? Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 1st Khelo India University Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium at Cuttack, Odisha through video conferencing. About 3,400 athletes from 159 universities across the country will be participating across 17 disciplines.
? The biennial elections for Rajya Sabha are scheduled to take place on March 26, 2020. The elections will be conducted for 55 seats from 17 states to fill up the seats of members retiring in April. The elections to the Rajya Sabha are indirect.
? NITI Aayog is organizing Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation and Development of North Eastern states in Guwahati, Assam.
? The Rajya Sabha Elections 2020 will take place for 55 seats on March 26, 2020. The term of 55 Rajya MPs is due to end in April 2020.
? India has signed defence deals worth $3 billion with the United States. India will be purchasing advanced military equipment from the US including MH-60 Romeo and Apache helicopters. India and the US are also working to finalise a comprehensive trade agreement.
? Veteran actor Manoj Kumar has been felicitated by the World Book of Records, London with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood honour for being a legendary actor and for his contribution to Indian cinema.
? The first anniversary of the National War Memorial was observed on February 25, 2020. On the occasion, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat honoured the fallen soldiers along with veterans from all three wings of the armed forces.
? Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has permitted the market players to use regulatory sandbox on select customers. SEBI will grant limited registration for such testing purposes.
? Union Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the country’s first floating jetty here and an immigration facility at a cruise terminal in Vasco at Goa. The jetty is located in the state port department’s premises on the banks of Mandovi river.
? The International Judicial Conference was held in New Delhi. The Conference was addressed by PM Modi. The theme of the conference is “Gender Just World”.
? J&K Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan flagged off a group of students from across Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories for a ten-day tour ‘Watan Ko Jano’, a youth exchange programme.
? The Indian Railways recently launched Hindi Version of Artificial Intelligence-based chatbot called “ASKDISHA”.
? Birla Estates has launched “LIDEA” for its customers on WhatsApp. “LIDEA” is an interactive AI Powered ChatBot solution launched by Birla Estates for its customers.
? Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is a Central Sector scheme with 100% funding from Government of India.
? “Watan Ko Jano” programme has been organised by Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Council, Department of Social Welfare under the aegis of Department of JK Affairs, Government of India. Through this programme, children will get an opportunity to visit monuments and places of historical and cultural significance in Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar.
? The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international organisation of now eight member countries (the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan), which was established in 2001.
? Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has launched PM KISAN mobile application on the occasion of 1st anniversary of the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.
? Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as managing director and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank for a period of three years.
? The Happiness Curriculum was launched in 2018 by the AAP-led Delhi Government. The scheme aims to reinvent the school education model in Delhi Government Schools and promote development of cognition, language, literacy, numeracy and arts among children, which will in turn boost their mental growth and well-being.
? India’s Grandmaster D Gukesh has won the 34th Cannes Open in France. He defeated Harutyun Bargseghyan of France in 50 moves to win the chess tournament. Siva Mahadevan of India secured the 10th place with six points.
? Dr Niti Kumar has won the SERB Women Excellence Award-2020. She is a Senior Scientist from Division of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow.
? Russia will be the first country to host the new format of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Team World Cup 2020.
? FC Goa became the first Indian club to qualify for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League group stage. FC Goa sealed the top spot in the Indian Super League (ISL 2019-20) standings, finishing as the league’s table-topper after beating Jamshedpur FC 5-0 in an Indian Super League match.