ONE LINER OF THE DAY 29th FEB 2020

1.NITI Aayog has selected UT of J&K for first pilot project among all States and UTs on Sustainable Developmental Goals. It would get a chance to work with UN Development Programme (UNDP). The programmes would work like that of district indicator framework.Information would be sought from District Commissioners.

2.In Jammu & Kashmir, the Union Territory Administration is planning to open 10 more Affordable Medicines & Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) stores in tertiary care institutions by the end of April 2020. 12 AMRIT stores are operating in J&K currently.Drugs, consumables & implants are sold at discounted rates here.

3.The Government has announced amnesty scheme for power consumers across UT of Jammu & Kashmir. The Administrative Council headed by the Lieutenant Governor G.C. Murmu approved the scheme for power consumers which will come into effect from March 1, 2020.Waiver of penalties & interests will cost 600 Cr to the govt.

4.Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra Conference in New Delhi. He & other dignitaries released various products developed by the KVKs.Govt had set a target to double farmer income by 2022.

5.Union Power Minister R. K. Singh dedicated 11 Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMC) to the nation at a function in New Delhi, placing India among a league of few nations, which have state-of-the-art management centers for renewable energy integration.Government of India target 175 GW RE Capacity by 2022.

6.PM Modi is to distribute assistive aids and devices to senior citizens and Divyangjan. The objective of the event is to propagate information to senior citizens and Divyangjan belonging to BPL category about how to face their challenges in day-to-day life.The RVY was launched in 2016 at Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.

7.Speaker Rajendra Trivedi said that Gujarat Assembly will start giving ‘Best MLA’ award for MLAs starting from the year 2019. The award will be in the lines of Outstanding Parliamentarian Award given to MPs & Best MLA awards given in some other states.Lok Sabha Speaker- Om Birla.

8.The two-day unique Chilli Festival begins at Kasrawad in in Khargone district of MP. It will help in fulfilling the Central Government's goal of doubling the income of farmers. Chilli Festival is a business opportunity for traders, investors & exporters.Chilli-based cuisine stalls will also be set up on the occasion.

9.Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya commissioned Indian Coast Guard’s OPV ICGS Varad in Chennai. Varad will enhance Coast Guard’s capability to monitor & maintain vigil of Indian maritime borders.Varad is propelled by 2 diesel driven engines of 9000 KW each.

10.Ministry of Steel along with Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry-Government of Japan and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) organised the "Enabling Procedures for Increase of Steel Usage for the Growth of Economy" workshop in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.PM plans Mission Purvodaya to make India $5 trillion economy.

11.Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light Combat Helicopter Production Hangar at Helicopter Division in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Complex at Bengaluru, Karnataka. LCH is a 5.5-tonne class combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL.It inherits many features of the Advanced Light Helicopter.

12.Bengaluru accounted for the highest number of digital transactions in India in 2019, followed by Chennai, Mumbai & Pune, while United Payments Interface was the most preferred mode of payment, said a new report by online payment processor Worldline India.UPI is followed by debit cards, IMPS & credit cards.

13.India's Ambassador to Qatar P. Kumaran will attend the signing of the peace deal between the US & the Afghan Taliban. The deal would allow for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. The US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001.The Qatar government has invited India for the ceremony.

14.29 February 2020 is the 13th international Rare Disease Day coordinated by EURORDIS. On this day many patient organisations all over the world will hold awareness-raising activities. Rare Disease Day is held on the last day of February every year.Rare disease-Any disorder that affects small part of the people.

15.Indonesia’s Agus Dwi Santoso will take over as coach of the Indian badminton team. This was confirmed by chief national coach Pullela Gopichand.Santoso was till recently the coach of the Thai team along with Rexy Mainaky and Mulayo Handoyo.Badminton Association of India President: Himanta Biswa Sarma.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 28th FEB 2020

1.India & Myanmar agreed to strengthen the bilateral relations by signing 10 agreements in various fields including infrastructure, energy, communication & health. The agreements were exchanged following talks between PM Modi & Myanmar President U Win Myint.Myanmar capital- Naypyidaw, Currency- Burmese Kyat.

2.Government has sanctioned 32 projects in the food processing sector under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana. The projects are spread across around 17 states leveraging an investment worth 406 Cr. SAMPADA scheme approved on 2017 was later named as PMKSY.Union Food Processing Minister-Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

3.Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad launched trio of products-Small Vessel Advisory & Forecast Services System (SVAS), Swell Surge Forecast System & Algal Bloom Information Service (ABIS)-to better cater to its diverse users.INCOIS is under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

4.Minister Arjun Munda launched ‘Programme for capacity building of ST representatives in local self-governments’, ‘1000 Spring Initiatives’ & an online portal on GIS-based Spring Atlas with hydrological & chemical properties of the Springs in Bhubaneswar.Arjun Munda is the Union Tribal Affairs Minister.

5.NASSCOM in collaboration with Niti Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission launched an Artificial Intelligence-based module for students of Indian schools. The AI-Base Module will be implemented across 5,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, empowering 2.5 million students.It will help the students to learn various concepts of AI.

6.FM Nirmala Sitaraman launched Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE 3.0) along with the annual report of EASE 2.0 at a function organized by Indian Banks’ Association. Aim of EASE 3.0 is to make public sector banking technology enabled & smart.EASE-Set of banking reforms to ensure better banking experience.

7.Addressing the 91st Annual General Meeting of the ICAR, Narendra Singh Tomar said budgetary provision has been made to provide each FPO a sum of Rs. 15 lakhs for all farming related activities ranging from sowing, harvesting to distribution & marketing.ICAR- Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

8.The union cabinet approved amendment of the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands Land Revenue and Tenancy Regulation, 1965 to confer occupancy rights to the ST population in Lakshadweep. The Occupancy right is the right to occupy and use tribal area.Lakshadweep island is mostly comprising of ST population.

9.The 24th meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council comprising of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal will be held in Bhubaneswar on 28 February. Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the meeting. CM of Odisha Naveen Patnaik is the Vice-Chairman and host.CMs will be accompanied by 2 Cabinet Ministers from each state.

10.The 6th Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel-6 “VAJRA” was launched in Chennai. The ship would be utilized for day & night surveillance along with anti-terrorist/ anti-smuggling operations in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as well as Coastal Security.The OPV have two Navigation Radars with ultra-modern technology.

11.The Eight-day cultural fair called Vasantotsav was inaugurated at Sanskruti Kunj in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The annual festival is organised by the department of Youth & cultural Affairs of Government to celebrate the rich diverse heritage of the country.

12.Facebook has cancelled its annual F8 developers conference, the biggest annual event for the US tech giant, over fears about the possible spread of the novel coronavirus. The gathering in San Jose typically draws many software makers around the world.Game Developers Conference is set to held in San Francisco.

13.The novel coronavirus outbreak has prompted six countries-China, Hong Kong, Macau, North Korea, Turkmenistan and Taiwan-to withdraw from shooting World Cup slated to be held from 15th of March at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in the national capital.National Rifles Association of India President-Raninder Singh.

14.Renowned Vedic Scholar & Gandhian Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away. The centenarian was given the title Chaturvedi for his mastery over the 4 vedas

15.National Science Day is celebrated on 28 February. It is celebrated every year to commemorate the discovery of the Raman Effect. On this day, Sir CV Raman had announced the discovery of the Raman Effect for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.Focal theme of the day: “Women in science”

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 27th FEB 2020

1.According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ,GSLV-F10 will launch geo imaging satellite, GISAT-1, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on March 5. Weighing about 2,275 kg,GISAT-1 is a state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite.Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

2.Smartphone brand realme has appointed Bollywood actor Salman Khan as its brand ambassador. According to Counterpoint Research, realme was the world's fastest-growing smartphone brand in 2019. It ranked at the 4th spot in the Indian smartphone market.realme Headquarters: Shenzhen, China.

3.The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) amended the Consolidated Foreign Direct Investment Policy 2017 (FDI Policy) to allow 100 per cent FDI in insurance intermediaries through the automatic route.Till now, FDI up to 49% was allowed in insurance intermediaries.

4.Union FPI Minister launched the– Market Intelligence & Early Warning System (MIEWS) Web Portal. Portal can be accessed at http://miews.nafed-india.com. It is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ platform for ‘real time monitoring’ of prices of tomato, onion and potato.Harsimrat Kaur Badal, UM of Food Processing Industries (FPI).

5.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved setting up a national technical textiles mission with a total outlay of Rs 1,480 crore. The mission will have a four-year implementation period from FY 2020-21 to 2023-24.Indian technical textiles segment is estimated at 16 bn. dollars

6.GoI announced the mega event,RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020,’ to be held from April 11-12 in New Delhi.RAISE 2020 is India's first Artificial Intelligence summit to be organized by the Govt. in partnership with Industry & Academia.Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary MeitY.

7.Bob Iger has stepped down as CEO of the Walt Disney Company (DIS), effective immediately. Bob Chapek is the new CEO, the board of directors announced. He most recently served as chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.Walt Disney Company HQs-Burbank, California, United States.

8.ICoSDiTAUS-2020, the 2-day Int'l Conference on Standardisation of Diagnosis & Terminologies in AYUSH Systems of Medicine concluded in New Delhi with adopting the "New Delhi Declaration on Collection & Classification of Traditional Medicine Diagnostic Data.Ayurveda,Yoga&Naturopathy,Unani,Siddha, Sowa Rigpa & Homoeopathy.

9.The Central Board of Secondary Education has released an app giving information about the examination center for the convenience of the students.CBSE has also launched an Online Exam Center Management System-OECMS for the Principals of the school.Anita Karwal,chairperson of CBSE.

10.RBI has directed banks to link all the new floating rate loan to medium enterprises(MEs) with external benchmark. Move is aimed at further strengthening monetary policy transmission so that benefits of reduction in key lending rate can be passed on to MEs.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Founded: 1 April 1935.

11.A ten-member delegation of MPs, members of the Committee on the Constitution in Riksdag, the Parliament of Sweden, visited the Election Commission in New Delhi.The delegation was led by Ms Karin Enstrom, MP and Chair of the Committee.Chief Election Commissioner : Sunil Arora.

12.The government approved the exemption of India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) from the department of public enterprises (DPE) guidelines for speedier development of Iran’s Chabahar Port project, which India sees as a gateway to landlocked Afghanistan.In 2016,India & Iran signed a pact for developing Chabahar port.

13.Five-time Grand Slam winner Russian Maria Sharapova, one of the world's most recognisable sportswomen, announced her retirement at the age of 32.

14.K.V. Jeyasri, a Tamil teacher from Tiruvannamalai, has won the Sahitya Akademi Award 2019 for her translation of the Malayalam novel Nilam Poothu Malarnna Naal (The day the land bloomed and blossomed) into Tamil as Nilam Poothu Malarntha Naal.

15.Kazuhisa Hashimoto,the man who invented the "Konami code" cheat that became pervasive in video gaming and pop culture, has died.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 26th FEB 2020

1.Madhya Pradesh has become the 1st state in the country to introduce the unified registration card and the 2nd state to launch the unified driving license after UP. CM Kamal Nath distributed the unified cards to six persons in a function held in Bhopal.The card bears a unique number recognized across the country.

2.India and the United States finalized defence deals worth 3 billion dollars and signed three agreements, including in health and oil sectors. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on mental health between the health departments of both the countries.Another MoU on the safety of medical products was also signed.

3.Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is working on connecting about 3,000-kilometre long power grid from Myanmar-Thailand to India. Grid connectivity would ensure better capacity utilization by countries.Countries had signed a MOU for forming a power grid in 2018.

4.Deputy PM & Foreign Affairs Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters arrived in India for a 4-day visit. He will attend the inaugural ceremony of New Zealand Centre at IIT Delhi and will give speech on Indo Pacific at the Indian Council of World Affairs.New Zealand Capital- Wellington, Currency- Dollar.

5.UN Security Council renewed its sanctions regime on Yemen for another year, after tense negotiations between Britain & Russia. 13 countries eventually adopted the London-drafted resolution on the sanctions, which now are in effect through February 2021.Russia and China abstained the resolution.

6.The child malnutrition rate in Bangladesh has declined sharply over the last 6 years. The finding was reported in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019, jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics & United Nations Children's Fund.The rate of chronic malnutrition among children is 28% in 2019.

7.The 16th Session of the Joint Ministerial Commission between India & Australia was convened in New Delhi. It was co-chaired by Union minister Piyush Goyal and Hon. Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism & Investment, Government of Australia.Piyush Goyal- Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry.

8.In a first, Canadian doctors have used a robot to perform a surgery to treat brain aneurysm. The medical condition is a weakness in a blood vessel in the brain that balloons and fills with blood. The experimental procedure was described at the ISC.International Stroke Conference (ISC)-2020 was held in US.

9.UP, MP and Bihar are among the states that send maximum patients out to other states for treatment under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, as per the analysis carried out by the National Health Authority on the portability feature of the scheme.PM-JAY provides health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh.

10.Injeti Srinivas inaugurated the SPICe+ Web Form as part of govt’s Ease of Doing Business initiatives. It would offer 10 services by 3 Central Govt Ministries-Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Labour & Dept of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance.It also includes Maharashtra State Government.

11.Union Minister of HRD, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, presented the Vishwakarma Awards 2019 instituted for promoting an innovative spirit and scientific temperament for the holistic development of society through stakeholders of its approved institutes.

12.The Forest Department of the Odisha State Government conducted a census at Chilika lake to count the number of dolphins at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha. According to the report, the dolphin count came down to 233 in 2020 from 259 in 2019.The Sanctuary is a part of Bhitarkanika National Park of Odisha.

13.Adani Foundation launched a unique CSR activity among Kerala’s coastal communities in association with Lifology.com. The project aims to provide career-building opportunities to students from less developed coastal areas using the Lifology.com platform.Lifology is an international career accelerator for youth.

14.Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports (I/c), Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the first-ever Khelo India Winter Games in the UT of Ladakh at Leh, Ladakh. The event, which is first of its kind in India, is being organised to promote winters sports in India.The second leg of the Winter Games will be held at Gulmarg.

15.In Jammu and Kashmir, the hosts bagged gold medal in the 6th National Ice Stock Sports Championship organized at Ice Rink in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir. Two hundred participants from 18 different states across the country participated in the three-day event.The event was organized by J&K Ice Stock Sports Association.

16.Egypt's former President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, who ruled the country for 30 years, died at the age of 91. 

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 25th FEB 2020

1.NABARD has sanctioned an amount of over 400 crore rupees to the UT of J&K during the current financial year for giving boost to the infrastructure in the rural areas.The funding is a part of the NABARD’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).Chintala Govinda Rajulu, newly appointed NABARD Chairman.

2.India will host the Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in January 2022. The medals from the two events will be counted for ranking of competing nations at the Birmingham Games.The two events will be held in Chandigarh.Birmingham Commonwealth Games- July 27 to August 7, 2022.

3.Microsoft announced a partnership with SBI to train differently-abled people find jobs in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector. Over 500 differently-abled youths will be upskilled in the first year of the collaboration.SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar.

4.The first anniversary of the iconic National War Memorial is being observed.The memorial is a fitting tribute to those heroes who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during various wars and internal security challenges since Independence.PM Modi dedicated the monument to the nation last year.

5.The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Oman player Yousuf Abdulrahim Al Balushi from all forms of cricket for seven years for his involvement in trying to fix matches.Al Balushi accepted four charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.ICC Chairperson: Shashank Manohar; Headquarters: Dubai, UAE.

6.NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose calculations helped get the first Americans to space & back safely died.Among her many accomplishments, She completed the trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard’s 1961 suborbital flight.National Aeronautics & Space Administration Founded:29 July 1958.

7.ExxonMobil inked a letter of cooperation with US’ Chart Industries Inc. & Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL)for supplying liquified natural gas (LNG) by by road, rail and waterways to areas not connected by physical pipelines.India is the world’s third-largest oil importer.

8.According to journal JGR Biogeosciences,Carbon more than 8,000 yrs old has been found inside the world's deepest blue hole-the Yongle Blue Hole,which was recently discovered in the South China Sea.They are generally circular, steep-walled & open to surface.South China Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean.

9.Abbott India announced the launch of an inactivated vaccine in India against four strains of influenza virus.It is the only 0.5 ml quadrivalent flu vaccine in India that has been approved for use in children below 3 years.Influenza (Flu) is a respiratory illness that a virus causes.

10.Daredevil & Flat Earth theorist Michael "Mad Mike" Hughes died in a rocket crash. Hughes, 64, wanted to prove the Flat Earth theory by taking photographs of the Earth from a homemade rocket.Hughes launched himself into the heavens in a steam-powered rock.The flat Earth model is an archaic conception of Earth's shape.

11.Birla Estates recently launched an interactive AI Powered ChatBot solution LIDEA for its customers on WhatsApp. The solution is aimed at providing information of its projects to users who are evaluating residential developments of Birla Estates.John McCarthy is one of the "founding fathers" of AI.

12.Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned and the cabinet was dissolved, plunging the Southeast Asian country into chaos less than two years after the 94-year-old leader took office in a historic election.Abdullah of Pahang-King of Malaysia.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 24th FEB 2020

1.United States surpassed China to become India's top trading partner. According to the Commerce Ministry data, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at nearly USD 88 billion in 2018-19 FY and India's trade with China was at USD 87.1 billion.US is one of the few nations with which India has trade surplus.

2.Riek Machar sworn in as 1st Vice President in South Sudan. Transition govt will serve for 36 months. President Salva Kiir called the official ending of the war & said peace is now irreversible as the new govt was formed after more than a year of delays.South Sudan Capital- Juba, Currency- Pound.

3.US President Donald Trump will arrive in Ahmedabad on 24 February on a 2-day visit to India. Modi & Trump will jointly address the Namaste Trump event at Motera cricket stadium. A cultural extravaganza will be organised at the stadium during the event.They will participate in roadshows on the way to stadium.

4.NITI Aayog is organizing SDGs Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation & Development of North Eastern states, in Guwahati from 24 February. NITI Aayog has the mandate of overseeing the adoption and monitoring of SDGs at the national and sub-national level.NITI Aayog plans to achieve the SDGs by 2030.

5.The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme completes one year on 24 February. Under the Scheme, an amount of 6000 Rs per year is transferred in three equal instalments of 2000 rupees in every four months directly into the bank accounts of the farmers.PM Modi launched the scheme on 24 February 2019 at Gorakhpur.

6.The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, run by a joint venture between Airports Authority of India & GVK, announced the launch of the world’s largest temperature-controlled Terminal for processing and storage of agro and pharma products.Export Cold Zone can hold over 700 tonnes of cargo at one time.

7.Dr Niti Kumar, Senior Scientist from Division of Molecular Parasitology & Immunology, CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow has received SERB Women Excellence Award-2020. Award will be conferred by the Indian President during National Science Day Celebrations on February 28.SERB-Science and Engineering Research Board.

8.The 1st-ever 3-Day Ladakh winter conclave 2020 concluded. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur appealed the tourism industry to strengthen the border villages to showcase the development & also said that 40 tourism themes are possible in the Ladakh region.Conclave aimed at attracting tourists in the winter season.

9.To provide a platform for discussions & deliberations on the present status, future prospects & optimum use of EPS, a 3-day international conference on ‘Ensemble Methods in Modelling & Data Assimilation’ is being organised by NCMRWF, MoES in Noida.EPS- Ensemble Prediction System.

10.Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan flagged off a group of students from across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories for a ten-day tour ‘Watan Ko Jano’, a youth exchange programme. 200 students are participating in the ‘Watan Ko Jano’.Lieutenant Governor of J&K- Girish Chandra Murmu.

11.Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the government aims to make Chhattisgarh a steel hub of the country. Steel industry has an important role to play in making India a five trillion-dollar economy by 2024.He said this in the visit to Bhilai Steel Plant, Chhattisgarh.

12.Indian men's doubles pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan settled for a silver medal at the ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open after losing the summit clash to German combination of Benedikt Duda and Patrick Franziska at Budapest, Hungary.

13.Central Excise Day is celebrated on 24 February in India, to recognize the contribution of the Central Board of Excise & Customs-at present Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs. The day marks the enactment of the Central Excise & Salt Act in 1944.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 23rd FEB 2020

1.In men’s freestyle 57 kg category, Ravi Dahiya won gold medal defeating Tajikistan’s Hikmatullo Vohidov by technical superiority in the final match at KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium. Earlier, India’s Bajrang Punia, Gourav Baliyan & S Kadian won silver medals.Asian Wrestling Championships began in 1979.

2.Gandhinagar declaration was adopted by the 13th Conference of Parties at the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals convention. A total of 10 species were listed in the CMS appendices 1 & 2 while 13 species recommended for concerted action.Great Indian Bustard, Asian elephant listed in appendix 1.

3.Modi declared open the first-ever Khelo India University Games at Cuttack in Odisha. As many as 3,400 athletes from 159 universities across the country will vie for top honours across 17 disciplines including rugby which is among the 6-team events.Odisha Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik.

4.Centre has disbursed Rs 50,850 crore to farmers so far under its scheme PM-KISAN, enabling them to meet farm input cost & household expenses. The agriculture ministry shared the progress made under the scheme, ahead of its first anniversary.PM-KISAN launched on Feb 24, 2019 by PM Modi at Gorakhpur.

5.VP Naidu felicitated 3 Padma Awardees from Telangana - ace badminton player Ms PV Sindhu, innovative farmer C. Venkat Reddy & well known Sanskrit/Telugu poet V. Sribhashyam, at a function organized by Swarna Bharat Trust, Hyderabad.Sindhu is a recipient of Padma Bhushan.

6.PM Narendra Modi said "1.3 billion Indians" disregarded apprehensions & "wholeheartedly" accepted recent critical judicial verdicts which were subjects of global discussion, at the International Judicial Conference 2020 – 'Judiciary and the Changing World'.Chief Justice of India: Justice Arvind Bobde.

7.Wipro Digital, the digital business unit of Bengaluru-based Wipro Ltd has acquired Washington-based Rational Interaction, a full-service digital customer experience company. Acquisition will scale Wipro Digital’s offering for chief marketing officers.Wipro HQ: Bengaluru.

8.West Bengal emerged as the worst in ratings prepared for the first time by Centre regarding Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payouts. Haryana & Uttarakhand emerged as the best states at 1st and second positions, respectivelyCentral DBT covers as many as 439 schemes run by 56 ministries.

9.Union Minister of Science & Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Science Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurated a New Institutional Campus at the National Institute of Public Health Training & Research (NIPHTR) at Navi Mumbai.NIPHTR estd in 1957 under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

10.Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant flagged off the Carnival 2020 float parade in Panaji. Large number of locals and tourist throng the annual Goa Carnival, which is the major traditional Catholic festival celebrated in the stateGovernor of Goa: Satya Pal Malik.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 22nd FEB 2020

1.India ranked 77th on a sustainability index that considers per capita carbon emissions & 131st on a flourishing ranking that measures the best chance at survival and well-being for children. Report was commissioned by WHO, UNICEF & Lancet medical journal.Report assessed the capacity of 180 countries.

2.Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha announced retirement from international and first-class cricket with immediate effect. In all, he played 24 Tests between 2009 and 2013 in which he took 113 wickets. From 18 ODIs, he grabbed 21 wickets.2023 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by India.

3.DoT has launched ‘5G Hackathon’ in association with government, academia and industry stakeholders. Aimed at shortlisting India's focused cutting edge ideas that can be converted into workable 5G products and solutions.Minister of State for Communications, E&IT: S. Shamrao Dhotre.

4.National Museum in New Delhi is hosting a unique exhibition on India’s ancient food history called "Historical Gastronomica - The Indus Dining Experience till the 25th of this month that goes back to over 5000 years ago.Event is jointly curated with One Station Million Stories.

5.Retired IAS officers Amarjeet Sinha & Bhaskar Khulbe have been appointed as Advisers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the rank and scale of Secretary. The appointments are made on contractual basis initially for a period of 2 years.Chairman Economic Advisory Council to PM: Bibek Debroy.

6.15 clusters in Jharkhand have been selected under Phase 3 of Rurban Mission which includes Saradu cluster under Tandwa block of Chatra district. Saradu cluster encircles Tandwa, Saradu, Gadilong, Kabra-koyad and Kasiyadih gram panchayats.Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission launched in 2016.

7.Competition Commission of India has given approval for GMR group's proposed 49% stake sale in its airport business to France's Groupe ADP. Clearance is through the green channel, which allows for an automatic system for speedy approval of combinations.Competition Commission of India is a statutory body.

8.Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has launched a National Level Awareness Programme (NLAP) 2020. Objective of the NLP is to spread awareness about schemes & activities undertaken by the Ministry & its attached organisations.MSME Minister of State: Pratap Chandra Sarangi.

9.In order to resolve queries of railway passengers, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has now powered voice-enabled 'ASKDISHA' to converse with customers in Hindi languageRailways had introduced AI-based 'ASKDISHA' chatbot in 2018.

10.Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani inaugurated the 3rd edition of the Chitra Bharati Film Festival organised by Bharatiya Chitra Sadhana in Ahmedabad featuring a total of 141 films, divided into 4 categories: campus films, animation films & short film.Gujarat Governor: Acharya Devvrat.

11.President Kovind inaugurated the 4th edition of The Huddle, The Hindu’s annual thought conclave, in Bengaluru. The 2-day event would feature 15 sessions & 32 speakers, from the world of politics, business, academics, sports, entertainment and the arts

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 21st FEB 2020

1.International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The 2020 theme is "Languages without borders". UN declared 2019 as The Year of Indigenous Languages.UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France

2.Haryana government will open Atal Kisan - Majdoor canteens in all mandis and sugar mills across the state to provide affordable and cheap meals to farmers and labourers at a concessional rate of 10 rupees per plate.Governor of Haryana: Satyadev Narayan Arya.

3.Divya Kakran became only the 2nd Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships defeating junior world champion Naruha Matsuyuki in New Delhi. Navjot Kaur had become the 1st Indian woman to win a gold medal at 2018 championship.Pinki, Sarita Mor won gold in 55kg, 59kg respectively.

4.Axis Bank, and Max Financial Services signed a confidentiality & exclusivity arrangement to explore the possibility of the private sector lender entering a long-term strategic partnership with Max Life Company Ltd.HQ: Mumbai; Virtual Bank asst: Axis Aha!

5.Securities & Exchange Board of India has amended the SEBI (Depositories and Participants) Regulations by including an additional explanation that states that ‘pledge’ would also refer to ‘re-pledge of securities for margin or settlement obligations.’SEBI Chairperson: Ajay Tyagi.

6.The app will help lakh of railway employees to check their employment record during the tenure of their job in the Indian Railways. The HRMS Mobile App was launched by Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav.App designed & developed by Centre for Railway Inform. System.

7.India’s proposal to include Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican in Appendix I of UN Convention on migratory species was unanimously accepted at the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species in Gandhinagar.Govt has declared Indian elephant as National Heritage Animal.

8.The programme that has been launched leads to dual M.Sc. that would see NRTI students obtaining two post graduate degrees from both institutions, after spending a year studying at each institution from academic year 2020-2021.National Rail Transport Institute was set up in 2018 at Vadodara.

9.RBI has approved the appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as Managing Director and CEO of the Bank for a period of 3 years from the date of taking charge. Dhanlaxmi Bank was removed from the RBI PCA frameworkDhanlaxmi Bank Headquarters: Thrissur.

10.Larry Tesler, the computer engineer most commonly known as the developer of the 'cut, copy and paste' functions, and 'find and replace', for user-friendliness in applications like the word processor, passed away at the age of 74

11.P V Sindhu won the ESPN's Female Sportsperson of the Year award for a 3rd consecutive time while young shooter Saurabh Chaudhary bagged the honour in the male category. Chess player Koneru Humpy won the award for the Comeback of the Year.

12.Centre has devised a 20-20 model to pair the top 20 cities with the bottom 20 and help the laggard cities to kick-start the smartening up process by borrowing technical know-how and financial studies before the 5th anniversary of Smart City Mission.No.1 Ahmedabad has been paired with Chandigarh, ranked 81.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 20th FEB 2020

1.Sanjay Kothari, the Secretary to the President, has been selected as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner by a high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bimal Julka has been chosen as the new Chief Information Commissioner.The selection panel also included Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

2.Cabinet has approved of the formation of the 22nd Law Commission.Now farmers can enrol in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) on a voluntary basis.The Cabinet also approved the Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill 2020.Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani

3.India stands at 131 in terms of flourishing and at 77 on sustainability index in a report released by a Commission of World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and The Lancet.The top three countries are Norway, South Korea and The Netherlands.Central African Republic, Chad, Somalia and Niger are at bottom.

4.The government approved a Rs 4,558-crore scheme to promote the dairy sector which will benefit about 95 Lakhs farmers.The Cabinet has also decided to raise the benefit under the interest subvention scheme from 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent.Information and Broadcasting Minister;: Prakash Javadekar.

5.India will join the league of nations using petrol and diesel containing just 10 parts per million of sulphur.India will switch to the world's cleanest petrol & diesel from April 1 as it leapfrogs straight to Euro-VI emission compliant fuels from Euro-IV.Bharat Stage (BS)-IV had a sulphur content of 50 ppm.

6.India has emerged as the 5th-largest world economy in 2019, overtaking the UK and France, as per a report by US-based think tank World Population Review. India has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.94 trillion, overtaking the UK and France in 2019.In purchasing power parity (PPP), India's GDP is $10.51 trillion

7.The Union Cabinet has approved the formation of an empowered "Technology Group". The Cabinet-approved group will consist of 12 members with the Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India serving as its Chair.Professor K. VijayRaghavan is the Principal Scientific Adviser.

8.Corporate Affairs Ministry is undertaking "rigorous consultations" with stakeholders for formulating a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.The ministry, which implements the companies law, is steering the the process of formulating the plan.UM for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman.

9.HDFC Bank, Mastercard and SAP Concur have joined hands for spending management services for the corporate sector. The corporate credit card will enable seamless integration of all business-related spend into SAP Concur offerings.SAP Concur,a travel,expense,invoice management solution provider.

10.IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, and Central Bank of India have approached the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), seeking permission to exit the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework.The LIC-owned IDBI Bank has met all but one of the criteria for coming out of PCA.IDBI Bank MD & CEO Rakesh Sharma.

11.On 26 Nov. 2007, the General Assembly declared that, starting from the 63rd session of the General Assembly, 20 February will be celebrated annually as the World Day of Social Justice.2020 Theme: "Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice"International Labour Organization HQs-Geneva, Switzerland.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 19th FEB 2020

1.Indian cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar being carried on the shoulders of his teammates following India's world cup triumph in 2011 was voted as the Laureus best sporting moment in the past 20 years. Steve Waugh presented the trophy to Tendulkar.Tendulkar became the first Indian sportsperson to win Laureus.

2.Union minister Harsh Vardhan & Norway’s Minister for Climate & Environment-Sveinung Rotevatn, opened the India-Norway Task Force on Blue Economy for Sustainable Development. They also commenced a new collaboration on Integrated Ocean Management & Research.Norway Capital- Oslo, Currency- Norwegian krone.

3.Ashraf Ghani has won a second term as President of Afghanistan. Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah head a fragile national unity government that was put together under the US pressure after both leaders claimed victory in Afghanistan's 2014 elections.Afghanistan Capital- Kabul, Currency- Afghan Afghani.

4.Bangladesh and Nepal have agreed to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to enhance the trade between the two countries. Bangladesh has also agreed to allow Nepal to use the Saidpur airport located in its northernmost district of Nilphamari close to Nepal.Bangladesh exports commodities worth $38 million to Nepal.

5.Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee organised a workshop on the post-earthquake reconstruction of schools & other educational facilities at Kathmandu. Workshop was aimed to provide best practices for delivering End to End construction management.India helps the renovation of 70 schools & 1 library in Nepal.

6.Australia has appointed former New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell as the next high commissioner to India. Mr O'Farrell will succeed Harinder Sidhu who has been in the office since 2016. O'Farrell will also have non-resident accreditation to Bhutan.He has served as New South Wales' Special Envoy for India.

7.Hindi is the 3rd most spoken language of the world in 2019 with 615 million speakers. The 22nd edition of the world language database Ethnologue stated English at the top of the list with 1,132 million speakers. Chines Mandarin is at the second position.Bangla has been ranked as the 7th most spoken language.

8.Union government has decided to rename the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses to honour the commitment and legacy of late Manohar Parrikar, who was a former Defence Minister.Manohar Parrikar is also a Padma Bhushan awardee.

9.Govt will facilitate doubling of milk processing capacity from over 53 mn tonnes to 108 mn tonnes by 2025. In India, milk production is growing by 6.4% during the last 5 years & increased from over 146 mn tonnes in 2014-15 to over 187 mn tonne in 2018-19.About 54 per cent of milk produced is marketable surplus.

10.SEZs continue to take the lead in expanding the exports for the country. Even in the midst of volatile global economy, SEZs in India have shown resilience and have achieved 100-billion-dollar worth of exports in FY 2019-20, as on 17th February 2020.241 SEZs are operationalizing in the country as of now.

11.The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has received the Grassroots Charter Bronze Level membership of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), giving the right to promote its grassroots events & activities with the support and recognition of the AFC.AIFF President- Praful Patel.

12.Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju launched an event in New Delhi to unveil the five host cities- Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai- for the FIFA Under-17 Women's Football World Cup which kicks off on 2nd of November this year.Finals will be played on 21st of November at Navi Mumbai.

13.The Soil Health Card Day is observed on 19 February. The scheme aims at issuing soil health cards to farmers every 2 years to provide a basis to address nutritional deficiencies in soil and it ensures additional income to farmers by increase in yields.Modi launched the SHC Scheme on 19th February 2015 in Rajasthan.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 18th FEB 2020

1.India and World Bank signed a USD 450 million loan agreement to support the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY)-National Groundwater Management Improvement Programme to arrest the country’s depleting groundwater levels and strengthen groundwater institutions.

2.Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari reached Stockholm to represent India at the “3rd High Level Global Conference on Road Safety for Achieving Global Goals 2030”. Objective is to bring road safety on the global agenda.UN has set goal of reducing road crashes by 2030.

3.The ambitious Soil Health Card Scheme is completing five years on 19 February. The objectives of the scheme are to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers every two years so as to provide a basis to address nutritional deficiencies in fertilization practices.The scheme was launched in 19 February 2015.

4.The two-day long 4th National Conference on Review of Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana began in Udaipur. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Secretary- Sanjay Agarwal inaugurated the conference, with 140 members participation.

5.CCI approves the acquisition of 100% shareholding of WABCO Holdings Inc. (WABCO) by ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF), under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002. WABCO is a global supplier of primarily pneumatic braking control systems.

6.India assumed COP Presidency for the next 3 years with a focus on Collaborative Approach to tackle Biodiversity Issues. The 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species has begun in Gandhinagar with leaders from 130 countries.2020 is said to be the Super Year for Environment.

7.SEBI has decided to permit the use of regulatory sandbox, a system that will allow live testing of new products, services and business models by market players on selected customers. Sandbox is intended to serve as a testing ground for new business models.SEBI was founded on 12 April 1992.

8.The Fifteenth Finance Commission has decided to constitute a High-Level Expert Group on Agriculture Exports to recommend measurable performance incentives for States to encourage Agri exports as well as to promote crops to enable high import substitution.Chairman- Sanjiv Puri, Chairman & Managing Director of ITC.

9.The Election Commission of India has been awarded “Silver” for Excellence in Government Process re-engineering for digital transformation for the year 2019-20 from Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Government of India.It was given during 23rd National Conference on e-Governance.

10.Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh has said that Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will soon be covered by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), addressing the annual conference of the CAT in New Delhi.CAT Chairman- Justice L. Narismha Reddy.

11.Seeking to attract businesses to Jammu and Kashmir, the state administration announced a three-day global investors summit to be held in Srinagar from October 12. The Confederation of Indian Industries will be the national partner for the investors meet.J&K Trade Promotion Organisation and CII have signed MoU.

12.SC has ruled that all women army officers are now eligible for permanent commissions, allowing them to be in commanding roles. The ruling means that all women officers will now be on par with men when it comes to promotions, ranks, benefits and pensions.SC granted consent to commission women officers in Indian Army.

13.The International Hockey Federation announced that India will host next year's Junior Men's Hockey World Cup. This is the 2nd time that India will be hosting the tournament, having staged it in Lucknow in 2016, where the hosts lifted the coveted trophy.Competition will be played towards the end of 2021.

14.World rapid champion Koneru Humpy claimed her 2nd title in the last 2 months by winning the Cairns Cup Chess Tournament in USA. She drew with compatriot Dronavalli Harika in the ninth and final round. With this win, Humpy will gain 5 ELO rating points.Electric Light Orchestra- Basis for international rankings.

15.Asian Wrestling Championship will begin in New Delhi on 18 February. It will be held at the KD Jadhav Hall of Indira Gandhi Stadium till 23rd of this month. The event will have a total of 30 weight classes, 10 each in Freestyle Men, Women, and Greco Roman.The Championship will begin with Greco-Roman events.

16.National Anti-Doping Agency banned javelin thrower Amit Dahiya for 4 years for evading sample collection by violating rule 2.3 of the NADA & trying to cheat officials during the 2nd National Javelin Throw Open Championship 2019 held in Sonipat, Haryana.NADA presented the case to Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel.

17.Popular Bengali film actor & former Trinamul Congress MP Tapas Pal died. He was 61. Tapas Pal acted in number of Bengali films besides 2 times elected in Lok Sabha from Krishnanagar Constituency of West Bengal. Tapas Pal also elected in the State assembly.

ONE LINER OF THE DAY 17th FEB 2020

1.India has initiated Ocean dialogue with Norway to address the problem of Marine Plastic litter. Both countries decided to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in the field of environment and climate change particularly in the field of marine pollution.Norway Capital- Oslo, Currency- Kroner.

2.Moody's Investors Service has cut India’s 2020 GDP growth forecast to 5.4% from 6.6%. At the same time, it has cut the 2021 GDP growth forecast to 5.8 percent from 6.7 percent. In the second quarter of the current fiscal year, GDP growth fell to 4.5%.The government has pegged GDP growth at 5 percent in FY19.

3.India’s Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the existing Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement with Sri Lanka, aimed at curbing tax evasion. The existing DTAA between the 2 nations was signed on 22 January 2013 & entered into force on 22 October 2013.Under the amendment, an anti-abuse provision is to be included.

4.On his day-long visit to the Parliamentary Constituency Varanasi PM Modi launched 50 development projects worth more than Rs 1254 Cr. He also dedicated Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Memorial Centre to the nation & also flagged off the Kashi Mahakaal Express.Express links Varanasi, Ujjain and Omkareshwar.

5.Permanent Account Number will become inoperative if it is not linked with Aadhaar by March 31, 2020, the Income Tax department has said. The deadline for linking of PAN & Aadhar has been extended several times & the current deadline ends on March 31, 2020.PAN is a 10-character alphanumeric number.

6.Ministry of Steel along with CII is to organize a workshop on 17 February 2020 in New Delhi to focus on fostering steel usage in the Railways & Defence sectors. The aim of the workshop is to have an in-depth discussion with the Railways & Defence sector.Union Minister of Steel- Dharmendra Pradhan.

7.Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises launched “Apiary on Wheels'. It is a unique concept framed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission. The main aim of “Apiary on Wheels” is to make migration easy. It is a platform to carry 20 Bee Boxes.Apiary on wheels is an approach to make beekeeping simpler.

8.Ahead of President Trump’s visit by the end of February 2020, Indian government has announced that it is to partially open the poultry and Diary market to imports from US. India will now allow imports of US turkey, chicken legs, blueberries and cherries.India is the second largest trade partner of the United States.

9.Biometric VeinID platform Fingopay will soon launch an open banking retail pilot with payments company Reflow. The partnership enabled the Fintech to successfully complete the world’s first bank-to-bank, face to face payment using Finger VeinID.Fingopay uses Hitachi Vein ID technology.

10.Telangana is hosting Bio-Asia Summit 2020 in Hyderabad 2020 February 17-19. The main objective of the summit is to explore the capabilities of Life Science Companies and their investments. They will focus on the needs of the evolving Life Science industry.Theme- Today for Tomorrow, Country Partner - Switzerland.

11.The government has decided to pump Rs 1,300 Cr into state-owned Exim Bank to fund its business growth. Last year, the government doubled its authorised capital from Rs 10,000 Cr to Rs 20,000 Cr. Exim Bank is the principal export credit agency in India.EXIM Bank was established in 1982.

12.EC has collaborated with IIT Madras to work on a new technology which will allow electors to vote from far away cities without going to the designated polling station of their constituencies. The project is at present in the research & development stage.Block chain enabled customised e-ballot paper will be generated.

13.The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy, Tamil Nadu has developed Thirumathikart-a mobile app for SHG (Self Help Group) products. The main objective of the app is to empower women and help them access market opportunities in a seamless manner.Union Department of Science & Technology partnered for this.

14.Indian athletes finished with 3 medals in different categories in the World SnowShoe Championship at Myoko, Japan. Ayan Bin Shahnaz bagged silver, while Zain Ali & Muzamil Hussain Mir-all from Kashmir-bagged bronze medals in their respective categories.Snowshoe Federation of India fielded the Indian contingent.

15.CMS COP 13 is to discuss the effects of insects decline on migratory species for the 1st time. Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services says that at the current rate, 40% of the world insects will be extinct in next few decades.EUROBATS agreement focuses on insect decline.

16.Ranveer Singh & Alia Bhatt starrer Gully Boy bagged 2020 Filmfare Awards with both the lead actors bagging the prestigious trophies for their roles in respective categories. Uri-The surgical strike director Aditya Dhar won the best debut director award.Ramesh Sippy was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

17.The Chief of Indian Navy Admiral Karamvir Singh is to visit Myanmar between February 17, 2020 and February 20, 2020. During his visit, he will hold discussions with his Myanmar counterpart to enhance bilateral maritime relations between the countries.Myanmar Capital- Naypyitaw, Currency- Burmese Kyat.