February 20 – Current Affairs Quick Gyan

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Quick Gyan (QG) Section of D2G. QG is just a glimpse of what happened today all over the world.

Only For Serious Candidates : We strongly recommend you to read the Current Affairs in detail. For your convenience, we have provided quick links under the updates. Make use of it.

Always Keep Yourself Updated!!!

APPOINTMENTS

Kajol made Prasar Bharti Board part time member

Bollywood actress Kajol and Shashi Shekhar Vempati, who heads an online media company, were appointed as part-time members of the Prasar Bharati board which runs public broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR). The actress, known for starring in hit films like ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ will serve as a part-time member on the board till November 2021. Among the key matters that will be taken up at the meeting is the appointment of DGs of Doordarshan and AIR which have been functioning under interim heads for close to a year.

Quick Link – Kajol as PB Board member

BANKING AND FINANCE

Aditya Birla, Idea form JV for Payments Bank

Aditya Birla Nuvo, one of the eleven entities that have received in-principle approvals from the RBI to set up payments banks, said it has incorporated a new subsidiary for the same purpose. The new entity, Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd, is a 51:49 joint venture (JV) between it and Idea Cellular — its telecom subsidiary in which it owns 23.26%. As per the norms issued by RBI, a payments bank can accept deposits up to Rs 1 lakh from individual customers, issue ATM and debit cards, offer payments and remittance services, and act as a distributor of simple financial products such as mutual funds units and insurance products.

Quick Link – Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd

INDIAN AFFAIRS

GOI approves Highway contracts worth Rs 6000 Crore

Government of India has approved eight highway projects worth Rs 6,000 crore for six states – Punjab, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha. Now the number of projects cleared by Road Transport and Highways Ministry this month so far has swelled to 37, entailing a total investment of about Rs 34,000 crore. The Ministry has approved eight projects with a total length of about 350 kms and aggregate total project cost of Rs 6,000 crore. Of these, six will be implemented in EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) mode and two in hybrid annuity mode.

Quick Link – Highway contracts worth Rs 6000 Crore

Uma Bharti to Inaugurate Jal Manthan 2016

Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Sushri Uma Bharti will inaugurate Jal Manthan -2″ on February 22, 2016 New Delhi. The main theme of two day event is Integrated Approach for Sustainable Water Management. The two day event will have consultations and discussions on River Basin Approach for Sustainable development, Ground water, Water security, Principles of allocation of water, innovation in water governance, Water management, Coordination between centre and states, Water conservation and need for a National Legislation on water.

Quick Link – Jal Manthan 2016

Kalikho Pul sworn in as Arunachal CM

Dissident Congress leader Kalikho Pul, 46, has sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh with the support of 18 rebel Congress MLAs, and two Independents and 11 BJP MLAs who gave outside support. Pul’s swearing-in came a day after the Supreme Court vacated its interim order to maintain status quo in the Arunachal Pradesh assembly, paving the way for government formation. The Centre had revoked President’s Rule in the state before Governor J P Rajkhowa administered the oath of office to Pul.

Quick Link – Kalikho Pul as Arunachal CM

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Christine Lagarde elected as chief of IMF for second time

The International Monetary Fund its board re-elected Managing Director Christine Lagarde to a second five-year term, starting on July 5. Lagarde, 60, who was the only candidate, was backed by the UK, Germany, China, and her home country, France, to stay on for another five years. She has led the IMF since 2011 and proved a strong contrast to her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was forced to resign after he was accused of attempted rape in a New York hotel. The allegation was later dismissed.

Quick Link – Christine Lagarde elected as chief of IMF

EU grants ‘special status’ to UK

David Cameron said that he had reached a deal to give the UK “special status” in the EU. He also pledged to campaign heart and soul to stay in the EU at a deeply uncertain referendum expected in June. At the summit EU leaders agreed unanimously on a package of measures aimed at keeping Britain in the 28-nation bloc to avoid a potentially disastrous divorce. Mr Cameron said the deal gave Britain “special status” within the EU and that he achieved his goal to impose tough new restrictions on access to the UK welfare system for EU migrants.

Quick Link – Special status

FOREIGN RELATIONS

India and Armenia Sign MoU on Agriculture Cooperation

India and Armenia have signed an agreement for cooperation in the agriculture sector. An memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singhand Armenian Agriculture Minister Sergo Karapetyan. The MoU provides for setting up of a joint working group (JWG) and preparation of work plans in priority areas of farm sector. The MoU provides for establishment of Joint Working Group and preparation of Work Plans, and will be valid, initially for a period of five years, and would be extendable beyond five The two Ministers further identified sectors such as cattle identification, cooperatives, agriculture machinery, plant breeding and exchange of agri scientist and students, as the priority areas and resolved to constitute the JWG at the earliest to move the agreement.

Quick Link – India & US in Agriculture Cooperation

India and Nepal signed seven important agreements

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli have jointly inaugurated a power transmission line from Muzaffarpur (India) to Dhalkebar (Nepal). This will provide 80 MW of power to Nepal with immediate effect. This will gradually reach its full capacity of granting 600 MW of power to Nepal by December 2017. Modi asked KPS Oli to adopt an “all inclusive” constitution in an “amicable” manner during their first ever bilateral talks. Both countries also signed seven agreements to strengthen economic ties.

Quick Link – India & Nepal in seven important agreements

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Harsh Vardhan Dedicates Ksheer-Scanner Systems

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Vice President, CSIR Dr. Harsh Vardhan dedicated Systems for Detection of Adulteration and analysis of Milk.  Dr. Harsha Vardhan pointed that our country ranks number one across the world for milk production, contributing to about 18% of the world’s total milk. But it is feared that over 60% of the milk is contaminated due to malpractices in milk supply chain which includes dilution with unsafe water. The milk is otherwise said to be adulterated with contaminants such as urea, salt, detergent, liquid soap, boric acid, caustic soda, soda and hydrogen peroxide which have hazardous health effects.

Quick Link – Ksheer-Scanner Systems

SPORTS

Brendon McCullum scores fastest Test Hundred

Brendon McCullum has blasted the fastest century in Test history, a 54-ball effort that broke the record jointly held by Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq. In his 101st and final Test match, McCullum attacked Australia’s bowlers relentlessly. McCullum celebrated to a standing ovation from the crowd at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, raising his bat to all parts of the venue in his adopted home-town. His effort was two balls faster than the previous record 56-ball century scored by Richards against England in Antigua in 1985-86, which was equalled by Misbah-ul-Haq against Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014-15.

Quick Link – McCullum scores fastest Test Hundred

OBITUARY

Italian Novelist Umberto Eco passes away

The novelist and intellectual Umberto Eco has died aged 84. Eco was best known for his 1980 work The Name of the Rose, was one of the world’s most revered literary names. The author had been suffering from cancer. The Name of the Rose was Eco’s first novel but he had been publishing works for more than 20 years beforehand. Eco was born in Alessandria, in the northern Italian region of Piedmont and went to a Salesian school. He developed an interest in medieval philosophy and literature and studied the subjects at the University of Turin in the 1950s. It was around that time that the he turned his back on the Catholic church.

Quick Link – Umberto Eco passes away

Novelist Harper Lee passes away

Harper Lee, the author of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, has died in her hometown of Monroeville, Ala. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer was 89. Her famous novel about a young girl’s experience of racial tensions in a small Southern town has sold tens of millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages. Until last year, Lee had been something of a one-book literary wonder. To Kill a Mockingbird, her 1961 epic narrative about small-town lawyer Atticus Finch’s battle to save the life of a black resident threatened by a racist mob, sold more than 40 million copies around the world and earned her a Pulitzer prize. George Bush awarded her the presidential medal of freedom in 2007.

Quick Link – Harper Lee passes away

Singer Bhuvaneshwari Mishra passes away

Renowned singer Bhubaneswari Mishra passed away in New Delhi following a cardiac arrest at the age of 67. Though she was completely fit and fine, Ms Mishra passed away all of a sudden. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condoled the sudden demise of Ms Mishra describing her as a “very talented artist”. She was popular both as a classical and a playback singer. Her sudden demise has cast a pall of gloom in the music industry.

Quick Link – Bhuvaneshwari Mishra passes away


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