DAILY GK 21-22-23 FEB

 DAILY GK 21-22-23 FEB 

1.         16TH NATIONAL YOUTH PARLIAMENT COMPETITION WINNERS

·           Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs(MPA) honoured the winners of the 16th National Youth Parliament Competition for Universities/Colleges (2019-20) during the Prize Distribution ceremony held at GMC Balayogi Auditorium, Parliament House Complex, in New Delhi, Delhi.

·           The students of the Central University of Punjab (Bathinda, Punjab) received the running shield and trophy for standing 1st at the National Level.

·           DAV College (Jalandhar, Punjab) won  Merit Trophies For Standing First In Group II

·           Jadavpur University (Kolkata, West Bengal) won  Merit Trophies For Standing First In Group III

·           University of Mumbai (Mumbai, Maharashtra)  won  Merit Trophies For Standing First In Group IV

 

2.         58TH JNANPITH AWARD

·           58th Jnanpith Award (2023) has been awarded to Two personalities – Legendary Indian poet and lyricist Sampooran Singh Kalra (popularly known as Gulzar) for Urdu and Indian spiritual leader and scholar Jagadguru  Rambhadracharya for Sanskrit.

·           The award is being given for the 2nd time for Sanskrit language and for the 5th time for Urdu language.

·           Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honour, has been annually presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith since 1965.

·           The award recognizes the outstanding contribution towards literature in English and other Indian languages.

·           The award carries a cash prize of Rs 11 lakhs, a bronze statue of Vagdevi (Hindu Goddess Saraswati) and a citation.

·           Gulzar was born on August 18, 1934, in the village of Dina in the Jhelum district of Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan).

·           He wrote his first song ‘Mora Gora Ang Lai Le..’ for Bimal Roy’s film Bandini (1963).

 

3.         PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN

·           Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev (Ilham Aliyev) has been re-elected as the President of Azerbaijan for the fifth consecutive term following his win in the presidential election with 92 percent of the votes.

·           Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed region between Azerbaijan and Armenia due to the ethnic Armenian majority in the region.

·           Azerbaijan got its independence from the former Soviet Union after its dissolution in 1991.

·           Capital – Baku

·           Currency – Azerbaijani Manat

 

4.         BENGALURU OPEN TENNIS

·           The Indian tennis pair Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan won the men’s doubles title by defeating Constantin Bittoun Kouzmine and Maxime Janvier of France in the finals of the Bengaluru Open 2024.

·           Stefano Napolitano (Italy) won the men’s singles title by defeating Seongchan Hong (South Korea) in the finals.

·           Bengaluru Open is played on a hard surface, and the total prize money was USD 133,250.

 

5.         WORLD DAY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE 2024- FEBRUARY 20

·           The United Nations (UN)’s World Day of Social Justice is annually observed across the globe on 20 February to raise awareness about the need for social justice

·           The theme of World Day of Social Justice 2024 is “Global Coalition for Social Justice: Bridging Gaps, Building Alliances”.

·           International Labor Organization (ILO): Director-General- Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo (Togo)

·           Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland

·           Established in- 1919

 

6.         MILAN24: INDIA’S MULTILATERAL NAVAL EXERCISE

·           The 12th edition of the Multilateral Naval Exercise-2024 “MILAN24”,hosted by India, commenced on 19th February 2024 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP).

·           The theme of MILAN 2024 is ‘Camaraderie, Cohesion, Collaboration’.

·           Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar

·           Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi

 

7.         HENLEY PASSPORT INDEX FEB 2024

·           According to the monthly update (February 2024) of the Henley Passport Index 2024, India’s ranking dropped from 80th to 85th between January 2024 and February 2024.

·           6 countries namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Singapore continue to dominate the top spot with the most powerful passports in the world.

·           These 6 countries enabled their citizens visa-free entry to 194 out of 227 global destinations, marking a record-breaking achievement.

·           Finland, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden ranked 2nd with visa-free travel to 193 destinations

 

8.         INDIA CONTRIBUTED USD 1 MILLION TO THE IBSA FUND

·           India has presented its annual contribution of  USD 1 million to the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund).

·           The IBSA Fund was established in 2004 and became operational in 2006.

·           IBSA fund is managed by the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation (SU-SSC) hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

·           The amount was presented by Ruchira Kamboj, the Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations (UN)

 

9.         GD BIRLA AWARD FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

·           Professor Aditi Sen De has been awarded the 33rd Ghanshyam Das (GD) Birla Award for Scientific Research 2023 for her outstanding contributions to the field of Physics.

·           Aditi Sen De is the first female scientist to receive this award.

·           Her research is based on the manipulation of quantum states and their non classical applications.

·           GD Birla Award was institutionalized in 1991.

·           It recognizes eminent Indian scientists below the age of 50 years for their original and outstanding contributions to any branch of science.

·           The award consists of a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.

 

10.      ASIAN INDOOR ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024

·           India finished fifth in the medal tally with four medals (3 gold and 1 silver) in the 11th edition of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships (2024), held in Tehran, Iran.

·           China tops the medal tally with 16 medals (8 gold, 6 silver, 2 bronze), Japan with 9 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze), and Kazakhstan with 12 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze) in second and third place, respectively.

·           Indian Gold Medal Winners: Jyothi Yarraji , Women’s 60m hurdles, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Men’s shot put, Harmilan Bains, Women’s 1500m.

·           Indian Gold Medal Winners: Ankita Dhyani, Women’s 3000m, Silver

·           India’s Gulveer Singh lost his men’s 3000m gold medal after being disqualified for ‘lane violation’.

 

11.      JURIST FALI SAM NARIMAN PASSED AWAY

·           Fali Sam Nariman, a renowned Indian jurist and Padma Awardee, passed away at the age of 95 in New Delhi

·           He was born on 10th January 1929 in Myanmar (Rangoon – then British India)

·           The Government of India (GoI) honoured him with the Padma Bhushan (Field: Public Affairs) in 1991 and Padma Vibhushan (Field: Public Affairs) in 2007 in recognition of his exceptional and distinguished services in the field of Public Affairs.

·           He has authored several books like ‘Before Memory Fades: An Autobiography & Supreme Whispers: Supreme Court Judges’; ‘India’s Legal System (R/J): Can it Be Saved?’; ‘The State of the Nation’; ‘God Save the Hon’ble Supreme Court’.

·           He has also wrote “The Arbitration Series” titled “Harmony amidst Disharmony”.

 

12.      INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY 2024- FEBRUARY 21

·           The United Nations (UN) International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is annually observed across the globe on 21 February to raise awareness about the significance of the mother language.

·           The 2024 theme of IMLD is, “Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning”.

·           UNESCO Director-General– Audrey Azoulay

·           Headquarters– Paris, France

·           Established in– 1945

 

13.      ‘STATE ICON’ OF PUNJAB

·           Indian cricketer Shubman Gill was named as the ‘State Icon’ of Punjab by the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab for the 2024 Parliamentary election.

·           The move aims to increase voter awareness thereby ensuring a voting percentage of 70% in the upcoming election.

 

14.      WORLD GOVERNMENTS SUMMIT 2024

·           The 11th edition of the World Governments Summit (WGS 2024) was held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

·           WGS 2024 was held under the theme of “Shaping Future Governments”.

·           Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs (UAE) is the chairman of the World Governments Summit (WGS) organization.

·           India, Türkiye and Qatar were named the Guests of honour at the WGS 2024 held in Dubai, UAE.

·           India’s iRASTE (Intelligent Solutions for Road Safety through Technology and Engineering) project won the 9th Gov Tech Prize under the “AI-Powered Government Services” category.

·           Road and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai has signed an agreement with Joby Aviation to launch the world’s 1st electric Air taxi service in Dubai, UAE by 2026.

·           UAE is a federation of 6 emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, and Fujairah.

·           Capital– Abu Dhabi

·           President– Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahayan

·           Currency– United Arab Emirates Dirham

 

15.      MALTA JOIN INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE

·           Malta became the 119th Signatory Country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA)

·           The ISA was established in Paris, France in 2015 as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions.

·           It was conceptualized on the sidelines of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.

·           ISA’s ‘Towards 1000’ strategy targets mobilizing USD 1 trillion investments in solar energy by 2030, providing clean energy access to 1 billion people, and installing 1 terawatt (TW)/1000 Giga Watt (GW) of solar energy capacity.

·           Director General– Dr Ajay Mathur

·           Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana

·           Member Countries– 97 (As of February 22, 2024)

·           Romania became the 118th Signatory Country to join ISA in 2023

 

16.      US & NEPAL PEACEKEEPING EXERCISE 

·           ‘Shanti Prayas IV’, the largest multinational peacekeeping exercise, commenced at the Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre (BPOTC) in Panchkhal, Nepal.

·           The exercise was co-hosted by the Nepali Army and the United States(US) Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).

·           USINDOPACOM is a unified combatant command for the Indo-Pacific region of the armed forces of the United States of America(USA)

·           Shanti Prayas IV objective is to improve the interoperability and peacekeeping skills of the forces at various levels before their deployment to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions; Global Participation: over 1,100 military personnel from 17 nations are participating the exercise.

·           The 17 countries are: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Fiji, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam.

 

17.      HIGHEST CIVILIAN AWARD OF FRANCE

·           Member of Parliament (MP) and prolific author Shashi Tharoor was conferred with “Chevalier de la Légiond’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion Honour), the highest French civilian award, by French Senate President Gerard Larcher at the event in the French Embassy in New Delhi, Delhi.

·           He was recognized for his tireless efforts to deepen Indo-French ties, his commitment to international peace and cooperation, and as a long-standing friend of France.

·           Shashi Tharoor: is a former international diplomat, politician(Member of Indian National Congress), writer, and public intellectual, serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009.

·           In 2010, the King of Spain honoured Shashi Tharoor with the Encomienda de la Real Order Espanola de Carlos III’, Spain’s highest civilian award.

·           In January 1998, Mr. Tharoor was named by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as a “Global Leader of Tomorrow”.

·           The Légiond’ Honneur (Legion of Honour) was instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte in France as the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients.

 

18.      8TH PRESIDENT OF INDONESIA 

·           Prabowo Subianto Djojohadi kusumo, Defence Minister of the Republic of Indonesia, is set to be sworn in as the 8th President of Indonesia.

·           He belongs to a political party called the ‘Gerindra Party’.

·           He will replace Joko Widodo (Jokowi), a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)

·           Republic of Indonesia: Capital – Jakarta

·           Currency – Indonesian Rupiah

 

19.      LEGENDARY RADIO PRESENTER AMEEN SAYANI PASSED AWAY

·           Renowned Radio presenter and Padma Shri Awardee Ameen Sayani passed away at the age of 91 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

·           He was born on December 21, 1932, in Mumbai.

·           He was most known for his program Binaca Geetmala (now Cibaca Geetmala) on Radio Ceylon.

 

20.      BOOK “NEERAJ CHOPRA: THE MAN WHO MADE HISTORY”

·           Renowned sports journalist Norris Pritam has written a new book “Neeraj Chopra: The Man Who Made History” which describes the journey of the javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s life from early background to Olympics.

·           Neeraj Chopra was the first Indian to win a gold medal in athletics in the Olympics when he clinched it in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

·           Neeraj Chopra was recently(in Feb’24) honoured by Swiss tourism with a commemorative plaque at Ice Palace in Jungfraujoch, known as the ‘Top of Europe’, in Switzerland.

 

21.      WORLD THINKING DAY 2024- FEBRUARY 22

·           World Thinking Day (WTD) is annually observed across the globe on 22 February by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in over 150 countries around the world.

·           The theme of WTD 2024 is “Our World, Our Thriving Future: The Environment and Global Poverty”.

·           World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) was formed in 1928 at the 5th International Conference in Hungary.

·           Headquarters– London, United Kingdom