Current Affairs - February 21, 2020 Current Affairs

United States gymnast Simone Biles scooped the World Sportswoman of the Year award for the second year running, while American snowboarder Chloe Kim won the World Action Sportsperson of the Year for a second time.

Veteran Kannada actor Kishori Ballal passed away on 18 February 2020. She was 82 years old. She passed away due to age-related ailments in Bengaluru. She has acted in around 75 movies including her role in Shah Rukh Khan Starrer "Swades". Kishori Ballal was born in Dakshina Kannada district. She was married to Bharatanatyam dancer N. Sripathi Ballal.

Indian state of Mizoram celebrated the Statehood Day on 20 February. The culture of Arunachal Pradesh is special. The people are known for their wonderful nature and patriotic zeal.the people of Mizoram are known for their valour and rich value systems. It holds the rich Mizo culture and the contribution of the state towards India's progress.

Gymnastics superstar, Simone Biles, claimed her third Sportswoman of the Year title at last night's Laureus Awards in Berlin. The 22-year-old American won five gold medals at last year's World Championships in Stuttgart sealing her position as the most decorated sportsperson in world gymnastics history.

Pakistan successfully flight tested the air-launched nuclear-capable cruise missile Ra'ad-II. The test aimed to boost the military's deterrence capability on land and at sea. The Ra'ad-II missile is an attempt to match India's BrahMos cruise missile. The range of Ra'ad-II missile is 600 km.

Minister of State (independent charge) for shipping Mansukh Laxman Mandaviya laid the foundation stone for a 50-metre-high lighthouse at Dhanushkodi near Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu. The new lighthouse at Dhanushkodi will be the 5th lighthouse in the district after Pasipattinam, Olakuda, Pamban, and Keelakarai. The lighthouse will guide fishermen and vessels and will be a tourist attraction place.

The Uttar Pradesh state government has allocated Rs.2,000 crore for the Noida international airport that is being set up at Jewar. The allocation was announced in the state budget.

State of India's Birds 2020 reported that 79% of the bird species are on a decline in the last five years. The report was released at the 13th Conference of Parties (COP-13) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) which is hosted in India.

The Union Cabinet led by PM Narendra Modi approved the Phase II of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) (SBM (G)) till 2024-25. The scheme will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM). The program will ensure that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet. It aims to help rural India can effectively handle the challenge of solid and liquid waste management.

Indian state Arunachal Pradesh celebrated the Statehood Day on 20 February. The culture of Arunachal Pradesh is special. The people are known for their wonderful nature and patriotic zeal.

Navi Mumbai will be hosting the final of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup on 21 November. The announcement was made by the organizing committee.

The Secretary to the President Sanjay Kothari has been chosen as the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) by a high-powered 6-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The former Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka has been chosen as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) in the Central Information Commission. The retired Indian Administrative Service officer is currently serving as an Information Commissioner.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti is celebrated on 19 February. He was an embodiment of courage, compassion and good governance. His life continues to motivate millions. The year 2020 marks the 390th birth anniversary of great Maratha warrior Shivaji. PM Narendra Modi paid his tribute to India's great hero.

Rail Madad was awarded Silver under Category II of National e-Governance Awards-"Excellence in providing Citizen-centric Delivery". The award was presented at the 23rd National Conference on e-Governance which was held in Mumbai on 7-8 February 2020.

The Uttar Pradesh state government has enforced the Performance Regulation Act 2019 for the power department. The move aims to provide timely and easy service to the consumers. Under the act, the consumers will now get financial compensation for the delay in solving their complaints by the power department.The act will benefit 2 crore 87 lakh people under the new law.

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda inaugurated the function to celebrate the "16th Foundation of Day of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST)". It was organized by National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on 19 February.

Former Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (President Dr. V L Dutt passed away on 18 February. V L Dutt headed FICCI in 1991-92. He was the chairman of the India Vietnam Joint Business Council of FICCI. He graduated from the Business Institute of Management, London. He served as the chairman of The K C P Group of companies.

President Ashraf Ghani won Afghanistan's presidential election.He has been elected for the second term. The election results were announced by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) five months after the voting took place amid the threat of violence and concerns over electoral fraud. Ghani won 50.64% of the vote on 28 September 2019. He defeated Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah who secured 39.52% of votes.

Sunil Kumar won India's first Greco-Roman gold medal in Asian Wrestling Championships in 27 years on 18 February. He defeated Azat Salidinov of Kyrgyzstan under the 87kg category at the summit. He scored 5-0 in the event to claim the title. The previous gold was won by Pappu Yadav in 1993 for India under the 48 kg in the Greco-Roman category. Also, Arjun Halakurki won bronze at the championship under the 55 Kg category. He defeated Donghyeok Won of Korea to claim the medal.

Argentinean footballing icon Lionel Messi and six-time Formula 1 World champion Lewis Hamilton were declared the joint winners of Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. The pair pipped three-time Laureus award winner and world number one tennis star Rafael Nadal, six-time World MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, golf legend Tiger Woods, and Eliud Kipchoge, the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours.