NEWS 08-03-2020. NEWS FOR 9-MAR (MONDAY) News of February, 2020 : · Defence News : 1. The 11th edition of Def-Expo was inaugurated by PM Modi on Feb 5, 2020. India has announced that it will work towards increasing its Defence economy to 5 billion USD. It has also announced that it has aimed to develop 25 products based on Artificial Intelligence in the next 5 years. 2. The Sharang Artillery Gun has been inducted in Indian Army recently. The guns are produced at the Kanpur ordnance factory. These guns have been upgraded from 130 mm to 155 mm. Also, the range of the gun system has been increased from 12 kms to 39 kms. It was tested at the Balasore DRDO facility. It will help to boost the strength of Indian Army. 3. India and Russia have signed 14 MoUs at the India-Russia Industrial Conference held at DefExpo 2020, Lucknow. The Agreements were signed under Make in India initiative. The two countries signed agreements related to ASW rocket launchers, T-72 & T-90 tanks, radar systems & 3D modeling. 4.The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre developed a new bullet proof jacket called Bhabha Kavach. The jackets are to be used by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The Jacket is capable of stopping hard steel core bullets that are fired from AK 47 and self-loading rifles and bolt action rifles. 5. India bagged a deal to supply 4 indigenously built radars to Armenia. The deal was worth 40 million USD. The Radar is capable of handling multiple weapons at different locations. The deal will help India achieve its Rs 35,000 crores of defence exports very soon. It will also help India find new markets to sell its indigenous defence systems. · National News : 1. Indian Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitaraman presented the Budget 2020 on three main themes. The first theme is Aspirational India, in which all sections of the society seek better standards of living, with access to health, education and better jobs. Second one is Economic Development for all, which indicates the Prime Minister’s initiative of “SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas, SabkaVishwas”. And the last one is Care Giving which is allocated in budget to Women and Child, Social Welfare and Tourism, Environment and Climate Change. 2. PM Kisan Mobile app was launched by the Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare. The application helps farmers to learn about their payment status, their eligibility towards a scheme and several other information. It will also act as a platform to deliver information about government schemes and other beneficiaries. This overall will help GoI achieve its goal of “Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022” easily. 3. The researchers at the India’s Atomic Energy Commission have found Lithium Reserves of 14,100 tonnes in Mandya. Mandya is 100 km away from Bengaluru, Karnataka. Being a very rare metal Lithium is mainly used in manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles. · International News : 1. The Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is on a 4-day visit to India on 14th feb to 17th feb. The countries have signed agreements on culture, transport, investment, industrial and intellectual property rights. Agreements were also signed on developing a world class national maritime heritage complex at Lothal, Gujrat. 2. China has joined India and the United States in putting Pakistan on Grey list of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force). Both China and Saudi Arabia have joined The US, India and other European countries sending stern messages to Pakistan against its actions of terror funding, money laundering. 3. India and the US have signed some agreements in the field of health, oil and defence. In the Defence Sector, 3 billion USD worth deal was signed to buy helicopters. The MoUs were signed in the field of oil and health. In the field of health, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and the US Food and Drug Administration signed agreements over the safety of medical products. · Sports News : 1. The International Hockey Federation named the Indian Hockey captain Manpreet Singh as Player of the Year, 2019. Manpreet is the first Indian to win this title. 2. Bangladesh won Under 19 Cricket World Cup organized by International Cricket Council (ICC). 3. Rakhi Halder of West Bengal won Senior Weightlifting Championship. She bagged gold medal in the 64 kg category at the 35th National Weight lifting Championship held in Kolkata. < < Back