Dear Champions, as you all know that a lot of competitive exams have been notified consequently. Candidates have to prepare themselves according to the level of competition and expectation of  the Recruitment board. Regarding that one of the most important topic is Daily Current Affairs. Current Affairs in the form of contemporary events of national & international play a crucial role in almost every competitive exams like Banking, Insurance, SSC, UPSC, TNPSC, Railway etc.

Current affairs are the most dynamic yet scoring among all sections and need to be prepared from the right source. Here, we cafunsta team, providing  Daily GK Updates, Current Affairs Questions, and Monthly  current affairs pdf.

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February 2 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. World Wetlands Day is observed on which date?
A) February 1
B) February 2
C) February 4
D) February 3
E) February 5
Answer: B) February 2

• World Wetlands Day, which marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
• It is one of the oldest intergovernmental accord signed by members countries to preserve the ecological character of their wetlands of international importance.
• Theme this year is “Wetland and Water”.
• India has maximum wetlands in South Asia – 7.7 lakh – covering the country’s 4.6 per cent geographical area, according to a report of NGO Wetland International.
• The number of wetlands in India is only next to Japan and China in Asia.
• Last year, Ramsar declared 10 more wetland sites from India as sites of international importance.

SPORTS

2. Merv Hughes is related to which sports?
A) Football
B) Cricket
C) Volleyball
D) Baseball
E) Athlete
Answer: B) Cricket

• Former pacer Merv Hughes has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, the country’s board (CA).
• The 59-year-old captured 212 Test wickets at an average of 28.38 in a career spanning 53 Tests and 33 ODIs for Australia from 1985 to 1994.
• His career-best figures of 8-87 against the West Indies at the WACA in 1988 included the final wicket of a hat-trick spread across three separate overs, two innings and two different days.
• He also played 33 ODIs taking 38 wickets.
• In 2005, Hughes became a selector for the Australian cricket team, a role he would hold through until 2010.

Merv Hughes – Inducte into Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.

3. Which cricket team beat Baroda by 7 wickets to lift second Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy?
A) Mumbai
B) Tamil Nadu
C) Varanasi
D) Kolkata
E) Bengaluru
Answer: B) Tamil Nadu

• In Cricket, Tamil Nadu lifted the coveted Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy after defeating Baroda by seven wickets in the final at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad.
• This was Tamil Nadu’s second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) triumph, after winning their first title way back in 2006-07. Baroda, who had won the title twice in the past (in 2011-12 and 2013-14), ended runners-up this time.

Tamil Nadu – Beat Baroda by 7 wickets to lift second Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

BANKING AND FINANCE

4. RBI appoints external firm to audit which Bank’s IT infra in view of service outages?
A) HDFC Bank
B) Bandhan Bank
C) Karnataka Bank
D) Karur Vyasa Bank
E) City Union Bank
Answer: A) HDFC Bank

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed an external IT firm HDFC Bank for carrying out a special audit of its IT infrastructure in the aftermath of repeated service outages at the country’s largest private sector lender over the past two years.
• RBI has appointed an external professional IT firm for carrying out a special audit of the entire IT infrastructure of the bank under Section 30 (1-B) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949…, at the cost of the Bank under Section 30 (1-C) of the Act.
• Last month, HDFC Bank had submitted a detailed plan of action to the RBI to address repeated service disruption issues due to outage, saying it was hopeful of improving its technology platform in three months.
• In December, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) temporarily barred HDFC Bank from launching new digital banking initiatives and issuing new credit cards after taking a serious view of service outages at the lender over the last two years.
• The bank has been penalised for two major outages, one in November 2018 and the other in December 2019.

HDFC Bank:
Hq: Mumbai , Maharashtra
Tagline : We Understand Your World
CEO :Sashidhar Jagdishan

Reserve Bank of India:
Act: Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao)

RBI – Appoint external firm to audit HDFC Bank’s IT infra in view of service outages.

5. World Bank provides how much amount to Bangladesh for improving Road and Digital Connectivity?
A) USD 300 million
B) USD 500 million
C) USD 100 million
D) USD 200 million
E) USD 700 million
Answer: B) USD 500 million

• The government of Bangladesh signed an agreement with the World Bank USD 500 million for the upgradation of rural roads and connectivity in the western region.
• The project is expected to benefit over 20 million people in the western region of Bangladesh.
• The project will help upgrade the 48-kilometre two-lane Jashore-Jhenaidah road to a modern 4-lane highway.
• It will also help improve 600 kilometres of connecting rural roads and build or develop new rural markets.
• The project will finance installation of fiber-optic cables along the highway to ensure fast and reliable internet service.
• The project is the first of a multi-phased USD1.4 billion 10-year program to upgrade the existing 110-kilometre two-lane highway, Bhomra-Satkhira-Navaron and Jashore-Jhenaidah. In the current phase, the project will be implemented in four districts namely Jashore, Jhenaidah, Magura, and Chuadanga.

World Bank:
Founded: 1944
Members: 189 countries (IBRD) , 173 countries (IDA)
Hq: Washington D.C, US
Head: David Malpass

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

World Bank + Bangladesh – Provide USD 500 million for improving Road and Digital Connectivity.

6. RBI has given banks three more months to appoint which position as per the guidelines it issued in September 2020?
A) CIO
B) CFO
C) CCO
D) MD
E) CEO
Answer: C) CCO

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given banks three more months to appoint Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) as per the guidelines it issued in September 2020.
• On the “not more than 55 years” eligibility criteria for appointment as CCO, the central bank said if a person identified for CCO role is more than 55 years but she/ he has been continuously associated with the compliance function prior to completing the age of 55 years, the person would be eligible for such appointment.
• The CCO shall have an overall experience of at least 15 years in the banking or financial services out of which minimum 5 years shall be in the Audit / Finance / Compliance / Legal / Risk Management functions.

Reserve Bank of India:
Act: Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Governor– Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors– 4 (Bibhu Prasad Kanungo, Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao)

RBI – Give banks three more months to appoint Chief Compliance Officer.

APPOINTMENTS

7. Bhavya Lal has been appointed as the Acting Chief of Staff of which organisation?
A) NASA
B) ISRO
C) WHO
D) UNICEF
E) UNDP
Answer: A) NASA

• Bhavya Lal, the Indian-American scientist who oversaw NASA’s transition under President Joe Biden’s administration, has been appointed as the Acting Chief of Staff of the US space agency.
• She is an active member of the space technology and policy community, having chaired, co-chaired, or served on five high-impact National Academy of Science committees.

NASA:
Abbreviation: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Founded: 1 October 1958
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States of America
Acting Administrator: Steve Jurczyk

NASA – Indian-American scientist Bhavya Lal as acting chief of staff.

8. Who has been appointed as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of LIC Housing Finance Ltd?
A) Sudha Gowd
B) Viswanatha Gowd
C) Vasanth Gowd
D) Bala Gowd
E) Keerthan Gowd
Answer: B) Viswanatha Gowd

• LIC Housing Finance Ltd (LICHFL) said Y Viswanatha Gowd has been appointed as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the company with effect from February 1.
• Gowd’s appointment as MD and CEO of LICHFL follows the resignation of Siddhartha Mohanty with effect from February 1.
• Mohanty has taken charge as Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
• LIC has 40.31 per cent stake in LICHFL.

LIC Housing Finance Limited:
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO = Viswanatha Gowd

Viswanatha Gowd – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer LICHFL – Siddhartha Mohanty(Replaced).

AWARDS

9. Which Word has been named Oxford Hindi word of the year for 2020?
A) Kisan
B) Aatmanirbharta
C) Bharat
D) Swachh
E) Mitra
Answer: B) Aatmanirbharta

• Aatmanirbharta’ implying self-reliance has been named by Oxford Languages as its Hindi word of the year 2020 as it “validated the day-to-day achievements of the countless Indians who dealt with and survived the perils of a pandemic”.
• The word was chosen by an advisory panel of language experts Kritika Agrawal, Poonam Nigam Sahay and Imogen Foxell.
• The Oxford Hindi word of the year is a word or expression that is chosen to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, and have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.
• Previous Hindi words of the year are Aadhar (2017), Nari Shakti (2018) and Samvidhaan (2019).

‘Aatmanirbharta’ – Oxford Hindi word of the year for 2020.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

10. The government has allocated how much amount towards Startup India Seed Fund for the financial year 2021-22?
A) Rs 136 crore
B) Rs 146 crore
C) Rs 156 crore
D) Rs 166 crore
E) Rs 126 crore
Answer: E) Rs 126 crore

• The government has allocated Rs 126 crore towards the recently notified Startup India Seed Fund for the financial year 2021-22, as it looks to provide financial assistance to early-stage startups in sectors such as water management, biotechnology and defence that don’t attract a lot of institutional venture capital funding.
• The Startup India Seed Fund, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, will become operational on April 1, 2021 and is looking to disburse Rs 945 crore over a period of five years.
• It will back eligible startups and incubators that will be evaluated by an Experts Advisory Committee (EAC) constituted by the DPIIT.
• Notified last week as the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), it will look to back DPIIT registered startups that are less than two years old at the time of their application.
• The selected incubators will be able to disburse Rs 20 lakh for validation of proof of concept or prototype development, and up to Rs 50 lakh for market entry and commercialization.
• It will look to back startups especially in sectors such as social impact, waste management, water management, financial inclusion, education, agriculture, food processing, biotechnology, healthcare, energy, mobility, defence, space, railways, oil and gas, and textiles among others.
• Under the scheme, the government will provide grants of up to Rs 5 crore to eligible incubators in three or more instalments based on the milestones they are able to achieve.
• Incubators assisted by the state or central government that are at least two years old will be eligible, while those not supported by the government will need to be at least three years old.

Government – Earmark Rs 126 crore for Startup India Seed Fund.

11. Which organization has come out with a strict policy to deal with major lapses in structures?
A) NTPC
B) NHAI
C) BHEL
D) DRDO
E) BDL
Answer: B) NHAI

• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has come out with a strict policy to deal with major lapses in structures that provides for a fine up to Rs 10 crore for defaulters besides debarment of the firm or personnel for up to three years.
• The move is aimed at maintaining high-quality standards in highway development.
• For major lapses where no casualties are reported, rectification by the defaulting contractors/concessionaires on their own cost and /or debarment of firm up to 1 year with a penalty up to Rs 5 crore along with debarment of concerned personnel for up to 2 years from NHAI projects has been provisioned.
• However, for minor lapses wherein no casualties are reported, the defaulting contractors/concessionaires will have to bear the expenses for carrying out the rectification work along with a penalty of Rs 30 lakh besides a written warning to the firm and the personnel involved.
• Under the graded penalty, the consultancy firm involved in the project will also be held liable with a fine of up to Rs 40 lakh and debarment from NHAI projects for a period of up to two years, the statement said, adding that key personnel of the consultancy firm will also be debarred from NHAI projects for a period of up to three years.

NHAI:
Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairman: Sukhbir Singh Sandhu

NHAI – Fine up to Rs 10 crore for major lapses in structures.

12. Baseer Ahmad Khan laid the foundation stone of Model Floriculture Centre at Bagh-e-Bhour in Jammu at a cost of how much amount?
A) Rs 444.53 lakh
B) Rs 464.53 lakh
C) Rs 454.53 lakh
D) Rs 424.53 lakh
E) Rs 434.53 lakh
Answer: A) Rs 444.53 lakh

• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Adviser to Lieutenant Governor Baseer Ahmad Khan laid the foundation stone of Model Floriculture Centre at Bagh-e-Bhour in Jammu.
• The Model Floriculture Centre would be developed in three years at a cost of Rs 444.53 lakh having different components and would be fitted with a solar plant with a backup and will be installed with high mast lights.

Jammu and Kashmir:
Capital: Srinagar(summer), Jammu(winter)
Governor: Manoj Sinha

Baseer Ahmad Khan – Lay foundation stone of Model Floriculture Centre in Jammu.

13. The Centre will hold at least how much per cent stake in state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India for the next five years?
A) 35
B) 45
C) 55
D) 75
E) 65
Answer: D) 75

• The Centre will hold at least 75 per cent stake in state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India for the next five years and will continue to hold at least 51 per cent in the life insurer after that period.
• The Amendments to the Life Insurance Act, 1956, which was tabled along with the Finance Bill, also proposes to increase the authorised share capital of the corporation to ₹25,000 crore divided into 2,500 crore shares of ₹10 each.
• The other amendments to the Life Insurance Act include introduction of provisions on corporate governance in line with SEBI norms to enable listing of LIC on stock exchanges.

The Centre – Hold at least 75 per cent stake in LIC for the next five years.

14. Which state virtually launched the ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ mission to accomplish the goal of 100 per cent potable piped water supply in all rural households?
A) Uttarakhand
B) Andhra Pradesh
C) Madhya Pradesh
D) Punjab
E) Uttar Pradesh
Answer: D) Punjab

• Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday virtually launched the
  ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ mission as part of the government’s campaign to accomplish the goal of 100 per cent potable piped water supply in all rural households by March next year.
• The Chief Minister also inaugurated one Mega Surface Water Supply Scheme covering 85 villages in the Moga district, 144 new water supply schemes for 172 villages, 121 Arsenic, and Iron removal plants.
• It further informed that the scheme is being funded by the World Bank, Jal Jeewan Mission of GoI, NABARD, and State Budget.
• The Chief Minister also formally launched 10 new large multi-village surface water supply schemes at a cost of ₹1,020 Crore.
• The scheme will cover 1,018 villages in the water quality affected areas of districts Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, and Tarn Taran.

Punjab:
Capital: Chandigarh
CM: Captain Amarinder Singh
Governor: V P Singh Badnore

Punjab – ‘Har Ghar Pani, Har Ghar Safai’ mission.

15. Which state launched Pragyan Bharati scheme for purchasing text books?
A) Uttarakhand
B) Assam
C) Madhya Pradesh
D) Punjab
E) Uttar Pradesh
Answer: B) Assam

• Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched two schemes to provide monetary assistance to college students and literary bodies of the state.
• Under Pragyan Bharati scheme, 3,26,046 college students were given ₹1,500 each for purchasing text books, while a total of ₹161 crore was reimbursed for free admission of 4 lakh eligible students.
• The second scheme is Bhasha Gourab, under which the state government provided 21 Sahitya Sabhas (literary bodies) with a total of ₹43 crore as contribution towards their corpus funds.
• Under the scheme, 600 writers have also got ₹50,000 each to help in their literary activities.
• The young generation must strive for knowledge through education and utilise the opportunity provided by the two schemes.
• Assam is at the second position in the country in the index for educational development and also second in the performance of taking education to the poor.

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

Assam – Schemes for college students, literary bodies.

16. A High Level Committee named NEGVAC has been established for Distribution and Administration of COVID-19 Vaccines. This committee is chaired by whom?
A) Narendra Modi
B) Dr VK Paul
C) Nirmala Sitharaman
D) Amit Shah
E) Jai Shankar
Answer: B) Dr VK Paul

• A National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) has been establish, which provides guidance on all aspects of COVID-19 vaccination including prioritization of population groups, procurement and inventory management, vaccine selection, vaccine delivery and tracking mechanism etc.
• NEGVAC is chaired by Member (Health), NITI Aayog Named Dr VK Paul and co-chaired by Secretary (H&FW) named Shri. Rajesh Bhushan.
• NEGVAC has representation of Secretaries from Ministry of External Affairs, Department of Expenditure, Dept. of Biotechnology, Dept. of Health Research, Dept. of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, representative from five State Governments and technical experts.
• NEGVAC has prioritized Health Care Workers and Front-Line Workers during the initial phase of COVID-19 vaccination followed by prioritized population groups of persons aged 50 years and above, and those aged less than 50 years with comorbidities.
• During the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination, the vaccine is being provided by the Central Government, free of cost to States and UTs for vaccination of Health Care Workers and Front-Line Workers.

Dr VK Paul – High Level Committee for Distribution and Administration of COVID-19 Vaccines.

17. The Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced India’s First Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM) in which place?
A) Chennai
B) Varanasi
C) Hyderabad
D) Bengaluru
E) Kolkata
Answer: A) Chennai

• On the occasion of the World Wetland Day and as a part of its commitment towards conservation, restoration and management of India’s wetlands, the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Sh. Babul Supriyo announced the establishment of a Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM), as a part of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai, an institution under the Ministry.
• The event was attended virtually by NCSCM, State Wetland Authorities and the knowledge partners of the Wetland Division.
• India has nearly 4.6% of its land as wetlands, covering an area of 15.26 million hectares and has 42 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1.08 million hectares.
• The year 2021 also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, celebrated annually as World Wetlands Day.
• The Centre will help in building partnership and networks with relevant national and international agencies.WCM would serve as a knowledge hub and enable exchange between State/ UT Wetland Authorities, wetland users, managers, researchers, policy-makers and practitioners.
• The Centre would also assist the national and State/ UT Governments in the design and implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks, management planning, monitoring and targeted research for its conservation.

Chennai – First Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management.

18. Which state become first state to present paperless budget in the country?
A) Uttarakhand
B) Assam
C) Madhya Pradesh
D) Punjab
E) Uttar Pradesh
Answer: C) Madhya Pradesh

• Madhya Pradesh finance minister will present a paperless budget during the budget session of the legislative assembly, which is scheduled to be held from February 22 to March 26.
• MP state government will be the first state after the Central government which will present the paperless budget. A made-in-India tabloid will be used to read the budget.
• The state government has also decided to merge Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation Department (MPSEDC) with Madhya Pradesh Agency for Promotion of Information Technology (MAP IT).

Madhya Pradesh:
Capital: Bhopal
CM: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Governor: Anandiben Patel

Madhya Pradesh – Become first state to present paperless budget.

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