| 1. In 46 developmental blocks of the state, the Haryana government launched Parivartan, a scheme designed to address 10 issues, including cleanliness and pollution. |
| · For each of the 10 fields, there are three to seven parameters on which the performance of the officers would be assessed, said the chief minister. |
| · The 10 issues include facilitation of financing, making agriculture profitable and sustainable, improving health services, implementing Swachh Bharat, decongesting market areas, engaging the youth, checking air pollution, ensuring availability of identity-related services, effective policing, and ensuring road order and conduct. |
| 2. The 45th edition of IHGF-Delhi Fair inaugurated by Secretary Textiles, Shri Anant Kumar Singh at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida. |
| · He said handicrafts sector plays a significant role in the country’s economy and provides employment to a vast segment of craft-persons in rural and semi-urban areas and generates substantial foreign exchange for the country while preserving its cultural heritage while speaking on the occasion. |
| · The Fair will remain open till 27th February, 2018. |
| 3. Ministry of Culture is organising a Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav under the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat matrix in Madhya Pradesh beginning February 24 for a duration of 7 days, to celebrate the idea of unity in diversity. |
| · Nagaland and Manipur were paired with Madhya Pradesh. |
| · The Mahotsav will cover a profusion of art forms from classical and folk music and dance, theatre to literature and the visual arts and would offer the chance to experience the best in established and emerging virtuosity. |
| 4. A tribal festival called ‘Aadi Mahotsava’ at Gandhi Mandir Indoor stadium field in Guwahati organised by Assam to celebrate the ethnic tribal culture of the country. |
- Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India in collaboration with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in an attempt to celebrate the rare art and culture of the tribal communities conducted the 10-day festival.
- The event was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal.
- As ‘Rhino Day’, September 22will be observed by the Assam government, to generate public awareness on protection of the one-horned pachyderm, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said.
- In line with National Rhino Project, a State Rhino Project will be launched in Assam soon for protecting the pachyderms from threats of poaching, he said.
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and The Government of India signed a $84 million loan for improvement and expansion of water supply in Bhagalpur and Gaya towns in Bihar.
- The tranche 2 loan is part of the $200 million multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) for the Bihar Urban Development Investment Program that was approved by ADB in 2012 to provide sustainable urban infrastructure and services in four towns in Bihar – Bhagalpur, Gaya, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur.
- Including a grace period of 5 years, an annual interest rate determined in accordance with ADB’s lending facility based on the London interbank offered rate (LIBOR), and a commitment charge of 15% per year, the loan will have a 25-year term.
- For an “Implementation Agreement in Sustainable Urban Development and Smart Cities in India”, an Indo-German MOU has been signed.
- To develop and apply concepts for sustainable urban development about the provision of urban basic services and housing in selected cities and Smart Cities in India is the objective of the programme.
- The ‘Sustainable Urban Development Programme – Smart Cities in India’ project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and jointly implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
- For non-banking financial companies (NBFC) for redressal of complaints against them, the RBI has launched ‘Ombudsman Scheme’.
- By NBFCs covered under the Scheme, the scheme will provide a cost-free and expeditious complaint redressal mechanism relating to deficiency in the services.
- The offices of the NBFC ombudsmen will function at four metro centres — Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.
- Paytm has launched two more firms with an aim to enter the insurance sector in the country, on a rapid expansion mode mobile fintech.
- As well as Paytm General Insurance Corporation Limited the Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led firm has started Paytm Life Insurance Corporation Limited. Both the companies have Sharma as one of the directors.
- This move has taken its total count of companies to six.
- At the age of 94, noted violinist M S Anantharaman, a prominent figure in the Parur school of music founded by Sundaram Iyer, died due to age-related illness.
- He had popularised the Parur bani with his brother and veteran violinist MSG on the musical map of the world.
- Following a prolonged illness, 106 year-old Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Ambassador Kunwar Bai, who was felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her unique move to build toilets in her village in Chhattisgarh, died.
- While launching the National Rurban Mission Project, On February 21, 2016, at a public rally at Dungargarh in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district, the Prime Minister had touched her feet and felicitated her after he came to know that the woman had sold off about one dozen of her goats to build a toilet in her house and motivated others to make the village open defecation free.
- In different fields including nuclear science, energy cooperation, sports, education, science and technology cooperation and information communication technology India and Canadahave signed six agreement.
- These agreements were signed after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modiand his visiting Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in New Delhi.
- Agreements signed are
- MoU on Cooperation in
- MoU for Cooperation in Higher Education.
- MoU for Cooperation on Intellectual Property Rights.
- Terms of Reference for the India-Canada Ministerial Energy Dialogue.
- MoU for cooperation in the Fields of Science, Technology and Innovation.
- Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Field of Information Communications Technology and Electronics.
- India’s first 5G (fifth generation)network trial have successfully conducted by Telecom Major Bharti Airtel and Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei.
- It was conducted at Airtel’s network experience centre in Manesar, Gurugram (Haryana)and was able to achieve over 3 gigabit per second (Gbps) data speed.
- The setup for this 5Gtrial involved 5G RAN that operated on 5GHz network band, along with 5G Core and 50GE network slicing router.
- For fourth consecutive term, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)has retained its ‘A’ status of accreditation of Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) for fourth consecutive term.
- NHRCwas awarded ‘A’ status for first time in 1999 which it retained in 2006 and 2011 The Sub Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of GANHRIs had recommended that NHRC be reaccredited with “A” status..
- In the Andijan region of Uzbekistanthe Andijan Region of Uzbekistan and India have inked agreement for cooperation in pharmaceutical industry. Under it, both sides will develop cooperation in implementation of program for production of pharmaceutical, bio-pharmaceutical products and medical equipment.
- Both countries had agreed to work together in principle on issue of creating Uzbek-Indian free pharmaceutical zonein Andijan region and start joint development of business plan for this project.
- This was to be done on basis of medicinal substances and medicinal plant raw materials, produced, but not limited, on created plantations in
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