Current Affairs - February 14, 2020 Current Affairs

The fifth edition of joint military exercise Ajeya Warrior 2020 has been scheduled to be held 13-26 February at Salisbury Plains in the UK. The exercise will be held between India and the United Kingdom.

World Unnani Day was observed on 11 February. The day marks the birthday of great Unani scholar and social reformer "Hakim Ajmal Khan". The day aims to pay tribute to Hakim Ajmal Khan for his wonderful contribution to the sustained development of the Unani system of medicine in the country and the rest of the world.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chaired a state cabinet approved the Ground Water Act, 2020. It aims to improve the falling groundwater level. Under the Ground Water Act, 2020, registration is mandatory to install submersible pumps. Online registration facility will also be available.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has now officially named the new coronavirus, which has killed more than 1000 people so far, as Covid-19. It is the shortened version of coronavirus disease 2019.

India celebrates Sarojini Naidu's birthday as National Women's Day of India every year on February 13. Sarojini Naidu was India's first women governor and also famous as 'Bharat Kokila'. Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879. She actively participated in the Indian National Movement for the independence of the country.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has named India forward Lalremsiami as the 2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of the Year. She won 40% of all the votes cast. She got 47.7% of her votes from among national associations and the media, fans/players contributed 28.4% and 36.4% respectively. She came ahead of Argentina's Julieta Jankunas and Frederique Matla of the Netherlands, who finished second and third, respectively.

National Horticulture Fair 2020 was concluded in Bengaluru. It was inaugurated by Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) and Director General (ICAR) on 5 February 2020. The fair was held from 5-8 February. It focused on creating awareness about the nutrition and vertical gardening for nutritional security and accentuated the need for horticulture-based integrated farming systems.

The government of India has announced all medical devices sold in the country would be treated as "drugs" with effect from 1 April 2020. All devices will be regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940. The announcement was made by the ministry of health and family welfare on 11 February.

National Water Conference was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Well-known water experts in the country have expressed concern over the growing water crisis. The Conference was inaugurated by Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

The command of the Eastern Fleet was handed over to Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsyayan by Rear Admiral Suraj Berry at a ceremony at Visakhapatnam on 11 February 2020. He previously served as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at New Delhi. Rear Admiral Suraj Berry will take over as Chief of Staff of the tri-services Andaman and Nicobar Command shortly.

The government has recently authorized companies to export military equipment to 42 countries across the world, including Azerbaijan, Estonia, Indonesia, Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Seychelles, and the UAE. The announcement was made by the Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik.

National Winter Games will be hosted in the world-famous ski destination Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. The five-day games will be held from 7 March under the Khelo India programme.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi as the 28th district of the state. The new district, carved out of Bilaspur, has three tehsils and three development blocks namely Gaurela, Pendra and Marwahi. It comprises 166-gram panchayats, 222 villages and two nagar panchayats, with an area of 1,68,225 hectares.

World Radio Day is celebrated annually on February 13 to recognize radio as a method for teaching individuals, transporting data and promoting the opportunity of expression across global cultures. The theme of this year's World Radio Day is 'Radio and Diversity'. It brings the focus on diversity, linguistic tolerance and plurilingualism. Radio is a crucial medium to celebrate humanity, intercultural competence and democratic citizenship.

Public Enterprises Survey 2018-19 tabled at Parliament stated that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation and NTPC Limited were the top three profitable PSUs in 2018-19. Also, BSNL, Air India and MTNL incurred the highest losses for a third consecutive year.

Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai inaugurated the Field Training Exercise of 2nd BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise on flood rescue at the Ramachandi Beach, Puri, Odisha on 12 February. The exercise highlighted the historicity and diversity of cultural heritage sites in the BIMSTEC region.

The State of the World's Children Report 2019 stated more than 8 lakhs under 5 Mortality Rate in India. The report was released by the United Nations Children's Fund is a United Nations agency (UNICEF). The report has ranked countries in the order of 'highest burden of death among children of under-5' to the 'lowest burden of death among children Of under-5'.

The Philippine government scrapped a 20-year-old security pact with the United States on 11 February. The pact allows the American troops to take part in the military exercises and humanitarian operations in the country. The agreement will remain in force for now and will lapse in 180 days.

The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri G. Kishan Reddy inaugurated the 20th International Seminar on "Comprehends the Evolving Contours of Terrorism & IED Threat-Way ahead for the Security Community". The seminar was organized by the National Security Guard (NSG), at Manesar, Haryana 12 February 2020.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Iceland in the field of Fisheries. The MoU was signed on 10 September 2019. The MoU will strengthen the existing friendly relations between India and Iceland. It will also enhance consultation and cooperation on Fisheries including consultation on bilateral issues.

Rear Admiral Puruvir Das took charge of the Gujarat, Daman and Diu Naval Area from Rear Admiral Sanjay Roye as Flag Officer Commanding Gujarat Naval Area (FOGNA) at a ceremony held at Headquarters Gujarat, Daman and Diu Naval Area on 10 February 2020.