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Current Affairs 19 February 2021
Daily Current Affairs 19 February 2021: This post contains the latest current affairs for 19 February 2021 that are important for all competitive exams like Bank, SSC, IBPS, SBI exams. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.
National
Cabinet approves Comprehensive Economic cooperation and Partnership Agreement between India and Mauritius
- The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) between India and Mauritius
- The India-Mauritius CECPA is the first trade agreement to be signed by India with an African country.
- Purpose: liberalising norms to boost two-way commerce between the two countries.
- The agreement will cover Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons, Telecom, Financial services, and Customs Procedures and Cooperation in other areas.
- The CECPA between India and Mauritius will cover 310 export items for India, while 615 products for Mauritius.
Odisha Govt announced Rs 200 crore Development Package for Maa Samaleswari Shrine
- The state government of Odisha, under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the development work for the SAMALEI Project (Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives), to offer divine experience to tourists & devotees.
- The project involves the development of 108 acres of land in & around the 16th-century shrine of Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of western Odisha.
- Odisha Government has announced a package of Rs 200-crore for the 2021-22 fiscal for the implementation of the project.
- The project will be implemented under MoSarkar5T, and will focus on beautification of temple & economic development of local people.
- It will include development of amenities for devotees inside the 12 acre temple premises and development of four tall heritage welcome gates.
‘Snakepedia’ mobile app launched in Kerala to help treat snake bites
- A team of scientists, doctors and photographers in Kerala have launched a mobile application named “Snakepedia”, that will present all relevant information on snakes, to help the public as well as doctors in treating snake bites.
- The android mobile application documents information on snakes with the help of pictures, infographics and podcasts and analyses its first aid, treatment, myths and superstitions
- The main aim of the app is to help the public identify snakes, avail proper treatment on time for snakebites, bust myths about snakes, and protect snakes as well as snakebite victims.
Hyundai Develops Ultimate Mobility Vehicle ‘TIGER X-1’
- Hyundai Motor Company [Headquarter: Seoul, South Korea] has launched a Transformer-like robocar dubbed as TIGER X-1, that can travel over the most challenging terrains on the Earth as well as on other planets.
- TIGER stands for Transforming Intelligent Ground Excursion Robot, and the X-1 denotes its experimental status.
Key Features
- The Ultimate Mobility Vehicle (UMV) TIGER is being developed by Hyundai in partnership with Autodesk and Sundberg-Ferar.
- Tiger is designed as a battery electric vehicle, comprising of small pod with four wheels on extendable legs. it will be able to operate as either a four-wheel-drive vehicle or four-legged walking robot.
- The vehicle is unscrewed, meaning that its, main use will be to carry payloads over remote and inaccessible locations, and not the people
- It will help in search and rescue, scientific research, military, or exploratory missions (even on new planets).
Banking & Economy
Oxford Economics Revises India’s GDP to 10.2% for 2021
- The global forecasting firm Oxford Economics has revised India’s economic growth projection for the Calendar year 2021 to 10.2 percent, compared to previous estimate of 8.8 percent.
- The reason for the upward revision is the receding COVID-19 risks and the shift in the monetary policy outlook.
- Oxford Economics is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom and has 6 office locations across 5 countries. It provides global forecasts and analysis to predict and manage economic risk.
Sports
Kings XI Punjab renamed as Punjab Kings ahead of IPL auction
- The IPL Franchise, Kings XI Punjab has formally been renamed as Punjab Kings ahead of the Indian Premier League auction, which was held on February 18, 2021, in Chennai.
- The new brand name and logo of the team was officially released by the management on February 17, 2021.
- The Punjab-based IPL franchise ‘Punjab Kings‘ is co-owned by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, along with businessman Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman and Karn Paul.
- The side is currently led by batsman KL Rahul, with former Indian captain Anil Kumble as its head coach.
Vivo is back as title sponsor for Indian Premier League 2021 Season
- The Chinese mobile and technology company brand Vivo has returned as the title sponsors of IPL for the 2021 edition.
- This was informed by the Indian Premier League Governing Council chairman Brijesh Patel at the IPL 2021 Auction in Chennai on february 18, 2021.
- In 2018, Vivo acquired the IPL title sponsorship for Rs 2,199 crore in a five-year deal.
- However, military clashes at the India-China border in June 2020, led VIVO to pull out as sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
- VIVO was then replaced by Indian online gaming platform Dream11 in 2020 season.
Former South African Skipper Faf du Plessis retires from Test cricket
- Former captain of the South Africa, Faf du Plessis has announced his retirement from Test cricket on February 17, 2021.
- The 36-year-old made his Test debut in November 2012 and played a total of 69 games in the longest format.
- He scored 4163 runs in his Test career, at an average of 40.02, with 10 centuries and 21 fifties.
International
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia resigns
- The Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia has announced his resignation on February 18, 2021.
- The 45-year-old Gakharia served as the Prime Minister from 8 September 2019 to 18 February 2021.
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Georgia Capital: Tbilisi; Currency:Georgian lari
Obituary
Former Union Minister and Veteran Congress Leader Captain Satish Sharma passes away at 73
- Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Captain Satish Sharma passed away in Goa after a brief illness, and suffering from cancer. He was 73.
- He served as the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas from 1993 to 1996 in the Narasimha Rao government.
- Captain Satish Sharma was a close aide of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
- He was a three-time Lok Sabha MP, representing Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies and Rajya Sabha member for three terms representing the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
