Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2019

Notes:
Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga from Mizoram has recently clinched silver in men’s 67kg category & fetched India’s second medal in the EGAT’s Cup International Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Lalrinnunga lifted 131kg in the snatch and 157kg in clean and jerk for a total of 288 kg. Earlier, in the on-going event, world champion Saikhom Mirabai Chanu had won a gold in the women’s 48-kilogram category with a total lift of 192 kilograms.

Notes:
Radheyshyam Julaniya, a 1985 batch officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed the new Union Sports Secretary. He succeeded Rahul Bhatnagar, who is set to join the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Earlier, Bhatnagar had also served as Director General of Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). During his tenure, IIM Rohtak has also started a MBA programme in Sports Management with Ministry funding. Bhatnagar also outlined the achievements of the Sports Ministry during his tenure, which includes, opening the National Sports University (NSU), Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) besides hosting important international tournaments like the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar and World Women’s Boxing Championships in New Delhi.

Notes:
Father Francois Laborde, a 92-year-old Bengal priest, has been conferred the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour), the highest civilian award of France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children. Father Laborde is of French-origin but he has been given Indian citizenship. He is the third person from the state to have been awarded the Legion of Honor after film maestro Satyajit Ray and actor Soumitra Chatterjee.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently raised the limit for collateral-free agriculture loans to Rs 1.6 lakh from Rs. 1 lakh to enhance coverage of small and marginal farmers in the formal credit system. Currently, the banks are mandated to extend collateral-free agricultural loans up to Rs. 1 lakh. This limit was fixed in the year 2010. The RBI also proposed to set up an internal working group to review various issues plaguing farm credit, such as regional disparity, extent of coverage and limited capital formation from such credit. As per interim Budget of 2019, the Government of India (GoI) will also launch the ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) programme to provide assured income support to small and marginal farmers. Under this, vulnerable landholding farmer-families, having cultivable land up to two hectares, will be provided direct income support at the rate of Rs. 6,000 per year. This income support will be transferred directly into the bank accounts of beneficiary farmers in three equal instalments of Rs. 2,000 each. The programme will be funded by the Government of India (GoI).

Notes:
The first-ever World Pulses Day (WPD) is observed on 10th February to raise awareness about the multiple benefits of eating pulses. Pulses are a type of leguminous crop that are harvested solely for the dry seed. Dried beans, lentils and peas are the most commonly known and consumed types of pulses. Pulses do not include crops that are harvested green (e.g. green peas, green beans)—these are classified as vegetable crops. In 2018, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) designated 10 February as World Pulses Day (WPD) to keep alive the positive momentum surrounding these healthy, nutritious, protein-rich, nitrogen-fixing legumes after FAO’s successful 2016 International Year of Pulses (IYP) Campaign.

Notes:
In February 2019, Jamie Chadwick from England has scripted history by becoming the first female motor racing driver to clinch the MRF Challenge Championship title after scoring a triple win in the final round of the season in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. She is best known for becoming the first ever female and youngest winner of the British GT Championship in 2015.

Notes:
On February 8, the 5-day multinational maritime exercise ‘AMAN 19’ has commenced at Pakistan Navy Dockyard near the coastal city of Karachi with the slogan “Together for Peace”. The flags of 46 countries including Pakistan were hoisted and the contingents of Pakistan Navy presented a march-past. The principal purpose of the exercise is to provide a forum for understanding of each other’s maritime concepts and operational cultures and come up with ways and means to combat common threats at sea. The exercise is aimed at fostering maritime cooperation, promoting a safe and secure maritime environment for regional and global stability and for preserving oceans which is the common heritage of mankind.

Notes:
The National Unani Day (NUD) is celebrated every year on 11th February to mark the birth anniversary of great Unani researcher Haqim Ajmal Khan. He was an eminent Indian Unani physician who was versatile genius, freedom fighter, educationist and founder of scientific research in Unani Medicine. As part of 3rd Unani Day 2019 celebration, the two-day National Conference on Unani Medicine was held at New Delhi with theme ‘Unani Medicine for Public Health’. It was organized by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM). The conference highlighted the important role played by Unani Medicine in public health especially in combating NCDs, lifestyle disorders and various chronic diseases by providing cost effective treatment and quality products for patient healthcare. About 1300 delegates, resource persons, academicians, researchers and industry representatives participated in the conference.

Notes:
Renowned Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam has been awarded the Israel’s prestigious Dan David Prize 2019 for his work on inter-cultural encounters between Asians, Europeans and people of North and South America during the early modern era. He won the award in the category of ”past time dimension” for his work in macro history. He will share the $1-million prize money with historian Prof. Kenneth Pomeranz of University of Chicago. The prize is named after philanthropist Dan David and administered by Israel’s Tel Aviv University. It is awarded annually to those who have made outstanding scientific, technological and humanistic accomplishments in fields representing the past, present and future of human achievement. The award ceremony will take place in Tel Aviv in May 2019.

Notes:
On 9th February, the first-ever LAWASIA Human Rights Conference 2019 was held in New Delhi with theme “State Power, Business and Human Rights: Contemporary Challenges”. The 2-day conference was hosted by LAWASIA, in association with the Bar Association of India (BAI). The conference focussed on topics ranging from “Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights” to “Climate Change, Water Conflicts and Human Rights”. It provided a unique opportunity for lawyers and associated professional members to exchange insights and expertise on topics of significance. LAWASIA is a regional association of lawyers, judges, jurists and legal organisations, which advocates for the interests and concerns of the Asia Pacific legal profession.