Current Affairs One - Liner : 27th February 2024

• National:
• On Sunday, February 25, 2024, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the ‘Savera’ programme, a unique initiative for early detection and prevention of breast cancer. The programme, a collaboration between the Medanta Foundation and the Health Department in Gurgaon, employs visually impaired people to conduct the screening, leveraging their natural tactile sensitivity.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two significant institutes of the Ministry of Ayush on February 25, 2024. The Central Research Institute of Yoga & Naturopathy (CRIYN) in Jhajjar, Haryana, and the National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) titled ‘NISARG GRAM’ in Pune, Maharashtra. These institutes are a part of the government’s initiative to promote both traditional Indian systems of medicine and modern medicine.
• India and Bangladesh have collaborated under the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP) for transboundary tiger conservation in the Sunderbans. The project in the Sundarban delta has been supported since 2018. This initiative aims to protect the tigers, people, and their habitats in the Sundarban delta
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) cleared the Independent Sugar Corporation (INSCO) for its proposed acquisition of Hindustan National Glass Limited (HNGIL) on February 13, 2024. The approval was given despite a complaint by a rival bidder, AGI Greenpac.
• The Bihar Budget for FY 2024-25 is Rs 2.79 lakh crore. The GSDP is projected at Rs 9.76 lakh crore. The estimated expenditure and receipts are Rs 2,56,333 crore and Rs 2,27,238 crore respectively. The revenue surplus is Rs 1,121 crore and the fiscal deficit is targeted at Rs 29,095 crore. Policy highlights include expansion of Jeevika, more exams under the cash transfer scheme, and a small business grant.
• The Himachal Pradesh budget for 2024-25, presented by CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, is Rs 58,444 crore. It focuses on self-reliance and rural economy strengthening. Key initiatives include English education from class one, recruitment of pre-primary teachers, free medical facilities for certain senior citizens, housing for Valmiki community workers, increased honorarium for panchayati raj and urban local bodies, and a new policy to curb illegal mining.
• On February 25, 2024, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur, announced the establishment of a CBFC Facilitation Office in Chandigarh. This office will ease the process for filmmakers in the region to get their films certified. The initiative also includes measures to make film halls more accessible for the specially-abled and to curb film piracy.
• International:
• On February 23, 2024, India's Power Finance Corporation (PFC) partnered with Italy’s SACE for an ECA-backed financing facility. This partnership will allow PFC to access up to €200 million in financing, 80% of which SACE guarantees. The collaboration aims to foster Indo-Italian business relationships, particularly in the power and infrastructure sectors.
• Dubai has launched a 5-year multiple-entry tourist visa for Indian nationals. It allows multiple entries over five years with each stay up to 90 days, extendable once. The total stay should not exceed 180 days within a year. Applicants need a bank balance of $4,000 or its equivalent and valid UAE health insurance. This visa aims to boost tourism and business ties between India and Dubai.
• On February 26, 2024, Germany changed its carbon dioxide storage law to allow carbon capture and off-shore storage for certain industrial sectors. The transportation of CO2 and its storage in sub-seabed areas will be permitted. However, on-land carbon storage will remain banned unless requested by federal states. This move is part of Germany’s aim to become carbon neutral by 2045.
• Economy:
• India’s steel trade deficit rose to over ₹11,500 crore from April to January, a significant increase due to soaring imports from China. This has led to India becoming a net importer of steel, with imports rising by 35% and exports increasing by a modest 3.6%.
• Mous:
• The Bihar Startup Fund Trust (BSTF) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 23, 2024, in Patna, Bihar. This collaboration aims to enhance the startup ecosystem in Bihar by administering the Bihar Startup Scale-up Financing Fund (BSSFF), a Rs 50-crore fund designed to provide financial support to startups.
• Govt. Schemes:
• The Nagaland government announced the Chief Minister’s Universal Life Insurance Scheme on February 27, 2024. This fully-funded scheme provides life insurance for the family breadwinner and accidental insurance for three other family members in the state. It aims to alleviate financial hardship caused by the untimely death of a family’s breadwinner.
• Appointments & Resignations:
• Feleti Penitala Teo, a Tuvaluan politician and lawyer, has been appointed as the 14th Prime Minister of Tuvalu on 26th February 2024. He was elected to the Parliament in the 2024 Tuvaluan general election.
• Samir Shah, a British television and radio executive of Indian origin, has been confirmed as the new Chairman of the BBC. He was born in Aurangabad, India, and has had a long career in broadcasting, with roles at London Weekend Television, the BBC, and as the CEO of Juniper TV.
• Vijay Shekhar Sharma resigned from his position as the part-time non-executive chairman of Paytm Payments Bank on February 27, 2024. This was in response to regulatory challenges and directives from the Reserve Bank of India.
• Obituaries:
• Raja Venkatappa Naik, the Congress MLA from Shorapur, Karnataka, passed away due to a prolonged illness leading to multiple organ dysfunction. His age is reported between 64-67.
• Shafiqur Rahman Barq, the senior Samajwadi Party leader and Member of Parliament (MP) from Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, passed away at the age of 94. He was India’s oldest MP in Parliament.

Questions:

Q.1 Where is the Central Research Institute of Yoga & Naturopathy (CRIYN) located?
a. Pune, Maharashtra
b. Jhajjar, Haryana
c. New Delhi, Delhi
d. Jaipur, Rajasthan
Q.2 Who is the new chairman of BBC?
a. Richard Sharp
b. Lucy Frazer
c. Samir Shah
d. Boris Johnson