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AFFAIRSCLOUD TODAY
Current Affairs 20 February 2021 : Headlines
1. MoHUA shortlists 25 Cities for ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ Cohort
2. IOC inked SoI with Greenstat Norway to set up Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen
3. Dharmendra Pradhan addressed Joint Conference of 11th World PetroCoal Congress and World
Future Fuel Summit in New Delhi
4. India, Indonesia Navies conduct ‘PASSEX’ exercise in Arabian Sea
5. India hosted Workshop on ‘COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way
Forward’
6. Union Minister Piyush Goyal Delivered Keynote Address At India Singapore CEO Forum
7. India, Nepal sign MoU for Reconstruction of 6 Schools in Nepal
8. Environmental Degradation Poses Triple Threat to Humans: UNEP Assessment
9. 3rd Quad Ministerial Meeting, FMs reaffirm commitment to strengthen co-op on advancing free
and open Indo-Pacific
10. Bank of Maharashtra Partnered with Vayana Network Launches its Mahabank Channel
Financing Scheme for MSMEs
11. Indian Bank signs MoU with SID of IISc to Provide Credit Facility to Start-ups and MSME
12. Hyderabad, Recognised as the ‘2020 Tree City of the World’ by Arbor Day Foundation & FAO
13. Team TRIFED led by MD Pravir Krishna bag 4 awards at World Leadership Congress & Awards
14. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakahria Resigns
15. Japan’s Former Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto Takes Over as 2020 Tokyo Olympic
President
16. Mohammad Younes Menfi Becomes Interim Head of Presidential Council of Libya & Abdul Hamid
Dbeibah as Interim PM of Libya
17. L&T delivers 100th & Final K-9 Vajra Howitzer Gun to Indian Army
18. DRDO completes Joint User Trials for HELINA & Dhruvastra versions of ATGM
19. SpaceX Launched 60 Starlink Satellites into Space; Missed its Landing Target
20. Peter Mukerjea’s Book, a Memoir Titled “Star Struck: Confessions of a TV Executive”
21. VP M Venkaiah Naidu Released a Book, ‘Maverick Messiah: A Political Biography of N.T. Rama
Rao’

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 Daily Current Affairs PDF

NATIONAL AFFAIRS
MoHUA shortlists 25 Cities for ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ Cohort
On February 18, 2021, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) shortlisted 25 Cities for the ‘Nurturing
Neighbourhoods Challenge’ Cohort, the challenge is hosted by the Smart Cities Mission, MoHUA in collaboration
with Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF), Urban95 of BvLF & technical partner World Resources Institute (WRI)
India.

• The shortlisted cities will receive support & technical assistance for the next 6 months to implement their
proposals.
• ‘Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge’ is a 3-year challenge that will help Indian cities to adopt & Implement
neighbourhood-level pilot projects in public space, mobility, and access to services to enhance the physical
and psychological health of young children (0-5 years old) & their caregivers.
• They will create a childhood-friendly environment by ‘re-imagining parks & open spaces, improving access to
early childhood facilities, adapting public space with early childhood-oriented amenities, and creating
accessible, safe, walkable streets for young children and families’.
Shortlisted Cities:
• Agartala, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Dharamshala, Erode, Hubballi-Dharwad, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur,
Kakinada, Kochi, Kohima, Kota, Nagpur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Rohtak, Rourkela, Salem, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram,
Tiruppur, Ujjain, Vadodara, and Warangal.
• Around 63 cities from across India had submitted applications for participating in the challenge, from which
25 cities were shortlisted by the Evaluation committee based on the strength of their applications.
Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge:
It was launched by MoHUA under Smart Cities Mission in collaboration with Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF) &
technical partner WRI India on November 4, 2020.
Objective of the Challenge:
• Promote early childhood centric approach among Indian cities.
• Facilitate demonstration of early childhood centric solutions.
• Catalyse cities to mainstream and implement solutions in long-term.
• Develop peer – peer network of nurturing cities.
• Collect and analyse data related to young children and their caregivers.
Eligibility
It is open to all Indian cities with population above 5 Lakhs including Smart Cities, and Capitals of States/Union
Territories.
Framework
The Challenge is based on ITCN (Infant, Toddler, Caregiver-Friendly Neighbourhoods) Framework or Guidelines for
creating Infant Friendly cities.
A Plan for the Future
• According to the 2011 Census of India, Around 37 Million Children under age 5 live in urban areas across India.

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• By following an early childhood-centric approach to city planning, design & management, Indian cities will
have high chances of achieving goals of economic growth, health, safety and sustainability.
Recent Related News:
i.November 20, 2020, MoHUA and Ministry of Jal Shakti launched Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge and conferred
Swachhata Awards 2020 for 20 best performing districts.
About Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF):
Executive Director – Cecilia Vaca Jones
Headquarters – The Hague, Netherlands
About World Resources Institute (WRI) India:
CEO – O P Agarwal

IOC inked SoI with Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt. Ltd to set up Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen
On February 18, 2021, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with Greenstat Hydrogen India
Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Greenstat Norway for setting up of Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen (CoE-H) including CCUS
and Fuel Cells.

• It will be set up through Indo-Norwegian Hydrogen Cluster companies/organizations which will facilitate the
transfer and sharing of technology, know-how and experience for R&D (Research & Development) projects in
Green and Blue Hydrogen.
• The agreement has been signed by both the companies in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra
Pradhan, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Ambassador of Norway to India Hans Jacob
Frydenlund, and senior officials of MoPNG.
Key Points:
–The CoE will act as a think-tank for developing standards for best industrial practices, safety, product protocols and
regulations in the area of hydrogen and fuel cells.
–CoE-H will be a vehicle for promoting R&D projects in Green and Blue Hydrogen between Norwegian and Indian
R&D institutions/universities.
–This pact is on the lines of the government pledge to focus on generating hydrogen from green power sources in
order to develop efficient energy infrastructure.
–The CoE will also aid in developing cost-efficient and sustainable technological solutions along with piloting fuel cell
research.
–Central Government is working towards making India a global hub for manufacturing and developing hydrogen
centric technologies on the lines of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Additional Info:
–The Union Budget 2020-21 unveiled National Hydrogen Mission (NHM) to accelerate plans to generate the carbon-
free fuel from renewables.
–India is the third-largest energy consumer with growing energy demand.
–Already, a pilot project for blending hydrogen with compressed natural gas for use as a transportation fuel is
running at Rajghat Bus depot in Delhi for 50 buses.

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 Daily Current Affairs PDF

Recent Related News:

• Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Inaugurated India’s 1st of its kind Migrant Worker Cell at Surat, Gujarat.
An initiative of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) it aims to help Migrants from Odia & other parts of the
country working in different industries of Surat.
• The New Delhi-based Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) launched a month long pan-India
campaign ‘SAKSHAM 2021 (Sanrakshan Kshamata Mahotsav)’ from January 16, 2021 to February 15 2021 to
create awareness about the adverse impact of fossil fuels on health and environment, and to convince the
consumers of fossil fuels to switch towards cleaner fuels.
About Indian Oil:
Chairman– Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
Headquarter– New Delhi
About Greenstat:
Manager for Greenstat Hydrogen– Tomas Fiksdal
Headquarter– Bergen, Norway

Dharmendra Pradhan addressed Joint Conference of 11th World PetroCoal Congress 2021 & World
Future Fuel Summit 2021 in New Delhi
On February 18, 2021, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG)
addressed the Joint Conference of the 11th World PetroCoal Congress 2021 and World Future Fuel Summit 2021 in
New Delhi.

• World’s only congress on Petroleum Coal Gas Industry with a focus on synergy for Energy, 11th World
PetroCoal Congress-International Conference and Expo 2021 was organized by Energy and Environment
Foundation on the theme “Petroleum-Coal-Gas: Towards a Win-Win Strategy for Producer and
Consumer”.
• Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Science and
Technology, Niti Aayog, Government of India supported the 11th World PetroCoal Congress-International
Conference and Expo 2021.
• The World Future Fuel Summit and Expo 2021 was also organized by Energy and Environment Foundation. It
is an annual summit to bring together global business leaders, future leaders (students), government,
specialist exhibitors from globally, it showcases state-to-art technologies in clean future energy for globally.
Key Points from Dharmendra Pradhan Address:
Target –
The aim is to have 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2025 & Talcher coal gasification-based plant will be India’s
first coal gasification-based fertilizer plant with pet coke blending.
Solar Capacity Increased by 13 times in last 6 years, 37 Cr LED bulbs under UJALA scheme & more than 1 Cr smart
LED street light reduced around 43 Million tons of carbon emission annually. 40% electricity generation from non-
fossil fuel-based energy resources will be achieved by 2030.
Statistics Regarding LPG:
–The LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) coverage in India has increased from 56% to nearly 99.5% in less than seven
years.

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–To reduce vehicular pollution, India shifted from BS-4 to BS-6 emission standards from April 2020.
–The number of LPG Customers in 2014 was 14.5 crore, but has gone up to almost 29 crores in 2021.
Key Points:
–Ethanol Procurement by Oil Marketing Companies(OMCs) has gone up to 325 crore litre now. The ethanol-blending
percentage has increased to 8.5 % now, and the aim is to have 10% blending by 2022 and 20% by 2025.
–An investment of 60 billion US dollars is underway for developing gas infrastructure which includes pipelines, city
gas distribution and LNG regasification terminals.
–Solar Capacity of India has increased by 13 times in the last six years.
–Nearly 37 crore LED bulbs distributed under UJALA scheme and more than one crore smart LED street lights
reduced around 43 Million tonnes of carbon emission annually.
Additional Info:
As per Global Energy Outlook by IEA, OPEC and British Petroleum indicate that the world total primary energy
demand would increase at less than 1% per annum till 2040. On the other hand, India’s Energy demand would grow
at about 3% per annum till 2040.
Recent Related News:
i.The 15th Edition of India Digital Summit 2021 (IDS 2021) organized by Internet & Mobile Association of India
(IAMAI) took place virtually from January 19-20, 2021 on the theme ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat – Start of New Decade’.
ii.On January 25, 2021, the Government of Netherlands hosted a virtual international Climate Adaptation Summit
(CAS Online) 2021 with the support of Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) from Amsterdam, Netherlands. From India,
the summit was addressed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
About Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG):
Dharmendra Pradhan Constituency– Madhya Pradesh
Headquarter– New Delhi

India, Indonesia Navies conduct ‘PASSEX’ exercise in Arabian Sea

On February 18, 2021, the Indian Navy conducted a Bilateral Military Exercise ‘PASSEX’ (Passage Exercise) with the
Indonesian Navy in the Arabian Sea. The main aim of the exercise is to increase interoperability & strengthen the
Bilateral Maritime Cooperation between the two navies.

• Indian Navy Ship INS Talwar & Indonesian Navy’s multirole Corvette KRI Bung Tomo participated in the
exercise.
• Maritime Cooperation with India & Indonesia is increasing rapidly in the last few years.
• PASSEXs are regularly conducted by Indian Navy with friendly foreign navies while visiting each other’s ports
or during an engagement at sea.
PASSEX with other Countries
Russia
Indian Navy undertook a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with Russian Federation Navy (RuFN) in the Eastern Indian
Ocean Region (IOR) from December 4-5, 2020.

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Vietnam
Indian Navy & Vietnam People’s Navy undertook a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) 2020 in the South China Sea from
December 26-27, 2020 to boost maritime cooperation between the two countries.
PASSEX
• They are conducted by Two Navies to ensure that the navies are able to communicate and cooperate in times
of war or humanitarian relief.
• Common drills include flashing light drills, semaphore drills, and flaghoist drills.
Recent Related News:
i.On December 17-18, 2020, the 35th edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) 2020
between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy.
About Indonesia:
President – Joko Widodo
Capital – Jakarta
Currency – Indonesian rupiah

India hosted Workshop on ‘COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward’
On February 18, 2021, India organized a virtual workshop on “Covid-19 Management: Experience, good practices
and way forward” for health officials and experts from the eight members of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Mauritius and Seychelles. It was chaired by India’s health secretary Rajesh
Bhushan.Prime Minister (PM), Narendra Modi, addressed the workshop.

• The SAARC members include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan,
Seychelles and Sri Lanka.
• While addressing the workshop, PM proposed five measures to cope with future medical emergencies for the
countries in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
• The key measure includes creating a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses so that medical personnel
can travel quickly within the region during health emergencies.
Key Points:
–There should be coordination among civil aviation ministries on a regional air ambulance agreement for medical
contingencies.
–Creation of regional platform for studies on forecasting future pandemics.
–Creation of a regional network for promoting technology assisted epidemiology.
–He also recalled the creation of COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to meet the immediate costs of fighting the
pandemic and sharing of resources – medicines, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment Kit), and testing equipment.
–Notably, all countries including Pakistan accepted the measures and proposed a discussion on the same to take them
forward.
Recent Related News:
i.On November 18, 2020, the Ministerial meeting of the Global Prevention Coalition (GPC) for HIV (Human
Immunodeficiency Virus) Prevention 2020 was virtually hosted by UNAIDS (United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS) and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) on behalf of the HIV GPC.

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ii.On January 5, 2021, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Harsh Vardhan virtually inaugurated the Coalition for
Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) Laboratory at the Translational Health Science & Technology Institute
(THSTI), Faridabad. This is the 1st of its Kind in India & one of the Seven labs of the Global network.
About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):
Secretary General– Esala Ruwan Weerakoon (Sri Lanka)
Headquarter– Kathmandu, Nepal
Current Chair– Nepal
Till date India held its chairmanship for 3 times i.e. in 1986-87, 1995-1997, and 2007-2008

Union Minister Piyush Goyal Delivered Keynote Address At 2nd Meeting of India Singapore CEO
Forum
On 18th February 2021, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry(FICCI) jointly with Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) organised 2nd Meeting of India-Singapore CEO forum 2021.The
Meeting was co-chaired by Harshavardhan Neotia & Gautam Banerjee.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution
delivered the keynote address at the Meeting.
Note:
The Forum was first launched in November 2018.
Highlights:
i.The members of the Forum agreed to work on resolving the regulatory issues and process which are affecting the
bilateral trade and investment between India and Singapore.
ii.Union Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the expanding relations between India and Singapore greatly depends on
people and people relationships and 3 Bs: Buddhism; Bollywood; Business.
The Bilateral Benefits:
i.S Iswaran, Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations Singapore highlighted 3D’s: Development, Diversification and
Digital Economy to build the partnership that benefits both the countries.
ii.Union Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the partnership between India and Singapore has supported India to
become Atma Nirbhar and provide an opportunity to expand the global footprint of India.
iii.He called out the company to expand their engagement and works on the ways to encourage the young people to
use more innovative technology.
iv.Both India and Singapore are working in cybersecurity and disaster relief and education and skills development.
v.India offers a large market for E-commerce, fintech, smart manufacturing and healthcare.
Singapore and the GIFT city, India’s first operational smart city have tied up with Singapore exchange to boost the
international investment in India.
vi.He stated that the female entrepreneurs can open up great potential in this area and enhance the relation between
both the countries.
vii.India recognises Singapore, the significant member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) and
considers that it will boost India to the region.

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India, Nepal sign MoU for Reconstruction of 6 Schools in Nepal

On February 18, 2021, India & Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Reconstruction of 6
Secondary Schools in Nepal at a cost of Nepali Rupees 518 Million (NPR) (~ INR 32.63 crore).

• The MoU was signed by Indian Embassy & Nepal’s Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Education) of
Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA).
• Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, a leading institute in India in the field of earthquake-
resilient reconstruction will provide technical assistance for construction of these schools.
• The signing of the MoU took place at a ceremony for the reconstruction of Shree Kanti Bhairab Secondary
School at Kageshwari Municipality in Kathmandu in Nepal, which is being reconstructed at a cost of NPR 266
Million.
6 Secondary Schools to be reconstructed are
• Kanti Bhairab Secondary School, Champa Devi Secondary School, Dhapasi Secondary School and Bishnu Devi
Secondary School-located in Kathmandu district and
• Siddheshwar Secondary School and Harisiddhi Secondary School – located in Kavre district.
India’s Financial Grant to Nepal
• India has committed a financial assistance of USD 250 Million for reconstruction projects in Education, health,
cultural heritage & housing sectors.
• For the Education Sector alone, India has committed a grant of USD 50 Million under which 71 educational
institutions damaged during 2015 earthquake are being reconstructed in 8 districts of Nepal.
Recent Related News:
i.On November 3, 2020, Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra handed over a cheque of NPR (Nepalese
Rupee) 1 Billion (~ INR 62.5 Crores) to Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Finance Minister of Nepal as reimbursement of Nepal
Housing Reconstruction Project.
About Nepal:
President – Bidya Devi Bhandari
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese Rupee (NPR)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Environmental Degradation Poses Triple Threat to Humans: UNEP Assessment
In accordance with the scientific assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) titled “Making
Peace With Nature”, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are posing a triple threat to human health due
to environmental degradation.
• There is a massive need of adopting renewable energy methods and eliminating habitat loss for saving our
future generations from unacceptable risks.
• The lead author of the report is Robert Watson, Ivar A. Baste .
Key Points:
–World is on track to be at least 3°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

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–The extraction of natural resources and energy has tripled in the last 50 years due to a fivefold increase in the global
economy.
–Average prosperity has doubled over the last five decades, still around 1.3 billion people are classed as poor and 700
million go to bed hungry each night.
–Notably, a progress being made to eliminate poverty and hunger is posing environmental degradation.
–The world is moving towards at least three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by 2100 in contrast to the
Paris climate deal of limiting warming to “well below” 2C and to a safer cap of 1.5C if possible.
–The assessment recommended the expansion of protected areas to allow more space for wild species, and address
the drivers of forest loss, such as unsustainable farming and food waste.
Recent Related News:
i.On January 14, 2021, the 5th edition of United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report
2020 was launched during a high-level online press event. The report was produced by UNEP in collaboration with
UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP) and the World Adaptation Science Programme (WASP).
ii.The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report titled “Global Climate Litigation Report: 2020 Status
Review”. The report was published by UNEP in cooperation with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at
Columbia University, New York.
About United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
Executive Director– Inger Andersen
Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya

3rd Quad Ministerial Meeting, FMs reaffirm commitment to strengthen co-op on advancing free and
open Indo-Pacific
On February 18, 2021 The 3rd India-Australia-Japan-USA Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) Ministerial meeting
2021 held virtually from Washington DC, United States(US).The meeting was attended by Foreign Ministers of Japan,
India, Australia and the US(QUAD) countries.

• Myanmar was the key focus of the meet.

• The QUAD nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation including support for freedom of
navigation and territorial integrity.

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• The Indian side was represented by Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA).
• Notably, 2021 Quad Ministerial Meeting was first meeting under the Joe Biden Administration.
Other Participants:
• US- Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
• Australia- Marise Payne, Foreign Minister
• Japan- Toshimitsu Motegi, Foreign Minister
Key Points:
–Discussions were held on COVID-19 response and climate change and to address these global challenges.
–They also discussed countering disinformation, counterterrorism, maritime security, the urgent need to restore the
democratically elected government in Myanmar, and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the
broader region.
–They reaffirmed their mutual support for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) centrality.
–They also expressed their commitment in enhancing access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical
equipment.
–Notably, India’s efforts at providing vaccines to 74 countries were appreciated at the meeting.
Previous Meeting:
This meeting is the continuation of the views that were exchanged in the 2nd QUAD meeting of October 6, 2020 that
was held in Tokyo. The first meeting of Quad was organized in the year 2019 in New York.
Recent Related News:
i.On January 23, 2021, the 19th meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on India Bangladesh cooperation in the
energy sector was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh where Indian delegation was led by the Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan
Sahai while Power Secretary Md. Habibur Rahman represented the Bangladesh side.
ii.On 21st January, 2021, Present Chair of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), Government of Turkey hosted the
17th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue 2021 virtually under the theme “The New Normal and Safe and
Healthy Tourism”.
About Quad ministerial:
In 2017, the above mentioned four countries approved the proposal of setting up the “Quad” or the Quadrilateral
coalition to counter China’s aggressive behaviour in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Quad Countries are also known as “Asian NATO”.
• It is held annually at the Ministerial level and on a regular basis at senior and working levels.
• The first meeting of this framework was held in New York in September 2019.

BANKING & FINANCE

Bank of Maharashtra Partnered with Vayana Network Launches its Mahabank Channel Financing
Scheme for MSMEs
On February 18, 2021 Bank of Maharashtra(BoM) in partnership with Vayana Network, India’s largest Supply
Chain Financing (SCF) platform, launched its Mahabank Channel Financing Scheme, a Channel Financing solution
for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs).
This partnership enables BoM to provide short term credit to meet funding requirements of corporate dealers and
vendors through its channel.
Purpose: To provide financial support to MSMEs
Provisions of the Partnership:
i.Under the partnership, Vayana Network will provide SCF solutions to more than 1,870 branches of BoM through its
technology and service knowledge. SCF solutions include vendor and dealer financing programs.
ii.The proprietary technology platform of Vayana assists to digitise the transactions of Supply Chain Financing, at the
same time helps market services to increase penetration in the under-served MSME segment.

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Recent Related News:

On January 28, 2021 Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka and Amazon India has signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help enhance e-commerce exports from the state and also to elevate
MSMEs in state to a global level through Amazon Global Selling, an exports program of Amazon.
About Bank of Maharashtra(BoM):
i.The Government of India holds 93.33% stake in the bank.
ii.It is the sponsor bank of Maharashtra Gramin Bank
• Aurangabad Jalna Gramin Bank & Thane Gramin Bank was amalgamated into Maharashtra Godavari Gramin
Bank.
• Maharashtra Gramin Bank came in to existence on 20th July 2009 after amalgamation of erstwhile
Maharashtra Godavari Gramin Bank and Marathawada Gramin Bank
HeadOffice– Pune, Maharashtra
Incorporated on– September 16, 1935
Commenced Operations– February 8, 1936
MD & CEO– A.S Rajeev
About Vayana Network:
Founder & CEO– R. N. Iyer
Headquarters– Pune, Maharashtra

Indian Bank signs MoU with SID of IISc to Provide Credit Facility to Start-ups and MSME
On February 19, 2021 Indian Bank signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Society for Innovation and
Development (SID), an initiative of Indian Institute of Science(IISc), Bengaluru to provide exclusive credit
facility to start-ups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs). This initiative is a part of the Bank’s scheme
‘Ind Spring Board for financing Start-ups’

Objective– To empower start-ups & MSMEs to realise their research efforts by providing them financial support from
the Bank and offer incubation facilities offered by SID.
Key People:
Sudhakar Rao (GM, MSME, Indian Bank) and Prof B Gurumoorthy, Chief Executive, SID signed the MoU.

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Provisions of MoU:
i.SID will identify the start-ups and MSME on the basis of credentials and past experience. After which they will refer
to the list of such members who require financial assistance to the Bank.
ii.The bank will provide loans up to Rs. 50 crores to these start-ups to cater their working capital requirements or to
purchase of machinery, equipment etc
How does SID support MSMEs?
It provides the joint Research and Development(R&D) arrangements with industries and also technical & financial
support to incubate and accelerate high end technology products under its department named ‘TIME2’(Technology
Innovation for Midsized Enterprises).
Recent Related News:
On October 6, 2020, Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, launched “MSME Prerana” an
online business mentoring programme for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by Indian Bank in
collaboration with Poornatha & Co, at the bank’s headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
About Society for Innovation and Development (SID):
Chief Executive– Prof B Gurumoorthy
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
About Indian Bank:
On April 1, 2020, Allahabad Bank amalgamated with Indian Bank.
MD & CEO– Padmaja Chunduru
Tagline– Your Own Bank
Headquarters– Chennai, TamilNadu

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Hyderabad, Recognised as the ‘2020 Tree City of the World’ by Arbor Day Foundation & FAO
On 4th February 2021, the Arbor Day Foundation and the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations(UN) has recognised Hyderabad (Telangana) as one of the ‘2020 Tree City
of the World’ for its contributions and commitment towards growing and maintaining urban forest.

• Hyderabad became the first and only city in India to be recognised as the 2020 Tree City of the World.
• With the recognition as the 2020 tree city of the world, Hyderabad became a part of the network of cities who
recognise the vital role of trees towards building healthy, resilient and happy cities.
• Along with Hyderabad, 51 other cities were recognised as the ‘2020 Tree Cities of the World”, most of which
were from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and others.
About Tree Cities of the World:
The tree cities of the world is a programme was inaugurated in 2019 by FAO of UN and Arbor Day Foundation.
Aim:
To call cities to invest in forest-based solutions towards a sustainable and resilient model of urban development.

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Highlights:
i.68 cities from 17 countries were recognised in the 1st year of the programme.
ii.2020 ‘Tree cities of the world’ is the 2nd year of the programme.
iii.Presently around 120 cities from 63 countries were assessed as the Tree cities of the World.
Standard of recognition:
• The city should have established responsibility, a tree board responsible for the care of trees within the
municipal boundary.
• The city should have a law and official policy that governs the management of forest and trees.
• The city should have updated inventory of the local tress resources which will support the effective long term
plans.
• The city should have a dedicated budget for the implementation of tree management.
• The city should hold an annual celebration of trees.
About Arbor Day Foundation:
Arbor Day Foundation is a non profit organization dedicated towards planting trees.
Chief Executive– Matt Harris
Headquarters– Lincoln, Nebraska
Founded in 1972

Team TRIFED led by MD Pravir Krishna bag 4 awards at World Leadership Congress & Awards
Team TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India), the commercial wing of Ministry of
Tribal Affairs and its Managing Director, Pravir Krishna won Four Awards in the 19th Global Edition & 4th India
Edition of World Leadership Congress and Awards. The Economic Times presents ‘Business Leader of the Year’ took
place in Mumbai, Maharashtra on February 17, 2021.

• TRIFED won the Collective Award of Excellence in PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) for investment in start-
ups under the Organisational Award Category.
• Pravir Krishna won 3 awards in the Individual Category for his leadership – ‘CEO of the year’, ‘Entrepreneur
of the Year’ (both under ‘Business Leader of the Year’ category) & ‘Brand Builder of the Year’ (under Health
Category).
• The Awards are hosted by World Leadership Congress and Awards.
Initiatives of TRIFED:
TRIFED has introduced several initiatives for empowering the tribal community & tribal commerce. It has introduced
initiatives like
Van Dhan Yojana
• To promote Tribal Incomes through Value Addition of Tribal products.
‘MSP for MFP Scheme’
• For Providing Fair Price for MFPs collected by Tribals through MSP Mechanism. MFP comprises all non-timber
forest produce of plant origin like bamboo, brush wood, stumps, cane, tussar, cocoons and others.

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Exhibitions
TRIFED is also hosting various exhibitions like Aadi Mahotsav, Tribes India market place & retail outlets such as
Amazon, Flipkart for boosting tribal commerce.
Atmanirbhar Tribal India
TRIFED is working on the mission of creating an ‘Atmanirbhar Tribal India’.
TRIFED’s MD Pravir Krishna
• Pravir Krishna is an IAS Officer of 1987 batch (Madhya Pradesh Cadre).
• He has been named as one of the ‘50 Most Influential Indian 2020’ & has been mentioned in the list of
influential Indians prepared by Fame India, Asia Post & PSU Watch in 2020 for his works towards empowering
the lives of tribals.
Recent Related News:
On 14th October 2020, Pravir Krishna, MD of TRIFED received the CEO of the Year and Visionary Leadership Award
at the virtual edition of National Awards for Excellence – PSU hosted by the World Human Resource
Development (HRD) Congress.
About TRIFED:
TRIFED was established in August 1987 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984
MD – Pravir Krishna
Headquarters – New Delhi

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakahria Resigns
On February 18, 2021 Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister(PM) of Georgia resigned due to a disagreement with his
own team over the decision to arrest Nika Melia, chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party.
Giorgi Gakharia belongs to Georgian Dream party. He served as the Prime Minister since September 2019

Note: The ruling party is expected to nominate a new PM and cabinet members for approval by Georgian President
Salome Zourabichvili shortly.
Issue:
Gakahria wanted to avoid arrest of Nika melia. As per him, this will increase the political crisis already underway and
destabilize the country.
About Giorgi Gakahria:
Political Career
i.He served as the Business Ombudsman of Georgia(March 2013-July 2016)
ii.He also served as the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia(November 2016-2017)
iii.From November 13, 2017 to September 2019 he served as the Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Vice Prime
Minister of Georgia.
iv.In addition to this, he served as the Secretary of the National Security Council from April 2019 to September 2019.

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Professional Career
From November 2008 to February 2013, he served as the Business Development Director for Eastern Europe, CIS and
the Russian Federation at Lufthansa Service Holding AG.
About Georgia:
Capital- Tbilisi
Currency- Georgian Lari(GEL)

Japan’s Former Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto Takes Over as 2020 Tokyo Olympic President
On 18th February 2021, Seiko Hashimoto, seven time Olympian (speed skater and cyclist) who was serving as the
Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games became the president of the Tokyo 2020 Organising
Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• Seiko Hashimoto resigned from the role of Minister of Olympics as she takes over as the president of 2020
Tokyo Olympics.
• She succeeds Former chief Yoshiro Mori following his resignation over the condemned sexist remarks.
About Seiko Hashimoto:
Sports:
i.Seiko Hashimoto a former olympian who represente japan in speed skating at 4 winter Olympic games(1984, 1988,
1992 & 1994) and in Track cycling at 3 Summer Games(1988, 1992 & 1996).
ii.She won a bronze in the Women’s 1500 m speed skating in 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France.
iii.In 1990 she won a medal at the World Championship for speed skate and became the first japanese achieve the
feat.
Politics:
i.Seiko Hashimoto of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has served as the Olympic minister from September 2019 to
February 2021 and she has also been the Minister In charge of Women’s Empowerment and Minister of State for
Gender Equality.
ii.She was the first politician in Japan to take maternity leave while in office and she was also the first upper house
lawmaker to give birth while holding the office.
About 2020 Tokyo Olympic:
2020 Tokyo Olympic is officially the Games of the 32nd Olympiad.It is to be held from23 July 2021 to 8 August 2021.
Olympic Mascot– Miraitowa
Paralympic Mascot– Someity

Mohammad Younes Menfi Becomes Interim Head of Presidential Council of Libya & Abdul Hamid
Dbeibah as Interim PM of Libya
On February 5, 2021 UN-led Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) selected Mohammad Younes Menfi as interim
president of the 3 member Presidential Council of Libya and Abdul Hamid Dbeibah as interim Prime Minister of the
country.
Other members of the Presidential council include, Abdullah Al-Lafi and Mossa Al-Koni.
Note: Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has to form his government in 21 days. He is the founder of Libya al-Mustakbal (Libya
Future) Movement.

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Key Points:
i.He will serve as the Interim PM till the National Election that is to be held later 2021.
ii.He also founded Libya al-Mustakbal (Libya Future) Movement and has support from western tribes.
About Libya officially the State of Libya:
Capital– Tripoli
Currency– Libyan Dinar

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

L&T delivers 100th & Final K-9 Vajra Howitzer Gun to Indian Army
On February 18, 2021, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) delivered the 100th & Final K-9 Vajra-T 155 mm/52 calibre self-
propelled Howitzer guns to the Indian army from L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex (ASC) situated at Hazira near
Surat, Gujarat. The K-9 Vajra was flagged off by Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane.

• K-9 Vajra has a range of 38 kms and is an indigenized version of K-9 Thunder of South Korea.
• The Howitzers have been produced by L&T with technology transfer from South Korean defence major
Hanwha Defense.
• The Howitzers have been delivered with more than 80% indigenous work packages & above 50%
indigenisation (by value)
• With this, L&T has successfully completed delivery of all 100 Howitzer guns under the INR 4, 366 Crore
contract awarded to it by the Ministry of Defence in May 2017.
Deployment in Ladakh
Three K-9 Vajra Howitzers are set to be deployed for trials in the High Altitude mountainous area of ladakh.
• Based on the performance of the guns at the challenging conditions, Indian Army will place orders for 2 or 3
additional regiments of Howitzers for mountain operations.
Howitzers:
Howitzer are Large ranged weapons used for firing shells on high trajectories at low velocities.
• Other Howitzers being used in the Indian Army are Vajras, Dhanush & M777 Ultra-light howitzers.

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• India is also set to induct its indigenous Howitzer called ‘Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS)’ into
the Indian Army. ATAGS is being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
L&T’s Hazira Manufacturing Plant
• L&T has established a green-field manufacturing-cum-integration and testing facility called ‘Armoured
Systems Complex’ at Hazira near Surat, Gujarat as part of its ‘Make-in-India’ initiative.
• It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018.
• In January 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the 51st K-9 Vajra Howitzer from the Hazira
Manufacturing Plant.
Other components of the Defence Contract:
• Along with the delivery of K-9 Howitzers, the contract also involves associated Engineering Support Package
(ESP) covering spare, system documentation & training.
• It also involves Maintenance Transfer of Technology (MToT) to an army base workshop to support Howitzers
throughout their operational life cycle.
Recent Related News:
i.L&T Defence,defence manufacturing group of Larsen and Toubro received ‘green channel status’ from Defence
Ministry. It has received the status from the Directorate General Quality Assurance (DGQA) under the Ministry of
Defence for its major naval weapon delivery systems.
About Larsen & Toubro (L&T):
Chairman – Anil Manibhai Naik
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director – S. N. Subrahmanyan
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

DRDO completes Joint User Trials for HELINA & Dhruvastra versions of ATGM
On February 19, 2021, DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organization) successfully conducted the trials of
HELINA (Helicopter Launched Nag) (Army version) & Dhruvastra (Air Force Version) of the Anti-Tank Guided
Missiles (ATGM) from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

• The Missiles have been developed indigenously byDRDO.

• The Missiles successfully completed Five Missions for evaluating the missile capabilities in minimum and
maximum range.
• As they have completed the trials successfully, they will be ordered by the Indian Air Force & Indian Army for
their Combat choppers.
• HELINA has a range of 7 Kms.
HELINA:
• It is a 3rd Generation, Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) Fire & Forget ATGMS.
• They can engage targets both in direct hit mode & top attack mode and is Guided by imaging infrared seekers.
• ATGMs are also equipped with all-weather day and night capability, they can defeat Tanks with both
Conventional armour & Explosive Reactive armour.
• HELINA is one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.
• HELINA (Army version) will be used in Indian Army’s ALHs such as ‘Rudra’, ‘Dhruv’ and in its Light Combat
Helicopters (LCH) being built by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited).

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Recent Related News:

i.On October 22, 2020 India successfully carried out the 10th and Final User Trial of Nag ATGM at Pokhran Field
Firing Ranges, Rajasthan.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
Chairman – Dr G Satheesh Reddy
Headquarters – New Delhi

SpaceX Launched 60 Starlink Satellites into Space; Missed its Landing Target
On February 15, 2021 SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape
Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, United States of America. The satellites were launched using a two-stage
rocket, otherwise known as the Falcon 9 booster. This was the 6th launch of this Falcon 9 booster. This launch is part
of the 19th Starlink mission.

i.The rocket’s first stage did not land on SpaceX’s drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ in the Atlantic Ocean as
planned.
ii.The first-stage booster is the largest and most expensive portion of the rocket, accounting about roughly 60% of the
price of building a new Falcon 9 rocket.
Key Info:
i.In 2015, SpaceX did 1st successful booster landing
ii.Since then, the company has landed 67 boosters out of 107 total Falcon 9 launches, and 50 of those flights have
made use of previously flown boosters.
SpaceX Created New World Record by Launching 143 satellites in Single Launch by Falcon 9:
On January 24, 2021, SpaceX successfully created a New World Record by launching 143 Satellites in a single
mission. The satellites were launched using the Falcon 9 Reusable rockets from the Cape Canaveral Space Force
Station in Florida, United States of America.
About SpaceX:
Chief Executive Officer – Elon Musk
Headquarters – California, USA

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Peter Mukerjea’s Book, a Memoir Titled “Star Struck: Confessions of a TV Executive”
Peter Mukerjea, the former CEO of Star India Network, has penned down his memoir titled “Star Struck:
Confessions of a TV Executive”. The book is a written confession of Peter Mukerjea, a well known media personality
who is undertrial for the murder case of Sheen Bora.
The book is published by Westland Books, the publishing arm of Amazon.
About the Book:
i.The book is a collection of Peter Mukerjea’s experiences in Star India and his journey to becoming the CEO of Star
India.
ii.The book also features the life events that changed his life over the years.

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About Peter Mukerjea:

i.Peter Mukerjea joined Star TV in 1993 and he was promoted as the Executive Vice President in 1997 and later
appointed as the CEO of Star India in 1999.
ii.He retired from Star India in 2007.
iii.He has served as the Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of INX media from 2007 to 2009(retired from INX
media).
iv.He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) in November 2015, in connection with the Sheena
Bora Murder case, in which Indrani Mukerjea his former wife is the main accused.

VP M Venkaiah Naidu Released a Book, ‘Maverick Messiah: A Political Biography of N.T. Rama Rao’
On February 18, 2021 Vice President(VP) M Venkaiah Naidu released a book titled, ‘Maverick Messiah: A Political
Biography of N.T. Rama Rao’. The non-fiction book is authored by senior journalist, Ramesh Kandula and
published by Penguin Random house India.

Who is N.T. Rama Rao?

i.Nandamuri Taraka(N.T.) Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996) is widely known as NTR
ii.He is an Indian actor, producer, director, film editor and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh(AP) for 7 years over three terms.
iii.He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982.
iv.He was the first non-Congress Chief Minister of the state.
Awards:
He received Padma Shri in 1968 for art among others.
Honours:
i.AP Govt in 1996 instituted The NTR National Award in honour of him.
The award recognises notable film personalities for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film
industry.
ii.NTR Vignan Trust instituted NTR National Literary Award, an annual award to recognise people for their lifetime
achievements and contributions to Indian literature.

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About Ramesh Kandula:

Presently he is serving as the CEO & chief editor of Mahaa News, a Telugu news channel, broadcasting from
Hyderabad.

*******
Click Here View – AC Excluded News 2021

GA Questions Asked in Exams

• GA Questions asked in RRB PO Mains Exam 2021 – Jan 30

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• GA Questions Asked in IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2020 – 90% Questions Covered by AC
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• GA Questions asked in IBPS PO Main Exam 2019
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