he f irst time in 87 y ears

● The B CCI will not be conducting its premier f irst-class domestic tournament Ranji Trophy for the first time in 87 y ears
as t he parent body opted for the V ijay Hazare Trophy .

● The BCCI will also host the U-19 National One Day tournament for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and the Women's
national 50-over tournament as per a letter sent by BCCI secretary Jay Shah to the state units.
J ay Shah takes over as Asian Cricket Council P resident

● B CCI secretary Jay S hah was unanimously elected as the pres ident of t he A sian Cricket Council (ACC) at its Annual
General Meeting (AGM).

● The 32-year-old replaces B angladesh Cricket B oard (BCB) chief Najmul Hasan P apon.
● Pakistan was to originally host the tournament but the tournament is now expected to be held in either Sri Lanka or
Bangladesh.
J oe Root becomes f irst batsman t o score 200 in 100th Test

● J oe Root, the England captain, sent India on a leather hunt, becoming the f irst player in history to score a double
c entury in his 100th Test match.

● Root, who was unbeaten on 128 ov ernight, batted on against India on Day 2 in Chennai and notched up the fifth
double century of his career – second in three Tests.

● In the process, Root also surpassed former Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq as the player with the highest
individual score playing the 100th Test match of his career. Inzamam had hit 184 against India in a T est match in Bengaluru
in 2005, which Pakistan had won by 168 runs.

● His record stood for 15 years before being broken by Root, who reached his double-century with a six off R Ashwin,
the second time he hit the off-spinner over the ropes.

S t eve S mith wins t hird A llan Border Medal, B eth Mooney bags maiden Belinda Clarke A ward
● Former captain S t eve Smith claimed his t hird Allan B order Medal while B et h Mooney bagged her maiden B elinda
Clarke Award, the top two honours of the Australian Cricket Awards.
● Smith was honoured for his performances in all three formats of the game, while Mooney bagged the recognition in
the Australian women's game for the first time.

● The awards were decided by a voting process for the period 2020-21.
Lis t of 2021 A ustralian Cricket A wards:

● Belinda Clark Award: Beth Mooney. Votes: Beth Mooney 60, Meg Lanning 58, Georgia Wareham 50.
● Male One Day International Player of the Year: Steve Smith. Votes: Steve Smith 28, Aaron Finch 23, Adam Zampa
19.
● Female International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Beth Mooney. Votes: Beth Mooney 30, Alyssa Healy 18, Ash
Gardner, Megan Schutt and Georgia Wareham 16.

● Male International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Ashton Agar. Votes: Ashton Agar 19, Aaron Finch 14, David Warner
13.
● Men's Test Player of the Year: Pat Cummins. Votes: Pat Cummins 16, Josh Hazlewood 9, Marnus Labuschagne 8.
● Women's One Day International Player of the Year: Rachel Haynes. V otes: Rachel Haynes 11, Meg Lanning 10,
Georgia Wareham 6.
Ris habh P ant and S habnim Ismail v oted IC C P layer of the Month for January 2021
● The I nt ernational Cricket Council (ICC) announced the winners of the inaugural ICC P layer of the Month A wards
which recognise and celebrate the best performances from bot h male and f emale c ricketers across all forms of international
cricket throughout the year.

● India’s Ris habh P ant won the ICC Men’s P layer of t he Month f or January 2021 for his performances in the t wo Tests
against A ustralia where he scored a 97 at Sydney and an unbeaten 89 at Brisbane that led India to a historic series win
against arch-rivals Australia.

● South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail was named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for January 2021 for her
performances across three ODIs and two T20Is during the month.
● Ismail took seven wickets in the victorious ODI series against Pakistan, before taking five wickets in the second T20I
against the same opposition.

● Pant has been honored for his superlative performances in the two Tests against Australia in January 2020, wherein
he scored a 97 at Sydney and an unbeaten 89 at Brisbane, leading India to an incredible series win.
I CC announces B YJU'S as global partner until 2023

● The I nt ernational Cricket Council (ICC) has announced I ndian edu-tech company BYJU'S as its global partner f rom
2021 t o 2023.

● The three-year agreement will see BYJU'S partner all ICC events over the period, including the forthcoming men's
T20 World Cup in India and the women's World Cup in New Zealand.
● As a global partner, BYJU's will have extensive in-venue, broadcast, and digital rights across all ICC events.
● In August 2019, the company became the official jersey partners of the Indian cricket team.
● In addition to the integrated brand presence at some of the world's biggest sporting events, BYJU's will work closely
with the ICC to deepen engagement with fans through the creation of innovative campaigns.
I CC Test Rankings: Kohli s lips to f ifth spot

● Indian captain V irat K ohli has slipped to No. 5 in t he latest I CC Men’s Test P layer Rankings.
The t op t en Batsmen in the list :

1. Kane Williamson – New Zealand
2. Steve Smith – Australia
3. Joe Root – England
4. Marnus Labuschagne – Australia
5. Virat Kohli – India
6. Babar Azam – Pakistan
7. Cheteshwar Pujara – India
8. Henry Nicholls – New Zealand
9. Ben Stokes – England
10. David Warner – Australia
Top 10 B owlers in the list

1. Pat Cummins – Australia
2. Stuart Broad – England
3. James Anderson – England
4. Neil Wagner – New Zealand
5. Josh Hazlewood – Australia
6. Tim Southee – New Zealand
7. R Ashwin – India
8. Jasprit Bumrah – India
9. Kagiso Rabada – South Africa
10. Jason Holder – West Indies
A ll-rounders (top five)

1. Ben Stokes - England
2. Jason Holder – West Indies
3. R Jadeja - India

4. S AI Hasan - Bangladesh
5. Kyle Jamieson - New Zealand
I P L 2021: K ings X I Punjab officially renamed as P unjab Kings

● The Mohali-based IPL franchise formally known as K ings XI P unjab were renamed as P unjab Kings, ahead of the
2021 auctions due t o be held in Chennai on February 18.

● The new logo honors the liveliness and vibrancy of the brand and provides modern elements, while we stand out
from the rest of the teams.

● The franchise, jointly owned by Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia, Preity Zinta and Karan Paul, is yet to win an IPL title
since the event's inaugural edition in 2008.

● In the tournament's 13-year history, Kings were runners-up once (2014) and achieved a third-place finish on another
occasion (2008). They finished sixth in the 2020 edition, held in the UAE.
● The next IPL is set to start in the second week of April.
V I V O back as title s ponsor f or IPL 2021

● Indian P remier League Governing Council chairman Brijesh P atel revealed at the IP L 2021 A uction that VIVO is back
as t he t itle sponsor of the league.

● Brijesh Patel spoke ahead of the auction in Chennai on February 18 and announced that VIVO is back as the title
sponsor of the T20 league after Dream 11 had been roped in as sponsor for the 2020 season.
● Last year, the IPL signed up Dream 11 for Rs 222 crore for one season whereas they had been getting Rs 440 crore
per year from VIVO.

● In 2018, V IVO had signed a five-year deal worth Rs 2199 crore
Ot hers
Former pacer Merv Hughes inducted into Australian Cr icket Hall of Fame
● Former pacer Merv Hughes has been inducted into t he A ustralian Cricket Hall of Fame, the country's board (CA)
announced.
● The 59-y ear-old c aptured 212 Test wickets at an average of 28.38 in a career spanning 53 Tests and 33 ODIs for
Australia from 1985 to 1994.

● His career-best figures of 8-87 against the West Indies at the WACA in 1988 included the final wicket of a hat-trick
spread across three separate overs, two innings and two different days.
S S ports Minister launches the First Reference Material synthesized by NDTL and NIPER t o strengthen anti-doping measures
● Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports K iren Rijiju launched a breakthrough Ref erence Material for use in chemical
testing.
● It is synthesized by collaborative efforts of Nat ional Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) and National I nstitute of
P harmaceutical E ducation and Research (NIPER), Guwahati.

● The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NDTL and NIPER Guwahati was signed in August 2020 which
proposes to synthesize 20 rarely available Reference Materials (RMs) during a period of 3 y ears.
A bout RM :
● This Reference Material (RM), has been identified by NDTL as one of the rarely available RMs globally and would be
used to strengthen anti-doping measures in all World Anti Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratories.
● These RMs are used essentially during dope testing for quality control purposes and therefore their availability
remains critical in sports dope testing, globally.

● The availability of these RMs would help the anti-doping laboratories to strengthen their testing capacity. This will
help in the greater cause of promoting fair play in sports.

● It has also been decided to distribute 5 mg of this indigenously developed RM to all the WADA -accredited dope
testing laboratories all around the world free of cost for the first occasion.
I ndia top medals tally at f irst Asian Online S hooting Championship

● I ndia's 24-member s hooting c ontingent topped t he medals t ally in the f irst A sian Online Shooting Championship.
● The squad won f our out of the eight gold medals on offer, besides t wo silver and five bronze medals, for a total of 11
podium finishes.
● The two-day competition, held on Thursday and Friday, was organised by the Kuwait Shooting Federation and s aw
274 s hooters f rom 22 Asian c ountries t ake part.
Lis t of Medal Winners f rom India
Gold
● Saurabh Chaudhary – men’s 10m air pistol
● Divyansh Singh Panwar- men’s 10m air rifle
● Kynan Chenai – men’s trap
● Rajeshwari Kumari – women’s trap
S ilver
● Arjun Babuta – men’s 10m air rifle
● Shreyasi Singh – women’s trap
B ronze
● Manu Bhaker – women’s 10m air pistol
● Sarabjot Singh – men’s 10m air pistol
● Deepak Kumar – men’s 10m air rifle
● Prithviraj Tondaiman – men’s trap
● Manish Keer – women’s trap
● There were a total of eight events on the roster with no final rounds in the pistol and rifle competitions. In the shotgun
events, 150-bird matches were held.

Dinesh Karthik-led Tamil Nadu defeat B aroda to win S yed Mushtaq A li T20 Trophy
● Dinesh Karthik-led Tamil Nadu clinched their s econd national T20 c hampionship as they beat B aroda by seven
wic kets in the final of S y ed Mushtaq A li T20 Trophy in Ahmedabad .

● This was Tamil Nadu's second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph, after winning their first title way back in 2006-07.
● B aroda, who had won t he t itle twice in t he past (in 2011-12 and 2013-14), ended runners-up this time.
● Siddharth (4/20) spun his web around the Baroda batsmen to restrict them to a meagre 120 for 9 and then Tamil
Nadu overhauled the target in 18 overs, with opener C Hari Nishaanth top-scoring with 35.
● Chasing 121 for a win, Tamil Nadu lost opener Narayan Jagadeesan (14) early as pacer Lukman Meriwala (1/34)
picked up the first wicket, with the opposition at 26/1.

● This is the second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title for Tamil Nadu, and their first title in 13 years. The team
claimed their first SMAT title in 2006-07, that too under Karthik’s captaincy.
● The Player of the match title was won by Manimaran Siddharth (Tamil Nadu) who picked 4 wickets, conceding 20
runs
Dras s Red win 13th CEC Cup Ice Hockey Championship

● In K argil Ladakh, Drass Red has won the 13t h CE C Cup I ce Hockey Championship beating Hockey Club Chiktan
team in the Final match.

● The 1s t Women CEC Ice Hockey Cup 2021 was lifted by S hak ar Chiktan Team defeating Wakha Mulbekh Team.
● 32 Men teams and 5 Women Teams participated in the tournament which was organized by the District Youth
Services & Sports.
A nk ita wins maiden WTA t itle, clinches Phillip Island Trophy doubles
● I ndia's A nkita Raina On February 19 won her maiden WTA t itle as she and her Rus sian partner K amilla Rakhimova
clinched the doubles event in the P hillip Island Trophy in Melbourne.

● The Ankita-Kamilla pair beat Russia's Anna Blinkova and Anastasia Potapova 2-6 6-4 10-7 in the final.
● The win will propel the 28-year-old Ankita to top-100 in the WTA rankings in doubles. She will be the second Indian
woman player to be in top-100 after Sania Mirza.

● Ankita had won the ITF doubles title and WTA 125k series title before Friday's win.
A bout WTA :
● The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis.
● It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a
better future for women's tennis. The WTA's corporate headquarters is in St.
Manika B atra wins national title, eyes Tokyo Olympic spot via Doha
● S t ar paddler Manika Batra clinched her s ec ond title by defeating Reeth Rishya 4-2 in the women's singles final of the
S enior National Table Tennis Championship

● Manika Batra ,in action during final of women's singles final at the 82nd Senior National Table Tennis Championship
2020 at Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula.

● She ranked 63rd in world ranking.
● She had just beaten Reeth Rishya 8-11, 10-12, 11-1, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in
Panchkula to win the 82nd Senior National Table Tennis Championship

● She represented the P et roleum S ports Promotion B oard (PSPB) had won her maiden title in 2015 at Hyderabad.
Naomi Osaka overpowers Jennifer Brady t o win second Australian Open Titl e
● J apan’s Naomi Osaka Has won the Women’s single t itle in the A ustralian open 2021.
● She defeated Jennifer Brady in straight sets to clinch the women’s singles final of the 2021 Australian Open.
● This is Osaka's second Australian Open title, she had earlier conquered the Melbourne Grand Slam in 2019.
● Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title as she defeated Jennifer Brady in straight s ets to clinch the women’s
singles final of the 2021 Australian Open.

● Osaka, the first Japanese player to win a major, extended her winning streak to 21 matches with this victory.
● She won the US Open in 2018 and 2020.
I OC names Australia as preferred bidder to host 2032 Olympic Games

● The I nt ernational Olympic Committee (IOC) has named Brisbane, Australia as the preferred bidder t o host the 2032
Oly mpic Games.

● The IOC's future host commission recommended that the body enter " t argeted dialogue" with Brisbane bid organisers
and the Australian Olympic Committee.

● The state of Queensland had hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Brisbane was praised for its high
percentage of existing venues, a good masterplan, experience in organising major events and its favou rable weather.
● Several cities and countries had expressed an interest in hosting the Games, including Indonesia, Budapest, China,
Doha and Germany's Ruhr Valley.

● The delayed 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan in the summer, with Paris in France sta ging the 2024
Games and Los Angeles in the United States hosting the 2028 Olympics.
P rime Minister Modi to inaugurate 2nd Khelo India National Winter Games
● P M Modi will virtually inaugurate and deliver the inaugural address at the 2nd K helo I ndia National Winter Games
on February 26, 2021.

● The games will commence from February 26 and will c ontinue t ill March 2, 2021 .
● The games taking place in Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir will feature around 1200 athletes from 27 states and
union territories, apart from the army personnel.

● The event has been organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Ja mmu
and Kashmir Sports Council and the Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir.
K helo I ndia National Winter Games:

● Alpine Skiing
● Nordic Ski
● Snowboarding
● Ski Mountaineering
● Ice Skating
● Ice Hockey
● Ice Stock
Rev ision P oints
Organization Headquarters K ey P erson
Ford Michigan, United States Jim Farley
Asian Cricket Council Mumbai Sridhar Balakrishnan
IBM Armonk Arvind Krishna
HCL Technologies Noida C Vijayakumar
Vedanta Mumbai Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan
Council for Scientific and Industrial New Delhi Thulani Dlamini
Research (CSIR)
United Nations New York, USA António Guterres
National Commission for Scheduled New Delhi Vijay Sampla
Caste
World Trade Organization Geneva, Switzerland Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Arcelor Mittal Luxembourg Aditya Mittal
TVS Motor Company Chennai K. N. Radhakrishnan
Indigo Gurugram Rono Dutta
Levi California, USA Charles V. Bergh
Facebook California, USA Mark Zuckerberg
National Skill Development New Delhi Manish Kumar
Corporation (NSDC)
Aegon Life Insurance Hyderabad Satishwar Balakrishnan
Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited Hyderabad Sanjay Kumar Jha
Board of Control for Cricket in India Mumbai Saurav Ganguly
International Cricket Council Dubai, United Arab Shashank Manohar

Emirates
National Backward Classes Finance New Delhi D. Devaraj Urs
and Development Corporation
SBI Cards and Payment Services Ltd Gurugram Rama Mohan Rao Amara
Boxing Federation of India New Delhi Ajay Singh
National Aeronautics and Space Washington DC James Morhard
Administration (NASA)
Central Bureau of Investigation New Delhi Praveen Sinha
Tata Motors Ltd Mumbai Marc Llistosella
International Solar Alliance Gurugram Dr Ajay Mathur
International Table Tennis Federation Lausanne, Switzerland Steve Dainton
(ITTF)
GE T&D India Ltd Henderson, USA Mahesh Palashikar
Piramal Alternatives Hyderabad Kalpesh Kikani
Microsoft Redmond, Washington Satya Nadella
Shriram Capital Chennai K P Krishnan
UN Capital Development Fund New York Preeti Sinha
Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Delhi Nihar N Jambusaria
India (ICAI)
Max Life Insurance New Delhi Prashant Tripathy
Page Industries Bengaluru VS Ganesh
Byju’s Bengaluru Byju Raveendran
Unacademy Bengaluru Gaurav Munjal
Defence Research Development New Delhi Sateesh Reddy
Organization
FlipKart Bengaluru Kalyan Krishnamurthy
Fullerton India Credit Company Shantanu Mitra
Indian Council of Medical Research New Delhi Balram Bhargava
Google California, United States Sundar Pichai
Amazon Washington, United Jeff Bezos
States
Bharat Electronics Limited Bengaluru Venkateswara Gowtama
Mannava
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Bengaluru R Madhavan

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) New Delhi Anupam Shrivastava
Indian School of Business Hyderabad Ankur Warikoo
Zomato Gurugram Deepinder Goyal
SpaceX California, United States Elon Musk
Inland Waterways Authority of India Noida Amita Prasad
Vivo Dongguan, China Shen Wei
Indian Space Research Organisation Bengaluru K Sivan
(ISRO)
Women's Tennis Association St. Petersburg, USA Steve Simon
Siegwerk India New Delhi Ramakrishna Karanth
Table Tennis Federation of India New Delhi Dushyant Chautala
Central Board of Indirect Taxes and New Delhi M Ajit Kumar
Customs
Honda Minato City, Japan Toshihiro Mibe
International Olympic Committee Lausanne, Switzerland Thomas Bach
Important Obituaries
Name Field
Paul Crutzen Nobel Prize-winning chemist
Hilton Valentine Animals guitarist
Cicely Tyson Hollywood actress (First black woman to take on a main
role in the TV drama East Side/West Side in the 1960s )
Christopher Plummel Canada-born actor (known for his popular role as Captain
von Trapp in The Sound of Music)
Bansi Kaul (Padma Shri awardee) Founder of Rang Vidushak and theatre director
Akhtar Ali Indian Tennis Player (A former Davis Cup coach)
George Shultz (Father of India’s Former US Secretary of State
current Davis Cup coach Zeeshan
Ali)
Bruce Taylor Former New Zealand all-rounder
Rajiv Kapoor Bollywood actor
Ezra Moseley Former West Indies fast bowler

Carlos Menem Former Argentine President
Mandagadde Rama Jois (Former Former Bihar-Jharkhand governor and noted jurist Justice
Rajya Sabha MP)
Basant Kumar Mahapatra (Fondly Indo-Pak wars' retired Major General (conferred with the
known as ‘Tank Man’) Ati Vishisht Seva Medal)
Satish Sharma Congress leader and Gandhi loyalist
Rahul Khullar Former chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India

Important Monthly Current Affairs Capsule - February 2021: Telegram

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Important Monthly Current Affairs Capsule – February 2021

2 Important Banking News 3

3 Important Financial & Economy Affairs 15

4 Important Business News 18

5 Important State Wise News 19

6 Important National News 42

7 Important International News 75

9 Important Awards and Honours 93

10 Important MOU’s 100

11 Important Summit & Conference 109

12 Important Defence News 115

13 Important Science and Technology News 117

14 Important Rankings and Indexes 121

15 Important Books and Authors 125

16 Important Peoples’ in News 126

17 Important Web portals and Mobile Apps 128

18 Important Sports News 132

19 Important Obituaries 141

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February 1 45th Raising Day Celebrated by Indian Coast Guard

February 2 World Wetlands Day Wetlands and Water

February 4 World Cancer Day It led by the Union of International Cancer

February 4 International Day of Human A Pathway to the future

Tolerance for Female Genital act to end FGM/C

Mutilation (Since 2003)

Monday of Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League

February) Against Epilepsy (ILAE)

February 10 World Pulses Day Nutritious Seeds for a Sustainable Future

February 11 National Inventors Day

February 11 World Unani Day Birthday of Hakim Ajmal Khan

Girls in Science against COVID-19

February 12 to National Productivity Week Celebrated by National Productivity Council

February 12 National Productivity Day By the National Productivity Council

February 13 National Women’s Day Birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu

(Popularly known as ‘The nightingale of

February 13 World Radio Day New World, New Radio

February 17 World Human Spirit Day

February 18 to Taj Mahotsav Together in the diverse culture

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February 21 International Mother Language Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in

Day education and society

February 22 World Thinking Day Peacebuilding

February 24 Central Excise Day

Important Banking News

RB I unveils risk-based internal audit guidelines for s elect NBFCs, UCBs

lenders and urban co-operative banks (UCBs).

systems/approaches in such entities has created certain inconsistency.

internal audit function.

RB I Monetary Policy:repo rate unchanged at 4%

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the monetary issues in the country.

rolled out by June 2021.

RB I t o set up a 24x7 helpline for digital payment services

resources, otherwise incurred for addressing queries and grievances.

grievance redress mechanisms by September 2021.

RB I t o set up expert committee f or urban c o-op banks

RB I releases A nnual Report of Ombud sman Schemes for 2019-20

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