Current Affairs 13th February 2021| Current Affairs News

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

India’s first ever CNG Tractor to be launched

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will formally launch India’s first-ever diesel tractor converted into a CNG tractor on February 12.
• This conversion is jointly done by Rawmatt Techno Solutions and Tomasetto Achille India.
• The CNG tractor will help farmers to increase 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 save 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.

Over 1 crore MSMEs registered in country – period of 5 years

• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry has informed that more than one crore two lakh MSMEs were registered in the country within five years.
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Nitin Gadkari said that as per Udyog Aadhaar Portal a total of one crore two 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.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurates ‘Jala Abhishekam’ campaign

• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated more than 57,000 water structures constructed in Madhya Pradesh 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 Shivraj Singh Chauhan at Bhopal.
• Defence Minister Mr Rajnath singh while inaugurating water structures virtually under ‘Jala 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 Pradesh.

Indian Army – Centre for Land Warfare Studies organises National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named Divya-Drishti 2021

• Indian Army National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named as Divya-Drishti 2021 on Multi-Domain Operations: Future of Conflicts 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.

1st India Toy Fair – Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani

• The Government is organising the first ever India Toy Fair from 27th February to 2nd March. 
• Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal jointly inaugurated the website of The India Toy Fair-2021 in New Delhi.
• Speaking on the occasion, Women and Child Development 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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

‘Hope’ probe of UAE successfully enters Mars orbit

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) made history as its first-ever interplanetary Hope Probe 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 United States, Soviet Union, Europe and India have achieved this feat.

About UAE :

• President : Khalifa bin Zayed AI Nahyan
• Currency : UAE dirham
• Capital : Abu Dhabi

US President Joe Biden revokes national emergency – fund to 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 wrote 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 Year

• China is celebrating Lunar New Year as it ushered into the Year of the Ox.
• It is one of the most important Chinese festivals, also known as the Chinese New Year or Spring 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 late after feast on the New Year’s Eve.
• It’s still very wintry, but the spring festival holiday marks the end of the coldest days.

Iraq invites 52 countries to monitor elections

• The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) 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.
• IHEC Spokeswoman 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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

Maharashtra govt signs MoU with Flipkart to promote wooden toys, local artifacts, handicrafts

• To promote wooden toys, local artifacts, handicrafts Maharashtra Small Industries Development Corporation and Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries 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.

About Maharashtra :

• Governor : Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Capital : Mumbai
• CM : Uddhav Thackeray

About Flipkart :

• Founded : October 2007, Bangalore
• Founders : Sachin Bansal, Binny Bansal

Manoj Sinha inaugurates General Bus Stand cum Shopping complex Cum Multi Level Parking in Jammu

• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the state of the art General Bus Stand cum Shopping complex Cum Multi Level Parking constructed at the cost 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 safe & clean 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 IIM, AIIMS and IIT.

About Jammu & Kashmir:

• Capital: Jammu(winter) Srinagar(summer)
• Lieutenant Governor: Manoj sinha

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike launches Swach Sarvekshan Abhiyan

• The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has launched Swach Sarvekshan Abhiyan in Bengaluru to educate citizens about solid waste management.
• The Special Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, Randeep Dev informed that Bengaluru received 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 drivers are pressed into garbage collection work every day in the city.

About Karnataka:

• Capital: Bengaluru
• Governor: Vajubhai Vala
• Chief minister:  S. Yediyurappa

Goa becomes 6th State to successfully undertake ULB reforms

• Goa has become the 6th State in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure.
• Finance 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 – Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan and Telangana, who have completed Urban Local Bodies reforms.

About Goa:

• Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari
• Capital: Panaji
• Chief minister: Pramod Sawant

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & ECONOMY

India’s GDP to bounce back to 10.4% growth in FY22 – India Ratings       

• India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) estimates India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to bounce back to 10.4 per cent 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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCE

PM Modi to inaugurate Maritime India Summit-2021 on 2nd March

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Maritime India Summit-2021 on 2nd March.
• In this 20 thousand delegates will participate, 24 partner countries 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 March.
• Maritime India Summit is going to provide a powerful platform for international collaboration and bring in partner 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 maritime india summit.in. The registration for the visitors and exhibitors has started

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT NEWS

Aditya Mittal appointed as ArcelorMittal CEO

• Steel giant ArcelorMittal announced that Aditya Mittal, the son of company founder Lakshmi Mittal, will replace him as the group’s chairman and CEO.
• The elder Mittal will become executive chairman of the Luxembourg-based company while the younger, currently chief financial officer, will run the management team.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AGREEMENTS

New Development Bank to invest $100 million in NIIF Fund of Funds

• New Development Bank (NDB), the multilateral development bank established by the BRICS 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 commitments 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.

 About NIIFL :

• MD & CEO : Sujoy Bose
• Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra

About New Development Bank :

• President : Marcos Prado Troyjo
• Chairperson : Anton Siluanov
• Headquarters : Shanghai, China
• Founded : 15 July 2014
• First President : K. V. Kamath

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS

Tamil film Koozhangal wins Tiger award at Rotterdam film festival

• Tamil film Koozhangal won the prestigious Tiger Award in the competition section of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam.
• This is the first Tamil film to win the honour and This is the second Indian film to win this international award.
• Prior to that The first Indian film was “Durga” directed by the Malayalam director Shashidharan won this International award.
• The Tiger award is the top honour of the festival, given for best film.
• Directed by debutant PS Vinothraj, the film has been produced by actor Nayanthara
• The Tiger Award, worth Euro 40,000 cash prize, is shared between the director and producer of the winning film.

Telangana Manasa Varanasi, wins VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020

• Manasa Varanasi, an engineer from Telangana, emerged as the winner of VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020.
• The winners were announced on 11 February. Miss India 2019, Suman Ratan Singh Rao from Rajasthan crowned her successor.
• Haryana’s Manika Sheokand was declared VLCC Femina Miss Grand India 2020 while Uttar Pradesh’s Manya Singh crowned VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 Runner Up.
• Manasa Varanasi, a resident of Hyderabad in Telangana, is a financial information exchange analyst and will represent India at the 70th Miss World pageant in December 2021.

Muthalankurichi Kamarasu honoured as Tamil Semmal award winner

• From a bus conductor to a writer, Muthalankurichi Kamarasu has come a long way in his life.
• And, when he started following his passion, honour came calling.
• Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami handed over Tamil Semmal award to Kamarasu during a function held at the secretariat in Chennai on February 1.
• A native of Muthala Kurichi village, Kamarasu has penned 53 books including two novels.
• His writings focus mainly on the history of composite Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi, feudal systems of Zamins, historical cities like Korkai and archaeological sites along river Thamirabarani and the spirituality associated with the river.

Karnataka village girl, bags award for ‘gourd art’ at national Kala Utsav

• At a time when many children could not make the most of their free time during the lockdown induced by the pandemic, a 15-year-old girl from a remote village in Mysuru took it as an opportunity to try her hands at ‘gourd art’.
• She developed the skill to such an extent that she bagged an award in a national event which concluded recently.
• Chandana A, a Class 9 student of the government high school in GB Saragur of HD Kote taluk, has made the state proud by winning second place in the national-level Kala Utsav, an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. 
• Her artwork helped her bag the award for the state under the category ‘Indigenous Toys and Games’.

Daily CA On Feb 12 :

• The second Monday of February is observed as International Epilepsy Day, a special event which focuses on promoting awareness on epilepsy.
• Every year February 10 and August 10 are observed as the National Deworming Day (NDD).
• World Unani Day is a global event celebrated on February 11 to spread awareness about health care delivery through the Unani system of medicine through its preventive and curative philosophy.
• On 11 February, the United Nations, partners worldwide, women and girls will mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit 2021 via video conferencing.
• Rajya Sabha passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020. The Bill was put to Division Voting wherein 84 members supported the bill and 44 voted against it.
• Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, there are 60 kilometres area in India Bangladesh border which cannot be fenced, making it prone to infiltration.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a “comprehensive discussion and reviewed Indo-Pacific developments and the Quad cooperation”.
• The state government has launched Kerala Knowledge Mission which aims to transform the state to a knowledge economy.
• In Gujarat, the Coast Guard District Headquarters Number-1 conducted the district-level Pollution Response Workshop and Mock Drill – 2021 at Porbandar. 
• Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah 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 North 24 Parganas.
• Odisha launched various citizen-centric on-line services of the State Transport department.
• The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Economic Research Department has revised GDP estimates of India for FY21  to contract 7.0%. 
• Reserve Bank of India, Delhi is observing Financial Literacy Week from February 8-12, 2021, to propagate financial education.
• Committee set up by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) has recommended the introduction of index-linked insurance policies (Ilips).
• AGS Transact Technologies (AGSTTL) has partnered with Mastercard to provide a pan India ‘contactless’ cash withdrawal experience at ATMs.
• The Indian Army has laid the foundation stone of the tallest ‘Iconic National Flag’ at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir.
• 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.
• Additional Chief Secretary VP Joy will succeed Vishwas Mehta as the state’s Chief Secretary.
• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal chaired a meeting of his cabinet where a decision was taken to appoint World Championship sprinter Hima Das as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the state. 
• Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) announced the appointment of Sanjay Bangar as the new batting consultant ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
• Australia Zoo’s Robert Irwin has won the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
• Veteran fast bowler Ishant Sharma became the sixth Indian and the third pacer from the country to take 300 wickets in Test cricket
• Indian captain Virat Kohli has slipped to 5 in the latest ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings.

Daily CA On Feb 13 :

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will formally launch India’s first-ever diesel tractor converted into a CNG tractor on February 12.
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry has informed that more than one crore two lakh MSMEs were registered in the country within five years.
• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated more than 57,000 water structures constructed in Madhya Pradesh under the ‘Jala Abhishekam’ campaign from New Delhi.
• Indian Army National Seminar-cum-Webinar, named as Divya-Drishti 2021 on Multi-Domain Operations: Future of Conflicts was organised by Centre for Land Warfare Studies, CLAWS. 
• The Government is organising the first ever India Toy Fair from 27th February to 2nd March. 
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) made history as its first-ever interplanetary Hope Probe mission successfully entered orbit around Mars.
• United States President Joe Biden has revoked the national emergency order used to fund former President Donald Trump’s Mexico border wall project.
• China is celebrating Lunar New Year as it ushered into the Year of the Ox.
• The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) 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.
• To promote wooden toys, local artifacts, handicrafts Maharashtra Small Industries Development Corporation and Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries Board have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Flipkart.
• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the state of the art General Bus Stand cum Shopping complex Cum Multi Level Parking constructed at the cost of Rs. 213 Crore in Jammu.
• The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has launched Swach Sarvekshan Abhiyan in Bengaluru to educate citizens about solid waste management.
• Goa has become the 6th State in the country to successfully undertake Urban Local Bodies reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure.
• India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) estimates India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to bounce back to 10.4 per cent growth in FY22.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Maritime India Summit-2021 on 2nd March.
• Steel giant ArcelorMittal announced that Aditya Mittal, the son of company founder Lakshmi Mittal, will replace him as the group’s chairman and CEO.
• New Development Bank (NDB), the multilateral development bank established by the BRICS states, has announced a commitment of $100 million into the NIIF Fund of Funds (FoF).
• Tamil film Koozhangal won the prestigious Tiger Award in the competition section of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam.
• Manasa Varanasi, an engineer from Telangana, emerged as the winner of VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020.
• From a bus conductor to a writer, Muthalankurichi Kamarasu has come a long way in his life.
• At a time when many children could not make the most of their free time during the lockdown induced by the pandemic, a 15-year-old girl from a remote village in Mysuru took it as an opportunity to try her hands at ‘gourd art’.