current affairs february 2020 - mission capf hub

MISSION CAPF HUB BY SWAPNIL WALUNJ & TEAM

MOB NO.-7057227225/JOIN TELEGRAM @MISSIONCAPFHUB/ /[email protected]

CURRENT AFFAIRS

FEBRUARY 2020

FEATURES OF CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE

COVERAGE – THE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS. PIB GKTODAY MONTHLY MAGAZINE VISION IAS MONTHLY MAGAZINE

CONCISE AND COMPREHENSIVE MONTHLY MAGAZINE. STRICTLY BASED ON PREVIOUS YEARS UPSC CAPF CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTION TRENDS. TOPIC WISE SEGGREGATION OF CURRENT NEWS.

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INDEX OF CURRENT AFFAIRS SERIA

L NO.

SECTION/TOPIC PAGE NO.

1) AWARDS/MEDALS/HONORS/PRIZE 4

2) REPORTS /INDEX/SURVEY/STUDY 5

3) GOVT. SCHEMES/PORTAL /APPS/INITIATIVES 6

4) ECONOMY/BANKING 7

5) DEFENCE NEWS / MILITARY EXERCISE 9

6) ENVIRONMENTS 11

7) INTERNATIONAL NEWS 12

8) SPORTS 14

9) PERSONS IN NEWS 15

10) PLACES IN NEWS – SUMMITS/CONFERENCE 16

11) IMPORTANTS DATES & EVENTS 17

12) STATES IN NEWS 18

13) SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 19

14) FESTIVALS/GI TAGS 20

15) BOOKS 21

16) MISCELLANEOUS 22-24



ANALYSIS OF CURRENT AFFAIRS PREVIOUS YEARS

QUESTIONS PAPERS (2015-2019)

SERIAL

NO.

SECTION/TOPIC NO. OF

QUESTIONS

1) AWARDS/MEDALS/HONORS/PRIZE

14

2) REPORTS /INDEX/SURVEY/STUDY

04

3) GOVT. SCHEMES/PORTAL /APPS/INITIATIVES

09

4) ECONOMY/BANKING

08

5) DEFENCE NEWS / MILITARY EXERCISE

10

6) ENVIRONMENTS

02

7) INTERNATIONAL NEWS

05

8) PERSONS IN NEWS

08

9) SPORTS

06

10) PLACES IN NEWS – SUMMITS/CONFERENCE

07

11) IMPORTANTS DATES & EVENTS

02

12) STATES IN NEWS

02

13) SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

02

14) FESTIVALS/GI TAGS

02

15) BOOKS

03

16) MISCELLANEOUS

10



AWARDS/MEDALS/HONORS/PRIZE

Ayurveda Ratan Award = Dr Pratap Chauhan of Jiva Ayurveda at the European Parliament in

Brussels, Belgium.

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) awards = Madhya Pradesh 1st state +

Indore (MP) 1st in district level

Mumbai International Film Festival = Golden Conch Award for Best Documentary Film to

‘Babenco: Tell Me When I Die by Barbara Paz

International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy = Dr N S Dharmashaktu

Mystic Kalinga Literary Award = Manoj Das ( Odia & English writer)

National e-Governance Award 2019-20 = Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board’s Real Time

Pollution Monitoring System (RTPMS).

International Olympic Committee’s Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award = Pullela Gopichand.

Dan David Prize for ‘Present-Gender Equality’ = India’s Gita Sen jointly with Debora Diniz of

Brazil+ The Prizes are given by the Dan David Foundation at Tel Aviv University, Israel.

President’s Colours Awards = INS Shivaji on its 75 years of Service

Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2020 = Best Film - ‘Super 30 + Best

Actress - Dia Mirza for ‘Kaafir + Hrithik Roshan - Best Actor for ‘Super 30’

Oscar awards 2020 =

Category

Winner

best actress

renee zellweger(for judy)

best actor

joaquin phoenix (for joker)

best picture

parasite

best director

bong joon-ho (for parasite)

visual effect category

film 1917

live action short film category

The neighbors window



REPORTS/COMMITTEEG /INDEX/SURVEY/STUDY

International Intellectual Property (IP) Index = topped by US + India ranked 40th among 53

economies on + released by US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Centre.

Ease of Living Index (EoLI) and Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2019 = by Ministry of

Housing & Urban Affairs

Sustainability Index = India was ranked 77th + Burundi was first based on per capita carbon

emissions and ability of children in a nation to live healthy lives + by the World Health

Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet medical journal

Child Flourishing Index = India was ranked 131st+ Norway first + by the World Health

Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet medical journal.

“The Future of Earth, 2020” report = Released by South Asia Future Earth Regional Office, the

Divecha Centre for Climate Change and the Indian Institute of Science

Global Health Security Index = by World Health Organization (WHO) + no country is adequately

prepared + India is ranked 57th

Financial Secrecy Index = by Tax Justice Network, a U.K.-based financial advocacy group + India

47th rank



GOVT. SCHEMES/PORTAL /APPS/INITIATIVES

Kisan Rail scheme= for cold supply chain to transport perishable goods (union budget 2020-21)

Krishi Udan scheme = launched by Aviation Ministry to assist farmers in transporting agricultural

products (union budget 2020-21)

Vivad Se Vishwas scheme = to settle direct tax related disputes + scheme offers a complete waiver

of interest and penalty if disputed tax amount is paid before March 31, 2020 (union budget 2020-

21) [ *NOTE- Sabka vishvas scheme for indirect tax that were announced in 2019 budget]

NIRVIK (Niryat Rin Vikas Yojana) scheme = to provide for higher insurance coverage, reduction

in premium for small exporters and simplified procedure for claim settlements.

“Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI)” = for creation of science &

technology infrastructure in the country

India and Portugal sign MoU to set up National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal in

Gujarat.

Jan Aushadi kendra Scheme - The scheme is to be expanded to all districts

Portal Santusht launched = to implement policies of Labour Ministry at grass root level.

Supreme Court directs states to set up Gram Nyayalayas (GN) = The Gram Nyayalayas act, 2008

was passed to provide establishment of Gram Nyayalayas at the grass root level + jurisdictions on

civil and criminal matter.

Cabinet approves amendment to bring Cooperative Banks under RBI Regulation + now it also

applies same regulatory requirements that have been set for scheduled commercial banks.

Karnataka launched Janasevaka scheme + aims to provide doorstep government services

“Apiary on Wheels”= A Unique Concept to help bee keeping, achieve National Honey Mission

launched by Ministry of MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) + unique concept

framed by KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission).

Kerala govt. launches ‘Yodhavu’ (Warrior) mobile app for public to inform police about drug

abuse and distribution

Himmat Plus app = for safety of people travelling in cabs by Delhi Police & Uber.

Santusht app = to address issues of beneficiaries of ESI (Employees State Insurance) scheme +

launched by Labour Ministry.

Atal Bhujal Yojana = to improve groundwater level + Nature-Centre sector scheme - 50:50 centre & world bank + Funds - 6000 cr + Coverage- 7 states only.

“SPICe+” = to improve Ease of Doing Business in the country



Mission Purvodaya = India-Japan join hands to make Odisha a Steel Hub

ECONOMY/BANKING

New slabs introduced and tax rate for different slabs reduced if a taxpayer opts for foregoing

exemptions & deductions + No tax on annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh

ICICI Bank launches ‘iBox’ self-service delivery tool for customers to collect their deliverables

like debit cards and cheque books from the bank branch near to their home/office.

‘Digital Payments Index’ (DPI) = by RBI

India-Central Asia Business Council = launched by Centre and FICCI + to promote business in

the region + countries - India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and

Uzbekistan.

Theme of union budget 2020-21 = Aspirational India, Economic Development & Caring Society.

NIRVIK Scheme = The scheme aims at Higher Export Credit Disperse

India’s economy was fifth largest in the world in 2019 with a GDP of $ 2.94 trillion = World

Population Review (US)

US surpasses China to become India’s top trading partner with bilateral trade at $87.95 billion in

2018-19

MIEWS Web Portal ( Market Intelligence and Early Warning System)= to enable ‘real time

monitoring’ of prices of tomato, onion and potato + by Food Processing Industries Ministry

RBI Syncs Financial Year( July to June) with the Fiscal Year (April to may) + this

recommended by bimal jalan committee.

7th Economic Census begins at delhi + no specific interval to conduct this census + first time the

Census is being carried out in Digital Platform + it includes counting the entrepreneurial units

involved in agricultural, non-agricultural or any other economic activity.

Long term repo operation (LTRO) = RBI has announced a new liquidity facility under Long

Term Repo Operations (LTRO) to inject liquidity in the banking system + Under LTRO, RBI will

conduct term repos of one-year and three-year tenors of appropriate sizes for up to a total amount of

Rs 1 lakh crore at the policy repo rate + LTRO scheme will be in addition to the existing LAF and

MSF (Marginal Standing Facility) operations + LTRO will lead to decline in short term lending



rates of banks

2020 budget increased the National Calamity Contingent Duty = What is NCCD- The NCCD is tax

imposed on pan masala, cigarettes, cellular phones and other tobacco products. It was introduced under

Finance Act, 2001 + National Calamity contingent Fund (NCCF)-The Fund was proposed by the

11th Finance Commission - It has a core corpus of Rs 500 crores + The fund is replenished through

National Calamity Contingent Duty. Since April 2010, the NCCF has been merged with the National

Disaster Response Fund + Objective- The assistance from the NCCF is only for immediate relief and

cannot be used for restoration of damaged infrastructure



DEFENCE NEWS/SECURITY/MILITARY EXERCISE

‘Matla Abhiyaan’= a coastal security exercise along the riverine border with Bangladesh in West

Bengal by Indian Navy.

DefExpo-2020 (11th edition) = a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence at Lucknow +

India’s largest Defence Exhibition

Missile Khagantak = indigenous 180 km strike range air to surface missile by Indian firm JSR

Dynamics.

India-Russia Military Industrial Conference (IRMIC) = Lucknow

World’s first bulletproof helmet against AK-47 bullets under project Abhedya = by Major

Anoop Mishra.

US companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin sign MoU with PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited to

explore co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided missile system in India.

Missile ‘Pranash’ = 200-km strike range tactical ballistic missile by DRDO.

Parth = World’s Cheapest Gun Shot Locator developed by Indian Army .

Ajeya Warrior = India-UK joint military exercise at Salisbury Plains (UK) + other exercise

between India-UK = Konkan exercise - joint naval exercises + Indra Dhanush - joint air-to-air

exercise.

Indian Navy’s INS Jamuna to conduct in hydrographic surveys in Sri Lanka.

Memorial for 40 CRPF personnel killed in a terror attack in Pulwama = Lethpora camp of the

force in J&K

Sagar Anveshika = a coastal research vessel commissions by Kolkata-based Titagarh Wagons Ltd

for Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology.

Milan exercise = India and Maldives multilateral naval exercise held in Andaman and Nicobar.

Sharang artillery Gun inducted into Indian Army

Bandhan = Transfer of Technology Ceremony held at DefExpo 2020.

Bhabha Kavach = New bullet proof jacket developed by BARC-to be used by CISF

SC orders govt to grant permanent commission and command postings to women Army officers

India will buy six AH-64E Apache helicopters from US .

Indradhanush exercise = IAF and Britain’s Royal Air Force conducting at Air Force Station

Hindan



ICGS Varad = Indian Coast Guard’s offshore patrol vessel recently commissioned in Chennai

India and Russia Defence Deals= includes S400 missiles, Kamov helicopters and Kalashnikov

rifles.

Industrial Security Annex (ISA) =  signed between India and the U.S. at the second 2+2 dialogue

in Washington+ It would allow Indian private sector to collaborate with the U.S defence industry+

It allows sharing of classified information from the U.S. government and American companies with

the Indian private sector + ISA is part of the General Security of Military Information Agreement

(GSOMIA)

Poseidon-8I = a maritime patrol aircraft for Indian Navy from US + it is Anti Submarine Warfare

aircraft



ENVIRONMENTS

World Wetlands Day = February 2 + theme - Wetlands and Biodiversity

13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species

of Wild Animals (CMS) = Gandhinagar (GJ) + The First United Nations Biodiversity Summit CMS COP-13 in India + The mascot for CMS COP13, “Gibi - The Great Indian Bustard” is a critically endangered species which has been accorded the highest protection status under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 + Theme of CMS COP 13 - ‘Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home’+ The Indian sub-continent is also part of the 3 major bird flyway network, i. e, the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), East Asian flyway and East Asian–Australasian flyway + India is host to 457 migratory fauna, shows latest CMS list compiled by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) had for the first time + Birds comprise 83% (380 species) followed by mammals, fish & reptiles + Six species added to CMS appendices - Asian elephant, urial, great Indian bustard, Bengal florican, oceanic whitetip shark, and smooth hammerhead shark.

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)= environment

treaty in force since 1983 under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)+ non

binding+ India is now the CoP president for next 3 year

India marks the beginning of “Super Year of Biodiversity” (i.e.2020 ) with CMS COP 13

Cauvery Delta of Tamil Nadu (Cauvery delta known as rice bowl of TN) declared Protected special

Agricultural Zone so now it cannot be used for any other non-agricultural activities + Uttarakhand and Kerala (Kuttanad, Palakkad, Wayanad, Thrissur and Kozhikode) already have PSAZ.

Bird ringing station = Bihar for observation, monitoring and research on migratory birds

International Conference on Climate Services(ICCS) = ICCS is the world’s premiere climate

services event organized jointly by the Global Framework for Climate Services,an international

effort coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization and the Climate Services Partnership

+ The 6th ICCS conference was held at the Institute of Tropical Meteorology(IITM),Pune.

Ulsoor Lake = Bengaluru + lake is being polluted due to illegal activity

Rathwa Tribe = Gujarat

Van Vihar National Park = Madhya Pradesh

Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary = Karnataka

Tholpetty wildlife sanctuary = Kerala

Jaldapara National Park = West Bengal

Pakke Tiger reserve/Pakhui Tiger reserve = Arunachal Pradesh + situated by the pakhui or pakke

River + Namdapha National Park = India easternmost Tiger reserve + Arunachal Pradesh

Nameri Tiger reserve = Assam (*NOTE = locate this places on map )



INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NASA decommissions = Spitzer Space Telescope-a Infrared space telescope

Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) = the world’s largest solar telescope in Hawaii

(US), captures its first image of the sun

Maldives = officially rejoins Commonwealth

Pakistan declares national emergency to battle locusts destroying crops + locust outbreak also

found in GJ, RJ & other NW states of India.

Addu Tourism zone establishing in five islands of Addu atoll, Maldives + MoUs between India

& Maldives

Mohammad Allawi appointed new Prime Minister of Iraq by President Barham Saleh

Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIIF) = by Britain’s Prince Charles + aim- focussed on

reducing the exploitation of children in India.

NASA’s Christina Koch returns to Earth after 328 days aboard the International Space Station; had

broken record for longest spaceflight of 289 days by a female held by another NASA astronaut

Peggy Whitson.

Botswana = world’s largest elephant population + start auction of elephant hunting licences

ending ban imposed in 2014.

African Union summit = Addis Ababa + theme - “Silencing the Guns”

Iran unveils Raad-500 = short-range ballistic missile powered by “new generation” Zoheir

engines.

Ra’ad-II missile = Pakistan conducts flight test of air launched nuclear-capable cruise missile +

range of 600 km

Storm Ciara = Britain, Ireland hit by it.

Parliament of North Macedonia approves country’s accession to NATO

94-year old Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigns after a bid by his allies to bring

down the government

Sri Lanka announces withdrawal from a UNHRC resolution that called for accountability to

human rights abuses

US to sign peace deal with Taliban forces to end war in Afghanistan



The Once-Only Principle (TOOP) = The European Union countries, as part of the 2017 Tallinn

Declaration on e-Government, have come together to enact TOOP.

Step with Refugees = walking campaign of UN + organized by UN High commissioner for

refugees

Resolution 30/1 = UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka for addressing war crimes and reconciliation

efforts with minorities

Resolution 40/1 = UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka for Promoting reconciliation, accountability and

human rights in Sri Lanka

Idlib province = Syria + (Aleppo, Hama, Homs & Damascus are other places in Syria)

Nuer and dinka communities = South Sudan

United kingdom launched Innovation challenge fund in India to support research in emerging

technology.

Goldschmidtite = It is a new mineral from the Earth's mantle, found inside a diamond in South

Africa.

International Religious Freedom Alliance (IRFA) launched by U.S. + 27 members (India not a

member) + to adopt collective approach in protecting and preserving religious freedom across the

world + some prominent members = Austria ,U.K. Brazil, Israel, Ukraine, Greece & Netherland



SPORTS

Australian Open tennis (Melbourne) 2020

Category

winner

women’s doubles title France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos

of Hungary

women’s singles title

Sofia Kenin (US)

mixed doubles title Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic) & Nikola

Mektić (Croatia)

men’s singles title

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic(*win this title 8th time)

men’s doubles title

Rajeev Ram (US) & Joe Salisbury (UK)

Gibraltar International Chess Masters Festival =won by Russia’s David Paravyan.

Rani Rampal = first ever hockey player to win World Games Athlete of the Year’ award.

81st National Table Tennis Championships in Hyderabad won by Harmeet Desai (men’s),

Sutirtha Mukherjee (women’s) win singles titles.

Sourav Ganguly to become the Goodwill Ambassador of the Indian contingent at the 2020 Tokyo

Olympics.

Flame-throated bulbul ‘Rubigula’ (a state bird of Goa) = mascot for 36th National Games in

Goa.

ITF women’s tennis tournament (Thailand) = Ankita Raina won singles title

Khelo India Ice Hockey Championship at Leh = Ladakh Scouts win by defeating ITBP.

ESPNcricinfo Awards = Eoin Morgan named captain of the year

Aditya Mehta wins National Snooker Championship in Pune

Men’s team captain Manpreet Singh becomes first Indian to win International Hockey Federation’s

(FIH) Player of the Year award.

Women’s National Weightlifting Championship = Rakhi Halder wins gold medal.

Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020 = won by Bangladesh over India for the first time

National Winter Games = Gulmarg (J&K)



77th Senior National Squash Championship in Chennai = Joshna Chinappa (women’s) and

Saurav Ghosal (men’s) win titles respectively.

“United by Emotion”= motto of 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games

Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi = Sunil Kumar wins gold

Espn Multi-Sports Awards = ‘Female Sportsperson of the Year’ award - P. V. Sindhu +

ESPN’s ‘Male Sportsperson of the Year’ award = Saurabh Chaudhary.

New Zealand’s Ross Taylor becomes first cricketer to play 100 matches in all three formats of

the game — Test, ODI & T20

1st Khelo India University Games = Bhubaneswar

PERSONS IN NEWS

Egypt ruler Mohammed Hosni Mubarak died at the age of 91. He was severely ill in the last months

of his life. He served as the President of Egyp

The Veteran Feminist, Social Activist and writer passed awayShe has written famous biographies

namely Kamlaki and Valvantatil.

The NBA (National Basketball Association) star Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crashHe was also

a five-time champion. He won the championship in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.

Rishi Sunak has been appointed as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Boris Johnson’s cabinet.

Harish Salve has been appointed as the Queen's Counsel for the courts of England and Wales.

Shashikant das = central banker of the year

Kaamya Karthikeyan (12 years) becomes world’s youngest girl to summit 6926 metre Mt

Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America.



PLACES IN NEWS – SUMMITS/CONFERENCE

12th South Asia Conference at delhi +organised by Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses

(IDSA)

4th East Asia Summit Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation = Chennai

23rd National Conference on e-Governance = Mumbai

BIMSTEC nations’ conference on “combating drug trafficking”= New Delhi + organises by

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Daspalla Hills = Andhra Pradesh

First Jerusalem-Mumbai festival = Mumbai

India attend Munich Security Conference= Germany + theme- Westlessness

Global Investor Summit 2020 for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir

BioAsia 2020 (Asia’s largest biotechnology and life sciences forum) = Hyderabad + theme - ‘Today

for Tomorrow’

First ‘National Conference on Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R)

2020’ = organised by NIDM (National Institute of Disaster Management) in New Delhi

RAISE SIMMIIT 2020 = a summit on Artificial Intelligence + THEME-‘Responsible AI for Social

Empowerment 2020’

3rd Global Conference on Road Safety 2020 = in Stockholm, Sweden + held in collaboration with

WHO, World Bank + aimed at achieving Global Goals 2030 + India attends this conference +

adopted the “Stockholm Declaration” which calls for a new global target for road safety for 2030



IMPORTANTS DATES & EVENTS

World Cancer Day = February 4 + theme- ‘I Am and I Will’

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation = February 6 + theme -

“Unleashing Youth Power: One decade of accelerating actions for zero female genital mutilation”

World Pulses Day = February 10

Unani Day, the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan (11 February 1868) = February 11

International Day of Women and Girls in Science = February 11 + Theme - Investment in

Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth.

UNESCO celebrating International Mother Language Day = February 21 + theme as

‘Languages without Borders’

World Day of Social Justice celebrated by UN = February 20 + theme - “Closing the Inequalities

Gap to Achieve Social Justice”

National Science Day = February 28 + theme - Women in Science + marks the discover of ‘Raman

effect’ by Sir C. V. Raman on, February 28, 1928

National women's day- 13 Feb + to celebrate after Sarojani naidu. ( *Note=International women's

day-8 March- don't confused between national and international women's day)



STATES IN NEWS

YSR Pension Kanuka = Andhra Pradesh launched doorstep pension delivery scheme

Bharosa centre = by Maharashtra in Raigad district + to monitor the impact of social media on

youth.

‘Pyaar ka Paudha’ (a plant of love) campaign to encourage planting trees = by Bihar govt.

First Disha Police Station inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh to work on violence against women

MP becomes 1st first state in the country to launch unified vehicle registration card and 2nd to

launch a unified driving license after UP.

Bangalore to host 19th edition of World Productivity Congress (WPC) in may

Maharashtra Government orders to destroy “Thai Mangur” fish breeding centres because the fish is

cultivated in unhygienic conditions.

Bangalore = worst traffic in the world

Madhya Pradesh becomes the 1st state to launch UNIFIED REGISTRATION CARD(URC)



SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

COVID-19= Why virus named corona? = Microscopic image resemble like corona of sun. Corona viruses are zoonotic -meaning they are transmitted between animal(bat, snake) and humans

Source - “An animal source seems the most likely primary source of this outbreak, with limited human to human transmission occurring between close contacts WHO Declared it as public health emergency of international concern(PHEIC) so country would have to mandatorily share all data with WHO + What is PHEIC?(1st PHEIC-H1N1,2nd EBOLA &3rd ZIKA.) PHEIC is Public Health Emergencies of International Concern WHO also declared it as Pandemic disease - when epidemic spreads across multiple countries across the globe at the same point in time Symptoms - Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Transmission Coughing and sneezing Close person contact e.g. TouchingRarely by faecal contaminations. Indian govt’s actions= COVID-19 being declared a notified disaster so the State Disaster Response Fund is now available with state governments for response measures. Govt brings masks (2 ply & 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitizers under the Essential Commodities Act

ISRO to launch 10 Earth Imaging Satellites in 2020 including first Geo Imaging Satellite-1= GISAT-1.

National Mission on Quantum Technology & Application (NM-QTA) = budget announced largest science mission



FESTIVALS/GI TAGS

Kala Ghoda Art Festival = Mumbai

National Organic Food Festival = New Delhi + organised by Ministry of Food Processing + theme

- Unleashing India’s Organic Market Potential.

Sammakka Sarakka jatara = Biennial + Tribal fair in Telengana

Ankurarpanam festival - Festival of seed sowing at tirumala temple , andhra Pradesh.

Sangai festival – Manipur

Hornbill festival- called as(festival of Nagaland)

Solung festival - agro-based festival is celebrated by the Adi tribe in Arunachal Pradesh

Sajibu Cheiraoba – Manipur To mark the beginning of a new year.

Chapchar Kut festival - Mizoram A spring festival after completing jhum cultivation.

Losar festival - ladakh( UT beginning of New Year in this Himalayan region.

Wangala Festival – Meghalaya Annual Hundred Drums festival.

festival of Tendong Lho Rum Faat of the ethnic Lepcha tribe of Sikkim

Bihu festival - Assam

Shahpur jat autumn festival- Delhi

Mehrauli monsoon festival- Delhi



BOOKS

Mathrubhumi Book of the Year award = Hindi poet-novelist Vinod Kumar Shukla + for his

translated book “Blue Is Like Blue”

‘A Child of Destiny: An Autobiography’, book written by Prof. Ramakrishna Rao, released by

Vice President.

‘Who is Bharat Mata’= by Purushottam Agrawal & Radha Krishna.

S Gurumurthy = Politics of Opportunism

Apoorva Kumar Singh

A Commentary and Digest on The Air, Act 1981

Abhay K.

The Bloomsbury Anthology of Great Indian Poems

Amit Shah

Karmayoddha Granth



MISCELLANEOUS( imp )

UNESCO presents World Heritage Certificate for the walled city of Jaipur ( Pink City) to

Rajasthan government + Jaipur’s Parkota has been listed in the World Heritage sites of UNESCO.

Cabinet approves grant of Institution of National Importance (INI) status to 5 Indian Institutes of

Information Technology (IIITs) at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur.

New Major Port at Vadhavan (container port) in Maharashtra = Cabinet gives in-principle

approval for setting + The port is to be developed in “Landlord Model”+ The Jawaharlal Nehru Port

Trust will act as the lead partner in developing the port.

Glass floor bridge to replace Lakshman Jhula over Ganga in Rishikesh.

India International Seafood Show (IISS) = Kochi + theme - “Blue Revolution – Beyond

Production to Value Addition”

‘Operation Nakail’ to verify identity of all auto-rickshaw drivers by Ghaziabad Police.

Reservation in promotions for government jobs is not a fundamental right: Supreme Court

BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise 2020 = Bhubaneswar.

Singing national anthem made compulsory in Maharashtra colleges.

Maharashtra govt. to make teaching Marathi mandatory in all schools in the state up to Class 10

irrespective of the board

Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra renamed as Sushma Swaraj Bhawan + Foreign Service Institute

renamed as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.

First inter-city electric bus service running = Mumbai and Pune

SISTER CITIES = Best Performing Smart Cities(20) paired up with least performing to work as

SISTER CITIES

Cha-Chai Art Work inaugurated at National Museum by Portuguese president + it is The 5pm tea

is a family tradition of the Portuguese.

Kashi Mahakal Express = third corporate passenger train on the Varanasi-Indore Route + connect

the three Jyotirling pilgrim centres of Varanasi (Kashi Vishwanath), Ujjain (Mahakaleshwar)

and Omkareshwar.

Tilhan Mission = to boost oilseed production

Country’s first floating jetty = Panaji, Goa on the banks of Mandovi river



PM Modi and US President Donald Trump addressed a gathering at the Sardar Patel Stadium

in Motera (largest cricket stadium in the world) near Ahmadabad at the Namaste Trump event

Chinese handset maker Realme launches first 5G smartphone models in India

Rajiv Gandhi National Ground Water Training and Research Institute = Nava Raipur

US removed “Developing” Tag for India = to be classified as developed economies + US has

permanently put an end to India’s GSP( General System of Preferences) status by removing it from

the list of developing.

Lithium (rare metal) Reserves found mandya, Karnataka + use - manufacturing batteries for

electric vehicles + India imports 1.2 billion USD worth lithium batteries (2019) so it lower such

imports.

Kala Kumbh = Exhibition to promote GI crafts and Heritage of India = New Delhi + Ministry of

Textiles organized it

Delhi Airport = The First Single-use Plastic-free airport

After English and Mandarin, Hindi-the third most spoken language in the world

22nd Law Commission of India approved by the Union Cabinet + non-statutory body that is

constituted by the GoI from time to time + The commission has been reconstituted for every 3

years

B K Sharma committee submits report on Clause 6 of Assam Accord + Assam Accord -

agreement signed between the government of India and the leaders of Assam Movement in 1985.

Under the agreement, the GoI agreed to accept all the migrants that entered before 1966.

Kolam Art = is a form of drawing that is drawn by using rice flour, chalk, chalk powder or rock

powder, often using naturally or synthetically colored powders, in Sri Lanka, the Indian states of

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala

SUTRA PIC = stands for Scientific Utilization Through Research Augmentation-Prime Products

from Indigenous Cows + is led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST)

Geological Survey of India (GSI) = functions under Ministry of mines(NOT EARTH

MINISTRY)  + Headquartered at Kolkata

Largest cave fish on earth = Discovered in Meghalaya in Caves of Jaintia Hills

Darknet = refers to the deep hidden internet platform that is used for narcotics sale, exchange of

pornographic content and other illegal activities by using the secret alleys of the ToR Network to

stay away from the surveillance of law enforcement agencies

Paparva Island = located between Kandla port and Navlakha port, in the Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat)

India’s 1st fruit train flagged off from tadipatri railway station in anantapur to JNPT Mumbai.



Amazon launched “project zero” to block counterfeit goods

Operation TRANCE = a joint intelligence gathering action on international postal , express mail &

courier shipment containing psychotropic drugs

New Zealand unveiled 1st artificial intelligence based police officer named Ella

Titabor = Assam’s 1st zero waste town

current affairs february 2020 - mission capf hub

Documents