Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2021

Notes:
The United States of America (USA) has decided to revoke the designation of Yemen’s Houthi movement from the present status of “foreign terrorist organization”. This decision was announced by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
The movement was regarded and declared as a terror outfit by the erstwhile Trump administration.

Notes:
Olympus Mons is the largest volcano in the solar system present in the planet of Mars. It is a large shield volcano, which is over two times the height of Mount Everest above sea level.
The UAE’s “Hope” Mars probe sent back its first image of Mars, after the spacecraft successfully entered the planet’s orbit. The probe recently captured the Olympus Mons volcano, taken from an altitude of 24,700 kilometres above the Martian surface.

Notes:
The Union Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) programme.
This nation-wide programme has been launched in partnership with nine Indian Institutes of Management across India. It has been launched under the SANKALP (Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) scheme.

Notes:
India’s leading cement maker ACC has launched a new low carbon range of ready mix concrete, in order to cut down carbon emissions.
This has been named as ECOPact. It has been launched in Mumbai and Hyderabad initially and would be rolled out in the entire country in some time.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs is to organise a ‘Mushaira’ event, in which renowned poets from across the country will recite their poems.
The event is to be conducted on February 20, 2021, on the theme ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’. Mushaira, which is regarded as a poetic symposium is part of the Culture of India and Pakistan. It aims to make younger generation aware of the country’s art and culture.

Notes:
The high-level meeting chaired by Union Communications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that a Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) will be set up.
It will address the matters regarding Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC) and financial frauds done through mobile phones. The Ministry would also set up a web/mobile application and SMS-based system for redressal mechanism.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a set of amendments to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
This was the proposal of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The amendments include empowering the District Magistrates (DM) and the additional DMs to monitor the functioning of agencies, which are implementing the act.

Notes:
The first day of the spring called ‘Pahela Phagun’ is celebrated in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The country’s top cultural organisations including the Bangladesh Shilpa Kala Academy held programmes to celebrate the beginning of the spring.
On account of the Covid pandemic, the traditional programme of ‘Basanta Utsab’ at the Fine Arts faculty in Dhaka university was cancelled.

Notes:
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) eased the listing norms for large companies in the Initial Public Offering (IPO).
It announced that large companies can now divest a minimum 5 per cent in the IPO, instead of 10 per cent. The companies also get five years, as agaisnt three years to raise the public float to 25 per cent.

Notes:
Tamilisai Soundararajan has been sworn in recently as the Lt Governor of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. Her oath was administered by the Chief Justice of Madras High Court Sanjib Banerjee.
She becomes the 5th women Governor of the UT of Pondicherry. She has replaced Kiran Bedi as the Governor.