DISMANTLING OF INS VIRAAT SUSPENDED BY SC
The Supreme Court has suspended the dismantling of the recently decommissioned INS Viraat. This decision was made in the context of restoring the everlasting glory of the legendary warship of the Indian Navy.
The bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) S A Bobde listened to the petition. The bench issued a notice to the Center and other personnel and asked them to respond to the request.
After the government made a decision in December 2020, part of this legendary vessel has been scrapped. This is an order from SC. The company that submitted the petition proposed to buy the aircraft carrier for Rs 100 crore.
The SC has been dismantling the petition submitted by the company. The company submitted a petition seeking permission to transform INS Viraat into a maritime museum and multi-purpose adventure center.
After proper consultation with the Indian Navy, the center notified the Parliament of their decision to dismantle INS Viraat in July 2019.
INS Viraat is a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. The aircraft carrier was the flagship of the Indian Navy until INS Vikramaditya entered service in 2013.
INS Viraat was completed and commissioned in 1959 and entered service as the Royal Navy’s HMS Hermes. In 1984, the aircraft was decommissioned, and in 1987 the aircraft carrier was sold to India.
After that, it was put into service in the Indian Navy on May 12, 1987. The aircraft carrier has served the Indian Navy for 29 years and was decommissioned in 2017. This is the last British-built ship to serve the Indian Navy.
VIJAYA NAGAR BECOMES 31ST DISTRICT OF KARNATAKA
The Karnataka government notified that Vijayanagara City has officially become the 31st district of Karnataka. The headquarters of the region is located in Hosapete.
Vijayanagara is located in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. The area is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hampi and Virupaksha Temple.
The Vijayanagara region is named after the capital of the Vijayanagar Empire. According to the Karnataka Land Income Act of 1964, the area was established outside the ore-rich Barali area.
The area will be composed of six taluks they are Hosapete, kotturu, Kudligi, Hagaribommanahalli, Harapanahalli and Hoovina Hadagali.
BS Yediyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka, announced his plan to establish a new Vijayanagara district in September 2019 and that new district must be established for administrative reasons.
The creation of the new district will help promote tourism to places such as Hampi Temple. Therefore, the Karnataka Cabinet formally approved the establishment of the new Vijayanagara District on November 18, 2020.
The plan to establish a new district was criticized and opposed by the ruling party. In addition, this move has been criticized because of the view that dividing the Ballari district into a new district may lead to language disputes between Telugu and Kannada speakers in the district.
Hampi or Hampe is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the east-central part of Karnataka. The site is a Hindu pilgrimage center.
The Hampi area was once the capital of the Vijay Niagara Empire in the 14th century. Hampi-Vijayanagara is the second largest medieval city in the world after Beijing.
EXIM BANK PROVIDES USD 400 MILLION TO MALDIVES
The Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) will provide USD 400 million to the Maldives through Line of Credit (LoC) to fund the Greater Male Connectivity Project. The agreement under the LoC will be effective from January 28, 2021.
The 6.7 km Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) will be the largest civilian infrastructure project in the Maldives, connecting Male with three neighbouring islands – Villingili, Gulhifahu and Thilafushi.
The Government of India will be funding the implementation of a major connectivity project in the Maldives through a USD 400 million lines of credit and USD 100 million grant.
- Export-Import Bank of India CEO: David Rasquinha.
- Export-Import Bank of India Founded: 1 January 1982.
- Export-Import Bank of India Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- President of the Maldives: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
- Capital of Maldives: Male
BABUR CRUISE MISSILE LAUNCHED BY PAKISTAN ARMY
The Pakistan Army conducted a successful test-firing of a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile ‘Babar’ on February 11, 2021. This test was the third missile test carried out over the past three weeks.
The Babur cruise missile IA was launched from Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle. This missile is capable of hitting land and sea targets with “high precision” up to 450 kilometres away.
Earlier, Pakistan army conducted a successful test of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-III in January 2021, followed by the ‘training launch’ of nuclear-capable ballistic missile Ghaznavi in February 2021.
- President of Pakistan: Arif Alvi.
- Prime Minister of Pakistan: Imran Khan.
RBI’S ANNUAL REPORT OF THE OMBUDSMAN SCHEME
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the Annual Report of the Ombudsman Schemes for the year 2019-20. There was an increase of around 65 per cent in the receipt of complaints out of which almost 92 per cent have been disposed of.
RBI has three Ombudsman- Banking, Non-Banking Finance Company (i.e. NBFC) and digital transactions. A common man can approach this Ombudsman for their grievances.
As per the RBI’s report, all three received in total 3,30,543 complaints in 19-20 as compared to 2,00,362 in 18-19.
Banking Ombudsman received major complaints regarding ATM & Debit Cards, Mobile & Electronic Banking while NBFC’s Ombudsmen received most complaints about non-observance of regulatory guidelines, lack of transparency in contract/ loan agreement and levy of charges without notice.
Digital Transactions Ombudsmen received most complaints about fund transfer. RBI has taken various measures for creating awareness among various stakeholders to minimise the grievances.
As announced in the Monetary Policy Statement last week, the three Ombudsman Schemes are being merged and integrated into a single scheme which will be rolled out starting from June this year.
NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY DAY: 12TH FEBRUARY
National Productivity Day is celebrated on February 12 every year to enhance India’s productivity culture. The National Productivity Council (NPC) celebrated this theme.
The National Productivity Commission celebrates National Productivity Week from February 12 to February 18, 2020.
The main purpose of the celebration is to encourage stakeholders to implement productivity tools and techniques. The National Productivity Council (NPC) is a national organization that promotes production in India. It was established in 1958 by the Ministry of Industry of the Government of India.
It is an autonomous, multi-party, non-profit organization that has been registered under the XXI Association Registration Act of 1860.
In addition, NPC is a member of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), an intergovernmental organization based in Tokyo.
Is a founding member of the Indian government. The headquarters of the National Productivity Council is in New Delhi. The current director of the National People’s Congress is Sh. Arun Kumar Jha, IES.
NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY OBSERVED ON 13TH FEB
In India, the National Women’s Day is observed every year on 13 February to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.
This year Nation celebrates its 142nd Birth Anniversary. She was born on February 13, 1879. She was famous for her nickname ‘Nightingale of India’ or ‘Bharat Kokila’ because of her poems.
Sarojini Naidu was not only a freedom fighter, but she also became the first woman governor of the United Provinces, the present Uttar Pradesh.
She was one of the forefront leaders who led the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement. She was an important figure in India’s struggle for independence from colonial rule.