International News
GulFood 2020
- The 25th Edition of the GulFood 2020, Dubai is being held from 16th to 20th February 2020.
- For India, GulFood 2020 will help in facilitating tie-ups between foreign investors and accelerate the pace of export of food products from India to the western market.
Sri Lanka’s Withdrawal from Co-Sponsorship of UNHRC Resolution 30/1
- The UNHRC resolution 30/1 calls for addressing war crimes and reconciliation efforts with minorities.
- The statement came after the U.S. imposed travel restrictions on Army chief Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva and his immediate family members.
National News
Kashi Mahakal Express
- Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) it will launch its first overnight journey by a private train in the country named Kashi Mahakal Express.
- The train will be inaugurated on 16th February 2020 and will begin its regular service from 20th February 2020.
Govt. Announced Rs 540 Cr for Stalled Housing Projects
- The investment will benefit 1,800 homebuyers and will unlock Rs 3000 Crore of invested capital.
- The Central government announced a Rs 25,000 crore fund in November 2019, to help complete over 1,500 stalled housing projects.
WPI Inflation: 10 Month High at 3.1%
- Inflation in the vegetable category stood at 52.72%, while onion prices raised to 293 %, followed by potato at 87.84%.
- The WPI based inflation was at 2.59% in December 2019, and 2.76% in January 2019.
Moody's Forecast on India’s GDP
- The agency has forecasted global GDP growth down, and expect G-20 economies to collectively grow 2.4% in 2020, a softer rate than last year, followed by a pickup to 2.8% in 2021.
- It reduced the growth forecast for China to 5.2% in 2020 and a 5.7% growth in 2021.
CCI Approved 100% Shareholding of WABCO by ZF
- ZF is a global technology company and develops, manufactures and distributes products and systems for i) passenger vehicles ii) commercial vehicles iii) off-highway vehicles iv) industrial technology.
- WABCO is a global supplier of primarily pneumatic braking control systems, technologies and services.
Finance Commission: Expert Group on Agriculture Exports
- The 15th Finance Commission has decided to constitute a High-Level Expert Group on Agriculture Exports on 17th Feb 2020.
- The Committee will submit its recommendations within three months for further consideration of the Commission.
India/Bharat 2020
- Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar unveiled the Annual Reference India/Bharat 2020 on 19th Feb 2020 in New Delhi.
- The minister also released the e-version of the book Annual Reference India / Bharat 2020 on the occasion.
2nd Phase of Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen
- The 2nd Phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Grameen has been approved till 2024-25 and will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus).
- The ODF plus includes ODF sustainability and Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM).
22nd Law Commission of India
- The 22nd Law Commission will function for a period of three years from its date of official constitution.
- Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government from time to time.
Banking
RBI Report on Bank Loans
- It also showed that the deposits increased to 9.9%.
- In the fortnight to January 31, the outstanding loans rose Rs 989.26 billion ($13.86 billion) to Rs 101.03 trillion.
FinMin Addressed the Central Board of Directors of RBI
- The FinMin outlined the thinking behind the Union Budget 2020-21 and the focus areas of the Government in the meeting.
- The finance minister was accompanied by Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar and Expenditure Secretary T V Somanathan, and Dr Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor.
Bajaj Finance Replaced SBI on BSE
- The SBI stock has fallen nearly 4% in the last two sessions following concerns over its asset quality in Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel's in AGR case.
- Currently, Reliance Industries Ltd is the country’s most valued company with a market cap of Rs 9.48 trillion.
SEBI Permitted Use of Regulatory Sandbox
- The 'regulatory sandbox' will serve as a testing ground for new business models and technologies that benefit investors, Indian markets and the economy at large.
- Under the regulatory framework, the eligible entities will be granted the facility to experiment with fintech solutions in a live environment and on real customers.
Centre Released Rs 19,950 Cr GST Compensation to States/UTs
- As per Ministry of Finance, total GST compensation cess of Rs 62,611 crore was collected in the FY 2017-18, out of which Rs 41,146 crore was released to the states/UTs that fiscal as GST compensation.
- In FY 2018-19, Rs 95,081 crore was collected as GST compensation cess of which Rs 69,275 crore was released to the states/UTs as GST compensation.
Index and Ranking
Sustainability & Child Flourishing Index Ranking
- The UN report is released by a commission of over 40 child and adolescent health experts from around the world and focused on measuring the best chance of survival and well-being of children.
- It was commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet medical journal.
Appointments
| Name of the Person | Designation |
| Rishi Sunak | UK's Finance Minister |
| Priti Patel | Home Minister in the British Cabinet |
| Mahant Nritya Gopal Das | President of Ram Mandir Trust |
| Lt General (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, Rajendra Singh and Krishna Vatsa | National Disaster Management Authority |
Important Days
| Date | Day | Theme |
| 19th February 2020 | Soil Health Card Day | To commemorates the day Soil Health Card Scheme (SHC) was launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on February 19, 2015, at Suratgarh, Rajasthan. |
| 20th February 2020 | Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram Statehood Day | On this day in 1987 and Mizoram has declared a state in 1972. |
| 20th February 2020 | 70th National Democracy Day | Every year, Falgun 7 of the Nepali calendar is commemorated as the National Democracy Day in Nepal. |
| 21st February 2020 | Matribhasha Diwas | Theme: ‘Celebrating our Multilingual Heritage’ |
Government Schemes
CCEA Approves Scheme for Formation and Promotion of FPOs
- The central sector scheme “Formation and Promotion of FPOs” shall promote 10,000 new FPOs in five years period from 2019-20 to 2023-24.
- The scheme will have a total budgetary provision of Rs. 4496.00 crore for the five year period (2019-20 to 2023-24).
Defence
Diamond Jubilee of IAF Black Archer (47 Squadron)
- Aerial display by the Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team, IAF vintage Flight, Air Devils and performance by the Air Warriors Drill Team were held on the Occasion of completion of 60 years of its service to the nation.
- The Squadron was formed on 18 December 1959 at Air Force Station Halwara.
Science and Technology
13th COP of Convention Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
- The CMS COP 13 will be held from 15 to 22 February 2020 with the theme "Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home."
- The CMS COP 13 logo is inspired by ‘Kolam’, a traditional art form from southern India.
Sports
2020 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships
- K V L Pavani Kumari won silver medals in both youth girls and junior women section in the 45-kilogram category.
- Sidhanta Gogoi claimed silver in youth boys and junior men events in the 61-kilogram category.
Asian Wrestling Championships
- Ashu, Aditya Kundu and Hardeep have won a bronze medal each in their respective weight categories.
- Ashu won a bronze in 67kg category, Aditya and Hardeep also bagged the medals of the same colour in the 72kg and 97kg respectively.
Summits and Conference
FATF Meet in Paris
- The plenary session of the FATF will review progress made by Pakistan towards terror financing and some other countries that present a risk to the financial system.
- India will stand on its demand to cut finances to terrorist groups, seeking action against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
3rd High Level Global Conference on Road Safety
- A roadmap will be drawn for reaching the United Nation’s goal set under the UN Decade of Action of reducing road crashes by 2030.
- The conference is being organised by the Government of Sweden in collaboration with the World Bank, World Health Organisation and other agencies.
