Daily Current Affairs and GK | 1 March 2021

Topic: Space and IT

1. ISRO launches 19 satellites from Sriharikota.

• India’s PSLV C-51 rocket with 19 satellites of Brazil, the USA, and India, was launched successfully from Sriharikota on 28 Feb 2021.
• This is the first commercial mission of New Space India Limited (NSIL).
• The main satellite among these 19 satellites was Brazil’s Amazonia 1 satellite.
• Amazonia 1:
  • It is a 637 kg satellite designed, integrated, and operated by National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil.
  • It will provide remote sensing data of deforestation in the Amazon region and diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory.

Topic: Summits/ Meetings/ Conferences

2. PM Modi to inaugurate Maritime India Summit 2021.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ‘Maritime India Summit 2021’ on 2nd March.
• The three-day summit will be organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways on a virtual platform. 
• Denmark is the partner country for Maritime India Summit 2021. 
• FICCI is the industry partner and EY is the knowledge partner for this three-day summit. 
• The summit aims to serve as a powerful platform for international collaboration with partner countries for mutual exchange of knowledge and opportunities. 
• Recently, the Mumbai Port Trust has signed 13 MoUs worth ₹7,510 crores to boost water transport and tourism in Mumbai. 
• As a part of this summit, ₹20,000 crore worth MoUs will be signed.
• The first Maritime India Summit was organised in 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

Topic: Appointments

3. Tarun Bajaj appointed Secretary to Department of Revenue.

• The current Secretary to Department of Economic Affairs, Tarun Bajaj, has been given additional charge of Department of Revenue. 
• He has replaced Dr. Ajay Bhushan Pandey.
• The Appointment Committee of Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister approved this appointment. 
• Department of Revenue:
  • It is a department under the Ministry of Finance that functions under the overall direction and control of the Secretary (Revenue). 
  • It exercises control in respect of matters relating to all the Direct and Indirect Union Taxes through two statutory Boards, namely, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
  • Matters relating to the levy and collection of all Direct taxes are looked after by the CBDT, whereas those relating to levy and collection of Customs and Central Excise duties and other Indirect Taxes fall within the purview of the CBIC. 
  • Minister of Finance: Nirmala Sitharaman

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

4. Vinesh Phogat wins gold medal at XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial event.

• Vinesh Phogat has won a gold medal at XXIV Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial event held at Kyiv, Ukraine, in February 2021.
• Vinesh Phogat has won this medal in the women’s 53-kg category by defeating world number seven Vanesa Kaladzinskaya of Belarus.  She reached the finals by defeating Romania’s Ana A in semi-finals. 
• This is the first competition won by Vinesh Phogat since the Covid-19 lockdown. In February 2020, she won bronze during Asian Championships.
• Vinesh Phogat is Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medallist. She will take part in Tokyo Summer Olympics from July 2021 to August 2021.
• She is the only Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for Tokyo Olympics. She will also compete in the season’s 1^st ranking tournament to be held in March in Rome.  
• Vinesh Phogat is an Indian wrestler from Haryana. She won the Arjuna award in 2016. She won Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020 in August 2020.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Important Days

5. National Science Day: 28 February.

• National Science Day is celebrated annually on 28 February, and ‘Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills, and Work’ is the theme for National Science Day 2021.
• National Science Day is celebrated to remember the announcement of the discovery of Raman Effect by Sir C.V. Raman on 28 February 1928.
• Indian physicist Sir C.V. Raman won Nobel Prize in Physics 90 years ago in 1930 for the discovery of the Raman Effect.
• 28^th February was designated as National Science Day by Government of India in 1986. Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister of India at that time.
• National Council for Science & Technology Communication is the nodal agency for celebration of National Science Day all over India.  It is a division of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• National Awards for Science Popularization are given every year on National Science Day. They were started by DST in February 1987.
• The theme for National Science Day 2020 was ‘Women in Science’. National Technology Day is celebrated on 11 May.
• When light passes through a transparent material, the wavelength and amplitude of some deflected light change; this is called Raman scattering and is a consequence of the Raman Effect. Sir C.V. Raman worked on inelastic scattering of light by molecules.

Topic: Personality in News

6. PM Modi paid homage to Morarji Desai on his birth anniversary.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to former Prime Minister Morarji Desai on his birth anniversary.
• Morarjibhai Desai:
  • He was born on 29 February 1896.
  • He was the fourth Prime Minister of India. He served as Prime Minister from March 1977 to July 1979.
  • He served on various positions, including Home Minister, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India.
  • He is the oldest person to hold the post of Prime Minister in India.
  • He had received the highest civilian award of Pakistan, the Nishan-e-Pakistan and also received Bharat Ratna Award. 
  • He is known for his integrity and unwavering commitment to democracy.

Topic: Appointments

7. R Hari Kumar is appointed as new chief of Western Naval Command.

• Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar has taken charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-In-Chief of Western Naval Command.
• He has replaced Admiral Ajit Kumar. He had served on various posts in the Indian Navy like Naval Advisor to the Government of Seychelles, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, etc.
• He is a recipient of the Vishist Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Param Vishisht Seva Medal.
• The Navy has the following three Commands, and each command is led by Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief:-
  • The Western Naval Command (Headquarters at Mumbai)
  • The Eastern Naval Command (Headquarters at Visakhapatnam)
  • The Southern Naval Command (Headquarters at Kochi)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. Golden Globe 2021 Awards winners announced.

• The Golden Globe Awards is given for outstanding work in the field of film and television. The award is presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
• Golden Globe Awards was instituted in 1944. It is given to American films, international films and American television.
• Winners of the 78^th Golden Globe Awards are:

Topic: State News/ Andhra Pradesh

9. Andhra Pradesh government announced calendar for welfare schemes.

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced the calendar for 23 Welfare schemes.
• Andhra Pradesh government has approved the ‘EBC Nestam’ scheme for women in the Economically Backward Classes category. Under this scheme, women in the age group of 45-60 years would receive financial assistance of ₹15,000 per annum.
• The state cabinet has approved the implementation of the ‘Navaratnalu’ scheme for FY 2021–22. It is a combination of 9 welfare schemes.
• Cabinet also gave its approval to implement the Jagananna Vasathi Deevena scheme for providing financial assistance to BPL students. It will be implemented in April, July, and December in 2021 and in February 2022.
• The Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme will help in providing school kits to the poor children of the state. It will be implemented in June.
• The state cabinet has also approved the implementation of various schemes such as Matsyakara Bharosa, Rythu Bharosa, Kapu Nestam, Netanna Nestam, etc.
• The social welfare schemes like YSR Law Nestam, Jagananna Goru Mudda, YSR Sampoorna Poshana will also be implemented this financial year.
• Andhra Pradesh:
  • It is an Indian state located in the south-eastern coastal region. It shares its border with states like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana.
  • It was the first state to be formed on the linguistic basis on the recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission.
  • Governor is Bishwabhushan Harichandan and the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
  • The Indian classical dance Kuchipudi originated from Andhra Pradesh.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. Government announced ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) scheme to boost agricultural products.

• The government has announced the ‘One District One Focus Produce’ (ODOFP) scheme to increase the export of agricultural products. The government has aimed to export Agricultural products of $60 billion by FY22.
• Government has identified a product for every district from 15 broad categories such as agricultural, horticultural, animal, poultry, milk, fisheries, aquaculture, etc.
• The objectives of the One District One Product scheme are:
  • It aims to convert each District into an export hub by identifying products with export potential in the District.
  • It aims to increase the export of agricultural products.
  • It will help in increasing the income of farmers.
• The identified product will be promoted under the PM-FME scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
• Under this scheme, micro food processing units will be given financial assistance for developing the infrastructure and marketing of these products.
• PM FME scheme was launched to provide different kinds of support (financial, technical and business) for the upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises. It was launched by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI).

Topic: Miscellaneous

11. Levi’s announces Deepika Padukone as Global Brand Ambassador.

• Deepika Padukone has been appointed as Global Brand Ambassador of Levi’s. She is the first female celebrity to become the Brand Ambassador of Levi’s in India.
• Levi’s is an American clothing company known for its brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853.
• Recently appointed Brand Ambassadors are:

Topic: Important Days

12. World NGO Day: 27 February.

• World NGO Day is celebrated annually on 27 February across the world.
• It is celebrated to highlight the contribution of NGOs and social workers in making the world a better place.
• It is also celebrated to encourage and inspire people involves in Social work. It creates awareness about the role of NGOs among the public and private sectors.
• Marcis Liors Skadmanis started this day then it was officially adopted in the X Baltic Sea NGO Forum in 2012.
• It was adopted by the UN, EU leaders and international organizations in 2014.
• Non-governmental organization (NGO): A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a non-profit group that functions independently. It plays a vital role in international development, improving communities, and philanthropy work.