NATIONAL UPDATES:
1.
Delhi Cabinet Approves ‘MukhyamantriVigyanPratibhaPariksha’ Scheme: The Delhi cabinet
has approved “MukhyamantriVigyanPratibhaPariksha” in which Rs 5,000 will be
provided to 1,000 meritorious students of Class 9 in schools of Delhi as a
science scholarship. The scholarship will provide a boost to science education
in secondary classes at the school level. Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal termed
this as a crucial step for our government to promote excellent and talented
students. Delhi government seeks to promote the pursuit of excellence and
scientific temper among the children. According to the release, the students
studying in Delhi schools who have secured more than 60 per cent in Class 8 are
eligible for the examination. Students belonging to SC, ST, PH, or OBC category
will be given a relaxation of up to 5 per cent of marks.
Note: Chief Minister of Delhi:
ArvindKejriwal; Governor of Delhi: Anil Baijal.
2.
Tamil Nadu set to create state’s 5th tiger reserve: The Central
government has given its approval for the creation of a fifth tiger reserve in
Tamil Nadu that will encompass the Meghamalai and Srivilliputhur Grizzled
Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuaries. It will be the 51st Tiger Sanctuary of India.
The SrivilliputhurMegamalai Tiger Reserve will span the forests of Megamalai
wildlife sanctuary and Srivilliputhur grizzled squirrel wildlife sanctuary
spread across the districts of Theni, Virudhunagar and Madurai. The
100,000-hectare area is home to a range of mammals and bird species and more
than a dozen tigers. Forest officials have noticed 14 tigers regularly in both
the wildlife sanctuaries.
Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Tamil Nadu Governor:
BanwarilalPurohit; Tamil Nadu State Dance: Bharathanatyam.
3.
“Platform Scale: For a Post-Pandemic World” authored by Sangeet Paul Choudhary:
A
Book titled ‘Platform Scale: For a Post-Pandemic World’ has been authored by
Sangeet Paul Choudhary. It is published by Penguin Random House India. It
explains the importance of inner workings of platform business models and their
ability to scale rapidly. The 1st edition of Platform Scale was published in
2015.
About the book: The book tells how the
decade leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic witnessed the rise of platform
business models as they drove stock market gains and extended their influence
across the economic and political activity.
4.
FSSAI caps Trans fatty acids to 2% in food products from January 2022: The Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has restricted the permissible amount
of industrial Trans Fatty Acid (TFA) in food products to 2 per cent. The latest
amendment will come into effect from January 01, 2022. Currently, the
permissible limit for trans fats in food products in 2021 is 3 per cent, cut
down from the previous limit of 5 per cent. FSSAI has amended the Food Safety
and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011 to put
into effect the new Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on
Sales) Regulations, 2021.
What does this amendment mean: As per the new
rule, the food products in which edible oils and fats are used as an ingredient
shall not contain industrial trans fatty acids more than 2% by mass of the
total oils/fats present in the product, starting from January 01, 2022.
About the Trans Fat: Trans fat
regulation, that aims to limit the amount of “trans fat”, fat-containing trans
fatty acids — in industrial food products, has been enacted in many countries.
These regulations were motivated by numerous studies that pointed to
significant negative health effects of trans fat. Trans fats are associated
with increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease.
Note: FSSAI Chairperson: Rita Teaotia;
FSSAI Chief Executive Officer: ArunSinghal; FSSAI Founded: August 2011; FSSAI
Headquarters: New Delhi.
5.
Skyroot, Bellatrix signs MoU to use latter’s orbital transfer vehicle: Skyroot Aerospace
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bellatrix Aerospace to make
use the Orbital Transfer Vehicle, being developed by Bellatrix Aerospace, in
the upper stage of Vikram series of launch vehicles, being developed by
Skyroot. The vehicle is expected to launch to low earth orbit in 2023 on the
Vikram rocket. The vehicle is expected to help global operators reduce time and
costs for launching communication and earth observation satellites.
Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV): It is a
spacecraft that can perform various in-orbit operations such deployment of
customer payload to precise orbits, allowing a launch vehicle to deliver
satellites to more orbits than what was conventionally possible. In simple
words, OTV is like a ‘taxi in space’ to take small satellites into their
operational orbits. OTV will offer ride-sharing for small satellites and drop
each one of the passengers to their intended slots in space.
Note: Founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace:
Pawan Kumar Chandana; Skyroot Aerospace Founded: 12 June 2018; Skyroot
Aerospace Headquarters location: Hyderabad.
6.
National Productivity Day 2021:12th February: National Productivity Day is
observed every year in India on February 12. The objective of National
Productivity Council is stimulating and promoting productivity and quality
consciousness across all sectors in the country. The main observance of the day
is to encourage all stakeholders in the implementation of productivity tools
and techniques with contemporary relevant themes.
The day is celebrated by the National
Productivity Council (NPC) to promote productivity culture in India. National
Productivity Council (NPC) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Government of India is a premier institution for propagating productivity movement
in India. NPC works for providing solutions towards accelerating productivity,
enhancing competitiveness, increasing productivity.
Note: Director-General of National
Productivity Council: Arun Kumar Jha; National Productivity Council of India established:
1958; National Productivity Council of India HQ: New Delhi.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
India and Afghanistan Inks MoU for the construction of the Lalandar “Shatoot”
Dam: India
and Afghanistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding MoU over
video-teleconferencing (VTC), for the construction of the Shahtoot Dam
(Lalander Dam) on a tributary of the Kabul River in Afghanistan. The project,
which costs nearly $ 300 million, is a part of the New Development Partnership
between India and Afghanistan.
About the Memorandum of
Understanding:
The MoU was signed between External Affairs Minister DrJaishankar and
Afghanistan Foreign Minister MrHanifAtmar, in the presence of Indian Prime
Minister Shri NarendraModi and Afghanistan President Dr Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.
The Lalander [Shatoot] Dam would meet the safe drinking water needs of Kabul
City, provide irrigation water to nearby areas, rehabilitate the existing
irrigation and drainage network, aid in flood protection and management efforts
in the area, and also provide electricity to the region. This is the second
major dam being built by India in Afghanistan, after the India- Afghanistan
Friendship Dam [Salma Dam], which was inaugurated in June 2016.
Note: Afghanistan Capital: Kabul;
Afghanistan President: Ashraf Ghani; Afghanistan Currency: Afghan afghani;
Afghanistan Official languages: Pashto, Dari.
2.
World Unani Day: 11th February: World Unani Day has observed every year on
11th February. The main objective of
World Unani Day is to spread awareness about health care delivery through the
Unani system of medicine through its preventive and curative philosophy. This
day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of great Unani
scholar and social reformer Hakim Ajmal Khan. The first Unani Day was
celebrated in 2017 at Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM),
Hyderabad.
What is the Unani system of medicine: The
Unani system of medicine has a long and impressive record in India. It was
introduced in India by the Arabs and Persians sometime around the eleventh
century. It has the largest number of Unani educational, research and health
care institutions. The Unani system of medicine originated in Greece. Its
foundation was laid by Hippocrates. The system owes its present form to the
Arabs who not only saved much of the Greek literature by rendering it into
Arabic but also enriched the medicine of their day with their own
contributions.
3.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science: 11th February: International Day
of Women and Girls in Science is observed globally on 11 February.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science to recognize the critical role
of women and girls play in science and technology. In December 2015, the United
Nations adopted a resolution to celebrate February 11 as the International Day
of Women and Girls in Science. In 2016 is the first time it was celebrated. The
idea behind this day is to ensure equal participation and involvement of women
and girls in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM).
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1.
Ishant Sharma becomes third Indian pacer to take 300 Test wickets: Indian fast bowler
Ishant Sharma became the sixth Indian and third pacer from the country to take
300 wickets in Test cricket. The 32-year-old Ishant reached the milestone in 98
matches, more than the other Indian bowlers in the club. Ishant reached the
landmark when he trapped Dan Lawrence with a delivery that swung back sharply
before hitting his pads in England”s second innings on the fourth day of the
opening Test. Besides Anil Kumble (619) and KapilDev (434), RavichandranAshwin
(377 before this game), Harbhajan Singh (417), and Zaheer Khan (311) are the
other bowlers from the country who have reached the landmark.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
PhonePe partners with Axis Bank on UPI multi-bank model: Digital payments
platform, PhonePe has announced that it has partnered with Axis Bank on a
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) multi-bank model. The partnership will provide
PhonePe users with the option to create and use multiple UPI IDs with Axis
Bank’s “@axl” handle. This collaboration with PhonePe strengthens our
commitment towards digitisation of the Indian payment ecosystem. It will help
expand our reach to customers and the merchant community while offering secure
and seamless payment experiences. PhonePe had emerged as the top UPI app in
January, processing 968.72 million transactions worth ₹1.92 trillion, according
to data by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). PhonePe will also
start acquiring merchants with Axis Bank in addition to its partnership with
YES Bank. It will help expand our reach to customers and the merchant community
while offering secure and seamless payment experiences.
Note: CEO of Phonepe: Sameer Nigam;
Headquarters location of Phonepe: Bengaluru, Karnataka.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
Robert Irwin wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021: Robert Irwin, an
Australian wildlife photographer, has won the first prize in the Wildlife
Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award Contest. Robert won the award
for the image titled ‘bushfire’, which is the picture of the devastating
Australian Bushfire in 2020, he captured using a drone, near the Steve Irwin
Wildlife Reserve in Cape York, Queensland. The image shows a line of fire
burning in between the bushes, dividing it into parts. Irwin’s image was chosen
from a shortlist of 25 finalists that received a total of 55,486 votes. The
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the largest wildlife photography
competition in the world, organised by the Natural History Museum.
OBITUARIES
1. Tony Trabert, 10-time tennis Grand Slam champion, passes away: Tony Trabert, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion from the United States who produced one of the greatest seasons in tennis history in 1955, died. He was 90. Trabert captured the 1953 US Open, the 1954 French Open and the 1955 US and French Opens and Wimbledon. Trabert served as the Hall of Fame’s president from 2001 to 2011 and spent 30 years as a television analyst. He also served as an author and coach and captained the US Davis Cup team from 1976-1980, guiding the squad to titles in 1978 and 1979.
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