Current Affairs Monthly Capsule February 2020 1008140a PDF

Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I
February 2020
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February 2020
Table of Contents
Awards &Honours ............................................................................................................................................. 3

Summits & Conferences .................................................................................................................................... 8
Mergers & Events .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Days & Events ................................................................................................................................................. 10
MOU & Agreements ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Appointments ................................................................................................................................................. 17
Obituaries ....................................................................................................................................................... 24
International Affairs ........................................................................................................................................ 28
Personalities in News ...................................................................................................................................... 35
Government Policies & Schemes ..................................................................................................................... 39
Science & Technology ..................................................................................................................................... 43
Business & Economy ....................................................................................................................................... 47
Sports.............................................................................................................................................................. 53
Defence........................................................................................................................................................... 65
Committees & Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 68
National Affairs ............................................................................................................................................... 68
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February 2020
Awards &Honours
Sreekar Prasad in the Limca book of records
• Veteran editor Sreekar Prasad has entered the Limca Book of Records for ‘films edited in most number of
languages’.
• He has edited films in 17 languages, including Tamil, English, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Odia,
Bengali, Assamese, Marathi, etc.
• One of the most acclaimed editors of the country, Sreekar Prasad holds eight National Awards including a
Special Jury Award.
Jadav Payeng honoured with an award
• Forest Man of India Jadav Payeng has been awarded Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award.
• The ceremony organized by My Home India took place at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on February
29, 2020.
• He was also honoured with a Padma Shri a few years ago.
• He made his own identity by planting and tendering trees on a sandbar of the Brahmaputra River and
turned it into a forest over the years.
Gujarat Assembly to start ‘Best MLA’ award
• Gujarat Assembly will start giving ‘Best MLA’ award for MLAs.
• Speaker Rajendra Trivedi has made this announcement in the State Assembly on 28 Feb 2020.
• The award will be in the lines of Outstanding Parliamentarian Award given to Members of Parliament and
Best MLA awards being given in some other states.
R Pokhriyal presents Chatra Vishwakarma Award
• Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank presents Vishwakarma Awards 2019 to the winners in
New Delhi.
• The valedictory function of Vishwakarma Awards 2019 was organised in All India Council for Technical
Education.
• A total of 23 teams under various subcategories were the recipient of the Chatra Vishwakarma Awards
(CVA).
Best marching contingent trophy to CISF
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented trophies of best marching contingents for Republic Day Parade-
2020.
• The Indian Air Force contingent was adjudged the best among the three services.
• The Central Industrial Security Force was named the best marching contingent among the Central Armed
Police Forces.
• The trophy was received by DG of CISF Rajesh Ranjan and Deputy Commandant PS Singh.
Dr.Niti receives SERB Women Excellence Award
• Dr.Niti Kumar receives the SERB Women Excellence Award-2020 and it will be presented by the President of
India during National Science Day Celebrations on February 28, 2020.
• She is a Senior Scientist from Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-CDRI.
• This award is presented to women scientist below 40 years of age who have received recognition from
national academies.
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February 2020
‘RailMadad’ won DARPG e-Governance Award

• RailMadad, the grievance redressal portal of Indian Railways, has been awarded Silver under Category II of
the National e-Governance Awards – ‘Excellence in providing Citizen-centric Delivery.’
• This award was conferred during the 23rd National Conference on e-Governance which was held in
Mumbai.
• RailMadad is the single portal for grievance, inquiry, and assistance for all railway customers.
Ahmer Khan won AFP’s Kate Webb Prize
• Ahmer Khan was named the winner of the 2019 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize on 20 Feb 2020.
• He was awarded for his coverage on the ground in Kashmir during the lockdown of the region.
• The award, named after one of AFP's finest correspondents, recognises journalism by locally hired reporters
in Asia operating in risky or difficult conditions.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw won an award
• Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson and MD, Biocon, was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 at
the 21st edition of the awards.
• She will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo
between June 4-6, 2020.
• Mazumdar-Shaw was named the winner by an eight-member jury panel, led by Kotak Mahindra Bank
Managing Director and CEO Uday Kotak.
Manoj Kumar felicitated
• Veteran actor Manoj Kumar has been felicitated by the World Book of Records, London with the WBR
Golden Era of Bollywood honour
• He has been honoured for being a legendary actor and for his contribution to Indian cinema.
• He was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1992.
• He has been conferred the 63rd Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015.
BRICS CCI announced awards
• BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI), organised the second Annual Direct Tax Summit &
Awards 2020 in association with Achromic Point.
• Dharampal Satyapal Limited won the award for Best In-House Direct Tax Team of the Year.
• The day-long summit saw an eminent list of delegates discussing recent trends and issues in the field of
International Tax.
P V Sindhu won Sportsperson of the Year award
• World champion shuttler P V Sindhu on 20 Feb 2020 won the ESPN's Female Sportsperson of the Year
award for a third consecutive time.
• Young shooter Saurabh Chaudhary bagged the honour in the male category.
• Sprinter Dutee Chand became the first winner of the Courage award for being inspirational both on and off
the field.
• Koneru Humpy won the award for the Comeback of the Year.
2011 world cup moment: Laureus best moment
• Sachin Tendulkar being carried on the shoulders of his team mates following India's world cup triumph in
2011 was voted as the Laureus best sporting moment in the past 20 years.
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February 2020
• Former Australian captain Steve Waugh presented the trophy to Tendulkar on 17 Feb 2020.
• First held in 2000, the Annual Laureus Sports Awards honour the greatest and most inspirational sporting
triumphs of the year.
Filmfare Awards 2020- I
• The 65th Filmfare Awards were held on 15 Feb 2020 at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, Assam.
• Gully Boy, directed by Zoya Akhtar, was awarded the Best Film.
• Ranveer Singh recieved Best Actor in a Leading Role for Gully Boy.
• Alia Bhatt was awarded Best Actress in a Leading Role for Gully Boy.
• Zoya Akhtar was awarded Best Director for Gully Boy.
Filmfare Awards 2020- II
• Critics Best Film was awarded to Article 15 and Sonchiriya.
• Critics Best Actor in a Leading Role was awarded to Ayushmann Khurrana for Article 15.
• Critics Best Actress in a Leading Role was awarded to Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu for Saand Ki
Aankh.
• Best Playback Singer Male was awarded to Arijit Singh, while Best Playback Singer Female was awarded to
Shilpa Rao.
Indian Achievers Awards 2020
• Renowned astrologer Dr Sohini Sastri, has been graced with prestigious Indian Achievers Award, wherein
she was adjudged the Best Astrologer of the Year.
• The Indian Achievers Awards are aimed at identifying significant personalities for the year 2020.
• The award was presented by Union HRD Minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, in a ceremony conducted at Vigyan
Bhawan in New Delhi.
Gita Sen won Dan David Prize 2020
• India's pioneering feminist scholar and activist Gita Sen, has won the Dan David Prize.
• She won the award for her expansive work in the fields of population policies, reproductive and sexual
health, women's rights, poverty, labour markets and global governance.
• The award carries a prize of US$ 1 million for achievements having an outstanding scientific,
technological, or social impact.
Genome Valley Excellence Award announced
• BioAsia has announced the Genome Valley Excellence Award.
• It will be bestowed upon Dr Carl H June and Dr Vas Narasimhan for their contributions to life sciences.
• Dr Carl H June will be awarded for his work in immunotherapy.
• Dr Narasimhan has been selected for his new vision in the pharmaceutical business in digital technology
and healthcare.
President's Colour to INS Shivaji
• President Ram Nath Kovind on 13 Feb 2020 presented 'President's Colour' to the INS Shivaji at a ceremony
in Lonavala.
• INS Shivaji was commissioned in 1945.
• It is now the premier technical training establishment of the Indian Navy with the motto Kar-masu
Kaushalam.
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February 2020
• It imparts training in engineering discipline to personnel of the Navy, Coast Guard, other sister services and
allied countries.
HP Governor decorated 58 personnel
• Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatraya decorated 58 personnel with medals at the 'Investiture
Ceremony' held in Shimla on 11 Feb 2020.
• The Governor awarded President Police Medal for distinguished services to A.P. Siddique, Ram Dev,
Parshotam Chand and Ashok Tiwari.
• Three Correctional Service Medals were awarded for meritorious services to Sushil Kumar, Hari Dutt and
Pankaj Sharma.
Pullela Gopichand honoured with an award
• Pullela Gopichand has been given an honourable mention at the International Olympic Committee's (IOC)
Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards 2019.
• He received the mention in the male category of the awards.
• Gopichand has been previously honoured with the Dronacharya award for coaching and has also received
Padma Bhushan - India's third-highest civilian award.
Oscars 2020- I
• The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony was held at Dolby Theatre in Los Angles, the United States on 9 Feb
2020.
• Renee Zellweger won the best actress for “Judy”.
• Joaquin Phoenix picked up the best actor trophy for his performance in "Joker".
• Brad Pitt won the Best Supporting Actor for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
• Laura Dern won the best-supporting actress for "Marriage Story".
Oscars 2020 - II
• 'Parasite' was awarded the Best Picture.
• Bong Joon-ho won the Best Director for the film Parasite.
• "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman won in the Music category.
• Film '1917' won in the visual effects category.
• Roger Deakins won Best Cinematography for '1917'.
• The Neighbors' Window won in the Live-action short film category.
Veteran journalist Raikar awarded
• Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray presented an award to senior journalist Dinkar Keshav Raikar for his
contribution to journalism.
• Raikar, currently consulting editor of Lokmat group, was conferred with the lifetime achievement award
instituted by the Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh.
• Raikar has completed 50 years in journalism.
Assam district won an award
• The district of South Salmara Mankachar of Assam has received a National Award for implementation of the
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana scheme.
• It was awarded in the category of State/UT having a population of more than one crore.
• Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani gave away the award in a prize distribution
meeting held in New Delhi.
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February 2020
Manoj Das to receive Mystic Kalinga Award

• Celebrated Odia and English writer Manoj Das will receive the Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (Indian and
Global Languages).
• He will also deliver the festival's keynote address on "Divine Madness: Knowledge, Ecstasy, and
Transformation".
• He was recently conferred Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian award for his contribution in
the field of literature and education.
Adi Godrej to be awarded
• EY, the global professional services organisation, will felicitate Adi Godrej, chairman of the Godrej group,
with the Lifetime Achievement Award at its 21st Entrepreneur of the Year - India (EOY) 2019 Awards.
• The consulting firm has also shortlisted 17 entrepreneurs as finalists for the awards, from among 225
nominations.
• Together, the 17 finalists have combined revenues of Rs 100,000 cr.
International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy
• The International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy was awarded to Dr N.S. Dharmashaktu and the Leprosy
Mission Trust in New Delhi on 6 Feb 2020.
• The award was presented by President Ram Nath Kovind.
• The International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy commemorates the compassion that Mahatma Gandhi
possessed and his services towards people with leprosy.
Shaktikanta Das named best central banker
• RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has been named the Central Banker of the Year, Asia-Pacific 2020, by the
Banker magazine, a unit of Financial Times (FT).
• The award is given to central bankers who have “best managed to stimulate growth and stabilise their
economy.”
• Jorgovanka Tabakovi, National Bank of Serbia, was adjudged the winner as the Global Central Banker of the
Year.
Waheeda Rehman honoured
• Waheeda Rehman was conferred the Madhya Pradesh government's National Kishore Kumar Samman on 4
Feb 2020.
• The award, for the year 2018, was given to Rehman at her Bandra residence in Mumbai by Madhya Pradesh
Culture Minister Vijaylaxmi Sadho.
• The award carries a Rs 2 lakh cash prize and citation.
Vinod Shukla bagged an award
• Noted Hindi poet-novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla has bagged the inaugural Mathrubhumi Book of the Year
award for his translated book “Blue Is Like Blue“.
• The stories in Blue Is Like Blue, translated into English by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and Sara Rai, deal with
common people and their daily struggles.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a plaque, and a certificate.
DTC awarded for lowest accident rate
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• Delhi's public transporter DTC has received the Transport Minister's Road Safety Award 2018-19 for the
"lowest" accident rate.
• A trophy and a cheque of ₹1 lakh was presented to Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) MD Manoj Kumar by
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari
• The award was presented at the 3rd International Conference and Exhibition on Public Transport Innovation
(ICEPTI) 2020.
Vinesh, Mary Kom nominated for BBC awards
• Vinesh Phogat, P.V. Sindhu and M.C. Mary Kom will compete for the inaugural BBC Indian sportswoman of
the year award after being nominated for the honour.
• Dutee Chand and Manasi Joshi are the other nominees for the award, the winner of which will be
announced on the 8 March 2020.
• The nominees were picked up by a panel of 40 eminent sports journalists.
War drama ''1917'' dominated BAFTA 2020
• British filmmaker Sam Mendes' war drama "1917" ruled the 2020 edition of BAFTA awards with seven wins,
including best film, best British film and best director.
• South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" won two awards for original screenplay and best foreign
language film.
• The award for best adapted screenplay went to writer-director Taika Waititi for "Jojo Rabbit".
Madhya Pradesh bagged first position
• Madhya Pradesh has bagged the first position for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana
Yojana.
• Indore district has also bagged the first place for better performance of the scheme.
• The main objective of the scheme is to provide incentives of Rs 5000 for the loss of wages of working
women and to ensure their proper rest and nutrition during pregnancy.
Yusuf Jameel won PEN Gauri Lankesh Award
• Kashmiri reporter Yusuf Jameel has received the second edition of an award set up in the memory of
journalist Gauri Lankesh.
• The inaugural “PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism” was given to cartoonist P Mahamood in
September 2018.
• Jameel was given the 2019-2020 award for showing an “exemplary commitment to professional integrity
and the ideals of democracy”.
Summits & Conferences
International Conf on Standardisation of AYUSH
• The two-day International Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis and Terminologies in Ayurveda,
Unani and Siddha Systems of Medicine concluded in New Delhi.
• The sixteen countries have been attended the conference.
• ICoSDiTAUS-2020 is the biggest ever international event dedicated to standardisation of Diagnosis and
Terminologies of Traditional Medicine.
Parliamentary del from Sweden visits ECI
• A ten-member delegation of MP of the Committee on the Constitution in Riksdag visited the ECI.
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• The delegation was led by Ms Karin Enstrom, MP and Chair of the Committee on the Constitution in
Riksdag.
• CEC Sunil Arora gave an overview of the last national elections held in India.
• He also mentioned the use of modern tools of Information and Communication Tech and several innovative
measures.
NE Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020
• The North East Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020 is currently underway in Guwahati.
• Four tech sessions were held from all 8 NE states.
• The first session is Pathways for Localisation and Achievement.
• The second is on Drivers of Economic Prosperity & Sustainable Livelihoods.
• The Third is on Climate Adaptive Agri.
• The final tech is on Nutri Security & Health and Wellbeing for All.
NIC themed Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat in Sikkim
• A National Integration Camp (NIC) themed Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat was inaugurated at the Indian
Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Eco-tourism Institute at Chemchey, South Sikkim.
• The camp is being organized by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Sikkim inaugurated by Sikkim MP Indra Hang
Subba
• Around 250 participants from 16 states are participating in the four-day national integration camp.
Three-day International Conference on EMMDA
• MoES conducts International Conference on ‘Ensemble Methods in Modelling & Data Assimilation’
(EMMDA) at Noida
• The latest techniques used in Data Assimilation, Ensemble Methods and use of Probabilistic Forecasts for
developing new applications will be discussed.
• It will be inaugurated by Dr.Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Science and
Tech, Earth Sciences.
Mergers & Events

Morgan Stanley to acquire E*Trade for $13 bn
• Morgan Stanley will buy online trading pioneer E*Trade in a deal valued at $13 billion.
• It would be the largest acquisition by an American bank since the 2008 global financial crisis.
• Founded in California, E*Trade helped revolutionise online trading in the 1980s, opening the door to
individual investors to invest on Wall Street.
JSW Steel to acquire Bhushan Power
• The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal allowed JSW Steel to acquire of Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd
for Rs 19,700 crore by providing it immunity from prosecution by Enforcement Directorate.
• A two-member bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya said that JSW Steel will be immuned
from the acts done by the former promoters of Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd (BPSL).
CC approved JV between Ford and Mahindra
• The Competition Commission has approved Mahindra & Mahindra's acquisition of majority stake in a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Co.
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• The acquisition will create a joint venture in the country.

• The new venture would acquire the automotive business of Ford India Pvt Ltd (FIPL).
• The automotive business includes vehicle manufacturing plants of Ford India in Chennai and Sanand.
Infosys to buy US firm Simplus
• Infosys Ltd informed the stock exchanges it will acquire Simplus, one of the fastest growing Salesforce
platinum partners in the US and Australia for up to $250 million.
• The acquisition is expected to close during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.
• The acquisition would help Infosys expand its geographic presence as Simplus has offices across North
America, Sydney, Melbourne, and London.
Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices to merge
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved the merger of Tata Teleservices' consumer
mobility business with Bharti Airtel.
• The Tata group In October 2017 had announced to sell its consumer mobile business to Airtel on a debt-
free, cash-free basis.
• The merger will expand Airtel’s spectrum footprint and 4G(4th Generation) coverage and its ability.
Total to acquire 50% stake in Adani
• Adani Green Energy and Total Gas & Power Business Services SAS (Total) have entered into a binding
arrangement for an investment of approximately $510 million for the acquisition of 50% stake and other
instruments in a joint venture (JV).
• The JV will house 2,148 MWac operating solar projects presently 100% owned by AGEL.
• The solar portfolio is spread across 11 states in India.
Days & Events

India’s first ‘Protein Day’ observed on 27 Feb
• Right To Protein, a national-level public health initiative, has launched India’s first ‘Protein Day’ to raise
awareness about the health benefits of protein.
• Many countries recognize 27 Feb as the Protein Day and from 2020, India has also joined this movement.
• The theme of India Protein Day 2020 was #ProteinMeinKyaHai.
National Science Day: 28 February
• National Science Day is celebrated every year on 28 February to commemorate the discovery of the Raman
Effect.
• On this day, Sir CV Raman had announced the discovery of the Raman Effect for which he was awarded the
Nobel Prize in 1930.
• 'Women in Science' is the theme of National Science Day for the year 2020.
World Thinking Day: February 22
• World Thinking Day is celebrated every year on 22 February.
• The day is celebrated by Girl Scouts, Girl Guides and other girl groups to set aside a day for girls all over the
world to think of each other, and to give thanks and appreciation to “sister” Girl Scouts and Girl Guides.
• The theme for World Thinking Day 2020 was 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion'.
International Mother Language Day: 21 Feb
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• International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on 21st February.

• The main purpose of celebrating this day is to promote the awareness of language and cultural diversity all
across the world.
• It was first announced by UNESCO on November 17, 1999.
• UNESCO is celebrating International Mother Language Day 2020 under the theme “Languages without
borders.”
World Day of Social Justice: 20 February
• The World Day of Social Justice is celebrated annually all over the world on 20 February.
• The day recognizes the need to promote social justice, which includes efforts to tackle issues such as
poverty, exclusion, gender equality, unemployment, human rights, and social protections.
• The theme for the year 2020 is: “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice”
34th Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh
• Arunachal Pradesh celebrated its 34th Statehood Day on 20 Feb 2020.
• Arunachal Pradesh attained statehood on February 20, 1987.
• Home Minister Amit Shah attended the celebrations at Itanagar.
• He launched the Arunachal Pradesh Industrial and Investment Policy, 2020 and inaugurated the Joram-
Koloriang Road constructed by BRO.
Soil Health Card Day: 19 February
• The Soil Health Card Day was observed on 19 Feb 2020.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme on 19th February 2015 at
Suratgarh in Rajasthan.
• The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to farmers every two years so as to provide a basis to address
nutritional deficiencies in soil.
National Women's Day: 13 February
• India celebrates Sarojini Naidu's birthday as National Women's Day of India every year on February 13.
• Sarojini Naidu was India's first women governor and also famous as 'Bharat Kokila'.
• She was born on February 13, 1879.
• She actively participated in the Indian National Movement for the independence of the country.
• International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March every year.
World Radio Day: 13 February
• World Radio Day is observed every year on 13 February.
• It is observed to raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of radio.
• The theme for the year 2020 is World Radio Day is Radio and Diversity.
• On 14th January 2013, the United Nations General Assembly formally endorsed UNESCO’s proclamation of
World Radio Day.
National Productivity Week: 12-18 February
• The National Productivity Council (NPC) celebrates the National Productivity Week from 12 February to 18
Feb 2020.
• The main objective of the celebration is to encourage stakeholders in implementing productivity tools and
techniques.
• NPC is a national-level organisation that promotes production in India.
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• It was established in 1958 by the Ministry of Industry, Government of India.

Int Day of Women and Girls in Science
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed every year on 11 February.
• On 22 December 2015, the UN General Assembly decided to establish an annual International Day to
recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology, through a resolution.
• The theme of 2020 is 'Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth.'
World Unani Day: 11 February
• World Unani Day is celebrated every year on 11 Feb to mark the birth anniversary of great Unani scholar
and social reformer Hakim Ajmal Khan.
• He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
• The main objective of World Unani Day is to spread awareness about health care delivery through Unani
system of medicine through its preventive and curative philosophy.
Guru Ravidas Jayanti: 9 February
• The birth anniversary of the 14th century saint Ravidas was celebrated all over India on 9 Feb 2020.
• Ravidas was an Indian mystic poet.
• His teachings are highly popular in the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya
Pradesh.
• The poet was a social reformer.
• His teachings deal with Nirguna-Saguna theme.
• Nirguna is knowledge-focused and Saguna is love-focused.
World Pulses Day: 10 February
• World Pulses Day is observed on February 10 every year.
• It is a designated United Nations global event to recognize the importance of pulses (chickpeas, dry beans,
lentils, dry peas and lupins among others) as a global food.
• It was first observed in the year 2019.
• The Day also seeks to maintain momentum gained during FAO’s announcement of 2016 as the International
Year of Pulses.
National Deworming Day: 10 Feb
• The National Deworming Day (NDD) is being observed across the country on 10 Feb 2020.
• Children and adolescents in the age group of 1-19 years will be administered a single dose of a safe
medicine Albendazole in all states and Union Territories on the occasion.
• The objective of the day is to deworm children and adolescents to reduce the prevalence of parasitic worms
in the intestine.
Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
• International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is observed on 6 February every year.
• It is a United Nations-sponsored annual awareness day.
• It was first introduced in 2003.
• The theme for the year 2020 is Unleashing Youth Power.
• Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female
genitalia for non-medical reasons.
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World Wetlands Day: February 2nd

• World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally each year on 2 February.
• It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar
Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971.
• The day was first celebrated in the year 1997.
• The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2020 is 'Wetlands and Biodiversity’.
World Cancer Day: 4 February
• World Cancer Day is observed on the 4th of February every year to create awareness about cancer and to
encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.
• Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally.
• The aim of the day is to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer.
• WHO has warned that cancer cases will rise by 81% in low and middle-income countries by 2040.
MOU & Agreements

US to sign agreement with Taliban
• US President Donald Trump has announced that the US will sign an agreement with the Taliban as part of its
efforts to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan.
• Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will witness the signing of an agreement with representatives of the
Taliban.
• Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan.
India, Myanmar signed 10 agreements
• India and Myanmar exchanged 10 MoUs in various fields including energy, infrastructure, health, and
transport.
• The MoUs were exchanged following detailed talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
visiting Myanmar President U Win Myint in New Delhi.
• The Myanmar President arrived in New Delhi for a four-day visit along with First Lady Daw Cho Cho on
February 26, 2020.
NTPC signs MoU with CPCB
• NTPC Ltd announced signing an agreement with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
• It would be signed to provide financial support for installation and commissioning of Continuous Ambient
Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS).
• NTPC will provide financial support of Rs 80 crore for installation of 25 CAAQMS across six states and three
Union Territories.
India and Sri Lanka signed MoU
• India and Sri Lanka signed a MoU for up-gradation of infrastructure in plantation schools for estate workers
of Indian origin.
• The project envisages up-gradation of infrastructure of 9 plantation schools as identified by Sri Lanka under
Indian grant assistance of Rs 30 crore.
• These projects are in continuation of Govt of India’s people-oriented development cooperation with Govt
of Sri Lanka.
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Govt of Gujarat and SBI signed MoU

• The Gujarat govt signed an MoU with SBI to facilitate approval of loans to entrepreneurs in the MSME
sector with ease and within a short time-frame.
• As per the MoU, SBI will provide working capital to entrepreneurs seeking to start new micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSME) within a short time -frame after providing theoretical approval within 15 days
of making an application.
India, World Bank signed a loan agreement
• The India government and the World Bank on 17 Feb 2020 signed a USD 450 million loan agreement.
• It has been signed to support the national programme to arrest the country's depleting groundwater levels
and strengthen groundwater institutions.
• The World Bank-supported Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) - National Groundwater Management Improvement
Programme will be implemented in various states.
AAI signed agreements with Adani Group
• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed three concession agreements with Adani Enterprises.
• The agreements were signed for operations, management and development of Ahmedabad, Lucknow and
Mangaluru airports.
• The agreements were signed with Adani Ahmedabad International Airport Ltd, Adani Lucknow International
Airport Ltd, and Adani Mangaluru International Airport Ltd.
Odisha MSME Dept signed MoU with HDFC Bank
• The Odisha government has signed a MoU with HDFC Bank Ltd.
• According to the agreement, the startup units will be able to showcase their products to stakeholders while
the lender will extend incubation and acceleration support to the firms banking with them.
• It will enable startups to list on 'Smart Buy' platform for growth and visibility.
Gujarat Tourism- ITDC signed MoU
• Gujarat Tourism Department and Indian Tourism Development Corporation signed a MoU in Kutch on 13
Feb 2020.
• It was signed for consultancy service to develop innovative and decorative light and sound show at major
tourist places in the state.
• MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of State for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel and Gujarat CM
Vijay Rupani.
India and Portugal signed 14 agreements
• India and Portugal signed 14 agreements to boost cooperation in a range of areas including defence,
investment, transport, ports, culture, etc.
• The agreements were signed after extensive talks between PM Narendra Modi and Portuguese President
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in New Delhi on 15 Feb 2020.
• Mr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in New Delhi on 14 Feb 2020 on a four-day visit.
India finalised defence deals with US
• India has finalized 2 more mega defence deals with the US, together worth over $3.5 billion (Rs 25,000
crore) for 30 heavy-duty armed helicopters.
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• India will pay an initial 15% instalment for the MH-60R helicopters under the US Foreign Military Sales
(FMS) government-to-government deal.
• Once the contract is inked, the first lot of the choppers will be delivered in two years.
Cabinet okays India-Iceland MoU on fisheries
• The Union Cabinet approved the MoU between India and Iceland in the field of sustainable fisheries
development.
• The MoU was signed between India and Iceland on September 10, 2019, in the field of fisheries.
• As per the pact, there is a provision for training fisheries professionals from key institutions in various
management aspects.
Flipkart and Assam to sign MoU
• Flipkart and Industries Department of Assam will soon ink a MoU for providing the local artisans, Assamese
jewelry makers, small tea growers, organic cultivators a platform on online marketing.
• Flipkart would conduct training and workshop for the people involved in these sectors so that they can
access the global online market and sell their products through Flipkart’s online store.
Andhra Pradesh govt inked MoU
• The Andhra Pradesh govt signed a MoU with 11 premier agricultural institutions in the country on 10 Feb
2020.
• The institutions will provide "holistic technical assistance", leading to sustainable increase in farmers
income using organic and natural farming processes.
• 11,158 Rythu Bharosa Kendras would be set up across the state by June 2020.
Emami Group signed pact with Nuvoco Vistas
• Emami Group announced that it has entered into a binding agreement with Nuvoco Vistas Corporation
Limited, part of Nirma Group.
• It will sell its 100% equity stake in Emami Cement Limited for an enterprise value of Rs 5,500 crore.
• Emami Cement operates one integrated cement plant and three grinding units with a total cement grinding
capacity of around 8.3 million tonnes per annum.
BEL and Tech Mahindra collaborated
• Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Tech Mahindra announced a partnership to design and build digital
solutions for aerospace and defense applications.
• The companies signed a MoU at DefExpo India 2020, Lucknow on 7 Feb 2020.
• Both will jointly develop solutions in the field of defence products and systems for the armed forces with
the use of latest technologies.
JJV and BDL signed MoU
• Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) has signed an MoU with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to explore co-production
of Javelin anti-tank guided missile system.
• Javelin is an anti-tank guided missile system that can be carried and launched by a single person.
• Javelin is currently in service in 18 allied countries.
• The JJV has produced more than 45,000 rounds for both US and foreign militaries.
L&T signed MoU with ideaForge
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February 2020
• Larsen and Toubro (L&T) signed a MoU with drone company ideaForge on 7 Feb 2020 to offer unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) for defence usage.
• Both the companies will combine their strengths to offer hi-tech, integrated drone solutions to enhance
security and surveillance.
• Both will also offer anti-drone solutions to counter the threat of "malicious or unintended" usage of drones.
IOC signed pact to buy Russian crude oil
• Indian Oil Corp has signed a deal with Russia’s Rosneft for the annual purchase of 2 million metric tonnes of
crude oil.
• This is the first ever annual oil purchase deal between the two countries.
• The two sides agreed to take forward mutually aligned priorities discussed in September 2019, including
exploring a roadmap for Indian investments in the Vostok (Eastern Cluster) project of Russia.
DRDO inked deal with a Russian company
• DRDO signed a technology development contract with a Russian company Rosoboronexport on 7 Feb
2020 at DefExpo2020.
• DRDO's High Energy Materials Research Laboratory signed the contract for development of Advanced
Pyrotechnic Ignition Systems.
• This will enable advancement in the field of energetic materials and pyrotechnic technology leading to the
development of advanced ignition systems.
BHEL, BEL signed pact
• BHEL has entered into a pact with Bharat Electronics Ltd to develop and market products, systems and
sensors for defence and non-defence applications.
• A MoU was signed between Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) during
DEFEXPO 2020 at Lucknow.
• It will enable both to make joint efforts to explore markets for products individually developed by both
companies.
India, Russia signed 14 MoUs
• 14 agreements were inked on 6 Feb 2020 between Russian defence majors and Indian military firms
providing for joint production of spare parts of a number of military platforms and weapon systems.
• The MoUs were signed under a framework of an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) sealed between India
and Russia in September last year.
• The agreements were signed on the second day of DefExpo.
HAL signed MoU with Elbit Systems
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an MoU with Elbit Systems during the ongoing DefExpo 2020
for promoting and marketing the Digital Head Up Displays (HUD) units.
• A head-up display (HUD) is a transparent display that gives a pilot a seamless view of critical information.
• The MoU envisages extending cooperation for new HUD technologies and promote Digital HUD.
CSIR-CFTRI and APEDA signed MoU
• A MoU was signed by CSIR-CFTRI with APEDA to set up a Liaison Office in Guwahati to provide technical
support to the food industries in the North East region.
• APEDA stands for Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority
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February 2020
• Central Food Technological Research Institute, CSIR−CFTRI, Mysuru, works in the area of Food Science and
Technology.
HAL to make advanced armed UAV
• In a first, advanced Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) will be manufactured in India.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is set to sign a partnership pact with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at the
upcoming DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow.
• The advanced Heron TP will be manufactured to cater both to Indian requirements for a combat UAV and
possibly exports to third nations in the future as well.
India, Maldives signed 6 MoUs
• India and Maldives signed five MoUs for establishing the Addu Tourism zone in five islands of Addu atoll at a
cost of 2.49 million dollars, on 2 Feb 2020.
• A 6th MoU to set up a bottled water plant in Hoarafushi was also signed on the same day.
• All six projects are grant projects falling under India’s High Impact Community Development Scheme
(HICDP).
Bank of Baroda partnered with CARE Ratings
• Bank of Baroda has signed a pact with Care Ratings to assess credit quality of its small and medium
enterprises (SME) customers.
• The rating agency will evaluate the credit quality of existing and prospective SME customers of the bank.
• The tie-up with Care Ratings will strengthen the evaluation process and enable growth of the SME lending
business.
Appointments
Param Bir Singh: Mumbai Police Commissioner
• The Maharashtra government appointed Param Bir Singh as the new Mumbai Police Commissioner on 29
Feb 2020.
• Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer, was posted as the Director General (DG) of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)
before his appointment as the Mumbai Police Commissioner.
• Singh succeeds Sanjay Barve, who retired recently.
Sumant Kathpalia: MD and CEO of Induslnd Bank
• IndusInd Bank has elevated the bank's head for consumer banking Sumant Kathpalia as the new managing
director and chief executive from March 2020.
• Kathpalia succeeds Romesh Sobti as MD and CEO for three years.
• Sobti was the bank"s CEO since 2008.
• Kathpalia used to head the consumer loans vertical at ABN Amro Bank.
• He has also worked in Citi and Bank of America.
Abhishek Singh: Ambassador to Venezuela
• Diplomat Abhishek Singh has been appointed India's next Ambassador to Venezuela.
• Abhishek Singh, a 2003-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of
Mission at the Indian embassy in Kabul.
• He will succeed Rajiv Kumar Nagpal, who passed away a few months back.
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February 2020
Former amb to China G Bambawale joins Ola

• Former Indian ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale has joined Ola as senior adviser for corporate and
international affairs.
• He was also former high commissioner to Pakistan and ex-ambassador to Bhutan.
• Bambawale has served in Hong Kong, Guangzhou besides Germany, has been in the Indian foreign service
for more than 30 years.
Sunil Gurbaxani: Dhanlaxmi Bank MD and CEO
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 19 Feb 2020 approved appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as managing director
and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank.
• Gurbaxani is working with Axis Bank at present.
• The bank had registered a net profit of Rs 16.90 crore during the corresponding period in previous fiscal.
• Total income rose to Rs 285.85 crore from Rs 272.16 crore in October-December 2018-19.
USIBC appointed Vijay Advani as a New chairman
• The US-India Business Council has appointed Vijay Advani as new Chair of its Global Board of Directors.
• Advani has taken the charge as Board Chair at a time of significant growth in US-India bilateral trade, which
reached USD 160 billion in 2019.
• Earlier, he was also Co-President of Franklin Templeton Investments.
PolicyBazaar named Sarbvir Singh as its CEO
• PolicyBazaar has appointed former venture capital investor Sarbvir Singh as its new chief executive.
• Cofounder Yashish Dahiya will take up a broader group CEO role at the company.
• The company has also appointed Sharat Dhall, who was previously with online travel operator Yatra, as its
new chief operating officer.
• Dhall, who held a similar position at Yatra, replaces Dhruv Sarin.
Amarjeet Sinha appointed as Adviser to PM
• Retired IAS officers Amarjeet Sinha and Bhaskar Khulbe have been appointed as Advisers to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointments in the Prime Minister's Office
(PMO) in the rank and scale of Secretary.
• The appointments have been made on contractual basis initially for a period of two years or until further
orders.
Sanjay J Singh took over as Commandant
• Rear Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh AVSM, NM has assumed charge as the Commandant of the prestigious
Naval War College, Goa.
• He has held a wide range of operational, training and staff appointments over the past three decades.
• Prior to this appointment, he was the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet.
Antony George: Took over as CSO
• Rear Admiral Antony George assumed charge as the Chief Staff Officer (Training) on 20 Feb 20 at
Headquarters, Southern Naval Command.
• A graduate from St. Stephen’s College, the Flag Officer was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 July
1987.
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February 2020
• On promotion to Flag rank in October 17, he was appointed as the first Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
(Staff Requirements).
Ralph Hamers to head UBS
• UBS has named ING Group CEO Ralph Hamers to succeed Sergio Ermotti as head of the company.
• The Dutchman will join UBS as a member of the bank's executive board on September 1, 2020, before
taking over the reins as chief executive officer on November 1, 2020.
• Ermotti took over the helm of UBS in late 2011 and oversaw a massive restructuring of the bank.
Nritya Gopal: Chairman Ram Janmabhoomi Trust
• Former principal secretary to PM, Nripendra Misra has been chosen as the chairman of the Ram Temple
Complex Development Committee.
• Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Nritya Gopal Das has been named the chairman of the Sri Ram Janambhoomi
Teerath Kshetra Trust.
• The decisions were announced by Vishva Hindu Parishad’s vice-president Champat Rai, who was appointed
the general secretary of the Trust.
Sanjay Kothari to be the next CVC
• Sanjay Kothari, the Secretary to the President, has been selected as the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner
by a high-powered committee headed by PM Narendra Modi.
• The committee has also chosen former Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka as the new
Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission.
• Bimal Julka is currently serving as Information Commissioner.
Three experts appointed members of NDMA
• Lt General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain has been appointed as a member of the National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA) along with two others.
• Former Director-General of the Coast Guard Rajendra Singh and Krishna Vatsa have also been appointed as
members of the NDMA.
• Kamal Kishore, presently serving as member of the NDMA, has been given a fresh term of five years with
effect from 16 Feb 2020.
Barry O'Farrell: High commissioner to India
• Australia has appointed former New South Wales premier Barry O'Farrell as the next high commissioner to
India.
• Mr O'Farrell will succeed Harinder Sidhu who has been in the office since 2016.
• Mr O'Farrell served in the New South Wales Parliament from 1995-2015 and the 43rd Premier of the
province.
• He has also served as New South Wales' Special Envoy for India
Vinay Chhabra: CEO of Real Time Data Services
• Vinay Chhabra has been appointed the CEO of Real Time Data Services (RTDS), an IT solutions company.
• He has previously held prestigious positions in the government such as chief commissioner of the Central
Excise and Customs, and chief controller of Government Opium and Alkaloid Factories.
• RTDS provides advanced IT solutions in the field of communication and cloud computing.
G Narayanan to head space PSU NSIL
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February 2020
• Veteran space scientist G Narayanan has been named the chairman of ISRO’s newly formed commercial
entity New Space India Ltd (NSIL).
• He was earlier working as deputy director at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).
• He had earlier worked as first secretary (space) at the Indian embassy in Paris.
• He joined ISRO in the year 1983.
GoAir appointed Vinay Dube as CEO
• GoAir has appointed former Jet Airways (India) Limited executive Vinay Dube as the chief executive officer
(CEO) of the airline.
• As the CEO, Vinay will report to the Chairman, Managing Director and the Board.
• He will be responsible for the management of the airline and also for meeting the goals and long term
growth objectives of the company.
AICF elected Ajay patel as its new President
• Ajay Patel will succeed P. R. Venketrama Raja as the new President of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).
• He was elected unopposed along with incumbent Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan.
• In all, 5 office-bearers were declared winners by Returning Officer, former Supreme Court judge Justice
Fakkir Mohamed Ibrahim Kalifulla.
• The new set of office-bearers will hold their positions till 2023.
Robin Singh: UAE's director of cricket
• Former India all-rounder Robin Singh was appointed director of cricket of the United Arab Emirates.
• He was appointed by Emirates Cricket Board after the dismissal of head coach Douglas Robert Brown.
• Robin Singh represented India for 1 test and 136 ODIs (One Day International) between 1989 & 2001.
• He was also associated with the IPL's highly successful Mumbai Indians franchise.
Atul Kumar Gupta is the new ICAI President
• Atul Kumar Gupta will be the new President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAI) for the year
2020-21.
• Nihar Niranjan Jambusaria has been elected as the Vice President of the ICAI for 2020-21.
• They were elected at a meeting of the central council in New Delhi on 12 Feb 2020.
• Atul Gupta was the Vice President of ICAI for the term 2019-20.
Alok Sharma to lead UN climate summit
• Indian-origin Alok Sharma was named the new UK Minister in charge of the UN climate talks to be hosted
by Britain.
• Sharma has been promoted to the post of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle.
• He will take charge of the crucial summit ‘COP26' as its former president was removed just weeks ago.
Rishi Sunak: UK's new Finance Minister
• Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's son-in-law, Rishi Sunak has been appointed as UK's Finance Minister.
• He replaced Pakistani Chancellor Sajid Javid.
• Priti Patel has been appointed as the Home Minister.
• Alok Sharma has been appointed as the Business Secretary in the British Cabinet.
• Sharma was elevated to the role of the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy.
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February 2020
Rajiv Bansal became Air India's new CMD

• The government appointed the 1988 batch IAS officer of Nagaland Cadre Rajiv Bansal as the Chairman and
Managing Director of Air India.
• Mr Bansal is presently serving as the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Debashis Panda has been appointed as the Secretary, Department of Financial Services.
• Rajkumar has been appointed Secretary Defence Production.
Sarthak Behuria joined RIL as an advisor
• Former Indian Oil Corporation Chairman, Sarthak Behuria, has joined Reliance Industries as a senior advisor.
• Behuria, who was the chairman of IOC between 2005-10, started his career with Burmah Shell in 1973.
• Post his tenure as the chairman of IOC, he was associated with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone and
KK Modi Group of Companies.
Pramit Jhaveri to join Dorabji Trust
• Tata Trusts made two significant appointments to its leadership team.
• Pramit Jhaveri, the former Citi India boss, has been co-opted as a trustee in Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, one of
the two main Tata trusts that holds a significant stake in Tata Sons.
• The Trusts separately appointed N Srinath, a long-standing Tata group executive as the CEO of Tata Trusts.
Sanjay Vatsyayan: Eastern Fleet Commander
• The command of the Eastern Fleet was handed over to Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsyayan by Rear Admiral
Suraj Berry in Visakhapatnam on 10 Feb 2020.
• Prior to assuming Command of the Eastern Fleet, he was serving as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy
and Plans) at New Delhi.
• The Eastern Fleet is deployed across the Indo-Pacific region to safeguard the nation’s maritime interest.
CG Power inducted 3 independent directors
• CG Power and Industrial Solutions has taken on board Pradeep Mathur, Ratin Roy and Aditi Raja as
independent directors for the company's Indian operations.
• Prior to this, Mathur was the managing director of Tupperware India and served as the senior vice president
and global chief financial officer at Tupperware Asia Pacific.
• He will be part of the audit committee for CG in India.
SC appointed C N R Nair
• The Supreme Court appointed retired Kerala High Court judge C N Ramachandaran Nair to prepare an
inventory and valuation report of ornaments of Lord Ayyappa of Sabarimala temple.
• He can take assistance of a jeweller for valuation of the sacred ornaments and should file its report in
sealed cover.
• The temple is situated inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
SpiceJet appointed Shilpa Bhatia as CCO
• Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has appointed Shilpa Bhatia as its new chief commercial officer.
• Bhatia will report to Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director and will look after revenue management,
sales and network planning.
• Shilpa has worked with IndiGo, Sahara Airlines, Amadeus and GMG Airlines in leading roles in the past.
Britain's New High Commissioner to India
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February 2020
• Britain appointed career diplomat Philip Barton as its High Commissioner to India to succeed Dominic
Asquith.
• Barton will take up his appointment during Spring 2020.
• Barton was the Director General, Consular and Security at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from April
2017 until January 2020.
• Barton joined the FCO in 1986 and is a career diplomat.
Rishabh Pant: Brand ambassador of JSW Steel
• JSW Steel has roped in cricketer Rishabh Pant as the brand ambassador for the company for its JSW
ColorOn and JSW NeoSteel products.
• The partnership will increase the recall for the JSW NeoSteel and JSW Coloron+ brands.
• Parth Jindal is the MD of JSW Cement and Director of JSW Sports.
• JSW Energy reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 394 crore during the December 2019 quarter.
Sourav Ganguly: Ambassador for Tokyo Olympics
• The recently appointed BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly has been invited by the Indian Olympic Association
to be the ‘Goodwill Ambassador’ of India in the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.
• It is only the second time that Team India will have a ‘Goodwill Ambassador’.
• In the Rio Olympic Games 2016, Salman Khan was appointed in that role.
Avishek became youngest CAB president
• Former BCCI president late Jagmohan Dalmiya's son Avishek became the youngest president of Cricket
Association Bengal after being elected unopposed.
• Avishek was holding the post of joint secretary before his elevation.
• BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, a former Bengal left-hander, is the new
joint secretary.
• Avishek has become the 18th president of CAB.
Pramod Agrawal: Coal India chairman
• Pramod Agrawal has assumed charge as the new chairman and managing director of Coal India Ltd.
• Agrawal, a 1991 batch IAS officer, was principal secretary for urban development and housing department
in Madhya Pradesh.
• He took over after A K Jha retired as the CIL chairman on January 31, 2020.
• Coal India Ltd. is headquartered in Kolkata.
Amitabh Bhatt: CEO (Bengaluru Complex) at HAL
• Amitabh Bhatt has taken over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HAL’s Bengaluru Complex.
• Earlier, he was heading the LUH (light utility helicopter) project in HAL as Executive Director.
• Bhatt earlier served in SKF India Ltd for 15 years before joining HAL.
• He is a Director on the Board of HAL’s Joint Venture, ‘Indo Russian Helicopters Ltd'.
Gopal Baglay: India’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka
• The Ministry of External Affairs appointed Gopal Baglay as India's next High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
• Baglay, a 1992-batch officer of Indian Foreign Service, succeeds Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who was appointed
as the Ambassador to the United States.
• Baglay is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office.
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February 2020
Deepa Malik elected as President

• Indian Paralympic medal-winner Deepa Malik has been elected president of the Paralympic Committee of
India.
• Malik, who won silver in shot putt F-53 at Rio 2016, was elected unopposed.
• Also elected at the poll were Gursharan Singh as secretary general, Kavender Chaudhury and Shashi Ranjan
Prasad Singh as Vice Presidents, and M Mahadeva as treasurer.
New nominee director on Unitech's board
• Unitech Ltd has appointed Prabhakar Singh as government's nominee director on the company's board.
• Earlier, Singh was former director-general of CPWD.
• Yudvir Singh Malik, a Haryana-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as the chairman and managing director
of the company as per the court order.
• There are seven other members on the board.
Ajit Kumar named Chairman of CBIC
• M Ajit Kumar has been appointed as Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
• He was earlier a Member (Administration and Vigilance) in CBIC.
• Ajit Kumar is a recipient of the World Customs Organisation certificate of merit for the year 2019.
• He has worked in many capacities in the department including Directorate of Vigilance in New Delhi.
WeWork names Sandeep Mathrani its new CEO
• WeWork has named Sandeep Mathrani as its new CEO.
• Mathrani was previously the chief executive of Brookfield Property Partners’ retail group.
• Mathrani will replace Artie Minson and Sebastian Gunningham.
• The duo has served as co-CEOs of WeWork parent We Co. since Neumann stepped down in September
2019.
McDonald's appointed new partner
• McDonald's has appointed Sanjeev Agrawal as the new developmental licensee for its outlets in north and
eastern India.
• He is group chairman, and one of the founder-promoters of MMG Group that has interests in bottling and
marketing of soft drinks, oil and gas, and hospitality.
• Agrawal-backed Moon Beverages is among the key bottlers for American beverage maker Coca-Cola in
north India.
B Murali Kumar: Special Expenditure Observer
• Election Commission of India has appointed B Murli Kumar as Special Expenditure Observer.
• Mrinal Kanti Das has been appointed as Special Police Observer for General Election to the Legislative
Assembly of NCT of Delhi.
• As Special Expenditure Observer, Murali in consultation with the Chief Electoral Officer, will be supervising
and monitoring the work being done by the electoral machinery.
Mohammed Allawi named as Iraq Prime Minister
• Iraq has named a new Prime Minister after four months of protests.
• Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, a former communications minister, was appointed by President Barham Salih.
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February 2020
• His predecessor Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in November 2019, amid mass anti-government
demonstrations.
• Mr Allawi now has a month to form a new government, which he will lead until early elections.
Lt Gen Y K Joshi: GOC-in-C Northern Command
• Lieutenant General YK Joshi took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command at
Udhampur on 1 Feb 2020.
• Before assuming the charge, he visited "Dhruva War Memorial".
• Gen Joshi commanded 13 JAK RIF in Operation VIJAY and PARAKRAM.
• Nicknamed 'Joe', he also displayed outstanding leadership during the Kargil war.
Ajay Bisaria: High Commissioner to Canada
• Ajay Bisaria was appointed High Commissioner to Canada on 31 Jan 2020.
• Mr Bisaria was serving as India's High Commissioner to Pakistan but returned to India in August 2019 after
Islamabad expelled him.
• Mr Bisaria was private secretary to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1999 to 2004.
Arvind Krishna appointed CEO of IBM
• Arvind Krishna has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IBM, succeeding Ginni
Rometty.
• He will take over on April 6, 2020.
• Krishna is currently IBM Senior Vice President for Cloud and Cognitive Software.
• Ginni Rometty will retire after almost 40 years with the company at the end of the year.
Vinay Mohan: Ambassador of India to Nepal
• The Ministry of External Affairs appointed Vinay Mohan Kwatra as India's next ambassador to Nepal.
• The diplomat is presently serving as India's ambassador to France.
• He will be replacing Manjeev Singh Puri, the current Indian ambassador to Nepal.
• He has served as Third Secretary and then Second Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva
until 1993.
Hitesh Chandra Awasthi: Interim UP DGP
• Hitesh Chandra Awasthi has taken charge as the interim Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttar Pradesh
replacing OP Singh who retired on January 31.
• Awasthi has served in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for 12 years.
• He is presently posted as Director-General Vigilance.
• He will retire in June 2021.
Obituaries
World’s oldest man passed away
• The world’s oldest man has died at age 112, less than two weeks after being named the Guinness World
Record holder.
• Chitetsu Watanabe passed away in February 2020.
• He officially became the world’s oldest man, receiving a certificate from Guinness World Records at a
nursing home in his city on 12 Feb 2020.
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February 2020
• The previous record-holder was Japanese man Masazo Nonaka, who died in January 2020.
Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away
• Renowned Vedic Scholar and Gandhian Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away in Bengaluru in Feb 2020.
• The centenarian was given the title Chaturvedi for his mastery over the four vedas.
• Deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and Arya Samaj movement, he had authored over 50 spiritual books
in four languages.
• He had spent his last few years in the teaching of Vedas to young enthusiasts.
Egypt's former Pres M H Mubarak passes away
• Egypt's former President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for 30 years passes away
at 91.
• He was former air force chief and became Vice President of Egypt on 14 October 1981.
• He was sworn in as the President after Islamist militants assassinated his predecessor Anwar Sadat during a
military parade.
• Mubarak was forced to resign on February 11, 2011.
Computer scientist, Larry Tesler passed away
• A pioneering US computer scientist Larry Teslar, whose accomplishments included inventing the widely
relied on "cut, copy and paste" command, passed away in Feb 2020.
• He joined Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center in 1973, where he developed 'cut, copy and paste'.
• He started working in Silicon Valley in the early 1960s, at a time when computers were inaccessible to the
vast majority of people.
Former FICCI President V L Dutt passed away
• Dr V L Dutt, leading industrialist and executive chairman of KCP Ltd, passed away in February 2020.
• Dr Dutt was the president of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) during
1991-92 and was a widely respected industrialist.
• He also served as the honorary consul general of the Republic of Turkey in Chennai.
Harry Greg passed away
• Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Harry Gregg, passed away in Feb 2020.
• He was also a survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster.
• He was known commonly as ‘the hero of Munich’ for his actions after the tragedy 62 years ago.
• He was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the 2019 New Year Honours.
Mickey Wright passed away
• Mickey Wright, often described as the greatest woman golfer of all times, passed away in Feb 2020.
• Her haul of 13 major victories included four US Women's Open titles and four US Women's PGA
Championships.
• Wright had accumulated 82 titles of Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour titles during a
professional career which stretched from 1954 to 1969.
Popular Bengali actor Tapas Pal passed away
• Popular Bengali film actor and former Trinamul Congress MP Tapas Pal passed away in Mumbai in Feb
2020.
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February 2020
• Tapas Pal acted in a number of Bengali films besides being elected two times in Lok Sabha from
Krishnanagar Constituency in Nadia District of West Bengal.
• His acting in Dadar Kirti, Saheb, Parabat Priya and other films was highly appreciated.
Parikrama lead guitarist Sonam Sherpa died
• The founding member and lead guitarist of acclaimed band Parikrama, Sonam Sherpa passed away in Feb
2020.
• Sherpa was known for giving music to the band's many hits including But It Rained, Tears of the Wizard and
Am I Dreaming.
• He even composed music for Bollywood films like Majunath.
• He also owned and ran the Parikrama School of Music situated in Hauz Khas.
RK Pachauri, former TERI chief, passed away
• R K Pachauri, a former chief of The Energy and Resources Institute, passed away in February 2020.
• This was informed by TERI Director General Ajay Mathur on 13 February 2020.
• He played a pivotal role in making TERI a leading organisation in the sustainability space.
• He had to step down from his position after he was accused of sexually harassing a former woman
colleague.
Wendell Rodricks passed away
• Internationally-famed fashion designer Wendell Rodricks passed away in February 2020.
• A Padma Shri award-winning designer and known for infusing modern aesthetics with traditional Goan
influences, Rodricks was also an author, environmentalist and gay rights activist.
• He is often credited for pioneering the concept of 'resort wear' when it was not a popular idea in India.
Nandu R Kulkarni passed away
• Veteran journalist Nandu R Kulkarni, the Bureau Chief of the Kolkata-based newspaper The Statesman
passed away in Feb 2020.
• Kulkarni started his career with The Indian Express Mumbai in 1976 and covered economic offences,
moving on to cover banking and politics.
• At The Statesman he reported on a wide range of subjects including politics, business and other fields.
American Author Roger Kahn passed away
• American Author Roger Kahn passed away in Feb 2020.
• He has written at least 20 books in his lifetime.
• He was best known for “The Boys of Summer,” a best-selling first-person account of his hometown of
Brooklyn and the Dodger baseball team of the 1950s.
• He was born in Brooklyn on 31 October 1927.
Giriraj Kishore passed away
• Well-known Hindi novelist and Padma Shri awardee Giriraj Kishore passed away in Feb 2020.
• Giriraj Kishore was best known for his novel ''Pehla Girmitiya'' that was based on Mahatma Gandhi''s stay in
South Africa.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India and was the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi
award.
• He was also conferred the Vyas Samman in 2000.
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February 2020
P Parameswaran passed away

• Renowned thinker, writer and the founder-director of Bharatiya Vichara Kendram P Parameswaran passed
away in Feb 2020.
• He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2018 and Padma Shri in 2004.
• P Parameswaran was one of the senior-most Pracharaks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, RSS and
former leader of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Raju Bharatan passed away
• Noted film historian and cricket journalist Raju Bharatan passed away in Feb 2020.
• Bharatan was associated with the Illustrated Weekly of India for 42 years.
• He retired as Assistant Editor, after having worked with stalwarts like Khushwant Singh, MV Kamat, Pritish
Nandy and Anil Dharker.
• His film books include the highly controversial “Lata Mangeshkar - A Biography” (1995), etc.
Kirk Douglas passed away
• Hollywood legend and veteran actor Kirk Douglas passed away in Feb 2020.
• Douglas was prolific as a film actor, with more than 90 credits to his name - ranging over six decades from
the 1940s to the 2000s.
• Born in New York in 1916, he rose to prominence during Hollywood's golden age, earning his first Oscar
nomination for the 1949 boxing story 'Champion'.
Odia revolutionary poet Rabi Singh passed away
• Odia poet Rabi Singh passed away in Feb 2020.
• His poetry collections include ‘Patha Prantara Kabita’, ‘Charama Patra’, ‘Sithila Balga’, ‘Lal Pagoda Ra Preta
O Anya Kabita’, ‘Bhrukuti’ ‘Bidirna’, ‘Padatika’, etc.
• He received several awards, including the prestigious Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman instituted by Odisha
Sahitya Akademi in 2017.
Jaswant Singh Kanwal passed away
• Eminent Punjabi writer, novelist and Sahitya Akademi Awardee Jaswant Singh Kanwal passed away in Feb
2020 in his native village in Moga district.
• Kanwal was bestowed Sahitya Akademi Fellowship award for his book ‘Pakhi’ (Hand Fan) in 1996.
• He also received the Sahitya Akademi award for Taushali Di Hanso in 1998.
Sashi Sharma passed away
• Noted Assamese litterateur and educationist Sashi Sharma passed away in Jan 2020.
• He started his career in 1961 as a professor at the Nalbari College’s Assamese Department and retired in
1993.
• In 1968, he was honoured with the “Soviet Nehru Award” and the Asam Sahitya Sabha also conferred him
with the Sitanath Brahma Choudhury Award.
Matthew Satya Babu passed away
• Veteran basketball player P Mathew Satya Babu passed away in Jan 2020.
• Mathew Satya Babu had represented India in the Asian Basketball Championship in Seoul in South Korea in
1967, Bangkok in 1969 and Manila in 1970.
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February 2020
• He led India in the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970 and was a qualified NIS basketball coach and a B panel
Basketball Federation of India referee.
Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passed away
• Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passed away in Jan 2020.
• He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy in March 2016 for his
contribution to Urdu poetry.
• "Kahan Hai Mera Hindustan" and "Agar Main Tera Shahjahan" are two of his popular poems.
• He was born in 1923 in Harakhpur in Sultanpur district, UP.
Veteran social activist Vidya Bal passed away
• Veteran social activist Vidya Bal passed away in Jan 2020.
• In 2016, she had approached Bombay High Court to demand enforcement of a law that allowed temple
entry for all, including women, in Hindu religious places.
• Their Public Interest Litigation sought implementation of provisions of Maharashtra Hindu Place of Worship
Act, 1956 related to the entry of women at Shani Shingnapur temple.
International Affairs
WHO raised global risk of coronavirus
• WHO raised its global risk assessment for the new coronavirus to “very high” from “high”.
• Over 8,000 people have been infected with coronavirus globally.
• After it has reached more than 50 countries in about two months, some researchers and scientists are at
the edge of calling the disease a pandemic, a global, potentially lethal outbreak.
Sri Lanka withdraws from UN Rights Resolution
• Sri Lanka has formally notified the UN Human Right Council that it is withdrawing from the UN resolution on
post-war accountability and reconciliation.
• In 2015, Sri Lanka co-sponsored a UNHRC resolution, 30/1, making commitments to promote reconciliation,
accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.
• It renewed these commitments in two further UNHRC resolutions in 2017 and 2019.
Scotland makes sanitary pro free for all women
• The Scottish parliament approved to make sanitary products freely available to all women.
• It is the first nation in the world to make sanitary products free.
• The legislation would make tampons and sanitary pads available at designated public places such as
community centres, youth clubs and pharmacies.
• It is estimated with an annual cost of 24.1 million pounds ($31.2 million).
UNSC renews its sanctions regime on Yemen
• The UN Security Council has renewed its sanctions regime on Yemen for another year, after tense
negotiations between Britain and Russia.
• Thirteen countries eventually adopted the London-drafted resolution on the sanctions, which now are in
effect through February 2021.
• The UNSC is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations charged with ensuring international peace
and security.
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February 2020
Conservative party wins Iranian elections

• In Iran, conservatives have claimed victory in a general election marked by the lowest turnout since the
1979 Islamic Revolution.
• Interior Ministry announced results of 95 per cent of the 208 constituencies.
• Conservative candidates have secured 219 seats in the 290-strong parliament, also known as the Majlis. 17
women were elected, the same number as in the outgoing 290-seat parliament.
Bangladesh records sharp decline in Child Mal
• The child malnutrition rate in Bangladesh has declined sharply over the last six years.
• The survey has also recorded an improvement in many other areas related to health and nutrition, Child
protection, hygiene and sanitation.
• The rate of chronic malnutrition among children measured by the stunting level among them has come
down from 42 percent in 2013 to 28 percent in 2019.
Mauritius joins Pakistan on FATF's Grey list
• Mauritius has joined Pakistan on the “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-
governmental body which sets anti-money laundering standards.
• Mauritius is the second-largest source of foreign portfolio investor (FPI) flows into India, after the US.
• FATF grey lists a country which it considers as a safe haven for terror funding and money laundering.
Trump to be sixth US President to visit India
• Donald Trump will be the sixth US President ever to travel to India and the first one to land in Ahmedabad.
• Dwight D Eisenhower was the first US President to visit India in 1959.
• Richard Nixon travelled to India in 1969 and Jimmy Carter in 1978. Bill Clinton visited India in 2000 and
George W Bush in 2006.
• Obama visited India twice in 2010 and 2015.
India to block EU’s WTO panel request
• India will block the European Union’s request for a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade
Organization.
• It is against New Delhi’s customs duties on imports of certain information and communications technology
(ICT) products.
• The EU initiated dispute proceedings last year alleging India levied excess tariffs than what it had
committed to in its tariff schedule at the WTO.
Riksbank testing world’s 1st digital currency
• Sweden's Riksbank has begun testing an e-krona in conjunction with Accenture, which could lead to the
creation of world’s first central bank digital currency (CBDC).
• The pilot will run until February 2021 and will use blockchain technology.
• The aim of the testing is to show how an e-krona could be used by the general public.
• Making payments in e-krona would be as easy as sending a text.
FATF decides to retain Pakistan in 'Grey List'
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided continuation of Pakistan in the 'Grey List'.
• It warned the country that stern action will be taken if it fails to check the flow of money to terror groups.
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February 2020
• Pakistan was placed on the 'Grey List' by the FATF in June 2018 and was given a plan of action to complete
by October 2019 or face the risk of being placed on the 'Black List'.
Pakistan successfully tested Ra'ad-II
• Pakistan conducted a successful flight test of the air-launched nuclear-capable cruise missile Ra'ad-II with a
range of 600 km.
• The Ra'ad-II weapon system is equipped with state-of-the-art guidance and navigation systems ensuring
engagement of targets with high precision.
• It significantly enhances air delivered strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.
Jeff Bezos launched “Bezos Earth Fund”
• Jeff Bezos has announced that he will launch a $10 billion fund to fight climate change.
• The Bezos Earth Fund will provide money to "any effort that offers a real possibility" to help preserve and
protect the world.
• The Bezos Earth Fund will fund the scientists, activists, NGOs to save Earth to tackle the issue of climate
change.
Afghanistan President secured 2nd term
• In Afghanistan, independent Election Commission announced that Ashraf Ghani has won a second term as
President of the country.
• However, his closest opponent Abdullah Abdullah has refused to recognize the results and declared himself
winner potentially endangering peace negotiations with the Taliban.
• Ghani garnered 9,23,592 votes or 50.64% of votes that took place on 28 September 2019.
Mobile World Congress 2020 cancelled
• MWC 2020 –Mobile World Congress 2020, was set to run from February 24-27, 2020, but it has now been
cancelled after health concerns in the wake of the coronavirus.
• The GSM Association (GSMA) decided to cancel the whole event after a variety of companies including
Sony, LG and HMD Global, pulled out of the show.
• It was cancelled on 12 Feb 2020.
43rd IFAD Governing Council held in Rome
• The IFAD’s (International Fund for Agricultural Development) 43rd Governing Council meeting was held in
Rome, Italy on 11-12 February 2020.
• The theme for it was “Investing in sustainable food systems to end hunger by 2030”.
• During the meet, IFAD stated that the sequences of climate change and its impacts on agriculture will push
around 100 million people to poverty by 2030.
Facebook to allow paid political messages
• Facebook has decided to allow a type of paid political message that had sidestepped many of the social
network's rules governing political ads.
• The rule change will now allow campaigns in the US to use this tool, provided they've been authorised by
Facebook to run political ads and disclose who paid for the sponsored posts.
Alok Sharma to lead UN climate summit
• Indian-origin Alok Sharma was named the new UK Minister in charge of the UN climate talks to be hosted
by Britain.
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February 2020
• Sharma has been promoted to the post of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle.
• He will take charge of the crucial summit ‘COP26' as its former president was removed just weeks ago.
New Zealand unveiled first AI police officer
• New Zealand Police unveiled its first Artificial intelligence (AI) officer Ella on 12 February 2020.
• Ella is a digital person that is powered by AI and uses real-time animation to emulate face-to-face
interactions.
• Ella stands for Electronic Lifelike Assistant.
• It is a part of two new digital kiosks that the New Zealand Police have designed.
Facial recognition cameras in London
• London police has started using facial recognition cameras from Feb 11, 2020 to automatically scan for
wanted people.
• It's the first time London's Metropolitan Police Service has used live facial recognition cameras after a series
of trials.
• Signs were put warning that police were using the technology to find people wanted for serious crimes.
Coronavirus disease renamed as “Covid-19”
• There is now an official name for the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which has killed more than
1000 people so far: Covid-19.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) made the announcement on 11 February 2020.
• The name is a shortened version of coronavirus disease 2019.
• The virus was also designated as SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
ADB approved the funding of $2 million
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $2 million in funding to support efforts to combat the spread
of coronavirus.
• The funds will supplement ongoing regional technical assistance and strengthen response capacity in
Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• It will support the supply of diagnostic and laboratory equipment for rapid testing to help combat the
outbreak.
33rd African Union (AU) summit held
• The 33rd edition of the African Union (AU) summit was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 9 Feb 2020.
• Its theme was “Silencing the Guns: Creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development“.
• Heads of the states and the govt officials from across Africa gathered in Addis Ababa and focused on ways
to end the regional violence, including the conflicts in South Sudan and Libya.
Advance team of WHO arrived in China
• An advance team of WHO medical experts has arrived in China to help investigate the Novel Coronavirus
outbreak.
• The advance team, led by Dr. Bruce Aylward, will be part of WHO-China joint investigation team.
• Coronavirus Outbreak death toll has reached 1,018 globally with over 43,000 confirmed cases till now.
• China reported 108 new deaths and 2,478 new cases on 10 Feb 2020.
5th Dhaka Art Summit inaugurated
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February 2020
• The fifth edition of the Dhaka Art Summit began on 9 Feb 2020.
• It will continue upto 15th February 2020.
• More than 500 artists, sculptors, architects and art professionals from various countries are participating in
the Summit.
• The Summit will also featuring live events, panel discussions and puppet shows among other things.
• Dhaka Art Summit is the premier art festival of Bangladesh.
Iran launched a satellite
• Iran launched a satellite on 9 Feb 2020 but failed to put it into orbit in a blow to its space programme.
• Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi admitted soon after that the launch has
failed.
• Iran also unveiled a new a short-range ballistic missile and its new generation of engines designed to put
satellites into space.
Himalayas broke 30-year record
• Snow in the western Himalayas during the first half of the ongoing winter season has been about 20 per
cent above the long period average.
• This would favourably impact the water situation in the coming months.
• The mid-winter assessment released this month reveals that the snowfall received from November 2019 to
January 2020 has been the highest in the past 30 years.
US announced launch of an alliance
• The US has announced the launch of a 27-nation International Religious Freedom Alliance.
• It will try to adopt a collective approach in protecting and preserving religious freedom across the world.
• Among the prominent countries to join the alliance are Austria, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Israel, Ukraine,
the Netherlands and Greece.
Nepal to count LGBT people in next census
• Nepal will count LGBT+ people for the first time in its next census, a move that could help sexual minorities
gain better access to education and health schemes.
• The census, scheduled for June 2021, will help end stigma and challenges that LGBT+ people face in
accessing support.
• There will be no follow-up options to choose which sexual orientation they identify with in the census.
US killed top al-Qaeda leader Qasim al-Rimi
• In a major counterterrorism operation in Yemen, the US forces have killed Qasim al-Rimi, a founder and
leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
• Al-Qaeda is the jihadist group that claimed responsibility for a mass shooting at an American naval base.
• Rimi, a deputy to al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, was placed on the United States' most-wanted
terrorist list.
Donald Trump acquitted of all charges
• The United States President Donald Trump has been acquitted of all impeachment charges.
• The US Senate has acquitted President Trump on two articles of impeachment that are- abuse of power and
obstruction to Congress.
• The Republican-majority Senate voted 52-48 to acquit him of abuse of power and 53-47 to acquit him of
obstruction of Congress.
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Bhutan ends free entry for Indian tourists

• Government of Bhutan has decided to levy a daily ₹1,200 ($17) fee for tourists from India,Bangladesh and
Maldives,with effect from July 2020.
• This fee is named as Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) for new tourism policy.
• Children under the age of 5 will not have to pay any fee and those between 6 and 12 years will be required
to pay only ₹600.
New reserves of natural gas found in UAE
• UAE has announced the discovery of a natural gas field containing 80 trillion standard cubic feet of gas
between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
• The new Jebel Ali field would help the Emirates become more energy independent, as the UAE now imports
natural gas from Qatar for electricity.
• Qatar is the world's largest liquefied natural gas producer.
• It supplies 42 million metric tonnes of LNG annually.
G-7 agreed to work with WHO, EU, China
• The Group of Seven leading industrialized democracies, G-7 have agreed to work with the WHO, EU and
China seeking a unified procedure to tackle Novel Coronavirus.
• They are likely to coordinate their approach on travel regulations and precautions as well as research into
the virus.
• Novel Coronavirus has till now infected close to 20,500 people in China and at least 192 outside China.
Maldives: 54th member of the Commonwealth
• The Commonwealth has welcomed its 54th family member after Maldives’ application for re-admission was
approved.
• Maldives officially rejoined the Commonwealth on 1 Feb 2020.
• It had exited from the Commonwealth in 2016.
• Maldives quit the Commonwealth citing their treatment “unjust and unfair” under the presidency of former
president Abdulla Yameen.
HCL Technologies to enter Sri Lanka
• HCL Technologies has entered into a pact with Sri Lanka's Board of Investment for setting up of a global
delivery Centre in Colombo.
• It aims at boosting employment, providing resources and skilling the local talent to serve its global clients.
• HCL's local entity – HCL Technologies Lanka (Private) Limited will implement its 'Work Integrated Education
Program' to foster growth.
World's 1st Transcatheter Mitral valve
• The Abbott Tendyne Transcatheter Mitral Valve Implantation (TMVI) system has received European CE
mark.
• It is the first transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) technology to gain commercial clearance in the
world.
• It addresses a critical need to eliminate mitral regurgitation when surgery or mitral repair is not an option in
high-risk surgical patients.
Biggest book fair of Bangladesh inaugurated
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• PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh inaugurated the month long Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka on 2 Feb 2020.
• It is the biggest and longest book fair of Bangladesh.
• It is organised every year in February commemorating the martyrs of the language movement during which
eight people laid down their lives on February 21, 1952, for establishing Bangla as the official language of
the then East Pakistan.
Somalia declared national emergency
• Somalia has declared a national emergency following locust infestation sweeping the Horn of Africa.
• Food sources for people and their livestock are at risk.
• The locust swarms are the result of extreme weather swings.
• Somalia's declaration, the first country in the region to do so, is aimed at boosting national efforts in
tackling the hungry insects.
First Coronavirus death outside China
• The death toll of novel coronavirus in China has risen to 304.
• Around 14,380 people have been infected with the virus in mainland China and 160 in other countries.
• The Philippines has also confirmed its first novel coronavirus death, the first one outside China.
• It was the second confirmed case in the country.
• The patient, a 44-year-old Chinese citizen, died on 1 Feb 2020.
Google launched SOS Alerts for coronavirus
• Google would now be directing the users searching coronavirus to systematically arranged results about
safety tips, situation updates, and resources from WHO.
• Google announced this joint effort with WHO on 31 Jan 2020.
• This new addition comes as a part of Google's SOS Alerts feature.
• When you type coronavirus on Google, it will give you advisory and questions and answers related to it.
1st deaf person to row across Atlantic Ocean
• A 60-year-old pharmacy worker has become the first deaf person to row an ocean by finishing a 3,000-mile
journey across the Atlantic.
• Mo O'Brien landed on the Caribbean island of Antigua 49 days after setting out from the Canary Island of La
Gomera in Dec 2019.
• Ms O'Brien rowed almost 3,000 miles (4,800km) of Atlantic Ocean with her daughter Bird Watts, and their
friend Claire Allinson.
Britain officially left European Union
• The UK has officially left the European Union membership, more than three years after the referendum in
favour of Brexit.
• The historic moment happened on 31 Jan 2020.
• Most EU laws will continue to be in force, including the free movement of people, until 31 Dec 2020.
• The UK is aiming to sign a permanent free trade agreement with the EU, along the lines of the one the EU
has with Canada.
Books & Authors

A book “Messages from Messengers” launched
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February 2020
• “Messages from Messengers”, a book written by Priti K Shroff was launched in Mumbai, Maharashtra on 12
Feb 2020.
• The book deals with Indian culture and tradition and is suitable for everyone in all stages of life, as a tool for
self-guidance.
• MD (Managing Director) and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the Bombay stock exchange, Ashish Chauhan
was the chief guest of the function.
Dharmendra Rai’s book launched
• Dharmendra Rai, a mind mapping & brain literacy pioneer has just launched his book 'The Thin Mind Map
Book'.
• The book is designed to make anyone an expert in mind mapping by devoting 2 full days to reading and
doing all the experiential exercises mentioned in the book.
• He has conducted more than 380 mind mapping seminars in under 10 years, which is a world record.
Vice President released a book
• Vice President Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled 'A Child of Destiny' an autobiography penned by Prof.
K. Ramakrishna Rao.
• K. Ramakrishna Rao was an eminent scholar, author, researcher, scientist and Gandhian.
• He was born in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2011.
Personalities in News
Harley-Davidson CEO stepped down
• Harley-Davidson Inc.’s CEO Matt Levatich stepped down on 28 Feb 2020.
• Levatich will be replaced on an interim basis by Jochen Zeitz, a board member credited with reviving the
Puma sneaker brand.
• Zeitz also was named chairman of the board and will remain chairman once a new CEO is appointed.
• Current chairman, Michael Cave, is now presiding director.
Alex Danson-Bennett announced her retirement
• Great Britain women’s field hockey captain Alex Danson-Bennett announced her retirement from the sport
on 20 Feb 2020 following an injury.
• She was a member of the British team that won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she was the joint top-
scorer.
• Danson-Bennett is Great Britain and England women’s all-time joint leading scorer with 115 goals in 306
appearances.
Prime Minister of Ireland resigned
• Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar resigned on 20 Feb 2020.
• He will stay on as interim leader while the country's three main parties battle out coalition talks after an
inconclusive election.
• Varadkar, Ireland's first openly gay leader, tendered his resignation to President Michael Higgins.
• He will continue to carry on the duties until successors have been appointed.
Ross Taylor: 1st player to play 100 matches
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February 2020
• Veteran New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor on 21 Feb 2020 became the first player in the world to play 100
matches in all three formats of cricket.
• The landmark achievement came as he took the field against India in the opening Test at Basin Reserve in
Wellington.
• The ongoing match is also his 100th Test.
• Taylor was presented his 100th Test cap by former New Zealand wicket-keeper Ian Smith.
Afghanistan President secured 2nd term
• In Afghanistan, independent Election Commission announced that Ashraf Ghani has won a second term as
President of the country.
• However, his closest opponent Abdullah Abdullah has refused to recognize the results and declared himself
winner potentially endangering peace negotiations with the Taliban.
• Ghani garnered 9,23,592 votes or 50.64% of votes that took place on 28 September 2019.
Virat: 1st with 50 mn Instagram followers
• Virat Kohli has broken another record.
• He has become the first Indian to garner 50 million followers on the popular social media platform
Instagram.
• He is also India's most valuable celebrity.
• According to a study by Duff and Phelps, Kohli topped the brand valuation list for the third consecutive year
as his value rose by an impressive 39% to $237.5 mn in 2019.
NADA banned javelin thrower Amit Dahiya
• National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) has banned javelin thrower Amit Dahiya for four years.
• He has been banned for evading sample collection and trying to cheat officials during the 2nd National
Javelin Throw Open Championship 2019 held at SAI Centre in Sonipat.
• NADA had issued the charge of notice to Dahiya on July 16, 2019, for violating rule 2.3 of the NADA.
CARE Ratings Chairman S B Mainak resigned
• S.B. Mainak has resigned as chairman of CARE Ratings (Credit Analysis and Research Limited).
• He resigned due to personal reasons.
• He is a former managing director of Life Insurance Corporation of India.
• He joined the board of CARE ratings in August 2015.
• CARE Ratings was founded in the year 1993 and is headquartered in India.
Arvind Kejriwal to take oath as CM on 16 Feb
• Arvind Kejriwal is all set to take oath for the third time as CM of Delhi on 16 Feb 2020.
• The AAP scored a landslide victory in the Delhi assembly elections 2020 as it swept aside both BJP and
Congress.
• AAP won 62 seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly while BJP managed eight seats.
• Congress failed to win any seat in the recently held Delhi elections.
Google HR chief stepping aside
• Google confirmed that head of human resources Eileen Naughton was stepping away from her job as "vice
president of people operations".
• Google added more than 70,000 employees during Naughton's time as head of human resources.
• Naughton would work with Sundar Pichai and chief financial officer Ruth Porat to find a successor.
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Kaamya: Youngest girl to summit Mt. Aconcagua

• Kaamya Karthikeyan, a class seven student of Navy Children School (NCS) in Mumbai, became the youngest
girl in the world to summit Mt Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America.
• At 6962 metres, Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak outside Asia.
• Kaamya Karthikeyan summited the mountain peak on February 1, 2020, and unfurled the tricolour.
Prasar Bharati Chairman retired
• Prasar Bharati chairman A Surya Prakash retired from his position, ending his two-term long journey that
started in 2014.
• Prakash was appointed as the chairman of Prasar Bharati for a second term in December 2017, after he had
retired in October 2017.
• He has previously served as chief of bureau at The Indian Express, executive editor of The Pioneer, and
editor of Zee News.
Tidjane Thiam resigned as Credit Suisse CEO
• Tidjane Thiam has resigned chief executive officer (CEO) of Swiss bank Credit Suisse Group AG following a
spying scandal.
• The board of directors unanimously accepted Thiam's resignation at a meeting on 6 Feb 2020.
• Credit Suisse (CS) veteran Thomas Gottstein has been appointed as the new CEO.
• Credit Suisse was found in the year 1956 and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
Pinelopi Koujianou resigned
• World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg announced she will be leaving the institution.
• She will step down from her post on March 1, 2020 to return to teaching at Yale University.
• Research director Aart Kraay would take over for Goldberg until a new permanent chief economist is hired.
• Goldberg took up her post at the end of April 2018, after the resignation of Paul Romer.
Astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth
• NASA's astronaut Christina Koch returned from space to Earth safely on 6 Feb 2020.
• Koch returned after an 11-month mission, breaking the world record for the most time spent by a woman in
space.
• Koch has spent 328 days on International Space Station ISS, surpassing the previous record of 289 days held
by fellow American Peggy Whitson.
Cognizant's Vice Chairman stepped down
• Cognizant co-founder Francisco D’Souza is stepping down from the board of the company.
• D’Souza will leave the board effective March 31, 2020.
• D’Souza was elected to Cognizant’s Board of Directors in January 2007 and has served as Vice Chairman
since June 2018.
• He co-founded Cognizant in 1994 and served as the company’s CEO from January 2007 through March
2019.
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner stepped down
• LinkedIn Corp. CEO Jeff Weiner is stepping down after 11 years in the role and will become executive
chairman.
• Ryan Roslansky, currently senior vice president of product, will become CEO effective June 1, 2020.
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• Tomer Cohen, currently vice president of marketing solutions, will replace Roslansky as head of product.
NADA suspended weightlifter Ramshad
• National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has suspended weightlifter Ramshad AR for 2 years.
• Ramshad who has a silver medal to his credit in the National Weightlifting Championship was found guilty
of inhaling a prohibited substance by the NADA.
• His sample analysis revealed the presence of 2-Hydroxy-4-MethoxyTamoxifen, which is prohibited as per
the WADA Prohibited List of 2019.
Saima Khan: 1st to receive IADR Fellowship
• Dr Saima Yunus Khan became the first Indian to be conferred with the prestigious IADR Fellowship in the
field of dental research.
• The International Association of Dental Research (IADR) John Clarkson Fellowship is awarded to obtain
training and experience in dental public health at the Children's Hospital Research Institute of the University
of Manitoba, Canada for a period of five months.
Maharashtra women’s commission chief resigned
• Maharashtra State Commission for Women Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has tendered her resignation from
the post.
• She submitted her resignation to CM Uddhav Thackeray on 4 Feb 2020.
• The Maharashtra State Commission for Women was set up on 25 Jan 1993 and consists of the Chairperson,
six non- official members, a Member-Secretary and the State Director General of Police as an ex-officio
member.
Sonal Dabral quit Ogilvy
• Sonal Dabral, one of the Indian advertising’s most famous names, has quit Ogilvy.
• Dabral has spent most of his years in advertising at the WPP-owned agency, most recently as chief creative
officer for South East and South Asia.
• Dabral also had a brief stint as a TV actor when he featured in the popular series ‘Fauji’ that starred Shah
Rukh Khan.
AirAsia's Tony Fernandes stepped aside
• AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes and Chairman Kamarudin Meranun will step aside for at least two
months.
• Fernandes and Kamarudin will remain advisers, however, in view of the current difficult economic
circumstances facing the airline industry.
• Senior company executive Tharumalingam Kanagalingam will be the acting CEO, with the changes effective
immediately.
Chinmoy Biswal relieved from his post
• The Election Commission has relieved Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) in Delhi, Chinmoy Biswal
from his present post with immediate effect.
• He has been asked to report to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The Commission has directed Mr Kumar Gyanesh, Senior most Additional DCP (South-East) to take charge
of the DCP (South-East) immediately from Mr Biswal.
Abidali Neemuchwala quit as CEO from Wipro
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• Abidali Z Neemuchwala has quit as the chief executive officer and managing director of Wipro.
• He is leaving due to family commitments and will continue to hold office until a successor is appointed.
• He joined Wipro in April 2015 as the president and chief operating officer, after having served at Tata
Consultancy Services.
1st Indian woman professional footballer
• Scottish team Rangers signed Bala Devi from Manipur Police on an 18-month-deal after a successful trial in
November 2019.
• She became the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer anywhere in the world.
• She is currently the leading goal scorer for the Indian national women's team, which also makes her the top
international goal scorer in the South Asian region.
1st deaf person to row across Atlantic Ocean
• A 60-year-old pharmacy worker has become the first deaf person to row an ocean by finishing a 3,000-mile
journey across the Atlantic.
• Mo O'Brien landed on the Caribbean island of Antigua 49 days after setting out from the Canary Island of La
Gomera in Dec 2019.
• Ms O'Brien rowed almost 3,000 miles (4,800km) of Atlantic Ocean with her daughter Bird Watts, and their
friend Claire Allinson.
Government Policies & Schemes

Govt approved Rs 162 cr under a scheme
• The government has approved Rs 162 crore under Operation Green scheme which has an outlay of Rs 500
crore.
• The scheme was announced in 2018-19 budget.
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February 2020
• It aims to enhance value realisation for farmers by targeted interventions to strengthen production clusters
and the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) and linking them with the market.
Govt announces amnesty scheme
• The Government has announced amnesty scheme for power consumers across UT of J&K.
• The Administrative Council headed by the Lieutenant Governor G.C. Murmu approved it which will come
into effect from March 1, 2020.
• Failure to fully pay all three installments by May 31st 2020 will lead to immediate disconnection.
Govt approved 32 projects under PMKSY
• Government has sanctioned 32 projects in the food processing sector under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada
Yojana (PMKSY).
• The projects are spread across around 17 states leveraging an investment worth 406 Crore rupees.
• They were cleared by the Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee chaired by Food Processing Minister
Harsimrat Kaur Badal in New New Delhi on 27 Feb 2020.
Union FPI Minister launches MIEWS Portal
• Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal launched the Market Intelligence and Early
Warning System Web Portal.
• This portal is a novel initiative of MoFPI leveraging IT tools and furthering the goals of Digital India.
• It helps in Monitoring prices of Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP crops).
• MIEWS portal would help in planning and timely intervention for price stabilisation.
Govt plans new IT Act to factor in cyber crime
• The government plans a new Information Technology Act (IT Act)
• The new Act will more robustly cover aspects like cybersecurity, hacking, spying, online bullying,
phishing,and data privacy, keeping in mind the security of users and the advent of new technologies.
• The proposed act for protecting data privacy is at the stage of a Bill called ‘The Personal Data Protection Bill’
Cabinet approves surrogacy bill
• The Union Cabinet approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020, which allows any "willing" woman to be
a surrogate mother.
• It proposes that widows and divorced women can also benefit from its provisions, besides infertile Indian
couples.
• The bill also proposes to regulate surrogacy by establishing National Surrogacy Board at the central level
and State Surrogacy Board.
Govt soon to launch 3rd phase of PMKVY
• The government to launch the third phase of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).
• The scheme was launched in 2015 to mobilize youth to take up skill training with the aim of increasing
productivity and aligning the training and certification to the needs of the country.
• The scheme was revamped as PMKVY -2 in 2016 with an aim to train one crore youth by the year 2020.
Minister Tomar launched GeoRurban mobile app
• Minister for Rural Dev. Tomar after evaluating the success rate of Rurban Clusters scheme aiming to move
ahead to construct 1000 more urbanized clusters in rural areas.
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• The objective is to stimulate local economic dev, enhance basic services and create well planned Rurban
clusters.
• The Minister launched GeoRurban, a mobile app to be used for Geo-tagging for the assets in the rurban
clusters.
PM Kisan Samman Nidhi completes one year
• The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme completes one year.
• PM had launched the scheme on 24th Feb'19 at Gorakhpur in UP
• Under the Scheme, an amount of 6000 rupees per year is transferred in three equal instalments of 2000
rupees in every four months directly into the bank accounts of the farmers.
• As per reports that over 8.46 cr farmers have been benefited by this scheme.
Maharashtra government to setup Disha Act
• Maharashtra govt has constituted a five-member committee to study Andhra Pradesh Disha Act, which
enables death penalty for rape & reduces the judgement period.
• The government is also planning to enact the Disha Act which was implemented in Andhra Pradesh.
• The Disha Act seeks to fast-track cases of offences against women and children and award the death
penalty in certain cases.
Schools in Bihar would soon have POCSO cells
• Schools in Bihar would soon have special ''POCSO cells'' to hear complaints of sexual misconduct and
exploitation.
• There will be a committee headed by the headmaster in each school.
• The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 aims to punish those engaging in sexual
crimes against children while safeguarding their interests at every stage of the judicial process.
Increase in legal age of tobacco consumption
• The Union Health Ministry proposed to increase the legal age for tobacco consumption from 18 to 21 yrs.
• Ministry to strengthen the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act(COTPA).
• The committee also recommended increasing the fine amount for violation of rules and introducing a
provision of tracking mechanism to check illicit trade of cigarette and tobacco products.
Pension scheme for Central Govt employees
• All Central Government employees can now opt to be covered under the old Pension scheme instead of
National Pension System, NPS.
• This is for those whose selection for the appointment was finalized before 1st of January 2004 but who
joined service on or after this date.
• Central Government employees will be given one time option to get coverage of Pension Rules, in place of
the NPS.
Soil health card Scheme completing 5 years
• The Soil Health Card Scheme is completing five years on 19 Feb 2020.
• The scheme was launched in 2015 to assess the nutrient status of every farm holding in the country.
• The objectives of the scheme are to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers every two years so as to provide a
basis to address nutritional deficiencies in fertilization practices.
'Anganphou Hunba' programme launched
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• Manipur CM N Biren Singh launched 'Anganphou Hunba' (Early Paddy Crop) programme in Imphal East on
13 Feb 2020.
• The govt has planned to provide irrigation water by the Minor Irrigation Department to places having
adequate arable land and large number of farmers.
• Steps to produce sufficient quantity of fishes by providing loans to 800 selected fish farmers have also been
taken.
2 teachers in a school to be Health ambassador
• Two teachers in every school will be made Health and wellness ambassador to spread awareness about
health issues.
• These ambassadors will be supported by class monitors as Health and Wellness Messengers.
• The School Health and Wellness Ambassador initiative under Ayushman Bharat was launched on 13 Feb
2020 in New Delhi.
• Initially, the programme will be started in 200 districts.
UP govt to launch internship scheme
• Uttar Pradesh government will introduce an internship scheme for students of class 10 and 12 as well as
those pursuing graduation to brighten their employment prospects.
• Under the scheme, students will be linked to various technical institutes and industries.
• Each youth who will do the internship for 6 months and one year will be given Rs 2,500 as honorarium
every month.
Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Campaign
• An 18 day long focused Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Campaign began from 10 Feb 2020 across the country.
• The campaign, being organised by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, will continue till 28 Feb 2020.
• The broad objectives of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat include celebrating the Unity in Diversity of our nation
and promoting the spirit of national integration.
Government approved Atal Bhujal Yojana
• Govt of India has approved Atal Bhujal Yojana for sustainable management of ground water resources with
community participation in water stressed blocks of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan and UP.
• It is being implemented with the financial assistance of World Bank.
• It has two components- Institutional Strengthening & Capacity Building component and Incentive
component.
J&K govt to announce horticulture policy
• Jammu and Kashmir government will soon announce a horticulture policy to tackle upcoming marketing
challenges and increase the production manifold.
• The Policy will focus to increase production and tackle climate change, given the unique temperature of this
place.
• It will help increase horticulture revenue in Jammu and Kashmir from current 8,000 crore rupees to 50,000
crore rupees per annum.
Govt to sanction all 1.12 cr houses under PMAY
• The govt will sanction the entire 1.12 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) by
March 2020.
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• This was announced by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
• So far, 32 lakh houses have been handed over to beneficiaries.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission launched on 25th June 2015, intends to provide housing for
all in urban areas by year 2022.
22 crore Soil Health Cards distributed so far
• More than 22 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers till date.
• The Soil Health Card scheme was launched by the government in 2015 with a view to address the decline of
soil nutrients.
• The scheme also provides for the analysis of soil composition by the State Governments once in every two
years so that remedial steps can be taken to improve soil nutrients.
Karnataka launched Janasevaka program
• The Karnataka government launched the Janasevaka scheme in a few municipal corporation wards.
• It will ensure home delivery of various services like ration cards, senior citizen identity and health cards.
• A toll-free helpline has been set up for this scheme which will work from 8 am to 8 pm.
• A sum of Rs 115 will be charged to provide the home delivery services.
Andhra govt launched a scheme
• Andhra Pradesh Govt has initiated a doorstep pension delivery scheme across.
• Under this, various welfare pensions are being delivered at the doorstep of the pensioners.
• The "YSR Pension Kanuka" initiative has been taken up to end the struggles of old people who find it
difficult to go to the pension office.
• Also, the age for old age pensioners has been reduced from 65 to 60 years.
Tamil Nadu CM unveiled Direct CTO scheme
• Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami announced a new initiative, 'Direct CTO' on 30 Jan 2020.
• It will enable companies operating under 'green category industries' receive faster clearances from the govt
to commence operations.
• Companies are classified in red, orange, green and white categories based on the pollution index generated
from them.
Science & Technology

Maharashtra to undertake a genetic study
• With an aim to conserve the native species of cattle and domesticated animals in the Marathwada region of
Maharashtra, the state govt is planning to undertake their genetic study.
• Under this project, the genetic traits of Osmanabadi goat, Red Kandhari cow, Deoni bull, Caravan or Pashmi
dogs will be studied.
• Their abilities and adaptation capabilities will also be analysed.
GoI announces Maiden Summit on AI
• The GoI announced the mega event RAISE 2020- Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020 to be held
from April 11-12 in New Delhi.
• It is India's first AI summit to be organized by the Government in partnership with Industry & Academia.
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• The summit will be a charter a course to use AI for social empowerment, inclusion and transformation in
Healthcare, Agri, Edu and other sectors.
34th DBT Foundation Day Celebrated
• Dept of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, celebrated its 34th Foundation Day at the
National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan Announces the launching of “M K Bhan Young Investigators’ Research Award” by DBT.
• He also presented DBT BRITE Awards to 34 scientists.
• India rated among top 12 BT destinations in the world.
SpaceX rocket prod approved by Port of LA
• Elon Musk got approval to build a research and manufacturing plant for its deep-space Starship project on a
tract of vacant land at the Port of Los Angeles.
• The LA City Council granted a permit for the facility to proceed with an accelerated development of a new
spacecraft and rocket system designed to carry humans to the moon and Mars.
• SpaceX is a private American aerospace manufacturer.
Facebook has acquired Sanzaru Games
• Facebook has acquired Sanzaru Games, the developer behind the best virtual reality (VR) game of 2019
titled "Asgard's Wrath"
• Sanzaru Games would join Facebook's Oculus Studios as an "independently operated studio"
• Facebook in November last year acquired Beat Games, the developer of popular Virtual Reality rhythm
game called Beat Saber.
S Dhotre inaugurates the clean air tech in IIT
• Union Minister of State for HRD Sanjay Dhotre inaugurated the exhibition organised by CER on Clean Air
technologies at the IIT Delhi.
• The exhibition showcases clean air technologies developed by IIT Bombay, IIT Ropar, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and
IIT Delhi.
• IIT-D showcased the work it had carried out in the area of clean air through start-ups incubated at IIT Delhi
namely Aerogram and Kriya Labs.
ISRO to launch GISAT-1 on 05 March
• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) will launch Geo Imaging Satellite (GISAT-1) from the
Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.
• The launch is scheduled at 1743 Hrs IST on March 05, 2020.
• It Weighs about 2275 kg, GISAT-1 is a state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite which will be placed
in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F10.
India grants US Gilead patent for HIV drug
• India's patent office granted an Indian patent to US biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences.
• Cobicistat, marketed under trade name Tybost, a licensed drug for use in the treatment of HIV and AIDS.
• According to industry reports, Cobicistat is a component of three four-drug, a fixed-dose combination for
HIV treatment and being marketed in the US.
Microsoft launches ‘100x100x100’ programme
• Microsoft announced the launch of a “100x100x100” programme aimed at the B2B startups in India.
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• Under the new initiative, Microsoft will bring together 100 companies and 100 “early and growth” startups
that have “enterprise-ready solutions” to offer.
• Participating companies will commit to spend $100,000 in the next 18 months on solutions offered by the
SaaS(Software as a Service) startups.
Satya Nadella’s on a three-day visit to India
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will be delivering a keynote in Mumbai on 24 February 2020
• Nadella’s “Future Decoded” keynote will focus on the technology, business and digital transformation.
• The event will also include addresses by with Microsoft executives Jean Philippe Courtois, EVP and
President, Global Sales - Marketing and Operations and Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India.
1st 3D atomic scale map of coronavirus's part
• US scientists have created the first 3D atomic scale map of the part of the novel coronavirus that attaches
to and infects human cells.
• It is a critical step towards developing vaccine and treatments.
• The model can also help scientists develop new proteins to bind to different parts of the spike and prevent
it from functioning, to treat those already infected. These are known as antivirals.
ISRO to launch 10 Satellites in 2020-21
• ISRO is set to achieve a major feat as it is working towards launching an unprecedented 10 earth
observation satellites into space in 2020-21.
• The launches include the first ever Geo Imaging Satellite GISAT-1's launch into space.
• In the ongoing 2019-20 year, ISRO had planned to launch six earth observation satellites into space, of
which two are still to be launched.
Scientist found mysterious Yaravirus in Brazil
• Another mysterious virus, after Coronavirus, named Yaravirus has been traced in Brazil.
• Yaravirus has been found in the seminal research paper of Bernard LaScola and Jonatas S Abrahao in Brazil.
• It possesses the ability to synthesise proteins, repair its DNA and multiply in numbers all outside a living
body.
Fossils of Tyrannosaur found in Canada
• The discovery of a new species of tyrannosaur – the ferocious family of meat-eating dinosaurs that includes
the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex – has been unearthed by an amateur fossil hunter in Alberta.
• Thanatotheristes degrootorum, a 79.5 million-year-old tyrannosaur, was the apex predator of its time, a
bipedal carnivore that was longer than a school bus.
A study related to aircraft emisisons
• Altering the altitude of less than 2% of flights may reduce aircraft-linked climate change by 59%, according
to a study.
• Aircraft contrails, the white streaks aircraft leave in the sky, could be as bad for the climate as their carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions.
• The contrail fumes include black carbon particles, which provide surfaces on which moisture condenses to
form ice particles.
Scientists discovered the nearest known planet
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• Scientists from Rochester Institute of Technology recently discovered the nearest-known ‘baby giant planet’
called 2MASS 1155-7919 b.
• This massive newborn planet is closer to Earth, located in the Epsilon Chamaeleontis Association, and lies
only about 330 light-years from our solar system.
• The discovery is published in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society.
New Zealand unveiled first AI police officer
• New Zealand Police unveiled its first Artificial intelligence (AI) officer Ella on 12 February 2020.
• Ella is a digital person that is powered by AI and uses real-time animation to emulate face-to-face
interactions.
• Ella stands for Electronic Lifelike Assistant.
• It is a part of two new digital kiosks that the New Zealand Police have designed.
US scientists developed an interactive map
• Scientists in the US have developed an interactive map of the novel coronavirus spread.
• It allows users to see the number of cases worldwide, recoveries and deaths, as well as trends in realtime.
• By zooming in on various countries, such as China, users can see the number of cases, recoveries and
deaths, as well as trends over time.
Astronomers found ultramassive Galaxy
• Astronomers have found a monster galaxy causing trouble in the early Universe.
• Even before the Universe was 2 billion years old, XMM-2599 had already formed a mass of more than 300
billion suns, making it an ultramassive galaxy.
• The International team of astronomers led by scientists at the University of California, United States have
discovered the galaxy.
IIT-H found a molecule to cure a rare disease
• A team of researchers from IIT Hyderabad has found a molecule called 'AIM4' which shows promise in the
treatment of a rare and debilitating neurodegenerative disease called 'Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis' (ALS).
• It is also known as 'Lou Gehrig's disease.'
• ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects the voluntary movement of muscles and can lead
to paralysis and death.
Astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth
• NASA's astronaut Christina Koch returned from space to Earth safely on 6 Feb 2020.
• Koch returned after an 11-month mission, breaking the world record for the most time spent by a woman in
space.
• Koch has spent 328 days on International Space Station ISS, surpassing the previous record of 289 days held
by fellow American Peggy Whitson.
In-line baggage screening at Goa airport
• The Dabolim airport of Goa has got a state of art line baggage screening system.
• Now passengers donot have to queue up near the X-ray machines to scan their baggage before check-in.
• The in-line baggage screening system installed is in compliance with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security
norms for ensuring safe and secure in-line hold baggage screening system.
Warm water found in Antarctica
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• For the first time in history, scientists have discovered warm water beneath the ‘doomsday glacier’ by
virtue of being one of Antarctica’s fastest melting glaciers.
• This has led to concerns of glacier collapse that could result in nearly 3 feet of sea-level rise.
• The point where the glacier meets the sea has been recorded as 2-degree celsius more than the normal
freezing temperature.
Detailed photo of the sun's surface
• The never-before-seen images of the Sun's turbulent surface have been released by the National Science
Foundation in the US.
• The Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) on the summit of Haleakala, Maui in Hawaii, released the
pictures that show details as small as 30 km across the sun.
• The cell-like structures are roughly the size of the US state of Texas.
Low-cost satellite launch vehicles by ISRO
• ISRO has announced that it is preparing low-cost satellite launch vehicles costing around Rs 30-35
crores each, which can put into orbit satellites weighing 500 kgs.
• The first such launch is expected to take place in the next four months from the country.
• This capability will give ISRO a big commercial boost as it will be able to cater to micro, mini and medium
segments of the market.
Business & Economy

Govt approved Rs 162 cr under a scheme
• The government has approved Rs 162 crore under Operation Green scheme which has an outlay of Rs 500
crore.
• The scheme was announced in 2018-19 budget.
• It aims to enhance value realisation for farmers by targeted interventions to strengthen production clusters
and the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) and linking them with the market.
Bengaluru records highest digital transactions
• Bengaluru accounted for the highest number of digital transactions in India in 2019, followed by Chennai,
Mumbai and Pune.
• United Payments Interface (UPI) was the most preferred mode of payment, as per a new report by online
payment processor Worldline India.
• Bengaluru was the leading city in digital transactions in 2018 as well.
• UPI was followed by debit cards.
Aadhaar-enabled Payment System rolled out
• Airtel Payments Bank has launched the Aadhaar enabled payment system (AePS).
• It will help people to do transactions at over 2,50,000 of its banking points across India.
• The system will enable customers, having Aadhaar- linked accounts of any bank, to do transactions at the
designated points of the Airtel Payments Bank.
HDFC Bank launched co-branded credit card
• HDFC Bank has joined hands with IndiGo to launch a co-branded credit card, which will effectively work like
a loyalty programme for the carrier.
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• Labelled Ka-ching, the card will offer many benefits like complimentary air tickets, lounge access, 5 per cent
cashback, etc.
• HDFC Bank is by far the largest credit card issuer in the country.
Banks to link all the new floating rate loans
• The RBI has directed banks to link all the new floating-rate loan to medium enterprises with external
benchmark.
• The direction will be effective from 1st April 2020.
• The move is aimed at further strengthening monetary policy transmission so that benefits of reduction in
key lending rate can be passed on to medium enterprises.
SHM raises Rs12 cr from Adar Poonawalla
• Mumbai-headquartered cookie brand Sweetish House Mafia has raised Rs 12 crore in pre-series A funding
from investor Adar Poonawalla, CEO of vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India.
• Sweetish House Mafia was founded in 2013, by Aakash Sethi and Neha Sethi, a former investment banker in
New York.
• The company has 12 stores at present, in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
India at second in cash withdrawals from ATM
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reports that cash withdrawals from ATMs in India increased over the past
five years
• India is next only to China in terms of cash withdrawals from ATMs.
• Digital transactions grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 61% by volumes and 19% by value,
indicating a shift towards digitisation.
• Shaktikanta Das is the governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Tech Mahindra to acquire Zen3 Infosolutions
• IT company Tech Mahindra has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent stake in US-based Zen3
Infosolutions for $64 mn(Rs 460 cr) in an all-cash deal.
• Out of which $42 mn will be paid at closing and the remaining is linked to the financial performance of the
Microsoft customer account for the upcoming three years.
• Zen3 Infosolutions has expertise in AI, ML, annotations, cloud engineering.
NTPC to build a solar park in Rajasthan
• NTPC signed an ‘implementation support agreement’ with Rajasthan Solarpark Development Company
(RSDCL) to develop a 925-megawatt (MW) Nokh solar park in the state’s Jaisalmer district.
• NTPC is expected to invest more than Rs 3,500 crore in building the project.
• RSDCL will invest about Rs 450 crore in developing the ancillary infrastructure.
JSW enters share purchase deal with GMR
• JSW Energy has entered into a share purchase agreement with GMR Energy for acquiring 100 percent
shares in its subsidiary GMR Kamalanga Energy.
• JSW Energy will acquire GMR Kamalanga Energy’s Kamalanga power project with a capacity of 1,050 MW
(three x 350 MW) entailing an investment of Rs 5,321 crore.
• It is located at Kamalanga in Dhenkanal district of Odisha.
Domestic air traffic rose 2.2% in January
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• Domestic aviation traffic grew at 2.2% last month as compared to the same period last year, according to
the DGCA’s monthly report.
• Indian airlines ferried a total of 1.27 crore passengers in January 2020 as compared to 1.25 crore in January
2019.
• SpiceJet maintained its lead in capacity utilisation with 91.5% of seats sold, followed by Go Air (88.7%),
IndiGo (87.8%) and Vistara (83.5%).
US becomes India's biggest trading partner
• The US has surpassed China to become India's top trading partner.
• According to the data of the commerce ministry, in 2018-19, the bilateral trade between the US and India
stood at $87.95 bn.
• India's two-way commerce with China aggregated at $87.07 bn.
• During April-Dec 2019-20, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at $68 bn. It stood at $64.96
bn with China in the same period.
Rajasthan CM presented state budget
• Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot presented the state budget for the financial year 2020-21 in the state assembly
on 20 Feb 2020.
• He announced that Rs 100 cr ' Nehru Baal Sanrakshan Kosh' will be established to prevent child labour and
trafficking.
• Tourism development board would be set up with an outlay of 100 cr rupees.
• Rs 3 crore cash reward was announced for gold medalist in commonwealth games.
Rs 19,950 cr released as GST compensation
• The Central Govt has released Rs 19,950 crore as GST compensation to states.
• With this release, the Central Govt has released a total of over Rs 1.20 lakh crore towards GST
compensation to the states during current fiscal.
• In the financial year 2018-19, an amount of over Rs 95,000 crore was collected as GST compensation cess.
Mizoram CM presented annual state budget
• In Mizoram, CM Zoramthanga, on 19 Feb 2020, presented the annual budget of the state with an outlay of
Rs. 10,715 crore for 2020-21.
• In the budget, there is no new proposal for levying new taxes or enhancing tax rates.
• The budget proposal has fixed the revenue expenditure estimated at Rs 9,021.85 crore, which is 84.20 per
cent of the total budget.
Nelco launched in-flight communication service
• Nelco, a Tata group company launched in-flight communication service in partnership with Panasonic for
airlines in India, on 19 Feb 2020.
• Vistara has become the first Indian flight carrier to sign up for the IFC service.
• Users can use the Internet, and access applications and e-commerce sites while travelling.
Odisha govt presented Rs 1.5 lakh crore budget
• In Odisha, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari presented the annual budget of the state for 2020-21 with an
outlay of 1.5 lakh crore rupees, on 18 Feb 2020.
• The Minister had presented a 1.39 lakh-crore rupees Budget in 2019.
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• The Odisha Government for the first time, switched to a digital method of budget presentation to reduce
the printing of papers for the exercise.
Hero to invest Rs 10,000 crore in 5-7 years
• Hero MotoCorp will invest Rs 10,000 crore mid-term to develop alternate mobility solutions, sustainable
manufacturing units, expand network and build its brand-building globally.
• At present, Hero MotoCorp has seven manufacturing units across India, Bangladesh, South America.
• It has invested $600 million in R&D since commencing its solo journey in April 2011.
UP govt presented Rs 5.12 lakh cr budget
• The Uttar Pradesh government on 18 Feb 2020 presented a Rs 5,12,860.72 crore budget for FY 2020-21 in
the state assembly.
• The budget, the size of which is Rs 33,159 crore more than the last year's budget, has provisions worth Rs
10,967.87 crore for new schemes.
• Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna presented the budget in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath.
SEBI to permit the use of regulatory sandbox
• SEBI has decided to permit the use of regulatory sandbox.
• It is a system that will allow live testing of new products, services and business models by market players on
select customers.
• The proposed 'regulatory sandbox' is intended to serve as a testing ground for new business models and
technologies that benefit investors, Indian markets and the economy at large.
Simplified tax compliance regime from April 1
• Simplified tax compliance regime will be rolled out by April 1st, 2020.
• This was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• She also made it clear that the 5 per cent cess on imports of Medical equipment is applicable to only those
equipment which are also produced in India.
• The cess collected will be spent on creating medical infrastructure like hospitals in the country.
Bajaj Fin. in top 10 most-valued firms on BSE
• Bajaj Finance Ltd replaced SBI to become India's tenth most-valued firm by market capitalisation on the
BSE.
• Bajaj Finance's market capitalization stood at ₹2.87 trillion, with its shares trading at ₹4,773.85 on the BSE.
• The finance company's shares have risen nearly 12% so far in the year 2020.
• State Bank of India has a market cap of ₹2.81 trillion.
Government cleared Rs 540 cr investments
• Union Government has cleared investments of over Rs 540 crore in some stuck residential properties that
will benefit 1,800 home buyers.
• In November 2019, the government had announced a 25,000 crore rupees fund to help complete over
1,500 stalled housing projects.
• A preliminary clearance has also been given for due diligence to 14 projects with a capital commitment of
2,500 crore rupees.
Bank of Russia gives license to GIC Re
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February 2020
• General Insurance Corporation of India has obtained license from the Central Bank of the Russian
Federation for its subsidiary company, GIC Perestrakhovanie, Moscow, for commencement of reinsurance
business.
• The license was received by the corporation on 12 February 2020.
• The license enables subsidiary to commence transacting domestic and international reinsurance business in
Russia.
Capital infusion for OICL, NICL, UIICL
• The Union Cabinet has given approval for capital infusion for Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL),
National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) and United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL).
• Cabinet has allowed immediate release of Rs. 2,500 Crore in light of the critical financial position and
breach of regulatory solvency requirements of 3 PSGICs viz. OICL, NICL and UIICL.
M&M to invest Rs 3,000 crore in SsangYong
• Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) has charted an investment of Rs 3,000 crore over the next three years for
its subsidiary SsangYong.
• The company estimates that a full recovery of SsangYong will cost 450 to 500 billion South Korean won (Rs
2,700-3,000 crore) and that the funding will be secured by end of March 2020.
• Of this, about 200 billion won will be for servicing older loans.
RBI to create digital payments index
• The RBI announced a Digital Payments Index (DPI) to assess and capture the extent of digitalisation of
payments effectively.
• The DPI would be based on multiple parameters and shall reflect accurately the penetration and deepening
of various digital payment modes.
• The DPI will be made available from July 2020 onwards.
West Bengal govt presented budget
• The West Bengal Finance Minister, Dr Amit Mitra proposed Rs 2,55,677 cr Budget for the next fiscal in the
state assembly.
• Dr. Mitra proposed Revenue Receipts of Rs 1,79,398 cr while receipts from public debt and loans around Rs
80,000 crore.
• The Budget puts emphasis on employment generation and economic development besides launching of
several social sector schemes.
WhatsApp pay got NPCI nod
• WhatsApp has received permission from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to expand its
pilot UPI services to 10 million users.
• Its payment feature, called WhatsApp Pay, allows users to pay others or do business transactions through
their bank accounts.
• WhatsApp has been running a pilot for one million users and has struggled to get a full-fledged licence since
2018.
RBI’s 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy released
• The RBI announced its sixth bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2019-20 on 6 Feb 2020 in which the
repo rate was left unchanged.
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February 2020
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), led by Governor Shaktikanta Das, said it has decided to keep the
policy repo rate unchanged at 5.15%.
• RBI has increased the real GDP growth for the fiscal year 2020-21 from 5% to 6%.
Reliance General launched an insurance plan
• Reliance General Insurance, a part of Reliance Capital, launched a comprehensive health insurance plan
"Reliance Health Infinity".
• This product is specially designed to focus and support the healthcare needs of retail customers with unique
benefits.
• The product comes with 90 days pre and 180 days post hospitalization cover as well as a wide range of sum
insured from INR 3 lakh to 1 crore.
India: 2nd largest producer of crude steel
• India now ranks as the second-largest producer of crude steel after China, Union Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan informed on 5 Feb 2020.
• India's crude steel production in 2018 was at 109.3 million tonnes, up by 7.7 percent from 101.5 million
tonnes in 2017.
• Japan ranks third globally with 104.3 million tonnes of crude steel production in 2018 and 99.3 million
tonnes in 2019.
IIFL Finance to raise up to $300 mn
• IIFL Finance Ltd will soon hit the dollar-bond market to raise up to $300 million.
• The company informed the stock exchanges that it will meet investors across Asia, Europe and West Asia,
starting 7 February 2020.
• The lender has been rated Ba3 by global ratings agency Moody's Investors Service and BB- (stable) by Fitch
Ratings.
Maruti Suzuki to sell 1 million green vehicles
• Maruti Suzuki will sell a million green vehicles including CNG, over the next couple of years in line with the
country’s aim of attaining energy security.
• The green vehicles from Maruti Suzuki will include a range of technologies and power trains such as CNGs,
Smart Hybrids, Strong Hybrids, and EVs.
• Maruti Suzuki is headquartered in New Delhi and Kenichi Ayukawa is its MD.
Paytm launched all-in-one payment gateway
• Paytm launched its Android POS device for merchant partners and small businesses in India.
• This device helps merchants to accept payments through Paytm Wallet, all UPI-based apps, debit and credit
cards, as well as cash.
• Besides accepting payments, merchants will also be able to generate GST compliant bills and manage all
transactions and settlements through their 'Paytm for Business' app.
Insurance cover on bank deposits increased
• Insurance cover on bank deposits has been increased to five lakh rupees from one lakh rupees.
• The decision came into effect from 4 Feb 2020.
• The cover is provided by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the RBI.
• This has been done with a view to providing a greater measure of protection to depositors.
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February 2020
New tax regime proposed

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget 2020-21 proposed new tax slabs of 15% and 25% in
addition to the existing 10%, 20% and 30%.
• Under the proposed tax slab, annual income up to Rs 2.5 lakh is exempt from tax.
• Those individuals earning a salary between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh will pay 5 per cent tax.
• Income above Rs 15 lakh will be taxed at 30 per cent.
GST compensation to states in 2 instalments
• The Centre will release all due GST compensation to states in two instalments.
• GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017 provides for compensation to States/UTs (UT with legislature only)
on account of revenue loss due to implementation of GST on a bi-monthly basis.
• A total of Rs 2,10,969.49 crore has been released as GST compensation to states so far including UTs of
Delhi and Puducherry.
NTPC raised Asia's largest Japanese yen loan
• NTPC has become the top company in Asia to raise the largest syndicated Japanese yen loan worth USD 750
million (around Rs 5,367 crore).
• The loan has been raised under automatic route of RBI's external commercial borrowings regulations.
• It is also the highest ever single foreign currency loan raised by NTPC.
• The facility has a door-to-door maturity of 11 years under two tranches.
Indian Bank launched credit products
• Indian Bank has announced the launch of two tailor-made credit products for the benefit of the textile
sector.
• The products are Corporate Loan and Ind Surya Shakthi/ Indian Bank Solar.
• These would be available for all textile units across the country.
• The Corporate Loan, to be offered at affordable interest rates, will help industries meet their working
capital requirements.
Brookfield to invest in IndoStar Capital
• Brookfield Asset Management is investing ₹1,450 crore in IndoStar Capital Finance Ltd.
• The investment will mark Brookfield's entry into a consumer lending business in the country.
• Brookfield will invest ₹1,225 crore in the form of primary capital, while the rest will be used to buy existing
shares of IndoStar from its promoter entity IndoStar Holdings Mauritius.
Sports
KIUG 2020 Updates
• Savitribai Phule Pune University consolidated their position at the top by claiming three gold medals at the
Khelo India University Games in Odisha on 27 Feb 2020.
• Mahesh Datta Asawale and Prajkta Ravindra Khalkar won gold in weightlifting competition.
• Pnjab University (Chandigarh) in on the second position and Jain University (Bengaluru) is at the third place
with eight gold medals each.
Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis
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February 2020
• Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova announced her retirement from tennis.
• The Russian won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2004 aged 17.
• She had completed her career slam, all four major titles by winning the French Open in 2012.
• In 2016, she served a 15-month ban after testing positive for meldonium.
KIUG:Savitribai Phule Pune Uni at the top
• In the ongoing Khelo India University Games in Odisha, Savitribai Phule Pune University was on top with 14
medals including seven gold and two silver medals.
• Punjab University gave a tough competition by winning 18 medals including six gold and seven silver
medals.
• Jain University, Karnataka claimed the third position with a total of 12 medals including six gold and five
silver medals.
J&K wins gold in 6th National Ice Stock sports
• In Jammu and Kashmir, the hosts bagged the gold medal in the 6th National Ice Stock Sports Championship
organized at Ice Rink in Gulmarg.
• Two hundred participants from 18 different states across the country participated in the three-day event.
• The event was organized by J&K Ice Stock Sports Association under the aegis of Indian Ice Stock Sports
Federation and sponsored by J&K Tourism Dept.
Punjabi Uni wins two gold medals in archery
• The Punjabi University of Patiala won two gold medals in compound men's and women's archery in Khelo
India University Games in Cuttack, Odisha.
• While Rajasthan University bagged the silver, Delhi University got bronze medal in compound men’s
archery.
• Rajasthan University won silver and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar had to be content with bronze in
compound women’s archery.
Mumbai's twin-sisters bag four medals at KIUG
• At the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) in Odisha, the University of Mumbai's twin-sisters Jyoti and
Aarti bagged four medals.
• On the opening day of the swimming events at the KIUG the twin sisters ended up on the podium in the
200m breaststroke, Jyoti winning a gold. and Aarti a bronze.
• The duo also helped the University of Mumbai to clinch a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
India to host CW Shooting and Archery games
• India will host the Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in Jan 2022.
• The medals from the two events will be counted for ranking of competing nations at the Birmingham
Games.
• The two events will be held in Chandigarh in January 2022 while the Birmingham Commonwealth Games is
scheduled from 27th of July to 7th of August 2022.
Ladakh to host Khelo India Winter Games
• The UT of Ladakh to host the first-ever Khelo India Winter Games.
• In the presence of Ladakh Lt Governor R K Mathur, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju
will inaugurate the games at NDS Indoor Ice Hockey Rink in Leh.
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February 2020
• Under Khelo India, in the first edition of Winter Games in the country, the players will compete in ice
hockey, figure skating and speed skating events.
India won one silver,two bronze medals in AWC
• India won one silver and two bronze medals on concluding day of Asian Wrestling Championships in New
Delhi.
• In 74 kg category, Jitender settled for a silver medal following a defeat by defending champion Kazakhstan's
D Kaisanov.
• In 86 Kg category, D Punia defeated Issa Abdulsalam Abdulwahhab secured a bronze medal.
• Rahul Aware defeated Iran's Majid Almas Dastan and settled for a bronze.
13-year old D Gukesh wins 34th Cannes Open
• India's 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh emerged champion in the 34th Cannes Open in France.
• Gukesh defeated Harutyun Bargseghyan of the host nation in the final round to end with 7.5 points.
• Last year he became the world's second youngest Grandmaster ever, beat the Frenchman in 50 moves to
emerge clear winner.
ISL final in Margao on March 14
• Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) announced Goa as the host venue for the Indian Super League
(ISL) season six finale.
• The title clash will be played at the Nehru Stadium, Margao, on March 14.
• Goa had last hosted the league final in 2015.
• Football Sports Development Ltd is an Indian company established to operate the ISL and the company is
run as a subsidiary to IMG–Reliance.
All you need to know about Motera stadium
• Motera Stadium became the world’s biggest Cricket stadium after surpassing Melbourne Cricket Ground as
the stadium with the biggest crowd holding capacity.
• Motera stadium has the seating capacity of 1,10,000, more than double of its previous capacity of 54,000.
• Motera stadium is also called as the Sardar Patel Stadium.
• It was built in 1982 with 50 acres of land.
FC Goa created history
• FC Goa became the first Indian club to qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage on 19 Feb 2020.
• With a thumping 5-0 win over Jamshedpur, FC Goa sealed the top spot in the Indian Super League (ISL
2019-20) standings, finishing as the league's table-topper.
• FC Goa will receive the 'League Winners Shield' and a cash prize of INR 50 lakh for winning the league
phase.
Russia will host AIBA World Cup 2020
• Russia will be the first country to host the new format of AIBA Team World Cup in 2020.
• AIBA Executive committee members voted in favour to approve the Russian bid at its meeting in Budapest.
• The tournament will be coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II under the motto
"Boxing for peace".
• The final is scheduled for October in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.
Alex Danson-Bennett announced her retirement
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February 2020
• Great Britain women’s field hockey captain Alex Danson-Bennett announced her retirement from the sport
on 20 Feb 2020 following an injury.
• She was a member of the British team that won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics where she was the joint top-
scorer.
• Danson-Bennett is Great Britain and England women’s all-time joint leading scorer with 115 goals in 306
appearances.
Drass Red won Ice Hockey Championship
• In Ladakh, Drass Red lifted 2020 Ladakh Winter Sports Carnival, Junior (Under-18) Ice Hockey and Skating
Championship by Defeating Drass Winter Games Association, by 4 -0.
• The Carnival was organized by Kargil Ice and Snow Sports Club in Collaboration with Letsleh.com from 15-20
Feb 2020 in Kargil in which six teams participated.
Pragyan Ojha announced retirement
• Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha on 21 Feb 2020 announced retirement from international and first-
class cricket with immediate effect.
• The 33-year-old last played for India in 2013 during Sachin Tendulkar's farewell Test against the West Indies
in Mumbai.
• In all, he played 24 Tests between 2009 and 2013 in which he took 113 wickets.
• From 18 ODIs, he grabbed 21 wickets.
Ross Taylor: 1st player to play 100 matches
• Veteran New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor on 21 Feb 2020 became the first player in the world to play 100
matches in all three formats of cricket.
• The landmark achievement came as he took the field against India in the opening Test at Basin Reserve in
Wellington.
• The ongoing match is also his 100th Test.
• Taylor was presented his 100th Test cap by former New Zealand wicket-keeper Ian Smith.
Sakshi Malik won a silver medal
• Indian women team registered its best-ever performance at the Asian Wrestling Championship returning
with eight medals in New Delhi.
• Sakshi Malik claimed a silver on 21 Feb 2020 while Vinesh Phogat won a bronze medal.
• The Indian team had won only one gold medal before this edition but Divya, Pinki and Sarita Mor won three
on the opening day while Nirmala Devi came out second best.
Khelo India University Games began
• PM Narendra Modi declared open the first-ever Khelo India University Games in Odisha on 22 Feb 2020
through video conferencing.
• As many as 3,400 athletes from 159 universities across the country will vie for top honours in 17 disciplines.
• The sports disciplines will include archery, athletics, boxing, fencing, judo, swimming, weightlifting,
wrestling, badminton, basketball, football, etc.
IPL 2020 to be held from 29 March
• BCCI has announced the schedule for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League 2020.
• The tournament is set to commence on March 29, 2020 with a game between the four-time defending
champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
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• The final is set to be played on May 24, 2020 as the league will span for a duration of 57 days for the year
2020.
P V Sindhu won Sportsperson of the Year award
• World champion shuttler P V Sindhu on 20 Feb 2020 won the ESPN's Female Sportsperson of the Year
award for a third consecutive time.
• Young shooter Saurabh Chaudhary bagged the honour in the male category.
• Sprinter Dutee Chand became the first winner of the Courage award for being inspirational both on and off
the field.
• Koneru Humpy won the award for the Comeback of the Year.
Divya Kakran won a gold medal
• Divya Kakran became only the second Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling
Championships.
• She defeated junior world champion Naruha Matsuyuki in New Delhi on 20 Feb 2020.
• Navjot Kaur had become the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Championships in 2018 in
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in 65 kilogram category.
Indian wrestlers won three bronze medals
• Ashu, Aditya Kundu and Hardeep have won a bronze medal each in Greco-Roman events of the Asian
Wrestling Championships in New Delhi on 19 Feb 2020.
• While Ashu won a bronze in 67 kg category, Aditya and Hardeep also bagged the bronze medals in the 72 kg
and 97 kg respectively on the second day of the competition.
• India has so far five medals in the championships.
India to host AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022
• India will host the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.
• The Women's Committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced this in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, on 19 Feb 2020.
• Besides, India will have the experience of hosting the FIFA Women's Under-17 World Cup in 2020.
• India offers the best opportunities to build the event commercially as well as increasing the value.
AIFF received membership of AFC
• The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has received the "Grassroots Charter Bronze Level" membership of
the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
• This declaration accords AIFF the right to promote its grassroots events and activities with the support and
recognition of the AFC in accordance with the applicable terms of the AFC Grassroots Charter.
FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted in 5 cities
• Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched an event in New Delhi on 18 Feb 2020 to unveil the five host
cities for the FIFA Under-17 Women's Football World Cup.
• The tournament will begin on 2nd of November 2020.
• The matches of the world cup will be held in 5 cities including Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati,
Kolkata and Navi Mumbai.
• The finals will be played on 21 Nov 2020 at Navi Mumbai.
Sunil Kumar won a gold medal
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February 2020
• Sunil Kumar opened India's medal account in the Asian Wrestling Championships at New Delhi on 18 Feb
2020 by winning a Gold.
• He beat Azat Salidinov from Kyrgyzstan in the final of the 87 kg category.
• Sunil Kumar had reached the final by a victory over Kazakh opponent Azamat Kustubayev to finish the semi-
final bout 12-8.
2011 world cup moment: Laureus best moment
• Sachin Tendulkar being carried on the shoulders of his team mates following India's world cup triumph in
2011 was voted as the Laureus best sporting moment in the past 20 years.
• Former Australian captain Steve Waugh presented the trophy to Tendulkar on 17 Feb 2020.
• First held in 2000, the Annual Laureus Sports Awards honour the greatest and most inspirational sporting
triumphs of the year.
‘United by Emotion’: Tokyo 2020 Olympics motto
• 'United by Emotion' was revealed as the motto for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics on 17 Feb
2020.
• Tennis player Naomi Osaka narrated the motto's promotional video.
• The motto will be displayed on the Tokyo Skytree, the Japanese capital's tallest landmark.
• Some 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries will gather in Tokyo for the Olympics, which will run from 24
July to 9 August 2020.
Koneru Humpy won Cairns Cup chess tournament
• World rapid champion Koneru Humpy emerged triumphant at the Cairns Cup chess tournament following a
draw against compatriot Dronavalli Harika in the ninth and final round.
• Humpy, who was crowned world champion in December 2019, finished the tournament with 6 points.
• Humpy would now be gaining five ELO rating points (the basis for international rankings) and moving to No
2 in the world list.
Duplantis broke pole vault world record again
• Sweden’s Armand Duplantis set a world pole vault record of 6.18 metres at an indoor meeting in
Glasgow, one centimetre higher than the record he set in Poland a few days before.
• The old record of 6.16m set by French vaulter Renaud Lavillenie had stood since 2014.
• In October 2019, Duplantis won a silver medal in the pole vault at the IAAF World Championships in Doha,
Qatar.
Joshua Cheptegei set 5 km road world record
• Uganda's world 10,000 m champion Joshua Cheptegei has broken the 5km road world record by 27 seconds
in Monaco.
• He ran 12 minutes 51 seconds to smash the previous record, set by Kenya's Rhonex Kipruto en route to
victory at January's Valencia 10k.
• France's Jimmy Gressier finished second in Monaco with a European record of 13:18.
• Nick Goolab finished third in a new British record of 13:27.
J&K to host its Indoor National Rowing C'ship
• Jammu and Kashmir would be hosting its first-ever Indoor National Rowing Championship soon.
• This was announced by Principal Secretary of Department of Education and Technical Education Navin
Kumar Choudhary.
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• Some vital equipment have been installed for training purposes of the athletes.
• The Administration is also aiming to take significant steps in boosting water sports across J&K.
India to host 2021 junior Men Hockey World Cup
• India will host the 2021 Junior Men's Hockey World Cup.
• The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced this at Lausanne in Switzerland on 17 Feb 2020.
• In all, 16 teams will compete for the title in the Junior Men's World Cup, out of which six will be from
Europe, four from Asia, including hosts India, two from Africa, two from Oceania and two from Pan
America.
India claimed 5 silver in Weightlifting C'ship
• India claimed five silver and six bronze medals at the ongoing 2020 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting
Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• In 45 kilogram category, K V L Pavani Kumari won silver medals in both youth girls and junior women
section.
• Sidhanta Gogoi claimed silver in youth boys and junior men events in 61-kilogram category after lifting a
total of 145 and 269 kilograms.
NADA banned javelin thrower Amit Dahiya
• National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) has banned javelin thrower Amit Dahiya for four years.
• He has been banned for evading sample collection and trying to cheat officials during the 2nd National
Javelin Throw Open Championship 2019 held at SAI Centre in Sonipat.
• NADA had issued the charge of notice to Dahiya on July 16, 2019, for violating rule 2.3 of the NADA.
Asian Wrestling Championship began
• Asian Wrestling Championship began in New Delhi on 18 February 2020.
• It will be held at the KD Jadhav Hall of Indira Gandhi Stadium till 23rd Feb 2020.
• The event will have a total of 30 weight classes, 10 each in Freestyle Men, Women, and Greco Roman.
• The Championship will begin with Greco-Roman events, followed by women wrestling and men's freestyle.
India won bronze at Badminton Championship
• Indian Men's team settled for a bronze at the Badminton Asia Team Championships on 15 Feb 2020.
• They lost to two-time defending champions Indonesia 2-3 in the semifinals at Manila.
• World No. 31 Lakshya notched up a sensational 21-18 22-20 win over world no. 7 Asian Games champion,
Jonatan Christie in the second singles encounter.
Bhawna Jat qualified for 2020 Olympics
• Bhawna Jat qualified for the 2020 Olympics after setting a new national record in the 20 km race walk
category at the National Championships on 15 Feb 2020.
• The athlete clocked 1 hour 29 minutes and 54 seconds.
• Bhawna's effort was a massive improvement on her personal best of 1 hour 38 minute 30 seconds set in
October 2019.
• The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held from 24 July-9 Aug 2020.
Indian won 3 medals in Snowshoe Championship
• Indian athletes finished with 3 medals in different categories in the World Snowshoe Championship at
Myoko, Japan on 16 Feb 2020.
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• Ayan Bin Shahnaz bagged silver, while Zain Ali and Muzamil Hussain Mir, bagged bronze medals in their
respective categories.
• Athletes from 17 countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden and France
participated in the championship.
Rs 6 crore to Olympics gold medalists: Haryana
• Haryana government has decided to give Rs 6 crore to players of the state that bag gold medals at the
Olympic Games.
• Rs 3 crore will be given to those winning gold medals at Asian Games and 1.5 crore rupees to the winners of
yellow metal at Commonwealth Games.
• An amount of 15 lakh rupees will be given to each player participating in the Olympic Games.
Joshna Chinappa won squash championship
• India's squash ace Joshna Chinappa has clinched 77th Senior National Championship in woman's category at
the ISA courts in Chennai on 15 Feb 2020.
• With the win, she claimed her 18th title in the career.
• Saurav Ghosal won in Men's category bagging his 13th title.
• Chinappa defeated Tanvi Khanna, 8-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7, while Ghosal defeated Abhishek Pradhan 11-6, 11-
5, 11-6.
ICC women’s rankings: Smriti at 4th place
• Smriti Mandhana rose to fourth place but Jemimah Rodrigues dropped to seventh in the latest ICC women’s
T20 International rankings for batters.
• Harmanpreet Kaur has remained static at ninth in the same list.
• Among the bowlers, Poonam Yadav dropped six places to fall out of the top 10 and take the 12th position.
• Among all-rounders, Sophie Devine claimed the top spot.
Ladakh to host Khelo India Winter Games 2020
• Minister of State of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) Kiren Rijiju has announced that the
Khelo India Winter Games will be held in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir.
• The Games will feature an open ice hockey championship, figure skating and speed skating.
• The competitions will be held at Kongdori, Gulmarg in four age categories for both boys and girls.
Amit Panghal ranked No 1
• Amit Panghal has been ranked number one in the 52 kilogram category for Olympic Qualifiers.
• He has become the first Indian pugilist in over a decade to achieve the global top position in the category.
• The list was released by the International Olympic Committee's Boxing Task Force on 13 Feb 2020.
• He became the first Indian to claim a silver medal at the world championships in 2019.
Manpreet Singh named Player of the Year 2019
• The Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh was named Player of the Year for 2019 by the
International Hockey Federation.
• Manpreet, a midfielder, became the first Indian to win the accolade since the awards were introduced in
1999.
• He beat competition from Belgium's Arthur van Dorren and Lucas Villa of Argentina, who came second and
third.
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ICC ODI rankings: Kohli retains top spot

• Virat Kohli continued to hold on to the top spot in the batting chart of the latest ICC ODI rankings released
in Dubai on 12 Feb 2020.
• Rohit Sharma also maintained the second position.
• Ravindra Jadeja climbed three places to grab the seventh position.
• Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi emerged as the new world number one all-rounder.
• Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal jumped to the 13th spot.
Lalremsiami named 2019 FIH Women's Rising Star
• India forward Lalremsiami has been named as the 2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of the Year by the
International Hockey Federation.
• She took the prize ahead of Argentina's Julieta Jankunas and Frederique Matla of the Netherlands.
• She received 40 per cent of all the votes cast.
• She got 47.7 per cent of her votes from among national associations.
National Winter Games from March 7
• Gulmarg is all set to host a 5-day national winter games event from 7 March 2020 under the banner of
Khelo India.
• Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Sarmad Hafeez reviewed the arrangements for the mega event with all
the stakeholders.
• There will be 30 events under major activities- snowboarding, snow skiing, cross country, snow show in
which 800 players from across India would participate.
Armand Duplantis broke Pole Vault World Record
• Swedish Armand Duplantis broke the Pole Vault World Record with a jump of 20 feet 2.9 inches.
• Duplantis broke Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie's record of 6.16m set in February 2014 in Donetsk, Ukraine.
• He broke the record on his second attempt at a World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Torun in Poland on
8 Feb 2020 by soaring 6.17 metres.
Aditya Mehta won National Snooker Championship
• Aditya Mehta defeated multiple-time world champion Pankaj Advani 6-2 to win the National Snooker
Championship.
• Mehta represented the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) in the clash on 9 Feb 2020.
• Vidya Pillai of Karnataka defeated Amee Kamani of Madhya Pradesh to win the women’s title of the
National Snooker Championship.
Nischal won in the women's 50m Rifle
• Haryana's Nischal claimed the top honours in the women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions T2 on the last day of the
National Rifle and Pistol Shooting trials at Thiruvananthapuram on 9 Feb 2020.
• Indian Navy shooters Anuradha and Yogesh Singh won the women's 10m Air Pistol and men's 25M Center
Fire Pistol T2 events.
• Nischal shot 459.6 in the eight-woman final to outclass N Gaayathri of Tamil Nadu.
Haryana won Hockey Senior Women C'ship
• Haryana thrashed Sports Authority of India (SAI) 6-0 to win the 10th Hockey India Senior Women National
Championship 2020 (A Division) title on 9 Feb 2020.
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• Manisha was the first to get on the score sheet for Haryana in the 19th minute.
• Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy beat Hockey Maharashtra 2-1 in the third-fourth place play-
off match.
LSRC won 1st Khelo India Ice Hockey tournament
• The first Khelo India Ice Hockey Championship 2020 trophy men's section was lifted by Ladakh Scout
Regimental Centre (LSRC) Red team.
• They beat ITBP by 3-2 goals at NDS New Ice Hockey Rink on 9 Feb 2020.
• The tournament had started on 30 Jan 2020.
• A total of 13 teams participated in the first-ever Khelo India Ice Hockey Championship.
Rohit Rajpal to continue as Davis Cup captain
• Rohit Rajpal will continue as India's non-playing Davis Cup captain while veteran Leander Paes, too, has
retained his place in the six-member squad picked for the tie against Croatia in March 2020.
• Zeeshan Ali will be the coach.
• Prajnesh Gunnewaran, Sumit Nagal and Ramkumar Ramanathan are the other singles players in the six-
member squad.
Chandrakant Mali created 3-records
• In Weightlifting, Chandrakant Mali created three records in his men’s 109kg title victory on the concluding
day of the National Championships at Kolkata on 7 Feb 2020.
• Railways' Anikit Chhoker and V.A. Christopher bagged silver and bronze after registering an identical
aggregate of 316kg.
• Gurdeep Singh of Railways lifted a total of 367kg to claim the men’s 109kg gold medal.
Ayushi won women's 50 metres Rifle 3 Positions
• In Shooting, Ayushi Podder won the women's 50 metres Rifle 3 Positions (3P).
• T.S. Divya and Adarsh Singh claimed the titles in the women's 10 metres Air Pistol and men's 25 metres
Centre Fire Pistol T1 events on the penultimate day of the National Trials for Rifle and Pistol in
Thiruvananthapuram on 7 Feb 2020.
• Ayushi, in fact, won both the senior and junior categories in women's 3P.
Monika, Rutvik won a competition
• In Gujarat, Monika Nagpure and Rutvik Bhajiwala both from Surat have won the 31st Veer Savarkar Akhil
Bharatiya Samudra Taran Spardha.
• The annual all India Sea swimming competition was held on 5 Feb 2020 off Gir Somnath coast of Gujarat.
• Monika had won this competition in previous two occasions also.
• She completed 16 nautical mile distance in 4.39.02 hours.
SAI launched High Performance Centres
• Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Hockey India announced the establishment of the High Performance
Centres in seven places across the country.
• These will provide state-of-the-art facilities to Junior and Sub-Junior players.
• The move is aimed at grooming young talent in view of 2024 and 2028 Olympic Games.
• These seven centres will be set up under the Khelo India scheme.
Mizoram won Junior National Football C'ship
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• In Football, Mizoram has won the final of the Junior National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy
at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on 6 Feb 2020.
• Mizoram beat Punjab 5-4 on penalties.
• It was the fourth time in five years that the two team met in the final of the Under -17 tournament with
Punjab winning the trophy in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Weightlifter Sambo Lapung won gold
• Weightlifter Sambo Lapung scripted a new National record of 188kg in clean and jerk and won a gold medal
in men’s 89kg in the National weightlifting championships at Kolkata.
• Lapung, who had secured the silver medal in 81kg in 2019, hoisted 145kg to take a one kg lead over R.V.
Rahul in the snatch.
• Lapung, a former National champion in 69kg – won a National title after four years.
Mirabai Chanu won gold with 203 kg lift
• In Weightlifting, former world champion Mirabai Chanu bettered her own national record by 2 kg as she
lifted a total of 203kg to win the 49kg gold in the National Championships in Kolkata.
• She lifted 88kg in snatch in her second attempt and 115 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 203kg.
• This effort has put her in fourth place in world rankings.
Rakhi Halder bagged gold
• In Senior Women's National Weightlifting Championships, Rakhi Halder of Bengal has bagged gold in the
64kg category of the 35th edition of the event in Kolkata.
• Halder lifted 93 kg in snatch and 117 kg in clean and jerk to clinch the gold medal on 5 Feb 2020.
• At the Commonwealth Championship in June 2019, Halder had clinched the gold with a total lift of 214-kg.
Avishek became youngest CAB president
• Former BCCI president late Jagmohan Dalmiya's son Avishek became the youngest president of Cricket
Association Bengal after being elected unopposed.
• Avishek was holding the post of joint secretary before his elevation.
• BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, a former Bengal left-hander, is the new
joint secretary.
• Avishek has become the 18th president of CAB.
NADA suspended weightlifter Ramshad
• National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has suspended weightlifter Ramshad AR for 2 years.
• Ramshad who has a silver medal to his credit in the National Weightlifting Championship was found guilty
of inhaling a prohibited substance by the NADA.
• His sample analysis revealed the presence of 2-Hydroxy-4-MethoxyTamoxifen, which is prohibited as per
the WADA Prohibited List of 2019.
Novak Djokovic on top in ATP rankings
• Novak Djokovic returned to No. 1 in the ATP rankings after winning his eighth Australian Open title.
• Sofia Kenin's first Grand Slam trophy boosted her to a career-high No. 7 and made her the leading American
on the WTA list.
• In the rankings, Nadal is No. 2, Federer remained at No. 3, and Thiem went up one place to No. 4, with U.S.
Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev sliding to No. 5.
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Indian boxers bagged 6 gold medals

• In Boxing, India's junior youth dominated the ring at the Golden Girl Championship in Sweden, claiming 14
medals, including 6 golds, the overall championship trophy and the 'Best Boxer' award.
• While the junior women's team clinched five golds, three silvers and one bronze medal, the youth team
secured a single gold and four bronze medals.
• Haryana's Prachi Dhankar won the 'Best Boxer' award.
Adarsh, Shreya won double titles
• In Shooting, Haryana's Adarsh Singh and Madhya Pradesh's Shreya Agrawal won double titles at the
ongoing national trials for rifle and pistol disciplines in Thiruvananthapuram on 1 Feb 2020.
• Tokyo Olympics quota winner Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar also won the men's 50 metres rifle 3 positions
T2 trial to continue his good form in the competition.
Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title
• In Tennis, American Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title with victory over Spain's Garbine Muguruza
at the Australian Open.
• Kenin won 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 against two-time major winner Muguruza in Melbourne on 1 Feb 2020.
• Sofia Kenin is the youngest player to win the Australian Open since Maria Sharapova in 2008.
Novak Djokovic won his 8th Men's singles title
• World No. 2 Novak Djokovic captured his 8th title at Australian Open on 2 Feb 2020.
• Novak Djokovic has become only the 3rd man to win at least 8 titles at a Grand Slam after Roger Federer
and Rafael Nadal.
• He sealed his 17th Grand Slam title at the Rod Laver Arena.
• Djokovic has also become the 1st man in the Open Era of men's singles tennis to win a Grand Slam in 3
different decades
Christine Sinclair became all-time top scorer
• Canadian forward Christine Sinclair has become the all-time top scorer in international soccer.
• She has broken the mark held by American Abby Wambach when she netted her 185th goal against St. Kitts
and Nevis in south Texas.
• Wambach, who retired in 2015 after a 15-year career, had sole possession of the goalscoring mark since
2013 when she broke fellow American Mia Hamm's record of 158.
1st Indian woman professional footballer
• Scottish team Rangers signed Bala Devi from Manipur Police on an 18-month-deal after a successful trial in
November 2019.
• She became the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer anywhere in the world.
• She is currently the leading goal scorer for the Indian national women's team, which also makes her the top
international goal scorer in the South Asian region.
'Rubigula': Official mascot for National Games
• 'Rubigula', Flame-Throated Bulbul, has been unveiled as the official mascot for the Goa 2020 National
Games in Panaji, Goa on 1 Feb 2020.
• Goa will be hosting the 36th edition of the National Games from 20th October to 4th November 2020.
• The event will see participation by 36 states and union territories, and 12,000 athletes.
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• The Flame-Throated Bulbul is the state bird of Goa.
Defence
ICGS Varad commissioned
• The Indian Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Varad has been commissioned on 28 Feb 2020.
• It was inducted into service by Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a function held in the
Chennai Port.
• The ship Varad will be based at Paradip in Odisha, under the operational control of the Coast Guard North
Eastern Region.
Special child awarded for open water swimming
• Jiya Rai, an eleven year created a world record by becoming the fastest special girl to swim 14 Km in open
water.
• The solo swimming event was conducted under the supervision of Swimming Association of Maharashtra,
an authorized body of Swimming Federation of India.
• She is the youngest and first special girl in the world to swim a distance of 14 Km in 3 hrs 27 min 30 sec in
the open water.
First anniversary of National War Memorial
• Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and veterans from the three services laid a wreath to pay
homage to the fallen soldiers.
• The memorial is a fitting tribute to those heroes who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during various
wars and internal security challenges since Independence.
• The monument was dedicated to the nation by PM Narendra Modi on 25th Feb 2019.
Govt amends provisions of Arms Acts and Rules
• Govt has amended provisions of Arms Act, 1959 and Arms Rules, 2016 to increase the number of firearms
that can be kept by shooters.
• The Ministry has made provisions to provide adequate firearms and ammunition to the shooters for their
practice.
• As per the new rules, now international medalists are allowed to keep additional weapons up to a total of
twelve, which earlier was seven.
Five day training course on Vessel Search Tech
• A five-day training course on Vessel Search Technique being organized by the Indian Coast Guard
• Training course jointly done with the Australian Border Force in Chennai.
• The course by the Mobile Training Team of the Australian Border Force is being conducted for the ICG
personnel, Customs officials and CSG members of the TN Police.
Best marching contingent trophy to CISF
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presented trophies of best marching contingents for Republic Day Parade-
2020.
• The Indian Air Force contingent was adjudged the best among the three services.
• The Central Industrial Security Force was named the best marching contingent among the Central Armed
Police Forces.
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• The trophy was received by DG of CISF Rajesh Ranjan and Deputy Commandant PS Singh.
Foundation stone of Thal Sena Bhawan laid
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 21 Feb 2020 laid the foundation stone of Thal Sena Bhawan in Delhi
Cantt.
• The new Army headquarters will come up near the Manekshaw Centre and is spread over 39 acres.
• The multi-storeyed building will be able to accommodate around six thousand personnel and will have all
the offices of the Army in the complex.
GRSE's anti-submarine ship delivered to Navy
• Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) delivered its 4th anti-submarine warfare stealth
corvette to the Indian Navy on 18 Feb 2020.
• Kavaratti was the last in the series of 4 anti- Submarine Warfare Corvettes (ASWC) built by Kolkata-based
GRSE under Project 28.
• Project 28, approved in 2003, is a class of anti-submarine warship corvettes currently in service with the
Indian Navy.
Admiral Karambir Singh on a visit to Myanmar
• Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy, is on a visit to Myanmar from 17-20 February
2020.
• The visit is intended to consolidate and enhance the bilateral maritime relations between India and
Myanmar.
• He will interact with trainees of the National Defence College in Nay Pyi Taw, and also visit the Naval
Dockyard and Training Command of the Myanmar Navy in Yangon.
Plan to create Peninsula Command announced
• Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat announced the plans to create a Peninsula Command with
Navy’s Eastern and Western Command under it.
• India is looking at setting up two to five theatre commands.
• Air Defence command will be rolled out by the beginning of 2021 and peninsula command will be rolled out
soon.
• India may also have a separate Jammu and Kashmir theatre.
HAL to provide IAF with 83 Tejas fighters
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has provided the Indian Air Force with 83 Tejas fighter aircrafts at a
reduced cost of Rs 39,000 crore.
• Earlier, the cost of this deal was Rs 56,500 crore.
• After the contract is finalised, HAL could start the deliveries of Mark-1A jets in 3 years.
• Tejas Mark-1A jets are likely to come with 43 upgrades over the Mark-1 jets.
India and UK to hold a joint military drill
• The 5th edition of joint military exercise ''Ajeya Warrior 2020'' between India and the UK will be conducted
at Salisbury Plains in the UK from 13-26 Feb 2020.
• The exercise will comprise of 120 soldiers each from the two armies.
• The aim of the exercise is to conduct company-level joint training with emphasis on counter terrorist
operations in urban and semi urban areas.
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World's first bulletproof helmet

• An Indian Army Major who had developed a bulletproof jacket for protection against sniper bullets, has
now developed a helmet which is claimed to be first such in the world.
• It can stop an AK-47 bullet round from a distance of 10 meters.
• The helmet has been developed under project Abhedya by Major Anoop Mishra.
• The officer is part of the Indian Army's College of Military Engineering.
11th edition of DefExpo-2020 concluded

• 11th edition of the DefExpo, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, concluded on 8 Feb
2020 in Lucknow.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided the valedictory session.
• However, the Defexpo 2020 will remain open for the general public till 9 Feb 2020.
• Over 200 partnerships involving the signing of MoUs, Transfer of Technology and Product launches
concluded on 7 Feb 2020.
First India-Africa defence conclave held
• First India-Africa defence conclave was held on 6 February 2020 in which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
participated, on the 2nd day of DEFEXPO 2020 in Lucknow.
• There was focussed interaction at the ministerial and head of delegation-level in which over 30 African
countries participated.
• The fifth India-Russia Military Industry Conference was also held on 6 Feb 2020.
'Matla Abhiyaan' exercise concluded
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• The Indian Navy carried out a 5-day coastal security exercise, 'Matla Abhiyaan', along the riverine border
with Bangladesh.
• The exercise, named after Matla River, aimed to interact with coastal communities to spread awareness on
coastal security and understand the navigational complexities in the Sunderban deltaic waters.
• The exercise commenced on 29 Jan 2020, was completed on 2 Feb 2020.
Defence Expo 2020 opened in Lucknow
• The 11th edition of the DefExpo-2020, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, kick started in
Lucknow on 5 Feb 2020.
• One of the largest mega defence exhibition of its kind is being held for the first time in Lucknow and it will
cover the entire spectrum of the country's aerospace, defence and security interests.
• Ministers from over 40 countries will take part in it.
AN-32 aircraft of IAF landed successfully
• The AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force powered with 10% blend of bio-jet fuel took off and landed
successfully in Leh airport on 31 Jan 2020.
• This is the first time that both the engines of an aircraft were powered by the bio-jet indigenous fuel.
• Bio-jet fuel is produced from non-edible ‘Tree Borne Oils’, grown and procured from the tribal areas of
Chhattisgarh state.
Committees & Recommendations

Chhattisgarh CM constituted panels
• Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has set up a committee under agriculture minister Ravindra Choubey.
• It will ensure the payment of Rs 2500 per quintal to farmers against procurement of paddy on minimum
support price.
• The committee will examine the schemes of central and state governments for provisions of financial aids
for farmers and submit recommendation within a month.
National Affairs
11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra Conference
• The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the 11th
National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference 2020 in New Delhi on 28 Feb 2020.
• The theme of the three day national conference is ‘Empowering Youth for Technology Led Farming’.
• The conference has been organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) from 28 Feb to
1 March 2020.
Niti Aayog & Nasscom rolled out AI modules
• The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), in collaboration with Niti Aayog's
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), launched an artificial intelligence (AI) based module for students of Indian
schools.
• The AI-Base Module will be implemented across 5,000 Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL), empowering 2.5 million
students.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Univ. to be renamed
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• The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved a proposal to change the name of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu,
Arabi-Farsi University in Lucknow.
• The Cabinet has decided to rename the university as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Languages University.
• For this, the State University Act - 1973 will be amended.
Census of migratory birds in Tamil Nadu
• A unique census of migratory birds is being undertaken in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
• The census is unique because it uses both physical sighting as well as indirect clues for deciding the count of
migratory birds that visit India during adverse climatic conditions in other countries.
• The bird count is expected to include exotic species like Flamingos, canaries and pelicans.
Govt announces amnesty scheme
• The Government has announced amnesty scheme for power consumers across UT of J&K.
• The Administrative Council headed by the Lieutenant Governor G.C. Murmu approved it which will come
into effect from March 1, 2020.
• Failure to fully pay all three installments by May 31st 2020 will lead to immediate disconnection.
Govt to open 10 more AMRIT stores in J&K
• In Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Territory Administration is planning to open ten more Affordable
Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) stores in tertiary care institutions by the end of
April 2020.
• Currently, 12 AMRIT stores are operating in Jammu, Srinagar, Kathua, Rajouri and Doda districts of J&K.
• So far, 32,387 patients have utilized the facilities at AMRIT stores.
NITI Aayog selects J&K for first pilot project
• NITI Aayog has selected UT of Jammu & Kashmir for the first pilot project among all States and UTs on
Sustainable Developmental Goals.
• It would get a chance to work with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• This was informed by Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal in a meeting at Jammu on 28 Feb 2020.
PM to launch 10,000 FPOs
• PM Narendra Modi launched 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations, FPOs all over the country from
Chitrakoot in UP on 29 Feb 2020.
• These FPOs will help in collectivization of small, marginal and landless farmers to give them strength to deal
with issues like lack of access to technology, quality seed, fertilizers and pesticides including requisite
finances.
New Helicopter Production Hangar at HAL
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Production Hangar on
27 Feb 2020.
• It was inaugurated at the Helicopter Division in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Complex at Bengaluru,
Karnataka.
• LCH is a 5.5-tonne class combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL.
• It is powered by two Shakti engines.
Baroda Startup Banking in 15 cities
• Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar on 26 Feb 2020, inaugurated Baroda Startup Banking.
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• It is an initiative aimed at making the bank a preferred banking partner for the start-up community and
establishing a connection with at least 2,000 startups over the next two years.
• The initiative was launched simultaneously across 15 cities in the country.
Bharti AXA:1st company to use Whatsapp chatbot
• Bharti AXA General Insurance has started delivering policies and renewal premium to its customers through
messaging platform WhatsApp.
• It plans to sell private car, two-wheeler and travel insurance through a WhatsApp chatbot soon.
• WhatsApp chatbot is an intuitive and user-friendly chat structure where the customers can raise requests
simply through numeric inputs.
Maharashtra to undertake a genetic study
• With an aim to conserve the native species of cattle and domesticated animals in the Marathwada region of
Maharashtra, the state govt is planning to undertake their genetic study.
• Under this project, the genetic traits of Osmanabadi goat, Red Kandhari cow, Deoni bull, Caravan or Pashmi
dogs will be studied.
• Their abilities and adaptation capabilities will also be analysed.
Foundation stone for Bundelkhand Expressway
• PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot on 29 Feb
2020.
• It will pass through the districts of Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun.
• This expressway will link the Bundelkhand area to Delhi through Agra-Lucknow expressway and Yamuna
expressway as well as play a vital role in the development of Bundelkhand region.
Govt to lift the ban on export of onions
• Government has decided to lift the nearly 6-month-old ban on export of onions.
• This would be done in a bid to protect the interests of farmers as prices are likely to fall sharply due to
bumper rabi crop.
• The decision was taken at a meeting of a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Home Minister Amit Shah in
New Delhi on 26 Feb 2020.
CBSE released an app
• The Central Board of Secondary Education has released an app giving information about the examination
center for the convenience of the students.
• Exam center locator app-CBSE ECL is an android based mobile app which can be used by students to locate
their examination center and see the distance between current location and examination center.
PM Modi to distribute assistive aids
• PM Narendra Modi will distribute Assistive Aids and Devices to Senior Citizens under the Rashtriya Vayoshri
Yojana and Divyangjans.
• This would be done under the scheme of Assistance to Disabled Persons for aids and appliances (ADIP) at a
mega camp at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh on 29 Feb 2020.
• This is the biggest ever distribution camp being conducted in the country.
Govt approved 32 projects under PMKSY
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• Government has sanctioned 32 projects in the food processing sector under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada
Yojana (PMKSY).
• The projects are spread across around 17 states leveraging an investment worth 406 Crore rupees.
• They were cleared by the Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee chaired by Food Processing Minister
Harsimrat Kaur Badal in New New Delhi on 27 Feb 2020.
24th meeting of Eastern Zonal Council
• The 24th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council comprising of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal
was held in Bhubaneswar on 28 Feb 2020.
• Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the meeting.
• The meeting deliberated upon several issues which included inter-state water issues, power transmission
lines, royalty and operationalization of coal mines, land and forest clearance of rail projects, etc.
Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurates BSNL FTTH
• Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated BSNL FTTH and wifi service in Dehradun.
• Fiber to the home (FTTH) is the technology of bringing high-speed internet services using fiber-optic straight
away from the operator's switching equipment to a home.
• BSNL Bharat Fiber will deliver high-speed internet service at home using optic fib replacing the existing
cable infrastructure.
IRB Infra bags Mumbai-Pune Expressway project
• IRB Infrastructure has been awarded the prestigious Mumbai-Pune expressway project under the toll-
operate-toll (TOT) model.
• The company said it has received a letter of acceptance from the nodal agency MSRDC.
• IRB is one of the largest private roads and highways infrastructure developers in India having a track record
of constructing over 12,600 lane km in two decades.
Gangwar lays foundation stone for ESI Hospital
• Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar laid the foundation stone of a
100 bedded ESI Hospital in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.
• The ESI Hospital would be built over 7 acres at an estimated cost of Rs101.54 Cr.
• The Hospital will help and cater to the needs of nearby people of Kakinada and Yanam.
Delhi airport ranks highest in duty-free rev
• The duty-free revenue per passenger for Indira Gandhi International Airport is highest in India at 10 to 11
dollars per passenger.
• The national capital is also the only Indian city to feature in world's top 10 business metro rails.
• Compared to London and Hong Kong, Delhi Metro has the lowest percentage share of non-fare box revenue
at 12 per cent.
MP becomes first state to launch UVR card
• Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to introduce the unified registration card.
• MP is the second state to launch the unified driving license after UP.
• The unified smart cards for driving license and vehicle registration will each have a QR code that will help in
verifying authenticity of the data printed on the cards.
Pres Kovind receives US Pres Trump at R Bhavan
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• President Ram Nath Kovind receives US President Donald Trump at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• Mr Kovind hosted a banquet in the honour of the US President. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Members of the Union Cabinet.
• Several Chief Ministers and people from all walks of life were present on the occasion.
NABARD sanctions over Rs 400 cr to J&K
• NABARD has sanctioned an amount of Rs 400.64 cr to UT of J&K to boost the infrastructure in the rural
areas.
• The funding is a part of the NABARD’s ‘Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) - Trench XXV’ which
aims at augmenting rural infrastructure.
• The Bank has sanctioned Rs 209.87 cr for construction of 82 rural roads and 3 bridges earlier this year.
Govt. approves Doon-Delhi elevated expressway
• The Centre has given an in-principle nod to the construction of an elevated expressway between Dehradun
and New Delhi.
• The expressway will reduce the distance between the two cities to 180 km. At present, the distance
between Dehradun and Delhi is around 250 km.
• The project was conveyed to Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat by the National Highway Authority of
India Chairman SS Sandhu.
Corporates joins Ganga Rejuvenation effort
• MoU was signed between the National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG), State Program Management
Group-Uttarakhand(SPMG-UK) and Indorama Charitable Trust (ICT)
• Mou was signed to work together for the development of the Ghat at Badrinath and Ghats and Crematoria
at Gangotri in Uttarakhand at a total cost of 26.64 Cr.
• Corporates join Ganga Rejuvenation effort with a slogan ‘Har Kaam Desh Ke Naam’
BRICS CCI announced awards
• BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI), organised the second Annual Direct Tax Summit &
Awards 2020 in association with Achromic Point.
• Dharampal Satyapal Limited won the award for Best In-House Direct Tax Team of the Year.
• The day-long summit saw an eminent list of delegates discussing recent trends and issues in the field of
International Tax.
Centre devised 20-20 model
• In a push to the Smart City Mission, the Centre has devised a 20-20 model to pair the top 20 cities with the
bottom 20.
• This will help the laggard cities to kick-start the smartening up process by borrowing technical know-how
and financial studies.
• Each of these cities would sign a MoU with its sister city, which would be valid for 1 year and aim at
improving the ranking of the sister city.
Ministry of MSME launched NLAP 2020
• Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has launched a National Level Awareness
Programme (NLAP) 2020 from February 17 to 28.
• The objective is to spread awareness about schemes and activities undertaken by the Ministry and its
attached organisations.
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• Under the NLAP, interactive sessions are being held with the students and taking up their queries, etc.
India’s first floating Jetty inaugurated
• The country's first floating jetty was inaugurated on the banks of Mandovi river in Panaji city, Goa on 21 Feb
2020.
• The new floating jetty can be realigned, relocated and can be resized as per requirement.
• This floating jetty will be an extension to the existing Captain of Ports (CoP) floating jetty which will serve as
the mooring point for the offshore casinos.
NF Railway build India’s tallest pier bridge

• The Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organisation has built India’s tallest railway pier bridge across
Makru river in the Tamenglong district of Manipur.
• The Rs 283.5-crore bridge with a span of 555 m is part of the 111-km Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad
gauge line.
• A bridge pier is a type of structure that extends to the ground below or into the water.
3-day Ladakh Winter Conclave began
• In Leh, a 3-day Ladakh Winter Conclave began on 21 Feb 2020.
• With an aim of promoting Ladakh as tourism destiny during the winter months, a series of programs are
scheduled during the Conclave.
• A draft tourism policy is being prepared for Ladakh to make the region tourism distributed throughout the
year.
• Adventure tour guidelines are also being discussed with the stakeholders.
West Bengal govt to launch radio stations
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• The West Bengal Government has planned to launch in-house radio stations in all 57 correctional homes in
the state.
• The decision has been taken after the success of a pilot project at the Dum Dum Central Correctional Home
recently.
• The plan is aimed at ensuring better living conditions of Jail inmates.
• An NGO with the help of the Jails Department will train Radio Jockeys.
Foundation stone of Thal Sena Bhawan laid
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 21 Feb 2020 laid the foundation stone of Thal Sena Bhawan in Delhi
Cantt.
• The new Army headquarters will come up near the Manekshaw Centre and is spread over 39 acres.
• The multi-storeyed building will be able to accommodate around six thousand personnel and will have all
the offices of the Army in the complex.
Geological Survey discovered gold deposits
• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has discovered gold deposits to the tune of around 3,000 tonnes in
Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is almost five times India's current reserve of the gold.
• The deposits in Son Pahadi is estimated to be around 2,943.26 tonnes, while that at Hardi block is around
646.16 kilograms.
'5G Hackathon' launched
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched ‘5G Hackathon’ in association with
government, academia and industry stakeholders.
• It is aimed at shortlisting India's focused cutting edge ideas that can be converted into workable 5G
products and solutions.
• The Hackathon began on 21 Feb 2020 and will be spread across three phases.
UP allocated Rs 2,000 cr for Noida airport
• The Uttar Pradesh govt has allotted a fund of Rs 2,000 crore for Noida's Jewar Airport in Gautam Buddh
Nagar district.
• The announcement was made during the budget presentation by Finance Minister Suresh Khanna in
Lucknow.
• The airport is expected to go operational by 2023.
• The UP government presented a Rs 5,12,860.72 crore budget for FY 2020-21 in the state assembly.
National Museum hosting a unique exhibition
• The National Museum, New Delhi is hosting a unique exhibition on India’s ancient food history “Historical
Gastronomica – The Indus Dining Experience”, that goes back to more than 5000 years ago.
• It is being held from 19- 25 Feb 2020.
• ‘Indus Dining Experience’ is based on archaeological research, museum artefacts and their characteristics.
Atal Kisan - Majdoor canteens to be opened
• Haryana government will open Atal Kisan - Majdoor canteens in all mandis and sugar mills across the state.
• These will provide affordable and cheap meals to farmers and labourers at a concessional rate of 10 rupees
per plate.
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• Haryana govt will also provide free and concessional travel facility to 41 different categories of residents in
the ordinary buses of Haryana Roadways.
CPCB identifies 60 polluted river stretches
• The Central Pollution Board (CPCB) has identified 60 polluted river stretches based on Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD) in different northeastern states.
• CPCB has identified over 350 polluted river stretches across India and the number continues to grow.
• The polluted river stretches in the northeastern states include Bharalu, Basistha, Kolong, Boko and Kopili in
Assam, and many more.
Indian Students’ Parliament inaugurated
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 4-day Indian Students’ Parliament in New Delhi on 20 Feb
2020.
• Over 2,000 students from across 24 states and 400 universities are participating in the event.
• It will include eight sessions, around a diverse range of topics.
• Caste to Class, Combating Terrorism, Insurgency and Naxalism, are some of the talking points outlined for
the event.
Titabor: Assam's first zero-waste town
• Setting high standards in effective integrated waste management, Titabor has become Assam’s first ‘zero
waste town’.
• Notably, as per the general standard, if any town succeeds in processing up to 80% of waste, it can claim to
be a zero waste town.
• Titabor, as part its consistent campaign, has set up a material recovery facility where all organic waste is
managed through aerobic composting.
NITI Aayog to organize SDG Conclave 2020
• NITI Aayog is organizing "Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation
and Development of North Eastern States" in Guwahati.
• It is being held in association with the North Eastern Council, Government of Assam, Tata Trusts, UNDP and
Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS).
• The three-day event is from 24th to 26th February 2020.
Uber, Delhi Police partnered
• Passengers hiring Uber cabs from Delhi’s IGI Airport can now send a direct alert to the taxi aggregator and
Delhi Police at the same time if they want to report a problem during their travel.
• The facility started on 17 Feb 2020 as part of a collaboration between Uber and Delhi Police.
• To start with, 1,000 Uber cabs found frequenting the airport have been enabled with this feature.
IGI Airport: 1st plastic-free airport
• The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has declared Indira Gandhi International Airport of Delhi as
India’s first single-use plastic-free airport.
• In September 2018, following the World Environment Day theme of 'Beat Plastic Pollution,' Delhi Airport
was the first Indian airport to make 'single-use plastic-free' commitment in 2019.
Foundation laid for lighthouse in Dhanushkodi
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• A 50-metre high lighthouse is coming up in nearby Dhanushkodi as part of measures to develop the town,
devastated by a deadly cyclone five decades, as a major tourist attraction.
• Union Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya laid the foundation stone for the Rs 7 crore
project.
• Dhanukshodi, came to be called a "Ghost town" after it was flattened by the cyclone on December 22,
1964.
'Run for India Tea' event organized
• In Tripura, Tea Board of India in collaboration with Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) organized
"Run for India Tea" on 19 Feb 2020 to promote and popularise Tripura tea alongside India tea.
• The run event was followed by a colourful tableau procession.
• A large number of tea workers wearing traditional dresses along with students participated in the tableau
procession.
22nd Law Commission of India approved
• Union Cabinet today approved the constitution of the 22nd Law Commission of India.
• The commission will function for a period of three years from its date of official constitution.
• The Commission will give recommendations on different aspects of law which are entrusted to it.
• Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government from time to time.
Phase-2 of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen
• Union Cabinet has approved the Phase- 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Grameen till 2024-25, which will
focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus).
• The program will work towards ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet.
• The phase-2 will be implemented in a mission mode with a total estimated budgeted financial implication of
Rs 52,497 crores.
Constitution of empowered Tech Group approved
• Cabinet has approved the constitution of an empowered Technology Group.
• It will advise the Government on priorities and strategies for research on emerging technologies across
sectors.
• The group intends to ensure that India has appropriate policies and strategies for effective, secure and
context-sensitive exploitation of the latest technologies for economic growth of the Indian Industry.
Govt to launch Tilhan Mission
• The government will launch Tilhan Mission to make the country self-reliant in oilseed production.
• This was announced by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh on 19 Feb 2020.
• The government has also decided to create 10 thousand Farmers Producer Organisation (FPO) across the
country for which an assistance of over 6,000 crore rupees will be provided.
India to switch to world's cleanest petrol
• India will switch to the world's cleanest petrol and diesel from April 1, 2020 as it leapfrogs straight to Euro-
VI emission compliant fuels from Euro-IV grades now.
• This has been achieved in just three years and not seen in any of the large economies around the globe.
• India will join the select league of nations using petrol and diesel containing just 10 parts per million of
sulphur.
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CCPA to be set up by April 2020

• The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will be set up by the first week of April 2020.
• It will be set up under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.
• It will address issues related to consumer rights, unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements and
impose penalties for selling spurious and adulterated products.
• This was announced by Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on 19 Feb 2020.
SpiceJet announced 20 new flights
• SpiceJet will launch 20 new flights on its domestic routes, including some services under the govt's regional
connectivity scheme (RCS), Udan, from March 2020.
• With the commencement of these new flights from 29 March 2020, the airline will have a total of 52 flights
connecting 12 cities under the RCS scheme.
• The new services will be operated by Boeing 737-800 and Bombardier Q400 aircraft.
Nelco launched in-flight communication service
• Nelco, a Tata group company launched in-flight communication service in partnership with Panasonic for
airlines in India, on 19 Feb 2020.
• Vistara has become the first Indian flight carrier to sign up for the IFC service.
• Users can use the Internet, and access applications and e-commerce sites while travelling.
Ambala City bus stand to be renamed
• The Ambala city bus stand has been renamed after late External Affairs Minister and BJP veteran Sushma
Swaraj.
• Swaraj was born in Ambala Cantt and was elected MLA twice from here.
• The veteran BJP leader passed away in 2019.
• Rs 18 crore had been spent on the construction of the bus stand where all basic facilities would be provided
to passengers.
Two new bird species found in Ladakh
• In Ladakh, two new bird species have been found during the Great Backyard Bird count.
• The three-day exercise undertaken by the Wildlife Conservation and Birds Club of Ladakh concluded on 18
Feb 2020.
• Red Throated Thrush and Plumbeous Water Redstart have been found for the first time in Ladakh Region.
• Common Rose Finch and Grey Haron species have arrived in Ladakh region early than usual.
National level Tribal Youth Exchange Programme
• The 7-day 12th National level Tribal Youth Exchange Programme (TYEP), is being held between 18-24
February 2020 at Youth Hostel Nagrota.
• J&K Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Sarmad Hafeez inaugurated the Youth Exchange Programme.
• 220 participants and contingent leaders from different districts of Jharkhand and Odisha are participating.
Railway Minister inaugurated projects
• In Telangana, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal laid foundation stones for a host of infrastructure and
passenger facilities on 18 Feb 2020.
• He laid the foundation stone for the development of Satellite Terminal at Charlapalli Railway Station and
also for electrification of Yerragunta-Nandyal section.
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• He dedicated doubling electrification of Guntakal-Kalluru section via remote video link.

IDSA to be renamed: Manohar Parrikar Institute
• Union Govt has decided to rename the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, IDSA as Manohar
Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
• The decision has been taken to honour the commitment and legacy of late Manohar Parrikar.
• He was the Defence Minister from 9th November 2014 to 14th March 2017.
Govt to achieve 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio
• Union Govt has set an ambitious target to achieve 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio in higher education by 2030
to equip its working population with employable skills.
• Currently, the Gross Enrollment Ratio is around 26 per cent.
• Gross Enrollment Ratio determines the number of students enrolled in school at several different grade
levels.
J&K administration to conduct roadshows
• Jammu and Kashmir has come up with a plan to send 54 of its top officers to conduct roadshows across the
country.
• Each roadshow will focus on showcasing specific sectors for seeking investment in Jammu and Kashmir.
• The roadshows will be held in Bengaluru and Kolkata on February 17, in Mumbai on February 21, in
Hyderabad on March 2, in Chennai on March 5 and in Ahmedabad on March 9, 2020.
All India Conference of CAT held in New Delhi
• The annual All India Conference of the Central Administrative Tribunal was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New
Delhi on 16th February 2020.
• The one day conference was attended by Judicial and Administrative Members from all 17 Benches of CAT
from across the country.
• The Conference was presided over by Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Law and Justice.
5-day week for Maharashtra govt employees
• The Maharashtra government has announced five-day working week for state government employees.
• The decision was taken at the state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
• The new system will be applicable from 29 February 2020 onwards.
• Employees working for the Government of Maharashtra presently get second and fourth Saturdays off
every month.
Uttarakhand CM inaugurated a web portal
• Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivender Singh Rawat inaugurated the official web portal of Badrinath-
Kedarnath Mandir Samiti.
• He also launched Mandir Samiti's diary and calendar.
• This web portal is designed by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• All the important information regarding Chardham yatra will be accessible to the people from any part of
the world through the official portal.
J&K to organize outreach programmes
• In Jammu and Kashmir, the Handicrafts department is organizing a series of outreach programmes to make
artisans and weavers aware of various schemes being implemented by the administration.
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• The awareness camps will be held across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The artisans from various fields including Carpet, Pashmina and Kani shawl and Bamboo work will
participate in the camp.
PM Modi launched 50 development projects
• On his day-long visit to his Parliamentary Constituency in Varanasi, PM Narendra Modi launched 50
development projects worth more than Rs 1254 crore, on 16 Feb 2020.
• He also flagged off the Kashi Mahakaal Express to link Varanasi, Ujjain and Omkareshwar.
• He also unveiled the statue of Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya, which is the largest statue of the leader in the
country.
Prez Kovind visited Dadra and Nagar Haveli
• President Ram Nath Kovind is on a two-day visit to Daman and Dadra Nagar Haveli from 17 Feb 2020.
• The President will inaugurate various people-centric projects and will lay the foundation stone for various
developmental work in Diu and Daman.
• Among the projects to be inaugurated by the President are five new Health and Wellness centres under
Ayushman Bharat in Daman.
NIT, Trichy developed a mobile app
• The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy, Tamilnadu has developed Thirumathikart - a mobile app
for SHG (Self Help Group) products.
• The application was developed in coordination with the Union Department of Science and Technology.
• The main objective of the app is to empower women and help them access market opportunities in a
seamless manner.
Rs 6 crore to Olympics gold medalists: Haryana
• Haryana government has decided to give Rs 6 crore to players of the state that bag gold medals at the
Olympic Games.
• Rs 3 crore will be given to those winning gold medals at Asian Games and 1.5 crore rupees to the winners of
yellow metal at Commonwealth Games.
• An amount of 15 lakh rupees will be given to each player participating in the Olympic Games.
Govt sets up teams to examine villages
• Union Health Ministry has constituted central teams of experts for examination of villages bordering Nepal
for novel coronavirus infection.
• Villages bordering Nepal in the states of Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Sikkim and West Bengal will be inspected
by central teams.
• 5 separate teams of doctors from the National Centre for Disease Control, Safdarjung Hospital, among
others have been set up.
Amazon to invest $1.5 bn for 2 data centres
• AWS (Amazon Web Services) is reportedly investing about $1.5 billion to set up two data centres in India.
• These data centres will come up in Hyderabad, where it already has a huge presence.
• The US-based firm is in the process of getting statutory clearances from the State and Central governments
to set up the data centres.
38% increase in TB case notifications
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• Since the launch of the new National Strategic Plan (2017-25), there has been a 38% increase in TB case
notifications to the govt - from 17.36 lakhs in 2017 to 23.98 lakhs in 2019.
• The govt has succeeded in closing the notification gap referred earlier as the ‘missing million’ to less than 3
lakhs.
• Under the National Strategic Plan (2017-25), the Govt of India committed to ending TB by 2025.
Anti-Hijack mock drill conducted
• A mock anti-hijack exercise was conducted by INS Dega at Visakhapatnam airport on February 12, 2020.
• The anti-hijack exercise was conducted with a mock situation created that involved the actions of various
agencies including Marine Commandos (MARCOS).
• The Drill is conducted at every Indian airport annually as mandated by the National Civil Aviation Security
Programme.
Bihar govt launched Pyaar ka Paudha campaign
• 'Pyaar ka Paudha' (a plant of love) campaign was launched by the Bihar government`s Department of
Environment and Forest in Patna, ahead of Valentine's Day.
• It was launched to encourage the practice of planting trees in the state.
• As a part of this initiative, the environment department has appealed to the people to gift the plant of love
to their close ones.
SEBI constituted a committee
• SEBI has constituted a committee which will suggest on policy matters pertaining to the development of
municipal debt securities and facilitate municipalities for issuance of such bonds.
• It has constituted a municipal bonds development committee.
• It will be headed by its Executive Director Sujit Prasad and comprises representatives from municipal
corporations, lawyers, professionals, etc.
National Organic Food Festival to be held
• The Government of India will host the National Organic Food Festival in New Delhi between 21 Feb 2020
and 23 Feb 2020.
• The festival is first of its kind and around 150 women entrepreneurs will be participating in the festival.
• The festival will be conducted under the theme 'Unleashing India’s Organic Market Potential'.
1st inter-city electric bus service launched
• Union Minister for Transport, Highways, and MSMEs, Nitin Gadkari on 14 Feb 2020 inaugurated the first
inter-city electric bus service, between Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra.
• The 43-seater capacity luxury electric bus is manufactured by Mitra Mobility Solution.
• It has a range of 300 km on a single charge and would be operated twice daily between the two cities.
Annual theatre event of IIT Bombay
• IIT Bombay’s Cultural Council and Fourthwall - the Dramatics Club, organized ‘Ann Prod’, the annual theatre
showcase event in Powai on 14 Feb 2020.
• It drew its inspiration from the essence of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.
• Ann Prod focused on the states of Maharashtra and Goa.
• The plays performed included Alazia, Saanp, Death Note, The Final Draft, Chitthi and Monoact.
Government cleared Rs 540 cr investments
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• Union Government has cleared investments of over Rs 540 crore in some stuck residential properties that
will benefit 1,800 home buyers.
• In November 2019, the government had announced a 25,000 crore rupees fund to help complete over
1,500 stalled housing projects.
• A preliminary clearance has also been given for due diligence to 14 projects with a capital commitment of
2,500 crore rupees.
Cha-Chai art work inaugurated
• Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh
Patel jointly inaugurated the Cha-Chai, installation of art-work of Joana Vasconcelos at the National
Museum on 14 Feb 2020.
• The installation represents the five o'clock tradition of serving tea in Portugal that originated in the 17th
century.
Meghalaya, Arunachal, UP paired
• Meghalaya is paired with Uttar Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh under the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat
programme for the year 2019-2020.
• The Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Shillong organized the UP
cuisine festival at IHM campus, Mawdiangdiang, Shillong.
• The festival presented the Awadhi Cuisine and a total of 13 indigenous dishes were displayed.
PAN to be inoperative if not linked to Aadhaar
• Permanent Account Number (PAN) will become inoperative if it is not linked with Aadhaar by March 31,
2020.
• The deadline for linking of PAN and Aadhar has been extended several times and the current deadline ends
on March 31, 2020.
• Till January 27, 2020, over 30.75 crore PANs have already been linked to Aadhaar.
• However, 17.58 crore PANs are yet to be linked with it.
Odisha govt announced DA hike for employees
• Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announced a hike of 5 per cent Dearness Allowance (DA) for government
employees.
• The DA hike will be implemented with retrospective effect from January 1, 2020.
• The decision will benefit around 3.5 lakh state government employees.
• The state government also announced to clear the 10 per cent arrears which were pending.
Ministry of Steel to organise a workshop
• Ministry of Steel in association with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organizing a workshop on 17
Feb 2020 in New Delhi.
• It will focus on fostering steel usage in Railways and Defence sectors.
• The aim of the workshop is to have an in-depth discussion with the Railways and Defence sector to identify
gaps and opportunities available in the supply of Steel and Steel Products.
Rs.2 crore annual fund for juvenile homes
• The Maharashtra state cabinet has approved a Juvenile Justice Fund for the welfare and rehabilitation of
children in juvenile homes across the state.
• The cabinet also approved a proposal to make Rs.2 crore annual budgetary provision for the fund.
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• The fund will be used for the welfare of more than 21,178 children in over 560 juvenile homes across the
state.
377 sq km for eco-sensitive zone approved
• The Uttarakhand State cabinet has approved a 377 sq km area for the proposed eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) for
the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR).
• The proposal will be forwarded to the Central government.
• No village has been included in the ESZ, for which the maximum area has been defined as 7.96 km.
• Corbett Tiger Reserve was established in the year 1936.
PM Modi to visit Varanasi on 16 Feb
• PM Narendra Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on 16 Feb 2020.
• He will take part in many functions.
• He will inaugurate Uttar Pradesh Institute of Design (UPID)’s “Kashi Ek, Roop Anek” a cultural arts and
handicrafts extravaganza at Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul.
• The 2-day event aims to provide global exposure to the arts and handicrafts of the State.
Nitin Gadkari flagged off 'Apiary on Wheels'
• ‘Apiary on Wheels’, was flagged off on 13 Feb 2020 by the Union Minister of MSME Nitin Gadkari in Delhi.
• It is a unique concept designed by KVIC for the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live Bee
colonies.
• It can carry 20 Bee Boxes from one place to another without any difficulty.
• It is designed to reduce the labour and cost of maintaining and upkeeping Bee Boxes.
IRDAI modifies rules for pre-existing diseases
• IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) has eased up some norms for pre-existing
diseases that would benefit policyholders.
• According to the latest norms, if a policyholder is diagnosed with any disease within the first three months
of taking a health insurance policy, it will no longer be considered as a pre-existing disease.
Odisha govt approved investment proposals
• The Odisha government has approved projects in sectors like food processing, tourism and steel worth over
Rs 1,600 crore, which would likely generate employment for 1,450 people.
• The investment proposals got the go-ahead at a State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA)
meeting.
• The SLSWCA cleared eight planned projects, including a tea blending and packaging facility.
Finance Commission formed a group
• The 15th Finance Commission has constituted a Group on Defence and Internal Security to examine
whether a separate mechanism for funding of defence and internal security ought to be set up.
• The Group will also examine that if such a mechanism is created, how it would be operationalised.
• The Group will be headed by the 15th Finance Commission chairman NK Singh.
Puducherry: 1st UT to pass resolution
• Puducherry has adopted an Assembly resolution against the amended Citizenship Act, becoming the first
union territory in the country to say no to the new law.
• Earlier, the states of Kerala and West Bengal had adopted Assembly resolutions against the Act.
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• It also registered strong protest against the National Register of Citizens and National Population Register.
Facebook launched digital literacy training
• Facebook has launched 'We Think Digital' programme, under which it will provide digital literacy training to
1 lakh women across seven states, including UP, West Bengal and Bihar.
• It has been launched in partnership with the National Commission for Women (NCW) and Cyber Peace
Foundation.
• The programme will start with the state of Uttar Pradesh and expand to other states.
India banned E-Cigarettes on Airports
• Aviation security regulator has banned e-cigarettes and similar products on all airports and aircraft in India.
• E-cigarettes include all forms of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), heat not burn products, e-
hookah and the like devices.
• Distribution, sale, storage and advertisement of such products is prohibited on any airport premises or any
aircraft departing or arriving in India.
Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra renamed
• Government has decided to rename Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi as Sushma Swaraj Bhawan.
• Foreign Service Institute in the national capital will be renamed as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign
Service.
• The announcement was made on 13 February 2020 by the Ministry of External Affairs on the eve of the
birth anniversary of Mrs Sushma Swaraj.
'Reading Mission' launched by Haryana govt
• The state govt of Haryana has launched an initiative called ‘Reading Mission- Haryana’.
• The initiative was launched to encourage reading habit among the young students of the state.
• The scheme is on the lines of the ‘Reading Mission 2022’, launched by the central government.
• Monthly book review sessions and mass book reading will be organised by students in educational
institutions.
India’s largest air quality monitoring network
• The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will develop an air quality monitoring network across 90
locations in Mumbai, making it the largest network in India.
• BMC is planning to invest ₹9.5 crores to install 80 real-time air monitoring stations.
• These stations will give location-wise updates on the quality of air.
J&K Lt Governor launched a campaign
• In Jammu and Kashmir, Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu has launched the Financial Inclusion Outreach
Campaign.
• It will have a special focus on extending banking services to all un-banked areas.
• It also lays emphasis on opening of bank accounts for adults under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY), promotion of RuPay Cards, enrollments under Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY),
etc.
‘Hunar Haat’ began in New Delhi
• Hunar Haat is being held at India Gate lawns in New Delhi from 13 Feb 2020 where master artisans and
culinary experts from across the country will showcase their talents.
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• The event will continue till 23 Feb 2020.

• In the coming days, Hunar Haat will also be organized in Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Patna, Bhopal,
Nagpur, Amritsar, Jammu, Goa, Guwahati, Bhubneshwar and other places.
National Workshop on e-office held
• Minister for Personnel and Public Grievances Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated a National Workshop on e-office
in New Delhi on 12 Feb 2020.
• He also launched the Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System, CPGRAMS Reforms at
the event.
• There has been a significant jump in the number of public grievances received against govt departments as
it touched the 19 lakh mark in 2019.
Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a 2-day Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking for
BIMSTEC Partner Nations in New Delhi on 13 Feb 2020.
• The conference is being organized by Narcotics Control Bureau.
• This platform will provide an opportunity to all the member nations to deliberate on the increased threats
posed by drug trafficking.
Workshop on Van Dhan held
• A “Workshop on Van Dhan and Entrepreneurship Development” was held on 11 February 2020.
• It was organized by TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) under Ministry
of Tribal Affairs.
• The workshop was inaugurated by Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda.
• Discussions on expanding the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) was also discussed.
Medical devices to be considered as drugs
• The government issued a final notification to consider all medical devices as drugs.
• All medical devices, including implants and contraceptives, will be brought under the lens of the Central
Drugs and Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in a phased manner starting 1 April 2020.
• Currently, medical devices are classified under four categories- Class A, B, C, and D.
KCC saturation drive began
• To enable universal access to concessional institutional credit, the Govt of India has initiated for saturating
all PM-KISAN beneficiaries with Kisan Credit Card (KCC).
• This will help all such farmers to get short term loan for crop & animal/fish rearing at a maximum interest of
4% on timely repayment.
• This drive has started from 10 Feb 2020 and will be carried out for a period of 15 days.
Pralhad Joshi launched a web portal
• The Ministry of Coal (MoC) has launched a web portal for star rating of coal mines.
• It will promote green, safe and sustainable mining practices using technology as a tool
• Union Minister for Coal & Mines Pralhad Joshi launched this portal in New Delhi on 10 Feb 2020.
• The portal will provide a login to each coal mine for self-evaluation along with necessary documents for
testimonials.
National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
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• Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) is collaborating with Zonal Cultural Centers of Ministry and preparing a list of
ICH elements for National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
• List of ICH elements is being compiled and at least 100 elements will be documented by March 2020.
• The aim is to document at least 20 new elements in ICH list every year.
Government to rename NIFM
• The govt has decided to rename National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Faridabad, as Arun
Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management.
• Set up in 1993 as a registered society under the Dept of Expenditure, NIFM trains officers of Finance and
Accounts Services recruited by UPSC.
• The Union Finance Minister is the President of the NIFM Society.
Kerala hosted global meet on climate change
• ClimFishCon 2020, a 3-day international conference on the impact of climate change on ‘hydrological cycle,
ecosystem, fisheries and food security’ began on 12 Feb 2020 in Kerala.
• The conference is organised jointly by the CUSAT School of Industrial Fisheries and the Dept of Fisheries,
Kerala.
• A major workshop titled Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Wetlands will be held on 13 Feb 2020.
Seminar held in Arunachal Pradesh
• A Seminar on ‘Prosperity of Arunachal Pradesh through accelerated Hydropower development’ was
conducted at the DK Auditorium in Itanagar, on 11 Feb 2020.
• Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu informed that the state has the capacity to generate 50000 MW of
hydropower.
• The one-day seminar was organized by the state department of Hydro Power Development.
Nearly 2000 projects to be completed in J&K
• In Jammu and Kashmir, nearly 2000 vital projects will be completed by March 2021 with an aim to boost
economy and take the agenda of development ahead in the Union Territory.
• The present govt led by Lieutenant Governor, G C Murmu, has completed 300 languishing projects so far.
• This announced by Financial Commissioner, (Finance department), Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, during a meeting
in Srinagar.
‘Engiexpo 2020’ to be held in Vadodara
• The 6th edition of the mega industrial exhibition ‘Engiexpo 2020’ will be organised in Vadodara, Gujarat
from 15-17 Feb 2020.
• The 3-day mega exhibition will be organised by the Federation of Small Scale Industries (FSSI), to promote
‘Made in India’ products.
• Over 10,000 industrial products will be showcased in more than 300 stalls.
Separate identity card for the transgenders
• Separate identity cards will be issued for transgenders in Rajasthan so that the people of the community
can get the benefit of government jobs as well as all government schemes.
• Rules will be made in collaboration with the State Personnel Department.
• The number of transgenders in the state is more than 1 lakh, but based on the census, there are only
16,517 transgenders in the state.
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Andhra Pradesh got Disha Police station

• Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy launched the first Disha Police Station in Rajamahendravaram
on 8 Feb 2020.
• It will address heinous crimes against women and children in Andhra Pradesh.
• He also launched the Disha app to help women in distress, and demonstrated how women can send SOS
through the app which will alert the nearest police vehicle.
NCL set up R&D centre SARAS
• The Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) has set up a research and development centre focusing on a sustainable
model for development in coal mining.
• The R&D centre, named 'SARAS', will be the centre of excellence, infrastructure up-gradation and IT
initiatives for the subsidiary of the Coal India Ltd.
• SARAS stands for Science and Applied Research Alliance and Support.
Chhattisgarh Govt imposed ban on hookah bars
• In Chhattisgarh, the State Government has decided to impose a permanent ban on hookah bars across the
state.
• In a meeting of the State Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, it was decided to cancel
licenses issued for running hookah centres.
• The Cabinet has also decided to close 49 liquor shops as part of its declared policy of gradually moving
towards prohibition.
West Bengal govt presented budget
• The West Bengal Finance Minister, Dr Amit Mitra proposed Rs 2,55,677 cr Budget for the next fiscal in the
state assembly.
• Dr. Mitra proposed Revenue Receipts of Rs 1,79,398 cr while receipts from public debt and loans around Rs
80,000 crore.
• The Budget puts emphasis on employment generation and economic development besides launching of
several social sector schemes.
Central govt issues advisory to States/ UTs
• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued an advisory to all States to implement the system of
vehicle registration as per Rules notified under the Central Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
• The Advisory states that the VAHAN system provides a mechanism for the inventory of vehicles being
uploaded by the vehicle manufacturers against valid type-approval certificates.
National Water Conference held
• In Madhya Pradesh, a National Water Conference was held on 11 Feb 2020 in Bhopal to solve water crisis
and make the state a water-rich state.
• The purpose of the conference is to finalize the guidelines for the Water Rights Act in Madhya Pradesh.
• Madhya Pradesh Government has announced to implement the Water Rights Act and will be the first
state where this law will be implemented.
50 youth from Uttarakhand visit Karnataka
• 50 youth from Uttarakhand visited Karnataka as part of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme.
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• Karnataka State Director of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sanghatan Atul Nikam joined hands with Bangalore
University to host the youth from Uttarakhand from 20 Jan- 3 Feb 2020 under the programme.
• The youth were taken to tourist, academic and industrial destinations in Mangaluru, Mysuru and Bengaluru.
Uttarakhand flagged off first Heli services
• Ministry of Civil Aviation operationalized the first ever helicopter services from Dehradun’s Sahastradhara
helipad to Gauchar, and Chinyalisaur on 8 Feb 2020.
• This has been done under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) of
Govt of India.
• Heritage Aviation will operate helicopter services from Sahastradhara to Gauchar and Chinyalisaur twice
daily.
Lt Governor of J&K to head a council
• Lt Governor G C Murmu will head 24 members reconstituted Jammu and Kashmir Science Technology and
Innovation Council (STIC).
• Members of the council include 5 representatives from J&K govt, 10 from universities and R&D institutions
and 8 from the Science and Technology Dept.
• Chief Secretary J&K B V R Subrahmanyam has been nominated as the chairman of the 6-member executive
committee of STIC.
J&K govt to build 125 community bunkers
• In Kashmir Valley, the administration has sanctioned 125 community bunkers with an aim to build shelters
and safeguard human lives from the arbitrary shelling by Pakistan.
• The bunkers have been sanctioned for Kupwara and Baramulla district of North Kashmir.
• These will be built in these districts as these are prone to cross-border shelling.
• The bunkers will be built at the cost of Rs 25 cr.
Cauvery delta now a special agricultural zone
• Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced that eight Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu including the rice
bowl, Thanjavur, will be categorised as a special protected agricultural zone.
• Permission will not be given for hydrocarbon projects in the region.
• Only agro based industries will be encouraged on a need basis in the river Cauvery fed regions.
Hunar Haat inaugurated in Indore
• The Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurated ‘Hunar Haat’ in Indore on 9 Feb
2020.
• So far, ‘Hunar Haat’ has been organized at various places in the country such as Delhi, Mumbai, Allahabad,
Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad & Puducherry.
• The next event will be organized in New Delhi from 13-23 Feb; Ranchi from 29 Feb-8 Mar 2020.
National conference on e-governance concluded
• National Conference on e-Governance 2020 concluded in Mumbai on 8 Feb 2020.
• The Mumbai Declaration on e-Governance has been unanimously adopted on a concluding day.
• In recognition of excellence in the implementation of e-Governance initiatives, the National e-Governance
Awards 2020 were presented at the valedictory session.
39 mega food parks sanctioned
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• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has sanctioned 39 mega food parks and 298 integrated
cold chain projects throughout the country.
• The MoFPI is focusing on building cold chain infrastructure across the country, for seamless transfer of
perishables from production to consumption areas, through the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana
(PMKSY).
7 in 100 anganwadi beneficiaries in cities
• According to the govt’s response to an RTI query, for every 100 anganwadi beneficiaries in the country, only
seven are in urban areas.
• While there were total 7.95 crore beneficiaries of the anganwadi scheme in the country, only 55 lakh were
registered at urban anganwadis.
• Beneficiaries include children in the age group of six months to six years, and pregnant women and
lactating mothers.
UP govt alloted 5 acres of land for mosque
• UP govt gave its approval to the proposal for allotment of five-acre land to UP Sunni Central Waqf Board for
the construction of a mosque as ordered by the Supreme Court.
• The land is located 18 km away from the district headquarter Faizabad, 200 metre away from the highway
and has easy access.
• It’s the best spot for maintaining communal harmony as well as law and order.
Uttarakhand’s Lakshman Jhula to be replaced
• The Uttarakhand govt has cleared the design of a glass floor suspension bridge, the first of its kind in the
country, to be built across Ganga river in Rishikesh.
• It will be built as an alternative to the iconic Lakshman Jhula which was closed in 2019.
• The bridge would have a floor made of toughened transparent glass giving pedestrians a sense of walking
on the surface of the river.
MPEDA proposed Rs 2500 crore project
• The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) will take up the upgradation and
modernisation of 25 fishing harbours in the country at a proposed outlay of Rs 2500 crore.
• The project will start with two harbours namely Thoppumpady in Kochi in Kerala and Nizampatnam in
Andhra Pradesh.
• Preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) has been entrusted to Ernst and Young.
Operation Nakail launched
• The police launched 'Operation Nakail' under which the identity of all auto-rickshaw drivers will be verified
and a unique four-digit number will be allotted to them.
• The drivers will be required to get the unique number painted on front, left, right and rear side of the auto-
rickshaws.
• 'Operation Nakail' will enhance women's security.
World's first bulletproof helmet
• An Indian Army Major who had developed a bulletproof jacket for protection against sniper bullets, has
now developed a helmet which is claimed to be first such in the world.
• It can stop an AK-47 bullet round from a distance of 10 meters.
• The helmet has been developed under project Abhedya by Major Anoop Mishra.
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• The officer is part of the Indian Army's College of Military Engineering.

Flight operations at Bidar Airport began
• Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) flagged off the first direct flight from Bidar airport to Bengaluru in
Karnataka, on 7 Feb 2020.
• The airport has been remodelled under the Scheme-Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) of the
Government of India.
• It has been developed at an estimated cost of Rs.11 cr to be borne by the State Government with the help
of the Central Government.
India to develop a tactical ballistic missile
• India is working on a new tactical ballistic missile capable of striking targets at a range of 200km.
• The surface-to-surface missile, being developed by DRDO, has been named Pranash.
• The configuration of Pranash has been frozen and development trials will begin by 2021-end.
• The non-nuclear Pranash missile will be propelled by a single-stage solid-propellant engine.
States to establish 'Gram Nyayalayas'
• The Supreme Court has directed the states to set up 'Gram Nyayalayas'.
• The states have been directed to issue notification regarding the same within 4 weeks.
• Gram Nyayalayas are village courts that aim to provide speedy and easy access to the judicial system in
rural areas of the country.
• The courts will provide with easy and cheap access to justice at their doorstep.
11th edition of DefExpo-2020 concluded
• 11th edition of the DefExpo, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, concluded on 8 Feb
2020 in Lucknow.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided the valedictory session.
• However, the Defexpo 2020 will remain open for the general public till 9 Feb 2020.
• Over 200 partnerships involving the signing of MoUs, Transfer of Technology and Product launches
concluded on 7 Feb 2020.
Meghalaya Police Academy inaugurated at Umran
• CM Conrad K Sangma inaugurated the Meghalaya Police Academy at Umran in Ri-Bhoi district on 6 Feb
2020.
• The academy will be a centre to increase the capacities of the police officers within and beyond the state in
handling contemporary crimes and also bring about accountability.
• It will be a hallmark of excellence with “efficiency and relevance – its path and effectiveness – its goal.
Income tax dept launched e-calculator
• The Income-Tax Department has launched an e-calculator for individuals to estimate their tax liability.
• The calculator, with a comparative table to compare taxes in the old and the new tax regime, has been
hosted on the official e-filing website of the dept.
• The web portal is used for filing of electronic income tax returns (ITRs) by individuals and various other
categories of taxpayers.
Jal Jeevan Mission in J&K
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• Jammu and Kasmir Administrative Council has accorded sanction to the implementation of Jal Jeevan
Mission and road map to achieve 100 per cent coverage of piped water supply by Dec 2021.
• The objective of the mission is to provide Functional Household Tap Connections to every rural household.
• At present, 30.5 per cent of J&K’s rural households have piped water connections.
Proposal for Elevated Light Rail System
• In J&K, the Administrative Council approved the proposal of the Housing and Urban Development
Department to set up an Elevated Light Rail System in Jammu and Srinagar.
• These will provide best-in-class mobility in terms of safe, reliable, convenient, cost-effective and sustainable
public transport system.
• It will have one corridor with a total length of 23 km in Jammu.
11-km stretch of Hyderabad Metro Rail
• Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurated the 11-km stretch of corridor-II of elevated Hyderabad
Metro Rail on 7 Feb 2020.
• The stretch starts from Jubilee Bus Station in Secunderabad and joins at Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station in
Hyderabad.
• The total operational length of the Hyderabad Metro will become 69 kms.
• PM Narendra Modi had inaugurated the project in November 2017.
MP govt to use drones for mapping villages
• In Madhya Pradesh, the state government has decided to use drones for mapping villages.
• 55,000 villages of the state have been selected for mapping.
• Now, the map of the population area will be made on a scale of 1: 500.
• The state revenue department has entered into an agreement in this regard with Survey of India, the
country's national mapping agency.
Over 200 JKIDFC funded projects completed
• Jammu & Kashmir has achieved a major milestone by completing over 200 J&K Infrastructure Development
Finance Corporation (JKIDFC) funded projects, since August 2019.
• The projects funded by JKIFDC aim at creation of public utilities like roads, bridges, water supply schemes,
sports facilities, educational institutions and industrial estates.
• All these projects are of high public importance.
DefExpo 2020: 'Lucknow Declaration' adopted
• In the ongoing defence expo, the ‘Lucknow Declaration’ was adopted on 6 Feb 2020 at India - Africa
Defence Conclave held on the sidelines of the event.
• The ‘Lucknow Declaration’ recalled the Indian contribution to defence and security in the African continent
and states that terrorism is a major threat in the region.
Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Shetra Trust
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 Feb 2020 announced setting up a trust for construction of Ram Temple
in Ayodhya.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has agreed to give five acres of land to the Sunni Wakf Board as directed by
the Supreme Court in Ayodhya matter.
• The government has readied a scheme for development of Ram Temple and the trust has been named as
Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Shetra.
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India International Seafood show to be held

• Over 5,000 delegates from various countries will participate in the three-day International Seafood Show in
Kochi, beginning 7 Feb 2020.
• The show is being organised by Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), in association
with the Seafood Exporters Association of India.
• The theme of the show is ''Blue Revolution- Beyond Production to Value Addition''.
Govt to sanction all 1.12 cr houses under PMAY
• The govt will sanction the entire 1.12 crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) by
March 2020.
• This was announced by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
• So far, 32 lakh houses have been handed over to beneficiaries.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission launched on 25th June 2015, intends to provide housing for
all in urban areas by year 2022.
SAIL commissioned a hot strip mill
• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has announced the commissioning of a hot strip mill having a capacity of three
million tonnes per annum at SAIL's Rourkela steel plant in Odisha.
• The mill will roll out carbon structural steel, high carbon steel, LPG cylinder steel, low alloy steel, auto-grade
steel among others to cater to high-end market segments.
NIDM organized a conference
• The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), organized “National Conference on Disability-
inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Pathways for Inclusion and Action for Resilience” on 5 Feb 2020.
• The one-day conference was organized in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons
with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE).
UNESCO certificate for Jaipur
• Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot dedicated the UNESCO world heritage site certificate for Jaipur to the people
on 5 Feb 2020.
• UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay was felicitated on the occasion.
• UNESCO declared the Walled City of Jaipur as the world heritage site in July 2019.
• The city is famous for its grid plan-based architecture and buildings constructed with the pink façade.
Govt set a defence export target of $5 bn
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the government has set a defence export target of 5 billion
dollars in the next five years.
• In 2014, the export of defence equipment from India was about 2,000 crore rupees.
• In the last 2 years, it has gone up to 17,000 crore rupees.
• The 11th DEFEXPO 2020 is being held in Lucknow with the theme "India: The Emerging Defence
Manufacturing Hub".
Cabinet approved an amendment
• Union Cabinet has decided to bring Cooperative banks under the regulatory mechanism of the RBI.
• The move will ensure greater accountability and transparency in the functioning of Cooperative Banks.
• The cabinet also approved the IIIT Laws Amendment Bill 2020.
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• Five IIITs at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur will be declared as Institutions of National
importance.
Cabinet gave approval for a new major port
• Union Cabinet has given in principle approval to set up a new major port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in
Maharashtra.
• The total cost of the project is likely to be over Rs 65,000 cr.
• The position of Jawaharlal Nehru Port is the biggest container port in the country and with the development
of Vadhavan port, India will break into the countries with top 10 container ports in the world.
Healing Christ statue enters URF's records
• Healing Christ statue of Thiruvalla has entered the Universal Records Forum’s (URF) book of world records
• It is a 368-cm tall statue, weighing 2,400 kg, the largest one of its kind in the world
• It is located in the central courtyard of the Believers Church Medical College Hospital in Thiruvalla.
DST launched SATHI initiative
• To address the need for building shared, professionally managed and strong Science and Technology
infrastructure in the country, the Department of Science & Technology has launched a unique scheme
called “Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI)”.
• These are expected to house major analytical instruments to provide common services of high-end
analytical testing.
India developed a new vaccine
• The Indian Institute of Veterinary Research (IVRI) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has
developed a new vaccine to control classical swine fever.
• It will be cheaper and more effective.
• Classical Swine Fever Vaccine (CSFV) is the most common disease in pigs that causes a high mortality rate of
swine in India.
• India has been using UK based swine fever vaccine since 1964.
Defence dialogue between India and South Korea
• Ministerial-level Defence dialogue between India and South Korea was held in New Delhi on 4 Feb 2020.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of National Defence of South Korea Jeong Kyeong-doo held
the meeting.
• Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General Manoj Naravane and Navy Chief Admiral
Karambir Singh were also present in the meeting.
Annual Udyanotsav inaugurated
• President Ram Nath Kovind opened the annual Udyanotsav of Rashtrapati Bhavan on 4 Feb 2020.
• The main attraction of this year’s Udyanotsav, beside Tulips and Exotic flowers, are bulbous flowerings.
• Around 10 thousand Tulips are specially cultivated in Mughal Gardens and they are in vivid colours of red,
white, orange and yellow.
• Flower Carpets will also be on display in the Central Lawns
Defence Expo 2020 opened in Lucknow
• The 11th edition of the DefExpo-2020, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, kick started in
Lucknow on 5 Feb 2020.
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• One of the largest mega defence exhibition of its kind is being held for the first time in Lucknow and it will
cover the entire spectrum of the country's aerospace, defence and security interests.
• Ministers from over 40 countries will take part in it.
₹6,000 cr multi-purpose project in J&K
• The central govt has approved a nearly ₹6,000 cr multi-purpose project in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua
district.
• It will provide uninterrupted water for irrigation to farmers and produce power.
• The project will store around 781 million cubic meters of water of river Ujh, a tributary of river Ravi.
• The expected timeline of completion of project is over six years.
HAL to make advanced armed UAV
• In a first, advanced Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) will be manufactured in India.
• Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is set to sign a partnership pact with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at the
upcoming DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow.
• The advanced Heron TP will be manufactured to cater both to Indian requirements for a combat UAV and
possibly exports to third nations in the future as well.
Karnataka to get another airport
• GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL) has signed a concession agreement to commission,
operationalize and maintain the Civilian Enclave at Bidar Airport in North Karnataka.
• The agreement was signed under the centre's Regional Connectivity UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik)
Scheme.
• GHIAL is expected to start the airport operations in the first week of February 2020.
CADD Centre launched new courses
• CADD Centre, Asia's largest network of engineering design-training institutes, has launched courses in
Electric Vehicle (EV) technology.
• The courses cover the entire spectrum of this emerging field, covering design, manufacturing, repair,
maintenance and setting up of the charging infrastructure.
• The duration of CADD Centre's diploma courses range from 60 hours to 120 hours.
Hubbali-Dharwad BRT project inaugurated
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the Hubbali-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in
Karnataka on 2 Feb 2020.
• The Hubballi-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is already ferrying close to one lakh passengers
between the twin cities in its trial run.
• The project promotes fast, safe, and comfortable public transportation and aims to reduce air pollution in
the region.
India's biggest rural technical festival held
• India's biggest rural technical festival titled 'Antahpragnya 2020' was held in Telangana at Rajiv Gandhi
University of Knowledge Technologies-Basar (RGUKT-Basar).
• The three-day technical fest was held from Jan 31-Feb 2, 2020 with the theme 'Spot and encourage rural
tech innovators'.
• It had over 200 events including Campus Farming competition, Robo Racing, Robo Soccer, etc.
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Telangana govt opened new virology lab

• Telangana Govt has opened the new virology lab at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad to enable taking up
diagnostic tests for Novel Coronavirus in the state itself.
• State Health Minister E. Rajender formally opened the lab on 3 Feb 2020.
• Doctors at the Gandhi Hospital have been trained to undertake the tests and give treatment for the virus
infections.
Kerala: Coronavirus declared state disaster

• Kerala government has declared the coronavirus outbreak a 'state disaster' following three confirmed cases
of the deadly infection in the state.
• The condition of the patients are stable and is being closely monitored.
• A total of 1,999 people, who have a travel history from China and other affected countries, are under
observation in Kerala, of whom 75 are in isolation wards.
Govt set a target of 30km of highways a day
• Union Govt has set the target for construction of highways about 30 km per day in the current fiscal.
• The average construction of Highways is 25.23 kilometres per day till December in 2019-20 whereas it was
24.37 kilometres per day during the corresponding period in 2018-19.
• A total of 2,155 kilometres length of roads have been built in the first three months of the current financial
year.
L&T MBDA Missile Systems set up a facility
• Larsen & Toubro announced that its joint venture with European defence major MBDA Missile Systems --
L&T MBDA Missile Systems (LTMMSL), has set up a missile integration facility in Tamil Nadu.
• LTMMSL has set up the assembly, 'inert' integration and testing facility for missile sub-systems and missile
weapon launch systems spread across an area of 16,000 sq meter in Coimbatore.
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Central Govt proposed a single exam

• The government has proposed a single exam for all government jobs.
• The government intends to introduce major reforms in recruitment to non-gazetted posts in governments
and public sector banks.
• At present, candidates appear for various exams held under exam agencies like UPSC and SSC.
• This places enormous burden on time, effort and cost of young people.
Railway tracks to be electrified in 3 years
• Government has set a target of next three years to completely electrify the tracks of Indian Railways.
• This was announced by the Union Ministry of Finance on 2 Feb 2020.
• 37,500 km (58 per cent) of Railway tracks are already electrified.
• Balance 27,000 km will be electrified by Railways by 2023.
• In 2018-19, the railways had consumed about 18 billion units of electricity.
Budget announced largest science mission
• The govt in its budget 2020 has announced a National Mission on Quantum Technologies & Applications
(NM-QTA).
• It has a total budget outlay of Rs 8000 crore for a period of 5 years and will be implemented by the
Department of Science & Technology.
• The mission will help prepare next generation skilled manpower, boost translational research and also
encourage start-up ecosystem development.
Mumbai's Kala Ghoda festival kicked off
• Mumbai's favourite arts festival Kala Ghoda kicked off on 1 Feb 2020.
• This is the 21st edition of the festival.
• For the next nine days, Mumbaikars will enjoy a host of festivities including contemporary artworks, talks by
esteemed names in the city and performances across music, theatre and stand-up comedy and much more
on the streets of South Mumbai.
NABARD approved loan to Punjab Agri Bank
• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has approved loan of Rs.140 crore at
low interest rates to Punjab State Agricultural Development Bank (PSADB).
• The decision was taken during a meeting between Punjab Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh
Randhawa-led delegation with NABARD Chairman Harsh Kumar Banwala in Mumbai.
Meeting of the INCCU with UNESCO in New Delhi
• HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired the meeting of the Indian National Commission for
Cooperation with UNESCO in New Delhi on 30 Jan 2020.
• This was the 1st meeting after the National Commission’s reconstitution.
• The membership of National Commission consists of members of five Sub Commissions namely, Education,
Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Communication, and Culture.
India’s 1st ‘fruit train’ flagged off
• A ‘fruit train’, said to be the first of its kind in the country, was flagged off from Tadipatri Railway Station in
Anantapur district on 30 Jan 2020.
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February 2020
• It carried a load of 980 metric tonnes of locally grown bananas to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai,
from where the consignment will be exported to Iran.
Tata AIG collaborated with DFI
• Tata AIG and Drone Federation of India (DFI) have collaborated to create insurance products and services
for the Drone Industry.
• The association of DFI with Tata AIG will help create insurance solutions for the Drone Industry thus
operationalizing a very important part of the Civil Aviation Requirements for RPAS as mandated by DGCA
India.
ICICI Bank launched ‘iBox’
• ICICI Bank Ltd has launched 'iBox', a 24x7 self-service delivery facility.
• It allows its customers to collect their deliverables such as debit card, credit card, cheque book and
returned cheques, from a branch close to their home or office.
• The Bank has introduced the facility at over 50 branches in 17 cities in the country.
12th South Asia Conference held in New Delhi
• The 12th edition of the annual South Asia Conference was held on 28-29 January 2020 in New Delhi.
• The theme of the South Asia Conference 2020 was India’s Neighbourhood First Policy: Regional Perceptions.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered the inaugural address at the conference.
• The conference is organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi since 2007.
Telangana: Best performing state
• Telangana has emerged as the best performing state in promoting inclusive and sustainable economic
growth and decent work for all on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2019.
• This was revealed by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India.
• The state has improved its performance over 2018 in eight out of 17 SDGs.
DoPT’s online course on Gandhi launched
• Union Minister of State Development of North Eastern Region Dr Jitendra Singh launched the DoPT’s online
certificate course on “Relevance of Gandhi in the Contemporary World” on 30 Jan 2020.
• The online course/programme on Mahatma Gandhi is an initiative of the Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation.
Amazon pickup point arrived in Kolkata
• After a successful pilot in Mumbai, Amazon India announced to expand pickup points to Kolkata, with
launching a kiosk at the Sealdah railway station.
• It would act as a convenient and easy pickup point for customers.
• The pick-up kiosk is in partnership with the Eastern Railways.
• In 2019, the company partnered the Indian Railways to launch pickup kiosks at four railway stations in
Mumbai.
AN-32 aircraft of IAF landed successfully
• The AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force powered with 10% blend of bio-jet fuel took off and landed
successfully in Leh airport on 31 Jan 2020.
• This is the first time that both the engines of an aircraft were powered by the bio-jet indigenous fuel.
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February 2020
• Bio-jet fuel is produced from non-edible ‘Tree Borne Oils’, grown and procured from the tribal areas of
Chhattisgarh state.
J&K Reservation Rules, 2005 amended
• The Administrative Council (AC) of Jammu and Kashmir has amended the J&K Reservation Rules, 2005.
• It will bring the Pahari language speaking people in the category of socially and educationally backward
classes.
• The amendments were approved in a meeting of the AC chaired by the Lieutenant governor, G C Murmu on
30 Jan 2020.
Low-cost satellite launch vehicles by ISRO
• ISRO has announced that it is preparing low-cost satellite launch vehicles costing around Rs 30-35
crores each, which can put into orbit satellites weighing 500 kgs.
• The first such launch is expected to take place in the next four months from the country.
• This capability will give ISRO a big commercial boost as it will be able to cater to micro, mini and medium
segments of the market.
Economic Survey 2020 tabled in Parliament
• Economic Survey 2019-20 has projected economic growth at 6 to 6.5 percent in the next fiscal.
• It was tabled by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament.
• It gave a detailed analysis of the trends in India’s infrastructure sector.
• According to the survey, there is a significant jump of around 2.62 crore new jobs with 1.21 crore in rural
areas and 1.39 crore in urban areas.
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Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I

Awards &Honours ............................................................................................................................................. 3

‘RailMadad’ won DARPG e-Governance Award

Manoj Das to receive Mystic Kalinga Award

Mergers & Events

• The acquisition will create a joint venture in the country.

Days & Events

• International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on 21st February.

• It was established in 1958 by the Ministry of Industry, Government of India.

World Wetlands Day: February 2nd

MOU & Agreements

Govt of Gujarat and SBI signed MoU

Former amb to China G Bambawale joins Ola

Rajiv Bansal became Air India's new CMD

Deepa Malik elected as President

P Parameswaran passed away

Conservative party wins Iranian elections

Bhutan ends free entry for Indian tourists

Books & Authors

Kaamya: Youngest girl to summit Mt. Aconcagua

Government Policies & Schemes

Science & Technology

Business & Economy

New tax regime proposed

ICC ODI rankings: Kohli retains top spot

Indian boxers bagged 6 gold medals

• The Flame-Throated Bulbul is the state bird of Goa.

World's first bulletproof helmet

11th edition of DefExpo-2020 concluded

Committees & Recommendations

NF Railway build India’s tallest pier bridge

CCPA to be set up by April 2020

• He dedicated doubling electrification of Guntakal-Kalluru section via remote video link.

• The event will continue till 23 Feb 2020.

Andhra Pradesh got Disha Police station

• The officer is part of the Indian Army's College of Military Engineering.

India International Seafood show to be held

Telangana govt opened new virology lab

Kerala: Coronavirus declared state disaster

Central Govt proposed a single exam

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