Current Affairs - March 1, 2020 Current Affairs

World Civil Defence Day is observed on 1st March every year, all over the world.

President Ram Nath Kovind conferred national awards to 21 winners for science communication and popularization including women excellence awards for meritorious women scientists on the occasion of National Science Day.

Government of India paid tribute to former PM Morarji Desai on his 124th birth anniversary on 29 February. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and State leaders paid tribute the late former PM. His birth anniversary is celebrated every four years. Morarji Desai was born in Bulsar district of Gujarat on 29 February 1896.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed Sumant Kathpalia as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Induslnd Bank Ltd. The appointment is with effect from 24 March 2020. He will hold the office for a tenure of three years. Kathpalia will replace Romesh Sobti.

In what appears to be a first, disease trackers in Singapore have used an experimental antibody test for COVID-19 to confirm that a suspected patient was infected with the coronavirus. The patient was one of two people who together formed a missing link between two clusters of cases that each occurred in a Singaporean church.

Online payment processor Worldline India reported that Bengaluru accounted for the highest number of digital transactions in India in 2019. The aim is to move India towards a less-cash economy. As per the report, Bengaluru is followed by Chennai, Mumbai, and Pune.

An inter-ministerial approval committee under the 'Unit' scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) sanctioned 32 projects spread across 17 states on 27 February. The committee was chaired by the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has appointed seasoned politician Muhyiddin Yassin as the new Prime Minister, trumping Mahathir Mohamad's bid to return to power after a week of political turmoil that followed his resignation as Prime Minister.

The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurating the 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Conference 2020 on 28 February in New Delhi. The conference directed KVKs to serve not only the affluent, resourceful and Progressive farmers but also focus on the small and deprived farmers.

Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan announced that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will be set up by the first week of April 2020.The CCPA will be established under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.

Padma Shri Jadav Payeng will be conferred with the Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award on 29 February in New Delhi at a function instituted by My Home India. He was awarded the 6th Karmayogi Award for his consistent efforts in creating a real man-made forest through massive reforestation. The award is composed of a trophy, a recitation and a reward of Rs 1 lakh.

The World Productivity Congress has been conducted by the World Confederation of Productivity Science since 1969. It was last held in India in 1974. The Congress is held under the theme Theme: Industry 4.0-Innovation and Productivity. The 19th World Productivity Congress to be held in Bengaluru aims at catalyzing government approaches in enhancing productivity.

Maharashtra State government is set to become single-use plastic-free by 1 May 2020. The announcement was made by the State environment minister Aaditya Thackeray. The ban on plastic bottles cannot be implemented in the state as clean drinking water is still not universally available in the state. Around 7% of plastic is being used for building roads, and for buyback in the state which has decided to pay Rs.15 per kg.

The man who may be the second most-important person in the history of Disney, behind only Walt himself, is stepping down. Bob Iger has stepped down as CEO of the Walt Disney Company (DIS), effective immediately. Bob Chapek is the new CEO, the board of directors announced. He most recently served as chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

India has the third-largest population of billionaires in the world with 138. China has the highest with 799 billionaires and the US is in second place with 626. In China, Beijing alone has 110 billionaires residing. Oyo's Ritesh Agarwal is the youngest billionaire of India at 24 years of age.

World rare disease day is observed on 28/29 (last day of) February. The day aims to raise awareness for the millions of people who are impacted by rare disease. It aims to educate people about rare diseases and their impacts. Theme: The theme of the day is Reframe Rare for Rare Disease Day. The theme encourages everyone to take steps to clarify many of the misconceptions that can make people with rare diseases feel isolated and affect the quality of care and support they receive.

With a view to help India's Shrimp farmers, SpiceJet announced the launch of dedicated freighter services from Chennai and Vishakhapatnam to Surat and Kolkata. The first flight was scheduled to take-off from Chennai Airport carrying a consignment of shrimp produce to Vishakhapatnam and Surat.

The World Productivity Congress has been conducted by the World Confederation of Productivity Science since 1969. It was last held in India in 1974. The Congress is held under the theme Theme: Industry 4.0-Innovation and Productivity.

Renowned Vedic Scholar Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed away in Bengaluru on 27 February. He was believed to be 122-years-old. Sudhakar Chaturvedi was claimed to be born on 20 April 1897 in Kyatsandra near Tumkur as Sudhakar Krishna Rao. He moved to Bengaluru after his father became an inspector in the city with the education.

The 14th Meeting of Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter-Terrorism on 28 February in New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Mr. Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter-Terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the French delegation was led by Mr. David Bertolotti, Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic, Security and Disarmament Affairs of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.