NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Govt creates
‘INSPIRE Awards – MANAK’ to take startups to school: Aimed at fostering
culture of entrepreneurship among school children, the government has set up
the ‘INSPIRE Awards-MANAK’. 10 lakh ideas will be targeted from 5 lakh schools
every year and one lakh ideas will be shortlisted for an INSPIRE Award of ₹5,000
each. The top 60 projects will be shortlisted for National Awards and showcased
at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
2.
ISKCON's
mid-day meal scheme bags quality award: International
Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) food relief foundation 'Annamrita'
has bagged the IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality award in the NGO category
for the second time in a row. Over 12 lakh underprivileged children across India
get nutritious and hygienic meals from its 20 centralised, ISO certified
kitchens every day through its mid-day meal scheme.
3. Lowest salary of govt employee rose over 32,000% in 70 years: The lowest salary of a government employee rose 32,627%, from ₹55 to ₹18,000, in the last 70 years. Meanwhile, the senior government employees' salary has risen from ₹2,000 to ₹2.5 lakh since independence, a 12,400% rise. The Seventh Pay Commission had recommended an over 14% increase in the basic pay of government employees, which was accepted by the Centre.
4.
Pandit Ravi
Shankar has won most Grammy Awards among Indians: Late Indian
classical musician Pandit Ravi Shankar won a total of five Grammy Awards,
making him the Indian with most Grammy Awards. The awards include a Lifetime
Achievement Award and an Album of the Year. While he was the first Indian to be
honoured with a Grammy, other Indian Grammy winners include AR Rahman, Zakir
Hussain and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
5.
2.83 lakh
central government jobs to be created by 2018:According to the
Budget, as many as 2.83 lakh central government jobs are estimated to be generated
by next year. Of this, over 1 lakh more people will be added in police
departments. The government will train more youth to become entrepreneurs and
be job-ready in the changing scenario under its newly created Ministry of Skill
Development, an official said.
6. 20-yr-old
Afghan girl forms club to teach girls martial arts: Sima Azimi, a
20-year-old Afghan girl, has formed a club to train young Afghan girls in
Wushu, an ancient Chinese martial art. Sima learned the sport in Iran and came
to Kabul to form the Shaolin Wushu club a year ago. The club's members belong
to a Shi'ite group called Hazara, which has been targeted by IS in the past.
7. National
Productivity Day - The National Productivity Day is observed every
year on February 12. Besides, February 12-18 is observed as National
Productivity week throughout the country. The main observance of day is
organised by National Productivity Council (NPC) for encouraging all
stakeholders in implementation of productivity tools and techniques with
contemporary relevant themes. 2017 Theme of National Productivity Week:
“From Waste to Profits-through Reduce, Recycle and Reuse”.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
North Korea conducts ballistic missile test: North Korea test-fired a ballistic
missile in an apparent provocation after the US President Donald Trump
administration warned it of "effective and overwhelming" response
over its use of nuclear weapons. The missile reportedly landed in the Sea of
Japan. This comes after Trump assured Japan's PM Shinzo Abe that "America
stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100%"
2. Founders of firm involved in Panama Papers scandal
arrested: Founders
of Mossack Fonseca, the law firm involved in the Panama Papers scandal, have
been arrested following a probe into their role in a scandal involving bribes
paid by a Brazilian company. Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca were accused of
setting up offshore accounts that enabled the Brazilian company to funnel
bribes to various countries.
3. Woman visits all 196 countries in 18 months to set
record: Cassandra
De Pecol, a 27-year-old American woman, has become the fastest woman to travel
to all sovereign nations in the world by visiting 196 countries in 18 months
and 26 days. De Pecol completed the trip in less than half the time it took the
previous Guinness World Record holder. Her budget for the trip was $198,000
(over ₹1.3 crore).
4. Frank-Walter Steinmeier elected President of Germany: Former German
foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been elected as the country's new
President by a parliamentary assembly. Steinmeier will succeed Joachim Gauck, a
former pastor and East German pro-democracy activist. Steinmeier, who takes up
the post on March 19 had earlier stood unsuccessfully against German Chancellor
Angela Merkel in the federal election in 2009.
SPORTS:
1. 24 years since Sachin's first international hundred
in India: Playing
his 23rd Test match, Sachin Tendulkar scored his first international hundred in
India against England at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 12,
1993. Sachin helped India win the match with his 165 and was adjudged Man of
the Match. In his international career, Sachin scored 42 hundreds in India
while the remaining 58 came out of India
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