Daily GK Updates – 14th Feb, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. GMR Group inks MoU with Airbus for aircraft maintenance & other airport services: The Indian airport operator and aviation infrastructure developer, GMR Group [Headquarter: New Delhi], has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus, a European multinational aerospace corporation based in Leiden, Netherlands, to explore collaboration opportunities across aviation services, technologies and innovation. The main objective of this partnership will be to explore potential synergies in several strategic areas of aviation services like maintenance, components, training, digital and airport services both for commercial and military aircraft to benefit the entire aerospace ecosystem in the country.

 

2. Finance Minister releases monthly PDRD Grant of over Rs 6195 cr to States: Ministry of Finance has released the monthly Post Devolution Revenue Deficit, PDRD Grant of over 6 thousand 1 hundred 95 crore rupees to the States. This was the 11th instalment of the PDRD grant released to the States. So far, over 68 thousand 1 hundred 45 crore rupees have been released to eligible States as Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant in the current financial year. The Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grants are provided to the States under Article 275 of the Constitution. The grants are released in monthly instalments as per the recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission to meet the gap in Revenue Accounts of the States post devolution.  The Commission has recommended PDRD grants to 14 States

 

3. Uttarakhand: Union Environment Ministry approves Lakhwar electricity project: Union Environment Ministry approved the Lakhwar electricity project on Yamuna river, informed a press release by Chief Minister Office (CMO). Apart from electricity generation, six states will also get irrigation and pure drinking water from this project. Its construction will provide 330 metric cusec meters of additional water. Due to this project, Uttarakhand will get 572.54 million units of electricity every year. With this, the availability of water in the Yamuna will also increase. The total cost of the Lakhwar power project is Rs 5747.17 crore, the central government will bear a total of 90 per cent on the irrigation and drinking water arrangements associated with this project. The remaining 10 per cent will be shared equally among the six states.

 

4. Education Ministry to name residential schools, hostels after NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose: The Ministry of Education has decided to name residential schools and hostels funded under SamagraShiksha of the Ministry as NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose residential schools or hostels. The association of these schools with NetajiSubhash Chandra Bose will act as an inspiration to the children and also motivate the teachers, staff and administration to enable them to achieve high standards of excellence. This will also help create awareness about the facility of these Residential Schools and Hostels in difficult areas and inspire these schools to achieve high standards of quality education.

 

5. Centre grants permission to raise additional five thousand 34 crore rupees through Open Market Borrowings to four states: Government said that four more states Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab have been granted permission to raise additional five thousand 34 crore rupees through Open Market Borrowings. The total number of States which have undertaken the stipulated reforms to facilitate ease of doing business has gone up to 12. Earlier, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana had reported completion of this reform, which was confirmed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. On completion of reforms facilitating ease of doing business, these twelve States have been granted additional borrowing permission of 28 thousand 183 crore rupees.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. Pakistan Army successfully test-fires Babur cruise missile: The Pakistan Army conducted a successful test-firing of a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Babar’ on February 11, 2021. This test was the third missile test carried out over the past three weeks.

About the missile: The Babur cruise missile IA was launched from Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle. This missile is capable of hitting land and sea targets with “high precision” up to 450 kilometres away. Earlier, Pakistan army conducted a successful test of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-III in January 2021, followed by the ‘training launch’ of nuclear-capable ballistic mis­sile Ghaznavi in February 2021.

Note: President of Pakistan: ArifAlvi; Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran Khan.

 

2. GRSE signs contract to deliver fast patrol vessel to Seychelles: Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) has signed a contract to deliver a fast patrol vessel (FPV) to Seychelles. The signing of the contract with Seychelles comes within a month of the shipyard concluding an agreement for one ocean-going passenger and cargo ferry vessel with Guyana. The Seychelles Coast Guard ship ”Zoroaster” will be a powerful, fuel-efficient platform designed to perform multipurpose operations, such as patrolling, anti-smuggling, anti-poaching, and search and rescue.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. ViratKohli Slips to 5th Position in Latest ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen: The updated MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings was released.

The top 5 Batsmen in the list are:

(1) Kane Williamson – New Zealand

(2) Steve Smith – Australia

(3) Joe Root – England

(4) MarnusLabuschagne – Australia

(5) ViratKohli – India

Top 5 Bowlers in the list are:

(1) Pat Cummins – Australia

(2) Stuart Broad – England

(3) James Anderson – England

(4) Neil Wagner – New Zealand

(5) Josh Hazlewood – Australia

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Bharti AXA General Insurance has launched ‘Salute to Caregivers – EkNayaNazariya Campaign‘: Bharti AXA General Insurance, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading business groups, and AXA, one of the world’s largest insurance companies, launched its unique campaign ‘Salute to Caregivers – EkNayaNazariya Campaign’ to support cancer survivors in the battle against the killer disease. Through this awareness drive, the company aims to engage with close to a million Indians on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and focuses on highlighting everyone’s role in achieving a cancer-free world.

 

2. ICICI Bank signs MoU with MUFG Bank to cater banking requirements of Japanese corporates in India: ICICI Bank announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Japan’s MUFG Bank for collaboration towards catering to the banking requirements of Japanese corporates present in India. The MoU establishes a framework of partnership between the banks across various domains including trade, investment, treasury, corporate and retail banking. It also paves way for the two banks to cater to the banking requirements of Japanese corporates operating in India.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. New Development Bank Commits $100 million in NIIF Fund of Funds: The New Development Bank (NDB) has committed to invest USD 100 million (Rs 727.6 crore), into the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIF) Fund of Funds (FoF). With NDB’s investment, the total commitments secured by the FoF has reached $800 million (about Rs 5,820 crore). This investment marks NDB’s first equity investment into India and its first-ever investment into a Fund of Funds. Currently, the Government of India (GoI), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are the investor in the FoF. Now NDB has joined the group. The FoF was established in 2018 with the objective of providing homegrown Indian private equity fund managers access to an India-focused institutional investor that operates at scale.

Benefits to Indian Economy: The Investments will hugely benefit the Indian economy which is facing difficulties due to pandemic. It will also support India’s efforts to boost investment in infrastructure. NDB’s support will further address issues like investment gaps, availability of institutional funding for domestic private equity funds.

Note: NIIFL Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Sujoy Bose; NIIFL Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

New Development Bank Chairperson of the Board of Governors: Anton Siluanov (Russia); New Development Bank Headquarters: Shanghai, China.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. “Koozhangal” Wins Tiger Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival 2021: The Tamil film “Koozhangal” has won “Tiger” award, at the 50th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021. The Tiger award is the top honour of the festival, given for best film. Koozhangal (meaning Pebbles) has been Produced by Nayanthara and directed by Vinod Raj PS. This is the second Indian film to win this international award and the first Tamil Film. The first Indian film was “Durga” directed by the Malayalam director Shashidharan. The Tiger Award worth Euro 40,000 cash prize, is shared between the director and producer of the winning film.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. Indian Navy receives 3 Mk III Advanced Light Helicopters from HAL: The Indian Navy received three “made in India” Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) from the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The helicopters are customised for coastal security. These helicopters have latest generation avionics, indigenous low frequency dunking sonar, full glass cockpit with integrated architecture display system and the powerful Shakti engines. It also has a nose mounted surveillance radar with 270 degree coverage that can detect and track multiple marine targets. Its synthetic aperture radar and inverse synthetic aperture radar can detect targets on sea.

Daily GK Updates – 13th Feb, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. PM Modi inaugurates World Sustainable Development Summit 2021: Prime Minister NarendraModi has inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit 2021 through video conferencing. The theme of the Summit is ‘Redefining our common future: Safe and secure environment for all’. 2021 WSD Summit is the 20th edition of the flagship event organised by ‘The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)’. The Summit will bring together a wide number of governments, business leaders, academicians, climate scientists, youth, and the civil society in the fight against climate change. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Earth Sciences are key partners of the Summit.

 

2. India’s 1st Thunderstorm Research Testbed to be established in Odisha: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced to set up the first ‘Thunderstorm Research Testbed’ of the country at Odisha’s Balasore district. The main objective of the “Thunderstorm Research Testbed” is to minimalise human fatalities and loss of property due to lightning strikes. The facility will be established in a collaboration between the Ministry of Earth Sciences, IMD, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Besides this, the IMD has also planned to set up a first-of-its-kind monsoon testbed near Bhopal. Currently, both the projects are in the planning stage and detailed project reports are being made.

Note: India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director-General: MrutyunjayMohapatra; India Meteorological Department Founded: 1875; India Meteorological Department Headquarters: MausamBhavan, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.

 

3. Vijayanagara officially declared as 31st District of Karnataka: The Karnataka government issued an official gazette notification to declare Vijayanagara as the 31st district of the state. The new district has been carved out of Ballari and named after the Vijayanagaraempire that ruled from this region. The Vijayanagara district will have six taluks and its headquarter will be at Hosapete. The other taluks in the new district are Kudligi, HagaribommanaHalli, Kotturu, HoovinaHadagali, and Harapanahalli. The iconic cluster of monuments at Hampi or Hampe, a UNESCO world heritage site, will be part of the Vijaynagara.

Note: Chief Minister of Karnataka: B.S. Yediyurappa; Governor: VajubhaiVala.

 

4. Indian Army lays foundation of 100-foot-high national flag in Gulmarg: The Indian Army has laid the foundation stone of the tallest ‘Iconic National Flag’ at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. The flag will be on a 100 feet-high pole, the highest Tricolour in the Valley. The Indian Army in collaboration with the Solar Industry India will install the ‘Iconic National Flag’ at Gulmarg. The foundation stone for the iconic national flag was laid by Dagger Division General Officer Commanding (GoC) Major General Virendra Vats along with Bollywood actor-producer Arbaaz Khan and actress VidyaBalan. This iconic Indian national flag will be a first in many ways. The site is expected to become another tourist attraction, among the snow-clad mountains of Kashmir.

 

5. ‘By Many a Happy Accident: Recollections of a Life’ authored by M Hamid Ansari: A book titled ‘By Many a Happy Accident: Recollections of a Life’ has been authored by M Hamid Ansari. Mohammad Hamid Ansari was the vice president of India and chairman of the RajyaSabha for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2017. A former diplomat, he served as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, as high commissioner to Australia and as permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.

About the book: The book is an account of a life of unplanned happenings that took M. Hamid Ansari away from his preferred fancy for academia to professional diplomacy and then be co-opted in public life and catapulted to the second-highest office in the land for two consecutive terms. None of his predecessors, except DrSarvepalliRadhakrishnan, had experienced this honour. Besides chairing the RajyaSabha and shedding interesting light on some of its functional aspects, Ansari used the vice presidency as a formidable pulpit to express himself candidly on a range of issues at different times in India’s changing political landscape.

 

6. National Women’s Day of India: 13th February: In India, the National Women’s Day is observed every year on 13 February to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. This year Nation celebrates its 142nd Birth Anniversary. She was born on February 13, 1879. She was famous for her nickname ‘Nightingale of India’ or ‘Bharat Kokila’ because of her poems. Sarojini Naidu was not only a freedom fighter, but she also became the first woman governor of the United Provinces, the present Uttar Pradesh. She was one of the forefront leaders who led the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement. She was an important figure in India’s struggle for independence from colonial rule.

 

INTERNATIONALUPDATES:

 

1. UAE Hope Probe successfully enters Mars’ orbit: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has put a probe called Hope in the orbit around the MARS. UAE has become the fifth country to launch the spacecraft into the orbit of MARS after United States, Soviet Union, Europe and India. With the successful launch of spacecraft in orbit, UAE scientists can now study the planet’s atmosphere. The space mission will carry the study on daily and seasonal weather cycles and weather events such as dust storm in the lower atmosphere. It will study how the weather varies in different regions on the MARS.

About the mission: The spacecraft had left the Earth seven months ago. The spacecraft carries three instruments with it to observe how neutral atoms of Oxygen and Hydrogen leak into space. The hydrogen and oxygen came into the MARS’ atmosphere are the remnants from Mars’ once abundant water. The Hope spacecraft will bring the spectacular, high-resolution, full-disk images of MARS. The spacecraft also seeks to study why the planet is losing the hydrogen and oxygen into space.

Note: President of UAE: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Capital of UAE: Abu Dhabi; Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham.

 

2. World Radio Day: 13th February: World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February each year to recognize radio as a powerful medium, which brings people together from every corner of the globe, to promote diversity and help build a more peaceful and inclusive world. The theme of World Radio Day 2021 is  “New World, New Radio”. On the occasion of World Radio Day 2021 (WRD 2021), UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate this event’s 10th anniversary and the more than 110 years of radio through three sub-themes.

Evolution: The world changes, radio evolves – radio is resilient and sustainable;

Innovation: The world changes, radio adapts and innovates- radio adapts to new technologies and remains the go-to medium of mobility, accessible everywhere and to everyone;

Connection: The world changes, radio connects – radio services our society during natural disasters, socio-economic crises, epidemics, etc.

History of the day: The day was Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD).

Note: UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France; UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay; UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.

United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA.

Mr Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI Organises Financial Literacy Week from February 8-12: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched the Financial Literacy Week (FLW) from February 8-12, 2021, to propagate financial education.  RBI conducts Financial Literacy Week (FLW) every year since 2016 to propagate financial education messages on a particular theme every year across the country, through a focused campaign. The theme for 2021 FLW is ”Credit Discipline and Credit from Formal Institutions”.

Banks have been advised to disseminate the information and create awareness among its customers and the general public. Further, RBI will undertake a centralized mass media campaign during the month of February 2021 to broadcast essential financial awareness messages to the general public.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. SBI revises India’s GDP estimates to -7.0 percent for FY21: The State Bank of India’s (SBI) Economic Research Department has revised GDP estimates of India for FY21 to contract 7.0%. Earlier this was estimated GDP at -7.4%. The SBI Research Report has retained its GDP forecast for FY22 at 11 per cent.

 

2. India Ratings: India will grow 10.4% in FY22: India’s growth would bounce back to 10.4% in the upcoming fiscal according to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). FY22 would broadly be covering the lost ground of FY21. Regarding this reduced allocation to the rural employment guarantee scheme. The rating agency expects GDP growth to turn positive at 0.3 per cent in the January-March quarter of FY21 after shrinking in the first nine months of the year. When the crisis is largely under control, not completely taken care of, but the Covid-19 situation is under control, with the economy opening up, the requirement for fiscal stimulus will reduce, and that is what is being reflected in the budget.

Note: MD & CEO of India Ratings and Research: Rohit Karan Sawhney; India Ratings and Research Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Bengaluru Airport Bags ACI World’s ‘Voice Of The Customer’ Award: The Bangalore International Airport Limited’s (BIAL) or Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru has bagged global recognition from the Airports Council International World’s ‘Voice of the Customer’ award. The ‘Voice of the Customer’ recognises airports that continued to prioritise their customers and remained committed to ensuring that their voice was heard during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. BLR Airport has made significant efforts in gathering passenger feedback through ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme and this helped better understand the customers and demonstrate BIAL’s commitment towards delivering a superior customer experience under trying circumstances. Under the #WeAreHereForYou umbrella of BIAL, various campaigns were launched to spread the message and rebuild passenger confidence in air travel following the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.

 

2. Manasa Varanasi crowned VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020:Telangana-based Manasa Varanasi has been crowned as the winner of VLCC Femina Miss India World 2020. Manasa Varanasi was crowned by the winner of Miss India 2019, SumanRatan Singh Rao from Rajasthan. The 23-year-old will now represent India at the 70th Miss World pageant in December 2021. Born in Hyderabad, Manasa Varanasi is an engineer by profession and works as a financial information exchange analyst.

Other winners:

ManikaSheokand of Haryana: Miss Grand India 2020

Manya Singh of Uttar Pradesh: Miss India 2020 runner-up

Daily GK Updates – 12th Feb, 2021

 

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.

Daily GK Updates – 11th Feb, 2021

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Madhya Pradesh launches ‘SAANS’ campaign to reduce infant mortality: The health department in Madhya Pradesh has launched the Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully (‘SAANS’) campaign. The main purpose of the campaign is to reduce the death rate due to pneumonia among infants a strategy is being chalked out under the Social awareness campaign in which medical staff is being trained.

About the campaign: Training will be imparted at the community and primary health centres. Around 4,000 Health and Wellness Centres have been set up in Madhya Pradesh for this purpose. The State government has also developed training modules in partnership with PGIMER, Chandigarh, and UNICEF, which will be used to enhance the skills of health workers, including doctors and paramedical staff.

Note: Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

 

2. UP Government announces unique 16-digit Unicode to identify landholdings: Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a system of issuing a unique 16-digit Unicode to mark all kinds of landholdings in the state. The main purpose of the system is to check the cases of land disputes, put an end to fake registries of the disputed land and save people from falling into the trap of fraudsters. Every piece of land in the state will have its own unique identity. The Unicode would be issued by the state revenue department for marking all kinds of agricultural, residential and commercial land.

Note: Uttar Pradesh Capital: Lucknow; Uttar Pradesh Governor: Anandiben Patel; Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath.

 

3. Ropeways and Alternate Mobility Solutions to be under Ministry of Road Transport and Highways: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will, from now on, also look after the development of ropeways and alternate mobility solutions. The move is expected to give a boost to the sector, by setting up a regulatory regime, and facilitating research and new technology to come into this sector. An amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 has been notified to enable this step. The Ministry will have responsibility for development of ropeways and alternative mobility solutions technology, as well as construction, research and policy in this area.

 

4. Samarpan Diwas: Deen Dayal Upadhyay Death Anniversary: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays floral tribute to former Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on his 53rd death anniversary as part of ‘Samarpan Diwas’, in New Delhi on Feb. 11, 2021. Deendayal Upadhyaya was an Indian politician and thinker of right-wing Hindutva ideology espoused by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and leader of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of Bharatiya Janata Party.

 

5. Ramnath Kovind Inaugurates Museum Dedicated to General KS Thimayya: President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated a museum, dedicated to the life of former Army Chief General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, in Karnataka. General Thimayya served as the Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961. The ancestral house of General Thimayya called “Sunny Side” at Madikeri in Kodagu district of Karnataka has been renovated and converted into a museum.

About the museum: A museum celebrating the life of former Army Chief General Kodandera Subayya Thimayya, housing a variety of antique weaponry and war relics. A statue of the General from Kodagu in uniform greets as one enters the museum, which also showcases a slice of Indian military history. The museum also acknowledges the contribution of General Thimayya’s siblings, including two of his brothers, who too were Army officers, and his wife Nina, who was bestowed with “Kaiser-e-Hind” award in recognition of her work in public service. Key attractions on the premises of this war memorial include a battle tank, one of those used by the Army during the war with Pakistan in 1971.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 14th International Children’s Film festival concludes in Bangladesh: The 14th International Children’s Film Festival of Bangladesh (ICFFB) came to an end in Dhaka. A total of 12 awards were presented to the winners at the concluding ceremony. 179 films from 37 countries were shown at various venues during the 7-day long festival organised by the Children’s Film Society (CFS) of Bangladesh. Apart from Bangladesh, films from India, Armenia, US, UK, Ireland, Japan and China among others were shown in the course of the festival. Dutch Film Jackie and Oopjen were awarded the Best International Feature Film Award. Bangladeshi film Maati got The Young Talent Award while Lottery won the Special mention under the Young Talent Award.

Note: Prime Minister of Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina; Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; President of Bangladesh: Abdul Hamid.

 

2. NASA Selects SpaceX to launch its SPHEREx Mission: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected spaceflight company, SpaceX to launch its SPHEREx Mission. Through this mission, NASA aims to perform an all-sky survey to measure the near-infrared spectra of approximately 450 million galaxies across the universe and 100 million stars inside our Milky Way galaxy.

About the SPHEREx Mission: The SPHEREx or the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) spacecraft. The small astrophysics spacecraft, SPHEREx, weighs 329-lb. (178 kilograms). It will be launched to space aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, in June 2024, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Note: Acting Administrator of NASA: Steve Jurczyk; Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States; NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.

 

3. Serum Institute of India, UNICEF Enter into Long-term Supply for COVID-19 Vaccines: The Serum Institute of India (SII) and UNICEF have entered into a long-term supply agreement for the AstraZeneca/Oxford and the Novavax vaccines, with the UN children’s agency saying it will have access to up to 1.1 billion doses of vaccines for around 100 countries. India is one of the world’s biggest drugmakers, and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring coronavirus vaccines. While Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, and the Novavax is being produced by US-based Novavax Inc. This is great value for COVAX donors and a strong demonstration of one of the fundamental principles of COVAX – that by pooling our resources we can negotiate in bulk for the best possible deals.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Steve Smith claims Allan Border Medal for third time in his career: Former Australian captain Steve Smith won the third Allan Border Medal of his career at the Australian Cricket Awards for the period 2020-21. The Allan Border Medal recognises the most outstanding male Australian cricketer of the past season as voted by his peers, the media and umpires. Apart from this, Beth Mooney bagged Belinda Clarke Award, the top honour for a female player at the Australian Cricket Awards. This is the maiden Belinda Clarke Award for Mooney. List of 2021 Australian Cricket Awards:

Belinda Clark Award: Beth Mooney.

Allan Border Medal: Steve Smith.

Men’s Test Player of the Year: Pat Cummins.

Women’s One Day International Player of the Year: Rachel Haynes.

Male One Day International Player of the Year: Steve Smith.

Female International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Beth Mooney.

Male International Twenty20 Player of the Year: Ashton Agar.

Female Domestic Player of the Year: Elyse Villani.

Male Domestic Player of the Year: Shaun Marsh.

Betty Wilson Young Cricketer of the Year: Hannah Darlington.

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year: Will Sutherland.

Community Impact Award: Joshua Lalor.

Hall of Fame inductions: Johnny Mullagh, Merv Hughes, Lisa Sthalekar.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RBI to conduct bond purchases for Rs 20,000 crore: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that it will purchase four government securities (G-Secs) that amount to ₹20,000 crores. The central bank will purchase it on February 10, 2021, under the open market operations (OMOs). This move was announced in aftermath of the yields that were moving up to touch the intra-day high of 6.1634 per cent recently. The RBI was concerned about the higher government borrowing. After the announcement of the OMO purchase was made, the yield on the benchmark 10-year G-Sec slowed down by 3-4 basis points. It now carries a coupon rate of 5.77 per cent as opposed to its previous closing yield of 6.1283 per cent.

What is the Open Market Operation: Open Market Operations are the purchase and sale of the Government securities (G-Secs) by RBI from and to the market. The Open Market Operations are conducted with the objective of adjusting the rupee liquidity conditions in the economy. In such operations, when RBI sells the government security in the market banks use to purchase them. When the banks purchase the Government securities, their ability to lend money to the industries, households and other commercial sector gets reduced. Following the reduced surplus cash, the liquidity of the rupee also contracts. This results in contraction of the credit creation or the credit supply. On the other hand, when the RBI purchases the securities, commercial banks find gets surplus cash and this in turn creates more credit in the system.

What are government securities or G-Sec: Government securities are the debt instruments which are issued by the government to borrow money. It is divided into two categories namely,

Treasury bills are short-term instruments. They get mature in 91 days, 182 days, or 364 days. Dated securities which are the long-term instruments. They get mature in between 5 years to 40 years.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

 

DEFENCE

 

1. First Women Team Inducted in CRPF’s CoBRA Commando Unit: A maiden contingent of 34 CRPF women personnel has been inducted into its specialized jungle warfare commando force CoBRA. The contingent will soon be deployed in the anti-Naxal operations grid of the country. This women’s contingent will undergo pre-induction training for 3 months and then deployed with the units in Naxal violence-affected districts of Chhattisgarh like Dantewada, Sukma, and Bijapur. The members of the 34 CRPF women personnel contingent have been chosen from the 6 all-women battalions of CRPF. The first battalion of CRPF numbered 88, was raised this day in 1986 at a CRPF base in Delhi. An all-women brass band of CRPF was also commissioned during the ceremony that was held to mark the 35th Raising Day anniversary of the first women’s battalion of CRPF.

About the CoBRA Commando Unit: The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was raised under the CRPF in the year 2009 for undertaking intelligence-based jungle warfare operations. Till now, the force was an all-male unit and it is for the first time that a contingent of women personnel has been inducted into it. The commandos of the CoBRA teams are expected to be mentally and physically tough and most of the teams are deployed in Maoist violence-affected states of the country. Some of the CoBRA teams are also deployed in the northeastern states for undertaking counter-insurgency operations. A ceremony was held to mark the induction of women contingent in Kadarpur village wherein the chosen women personnel performed combat drills.

Note: Central Reserve Police Force Director-General: AP Maheshwari; Central Reserve Police Force Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Founder of Rang Vidushak, Padma Shri Bansi Kaul Passed away: Founder of Rang Vidushak and theatre director Padma Shri Bansi Kaul passed away. He was born in 1949 in a Kashmiri Pandit family, Bansi Kaul was a Hindi theatre director and the founder of Rang Vidushak, a theatre group and theatre institute in Bhopal. He was awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995 and Padma Shri in 2014. He received Rashtriya Kalidas Samman for the year 2016–17.