Latest Current Affairs – February 05 2019
1.ISRO launches Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru
The Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC), the hub of ISRO’s future manned missions, was inaugurated at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru. Announced on August 15 2018, the country’s first crewed mission is set to happen by 2022, the 75th year of Independence.
A full scale model of Gaganyaan’s crew module was also unveiled as former ISRO chairman K. Kasturirangan inaugurated the new centre in the presence of ISRO Chairman K. Sivan, former chairmen and centre directors. Earlier this month, Dr. Sivan named S. Unnikrishnan Nair as the founder Director of HSFC and R. Hutton as the project director of Gaganyaan.
2.Fino Payments Bank partners with Suryoday Small Finance Bank to offer sweep account facility
Fino Payments Bank (FPB) has announced the launch of a sweep account facility in association with Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB) . This partnership will help FPB address the issue of deposit limits that all the payment banks face at the moment. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), payment banks can only take deposits upto Rs1 lakh per account. However the partnership would allow customers to seamlessly transfer the excess amount from their account in FPB to SSFB (partner bank) account.
While this facility ensures RBI guidelines on Rs1 lakh deposit limit for payments banks is adhered to, it also gives customers the safety of a bank account to park excess funds, which can be utilised whenever they need, FPB said in a statement.
3.ADB buys 14% stake in Annapurna Finance
Bhubaneswar-based micro-financier (MFI) Annapurna Finance has raised Rs 137 crore as a primary equity investment from Asian Development Bank (ADB), which will allow the MFI to extend micro-credits to women members of Joint Liability Groups (JLGs). According to media reports, ADB has picked up a 14-percent stake in Annapurna Finance.
While ADB’s investment is an equity expansion, Annapurna’s existing investors, including Oman India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF), Oikocredit and Bamboo Finance Partners, have invested Rs 75 crore through a secondary round by buying shares from early-stage investors Incofin Investment and SIDBI Venture capital’s Samriddhi fund.
Annapurna Finance Pvt. Ltd is a non-banking financial company- microfinance institution (NBFC-MFI) regulated by Reserve Bank of India. It was created for the purpose of growth in microfinance operation in the areas that are still away from the touch of the formal financial system of the economy.
4.Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari inaugurated 30th National Road Safety Week in New Delhi
External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the 30th National Road Safety Week, 2019 at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan, Rajghat, New Delhi.The main aim of the event is to generate awareness and sensitizing people about safe road usage.
The theme of the 30th National Road Safety Week is “Sadak Suraksha-Jeevan Raksha”.
The motor rally will cover around 7250 km and will travel through those places in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar which are historically associated with Gandhiji. Conclusion of the rally will take place at Yangon in Myanmar on the 24th February 2019. The event was attended by Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri Mansukh L Mandavia and Shri V. Kalyanam, Personal Secretary to Mahatma Gandhi.
5.Veteran Marathi actor Ramesh Bhatkar passes away
Veteran Marathi actor Ramesh Bhatkar passed away after battling cancer. He was 70. He was born in 1949 to famous music director, composer and singer Snehal Bhatkar. Ramesh Bhatkar had made a name for himself in Marathi theatre and films, and even Hindi TV shows like Hello Inspector and Commander.
Bhatkar worked for more than three decades in Hindi and Marathi films, including films like Aai Pahije, Kucch To Hai, and Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, his last film. He was also a theatre personality and was part of prominent plays like Ashroonchi Zaali Phule (1975), which was a renowned and much-loved Marathi play for several years. The veteran actor had about 50 plays to his name.
6.National Road Safety Week 2019 Begins
30th Road Safety Week 2019 will be celebrated in India from 04th February (Monday) to the 10th February (Sunday). There have been various awareness campaigns and events which are being conducted across the country in all the states.The theme for this year campaign is Sadak Suraksha – Jeevan Raksha
Delhi Police has organised a week-long awareness campaign to make people aware about traffic rules and regulations. The campaign will also make people aware about the importance of wearing helmets and seat belts. Cyclist will be given reflective tapes to be used on bicycles and to use the cycle tracks wherever available. Students from various schools and volunteers from NGOs will also make people aware about the impacts of over speeding, overloading, drunken driving etc.
7.El Salvador election: Nayib Bukele wins presidential vote
Decades of two-party rule in El Salvador have been upended by an anti-corruption candidate who has won the presidential elections in a landslide.
Nayib Bukele, 37, a former mayor turned businessman who owns nightclubs and the Yamaha motorcycle franchise in the capital San Salvador, defeated candidates from both main left and right parties with his promise to tackle the endemic corruption that has contributed to creating one of the world’s most unequal societies and allowed crime gangs to flourish.He will assume office on 1 June 2019.
8.Matti Nykänen, Finnish ski-jumping Champion, dies aged 55
Matti Nykänen, the Finnish ski jumping great who soared to unprecedented Olympic glory but struggled with alcohol addiction and personal chaos, has died at the age of 55. The ‘Flying Finn’ won four Olympic gold medals, three of them at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, when he became the first ski jumper to triumph on both the normal and large hill.
His victory on the large hill at the 1984 Sarajevo Games was by a record margin. He also won five world championship gold medals – the first as an 18-year-old – between 1982 to 1989 in a career that made him a sporting superstar and put his personal life on the front pages of newspapers.
9.Noted freedom fighter Priyanath Dey dies
Noted freedom fighter and former Odisha MLA Priyanath Dey died, He was 97.Dey had joined freedom movement in 1942 and was jailed several times.
He was elected to Odisha Legislative Assembly from Jagatsinghpur seat in 1961. His funeral will be held at his native village in Jagatsinghpur.
10.SBI UK chief awarded ‘Freedom of the City of London’
India’s largest state-owned lender SBI’s regional head in the UK has been honoured with the ‘Freedom of the City of London’ award in recognition of his contribution to promoting the bilateral relations.
Sanjiv Chadha, who oversaw State Bank of India (SBI) UK’s transition into a subsidiary in April last year, was nominated for the honour by Lord Mayor of London Peter Estlin and Sheriff Vincent Keaveny.
The award, given by the City of London Corporation, dates back to the 13th century and has since developed into an honour bestowed upon individuals who make an impact in the financial hub of London, referred to as the City or the Square Mile.
The ‘Freedom of the City of London’ is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade. The previous Indian recipient of the honour is Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Other recipients include author J K Rowling and actor Dame Judi Dench.
11.Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2019 Begins
India’s biggest cultural street festival, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) is back with a bang. In 2019, the festival celebrates two glorious decades of art and culture, across various forms and communities including design, cinema, theatre, dance, literature and much more. The festival is centered on a theme each year.
This year, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival commemorates 20 years of its inception and also marks the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The festival this year is paying tribute to Bapu’s philosophy and contribution to the nation. The nine-day festival that began today, February 2, will conclude on February 10.
12.Kerala sets up drug price monitor
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).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.
The State Health Secretary would be the Chairman of the society and the Drugs Controller would be its member secretary. Its members include a State government representative, representatives of private pharmaceutical companies, and those from consumer rights protection fora. The society would also have an executive committee headed by the Drugs Controller.
13.Sana Mir becomes first Asian woman cricketer to play 100 T20Is
Former Pakistan women’s cricket team skipper Sana Mir became the first Asian woman cricketer to play hundred T20 international matches. The 33-year-old reached the milestone when she walked into the field for the ongoing third and final T20I against West Indies in Karachi.
The right-arm bowler was part of Pakistan inaugural T20I team which played against Ireland in 2009. Since then, she has missed just two matches for Pakistan and that too because of an injury. Overall, Sana is the sixth woman cricketer to complete a century of T20 Internationals. Daendra Dottin of West Indies tops the list with a total of 109 T20Is to her name.
14.Haryana Hammers beat Punjab Royals to win PWL-4 title
It was fourth time lucky for Haryana Hammers as they beat Punjab Royals 6-3 in the summit clash to win the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) season 4 title here . Riding on Aleksander Khotsianivski, Ali Shabanov, Kiran, Ravi Kumar and Anastasia Nichita’s dominating performance, Haryana Hammers, the runners-up in the last three editions, turned the tables on the defending champions Punjab Royals by winning all the first five bouts to clinch the title.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Kiran made it 3-0 for Haryana Hammers by defeating the 2018 European Championships bronze medallist Cynthia Vescan of France 3-1 in the women’s 76kg category. After that, the 2018 World U-23 Championships silver medallist Ravi put Haryana 4-0 ahead in the tie after his comprehensive 8-0 win over Nitin Rathi.
15.Minister for IT inaugurates ‘ICT Academy Bridge 2019’ conference in Tamil Nadu
Dr. M. Manikandan, Minister for Information Technology, Government of Tamil Nadu, inaugurated ‘ICT Academy Bridge 2019’ conference in the city that witnessed more than 1,000 participants from government, industry and academia. Dr. Santhosh Babu IAS delivered the special address. Organized by ICT Academy, the 37th edition of the conference is the largest Industry-Institute Interaction Event of Asia.
Themed “Fostering India for Industry 4.0”, the event brought together industry experts, academic leaders and government policy-makers to address the challenges faced by India Inc. in the era of Fourth Industrial Revolution, thus creating a correlated education ecosystem and formulating a strategic regulatory framework.
16.53rd Edition of “Know India Programme” Held in New Delhi
The 53rd edition of Know India Programme for Young Indian Diaspora involves 40 participants (24 female and 16 males) from Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Portugal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago. The partner states of this edition are Maharashtra and Daman & Diu.
The Know India Programme is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India with the objective of familiarizing the India Diaspora Youth, in the age group of 18-30 years, with developments and achievements made by the country and bringing them closer to the land of their ancestors.
The programme provides a unique forum for students and young professionals of India origin to visit India, share their views, expectations and experiences and to bond closely with the contemporary India.
17.Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates WLPGA 2019 Asia LPG Summit
The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has said that India has emerged as a bright spot in the global economy in the recent years. Inaugurating the WLPGA 2019 Asia LPG Summit , he said that with strong economy and supportive policy environment, Our Government remains committed to inclusive, holistic and sustainable high economic growth.
The Minister said that Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), which was launched in May 2016 with a target of 5 crore of deposit free LPG connections, has already covered over 6 crore vulnerable, disadvantaged sections of the society, and it will cover 8 crore by next financial year. He said that PMUY is now a universal scheme, covering all poor households.
The Asia LG summit is being organized by the World LPG Association (WLPGA), which is the voice of the global LPG Industry representing the full LPG value chain. The primary goal of the Association is to add value to the sector by driving premium demand for LPG, while also promoting compliance to good business and safety practices. The Association was established in 1987 and granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 1989.
