Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 February 2021

Topic: Sports

1. IOC confirms Brisbane as preferred candidate for the 2032 Olympic Games.

• The International Olympic Committee has announced that Brisbane, Australia is a preferred location for the 2032 Olympic Games.
• The IOC future host commission has recommended talking with Brisbane bid organizers and the Australian Olympic Committee.
• The Queensland state had hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Australia had hosted the Olympics in 2000 in Sydney.
• International Olympic Committee is a non-governmental sports organization. It is the apex authority for organizing the Olympic Games. Its current President is Thomas Bach.
• Tokyo Olympics 2020 is scheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

2. Ministry of Corporate Affairs and CBIC signed an MoU for Ease of Doing Business in India.

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has signed an MoU with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs for data exchange.
• Both organisations will share their database for promoting ease of doing business in India and improving overall regulatory enforcement.
• Both organisations will also share the details of import-export transactions and consolidated financial statements of companies registered in the country.
• A Data Exchange Steering Group is also formed for further improvement in the data exchange mechanism.
• Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC):
  • It was established on 1 January 1964. It is headquartered in New Delhi. It is headed by Muttoli Ajit Kumar (M. Ajit Kumar).
  • It is a part of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance.
  • After GST, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has been renamed as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
  • It formulates and implements policies for Central GST, Central Excise Duty and Custom/Import Duty.
• Ministry of Corporate Affairs: It is responsible mainly for the regulation of Indian enterprises in the Industrial and Services sector. Nirmala Sitharaman is the current head of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

3. Second Khelo India Winter Games being held from 26 February to 2 March.

• Second Khelo India Winter Games has started at Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council and the Winter Games Association of Jammu and Kashmir, is organizing the event.
• The sports activities include alpine skiing, nordic ski, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ice hockey, ice skating, ice stock.
• Khelo India Winter Games:
  • It is a national-level multi-sport event.
  • First Khelo India Winter Games were held in Leh and Gulmarg in 2020.
  • Jammu and Kashmir emerged as the winner of the first Khelo India Winter Games.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

4. Malayalam Poet Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri passed away.

• Malayalam poet Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri passed away at the age of 81.
• He was born on 2 June 1939 in Thiruvalla.
• Some of his works include Pranaya Geethangal, India Enna Vikaram, Ujjayiniyile Raappakalukal, Aranyakam, Parikramam, Aparajitha, etc.
• He was conferred with various awards like Odakuzhal Award, Vallathol Prize, Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award in 1979, Central Sahitya Akademi Award in 1994, Padma Shri in 2014.

Topic: State News/ Himachal Pradesh

5. Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh launched ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’.

• Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, has launched ‘e-Parivahan Vyavstha’ of HP Transport Department.
• It will provide faceless services to the people with respect to Driving License, Registration Certificates, Permits, etc.
• Himachal Pradesh government had first started e-Vidhan Sabha (upgraded as NeVA), followed by e-Budget, e-cabinet and now e-Parivahan.
• Himachal Pradesh:
  • It is a state in north India that shares borders with Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Tibet.
  • It is located in the western Himalayas. It has 12 districts grouped into three divisions- Kangra, Mandi and Shimla.
  • Summer capital of Himachal Pradesh is Shimla and winter capital is Dharamshala.
  • Governor of Himachal Pradesh: Bandaru Dattatreya
  • Himachal became the 18^th state of India on 25 January 1971.
  • Reo Purgyil is the highest peak of Himachal Pradesh.
  • In 2006, it was declared India’s second open-defection free state.
  • Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Gaddis, Gujjars, Kanauras, Bhots, Swangals are the major tribes of Himachal Pradesh.

Topic: National News

6. Government selected 12 iconic sites under Phase IV of Swachh Iconic Places.

• The Government has selected twelve iconic sites under Phase IV of Swachh Iconic Places.
• The Swachh Iconic Places is an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen. It is implemented by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in association with the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and the concerned State governments.
• The objective behind selecting sites is to improve the sanitation and cleanliness standards at Tourism sites. It will help in boosting tourism in the country.
• The twelve sites selected under phase-IV are:

• Swachh Bharat Mission: It was started in 2014. It is an initiative by the Government of India to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management.

Topic: International News

7. Australia passed law to make Google, Facebook pay for news.

• The Parliament of Australia has passed a law after which the big companies of the digital sector, Google and Facebook, will have to pay appropriately for the news.
• The Parliament has passed this law by amending the ‘News Media Bargaining Code’. 
• The new law will encourage deals between tech giants and local media organizations. It will bring investment in local media companies. The law will ensure a fair price for the local media companies for their news.
• If negotiation fails between tech giants and local media companies, then an independent arbitrator will set the rates for them.
• Australia has become the first country in the world to pass such kind of law.

Topic: International News

8. Pakistan will remain on FATF’s ‘grey list’ till June.

• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has announced to keep Pakistan on its ‘grey list’ till June.
• FATF has said that Pakistan should effectively implement financial sanctions against all the designated terrorists. Pakistan must take action against UN-designated terrorists and their associates.
• FATF also demanded that the Pakistan court must give effective, decisive and proportionate punishment to persons involved in terrorism and Pakistan must create an effective system to deal with terror financing.
• In October 2020, FATF had decided to keep Pakistan on its grey list. Pakistan is on the grey list of FATF since June 2018.
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF):
  • It is a global money-laundering watchdog. It was established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terror financing and other related threats to the international financial system.
  • It is headquartered in Paris, France.
  • Currently, it has 39 members.

Topic: National News

9. Government issued guidelines and code of ethics for social media channels and OTT platforms.

• Central Government has declared guidelines and digital media ethics code for social media platforms, digital channels and OTT platforms.
• The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 are framed under section 87 (2) Information Technology Act, 2000.
• The guidelines related to Social Media will be administered by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, while the digital media ethics code will be administered by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Salient features of Guidelines Related to Social Media:
  • A grievance redressal mechanism will be established for resolving complaints from the users or victims.
  • Social media platforms have to remove the content related to nudity or morphed images of women within 24 hours of complaints.
  • Significant Social Media Intermediary will have to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, a Nodal Contact Person and Resident Grievance Officer for grievance redressal.
  • Social media intermediaries must identify the “first originator” of the information.
• Salient features of Digital Media Ethics Code related to Digital Media and OTT Platforms:
  • The digital Code of Ethics must be followed by OTT platforms and online news and digital media entities.
  • OTT platforms must categorize their content into five categories of - U (Universal), U/A 7+, U/A 13+, U/A 16+, and A (Adult).
  • A three-level grievance redressal mechanism has been established with different levels of self-regulation.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

10. Corporate Affairs Ministry advised investors to verify the status of Nidhi Company before investing.

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has advised investors to verify the status of Nidhi Company before investing.
• According to the rules of the amended Companies Act, 2013 and the Nidhi Rules 2014, Nidhi companies will have to inform their status to the Corporate Ministry.
• The Corporate Ministry has found in their investigation that many Nidhi companies have not complied with the provisions of the rules.
• Nidhi Company:
  • It is a non-banking financial company (NBFC).
  • It is formed for borrowing and lending money between its members.
  • They are regulated by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
  • It can be started with an initial capital of Rs. 5 lakhs.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

11. Kushinagar Airport gets approval from the DGCA for the operation of international flights.

• Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted a license to Kushinagar Airport for operating international flights.
• It has become the third airport in Uttar Pradesh to get this license after Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport. It has also become the 87^th airport in India to operate international flights.
• DGCA has approved a 4C license to Kushinagar Airport. Now, it can operate both domestic and international flights.
• Kushinagar: It is one of the sacred places of Buddhism. Buddha had attained Mahaparinirvana (salvation) in 483 BC at Kushinagar.
• Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA):
  • It is the statutory body formed under the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
  • It registers civil aircraft, certifies airports, provides a license to pilots and air traffic controllers and coordinates International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) matters.
  • It works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
  • Director General: Arun Kumar