Current Affairs – February 04, 2021 [Today’s News Headlines]

Here are Today’s News Headlines by GK Today for February 4, 2021

INDIA

Aero India 2021 being organised in Bengaluru on Feb 3-5

Aero India 2021 is being organised at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka, Bengaluru by the Department of Defence Production of the Defence Ministry from February 3 to 5, 2021. Its theme is: ‘A Runway to a Billion Opportunities’. The three-day event will focus on India’s indigenous defence sector capabilities.

Aero India 2021: Ocean Region Defence Ministers’ Conclave on Feb 4

India will host Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ Conclave on February 4, 2021 on the sidelines of Aero India 2021. The broad theme of the conclave is ‘Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean’.

Indo-US military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ to be held in Rajasthan from Feb 8 to 21

The 16^th edition of Indo-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ will be held in Rajasthan between February 8 and 21. The exercise near the India-Pakistan border aims at enhancing cooperation and interoperability between the two armies and will focus on counter-terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate.

Web portal launched for monitoring progress of Gobardhan scheme

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Animal Husbandry Minister Giriraj Singh, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria on February 3, 2021 jointly launched a unified web portal for monitoring the progress of Gobardhan activities across the nation. Gobardhan scheme was launched in 2018 to manage the prevailing issues of bio-waste in villages including cattle waste and converting them into biogas and organic manure thus providing economic benefits to farmers and households.

Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu appointed to National Security Advisory Board

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has been appointed to the reconstituted National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) led by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. The members of NSAB typically have two-year terms. Other new members in this term include former ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan, Anshuman Tripathy, faculty at IIM Bangalore, and Arun K. Singh, former ambassador to France and the United States.

Rajya Sabha MPs warned against recording proceedings on mobile phones

Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on February 3, 2021 warned MPs against recording proceedings of the House on mobile phones, saying such unauthorised recordings and its circulation on social media may be a breach of Parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House.

Additional Director Praveen Sinha appointed acting chief of CBI

CBI Additional Director Praveen Sinha, a 1988-batch Gujarat cadre IPS, has been appointed acting chief of the agency till a decision on a new director is taken to succeed Rishi Kumar Shukla who retired on February 3, 2021 after a two-year fixed stint.

Economy & Corporate

BSE S&P Sensex closes above 50,000 points for the first time

BSE S&P Sensex closed above 50,000 points for the first time on February 3, 2021. The Sensex gained 458 points or 0.92 per cent to close at 50,256 while the Nifty 50 advanced by 142 points or 0.97 per cent to 14,790.

Centre formally seals Rs 48,000 crore deal to procure 83 Tejas LCA from HAL

The government on February 3, 2021 formally sealed the Rs 48,000 crore deal to procure 83 Tejas light combat aircraft from state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The contract was handed over to Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, R Madhavan, at the inaugural ceremony of Aero India-2021 in Bengaluru.

Crown group ties up with MiG for post-warranty support to Indian Navy jets

The Delhi-based Crown group, which specialises in defence aerospace maintenance, on February 3, 2021 announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with Russian aircraft corporation MiG for providing post-warranty support to the Indian Navy’s MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB fighter jets.

RBI unveils risk-based audit guidelines for select NBFCs, urban co-op banks

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on February 3, 2021 unveiled the risk-based internal audit (RBIA) system for select non-bank lenders and urban co-operative banks, with a view to enhance the quality and effectiveness of their internal audit system. All the deposit-taking non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and the ones with an asset size of over Rs 5,000 crore, and urban co-operatives banks (UCBs) with assets of over Rs 500 crore will have to migrate to the new system, the RBI said.

Preliminary survey shows deposits of Lithium in Mandya district of Karnataka

The Government on February 3, 2021 said that preliminary surveys on surface and limited subsurface by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy have shown presence of Lithium resources of 1,600 tonnes in Mandya district of Karnataka.

World

Norway ranked first on Democracy Index by Economist Intelligence Unit

India slipped two places to 53rd position in the 2020 Democracy Index’s global ranking, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit, which said the “democratic backsliding” by authorities and “crackdowns” on civil liberties has led to a further decline in the country’s ranking. India’s overall score fell from 6.9 in 2019 to 6.61 in the Index that provides a snapshot of the current state of democracy worldwide for 167 countries. Norway topped EIU’s Democracy Index report titled “Democracy in sickness and in health?”, with Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada making up the top five. India has been classified as a ‘flawed democracy’ along with countries such as the US, France, Belgium and Brazil.

Myanmar military announces new State Administrative Council

The regime in Myanmar headed by the Army has announced a new State Administrative Council. The council headed by the Army Chief General Min Aung Hlaing has eleven members out of which eight are from the military. General Hlaing said that the voting frauds alleged to have been committed by the sacked NLD (National League for Democracy) government will be exposed. Meanwhile United Nations Secretary-General’s special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgen has condemned the military coup.

UK: Capt. Tom Moore, who raised money for health care workers, dies at 100

Capt. Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who walked into the hearts of a nation in lockdown as he shuffled up and down his garden to raise money for health care workers, died in UK after testing positive for COVID-19. He was 100. In July 2020, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2021