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Current Affairs 15 February 2019
PM Modi Flags Off Maiden Run of India’s First Semi High Speed Train “Vande Bharat Express”
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the maiden run of the India’s first Semi High Speed Train, “Vande Bharat Express” from New Delhi on February 15, 2019.
- The “Train 18”, which has recently been rechristened as “Vande Bharat Express” will run on New Delhi-Kanpur-Allahabad-Varanasi route.
- It will cover the distance between New Delhi and Varanasi in 8 hours and will run on all days except Mondays and Thursdays.
PM Modi Inaugurates and Lays Foundation Stone of Various Projects in Jhansi
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh on 15 February 2019 to inaugurate and lay foundation stone of various development projects.
The important projects for which foundation stones were laid includes:
- Establish Defence Corridor in Jhansi.
- Piped Water Scheme for the rural areas of Bundelkhand Region.
- Jhansi City Drinking Water Scheme Phase-II under AMRUT
- Coach Refurbishing Workshop in Jhansi
- Doubling of 425 km long Jhansi-Manikpur and Bhimsen-Khairar railway lines
Some important projects that were inaugurated and dedicated to the nation are:
- Electrification of 297 km long section of Jhansi- Khairar section.
- West- North Inter-Region Power Transmission Strengthening Project to ensure uninterrupted power supply to Western Uttar Pradesh.
- Pahari Dam Modernization Project. Pahari Dam is a water storage dam situated on Dhasan river in Jhansi district.
Union Minister Arun Jaitley assumes charge as Finance Minister
- Union Minister Arun Jaitley has assumed the charge of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- The charge of the Ministries was given to Union Minister Piyush Goyal on a temporary basis on the 23rd of January.
PATA Conference 2019 held in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
- The PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2019 (ATRTCM) was held in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand from February 13 – February 15, 2019.
- The event is Asia Pacific’s leading travel trade event dedicated to the adventure travel industry.
- PATA- Pacific Asia Travel Association is a membership association working to promote the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.
- PATA Headquarters- Bangkok, Thailand
Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension Yojana announced in Bihar
- Bihar Government has announced a pension scheme named Mukhyamantri Vridhajan Pension Yojna- MVPY (मुख्यमंत्री वृद्धजन पेंशन योजना) for all people above 60 years of age.
- The scheme will come into force from the April 01, 2019.
- Pension Amount: Rs 400 / month.
- Eligibility: Applicable to BPL category; Not applicable to senior citizens who have retired from government service.
- Bihar Government also announced a pension scheme for Journalists named Bihar Patrakar Samman Yojana (BPSY) for journalists above the age of 60 years.
- Pension Amount: Rs 6,000 / month.
Linking Aadhaar-PAN mandatory for filing IT Return; to be completed by March 31: CBDT
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has announced that linking of Aadhaar and PAN is mandatory for those filing an Income Tax Return (ITR) and the deadline for linking is March 31, 2019.
India Signs Loan Agreements with the World Bank for Water Supply Infrastructure in Shimla
- The Government of India jointly with the Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) has signed a $ 40 Million Loan Agreement with the World Bank for clean and reliable drinking water in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
- The $40 Million Loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 4-year grace period and a maturity of 15.5 years.
- It is first in a series of three “Shimla Water Supply and Sewerage Service Delivery Reform Programmatic Development Policy Loan” by World Bank to improve water supply and sanitation (WSS) services in and around the iconic hill city of Shimla.
IWAI Launches Portal “LADIS” for Real Time Data on Least Available Depths
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has launched a new portal LADIS (Least Available Depth Information System) to provide an assured depth of waterway in stretches of various National Waterways (NWs) for seamless movement of vessels.
- LADIS will provide real-time information on least available depths (LADs) for ship/barge and cargo owners so that they can undertake transportation on NWs in a more planned way.
Pramod Chandra Mody appointed new CBDT chairman
- IRS officer Pramod Chandra Mody on February 15, 2019 took over as the new chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
- P.C. Mody has been appointed in place of Sushil Chandra, as Chandra has been named as the Election Commissioner for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Raigarh bags Swachhata Excellence awards 2019
- Municipal Corporation of Raigarh has won the first prize at the Swachhata Excellence awards 2019. The award was organised by Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.
- Municipal Corporation of Ambikapur and Kumbakonam are second and third respectively.
- Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has won the first prize under the Million Plus Cities category.
- For aspirational districts, Chas Municipal Corporation has been awarded with a consolation prize.
India Signs Rs 700-Crore Defence Contract with US to Procure 72,400 Assault Rifles
- India and United States have signed a contract under which India will procure 72,400 Assault Rifles from US firm SiG Sauer.
- The new Assault Rifles will incur a cost of around Rs 700 crore.
- The rifles are being bought under fast track procurement (FTP) procedure and will be delivered within a period of 12 months beginning February 12, 2019.
- The 7.62 mm Sig Sauer Assault Rifles are compact, robust, modern in technology and simple to maintain in field conditions.
- The Indian Armed Forces are currently equipped with 5.56×45 mm INSAS Rifle, built and developed by state owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which needed to be replaced on urgent basis