Current Affairs: Feb 13, 2018

1. National Productivity Day on February 12, and National Productivity Week till 18th February is observed, the National Productivity Council.

• It is the 60th Anniversary of the National Productivity Council and is being celebrated as Diamond Jubilee Year.
• As the theme for the National Productivity Week -2018, “Industry 4.0 Leapfrog Opportunity for India “ has been selected.

2. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Harsh Vardhan Strongly emphasising the increasingly green credentials of the country,has said that India has shown an increasing trend in the forest and tree cover, in comparison to the global trend of decreasing forest cover during the last decade.

• Harsh Vardhan pointed out that India ranks among the top ten countries of the world in terms of forest area, despite the fact that none of the other 9 countries has a population density of more than 150 persons per sq km, compared to India, which has a population density of 382 persons per sq km, releasing the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017 said the Minister.
• “India is ranked 10th in the world, with 4% of land area under forest and tree cover, even though it accounts for 2.4 % of the world surface area and sustains the needs of 17 % of human and 18 % livestock population”
• India is placed 8th in the list of Top Ten nations reporting the greatest annual net gain in forest area, Harsh Vardhan added that as per the latest FAO report.

3. Under the chairmanship of Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairman, EAC-PM & Member, NITI Aayog, the 4th meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) was held on 12th February 2018,EAC-PM discussed the possible modalities of implementing the scheme.

• Keeping in view the National Health Scheme announced by the Government in the Budget for the year 2018-19 presented in the Parliament on 1st February 2018. Dr Shamika Ravi, Part-Time Member of the EAC-PM made a presentation on “Health Reforms”.
• On the draft “The Indian Fiscal – Monetary Framework: Dominance or Coordination?”, another Part-Time Member of the EAC-PM, Dr Ashima Goyal made presentation, Ms Poonam Gupta, Lead Economist – India, World Bank made a presentation on “World Bank Report on Indian Economy”.

4. Agreement on Legal and Judicial Cooperation in Civil and Commercial matter, on the occasion of the visit of PM to

• Agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, Special, service and official passports.
• MoU on Cooperation in the field of health.
• MoU on Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
• MoU on Cooperation between Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs, India and Oman Diplomatic Institute.
• MoU on Academic and Scholarly cooperation sectors between National Defence College Sultanate of Oman and the Institute for Defence Studies and the Analyses.
• MoU in the field of Tourism cooperation between India and Oman.
• Annexure to the MoU on Military Cooperation. 

5. A development that comes within months of the South African Reserve Bank imposing a fine of R11 mn for lapses in compliance.

• Bank of Baroda will shut down its operation in South Africa.
• Bank of Baroda notified about its plan to exit the country to South African Reserve Bank.
• The Registrar, which is part of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), is in discussions with the Bank of Baroda to ensure its orderly withdrawal from South Africa so that no depositor is disadvantaged.

6. By the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI), the Dharwad-headquartered regional rural bank (RRB) Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has been awarded an overall rating of ‘above average’ on code compliance.

• The bank has been ranked first among 28 RRBs, at an all-India survey during 2017-18 by

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7. BCSBI is an independent body set up by Reserve Bank of India to provide accounting and banking on an integrated platform.
8. Software Company Zoho has tied up with private lender ICICI Bank

• Using Zoho’s cloud accounting software, ‘Zoho Books’, the partnership will deliver a streamlined digital banking experience to customers.
• This will also help businesses eliminate data entry, automate reconciliation, provide multiple payment options to their customers, request working capital loans, and pay suppliers directly from their accounting platform.

9. For a second consecutive term Abdul Hamid has been elected president of Bangladesh as no one else is running in the upcoming presidential election.

• Hamid has been elected president. Hamid took office on April 24, 2013, and his five-year term expires on April 23.
• Presidential election should be held between 90 and 60 days before the five-year term expires, according to article 123 of the constitution.

10. To former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation awarded the $5 million African Leadership prize.

• Which honours role models on a continent where many leaders have stayed in power for decades,the Ibrahim Prize, has been awarded just for four times before, since it was established in
• Sirleaf is the fifth person and first woman to receive it.
• President from 2006 to 2017, Sirleaf, stepped down in January, handing power to President George Weah.

11. Who directed the classic blockbuster Sholay and tele-serial Buniyaad, Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, will be conferred the first Raj Kapoor Award for Excellence in

• Along with various international organisations like World Bank, UNICEF, USC Annenberg Normal Lear Centre, Hollywood Health and Society, Cinepolis Foundation and CMS,Instituted by the Asian Centre for Entertainment Education (ACEE),the Raj Kapoor Trophy will be unveiled in

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12. At the Australian cricket’s Allan Border Medal night Steve Smith and Ellyse Perry stole the show

• Perry was conferred with the Belinda Clark Medal, While Smith claimed his second Allan Border Medal and was voted as the Test Player of the Year at the annual awards night,
• Incidentally, Smith had also won the coveted medal in 2015 and thus became only the fifth player to win it on more than one occasion.
• Teammate David Warner was voted as one-day player of the year along with Smith, while Aaron Finch was named as T20 International Player of the Year.
• Meanwhile, young Jhye Richardson was announced as the Bradman young cricketer of the Year.

13. To support United Nations Peacekeeping Missions to South Sudan (UNMISS) in order to bring peace and normalcy in the war-torn country, Indian Army is contributing approximately 2300

• It includes deployment of seven Garhwal Rifles Infantry battalion group of the Indian Army. The deployment of Indian peacekeepers in South Sudan is under Chapter VII which entails Peace Enforcement.
• The Indian Army is the largest cumulative troop contributor to United Nations Peacekeeping Missions mandated to maintain stability and negotiate a peace settlement in turbulent regions of the
• India has provided almost 200,000 troops in nearly 50 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions over the past six decades, including 13 of the current 16 missions so far.

14. (NHAI) has decided to launch in ranking system the toll plazas in an effort to address issues at toll plazas. The massive drive was launched on more than 300 toll plazas simultaneously across the country by the Highway Operation Division of NHAI.

• The ranking will be on the basis of cleanliness, staff behaviour, availability of ambulance and cranes in case of any emergency on highways.
• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), is an autonomous agency of the Union Government, responsible for management of a network of over 70,000 km of national highways in India. It was established through National Highways Authority of India Act,

15. On 13th February, the World Radio Day is observed every year across the world to celebrate radio as medium for entertainment, information and mode for communication.

• It marks global celebration of radio as a forum for information and entertainment that helps to bridge communication gap for remote communities and empowering people.
• World Radio Day The UNESCO at its 36th General Assembly in 2011 had proclaimed 13th February as World Radio Day. It was subsequently adopted as an International Day by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• On this day in 1946, United Nations Radio had transmitted (broadcasted) its first call sign. The first WRD was officially celebrated in

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