ANDHRA PRADESH

· Centre to strengthen runways of the Vijayawada and the Rajahmundry airports

ð Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the extended and strengthened runways of the Vijayawada and the Rajahmundry airports and laid foundation stone for the expansion of the Visakhapatnam airport via video link from the office of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in New Delhi.

ð AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said the runway of 2,486 metres in the Vijayawada airport had been strengthened and extended to 3,360 metres at a cost of Rs.145 crore to handle Code E aircraft like the Boeing 747 and 777. Similarly, the 1,750-metre runway in the Rajahmundry airport had been extended to 3,165 meters at Rs.182 crore.

ð The 19,800 square feet area passenger terminal of the Visakhapatnam airport would be expanded into a 29,050 square feet to handle four million passenger movements per annum and 1,050 passengers in the peak hours against the present capacity of 700.

INTERNATIONAL

India withdraws Most Favoured Nation status granted to Pakistan

India has withdrawn the Most Favoured Nation status granted to Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

A decision in this regard was taken during the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS in New Delhi.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley said that Ministry of External Affairs will initiate all possible diplomatic steps which are to be taken to ensure the complete isolation Pakistan from the international community.

Gk bit – MFN

A most favored nation (MFN) clause requires a country to provide any concessions, privileges, or immunities granted in a trade agreement to one nation to all other World Trade Organization member countries. Although its name implies favoritism toward another nation, it denotes the equal treatment of all countries.

· European Union adds Saudi Arabia to dirty-money blacklist

The European Commission has added seven countries including Saudi Arabia, Panama, and Nigeriato a blacklist of nations that fail to tackle money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
The list now includes 23jurisdictions, up from 16.
Newcomers to the list are Libya, Botswana, Ghana, Samoa, the Bahamas and the four United States territories of American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam.
The other listed states are Afghanistan, North Korea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Yemen.
Bosnia Herzegovina, Guyana, Laos, Uganda and Vanuatu were removed.

NATIONAL

The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan scheme implemented from 15 February

The Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan scheme implemented from 15 February.

Under the scheme, workers of the unorganised sector will receive a minimum assured pension of 3,000 rupees per month after attaining the age of 60 years.

The workers whose monthly income is 15 thousand rupees per month or less and belong to the entry age group of 18 to 40 years are eligible for the scheme.

This scheme was announced in the interim Budget 2019.

· PM Modi to launch scheme to give Rs 6,000 to farmers on Feb 24

PM Narendra Modi will launch the ₹75,000-crorecash transfer scheme for farmers on February 24 in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhischeme, announced in the interim budget, ₹6,000 will be given in three instalments to 12 crore small farmers holding cultivable land up to two hectares.

· Around 307 Indian startups join Estonia e-residency scheme in 4 yrs

Roughly 2,300people from India have used the e-Residency programme offered by Estonia and set up over 300 companies in the European nation.
India is at the 8thspot in terms of the number of companies set up.
Started in 2014, e-Residency programme offers a government-issued digital identity that provides the applicant access to e-services in Estonia, including setting up of companies.

· India’s fastest Vande Bharat Express flagged off by PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15 flagged-off India’s first semi-high speed“Train 18” which was recently rechristened as Vande-Bharat
It is launched from the New Delhi railway station.
The train will travel from Delhi to Varanasiin nine hours and forty-five minutes.
The train can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph.
Train 18 is India’s first engine-less train.

· Ghumot is to be notified as a heritage instrument of Goa

Ghumotis to be notified as a heritage instrument of Goa.The announcement was made by the Art and Culture Minister of Goa, Govind Gaude. Ghumot is an indigenous earthen drum fashioned as a designed clay pot, with the skin of the monitor lizard stretched taut across the pot’s mouth, forming a drumhead.
The monitor lizard was classified as an endangered wildlife species and was listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Ghumot was banned by the Forest Department of Goa. Taking forward the efforts to conserve the heritage musical instrument the government of Goa is taking steps to declare Ghumot as the heritage musical instrument of Goa.

· Exercise Topchi was held at Nashik, Maharashtra

The Exercise Topchi was held at Deolali Camp near Nashik, Maharashtra.In this exercise, the Indian Army showcased its artillery firepower by using ultralight Howitzers and indigenous Swathi weapon-locating radar. Aviation and surveillance capabilities were also showcased.
There were a showcase of display of rockets, missiles, surveillance, and target acquisition radars, remotely piloted aircraft and hi-tech equipment in addition to gunfire. The precision displayed while delivering the explosives in the target area stunned all those present.

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