Daily Current Affairs Updates: 21st February 2014

1) Last day of 15th Lok Sabha: 21 February 2014 was the last day of 15th Lok Sabha. Unlike the disruptions and the slogan shouting, the House witnessed bonhomie and camaraderie on the last day with Prime Minister, leader of the House Sushilkumar Shinde, leader of the opposition Sushma Swaraj as also some other party leaders speaking well of each other. Prime Minister, who has been at the helm for the past 10 years and has declared that he will not opt for a third term, said people will now have an opportunity to judge on performance, weaknesses and achievements of the government in the upcoming elections. Most of the MPs Shed Tears on Last Day as many are not aware whether they will be back for the 16th Lok Sabha.

Know about 15th Lok Sabha: The 15th Lok Sabha was formed in May 2009 under the aeigis of United Progressive Alliance.  Ms. Meira Kumar of Indian National Congress was the Speaker of 15th Lok Sabha and also was the first women to be holding the highest post.

2) Whistleblowers Protection Bill passed in Rajya Sabha: A bill to provide for setting up a regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants, including ministers, was passed by Parliament on Friday. The Whistleblowers' Protection Bill also seeks to provide "adequate protection to persons reporting corruption or wilful misuse of discretion which causes demonstrable loss to the government or commission of a criminal offence by a public servant." The bill was passed by Lok Sabha in 2011.

3) World's longest free Wi-Fi zone in Patna: If you have an internet-enabled device and you are anywhere on the stretch from NIT-Patna on Ashok Rajpath to Danapur, you can now access the internet free of cost. Once known as a backward state, Bihar has made a strong bid for a mention on the world's infotech map as chief minister Nitish Kumar unveiled the 20km free Wi-Fi zone, the longest across the globe, at a function christened e-Bihar summit in Patna on Wednesday.

4) Bharatiya Mahila Bank & NIA ink MoU for health policies: Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) and New India Assurance have inked an MoU to provide three customised package health insurance policies from the general insurance major. These policies are named BMB Sakhee, BMB Nirbhaya and BMB Parivar Suraksha.

Know BMB?- Bharatiya Mahila Bank  is the financial services banking company based in New Delhi, India. India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the system on 19 November 2013 on the occasion of the 94th birth anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Although initially reported as a bank exclusively for women, the bank will allow deposits to flow from everyone, but lending will be predominantly for women. India will be the third country in the world to have bank especially for women. Pakistan, Tanzania already have an exclusive bank for women.

5) IMF projects 5.4% growth for India in 2014-15: Projecting a growth rate of 4.6 percent this year, the IMF on Thursday said the Indian economy is likely to expand by 5.4 percent on stronger global scenario, improving export competitiveness, a favorable monsoon and a confidence boost after recent policy actions. "Growth is projected at 4.6 percent for fiscal year 2013-14, and should pick up to 5.4 percent in 2014-15 (at factor cost)," the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its report after concluding annual discussions with India.

6) Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan joined AAP: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got a shot in the arm when Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, joined the party on Friday. "The party is vehemently opposed to corruption and this is what I liked in it. There is a disparity between the rich and poor and this also reflects in poor. "If a common man joins and also becomes a part of politics then this is a welcoming step," Gandhi, son of Devdas Gandhi and maternal grandson of C Rajagopalchari said.

7) Veteran CPI leader Parvati Krishnan passed away: Senior CPI leader and four-time MP Parvati Krishnan, who was in the forefront of trade union movement in the country, died in Coimbatore on Thursday. She was 94 and is survived by daughter Indirani, a doctor, residing in the US.

8) Lok Sabha passed amended narcotic drugs bill: Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2011, simplifying the regulations for procuring and possessing narcotic drugs when used for medicinal purposes. Once passed by the Rajya Sabha also, it would bring relief to thousands of cancer patients in the country who use opioid for acute and chronic pain relief.

9) PNB applied to open branches in Pakistan: Government on Friday said state-owned bank PNB has applied for opening branches in Pakistan and is awaiting approval from the competent authority. "Punjab National Bank has applied for opening of two branches in Pakistan, one each in Lahore and Karachi, but these branches have not been approved by the competent authority," Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

10) India’s first time voters aged 18-19 add up to 23 million:  Election Commission (EC) released fresh data on Thursday and pegged India’s total number of voters who are 18 or 19 years old at over 23.2 million. The data released by the EC on Thursday is updated till 14 February.

11) National Youth Policy, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan launched: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi threw his weight behind keeping politicians out of sports bodies in the country and said sportspersons themselves should be at the helm of affairs. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi interacted with sports personalities after the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) and National Youth Policy, 2014 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.

12) Injured MS ruled out of Asia Cup; Kohli to lead: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ruled out of the Asia Cup, which starts next week in Bangladesh, owing to a side strain that he picked up during the second Test in New Zealand. Virat Kohli will lead India as it fight it out against sub-contintental rivals Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan during the two-week Asia Cup 2014.