Latest Current Affairs – February 06 2019
1.Maharashtra govt sets up panel to review welfare schemes for tribals
The Maharashtra government has set up a committee to review various schemes being implemented for the welfare of tribals in the state. The 17-member committee, headed by former MLA and Shramjeevi Sanghatna president Vivek Pandit, will undertake study of various works done for providing employment opportunities, minimum wages and proper livelihood to tribals, as per a recent government order.
It will suggest measures to ensure that children in tribal regions were not deprived of education. The committee will hold its meetings every three months and submit its recommendations to the government.
2.President presents 2017 Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards to 42
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2017 to 42 artists from the fields of music, dance, theatre, traditional/folk/tribal music/dance/theatre and puppetry.
The awards were presented during a special ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan .
According to the Akademi, the awards symbolize the highest standard of excellence and achievements and recognise sustained individual work and contribution. The award carries with it Rs 100,000, a ‘tamrapatra’ and an ‘angavastram’.
Those awarded in the field of music include Lalith J. Rao (Hindustani vocal), Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha (Hindustani vocal), Yogesh Samsi (tabla), Rajendra Prasanna (shehnnai/flute), M.S. Sheela (Carnatic vocal), Suma Sudhindra (veena), Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan (mridangam), Shashank Subramanyam (flute), Madhurani and Haimanti Sukla (sugam sangeet) and Gurnam Singh (Gurbani).
Those awarded in the field of dance include Rama Vaidyanathan (Bharatanatyam), Shobha Koser (Kathak), Madambi Subramanian (Kathakali), L.N. Oinam Ongbi Dhoni Devi (Manipuri), Deepika Reddy (Kuchipudi), Sujata Mohapatra (Odissi), Ramkrishna Talukdar (Sattriya), Janmajay Saibabu (Chhau) and Aashit Desai (music for dance).
Abhiram Bhadakamkar (playwriting), Sunil Shanbagh (direction), Bapi Bose (direction), Hema Singh, Deepak Tiwari, Anil Tickoo (acting), Nuruddin Ahmed (stage craft), Avtar Sahani (lighting) and Shougrakpam Hemanta Singh (Shumang Leela, Manipur) were awarded for theatre.
Anwar Khan Manganiyar (Rajasthan), Ramchandra Majhi (Bihar), Parvathy Baul (Baul, West Bengal), Saravjit Kaur (Punjab), K.C. Runremsangi (Mizoram) and Mukund Nayak (Jharkhand) were awarded for folk music.
Others awarded in the traditional/folk/tribal music/dance/theatre and puppetry include Prakash Khandge (folk arts, Maharashtra), Jagannath Bayan (traditional music, Khol, Assam), Rakesh Tiwari (folk theatre, Chhattisgarh) and Sudip Gupta (puppetry, West Bengal).Vijay Verma and Sandhya Purecha were awarded for their overall contribution/scholarship in the performing arts.
3.RBI slaps Rs2-cr fine on Axis Bank and UCO Bank; Rs1 cr on Syndicate Bank
The RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs2 crore each on UCO Bank and Axis Bank, and Rs1 crore on Syndicate Bank. In the case of UCO and Axis Bank, the penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with the Circular on ‘Collection of Account Payee Cheques – Prohibition on Crediting Proceeds to Third Party Account’, and Master Directions on ‘Frauds – Classification and Reporting by Commercial Banks and select FIs’.
In the case of Syndicate Bank, the penalty has been imposed for non-compliance with the directions contained in Master Circular on Frauds – Classification and Reporting and Circular on Risk Management Systems in Banks.
4. App of world’s largest health insurance launched
The world’s largest cashless health insurance scheme — the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), popularly known as the Ayushman Bharat — is now active on Google Playstore and one can download the PM-JAY app to access scheme details. the app will help people check if they are eligible for the scheme.
The National Health Authority (NHA), which runs PM-JAY, was keen to release the app at the earliest so that it would figure at the top of the Google Playstore and users can download the right app.
5.Ramit Tandon wins Seattle Open
Ramit Tandon won his fourth major title – the Seattle Open, by beating Egypt’s Mohamed El Sherbini in the final. Top seeded Ramit Tandon made the most of his first meeting with Egyptian Mohamed El Sherbini to win the final of the Seattle Open, a PSA challenger squash Tour event here late on Saturday night. The Indian won 11-4, 11-7, 2-11, 11-2 for his first PSA title in 2019 and fourth title overall in his career.
Judicious has been Tandon’s hallmark in play just as he was in choosing events. Fluent right through till the final , the Indian’s only moment of hesitation came in the third game of the final. Superior choice of strokes held him in good stead besides the flourish in the finishes upfront.
6.Nitin Gadkari Launches Highway Projects Worth Over Rs. 2,300 Crore In Odisha
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari launched three major highway projects entailing an investment of Rs. 2,345 crore in Odisha, saying it will go a long way in ensuring speedy development in the state.
The projects will considerably improve connectivity of mineral-rich Angul and Dhenkanal districts with the rest of Odisha, Mr Gadkari said while laying the foundation stone for the projects.
The three national highway projects, with a total length 132 km, will cost Rs. 2,345 crore.The projects for which the foundation stone were laid include four-laning of the 41.7-km Talcher-Kamakhyanagar section of NH 200/23 (new NH 53) at a cost of Rs. 795.18 crore, 51.1-km Kamakhyanagar-Duburi section of NH 200 (new NH 53) at a cost of Rs. 761.11 crore and 39.4-km Duburi-Chandikhole section of NH 200 (new NH 53) at a cost of Rs. 789.23 crore.
7.BJD MP Ladu Kishore Swain passes away
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP from Aska Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha, Ladu Kishore Swain passed away late Tuesday night at the age of 71. He was admitted to Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar late last night due to kidney ailments. Swain was member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from 2004 to 2009. He was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha in May 2014.
Born on July 8, 1947 at Pathara in Ganjam district, Swain also served as member of several committees– Standing Committee on Rural Development, Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes and Consultative Committee of Ministry of Labour and Employment.The BJD MP was Chairman of Panchayat Samiti from 1984-1990 and 1992-95.From 2002 to 2004, he was member of the Zilla Parishad.
8.Former Cricket Coach Rajabhau Oak Dies Aged 85
Former cricket coach Rajabhau Oak, who mentored several players, including those who represented Maharashtra, died in Pune due to old age. He was 85. He was also the coach of Nutan Marathi Vidyalaya (a school in Pune) and both were good teams. He had also coached SP College,” Maharashtra coach Surendra Bhave, who was trained by Oak.
The Deodhar Trust used to run on the interest on the prize money received by Prof DB Deodhar from the government. Many players came forward through it. Rajabhau worked tirelessly for cricket and also managed affairs of the Deodhar Trust for about 35-40 years.
9.International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is a United Nations-sponsored annual awareness day that takes place on February 6 as part of the UN’s efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation. It was first introduced in 2003.
This is a movement for the rights of women and their bodies, as well as the protection of their physical health- which can be tremendously affected later in life. These efforts are to benefit actions fighting violence against women and girls as a whole.
The theme for 2019 is – Translate Political Decisions into Concrete Actions at the National and Grassroots level to Reach the Goal of Zero Tolerance to FGM.
10.China welcomes ‘Year of the Pig’
China welcomed the Lunar New Year in which the “carefree and generous” pig, the 12th symbol of the Chinese horoscope, replaces the “cheerful but non-conformist” dog.For a week, hundreds of millions of people will visit their families to welcome the Earth Pig year 4717, associated with fertility and prosperity.
The Chinese begin the year with ancestral traditions – a combination of superstitions and customs – with the aim to ward off misfortunes and bring good luck, prosperity and abundance.Many rituals including spring-cleaning homes, decorating streets and hosting large family banquets on New Year’s Eve are common practice.
Another part of the festivities is “hongbao” or red envelopes containing money, which are given to family and friends.Authorities expect there will be almost three billion trips made during the so-called “Spring Festival”, the 40-day period that started on January 21 and ends on March 1.
11.Justice DK Jain appointed to oversee IL&FS asset sale
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has given its consent to appoint Justice (Retd) DK Jain to supervise the operation of the resolution process undertaken by debt-laden IL&FS.
The new board of IL&FS has proposed a multi-pronged strategy to revive the beleaguered company, including significant capital infusion at the group level from credible and financially strong investors, selling of subsidiaries at the vertical level and resolution at the asset level.
IL&FS has already initiated the process to sell some of its assets, including the domestic roads vertical housed under its subsidiary IL&FS Transportation Networks (ITNL), inviting more than 30 suitors.
12.India’s 40th Communication Satellite, GSAT-31, Launched
India’s latest communication satellite GSAT-31 was successfully launched from French Guiana this morning, making it the third successful mission by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) this year.
The satellite was placed into the orbit within 42 minutes of its launch from Ariane Launch Complex at Kourou, a French territory located in northeastern coast of South America, at 02:31 am (IST).
GSAT-31 is the 40th communication satellite of India. It will replace the InSAT satellite which is nearing the end of its life.Weighing about 2,535 kg, the GSAT-31 will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites. This satellite will augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit, the space agency said.
13.IORA Meet on Disaster Risk Management concludes
The meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Cluster Group on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) to strengthen cooperation in disaster response concluded.The two-day workshop was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
IORA is an intergovernmental organisation and has many disaster-prone countries among its 22 members and nine dialogue partners. Disaster Response Management (DRM) is one of its priority areas and its Action Plan (2017-2021) has specific goals to improve resilience in IORA countries.
Participants at the meet drew a draft work plan for DRM in IORA and deliberated on the need for establishing a DRM Core Group to take forward the agreed objectives under the Work Plan. A total of 36 delegates from eight Member States, including India, and the IORA Secretariat participated in this meeting. Senior officials of MHA, MEA, NDMA and NDRF were also present.
14.Textiles Minister launches Project “India Size”
The Union Minister for Textiles Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani launched the India Size project in Mumbai. A first-of-its-kind project in the history of India, India Size aims to arrive at a standard Indian Size for the ready-to-wear clothing industry, on the lines of the standardized sizes available in countries such as the USA and the UK. A size chart that is specific to Indian consumers’ measurements will be developed. This will help Indian apparel manufacturers to tailor their cuts closer to the actual body measurements of consumers. This will benefit consumers, manufacturers and the industry as a whole. The project is being undertaken by the Ministry of Textiles, in collaboration with The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI).
The Textiles Minister also launched a Study of Apparel Consumption in India. Representing over 45,000 apparel manufacturers and retailers, CMAI will be conducting a study spread across three to six months, for arriving at an accurate assessment of the total apparel consumption in the country, thereby resulting in more accurate business projections, better marketing strategies and investment into the industry.
