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 9 | Daily Current Affairs 2021

OBITUARY

1. Jean-Claude Carriere passed away. He was related to which field?
A) Screenwriter
B) Novelist
C) Comedian
D) A & B
E) A, B and C
Answer: D) A & B

• French novelist and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere, best known for his work with Luis Bunuel and Milos Forman, died.
• Carriere and Bunuel enjoyed Oscar success in 1972 with Best Foreign Film for ‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise’, adding to Carriere’s Best Short Film Oscar in 1963.
• Carriere’s 1979 adaption of Gunter Grass’s novel ‘The Tin Drum’, directed by Volker Schloendorff, won another Oscar as well as the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
• He was also nominated for an Oscar for his ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ screenplay together with director Philip Kaufman and won a Cesar in 1983 for best original screenplay for ‘The Return of Martin Guerre’, starring Depardieu.
• In 2014, Carriere was awarded an honorary Oscar for his oeuvre – totalling around 80 works, the majority screenplays but also essays, fiction, translations and interviews.

Jean-Claude Carriere – Oscar-winning screenwriter.

2. Rajiv Kapoor passed away. He was related to which field?
A) Columnist
B) Musician
C) Sports
D) Politician
E) Actor
Answer: E) Actor

• Actor-director Rajiv Kapoor, son of celebrated filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, passed away.
  Rajiv Kapoor made his acting debut with 1983 film “Ek Jaan Hain Hum”, but made first appearance as a leading man in blockbuster “Ram Teri Ganga Maili” (1985), which was Raj Kapoor’s last directorial venture.
• He went on to feature in films like “Aasmaan”, “Lover Boy”, “Zabardast” and “Hum To Chale Pardes”.
• Rajiv Kapoor’s last film as a hero was 1990’s “Zimmedaar”. He then made a switch to production and direction.
• His first production was “Henna”, directed by eldest brother Randhir Kapoor and featuring Rishi Kapoor.
• In 1996 Rajiv Kapoor made his feature directorial debut with “Prem Granth”, starring Rishi Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit-Nene.
• He also produced the Rishi Kapoor-directed 1999 romance drama “Aa Ab Laut Chalen”.

Rajiv Kapoor – Actor-director.

BANKING AND FINANCE

3. AGS Transact Technologies (AGSTTL) has partnered with which card company to provide a pan-India ‘contactless’ QR code-based cash withdrawal at ATMs?
A) EagleX
B) American Express
C) RuPay
D) Visa
E) Mastercard
Answer: E) Mastercard

• AGS Transact Technologies (AGSTTL) has partnered with Mastercard to provide a pan-India ‘contactless’ QR code-based cash withdrawal at ATMs.
• Mastercard cardholders will be able to withdraw cash by scanning a QR code displayed on the ATM screen of all participating banks using their banking app on the mobile phone.

Mastercard:
Founded: 16 December 1966
Headquarters: Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States of America
CEO: Michael Miebach

AGS Transact + Mastercard – ‘contactless’ cash withdrawals at ATMs.

4. NPCI launches hackathon challenge to find alternative UPI authentication modes. This hackathon is supported by ____?
A) SEBI
B) APIX
C) NSE
D) RBI
E) BSE
Answer: B) APIX

• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said it will launch ‘NPCI PayAuth Challenge’, a global-level hackathon to get alternatives for the authentication of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions.
• One of the alternative options for authorisation is biometric.
• This hackathon is supported by APIX, world’s first cross-border, open architecture API marketplace and sandbox platform.
• A sandbox platform is used to test or run programs without having any impact on the application for which the test is being conducted.
• NPCI PayAuth Challenge strives to explore the feasibility of alternative payment authentication mechanisms and the consequent user behaviour towards such authentication mechanisms.

NPCI:
Abbreviation: National Payments Corporation of India
Founded: 2008
Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe

NPCI – Hackathon challenge to find alternative UPI authentication modes.

5. IRDAI has recommended the introduction of ILIP. What is an expansion of ILIP?
A) Index-Linked Interest Products
B) Index-Linked Invest Products
C) Interest-Linked Insurance Products
D) Index-Linked Insurance Products
E) Investment-Linked Insurance Products
Answer: D) Index-Linked Insurance Products

• A working group of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has recommended the introduction of Index-Linked Insurance Products (ILIP).
• ILIP is an insurance product where the returns are linked to benchmark indices.
• ILIPs could be an apt alternative or complimentary option to the current conventional guaranteed products (including annuities and savings products) and ULIPs, particularly in the context of volatile investment markets/ stressed interest rates.

IRDAI:
Abbreviation:The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
Act: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999
Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana
Chairman: Subhash Chandra Khuntia

IRDAI working group – Introduction of index-linked insurance products.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

6. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India will overtake the European Union as the world’s third-largest energy consumer by which year?
A) 2050
B) 2035
C) 2030
D) 2025
E) 2022
Answer: C) 2030

• India will overtake the European Union as the world’s third-largest energy consumer by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said as it forecast India accounting for the biggest share of energy demand growth over the next two decades.
• In its India Energy Outlook 2021, IEA saw primary energy consumption almost doubling to 1,123 million tonnes of oil equivalent as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expands to USD 8.6 trillion by 2040.
• India at present is the fourth-largest global energy consumer behind China, the United States and the European Union.
• By 2040, India is set to account for almost 20 per cent of global growth in industrial value-added, and to lead global growth in industrial final energy consumption, especially in steelmaking.
• The nation accounts for nearly one-third of global industrial energy demand growth to 2040.
• India’s oil demand is seen rising by rise by 74 per cent to 8.7 million barrels per day by 2040 under the existing policies scenario.
• The natural gas requirement is projected to more than triple to 201 billion cubic meters and coal demand is seen rising to 772 million tonnes in 2040 from the current 590.
• Natural gas import dependency increased from 20 per cent in 2010 to almost 50 per cent in 2019 and is set to grow further to more than 60 per cent in 2040.

The International Energy Agency:
Founded: November 1974
Headquarters location: Paris, France
Executive Director : Fatih Birol

IEA – India to overtake EU as world’s third largest energy consumer by 2030.

ACQUISITIONS AND MERGERS

7. GAIL (India) Limited has acquired how much per cent stake in the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX)?
A) 6
B) 5
C) 4
D) 3
E) 2
Answer: B) 5

• GAIL (India) Limited has acquired 5 per cent stake in the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX).
• The Maharatna Public Sector Undertaking has bought this stake from the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).
• Launched on June 15, 2020 as a gas trading platform, IGX has since become the first gas exchange to receive authorization from Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) under the recently notified Gas Exchange Regulations 2020.
• IGX was founded as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).
• On January 22, IEX had announced strategic investments by Adani Total Gas and Torrent Gas in IGX that acquired 5 per cent stake each.
• Both had acquired this stake for Rs 3.69 crore each. With the stake sale to GAIL, IGX now had three strategic partners.

GAIL Limited:
Founded: August 1984
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
CEO: Shri Manoj Jain

GAIL – Acquire 5% stake in IGX to become third strategic investor.

AWARDS

8. How many Indian International Airports have received the ACI World’s (Airports Council International) “Voice of Customer” recognition?
A) 5
B) 4
C) 3
D) 2
E) 1
Answer: D) 2

• GMR-run Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad have received the ACI World’s (Airports Council International) “Voice of Customer” recognition.
• Both the GMR-run airports have been recognized for their continuous efforts to listen to their passengers, engage and gather feedback to understand their needs and ensure customers’ voice was heard during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
• With the objective of restoring passenger trust in air travel, GMR-run Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and GMR Hyderabad Airport Limited (GHIAL) went all out to quickly adapt to the new normal situations and implement several passenger friendly measures for a safe travel.

Indira Gandhi International Airport + Rajiv Gandhi International Airport – Airports Council International award.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

9. Which IIT has developed an energy-efficient pest controlling device for smaller agricultural tracts owned by marginal farmers?
A) IIT Mandi
B) IIT Bombay
C) IIT Kanpur
D) IIT Madras
E) IIT Kharagpur
Answer: E) IIT Kharagpur

• A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has developed an energy-efficient pest controlling device for smaller agricultural tracts owned by marginal farmers.
• The team has built a self-propelled boom-type sprayer that can be operated using solar energy while safely guided through the crops in smaller tracts of land.
• According to the team, which has also filed a patent, the semi-automated device is aimed at increasing field capacity and uniformity in liquid spraying, and also to reduce drudgery to the operator and dependency on fossil fuels for carrying out spraying in cropped areas.

IIT Kharagpur – Develop solar-powered pest control system.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

10. India and which country signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of Shahtoot dam project?
A) Afghanistan
B) Iran
C) Bangladesh
D) Myanmar
E) Nepal
Answer: A) Afghanistan

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani held a virtual summit.
• Both the sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of Shahtoot dam project.
• The MoU was signed by External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Hanif Atmar.
• The dam will meet the safe drinking water needs of Kabul City, provide irrigation water to nearby areas and also provide electricity to the region.
• The project is a part of the New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan.
• This is the second major dam being built by India in Afghanistan, after the India- Afghanistan Friendship Dam, Salma Dam, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister and the President in June 2016.
• Signing of the MoU on Shahtoot Dam is a reflection of India’s strong and long-term commitment towards the socio-economic development of Afghanistan and the enduring partnership between the two countries.

Afghanistan:
Capital: Kabul
Currency: Afghan Afghani

India + Afghanistan – Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of Shahtoot dam project.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

11. Which country became the twelfth state in the country to successfully undertake ‘One Nation One Ration Card system’ reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure?
A) Mizoram
B) Meghalaya
C) Rajasthan
D) Madhya Pradesh
E) Uttar Pradesh
Answer: C) Rajasthan

• Rajasthan became the twelfth state in the country to successfully undertake ‘One Nation One Ration Card system’ reform stipulated by the Department of Expenditure.
• The Department of Expenditure gave Rajasthan permission to mobilise additional financial resources through Open Market Borrowings.
• The state has become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of Rs 2,731 crore through Open Market Borrowings.
• Rajasthan has now joined 11 other states namely, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh, who have completed this reform.
• On completion of One Nation One Ration Card system reform, these 12 states have been granted additional borrowing permission of Rs 33,440 crore by the Department of Expenditure.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget on February 1, had said, “One Nation One Ration Card scheme of the Union Government is being implemented by 32 States and Union Territories, reaching about 69 crore beneficiaries.”
  Sitharaman had also informed that the scheme has covered 86 per cent of the beneficiaries, adding that the remaining four states and UTs will be integrated into the scheme in the coming few months.

Rajasthan:
Capital: Jaipur
CM: Ashok Gehlot
Governor: Kalraj Mishra

Rajasthan – 12th state to undertake ‘One Nation One Ration Card system’.

12. Which company partners with Wipro3D & CEMILAC to manufacture India’s 1st metal 3D printed aircraft engine component?
A) GSL
B) CSL
C) ONGC
D) IOCL
E) HAL
Answer: E) HAL

• Wipro 3D and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Engine Division entered into a collaboration for the development, manufacturing and airworthiness certification of a critical aero-engine component operating in the hot zone, using metal 3D printing.
• The Nozzle Guide Vane (also called the Inner Ring), 3D printed in a high temperature resilient steel A286, has been awarded Airworthiness certification by the for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), the regulatory body of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
• The Wipro3D manufactured components shall be installed in HAL manufactured helicopter engines, according to a statement.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited:
Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Chairman & MD : R Madhavan

HAL + Wipro3D + CEMILAC – Manufacture India’s 1st metal 3D printed aircraft engine component.

13. The National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department of which State/UT held the first ever Mahila Jan Sunwai Programme in the State/UT?
A) Lakshadweep
B) Puducherry
C) Chandigarh
D) Delhi
E) Jammu & Kashmir
Answer: E) Jammu & Kashmir

• In Jammu and Kashmir, the National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department of the Union Territory held the first ever Mahila Jan Sunwai Programme in Jammu.
• During the programme, complainants of 40 cases related to women from all sections of the society were present and the Chairperson disposed of seven cases on the spot among 20 cases taken up during the programme

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

NCW + Social Welfare Department of J&K – First ever Mahila Jan Sunwai Programme in Jammu.

14. Which state government passed an order for creating the fifth tiger reserve in the state and the 51st in the country?
A) West Bengal
B) Nagaland
C) Uttar Pradesh
D) Madhya Pradesh
E) Tamil Nadu
Answer: E) Tamil Nadu

• Following the Centre’s approval, Tamil Nadu government passed an order for creating the fifth tiger reserve in the state and the 51st in the country.
• The Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve will span the forests of Megamalai wildlife sanctuary and Srivilliputhur grizzled squirrel wildlife sanctuary spread across the districts of Theni, Virudhunagar and Madurai.

Tamil Nadu:
Capital: Chennai
CM: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Governor: Banwarilal Purohit

Tamil Nadu – Set to create state’s 5th tiger reserve.

15. Odisha will construct Covid Warrior Memorial at a public park in which place in recognition of the sacrifice and services of Covid warriors?
A) Puri
B) Bhubaneswar
C) Konark
D) Baripada
E) Gopalpur
Answer: B) Bhubaneswar

• The Odisha government said that it will construct Covid Warrior Memorial at a public park in Bhubaneswar in recognition of the sacrifice and services of Covid warriors.
• The state government would build the Covid memorial at the Biju Patnaik Park in Bhubaneswar.
• Last year, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced that the martyr status would be accorded to all health personnel and other support services who succumbed to Covid19.
• The state government also announced ₹50 lakh ex-gratia to all health personnel (private and public) and members of all other support services who died of Covid-19.

Odisha:
Capital: Bhubaneswar
Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik
Governor – Ganeshi Lal

Odisha – Build memorial to honour fallen Covid warriors.

16. The silver jubilee edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will officially kick-off on which date?
A) February 11
B) February 12
C) February 13
D) February 14
E) February 10
Answer: E) February 10

• The silver jubilee edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will officially kick-off on February 10 adhering to strict COVID-19 health protocol in the backdrop of the pandemic.
• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the festival at at the Nishagandhi auditorium here, followed by the screening of the inaugural film, Quo Vadis, Aida.
• The festival is scheduled to run between February 10 and 14 in Thiruvananthapuram, February 17-21 at Ernakulam, February 23-27 at Thalassery and March 1-5 at Palakkad.

International Film Festival of Kerala – Begin from February 10.

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