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Important Current Affairs 21st February 2022

INTERNATIONAL

UK’s researchers found 180-Million-Year-Old Fossil of ‘Sea Dragon’

• United Kingdom researchers have found colossal 180-million-year-old fossilised remains of an Ichthyosaur, popularly known as a ‘sea dragon’. The researchers show one of the most significant discoveries in the region as the fossil is the biggest and most complete skeleton of its kind found in the United Kingdom. Ichthyosaurs resembled dolphins in body shape and became extinct around 90 million years ago, after first appearing 250 million years ago.

• Joe Davis of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust discovered it during the routine draining of a lagoon island at the Rutland Water reservoir in February 2021. The first ichthyosaurs, which are called sea dragons because they tend to have very large teeth and eyes, were discovered by the fossil hunter and palaeontologist Mary Anning in the early 19th century. The specimen is currently being treated by a specialist paleontological conservator, a process that will take 12-18 months.

Mali conflict: Macron announces troops to leave after nine years

• French president, Emmanuel Macron has announced that France and its European partners will start the military withdrawal from Mali after more than nine years fighting a jihadist insurgency. France first deployed troops against jihadists in Mali in 2013 under the Socialist president François Hollande. The decision has been taken due to a breakdown in France’s relations with the ruling junta government in the country. The heart of this military operation will be shifted from Mali to Niger.

• In recent years, jihadists have taken over swaths of territory in the former French colony, exploiting political turmoil, poverty and the weakness of local authorities. Critics of French strategy in Mali have long accused policymakers in Paris of focusing on the military force at the expense of politics. The withdrawal applies to 2,400 French troops in Mali and a smaller European force of several hundred, which was created in 2020 to reduce the burden on French forces.

NATIONAL

GoI, World GOI Signed USD 115 million loan agreement for REWARD Project

• The Government of India, the State Governments of Karnataka and Odisha and the World Bank have signed a $115 million (INR 869 crore) Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development (REWARD) Programme. This programme will help national and state institutions adopt improved watershed management practices to help increase farmers’ resilience to climate change, promote higher productivity and better incomes.

OBITUARY

Ravish Tiwari, Express chief of national bureau, passes away

• Senior journalist, Ravish Tiwari has passed away. He was the national bureau chief of Indian Express. He was popular for his political news reporting. Before this, he had also served as Senior Assistant Editor at Economic Times, Associate Editor at India Today and Senior Assistant Editor at the Indian Express. He had done his graduation from IIT Bombay and master’s from the University of Oxford.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Mother Language Day 2022 : 21st February

• The International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed annually on the 21st of February. The day aims to raise awareness regarding linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. The 2022 theme is “Using technology for multilingual learning: Challenges and opportunities”. The UN mentioned in its statement that this year’s theme raises the potential role of technology to advance multilingual education and support the development of quality teaching and learning for all.

• International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999. The UN General Assembly welcomed the proclamation of the day in its resolution of 2002.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

TransUnion Cibil partners Ficci on MSME consumer education program

• TransUnion CIBIL has partnered with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) to launch a unique nationwide MSME consumer education program to support MSME. This program will kick off with MSME clusters in Maharashtra, Assam and Tripura and aims to reach thousands of MSMEs across key MSME clusters in India.

• The program objective is to empower MSMEs with knowledge on how to build a good credit history and CIBIL Rank to avail easier and faster access to finance. TransUnion CIBIL is committed to supporting banks and credit institutions in the sustainable growth of their MSME portfolios while improving reach and driving access to finance for MSMEs.

• In addition to offering MSME lenders solutions like CIBIL Rank and commercial credit reports for astute lending, TransUnion CIBIL also publishes insights reports like the MSME Pulse in association with SIDBI and the recent Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) analysis report to support policymakers and the industry with market insights on the MSME sector.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022 Announced

• The prestigious ceremony of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022 was held on February 20. The event was held in Mumbai and the best performances from last year were honoured in the event this time. This year Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022 celebrated the opulence of Indian Cinema and also commemorated the 75 years of Independence or Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

• Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Role, and Best Negative Role, were among the other titles that were given to the personalities of the Indian film fraternity.

winners of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022:

• Film of the Year Award: Pushpa: The Rise

• Best Film Award: Shershaah

• Best Actor Award: Ranveer Singh for film 83

• Best Actress Award: Kriti Sanon for film Mimi

• Outstanding Contribution to Films: Asha Parekh

• Critics Best Actor Award: Sidharth Malhotra

• Critics Best Actress Award: Kiara Advani

• Best Actor in Supporting Role Award: Satish Kaushik for film Kaagaz

• Best Actress in Supporting Role Award: Lara Dutta for film Bell-Bottom

• Best Actor in Negative Role Award: Aayush Sharma for film Antim: The Final Truth

• People’s Choice Best Actor Award: Abhimanyu Dasani

• People’s Choice Best Actress Award: Radhika Madan

• Best Debut Award: Ahan Shetty for film Tadap

• Best Playback Singer Male Award: Vishal Mishra

• Best Playback Singer Female Award: Kanika Kapoor

• Critics Best Film Award: Sardar Udham Singh

• Best Director Award: Ken Ghosh for film State of Siege: Temple Attack

• Best Cinematographer Award: Jayakrishna Gummadi for film Haseena Dilruba

• Best International Feature Film Award: Another Round

• Best Short Film Award: Pauli

• Best Actor in Web Series Award: Manoj Bajpayee for The Family Man 2

• Best Actress in Web Series Award: Raveena Tandon for Aranyak

• Best Web Series Award: Candy

• Best Actor in Television Series Award: Shaheer Sheikh for Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi

• Best Actress in Television Series Award: Shraddha Arya for Kundali Bhagya

• Television Series of the Year Award: Anupama

• Most Promising Actor in Television Series Award: Dheeraj Dhoopar for Kundali Bhagya

• Most Promising Actress in Television Series Award: Rupali Ganguly for Anupama

BOOKS & AUTHOR

Book ‘A Nation To Protect’ authored by Priyam Gandhi Mody

• The book titled “A Nation To Protect” authored by Priyam Gandhi Mody was launched by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The book highlights the role of PM Narendra Modi during the Covid crisis in the past two years. The book documents the Centre’s leadership in this unprecedented time and how it tided the nation through the crisis.

• During the launch, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya said he believed that ‘A Nation to Protect’ describes the reality as it unfolded during the last two years. “We have seen what happens when there is a true leadership with a vision,” said Mandaviya referring to PM Modi.

BANKING AND ECONOMY

SBI, BoB, PNB and Canara Bank pick up stake in IDRCL

• State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), Bank of Baroda (BoB), Union Bank of India (UBI), Canara Bank, and Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) have announced their subscription to the shares of India Debt Resolution Company Ltd (IDRCL). Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Public FIs will hold a maximum of 49% in stake of IDRCL while the remaining stake will be with private-sector lenders. The NARCL has been incorporated under the Companies Act, and public sector banks will hold 51 per cent in NARCL.

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