CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE (FEBRUARY 2019) · India's 40th communication satellite GSAT-31 launched successfully th communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully placed in orbit by

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CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE (FEBRUARY 2019)

UNSC adopts resolution to extend sanctions against CAR for another year The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend sanctions against the Central African Republic (CAR) for another year.

US announces withdrawal from key Cold War nuclear arms treaty with Russia The U.S is suspending its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty effective from February 2 and will withdraw from the treaty in six months unless Russia comes back into compliance by destroying all of its violating missiles, launchers, and associated equipment.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro calls for early Legislative Elections Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro has threatened to bring forward parliamentary elections this year in a bid to sideline opposition leader Juan Guaido's challenge to his authority.

Russia to abandon nuclear arms treaty in retaliation to US withdrawal from treaty Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that it will abandon a centerpiece nuclear arms treaty following in the footsteps of the United States, but will only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles if USA does so.

Macedonia signs accord to join NATO Macedonia signed an accord to join NATO to become the 30th member of the US-led alliance.

India and Bangladesh signed MoU for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants India and Bangladesh have signed an MOU for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants at the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), over the next 6 years.

India, Norway launch ‘India-Norway Marine Pollution Initiative’ to combat Marine Pollution The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to launch the ‘India-Norway Marine Pollution Initiative’.

Macedonia officially changes its name to North Macedonia The country formerly known as the Republic of Macedonia officially changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia, on paper ending a decades-long dispute that should pave the way for NATO membership.

India signs defence pacts with Germany and Sweden India concluded defence cooperation and security protection agreements with Germany and Sweden during the ongoing visit of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman there.

House passes resolution to end U.S. support for Yemen war The House of Representatives passed a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

India revokes Pak.’s MFN status day after terrorist strike in J&K India revoked the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status of Pakistan and warned of more measures in response to its support for terrorist groups targeting India.

US President Donald Trump declares national emergency to construct wall along Mexico border US President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency to construct a wall along the border with Mexico. This declaration will give Mr Trump access to billions of dollars for the project.

Pedro Sánchez calls snap elections in Spain on April 28 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for an early general election for 28 April.

India, Morocco sign four MoUs India and Morocco signed four MoUs which include setting up of Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism, Cooperation in Housing and Human Settlement, Reciprocal facilitation of procedures for issue of Business Visa and Cooperation in Youth Matters.

India, Argentina to elevate multi-faceted cooperation to strategic partnership India and Argentina have decided to elevate their multi-faceted cooperation to a strategic partnership with a focus on key areas for the prosperity of both countries.

Myanmar sets up committee to discuss reforming constitution Myanmar has set up a committee to discuss reforming the country's military-drafted constitution.

Sudan President Bashir declares year-long state of emergency Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a year-long state of emergency, dissolving his cabinet and local governments throughout the country.

FATF keeps Pak on grey list for failing to curb terror funding International terror financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided to keep Pakistan on its grey list at the end of its week-long plenary meeting in Paris.

Sri Lanka launches economic development framework for war-affected Northern Province Sri Lankan government has launched an economic development framework for war-affected northern province to ensure its long-term growth and development.

India, Russia close to inking multi-billion agreement for AK-103 assault rifles India and Russia are close to concluding an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for a multi-billion deal to locally bulk manufacture AK-103 assault rifles in the next few months. The AK-103 will be bulk produced by the OFB with technology transfer.

Cuba votes on new constitution Cubans began voting in a referendum on a draft constitution to update its 1976 charter on the heels of significant economic reforms on the island over the past few years.

Nigerian Prez Muhammadu Buhari re-elected for second term Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been re-elected for a second four-year term.

Buhari defeated his main rival, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar with a margin of around four million votes.

US, UK and France ask UNSC to blacklist JeM head Masood Azhar The United States, Britain and France have asked the United Nations Security Council to blacklist Masood Azhar, the head of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).


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Unemployment rate at 6.1% in 2017-18, highest in over 4 decades: NSSO survey According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report, unemployment in India stood at 6.1 percent in 2017-18, the highest in 45 years.

Government sets up committee to explore prepaid payments by discoms to generator companies The Union government has constituted a committee under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to explore prepaid payments by state electricity distribution companies to power plants.

NBCC to construct Ayurveda and Naturopathy hospital in Goa NBCC, a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprises, will construct an Ayurveda and Naturopathy hospital in Goa at a cost of over 267 crore rupees.

Centre to install 450 realtime, 1,500 manual air quality monitoring systems in India by 2024 The Union government is aiming to install 300 more ambient air quality monitoring systems across the country by 2024 as the country battles deteriorating air quality.

Kala Ghoda festival 2019 begins in Mumbai The Kala Ghoda festival, India’s largest multi-cultural street festival begins in Mumbai to celebrate its 20 years of art and culture through cinema, theatre, dance, literature, and sculpture.

‘Sopan 2019’ held at New Delhi The 6-day long music and dance festival ‘Sopan 2019’, to encourage young artists to take up traditional art took place in New Delhi.

Gems and Jewellery Domestic Council An Ad-hoc National Committee of Domestic Council for Gems and Jewellery consisting 14 Members representing various associations of Gems and Jewellery Sector has been constituted to draft Memorandum and Article of Association and other Rules/Bye-laws of the Domestic Council.

Labour Ministry notifies rules to allow employment of Women in Mines The Union government has amended the Mines Act, 1952 thereby allowing women to work in underground mines and eased restrictions that prohibited them from working night shifts in surface mines, striking down a six-decade-old rule that disadvantaged female employees in a sector considered hazardous.

Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani launches India Size project in Mumbai Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani launched the India Size project in Mumbai. A first-of-its-kind project in the history of the country, India Size aims to arrive at a standard Indian Size for the ready-to-wear clothing industry, on the lines of the standardized sizes available in countries such as the USA and the UK.

President Ram Nath Kovind confers Sangeet Natak Akademi awards President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards 2017 at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Forty-two artists from the fields including Music, Dance, Theatre, Traditional, Folk, and Tribal music were awarded. Eleven eminent artists were selected in the field of Music.

India's 40th communication satellite GSAT-31 launched successfully India's 40th communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully placed in orbit by an Ariane5 rocket from French Guiana.

The satellite will cover both the mainland and islands of the country and provide communication services such as DTH, ATMs connectivity and emergency communication, etc.

Arunachal's Nyishi tribe celebrates Boori Boot Yollo festival The Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh is celebrating its fortnight-long Boori Boot Yollo festival. Boori Boot Yollo is observed in the month of February every year to welcome spring and a successful harvest.

‘Darwaza Band Part 2’ campaign launched by Swatch Bharat Mission Grameen ‘Darwaza Band- Part 2’ campaign launched by Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen focuses on sustaining the open defecation free status of villages across the country.

GeM and CCI Sign MoU Government e Marketplace (GeM) and Competition Commission of India (CCI) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to enable a fair and competitive environment in the e-Marketplace.

Parmanu Tech 2019-Nuclear Energy Conference Held In New Delhi Ministry of External Affairs and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) organized Parmanu Tech 2019 in New Delhi to discuss the issues related to Nuclear Energy and Radiation Technologies.

2nd ASEAN-India youth summit held in Guwahati Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit at Hotel Taj Vivanta in Guwahati.

J&K Government grants divisional status to Ladakh region The State Government of Jammu and Kashmir issued a notification of creation of Ladakh as 3rd Division in the state.

Great Indian Bustard announced as the new mascot for COP-13 Union Environment Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, announced the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) as the mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) to be held in Gujarat in 2020.

Himalayan Cloud observatory set up in Tehri A Himalayan Cloud Observatory is set up in Tehri district of Uttarakhand with a motive to forecast and monitor cloudburst incidents in the Himalayan region and help to minimize the damage.

Centre allocates Rs 59 crore for Asiatic Lion conservation in Gujarat’s Gir The Ministry of Environment launched a three-year Asiatic Lion Conservation Project in collaboration with the state of Gujarat. The Ministry allocated Rs 59 crores, which will focus on better management of the lion habitat, disease control and veterinary care for them.

Courts can’t reduce minimum sentence, says SC The Supreme Court has held that the courts cannot impose less than the minimum sentence prescribed by lawmakers for an offence.


It is also held that provisions of Article 142 of the Constitution cannot be resorted to impose a sentence less than the minimum sentence.

Govt move to unlock ONGC, OIL gas The Union government’s plan to offer PSUs special incentives for natural gas discoveries in difficult and unviable areas will help raise India’s natural gas production as it will unlock output in a dozen fields of State-owned ONGC and OIL.

Third round of OALP offers 23 oil, gas, coal-bed methane blocks India offered 23 oil and gas and CBM blocks for bidding in the third round of Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OLAP), expecting up to $700 million of investment that it hoped will help raise domestic output and cut imports.

Textiles Ministry to organize outreach programme for stakeholders Ministry of Textiles is organizing an outreach programme for Textiles Sector MSMEs in New Delhi to hold interaction with the stakeholders to help them avail the benefits of the 100 days support and outreach programme for MSMEs announced by the Prime Minister.

I&B Ministry to organize 1st annual conference of Media Units Information and Broadcasting, I&B Ministry will organize the first annual conference of Media Units in New Delhi.

Govt approves the introduction of Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Bill, 2019 The Union Cabinet has approved the introduction of Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Bill, 2019. This Bill provides for amendment of the legal framework to act as a deterrent to the erring NRI spouses and creating more accountability and offer protection against exploitation of Indian Citizens married to NRIs.

CCEA approves CLCS-TUS with total outlay of Rs. 2900 crore The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, CCEA has approved the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Technology Up-gradation Scheme (CLCS-TUS) with a total outlay of 2900 crore rupees. This scheme aims at improving the competitiveness of MSMEs

16th Lok Sabha session concludes The last session of the 16th Lok Sabha came to an end which included a total number of 331 sittings. A total of 205 bills were passed and the productivity was 85 percent. For Rajya Sabha, 154 bills were passed and the productivity was 68 percent.

AYUSH Minister launches e-AUSHADHI portal for Online Licensing System of AYUSH Medicine Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik has launched the e-AUSHADHI portal, for online licensing of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs and related matters today at New Delhi.

99.82% projects in forests got nod India’s apex National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) which was charged with allowing forest land in Protected Areas to be diverted for industry has cleared 682 of the 687 projects (99.82%) that came up for scrutiny.

Bharat Ratna and Padma awards cannot be used as titles, says govt The union government stated that Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not titles and cannot be used as prefix or suffix to names and they can be withdrawn in case of misuse.

NITI Aayog signs agreement to document systemic transformation in education The NITI Aayog has signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) to codify, document and share best practices to improve learning outcomes in public school education through systemic reforms.

106 coastal sites picked for conservation The Centre has identified over 100 coastal and marine sites as conservation reserves under its National Wildlife Action Plan for 2017-2031.

Rajasthan clears 5% quota for Gujjars The Rajasthan legislature has passed the Backward Classes Amendment Bill, 2019 by a voice vote which has sought to amend a statute of 2017 and increase the quota for backward classes from the present 21% to 26%.

MSP for jute hiked by Rs. 250/quintal The union government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) for raw jute by Rs. 250 per quintal, taking the price to Rs. 3,950 per quintal for the 2019-20 season.

Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan pension scheme comes into effect from Feb 15 The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan scheme will be implemented from February 15. Under the scheme, workers of the unorganised sector will receive a minimum assured pension of three thousand rupees per month after attaining the age of 60 years.

Panel moots minimum wage of Rs. 375 per day In a report submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, an Expert Committee on Determining the Methodology for Fixation of the National Minimum Wage has recommended that a need-based national minimum wage for workers across the country be set at Rs. 375 per day, or Rs. 9,750 per month.

Centre increases MSP of Sugar by 2 Rs/Kg The Centre has increased the minimum selling price of sugar by two rupees per kilogram to 31 rupees a kilogram.

SC directs states to sensitise cops about scrapping of Section 66A of IT Act The Supreme Court of India has directed all state governments to sensitise their police personnel about scrapped Section 66A of Information Technology Act, so that people are not unnecessarily arrested under the provision.

GS1 signs MoU with Government eMarketplace GS1 India, a standards organisation set up by the commerce and industry ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government eMarketplace (GeM). The MoU will enable GeM's buyers and vendors to access accurate and standardized information on attributes of thousands of products across categories, empowering them to make more informed decisions.

Vande Bharat: India’s self-propelled, fastest train takes off The inaugural trip of India’s first semi-high speed train, Vande Bharat Express, was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the New Delhi railway station.

Pranab Mukherjee releases book containing selected speeches of Venkaiah Naidu Former President Pranab Mukherjee has released the book containing selected speeches of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at a function in New Delhi. The book is a compilation of 92 speeches of Mr Naidu.


IWAI launched portal ‘LADIS’ for real time information Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) launched a new portal Least Available Depth Information System (LADIS) for real-time data on available depth on stretches of National Waterways.

Early Ed Asia 2019 held in Jaipur Early Ed Asia 2019, the two-day event which is Asia’s largest conference on Early Childhood, was held at the City Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The motto of the event was ‘Our Children. Our Future’.

India’s First Agromet Forecast Centre inaugurated in Karnataka Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, inaugurated the North Karnataka Agromet Forecasting and Research Centre (NKAFC), India’s first agromet forecast centre, at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad, Karnataka.

First District Cooling System of India to come up in Amaravati: India’s First District cooling system will come up in Amravati, capital of the Andhra Pradesh.

District cooling systems produce chilled water, steam or hot water at a central plant and then pipe that energy out (either underground or over rooftops) to buildings for air conditioning, space heating and water heating. As a result, these buildings don’t require their own chillers, air conditioners, boilers or furnaces.

NITI Aayog, SCISP agree to provide continuing momentum to India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership NITI Aayog and Saudi Centre for International Strategic Partnerships (SCISP) have agreed to provide continuing momentum to the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership. A high-level delegation, led by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, had held extensive discussions with SCISP in Riyadh.

Dolphin Numbers Have Shrunk In Odisha, Reveals Census Odisha’s recent annual census of dolphins in its waters have thrown up some shocking numbers, with the aquatic mammals’ population declining from 469 in 2018 to 259 this year.

2 more States to set up drug price units After Kerala, two states Punjab and Gujarat will have Price Monitoring & Research Unit (PMRU), set up by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority in collaboration with the Department of Health and State Drug Controller.

India's first fulldome 3D Digital theatre inaugurated in Kolkata India's first 'fulldome 3D Digital Theatre' was inaugurated at the Science City, Kolkata by the Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma.

Bhopal to host Indian History Congress Barkatullah University of Bhopal will host the 79th Indian History Congress beginning February 26.

Government clears National Policy on Electronics to make India global hub in this sector The Union government has cleared the National Policy on Electronics 2019. It envisions positioning India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing. The National Policy of Electronics 2019 (NPE 2019) replaces the National Policy of Electronics 2012 (NPE 2012).

OFB gets clearance for producing 114 long-range artillery gun Dhanush The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has received a bulk production clearance from the Indian Army and the Defence Ministry for production of 114 'Dhanush' artillery guns.

Asia's premier Air show 'Aero-India' to take off in Bengaluru The 12th edition of Asia's premier Air show 'Aero India-2019' will begin at Yelahanka air force station, Bengaluru. 61 aircraft, including HAL's indigenous products LCA Tejas are all set to roar in the city skies.

Union Cabinet approves continuation of PMAY to build nearly 2 crore houses for rural poor The Union Cabinet has approved the implementation of Phase-2 of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin beyond March, 2019. Under this, government has set a target to construct one crore 95 lakh houses by 2022.

CCEA approves Phase-IIof Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for the Phase-IIof Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme for achieving cumulative capacity of 40 thousand Mega Watt from Rooftop Solar (RTS) Projects by the year 2022.

Censor Board denied certificate to 793 films in 16 years The Central Board of Film Certification has banned a total of 793 films in 16 years, an RTI response has revealed. Between January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2016, the censor board refused to grant certificate for exhibition to 793 films.

Cabinet approves re-promulgation of triple talaq ordinance The Union Cabinet has approved re-promulgation of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance, 2019, which makes instant triple talaq a criminal offence.

DA hiked by 3% for Central govt employees, pensioner The Union Cabinet has approved additional Dearness Allowance, DA of three percent over the existing rate of nine percent of the basic pay or pension to Central government employees and pensioners.

Rajnath Singh launches pan-India number 112 for women safety Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi, launched Emergency Response Support System, ERSS, for women safety in 16 states and Union territories.

Persons in distress can dial a pan-India number: 112. Under this system, all the states have to set up a dedicated Emergency Response Centre, ERC.

Cabine approves construction of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System The Union government has approved the construction of a Rs. 30,274 crore Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS) to connect the national capital with Meerut through Ghaziabad.

7 islands in Andamans, Lakshadweep identified for seaplane operations Four islands in the Andamans and three in Lakshadweep have been identified for seaplane operations, while private sector participation has been invited for tourism-based projects.

Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships awarded to 150 Sri Lankan students Sri Lanka's 150 students from all 25 districts were awarded the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi scholarships for study in India.


SC holds Anil Ambani guilty of contempt The Supreme Court of India has held Reliance Communications (RCom) chairman Anil Ambani guilty of contempt of court for willfully violating its order and not paying its dues of 550 crore rupees to Telecom equipment maker Ericsson.

Operation Digital Board launched to provide better digital education The Union government has launched Operation Digital Board on the lines of Operation Blackboard to provide better digital education in schools.

President Ram Nath Kovind approves changes in Stamp Act, to help curb tax evasion President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the amendments in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, which will rationalise and harmonise the system of levying stamp duty and help curb tax evasion.

Home Ministry orders pan-India survey to assess impact of police services Ministry of Home Affairs has commissioned the Bureau of Police Research and Development to conduct a pan-India survey called, All India Citizens Survey of Police Services.

The survey will be conducted through the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi.

Home Ministry approves entitlement of air travel to all CAPFs The Home Ministry has approved entitlement of air travel to all personnel of Central Armed Police Forces, CAPFs. The Ministry approved the entitlement of air travel on Delhi-Srinagar, Srinagar-Delhi, Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Jammu sectors to all the personnel of CAPFs.

Govt assures to safeguard interests of tribal people following Supreme Court's order regarding their forest rights The Union government has said that it will do everything to safeguard the interests of the tribals following the Supreme Court's order regarding claims of forest rights by forest-dwelling tribals and other traditional forest dwellers.

Over 12 lakh people treated free of cost under Ayushman Bharat The CEO of Ayushman Bharat Dr Indu Bhushan has said that over 12 lakh people have been treated free of cost under Ayushman Bharat scheme.

India to have own DNS for safe browsing The Union government will soon roll out a public Domain Name Server, or DNS, for India aimed at providing a faster and more secure browsing experience for Internet users in the country, while ensuring that citizens’ data is stored locally.

Rajnath Singh inaugurates Waste to Wonder Park in Delhi Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new park which houses the replicas of seven wonders of the world at South Delhi. The park, which is called the ‘Waste to Wonder Park’, was built by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).

Defence Ministry approves Torpedo acquisition for Naval submarines In a major boost for the Navy’s firepower, the Defence Ministry has approved the acquisition of more than 100 heavyweight torpedoes which will be equipped on the force’s six Scorpene-class submarines being built at Mazagon Dockyards in Mumbai.

In a first, Air Force commissions aerial surveillance The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commissioned the development of an aerial surveillance system for monitoring suspicious movements under dense foliage cover along the international border and some parts within the country.

Risk pay raised for paramilitaries The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has increased the risk and hardship allowance of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel deployed in the most difficult areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected States.

EVM is ‘information’ under RTI, says CIC The Central Information Commission has ruled that an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is “information” under the Right to Information Act.

Govt launches Rail Drishti Dashboard to keep people informed about ongoing Railway works Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti Dashboard to keep people informed about the work going on in the Railways across the country.

Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey launches national programme to eliminate viral hepatitis Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey launched a national programme aimed at eliminating viral hepatitis, recognized as an important public health problem.

TN becomes first state in mainland to get 2 Coast Guard districts Tamil Nadu became the first state in the country to get a second Coast Guard district headquarters – Thoothukudi. The first district headquarters is Chennai.

IAF conducts air strike on Pak based JeM’s terror camp The Indian Air Force conducted an air strike on the biggest terror camp of Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Balakot in the wee hours on 26th February 2019.

India successfully test fires QRSAM missiles off Odisha coast Defense Research and Development Organization, DRDO, successfully test fired indigenously developed Quick Reach Surface-to-Air missiles, QRSAMs, from ITR Chandipur, off the Odisha Coast.

Andhra Pradesh to get new Railway zone: Rail Minister Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced that Southern Coast Railway will be a new zone of the Indian Railways. This new 18th railway zone of the country will be headquartered at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

Jual Oram to launch MSP for Minor Forest Produce, Value Addition Component of Van Dhan scheme Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram will launch Minimum Support Price for Minor Forest Produce and Value Addition Component of Van Dhan scheme in New Delhi.

SC dismisses review plea against department-wise quota for faculties The Supreme Court of India has declared that individual departments and not universities or colleges will be considered as the unit for implementing reservation for SC/ST or OBC in the appointment of faculties members.

Centre brings 42 non-scheduled cancer drugs under price control The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has invoked extraordinary powers in public interest, under Para 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 to bring 42 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs under price control through trade margin rationalization.


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Germany, France and UK set up transactions channel with Iran Germany, France and the UK have set up a payment channel with Iran called INSTEX, to help continue trade and circumvent US sanctions.

Ajai Kumar is interim CEO of Yes Bank Ajai Kumar, a board member of Yes Bank, will hold the charge of managing director and chief executive officer till the new CEO Ravneet Gill joins the lender.

RBI lifts curbs on three PSBs The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to allow three public sector banks — Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and Oriental Bank of Commerce — to exit the PCA framework following capital infusion by the government and a decline in net non-performing asset ratio.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launches Ujjivan Bank Kisan Suvidha loan for small and marginal farmers Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) announced the launch of Ujjivan Bank Kisan Suvidha loan to offer financial credit services to small and marginal farmers. It is the first bank in this category to offer collateral free loans for both agriculture and allied activities.

Interim Union Budget for 2019-20 Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has presented an Interim Budget for 2019 in Parliament on February 1 2019.

State Bank Of India Posts Biggest Quarterly Profit In Nearly 7 Years State Bank of India beat expectations and posted its highest quarterly profit in nearly seven years. Its net profit was Rs. 3,955 crore ($556 million) for the third quarter ended December 31.

EAC approves individual trade pacts with EU in absence of joint deal East African countries can individually sign separate trade agreements with the European Union (EU) if a joint deal is not reached within the next four months, according to a statement from a meeting of regional leaders.

Department of post to soon set up its own insurance company Department of post will soon set up its own insurance company which will deal with its business of two products Postal life insurance and Rural Postal Life Insurance.

Govt. to cut process time for stake sale in 35 CPSEs With 35 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) being lined up for strategic sale, the Union Finance Ministry is planning to streamline processes to cut down the time for the outright sale of such state-owned companies.

India's tourism sector registers 19% growth in 2018 Union Minister KJ Alphons has said that the country's tourism sector fetched 234 billion US Dollar revenue last year, registering a growth of over 19%. India is ranked third in the tourism sector, according to the 2018 report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

Two RRBs to be merged to form Tamil Nadu Grama Bank Two regional rural banks (RRBs) – Pallavan Grama Bank and Pandyan Grama Bank – will be merged to form the Tamil Nadu Grama Bank

ADB buys 14% stake in Annapurna Finance The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has bought a 14% stake in micro-financier Annapurna Finance for

Rs 137 crore, reinforcing the belief that India’s microfinance sector is on course to attract long-term funds from global lenders and investors.

Govt. subsidy spend on the rise again According to the Budget estimate for the year, the union government’s total expenditure on subsidies is expected to make up 9.83% of its total expenditure overall in 2019-20, up from the 9.65% in the revised estimate for 2018-19.

Government to form working group to resolve startups' angel tax issue The union government will form a small working group to look into the issue of angel tax being faced by startups and come out with a solution in 4-5 days.

The working group will comprise startup founders, members from angel investing community, along with officials from the Central Board of Direct Taxes and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade

Cabinet approves unified regulator for IFSCs

The Cabinet has approved the setting up of a unified authority that would regulate all the financial services in International Financial Services Centres (IFSC), such as the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar.

American members of US-India CEO Forum announced US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has announced the names of the American private sector members of the US-India CEO Forum among whom are MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga and Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf. The first meeting of the forum will be held in New Delhi on February 14.

Fino payments Bank partners with Suryoday SFB to offer Sweep Account Facility Fino Payments Bank (FPB) has announced the launch of a sweep account facility in association with Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB). This partnership will help FPB address the issue of deposit limits that all the payment banks face at the moment.

6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement Released: Repo Rate Reduced to 6.25% RBI has released 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement.

Reduce the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.5% to 6.25% with immediate effect.

The reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.0%, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate to 6.5%.

Linkage of PAN with Aadhaar is mandatory for filing I-T return: SC The Supreme Court has said that linkage of Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar is mandatory for filing of Income Tax returns.

RBI permits IBC bidders to raise funds via ECBs to repay existing lenders The Reserve Bank of India permitted bidders for insolvent companies to raise funds through external commercial borrowings (ECBs) to repay existing lenders.

Cabinet approves abolition of Ombudsman for direct, indirect taxes The Union Cabinet decided to abolish institutions of Ombudsman for income tax and indirect tax.


The approval comes against the backdrop of people preferring online grievance redressal mechanism. Tax payers are now preferring alternate methods of grievance redressal, like Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System, and Aaykar Seva Kendras.

Taxpayers, MPs, MLAs can’t avail farm income support Income Tax assessees and sitting or former Members of Parliament or State legislatures are among those who have been excluded from the scope of the Centre’s scheme of income support for farmers, which was announced in the Union Budget

Government raises limit beyond which employees need to show stock, MF investments According to an order issued by the Personnel Ministry, the Centre has increased the monetary limit on disclosure of investment in shares and mutual funds by employees to six months of their basic pay during the calendar year

ICAI signs pact with invest India to promote foreign investment The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has signed a pact with Invest India to promote foreign investments in the country and Indian investments abroad. Invest India is a government agency that promotes and facilitates investment in the country.

RBI doubles the limit of bulk deposits from Rs. 1 Crore to Rs 2 Crore Reserve Bank of India decided to treat deposits to over Rs.2 crore as ‘bulk’ as they doubled the limit for the same from the earlier Rs.1crore. This move will enhance the operational freedom of Banks.

RBI raised collateral-free farm loan limit from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 1.6 lakh The Reserve Bank of India raised the limit of collateral-free agricultural loans to Rs. 1.6 lakh from the current Rs. 1 lakh with a view to help small and marginal farmers.

Thermal power projects with investments worth Rs 2.5 lakh cr facing stress: Report As per a joint study by the ASSOCHAM-Grant Thornton, investments worth over Rs. 2.50 lakh crore in thermal power projects are facing stress and immediate remedial measures are needed to ensure that they are revived in a time-bound manner.

SBI, OBC put stressed accounts on sale State-owned State Bank of India (SBI) and Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) have put on sale various financial accounts to recover dues of about Rs. 5,740 crore.

Co-living can grow into a $93 bn market in India: report The co-living segment, an emerging sector in real estate, has the potential to grow into a $93-billion market in India, according to a report by Prop Tiger.

S&P affirms IOB’s ratings, keeps outlook stable International rating agency S&P Global has affirmed the credit rating of state-run Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) at ‘BB’ and ‘B’ on expectation of government’s capital infusion. The lender’s outlook has also been kept stable.

Retail inflation cools further to 2.05% in Jan The data released by the Central Statistics Office stated that the retail inflation has declined marginally to 2.05% in January over the previous month on continued decline in food prices, including vegetables and eggs.

95% of registered realty firms have no PAN In an audit of assessments made by the Income Tax Department on the real estate sector, the Comptroller and

Auditor General (CAG) found that a whopping 95% of the companies registered with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) did not have a permanent account number (PAN).

RBI penalises banks for violating various norms The Reserve Bank of India has imposed monetary penalty of two million rupees each on HDFC Bank, IDBI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank for non-compliance of various Know Your Customer/ Anti-Money Laundering norms.

WPI inflation falls to 10-month low of 2.76% in January According to government data, inflation based on wholesale prices fell to a 10-month low of 2.76 per cent in January over the previous month on softening prices of fuel and some food items.

Amazon Pay UPI launched for Android users in India Amazon has launched "Amazon Pay Unified Payments Interface (UPI)" for Android users in partnership with Axis Bank to issue UPI IDs to its customers in India.

Merchandise trade deficit widens to $14.73 bn in Jan. India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to $14.73 billion in January, largely driven by a strong growth in the import of gold and silver.

RBI lifts cap on FPI investments in corporate bonds The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) withdrew the 20 per cent limit on investments by FPIs in corporate bonds of an entity with a view to encourage more foreign investments.

‘World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2019’ Report released by ILO The International Labour Organization released World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2019 report. As per the report, unemployment rates will fall to 4.9% in 2019 and remains steady in 2020.

JP Morgan creates first US bank-backed crypto-currency US investment bank JP Morgan has created a crypto-currency to help settle payments between clients in its wholesale payments business.

JPM Coin is the first digital currency to be backed by a major US bank.

India raises customs duty to 200 pc on all goods imported from Pakistan India has raised the basic customs duty to 200 per cent on all goods imported from Pakistan with immediate effect following withdrawal the Most Favoured Nation, MFN status in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.

RBI turns net buyer of dollars in FY19 The Reserve Bank of India has turned net buyer of dollars in December, first time in the current fiscal, as it purchased $607 million of the greenback on a net basis from the spot market.

States allocation: Finance Commission sticks to 2011 census The 15th Finance Commission Chairman has said that it will not alter its approach on using the 2011 Census for population figures in its calculations for allocations to States.

RBI to give Rs 28,000 cr to Centre as dividend The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will transfer an interim surplus of 28,000 crore rupees to the central government.

IOC signs $1.5 billion deal to buy U.S. crude In the first-ever deal by an Indian company, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) had signed an annual deal worth $1.5 billion to import 3 million tonnes of crude oil in the fiscal year beginning April 1. This is the first time any Indian refiner has signed an annual contract,


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Government relaxes angel tax norms, widens age cap of startups to 10 years In a major relief to startups, the union government has expanded the turnover criteria and widened age cap of startups from 7 to 10 years.

LIC launches Micro Bachat plan Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has launched a new micro insurance plan 'Micro Bachat' which is a regular premium, non-linked, participating endowment micro insurance plan, which offers a combination of protection and savings. This insurance plan has been launched providing coverage up to Rs 2 lakh.

Saudi Arabia to invest 100 billion dollars in India Saudi Arabia will invest 100 billion dollars in India in range of areas including energy, refining, petrochemicals, infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing.

Vijaya, Dena merger with BoB effective from April 1 Bank of Baroda said the merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with itself would be effective from April 1 as per the scheme of amalgamation approved by the government.

FDI falls 7% to $33.49 billion in April-Dec. According to Union Commerce and Industry Ministry data, Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India contracted by 7% to $33.49 billion during April-December in the current fiscal. Foreign fund inflows during April-December 2017-18 stood at $35.94 billion.

Centre clears Rs. 48,239 cr. recapitalisation package for PSBs Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar has announced that the Union government has approved the disbursal of a recapitalization package of Rs. 48,239 crore for 12 public sector banks.

Suresh Prabhu launches Swayatt on GeM to promote MSMEs, women and young entrepreneurs Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched Swayatt, an initiative to promote MSMEs, women and young entrepreneurs through e-transactions on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).

India, Sri Lanka ink MoU to establish business centre for ICT incubators in Jaffna India and Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a business centre for ICT incubators in Jaffna through grant of 25 crore Sri Lankan rupees from India.

PM Modi launches India Korea startup hub in Seoul Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India Korea startup hub in Seoul.

PTC Financial Services partners UKCI, DFID for India's first green fund PTC Financial Services (PFS) is setting up India’s first infrastructure development debt fund, solely for renewable energy projects, in partnership with UK Climate Investments LLP (UKCI) and Department for International Development (DFID), UK.

EPFO hikes interest rate on provident fund to 8.65% from 8.55% Employees’ Provident Fund Organization, EPFO has decided to provide 8.65 per cent interest on Provident Fund deposits for 2018-19 against 8.55 per cent in the last year.

CBDT sets up panel to help bring down tax litigation The Union government is looking to address taxation-related pain points and cut down the number of tax litigations.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has formed a four-member committee, headed by income tax commissioner Sanjeev Sharma, to look into the matter and submit its final report and recommendations by mid-March.

RBI bundles NBFCs into one category To provide greater operational flexibility to non-banking lenders, the Reserve Bank of India has created a single category for them by bundling their present three-tier structure. Asset finance, loan, and investment companies have been merged into a new category called NBFC- Investment and Credit Companies.

GST slashed on residential properties GST Council headed by Finance minister Arun Jaitley has approved the proposal of 5 percent tax on normal residential properties and 1 percent for affordable housing category.

Ordinance clamps down on unregulated deposits In a bid to clamp down on Ponzi and fake deposit schemes, the union government has, through an ordinance, banned unregulated deposit schemes. The ordinance has also put in place a mechanism that will penalize the operation and advertisement of such unregulated schemes with jail time as well as monetary fines.

RBI extends KYC compliance norms by six months In a relief to e-wallet companies, the Reserve Bank of India extended by six months the deadline for compliance with Know Your Customer (KYC) norms, for prepaid payment instrument (PPI) issuers.

BoB ties up with German KfW for USD 130m to refinance solar units State-run Bank of Baroda has tied up with Germany’s KfW Development Bank for funding of USD 113 million to refinance solar projects.

RBI removes Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank from PCA The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken off Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank and Dhanlaxmi Bank from the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework allowing them to resume their normal lending activities.

Indra Nooyi joins Amazon’s Board of Directors PepsiCo’s India-born former CEO Indra Nooyi has joined Amazon’s board of directors, the online retail giant.

IDBI Bank appoints LIC's Hemant Bhargava as non-executive chairman IDBI Bank has appointed Hemant Bhargava as non-executive, non-whole time chairman. Bhargava is currently the Chairman (in-charge) and Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).

Govt. detects Rs. 20,000 cr. GST evasion, Rs. 10,000 cr. Recovered The Union government has detected Rs. 20,000 crore worth GST evasion so far this fiscal and will take more steps to check frauds and increase compliance.

Refugee wins the Australia’s richest literary prize Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian asylum-seeker detained in Papua New Guinea under Australian asylum laws has won the Victorian Prize for Literature. Behrouz Boochani was awarded for his work “No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison”.

Azim Premji to be honored lifetime achievement award in EOY 2018 Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd. will be felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Ernst & Young.


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Francois Laborde Conferred France’s Highest Civilian Honour Father Francois Laborde, a 92-year-old priest, was conferred the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour), the highest civilian award of France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children.

2019 Bafta film awards “The Favourite” and “Roma” were the big winners at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards(BAFTA). With 12 nominations “The Favourite” took home seven awards, including best actress for Olivia Colman and outstanding British film, but it was beaten to best film by Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.”

Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Cardi B & Qunicy Jones created history in various categories in 2019 Grammy Awards Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Cardi B and Qunicy Jones created history in various categories in the 2019 Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles.

Bradley Cooper's dog just won him PETA's 'Oscat' Award for Best Director Actor-director Bradley Cooper has won the Oscat award from animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for directing his dog in A Star Is Born.

Sportstar Aces Lifetime Achievement Award for Padukone Prakash Padukone was honoured for Lifetime Achievement while Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah shared the Sportsman of the Year (cricket) accolade at the Sportstar Aces Awards ceremony.

Cheteshwar Pujara became the first recipient of the Chairman’s Choice award, for his exploits in a historic Test series win for India in Australia.

Sudanese refugee wins major human rights award Abdul Aziz Muhamat, a Sudanese refugee who has been held in Australia’s notorious offshore Manus Island processing centre for over five years, has won the prestigious Martin Ennals human rights prize.

Sunil Chhetri given first ever Football Ratna Award Indian football striker Sunil Chhetri was awarded the first-ever ‘Football Ratna’ by Football Delhi, the State Association governing the sport in Delhi.

Laureus Sports Awards 2019 Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic (Tennis) Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles (Gymnast) Team of the Year: France football team Sport for Good Award: Yuwa (Women’s football in Jharkhand)

Divya Karnad first Indian woman to receive Future of Nature award for marine conservation Dr Divya Karnad has bagged the prestigious Global Future For Nature Award 2019 for her work on marine conservation.

Manpreet Singh honored with AHF's Player of the Year The Asian Hockey Federation has honored Indian skipper Manpreet Singh with the 2018 Player of the Year award.

Oscars 2019: 'Green Book' surprises as Best Picture winner Biographical drama "Green Book" has bagged the Best Picture Oscar at the 91st Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron won the Best Director award for 'Roma'.

British actress Olivia Colman clinched the Oscar for the Best Actress win for "The Favourite"

Rami Malek won the Best Actor for his turn as Queen musician Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody".

The India connect came with "Period. End of Sentence. It walked away with Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category.

President of India presents Gandhi Peace Prize The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The Gandhi Peace Prize was presented to the Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari for 2015, jointly to the Akshaya Patra Foundation and the Sulabh International for 2016, to the Ekal Abhiyan Trust for 2017, and to Shri Yohei Sasakawa for 2018.

Playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar to be honored with META lifetime achievement award Eminent Indian playwright Mahesh Elkunchwar has been chosen for this year’s META Lifetime Achievement Award.

LT Gen Rajeev Chopra Takes Over as Director General of NCC Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra assumed the appointment of Director General of NCC (DGNCC).

The National Cadet Corps is an Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters at New Delhi, Delhi, India. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis.

Sanjiv Ranjan appointed as the India's envoy to Colombia Sanjiv Ranjan has been appointed as new Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia. Ranjan, who is the current Ambassador to Argentina, is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

Rishi Kumar Shukla appointed as new CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla, 1983 batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, was appointed as the new chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He will be serving for a fixed term of two years.

Nayib Bukele claims victory in El Salvador's presidential election Former mayor of San Salvador, Nayib Bukele has claimed victory in the El Salvador's presidential election.

Air India CMD Pradeep Singh Kharola appointed civil aviation secretary Air India Ltd’s chairman and managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola will be the new civil aviation secretary.

SBI UK Chief Honoured ‘Freedom of the City of London’ The State Bank of India’s Uk chief Mr. Sanjiv Chadha has been honored with the ‘Freedom of the City Of London’ by the city of London Corporation in recognition of his contribution to promoting the bilateral relations.

Longest-Serving US Congressman John Dingell Passes Away John Dingell, the longest-serving congressman in US history, has passed away aged 92. He was first elected in 1955, serving in the House of Representatives for the next 59 years.


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Egypt's President El-Sissi elected as chairman of African Union Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has been elected as the chairman of the African Union at the continental body's summit in Ethiopia.

Ruchira Kamboj to be India’s Ambassador to Bhutan According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ruchira Kamboj has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to Bhutan.

Eicher Motors CEO Siddhartha Lal named EY Entrepreneur of the year 2018 Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Eicher Motors, was named the EY Entrepreneur of the year 2018.

William Barr sworn in as US Attorney General William Barr was sworn for second time as the nation’s Attorney General succeeding Jeff Sessions.

CBDT Chairman appointed new Election Commissioner Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Sushil Chandra, has been appointed as the new Election Commissioner.

Air India reappoints Ashwani Lohani as CMD Former Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani has been appointed chairman and managing director (CMD) of Air India.

Indian-origin global negotiator appointed director of renowned academic institution in South Africa An Indian-origin global negotiator by the name Faizel Ismail has been appointed as the director of a renowned academic institution in South Africa.

UN appoints Chandramouli Ramanathan as ASG in Management Strategy dept The UN has appointed an Indian official Chandramouli Ramanathan in one of the top most positions in its Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley resumed charge as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has resumed charge as finance minister after his return from the US. During his absence, railways and coal minister Piyush Goyal was given charge of the finance ministry.

P C Mody appointed as Chairman of CBDT Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has appointed senior IRS officer Pramod Chandra Mody as chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Hina Jaiswal becomes India's first woman flight engineer inducted by IAF Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal has became the first Indian Woman Flight Engineer of the Indian Air Force.

Former Maldives President Arrested Over Money Laundering A Maldivian court ordered the arrest and detention of former President Yameen Abdul Gayoom on charges of money laundering.

Grandfather of Climate Science and populariser of 'global warming' Wallace Smith Broecker dies Wallace Smith Broecker, a pioneering scientist who raised early alarms about climate change and popularised the term “global warming” has died aged 87.

Karl Lagerfeld, iconic Chanel fashion designer, dies German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most prolific and admired designers of modern times had died at the age of 85.

Astronomical Society of India gets first woman president Dr G C Anupama, Senior Professor (Dean) from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, has became the first woman to be elected president of Astronomical Society of India (ASI), a prime association of professional astronomers in the country.

Acclaimed Hindi Author Namvar Singh Dies At 92 Celebrated Hindi author and literary critic Namvar Singh died. He was 92. Considered a living legend of Hindi literature.

He received the Sahitya Akademi award for literary criticism in the year 1971 for ''Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman.

SC appoints former judge Justice DK Jain as ombudsman for BCCI The Supreme Court of India has appointed former apex court judge Justice DK Jain as the first court-appointed ombudsman for the BCCI under the terms of newly approved constitution of the cricket board.

Twitter co-founder Evan Williams steps down from Board after 13 years Twitter Inc. co-founder Evan Williams will step down from the company’s board at the end of February. Coca-Cola bowls out PepsiCo, becomes global sponsor Coca-Cola has replaced Pepsi Co as the global sponsor of the International Cricket Council (ICC), breaking the latter's eight-year deal that was signed in 2015.

India Captain Mithali Raj becomes 1st female cricketer to play 200 ODIs India captain Mithali Raj has became the first female cricketer to play 200 ODIs. She is also the highest run-getter in ODIs with 6622 runs at an average of 51.33, including seven hundreds.

Vani Kapoor becomes first Indian to grab Australian LPGA card Vani Kapoor became the first Indian to earn a card for the Australian Ladies PGA Tour (LPGA) after coming through its first-ever Qualifying Tournament at the Ballarat Golf Club.

Govt increases sports budget by over Rs 214 cr The Union government has increased the sports budget by over 214 crore rupees for the next financial year, including a hike in funds for the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and incentives for sportspersons.

Smriti Mandhana becomes number 1 in latest ICC women's ODI rankings Indian opener Smriti Mandhana has climbed three spots in the batters' list to become number one in the latest ICC women's ODI rankings.

South Africa end Pakistan's winning streak in T20 series Pakistan's record run of 11 straight T20 series victories ends as South Africa won the second T20 by seven runs at the Wanderers.

Sana first Asian woman to play 100 T20Is Former Pakistan women’s cricket team skipper Sana Mir became the first Asian woman cricketer to play hundred T20 Internationals. She reached the milestone in the third and final T20I against West Indies.


JV between FIFA, Qatar FIFA and Qatar announced a joint venture to deliver the 2022 World Cup, which will be held for the first time in the Middle East.

Smriti Mandhana Scores India’s Fastest-ever T20I Fifty Indian opener Smriti Mandhana hammered the fastest fifty for India in Women’s T20Is. The left-handed batswoman struck a half-century in just 24 balls in the 1st T20I against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Mirabai Chanu notched up gold at EGAT cup in Thailand World champion Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu notched up a gold medal at the EGAT Cup in Thailand. Chanu won the 48kg category gold with an effort of 192 kg in the silver level Olympic qualifying event.

Vidharbha lift Ranji Trophy for second time in a row Vidharbha lifted the Ranji Trophy for the second time in a row, defeating Saurashtra by 78 runs at Nagpur.

FIFA rankings: India slips out of top-100 The Indian football team slipped out of the top-100 in the latest FIFA rankings following the back to back group league defeats at the AFC Asian Cup in the UAE. India slumped six places to be ranked 103 with 1,219 points.

Jeremy Lalrinnunga clinches silver in men's 67-kg category Youth Olympics gold medalist Jeremy Lalrinnunga clinched silver in men's 67-kilogram category, fetching India's second medal in the EGAT's Cup International Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Moutet Wins Chennai Open Corentin Moutet has clinched the title of the 2019 Chennai Open. He defeated the unseeded Australian Andrew Harris 6-3, 6-3 in singles final in Chennai.

Ninth National snooker title for Pankaj Advani Pankaj Advani claimed his ninth senior National snooker title. Advani, who won 11 junior National titles, has nine billiards and three six-red snooker crowns as a senior.

He also has 21 World titles in cue sport.

Chadwick creates history at MRF Challenge Jamie Chadwick from England, scripted history in the MRF Challenge by becoming the first female driver to annex the championship in seven seasons.

ICC T20 rankings: Kuldeep Yadav moved up a notch to grab career-best 2nd position Indian wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has moved up a notch to grab a career-best second position in the ICC rankings for Twenty-20 bowlers. Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan leads the rankings.

England great Banks is no more Gordon Banks, England's goalkeeper during its triumphant 1966 World Cup campaign, has died aged 81. Banks is probably best known for a wonder save he produced to deny Brazilian great Pele in the 1970 World Cup group match.

Vidarbha beat Rest of India to retain Irani Cup Ranji champions Vidarbha beat Rest of India in Nagpur to retain the Irani Cup. Vidarbha has now become the third team after Mumbai and Karnataka to clinch two Irani Cup titles in a row.

Chris Gayle announces retirement from One-day Internationals West Indian batsman Chris Gayle has announced that he

will retire from One-day Internationals after the forthcoming World Cup.

Samuel Tefera sets indoor world record in 1,500 meters Ethiopian teenager Samuel Tefera has broken a 22-year-old indoor world record in the 1,500-meter race after finishing in 3 minutes, 31.04 seconds at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix.

Jharkhand-based NGO Yuwa Wins Laureus Sport for Good Honour Yuwa, a Jharkhand-based NGO which works for girl empowerment, won the Laureus Sport for Good award, becoming the third Indian entry to bag the honour.

India Win Team Event at Mallakhamb World Championship India emerged as winners in the team event at the first Mallakhamb World Championship in Mumbai.

Nikhat, Meena win gold medals at Strandja Memorial Boxing Nikhat Zareen and Meena Kumari Devi became the first Indian women boxers to win gold medals at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Squash Queen Nicol David to Retire at End of Season Eight-time world champion Nicol David has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2018-19 squash season, bringing down the curtain on the Malaysian's illustrious career.

Rajyavardhan Rathore inaugurates ISSF Shooting World Cup Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore has inaugurated the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup in New Delhi.

BFI president Ajay Singh elected as head of Elite Foundation of AIBA Ajay Singh, president of the Boxing Federation of India has been selected as the president of the Foundation Board for Better Boxing of AIBA (International Boxing Association).

Apurvi Chandela wins gold in women's 10m air rifle Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in the women's 10-metre air rifle event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.

ISSF World Cup: Saurabh Chaudhary bags gold with world record, earns Olympic quota in 10m air pistol Teenager Saurabh Chaudhary has clinched the men’s 10m air pistol gold with a world record score in his first-ever World Cup in Delhi, and assured India of a berth for this event at 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Abhijeet Gupta lifts Cannes International Open trophy Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta lifted the Cannes International Open trophy.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran rises to career-best 94th in Tennis In Tennis, India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran achieved his career-best ranking, rising three places to 94th in the latest list.

Sanath Jayasuriya banned from cricket for two years Former Sri Lanka Cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been banned from cricket for two years.

Hungary's Veronika Major wins gold medal at ISSF World Cup In shooting, Hungary's Veronika Major won a gold medal at the ongoing ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.


MISCELLANEOUS

ISSF World Cup: Manu, Saurabh clinch 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team gold Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker have claimed a gold medal for India in 10-metre air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.

New H-1B visa filing rule to give priority to workers with advanced degrees from US The US has announced a new H-1B visa filing rule from April under which priority would be given to foreign workers with advanced degrees from American universities.

UNESCO Launched International Year Of The Periodic Table Of Chemical Elements The International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements was launched at UNESCO's Headquarters, Paris.

World Wetlands Day is observed on February 2 World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally each year on 2 February.

World Cancer day being observed on February 4 World Cancer Day is observed on February 4 to raise awareness on cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and early treatment.

UK home secretary approves extradition of Vijay Mallya to India The UK home secretary has ordered the extradition of Vijay Mallya, the Indian multimillionaire chairman of Kingfisher beer and former Force India Formula One team owner, over allegations of £1bn fraud.

India becomes world's 2nd largest LPG consumer after government's Ujjawla push The government's push to provide clean cooking fuel to every household has turned India into the world's second largest LPG consumer whose demand is projected to rise 34 per cent by 2025.

Thailand names Siamese fighting fish its national aquatic animal Thailand named the tiny, eye-catching, colourful fin plumaged Siamese fighting fish as its aquatic animal with a aim to boost the conservation and breeding of the same.

India jumps eight places to 36th spot in US Chamber's global IP index India has jumped eight places to 36th position on the International Intellectual Property (IP) Index, which analyses the IP climate in 50 global economies, this year.

India to host 13th conference of parties of convention on conservation of migratory species The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme, is going to be hosted by India during 15th to 22nd February 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

US President signs executive order to prioritize research & development in Artificial Intelligence US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to prioritize research and development in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

February 11 is international day of women and girls in science The United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared February 11th as the International Day of Women and Girls

in Science with an aim to ensure full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.

Seventh session of World Government Summit held in Dubai The seventh session of the World Government Summit has kicked off in Dubai.

World Radio Day observed on February 13 every year World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13 every year.

The theme for this year is "Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace".

NASA Will Launch a New Space Telescope in 2023 to Investigate the Universe NASA has announced a new space telescope mission dedicated to understanding the origins of life and the universe. It's called the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer or SPHEREx, for short.

World Sustainable Development summit 2019 held in New Delhi World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2019, the flagship event of ‘The Energy and Resources Institute’ (TERI), was held in New Delhi.

The theme of WSDS 2019 was ‘Attaining the 2030 Agenda: delivering on our promise’.

The Hindu Centre among top think tanks The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy has been ranked 33rd in the ‘Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea’ category by the 2018 Global go To Think Tank Index Report.

Trump signs order to establish US space force US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to establish its Space Force as a new armed service within the Department of Air Force.

International Mother Language Day being celebrated on February 21 International Mother Language Day is being celebrated on 21st of February every year with the aim of preserving linguistic diversity and promoting mother tongue-based multilingual education. The theme of this year’s Mother Language Day is ''Indigenous Languages as a factor in development, peace and reconciliation''.

Australian mammal becomes first to go extinct due to climate change A small brown rat of bramble cay melomys species lived on a tiny island off northern Australia becomes the world’s first mammal to have become extinct due to “human-induced climate change”.

Afghanistan begins export to India via Chabahar port Afghanistan has begun exports to India through Iran’s Chabahar port, as the landlocked country turns to overseas markets to improve its economy.

India-Bangladesh joint military exercise 'Sampriti 2019' in Tangail A joint military exercise “Sampriti 2019” between India and Bangladesh will be conducted at Tangail in Bangladesh. This will be the eighth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries.

India ranked 47th in 'Inclusive' Internet list: Facebook According to a Facebook-led study revealed, India was ranked 47th in the overall "Inclusive Internet Index 2019" score while Sweden topped the chart, followed by Singapore and the US.

Documents

CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE (FEBRUARY 2019) · India's 40th communication satellite GSAT-31 launched successfully th communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully placed in orbit by