Conference on The Future of Indian Banking.......25, February 2019: Current Affairs

1.Central Excise Day 2019

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*Central Excise Day was commemorated on 24 February. The purpose is to encourage the employees of excise department to carry out the central excise duty all over the India in better way in order to prevent the corruption.


2.Conference on The Future of Indian Banking

*NITI Aayog co-hosted a conference on "The Future of Indian Banking" at New Delhi, with the Foundation for Economic Growth and Welfare (EGROW Foundation). The conference aimed to increase and elevate the discourse on the banking sector in India.


3. 2019 Passport Index

*As perthe 2019 Passport Index released by Argon Capital, the Indian passport has jumped from 77th position in 2015 to 67th position in 2019. 25 countries now allow visa-free entry to Indian passport holders, whereas 39 nations offer visa-on-arrival.

4.Rashid Khan takes 4 wickets in 4 balls

*Afghanistan's 20-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan has become the first bowler to take four wickets in four successive deliveries in T20l cricket. He is the second bowler after Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga (ODI) to achieve the feat in international cricket.


5.Kelly Knight Craft to succeed Nikki Haley

*US President Donald Trump has nominated his envoy to Canada Kelly Knight Craft as the next US Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) to succeed Indian-American Nikki Haley.


6.Manpreet Singh: Player of the Year 

*The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has honoured Indian men's hockey team captain, Manpreet Singh with the 2018 Player of the Year Award'. Women hockey team's strike Lalremsiami bagged the '2018 Rising Player of The Year award.
*Manpreet led the Indian hockey team at the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat where the team was declared joint winners with Pakistan.


7.Apurvi Chandela won gold in 10m rifle

*Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in the women's 10-meter air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup 2019 in New Delhi.
*This is India's first medal of the ISSF World Cup 2019.
*She set a new world record by registering a score of 252.9 points in the final match. Zhao Ruozhu and Xu Hong of China won the silver and bronze medal respectively.


8.India to attend OIC meet for first time

*External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend the inaugural plenary session of the 46th meeting of Organisation of lslamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Abu Dhabi on 1 and 2 March 2019.
*This is the first time that a leader of the non-Muslim country has been invited to the OIC conference.
*OIC consists of 57 countries and its headquarters is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

9.Government of India to host Construction expo

*The Union Housing and Urbarn Affairs Ministry will hold a two-day construction expo and conference -'Construction Technology India (CTI) in New Delhi from 2 March 2019.
*The expo will be organised under its Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) initiative. Stakeholders across the world will showcase their best technologies to build houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).


10.Brijbhushan electedl as WEI President

On 24 February 2019, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh was elected unopposed as the President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WF) for the third time.He will serve WFI for a three-year term.
*He was the Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent for the Asian Games 2018 held in Jakarta and Palembang.
*He is also a Member of Parliament from the Kaiserganj constituency of Uttar Pradesh,


11.EVMs are information under RTI Act 

*The Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is 'information' under the Right to Information (RT) Act.
*This implies the Election Commission has to respond to an RTl application seeking the EVM either by providing it or refusing it under exemption clauses in the Act.
*The CIC is the highest adjudicating authority in RTI matters.


12.GST on under-construction homes slashed to 5%

*On 24 February 2019, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council slashed tax rates on under-construction housing properties to 5% from the existing 12%. It also cut GST rates on affordable housing to 1% from 8%.
*The new tax rates will come into effect from 1 April 2019.
*GST is not levied on real estate properties for which completion certificate has been issued at the time of sale.


13.MSME Ministry's conclave on Women Entrepreneur

*The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises organised a conclave on Empowering Women Entrepreneurs 2019, Financing and Enabling Women from Marginalised Sections' in Mumbai on 25 February 2019.
*It was organised under the National SC-ST initiative of the MSME Ministry.
*Entrepreneurs and inspirational Women achievers were awarded with Enterprising Women of the Year 2018 Awards


14.Action plan for viral hepatitis launched

*The government of India launched the 'National Action Plan-Viral Hepatitis' in Mumbai on 24 February 2019.
*The aim of the programme is to combat hepatitis and achieve countrywide elimination of Hepatitis C by 2030.
*The action plan takes forward the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program launched by the Union Health Minister in July 2018.


15. IAF commissions aerial Surveillance

*The Indian Air Force (|AF) has commissioned the'Hyper-Spectral Imagery Programme' for the first time in the country.
*The programme is an aerial surveillance system for monitoring suspicious moments under dense foliage cover along the international border and some parts within the country.
*It is expected to be operational in the next two years.


16.National War Memorial inaugurated

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*Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National War Memorial in Delhi on 25 February 2019. It will thereafter become the place for wreath-laying of all designated events such as Republic Day.
*The National War Memorial will commemorate the soldiers who died in wars and operations, including counter-terrorism, since Independence.


17.afghanistan launched new export route to India

Afghanistan began exports to India through an Iranian port. Chabahar port is the result of healthy cooperation between India, Iran and Afghanistan that will ensure economic growth.
*The Iranian port provides easy access to the sea to Afghanistan and India has helped developed this route to allow both countries to engage in trade bypassing Pakistan


18.Oscars 2019

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*The 91st Academy Awards were presented at the Dolby Theatre, in Los
Angeles, California.
*Best Picture- Green Book.
*Best Actor in a Leading Role- Rami
Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Best Actress in a Leading Role-Olivia
Colman for The Fayourite.
*Best Directing - Alfonso Cuarón for
Roma.
*Best Supporting Actor-Mahershala Ali for Green Book.
*Best Supporting Actress-Regina King for If Beale Street Could Talk,
*Best Original Song-Lady Gaga, Mike Ronson, Anthony Rossomondo and Andrew Wyatt for A Star Is Born.
*Best Animated Feature - Spiderman: lnto
the Spider Verse.
*Best Foreign Language-Roma.
*Best Animated Short-Domee Shi and
*Becky Neiman-Cobb for Bao.


19.Period. End of Sentence' won Oscar

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*A film on menstruation, set in rural India, titled Period. End of Sentence', has won the Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category at the 91st Academy Awards.
*Rayka Zehtabchi directed the short film and Guneet Monga's Sikhya Entertainment produced it.
*The film is a part of The Pad Project, started by students at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles and their teacher Melissa Berton.

20.7-NH proiects to Come up in Kangra

*Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for seven National Highway projects in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on 24 February 2019.
*The projects are likely to benefit the local people by way of increased tourism, safe journey, reduced travel time etc.
*The projects include four-laning of Punjab-Himachal Pradesh Border to Sihuni

21.Rising India Summit 2019 

Rising India Summit 2019 was inaugurated in New Delhi on 25 February 2019. It is a two-day event. PM Modi addressed the Summit. Theme for 2019 is"Beyond Politics Defining National Priorities"
.It is India's biggest media network, which this year, is taking place against the backdrop of the Pulwama massacre.