CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY DIGEST

[mks_col] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Download Current Affairs PDFs” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/current-affairs/current-affairs-pdf/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Current Affairs Online Tests” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/online-test/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [mks_one_third][mks_button size=”small” title=”Current Affairs Quizzes Everyday” style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/category/current-affairs-quiz/” target=”_blank” bg_color=”#dd3030″ txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″][/mks_one_third] [/mks_col]

1. Shurhozelie Liezeitsu elected new Nagaland CM

Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) president Shurhozelie Liezeitsu will be sworn in as the state’s eleventh Chief Minister V Ramakrishnan appointed as TCS CFO, N Chandrasekaran named TCS Chairman. Zeliang stepped down in the wake of violent protests that broke out when his government wanted to hold municipal elections with 33 per cent reservation for women.

2. Haryana CM, Gov confer Bhim Award to 42 sports persons

The BJP led Haryana government gave away the Bhim awards to 42 sports persons of the state, spotting them for their outstanding performance at the national and international fronts between the years 2013 and 2017.

• The awards were given by the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki at a function held at Haryana Raj Bhawan.
• A total prize money of Rs 2.10 crore was distributed among the 42 sports persons and the awardees would be presented Bhim award that would get  in cash, a memento, citation, blazer, tie and a scarf.

3. EDII wins International Mercury Award 2016-17

The Ahmedabad-based Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), an acknowledged national resource institute for entrepreneurship education, research, training and institution-building, has received the prestigious International Mercury Awards (IMA) for the year 2016-17 for the best overall presentation of its 2015-2016 annual report.

Instituted by MerComm Inc. the world’s only independent awards organization, the International Mercury Awards honor outstanding achievement in professional communications in around 80 countries, EDII Director Dr. Sunil Shukla stated.

4. Tata Steel’s Katamati Mine wins Best Green Award

Tata Steel’s Katamati iron mine has been honoured with the the Best Green Organisation of the Year Award at the Global Green Future Leadership Awards in recognition of its environmental protection measures.  The award was presented at a function organised by World CSR Day on February 18 in Mumbai.

5. Dish TV partners with ICICI Bank for digital payments

Direct-to-home operator Dish TV has said it has tied-up with private lender ICICI Bank for digital payments.This alliance with ICICI Bank through UPI will drive higher customer adoption and allow them to be a part of the digital economy. This will also aid our vastly spread customers with or without Internet access to recharge conveniently.

6. SIDBI, Vijaya Bank combine to provide concessional loans to micro, small units

Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vijaya Bank for providing concessional finance to micro and small enterprises (MSEs).

The MoU aims at promoting and strengthening units in the MSE segment through concessional funding — that is, at the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate (MCLR) of Vijaya Bank under refinance from SIDBI.

7. Bharat QR code launched to push less-cash economy

BharatQR code, the world’s first interoperable payment acceptance solution, was launched as part of efforts to move towards less-cash economy at an “insignificant cost”, according to industry members.

Over the past few months, the government has been aggressively pushing for higher usage of digital payment mechanisms, including launching BHIM app and increasing penetration of PoS machines.

8. Health Ministry launches ‘Saathiya Kits’ to improve adolescent health

Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram, Union health ministry launched Saathiya resource kit that is specially designed by experts to help peer educators, especially in villages, discuss sensitive issues and answer teenage queries in their community in an informed manner.

More than 1.5 lakh teenagers are being trained across India to address queries of its 26 crore adolescents on reproductive and sexual health, substance abuse and mental health among other issues concerning their age.

9. Telangana Govt signs MoU with NABARD for Rs 874 crore loan

The Telangana Government has signed an MoU withNABARD for a loan of Rs 874 crore to the Horticulture Development Corporation to cover 3.15 lakh acres under Micro Irrigation scheme for 2016-17 and 2017-18.

A Government release quoted Agriculture Secretary Parthasarathi as saying agriculture in the state is rain-fed and about 42.82 lakh acres depend on borewells for irrigation.

10. Delhi to get India’s first heliport

The capital will get India’s first dedicated “heliport” for flying in and out of Delhi to nearby areas in choppers.  Aviation secretary R N Choubey said the Rs 100-crore project will be inaugurated on February 28 and will be an integrated one with a chopper maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) unit part of the complex at Rohini.

11. KVGB brings 13 villages under digital banking

Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank (KVGB) has made 13 villages under its jurisdiction as 100 per cent digital villages for banking activities, according to S Ravindran, Chairman of KVGB.

Eugene E Karthak, Regional Director of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bengaluru, to Hulasageri village in Bagalkot district, he said the bank is planning to make 100 villages as 100 per cent digital for banking activities by the end of the current financial year.

12. India as the World’s Largest Arms Importer in the Last Four Years

India was the world’s largest importer of major arms between 2012 and 2016, accounting for 13 per cent of the global total sales, according to a new data released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent institute that tracks arms proliferation among other issues in conflict studies.

India increased its arms imports by 43 per cent, between 2007–11 and 2012–16. In the last four years India’s imports were far greater than those of its regional rivals China and Pakistan.

13. Arunachal CM Pema Khandu inaugurates Composite Regional Centre in Itanagar

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu in the presence of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Composite Regional Centre at Itanagar Banquet Hall, Arunachal Pradesh.

• To create resources and infrastructure required for developing services for persons with disabilities with an outlay of Rs.20 Crore.
• The centre is established under the National Institute for Locomotor Disabilities (NILD), Kolkata of Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, and Govt. of India. 

14. MoU signed for welfare of Handicraft Artisans belonging to Scheduled Castes

Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment have come together to step up interventions for the economic development of an estimated 12 lakh scheduled caste artisans.  An MoU was signed between Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles and National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), a Central PSU under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, with the objective of working together to improve the earnings of artisans across the country, belonging to Scheduled Castes categories.

15. Gujarat Assembly passes Aadhaar Bill, 2017

The Gujarat Assembly passed Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2017 to empower the state government to use Aadhaar number as the sole identifier for the delivery of various subsidies and benefits in an effective and targeted manner.

This bill will help the government create a credible system to authenticate the identity of actual beneficiaries.

16. Apollo Hospitals Foundation signs agreement with WWF-India

Apollo Hospitals Foundation will provide medical support to forest department employees and local communities in the areas where WWF-India operates for conservation. The frontline forest staff and members of the local community form an important part of our work and medical treatment and health check-ups for them will go a long way in ensuring that people have access to medical care.

17. Tamil Nadu govt announce Rs 2,247 cr for drought affected farmers

Tamil Nadu government lead by Edappadi K Palaniswami has sanctioned Rs 2,247 crore to drought-hit farmers in Tamil Nadu after the report submitted to the government by senior officials.The report suggested that Rs 2,247 crore for 50,34,237 acres in which crops were cultivated during samba season.

18. Government launches ‘Cyber Swachhta Kendra’ to protect citizens

Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) has launched “Cyber Swachhta Kendra” — a new desktop and mobile security solution for a secure cyber space in the country. The new solution will notify, enable cleaning and secure systems of end-users to prevent further infections.

19. India & China to hold their 1st Strategic Dialogue

China and India have held their upgraded strategic dialogue to shore up bilateral ties amid hectic parleys to resolve differences over Beijing’s reluctance to support India’s NSG bid as well as a UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar called on China to address India’s concerns on issues such as the economic corridor Beijing is building through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the sanctioning of Pakistani terrorist Masood Azhar. India’s entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group is likely to be discussed in the meet.

20. Russia to begin military helicopters deliveries to India in 2018

Russia will start initial deliveries of military helicopters to India in 2019, with assembly and manufacturing to follow in Asia’s fastest growing economy, the chief executive of state-owned manufacturer Russian Helicopters.

India and Russia signed an agreement in October to jointly manufacture 200 of the KA-226T helicopters for the Indian Armed Forces.

Both countries have agreed to cooperate in energy and defense as India seeks to modernize its armed forces and build a nuclear industry and sanctions-hit Russia looks for investment and new markets.

21. An international zip line connects Spain and Portugal

Spain and Portugal have been linked by a zip wire, meaning thrillseekers can cross from one country to another by flying through the air at speeds of up to 50mph.

Adrenaline junkies board in Sanlucar de Guadiana in Andalucia, Spain, before whizzing down the line and landing across the Guadiana River in Alcoutim, Portugal.It is the first of its kind and certainly makes border crossings a lot more fun.

22. Azerbaijan Prez names wife as country’s First Vice President

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev appointed his wife Mehriban Aliyev as the First Vice President of the country.

The position was created after a constitutional referendum in September, 2016. According to Azerbaijan’s constitution, the First Vice President takes over the country’s presidency if the president is unable to perform the duties.

23. US, China discuss measures to counter North Korea threat

The US and China have agreed on a constructive bilateral relationship to address the threat posed by North Korea due to its repeated ballistic missile tests despite a UN ban. The two sides agreed on the need to address the threat that North Korea poses to regional stability.

24. Hindi novelist Ved Prakash Sharma passes away

Celebrated Hindi novelist Ved Prakash Sharma, who has 176 novels to his credit, died. The 62-year-old was not keeping well for the last few months and had developed some infections which led to his demise.harma had also written scripts for about half-a-dozen Hindi movies.

He was a writer of pulp thrillers like Qaidi No 100 and Vardi Wala Gunda and earned him fame.

 

 

 

 

*****************************

[mks_button size=”medium” title=”Read Current Affairs Daily Digest For February 2017″ style=”squared” url=”https://www.daytodaygk.com/current-affairs-february-2017/” target=”_self” bg_color=”#dd0f0f” txt_color=”#FFFFFF” icon=”” icon_type=”” nofollow=”0″]