1. Andal was a woman Alvar whose compositions were widely sung in South In India. She was known as Meera of South India. Karaikkal Ammaiyar was a devotee of Shiva who adopted the path of extreme asceticim in order to attain her goal.
2. Calico, DeepMind, Nest Labs, Waymo are subsidiaries of Alphabet Inc. whose major subsidiary is Google. Softimage, NetCarta and Firefly are subsidiaries of Microsoft. Instagram and Whatsapp are subsidiaries of Facebook.
3. A sweat equity share is an equity share issued by the company to employees or directors at a discount or for consideration other than cash for providing know-how or making available rights in the nature of intellectual property rights or value additions.
4. Lassa fever or Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF) is caused by Lassa virus. This disease is mainly prevalent in West Africa countries such as Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ghana. It results in 5000 deaths every year. It's a zoonotic disease transmits to human from a species of mouse.
5. In Finland, 2,000 unemployed people are being provided with monetary compensation each month for a span of two years with very little or no preconditions.
6. Masala bonds allow Indian companies to raise overseas debt in the Indian currency. The instrument shields the issuers from currency fluctuations mainly because interest payments and redemption is in rupees. At the same time, investors get interest rates that are higher than in their domestic markets. In third statement, the most popular market for Masala bonds currently is London.
7. Recently, India has been invited as a Guest Country at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which will be held in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia from June 1 to 3, 2017 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the forum as a Guest of Honour. The SPIEF is a unique international event in the world of economics and business, held annually with the participation of the President of the Russian Federation.
8. Anushka Sharma, the Bollywood actress, has been appointed the new ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Campaign by the Ministry of Urban Development. She will highlight the women-centric aspects of open defecation as part of the nationwide health and sanitation campaign and will join the campaign with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is also the brand ambassador of this campaign.
9. The World Wetlands Day (WWD) is observed every year on February 2 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971 in Iran. The day is established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet.The wetlands play an important role in reducing the impact of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and cyclones. Wetlands act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flooding. The 2017 theme is "Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction".
10. Ireland will become the world's first country to completely divest from fossil fuels. For this, Irish Parliament passed legislation that will drop coal, oil, and gas (fossil fuel) investments from its $8.56 billion Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. If the billl pass, the law will require the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to sell its investment in fossil fuel industries over the course of the next 5 years.
11. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is an Indian governmental commission, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development. Its present chairman is Stuti Narain Kacker. Recently, NCPCR is in news because for the first time it is organizing an All India Short Film, Still Photograph and Poster Competition for promotion of child rights in the country. The first prize for short films is Rs.100, 000 and second & third prize carry cash award of Rs. 75,000 & Rs.50,000 respectively. The cash award for the First, Second and Third prize in Still Photograph and Poster competition category are: Rs.50,000, Rs.30,000 and Rs.20,000. There is no entry fee for this competition.
12. The book "The Man Who Became Khali" has been authored by Dalip Singh Rana with Vinit K. Bansal. This book defines the journey of a man named Dalip Singh Rana and how he became The Great Khali. The book is a no-holds-barred account of the man who controlled his inner demons and physical anomalies and went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
13. Coking coal mines was first nationalized in 1971. In 1973, all non-coking coal mines were nationalized and thus coal India got monopoly over coal mining in the country.
14. Lakshya Sen (15) from India has become the World No. 1 Junior Badminton player, as per latest rankings of the Badminton World Federation (BWF). According to BWF current rankings, Lakshya has 16,903 points in eight tournaments he has played in the season. In 2016, he won the Senior India International Series Badminton Tournament along with the All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament at Itanagar. He was youngest-ever player and the first-ever from Uttarakhand to win the title at senior level. Earlier, his brother Chirag Sen was ranked number two in the world junior badminton rankings.
15. In the Union Budget 2017-18, the Government of India (GoI) has allocated Rs. 10,000 crore for Bharat Net Project to promote digital transactions into rural India. Under the project, the high-speed internet connectivity will cover approx 150,000 gram panchayats with Wi-Fi hotspots and digital services will be access at low tariffs. Beside this, the DigiGaon initiative will also be launched to provide tele-medicine, education and skills through digital technology.
16. The Union Health Ministry has recently launched Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign at a function in Bengaluru, Karnataka that targets around 41 crore children across India. The campaign against these two diseases will start from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and Lakshadweep and will cover nearly 3.6 crore children. All children aged between 9 months and less than 15 years will be given a single shot of MR- vaccination. The MR vaccine will be provided free- of- cost across the states. Currently, Measles vaccine is provided under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Though, rubella vaccine will be a new addition. Measles is a deadly disease and one of the important causes of death in children. Rubella is generally a mild infection, but has serious consequences if infection occurs in pregnant women, causing congenital rubella syndrome.
17. Bano Qudsia (88), the renowned Pakistani Urdu novelist and playwright, has recently passed away in Lahore, Pakistan. She was born in November 1928 in Ferozepur, India and migrated to Pakistan after partition. Among her prominent writings include Aadhi Baat, Aatish-i-zer-i-paa, Aik Din, Amer Bail, Asay Pasay, Chahar Chaman, Chhotaa Sheher Baray Log, Footpath ki Ghaas, Hasil Ghaat and Hawa Kay Naam.
18. The 4th BIMSTEC Summit-2017 will be held in Nepal, which is likely to be announced in the 17th session of BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) that has started at Kathmandu, Nepal on February 2, 2017. In the meeting, delegates of member countries will review the progress made by BIMSTEC and recommend future course of action to strengthen regional cooperation among the group. The BIMSTEC was founded in 1997 and is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia. These are: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.
19. The Jharkhand government will give 2% reservation to sportsperson in government job and nutritious food to them. Apart from this, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has stated that Kamal Clubs would be set up to promote football, and for this the government would give kits to players and competitions would be held at block, district and state levels and women teams will also be set up for this purpose.
20. Rajeev Singh, Member (Finance) in Prasar Bharati Board, has taken charge as acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the public service broadcaster Prasar Bharti. He succeeded Suresh Panda, who retires on February 4, 2017. Panda has been serving as interim CEO since November 2016, after full time chief Jawhar Sircar resigned in October 2016. Prasar Bharati looks after the functioning of Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR).
21. Anish Kapoor, the well-known Indian-origin British sculptor, has won the prestigious $1 million Genesis Prize 2017 by Israel for his commitment to Jewish values. Kapoor's work include 'Turning the World Upside Down' at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, 'Cloud Gate' in Chicago's Millennium Park and the 'Orbit' in London. The Genesis Prize is also regarded as Jewish Nobel Prize and is given annually to those who have attained excellence and international renown in their chosen professional fields, and who inspire others through their engagement and dedication to the Jewish community and/or the State of Israel.
22. The Arunachal Pradesh government has recently implemented e-Cabinet solution to use as a powerful tool to streamline its decision-making process. With this, Arunachal Pradesh has become the first state in the northeast to implement e-Cabinet solution for the state cabinet members. The e-Cabinet solution will give remote access to the ministers to view Cabinet notes and the same will be circulated well in advance for proper analysis and feedback. The system is a multi-user secure solution that keeps relevant information organised and updated in real time, giving ministers a clear overview of each item under discussion.
23. Gujarat has become the first Indian State to establish cashless system for distribution of food grains. The beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA) will need to carry only Aadhaar cards for getting their food grain in Gujarat. This will help in establishing the identity of beneficiaries, help in stopping the leakages of grain at shop level and above all eradicate corruption in the Public distribution System (PDS). Beside this, the Gujarat government completed the target of installing Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) in 17,250 Fair Price Shops (FPS) much before March 31. With this, a consumer will also be able to get his Rail, air and bus ticket reserved at the Fair Price Shops (FPS) itself. A beneficiary can pay his mobile bill, a farmer can deposit crop insurance premium, LIC premium etc. at these centres.
24. The 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC) will be held in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 to March 2, which will be organised by the Global System Mobile Association (GSMA). The MWC is the world's largest gathering for the mobile industry. In it, the Indian researchers from IIT Hyderabad will showcase its C-RAN prototype for 5G technology, which is one of the first prototypes in the world.
25. India has been ranked 43rd out of 45 global economies in the 5th edition of Intellectual Property Index (IPI)-2017, as per the latest report titled "The Roots of Innovation" by the US Chamber of Commerce (USCC)'s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC). This is the 5th year in a row that India has been ranked at the bottom of the pack in the index. The list is topped by United States, followed by United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Sweden respectively. The GIPC highlighted the need for the government to build upon the positive rhetoric of its IPR policy with the substantial legislative reforms that innovators need.
26. The 16th edition of the IAAF World Championships will be held in August 2017 in London, United Kingdom (UK). In it, Russia will remain suspended after athletics' governing body voted to extend their suspension from international competition for state-sponsored doping. Though, some Russians may be able to compete under a neutral banner, if they can satisfy testing criteria.
27. Ajay Tyagi, a 1984 batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed the new chief of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Currently, Tyagi is an additional secretary at the finance ministry's economic affairs department and will succeed U.K. Sinha, who retires from the post on March 1, 2017. The chairman of SEBI receives a consolidated pay package of Rs 4.5 lakh per month.
28. The world's first Braille Atlas for visually impaired persons has been launched by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences. The special edition of the "Atlas for Visually Impaired (India)" in English Braille has been prepared by National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) under the Department of S&T. The Atlas priced at Rs.600 and has 20 maps that cover themes such as physical, socio-economic and cultural aspects such as river system, natural vegetation, Metropolitan cities, roads, food and cash crops. The Atlas will be distributed free of cost to various schools across India for educating the students with visual challenges.
29. The Pakistan Navy has started its 5th edition of multinational naval exercise "AMAN – 2017" at the Navy Dockyard in Karachi. The 2017 theme is 'Together for peace' and focus is on maritime security including counter-piracy and counter terrorism operations at sea. The naval exercise will include ships, aircraft, helicopters, Special Operations Forces (SOF), Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD), marine teams and observers from regional as well extra-regional navies. The 4-day naval drill involves 37 countries such as Australia, China, Indonesia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, UK, Unites States, Japan and Russia.
30. The World Radio Day (WRD) is observed every year on February 13 to celebrate radio as the medium for entertainment, information and the mode for communication. The 2017 theme is "Radio is You!" a call for greater participation of audiences and communities in the policy and planning of radio broadcasting. The day provides an opportunity to honour how radio is uniquely positioned to bring communities together and promote positive dialogue for change.
31. Jiro Taniguchi (69), a legendary comic manga artist of Japan, has recently passed away in Tokyo, Japan. He was known for his elegant line drawings and intricately-constructed landscapes. Taniguchi achieved an international following with works such as The Walking Man, The Summit of the Gods and The Magic Mountain.
32. The 2nd edition of the International Spice Conference has started in Kovalam, Kerala on February 12, 2017. The event is hosted by the All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF), which represents about 80% of spices exports, in association with the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The central theme of the conference is "21st century spice industry: Disrupt or be disrupted". The 3-day conference will discuss effective strategies and innovative technologies to improve the livelihood of farmers; address industry challenges, food safety concerns and demand supply disparity; and seek to foster sustainable growth. Over 700 delegates representing various States, industry leaders from 40 countries, representatives of international spice associations, policymakers and end-users are expected to attend.
33. The 2017 UNESCO Natural Heritage Festival was held at Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Sairopa, Himachal Pradesh from February 11th to 12th. The fest was held in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and would be attended by prominent conservationists, including Dr George Schaller and Dr A J T Johnsingh, The festival feature a media workshop on environmental journalism, discussions on natural and cultural heritage of the Himalayan region and a heritage walk. Notably, GHNP was given UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2014 in recognition of its outstanding significance for bio-diversity conservation.
34. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a member of the Social Democratic party (SPD), has been elected the new President of Germany by the Federal Assembly meeting in Parliament in Berlin. He won 931 out of 1,260 votes. Steinmeier will succeed Joachim Gauck on March 18, 2017.
35. Sandeep Jajodia, the CMD of Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd., has been appointed the new President of industry chamber Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM). He succeeded Sunil Kanoria. The ASSOCHAM is one of the apex trade associations of India. The organisation represents the interests of trade and commerce in India, and acts as an interface between industry, government and other relevant stakeholders on policy issues and initiatives.
36. Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey, who has been a member of the ICAI since 1985, has become the new President of Institute of Chartered Accountant of India (ICAI). Prior to this appointment, Vikamsey was the Vice President of the CA institute in 2016-17. ICAI is the national professional accounting body of India. The affairs of ICAI are managed by a council in accordance with the provisions of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988. The council has 32 elected members and eight are nominated by the central government.
37. The 9th edition of BRICS summit-2017 will be held at Xiamen in the Fujian Province of east China on September 2017 with the theme "BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future".
38. The United States and Thailand has officially launched the 2017 Cobra Gold joint military exercise at Chonburi Province in Thailand on February 14. The 2017 Cobra Gold is the 36th edition of the military exercise in which more than 8,300 personnel from 29 countries, including Japan, South Korea, China and Southeast Asian nations are taking part. The Cobra Gold is the Asia's largest multinational drill held in Thailand every year and is among the largest multinational military exercise in which the United States participates.
39. Tehmina Janjua has become the Pakistan's first woman foreign secretary. Currently, Janjua is serving as Pakistan's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva. Janjua will succeed Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry in March 2017.
40. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched a record 104 satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh through PSLV C-37 launch vehicle. The PSLV-C37 first launched the 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series satellite for earth observation and then inject 103 co-passenger satellites, together weighing about 664 kg at lift-off into polar Sun Synchronous Orbit, about 520 km from Earth. With the successful launch, India scripted history by becoming the first country in the world to launch 104 satellites in a single rocket.
41. The world's longest elevated bike path "the winding viaduct"has been opened in the city of Xiamen, China which can handle about 2,023 cyclists with a speed limit of 15 miles per hour. The five-mile long and 16-feet wide bicycle-only pathway can carry 2,023 cyclists per hour, while 300 hire bikes are available for people who do not have bicycles. The architecture firm responsible is Copenhagen-based firm Dissing + Weitling, known for the creation of the Danish Bicycle Snake cycle route.
42. Jean-Pierre Lacroix of France has been appointed Under-Secretary-General for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. He will succeed Herve Ladsous in March 2017. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Director for the United Nations and International Organizations for France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
43. Shah Rukh Khan will be honoured with the 4th National Yash Chopra Memorial Award-2017 on February 24. The award commemorates the director-producer by honouring excellence in various spheres of cinema like acting, music etc.
44. Vikas Swarup, an officer of the Indian Foreign Service batch of 1986, has been appointed as new High Commissioner of India to Canada. He is famous for penning down the novel Q & A, adapted in film as Slumdog Millionaire. Currently, Swarup is working as Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. He will replace Arun Kumar Sahu who is currently working as acting Indian envoy in Canada.
45. Simone Biles, an American artistic gymnast, has won the Laureus World Sports Awards for Sportswoman of the Year 2017 at a ceremony in Monaco. She is the first woman to win four gymnastics gold medals in a single Olympic Games, Beside this, the Sportsman of the Year 2017 goes to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and Chicago Cubs (Basket Ball) won the 2017 Team of the Year award.
46. India has been ranked 143rd in the 2017 Economic Freedom Index (EFI). The annual index was released by a conservative US political think tank "the Heritage Foundation". It measures the degree of economic freedom in the countries of the world. The 2017 index is topped by Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand, respectively. Among South Asian countries, only Afghanistan (163) and Maldives (157) were ranked below India. Nepal (125), Sri Lanka (112), Pakistan (141), Bhutan (107), and Bangladesh (128) surpassed India in economic freedom.
47. Surendra Verma, the well-known Hindi scholar and playwright, has been selected for Vyas Samman 2016 for his novel "Kaatna Shami Ka Vriksha : Padma Pankhuri Ki Dhar Se". It is awarded annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation and includes a cash payout of Rs 3.50 lakhs. To be eligible for the award, the literary work must be in the Hindi language and have been published in the past 10 years.
48. The 11th edition of ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 will be hosted by England from 24 June to 23 July 2017. Recently, India qualified for Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 by defeating Bangladesh by 9 wickets in a Super Six match in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Eight teams will qualify to participate in the tournament.
49. The India Vetiver Network (INVN) has been launched at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. The INVN is a not-for-profit scientific network to promote vetiver in India. Vetiver (Indian grass with fragrant root ) has worldwide application to tackle many environmental issues like soil erosion, mitigation of soil and water pollution. The mission of INVN is environmental protection using vetiver.
50. The Maharashtra government has approved Rs. 250-crore cloud seeding programme to produce adequate rain because of droughts over the Vidarbha region. The programme would be coordinated by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. It will be the first controlled experiment to quantify the extent to which clouds form water drops large enough to make rain. For their experiment, weather scientists will fly will fly two aircraft and spray dry ice and silver iodide on 100 clouds and compare them with 100 unseeded clouds. Ground radar will track the clouds and verify which ones contributed rain and by how much. The programme will account for the natural variability of the monsoon.
51. The Barren Island is located in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is the only confirmed active volcano in South Asia. It is in news because the Barren Island volcano has erupted once again after lying dormant for over 150 years. According to the researchers at Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), the volcano is active and spewing smoke and lava once again. They have sampled the sediments and water in the vicinity of the volcano and recovered coal-like black pyroclastic material representing proximal volcanic eject. These samples will help in deciphering the nature of the present and past volcanic activity in the region.
52. The National Biodiversity Congress (NBC) 2017 will be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala from February 22. The event is hosted by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board from Feb 22nd to 26th and the focal theme is "Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Sustainable Development". The present edition of the event comprises an array of programmes including conference, exhibition, capacity building workshops and Children's Biodiversity Congress.
53. Ved Prakash Sharma (62), the popular Hindi novelist, has recently passed away in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. He was famous for novels with unique titles such as Dahej Mein Revolver (Revolver as Dowry), Widhva Ka Pati (Husband of a Widow) and Dulhan Maange Dahej (Bride Asks For Dowry). Sharma had also written scripts for about half-a-dozen Hindi movies.
54. India has become the world's largest arms importer during 2012-12, according to the latest report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). As per the report, India accounted for 13% of the total global arms import between 2012–16 which is highest among all the countries. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and Algeria are the next four biggest global importers. As per the SIPRI report, the five biggest exporters—the United States, Russia, China, France and Germany—together accounted for 74% of the total volume of arms exports.
55. The 13th edition of National Agriculture Science Congress (NASC)-2017 has started at the campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru (UAS-B) in Bengaluru, Karnataka from February 22, 2017. The 4-day congress is jointly organised by the UAS-B, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The theme of the Congress is 'Climate-smart Agriculture'. The Congress will provide an intellectually stimulating platform for discussing key issues related to 'Climate-smart Agriculture' in all its facets, including socio-economic empowerment of marginal farmers through technology development and policy initiatives for sustainable farming, forestry and natural resource management in tune with global climate change.
56. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has recently approved investment proposal for generation component of Arun-3 Hydro Electric Project in Nepal by SJVN Limited to promote clean and green energy in India and the sub continent. This project will generate 900 Megawatt of hydro power at an estimated cost of Rs. 5723.72 crore. The project is expected to achieve financial closure by September 2017 and be implemented in five years thereafter.
57. According to the annual report of International Monetary Fund, India's GDP growth has been projected to 6.6% in FY 17 due to the strains that have emerged in the economy as a result of temporary disruptions caused by demonetisation. It expects growth to rebound to 7.2% in FY18.
58. Pakistan army has recently launched nationwide military operation 'Radd-ul-Fasaad' to eliminate terrorists and consolidate gains of its counter-terrorism operations. The purpose of the operation is to eliminate residual and latent threat of terrorism and to ensure the security of Pakistan's borders. The Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan Navy, Civil Armed Forces as well as other security and law enforcement agencies will continue to actively participate and support the efforts of the Pakistan Army to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country.
59. The 9th edition of BRICS Summit will be held in Xiamen city, China from September 3 to 5, 2017. The theme of this year's event is 'BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future'.
60. Kerala is set to become the first Indian state to have a public registry of sex offenders. This has been stated by the Kerala Governor Justice (retd) P Sathasivam in the budget session. The public registry will contain all identification details of sex offenders and would be kept in the public domain. Apart from this, the governor listed a slew of other measures to tackle crime against women in the state. These include setting up a separate department to exclusively look at women's issues, setting up a relief fund for victims of sex crimes, increasing the representation of women in police force by up to 15% and ensuring each panchayat has a lady police officer.
61. The First Sherpas Meeting of the 9th BRICS Summit was held in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, from February 23-24, 2017. The Sherpas Meeting discussed the priority areas for BRICS cooperation for this year, especially in the areas of political affairs, economy and culture, under the theme "BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future." The meeting attracted more than 100 participants, including coordinators from all sides, foreign diplomats, and representatives from the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB).
62. The book "Kohinoor: The Story of the World's Most Infamous Diamond" has been authored by William Dalrymple, an acclaimed historian and a bestselling and award-winning author. This riveting story of the Kohinoor unearths fascinating new information as it moves from the Mughal court to Persia to Afghanistan, from Maharaja Ranjit Singh's durbar in Punjab to the Crown of the Queen of England.
63. The Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has become the new Brand Ambassador for "Swachh Bharat Mission". She will feature in TV and radio campaigns aimed at discouraging people from littering on roads. Shetty is the latest entrant in the list of the mission's ambassadors like Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and Sachin Tendulkar.
64. The 2017 Mobile World Congress (MWC) has started in Barcelona, Spain from February 27 and will continue till March 2. The MWC is the world's biggest and best mobile industry event comprising of a massive exhibition, an award-winning conference, outstanding networking opportunities, partner programmes, the Glomo Awards and much more. It is organised by the Global System Mobile Association (GSMA). In it, the Indian researchers from IIT Hyderabad will showcase its C-RAN prototype for 5G technology, which is one of the first prototypes in the world.
65. Ace Indian badminton player, Saina Nehwal will represent International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission (IOC AC) in the Badminton World Federation (BWF). She will join the BWF Athletes' Commission as a representative of the IOC AC. It's a rare honour for an Indian sportsperson. Before this, she was appointed a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission (AC) in 2016.
66. Moonlight, an American drama film directed by Barry Jenkins, has won the Best Picture award at the 89th edition of Oscar Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California. Apart from this, the movie has also won the Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay awards. Through this movie, Mahershala Ali has created history by becoming the first Muslim to win an acting Oscar as he was honoured with the best supporting actor trophy for his riveting turn as an empathetic drug dealer, who takes a fatherless young boy under his wing in "Moonlight.
67. India's first hill station bicycle path was inaugurated in Darjeeling, West Bengal that runs through Senchal wildlife sanctuary. It is a 20km cycle only trail at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, with thick pine forest under clear blue skies. The path was opened in response to growing interest from both national and foreign tourists.The route starts from near Jorebunglow, south of Darjeeling and ends to a small local eco-village resort in Chatakpur.
68. Mumbai has been named as the richest Indian city with a total wealth of $820 billion, according to recently released New World Wealth report. It is home to 46,000 millionaires and 28 billionaires, and is followed in terms of wealth by Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. Delhi is home to 23,000 millionaires and 18 billionaires with a total wealth of $450 billion, while Bengaluru with a total wealth of $ 320 billion houses 7,700 millionaires and 8 billionaires. Hyderabad is home to 9,000 millionaires and 6 billionaires.
69. Gopal Baglay, the 1992-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), has been appointed as the new spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Earlier, he headed the division of the MEA dealing with Pakistan. He has also served as the Deputy High Commissioner to Islamabad. Baglay replaced Vikas Swarup, who is headed to Canada as envoy.
70. Iranian Film 'The Salesman' has won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Oscar Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The movie, directed by Tehran-based Asghar Farhadi marked Iran's second Oscar victory, coming five years after Farhadi's drama "A Separation" won the nation's first Academy Award. It is drama about honor and revenge in a modern marriage. Apart from this, the award for best documentary feature went to "O.J. Made in America", which is directed by Ezra Edelman. The Syrian war documentary "The White Helmets" has won the short documentary Academy Award. Indian actor Om Puri, "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and Bill Paxton were among late stars, who were remembered and honored at the Oscars.
71. The Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu has flagged off India's first Antyodaya Express between Ernakulam and Howrah. The train service was inaugurated by the Railways Minister via video conferencing in New Delhi on February 27, 2017. The Antyodaya Express is a long-distance, fully unreserved, superfast train service, for the common man to be operated on dense routes. The new express train will have facilities like cushioned luggage racks which can serve as seats, LED lights, modular toilets, pleasing interior colour scheme and others. Beside this, the Railway Minister has also flagged off the 4th Humsafar Express between Sriganganagar and Tiruchirapalli. The new train is fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals.
72. India's GDP growth rate has been projected to 7% for FY17, as per latest survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In its Economic Survey of India (ESI), the Global think-tank has stated that demonetisation may have impacted short term growth but the long term effects would include important gains going forward. It suggested that India should bring down corporate tax rate from 30% to 25%. Beside this, OECD has also estimated India's GDP growth rate to 7.3% for FY18 and 7.7% for FY19. The OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
73. The National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year in India on February 28 to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian physicist Sir Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman on February 28, 1928. For his discovery, C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. The 2017 theme is "Science and Technology for Specially Abled Persons".
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