12 February 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.
Mehta was born in India, but she had moved to Canada (in 1973) after her marriage to documentary filmmaker Paul Saltzman.
Currently, Mehta is working on a Netflix series Leila.
Mehta is best known for her Elements Trilogy – ‘Fire’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Water’.
Mehta's 'Earth' was presented as an official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film by India.

Note:

The Canadian Screen Awards are given annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television recognising excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media productions.

The 61st annual Grammy Awards were announced at Staples Center in New York, the United States.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise appearance at the start of the 2019 Grammys.
The award show was hosted by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys.
Cardi B became the first woman to win best rap album as a solo artist.
Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” won four awards and Gaga’s “Shallow,” from the movie “A Star Is Born,” won two awards.

National Affairs

The Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal laid the foundation stone of a Mega Food Park in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
It will prove to be a big boost to the growth of the food processing sector in Uttar Pradesh.

The Union Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardha has announced the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) as the mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS).
The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) will be held in Gujarat in 2020.
He also revealed that the bird has been fondly named by the ministry as ‘Gibi‘.

Note:

CMS-COP 13 is a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory species and their habitats.
It has over 120 participating countries.

The Observatory has been established in the SRT campus Badshahithaul and is currently in the testing period.
The observatory will receive forecast and monitor cloudburst incidents in the Himalayan region and help minimise the damage.
Cloudburst incidents are very frequent in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand, resulting in a huge loss of life.

President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled the life-size portrait of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Central Hall of Parliament.
The President sai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee contributed in establishing India as a peace-loving but powerful nation.
Vajpayee became the Prime Minister for the first time in 1996 for 13 days, then for 13 months (1998 to 1999) and then from 1999 to 2004.
He passed away on 16th August 2018 at the age of 93 years after a prolonged illness.

Ruchira Kamboj (1987-cadre Indian Foreign Service) has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to Bhutan.
Currently, she is serving as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa.
Earlier, Kamboj has served as the Ambassador/PR to Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO, Paris.

Note:

An ambassador is the ranking government representative stationed in a foreign capital.
The host country typically allows the ambassador control of specific territory called an embassy, whose territory, staff and vehicles are generally afforded diplomatic immunity in the host country.

National Productivity Day is observed every year on 12th February.
The main observance of the day is organized by the National Productivity Council (NPC) for encouraging all stakeholders in the implementation of productivity tools and techniques with contemporary relevant themes.
‘Circular Economy for Productivity & Sustainability’ has been selected as the theme for the National Productivity Week -2019.
Every year 12th to 18th of February is celebrated as the National Productivity Week.

Note:

NPC is a national level organization to promote productivity culture in India, established by the Ministry of Industry, Government of India in 1958,
It is an autonomous, multipartite, non-profit organization with equal representation from employers’ & workers’ organizations and Government, apart from technical & professional institutions and other interests.

Abu Dhabi (capital of the United Arab Emirates) declared Hindi as the third official language (Arabic and English) in its courts to make the justice delivery system simple.
It will help Hindi speakers to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and duties without a language barrier.
It will also make the justice delivery system simpler and more accessible to Indian expatriates in that country.

British driver Jamie Chadwick (20-years) has become the first female driver to win the MRF challenge title after scoring a triple win in the final round in Chennai.
Earlier, Chadwick became the first woman to win a British F3 race.
Now, Chadwick will focus on the inaugural Womens' Series, which has been backed by former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard.

Today, the 83rd edition of the Senior National Badminton Championships has begun with the qualifiers in the Assamese city of Guwahati.
The top eight singles players will be placed directly in the pre-quarterfinals.
Similarly, the top four teams in the doubles will start their campaign from the quarters.
India’s badminton queens Saina Nehwal (Defending champion) and PV Sindhu (runner-up) will be the biggest attractions in Women's Singles.
The Men's Singles will be without HS Prannoy (defending champion) and Kidambi Srikanth (runners-up) who are suffering from injuries.

Note:

The Indian National Badminton Championships is a tournament organized to crown the best badminton players in India since 1934.
In 2017 (82^nd): Nagpur (Maharashtra).