Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2021

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has recently unveiled the draft “Humans in space policy 2021”.
The policy will be sent to the government for approval. The policy seeks to facilitate start-ups and the local industry to build technologies for its human space programme. ISRO has also set up a two-member team to study the technologies needed for the mission.

Notes:
Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that the upper ceiling has been raised from Rs 45,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh per month.
This increase is in accordance with the increase of salary as per the recommendations of the seventh pay commission. This step will ensure that the family members of the deceased employees get access to adequate financial security.

Notes:
The Department of Science and Technology of India has reported that Indian astronomers have detected huge optical flare in BL Lacertae.
BL Lacertae is a feeding super massive black hole or blazar. The analysis of this old astronomical object may help to trace the mass of the black hole and the source of this emission.

Notes:
Maharaja Suheldev was an Indian king belonging to Shravasti, which is the Gangetic Plains of present-day Uttar Pradesh.
The Government has decided to construct a memorial for the king and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial.

Notes:
The death anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay – 11th February, was recently observed as Samarpan Diwas.
He was the co-founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the was forerunner of BJP. During the pre-independence time, he started a monthly publication named Rashtra Dharma. He was assassinated on 11th February 1968.

Notes:
Mario Draghi has sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Italy. He is the former Chief of the European Central Bank.
He is nick named as “Super Mario”. He has announced his cabinet of ministers, which consists of political and technocratic ministers. He is presently 73 years old.

Notes:
The Kerala state Government announced that it is set to launch an initiative, to set up and modernise mini-museums.
This project is spearheaded by Keralam Museum, an organisation which builds and modernises museums. The state has also launched the ‘District Heritage Museum’ and aspires to be a museum hub of the country.

Notes:
A group of six black storks (Ciconia nigra), were spotted recently in the Sigur plateau in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu.
The species is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the “Least Concern” category. The sighting of the black stork in this region is considered to be extremely rare.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced that it will provide Rs 100 crore loan to Gurgaon-based hospital chain Medanta.
The financial assistance would aid the multi-speciality hospital chain in enhancing healthcare services and medical equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes staff training programmes on infection control.

Notes:
Twitter has started rolling out the voice messages feature, under which recorded voice message can be sent via Direct Message in India.
This new voice message feature is being launched in select countries in a phased manner. The voice message feature is already present in various instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, and others.