Today News Diary on 23 February 2021

1. Motera cricket stadium in Ahmedabad renamed Narendra Modi Stadium
2. U.S. to seek election to Human Rights Council for 2022-24 term: Antony Blinken
3. Centre recommends President’s Rule in Puducherry
4. SpaceX's Internet to go global by 2022
5. Airtel forays into ad-tech industry with Airtel Ads
6. UPSC exams: SC dismisses writ plea seeking another chance to aspirants
7. Anjali Bharadwaj among 12 people named by Biden admin for newly-instituted anti-corruption award
8. Centre transferred ₹1.15 lakh crore to 10.75 crore farmers under PM-KISAN scheme, says Tomar
9. Wife not chattel or object, medieval notion of her being property of husband still persists: Bombay HC
10. Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls on Sri Lankan President; discusses bilateral ties
11. Ghana is first nation in world to receive COVAX vaccines
12. Cabinet approves PLI scheme for pharmaceuticals

News in Detail

1. Motera cricket stadium in Ahmedabad renamed Narendra Modi Stadium

The inauguration was done hours before the start of the day-night third Test between India and England, the first international match at the new venue.
The world’s largest cricket stadium, at Motera in Ahmedabad, was renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday. It was inaugurated on Wednesday by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and others.

The inauguration was done hours before the start of the day-night third Test between India and England, the first international match at the new venue.
The stadium is part of sprawling Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave which will have the world’s largest cricket stadium, Natatorium, Athletics/ Track and Field/Football stadium, Field Hockey & Tennis Stadium, Indoor Sports Halls/Arenas, Outdoor Fields Veldrome/ Skating Area spread over 200 acres on the Sabarmati river bank in the North East of Ahmedabad.
The refurbished stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad, set up by the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), is the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had conceived it as President of GCA and Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2014 to demolish the old stadium completely and rebuild in its place a new one which would be the largest in the world with the best of facilities.
Plaque at the Motera stadium announcing the renaming of the stadium as the Narendra Modi Stadium, February 24, 2021.
Plaque at the Motera stadium announcing the renaming of the stadium as the Narendra Modi Stadium, The old stadium with 49,000 seating capacity was known as Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium, Motera.Spread over 63 acres, it is the largest cricket stadium with a seating capacity of 1,10,000.
 

2. U.S. to seek election to Human Rights Council for 2022-24 term: Antony Blinken

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivering a speech via video message during the 46th Regular Session of Human Rights Council on February 24, 2021 in Geneva. Photo: AFP/United Nations 

“The United States is placing democracy and human rights at the center of our foreign policy, because they are essential for peace and stability,” Tony Blinken said in his first address to the UNHRC

Asserting that the Biden administration is placing democracy and human rights at the centre of its foreign policy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Feb. 24 that the U.S. will seek election to the Human Rights Council for the 2022-24 term, almost three years after it quit the U.N.’s top rights body.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the U.N.’s Human Rights Council in June 2018, describing it as a “hypocritical and self-serving organisation” that displayed “unending hostility towards Israel”.
The Geneva-based Human Rights Council is a 47-member inter-governmental body within the U.N. system tasked with upholding human rights.

3. Centre recommends President’s Rule in Puducherry

No Opposition party was willing to stake claim

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to impose President's Rule in Puducherry.

Puducherry Assembly will be dissolved with the permission of the President, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said during a media conference. “Model Code of Conduct will start in few days and there will be elections,” he added.

4. SpaceX's Internet to go global by 2022

SpaceX to provide its satellite-based internet connection to all parts of the world by next year: Reuters

In another tweet, Musk assured to double the internet speed to 300 Mbps and to reduce latency to 20ms by end of this year.

Tesla's chief Elon Musk revealed his plans to provide SpaceX's satellite-based Internet connection to most parts of the world by this year end, and all parts by 2022.

"Most of Earth by end of year, all by next year, then it’s about densifying coverage," Musk tweeted in response to a question on SpaceX's coverage.

Musk acknowledged that satellite-based Internet connections are best suited for areas that are not densely populated, and that mobile data will have an advantage in densely populated urban areas.

In another tweet, Musk assured to double the internet speed to 300 Mbps and to reduce latency to 20ms by end of this year. The company currently promises speeds between 50 to 150Mbps.

5. Airtel forays into ad-tech industry with Airtel Ads

Bharti Airtel on Wednesday announced entry into the $10 billion advertising business with ‘Airtel Ads’, which will enable brands to connect and engage with its over 320 million customers.

“Airtel Ads allows brands of all sizes to curate consent based and privacy safe campaigns to one of the biggest pool of quality customers in India...Using Airtel’s deep data science capabilities, Airtel Ads allows brands to create high engagement and high impact campaigns to the most relevant customer cohorts. This also means that Airtel customers receive only the most relevant brand offerings and not unwanted spam,” the company said in a statement.

It added that brands like PepsiCo, Zomato, CRED, Tata AIG, Apollo 247, Lenskart, Cars24, Gameskraft and Harley Davidson, are among the over 100 brands who have run successful campaigns during the beta period.

Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel: “Airtel Ads breaks new ground in the $10 billion Indian advertising industry...Advertising is an adjacency to our core business of delighting our customers with great services. Therefore, we combine the privacy that is paramount to our customers with the trust and transparency that is vital to the brands we serve.”

The Indian advertising industry is expected to grow to $19 billion by 2025 from the current $10 billion. “Airtel Ads is well positioned to capture a meaningful share of the growing pie with its sharp focus on quality,” the company added.

6. UPSC exams: SC dismisses writ plea seeking another chance to aspirants

The aspirants’ last attempt to crack the civil services exam was dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in October last year.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants, whose last attempt to crack the civil services exam was marred by COVID-19, for another chance in 2021.
The court said every candidate who took the exam last year suffered “one way or the other”.

The petitioners had argued about the “overwhelming” impact of coronavirus in the run-up to the civil services preliminary exam held on October 4, 2020. They said their access to study resources had shrunk with the closure of libraries and coaching centres during the lockdown. Some of them had fallen sick while others had cared for the sick during the pandemic months, leaving little or no time for study.

“What is being claimed and prayed for under the guise of COVID-19 pandemic is nothing but a lame excuse in taking additional attempt to participate in the Civil Service Examination 2021,” a Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said in the judgment.

7. Anjali Bharadwaj among 12 people named by Biden admin for newly-instituted anti-corruption award

According to the State Department, Anjali Bharadwaj has served as an active member of the Right to Information Movement in India for over two decades
Anjali Bharadwaj, an Indian social activist working on issues of transparency and accountability, is one of the 12 “courageous” individuals named by the Biden administration for the newly-instituted International Anti-Corruption Champions Award.

According to the State Department, Ms. Bharadwaj, 48, has served as an active member of the Right to Information Movement in India for over two decades.

“The Biden administration recognises that we will only be successful in combating these issues by working in concert with committed partners, including courageous individuals who champion anti-corruption efforts and countries working to fulfil their commitments to international anti-corruption standards,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Feb. 23.

“For that reason, I am announcing a new International Anti-Corruption Champions Award, recognising individuals who have worked tirelessly, often in the face of adversity, to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries,” he said.

Ms. Bharadwaj is the founder of the Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS), a citizens’ group with a mandate to promote transparency and accountability in government and encourage active participation of citizens.

She is also a convener of the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information, which successfully advocated for the creation of an anti-corruption ombudsman and the Whistle Blowers’ Protection Act, offering protection to those who expose corruption and abuse of power.

Ms. Bharadwaj in a tweet said the honour is a “recognition of the collective effort of people and groups across the country who hold power to account”.
In addition to Ms. Bharadwaj, the other honourees are: Ardian Dvorani of Albania, Diana Salazar of Ecuador, Sophia Pretrick of Micronesia, Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro of Guatemala, Ibrahima Kalil Gueye of Guinea, Dhuha A Mohammed of Iraq, Bolot Temirov of Kyrgyz Republic, Mustafa Abdullah Sanalla of Libya, Victor Sotto of The Philippines, Francis Ben Kaifala of Sierra Leone, and Ruslan Ryaboshapka of Ukraine.

8. Centre transferred ₹1.15 lakh crore to 10.75 crore farmers under PM-KISAN scheme, says Tomar

During the second anniversary of the scheme, the Agriculture Minister asks States to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are covered.
The Centre on Wednesday said it has transferred over ₹1.15 lakh crore directly to bank accounts of more than 10.75 crore farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme and asked States to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are covered in this flagship programme.
Addressing a function on the occasion of the second anniversary of the PM-KISAN, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government has enhanced the income of farmers by providing ₹6,000 annually to farmers under this scheme in three equal instalments.
The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 24, 2019, from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.
 

9. Wife not chattel or object, medieval notion of her being property of husband still persists: Bombay HC

Court rejects appeal by Pandharpur man convicted for hitting wife with hammer, leading to her death.
Rejecting an appeal by a man from Pandharpur, who was convicted for hitting his wife with a hammer, which led to her death, the Bombay High Court recently observed that “wife is not a chattel and such cases reflect the imbalance of gender, skewed patriarchy one has grown up with, which often seeps into marital relationship” and “show medieval notion of wife being property of husband to do as he wishes”.

A single-judge bench of Justice Revati Mohite-Dere, earlier this month, passed a ruling on an appeal filed by 35-year-old man from Pandharpur, who was convicted by a Sessions Court on July 1, 2016, under sections 304 (10-year rigorous imprisonment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (2-year rigorous imprisonment for causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.

10. Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls on Sri Lankan President; discusses bilateral ties

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, center, walks with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa upon his arrival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021.
The two leaders also discussed how to exchange technical knowledge to promote agriculture in the two countries. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during which they discussed bilateral ties and common areas of interests, such as trade and tourism which could benefit both countries.

Mr Khan, who is here on a two-day visit, called on Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo and held a one-on-one meeting with him.

11. Ghana is first nation in world to receive COVAX vaccines

Workers offload boxes of AstraZeneca vaccines as Ghana receives its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines under COVAX scheme, at the international airport of Accra, Ghana, on February 24.

The West African nation of 30 million has recorded 81,245 cases and 584 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to figures from Ghana’s Health Services on Tuesday.

Ghana has become the first country in the world to receive vaccines acquired through the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative with a delivery on Wednesday of 6,00,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India.

The vaccines, delivered by UNICEF, arrived at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport early Wednesday and are part of the first wave of COVID-19 vaccines that COVAX is sending to several low- and middle-income countries. Ghana is among 92 countries that have signed onto the COVAX programme, according to a statement by Ghana’s acting Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

Ghana’s vaccination campaign will begin on March 2 and will be conducted in phases among prioritised groups, beginning with health workers, adults of 60 years and over, people with underlying health conditions, frontline executive, legislature, judiciary, and their related staff, said Mr. Nkrumah.

12. Cabinet approves PLI scheme for pharmaceuticals

The PLI scheme for pharma is expected to promote the production of high-value products in the country and increase the value addition in exports
The government on February 24 approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for pharmaceuticals, and said the move will bring investments of ₹15,000 crore into the sector.

The scheme will benefit domestic manufacturers, spur job opportunities and contribute to availability of wider range of affordable medicines for consumers. It is expected to bring in investment of ₹15,000 crore in the pharmaceutical sector, an official release said.

The PLI scheme for pharma is expected to promote the production of high-value products in the country and increase the value addition in exports.

Total incremental sales of ₹2,94,000 crore and incremental exports to the tune of ₹1,96,000 crore are expected during six years from 2022-23 to 2027-28, the release added.

13. Facebook adds new tools to stop sharing, search for child sexual abuse material

Facebook has announced new tools to prevent sharing of images, videos and any other content which includes child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platform

Facebook will prevent users from searching for CSAM content on its platform with a new notification.Facebook has announced new tools to prevent sharing of images, videos and any other content which includes child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its platform. For one, it will warn users when they are sharing images which could contain potential CSAM material. Second, it will prevent users from searching for such content on its platform with a new notification.

While the first one is aimed at those who might be sharing this content with non-malicious intent, and second is aimed at those who go searching for such content on Facebook with plans to consume this content or to use it for commercial purposes.

14.Coronavirus updates | COVID-19 vaccination from March 1,

A frontline worker reacts as she receives a dose of Covishield vaccine at a medical centre in New Delhi on February 24, 2021.
NITI Aayog’s member (health) V.K. Paul said besides the U.K. strain (187 cases), South Africa strain (6) cases and Brazil strain (1 case), India has also found cases with N440K and E484Q.

People above 60 years of age and those over 45 with comorbidities will be given COVID-19 vaccination from March 1, the Union government announced on Wednesday.