Current Affairs - February 23, 2020 Current Affairs

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson and managing director, Biocon, was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 at the 21st edition of the awards. She will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo between June 4 and 6.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) launched a National Level Awareness Programme (NLAP) 2020 from 17-28 February 2020. The main objective of NLAP is to spread awareness about the schemes and activities undertaken by the Ministry of MSME and its attached organizations including Office of Development Commissioner (MSME), MSME Technology Centres, Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Coir Board, National Small Industries Corporation Limited, National Institute of MSME, and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialization.

10th edition of Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad (Indian Student Parliament) is being organised in New Delhi on February 20-23.

The third edition of the Chitra Bharati Film Festival (CBFF) began at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The three-day festival was inaugurated by the Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Bollywood filmmaker Subhash Ghai. The aim of the film festival is to establish a Bharatiya narrative in Indian cinema.

World Bank has released a report titled "Delivering Road Safety in India" during the ongoing 'Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety' in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. As per the report, India has to invest an estimated amount of additional $109 billion in road safety in the next decade. With the investment, economic benefits equivalent to 3.7 per cent of the GDP can be witnessed annually.

India finished Brazil Para Badminton International Championships with 11 medals in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Among the total are 11 medals, 4 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals. Indian shuttler Pramod Bhagat claimed two gold medals in men's singles SL3 and men's doubles SL3-SL4 categories.

India was ranked 131st while Norway was first on Child Flourishing Index that measures the best chance at survival and well-being for children.

India will be Guest of Honour at the International Tourism Fair of Madagascar. India will be the Guest of Honour at the International Tourism Fair of Madagascar, said Abhay Kumar, India's Ambassador to Madagascar, on February 20 in Antananarivo.

SK Barua, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) North East Council & Managing Director, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd was conferred with the seventh PSU Leadership Award on 19 February. The award was conferred by the Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries, Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican have been classified as "endangered migratory species" by a UN body, paving the way for trans-boundary conservation efforts. India's proposal for inclusion of the three species in the global list for international protection under the UN's Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species was accepted unanimously on February 20.

A senior agriculture scientist from the state, Govinda Rajulu Chintala has been named as next chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). Govinda Rajulu is presently serving as deputy managing director of the Nabard based at Mumbai.

Union Minister of Food Processing Industries (FPI) Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani jointly inaugurated National Organic Food Festival on 21 February in New Delhi. The festival is organized by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). The three-day festival aims to strengthen the organic market and encourage women entrepreneurs engaged in the manufacturing of organic produce.

The Indian contingent won three gold medals and one silver on the third day of the Asian Wrestling Championships. Divya Kakran won the round-robin 68kg title while Sarita Mor (59kg) and Pinki (55kg) won their respective final bouts at the KD Jadhav wrestling arena.

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor founded a unique club on January 21 in Wellington when he took the field for the 1st Test vs India. The ongoing match at Basin Reserve happens to be the 100th Test match for the Kiwi veteran and he is now the only cricketer ever to play 100 matches in each of the 3 international formats.

India was ranked 77th while Burundi was first on Sustainability Index that takes into account per capita carbon emissions and ability of children in a nation to live healthy lives.

Sweden has created two $1 million prizes for solutions to feed billions of people, as climate change threatens the world's food supply and a growing population requires sustainable food systems, organizers said on February 20. "We need a food system revolution or risk destabilising our planet.

Ideal Legislative Assembly Speaker/Ideal Legislative Council Chairman Award presented to the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly P. Ramakrishna at Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad.

RBI has approved the appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as Managing Director and CEO of the Bank for a period of three years from the date of taking charge," Dhanlaxmi Bank said in a regulatory filing.

The first-ever Khelo India University Games will begin in Odisha at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Cuttack on 22 February 2020. The multi-disciplinary sporting event will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Games will be held from 22 February to 1 March 2020 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Leo Varadkar has resigned as taoiseach after Ireland's hung parliament entered deadlock over the choice of a new premier. Varadkar submitted his resignation to Michael D Higgins, the president of Ireland, after a tempestuous but inconclusive sitting of Dail Eireann, which met for the first time since the 8 February election. It adjourned until 5 March, giving party leaders three weeks to try to form a ruling coalition.