Daily Current Affairs February 08

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February 08 | Daily Current Affairs 2022

Obituary – Daily Current Affairs February 08

1. Praveen Kumar Sobti, ‘Mahabharat’ actor and Asian Games medalist, dies:

• Actor-athlete Praveen Kumar Sobti best known for winning an Asian Games gold medal, died.
• The athlete dominated the discus and hammer throw events for many years during the 1960s and 70s, winning medals in three Asian Games, one Commonwealth Games and taking part in two Olympics — the 1968 Mexico editions and the ill-fated 1972 Games in Munich — where Israeli athletes were massacred by a Palestinian terrorist group.
• He came up with his career-best efforts in the two Olympics — 60.84m in hammer throw (1968) and 53.12m in discus throw (1972).

REMARKS:

• Sobti’s discus throw gold medals in the Asiad came in the 1966 and 1970 editions.
• He won a hammer throw bronze in the 1966 Asian Games and a silver in the same discipline in the Commonwealth Games that year.
• He also won a discus throw silver in the 1974 Asian Games.
• His hammer throw silver (in 1966) remains the only one that an Indian has won at the CWG.
• It was India’s maiden medal in a field event in the Commonwealth Games and only the second in athletics after Milkha Singh’s 440 yard gold in the 1958 edition.
• He gained further popularity after he began his acting career and featured as Bheem in BR Chopra’s classic ”Mahabharat” in 1988.
• As an actor, Sobti featured in supporting parts in close to 50 movies like ”Yudh”, ”Adhikar”, ”Hukumat”, ”Shahenshah”, ”Ghayal”, ”Aaj Ka Arjun” and Tamil film ”Michael Madana Kama Rajan”.
• He entered politics in 2013 when he joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to contest the Delhi assembly elections.
• However, Sobti lost to BJP’s Mahender Nagpal. After that, he joined the BJP in 2014.

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Ranking – Daily Current Affairs February 08

2. J&K, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura topped in attacks on journalists in 2021:

• Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura topped the list of States and Union Territories where journalists and media houses were targeted in 2021, a report by a New Delhi-based rights group.
• At least six journalists were killed, 108 attacked and 13 media houses or newspapers targeted across the country, according to the India Press Freedom Report 2021 by the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG).
• The highest number of journalists or media organisations targeted was in J&K (25), followed by Uttar Pradesh (23), Madhya Pradesh (16), Tripura (15), Delhi (8), Bihar (6), Assam (5), Haryana and Maharashtra (4 each), Goa and Manipur (3 each), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (2 each), and Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala (1 each).
• While J&K recorded the maximum attacks by State actors, Tripura had the most cases of attacks by non-State actors.

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Banking and Finance – Daily Current Affairs February 08

3. RBI extends restrictions on Karnataka’s Millath Co-Operative Bank till May:

• The Reserve Bank extended the restrictions on Millath Co-Operative Bank, Devangere (Karnataka), by another three months till May 7, 2022.
• As per the directions issued first on May 10, 2019, withdrawals were capped at Rs 1,000 from any account.
• Other terms and conditions of the directives will remain unchanged during the latest three-month extension.
• The directions also include no new loans, new investments or taking on any new liabilities, including borrowing of funds or paying any other liabilities, sans RBI approval.

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4. Arya, MAS Financial partner to offer finance to small farmers, FPOs:

• Arya tied-up with MAS Financial Services Ltd to offer agri-finance to farmers with a focus on small farmers and FPOs.
• The services will be offered by Arya.ag’s lending services arm, Aryadhan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
• The alliance will leverage ag’s digital technologies-led customer interface to offer lending services initially to farmers in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
• Both entities are aiming to achieve ₹100 crore co-lending portfolio.
• Farm produce-as-collateral model has ensured that ag’s lending services has been NPA-free since inception with an average per borrower ticket size of ₹28 lakhs.
• The company facilitates finance of over $700 million annually.

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5. HDFC ERGO launches cyber sachet insurance policy:

• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has announced the launch of its cyber sachet insurance policy aimed at mitigating cyber-related, digital risks for individual customers and keeping them internet insured.
• Customers can be internet insured with a pocket-sized insurance cover at a nominal premium of less than ₹ 2 per day.
• The sum insured ranges from ₹ 10K to ₹ 5 crores for choice of covers that include financial loss, reputation loss, data loss and recovery, cyber liability protection, smart home devices, and cyber bullying.

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Business and Economy – Daily Current Affairs February 08

6. Lendingkart partners with Amazon India to offer working capital loans to sellers:

• Fintech start-up Lendingkart has entered into a strategic partnership with an e-commerce major Amazon India.
• Under this partnership, Lendingkart will provide collateral-free loans to eligible sellers registered on Amazon.in based on lender qualifiers.
• Till now, LendingKart has disbursed business loans to over 1,50,000 MSMEs in 4000+ cities and towns across all States and union territories.
• With this partnership, the lending company will have access to 800K MSME sellers and over 5 million MSME merchants on Amazon ecosystem.

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Appointments – Daily Current Affairs February 08

7. Sukla Mistry takes over as first woman director on Indian Oil board:

• Sukla Mistry took over as the first woman functional director on the board of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the nation’s largest oil refining and fuel marketing company.
• She has taken over as Director (Refineries) of IOC, India’s highest-ranked energy public sector enterprise.
• “Mistry is the first woman functional director on the IOC board.”
• She will also be holding the positions of director on the board of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) and the 60 MMTPA Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemical Ltd, the world’s largest grassroots refinery project coming up in Maharashtra.
• Mistry will continue to hold the post of non-executive director on the board of IHBL, a joint venture company of three leading oil and gas central PSUs.

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Science and Technology – Daily Current Affairs February 08

8. INSAT-4B Satellite de-commissioned:

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has de-commissioned its Communication Satellite INSAT-4B after 14 years of its operations.
• INSAT-4B has undergone post mission disposal (PMD) at the end of its life, followed by decommissioning on January 24, 2022, to comply with the UN and the Inter Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) recommended space debris mitigation guidelines.
• INSAT-4B is the 21st Indian GEO satellite to undergo post-mission disposal, the required propellant for such reorbiting was included in the initial fuel budget as a part of standard practice followed in ISRO’s GEO mission planning.
• The finally achieved orbit is about 340 km above GEO altitude in perfect compliance with IADC guidelines for space debris mitigation of GEO objects.
• The successful post-mission disposal of INSAT-4B through meticulous planning and flawless execution marks yet another endeavour by ISRO to ensure the safety and sustainability of outer space operations.
• INSAT-4B satellite was launched on March 12, 2007 using the Ariane-5 launch vehicle from French Guiana to render DTH and other communication services.
• After completing nearly 14 years of on-orbit operations, the C band and Ku band payload services of INSAT-4B were seamlessly migrated to other GSATs before commencement of the post mission disposal.
• As per IADC space debris mitigation guidelines, at its end-of-life, a GEO object should be raised to a nearly circular orbit well above GEO belt to prevent its orbit from coming back into the GEO protected region within 100 years of re-orbiting.
• In this case, the minimum orbit raise required was 273 km and this is achieved through 11 re-orbiting manoeuvres executed during January 17 to 23, 2022.
• The first manoeuvre was aimed to circularize the orbit.

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International Affairs – Daily Current Affairs February 08

9. India becomes first country in world to administer COVID-19 DNA vaccine:

• India became the first country in the world to administer DNA vaccine against COVID-19.
• It comes as India recorded a reduction of 1,03,921 cases in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
• The national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 95.64 per cent, according to Union health ministry data.
• The Indian government approved emergency use authorisation for Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine earlier this year, citing initial results from Phase III clinical trials that showed approximately 66 percent efficacy for symptomatic cases.
• The ZyCoV-D, the world’s first plasmid DNA vaccine, was produced by Ahmedabad-based vaccine manufacturer Zydus Cadila.
• The Drugs Controller General of India has given its permission for the vaccination to be given to children aged 12 to 17.
• Unlike most COVID-19 vaccines, which need two doses or even a single dose, ZyCoV-D is administered in three doses with a gap of 28 and 56 days from the first dose respectively.
• Zydus Cadila’s vaccine, developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, is the second home-grown shot to get emergency authorisation in India after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
• According to health ministry officials, over 93 per cent of the adult population have received at least one dose while over 69.8 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

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National Affairs – Daily Current Affairs February 08

10. Gujarat govt launches new IT policy with aim to create 1 lakh jobs in five years:

• Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched a new Information Technology and IT-enabled services (IT/ITeS) policy, with an aim to generate one lakh ”high-skilled jobs” in the sector in the next five years.
• The new policy, which will remain in force till 2027, offers a range of financial incentives to new investors wanting to set up IT or ITeS units in the state.
• The chief minister unveiled the policy document at a function held in GIFT City near Gandhinagar.
• Apart from generating one lakh jobs in the sector, the new IT/ITeS policy also aims to increase Gujarat’s IT-ITeS exports from the current Rs 3,000 crore annually to Rs 25,000 crore over the next five years, an eight-fold growth.
• The policy proposes a separate incentive structure for both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX).
• For an IT/ITeS project, the state government will provide CAPEX support of 25 per cent, in the limit of Rs 50 crore, which can go up to Rs 200 crore for a ”mega project”.
• The OPEX support will range between Rs 20 crore and Rs 40 crore per year, depending on the size of the project.
• The state government will provide CAPEX support of up to Rs 150 crore to set up a new data centre, and such centres will be eligible to get a power tariff subsidy of Rs 1 per unit for five years.
• Other key incentives include interest subsidy of 7 per cent for five years on the term-loan of up to Rs 5 crore and 100 per cent waiver on electricity duty for five years to all the eligible IT and ITeS units.
• Under the Employment Generation Incentive (EGI) component of the policy, the government will provide to the employer unit a special annual incentive of up to Rs 50,000 for men and Rs 60,000 for women employees.
• Similarly, employers will get 100 per cent refund for EPF contribution for women employees, while the ratio will be 75 per cent for men.
• As per the policy document, the state government will set up an AI school or an AI Centre of Excellence to prepare skilled manpower for the IT sector.

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11. Cochin Shipyard delivers 3 vessels to BSF:

• The Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) delivered the three Floating Border Out-Post (FBOPs) vessels to the Border Security Force (BSF).
• With this, the Shipyard has delivered six vessels out of nine FBOPs being built for the BSF.
• CSL General Manager A Sivakumar signed the delivery and protocol documents with Kumal Mazumdar, the DIG of BSF, in a function held at Kolkata.
• The three FBOPs of 46-meter length are built for the Water Wing of the BSF.
• The vessels will act as a floating base for the flotilla of fast patrol boats and will supply petrol, fresh water and provisions to the smaller boats and are to be deployed on India’s eastern and western borders to protect Indian territory.

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12. Andhra Pradesh CM to launch 2nd Tranche of ‘Jagananna Chedodu’ scheme:

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch the second edition of tranche of Jagananna Chedodu.
• On 8th February, for the second year in a row, the Andhra Pradesh Government disbursed Jagananna Chedodu.
• Under this scheme, this year funds have been credited to 2,85,350 citizens from Rajakas, Nayee Brahmins, and Tailors belonging to all communities.
• Through a Virtual Launch taking place at the Tadepalli Camp Office, Rs 285.35 crores in financial aid has been credited to the recipients’ accounts.
• Under this scheme, beneficiaries will be provided with a one-time amount of Rs 10,000.
• This fund can be utilized by the beneficiaries for purchasing tools, equipment, and other essentials to grow their source of income and work establishment.
• This year’s disbursement is Rs 285.35 crore, so far, the state government has disbursed Rs 583.78 crores for this scheme.
• Jagananna Chedodu is a state government-funded welfare scheme only for tailors, washermen, and barbers of the state, who have their own shops and have lost their livelihood due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The fund provided to each beneficiary will be transferred directly to their bank accounts.

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13. Ayush Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launches dedicated storefront for Ayurveda products on Amazon.in:

• A dedicated storefront for yurveda products on Amazon.in marketplace was launched by Union Minister for YUSH, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal.
• The event started with a short video film on Ayurveda and its advantages.
• This Ayurveda product storefront will enhance visibility of unique Ayurveda products such as various kinds of juices, skin-care supplements, immunity boosters, oils and more from small businesses and startup brands.

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14. NITI Aayog and USAID Collaborate to Accelerate Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship in India:

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new partnership under the Sustainable Access to Markets and Resources for Innovative Delivery of Healthcare (SAMRIDH) initiative, which will improve access to affordable and quality healthcare for vulnerable populations in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and rural and tribal regions.
• In 2020, USAID, IPE Global, and stakeholders from the Indian government, academia, and the private sector developed the innovative SAMRIDH blended finance facility to combine public and philanthropic funds with commercial capital to create and rapidly scale market-based health solutions.
• This new partnership announced today will enhance SAMRIDH’s efforts to reach vulnerable populations, leveraging AIM’s expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship.
• AIM and SAMRIDH will leverage philanthropic capital, and public sector resources to offset barriers for commercial investments in small and medium health enterprises to invest in and scale healthcare solutions.

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