21 February 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Sanjay Kothari becomes new Central Vigilance Commissioner
- Retired IAS officer Sanjay Kothari has been selected as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) by a high-powered committee headed by PM Narendra Modi.
- Retired IAS officer Bimal Julka has been chosen as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) in the Central Information Commission.
- The CVC is an an-corruption watchdog with autonomous status.
- The CIC is an independent and unconstitutional body to look after the complaints made to it.
National Affairs
2. Rajnath Singh lays foundation stone of new Army HQ building
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone for construction of a new Army headquarter building in Delhi Cantonment.
- Christened 'Thal Sena Bhawan', the complex will be spread over nearly 39 acres.
- It will represent the unsung heroes of the armed forces who have sacrificed their lives for the country.
State Affairs
3. Haryana govt to set up Atal Kisan Majdoor canteens
- Haryana government will open Atal Kisan - Majdoor canteens in all mandi and sugar mills across the state.
- It will provide affordable & cheap meals to farmers and labourers at a concessional rate of 10 rupees per plate.
- 25 such canteens will be established this year.
- Haryana government will also provide free and concessional travel facility to 41 different categories of residents in the ordinary buses of Haryana Roadways.
Banking & Finance
4. Centre releases Rs 19,950 cr as GST compensation to states, UTs
- The Central Government has released 19,950 crore rupees as GST compensation to states.
- With this release of GST compensation, the Central Government has released a total of over 1.20 lakh crore rupees towards GST compensation to the states during current fiscal.
- In the financial year 2018-19, over 69 thousand crore rupees was released to the States and Union Territories as GST compensation.
Sports
5. Divya Kakran wins a gold medal at Asian Wrestling Championships
- Divya Kakran became only the second Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships defeating Naruha Matsuyuki in New Delhi.
- Divya won all four bouts in five-wrestler 68 kilogram category, as the competition was fought in the round-robin format.
- Navjot Kaur had become the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Championships in 2018 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in 65 kilograms.
Important Dates
6. International Mother Language Day being celebrated today
- International Mother Language Day is being observed every year on the 21st of February (since February 2000) to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
- The theme of this year’s Mother Language Day is ‘Languages without borders".
- The day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999.
National Affairs
7. Tripura Tea Board organizes 'Run for India Tea' event
- In Tripura, the Tea Board of India in collaboration with Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) organized "Run for India Tea" morning to promote and popularise Tripura tea alongside India tea.
- A large number of tea workers wearing traditional dresses along with students participated in the tableau procession.
- The corporation is working tirelessly to boost the tea industry in the state.
National Affairs
8. CPCB identifies 60 pollution river stretches in northeastern states
- The Central Pollution Board (CPCB) has identified 60 pollution river stretches based on Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in different northeastern states.
- According to the report, CPCB has identified over 350 polluted river stretches across India and the number continues to grow.
- The study found out that the discharge of industrial and mining effluent and dumping of waste has been identified as the major causes of pollution of these stretches.
Sports
9. Pragyan Ojha announces retirement from all forms of cricket
- Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (33-years) announced retirement from international and first-class cricket with immediate effect.
- He played his last match for India in 2013 during Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell Test against the West Indies in Mumbai.
- Pragyan Ojha played 24 Tests, 18 ODIs and 6 T20Is in which he scalped 113, 21 and 10 wickets respectively.
Arts & Culture
10. Bharat-Bangla Tourism festival begans in Agartala
- The Bharat-Bangla Paryatan Utsav-Tourism festival has begun in Agartala, Tripura.
- The aim of the festival is to promote tourism in Tripura and apprise the people of the state and neighbouring Bangladesh of the tourist destinations in this state.
- Seminars, discussions, cultural events, visit the important tourist spots, historical and archaeological sites are the main parts of the two-day friendship festival.
National & International Appointments
11. Mahant Nritya Gopal Das elected as President of Ram Mandir Trust
- The first meeting of the Ram Mandir Trust to oversee the construction of Ram temple (in Ayodhya) was held in New Delhi.
- The 15-member trust was formed in adherence to the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute in November 2019.
- Nripendra Misra will be the head of the temple construction committee.
- Mahant Nritya Gopal Das was elected as the president of the Trust whereas Champat Rai would be the general secretary.
International Affairs
12. Pakistan successfully tests air-launched cruise missile Ra’ad-II
- Pakistan conducted a successful flight test of the air-launched nuclear-capable cruise missile Ra'ad-II .
- The Ra’ad-II weapon system is equipped with state-of-the-art guidance & navigation systems ensuring of engagement targets with high precision.
- Ra’ad-II missile (range of 600 km) is planned to be attached to Mirage aircraft or F-16 fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force.
