Daily Current Affairs – February 18 & 19, 2024
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Daily Current Affairs - Banking - February 18 & 19, 2024
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State News
Sikkim INSPIRES, a world bank assisted programme launched in state
- Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, launched Sikkim INSPIRES, a collaborative effort between the Government of Sikkim and the World Bank aimed at fostering economic growth and inclusion.
- The programme focuses on providing better economic opportunities for women and youth through training and employment initiatives.
- It marks the first direct partnership between the State government and the World Bank.
- The initiative will engage nine government departments over the next five years to create an ecosystem for economic prosperity, emphasizing collaboration and capacity-building across various sectors.
- Additionally, the launch event included the announcement of a slogan competition winner and the unveiling of a mobile app focused on mental health awareness.
Maharashtra’s first ‘child-friendly police station’ inaugurated in Dhule
- The firstever children friendly police station was inaugurated in Dhule district of Maharashtra.
- Set up at Azadnagar Police Station in Dhule city, it was conceptualised by district collector Abhinav Goyal and District Women and Child Development Officer Rajendra Birari.
- In order to provide a safe and fun environment for children while coming to the police station premises, the walls of a room on the ground floor of Azadnagar Police Station have been painted with children-friendly pictures.
Rural Development Ministry sanctions another package for upgradation of 12 roads and one bridge Project in Jammu & Kashmir
- Union Ministry of Rural Development has sanctioned another package for upgradation of 12 roads having length of 134 Kms and one bridge Project at an estimated cost of ₹152 crores in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
- A total 233 road projects having length of 1750 Km and 66 Bridges falling in the alignment of these roads, have been sanctioned for upgradation at an estimated cost of ₹2245 Crore under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) III Programme for J&K.
- Under PMGSY-III 521.09 Km road length has been upgraded so far with an expenditure of ₹11723.57 crores incurred so far.
- J&K has performed exceptionally in making progress and achieving goals under PMGSY since 2019 by constructing 9000 kms of the road length.
- Notably, J&K has consecutively ranked 3rd at the National level during 2020-21 and 2021-22 in terms of road length constructed in a year.
- Ministry of Rural Development – Giriraj Singh,Union Minister (Begusarai,Bihar) – Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti,Minister of State (Fatehpur,UP), Faggan Singh Kulaste,Minister of State (Mandla,MP)
Prime Minister inaugurates various projects in Uttar Pradesh
- Prime Minister launched 14 thousand projects across the state worth more than ₹10 Lakh crore at the fourth groundbreaking ceremony for investment proposals received during the UP Global Investors Summit 2023 held in February 2023.
- The projects relate to sectors like Manufacturing, Renewable Energy, IT and ITeS, Food Processing, Housing and Real Estate, Hospitality and Entertainment, and Education, among others.
- He also laid the foundation stone of Shri Kalki Dham Temple in Sambhal district and address the gathering on this occasion.
Business and Economy
Government raises authorised capital of FCI from ₹10,000 crores to ₹21,000 crores
- The government has increased the authorised capital of state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) from ₹10,000 crores to ₹21,000 crores to enhance the operational capabilities and fulfill its mandate effectively.
- FCI is the central government’s nodal agency that undertakes the procurement of foodgrains at a minimum support price (MSP) to protect the interest of farmers.
- It also maintains strategic stocks and distributes the grains under different welfare schemes.
- Food Corporation of India (FCI) – 14/01/1965 (Founded) – New Delhi (HQ) – Ashok Kumar Meena (Chairman & MD)
Centre proposes 5-year guaranteed procurement at MSP for 5 cropscotton, maize, tur, urad and masur
- The Centre has proposed that it will buy cotton, maize, tur, urad and masur for five years directly from farmers at MSP without any quantitative limit, In a bid to find a solution to the farmers’ agitation over the demand for legal enforcement of minimum support price (MSP).
Agreements and MoUs signed
Department of Fisheries signs MoU with ONDC to promote digital marketing of fishes and other aquatic produce
- The Department of Fisheries signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
- The objective of the collaboration of Department of Fisheries with ONDC is to provide a digital platform and empower all stakeholders including traditional fishermen, fish farmers producer organization, entrepreneurs from fisheries sector to buy and sell their products through e-market place.
- ONDC is a unique platform of e-marketing that will play a significant role in fisheries sector by connecting fishermen, fish farmers, FFPOs, self-help groups and other fishermen cooperatives in a structured manner.
- Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala also released a booklet “From Catch to Commerce, Increasing Market Access through Digital Transformation”.
- Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying – Parshottam Rupala,Union Minister (Rajya Sabha MP,Gujarat) – Sanjeev Balyan, Minister of State (Muzaffarnagar,UP), L. Murugan, Minister of State (Rajya Sabha MP,MP)
IREDA signed MoU with Punjab National Bank to Co-Finance Renewable Energy Projects
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at advancing renewable energy initiatives across the nation.
- The agreement, signed at IREDA’s registered office in New Delhi paves the way for joint efforts in co-lending and loan syndication for a diverse spectrum of renewable energy projects.
- The MoU comprises various provisions aimed at enhancing support for renewable energy projects.
- These include joint lending, loan syndication and underwriting, management of Trust and Retention Account (TRA) for IREDA borrowers, and working towards competitive terms of sanction, including pricing on IREDA borrowings.
- Through the collaboration, IREDA and PNB can also invest in bonds issued by either organization.
- The MoU was signed by General Manager of IREDA R. C. Sharma, and Chief General Manager of PNB Rajeeva, in the presence of Chairman & Managing Director of IREDA Pradip Kumar Das, MD & CEO of PNB Atul Kumar Goel, Director (Finance) of IREDA Dr. Bijay Kumar Mohanty, and other senior officials from both organizations.
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) – 1987 (Formed) – New Delhi (HQ) – Pradip Kumar Das (Chairman & MD)
Power
Karnataka boasts highest number of EV charging stations in India: Bureau of Energy Efficiency statistics
- According to statistics from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Union Ministry of Power, Karnataka tops the country in terms of public electric vehicle charging stations with 5,059.
- Bengaluru Urban district has the most public charging stations with 4,281, which constitutes 85% of the charging infrastructure in the State.
- In 2017, Karnataka became the pioneer in India by introducing the first electric vehicle (EV) policy.
- At present, it leads in the number of public charging stations, with Maharashtra (3,079), Delhi (1,886), Kerala (958), Tamil Nadu (643), Uttar Pradesh (583), and Rajasthan (500) following suit.
- Meanwhile, in terms of the number of EVs, Uttar Pradesh is top with 7.45 lakh, followed by Maharashtra (4.15 lakh), and Karnataka (3.31 lakh).
Appointments
Pradeep Kumar Sinha to take over as Non-Executive Part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank
- Former Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha will take over as Non-Executive Part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank after C. Chaturvedi’s term ends on June 30, 2024.
- The Board, therefore, approved the appointment of Sinha as the Non-executive Part-time Chairman with effect from July 1, 2024 or the date of approval from RBI, whichever is later for a period until February 16, 2029 in the vacancy caused by the retirement of Mr. Chaturvedi.
- ICICI Bank – 05/01/1994 (Founded) – Mumbai (HQ) – Sandeep Bakhshi (MD & CEO)– “Khayal Apka” (Tagline)
Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi has assumed the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff
- Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi has assumed the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
- On assumption of appointment, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi laid wreath at the National War Memorial and was accorded Guard of Honour at the South Block Lawns.
- Prior to taking over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi was tenanting the appointment of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command from 2022-2024 in extremely challenging operational environment.
Ranks and Indices
India ranked 85th in Henley Passport Index 2024
- India slipped one rank down from last year to 85th at Henley Passport Index for 2024 even as the countries with visa-free access to Indians increased to 62 from 60 in 2023.
- The index ranks 199 nations based on the strength of their passports, and in 2024, France has topped the list, as its passport provides visa-free access to 194 countries.
- Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain are the other countries that are standing alongside France on the top.
- The rank of Pakistan remained the same as last year, at 106, while Bangladesh’s position slipped from 101 in 2023 to 102 this year.
- China witnessed a marginal jump in its ranking from 66 in 2023 to 64 this year.
Awards and Recognitions
77th BAFTA Awards, 2024
- The 77th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), honouring the best national and foreign films of 2023, at the Royal Festival Hall within London’s Southbank Centre.
- The awards were Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
- The ceremony was hosted by David Tennant for the first time.
- Atom bomb epic Oppenheimer won seven prizes, Gothic fantasy Poor Things took five prizes and Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest won
- The 1st British Film Academy Awards (retroactively known as the British Academy Film Awards), were handed out on 29 May 1949 at the Odeon Cinema, Leicester Square, in London, for films shown in the United Kingdom in 1947 and 1948.
Category
Winner
Best Film
Oppenheimer
Best Director
Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)
Leading Actress
Emma Stone (Poor Things)
Leading Actor
Cillian Murphy(Oppenheimer)
Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)
Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer)
Original Screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall
Adapted Screenplay
American Fiction
Original Score
Oppenheimer
Casting
The Holdovers
Cinematography
Oppenheimer
Editing
Oppenheimer
Production Design
Poor Things
Costume Design
Poor Things
Make up & Hair
Poor Things
Sound
The Zone of Interest
Special Visual Effects
Poor Things
Outstanding British Film
The Zone of Interest
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Earth Mama
Film Not in the English Language
The Zone of Interest
Documentary
20 Days in Mariupol
Animated Film
The Boy and the Heron
British Short Animation
Crab Day
British Short Film
Jellyfish and Lobster
EE Rising Star Award
Mia McKenna Bruce
Gulzar and Rambhadracharya to be honored with Jnanpith Award for 2023
- Renowned Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been named the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award.
- Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar, 89, is celebrated for his works in Hindi cinema and is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of this era.
- He received Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, Padma Bhushan in 2004, and at least five National Film awards for his works.
- Some of his finest works include the song “Jai Ho” for film “Slumdog Millionaire”, which received an Oscar award in 2009 and Grammy Award in 2010, and songs for critically acclaimed films as “Maachhis” (1996), “Omkara” (2006), “Dil Se…” (1998), and “Guru” (2007), among others.
- Rambhadracharya, 74, the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, is a renowned Hindu spiritual leader, educator and writer of more than 240 books and texts, including four epics.
- In 2015, he received the Padma Vibhushan award.
- Established in 1944, the Jnanpith Award is given annually for outstanding contributions to Indian literature and is considered the highest literary honour in the country.
- The award carries a prize money of ₹11 lakh, a statue of Vagdevi and a citation.
- In 2022, Goan writer Damodar Mauzo had received the prestigious award.
REC receives 'Innovative Technology Development Award' at IIT Madras CSR Summit for its 2 MW Rooftop Solar Plant at IIT
- REC Limited, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power and a leading NBFC, has been honoured with the ‘Innovative Technology Development Award’ at the ‘Building India 2047: Technology for Better Tomorrow’, an IIT Madras Corporate Social Responsibility Summit.
- The award has been conferred in recognition of REC’s CSR initiative of installation of 2 MW rooftop solar plant at IIT Madras.
- The solar plant generates around 15 million units of clean energy every year, thus helping IIT Madras reduce its carbon footprint.
Obituary
Mike Procter, South Africa's cricketer passed away
- South Africa cricket legend and former national coach Mike Procter passed away at the age of 77.
- His six successive centuries were made for the then Rhodesia between 1970 and 1971, culminating in a career-best 254 against Western Province.
- He scored 21,082 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 36.92, hitting 47 centuries, and took 1,357 wickets at an average of 19.07 runs.
- South Africa – Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) & Bloemfontein (judicial) (Capital) – Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Swazi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, Ndebele, South African Sign Language (Language) – Cyril Ramaphosa (President) – Amos Masondo (Chairperson of the National Council) – South African rand (Currency)
Eminent novelist, playwright and poet K.T. Gatti passes away
- Eminent novelist, playwright and poet T. Gatti passed away at 85.
- In all, he had written over 50 novels, essays, poems and over 50 plays.
- Nearly 30 plays written for children were translated to different languages and were broadcast on All India Radio.
- He was a recipient of Karnataka Sahitya Academy award and Karnataka Rajyotsava award.
Sports News
Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes first Indian to score 2 double hundreds against England in Tests
- Yashasvi Jaiswal delivered a phenomenal performance in the second Test against England, registering his maiden double-century at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
- The young opener became the first Indian since Mayank Agarwal (November 2019) to breach the double-ton mark in the longest format of the game.
- He became the third-youngest Indian after Sunil Gavaskar and Vinod Kambli to reach the milestone, and is also the first left-handed batter since Gautam Gambhir to nail a Test double in Tests; the former India opener had scored 206 against Australia in
Indian women clinched maiden Badminton Asia Team Championships title
- The Indian women’s team won a historic gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024 after beating Thailand 3-2 in the final in Shah Alam, Malaysia.
- This was India’s maiden title in the history of the continental competition.
- The men’s Indian badminton team had previously won two medals in 2016 and 2020, but both were bronze.
- Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu, and Anmol Kharb and the pair of Treesa and Gayatri registered victory in the final match.
Important Days
World Whale Day 2024
- World Whale Day is annually observed on the third Sunday in February.
- This year the day falls on February 18.
- The day aims to raise awareness of these magnificent creatures, their beauty as well as their ecological value to the planet.
- World Whale Day began in 1980 in Maui, Hawaii.
Defence
IAF conducts 'EXERCISE - VAYU SHAKTI-24' in Rajasthan
- Indian Air Force conducted Exercise Vayu Shakti-24 at Pokhran Air to Ground Range in Jaisalmer.
- The exercise saw participation of 121 aircraft, including the indigenous Tejas, Prachand and Dhruv.
- Other aircraft included the Rafale, Mirage-2000, Sukhoi-30 MKI, Jaguar, Hawk, C-130J, Chinook, Apache and Mi-17.
- Exercise Vayu Shakti is a demonstration of the IAF’s capability to deliver weapons with long-range and precision capability.
- Notably, the last edition of exercise Vayu Shakti was held on 16 February, 2019 at Pokhran, Rajasthan.
- Indian Air Force (IAF) – 26/01/1950 (Founded) – New Delhi (HQ) – Airforce Day (October 08) – Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari (Chief of Air Staff) – ‘Touch the sky with Glory’ (Motto)
Daily Current Affairs - February 18 & 19, 2024 - Consolidated
- Sikkim INSPIRES, a world bank assisted programme launched in state
- Maharashtra’s first ‘child-friendly police station’ inaugurated in Dhule
- Rural Development Ministry sanctions another package for upgradation of 12 roads and one bridge Project in Jammu & Kashmir
- Prime Minister inaugurates various projects in Uttar Pradesh
- Government raises authorised capital of FCI from ₹10,000 crores to ₹21,000 crores
- Centre proposes 5-year guaranteed procurement at MSP for 5 cropscotton, maize, tur, urad and masur
- Department of Fisheries signs MoU with ONDC to promote digital marketing of fishes and other aquatic produce
- IREDA signed MoU with Punjab National Bank to Co-Finance Renewable Energy Projects
- Karnataka boasts highest number of EV charging stations in India: Bureau of Energy Efficiency statistics
- Pradeep Kumar Sinha to take over as Non-Executive Part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank
- Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi has assumed the appointment of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff
- India ranked 85th in Henley Passport Index 2024
- 77th BAFTA Awards, 2024
- Gulzar and Rambhadracharya to be honored with Jnanpith Award for 2023
- REC receives ‘Innovative Technology Development Award’ at IIT Madras CSR Summit for its 2 MW Rooftop Solar Plant at IIT
- Mike Procter, South Africa’s cricketer passed away
- Eminent novelist, playwright and poet K.T. Gatti passes away
- Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes first Indian to score 2 double hundreds against England in Tests
- Indian women clinched maiden Badminton Asia Team Championships title
- World Whale Day 2024
- IAF conducts ‘EXERCISE – VAYU SHAKTI-24’ in Rajasthan
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