February 2019 Current Affair - Fundamakers

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February 2019 Current Affair - Fundamakers
February 2019
Current Affair

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Important Days
 Date              Day                                       Extra Info
 2 February        World Wetlands Day                        Theme 2019: "Wetlands and Climate Change"
 4 February        World Cancer Day                          Theme 2019: "I am and I will"
 4 Feb – 10 Feb    National Road Safety Week                 Theme 2019: "Sadak Suraksha-Jeevan Raksha"
 6 February        International Day of Zero Tolerance
                   for Female Genital Mutilation
 10 February       National Deworming Day
 10 February       1st World Pulses Day                      The Year 2016 was celebrated as International Year of
                                                             Pulses to highlight the contribution of Pulses to
                                                             sustainable food production and towards food security
                                                             and nutrition.
 11 February       International Day of Women and            Theme 2019: "Investment in Women and Girls
                   Girls in Science                          in Science for Inclusive Green Growth "
 11 February       World Day of the Sick
 12-18 February    National Productivity Week                Theme 2019: "Circular Economy for Productivity &
                                                             Sustainability "
 13 February       World Radio Day                           Theme 2019: "Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace "
 20 February       World Day of Social Justice               Theme 2019: "If You Want Peace & Development,
                                                             Work for Social Justice "
 21 February       International Mother Language Day         Theme 2019: "Indigenous languages as a factor in
                                                             development, peace and reconciliation "
 24 February       Central Excise Day (76th )
 27 February       World NGO Day
 28 February       National Science Day                      Theme 2019: "Science for the People, and
                                                             People for the Science "

MOU/Agreement Countries
⇒ India and Bangladesh inked 4 MoUs and agreements as new Bangla Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen met his
  Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj on his maiden trip abroad a little over a month after the re-election of
  Hasina government.
⇒ India’s Environment Ministry signed an agreement with the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ministry for an
  initiative seeking to combat marine pollution.

 MOU Industry/States/Others
 ⇒ State-run power giant NTPC said it has signed an agreement with HDFC Bank for a Rs 2,500 crore loan to part
   finance capital expenditure.
 ⇒ The UNICEF in Maharashtra has joined hands with Goa Women and Child Development(WCD) to focus on and
   support in the area of child protection in the State.
 ⇒ World Bank, UN Women, and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have joined hands to
   launch a new social impact bonds exclusively for women, called Women’s Livelihood Bonds (WLBs), with an
   initial corpus of Rs 300 crore.
 ⇒ The Reserve Bank of India and Bank of Japan have signed an agreement for Bilateral Swap Arrangement
   (BSA) between the two countries. The BSA was negotiated between India and Japan during the visit of Prime
   Minister Narendra Modi to Tokyo last year. It provides for India to access 75 billion in US dollars while the
   earlier BSA provided for 50 billion dollars.
 ⇒ India can access 75 billion dollars for its domestic currency, for the purpose of maintaining an appropriate
   level of balance of payments or short-term liquidity.

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Appointments and Resignations
Name                                         Post
Union Minister Arun Jaitley resumed charge as finance minister.
Shri Sailesh                                 Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs
Pradeep Kharola                              Civil Aviation Secretary
Radheyshyam Julaniya                         Union Sports Secretary
RK Shukla                                    CBI Director
Pramod Chandra Mody                          Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
Sushil Chandra                               Election Commissioner
Govind Prasad Sharma                         Chairman of National Book Trust (NBT)
P V Bharathi                                 CEO of Corporation Bank
Justice Uma Nath Singh                       First Lokayukta of Nagaland
Ashwani Lohani                               Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India
Dr.G C Anupama                               President of the Astronomical Society of India (ASI)
Justice (Retd) P S Teji                      Chairman of Police Complaints Authority
Justice DK Jain                              First ombudsman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
                                             (BCCI)
Mary Kom                                     Brand Ambassador of German sportswear brand Puma
Anirban Mukherjee                            Chief Executive Officer of PayU India
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh                    President of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)
Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad and Asima Ali           Vice President of Asian Hockey Federation (AHF)
(Indian)
Punit Goenka                                 Chairman of Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC)
Nilambar Acharya                             Nepal’s envoy to India
Chandramouli Ramanathan                      United Nation’s Controller
Professor Faizel Ismail                      Director of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Nelson Mandela
                                             School of Public Governance
William Barr                                 US Attorney General
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi      Chairman of the African Union
Mohamed Tahir Ayala                          Prime Minister of Sudan
Nayib Bukele                                 President of El Salvador
Muhammadu Buhari                             President of Nigeria

Awards and Recognitions
Award Name                              Person/Institution                  Extra Knowledge
Seoul Peace Prize 2018                  Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Swachhata Excellence awards 2019        Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh municipal
                                        corporation
K.Veeramani Award for Social Justice    P.S. Krishnan
2018
Aegis Graham Bell Award 2018 (Data      YES Bank                            For its ‘Yes Engage Enrich Excel
Science Innovation Award)                                                   (EEE)’ project in data science.
Global Future of Nature Award           Dr Divya Karnad                     Second Indian and the first
                                                                            woman to win the award
Officer of the Legion of Honour,        François Laborde
France’s highest civilian honour
Israel’s prestigious Dan David Prize    Sanjay Subrahmanyam (Indian
                                        Historian)
EY Entrepreneur Of the Year for 2018    Siddhartha Lal
Lifetime Achievement Award at the       Mahesh Elkunchwar (Playwright)
prestigious Mahindra Excellence in
Theatre Awards (META)
Lifetime Achievement award at the       G.R. Karthikeyan
FMSCI annual awards function
Lifetime Achievement Award by the       Deepa Mehta (Indo-Canadian          Mehta, best known for her
Academy of Canadian Cinema and          filmmaker)                          Elements Trilogy – “Fire”,
Television                                                                  “Earth” and “Water”.
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Martin Ennals human rights prize          Abdul Aziz Muhamat, a Sudanese
                                          refugee
The Maharashtra government has bestowed the ‘Shiv Chhatrapati Lifetime Achievement Award’ on mallakhamb
coach Uday Deshpande for 2017-18. The (Shiv Chhatrapati) lifetime achievement award is being conferred upon
Uday Deshpande of Samarth Vyayam Mandir, who has dedicated his life for mallakhamb.
National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) of India has been selected as Winner under the Miniratna
Category (Category II) by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
Bradley Cooper (American actor) has been awarded the ‘Oscat’ by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA). The animal rights organisation awarded Cooper “for his enlightened decision to cast his own canine
companion in ‘A Star Is Born’ rather than using one supplied by a notorious animal exhibitor”.
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, has conferred the royal honour of OBE (order of the British empire) on
Indian-origin Dhruv Patel for voluntary service to Britain’s Hindu community and social cohesion.
Railway’s ticket booking mobile application and the Chhattisgarh government’s ‘Khanij online’ are among 14
such IT projects that have been chosen for this year’s National e-Governance Awards.

President Ramnath Kovind gave away the Gandhi Peace Prize for four years from 2015 to 2018.
⇒ Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, got the award for 2015 for their contribution to rural development,
   education, development of natural resources.
⇒ For 2016, it has been jointly given to Akshaya Patra foundation for its contribution in providing mid-day
   meals to children and Sulabh International for improving the condition of sanitation and emancipation of
   manual scavengers.
⇒ Ekal Abhiyan Trust has won the award for 2017 for their contribution in providing education to rural and
   tribal children in remote areas, rural empowerment, gender, and social equality.
⇒ Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organisation for Leprosy Elimination Yohei Sasakawa has been
   honoured with Gandhi Peace Prize for 2018 for his role in leprosy eradication.

Oscar Awards 2019 Winners List

⇒   BEST PICTURE – Green Book
⇒   ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE – Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
⇒   ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE – Olivia Colman, The Favourite
⇒   DIRECTING – Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
⇒   ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – Mahershala Ali, Green Book
⇒   ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
⇒   WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) – BlacKkKlansman
⇒   WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) – Green Book
⇒   FILM EDITING – Bohemian Rhapsody, John Ottman
⇒   CINEMATOGRAPHY – Roma, Alfonso Cuaron
⇒   PRODUCTION DESIGN – Black Panther | Hannah Beachler (Production Design); Jay Hart (Set Decoration)
⇒   VISUAL EFFECTS – First Man | Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm
⇒   COSTUME DESIGN – Black Panther, Ruth Carter
⇒   MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING – Vice | Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney
⇒   FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – Roma | Mexico; Alfonso Cuarón
⇒   ANIMATED FEATURE FILM – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
⇒   MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) – Black Panther, Ludwig Goransson
⇒   MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) – “Shallow” | Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando
    and Andrew Wyatt
⇒   SOUND EDITING – Bohemian Rhapsody | John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone
⇒   SOUND MIXING – Bohemian Rhapsody | Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali
⇒   SHORT FILM (ANIMATED) – Bao | Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb
⇒   SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION) – Skin | Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman
⇒   DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE) – Free Solo | Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill
⇒   DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT) – Period. End Of Sentence. | Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton

BAFTA Awards 2019 Winners List
⇒ Best Film: “Roma”
⇒ Outstanding British Film: “The Favourite”
⇒ Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: “Beast” — Michael Pearce, Lauren Dark

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⇒   Film Not in the English Language: “Roma”
⇒   Documentary: “Free Solo”
⇒   Animated Film: “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse”
⇒   Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
⇒   Original Screenplay: “The Favourite”
⇒   Adapted Screenplay: “BlacKkKlansman”
⇒   Leading Actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
⇒   Leading Actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
⇒   Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”
⇒   Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
⇒   Original Music: “A Star Is Born”
⇒   Cinematography: “Roma”
⇒   Editing: “Vice”
⇒   Production Design: “The Favourite”
⇒   Costume Design: “The Favourite”
⇒   Makeup & Hair: “The Favourite”
⇒   Sound: “Bohemian Rhapsody”
⇒   Special Visual Effects: “Black Panther”
⇒   British Short Animation: “Roughhouse”
⇒   British Short Film: “73 Cows”
⇒   EE Rising Star Award: Letitia Wright

Grammy Awards 2019 Winners List
Alicia Keys, who is a 15-time Grammy winner, hosted the award ceremony in Los Angeles.
⇒ Record of the Year: ‘This Is America’ – Childish Gambino
⇒ Album of the Year: ‘Golden Hour’ – Kacey Musgraves
⇒ Song of the Year: ‘This Is America’ – Donald Glover and Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
⇒ Best New Artist: Dua Lipa
⇒ Best Pop Solo Performance: ‘Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)’ – Lady Gaga
⇒ Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: ‘Shallow’ – Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
⇒ Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: ‘My Way’ – Willie Nelson
⇒ Best Pop Vocal Album: ‘Sweetener’ – Ariana Grande
⇒ Best Dance Recording: ‘Electricity’ – Silk City & Dua Lipa Featuring Diplo and Mark Ronson
⇒ Best Dance/Electronic Album: ‘Woman Worldwide’ – Justice
⇒ Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: ‘The Emancipation Procrastination’ – Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
    ‘Steve Gadd Band’ – Steve Gadd Band
⇒ Best Rock Performance: ‘When Bad Does Good’ – Chris Cornell
⇒ Best Metal Performance: ‘Electric Messiah’ – High On Fire
⇒ Best Rock Song: ‘Masseduction’ – Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark, songwriters (St. Vincent)
⇒ Best Rock Album: ‘From The Fires’ – Greta Van Fleet
⇒ Best Alternative Music Album: ‘Colors’ – Beck
⇒ Best R&B Performance: ‘Best Part’ – H.E.R. Featuring Daniel Caesar
⇒ Best Traditional R&B Performance: ‘Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand’ – Leon Bridges, ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ – PJ
    Morton Featuring Yebba (Tie)
⇒ Best R&B Song: ‘Boo’d Up’ – Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)
⇒ Best Urban Contemporary Album: ‘Everything Is Love’ – The Carters
⇒ Best R&B Album: ‘H.E.R.’ – H.E.R.
⇒ Best Rap Performance: ‘King’s Dead’ – Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake, ‘Bubblin’ – Anderson .
    Paak (Tie)
⇒ Best Rap/Sung Performance: ‘This Is America’ – Childish Gambino
⇒ Best Rap Song: ‘God’s Plan’ – Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels &
    Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)
⇒ Best Rap Album: ‘Invasion Of Privacy’ – Cardi B
⇒ Best Country Solo Performance: ‘Butterflies’ – Kacey Musgraves
⇒ Best Country Duo/Group Performance: ‘Tequila’ – Dan + Shay
⇒ Best Country Song: ‘Space Cowboy’ – Luke Laird, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey
    Musgraves)
⇒ Best Country Album: ‘Golden Hour’ – Kacey Musgraves
⇒ Best New Age Album: ‘Opium Moon’ – Opium Moon
⇒ Best Improvised Jazz Solo: ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ – John Daversa, soloist
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Conference and Summits
Summit                                              Place            Extra Knowledge
World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS)         New Delhi        Theme - Attaining the 2030 Agenda:
2019                                                                 delivering on our promise
20th Bharat Rang Mahotsav                           New Delhi
Symposium on “Creativity and Freedom”               New Delhi
2019 Asia LPG Summit                                New Delhi        The event focused on ‘LPG – Energy for
                                                                     Life.’ India is the 2nd largest consumer of
                                                                     liquified natural gas
                                                                     (LPG) in the world.
Parmanu Tech 2019-Nuclear Energy Conference         New Delhi
CREDAI YouthCon -19                                 New Delhi        Theme - Next Generation
1st LAWASIA Human Rights conference 2019            New Delhi        Theme - State Power, Business and
                                                                     Human Rights: Contemporary Challenges
International Conference on Unani Medicine          New Delhi        Theme - Integration of Unani
                                                                     System of Medicine in main stream
                                                                     healthcare
Economic Times Global Business Summit 2019          New Delhi
3rd Indo-German Environment Forum                   New Delhi
5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative             New Delhi
Committee Meeting
4th India ASEAN Expo and Summit                     New Delhi
4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit        New Delhi
National Conference on Logistics Policy: Context,   New Delhi        SAFAR Mobile App launched
Issues & The Way Forward
International Conference and Exhibition on          New Delhi
Energy and Environment – Challenges and
Opportunities (ENCO-2019)
5th meeting of the Island Development Agency        New Delhi
(IDA)
Conference on Future of Indian Banking              New Delhi        NITI Aayog organized it.
14th Agricultural Science Congress                  New Delhi        Theme - Innovations for Agricultural
                                                                     Transformation
Rising India Summit 2019                            New Delhi        Theme - Beyond Politics: Defining
                                                                     National Priorities
Aviation Conclave                                   New Delhi        Theme – Flying for all
4th Agri leadership Summit 2019                     Ganaur,          Theme - Entrepreneurship & Agri-
                                                    Sonipat          Business; Agri Allied – A Promising
                                                    district,        Sector and Agri Service- Direct Marketing
                                                    Haryana
13th International Oil and Gas Conference –         Greater Noida,
PETROTECH – 2019                                    U.P.
Early Ed Asia 2019 (Asia’s largest conference on    Jaipur,
Early Childhood)                                    Rajasthan
13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN          Gandhinagar,     To be held in Feb 2020.
Convention on the conservation of migratory         Gujarat          The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) will be its
species (CMS)                                                        mascot
Krishi Kumbh                                        Motihari,
                                                    Bihar
79th Indian History Congress (IHC)                  Bhopal,          (After Pune University allegedly
                                                    Madhya           backed out)
                                                    Pradesh
16th edition of BioAsia                             Hyderabad,       Theme - Life Sciences 4.0 – Disrupt
                                                    Telangana        the Disruption
2019 Kala Ghoda Arts Festival                       Mumbai,
                                                    Maharashtra
8th World CSR Congress                              Mumbai           Dr Soumitro Chakraborty won CEO
                                                                     of the year award
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Regional Maritime Safety Conference 2019             Mumbai            Theme - Safeguarding the shores and
                                                                        promoting India-Asean trade along the sea
                                                                        route
 International Vision Zero Conference                 Mumbai
 Words Count Festival                                 Pune,
                                                      Maharashtra
 International Spice Conference 2019                  Hyderabad,
                                                      Telangana
 5th International Dam Safety Conference–2019         Bhubaneswar,
                                                      Odisha
 Dharmapada Samvaad-Skill Saathi Youth                Bhubaneswar,
 Conclave                                             Odisha
 12th edition of “Aero India 2019” (Asia’s biggest    Bengaluru,
 defence exhibition show)                             Karnataka
 4th International Conference on Pharmaceutical       Bengaluru         Theme for India Pharma 2019 is
 & Medical Device sector                                                ‘Enabling Quality Affordable Healthcare’
                                                                        and that of India Medical Device 2019 is
                                                                        ‘Med-Tech India: Gearing up for Ayushman
                                                                        Bharat’.
 44th International Advertising Association (IAA)     Kochi, Kerala
 global summit
 4th edition of ‘Science at the Sabha’                Chennai,
                                                      Tamil Nadu
 2nd ASEAN-Inda Youth Summit                          Guwahati,
                                                      Assam
 World Government Summit                              Dubai, UAE
 NATO’s next meeting of Heads of State and            London, UK        To be held in December 2019
 Government

 International News
⇒ 2019 announced as The International Year of The Periodic Table by United Nations Educational, Scientific and
  Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
⇒ Pakistan Army successfully test-fired the short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Nasr’ which it claimed
  can defeat any ballistic missile defence system now available in the country’s neighbourhood or any other
  system being developed.
⇒ The government of Thailand has approved the proposal to name Siamese fighting fish as the National Aquatic
  Animal.
⇒ The Indian government has proposed the construction of Lower Arun Hydropower Project in Nepal with a
  capacity of 400 Megawatts (MW).
⇒ A month-long ‘Festival of India’ began in Kathmandu with the objective of familiarising the new generation of
  Nepal about the similarities between the Himalayan nation and India.
⇒ 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.
⇒ A total of 229,068 cases of measles were reported in 2018, nearly double the number of infections contracted
  in the previous year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
⇒ 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.
⇒ Argentina became the 72nd country to sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
⇒ Saudi Arabia became the 73rd country to sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance
  (ISA).
⇒ Irani President Hassan Rouhani has unveiled the first Iranian made semi-heavy submarine, ‘Fateh’.
⇒ AntBot, the first walking robot that navigates without GPS in London.
⇒ According to the Australian government, a small brown rat ‘Bramble Cay melomys’ which lived on a tiny island
  off northern Australia is the world’s first mammal known to have become extinct due to “human-induced
  climate change.”
⇒ World’s first AI female news anchor unveiled in China.
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India Korea startup hub in Seoul, South Korea.
⇒ A team of researchers spotted the world’s giant bee which is as big as a human thumb, in Indonesia for the first
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time since 1981. The team has spent years studying the bee and slogged around in humid Indonesia forests for
    days before stumbling upon one.
⇒   Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in South Korea’s premier Yonsei
    University and said the occasion assumes greater significance in light of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
⇒   Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani flagged off the first Afghan cargo from western Nimroz province that will
    be exported to India through Chabahar Port in Iran which was inaugurated in 2017.
⇒   Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has declared a national state of emergency, dismissed the federal
    government and sacked all state governors.
⇒   Zimbabwe launched new, discounted currency RTGS or real-time gross settlement Dollar

 National News
⇒ Following the Pulwama (District in Jammu and Kashmir) terror attack, India withdrew the ‘most-favoured
  nation’ status to Pakistan, a move which would enable India to increase customs duty on goods coming from
  the neighbouring country.
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated India's National War Memorial adjoining the India Gate
  in New Delhi, nearly 60 years after it was mooted to honour the fallen soldiers after Independence.
⇒ Spread over 40 acres in the India Gate complex, the has been executed at a cost of Rs 176 crore and its design
  was selected through a global competition.
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme in
  Gorakhpur. PM-KISAN scheme, announced in the interim Budget, will provide Rs 6,000 per year to small and
  marginal farmer families having combined land holding/ownership of upto 2 hectares. The amount will be
  given in 3 installments of Rs 2,000 each.
⇒ The head of state of Monaco, Prince Albert II arrived in New Delhi on a week-long visit to India.
⇒ Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri arrived in New Delhi on a three-day India visit.
⇒ Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud arrives in New Delhi on a two-day
  visit.
⇒ The Election Commission has launched a Voter Verification and Information Programme (VVIP) for
  verifications of voters’ names, new registrations, changes or corrections in the Voter Id Cards for the upcoming
  General Elections. The Commission has also set up Contact centres in all the districts and the Voter Helpline
  number is 1950. A ‘PwD App’ to enable Divyangs for new registration, change in address and others details
  was also launched.
⇒ India’s first ‘fulldome 3D Digital Theatre’ at the Science City in Kolkata was inaugurated by Union Culture
  Minister Mahesh Sharma. The ‘fulldome 3D Digital Theatre’ at the Science city was the first of its kind in India
  having a 23 metre titled dome to offer a fully immersive experience to the visitors.
⇒ 8000 Health and Wellness Centres have become operational in 35 states and Union Territories Govt. The
  government has set a target to set up nearly 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres by 2022.
⇒ Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have released more than 6.23 crore LPG connections under the Scheme
  across the country as on January 28. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) was launched by the government
  May 2016. Initially launched with a target to give 5 crore connections by March 2019 , the government later
  raised it to 8 crore connections by 2021.
⇒ Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) App has been launched on Google play store. Ayushman Bharat
  Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is a centrally sponsored scheme; which was launched in
  the year 2018, under the Ayushman Bharat Mission of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in the
  country.
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Khelo India Mobile App at the Youth Parliament Festival in New
  Delhi. Developed by the Sports Authority of India, the App helps create awareness about sports and fitness,
  especially among youngsters.
⇒ The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has been renamed as the Department for
  Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade with a mandate to deal with matters related to start-ups, facilitating
  ease of doing business among others.
⇒ The government approved a proposal for setting up of 12,000 MW of solar power projects by state-run
  producers.
⇒ Focussing on its mission to empower women, social networking giant Facebook launched a digital skilling and
  mentorship initiative across 5 states in India that would encourage tribal girls to become village-level digital
  young leaders for their communities.
⇒ To mark the second annual National Cleft Day, Smile Train India has officially launched the country’s first toll-
  free national cleft helpline – Smile Train India Cleft Helpline. The helpline 1800 103 8301, is accessible to
  people throughout India who are looking for information about cleft treatment.
⇒ February 8 is observed as National Cleft Day by the Indian Society of Cleft Lip, Palate and Craniofacial
  Anomalies and cleft charities in India.
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⇒ The top revenue-generating monuments during 2015-18 include Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Qutub Minar, Red Fort
  and Humayun’s Tomb, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma informed Parliament. Along with these monuments
  the others in the top 10 include Sun Temple Konark, group of monuments in Mamallapuram, Ellora caves,
  group of monuments in Khajuraho, and the Ajanta caves in Aurangabad.
⇒ Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik launched the e-AUSHADHI portal, for online licensing of
  Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs and related matters.
⇒ 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. The scheme aims at
  improving the competitiveness of MSMEs by integrating various ongoing schematic interventions aimed at up-
  grading technology through Credit Linked Capital Subsidy (CLCS).
⇒ Moving a step ahead towards ensuring optimum use of National Waterways, the Inland Waterways Authority
  of India (IWAI) launched a new portal LADIS – Least Available Depth Information System in New Delhi.
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the maiden run of India’s first semi-high speed train ‘Vande Bharat
  Express’ from New Delhi Railway Station. Vande Bharat Express can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph
  and has travel classes like Shatabdi Train but with better facilities in a bid to provide a totally new travel
  experience to passengers.
⇒ It left Delhi for Varanasi on its first commercial run. The train, which has been designed and built in India, is
  running between New Delhi and Varanasi via Kanpur and Prayagraj. It will cover the distance between New
  Delhi and Varanasi in 8 hours.
⇒ Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep S Puri said the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban
  (PMAY-U) Mobile App will allow beneficiaries to capture and upload high resolution photographs of completed
  houses along with their families.
⇒ Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh scripted history by becoming the first Indian Woman Flight
  Engineer to be inducted by the Indian Air Force.
⇒ In view of women’s safety, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Women and Child
  Development (WCD) Maneka Gandhi jointly launched a single pan India number ‘112’ for any emergency in 16
  States and Union Territories.
⇒ In addition, Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) and Safe City Implementation
  Monitoring Portal were also launched. The Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) has been launched in
  Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil
  Nadu, Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Jammu and
  Kashmir.
⇒ The government approved the Rs 11,814 crore phase-II of Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme. The
  phase-II is meant to achieve cumulative capacity of 40,000 megawatt (MW) from rooftop solar (RTS) projects
  by 2022.
⇒ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two schemes for promotion of solar power one
  for the agriculture sector and the other for rooftops. The long-pending KUSUM scheme (Kisan Urja Suraksha
  evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) was approved by the CCEA. The scheme aims to add a solar capacity of 25,750 MW
  by 2022.
⇒ The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme during the extent of 14th
  Finance Commission ending in 2020 and beyond, sanctioning Rs 2,055 crore for 60 projects under the scheme
  to be completed by December 2019.
⇒ Union cabinet approved a 3 per cent hike (9% to 12% now) in dearness allowance (DA) for central
  government employees and pensioners which will cost the exchequer Rs 9,168.12 crore.
⇒ The Union Cabinet approved the construction of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System
  (RRTS), a first-of-its-kind, covering a distance of 82.15 km at a cost of Rs 30,274 crore.
⇒ PM Modi flagged off the world’s first Diesel to Electric Converted Locomotive at Diesel Locomotive Works
  (DLW) campus in Varanasi.
⇒ The country’s second-largest IT services firm Infosys announced the launch of ‘InfyTQ’, a digital platform to
  offer learning and engagement experiences to engineering students in the country.
⇒ A 110-feet National Flag was hoisted at Raipur railway station in Chhattisgarh as a tribute to 40 soldiers
  martyred in last week’s terror attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.
⇒ The Central government approved recapitalisation of 12 public sector banks with an infusion of Rs 48,239
  crore. Corporation Bank gets the highest infusion of Rs 9,086 crore while Bank of Maharashtra gets the lowest
  at Rs 205 crore.
⇒ Government has launched Operation Digital Board on the lines of Operation Blackboard to provide better
  digital education in schools.
⇒ Keeping in line with the government’s initiative to ensure empowerment to the common man through
  technology for access to justice, the law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a tele-law mobile application
  that is integrated with a dashboard and an application called Nyaya Bandhu.

                                                        9
⇒ Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu launched SWAYATT on Government e-Marketplace
  (GeM) and reiterated the need to support and strengthen such initiatives and enterprises which constitute the
  backbone of the Indian economy.
⇒ Boosting the country’s efforts in tackling cybercrime, Union home minister Rajnath Singh and LG Anil Baijal
  inaugurated the state-of-the-art National Cyber Forensic Lab and Delhi Police’s cybercrime unit ‘CyPAD’ at
  Dwarka Sector 16, New Delhi.
⇒ Ace shuttler PV Sindhu flew in Made-in-India Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas at the Aero India air show
  being held in Bengaluru.
⇒ After withdrawing the most favoured nation (MFN) status and slamming a 200 per cent import duty, India
  decided to stop the flow of its share of water from the three eastern rivers –the Beas, Ravi and Sutlej to
  Pakistan. Construction of a dam had started at Shahpur-Kandi on Ravi river.
⇒ Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new park which houses the replicas of seven wonders of the
  world at Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi. The park, which is called the ‘Waste to Wonder Park’, was built by the
  South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
⇒ Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved the construction of 560695 more affordable houses for the
  benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). The approval was given in the 43rd meeting
  of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee in New Delhi. The cumulative number of houses
  sanctioned under the scheme is now over 79 lakh.
⇒ Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti Dashboard in New Delhi. The Dashboard has been
  launched to keep people informed about the work going on in the Railways across the country.
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a giant Bhagavad Gita, running into 670 pages and weighing 800 kg, at
  the ISKCON temple in New Delhi. Dubbed the ‘Astounding Bhagavad Gita‘, and measuring 2.8 m by 2 m, it is
  billed as the “largest principle sacred text ever to be printed”.
⇒ The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry in collaboration with the National Skill Ministry and
  Labour and employment Ministry collaboratively has launched SHREYAS- Scheme for Higher Education Youth
  for Apprenticeship and Skills.
⇒ In a bid to promote digital transactions, the Indian Rail Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) launched its
  much awaited payment aggregator system ‘IRCTC iPay’. The exclusive digital payment gateway will provide
  better digital experience and improved online digital payment convenience to rail passengers availing online
  travel-related services through the website.

 State News
     Andhra Pradesh
⇒   Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu launched the second phase of Pasupu-Kumkuma (Turmeric-Kumkum)
    scheme and welfare pensions. Under the second phase of the scheme, women who are a part of Development
    of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) will be given Rs 10,000 in three instalments.
⇒   Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal commissioned Godavari Mega Aqua Food
    Park at Tundurru Village in Bhimavaram Mandal, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh.
⇒   Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced Rs 9000 each to the farmers with less than 5
    acres land under Annadata Sukhibhava scheme 2019. Farmers having land more than 5 acres, will be given Rs
    10,000.
⇒   Tabreed, a UAE-based international cooling provider has entered into a 30-year concession with Andhra
    Pradesh government to build, own, operate and transfer India’s first district cooling system in the state’s new
    capital Amaravati.

      Arunachal Pradesh
⇒   PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Sela Tunnel Project in Arunachal Pradesh. Once completed,
    the project would provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang and forward areas.
⇒   PM declared 100 per cent electrification of all households in Arunachal Pradesh. He laid the foundation stone
    for the construction of Greenfield Airport at Hollongi.
⇒   PM launched the DD ‘Arun Prabha’ Channel in Itanagar.
⇒   The Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh is celebrated 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.
⇒   Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani launched the Integrated Large Scale Eri Farming in Arunachal Pradesh
    under North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) in Itanagar.

   Assam
⇒ The government of Assam has announced a new scheme called Arundhati to provide gold at free of cost to the
  brides. Under the scheme, the government of Assam aims to provide 1 Tola Gold to brides belonging to all such
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communities of Assam where it is customary to provide gold at the time of the wedding.
⇒ Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the PRANAM Commission, a panel set up to look after the
  issues concerning a Bill brought in for protection of parents of state government employees.
⇒ The National Institute of Design has been inaugurated at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jorhat in Assam.

   Bihar
⇒ Bihar government has announced a universal old age pension scheme – Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension
  Yojna- MVPY for all people above 60 years of age. The scheme will come into force from the 1st of April this
  year. Except those senior citizens who have retired from government service, all will be eligible for 400 rupees
  monthly pension irrespective of caste, religion or community.
⇒ Bihar has become the first state in the country to have raised a special dog squad to detect liquor consignment.

     Delhi
⇒   In a first, the government of Delhi launched its pilot project of creating the national capital’s first ‘zero fatality
    corridor’. The capital city witnessed over 1,600 road crash fatalities in 2018 and this project is aimed at
    curbing that number.
⇒   India will soon have its first Centre for Textiles Trends Forecasting to be set up in Delhi.
⇒   Union Minister Smriti Irani laid the foundation stone for a ‘Hastshilp’ complex in New Delhi which will provide
    better accessibility to handicraft artisans from across the country and SAARC nations.
⇒   Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a new park which houses the replicas of seven wonders of the
    world at Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi. The park, which is called the ‘Waste to Wonder Park’, was built by the
    South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
⇒   A three-day Working Group Meeting, organised jointly by the Ministry of AYUSH and WHO, to review the WHO
    document “Benchmarks for Training in Yoga” held in New Delhi. 16 yoga experts reviewed the draft document
    of whom, 11 are from the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Australia and
    Malaysia.

   Goa
⇒ NBCC to construct Ayurveda and Naturopathy hospital in Goa. (NBCC is a Navratna enterprise under the
  Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.)

     Gujarat
⇒ Centre allocated Rs 59 cr for Asiatic Lion conservation in Gujarat

   Haryana
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurated the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Badhsa, Jhajjar, in
  Haryana.

   Himachal Pradesh
⇒ Himachal Pradesh’s economic growth is expected to be 7.3 per cent this fiscal and its per capita income is
  estimated at Rs 1,76,968. The economic growth was 6.5 per cent in the previous fiscal, the highest in three
  years.
⇒ Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated Cremica Food Park, which is the first mega food
  park of Himachal Pradesh.
⇒ Himachal Pradesh will collaborate with the World Bank and the Korea Green Growth Trust Fund for
  developing agro climatic zone-based municipal solid waste management strategies.
⇒ Monkeys have again been declared vermin for the next one year in 11 districts‘ 91 tehsils and sub-tehsils of HP.

   Jammu & Kashmir
⇒ The Jammu and Kashmir administration under Governor Satya Pal Malik approved creation of a separate
  division of Ladakh, comprising Kargil and Leh districts, by carving it out of Kashmir division. The state thus far
  had two divisions- Kashmir and Jammu, Ladakh being part of the former.

   Jharkhand
⇒ Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das launched the first phase of the Rs 100-crore Sweet Revolution Scheme
  under which 1,207 farmers will be given Rs 1 lakh for bee keeping.

   Kerala
⇒ In a first, the Kerala government has set up a price monitoring and research unit (PMRU) to track violation of
  prices of essential drugs and medical devices under Drugs Price and Control order.
⇒ Kerala has emerged an achiever in the State Investment Potential Index 2018, based on the six pillars of land,
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labour, infrastructure, economic climate, political stability and governance and business perception. The
  Kerala- specific findings of the survey, conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research, titled
  ‘NCAER- State Investment Potential Index 2018’ (N-SIPI) were released at ASCEND KERALA 2019 in Kochi.
⇒ CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) in Thiruvananthapuram. A first of its
  kind research institute that is linked to the Global Virus Network (GVN).
⇒ Thiruvananthapuram will host the Attaukal Ponkala festival which is considered as one of the world’s largest
  religious gathering of women on a single day.
⇒ Embarking on the much-coveted road towards automation, India has launched its first humanoid robot cop in
  Kerala, ‘KP-Bot’.

   Madhya Pradesh
⇒ MP announces Rs 1 crore for sportsmen participating in international events.
⇒ The 100-day urban job guarantee scheme a first in the country and the brainchild of Madhya Pradesh chief
  minister Kamal Nath is offering over 40 jobs, covering a broad spectrum from cattle grazer to accountant and
  photographer, as the government aims to cover as many beneficiaries as possible, regardless of their
  educational qualification.
⇒ The National Institute of Design has been inaugurated at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jorhat in Assam.

   Maharashtra
⇒ 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.
⇒ Reliance Realty will develop Maharashtra’s first and largest smart fintech centre in Navi Mumbai.

   Meghalaya
⇒ The Meghalaya Cabinet has decided to rename the Dikkibandi stadium in Tura town after former Lok Sabha
  Speaker Purno A Sangma.

   Odisha
⇒ Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the new ‘KALIA Chhatravritti Yojana’, which is a scholarship
  for the children of farmers who are the beneficiaries of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income
  Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.
⇒ The Odisha cabinet approved Khushi scheme to provide free sanitary napkins to school girls across the state.
⇒ Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled a scholarship programme for the children of the beneficiaries
  of the KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme.
⇒ In Odisha, Oil Marketing Companies will engage more than 10,000 rural women as ‘Ujjwala Didis’ to act as
  grassroots energy ambassadors across the state to ensure sustainability of LPG use.
⇒ The Odisha government launched the boat ambulance service to help patients reach hospitals in remote areas
  cut off by rivers, at a cost of Rs 5.40 crore. The first boat ambulance was launched at Batighar in the
  Kendrapara district.

   Punjab
⇒ Punjab Government Approves ‘Smart Village Campaign’ Worth Of Rs 385 Crores.
⇒ Indus River Dolphin declared Punjab’s State aquatic animal
⇒ Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced setting up a high-powered committee to boost dairy sector
  for supplementing farmers’ income in a result-oriented manner.
⇒ Punjab government announced 6 per cent dearness allowance (DA) to government employees and pensioners,
  with effect from February 1, 2019.

   Rajasthan
⇒ Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the ‘Titanwala Museum’ in Bagru that showcases the Chhipa
  community’s hand-block printing.

   Sikkim
⇒ Microsoft India entered into a pact with the Sikkim state government to improve the education system in the
  state by boosting digital literacy and the knowledge of new-age technology among students and teachers in
  government schools.

   Tamil Nadu
⇒ ‘DigiCop’ mobile App of the Chennai police department at the Commissioner’s office launched. Using the App,
  people can track the status of stolen two-wheelers and cell phones.
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⇒ Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami said a multi-disciplinary animal husbandry park will be set up in
  Salem district.
⇒ Bandicoot, a drainage-cleaning robot, has been introduced for the first time in India at the Kumbakonam city
  corporation as part of efforts to rid of manual scavenging at the cost of Rs 18 lakh in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
⇒ Necessitated by frequent issues pertaining to fishermen, Tamil Nadu became the first state in the country to
  get a second Coast Guard district headquarters – Thoothukudi.
⇒ The first district headquarters is Chennai.

   Telangana
⇒ Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) integrated Pink toilets named “She Mart and Loo’s” in order
  to provide women with safe and hygienic toilets.
⇒ Two new districts, Narayanpet and Mulugu were created in Telangana taking the total number of districts in
  the state to 33.

    Tripura
⇒ Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a statue of Tripura’s last ruler, Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya
  (reigned 1923-47), at the airport which was renamed after him in July last year. He unveiled the 7.5-foot-high,
  fibre glass statue, designed and built by the faculty and students of Tripura government’s Art and Craft College
  at a cost of Rs 5 lakh.
⇒ Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti inaugurated Sikaria Mega Food
  Park Pvt Ltd at Village Tulakona in Agartala. This is the 17th Mega Food Park in the country and first in the
  state of Tripura.
⇒ Union Minister D V Sadananda inaugurated a centre of the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and
  Technology (CIPET) in Tripura. The CIPET in Tripura would produce 1500 skilled workers per annum.

   Uttarakhand
⇒ A Himalayan Cloud Observatory has been set up in Tehri district in Uttarakhand to receive forecast and
  monitor cloud burst incidents in the Himalayan region and help minimise the damage.
⇒ The Centre has decided to set up a national law university in Uttarakhand.
⇒ CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a helpline at the IT Park in Dehradun for quick redressal of public
  complaints. People can call on the helpline number 1905 to lodge their complaints.

    Uttar Pradesh
⇒ Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off 33 ‘Sarthi Sandesh Vahini’ vehicles in Gorakhpur. The
  ‘Sarthi Sandesh Vahini’ is a mission started by the state family welfare department with an aim to spread
  awareness regarding family planning in urban and rural areas.
⇒ PM Modi inaugurated a Virtual Experiential Museum (VEM) at Man Mahal, a centrally-protected observatory
  under the Archeological Survey of India in Varanasi.
⇒ PM Modi during his visit at BHU in Varanasi recently inaugurated Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer
  Hospital and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Lahartara.
⇒ In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched Scheme for Adolescent girls. The scheme focuses on
  girls aged between 11 to 14 years who have left studies and will take steps for proper nutrition and special
  care for them. The state government also decided to observe Adolescent girls day on 8th of every month at
  Anganwadi centres across the state.
    West Bengal
⇒ A World Heritage Centre housing ‘spiritual camps’ of 45 countries would be set up at Mayapur, the global
  headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), in Nadia district.
⇒ West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee inaugurated a web portal, which is set to provide real-time
  data on state-run and aided schools. “The portal, Banglar Shiksha (banglarshiksha.gov.in) will address many
  issues, including attendance of students and teachers.

 Finance and Banking News
⇒ 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.
⇒ The Reserve Bank of India has exempted Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and Oriental Bank of Commerce
  from PCAF (Prompt Corrective Action Framework) following improvements in their capital position and asset
  quality in the December 2018 quarter.
⇒ Next, RBI also removed Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank and Dhanlaxmi Bank out of the Prompt Corrective
  Action (PCA) framework.

                                                       13
⇒ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to raise the criteria for ‘bulk deposits’ for banks to Rs 2 crore from the
  current Rs 1 crore, to provide more operational freedom to lenders to raise funds. Banks have been given
  discretion to offer differential rate of interest on the bulk deposits as per their requirements and asset-liability
  management (ALM) projections.
⇒ The Reserve Bank’s restructuring package for small businesses announced last month will help recast Rs 1
  trillion of loans for 700,000 eligible micro, small and medium enterprises.
⇒ To boost liquidity in the farming sector, particularly among small and marginal farmers, the RBI announced
  increasing the limit on collateral-free agriculture loans to Rs 1.6 lakh from Rs 1 lakh.
⇒ State Bank of India said the Reserve Bank of India has slapped Rs 1 crore penalty on the country’s largest
  lender for violating norms. RBI “in exercise of powers conferred under Section 47 A of the Banking Regulation
  Act, 1949 has levied a penalty of Rupees one crore on the bank for not monitoring the end use of funds in
  respect of one of its borrowers.
⇒ State-run Bank of Baroda has tied up with Germany’s KfW Development Bank for funding of USD 113 million to
  refinance solar projects. The tie-up is part of an Indo-German Solar Energy Partnership signed in 2015.
⇒ Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) has announced the launch of ‘KisanSuvidha loan’ for small and marginal
  farmers. The collateral-free loans can be used by farmers for both agriculture and allied activities.
⇒ Pallavan Grama Bank and Pandyan Grama Bank will be merged to form Tamil Nadu Grama Bank. The
  integration will be effective from April 1. The new Tamil Nadu Grama Bank will be under the sponsorship of
  Indian Bank with head office in Salem,Tamil Nadu. Originally the Pallavan Grama Bank was sponsored by
  Indian Bank and Pandyan Grama Bank by Indian Overseas Bank.
⇒ Fino Payments Bank (FPB) has announced the launch of a sweep account facility in association with Suryoday
  Small Finance Bank (SSFB).
⇒ The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has merged 3 categories of NBFCs- asset finance, loan companies and
  investment companies into one new category called NBFC-investment and credit company (NBFC-ICC) to ease
  operational flexibility of these institutions.
⇒ 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.
⇒ Srei Equipment Finance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance, has tied up with state-
  owned Syndicate Bank to jointly provide financing for construction and farm equipment.

 Business News
⇒ The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has bought a 14% stake in micro-financier Annapurna Finance for Rs 137
  crore
⇒ Paytm has launched hotel bookings on its platform and acquired NightStay, which offers deals on last-minute
  bookings at luxury hotels.
⇒ Online food delivery start-up Swiggy has made its first acqui-hire in the deep technology space through an AI
  start- up Kint.io
⇒ IndoStar Capital Finance Ltd (IndoStar) , a non-banking finance company, has signed a binding agreement to
  acquire the CV finance business of India Infoline Finance Ltd (IIFL Finance), a subsidiary of IIFL Holdings Ltd.
⇒ In an attempt to enable users shop better using Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, Facebook has acquired
  US- based virtual search start-up, GrokStyle, at an undisclosed amount.
⇒ Google announced that it will acquire Silicon Valley data migration company Alooma to grow its cloud business
  service.
⇒ To facilitate secure payments and financial transactions on its platform, Amazon launched “Amazon Pay
  Unified Payments Interface (UPI)” for Android users in partnership with Axis Bank to issue UPI IDs to its
  customers in India.
⇒ HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, India’s third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector,
  announced the launch of ‘Trip Protector’ insurance policy, a pioneering policy in the non-life insurance
  segment in India.
⇒ Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) launched a new micro insurance plan ‘Micro Bachat’ plan.
⇒ IT czar and Wipro Chairman Azim Premji unveiled the new plant of Wipro-Kawasaki joint venture to
  manufacture hydraulic pumps and motors for the construction machinery at Bidadi, about 40 km from
  Bengaluru.
⇒ Thomas Cook India Group announced its acquisition of a 51% stake in Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI).

 Economy News
⇒ The GST Council lowered the tax on under-construction residential properties to 5 per cent from 12 per cent to
  boost the realty sector. The new rates will be implemented from April 1.
⇒ The Goods and Services Tax (GST) on affordable housing properties without input tax credit (ITC) has been
  reduced to one per cent, while effective GST of 5 per cent shall be applicable without ITC on residential
                                                         14
properties outside affordable segment, as was decided by the GST Council at its 33rd meeting. The new rate
    will be effective from April 1, 2019.
⇒   The government informed Parliament that loans worth Rs 7,277.31 crore of public sector banks under
    Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) have turned bad at the end of March 2018. Loans extended under
    PMMY from inception of the scheme up to March 2018 by all member lending institutions (MLIs) were Rs 5.71
    lakh crore.
⇒   In order to meet additional expenses, the government has decided to raise additional Rs 36,000 crore through
    dated securities taking the total borrowing through the instrument to Rs 96,000 crore in the remaining period
    of the current fiscal.
⇒   Central Statistics Office (CSO) : The government revised the economic growth rate upwards to 7.2 per cent for
    2017-18 from the 6.7 per cent estimated earlier.
⇒   The finance ministry expects economic growth to accelerate to 7.5 per cent in 2019-20 from 7.2 per cent
    projected for FY20. The growth was 8.2 per cent in 2016-17.
⇒   Second Advance Estimates of National Income : India is estimated to grow at a slower pace of 7 per cent in
    2018- 19, down from the 7.2 per cent attained during the previous financial year. The growth in GDP during
    2018-19 is estimated at 7 per cent as compared to the growth rate of 7.2 per cent in 2017-18.
⇒   India’s unemployment rate rose to a 45-year high during 2017-2018. The assessment by the National Sample
    Survey Office (NSSO) conducted between July 2017-June 2018, showed the unemployment rate stood at 6.1
    per cent, the highest since 1972-73.
⇒   The Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for January have crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark and is
    expected to be Rs 103,000 crore.
⇒   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%. He said the country is ranked third in the tourism sector, according to
    the 2018 report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
⇒   According to the data furnished by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), India’s budgetary fiscal deficit for
    the April-December period stood at Rs 7.01 lakh crore or 112.4 per cent of the budgeted target of Rs 6.24 lakh
    crore.
⇒   Global unemployment levels fell one percentile to a steady 5 per cent in 2018, the lowest figures since the
    economic crisis that wreaked havoc on labour markets, the International Labour Organization said in a report
    published recently.
⇒   The Reserve Bank will pay an interim dividend of Rs 28,000 crore to the government, a move that will help the
    Centre keep fiscal deficit in check.
⇒   Banking Secretary Rajeev Kumar said the PSU banks have recovered Rs 98,000 crore in the first three quarters
    of the current financial year. The provision coverage ratio (PCR) of the banks for bad loans have also risen to
    70 per cent from 46 per cent after the asset quality review (AQR) last year. The PSU banks have recovered Rs
    2.87 lakh crore since 2015.
⇒   The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) increased interest rate for 2018-19 to 8.65 per cent as
    compared to 8.55 per cent in the previous year.

 Sixth bi-monthly monetary policy
⇒   Repo Rate: 6.25%
⇒   Reverse Repo Rate: 6.0%
⇒   Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate: 6.5%
⇒   Bank Rate: 6.5%
⇒   Cash Reserve Ratio: 4%
⇒   Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): 19.5%
⇒   Inflation: 2.5%

 Science & Technology
⇒ India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully launched from the Spaceport in French
  Guiana. Blasting off from Kourou Launch Base at Kouro, the Ariane-5 vehicle-injected GSAT-31 into the orbit in
  a flawless flight.
⇒ Weighing about 2,535 kg, the GSAT-31 will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit
  satellites. GSAT-31 is India’s 40th communication satellite which is configured on ISRO’s enhanced ‘I-2K Bus’,
  utilising the maximum “bus capabilities” of this type.
⇒ Along with GSAT-31, the Ariane 5 vehicle (Flight VA-247) also carried Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas
  Sat 4 satellites.
⇒ India successfully test fired a quick reaction surface to air missile (QRSAM) off the coast of Odisha.
⇒ The NGARM (next generation anti-radiation missile) was fired from a Su-30 aircraft successfully at a radar

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