Notes:
The World Radio Day (WRD) is observed every year on February 13 to remember the unique power of radio which touches lives and brings people together from every corner of the globe. It is the day, in 1946, United Nations Radio was established. The 2018 theme ‘Radio and Sports’ will promote the inseparable relationship between sports and gender, as well as how improved gender equality in sports broadcasting can lead to greater freedom of expression for all..

Notes:
Prof. Chandrashekhara Kambar, the eminent Kannada writer and Jnanpith winner, has been elected as the new president of Sahitya Akademi in the election held for the post. He is the third Kannada writer to head the country’s premier literary institution, after Vinayak Krishna Gokak (1983) and U.R. Ananthamurthy (1993). Hindi poet Madhav Koushik has been elected as vice-president. This is the second time election was held in the history of Sahitya Akademi, after Ananthamurthy’s election to the post. Prof. Kambar has served as member of the Akademi executive board for over 10 years and was vice-president for 2013-18.

Notes:
India’s first-ever radio festival has started at the UNESCO House in New Delhi on February 15, 2018 to mark World Radio Day (WRD-2018). The festival has been organised by International Association of Women in Radio and Television in partnership with UNESCO. The festival includes live performances, an exhibition, and slotted panel discussions. Apart from touching on the theme for World Radio Day 2018 – Radio and Sports – the festival is also examining the potential of the medium as a platform for social change, ways to make it more creative and will trace the journey of music on the radio.

Notes:
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, the chairperson of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) , has been sworn-in as the 41st Prime Minister of Nepal, after his Left alliance routed the ruling Nepali Congress in the country’s historic parliamentary and local polls. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-elected Prime Minister on 15 February 2018 under Article 76 of newly adopted Constitution of Nepal. Oli, who is known for his pro-China stance, has served his first stint as Prime Minister of Nepal from 11 October 2015 to 3 August 2016.

Notes:
The World Sustainable Development Summit – 2018 will be held in New Delhi on February 16. The summit will address a wide variety of issues, including combating land degradation and air pollution, effective waste management and create financial mechanisms to enable effective climate change mitigation. The theme of the 2018 Summit is – Partnerships for a Resilient Planet, which seeks to create action frameworks to resolve some of the most urgent challenges facing developing economies in the backdrop of climate change. The summit is the flagship forum of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). It seeks to bring together on a common platform, global leaders and thinkers in the fields of sustainable development, energy and environment sectors. Over 2,000 delegates are expected to participate in the summit, including policy makers, researchers, diplomats and corporates from around the world.

Notes:
The Ranganadi Dam is a concrete-gravity diversion dam on the Ranganadi River in Arunachal Pradesh which serves a run-of-the-river scheme. The dam is intended for hydroelectric purposes and is part of Stage I of the Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project and supports the 405-megawatt Dikrong Power House.

Notes:
Archaeologist and historian Arvind P. Jamkhedkar will be the new Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). He will replace Prof. K. Sudershan Rao, whose term as ICHR chief was mired in controversy. The post fell vacant after Prof. Rao’s retirement. Prof. Jamkhedkar is at present Chancellor of Deccan College, Pune, known in academic circles for its archaeology department. Prof. Jamkhedkar, who taught at Dhule, Nagpur and Mumbai, was vice-president of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai from 2007 to 2013. He is also editor of the Journal of Asiatic Society of Mumbai .

Notes:
The Union Government has constituted a committee headed by Rajiv Kumar, the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog, to study the Brahmaputra and flood control measures in Assam and neighboring states .

Notes:
The UK – India Joint research projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ were launched in New Delhi on February 20, 2018. The projects were jointly launched by NITI Aayog member Dr V K Saraswat, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Ashutosh Sharma and Research Councils UK- India Director Daniel Shah. The Water Quality Research programme has 8 projects and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ programme has four projects, with a total joint investment of up to 15 million British Pound. These projects aim to deliver mutual benefits and research solutions not only to the UK and India but also to address shared global sustainable development goals of clean water and clean energy.

Notes:
Noted violinist M.S. Anantharaman (94), an exponent of Parur style of violin playing, has passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on February 19, 2018. The Parur School is known for its violin recital by mixing the basic features of Carnatic and Hindustani styles.