Current Affairs 19th February 2019 | Daily GK Update

i. Indian Air Force conducted mega exercise ‘Vayu Shakti’ in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The exercise was carried out day and night where the IAF showcased firepower capability of indigenously developed platforms and efficacy of missiles.

ii. For the first time, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALP) and the Akash surface-to-air missile were deployed in the military exercise. MiG-29 fighter jet also participated in the exercise. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

2. 4th Agri Leadership Summit 2019 Held At Sonipat, Haryana

i. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh, inaugurated the 4th Agri Leadership Summit 2019 at the India International Horticulture Market (IIHM) in Ganaur, Sonipat district, Haryana. It was a 3-day summit.
ii. The theme of the summit was “Entrepreneurship & Agri-Business; Agri Allied – A Promising Sector and Agri Service- Direct Marketing”.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

• Haryana Capital: Chandigarh, Chief Minister: Manohar Lal, Governor: Satyadeo Narain Arya.

3. International Annual Desert Festival Held In Jaisalmer

i. The 40th International Annual Desert Festival held on the sand dune in Jaisalmer with thousands of tourists participating in the colourful event.
ii. It had interesting events like Mr. Desert and Ms. Moomal competitions, mustache competitions, turban tying, musical and cultural performances, among others. Folk artists also gave their enthralling performance.

4. Rajasthan Assembly Passes Bills Scrapping Minimum Qualification For Local Polls

i. The Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Rajasthan Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to end the minimum education criterion for panchayat and civic polls candidates.
ii. The previous BJP government had introduced the minimum qualification of class 10 for Zila Parishad/Panchayat member election, and class 5 or 8 class for the post of sarpanch.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

• Rajasthan Capital: Jaipur, CM: Ashok Gehlot, Governor: Shri Kalyan Singh.

5. India’s First ‘Fulldome 3D Digital Theatre’ Inaugurated In Kolkata

i. Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma inaugurated India’s very first ‘Fulldome 3D Digital Theatre’ at the Science City in Kolkata, West Bengal.
ii. It is fully funded by the Ministry of Culture at a cost of Rs 20 crore. The Science City is operated by the National Council of Science Museums under the Ministry of Culture.

6. Rajnath Singh Launches Pan-India Number 112 For Women Safety

i. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi launched a range of citizen safety initiatives in New Delhi.
ii. Persons in distress can dial a pan-India number: 112. Under this system, all the states have to set up a dedicated Emergency Response Centre, ERC. 

i. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani unveiled the first Iranian made semi-heavy submarine named ‘Fateh’ (‘Conqueror’ in Persian), capable of being fitted with missiles, as per the reporting on Iran’s state TV.

ii. It has subsurface-to-surface missiles with a range of about 2,000 km (1,250 miles) and is capable of reaching Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

8. AntBot, The First Walking Robot To Navigate Without GPS, Developed

i. AntBot is the first walking robot to have navigational capabilities without GPS or mapping. It has been designed by Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Aix-Marseille University researchers at ISM, on lines similar to desert ants who use polarised lights and UV radiation to navigate in space.

ii. Weighing only 2.3 kg, this robot has six feet for increased mobility, allowing it to move in complex environments, precisely where deploying wheeled robots and drones can be complicated.

9. Israel To Launch Its First Moon Mission

i. Israel is to launch its first moon mission, sending an unmanned spacecraft to collect data to be shared with NASA. According to a report, the 585-kilogram Beresheet (Genesis) spacecraft is to lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

ii. Mission control will be in Yehud, near Tel Aviv.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For NIACL AO Mains Exam:

10. RBI To Pay Rs 28,000 Crore As Interim Dividend To Government

i. The Reserve Bank has announced that it will transfer an interim surplus of 28,000 crore rupees to the central government for the half-year ended 31st December 2018. The central bank follows a July-June financial year and usually distributes the dividend in August after annual accounts are finalised.

ii. With this interim transfer, the government will get a total of Rs 68,000 crore from the central bank in the current fiscal. The RBI had transferred Rs 40,000 crore to the government in August 2018.

iii. This will be the highest receipt from RBI in a single financial year for the government, exceeding the Rs 65,896 crore it received in FY16 and Rs 40,659 crore in FY18. 

i. Jharkhand based NGO Yuwa won the Laureus Sports for Good Award. Yuwa works for girl empowerment and became the third Indian entry to receive this honour. 

ii. Yuwa was founded in 2009 by Americans Franz Gastler and Rose Thomson. It runs a football program in rural Jharkhand with 450 girls. In 2004, Indian Cricket team and Pakistan counterpart shared Laureus Award for the first time and recently by Magic Bus in 2014.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

12. Shiv Chhatrapati Awards Conferred On Uday Deshpande And Smriti Mandhana

i. Mallakhamb coach, Uday Deshpande, and batswoman, Smriti Mandhana, were awarded the Maharashtra State Government’s Shiv Chhatrapati Award by the State’s Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao at an event held at the Gateway of India, Mumbai.

ii. Among the other award recipients are hockey player Suraj Karkera, paddler Sanil Shetty, track and field athlete Siddhant Thingaliya, who specialises in 110 metres hurdles, runner Monika Athare and squash player Mahesh Mangaonkar.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL AO Mains Exam:

14. Elise Mertens Beats Simona Halep To Win Qatar Open

15. Climate Scientist Wallace Smith Broecker Passes Away

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