Daily Current Affairs 29 February 2020 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.
NATIONAL NEWS
Government approves Rs 162 crore under Operation Green Scheme
The government has approved Rs 162 crore under Operation Green scheme which has an outlay of Rs 500 crore to stabilize the supply of tomato, onion and potato (TOP) crops and to ensure their availability round the year without price volatility.
- The scheme announced in 2018-19 budget aims to enhance value realisation for farmers by targeted interventions to strengthen production clusters and the Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) and linking them with the market.
Govt approved 32 projects under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)
A total of 32 projects have been sanctioned under ‘unit’ scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) in meetings of Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) presided over by Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
- The projects spread across almost 17 states would leverage an investment of Rs 406 crore, and the projects envisage the creation of direct and indirect employment for about 15,000 persons and focus will be employment opportunities in rural areas.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi-Farsi University renamed as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti languages University in Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved a proposal to change the name of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi-Farsi University in Lucknow.
- The Cabinet has decided to rename the university as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Languages University.
- For this, the State University Act – 1973 will be amended.
Maharashtra:”Smart gram yojana” will be named after ex-minister R R Patil
The Maharashtra government’s “smart gram yojana” will be named after former Deputy Chief Minister the late R R Patil.
- Since November 2016, the ‘smart gram yojana’ (smart village) is being implemented in the state where awards are given to gram panchayats at taluka and district level for their performance on certain parameters.
New Delhi hosts 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra Conference 2020
The 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference 2020 on ‘Empowering Youth for Technology Led Farming’ inaugurated by the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi.
- A number of Krishi Vigyan Kendra publications and various products developed by the Krishi Vigyan Kendras were also released during the conference.
- The conference aimed to highlight the technology-led farming and youth entrepreneurship via agriculture. It also stressed upon the support from agricultural scientists to the marginalised farmers.
BANKING & FINANCE
Aadhaar-enabled Payment System rolled out by Airtel Payments Bank
Airtel Payments Bank said that it has launched the Aadhaar enabled payment system (AePS) which will help people to do transactions at over 2,50,000 of its banking points across India.
- It allows customers to carry out transactions by using their Aadhaar number or virtual ID to access their bank accounts
HDFC bank ties-up with IndiGo to launch co-branded credit card ‘Ka-ching, powered by Mastercard
IndiGo airlines has partnered with HDFC Bank to launch its first travel credit card Called ‘Ka-ching’, it is powered by Mastercard.
- Thr card comes in two variants – 6E Rewards and 6E Rewards XL – and also offers complimentary air tickets. “Customers can avail complimentary air tickets worth between ₹1,500 and ₹3,000, depending on the variant.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
ONGC & HPCL acquires 34.56 % of bankers’ stake in Petronet MHB for Rs 371 crore
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and its subsidiary Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) have bought out lenders in Petronet MHB Ltd, the firm that owns a petroleum product pipeline in Mangalore, for about Rs 371 crore.
- A consortium of eight public sector banks held 34.56 per cent stake in Petronet MHB Ltd, where ONGC and HPCL held 32.72 per cent apiece.
AWARDS
Jadav Payeng honoured with Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award 2020
Assam’s eminent environmental activist Jadav Payeng will be awarded with Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award for his efforts in creating a man-made forest through reforestation.
- Padma Shri Jadav ‘Molai’ Payeng is a Mishing tribe environmental activist and forestry worker from Jorhat, India. Over the course of several decades, he planted and tended trees on a sandbar of the river Brahmaputra turning it into a forest reserve.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
L&T-built 5th offshore patrol vessel called ‘ICGS Varad’ commissioned for Indian Coast Guard
L&T-built Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Varad was commissioned into the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) by Shri. Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge) and Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertiliser at LOT Kattupalli shipyard, near Chennai.
- ICGS Varad set a record in Indian shipbuilding industry by becoming the first major defence ship to clear all Sea Acceptance Trials (SATs) in a single sea sortie, underlining the high quality of design and construction of these ship
Xiaomi to bring ISRO’s NavIC technology to smartphones in 2020
Smartphone and smart TV brand Xiaomi announced it would bring ISROs Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System NavIC technology to its smartphones.
- Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) is the regional geo-positioning system designed in the country by the city-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to provide accurate positioning in India and 1500 km around the Indian mainland.
- The ability has been currently enabled by Qualcomm Technologies Inc on several of their Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile Platforms and will be made available across multiple Xiaomi smartphones in India.
OBITUARIES
Centenarian Vedic Scholar & Kannada Rajyotsava awardee Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi passes away
Gandhian, freedom fighter and centenarian scholar Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away. He was 122.
- Pandit Chaturvedi was Influenced by the works of Swami Shraddananda at the Gurukula, he, soon after the formal education, became a journalist. During his stint as a journalist, Chaturvedi is said to be an eye-witness of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar.
- Pandit Chaturvedi has written over 50 books in Kannada, English, Sanskrit and Hindi. He had also assisted in publishing ‘Veda Taranga’ and ‘Veda Prakasha’ monthly magazines
Famous Historian and Professor S Settar passes away
Eminent historian, archaeologist and scholar Prof Shadakshari (S) Settar passed away. He was 85.
- Prof Settar was known for his multi-disciplinary work stretching into the realms of History, Epigraphy, Anthropology, Linguistics, Arts, Kannada and Religion.
- He also penned more than 25 books in Kannada and English. Including Sham.Ba.Joshi award, he was honoured with a number of awards for his work that helped to reinvent the Indian history.