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.