Daily news 21 and 22 February 2021

National News

1. Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Atal Paryavaran Bhavan in Lakshadweep

• The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, inaugurated the Atal Paryavaran Bhavan at Lakshadweep. Prakash Javadekar is on a four-day official visit to Lakshadweep from February 19 to 22, 2021.
• During the visit, the minister attended high-level meetings with the Secretaries of various departments in the Lakshadweep administration, participated in various official programmes at Suheli, Kadmat and Bangaram islands.
• The minister will also evaluate the major innovative initiatives of the Union Territory’s Forest and Environment Department, so that Lakshadweep undergoes comprehensive development, without compromising it’s commitment to nature.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Lakshadweep Capital: Kavaratti.
• Lakshadweep Administrator: Praful Patel.

International News

2. United States officially re-joins Paris Climate Agreement

• The United States has officially rejoined the Paris Agreement, under the Presidency of US President Joe Biden. Earlier, in November 2020, the US had officially exited the agreement on the order of then-President Donald Trump.
• The landmark Paris climate agreement was signed in 2015, as per which countries are expected to enhance their commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions every five years. The goals of the global pact are to limit global warming to well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

State News

3. Kerala Government sanctions Rs. 9 crore to build 48 ‘Smart’ Anganwadis

• The state government of Kerala has sanctioned Rs. 9 crores to build ‘smart anganwadis’, by converting the conventional anganwadis into “smart” structures with better amenities. The state Department of Women and Child Development has given permission for 48 anganwadis in the state to construct new buildings under the Smart Anganwadi scheme.
• These smart anganwadis are being designed and constructed as part of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
• These ‘smart anganwadis’ will provide early childhood care by making the facility more child-friendly to nurture the mental and physical development of children.
• It is expected to have various amenities, ranging from study hall, kitchen, dining area, storeroom, creative zone, garden to swimming pool and outdoor play area as per the availability of land.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan.
• Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan.

4. Assam CM lays foundation of first skill university of eastern India

• The Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal has laid the foundation of the first skill university of eastern India in Darrang district in Assam. The state-of-the-art skill university would be built with a financial outlay of Rs 1,000 crore.
• It will impart training to over 10,000 students in 12 disciplines. The university is expected to be completed by 2026. It will have “understandings” with countries like Germany, Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, Japan, England.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Assam CM: Sarbananda Sonowal.
• Assam Governor: Jagdish Mukhi.

Economy News

5. S&P Global Ratings: India to be among fastest-growing emerging economies in FY22

• The S&P Global Ratings has projected that India will be one of the fastest-growing emerging market economies in the fiscal year 2021-22, with a GDP growth rate of 10 per cent.
• The continuous good performance by the agriculture sector, flattening of COVID-19 infection curve, pickup in government spending and the recently released budget are some of the factors for the positive growth prospect of the country.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• S&P Global Ratings Headquarters: New York, United States.
• President of S&P Global Ratings: John Berisford.

Defence News

6. L&T delivers 100th K9 Vajra howitzer to Indian Army

• Army Chief Gen Manoj Naravane has flagged off the 100th K9 Vajra tracked self-propelled howitzer built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at its armoured system complex at Hazira in Gujarat. L&T had completed the delivery of all the howitzers under the contract awarded in May 2017 ahead of schedule.
• The K9 Vajra programme involved the delivery of 100 howitzers with associated engineering support package covering spares, system documentation and training. It also involves the maintenance transfer of technology to an army base workshop to support the howitzers throughout their operational life cycle.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• L&T CEO: S. N. Subrahmanyan.
• L&T Founded: 7 February 1938.
• L&T Headquarters: Mumbai.
• L&T Chairman: Anil Manibhai Naik.

7. Indian And Indonesian Navies Conduct PASSEX Exercise

• The Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy conducted the Passage Exercise (PASSEX) on February 18, 2021, in the Arabian Sea.
• The military exercise between the navies of both countries aims to enhance operational interoperability and overall cooperation among them. Indian naval ship INS Talwar and the Indonesian Navy’s multirole corvette KRI Bung Tomo participated in the exercise.

Agreements News

8. India & Ethiopia Sign Agreements On Visa Facilitation and Leather Technology

• India and Ethiopia signed two agreements related to visa facilitation and leather technology. The Ethiopia Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen is on a 4-day visit to India to hold useful and productive discussions on a range of bilateral and regional issues.
• During the course of meetings, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Ethiopian minister Hassen agreed to expand India and Ethiopia bilateral agenda especially defence, economic, S&T, digital and cultural cooperation.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Ethiopia Capital: Addis Ababa.

• Ethiopia Currency: Ethiopian Birr.

• Ethiopia President: Sahle-Work Zewde.

• Ethiopia Prime minister: Abiy Ahmed.

9. Indian Oil signs pact with Greenstat Norway for hydrogen fuel

• Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has signed a Statement of Intent with Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Greenstat Norway, to set up a Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen.
• Under this association, a Center of Excellence on Hydrogen (CoE-H) including CCUS and Fuel Cells, would be developed for clean energy by IndianOil and M/s Greenstat in cooperation with Indo-Norwegian Hydrogen Cluster companies/organizations.
• Facilitate transfer and sharing of technology, know-how and experience through the green Hydrogen value chain and other relevant technologies including hydrogen storage and fuel cells.
• CoE-H will be a vehicle for promoting R&D projects in Green and Blue Hydrogen between Norwegian and Indian R&D institutions/universities.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Indian Oil Corporation Limited Headquarters: New Delhi, India.
• Indian Oil Corporation Limited Chairman: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya.

10. India & Maldives sign 5 deals to boost infrastructure

• External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar was on a two-day official visit to the archipelago nation the Maldives to review bilateral ties and development cooperation. During this visit, Mr S Jaishankar handed over 1 lakh additional doses of the made-in-India COVID-19 vaccine to the Maldives.
• With this, the total Covid vaccine doses gifted by India for the Maldives reaches two lakh. Jaishankar also offered a $40-million line of credit (LoC) to support the development of sports infrastructure in the Maldives.
• Amendatory Agreement to repurpose an older EXIM Bank of India Line of Credit of USD 25 million for Road Devt.
• Letter of Intent between EXIM Bank and local authorities for financing a housing project of 2000 units in Hulhumale.
• MoU on grant funding USD 0.5 million for a fish processing plant in Kendhikulhudhoo in the northern Maldives.
• MoU on capacity building and exchange of content and expertise between Prasar Bharati and Public State Media, Maldives.
• MoU on sustainable urban development between MoHUA and Ministry of national planning, housing and infrastructure, Maldives.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• President of the Maldives: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
• Capital of Maldives: Male; Currency of the Maldives: Maldivian Rufiyaa.

Important Days

11. World Thinking Day: 22 February

• World Thinking Day, originally known as Thinking Day, is celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Scouts, Girl Guides and other girl groups worldwide.
• The day is observed to think about fellow brothers and sisters around the world, address their concerns and understand the true meaning of guiding.
• The theme for World Thinking Day 2021 is peacebuilding. Peacebuilding is at the heart of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting and is as vital and relevant today as for the last 100 years.
• By completing the steps in the Stand Together For Peace activity pack, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts will; Stand Strong, Stand up and Stand Together for peacebuilding.

12. International Mother Language Day: 21 February

• The International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed annually on 21 February to raise awareness regarding linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.
• The theme of the Day this year, "Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society".
• International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999. The UN General Assembly welcomed the proclamation of the day in its resolution of 2002.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• UNESCO headquarters: Paris, France.
• UNESCO Head: Audrey Azoulay.
• UNESCO Founded: 16 November 1945.

Sports News

13. Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka wins Australian Open 2021

• In tennis, Japan’s Naomi Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title on February 20, 2021, after she beat American Jennifer Brady in the women’s singles game of the Australian Open final 2021.
• The four Grand Slam title for Osaka comes two Australian Open titles (2021 and 2019) and two US Open title (2018 and 2020). In Men’s singles final, Novak Djokovic claimed his ninth Australian Open crown and the 18th Major Grand Slam overall, as he defeated Daniil Medvedev.

Winners of Australian Open 2021:

• Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia) defeated Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
• Women’s Singles: Naomi Osaka (Japan) defeated Jennifer Brady (US)
• Men’s Doubles: Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Filip Polášek (Slovakia )defeated Rajeev Ram (US) and Joe Salisbury (UK)
• Women’s Doubles: Elise Mertens (Belgium) and Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) defeated Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic) and Kateřina Siniaková(Czech Republic )
• Mixed Doubles: Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) and Rajeev Ram of the US defeated the Australian pair of Samantha Stosur and Matthew Ebden.

Books and authors News

14. Vice President releases ‘Maverick Messiah’, a political biography on NTR

• Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has released “Maveric Messiah”, a political biography on former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao authored by senior journalist Ramesh Kandula.
• NTR was ranked among the top pioneers of ‘alternative politics’. His entry into politics and ‘dramatic’ success within about nine months of floating a regional party gave a new direction to national politics.

Daily news 23 February 2021

National News

1. Dr Harsh Vardhan launches Mission Indradhanush 3.0

• Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0, (IMI 3.0), to expand immunization coverage across the country.
• The focus of IMI 3.0 will be on children and pregnant women who missed their vaccine doses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The IMI 3.0 will have two rounds, of 15 days each.
• The first round will begin on February 22, 2021, and the second round will begin on March 22, 2021.
• The vaccination drive will be conducted in pre-identified 250 districts and urban areas across 29 States and UTs in the country to reach out to every dropped out and left out the child and pregnant woman.
• The scheme was launched in 2014 to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to all citizens of the country.
• It aims to immunise all children under the age of 2 years, as well as all pregnant women, against eight vaccine-preventable diseases.
• These diseases are diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and Hepatitis B.

International News

2. Israel launches "green pass" for people with vaccination certificate

• Israel has launched a coronavirus "green pass" system, which allows people who have been vaccinated to access public facilities that would otherwise be off-limits. As of Sunday COVID-19 inoculation is a sort of status symbol in Israel.
• Israelis who have gotten both Pfizer vaccine shots and those who have recovered from the virus get a "Green Pass" certificate in the form of a QR code or printout for people without smartphones.
• The pass allows entry to gyms, swimming pools, hotels, entertainment venues and sporting events. Green Pass privileges and restrictions are raising legal and moral questions.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Prime Minister of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Israel Capital: Jerusalem.
• Israel Currency: Israeli Shekel.

State News

3. PM Modi inaugurates Oil & Gas projects in Assam

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to the nation INDMAX Unit at Indian Oil’s Bongaigaon Refinery, Oil India Limited's Secondary Tank Farm at Madhuban, Dibrugarh, and a Gas Compressor Station at Hebeda Village, Makum, Tinsukia remotely from Dhemaji in Assam.
• He also inaugurated the Dhemaji Engineering College and laid the foundation stone for Sualkuchi Engineering College in Assam.
• INDMAX Unit at Indian Oil’s Bongaigaon Refinery
• Oil India Limited’s Secondary Tank Farm at Madhuban, Dibrugarh – Rs 490 crore
• Gas Compressor Station at Hebeda Village, Makum, Tinsukia – Rs 132 Crore
• Dhemaji Engineering College – Rs 45 Crore
• Laid the foundation stone for Sualkuchi Engineering College – Rs 55 crore.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Assam CM: Sarbananda Sonowal.
• Assam Governor: Jagdish Mukhi.

4. 47th Khajuraho Dance Festival 2021 begins

• The 47th Khajuraho Dance Festival began in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh which is based on the Indian classical dance tradition. Khajuraho Temples come alive with splendour, beams, and the hustle-bustle of art lovers at the Festival.
• The first-day event is dedicated to Bharatanatyam performance by Geeta Chandran and her troupe and Kathak performance by Deepak Maharaj.
• The festival is being organized by the Culture Department through Ustad Alauddin Khan Music and Arts Academy Bhopal. 
• This year festival will give the audience a chance to watch the performance of the dancers amid the aura of the temple as the event is being held once again in the temple complex of the Western Temple Group of Khajuraho after a gap of 44 years.
• The festival was hosted each year at the magnificent city of Khajuraho located in the district of Chhatarpur, the artists perform in the backdrop of historical monuments.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Anandiben Patel.

Economy News

5. HSBC Raises India’s GDP Forecast for FY22 to 11.2%

• HSBC has raised its growth forecasts for India in the coming fiscal year 2021-22 (FY22), from 9 per cent to 11.2 per cent, following a pick up in business activity and a steady fall in COVID cases.
• The 2020-21 GDP forecast of India by HSBC remains -6.3 per cent, as projected earlier.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• HSBC CEO: Noel Quinn.
• HSBC Headquarters: London, United Kingdom.
• HSBC Founder: Thomas Sutherland.
• HSBC Founded: 3 March 1865, Hong Kong.

Banking News

6. RBI brings State Bank of Sikkim under its regulatory purview

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has brought the State Bank of Sikkim under its regulation. Till now, RBI had the right and obligation to function as a banker to all the state government except for the state government of Sikkim.
• Now the bank will be regulated by the RBI on a par with other banks, however, the bank’s ownership structure will not change.
• The State Bank of Sikkim was established as an autonomous body wholly owned by the Government of Sikkim, in the year 1968, five years before Sikkim became part of India in 1973.
• It was established under the State Bank of Sikkim Proclamation, 1968.
• The bank provides treasury operations for the state government and operates only within the jurisdiction of Sikkim.
• The bank currently has 42 branch offices and operates three revenue counters for government works.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

7. RBI ropes in Punjabi rapper for awareness campaign on cyber fraud

• The RBI has roped in Punjabi singer-rapper Viruss in its public awareness campaign. The campaign also includes Viruss' popular 2017 Indie hit 'Bam Bhole' that was recreated for Akshay Kumar-Kiara Advani starrer Laxmii.
• As cyber frauds continue to increase, the Reserve Bank of India has undertaken an unusual measure to spread awareness.
• The apex bank that has been very active on social media since the lockdown urges tech-savvy netizens to stay alert or 'satark' against common fraudsters and cybersecurity threats, including in UPI.
• The RBI has been running the campaign 'RBI Kehta Hai' on social media accounts since 2016 but has never been accompanied by peppy music.
• Since 2016 when it created the tagline RBI Kehta Hai, the central bank's communication has been centred on financial literacy and public awareness towards frauds, etc.
• The bank uses social media to talk about the facilities it offers for senior citizens, cybersecurity, digital banking, and setting limits on card transactions.

Defence News

8. ICGS C-453 Interceptor boat commissioned into services in Chennai

• The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICG) named C-453 was commissioned into services in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. This was the 17th interceptor boats out of the 18 which are being indigenously built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
• It is a 27.80-m-long interceptor boat. The boat has a displacement of 105 tonnes. It can attain a maximum speed of 45 knots (85 kmph).
• It is capable to undertake multifarious tasks such as surveillance, close-coast patrol, interdiction, and search & rescue. It will also provide assistance to the boats and craft in case of distress at sea.
• The ship will be deployed to do surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone and other duties in accordance with the Coast Guard Charter. This will help in safeguarding the maritime interests of India.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Larsen & Toubro Ltd CEO: S. N. Subrahmanyan.
• Larsen & Toubro Ltd Founded: 7 February 1938, Mumbai.
• Larsen & Toubro Ltd Headquarters: Mumbai.

9. DRDO Conducts Two Successful Launches of VL-SRSAM Missile System

• Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM). DRDO carried out the launch from a static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
• The launches were monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO labs involved in the design and development of the system. During the test launches, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data, captured by various Range instruments.
• The VL-SRSAM is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO for the Indian Navy, VL-SRSAM aims to neutralize various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.
• The missiles intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy. The missiles were tested for minimum and maximum range. VL-SRSAM with Weapon Control System was deployed during the trials.

10. Rajnath Singh inaugurates DRDO skill centre for fire safety training

• Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh has inaugurated Skill Development Centre (SDC) for Fire Safety Training of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) through virtual mode at Pilkhuwa in Uttar Pradesh.
• The first of its kind in India facility has been created by Delhi based DRDO laboratory ‘Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES)’.
• The SDC DRDO facility will help in developing trained human resources, fire safety technology and products to save precious human lives and valued assets.
• The facility would be utilised for imparting fire prevention and fire-fighting training to the Fire Service personnel of Indian Armed Forces, DRDO, Ordnance Factories, Coast Guard and defence undertakings.

Awards News

11. Union Bank Of India wins World HRD Congress Awards

• Union Bank of India was awarded “Best Service Provider” in Human Resources and also the best institution for “Excellence in Learning & Development” at the 29th Global HRD Congress awards.
• Kalyan Kumar, Chief General Manager, HR was named as “Chief Human Resources Officer of the Year”.
• Global HRD Congress Awards are given to institutions annually for the best HR practices under different categories. The eminent jury which consists of the best in the industry will select the organizations taking into account their remarkable achievements in HR.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Union Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai.
• Union Bank of India CEO: Rajkiran Rai G.
• Union Bank of India Founded: 11 November 1919.

Books and Authors News

12. Home Minister released a book ‘Rashtra Pratham – 82 varshon ki Swarnim Gatha’

• Home Minister Amit Shah has released a book 'Rashtra Pratham - 82 varshon ki Swarnim Gatha' in New Delhi.
• The book chronicles the glorious history of CRPF since its raising in 1939 and it has detailed and thoroughly researched accounts of CRPF’s journey, challenges, successes, and sacrifices and said it will become a source of inspiration for personnel joining the force.
• CRPF jawans have always remained at the forefront be it in Left Wing Extremism affected areas, borders or providing security ring to the Indian Parliament.

Miscellaneous News

13. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy Resigns

• The Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry, V Narayanasamy has submitted the letter of his resignation and his council of ministers on February 22, 2021, to Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.
• The decision was taken as the Congress-led Government in the UT lost its majority in the House, which is 14. Following a series of resignations, the ruling government was reduced to a strength of 12. Two MLA resigned in January 2021 while 2 resigned in February 2021.

Explained: Why is Maharashtra witnessing another spike in Covid-19 cases?

 With the coronavirus number showing an increasing trend over the last two weeks, Maharashtra has reintroduced some restrictions on the assembly and movement of people. The state government has warned that it could even bring back the lockdown if it was felt necessary.

What is the Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra?

Every day of the last week, for the first time since mid-January, Maharashtra has reported more than 3,000 new cases of coronavirus infections. The new cases in the second week of February were at least 14 per cent more than the first. In the week ending this Sunday (February 14), 20,207 new cases were detected across the state, compared to 17,672 in the previous week (February 1-7). In the week prior to that (January 25-31), the state had reported 17,293 cases.

Mumbai, Pune, their surrounding areas along with the Vidarbha region have contributed the maximum to this surge. Nearly 60 per cent of the new infections in the second week of February were reported from Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Thane and Amravati. With 3,228 cases in that week (February 8-14), Pune had the highest number among these. Nagpur (2,628 cases) and Amravati (2,420) discovered more cases than Mumbai (2,195). Thane reported 1,960 cases during that week.

In the last one week, Mumbai and Pune have both reported more than 600 cases in a day, something that they had not done in at least a month. Nagpur has reported more than 500 cases twice in the last week while Thane has gone past 400.

The rise is not very alarming right now. Maharashtra had been reporting between 2,000 and 2,500 cases through most of January, but the numbers were steadily, though very slowly, going down. The spike seen in the last two weeks is a reversal of a declining trend that seemed to have become permanent.

“It is not a red signal yet, but definitely a yellow warning. We have to take steps to ensure that this does not become red,” Dr Shahank Joshi, a member of the state’s Covid-19 task force, said.

Maharashtra coronavirus spike: Why is it happening?

One important reason could be the reopening of the local trains for the general public in the Mumbai region. But that does not explain the increase being witnessed in Vidarbha. State surveillance officer Dr Pradeep Awate suggests the recently-held gram panchayat elections could also have played a role.

“It is not uncommon to see gatherings of 400-500 at marriages or other events these days. But from now on, the rule of not more than 50 invitees would be strictly enforced. Also, people would have to wear masks at these functions,” Dr Rahul Pandit, a member of the state’s Covid-19 task force, said.

Dr Shashank Joshi said there was also a mistaken belief that the epidemic was over. “We cannot let our guard down and use Covid fatigue as an excuse to not wear masks. In fact, like in the United States, there is a need to start using double-layered masks,” he said.

State health minister Rajesh Tope agreed, and said people not following physical distancing norms, or avoiding face masks, would be heavily penalised. He said the district administration had authorised to shut schools if the situation so warranted.

Interestingly, there has been a drop in the number of samples being tested. Contact tracing efforts have also become weaker. Districts like Sindhudurg, Wardha, Palghar, Osmanabad, Nandurbar and Chandrapure have reported very low testing in recent days, even less than the recommended 140 per million.

“Our teams are now at various places across the 14 districts that have shown an increase in numbers, and identifying the most vulnerable spots to take necessary actions,” Dr Awate said.

What are the present coronavirus restrictions in Maharashtra?

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These are the present Covid-19 restrictions in Maharashtra.

* Guestlists at family functions, including marriages, or other events cannot exceed 50

* A complete ban on processions, protests, and rallies for the time being

* Buildings to be sealed if multiple positive cases emerge

* Stringent fines for people not following norms of social distancing or not wearing face masks in public