The Indian Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Vessel ICGS Varad has been commissioned on 28 Feb 2020.
It was inducted into service by Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a function held in the Chennai Port.
The ship Varad will be based at Paradip in Odisha, under the operational control of the Coast Guard North Eastern Region.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister launched the ‘Programme for Capacity Building of Scheduled Tribe Representatives in Local Self Governments’ at a programme in Bhubaneswar (Odisha) on 27th February 2020. The Minister had also launched ‘1000 Spring Initiatives’ and an online portal on GIS-based Spring Atlas. This atlas is going to have chemical properties and hydrological of the Springs on the occasion.

atherine Johnson, a mathematician who calculated rocket trajectories and earth orbits for NASA’s early space missions and was later portrayed in the 2016 hit film “Hidden Figures,” about pioneering black female aerospace workers, has died. She was 101.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recently notified that 100 per cent FDI is allowed in insurance intermediaries under automatic approval route.
The FDI policy earlier allowed 49 per cent foreign investment in the insurance sector, including insurance intermediaries. Intermediary services comprise of insurance brokers, re-insurance brokers, insurance consultants, third party administrators, loss assessors etc.

The Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) Capri Global Capital Limited (CGCL) has launched an SME (Small and medium-sized enterprises) lending product “UDAAN” for women entrepreneurs to provide secured loans upto Rs.40 lakhs only for Business purpose with the loan repayment period of 10years to 15 years at a competitive interest rate after conducting due diligence.

NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in collaboration with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) launched an AI-based Module rolled out for students in Indian schools on 27 February. The aim is to empower the youngest minds of the country with the latest technologies.

Henneguya zschokkei, also known as Henneguya salminicola, is a species of a myxosporean parasite of certain species of salmons of genus Oncorhynchus. Researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered a unique organism that doesn’t need to breathe. Henneguya salminicola, the tiny parasite, is the first known multicellular animal that can survive without oxygen. It lives in an anaerobic environment. The parasite lives in salmon tissue and evolved so that it doesn’t need oxygen to produce energy. The researchers made the discovery accidentally while sequencing the Henneguya genome.

PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot on 29 Feb 2020.
It will pass through the districts of Chitrakoot, Banda, Hamirpur and Jalaun.
This expressway will link the Bundelkhand area to Delhi through Agra-Lucknow expressway and Yamuna expressway as well as play a vital role in the development of Bundelkhand region.

The Union Cabinet has approved the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020. According to the proposed bill, any woman can become a surrogate mother by her own will. Apart from childless Indian couples, widows and divorced women will also get the benefit. The draft of the new bill has included the recommendations of 23-member Committee of the Rajya Sabha headed by BJP MP Bhupender Yadav.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the new Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Production Hangar on 27 Feb 2020.
It was inaugurated at the Helicopter Division in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Complex at Bengaluru, Karnataka.
LCH is a 5.5-tonne class combat helicopter designed and developed by HAL.
It is powered by two Shakti engines.

The biofuel sector could get a boost with the method to improve the growth rate and sugar content of a marine microorganism called Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. This research is conducted at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB).

The Indian Space Research Organisation stated it is scheduled to launch its geo imaging satellite ‘GISAT-1’ onboard the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle ‘GSLV-F10’ on March 5.

Weighing about 2,275 kg, GISAT-1 is a state-of-the- art agile earth observation satellite which would be placed in a geosynchronous transfer orbit by GSLV-F10.

Maharashtra has decided to undertake a genetic study to conserve the native species of cattle and domesticated animals in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

The Singapore Ministry of Health announced that an antibody test has been developed by the country’s medical school and it has successfully identified two people, who were infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The currently used molecular test detects the viral genetic material in oral swab samples whereas the newly developed test detects antibodies developed by the immune system when infected with the virus.

Union Food Processing Industries(FPI) Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal Launched Market Intelligence & Early Warning System (MIEWS) at Delhi. MIEWS portal is a ‘First-of -its-kind’ platform that monitors the prices of TOP Crops (Tomato,Onion & Potato) & generates alert for timely market intervention under the terms of Operation Greens(OG) scheme for price stabilization during glut situations.

Padma Shri Jadav Payeng will be conferred with the Swami Vivekananda Karmayogi Award on 29 February in New Delhi at a function instituted by My Home India. He was awarded the 6th Karmayogi Award for his consistent efforts in creating a real man-made forest through massive reforestation. The award is composed of a trophy, a recitation and a reward of Rs 1 lakh.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee is to address JatiyaSangsad, a special session of Bangladesh Parliament, on the occasion of the centenary year of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Along with Mukherjee, Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari is also invited for the session. This would be the third time a foreign dignitary would address Bangladesh’s parliament.

Samsung Mobile is the most desired brand in India followed by Apple iPhone, according to a report released by TRA Research.
This is the fourth time Samsung Mobile has been crowned the most desired brand after it topped the list in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
It also features at third rank in the consumer electronics category.
Suzuki took the fifth spot followed by Dell in the sixth rank.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lifted the ban on Bandhan Bank & allowed it to open new branches without prior permission. However, the RBI came up with some regulatory conditions & directed the bank to order about 25 % of the total banking outlets to be opened in rural areas where banking facilities are not available.

India exchanged 10 MoUs with Myanmar on February 27, 2020 in different fields including energy, infrastructure, health, transport and communication and conservation of Tigers and other Wildlife.

Oyo Hotels founder Ritesh Agarwal has been crowned as the world’s second youngest billionaire.
At the age of 24, his wealth was estimated at $1.1 billion ( ₹7,800 crores) in the Hurun Global Rich List 2020.
Agarwal comes second only after cosmetics queen Kylie Jenner who has also amassed $1.1 billion at the age of 22.
India has a total of 137 billionaires in 2020.

The Japanese man who was recently named the world’s oldest living male person has passed away at the age of 112. Chitetsu Watanabe was honored by Guinness World Records with a certificate and celebration less than two weeks ago and died on February 24.

On 26th February 2020,  the Government of India (GoI) has decided to hold  ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment. It will be held from April 11-12 in New Delhi. It is India’s first Artificial Intelligence summit. It will be organized by the Government of India in partnership with Industry and Academia. It will be a platform to exchange ideas to use Artificial Intelligence(AI) for social empowerment, inclusion and transformation in areas of Healthcare, Agriculture, Education and Smart Mobility.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) recently permitted the Maharatna PSU NTPC Limited to acquire the government’s entire stake in THDC India and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO).
NTPC will acquire 100 per cent of the issued and paid-up share capital of the NEEPCO and 74.5 per cent in THDC India, the rest of which is held by Uttar Pradesh state government.

A marble replica of Mahatma Gandhi’s “three wise monkeys” statue, a copy of his Talisman or a piece of wisdom as well as a special edition of his autobiography were among the items gifted to US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania during their visit to the Sabarmati Ashram.

Xiaomi has collaborated with ISRO to bring the space agency’s Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System “NavIC technology” to its smartphones. The announcement was made by Xiaomi Global VP and MD Manu Jain. Xiaomi is the only smartphone brand to have worked with ISRO to bring tech that has been developed in the country to the fore, so far.

As per reports, India became the fifth most polluted country in 2019.
Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region ranked as the most polluted city in the world according to a global compilation of PM 2.5 particulate pollution data by IQAir.
India launched a National Clean Air Programme in 2019 that commits to reducing air pollution in 102 most polluted cities by a maximum of 30% by 2024.

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned an amount of Rs. 400 crore to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir during the current financial year. The aim is to boost the infrastructure in rural areas. The funding is a part of the NABARD’s ‘Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)-Trench XXV’ which aims at augmenting rural infrastructure.

National Science Day (NSD) will be celebrated on February 28. The theme of this year’s Science Day is ‘Women in Science’. It is celebrated every year to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’. National Science Day (NSD) was declared by the Government of India in 1986.  On this day, Sir C.V. Raman discovered the ‘Raman Effect’ for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1930. Awards like National Science and Technology and Communication Awards, Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research (AWSAR) awards, National Award for Young Woman Showing, SERB Women Excellence Awards and  Excellence Through Application Of Technology For Societal Benefits will be given.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova bid adieu to tennis at the age of 32 on February 26, 2020. Maria Sharapova is currently ranked 369. She won her first Grand Slam title – Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17