Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2020

Notes:
Ace Indian weight-lifter, Mirabai Chanu set a new national record in the National Weightlifting Championships in Kolkata, by improving her previous record. The former world champion and common wealth gold medallist belongs to the state of Manipur.
Mirabai lifted a total of 203kg to win the 49kg gold, which was better than her previous best- 201 kg, which she had achieved at the World Championships at Thailand, in September last year. The 25-year-old weight-lifter was placed fourth in the world rankings. Jeremy Lalrinnunga, another top weight-lifter from India won the men’s 67kg title in the Championship.

Notes:
The noted astronaut of the US- based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Christina Koch recently completed the longest-ever single spaceflight by a woman.
Christina Koch landed through a parachute at Kazakhstan, from the Russian Soyuz spacecraft she was onboard. She had created a record by spending 328 days on the International Space Station (ISS) and surpassed the previous record held by the American astronaut Peggy Whitson. In October last year, she performed the first all-female spacewalk along with her fellow astronaut Jessica Meir.

Notes:
The prestigious Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (Indian and Global Languages) is to be presented to the noted Odia and English writer Manoj Das. The award would be presented during the Mystic Kalinga Festival (MKF) which commences in Bhubaneswar on February 8.
The Mystic Kalinga Literary Award is conferred to a person who has made significant contribution to the literature and culture of Odia. The bilingual writer recently received the country’s third-highest civilian award- Padma Bhushan, for his contribution in the field of literature and education. He had also been conferred with the Saraswati Samman award.

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:
India and Nepal recently signed the financial closure of Arun-III, which is the largest hydropower project of Nepal. The 900 MW hydropower project is under construction in Nepal, with an estimated cost of $1.04 million.
The project, which is to be built with the financial assistance from India, is to be completed in 5 years. It is being built by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Arun-III Power Development Company (SAPDC), a joint venture of the Government of India and the Government of Himachal Pradesh.

Notes:
The South African country Botswana has the largest elephant population in the world. Recently, the country was seen in news as it auctioned licenses to hunt elephants, to tackle human-animal conflict.
In the capital city of the country Gaborone, the licenses to hunt 70 elephants were said to be auctioned. The government had lifted the ban on hunting, which was prevalent for five years.

Notes:
Renowned writer and academician Giriraj Kishore passed away recently. The Gandhian writer was 82-years-old. He was also the recipient of the prestigious civilian award ‘Padma Shri’.
The famous literary works of Giriraj Kishore include ‘Pahla Girmitiya’ and ‘Dhaai Ghar’. A recipient of ‘Sahitya Samman’, he was also a former member of the Sahitya Academy working committee.

Notes:
The United States Trade Representative’s (USTR’s) office has recently classified India as a developed economy and it is ineligible for GSP benefits from the US.
The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) scheme offers a lower tariff to the exporters of a select group of developing countries. India is the largest beneficiary nation under the GSP, which enjoyed a tariff-free access to the US, till last June.

Notes:
Gulmarg is a popular skiing destination and a hill-station town located in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in the Pir Panjal Range in the western Himalayas.
The town is set to host the five-day national winter games event under Khelo India, from March 7. As many as 30 events are scheduled to be organised under five major activities namely snowboarding, snow skiing, cross country and snow show.

Notes:
Renowned Fashion designer Wendell Rodricks recently passed away in Goa. A popular personality in Designing, he was also called as ‘Guru of Minimalism’. He was known for introducing the ideas of ‘Resort wear’ and ‘Eco-friendly garments’ in the country.
He was also a promoter of Khadi movement and a recipient of India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri. The iconic designer was also a social activist.