 South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar has been sworn in as first vice president. He is formally rejoining the government in the latest effort to bring peace to a nation ravaged by war. The rebel leader returns as first vice president in a transition government which will serve for 36 months. President Salva Kiir hailed the official ending of the war. |
 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned 400.64 crore rupees to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This sanction is for giving a boost to the infrastructure in the rural areas of J&K. An amount of 143.66 crore rupees has been sanctioned for implementation of 38 water supply schemes. The sanction includes augmentation of 27 existing water supply schemes and construction of 11 new water supply schemes. These water supply schemes are aimed at providing safe and potable drinking water to rural households. The schemes will benefit over 3.5 lakh people across 86 villages in 17 districts. An amount of 47.11 crore rupees has been sanctioned towards improving the Animal and Sheep Husbandry sectors. It includes the construction of Cattle Breeding Farm at Chatha Jammu. NABARD has also sanctioned 209.87 crore rupees for construction of 82 rural roads and 3 bridges earlier this year. The construction of roads and bridges would provide all-weather improved connectivity to 461 remote villages. The funding is a part of the NABARD’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) which is aimed at augmenting rural infrastructure. |
 Central Excise Day is celebrated every year on February 24 across India. The day is being celebrated to honour the service of Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC) to the country. The day is celebrated to honour the officers associated with CBEC and their services. This is done to encourage the officers to carry out their duties with utmost sincerity. The officers, every year perform checking of corruption in goods from manufacturing sector. The day is celebrated to commemorate the legislation of Central Excise and Salt act in 24 February, 1944. |
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 Jiya Rai, the 11-year-old girl created a world record by becoming the youngest and the fastest specially-abled girl to swim 14 kilometres in open water in 3 hours 27 minutes and 30 seconds. This record creates under the supervision of the Swimming Association of Maharashtra. Jiya’s achievement has qualified for registration in the India Book of Records, Asia Book and Limca Book of Records. She was felicitated with a Certificate and Trophy for this record-breaking achievement. The young champion has come a long way since she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Delay in Speech at a tender age of about two years. |
 Guinness World Records has named a South African restaurant Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers & Ribsas the official titleholder for ‘Most Varieties of Milkshakes Commercially Available’. With a total of 207 varieties on their menu, Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers and Ribs have a milkshake to satisfy every sugarholic. Fat-free, vegan and adults-only alcoholic options are also available. |
 The United States has surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner. According to the Commerce Ministry data, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at nearly 88 billion dollars in 2018-19 fiscal. During the period, India’s trade with China was at 87.1 billion dollars. During April-December 2019-20, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at 68 billion dollars against a nearly 65 billion dollars trade with China in the same period. The countries will finalise a free trade agreement (FTA), then the bilateral trade would reach different levels. FTA with the US will be very beneficial for India as the US is the biggest market for domestic goods and services. India’s exports, as well as imports, are increasing with the US, while with China both are declining. America is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus. On the other hand, India has a huge trade deficit with China. The data showed that China was India’s top trading partner since 2013-14 till 2017-18. |
 Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has announced his resignation over political issues. He will act as an interim PM. It is not clear who will be the next prime minister. He has submitted his resignation to the king. He has also resigned from Bersatu, the political party of which he was chairman. Bersatu had been part of the governing Pakatan Harapan alliance, which he joined in 2018 together with Mr Anwar, and which won the 2018 vote, ending more than six decades of rule by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Mahathir was Malaysia’s prime minister from 1981 to 2003. He became premier again after winning the 2018 general elections against the coalition he once led, Barisan Nasional. |
 On February 24, 2020, the Government of India launched SPICe+, a web form that integrates 10 services of various ministries and departments. This will help boost Ease of Doing Business in India. It was launched by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. India ranked 63rd in Ease of Doing Business ranking published by World Bank. |
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 The Mumbai airport has recently launched the world largest temperature-controlled facility to store agro and pharma products. The “Export Cold Zone” launched is capable of holding more than 700 tonnes of cargo. |
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 On February 24, 2020, the Union Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress of Institutes of Eminence. |
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