13 February 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Atul Gupta elected as New President of ICAI
- CA Atul Kumar Gupta has been elected as the new President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for the term 2020-21.
- Nihar Niranjan Jambusaria has been elected as the Vice President of the ICAI for 2020-21.
- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is the national professional accounting body of India, established on 1st July 1949.
National Affairs
2. Union Cabinet approves Pesticide Management Bill 2020
- Union Cabinet has approved the Pesticide Management Bill 2020.
- The legislation will promote organic pesticides in the country. Major Ports Authority Bill to enhance overall efficiencies of the ports was cleared by the Cabinet.
- Cabinet has also approved changes in the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, 2020.
- The bill seeks to increase its scope to cover litigations pending in various debt recovery tribunals (DRTs).
Important Dates
3. 13th February: The World radio day
- The World Radio Day (WRD) is celebrated every year on 13th February to celebrate radio as the medium for entertainment, information and the mode of communication.
- The theme of this year’s World Radio Day is ‘Radio and Diversity’.
- The day provides an opportunity to honour how radio is uniquely positioned to bring communities together and promote positive dialogue for change
Defense
4. UK’s start-up launches 1st big batch of satellites
- The UK-based OneWeb company has sent 34 satellites into orbit on a single Soyuz rocket, from Baikonur port, Kazakhstan.
- The aims are to have the full network in operation by the end of 2021.
- This is the 50th Soyuz mission conducted by Arianespace, as the company plans to perform 19 more medium-lift Soyuz from three spaceports by 2021.
- Its mission was to drop its satellite batch into one of 12 planes planned for the constellation.
National Affairs
5. Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrives in New Delhi
- Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India.
- During the visit, President Sousa will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow followed by a visit to Rajghat.
- President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will also travel to the states of Maharashtra and Goa during his visit.
Defense
6. india-UK Joint Military Exercise AJEYA WARRIOR 2020 begins in UK
- The India-UK joint military exercise named 'Ajeya Warrior-2020' (fifth edition) has been started at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom.
- The exercise comprises of 120 soldiers each from Indian and United Kingdom Army.
- The aim of this exercise is to conduct company level joint training with emphasis on counter terrorists operation in Urban and Semi Urban areas.
- The exercise is conducted alternatively in the United Kingdom and India.
National Affairs
7. Mumbai to get India’s largest air quality monitoring network
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will develop an air quality monitoring network across 90 locations in Mumbai.
- This will make it the largest network in India, as per a report in Hindustan Times
- BMC is planning to invest Rs. 9.5 crores to install 80 real-time air monitoring stations.
- These stations will give location-wise updates on the quality of air.
National Affairs
8. Prez Kovind presents President's Colour to Indian Navy's INS Shivaji
- President Ram Nath Kovind presented Colour to Indian Navy's INS Shivaji at Lonavala, near Mumbai.
- INS Shivaji is commemorating 75 years (Platinum Jubilee) of its glorious service to the Indian Navy this month.
- The President’s Colour is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any military unit.
- The motto of this establishment is Karmasu Kaushalam which translates to imbibing the concept of Skill at Work in all facets of human endeavour.
Arts & Culture
9. 'Hunar Haat' begins at India Gate lawns today
- Hunar Haat (20th) has begun at India Gate lawns today where master artisans and culinary experts from across the country are showcasing their talents.
- More than 250 stalls have been set up where master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts are participating from across the country.
- Cultural programmes will also be a major attraction of the Hunar Haat which will be organized on daily basis.
Books & Authors
10. Dharmendra Rai’s book “The Thin Mind Map Book” launched
- “The Thin Mind Map Book” authored by a mind mapping & brain literacy pioneer Dharmendra Rai was launched recently.
- The book is designed to make anyone an expert in mind mapping by devoting 2 full days to reading & doing all the experiential exercises mentioned in the book.
- Mr. Rai is a mind mapping & brain literacy pioneer and has a world record of conducting more than 380 mind mapping seminars in under 10 years.
Summits & Conferences
11. Amit Shah inaugurates India’s first BIMSTEC conference
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a two-day Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking for BIMSTEC Partner Nations at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
- The conference is being organized by the Narcotics Control Bureau.
- This platform will provide an opportunity to all the member nations to deliberate on the increased threats posed by drug trafficking
Summits & Conferences
12. Naveen Patnaik inaugurates the 2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise2020
- Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated the 2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise hosted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Bhubaneswar.
- The theme of this year’s exercise is “A cultural heritage site that suffers severe damage in the earthquake and flooding or storm.”
- Five-member countries(India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Nepal) are participating in this (Bhutan and Thailand not participating).
National Affairs
13. Piyush Goyal inaugurates 1st phase of East - West Metro in Kolkata
- Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the first phase of East-West Metro in Kolkata.
- In this phase, trains will play from Salt Lake's sector five to Salt Lake Stadium.
- Passenger services will start in this 5.8 Kilometres stretches from Friday.
- The services will remain open from 8 in the morning to till 8 at night with 20 minutes frequencies of trains within six stations
