Weekly CA Quiz: February 2020 3rd week

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled Rs 102 lakh crore of infrastructure projects that will be implemented in the next five years as part of the government’s spending push in the infrastructure sector.

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched toll-free helpline numbers 1800-180-5310 and 1800-180-5312 to solve the queries of students ahead of the Board examinations that are scheduled to begin next week.

 Minister of State for Shipping (Independent Charge), Chemical, and Fertilizers, Mansukh Lal Mandaviya said that Special focus on developing inland waterways will result in four-fold cargo volume increase on Ganga, while the ‘Arth Ganga’ project will boost economic activities along its bank.

India and Portugal signed an MoU to develop a world-class National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal in Gujarat.

 President Ram Nath Kovind announced that Portugal will be our partner country at the Technology submit 2020 to be held in Delhi.

Indian Navy’s Sandhayak class Hydrographic Survey Ship, INS Jamuna (J16), commanded by Captain HA Hardas, arrived Colombo, Sri Lanka.

General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) has received license from Bank of Russia to commence reinsurance business in Russia.

The Indian men’s hockey team captain Manpreet Singh was named Player of the Year for 2019 by the International Hockey Federation.

Veteran space scientist G Narayanan has been named the chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation’s newly formed commercial entity New Space India Ltd (NSIL).

Indian environmentalist Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, under whose leadership a U.N. climate change panel shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, passed away after recent heart surgery. He was 79.

Apiary on Wheels’, a unique concept designed by KVIC for the easy upkeep and migration of Bee Boxes having live Bee colonies, was flagged off by the Union Minister of MSME Shri Nitin Gadkari in Delhi.

Ahead of Valentine’s day, ‘Pyaar ka Paudha’ (a plant of love) campaign has been launched by the Bihar government’s Department of Environment and Forest in Patna, to encourage the practice of planting trees in the state.

 Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh performed Bhoomi pooja ceremony of AIIMS building.

The 43rd session of the governing council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) was held in Rome with the theme “Investing in sustainable food systems to end hunger by 2030″.

The fifth edition of exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior 2020’ between the armies of India and the United Kingdom commenced at Salisbury Plains, the United Kingdom.

Markets regulator Sebi has constituted a committee which will suggest on policy matters pertaining to development of municipal debt securities and facilitate municipalities for issuance of such bonds.

Netherlands women’s captain Eva de Goede has been named as the 2019 FIH Women’s Player of the Year by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

Portugal and Goa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on augmenting water supply and sewerage management shortly after President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa’s arrival in the western coastal town.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Kashi Mahakal Express (Varanasi-Indore) via video conferencing.

 The Government of Telangana hosting Bio-Asia Summit 2020 begins in Hyderabad.The theme of the Summit is “Today for Tomorrow”.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was represent India at the third High-Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030 in Stockholm.

Moody’s Investors Service revised its growth forecasts for India to 5.4 per cent for 2020 calendar year and 5.8 per cent for 2021, down from its previous projections of 6.6 per cent and 6.7 per cent.

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games revealed the official motto, “United by Emotion” for the upcoming 2020 Olympics.

World Rapid champion, India’s Koneru Humpy won the Cairns Cup chess tournament.Humpy won the title after winning six points off nine rounds.

Government-owned GAIL India Ltd announced that Manoj Jain has assumed charge as its Chairman and Managing Director.

The Naga tribes of Manipur celebrated it’s seed sowing festival ‘Lui-Ngai-Ni’, under the theme “Oneness through Culture”, with much fanfare at Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) ground in Ukhrul.

Yodhavu’ (Warrior), a mobile app through which public can inform police about drug abuse and its distribution, was launched by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as part of efforts to curb the growing menace in the State.

The 26th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, will be held in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2020 under the presidency of the UK government. The pre-COP will take place in Milan, Italy.

 The India government and the World Bank signed a USD 450 million loan agreement to support the national programme to arrest the country’s depleting groundwater levels and strengthen groundwater institutions.

Realtors” apex body Credai launched an app ”Credai Awaas” was launched in Raipur by Mohammad Akbar, Minister of Transport, Housing and Enviroment, Forest and Law, Chattisgarh government.

 In a “landmark” decision by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel of the NADA, Haryana’s Amit Dahiya has been banned for four years for evading dope sample collection by sending a proxy during the National Javelin Throw Open Championships last year.

 India will host the men’s edition of the junior hockey World Cup 2021 while the women’s event will be held in Potchefstroom in South Africa, International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced.

 The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has allowed JSW Steel to acquire Bhushan Power and Steel for Rs 19,700 crore under the insolvency law, providing immunity to the new owners from ongoing criminal proceedings against the erstwhile promoters of the company.

Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal passed away following a cardiac arrest. He was 61.

The 15th Finance Commission decided to set up an eight-member high level expert group headed by ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri to recommend strategies and measures to increase farm productivity and boost exports.

Bihar is set to have a bird ringing station, devoted to observation, monitoring and research on migratory birds — the fourth such facility in the country and the first to be set up with the support of a state government.

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) confirmed that Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad will be the world’s largest cricket stadium with a sitting capacity of more than one lakh spectators.

 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will aligning the financial year of the RBI, currently July-June, with the government’s fiscal year (April-March) from the year 2020-21 — a move that may put an end to the practice of the exchequer getting interim dividend from the central bank. The decision was taken at a meeting of the RBI’s central board held in New Delhi.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the most significant aspect of her budget this time is a realistic estimation on the score of revenue generation, spending and borrowings.

 India emerged as the world’s fifth largest economy with a GDP of $ 2.94 trillion by overtaking the UK and France in 2019, says a report.

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched an event in New Delhi to unveil the five host cities for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s Football World Cup which kicks off on 2nd of November this year.

 Greco Roman wrestler Sunil Kumar opened India’s medal account in the Asian Wrestling Championships at New Delhi by winning a Gold. The seasoned grappler beat Azat Salidinov from Kyrgyzstan in the final of the 87 kg category.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy launched Nadu Nedu (meaning ‘then and now’ in Telugu) scheme in all government hospitals to help improve the health conditions of the people of the state.

Union Government will facilitate doubling of milk processing capacity from over 53 million tonne to 108 million tonne by 2025.

The Union Cabinet has has approved the revamping of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) to address the existing challenges in the implementation of Crop Insurance Schemes.

The Centre approved the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural), Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project focussed on sustainability of ODF and management of solid and liquid waste.

India jumped five ranks to 35th with a total score of 53 in the Worldwide Educating for the Future Index (WEFFI) 2019, as per a report published by The Economist Intelligence Unit. The theme of the index is “From Policy to Practice”.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has ranked 16th in the the top 100 Times Higher Education’s (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings 2020. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) emerged as India’s top-ranked institution followed by the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs).

India is set to stage the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup in 2022 after being recommended as hosts for the tournament.

Supratim Bandyopadhyay was appointed as chairman of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, the regulator for promotion and development of an organised pension system to serve the old age income needs of people on a sustainable basis.

Pakistan conducted a successful flight test of the air launched nuclear-capable cruise missile Ra’ad-II with a range of 600 km, significantly boosting the military’s “deterrence capability” on land and at sea.

The United Nations’ (UN) World Day of Social Justice is annually observed on February 20 to encourage people to look at how social justice affects poverty eradication. It also focuses on the goal of achieving full employment and support for social integration.The theme of World Day of Social Justice 2020 is “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice”.

The Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organisation has built India’s tallest railway pier bridge — 100 m tall equivalent to a 33-storey building, across river Makru in the Tamenglong district of Manipur.

Union Cabinet has approved the Phase- 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Grameen till 2024-25, which will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus).

India ranked 77th on a sustainability index that takes into account per capita carbon emissions and the ability of children in a nation to live healthy lives and was placed 131st on a ranking that measures the best chance at survival and well-being for children, according to a UN-backed report.

HDFC Bank, Mastercard and SAP Concur have joined hands for spending management services for the corporate sector.

Veteran Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket with immediate effect.

Sarita Mor and Pinki clinched a gold medal in their respective weight categories in the ongoing Asian Wrestling Championships.

Larry Tesler, the Silicon Valley pioneer who created the now-ubiquitous computer concepts such as “cut,” “copy” and “paste,” has died. He was 74.

 International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on 21st February.The main purpose of celebrating this day is to promote the awareness of language and cultural diversity all across the world. It was first announced by UNESCO on November 17, 1999.The theme for International Mother Language Day 2020 is ‘ Languages without borders’.