Weekly Current Affairs February 2019 - Week 4th

Weekly Current Affairs February 2019

Here Current Affairs February 2019 have covered all important daily basis current affairs events. It will be a complete package for aspirants who are appearing for all Competitive Exam. 

1. Brij Bhushan Sharan

Brijbhushan Sharan Singh has been elected unopposed as President of Wrestling Federation of India. This marked the third time that Singh had assumed the post of WFI’s president. He is also a Member of Parliament from the Kaiserganj constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He was the chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent for the Asian Games 2018 held in Jakarta and Palembang.

2. DK Jain as first Ombudsman in BCCI

The Supreme Court has appointed its former judge, Justice D K Jain as the first ombudsman for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Justice Jain was the first choice among six former apex court judges whose names were before the court. The BCCI’s new constitution was approved by the apex court on 9 August with certain modifications .In January 2015, the apex court had appointed a committee headed by retired Justice R.M. Lodha to suggest reforms for the BCCI as well as to determine punishment for those guilty in the IPL spot-fixing case.

 

3. PM Modi conferred the National Youth Parliament Awards

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred the National Youth Parliament Festival awards to the winners at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. This year’s theme is "Be the Voice of New India" Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years were invited to participate in the district, state and national level Youth Parliaments. The top 3 awardees are as follows, First prize winner Shweta Umre of Maharashtra, 2nd prize winner Anjankshi MS of Karnataka and 3rd prize winner Mamta Kumari of Bihar. The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament were awarded with Rs 2 lakhs, Rs 1.50 lakhs and Rs 1 lakh respectively.

4. President presented Gandhi Peace Prize

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Gandhi Peace Prize for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. Gandhi Peace Prize for Social, Economic and Political transformation through Non-violence was instituted in 1995. The Award comprises an amount of Rs. One Crore and a Citation.

 

The recipients of the award are as follows:

• Vivekananda Kendra for the year 2015.
• Akshaya Patra foundation and Sulabh International for 2016.
• Ekal Abhiyan Trust for 2017.
• Yohei Sasakawa for 2018

 

5. Oscars 2019: Full list of winners

The 91st Academy Awards has been announced at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The full list of winners are:

• Best Picture: "Green Book"
• Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for "Roma"
• Best Actress: Olivia Colman for "The Favourite"
• Best Actor: Rami Malek for "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• Best Supporting Actress: Regina King for "If Beale Street Could Talk"
• Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali for "Green Book"
• Best Foreign Language Film: "Roma" (Mexico)
• Best Animated Feature Film: "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse"
• Best Original Screenplay: "Green Book"
• Best Adapted Screenplay: "BlacKkKlansman"
• Best Original Score: "Black Panther"
• Best Original Song: "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born"
• Best Documentary Feature: "Free Solo"
• Best Documentary Short Film: "Period”

India shines at Oscars, 'Period. End of Sentence' wins Documentary Short Subject

A film on menstruation, set in rural India, titled "Period. End of Sentence," has won the Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category at the 91st Academy Awards. Award-winning filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi has directed the short film.The film has been co-produced by Indian producer Guneet Monga's Sikhya Entertainment. The documentary feature is set in Hapur village outside Delhi, where women lead a quiet revolution as they fight against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation.

5. Manpreet Singh honoured with AHF's Player of the Year

The Asian Hockey Federation has honoured Indian skipper Manpreet Singh with the 2018 Player of the Year award. Women team's striker Lalremsiami has bagged the Rising Player of The Year prize. Manpreet led the Indian team to an unbeaten streak at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat where the team was declared joint winners with Pakistan. He also contributed to the team's silver medal win at the FIH Champions Trophy in Breda.

6. Manu, Saurabh clinch 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team gold

In shooting, the duo of Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker claimed a gold medal for India in 10-metre air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup. They shot a total of 483.5 points to finish on top position at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. India jointly topped the standings with Hungary in the ISSF World Cup claiming three gold medals. The tournament offered 14 quota places for the 2020 Tokyo Games. India managed to secure only one Olympic quota.

7. Sanath Jayasuriya banned from cricket for two years

Former Sri Lanka Cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been banned from cricket for two years. Jayasuriya admitted to breaching two counts of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The charges include refusal to cooperate with an Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) investigation, obstructing or delaying the investigation, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other relevant information. Sri Lankan cricket has been under investigation by ICC for last few years. Jayasuriya served as chair of the selection committee during 2016-17 during which team performance dipped and has remained uneven since then.

8. Abhijeet Gupta lifts Cannes International Open trophy

In Chess, Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta lifted the Cannes International Open trophy. He took an easy draw with Pier Luigi Basso of Italy in the ninth and final round. Abhijeet won the tournament with 7.5 points. This is his first solo International tournament victory. Earlier this year, Abhijeet had also tied for the first place at the Delhi International open in January.

9. Saurabh Chaudhary clinches gold in 10m air rifle at Shooting World Cup

Saurabh Chaudhary has clinched the country's second gold medal at the ongoing ISSF World Cup at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.Saurabh, who had already won gold medals at Youth Olympics and Asian Games gold, attained the top spot in the 10m air pistol event of the World Cup. Saurabh shot a total of 245 (World Record) to claim the top spot. He has also booked a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

10. Apurvi Chandela wins gold in women's 10m air rifle

Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in the women's 10-metre air rifle event at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. This is India's first medal of the ISSF World Cup 2019. She set a new world record by registering a score of 252.9 points in the final. The tournament will now offer 14 quotas for the 2020 Olympic Games instead of the original 16.

 

11. Muhammadu Buhari Re-Elected as Nigerian President

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has secured a second four-year term in office. Buhari defeated his main challenger Atiku Abubakar by a margin of nearly four million votes. But, Abubakar's People's Democratic Party rejected the results. Buhari led a military regime for 20 months in the 1980s and was first elected president in 2015.

Points to Remember

• Nigeria Capital: Abuja
• Currency: Nigerian naira

12. Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif resigns

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced his resignation. However his resignation can only take effect once President Hassan Rouhani accepts it. Zarif played a prominent role in negotiating the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major international powers. Zarif has served as Iran's foreign minister since August 2013 but he has faced severe criticism since the US withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018.

13. First Indian-origin woman to get Blue Plaque in UK

Britain's World War II spy Noor Inayat Khan was confirmed as the first Indian-origin woman to be honoured with a Blue Plaque at her former London home. The Blue Plaque scheme run by English Heritage honours notable people who lived or worked in particular buildings across London. Khan's plaque is set to go up at 4 Taviton Street in Bloomsbury, where she lived as a secret agent during the war. Khan was the daughter of Indian Sufi saint Hazrat Inayat Khan. She was an agent for Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II and was captured and killed by the Nazis in 1944 at just 30 years of age.

14. Cuba votes on new constitution

Voters in Cuba took part in a referendum on a new constitution that expands recognition of private property.

• The referendum contained only two options: yes or no to the new constitution.
• More than eight million were registered to voters.
• The new constitution, replacing the 1976 version, recognises a limited role for the free market and private investment, but only under the control of the Communist Party.

15. Afghanistan begins exports to India through Chabahar

Afghanistan began exports to India through an Iranian port. Officials said that 23 trucks carrying 57 tonnes of dried fruits, textiles, carpets and mineral products were dispatched from western Afghan city of Zaranj to Iran’s Chabahar port. The consignment will be shipped to the Indian city of Mumbai. The Iranian port provides easy access to the sea to Afghanistan and India has helped developed this route to allow both countries to engage in trade bypassing Pakistan.

 

16. Sudan's Omar al-Bashir declares state of emergency

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a year-long state of emergency, dissolving his cabinet and local governments throughout the country. Mr Bashir asked parliament to postpone constitutional amendments that would allow him to run for another term. He also announced th at five members of the outgoing cabinet, including the foreign, defence and justice ministers, would keep their jobs. Since December 2018, various areas in Sudan have been witnessing popular protests over the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.

Points to Remember : Sudan

• Capital : Khartoum
• Currency: Sudanese pound

 

17. FATF keeps Pakistan on grey list for failing to curb terror funding

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided to keep Pakistan on its grey list at the end of its week-long plenary meeting in Paris. India had made a strong push to ensure that Pakistan is not taken off the list, in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack. According to FATF, Pakistan has until October this year to either comply with the demands made by FATF members or it could be blacklisted.

Points to Remember : FATF

• Headquarters: Paris, France
• Founded: 1989
• President: Marshall Billingslea

18. China has unveiled its 'first female AI news anchor'

China's state-owned TV channel Xinhua unveiled the world's first female Artificial Intelligence(AI) news anchor. The AI anchor has been developed by state-run news agency Xinhua in collaboration with tech firm Sogou Inc. The AI robot anchor, Xin Xiaoment, can mimic human facial expressions and mannerisms while reading reports. The AI anchor will make her professional debut during the upcoming two sessions Political meetings of China's nations legislature in March.

19. India decides to stop its share of river waters which flow into Pakistan

The Government has decided to stop the share of river waters which flow into Pakistan. Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari said that the Government of India will divert water from Eastern rivers and supply it to the people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. The construction of dam has started at Shahpur-Kandi on the Ravi river and the Ujh project will store India's share of water for use in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Indus Waters Treaty, subject to certain conditions, India has the right to use water flowing in eastern rivers, namely, the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej. Pakistan controls the right to use water in western rivers, namely, the Indus, the Jhelum and the Chenab.

20. Andhra Pradesh to get a new Railway zone'

Southern Coast Railway will be a new zone of the Indian Railways. This new 18th railway zone of the country and will be headquartered at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The new zone will comprise the existing Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada divisions that currently fall under the South Central Railway. The Indian Railways' operations are currently divided into 17 zones, which are further sub-divided into divisions, each having a divisional headquarter. There are a total of 73 divisions at present.

21. Assam launches PRANAM Commission

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had launched the PRANAM Commission for the protection of parents of state government employees. PRANAM stands for Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring. It is the first of its kind Bill in the country. It is an effort to protect elderly parents of government employees in their times of need. 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.

22. NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission partners with Adobe

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Adobe signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) to enhance creativity in ATL Schools. According to SOI, Adobe will help in developing creative skills and spreading digital literacy across all Atal Tinkering Labs in India. Adobe shall be adopting 100 schools under Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) initiative. As a part of AIM, ATLs are being established in more than 5,000 schools in India where students of class 6th to class 12th acquire problem solving and innovation skills, developing innovative solutions.

23. Union HRD Minister launches the Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS)

The Minister for Human Resources Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar has launched the Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) in New Delhi. The scheme will provide industry apprenticeship opportunities to the general graduates exiting in April 2019 through the National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS). The program aims to enhance the employability of Indian youth by providing on the job work exposure’ and earning of stipend. SHREYAS portal will enable educational institutions and industry to log in and provide their respective demand and supply of apprenticeship.

24. Heat Wave 2019: Workshop on Preparedness begins in Nagpur

A two-day national workshop on Preparedness, Mitigation and Management of Heat Wave begins in Nagpur. It is being organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra. The workshop aims to sensitising States to the need of preparing and implementing specific Heat Action Plans in line with NDMA’s national guidelines on Heat Wave. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has indicated the probability of above-normal summer temperatures this year. As the temperatures will tend to rise, leading to stronger and longer heat waves.

25. National Science Day: 28 February

National Science Day is celebrated on February 28 every year to remember Nobel laureate Sir C V Raman’s contribution to the field of science. The objective of observation of National Science Day is to spread the message of importance of science and its applications among the people. The theme for this year's Science Day is 'Science for the People and the People for Science'. For his discovery, Sir C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.

26. India ranks 47th in 'Inclusive' Internet list

India ranked 47th in the overall "Inclusive Internet Index 2019” (3i). The index has been prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for Facebook. Sweden topped the index which was followed by Singapore and the US.

27. India successfully test fires QRSAM missiles off Odisha coast

Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO, successfully test fired indigenously developed Quick Reach Surface-to-Air missiles, QRSAMs. The missiles were tested from ITR Chandipur off the Odisha Coast. The two missiles were tested for different altitude and conditions. QRSAM uses solid-fuel propellant and has a range of 25-30 km.

28. Govt approves construction of 560695 more houses

Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry have approved the construction of 560695 more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). The approval was given in the 43rd meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee in New Delhi. The cumulative number of houses sanctioned under the scheme is now over 79 lakh. The number of houses sanctioned for Uttar Pradesh is over one lakh 79 thousand, for Andhra Pradesh one lakh 10 thousand, Maharashtra - over one lakh while Karnataka has been sanctioned over 48 thousand houses.

29. Skill Development Minister inaugurates ‘Skill Saathi Youth Conclave’ in Odisha

Union Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated the "Skill Saathi Youth Conclave in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The conclave mobilised over 2 lakh candidates who were counselled across 427 locations covering all blocks and urban local bodies, across 30 districts in the state. The programme aims to engage more and more people with skill development and inspire youth to make the most of various skill development opportunities in the country.

30. Civil Aviation Ministry organising ‘Aviation Conclave 2019’ in New Delhi

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in association with Airports Authority of India, AAICLAS and Confederation of Indian Industry, is organizing the Aviation Conclave 2019 in New Delhi. The theme of this event is “Flying for All”. This Conclave is about the future of Indian aviation. It is bringing together industry leaders, government and regulators for setting the tone and propelling India’s Vision-2040. Over 200 delegates will take part in the discussions.

31. India-Bangladesh Joint Military Exercise Sampriti – 2019

As part of the ongoing India Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military exercise Sampriti-2019 will be conducted at Tangail, Bangladesh from 02 March to 15 March 2019. Exercise Sampriti-2019 is important bilateral defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh. This will be the eighth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries. The exercise is aimed to strengthen and broaden the aspects of interoperability and cooperation between the Indian and Bangladesh Armies.

32. Govt launches Rail Drishti Dashboard

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti Dashboard in New Delhi. The Dashboard has been launched to keep people informed about the work going on in the Railways across the country. The customer or railway passenger will get an exposure through this dashboard to the multifaceted transformation underway in Indian Railways across the country. This dashboard can be accessed using a desktop/laptop or a mobile device such as a phone or tablet and the url of the dashboard is “raildrishti.cris.org.in”.

33. 4th Global Digital Health Partnership summit inaugurated

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda along with Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated the 4th Global Digital Health Partnership Summit in New Delhi. The Global Digital Health Partnership is an international collaboration of governments and multinational organisations dedicated to improving the health through the best use of evidence-based digital technologies. The summit will provide an opportunity to support governments and health system reformers to improve the health and well-being. Health minister also said that nearly 13 lakh poor people have availed the benefits of Ayushman Bharat scheme in India.

35. Indra Nooyi joins Amazon Board of Directors

PepsiCo's India-born former CEO Indra Nooyi has joined Amazon's board of directors. Nooyi, who stepped down as CEO of Pepsico in October last year, is the second woman to be added on the Amazon's board of Directors. Early this month, Starbucks executive Rosalind Brewer joined the Amazon Board. Nooyi would be a member of the audit committee. She served as the Pepsico CEO from October 2006 to October 2018.

36. PM Modi inaugurated the National War Memorial in New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the National War Memorial near India Gate in New Delhi. It is a tribute to India’s soldiers who were martyred post-independence. It also commemorates the soldiers who participated and laid down their lives in Peace Keeping Missions and Counter Insurgency Operations. Names of 25,942 battle casualties have been inscribed across 16 walls that consist of granite pieces bearing the name, rank and regiment of the fallen heroes.

37. GST Council cuts tax on under construction residential houses to 5%

The GST Council slashed tax rates on under-construction housing properties to 5% from the existing 12%. The Council also cut GST rates on affordable housing to 1% from the current 8%. The new tax rates will come into effect from April 1, 2019. The council also altered the definition of affordable housing and said any house built on an area of 60 square metres or less in the metro cities of India will now be categorised as affordable housing.

38. National action plan for viral hepatitis launched

Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey launched the national action plan for viral hepatitis in Mumbai. There are estimated 4 crore patients of Hepatitis B and 0.6-1.2 crore patients of Hepatitis C in India, as per the health ministry data. The action plan takes forward the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program launched by the Union Health Minister in July 2018. The aim of this program is to eliminate hepatitis by 2030.

39. India invited as 'Guest of Honour' to OIC meet

India has been invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the foreign ministers’ conclave of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It is for the first time, India has been invited to an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting as guest of honour. The 46th Session of the OIC's Council of Foreign Ministers will be held in Abu Dhabi from March 1 to 2. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend it as the 'guest of honour'. OIC is a powerful grouping of Muslim majority nations.

Points to Remember

• Headquarters: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• Members: 57

40. PM Modi launched PM-KISAN scheme by transferring 1st installment of Rs 2,000 to farmers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, PM-KISAN scheme at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Modi marked the launch of the PM-KISAN scheme, through press of button, to electronically transfer the first installment of 2 thousand rupees to selected farmers. The amount will be transferred directly to the bank account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer. The amount will be given in three installments of 2 thousand rupees each

Points to Remember

• The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana was announced in the interim Budget 2019-20.
• Under the Scheme, Rs 6,000 will be given per year to small and marginal farmer families having combined land holding of up to 2 hectares.

41. World's largest bee spotted the first time since 1981

A team of researchers spotted the world's giant bee which is as big as a human thumb, in Indonesia for the first time since 1981. Wallace's giant bee, known by the scientific name Megachile pluto, is the world's largest bee species. It was first discovered in 1859 by the prominent scientist Alfred Russel Wallace and was presumed extinct.

42. New Tyrannosaur species helps explains the rise of T-rex

Scientists have discovered a new species of tiny tyrannosaur which helps explain how the dinosaurs evolved from small, speedy hunters, into the bone-crushing apex predators that we know. The species called Moros intrepidus is a small tyrannosaur who lived about 96 million years ago. Moros is tiny by comparison to an standing only three or four feet tall at the hip, about the size of a modern mule deer. The bones of Moros revealed the origin of T rex's lineage on the North American continent.

43. Justice Uma Nath Singh takes oath as first Lokayukta of Nagaland

Justice Uma Nath Singh took the oath of office as the first Lok Ayukta of Nagaland. Nagaland Governor PB Acharya administered the oath to him at a function held at Raj Bhavan. Justice Uma Nath Singh was a former Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court. He will hold the office for a term of five years or till he attains the age of 70 years whichever is earlier.

44. India’s first RoboCop: KP Bot

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the humanoid police robot at the police headquarters in the state. The robot is named as ‘KP Bot’ and has been introduced as Sub Inspector. Now, the Kerala Police Headquarters has become the first in the country to use a robot for police work. Director general of police (DGP) Loknath Behra said that the aim of this Bot is to introduce technology into policing

45. PM Modi approves KUSUM scheme

The government approved the launch of the Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) with a central aid of Rs 34,000 crore. The scheme will 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. The proposed scheme consists of three components :

• 10,000 megawatts (MW) of decentralised ground mounted grid-connected renewable power plants (Component-A)
• Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone solar powered agriculture pumps (Component-B).
• Solarisation of 10 lakh grid-connected solar powered agriculture pumps (Component-C).

46. NITI Aayog hosts Conference on The Future of Indian Banking

NITI Aayog co-hosted a conference on “The Future of Indian Banking” on February 22, 2019 in New Delhi.The conference was organised with Foundation for Economic Growth and Welfare (EGROW Foundation). Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, inaugurated the event. The conference aimed to increase and elevate the discourse on the banking sector in India, and help develop insights to inform the continued evolution of the Indian banking sector for optimally supporting the growing credit needs of the Indian economy.

47. HAL hands over three Advanced Light Helicopters to Indian Army

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over first three Advanced Light Helicopters as part of the contract to the Indian Army in the on-going Aero India 2019. HAL had entered into a contract with the Indian Army for 40 ALH (22 ALH Mk III and 18 Mk IV Rudra) in August 2017. Of the 22 helicopters, 19 helicopters have already been produced and will be progressively delivered.

Points to Remember

• The Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv) is a multi-role, new generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class, indigenously designed and developed by HAL.

 

48. PM Modi on a two-day visit to Seoul

Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Seoul on a two-day visit to South Korea. Mr Modi will hold bilateral talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and receive the Seoul Peace Prize. He will receive the prize in recognition of his dedication to international cooperation, global growth and human development. He addressed the India-Korea Business Symposium and also launched India-Korea Startup Hub in Seoul.

49. EPFO hikes interest rate on provident fund

Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, EPFO has decided to provide 8.65 per cent interest on Provident Fund deposits for 2018-19 against 8.55 per cent in the last year. Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said in that all members of the Central Board of Trustees of EPFO have agreed to give a higher interest for subscribers for the current fiscal. The proposal will now go to the Finance Ministry for approval.

50. Home Ministry orders pan-India survey to assess impact of police services

Ministry of Home Affairs has commissioned the Bureau of Police Research and Development to conduct a pan-India survey called, All India Citizens Survey of Police Services. The survey will be conducted through the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi. The aim is to understand public perceptions about Police, gauge the level of non-reporting of crimes or incidents to Police, timeliness and quality of police response and action. The survey commencing next month will cover a representative sample of 1.2 lakh households spread over 173 districts across the country.

51. UP CM launches Scheme for Adolescent girls

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched Scheme for Adolescent girls. The scheme focuses on girls aged between 11 to 14 years who have left studies and will take steps for proper nutrition and special care for them. The state government also decided to observe Adolescent girls day on 8th of every month at Anganwadi centres across the state. State Government will also launch Nutrition Campaign for the adolescent girls on 8th March.

52. Inland Waterways Authority of India and Indian Oil Sign MoU

Inland Waterways Authority of India and Indian Oil Sign MoU on Fuel Needs for National Waterways The MoU includes jointly developing infrastructure for fuels, lubricating oil, LPG, Natural Gas and any other related fuel and gas for meeting the requirement of National Waterways. IWAI and IOCL have agreed to conduct techno-economic feasibility studies for preparation of detailed land requirement, storage facilities and other supporting infrastructure with details of the cost. As per the National Waterways Act 2016, 106 new National waterways have been declared in addition to existing 5 National Waterways.