Home Current Affairs News February 19 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

February 19 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

February 19, 2021

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February 19 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

Table of Contents

SPORTS

1. Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka has won the WOMEN’S doubles final of the Australian Open 2021. This Game is started in which date?
A) January 12
B) January 16
C) January 14
D)January 10
E) January 13
Answer: D) January 10

In Tennis, the Belgian and Belarus pair of Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka has won the WOMEN’S doubles final of the Australian Open 2021.
They defeated Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in straight sets of 6-2, 6-3.

Elise Mertens, Aryna Sabalenka – Women’s doubles title of Australian Open.

2. Dhammika Prasad has announced his retirement from international cricket. He was related to which country?
A) Zimbabwe
B) England
C) Sri Lanka
D) Australia
E) India
Answer: C) Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka fast bowler Dhammika Prasad has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.
Prasad, 37, last played a Test match in October 2015 against the West Indies here.
He represented Sri Lanka in 25 Tests and 24 ODIs, bagging 75 and 32 wickets respectively.
He also played lone T20 International against Australia in 2011.

Dhammika Prasad – Retirement from international cricket.

3. India’s Ankita Raina claimed maiden WTA title by lifting the Phillip Island Trophy along with which country partner Kamilla Rakhimova?
A) Zimbabwe
B) England
C) Sri Lanka
D) Russia
E) India
Answer: D) Russia

India’s Ankita Raina claimed her maiden WTA title by lifting the Phillip Island Trophy along with Russian partner Kamilla Rakhimova, a feat which will catapult her into the top-100 in the doubles for the first time in her career.
Ankita and Kamilla erased a one-set deficit to beat the Russian combination of Anna Blinkova and Anastasia Potapova 2-6 6-4 10-7 in the summit clash.
Ankita will become only the second player to crack the doubles top-100 since Sania Mirza, who is a six-time Grand Slam champion.

Ankita Raina – Maiden WTA title, clinches Phillip Island Trophy doubles.

4. Dutee Chand is related to which sports?
A) Weightlifting
B) Volleyball
C) Hockey
D) Football
E) Athlete
Answer: E) Athlete

Dutee Chand sprinted to victory in women’s 100m at the season-opening Indian Grand Prix at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
It was the first national-level track and field meet for seniors since the National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi in October 2019.
Dutee, looking to make it to her second Olympics, clocked 11.51 to win the 100m race. Karnataka’s AT Daneswari came second (11.86) and Maharashtra’s Diandra Dudley Valladares third (11.97). Dutee, who holds the national record (11.22s), is still far from the Tokyo Olympics qualifying standard of 11.15.
The men’s 100m race was won by Krishnakumar Satish Rane (Maharashtra) clocking 10.68 secs.
Kerala’s Muhammad Anas, the country’s leading 400m runner, took part in the 100m and finished a creditable second in 10.70 seconds.
Amiya Kumar Mallick, who holds the national record (10.26) in 100m, finished third overall (10.89) competing in the B race.
In his comeback race, S Arokia Rajiv edged past Shashank Shinde to win the 200m B race in 21.40 seconds. Shashank Shinde clocked 22.21 sec in the A race after Noah Nirmal Tom (Kerala) pulled up injured inside the first 25m.
Ayyasamy Dharun, who has a personal best of 48.80 seconds in 400m hurdles, clocked 51.33sec to come first.
Kerala’s Eldhose Paul jumped to an impressive 16.56m to win gold in men’s triple jump.
MR Poovamma (Karnataka) clocked 53.45s to comfortably beat Kiran Pahal in (54.88) and Nancy (55.40) in women’s 400m.
Marena George of Kerala topped the field in women’s long jump (6.11m).

Dutee Chand – Women’s 100m at the season-opening Indian Grand Prix at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala

OBITUARY

5. Issac Thomas Kottukapally passed away. He is related to which Field?
A) Businessman
B) Music Director
C) Sports
D) Writer
E) Actor
Answer: B) Music Director

Music director Issac Thomas Kottukapally passed away in Chennai.
Kottukapally had received the National Award for Best Background Music for Malayalam film Adaminte Makan Abu in 2010.
He composed music for many films including Sancharam, Kutty Srank, Swaham, Bhavam and Kunjananthante Kada, among others.

Issac Thomas Kottukapally – Adaminte Makan Abu Music director.

BANKING AND FINANCE

6. U GRO Capital has recently launched a platform named ______ to support unorganised small businesses in non-metro cities?
A) ‘GRO Micro’
B) ‘GRO Metro’
C) ‘GRO Capt’
D) ‘GRO Visa’
E) ‘GRO OD’
Answer: A) ‘GRO Micro’

U GRO Capital, a small business lending fintech platform has recently launched ‘GRO Micro’ — a platform to support unorganised small businesses in non-metro cities.
The new vertical will have 25 branches across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Telangana and Rajasthan.
The company has announced that it hopes to serve 50,000 small businesses with 100 branches by the end of 2021-22.
Under ‘Go Micro’, the company will offer small ticket loans, secured against property, as well as unsecured loans to micro businesses.
The aim is to help them in sustenance and stability in the post pandemic era and cater their business expansion needs.
Ugro Capital lends ₹50 lakh- ₹3 crore loans to eight sectors — healthcare, education, chemicals, food processing /FMCG, hospitality, electrical equipment and components, auto components, light engineering and micro loans.
It has disbursed ₹2,000 crore since its inception in April 2019 and has a live loan book or assets under management of ₹1,200 crore as of December 2020.

U GRO Capital – New vertical for micro credit.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

7. According to IDC Report, Nearly 80 per cent of corporate banks in India are forecast to run their trade finance and treasury workloads on Cloud by which year?
A) 2024
B) 2022
C) 2021
D) 2023
E) 2025
Answer: A) 2024

Nearly 80 per cent of corporate banks in India are forecast to run their trade finance and treasury workloads on Cloud by 2024, said a new IDC report.
By 2023, to counter the uncertainty of the pandemic, 60 per cent of corporate banks will be revisiting credit scoring models and prioritising an open data strategy to improve loan portfolio health, according to the report.
Compared with developed economies, India’s corporate banking sector is still in its nascent stage in terms of product and service offerings.
However, this is being tested on twin counts of increasing digitalisation of the Indian economy and globalisation of Indian companies, which are bringing in rapid sophistication in operations and engagement.
The pandemic has forced CFO focus on liquidity.
In response, 55 per cent of corporate banks will invest in supporting predictive liquidity management and 60 per cent will upgrade data and connectivity capabilities by 2024 in the country.

IDC – 80% Indian corporate banks to leverage Cloud by 2024.

8. Which company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) to provide ex-service personnel with work opportunities across its growing operations network in India?
A) Shopclues
B) Myntra
C) Snapdeal
D) Flipkart
E) Amazon India
Answer: E) Amazon India

Amazon India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), to provide ex-service personnel with work opportunities across its growing operations network in India.
With this partnership, Amazon India will continue to create alternate career opportunities for ex-service personnel who have served the country.
The MoU was signed between Liju Thomas, HR Director, Customer Fulfillment & Corporate, Amazon India Operations and Maj Gen MK Sagoch, Director General, DGR.
The association with DGR will further enable Amazon India to mobilise the untapped potential of veterans, giving it access to a greater talent pipeline.
Veterans will have access to various work opportunities including a mix of individual contribution and managerial roles across its Fulfilment Centres, Sort Centres, and Delivery Stations.
This collaborative effort further expands Amazon India’s existing Military Veterans Employment program.

Amazon India + the Directorate General Resettlement for hiring ex-service personnel – Work opportunities across its growing operations network in India

APPOINTMENTS

9. Who is leading NASA’s Perseverance Rover Landing on Mars?
A) Dr Shanthi Mohan
B) Dr Jyoti Mohan
C) Dr Swati Mohan
D) Dr Saraswati Mohan
E) Dr Saranya Mohan
Answer: C) Dr Swati Mohan

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Perseverance rover successfully touched down on the surface of Mars after surviving a blazing seven-minute plunge through the Martian atmosphere.
Among the scientists who are part of this historic mission, Indian-American Dr Swati Mohan spearheaded the development of attitude control and the landing system for the rover.
NASA scientist Dr Mohan emigrated from India to America when she was just one-year-old.
She spent most of her childhood in the Northern Virginia-Washington DC metro area.

Dr Swati Mohan – Leading NASA’s Perseverance Rover Landing on Mars.

AWARDS

10. Which city gets recognition as 2020 Tree City of the World?
A) Kolkata
B) Bangalore
C) Chennai
D) Mumbai
E) Hyderabad
Answer: E) Hyderabad

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Arbor Day Foundation have recognized Hyderabad as a 2020 Tree City of World, for its commitment to growing and maintaining urban forests.
Officials said the recognition was a testament to the city’s sustained and institutional efforts to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, development of urban and peri-urban forestry actions, projects and strategic planning and commitment to building a healthy city.
Most of the other cities were from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Telangana:
Capital: Hyderabad
CM: K. Chandrashekar Rao
Governor: Tamilisai Soundararajan

Hyderabad – Recognition as 2020 Tree City of the World.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

11. Which institution designed a special tool called ‘AnamNet’ to diagnose the severity of coronavirus infection in patients’ lungs?
A) IISc Bangalore
B) IIT Madras
C) IIT Hyderabad
D) IIT Bombay
E) IIT Kanpur
Answer: A) IISc Bangalore

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) designed a special tool called ‘AnamNet’ to diagnose the severity of coronavirus infection in patients’ lungs.
The study was carried out by researchers from the Departments of Computational and Data Science (CDS) and Instrumentation and Applied Physics at IISc.
They conducted the study in collaboration with colleagues from the Oslo University Hospital and the University of Agder in Norway.
The study was published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems.
To develop this software tool, the researchers employed a unique neural network and deep learning, and other image processing techniques.
Their tool finds specific abnormal features and estimates the damage in the lungs and identifies infected areas in a chest CT scan with a high level of accuracy.
The software is designed to ‘segment’ the scan as ‘infected’ and ‘not infected’.

IISC-Bengaluru – Develop software tool to diagnose Covid-19 severity in lungs.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

12. India and which country Navy conduct exercise named PASSEX in Arabian sea?
A) Indonesia
B) Iraq
C) Iran
D) UAE
E) USA
Answer: A) Indonesia

The Indian and Indonesian navies carried out a military exercise in the Arabian sea to enhance operational interoperability and overall cooperation.
Indian naval ship INS Talwar and Indonesian Navy’s multirole corvette KRI Bung Tomo were part of the exercise.
Enhancing Interoperability & strengthening Bilateral Maritime Cooperation Indian Navy Ship INS Talwar and Indonesian Navy’s multirole Corvette KRI Bung Tomo, conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Arabian Sea.
Notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian Navy participated in maritime exercises in the last few months with a number of countries, including Japan, Russia, Australia and the US.
In November, India hosted the Malabar exercise, in which the navies of the US, Japan and Australia participated.
India invited Australia for the exercise, effectively making it a drill by all the Quad member nations.
The Quad, comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, is aimed at ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, a region that has witnessed increasing Chinese military assertiveness in recent years.

Indonesia:
Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Rupiah

India + Indonesia navies – Conduct exercise in Arabian sea.

13. India and which country signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the reconstruction of six secondary schools in the Himalayan nation?
A) Nepal
B) Myanmar
C) Australia
D) Iran
E) Nigeria
Answer: A) Nepal

India and Nepal yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the reconstruction of six secondary schools in the Himalayan nation.
The MoU was signed between the Indian Embassy and Nepal’s Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Education) of Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA).
The MoU was for the construction of six secondary schools at a total cost of Nepali Rupees 518 million, according to a statement by the Indian Embassy.
Of the six schools, four including Kanti Bhairab Secondary School, Champa Devi Secondary School, Dhapasi Secondary School and Bishnu Devi Secondary School are located in Kathmandu district and remaining two Siddheshwar Secondary School and Harisiddhi Secondary School are located in Kavre district.
Of the six schools, a groundbreaking ceremony of one was held yesterday amid a ceremony in Thali of Kathmandu.
The signing of the memorandum took place at a ceremony for the reconstruction of Shree Kanti Bhairab Secondary School at Kageshwari Municipality in Kathmandu.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Chief of Embassy of India, Kathmandu Namgya C. Khampa and Chief Executive Officer of National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Sushil Gywali.

Nepal:
Capital: Kathmandu
Currency: Rupee
President: Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister: K. P. Sharma Oli

India + Nepal – Reconstruction of six secondary schools in Himalayan Nation.

14. Which country Supreme Court launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) based translation software ‘Amar Vasha’ through a virtual event?
A) Bangladesh
B) Myanmar
C) Australia
D) Iran
E) Nigeria
Answer: A) Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Supreme Court launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) based translation software ‘Amar Vasha’ through a virtual event.
The software will translate orders and judgements of the Supreme Court from English to Bangla.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, Law Minister Anisul Haq, Law Secretary Md. Golam Sarwar and High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Vikram Doraiswami spoke during the virtual function.
The Software has been developed with ‘EkStep’ foundation of India. It is based on their ‘Anuvaad’ translation software used in India to translate from English to Indian languages including Bangla. Anuvaad was deployed by the Supreme Court of India as SUVAS (Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software) from November 2019.
High Commissioner of India Vikram Doraiswami said that India is honoured to partner in the development of such a unique translation software designed in India and shared on a gratis basis.
According to a press release issued by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, the High Commissioner further said that this collaboration was possible as Bangla was one of the recognised languages of India.
The High Commissioner appreciated the recent efforts by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in integration of technology for smooth dispensation of justice in Bangladesh such as setting up e-courts during the pandemic.

Bangladesh:
Capital: Dhaka
Currency: Bangladeshi Taka
President: Mohammad Abdul Hamid
Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh Supreme Court – AI based translation software ‘Amar Vasha’.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

15. Indian Coast Guard Ship named ____ the 17th of the 18 Interceptor Boat (IBs) project indigenously constructed by Larsen & Toubro Ltd?
A) C-453
B) C-454
C) C-452
D) C-451
E) C-456
Answer: A) C-453

Indian Coast Guard Ship C-453, the 17th of the 18 Interceptor Boat (IBs) project indigenously constructed by Larsen & Toubro Ltd.
It was commissioned by Leena Nandan, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs on in the presence of Jiwesh Nandan, Additional Secretary, Department of Defence, Director General Krishnaswamy Natarajan, PVSM, PTM, TM, Director General Indian Coast Guard, Inspector General S Paramesh, PTM, TM, Commander Coast Guard Region (East) RAdm JS Mann, VSM, NM(Retd), VP & Head L&T shipyard and other Officials of Indian Coast Guard and L&T shipyard, near Chennai.
ICGS C-453, the 27.8-metre-long Interceptor Boat with a displacement of 105 tonnes and Max Speed of 45 knots (85 kmph) is capable of undertaking multifarious tasks including Surveillance, Interdiction, close coast patrol, Search and Rescue, in addition to rendering assistance to boats and craft in distress at sea.
The vessel is equipped with advanced navigation and communication systems.
The quick-reaction feature coupled with modern equipment endow the vessel with the capability to swiftly respond to any maritime situation at very short notice.
ICGS C-453 is commanded by Assistant Commandant Animesh Sharma and will be based at Chennai under the operational control of Commander, Coast Guard Region (East).
On joining the Coast Guard Eastern fleet, the ship will be deployed extensively for EEZ surveillance and other duties as enshrined in the Coast Guard Charter, to safeguard the Maritime interests of India.
The Indian Coast Guard with this Ship joining the fleet will have 157 Ships & Boats and 62 Aircraft.
Further, 40 Ships are at various stages of construction at different Shipyards in India and 16 Advanced Light Helicopters MK III are being accepted by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bengaluru, which will provide the added teeth to the surveillance capabilities of the Coast Guard, to deal with the ever- dynamic maritime challenges.

Larsen & Toubro
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
CEO: S. N. Subrahmanyan

L&T – Built Interceptor Boat, the 17th in series, commissioned at Chennai.

16. Which organisation conducts successful trials of anti-tank guided missile systems?
A) DRDO
B) HAL
C) GSL
D) GRSE
E) MSL
Answer: A) DRDO

The joint user trials for anti-tank guided missile systems, developed indigenously by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), have been carried out successfully in desert ranges.
The trials of Helina (Army Version) and Dhruvastra (Air Force Version) missile systems have been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform.
The Helinaand Dhruvastra are third generation, Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) fire and forget anti-tank guided missiles that can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode.
The system has all-weather day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as with explosive reactive armour.
It is one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.
Now, the missile systems are ready for induction.

DRDO:
Abbreviation: Defence Research and Development Organisation
Founded: 1958
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
Chairman: G. Satheesh Reddy

DRDO – Conduct successful trials of anti-tank guided missile systems.

17. Sarbanand Sonowal inaugurates Centre for Perishable Cargo at LGBI Airport at which place?
A) Barpeta
B) Chirang
C) Guwahati
D) Charaideo
E) Darrang
Answer: C) Guwahati

Centre for Perishable Cargo at International Cargo Terminal, LGBI Airport Guwahati was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbanand Sonowal in presence of Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, AAI’s regional executive director M Suresh and airport cargo officials.
A consignment of green vegetables of about 600 kg was also flagged off by the Chief Minister on this occasion.
The perishable cargo terminal has been developed by AIDC, Assam Industrial Development Corporation Ltd acting as a nodal agency for export of perishable cargo through air transport.

Assam:
Capital: Dispur
CM: Sarbananda Sonowal
Governor: Jagdish Mukhi

Assam – Centre for Perishable Cargo at LGBI Airport

18. Which Minister launched the “Go Electric” Campaign to spread awareness on the benefits of e-mobility and EV Charging Infrastructure as well as electric cooking in India?
A) Home Minister
B) Finance Minister
C) Road Transport & Highways Minister
D) External Affairs Minister
E) Women & Child Development Minister
Answer: C) Road Transport & Highways Minister

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways along with R. K. Singh, the Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the “Go Electric” Campaign to spread awareness on the benefits of e-mobility and EV Charging Infrastructure as well as electric cooking in India.
The Go Electric Campaign is an initiative aimed at reducing the import dependence of our country in the coming years and has also been projected as an important step towards a cleaner and greener future.
The campaign is aimed at creating awareness at PAN-India level and is expected to boost the confidence of Electric Vehicle manufacturers.
The transport minister pointed out some key benefits of using electricity as an alternative fuel.
The minister stated that fossil fuels have an import bill of ₹8 lakh crore.
He also claimed that when compared to conventional fuels, the electric fuel has low cost, reduced emissions and it is also indigenous.
He also mentioned the opportunities and potential of electric cooking in India.
He claimed that electrification of public transport is not only economical but also eco friendly.
Further, he emphasised the use of green power from agriculture waste and biomass which can also benefit the farmers across the country.
During the launch, an exhibition was organised by the industry players displaying different electric vehicles including e-buses, e-cars, 3-wheelers, and 2-wheelers apart from available charging options such as Fast Chargers and Slow chargers.
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the aegis of the Ministry of Power has been mandated to undertake an awareness drive for promoting Public Charging, e-mobility & its ecosystem.
To implement the ‘Go Electric’ campaign at National and State level, BEE will extend technical support to the State Designated Agencies (SDAs).

Road Transport and Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises:
Minister: Nitin Gadkari
Constituency: Nagpur. Maharashtra

Power, New and Renewable Energy:
Minister: Rajkumar singh
Constituency: Arrah , Bihar

Nitin Gadkari + R. K. Singh – Go Electric campaign launched in India.

19. Who laid the foundation stone of Integrated Command and Control Centre at Thiruvananthapuram and Smart Roads Project?
A) S. Jaishankar
B) Nirmala Sitharaman
C) R. K. Singh
D) Nitin Gadkari
E) Narendra Modi
Answer: E) Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of key projects of power and urban sector in Kerala via video conferencing.
He inaugurated Pugalur-Thrissur Power Transmission Project, Kasaragod Solar Power Project and Water Treatment Plant at Aruvikkara and laid the foundation stone of Integrated Command and Control Centre at Thiruvananthapuram and Smart Roads Project.
The 320 KV Pugalur (Tamil Nadu) – Thrissur (Kerala) power transmission project is a Voltage Source Convertor (VSC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) project.
It has India’s first HVDC link featuring state-of-the-art VSC technology.
Built at a cost of Rs 5,070 crores, it will facilitate transfer of 2000 MW power from the western region.
PM Modi dedicated to the nation the 50 MW Kasaragod Solar Power Project, which has been developed under the National Solar Energy Mission.
Set up over 250 acres of land spread across Paivalike, Meenja and Chippar villages of Kasaragod district, the project has been built with Centre’s investment of around Rs 280 crores.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the 75 MLD (million litres per day) Water Treatment Plant at Aruvikkara, built under the AMRUT Mission.
It will boost supply of drinking water to people of Thiruvananthapuram and help avoid disruption of drinking water supply to the city in the event of maintenance work in the existing treatment plants in Aruvikkara.
The Integrated Command and Control Centre is being set up to host Smart Solutions for Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, and will act as a common point of action during emergency situations to facilitate coordinated action. It is projected to be built at a cost of Rs 94 crore.
Smart Roads Project, to be undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 427 crores, envisages converting 37 km of existing roads in Thiruvananthapuram to world-class smart roads by bringing all overhead utilities underneath and undertaking road and junction improvements.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, minister of power and new and renewable energy RK Singh and Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri were present on the occasion.

Prime Minister, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space and All important policy issues and All other portfolios not allocated to any Minister:
Minister: Narendra Modi
Constituency: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Kerala:
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
CM: Pinarayi Vijayan
Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan

Narendra Modi – Foundation stone of Integrated Command and Control Centre at Thiruvananthapuram and Smart Roads Project.

20. 7-day annual cultural festival ‘Utsavam 2021’ begins in which state?
A) Nagaland
B) Uttar Pradesh
C) Tamil Nadu
D) Karnataka
E) Kerala
Answer: E) Kerala

Bringing alive Kerala’s rich and diverse folk and ritualistic art traditions in 30 venues across the state, the 7-day annual cultural festival ‘Utsavam 2021’ is to get off to a colourful start on February 20.
Hundreds of artistes, representing a variety of folk, tribal and ethnic traditions that flourished in different parts of the state would perform during the 13thedition of the event.
The event is being organised by Kerala Tourism together with Kerala Folklore Academy, Bharat Bhavan, and District Tourism Promotion Councils.
State Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran wouldinauguratethe festival, an official statement said here. Leading folklore artistes would be honoured at the function with the Utsavam Puraskaram.
The festival aims at providing a platform to performers of folk arts many of which are on the verge of being pushed into oblivion.

Kerala:
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
CM: Pinarayi Vijayan
Governor: Arif Mohammed Khan

Kerala – Host annual folk art fest from February 20.

21. Which INS Arrives in Abu Dhabi, UAE to participate in NAVDEX 21 and
IDEX 21?
A) Virat
B) Vikrant
C) Kino
D) Pralaya
E) Sujeet
Answer: D) Pralaya

Indian Naval Ship Pralaya arrived at Abu Dhabi, UAE today 19 Feb 21 to participate in the NAVDEX 21 (Naval Defence Exhibition) and IDEX 21 (International Defence Exhibition), scheduled from 20 to 25 February 2021.
INS Pralaya, the second ship of the indigenously built Prabal Class Missile Vessels, was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 18 December 2002.
The 56 m long ship, displacing about 560 T is capable of speeds in excess of 35 knots and is fitted with an impressive array of weapons and sensors.
These include a 76.2 mm medium range gun, 30 mm close range guns, chaff launchers and long range surface to surface missiles.
The ship, built indigenously at Goa Shipyard Limited, bears testimony to capabilities of the Indian ship building industry and is a versatile platform capable of performing a wide variety of surface warfare missions.
Participation of INS Pralaya in NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21, one of the leading international naval and defence exhibitions of the region, is aimed at showcasing the strengths of India’s indigenous ship building, in line with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’. In addition, participation of an Indian Navy Ship in NAVDEX 21 and IDEX 21 also highlights close relations between India and UAE.
Defence relations between India and UAE have been steadily growing since the upgradation of bilateral relations to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ during the visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in January 2017 as Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations.
Towards enhancing interactions between the two navies, inaugural edition of Indian Navy – UAE Navy bilateral exercise GULF STAR – 1 was conducted in March 2018. The next edition of the exercise is likely to be conducted in 2021.
In addition, Indian Navy ships have been making regular port calls at UAE for promoting maritime cooperation.
INS Mysore, an indigenously built guided missile destroyer, mission deployed in the region, is also making a port call at Abu Dhabi, UAE from 19 to 22 Feb 21.
Deployment of Indian Navy ships to Abu Dhabi, UAE underscores deep rooted friendly ties and multi-faceted cooperation between India and UAE, and will further strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries.