Rare sai baba photos

Afghanistan Scores Highest Ever T20 International Score

Afghanistan scored 278 for the loss of three wickets from their allotted 20 overs, to register the highest-ever total in T20s at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. They toppled Australia's record score of 263/3 which they achieved back in 2016 against Sri Lanka. Hazratullah Zazai scored 162 runs from just 62 balls. Zazai became the first player from Afghanistan to score 150 or more runs, and his 236-run opening stand with Usman Ghani became the highest partnership in T20Is. They beat 223-run stand between Australia's Aaron Finch and Darcy Short.  

Daily news 22 Feb 2019

National News

1. India, Sri Lanka Ink MoU To Establish Business Centre For ICT  Incubators
i. India and Sri Lanka signed an MoU to establish a business center for ICT incubators in Jaffna (a city in Sri Lanka) through the grant of 25 crore Sri Lankan rupees from India.
ii. The MoU was signed by High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Secretary, Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade Mr. S. T. Kodikara in Colombo in presence of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Sri Lanka Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Currency: Sri Lankan rupee, Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe.

2. President Ram Nath Kovind Promulgates 4 Ordinances
i. President Ram Nath Kovind promulgated four Ordinances. These are:
1. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Second Ordinance has been promulgated to give continued effect to the provisions brought in by the earlier ordinance. This Ordinance declares the practice of instant triple talaq to be void and illegal and also to make it an offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years and fine.
2. The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Second Ordinance has been promulgated to give continued effect to the work already done by the Board of Governors as per the provisions of earlier Ordinance.
3. The Companies (Amendment) Second Ordinance, has been promulgated with a view, to empower the Central Government to allow certain companies to have a different financial year instead of as determined by the Tribunal.
4. The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance has been promulgated to have central legislation to tackle the menace of illicit deposits taking activities in the country.

3. BEL Signs Teaming Agreement With Hughes India for Helicopter SATCOM Solutions
i. Navratna Defence PSU, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Hughes India have entered into a Teaming Agreement for design, development, supply, installation, integration and commissioning of Satellite Communication solutions for helicopters under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India at Aero India 2019, Bengaluru.
ii. Director (Marketing), BEL, Ms Anandi Ramalingam and President, Hughes India Shri Partho Banerjee signed the MoU. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Hughes India is a majority-owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, USA (Hughes).

Hughes is the world’s largest provider of broadband satellite networks and services.





BEL Headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka.



4.  NITI Aayog Organized Conference on Future of Indian Banking
i. Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, inaugurated a conference on “The Future of Indian Banking” with the Foundation for Economic Growth and Welfare (EGROW Foundation).
ii. The conference aims to increase and elevate the discourse on the banking sector in India, and help develop insights to inform the continued evolution of the Indian banking sector for optimally supporting the growing credit needs of the Indian economy.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

NITI Aayog: National Institution for Transforming India.

NITI Aayog CEO: Amitabh Kant, Vice Chairman: Rajiv Kumar.



5. Government Launches 'Operation Digital Board' To Boost Quality Education
i. The Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar launched the ‘Operation Digital Board’ to boost quality education in the country. 
ii. An expert committee has worked out optimum configuration of the Digital Class Rooms under the Operation Digital Board. The Operation Digital Board is a revolutionary step which will make the learning as well as the teaching process interactive and will popularise flipped learning as a pedagogical approach.
6. CCEA Approves KUSUM Scheme For Farmers' Welfare
i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the launch of ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan’ (KUSUM Yojana) with the objective of providing financial and water security to farmers. The Central Government will provide a total financial support of Rs 34,422 crore for the scheme.
ii. Components of KUSUM Yojana: The Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan scheme consists of three components:

Component-A: 10,000 MW of Decentralised Ground Mounted Grid Connected Renewable Power Plants.

Component-B: Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps.





Component-C: Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid-connected Solar Powered Agriculture Pumps.



7. Defence Ministry Approves Torpedo Acquisition For Naval Submarines
i. 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.
ii. The French-origin Scorpene submarines are being built in India at Mazagon Dockyards Limited (MDL) and have now been named the Kalvari class. The first boat of the class called INS Kalvari has already been inducted into the Navy and is carrying out operational duties.

International News

8. PM Modi 2-Day Visit To South Korea: Complete Highlights
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in South Korea on a two-day visit. 
ii. Here are the complete Highlights of the 2-day visit of PM Modi to South Korea:
1. PM Modi holds delegation level talks with South Korean President
2. PM Modi addresses Indian Community in Korea
Find The Complete Highlights Here
9. List of MoUs Signed Between India and South Korea
i. List of MoUs/Documents signed between India and the Republic of Korea during the State Visit of Prime Minister Modi to the Republic of Korea. 
1. MoU on the release of commemorative postal stamp on Queen Hur (Suriratna) for releasing a joint stamp commemorating the legendary Princess Suriratna (Queen Hur Hwang-ok), a legendary Princess of Ayodhya, who went to Korea in AD 48 and married King Kim-Suro. 
Find The Complete List Here
10. Australian Small Brown Rat Becomes World’s First Mammal To Go Extinct Due To  Climate Change
i. 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”.  
ii. The Australian government has officially listed the Bramble Cay melomys as extinct. Extreme high water levels and damaging storm surges, including its sources of food include the reason behind its Extinction.

Sci-Tech News

11. China’s Xinhua Unveils World’s First Female AI News Anchor
i. Chinese news agency Xinhua unveiled the world’s first female AI news anchor Xin Xiaomeng. She has been developed in collaboration with Sogou Inc, a search engine company.
ii. Earlier, Xinhua also developed Qiu Hao, the world’s first male AI news anchor at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen held in November 2018, who is capable of mimicking human facial expressions and mannerisms while reading out news-reports.
12. Pinarayi Vijayan Inaugurated First Humanoid Police Robot KP-BOT In India
i. Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, inaugurated India’s first Humanoid Police Robot named KP-BOT, ranked as Sub-Inspector (SI), at the Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The robot’s gender is declared female keeping in mind women empowerment and gender equality.
ii. In 2018’s Cocoon Cyber Conference it was announced that robots will be included in the police force, after which, the work on the project was started by state police Cyberdome and a Kochi based start-up, Asimov.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor: Palaniswamy Sathasivam.

Appointments

13. Ajay Singh Appointed As The Head Of AIBA Elite Foundation
i. 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).
ii. AIBA formed the Foundation Board for Better Boxing in the last meeting of its Executive Committee to formulate an action plan for global development of the sport in future.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

AIBA President: Gafur Rahimov.

14. SC Appoints Former Judge Justice D.K. Jain as BCCI Ombudsman
i. The Supreme Court appointed a retired judge of the court Justice D.K. Jain as the first ombudsman under the new BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) Constitution approved by the court in a judgment.
ii. Bringing a quietus to the quibbling between the Committee of Administrators (CoA) which runs the BCCI and the State bodies that form the Board, a Bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and A.M. Sapre decided to take things into their own hands on the advice of amicus curiae and senior advocate P.S. Narasimha.

Economy News

15. EPFO Hikes Interest Rates On EPF By 0.1%
i. Employees' Provident Fund Organisation has hiked interest rate on employees' provident fund to 8.65% from 8.55% for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The announcement was made by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar.
ii. The proposal would now go to the Finance Ministry for approvalg. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) headed by Labour Minister is the apex decision making body of the EPFO which finalises rate of interest on PF deposits for a financial year.

Awards 

16. PM Modi Conferred With Seoul Peace Prize in South Korea
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the Seoul Peace Prize during his two-day visit to South Korea. The award was first announced by the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation in October 2018.
ii. Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are among previous recipients of the award.

2018-08-15

daily news 20-2-2019

National News

1. PM Modi Flagged Off 1st Ever Diesel To Electric Conversion Locomotive
i. Under ‘Make in India’ initiative, Indian Railways has created history by converting a diesel locomotive into electric locomotive for the first time in the world. This all new converted energy-efficient electric locomotive has been flagged off by PM Narendra Modi in Varanasi.
ii. In a first of its kind notable initiative, the diesel locomotive which has been converted to electric locomotive by the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) in Varanasi. The entire project is an Indian R&D innovation for the entire world, says Indian Railways.

2. Saudi Becomes 73rd Nation To Sign International Solar Alliance
i. Saudi Arabia became the 73rd nation to sign the International Solar Alliance. ISA was unveiled by PM Narendra Modi and former French President Francois Hollande in 2015. 
ii. The move came at Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visit to India.

3. Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons Inaugurated ‘Eco Circuit’ Project in Kerala 
i. K.J. Alphons, Union Minister for Tourism inaugurated the project ‘Development of Eco Circuit: Pathanamthitta – Gavi – Vagamon – Thekkady’ under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of Ministry of Tourism at Vagamon, Kerala.
ii. This Eco Circuit project was sanctioned in December 2015 for Rs. 76.55 crores. Major works carried out under the project includes Eco Adventure Tourism Park at Vagamon, Cultural Centre at Kadamanitta.
4. Textiles Minister Launched 4 Projects in North-East For Development Of Silk Sector
i. Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, launched four projects in North East for the development of silk sector through video conference in New Delhi. 
ii. Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated Muga silk seed production centre in Tura, Meghalaya, silk printing and processing unit in Agartala, Tripura, Eri spun silk mill in Sangaipat, Imphal and development of sericulture in Mamit, Mizoram.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Assam is the 1st state nationalized (1950) in India among North-East states.

5. Commerce Minister Launched ‘SWAYATT’ on GeM
i. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, launched SWAYATT in New Delhi. SWAYATT is an initiative to promote Start-ups, Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions on Government e Marketplace (GeM). 
ii. On this occasion, Commerce Minister also dedicated GeM Start-up Runway-an initiative of GeM in association with Start-up India to facilitate Start-ups registered with Start-up India to access the public procurement market and sell innovative products and services to government buyers.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Radha Chauhan is the CEO of Government e Marketplace (GeM).

6. Development Projects Worth Rs. 3350 crores Unveiled by PM in Varanasi
i. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi unveiled development projects worth Rs. 3350 crores for Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. These projects pertain to various sectors of Health, Sanitation, Smart City, Connectivity, Power, Housing and others.
ii. He released commemorative postage stamp on completion of 100 Years of IIT BHU. He also inaugurated BHU Cancer Centre and Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Lahartara.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Governor of UP: Ram Naik, CM of UP: Yogi Adityanath.

7. Important Cabinet Approvals: 19th February 2019
i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows:
ii. The Cabinet has approved- 
1. Promulgation of the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019.
2. The release of an additional instalment of DA to Central Government employees and DR to Pensioners, due from 1.1.2019.
Find The Complete Set of Approvals Here

Sci-Tech News

8. India’s First Hi-Tech Forensic Lab NCFL and CyPAD Inaugurated In New Delhi
i. Cyber Prevention Awareness and Detection (CyPAD) Centre and the National Cyber Forensic Lab (NCFL) were inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and LG Anil Baijal in Dwarka, New Delhi.
ii. To spread awareness among school students and teachers, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has started a popular Twitter handle @CyberDost.
9. Bandicoot-A Drainage-Cleaning Robot Introduced In Chennai
i. 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.
ii. It is a semi-automatic robot can enter manholes for cleaning sewage lines with its robotic arm and is equipped with 5 night-vision cameras to relay the scenario underneath. 

Business/Banking News

10. HDFC ERGO Launched 1st-of-its-kind Trip Protector' Policy
i. 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.
ii. In the event of a cancellation, either a flight or hotel booking, Trip Protector insurance policy will safeguard travelers financially against the cost of cancellation levied by Hotels or Airlines. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company is a 51:49 joint venture between the Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (HDFC) and ERGO International AG.

11. Government Relaxes Angel Tax Norms For Start-ups From 7 Years To 10 Years
i. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in an attempt to provide relief to and boost investments into start-ups in India has decided to simplify the process for them to get exemptions under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
ii. It will now recognize an entity as a start-up up to 10 years from the date of its incorporation or registration instead of the existing duration of 7 years. It will also recognize an entity as a start-up if its turnover for any of the financial years since its incorporation or registration does not exceed Rs 100 crore unlike the previous amount of Rs 25 crore.

Important Days

12. World Day of Social Justice: 20 February
i. The World Day of Social Justice is celebrated annually all over the world on 20 February. 
ii. The theme for WDSJ 2019 is "If You Want Peace & Development, Work for Social Justice".

Awards 

13. 7th National Photography Awards Announced: Complete List of Winners
i. Union Minister of State (IC) for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore presented the 7th National Photography Awards in a function organized at National Media Centre in New Delhi. 
ii. The theme for the Professional category was “Women led Development”, while the theme for Amateur category was “Fairs and Festivals of India”.
iii. The list of the Award winners is as under:

Lifetime Achievement Award – Shri Ashok Dilwali





Professional Photographer of the Year – Shri SL Shanth Kumar





Amateur Photographer of the Year – Shri Gurdeep Dhiman





Special Mention Awards (Professional) – Shri Arun Sreedhar, Shri P.V. Sunderrao, Shri Kailash Mittal, Shri Mihir Singh, Ms. Ranita Roy.





Special Mention Awards (Amateur) – Shri V. Ravi Kumar, Ms. S. Neelima, Shri Manish Jaisi, Shri Mahesh Balasaheb Lonkar, Shri Avijit Datta.

Sports News

14. Squash Great Nicol David Announces Retirement
i. Malaysia’s 8-time World Champion Nicol David has announced that she will call time on her record-breaking career at the end of the 2018/19 season. 
ii. The 35-year-old from Penang is one of the most successful squash players of all time and spent an unprecedented 9 years at World No.1 between 2006-2015.

Obituaries

15. Noted Hindi Writer Namvar Singh Passes Away
i. Noted Hindi writer Namvar Singh passed away in New Delhi. He was 92. Singh was the first chairman of JNU's Centre of Indian Languages.
ii. He has authored over dozen books including 'Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman', 'Chhayavad' and 'Dusri Parampara Ki Khoj' among others. He received Sahitya Academy Award for literary criticism in 1971 for 'Kavita Ke Naye Pratiman'.
16. ‘Badge of Honor’ Military Novelist, W.E.B. Griffin Passes Away
i. American military veteran and novelist, William E. Butterworth III, better known as W.E.B. Griffin (his pen name), passed away at the age of 89. He joined the army at the age of 17 and has served in the Korean War.
ii. He wrote more than 200 books under the pen name W.E.B. Griffin and various other names and sold millions of copies. 

Daily news 14-2-2019

National News

1. India’s 1st Aqua Mega Food Park Commissioned in Andhra Pradesh
i. 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 through video conferencing.
ii. The park is promoted by Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park Pvt. Ltd. It will be the first Mega Aqua Food Park operationalised exclusively for fish and marine products processing in the state of Andhra Pradesh. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Andhra Pradesh CM: Chandrababu Naidu, Governor: ESL Narasimhan.

The Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park Pvt. Ltd has been set up in 57.81 acre of land at a cost of Rs. 122.60 crores.



2. Important Cabinet Approvals: 14th February 2019
i. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows:
ii. The Cabinet has approved- 
1. MoU between India and Morocco for setting up of a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism.
2. Proposal for leasing out of 1.61 acres of land at Alipur, Delhi, owned by Delhi Milk Scheme to Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium for setting up of Kisan Mandi.
Find The Complete Agreements Here
3. 16th Lok Sabha Session Concludes
i. The last session of 16th Lok Sabha came to an end on 13th of February 2019. Giving the details for the tenure of 16th Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed that there were a total number of 331 sittings for Lok Sabha. 205 bills were passed and the productivity was 85%. 
ii. For Rajya Sabha, 154 bills were passed and the productivity was 68%. The just-concluded Parliament session provided 10 sittings spread just-concluded of 14 days. The productivity of Lok Sabha was 89% and that of Rajya Sabha was 8%. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Sumitra Mahajan is the present Speaker of Lok Sabha.

4. AYUSH Ministry Launched e-AUSHADHI Portal
i. Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik launched the e-AUSHADHI portal, for online licensing of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs and related matters at New Delhi.
ii. This e-AUSHADHI portal is intended for increased transparency, improved information management facility, improved data usability and increased accountability. 

5. Indian Army Carried Out The Annual Exercise Named ‘Exercise Topchi’
i. Indian Army showcased its artillery firepower by using ultralight Howitzers and indigenous Swathi weapon-locating radar at the annual “Exercise Topchi”. The exercise was held at Deolali Camp near Nashik. 
ii. There were a showcase of display of rockets, missiles, surveillance, and target acquisition radars, remotely piloted aircraft and hi-tech equipment in addition to gunfire.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Chief of the Army Staff – General Bipin Rawat.

International News

6. Macedonia Officially Changed Its Name to North Macedonia
i. 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. 
ii. The freshly named country celebrated the event with a flag-raising ceremony marking its prospective – and long-awaited – accession to NATO.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

North Macedonia Capital: Skopje, Currency: Macedonian denar.

Awards

7. Bradley Cooper Wins Best Director From PETA for ‘A Star Is Born’
i. Bradley Cooper has been awarded the ‘Oscat’ by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
ii. 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".
8. Siddhartha Lal Wins The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year For 2018 
i. Siddhartha Lal, managing director and chief executive officer, Eicher Motors, has been awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018. Lal will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo from 6 – 8 June 2019.
ii. The other EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 winners are:
1. Lifetime Achievement Award: Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro.
2. Start-up: Byju Raveendran, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Think & Learn (BYJU’S).
Find The Complete Awards List Here

Books and Authors

9. P Chidambaram’s Book “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” Launched
i. Former Vice President Hamid Ansari launched the new book of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram named “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” at Nehru Memorial Museum, New Delhi. 
ii. The book is a collection of essays on the country’s atmosphere of fear and how the constitutional values are being threatened.

Sports News

10. ‘Clouded Leopard’ To Be Mascot For National Games 2022
i. The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Games 2022 has chosen the Smiling Clouded Leopard to be the Mascot for the National Games 2022.
ii. Meghalaya will host the 2022 National Games, which is coinciding with its 50 years of statehood. Clouded Leopard is among the wild cats that live throughout the forests of Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia Hills.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Meghalaya Capital: Shillong, Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma, Governor: Tathagata Roy.

Obituaries

11. Chemistry Nobel Prize Winner Manfred Eigen Passes Away 
i. German scientist Manfred Eigen, who jointly won the 1967 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, passed away aged 91. 
ii. Eigen had won the prize for working on a method to calculate speeds of extremely fast chemical reactions, effected by disturbing the equilibrium by means of short energy pulses. 
12. Legendary Goalkeeper Of England, Gardon Banks Passed Away
i. One of the world’s most famous goalkeeper Gordon Banks passed away at the age of 81 in England. Gordon Banks was named as FIFA (The Federation Internationale de Football) Goalkeeper of the year six times and earned 73 caps for England between 1963 and 1972.
ii. He won World Cup in 1966

daily news 6-2-2019

National 

1. Maharashtra Sets Up Panel To Review Welfare Schemes For Tribals
i. The Maharashtra government has set up a committee to review various schemes being implemented for the welfare of tribals in the state. 
ii. The 17-member committee, headed by former MLA and Shramjeevi Sanghatna president Vivek Pandit, will undertake the study of various works done for providing employment opportunities, minimum wages and proper livelihood to tribals.
2. Transport Minister Launches Highway Projects In Odisha
i. The Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone of three major highway projects with an investment worth Rs 2,345 crores in Odisha. The projects are aimed at ensuring speedy development in the state.
ii. The three highway projects are expected to considerably improve connectivity of mineral-rich Angul and Dhenkanal districts with the rest of Odisha. The three national highway projects will have a total length of 132 km.
3. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) App Launched
i. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) App has been launched on Google play store. Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is a centrally sponsored scheme; which was launched in the year 2018, under the Ayushman Bharat Mission of MoHFW in the country.
ii. This scheme aims at making interventions in primary, secondary and tertiary care systems, covering both preventive and promotive health, to address healthcare holistically. Moving ahead to digitalisation this app is now available on Google Play store.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Indu Bhushan is the CEO of PM-JAY.

4. Punjab Government Constitutes 5 Member Committee To Promote Dairy Farming
i. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced a high-powered 5-member committee to prepare a comprehensive action plan to boost the dairy sector with the aim of supplementing the income of farmers in a result-oriented manner.
ii. The committee would consist of Chairman State Farmers Commission, Director Animal Husbandry,  Director of Dairy Development, a representative of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU).
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

V.P. Singh Badnore is the present Governor of Punjab.

Awards

5. President Presents Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards to 42 for the year 2017
i. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for the year 2017 to 42 noted artists in five categories. 
ii. The awards were presented at a special function held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
Find The Complete  award List here 
6. NFDC Declared Winner For Promotion of SC/ST Entrepreneurs
i. 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).
ii. This has been done as part of an endeavour by Ministry of MSME to felicitate select CPSEs to recognize their exemplary work towards promotion of SC/ST entrepreneurs.

Banking News

7. RBI Slaps Penalty on Syndicate Bank and Axis Bank
i. The Reserve Bank of India has slapped an Rs1-crore penalty on Syndicate Bank and Rs20 lakh on Axis Bank for violating norms. The penalty on Syndicate Bank is due to non-compliance with the directions regarding frauds and risk management systems. 
ii. Axis Bank was fined for contravention of the directions on detection and impounding of counterfeit notes and installation of note sorting machines.

Appointments

8. Dinesh Bhatia Appointed As The Ambassador of India To The Republic Of Argentina
i. The government has appointed Dinesh Bhatia, the present Consul General, Consulate General of India at Toronto as the next Ambassador of India to Argentina. 
ii The MEA stated that present India's envoy to Argentina Sanjiv Ranjan has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Colombia.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam-

Capital: Buenos Aires, Currency: Argentine peso.

Sports News

9. Ramit Tandon Wins Seattle Open
i. Indian squash player Ramit Tandon defeated Egyptian Mohamed El Sherbini in the finals to win the Seattle Open, a PSA challenger squash Tour event. 
ii. The top-seeded Indian, who rose to his career high ranking of 58 in the latest February list, won his first PSA title in the new year and fourth title overall in his career.

Science and Technology News

10. ISRO Launches GSAT 31 From French Guiana
i. India’s 40th communication satellite GSAT-31 has been launched successfully from French Guiana. The Ariane-5 rocket lifted off with it from Kourou Launch Base, and in 42-minutes, placed it in the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit.
ii. It was immediately taken control by Indian Space Research Organization ISRO scientists from its Hassan facility in Karnataka. GSAT-31 will provide transponder capacity for DTH television and connectivity to services like VSATs for ATMs, stock-exchanges, Digital Satellite News Gathering DSNG and e-governance applications.
Find More about GSAT-31
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

ISRO Director: K. Sivan, Headquarters: Bengaluru, Established in: 1969.

Obituaries 

11. Veteran Marathi Actor Ramesh Bhatkar Passes Away
i. Veteran Marathi actor Ramesh Bhatkar passed away aged 70 after battling cancer for over one and a half years. 
ii. During his career, spanning over 30 years, the actor starred in several Marathi films and television series including 'Aai Pahije' and 'Commander'. The actor also featured in Hindi films like 'The Accidental Prime Minister' and 'Bhavesh Joshi Superhero

daily news 4-1-2019

National News

1. PM Laid Foundation Stone For Various Development Projects in Leh
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various development projects, worth nearly 12,000 crore rupees, at Leh. He laid the foundation stone for a 480 crore rupee Terminal Building at Leh Airport. Mr Modi inaugurated the 9-megawatt Dah hydroelectric project.
ii. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the 220 KiloVolt Srinagar-Alusteng-Drass-Kargil-Leh transmission system. Mr Modi also launched the University of Ladakh, the first-ever in the state's region. 
iii. He also visited Jammu and Srinagar. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of various projects, including two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences and 624 MW Kiru Hydroelectric project in Kishtwar.
2. 'ICT Academy Bridge 2019' Conference Inaugurated in Tamil Nadu
i. Dr M. Manikandan, Minister for Information Technology of Tamil Nadu inaugurated 'ICT Academy Bridge 2019' conference in the city that witnessed more than 1,000 participants from government, industry and academia.
ii. Organized by ICT Academy, the 37th edition of the conference is the largest Industry-Institute Interaction Event of Asia. The conference was organized under the theme "Fostering India for Industry 4.0". 
3. India-Monaco Business Forum Held in New Delhi
i. Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu has inaugurated the Indo-Monaco Business Forum in New Delhi.
ii. Bilateral trade between India and Monaco in 2017-18 was USD 3.01 million, and there is immense potential to scale up the bilateral trade between the two nations. Monaco is ranked 106th among foreign direct investor in India (since April 2000 to June 2018) with USD 2.51 million FDI equity inflow.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam: 

Monaco Capital: Monte Carlo, Currency: Euro.

Ranks and Reports

4. India’s Tourism Sector Registers 19% Growth In 2018
i. Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons has announced that the country’s tourism sector fetched revenue of 234 billion US Dollar in 2018, registering a growth of over 19%. This revenue was contributed by 87% domestic and 13% foreign tourists.
ii. He made the announcement at the 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit in Guwahati. The country is ranked third in the tourism sector, according to the 2018 report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
5. Railways Minister Launched IEA’s 'The Future of Rail' Report
i. Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal launched the “The Future of Rail” report of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Future of Rail is the first-of-a-kind report that analyses the current and future importance of rail around the world through the perspective of its energy and environmental implications.
ii. The report reviews the impact of existing plans and regulations on the future of rail and explores the policies that could help to realise an enhanced future of the railways.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

John Mathai was the first Railways Minister of Independent India.

Economy News

6. New e-Commerce Policy Comes Into Effect: All You Need To Know
i. India’s new e-commerce policy came into effect From February 1, 2019. A new set of policy rules had been formed for the e-commerce companies.
ii.  Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (previously DIPP) gave them a 60-day window period for aligning themselves to the government’s modified foreign direct investment (FDI) rules.
Find The Complete Highlights Here

Appointments

7. Rishi Kumar Shukla Appointed As New CBI Director 
i. 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.
ii. Shukla's appointment to the post was approved by a high-level committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
8. Former Law Minister of Nepal Nilambar Acharya Appointed Country's Ambassador to India
i. Former Law Minister of Nepal Nilambar Acharya has been appointed as country's ambassador to India. President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Acharya in Kathmandu. He has been appointed on the recommendation of the cabinet.
ii. The position of Nepalese ambassador to India was lying vacant after Deep Kumar Upadhyay resigned in October 2017 to join politics.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Nepal’s central bank is called as Nepal Rashtra Bank.

It was established in 1956 under the Nepal Rashtra Bank Act 1955.





Dr. Chiranjibi Nepal is the Governor of Nepal Rashtra Bank.

Important Days

9. World Cancer Day: 4th February
i. World Cancer Day is being observed observed globally on 4th February. 
ii. This year, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which organizes World Cancer Day, is launching a new 3-year (2019-2021) campaign with the theme: “I Am and I Will.” 
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Union for International Cancer Control Headquarters in: Geneva, Switzerland, Founded: 1933.

Sports

10. Sana Mir Becomes 1st Asian Woman To Play 100 T20Is
i. Former captain of the Pakistan women team Sana Mir has become the first Asian woman to play hundred T20Is. Mir, 33, is one of Pakistan’s most senior women cricketers and has been representing the country since 2005.
ii. She achieved the feat when she took the field against West Indies in the third and final T20I in Karachi. 
11. Haryana Beat Defending Champions Punjab Royals To Lift PWL 4 Title
i. Haryana Hammers won the fourth edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) as they outclassed Punjab Royals 6-3 in the summit clash at the Gautam Buddha University indoor stadium, Greater Noida. 
12. Smriti Mandhana Becomes World No.1 Women's ODI Batter
i. Indian women's cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana has become the top-ranked batter in women's ODI cricket, as per the latest rankings released by the ICC.
ii. The 22-year-old moved up three spots in the batters' rankings to reach the top spot. In the 15 ODIs Smriti has played since the beginning of 2018, she has scored two centuries and eight half-centuries.

daily news 5-2-2019

National News

1. National Road Safety Week Begins
i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off Suraksha Yatra – a motor car rally from Rajghat in New Delhi to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 
ii. The rally will travel through places historically associated with Gandhiji, both in India, as well as in Bangladesh and Myanmar. The flag off was also part of an event to launch the 30th National Road Safety Week.
2. Ministry of Coal Signs an MoU With Ministry of Energy, Poland
i. Ministry of Coal of India entered into an MoU with the Ministry of Energy, Republic of Poland. The MoU has been signed between Sh. Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary, Minister of State for Coal and Mines and Mr Grzegorz Tobiszowski, Secretary of State, Ministry of Energy, Republic of Poland.
ii. The objective of this MoU is to foster relations in the field of coal mining and clean coal technologies through the already established Joint Coal Working Group as well as research institutes and academia between the two countries
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Poland Capital: Warsaw, Currency: Polish zloty.

3. Kala Ghoda Festival 2019 Begins In Mumbai
i. 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. Maneck Davar is Chairman of Kala Ghoda Association.
ii. The festival hosted the exhibition at the Jehangir Art Gallery to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and some rich history of Mumbai. To underscore KGAF’s two-decade run, the theme for this year is A Measure of Time.
4. ‘Sopan 2019’ Held At New Delhi
i. The 6-day long music and dance festival 'Sopan 2019', to encourage young artists to take up traditional art took place in New Delhi.  
ii. It was Organised by Sahitya Kala Parishad and the New Delhi government, in partnership with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
5. Kerala Becomes 1st State To Set Up Price Monitoring And Research Unit
i. Kerala has become the first State to set up a Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU) to track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs Price Control Order (DPCO).
ii. The move comes more than five years after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) proposed such a system for the States and the Union Territories.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor: Palaniswamy Sathasivam.

6. Shehri Samridhi Utsav Launched Across The Country
i. Shehri Samridhi Utsav, an initiative of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), aims to extend the outreach of Deendayal Antyodaya Mission – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), to the most vulnerable, showcase its initiatives and facilitate access of Self-Help Group (SHG) members to the other government schemes.
ii. A major highlight of Shehri Samridhi Utsav is theNational Exhibition cum sale of SHG products and National Street Food Festival being organized in New Delhi.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Hardeep Singh Puri is the Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

7. ISRO Sets Up Human Space Flight Centre for Gaganyaan Mission in Bengaluru
i. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled its Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) at ISRO Headquarter campus in Bengaluru, Karnataka for its maiden manned space mission 'Gaganyaan'. The space flight centre was inaugurated by K Kasturirangan, former ISRO Chairman.
ii. ISRO is gearing up for its maiden manned mission Gaganyaan, which is planned for 2021-end. The plan is to have the first unmanned mission in December 2020 and the second one in July 2021. 
Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

ISRO Director: K. Sivan, Headquarters: Bengaluru, Established in: 1969.

Banking/Business/Economy News

8. Two RRBs To Be Merged To Form Tamil Nadu Grama Bank
i. Two regional rural banks (RRBs) - Pallavan Grama Bank and Pandyan Grama Bank - will be merged to form the Tamil Nadu Grama Bank as per the Finance Ministry notification. The integration will be effective from April 1.
ii. The new Tamil Nadu Grama Bank will be under the sponsorship of Indian Bank with head office in Salem. Originally the Pallavan Grama Bank was sponsored by Indian Bank and the Pandyan Grama Bank by Indian Overseas Bank.
9. NBHC Releases Kharif Crop Estimates For The Year 2018-19
i. National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC) has released Kharif Crop estimation for the year 2018-2019. According to the report, the basmati rice production is expected to decline by 9.24% to 5.18 million metric tonnes.
ii. The total oilseeds production is estimated to be 19.87 million metric tonne which is 5.36 % lower as compared to the year 2018. The pulses production is projected to be dropped to 9.10 million tonnes.
10. Swiggy Acquihires Bengaluru-Based AI Startup Kint
i. Food delivery startup Swiggy has acquihired Bengaluru-based AI startup Kint.io for an undisclosed amount. As part of the deal, Kint.io's founding members Pavithra Solai Jawahar and Jagannathan Veeraraghavan will join the Swiggy team. 
ii. Acqui-hiring refers to buying out a company or an entity primarily for the skills and expertise of its staff, rather than for its products or services. 
11. ADB Buys 14% Stake In Annapurna Finance
i. 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.
ii. ADB has backed MFIs to help achieve its broader objective of reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific. The investment by ADB will expand Annapurna’s net worth to Rs 580 crore.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines, President: Takehiko Nakao.

Ranks and Reports

12. Assam Tops In Budgetary Practices Followed By States: Transparency International
i. Assam occupied the top slot in the ranking of best practices followed by states in the Budget formulation, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, as per a survey by Transparency International.
ii. The survey is based on 4 parameters which include public disclosure, budgetary process, post-budget fiscal management and efforts to make the budget more transparent and citizen-friendly. The states which figured lower in the ranking were Meghalaya, Manipur and Punjab.
13. Fitch Group Arm Projects Fiscal Deficit To Slip To 3.6% In 2019-20
i. Fitch Solutions, the research arm of Fitch Group, projected the government's fiscal deficit to overshoot the budgeted target by 0.2% to 3.6% of GDP in 2019-20 fiscal. It stated that 2019-20 Budget appears to show a strong populist bent in the run-up to the General election due by May 2019.
ii. Accordingly, Fitch Solutions revised its forecast for the central government fiscal deficit to come in at 3.6% of GDP in FY 2019-20, from 3% previously, which reflects our expectation for a wider fiscal deficit in FY 2019-20 versus FY2018-19.

Appointments

14. P V Bharathi Appointed As CEO Of Corporation Bank
i. The former executive director of Canara Bank, P V Bharathi assumed charge as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Corporation Bank. P V Bharati became the first woman CEO of the bank. Bharathi has been executive director of Canara Bank since September 2016 and served as the firm's general manager in the risk management wing.
ii. She has more than 37 years of experience in the banking industry. Despite the post of executive director of Canara Bank, she also held the post of non-executive director of Can Fin Homes Limited and also a director board member of Canbank Venture Capital Limited.