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Human Space Flight Centre inaugurated

• Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) would be the core of ISRO’s future manned missions was inaugurated at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru
• Human Space Flight Centre will implement the first development flight of Gaganyaan
• Gaganyaan is India’s first manned space mission by ISRO and the plan is to have the first unmanned mission in 2020 and the manned mission will happen in December 2021

Interim Budget 2019

• Union Minister of Finance Piyush Goyal presented the interim budget
• These farmers will get Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments under PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi)
• The allocation for the Rashtriya Gokul Mission has been increased to Rs 750 crore for increasing the production and productivity of cows
• Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog would also be responsible for effective implementation of laws and welfare schemes for cows

Ten dimensions of Vision 2030 according to Interim Budget:

• Physical & Social Infrastructure
• Digital India
• Clean and Green India
• Rural Industrialization
• Clean River
• Ocean and Coastline
• Space
• Self sufficiency
• Health
• Minimum Governance, Maximum Governance

Interim Budget 2019: Changes in Income Tax

• Finance Minister has increased the tax slab for zero tax to Five Lakh rupees and the standard deduction introduced in the 2018 budget has been increased to Fifty thousand rupees from current forty thousand
• TDS threshold for home rent has been increased to 2.4 lakh from Rs 1.8 lakh.
• Interest accruals up to Rs 40,000 in post offices and banks have been made tax free

Government renames DIPP as Department for promotion Of Industry and Internal Trade

• Centre has renamed the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) as Department of promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). DPIIT will work under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Aero India 2019

• The 12th edition of Aero India, Aero India 2019, will be held at Air Force Station at Yelahanka in Bengaluru from February 20 to 24
• Aero India Exhibition/Show is organized every two years
• Aero India 2019 has a tagline “The Runway to a Billion Opportunities” and has a logo inspired by the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)

Kala ghoda festival 2019 held in Mumbai

• Kala ghoda festival-KAGF, India’s largest multi-cultural street festival begins in Mumbai to celebrate it’s 20 years of art and culture through cinema, theatre, dance,literature and sculpture

Rishi Kumar Shukla appointed CBI Director

• IPS officer Rishi Kumar Shukla has been appointed as the chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fixed tenure of two years
• The appointment of the Rishi Kumar Shukla was approved by the Appointments Committee of the cabinet based on the recommendation of the selection committee of the cabinet based on the recommendation of the selection committee headed by the Prime Minister
• The CBI Director search committee headed by Prime Minister has the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition as members
• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was formed through a Home Ministry resolution dated 1.4.1963. founding director of the CBI was D. P. Kohli
• Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), through a Home Ministry resolution dated 1.4.1963.

Behrouz Boochani wins the Victorian Prize, Australia’s richest literary prize

• Behrouz Boochani was awarded for his work “No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison”
• The astonishing fact is that Boochani wrote the work on his phone and sent it to the translator of the book

Surajkund International Crafts Mela-2019 started in Surajkund, Haryana

• Surajkund International Crafts Mela is organized every year by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture, and External Affairs
• The objective is to promote handicrafts, handlooms with the aid of craftsmen invited from all the over the country

Mithali Raj becomes first female to play 200 ODIs

• India’s Women Cricket team captain, Mithali Raj became the first female player to play 200 ODIs
• Mithali Raj has played in 200 out of 263 ODI matches that India have played till now.
• Mithali Raj has also scored highest runs in ODIs which is 6622 at an average of 51.33 including 7 centuries
• She also holds the longest international career among all female players

Sundeep Jora of Nepal becomes the youngest man to hit T20 International fifty

• Nepal’s cricketer Sundeep Jora became the youngest man to score a half-century in T20 Internationals against UAE at the age of 17 years and 103 days
• Rohit Paudel of Nepal is the youngest man to score a half-century in international cricket. At 16 years and 146 days surpassing Sachin Tendulkar.

2019 International Spice Conference 2019 held in Hyderabad

• International Spice Conference is considered as a platform for all business houses, the spice associations, the policymakers, the farmers and the users, to connect and interact.
• The theme for the conference 2019 is ‘Challenges of Change, Redefining the Value Chain’

February 4 celebrated as World Cancer Day

• Every year World Cancer Day is observed on February 4
• The day is observed each year through education, raising awareness and by pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the deadly disease
• The theme for this year Cancer Day “I Am and I Will”
• The global burden of cancer is estimated to have increased to 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths in 2018
• The disease led to nearly 7 lakh deaths in 2018 in India

UK Home Secretary approves extradition of Vijay Mallya to India

• UK home secretary has ordered the extradition of Vijay Mallya over allegations of £1bn fraud
• The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the tycoon’s £977m debts linked to the airline, which went bust in 2012

India set the target to eliminate Tuberculosis in India by 2025

• Elimination of a disease is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as there should be less than 1 case of TB for a population of a million people
• India is the country with the highest burden of TB
• In India, approx. 220,000 deaths are reported due to Tuberculosis

Know India Programme

• Know India Programme (KIP) is a flagship initiative for Diaspora engagement
• The programme aims to promote awareness on different facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields e.g. economic, industrial, education, science and technology
• This is aimed at understanding the India’s political system, economy, society, and developments in various sectors

India becomes Second Largest LPG Consumer and Importer

• India is now the second largest consumer and importer of the LPG in the world
• The import of LPG grew by 12.5 per cent over the past five years
• India is at second place behind China. The exporters of LPG to India include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iran
• The flagship scheme of the government Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) has made a significant contribution towards enhancing the penetration of LPG

Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2019

• Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Cinematograph Amendment Bill 2019
• The amendment bill aims to amend the Cinematograph Amendment act 1952
• The amendment bill makes film piracy offences punishable with imprisonment up to three years and fines that may extend to 10 lakh or both

Macedonia signs accord to join NATO

• North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a military and political alliance established through the Washington Treaty on 4 April 1949
• NATO is an international alliance that consists of 29 member states from North America and Europe
• Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States, , Greece and Turkey, Spain, Hungary, Czech, Poland, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania

Father Franois Laborde conferred with Légion d’Honneur

• Father Franois Laborde a 92-year-old priest from Bengal was conferred with Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour)in recognition of his work for specially-abled and destitute children
• Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour) officially National Order of the Legion of Honour was instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802
• It is the highest civilian award given by the French government for outstanding service and excellence in any field regardless of the nationality.

Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy

• The defending champions Vidarbha won the 85th Ranji Trophy title. The defending champions defeated Saurashtra by 78 runs in the final.
• Aditya Sarwate of was Vidarbha was declared man of the match for his 11 wickets in the match and 49 runs in second innings which helped Vidarbha.
• Ranji Trophy is the Indian domestic first-class cricket championship between teams representing regional and state cricket associations
• The championship is named after Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja, who was famously referred to as ‘Ranji’. The cricket championship was conceived in July 1934.

Arundhati Scheme of Assam

• The government of Assam has announced a new scheme called Arundhati to provide gold at free of cost to the brides
• Under the scheme, the government of Assam aims to provide 1 Tola Gold, at about Rs 38K as on today, to brides belonging to all such communities of Assam
• The scheme is limited for economically weaker sections, whose annual income is below Rs 5 lakh
• The scheme is named after Arundhati, wife of great sage Basistha.

US approves sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One

• US President has approved the sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One
• The two missile defence systems Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS)
• SPS will facilitate a more robust capability into areas of increased missile threats.

“Law, Justice and Judicial Power – Justice P N Bhagwati’s Approach” Book Launched

• “Law, Justice and Judicial Power – Justice P N Bhagwati’s Approach” written by Mool Chand Sharma was launched by the Chief Justice of India, Shri Ranjan Gogoi
• The first copy of the book was received by the President Ram Nath Kovind
• It was Justice Bhagwati who envisaged the necessity for specialized Environmental Courts, which later manifested itself in the form of the National Green Tribunal
• Justice Bhagwati has been referred to as the father of public interest litigation in India

Ladakh declared as third administrative division of Jammu and Kashmir

• Jammu and Kashmir government ordered the creation of a separate administrative division for Ladakh region
• The State of Jammu and Kashmir had two administrative divisions of Jammu and Kashmir earlier
• The remoteness and geographical isolation of the Leh had resulted in the region remained cut off for the developmental activities
• Divisional commissioner and an inspector general of police would be appointed

ILO celebrated 100^th foundation year

• The ILO Centenary Celebrations was started by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment Santosh kumar Gangwar
• India being a founding member has played an active role in every field of the organization
• International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a tripartite organisation where representatives from the government, employers and employees openly participate.
• ILO was founded on 29 Oct’ 1919, HQ- Geneva, Switz, Parent: UN Economic and social council

Meghalaya govt to rename Dikkibandi stadium after P A Sangma

• The government of Meghalaya has decided to rename the Dikkibandi stadium after P A Sangma
• Purno Agitok Sangma has served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chief Minister of Meghalaya
• He formed the Nationalist Congress Party in 1999 along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar
• He contested the elections for the post of President of India in 2012 and lost the elections to Pranab Mukherjee

ASCEND 2019 Investment summit in Kerala

• Union Minister of Commerce & Industries and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu was the chief guest at the opening ceremony
• ASCEND 2019 aims to make Kerala a top investment destination and empower entrepreneurs to launch their enterprises in a speedy and hassle-free manner
• ‘Invest Kerala Guide’ – a compendium of administrative and policy reforms was released by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

Chinook Helicopters to be inducted into Indian Air Force

• This first batch consignment of Chinook will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force at Chandigarh
• Chinook is a multi-role, vertical-lift platform, which is used for transporting troops, artillery, equipment and fuel
• Chinook will provide the Indian armed forces with unmatched strategic airlift capability across the full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions
• ndia had placed a mega contract to Boeing for the procurement of 22 Apache helicopters and 15 Chinooks for the Indian Air Force.

Hindi included as third official court language in Abu Dhabi

• The inclusion of Hindi language is aimed at helping Hindi speakers to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and duties without a language barrier
• The population of UAE is estimated to be around nine million of which 2/3rd are immigrants from foreign countries and the Indian community in the UAE tops in terms of largest expatriate community in country.
• Indian community in the UAE, numbering 2.6 million, constitutes 30 per cent of the total population

125th Constitutional Amendment Bill

• The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Rajya Sabha by the Minister of Home Affairs
• The Bill amends provisions related to the Finance Commission and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution
• The Sixth Schedule relates to the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram
• The Sixth Schedule states that tribal areas in certain regions of these four states will be ‘autonomous districts’, each consisting of a District Council

Indian Historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam wins the Dan David Prize

• Sanjay Subrahmanyam has won prestigious Dan David Prize of Israel for the year 2019 for his work on inter-cultural encounters between Asians, European and America
• The Dan David Prize is a joint international award given by the Dan David Foundation headquartered at Tel Aviv University
• To encourage and foster new generations of scholars, the awardees are required to donate 10 per cent of their prize money towards research

Siddhartha Lal Named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 – India

• CEO and Managing director of Eicher Motors, Siddhartha Lal has been named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018
• The Chairman of Wipro Mr. Azim Premji was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award
• It is one of the Big Four Accounting firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Ghumot to be declared Goa’s heritage musical instrument

• Ghumot is an indigenous earthen drum fashioned as a designed clay pot, with the skin of the monitor lizard stretched taut across the pot’s mouth, forming drumhead.
• The monitor lizard was classified as an endangered wildlife species and was listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, now the monitor lizard skin has been replaced with the skin of a she-goat.

Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019

• The Bill aims to arrest the cases of Indian women being trapped in fraudulent marriages with non-resident Indians (NRI)
• The bill mandates the Non-Resident Indians who marry an Indian citizen or a fellow NRI abroad to compulsorily register their marriages within 30 days
• The bill allows courts to attach movable and immovable properties of NRIs who are declared “proclaimed offenders”

PM Modi serves the 3 Billionth Meal of Akshaya Patra

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi served the three billionth meal of Akshaya Patra, an NGO that works with the government on Mid-Day Meal Scheme
• Akshaya Patra Foundation is an implementation partner for the governments Mid-Day Meal Scheme
• Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest not-for-profit run organisation serving wholesome food to over 1.76 million children every school day
• The society is funded by ISKCON.

Gandhi Peace Prize

• 2014- ISRO
• 2015- Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari
• 2016-Akshaya Patra foundation and Sulabh International
• 2017- Ekal Abhiyan Trust (tribal education)
• 2018- Yohei Sasakawa (Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health Organisation for Leprosy Elimination)
• It carries an award of Rs one crore, a citation a plaque and a handicraft item

Rajasthan Assembly Passes Bill to Scrap Minimum Education Qualification for Civic Polls

• Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Rajasthan Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to end minimum education criteria for panchayat and civic polls
• Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Amendment Bill 2015, made it mandatory to have passed Class X for contesting municipal elections, Class VIII for panchayat and Class X for zila Parishad elections.

BAFTA Film Awards 2019

British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) honour the best British and international contributions to film.

• Best Film: Roma
• Outstanding British Film: The Favourite
• Leading Actress: Olivia Colman The Favourite
• Leading Actor: Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
• Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

World Radio Day 2019 celebrated on 13 February

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) every year celebrate February 13 as the World Radio Day
• World Radio Day 2019 is celebrated to highlight the importance of the radio in its search for a more peaceful and tolerant world
• The World Radio Day 2019 is celebrated with the theme Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace
• The World Radio Day commemorates the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Radio
• World TV Day- 21 November

India Withdraws MFN Status of Pakistan

• India has taken step of withdrawing the Most Favoured Nation or MFN Status of Pakistan in the wake of Pulwama. 44 CRPF personnel were martyred in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on 14th February 2019 in one of the worst terror attack.
• This move would enable India to increase customs duty on goods coming from Pakistan
• It is given to an international trade partner to ensure non-discriminatory trade amongst all the members of WTO
• India had granted MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, a year after the formation of WTO

OSCAR-2019

Best Picture: “Green Book”

Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”

Actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”

Documentary Short:“Period. End of Sentence.”

 

NASA’s Mars Rover Opportunity completed its Mission

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that its Mars Mission Opportunity has come to an end.
• The location of Opportunity was hit by dust storm which cut off the rover’s solar power.
• Opportunity was one of the twin Mars Exploration Rovers apart from Spirit to land on Mars in 2004

Sushil Chandra appointed new Election Commissioner

• President has appointed Sushil Chandra as the new Election Commissioner
• Sushil Chandra will join other two members of the Commission, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner (EC) Ashok Lavasa

HinaJaiswal becomes the first Woman Flight Engineer of IAF

• Flight Lieutenant HinaJaiswal became the first woman flight engineer of IAF
• The flight engineer branch was opened to women officers in 2018
• Flight Lieutenant HinaJaiswal will serve at IAF’s operational helicopter units

India’s fastest train, Vande Bharat Express, flagged off by PM Narendra Modi

• The semi-high-speed Train 18 or Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
• Vande Bharat Express will travel from Delhi to Varanasi in 9 hours and 45 minutes, with stoppage points at Kanpur and Prayagraj
• It can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph
• The train had been produced indigenously at the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai in 18 months

Finance Minister launched PMSYM-PradhanMantriShram Yogi Mandhan Scheme

• Finance minister has implemented the PradhanMantriShram Yogi MandhanYojana which is a pension scheme for the labours, associated in the unorganized sector. It was announced in Budget 2019.
• Under this scheme, workers of unorganized sectors whose monthly income is less than Rs. 15,000 may avail the benefits by contributing Rs. 100 per month to further get Rs. 3000 per month after 60 year of age
• The scheme will facilitate the benefits up to 10 crore workers which include lower class workers, labor, plumber, mechanic, sweeper, construction workers etc.

India’s first district cooling system to be built in Amravati

• The district cooling system will save 40% of the energy currently being used and reduce CO2 emissions, as it uses only 50% of the primary energy consumption for cooling urban buildings

UN Appoints ChandramouliRamanathan as Controller & ASG

• United Nations has appointed Indian official ChandramouliRamanathan to one of the topmost positions in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC)
• ChandramouliRamanathan will take over as the Controller, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Budget and Finance in the management strategy, policy and compliance department
• Department of Management, Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC) launched on 1 January 2019 aims to provide strategic policy leadership in all areas

Vidarbha clinches the Irani Cup title

• Vidarbha became the only 3rd team Bombay and Karnataka in Indian Domestic Cricket history to defend their Irani cup titles at Jamtha Stadium in Nagpur by defeating Rest of India(RoI)

AntBot, the first walking robot to navigate without GPS, developedby French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)

• It consists of an optical compass which determines its movements by the help of a polarised light.
• An optical movement sensor directed to the sun is used to measure the distance covered.

Swachhata Excellence Awards 2019

• Raigarh Municipal Corporation of Chhattisgarh has won the “Swachhata Excellence awards 2019”
• The municipal corporations of Ambikapur of Chhattisgarh and Kumbakonam of Tamil Nadu have bagged the second and third prizes respectively
• These Awards were given by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) as part of the ShehriSamriddhiUtsav

President Trump Declares National Emergency in the USA

• Donald Trump had declared a national emergency to fund the US-Mexico border without congressional approval
• President Trump had promised to construct a wall along the USA-Mexico border to stop illegal migration if voted to power
• United States can be subjected to more than 30 national emergencies and can be declared for various reasons
• The declaration of the National emergency by President Trump would enable him to divert money from federal budget

Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a Bill to make Sanskrit as the second official language of the state

• Himachal Pradesh became the second state to adopt Sanskrit as the second official language of the state after Uttarakhand

VAYU Shakti-2019 exercise held at Pokhran in Rajasthan

• IAF showcased firepower capability of indigenously-developed platforms like Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and efficacy of Akash surface-to-air missile and Astra air-to-air missile
• Sukhoi-30s, Mirage 2000s, Jaguars, Mig-21 Bison, Mig-27, Mig-29, IL78, Hercules and AN-32 aircraft participated in this mega exercise
• Vayu Shakti and Gagan Shakti are two important exercises held by Indian Airforce

Thiruvananthapuram to host AttukalPongala festival, world’s largest religious congregation of women

• Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala shall host the AttaukalPonkala festival-one of the largest religious gathering of women on a single day
• The festival involves preparation of ‘Pongala’- a mixture of rice, jaggery and scraped coconut cooked in fresh earthen or metal pots,by lakhs of women, in order to worship the presiding deity of AttukalBhagavathy temple

Argentina sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance

• Argentina is the 72nd country to sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance
• International Solar Alliance aims to provide a common platform to address the specific solar technology
• International Solar Alliance is the first body that will have a secretariat in India

Dr G C Anupama elected as President of Astronomical Society of India

• Dr G C Anupama was elected to the post in the ASI Executive Council elections till 2022
• She has become the first woman to head the prime association of professional astronomers in the country
• Astronomical Society of India is the prime association of professional astronomers in India

CCEA approves launch of KUSUM scheme

• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the launch of KUSUM, KisanUrjaSurakshaevamUtthaanMahabhiyan scheme
• The scheme aims to provide financial and water security to farmers through harnessing solar energy capacities of 25.75 gigawatts (GW) by 2022
• The scheme will have a substantial environmental impact in terms of savings of CO2 emissions

February 20 observed as World Day of Social Justice

• World Day of Social Justice is observed annually on February 20 to create attentiveness about social justice based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
• Theme of 2019 is ‘If you want Peace and Development, Work for Social Justice’

International Mother Language day observed on February 21, 2019

• International Mother Language day is observed annually to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education
• Theme for the year 2019- “Indigenous languages matter for development, peacebuilding and reconciliation”

PM Modi flags-off First Ever Diesel-to-Electric Converted Locomotive

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first ever diesel-to-electric converted locomotive at the Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) at Varanasi, UP
• Indian Railways has undertaken Mission 100 percent electrification to electrify the last leg of about 13,675 Km railway tracks at a cost of Rs 12,134
• The 10,000HP freight locomotive was converted from two units of old diesel locomotives of 2600 HP each with indigenous technology

LCA Tejas gets Final Operational Clearance

• Indian Air Force (IAF) has received the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) standard certification for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from DRDO
• LCA Tejas is lightweight single-seat multi-role jet fighter powered by a single engine. It can fire air-to-air missiles, carry bombs and precision-guided ammunition

4th India-ASEAN Expo Summit

• The 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit was inaugurated by Union Minister for Commerce and Industries, Suresh Prabhu
• The India-ASEAN Expo Summit is organised with FICCI to carry forward the momentum and to further strengthen India-ASEAN relations
• The Expo Summit provides a platform for buyer-seller meetings to provide business leaders with an opportunity to closely interact with their counterparts

Lockheed Martin unveils new F-21 Fighter Jet

• Lockheed Martin will manufacture the plane in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems under India’s flagship programme Make in India
• F-21 fighter jet is specifically configured for the Indian Air Force and will strengthen India’s path to an advanced airpower future

Government announces Free Air Travel for Paramilitary Forces to Kashmir

• The government has issued an order approving the entitlement of air travel on Delhi-Srinagar, Srinagar-Delhi, Jammu-Srinagar and Srinagar-Jammu sector
• The facility till now was available officers in the rank of Inspectors and above has been now extended to the ranks of constable, a head constable and ASI.

PM Modi awarded Seoul Peace Prize

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been honoured with the Seoul Peace Prize
• South Korean government has awarded the Seoul Peace Prize for PM Modi in recognition of his service to international cooperation and global growth.
• The Seoul Peace Prize is sponsored by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation
• The Seoul Peace Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul.

UNSC condemns Pulwama Terror Attack

• United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the “heinous and cowardly” Pulwama suicide terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed
• The joint statement noted that terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the Pulwama Terror Attack

Israeli company sends the world’s first Privately Funded Mission to Moon

• SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Israeli company SpaceIL’s lunar lander
• Israel’s Mission to Moon was funded almost entirely by donations, the project is the first privately backed lunar lander mission

NITI Aayog hosts Conference on Future of Indian Banking and role of technology Tomorrow

• The conference was inaugurated by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.
• The conference was aimed at increasing and elevating the discourse on the banking sector in India and help in developing insights to inform the continued evolution of Indian banking sector.

Deloitte launches WorldClass Initiative in India

• Deloitte has announced the launch of its global initiative ‘WorldClass’ in India for the empowerment of women
• The initiative aims to support 10 million girls and women by 2030 through education and skills development

Afghanistan created highest ever T20 International Score

• Afghanistan has created history scoring 278 in Twenty20 International against Ireland at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand
• Afghanistan broke the record of Australia scoring 263/3 in 2016 against Sri Lanka

India invited as Guest of Honour for OIC Foreign Ministers meeting

• India would be attending the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers Meet for the first time
• India will attend 46th Session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers to be held in Abu Dhabi from March 1 to 2
• UAE’s invitation to India highlights the desire of the UAE to go beyond rapidly growing close bilateral ties. The policies of OIC are largely pro-Pakistan and sees Kashmir as occupied by India

Afghanistan Launches New Export Route to India through Chabahar Port

• Chabahar port is seen as a testimony of healthy cooperation between India, Iran and Afghanistan this will ensure economic growth
• The Chabahar Port of Iran provides easy access to the sea for Afghanistan. India has invested in the development of this route as well as Chabahar port
• Afghan exports to India stood at $740 million in 2018 and India is the largest export destination for Afghanistan

GST council reduces Tax rates on Housing

• The GST council has decided to slash the tax rate on under-construction residential properties and the affordable housing projects category
• The GST council has reduced the GST rate for under construction from the present 12 per cent to 5 per cent
• The GST rate for affordable housing category is now 1 percent compared to the present 8 percent.

Prime Minister Inaugurates National War Memorial

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National War Memorial adjoining the India Gate in New Delhi
• The memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely ‘Amar Chakra, Veerta Chakra, ‘Tyag Chakra’ and ‘Rakshak Chakra’
• 16 walls have been constructed in the Tyag Chakra for paying homage to the 25,942 battle casualties and their names have been inscribed on granite tab
• It will pay tribute to the soldiers of the India-China war in 1962, Indo-Pak wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999 Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Srilanka

91st Oscar Awards announced

• Best Actor in a Leading Role— Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
• Best Actress in a Leading Role — Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
• Best Director — Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
• Best Picture — Green Book
• Documentary Short Subject — RaykaZehtabchi and Melissa Berton, Period. End of Sentence
• Original Song — Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt “Shallow,” A Star Is Born
• The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, honouring the best films of 2018, was held in Los Angeles, California

Indian Air Force Strikes against Jaish-e-Mohammed camps in Pakistan

• Indian Air Force (IAF) has struck against Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot of Pakistan occupied Kashmir in the pre-dawn hours of 26th February 2019
• The Mirage-2000 fighter jets were used to drop explosives on these training camps
• A dozen Mirage-2000 fighter jets used to carry out the attack were escorted by four Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft
• JeM has been proscribed by the UN, has been responsible for a series of terrorist attacks including on the Indian Parliament in December 2001 and the Pathankot airbase in January 2016
• India has remained Pakistan of its commitment in January 2004 not to allow its soil or territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India

Govind Prasad Sharma appointed as Chairman of NBT

• Educationist and Author Govind Prasad Sharma has been appointed as the Chairman of National Book Trust (NBT)
• National Book Trust (NBT) is an apex body established by the Government Of India in the Year 1957 under the Department Of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource and Development
• It is aimed to produce and encourage the good literature in English, Hindi And Other Indian Languages

RBI Removes three Banks from PCA Framework

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has removed three banks, Dhanlaxmi Bank, Allahabad Bank and Corporation Bank from the PCA framework by moving them out of list
• United Bank of India, UCO Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank and Dena Bank remain under the PCA framework

HRD Ministry launches SHREYAS Programme

• Union Minister of Human Resources and Development Prakash Javadekar launched the Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS)
• SHREYAS is a programme comprising of Ministry of HRD, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and the Ministry of Labour and employment.
• SHREYAS is a major effort in the direction to make degree students more skilled, capable, employable and aligned to the needs of our economy

Assam launches PRANAM Commission to protect parents of govt employees

• Chief Minister of Assam SarbanandaSonowal has announced a PRANAM Commission to look after the issues related to the Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM) Bill
• The bill makes it mandatory for state government employees to look after their parents and unmarried differently abled siblings who do not have their own sources of income