Current Affairs Daily Digest – February 25 2019
1. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi launched in Manipur
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh formally launched Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) at Mayang Imphal under Imphal West district. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said Mobile Diagnostics Service (MDS) would be launched in the state on February 27 so that people can avail around 76 medical tests at their doorsteps.
In the first phase, 10 MDS each would be launched in hill and valley districts and people don’t need to go to hospitals for medical tests.
He said that the Prime Minister’s Office has recommended the proposal amounting to around Rs 2600 crores for setting up of water supply schemes in the state. The New Development Bank under BRICS would be sanctioning the amount for the construction of such programmes.
2. Tata Motors to launch premium hatchback Altroz in mid-2019
Tata Motors officially named the 45X Concept as Altroz. The upcoming premium hatchback will have its global premier at the Geneva Motor Show next month and will be commercially launched in mid-2019. Upon its introduction in India, the car will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20 and Honda Jazz.
Christened as Altroz after a seabird known as Albatross, the upcoming hatchback will be the second vehicle from the company to sport the Impact 2.0 Design Language, after the recently launched Harrier. It will be engineered on the new ALFA (Agile Light Flexible Advanced) Architecture.
3. India gets its war memorial
Prime Minister dedicated the National War Memorial at the iconic India Gate complex in New Delhi to the fallen soldiers who laid their lives in the several wars India has fought since Independence as rose petals were showered on the newly built structure.
Spread over a vast expanse of 40 acres at the India Gate complex, the National War Memorial opening comes at a time when the country is mourning its 40 CRPF jawans who were martyred in the devastating Pulwama terror attack.
4. Indian passport improves its ranking on global index, jumps 10 ranks in 5 years
Indian passport is gaining strength on the global index as more and more countries are offering visa on arrival and visa-free entry to Indians. As per the 2019 Passport Index, the Indian passport has steadily strengthened its position over the past five years. It has jumped from 77th position in 2015 to 67th position in 2019. UAE passport is the most powerful passport in the world.
It is worth mentioning here that 25 countries now allow visa-free entry to Indian passport holders, whereas 39 nations offer visa-on-arrival.
5. Adani group wins bids to operate five airports
The Adani group has won the bid to operate five out of six airports that were put for privatisation by the central government. Adanis were the highest bidder for Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru and Jaipur airports, AAI chose the winner on the basis of “monthly per-passenger fee”.
6. Mahesh Elkunchwar bags META Lifetime Achievement Award
One of Indias most progressive playwrights, Mahesh Elkunchwar, will be conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) this year. Elkunchwar is critically acclaimed and widely known for having experimented with a wide range of drama and has been a powerful force in both Indian and Marathi theatre for over three decades.
7. NASA renames facility after Katherine Johnson who fought racism
NASA has honoured Katherine Johnson, who defied racism at the US space agency and became a legendary mathematician, by renaming its Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) facility in West Virginia in her name.
Johnson, who turned 100 in August last year, is an African-American woman who led a distinguished career at the agency during a time when race tensions were high and when important roles with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, a precursor to NASA, were dominated mainly by men.
The facility’s programme contributes to the safety and success of NASA’s highest-profile missions by assuring that mission software performs correctly.
8. Odisha government hikes DA by 3%
Ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Odisha, the Naveen Patnaik government announced a hike of Dearness Allowance (DA) by an additional three per cent for its employees. It also announced the same hike in Dearness Relief (TI) of pension holders. The move comes just on the heels of the Centre’s decision to increase the DA by 3 per cent for its employees and pensioners.
9. Dharavi project: Railways gives 50-acre plot to Maharashtra government
The Indian Railways and the Maharashtra government clinched a deal under which the Railways will part with up to 50 acres of land held by it for the Dharavi redevelopment plan.
The agreement was finalised by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Railways Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav in Mumbai, and will be announced in Delhi .
The 45-50 acres of land that the Railways has agreed to transfer is part of two parcels held by Western Railways and Central Railways in the Matunga-Mahim area measuring a total of 97 acres. the government has agreed to pay Rs 800 crore for the land, as well as a share of profit from the redevelopment to the Indian Railways.
10. Govt launches Rail Drishti Dashboard to keep people informed about ongoing Railway works
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti Dashboard in New Delhi . Mr Goyal said the Dashboard has been launched to keep people informed about the work going on in the Railways across the country.
People will get useful information from Rail Drishti through Railway WiFi facilities that are continuously expanding in the country. The Minister informed that Rail Land Development Authority and Dharavi Redevelopment Authority have reached an agreement under which Railway will lease surplus land of 45 acres to Dharavi Redevelopment Authority for 99 years.
11. Health Minister inaugurates 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit
Health Minister JP Nadda inaugurated the 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit in New Delhi . Mr Nadda said, the government is committed to secure Universal Health Coverage for the underprivileged and deprived section of the society. nearly 13 lakh poor people have availed the benefits of Ayushman Bharat scheme.
The Minister said, the scheme is primarily dependent on maximising the use of digital tools for effective implementation and monitoring. He said, the scheme is completely digital where all the processes from beneficiary identification to hospital empanelment and settlement of claims are done electronically.
12. HM Rajnath Singh to inaugurate 29 infra projects of CAPF in New Delhi
HomeMinister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate 29 infrastructure projects bothresidential and non-residential buildings of Central Armed Police Forces in NewDelhi. These projects have been constructed at various locations across the country at atotal cost of Rs. 1,714.97 crore. the projects involve 53 non-residentialbuildings and 4,723 residential quarters.
13. PM Modi to deliver keynote address at ‘Rising India Summit 2019’ in New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address at the Rising India Summit 2019 in New Delhi. Mr Modi is likely to define national priorities at the two-day event beginning today.
BJP President Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Ministers – Nitin Gadkari, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Piyush Goyal are among those who will speak at the summit.
Theme for this year’s event is “Beyond Politics: Defining National Priorities”
14. NID at Bhopal and Jorhat Inaugurated
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, inaugurated National Institutes of Design (NID) at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Jorhat in Assam through video conference from New Delhi.
With design and innovation taking prime importance in many sectors, policies, and schemes of the government like “Make in India”, “Skill India”, “Digital India”, “Startup India”, and “Smart City initiatives” to name a few, it is imperative to promote design education.
The National Design Policy 2007 had recommended setting up design institutes on the lines of NID, Ahmedabad in other parts of India to promote design programs. Four new NIDs have been set up in Andhra Pradesh (Amaravati), Assam (Jorhat), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal) and Haryana (Kurukshetra) with a total outlay of Rs. 434 crore.
15. FAGMIL signs MoU with Himachal Pradesh Government to establish Rs. 605 crores White cement Plant Project
Under its diversification programme, FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals India Limited (FAGMIL)has taken up a project to establish a white cement plant near village NohraDhar in Sirmourdistrict, Himachal Pradesh, at a project cost of approximately Rs. 605 crores.
It will be the 4th white cement plant in the country. The installed capacity of the plant would be 0.3 million tonnes per annum and it will generate the direct employment of approximately150 persons. The plant is expected to be commenced by the year 2022. It will prove to be a milestone for the development of the Sirmour District.
FAGMIL is a Government of India Undertaking, under the administrative control of Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India.
16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 Awards to the Winners
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will confer the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 awards to the winners on 27th February, 2019 at Vigyan Bhawan. Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs and Sports Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) had launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 on 12th January, 2019, the National Youth Day in order to encourage the youth in the age group of 18-25 years to engage with public issues and understand the common man’s point of view.
National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 has been jointly organised by National Service Scheme (NSS) and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) under the aegis of Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, on the theme of “Be the Voice of New India” and “Find solutions and contribute to policy”.
Col Rajyavardhan Rathore will inaugurate the National Level Finals of National Youth Parliament Festival on 26th February, 2019 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre. The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament will be awarded Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and Rs. 1 Lakh respectively in order of merit along with a certificate by the Prime Minister.
17. 91st Academy Awards
The 91st Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018. The ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories.
The ceremony was televised in the United States by American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and produced by Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss, with Weiss also serving as director.
Green Book won three awards, including Best Picture, and Bohemian Rhapsody won four awards, the most for the ceremony, including Best Actor for Rami Malek’s portrayal of Freddie Mercury. Roma and Black Panther also received three awards, with the former winning Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón. Olivia Colman was awarded Best Actress for portraying Anne, Queen of Great Britain in The Favourite.
