Current Affairs Daily Digest – February 21 2020
1. India ranked 77th on the Sustainability Index as per UN report
India secured 77th rank on the Sustainability Index and 131st on the Flourishing Index in the UN report that was commissioned by a Commission of World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet. The report was released by over 40 child and adolescent health experts from around the world.
2. SK Barua was conferred the PSU Leadership Award
SK Barua, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) North East Council & Managing Director, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd was conferred with the seventh PSU Leadership Award on 19 February. The award was conferred by the Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Arjun Ram Meghwal.
3. Indias first private gold mine to be set up in Jonnagiri, Andhra Pradesh
India’s first private gold mine operation will begin in the last quarter of 2021 at Jonnagiri in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. The land acquisition for the mining project is expected to be completed in the next six months. Geomysore Services India Pvt Ltd is in the process of acquiring the land by negotiating with farmers and completing exploratory mining.
4. India won 11 medals at the Brazil Para Badminton International Championships
India finished Brazil Para Badminton International Championships with 11 medals in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Among the total are 11 medals, 4 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals.
Indian shuttler Pramod Bhagat claimed two gold medals in men’s singles SL3 and men’s doubles SL3-SL4 categories. With this win, he was qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj won gold in men’s singles SL4.
5. World Wide Education for the Future Index: India jumps to rank 35
The Economic Intelligence Unit recently published the Worldwide Education for the Future Index for the year 2019. India has jumped by five ranks and currently holds rank 35. The ranking is provided based on the ability of a country to equip their students in skill-based education. India ranked 35th with an overall score of 53.
6. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) tops in Nature Ranking Index-2020
The CSIR of Delhi topped the National Ranking Index 2020 that ranks the scientific research institutes. CSIR was followed by IISc Bangalore.
The Rankings were provided based on the numbers of research output. It is indicated by total citations in numbers. It also includes shares, that is the sharing percentage of an article.
7. Hrithik wins Best Actor at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards
Hrithik Roshan on Thursday won the Best Actor award for his performance in ‘Super 30’, that won Best Film award, at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards. Moreover, Divyanka Tripathi won Best Actress in Television, Dheeraj Dhoopar won Best Actor in Television Series and Kichcha Sudeepa won Most Promising Actor. ‘Bigg Boss 13’ won the Best Reality Show award.
8. Indian Railways launches mobile app for employees
Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav on Thursday launched the HRMS mobile app, in which the employees can see the data related to their service and communicate with the administration for any changes, if required.
According to the Railways, the mobile app allows employees to view their historical data since their date of joining, including details related to increments, promotions, awards, transfers, postings, leave, training and retirement benefits.
9. International Mother Language Day
Theme “Languages without borders.”
International Year of Languages, to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism and named the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to serve as the lead agency for the Year.
10. Asian Wrestling Championships: Gold medal for Divya Kakran, Pinki and Sarita Mor
Divya Kakran on Thursday won a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships after a dominant show in which she won all her bouts by fall, including against junior world champion Naruha Matsuyuki.
11. Axis Bank in pact with Max Financial Services, Max Life to explore partnership
Axis Bank, and Max Financial Services Limited on Thursday signed a confidentiality and exclusivity arrangement to explore the possibility of the private sector lender entering a long-term strategic partnership with Max Life Company Limited.
12. International protection for Great Indian Bustard, Bengal Florican and Asian Elephant
India’s proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Convention on migratory species was unanimously accepted today at the ongoing thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on MigratorySpecies (CMS) in Gandhinagar.
The Government of India has declared Indian elephant as National Heritage Animal. Indian elephant is also provided highest degree of legal protection by listing it in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
13. RBI clears appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as Dhanlaxmi Bank MD
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on February 20 approved appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as managing director and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank. Gurbaxani is working with Axis Bank at present.
“RBI has approved the appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as Managing Director and CEO of the Bank for a period of three years from the date of taking charge,” Dhanlaxmi Bank said in a regulatory filing.
14. Larry Tesler: Computer scientist behind ‘cut-copy-paste’ dies
A pioneering US computer scientist whose accomplishments included inventing the widely relied on “cut, copy and paste” command died at age 74. The death of Lawrence “Larry” Tesler was announced on Twitter on Wednesday by Xerox, where he spent part of his career.
15. P V Sindhu wins third successive ESPN’s Female Sportsperson of the Year award
World champion shuttler P V Sindhu today won the ESPN’s Female Sportsperson of the Year award for a third consecutive time while young shooter Saurabh Chaudhary bagged the honour in the male category.
Sprinter Dutee Chand became the first winner of the Courage award for being inspirational both on and off the field. Ace chess player Koneru Humpy won the award for the Comeback of the Year. Wrestler Deepak Punia bagged coveted ESPN’s Emerging Sports Person of the Year award.
16. Smart City Mission: Centre devises 20:20 model to boost laggard cities
In a final push to the Smart City Mission, the Centre has devised a 20-20 model to pair the top 20 cities with the bottom 20 and help the laggard cities to kick-start the smartening up process by borrowing technical know-how and financial studies.
Top-ranking Ahmedabad has been paired with Chandigarh, which is ranked 81. Nagpur, which ranks 2, will hand hold Port Blair which is 96th in the all-India ranking. Similarly, other sister cities are Tirupur (rank 3) with Silvassa (87), Ranchi (rank 4) with Shimla (92), Bhopal (rank 5) with Aizawl (rank 82), Surat (rank 6) with Saharanpur (91).
17. Former Karnataka Minister C Channigappa passes away in Bengaluru
Former Karnataka Minister and JD(S) leader C Channigappa on Friday passed away at Apollo hospital in Bengaluru. He was suffering a prolonged illness and succumbed to it at 8.20 am on Friday.
The last rites of the former minister will be held at Govindarajanahalli of Nelamangala on Friday evening.
