February 28th, 2018
1. National Science Day is celebrated in India on 28 February every year.
- National Science Day (NSD) is celebrated every year on 28 February. The theme of NSD-2018 is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”. The theme has been chosen for the purpose of raising public appreciation of the scientific issues involved.
- NSD is celebrated to mark the discovery of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir.Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman on 28 February 1928, winning the Noble Prize.
- Static Part: Union Minister of Science & Technology- Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
2. The 82-yr old Shri. Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, the 69th pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt, passed away at Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu.
- Jayendra Saraswathi was the head of the Kanchi Mutt established by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century.
- He became the younger pontiff on March 22, 1954 and became elder pontiff in 1994.
- The Kanchi mutt manages educational institutions, Goshalas, Veda schools, university, hospital, architecture, and activities connecting with the Hindu Dharma.
- President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed their condolences on the demise. In a tweet, Mr. Kovind said, the country has lost a spiritual leader and social reformer of rare eminence.
3. The CBI has arrested Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in money laundering case.
- Karti was taken into custody at the Chennai airport immediately after he arrived from London.
- An FIR filed by the CBI in May last year had alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of 305 crore rupees in 2007 when P Chidambaram was the Finance Minister. It is alleged that Karti had received a bribe of 10 lakh rupees in the case.
- Static Part: 1. Current Finance Minister of India- Mr. Arun Jatley.
2. P Chidambaram who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and formerly served as Union Minister of Finance of India.
4. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on King of Jordan Abdullah-II bin Al-Hussein in New Delhi.
- External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen ties across all sectors, especially in trade and investment, defense and security, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
- Static Part: Jordan:- Capital: Amman|Currency: Jordanian dinar.
5. The PM Modi paid tribute to former Prime Minister Morarji Desai on his birth anniversary on 29th Feb.
- Mr. Modi said Morarji Desai’s impeccable integrity and selfless dedication to nation inspires generations. He said people can never forget the former Prime Minister’s commitment to India’s democratic ideals.
- Mr. Modi along with veteran Parliamentarian LK Advani, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, and others also paid tributes to the portrait of Morarji Desai in Parliament.
6. Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has won the 2017 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year and Comeback of the Year awards.
- Swiss professional tennis player Roger Federer Becomes Most Decorated Laureus Award Winner after he won twin honors at the 18th edition of the awards ceremony in Monaco. It was his sixth award.
- American tennis great Serena Williams won the Sportswoman of the Year Award following her Australian Open success, her 23rd Grand Slam title. Serena is now the most decorated female Laureus Award winner with five Laureus statuettes.
7. The Afghanistan capital Kabul has hosted the 2nd Kabul Process Conference.
- About 23 countries, including Pakistan, participated in the day-long event. Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is representing India at the conference.
- International bodies like the European Union, United Nations, and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation also attended the conference.
- The meeting aims to secure support for an agreement to end backing of cross-border terrorism and to find a peaceful solution in ending the decade’s old insurgency in Afghanistan.
- Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani offered peace talks with the Taliban without condition.
- Static Part: Afghanistan:- President: Ashraf Ghani|Capital: Kabul|Currency: Afghani.
8. The Union Minister for Textiles and Information & Broadcasting, Smt. Smriti Irani has inaugurated the 27th Technological Conference – ‘Shaping the Future of Jute’ in Kolkata.
- The event is organized by Indian Jute Industries Research Association(IJIRA), in Kolkata.
- Textiles Minister Smriti Irani has called for improvement in the quality of jute goods and textiles.
- The Minister said, better jute products can be produced only if the quality of the jute seeds given to farmers by the government and other agencies, improve.
- Static Part: West Bengal:- CM- Mamata banerjee|Governor- Keshari Nath Tripathi.
8. The Cabinet approved Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection, and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 for introduction in Parliament.
- The Bill broadly addresses the issue of trafficking from the point of view of prevention, rescue, and rehabilitation.
- Women and Child Development Minister, Smt. Maneka Gandhi said the bill has a provision for time-bound trial and repatriation of the victims within a period of one year from taking into cognizance.
9. The Prime Minister reviewed the progress in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.
- Chairing his twenty-fourth interaction through ICT-based, multi-modal platform PRAGATI, in New Delhi, Mr. Modi also reviewed the progress of the Kedarnath reconstruction work in Uttarakhand.
- Mr. Modi also reviewed the progress of ten infrastructure projects in railways, road, power, petroleum, and coal sectors, spread over several states. These projects are cumulatively worth over 40,000 crore rupees.
10. The International Hockey Federation announced the pools and match schedule for the men’s Hockey World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16.
- The 19-day competition will see 16 teams fight it out for the coveted trophy.
- India will start their campaign on November 28 when they take on South Africa. The final will be played on December 16.
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