Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2020

Notes:
The Union Cabinet recently approved the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, to confer the status of Institution of National Importance (INI) to five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).
The Five IIITs in Public-Private-Partnership mode at Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala and Raichur are to conferred with the INI status. After the status has been granted, the institutions would be able to award degrees and to use the nomenclature of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) or Master of Technology (MTech) or PhD degree. The existing 15 IIITs had already been provided with the INI status.

Notes:
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is observed annually on February 6, across the world. Genital Mutilation, or altering the female genitalia for non-medical reasons is prevalent in 30 countries in Africa the Middle East and other parts of the world.
In 2012, the UN General Assembly designated February 6th as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation and the UN works for the complete eradication of the practice by 2030. United Nations Population Fund, jointly with UNICEF, holds a global programme to eliminate the practice.

Notes:
India has 12 major ports viz. Deendayal Port Trust, Paradip Port Trust, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Mumbai Port Trust, Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust, Kolkata Port Trust, New Mangaluru Port Trust, V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust, Kamarajar Port Limited, Kochi Port Trust, Mormugao Port Trust. Of these, Deendayal (earlier Kandla), JNPT (earlier Nava Sheva), V. O. Chidambaranar (earlier Tuticorin) and Kamarajar (earlier Ennore Port) are named after individuals.

Notes:
Pakistani cricketer Naseem Shah recently became the youngest person to get a hat trick in test cricket. Naseem, aged 16 years and 359 days took three wickets against Bangladesh on February 9, 2020 to set this record.

Notes:
Christina Koch has set the record for the longest stay in space by a woman. The U.S. astronaut landed in Kazakhstan on February 6 after 328 days on the International Space Station (ISS).

Notes:
The 13th UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) (COP 13) is scheduled to be hosted by India in 2020, at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The COP-13 (Conference of Parties) is to be held from February 15-22, 2020.
It was recently announced that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit. The theme of this year’s summit is, ‘Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home’.

Notes:
The fifth edition of joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ between India and the United Kingdom will be conducted at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom. The exercise is scheduled from February 13 to 26, 2020.
120 soldiers each from Indian and United Kingdom Army would participate in the exercise. The joint military exercise has been conducted alternatively in United Kingdom and India. The training will be held with emphasis on counter-terror operations in urban and semi-urban areas.

Notes:
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has recently approved the formation of Joint Venture (JV) between Mahindra & Mahindra and Ford Motor and the transfer of automotive business of Ford India to the JV.
The new venture to be formed would acquire the automotive business of Ford India Pvt Ltd (FIPL), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor company. The automotive business includes manufacturing plants of Ford India in Chennai and Sanand (Gujarat).

Notes:
Ace Indian hockey player Lalremsiami has been named as the ‘2019 FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year’, by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The 19-year-old player from the state of Mizoram, is the first Indian woman player to win the award.
In the men’s category, the Indian men’s team midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad was named as the ‘2019 Rising Star of the year’ by FIH.

Notes:
The Department of Agriculture of Andhra Pradesh recently signed Memoranda of understanding with 11 premier agricultural institutions of the country, in the presence of its Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Under the agreement, the institutions will provide technical assistance for increasing the farmers income sustainably, by following organic and natural farming practices. The Chief Minister also announced that more than 11000 Rythu Bharosa Kendras would be set up across the state.