Current Affairs February Month – Week 2 (13-19) One Liners

Current Affairs February Month – One Liners

NATIONAL AFFAIRS:

1. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) launched a skill development centre (Kaushal Vikas Kendra) in Mangaluru.

2. The centre has approved setting up the Electronic Development Fund Tele communication Ministerwith a total corpus of Rs. 6,831 crore

3. The Karnataka government today passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017, in the Legislative Assembly to legalise the traditional buffalo-racing sport Kambala
4. Navy’s survey-class vessel INS Sarvekshak has become India’s first warship to install solar panels on board.
5. To reduce smog around Delhi, smog-free towers to be installed by Haryana
6. 1st floating elementary school of India inaugurated in Manipur
7. New Indian airline Zoom Air flew its inaugural flight from New Delhi to Durgapur on Sunday
8. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that three new districts, namely Kalimpong, Asansol, and Jhargram, would be created in the state. T
9. Countdown of ISRO’s PSLV C-37 carrying record 104 satellites begins today
10. 11th biennial edition of the International Aerospace and Defence exhibition – Aero India began at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru

11. Haryana Government Imposes Penalty on Liquor. The state Excise and Taxation Minister Captain Abhimanyu informed that consumption of liquor on or along the road, in a park/garden along a river side as well as in a vehicle, shall now be an offence.

12. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched its first fully integrated capacity development centre, South Asia Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) in New Delhi.

13. The Jammu & Kashmir government launched an E-Prison project on February 13, 2017 at NIC Centre Civil Secretariat Jammu to digitalize the record about the jail inmates. Molvi Imran Raza Ansari

14. Shivraj Singh Chouhan lead by Madhya Pradesh government has decided to constitute Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board for expansion of facilities at tourist spots and draw investment in the sector.

15. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee declared Kalimpong as 21st district of West Bengal on February 14, 2017. The new district is from Darjeeling

16. The Centre for Indian Music Experience in Bengaluru is scheduled to open between March and June 2017. The three-storey museum with 20,000 square feet

17. Indian kids sets a record of making fly 7,730 paper planes in 1 minute.

18. Alakhpura FC, a women’s football club in Haryana is crowdfunded by Alakhpura villagers to keep it functioning

19. India is among nine countries that will be part of a global health network focused on improving the quality of care for new mothers and babies and strengthen national efforts to end preventable deaths of pregnant women and newborns by 2030.

20. The Centre has decided to convert 1.5 lakh health sub centres into Wellness Centres. Interacting with media in New Delhi

21. The Jammu & Kashmir government launched an E-Prison project NIC Centre Civil Secretariat Jammu to digitalize the record about the jail inmates.

22. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee declared Kalimpong as 21st district of West Bengal The new district is from Darjeeling
23. The 15th edition of the Cavinkare Ability Awards, which was instituted to honour achievers with disabilities in various fields, will be presented at an event at the Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao concert hall, Chetpet, Chennai.
24. 80 Schoolchildren of Himachal Pradesh set world record, fly 7,730 paper planes in 1 minute.
25. Shivraj Singh Chouhan lead by Madhya Pradesh government has decided to constitute Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board for expansion of facilities at tourist spots and draw investment in the sector.
26. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that waterways transportation would be started around 100 kms in river Narmada in the State.
27. The Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat inaugurated a Campaign against Drug Addiction organized by Shimla Press Club in Shimla. The campaign aims to make the state drug free.
28. 5-day Indian Panaroma Film Festival organised in Port Blair.
29. Under Demonetisation, 9 lakh accounts ‘doubtful’, under I-T scanner for suspicious cash deposits.
30. A two-day mega event of Global Investor Summit, branded as “Momentum Jharkhand” is going to start at Khelgaon of Ranchi.
31. Chennai to host EEPC annual show: The three-day show will be held at the Chennai Trade Centre, and will commence on March 16. Russia will be the partner country for this year’s event.
32. The three-day show will be held at the Chennai Trade Centre, and will commence on March 16
33. The ARMY has warned both serving and retired military personnel not to carry liquor while travelling in Bihar.
34. Amazon plans to open first physical food-only outlets in India to sell local products on offline & online platforms and to invest Rs 3,500 crore over the next five years.
35. Kolkata emission levels to increase three times by 2030 as the number of vehicular registration has skyrocketed in the past five years, According to a report published by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Kolkata.
36. India’s Science, Environment and Railway ministers on Friday flagged off, the world’s largest “science exhibition on wheels“, the Science Express train to create an awareness on climate change in the country
37. Train travel marketplace RailYatri has launched a service to deliver warm milk in specially designed spill-proof thermos-like packaging for babies travelling in trains.
38. The two-day South Asian Speakers Summit was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The summit is being organised jointly by the Indian Parliament and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
39. Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TSERC) has decided to determine the power tariff for the year 2017-18 on the Suo Motu basis.
40. The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has made Aadhaar mandatory for providing scholarships to meritorious school students from economically weaker sections.
41. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami won the vote of confidence in the state assembly. Palaniswami won by 122 voice votes.
42. Telangana acquires land for Kaleswaram project. The Medak district administration will acquire as much as 2,000 acres of land for various requirements including that of the Kaleswaram irrigation project.
43. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti declared the year 2017 as ‘Year of Apple’ in a major bid to promote the famed Kashmiri apples in domestic and foreign markets. The Chief Minister launched the High Density Apple Plantation Scheme in Srinagar.
44. 1th biennial edition of the International Aerospace and Defence exhibition- Aero India concluded at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru.
45. TIRUMALA Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams suffered a heavy loss in the sale of its famous ‘laddus’. The loss for the financial year is expected to cross ₹200 crore.
46. Hyderabad to get new set of twin reservoirs, work for the next generation of twin reservoirs for the city’s drinking water requirements might commence this year, more than a century after the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar lakes.
47. Under Swachh Bharat Mission, Tamil Nadu’s Perambalur district builds 4666 toilets in 48 hours.
48. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley-led GST Council finalised the Draft Compensation Bill, in a bid to speed up the rollout of Goods and Services Tax by July 1, 2017.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS:

1. The longest elevated cycleway in the world recently opened for a month-long trial period in the Chinese city of Xiamen. The cycleway, which is over eight kilometres long, can carry over 2,000 cyclists in an hour.
2. Valentine’s Day celebrations got ban by Pakistan court
3. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump were to participate in a round-table discussion about women in the work force

4. Self-driving single occupancy drone taxis will be flying passengers across Dubai from July, the city’s Roads and Transport Authority 

5. India Joins UN Network to Prevent Maternal, Newborn and Child Deaths by 2030.

6. India on February 15, 2017 participated in a conference organized to discuss Afghanistan’s future in Moscow along with 5 other nations.
   The six nations in the conference included Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.

7. The 2017 Cobra Gold Military Exercise kicked off at the Sattahip Royal Thai Marine Corps Base in Chonburi Province, Thailand on February 14, 2017

8. India has become one of the nine members of the new ‘Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health’ that aims to improve the quality of care for new mothers and babies.
9. India participated in a conference organized to discuss Afghanistan’s future in Moscow along with 5 other nations
10. The 2017 Cobra Gold Military Exercise kicked off at the Sattahip Royal Thai Marine Corps Base in Chonburi Province, Thailand
11. The 5^th generation fighter aircraft to be developed jointly by India and Russia.
12. India has been ranked 143 out of 186 economies in the annual Index of Economic Freedom 2017 released by top US based Think Tank, The Heritage Foundation.
13. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) chose a panda as their logo to save printing costs.
14. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a $110 million appeal to help two million acutely malnourished children across Sudan
15. Massachusetts-based  defence technology and research firm Raytheon Company signed a memorandum of understanding with Tata Sons wholly owned subsidiary, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), to co-produce Stinger   air defence missile components.
16. India, Nepal to Build New Cross Border Power Lines whichwere discussed during the fourth meeting of the Indo-Nepal joint working group and joint steering committee (JSC) on power cooperation.
17. China is stepping up construction of floating nuclear reactors in the South China Sea, which is claimed by multiple countries. For this China is seeking help from Russia.
18. The National Regulatory Authority of India (NRAI) has been given the maximum ratings by global health body World Health Organisation for vaccine regulations.
19. The powerful storm blew in from the Pacific Ocean, hitting California with high winds and heavy rain that downed power lines, leaving 60,000 people in the Los Angeles
20. The upper house of Pakistan’s Senate passed the much-awaited Hindu marriage bill.

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Life insurance firm, HDFC life launched a traditional life insurance plan, Pragati, on February 15, 2017 for low income group people.

2. The multinational Airbus Group division Airbus joined hand with Telangana government, National Skill Development Corporation India and AEROCAMPUS France for establishing a Centre of Excellence at at Begumpet Airport for aerospace skill development in Hyderabad

3. First Ever Indian Genomics Beacon Launched in UK. The Global Gene Corp and Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) launched an Indian Beacon on February 14, 2017

4. State Bank of Travancore (SBT) will raise up to ₹600 crore to shore up additional tier-I capital by issuing Basel compliant bonds through private placement, ahead of its proposed merger with SBI.
5. ”Axis Bank reviews and retains the MCLRs at the same levels across tenors. The one year MCLR stands unchanged at 8.25 percent”.
6. Canara Bank Inks MoU with HRD Ministry to Start Higher Education Financing Agency HRD Ministry and Canara Bank will jointly promote the HEFA with an authorised capital of Rs. 2,000 crore.
7. Mastercard to Provide Payments Processing Solution for Airtel Payment Bank. also launched India’s first online debit card along with a prepaid card, both of which is accessible through the Myairtel App.
8. Karnataka Bank Launches National Pension System in Mangaluru. To avail the benefit, any individual between the ages 18-60 years can register their name with the bank branch to contribute and to get pension benefit.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY NEWS:

1. Ekart’s courier service shuts by Flipkart , hyperlocal delivery services
2. Wholesale inflation rose to a 30-month high of 5(point) 25 per cent in January this year.

3. Infibeam, the first e-commerce company in India listed with SEBI, has announced plans to merge operations with online payment gateway CCAvenue. 

4. E-commerce major Amazon has been granted a patent to drop packages being delivered by drones using parachutes.

5. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Martina Dalic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Republic of Croatia have signed an agreement to boost bilateral trade and enhance economic cooperation in Zagreb, Croatia
6. India’s goods exports recorded positive growth for the fifth consecutive month with shipments in January rising by 4.32% to $22.1 billioN.
7. Mahindra Truck & Bus Division (MTBD) of the Mahindra Group has announced the successful implementation of its Delhi-Mumbai Service Corridor to provide quick service.
8. Reliance Aerostructure Limited has incorporated joint venture with Dassault Aviation to capture a major share of the offset business arising from the €7.87 billion deal for Rafale fighter jets.
9. Tata Motors and software major Microsoft entered into a strategic partnership wherein the Indian automaker will leverage latter’s connected vehicle.

10. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to rationalise the merchant discount rate (MDR) for debit card.
11. Mumbai based Citi Bank has launched instant chat services for customers named Citibank Online (CBOL).
12. Tech giant Apple has been named the most admired company in the world, followed by Amazon and Starbucks in a list compiled by Fortune magazine.
13. Government Increases the Cash Credit Limit for MSMEs To 30% of turnover from the existing 20% to encourage them to conduct businesses digitally.
14. Sprint parent company SoftBank is prepared to sell Sprint to T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom, reviving a potential merger between the two companies.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Grammy’s Best World Music Album award won by Indian musician Sandeep Das :
2. British Actor Dev Patel named Best Supporting Actor at BAFTA Awards 2017 :
3. Sprint king Usain Bolt pipped the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James to win the ‘Sportsman of the Year’.
4. A school from Punjab’s Moga district, a Kendriya Vidyalaya from Hebbal in Karnataka, and a sports school from Sonipat, Haryana, claimed the top honours as the “greenest” schools of 2016.
5. Veteran Hindi Scholar and Novelist Surendra Verma Selected for 2016 Vyas Samman:
6. Thrissur based South Indian Bank(SIB)’s MD and CEO of the bank, V.G. Mathew has received the ISO 27001: 2013 certification award
7. Corporation Bank Bags 2017 National MSME Excellence Award:
8. Mohammad Kaif appointed assistant coach of Gujarat Lions form IPL 2017
9. Mithun Manhas named Kings XI Punjab’s assistant coach
10. Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar has been honoured with the ‘Legendary Award’ by Brand Laureate.
11. Michigan State University researchers have developed the first stretchable integrated circuit made entirely using an inkjet printer.
12. Scientists from Disney Research have found a way to charge electrical devices without using wires. The method involves inducing electric currents in the metallised walls which in turn generate uniform magnetic fields that penetrate the interior of a room.

APPOINTMENTS:

1. Narinder Chauhan appointed as Ambassador of India to the Republic of Philippines
2. Two new executives hired by Ola to lead engineering :
3. 
   Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. CMD Sandeep Jajodia has been appointed the new president of industry chamber Assocham.
4. Parliamentary Assembly of Germany elects Frank Walter Steinmeier as its president
5. Michael Flynn resigns as US National Security Advisor:
6. Steven Mnuchin appointed as Treasury Secretary in Trump’s Administration
7. Tehmina Janjua became Pak’s first woman foreign secretary
8. Edappadi Palaniswami sworn as New Chief Minister of Tamilnadu.
9. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup has been appointed the new High Commissioner to Canada.
10. U.S. President Donald Trump nominated former National Labour Relations Board member R. Alexander Acosta to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labour.
11. Matt Idema appointed as first ever COO of WhatsApp.

12. Jean-Pierre Lacroix from France has been appointed as the head of UN peacekeeping for a year pending a review of the world body’s functions and structure by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

13. President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed five new Judges to Supreme Court of India.
14. Norman Isaac has become the first Indian ever to be promoted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) as Technical Delegate (TD).
15. Justice (Retd) Vikramjit Sen took charge of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
16. Jean-Pierre Lacroix from France has been appointed as the head of UN peacekeeping for a year pending a review of the world body’s functions.
17. Anil Bhardwaj appointed new director of Physical Research Laboratory from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram.
18. Pakistan’s high commissioner to India Abdul Basit will complete three years here next month and he has been recalled in yet another sign that Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif is in complete control of foreign policy.
19. Ranganathan, Mehta appointed Non-Official Director in IOB, PNB
20. Banks Board Bureau Appoints Eight Executive Directors in Various Banks:
21. List of Appointed Executive Directors:
22. (i) Neelam Damodharan and Atanu Kumar Das have been appointed as EDs in Bank of India.
23. (ii) K Swaminathan, has been appointed as ED in Indian Overseas Bank.
24. (iii) Ashok Kumar Pradhan has been appointed as the ED in United Bank of India.
25. (iv) P Ramana Murthy will be Executive Director of Central Bank of India.
26. (v) Fareed Ahmed Khan, has been appointed as the ED in Punjab and Sind Bank.
27. (vi) M K Bhattacharya, Chief has been appointed as the EDs of Indian Bank
28. (vii) S Harishankar  has been appointed EDs of Allahabad Bank.
29. Ajay Tyagi as next chief of capital market regulator Sebi by two years, Tyagi will now join as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for an initial period of three years,
30. Gambia’s new president Adama Barrow is set to be inaugurated this tiny West African nation celebrates wider freedoms after a tense political standoff with its former leader.
31. RP Shah, one of the three General Managers of BCCI, resigned from his post citing his age as a “reason.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. The world’s first commercially available flying car made by Dutch company PAL-V, ‘Liberty’ today went for pre-order at a starting price of Rs. 2.67 crore.

2. Scientists from Carnegie Mellon University have developed a thermally conductive rubber material which is an innovative discovery for creating soft, stretchable machines and electronics.

3. Scientists from United Kingdom have discovered high levels of human-made pollutants, including chemicals that were banned in the 1970s in the tissues of the marine creature that lives deep inside the Pacific Oceans

4. India is on its way to catch up with China in terms air pollution related deaths and even can surpass China if necessary steps are not taken.

5. The Left-handed opening batsman of Pakistan Nasir Jamshed on February 13 has been provisionally suspended from all forms of cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for violating its anti-corruption code

6. Scientists from United Kingdom have discovered high levels of human-made pollutants, including chemicals that were banned in the 1970s in the tissues of the marine creature that lives deep inside the Pacific Oceans.
7. Indian Space Research Organisation is turning its attention to India’s second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, scheduled for 2018.
8. The UAE has unveiled plans to build the first city on Mars by 2117 as the energy-rich country looks to transport people to the Red Planet.
9. Scientists have discovered a new species of crocodiles by means of a 3D reconstruction of the fossil skull of a reptile that lived about 154 million years ago in Germany.
10. Scientists in Melbourne have used the humble soybean to make the world’s strongest material graphene commercially more viable.

AGREEMENTS AND MOUs

1. India and Croatia have signed an agreement to boost bilateral trade and enhance economic cooperation. The agreement was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Martina Dalic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Government of the Republic of Croatia.

2. Odisha based National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi. To enhance its sustainable rehabilitation facility.
3. Air Asia signs MoU with Odisha Government for two-ways Direct Flights

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

1. Hema Malini: Beyond the Dream Girl is penned by author-columnist Ram Kamal Mukherjee.

SPORTS NEWS:

1. Joe Root appointed as new captain of England’s Test team
2. 1st ITTF World Tour event in India starts today in New Delhi
3. Jamaica’s sprinter Usain Bolt won the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award at the Laureus World Awards or the ‘Oscar of Sports’ held in Monaco on February 14, 2017. Bolt received his award from legendary Michael Johnson.

4. Indian professional hockey player Sandeep Singh has been honored with an Honorary Doctorate Degree by Desh Bhagat University, a private educational institution in Amloh, Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab.

5. Asuka and Sakura claim under-21 honours with the $150,000 in ITTF World Tour India Open table tennis tournament.
6. Bengaluru’s KSLTA Stadium will host the Davis Cup tie between India and Uzbekistan in April 2017. The announcement was made in a release by AITA (All India Tennis Association).
7. India qualifies for Women’s WC 2017 by beating Bangladesh
8. P.V. Sindhu has become the second Indian woman, after Saina Nehwal, to break into the top 5 after the latest BWF world rankings
9. The Indian Women’s team settled for a silver at the Asian Rugby Sevens Trophy held at Vientiane, Laos. The team participated under the aegis of the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU).
10. Sandeep Kumar clocked a National Record 3 hours 55 minutes 59.05 seconds in winning the 50 kilometre gold in the Max Bupa National race walking championship at the Vinay Marg.

OBITUARY:

1. Stuart McLean, CBC Radio host and award-winning humorist, dead at 68.
2. The Dutch artist and children’s author Dick Bruna, whose much-loved cartoon rabbit Miffy has sold more than 80 million books since its creation in 1955, has died aged 89.
3. Peter Skellern, who has died aged 69, was a pianist and singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 1972 with the gently romantic You’re A Lady,
4. Peter Richardson who made a century for England in the 1956 Ashes Test in which Jim Laker took a world record 19 wickets.
5. Former MP Jambuwantrao Dhote, popularly known as Lion of Vidarbha, passes away:
6. Celebrated Hindi novelist Ved Prakash Sharma died, who has 176 novels to his credit.
7. Senior journalist Yudhisthir Joshi passes away.

Feb 13 – World Radio Day