14 February 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

14 February 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

14 February 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. ‘Clouded Leopard’ to be Mascot for National Games 2022

  • Clouded Leopard (Meghalaya's state animal) will be the mascot for the National Games 2022, coinciding with the 50th year of the creation of the state.
  • This decision was taken at the 1st National Games 2022 executive committee meeting chaired by Meghalaya Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh.
  • The clouded leopard is one of the wild cats that live throughout the forests of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
  • An estimated 14,450 athletes and officials are expected to visit Meghalaya during the Games.
  • The Stadium will be constructed on government land of approximately 50 acres in Mawdiangdiang at a cost of Rs. 300 crores.
  • Meghalaya will be the third northeastern state after Manipur and Assam hosted the National Games in 1999 and 2007, respectively.
Note:
  • The National Games comprises various disciplines in which sportsmen from the different states of India participate against each other.

Honours & Awards

2. British Academy Film Awards announced

  • The film "The Favourite" won seven honours in British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)- 2019 in London.
  • The Favourite won best actress for Olivia Colman and best supporting actress for Rachel Weisz, Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Costume Design, Production Design, Makeup and Hair.
  • Also, Netflix production 'Roma' also had a successful night picking up four prizes - best film, best director, best cinematography and best film not in the English language.
  • Rami Malek won the best actor for playing Freddie Mercury in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.

Banking and Finance

3. Retail inflation declines to 2.05 per cent in January

  • As per data released by the ministry of statistics and Programme Implementation, the Retail Inflation declined marginally to 2.05% in January over the last month on the continued decline in food prices.
  • The retail inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Dec 2018 has also been revised downward to 2.11% from the earlier estimate of 2.19%
  • In January 2018, inflation was 5.07%.
  • As per Central Statistics Office data, the inflation in the ‘fuel and light’ category also fell to 2.2% in January this year (in Dec 2018-4.54%).
Note:
  • Retail inflation means the increase in prices of certain products or commodities compared to a base price.
  • In India, retail inflation is linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which is managed by the Ministry of Statistics.
  • CPI numbers are widely used as a macroeconomic indicator of inflation, as a tool by governments and central banks.

4. RBI penalises banks for violating various norms

  • The Reserve Bank has imposed a monetary penalty of two million rupees each on HDFC Bank, IDBI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank for non-compliance of various Know Your Customer/ Anti-Money Laundering norms.
  • RBI also imposed a monetary penalty of 1.5 Crore rupees each on Allahabad Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and Indian Overseas Bank for non-compliance of norms related to monitoring end use of funds, exchange of information, classification and reporting of frauds and on the restructuring of accounts.
  • A penalty of 1 crore rupees was imposed on Andhra Bank for the same reason.
  • According to RBI, the action is purely based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction by the banks with their customers.

International Affairs

5. Women with four children to get life tax exemption in Hungary

  • According to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, women in the country with four children or more will be exempted for life from paying income tax.
  • The move aims at boosting the country’s population.
  • For women who raise at least four children, a subsidy of USD 8,825 will be given for the purchase of a seven-seat vehicle.
  • A low-interest loan of 35,300 US dollars for women under the age of 40 who are marrying for the first time will be introduced.
  • Prime Minister Orban also announced a seven-point plan to increase the fertility rate in the country.

National Affairs

6. Cabinet approves Patna Metro Rail project

  • The Union Cabinet approved the Patna Metro Rail Project to boost transport facilities in the capital city of Bihar.
  • The Cabinet has also hiked the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Raw Jute by Rs 250  to Rs 3950 per quintal for 2019 -20 season.
  • The MSP is expected to ensure appropriate minimum prices to the farmers and step up investments in jute cultivation.
  • Cabinet also approved the continuation of Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Technology Up-gradation Scheme beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 with a total outlay of two thousand 900 crore rupees.
Note:
  • Patna Metro will be constructed on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, estimated to cost Rs 17,887.56 crore.
  • The Metro rail is expected to run on two corridors by 2024.
  • For First Phase: Danapur to Mithapur bus stand and Patna Railway Station to Proposed ISBT.
  • Second phase: Bypass Chowk Mithapur to Deedarganj via Transport Nagar along NH 30 Bypass (13 km) Elevated along Bypass Road.

7. Cabinet approves the proposal for extension of tenure of NCSK beyond March 2019

  • The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for Extension of tenure of the National Commission for Safai Karmacharis (NCSK) beyond 31st of March 2019 for three years.
  • The Union Cabinet approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Saudi Arabia on cooperation and mutual assistance in Customs Matters.
  • It also approved the signing of MoU between the two countries in the field of tourism and establishing a mechanism for Investment Infrastructure in India.

8. Rajasthan passes 5% quota bill for Gujjars, four other communities

  • Rajasthan government has passed a Backward Classes, Amendment Bill, 2019 to provide 5% quota in jobs and educational institutions to ‘Gurjars’ and four other communities.
  • The state government has also decided to increase the ceiling of creamy layer from Rs. 2.5 lacks to Rs. 8 lacks.
  • The Gurjar community has been holding agitations since Friday across the state demanding five per cent separate quota for them.

9. Bihar govt announces universal old age pension scheme ‘Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension Yojna’

  • Bihar government has announced a universal old age pension scheme - Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension Yojna MVPY (मुख्यमंत्री वृद्धजन पेंशन योजना) for all people above 60 years of age (except retired senior citizens of govt. service).
  • Currently old age pension scheme is applicable to only the BPL category.
  • All will be eligible for RS. 400 monthly Pension irrespective of caste, religion or community.
  • The Scheme will come into force from the 1st of April 2019.
  • The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also announced a pension of Rs. 6,000 for journalists above 60 years of age.

10. AYUSH Minister launches e-AUSHADHI portal

  • Shripad Yesso Naik (Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH) has launched the e-AUSHADHI portal, for online licensing of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs and related matters at New Delhi.
  • The new ‘e-AUSHADHI portal’ is intended for increased transparency, improved information management facility, improved data usability and increased accountability.
  • This e-portal is an acronym for Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy Automated Drug Help Initiative.
  • The timelines will be fixed for processing of application through this portal with SMS and e-mail status updates at each step of the process.

11. National Conference on Unani Medicine Concludes in New Delhi

  • The National Conference on Unani Medicine has been inaugurated by Dr Najma Heptulla (Governor of Manipur) in New Delhi.
  • The two-day Conference has been organized by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM).
  • The conference witnessed the exchange of MoU for scientific collaboration in Unani Medicine between the CCRUM and Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi.
  • On this occasion, AYUSH Awards for Unani Medicine were conferred.

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