Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 February 2021

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

1. LNG Kochi terminal of Petronet becomes first LNG dispensing station in India.

• The Kochi terminal of Petronet LNG Ltd has become the first LNG dispensing station in India. It has received approval from the Petroleum Explosive and Safety Organisation.
• The LNG dispensing station will provide fuel to motor vehicles.
• Petronet LNG Ltd is planning to establish this kind of station at different locations in Kerala. It will also launch a fishing boat running on LNG with the help of Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council.
• It will help in reducing pollution and increase the use of LNG as fuel in the automotive sector.
• Liquefied Natural Gas: It is a Liquefied Natural Gas converted to liquid form through liquefaction. It is mainly used for cooking purposes. Methane is the main component of LNG.
• Petronet LNG Ltd:
  • It was formed in 1998.
  • It is a joint venture company of the government to import liquefied natural gas and set up LNG terminals.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
  • Akshay Kumar Singh is the current MD & CEO of Petronet LNG Ltd.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

2. Tata Communications and Google Cloud India entered into a partnership.

• Tata Communications and Google Cloud India has entered into a partnership to drive cloud adoption and transform Indian businesses.
• Because of this partnership, organizations will be able to deploy and access Google Cloud services through the IZO Managed Cloud platform of Tata Communications.
• With the help of Tata communication’s IZO Cloud Command portal, it will become possible to integrate different enterprise IT environments into a single dashboard.
• With this partnership, Tata Communications, Google Cloud India will be able to provide its customers a unified, end-to-end experience and make cloud management easier for them.
• Tata Communications will help organizations in infrastructure modernization, data centre transformation, application modernization, etc., with the help of google.

Topic:Corporates/Companies

3. Amazon India to start manufacturing of electronic products in India.

• Amazon India will begin manufacturing of electronic products in India by the end of 2021.
• In the starting, the company will produce Amazon Fire TV sticks in India. Amazon will set up a manufacturing line in Chennai.    
• Amazon India will begin its manufacturing efforts with contract manufacturer Cloud Network Technology. The production will start by the end of this year.
• Cloud Network Technology is a subsidiary of Foxconn. Foxconn is a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturer.
• Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994. It is an American multinational technology company.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan launched by Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

• Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan under Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban has been launched by Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• It will be carried out to assess equitable water distribution, wastewater reuse and mapping of water bodies.
• Under the survekshan, data on drinking water and conditions of three water bodies in the city will be collected.  
• Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan will be later extended to all the AMRUT cities. As of now, it has been launched in 10 cities given below.

• Government designed the Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban to provide universal water coverage supply to all households through functional taps in all 4,378 towns.
• A Technology Sub-Mission for water is also proposed. Various reforms are proposed under this Sub-Mission. Some of them are given next.
  • City Water Potability Index and reduction in non-revenue water
  • Recycle water to meet at least 20% of total water demand by 2025
  • Revival of three water bodies per Urban Local Body
• Sustainable  Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. Joint Conference of 11^th World PetroCoal Congress and World Future Fuel Summit addressed by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas.

• The Joint Conference of 11^th World PetroCoal Congress and World Future Fuel Summit addressed by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi.
• He talked about different steps taken by the government and said that LPG coverage had been increased from 56% to nearly 99.5% in less than seven years.
• He said that India’s solar capacity increased by 13 times in the last six years and nearly 37 crore LED bulbs have been distributed under UJALA scheme. He also talked about National Hydrogen Energy Mission. 
• World PetroCoal Congress is the world’s only congress on Petroleum-Coal-Gas industries. World Future Fuel Summit is held annually.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

6. Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal in President’s Estate inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind.

• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal in President’s Estate on 16^th February.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal includes Football Ground and Basketball Court.
• Children of My Angels Academy played an exhibition football match on this occasion. My Angels Academy is a trust working for underprivileged children.
• Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal has state-of-art sports facilities to cater to the needs of Rashtrapati Bhavan employees and their families.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Miscellaneous

7. Third edition of Indian Sign Language Dictionary released by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot.

• Third edition of the Indian Sign Language Dictionary has been released by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot.
• Third edition of the Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary has 10 thousand terms including 6 thousand earlier terms. It also has regional signs used in different parts of India. 
• Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) has brought out this dictionary.
• ISLRTC is an autonomous Institute under Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. Defence Minister launched the E-Chhawani portal.

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the E-Chhawani portal and mobile app. It will provide online municipal services for the residents of 62 Cantonment Boards across the country.
• The portal is developed by eGov Foundation, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE) and National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• The residents of Cantonment areas can register their civic complaints through this online portal.
• It will provide various services, including renewal of leases, online registration of births and deaths, online application for water and sewerage connection, etc.
• It will help in the timely distribution of services to the resident of Cantonment Boards.
• Cantonment Boards:
  • It is a civic administration body under the Ministry of Defence.
  • It is regulated by the Cantonments Act, 2006.
  • The tenure of a member of a board is of five years.

Topic: Appointments

9. Tamilisai Soundararajan has been given additional charge as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.

• Tamilisai Soundararajan, the governor of Telangana, has been given additional charge as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.
• Kiran Bedi has been removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. She is the first female IPS officer of India.
• Article 239 states that each Union Territory shall be administered through an Administrator appointed by the President.
• Lieutenant Governor:
  • He is appointed by the President.
  • The term of Lieutenant Governor is of five years.
  • He is responsible for the administration of Union territories.
• Puducherry:
  • It was formed in 1962 from the four colonies of French India.
  • Puducherry is one of the Union Territories of India.
  • It is located in the southern part of the Indian peninsula.
  • Velu Narayanasamy is the current Chief Minister.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

10. Former Governor and renowned jurist M Rama Jois has passed away.

• A noted jurist and former Governor M. Rama Jois, has passed away at the age of 88.
• He had served as governor of Bihar and Jharkhand. He was also the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was a former Rajya Sabha MP.
• He will be remembered for his contribution to the Indian judiciary.
• Some of the notable books authored by him are:
  • Seeds of Modem Public Law in Ancient Indian Jurisprudence
  • The Legal and Constitutional History of India
  • Dharma: the Global Ethic
  • Historic Legal Battle

Topic: Books and Authors

11. “The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Good News” - upcoming book of Meghna Pant.

• Meghna Pant has penned a new book titled “The Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Good News”. It will be published by the Penguin Random House India.
• This book will be released in April 2021 and soon be seen as a film under the title ‘Badnam Ladoo’.
• The book is about a woman in a conservative family who decides to use a sperm donor to have a baby.
• Meghna Pant is a noted Indian author. She has written many books, including One & a Half Wife, The Trouble Book with Women, Feminist Rani, etc. She had also previously worked as a Journalist.

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/Taskforces

12. RBI will set up a committee for strengthening and consolidation of Urban Cooperative Banks.

• The Reserve Bank of India has announced to set up a committee for strengthening and consolidation of Urban Cooperative Banks. Former RBI Deputy Governor N.S. Vishwanathan will be the head of this committee.
• The committee will suggest measures for faster rehabilitation resolution of Urban Cooperative Banks. It will create a road map for a vibrant and resilient urban co-operative banking sector by considering the recent amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• It will also review steps taken by the Reserve Bank and other authorities for UCBs in the last five years. It will also identify key constraints in the implementation of the steps taken.
• For enhancing the resilience of UCBs, the committee will examine the need for differential regulations and possibilities of more permissible activities for UCBs.
• Urban Co-operative Banks:
  • These are the primary banks that are located in urban and semi-urban areas. They primarily lend to small borrowers and businesses.
  • These are classified as scheduled and non-scheduled urban co-operative banks.
  • These are partly regulated by RBI.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. Jagan Reddy has been conferred SKOCH CM of the Year Award.

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has received the SKOCH CM of the Year Award. He is selected for his governance projects in the state.
• He has started some revolutionary initiatives like the opening of Rythu Bharosa Kendra for village level procurement, Cheyutha Scheme for the empowerment of middle-aged women, Disha and Abhay initiative for women safety, etc.
• Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has got SKOCH Challenger Award under the “Transparency in Governance” category.
• SKOCH Award:
  • It was established in 2003.
  • It is the highest civilian honour of the country presented by an independent organization.

(Source: News on AIR)