IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 1st & 2nd, 2020

IMPORTANT  CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 1st & 2nd, 2020

Indian Coast Guard Day: 01 February
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) celebrated its raising day on February 1.

1. ICG protects India's maritime interests and enforces maritime law, with jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone.
2. It operates under the Ministry of Defence.
3. Director General of ICG: Krishnaswamy Natrajan

India-Bangladesh JT Exercise SAMPRITI-IX
As part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defence cooperation, a joint military training exercise SAMPRITI-IX is being conducted at UMROI, Meghalaya, India from 03 Feb to 16 Feb 2020.

1. Exercise SAMPRITI is an important bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and Bangladesh and will be the ninth edition of the exercise which is hosted alternately by both countries.
2. During the joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX a Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) will be conducted.

Bengaluru has the worst traffic in the world: Report
According to a report by TomTom, the Netherlands-based global provider of navigation, traffic and map products, Bengaluru is the world's most traffic congested city.

1. It beat 415 other cities across 57 countries to earn the title in 2019.
2. Drivers in this city are expected to spend an average of 71% extra travel time stuck in traffic.
3. In 2019, a commuter spent an additional 243 hours in traffic while driving during peak hours.
4. Manila in the Philippines came a close second, with a similar average time spent by commuters in traffic.
5. Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi were the other Indian cities that also featured in the top 10, taking fourth, fifth and eighth places respectively.

MP government to roll out 365-day work scheme
The Kamal Nath government of Madhya Pradesh is coming up with a ramped up version of Yuva Swabhiman Yojana, a scheme for the unemployed, hiking monthly stipend to Rs 5,000 and increasing the number of working (hence payable) days to 365.

1. The decision comes just about a week after Nath’s return from the WEF meet at Davos, where he showcased MP’s potential before investors and emphasized the need to mobilize the economy and generate more jobs.
2. Yuva Swabhiman Yojana, a Congress manifesto promise and a flagship programme of the Nath government, was launched on January 31, 2019, guaranteeing 100 days of work and pay to unemployed youth.
3. On the lines of MNREGS, the government is ready to extend the guarantee of 100 workdays to 365 days of temporary employment a year.
4. The scheme is part of Nath’s attempt to generate employment and boost the economy.

Month-long Nagoba jatara concludes in Telangana
A Month-long Nagoba jatara concluded in Telangana with the ceremony of Betal puja.

1. It is the second biggest tribal carnival and celebrated by the Mesaram clan of Gond tribes for 10 days.
2. Tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesram clan offer prayers at the festival.

Yellow rust attack sets off alarm bells in Haryana and Punjab
The detection of yellow rust disease in the wheat crop in sub-mountainous parts of Punjab and Haryana has raised anxiety among farmers.

1. According to agricultural experts, yellow rust, or stripe rust, takes its name from the appearance of yellow-coloured stripes that run parallel to the venation of leaf blades.
2. The symptoms of yellow rust include stunted and weakened plants, shrivelled grains, fewer spikes, loss in number of grains per spike and grain weight.
3. The disease usually occurs early in the growth season, when temperature ranges between 2°C and 15°C.
4. High humidity and rainfall are favourable conditions for increasing the infection on both leaf blade and leaf sheath.

Madhya Pradesh:3-day Narmada Mahotsav to be held from 31 Jan- 02 Feb
In Madhya Pradesh, three-day Narmada Mahotsav is being started from in the picturesque plains of Amarkantak on the occasion of Narmada Jayanti.

1. Local tribal art and culture will be duly demonstrated during Amarkantak Narmada Mahotsav-2020.
2. The Narmada is a major source of drinking water, irrigation and hydroelectricity for Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
3. During the Mahotsav, one day will be reserved for all women activities under the theme of “Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao”.

Uttar Pradesh''s Chandauli district tops NITI's ranking in December
Chandauli district in Uttar Pradesh has topped the list of aspirational districts ranked by the government think tank NITI Aayog in December.

1. Belangir (Odisha) and YSR (Andhra Pradesh) have been placed at the second and third positions.
2. The delta rankings took into account incremental progress made by over 112 aspirational districts across six developmental areas in December 2019.
3. Health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion, skill development and basic infrastructure were the development areas that were taken into consideration for the ranking.
4. The ranking of aspirational districts is done every month.

Economic Survey 2020 tabled in Parliament; projects growth at 6 to 6.5 per cent for the next fiscal
Economic Survey 2019-20 has projected economic growth at 6 to 6.5 per cent in the fiscal year starting 1st of April this year.

1. It has put current fiscal growth at five per cent and said the fiscal deficit target for the current fiscal may need to be relaxed to revive growth.
2. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled Economic Survey in both the houses of Parliament.
3. The survey called for more reforms to make it easier to do business in the country.
4. It said, about 1.24 lakh new firms were created in 2018, which is an increase of about 80 percent from about 70,000 in 2014.
5. It said, the industrial sector as per Index of Industrial Production registered a growth of 0.6 per cent in 2019-20 (April-November) as compared to 5.0 per cent during 2018-19 (April-November).

RBI appoints ED Janak Raj as member of Monetary Policy Committee
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed its Executive Director Janak Raj as member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the highest interest rate setting body.

1. Raj replaces M D Patra, who was recently elevated as Deputy Governor of the RBI.
2. The government had in 2016 constituted MPC to set the benchmark interest rate.
3. The MPC is headed by the RBI Governor.

International Children’s Film Festival ends in Dhaka
The 13th International Children’s Film Festival of Bangladesh concluded in Dhaka with an award giving ceremony in which 11 awards were conferred in various categories.

1. The Best Feature Film award in the international section was given to the Dutch film Romy’s Salon, directed by Mischa Kamp.
2. The Finnish director Merja Maijanen bagged the best director award for her film Good Girl.
3. German film Day X, directed by Katharina Rivilis won the Best Short Film Award.
4. The Bangladeshi director Ragib Mahmud Shafayet Shah got the Young Talent Award for his film The Smoker while Sudipto Shah won the Social Film Award for his film Khoka Jokhon Chhotto Chhilen.
5. A total of 179 films from 39 countries were screened at five venues in Dhaka during the Children’s Film Festival which started on 24th January.

Maldives rejoins Commonwealth
The Maldives has once again become a member of the Commonwealth of nations.

1. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the announcement, fulfilling one of his key presidential pledges.
2. The president said that the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, confirmed Maldives’ reinstatement into the organization as its 54th member state.
3. The Maldives first became a member of the Commonwealth in 1982 but former President Abdulla Yameen decided to leave it in October 2016, amid mounting pressure from the group over corruption and deteriorating human rights.

ISRO announces it is preparing low-cost satellite launch vehicles
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it is preparing low-cost satellite launch vehicles costing around 30-35 crores rupees each, which can put into orbit satellites weighing 500 kgs.

1. The first such launch is expected to take place in the next four months from the country.
2. This capability will give ISRO a big commercial boost as it will be able to cater to micro, mini and medium segments of the market.

Mumbai's favourite arts festival Kala Ghoda kicks off
Mumbai's favourite arts festival Kala Ghoda kicked off.

1. In its 21st edition, this year the annual arts extravaganza is packed with a bigger, tighter selection of vibrant events.
2. For the next nine days, Mumbaikars have the opportunity to enjoy host of festivities including contemporary artworks, talks by esteemed names in the city and performances across music, theatre and stand-up comedy and much more on the streets of South Mumbai.

Budget 2020-21 announces largest ever science mission: A 8000 cr National Mission on Quantum Technologies & Applications
The government in its budget 2020 has announced a National Mission on Quantum Technologies & Applications (NM-QTA) with a total budget outlay of Rs 8000 Crore for a period of five years to be implemented by the Department of Science & Technology (DST).

1. Quantum technologies are rapidly developing globally with a huge disruptive potential.
2. Their applications which will receive boost include those in aero-space engineering, numerical weather prediction, simulations, securing the communications & financial transactions, cyber security, advanced manufacturing, health, agriculture, education and other important sectors .

Union Budget 2020-2021
Presenting the first Union Budget of the third decade of the 21stcentury, Finance Minister-Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, unveiled a series of far-reaching reforms, aimed at energizing the Indian economy through a combination of short-term, medium-term, and long term measures.

1. The Union Budget was structured on the overall theme of “ Ease of Living”. Further, three prominent themes of the budget are:-
2. Aspirational India - better standards of living with access to health, education and better jobs for all sections of the society.
3. Economic Development for all - “Sabka Saath,Sabka Vikas , Sabka Vishwas”.
4. Caring Society - Both humane and compassionate.
5. The income tax rates have been revised.
6. 10% tax for income between Rs 5-7.5 lakh as against 20%
7. 15% tax for income between Rs 7.5-10 lakh as against 20%
8. 20% tax for income between Rs 10-12.5 lakh as against 30%
9. 25% tax for income between Rs 12.5-15 lakh as against 30%
10. 30% tax for income above Rs 15 lakh
11. 15% concessional tax rate for new power generation companies.
12. Tax on cooperative societies reduced to 22% without exemptions.
13. 100% tax concession to sovereign wealth funds on investment in infrastructure projects.
14. For year 2020-21:Nominal growth of GDP estimated at 10%.
15. Fiscal deficit of 3.8% estimated in RE 2019-20 and 3.5% for BE 2020-21.
16. Rs 690 billion will be spent toward healthcare spending
17. High-speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will be actively pursued, Nirmala Sitharaman says while presenting Union Budget 2020.
18. Insurance cover for bank depositors to be raised to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh
19. 5 new smart cities in public-private partnership mode
20. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway to be completed by 2023
21. 100 more airports to be developed by 2024
22. To launch a new direct tax dispute settlement scheme -- Vivaad se Vishwaas scheme.
23. Govt plans to sell part of its holding in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) by way of Initial Public Offering.
24. Government doubles the divestment target for the next fiscal at Rs 2.1 lakh crore.
25. Start-ups with turnover up to Rs. 100 crore to enjoy 100% deduction for 3 consecutive assessment years out of 10 years.
26. India will host the G20 Presidency in the year 2022 and the Finance Ministry is set to allocate Rs 100 crore for the preparations.
27. Defence gets Rs 3.37 lakh crore as the defence budget
28. Rs 2.83 lakh crore to be allocated for the 16 Action Points; Rs 1.6 lakh crore allocated to agriculture and irrigation; Rs 1.23 lakh crore for Rural development and Panchayti Raj.
29. Rs 4,400 crore for clean air; Rs 53,700 crore for ST schemes; Rs 85,000 crore for SC, OBCs schemes; Rs 28,600 for women specific schemes; Rs 9,500 crore for senior citizen schemes.
30. Rs 30,757 crore rupees for Union Territory of J&K; Rs 5,958 crore rupees for Union Territory of Ladakh.
31. National recruitment agency: New common entrance test for non-gazetted government jobs and public sector banks.
32. 5 new Smart cities to be set up via PPP model.
33. Rs 1.7 lakh crore allocated to transportation.
34. 100 more airports to be set up by 2024 to support UDAN scheme.
35. Rs 6,000 crore for BharatNet programme; Fibre to Home connections under BharatNet will be provided to 1 lakh gram panchayats this year itself
36. 5 archaeology sites to be developed for world-class museums
37. Rakhigarhi (Haryana)
38. Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh)
39. Shivsagar (Assam)
40. Dholavira (Gujarat)
41. Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu)
42. Maritime museum to be set up at Lothal- the Harappan age maritime site near Ahmedabad, by the Ministry of Shipping.
43. Rs 18,600 crore worth Bengaluru suburban transport project launched; 20% equity will be provided by the Centre.
44. New Education Policy to be announced soon.
45. Fish production to be raised to 200 lakh tonnes by 2022-23
46. Rs 3.6 lakh crore allocated to water sanitation and pipeline project; Rs 12,300 crore for Swachh Bharat.

Lt Gen Y K Joshi takes over as GOC-in-C Northern Command
Lieutenant General YK Joshi took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command at Udhampur.

1. Before assuming the charge, he visited "Dhruva War Memorial".
2. He paid tribute to martyrs who have sacrificed their lives under the Northern Command since 1972.
3. Gen Joshi commanded 13 JAK RIF in Operation VIJAY and PARAKRAM.
4. Nicknamed 'Joe', he also displayed outstanding leadership during the Kargil war.

Govt appoints M Ajit Kumar as chairman of CBIC
The Government of India appointed M Ajit Kumar IRS as chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

1. The appointment came just two days before the Union Budget 2020 presentation.
2. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment.
3. The new Chairman’s immediate responsibilities will include accelerating the Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues and to deal with the changes introduced in customs duties in the Union Budget for 2020.

Flame-Throated Bulbul 'Rubigula' official mascot for Goa 2020 National Games
'Rubigula', Flame-Throated Bulbul, has been unveiled as the official mascot for the Goa 2020 National Games in Panaji, Goa.

1. Goa will be hosting the 36th edition of the National Games from 20th October to 4th November 2020.
2. The event will see participation by 36 states and union territories, 12,000 athletes.
3. The Flame-Throated Bulbul is the state bird of Goa.

Sofia Kenin wins Australian Open final
In Tennis, American Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title with victory over Spain's Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open.

1. Kenin won 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 against two-time major winner Muguruza in Melbourne.
2. Kenin, who turned 21 in November, is the youngest Australian Open champion since Russian Maria Sharapova in 2008.