Feb 2023 Daily News Current Affairs

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Feb 28, 2023
1. General Conferences (Feb 21-28, 2023) -
  1. India's premier show on Technical Textiles - Technotex 2023 has been organized in Mumbai, by Ministry of Textiles under National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).
  2. ELECRAMA 2023 held at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida (UP), as largest solo electrical exhibition in world.
  3. India's Agricultural and Process Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) participated in Gulfood 2023 held in Dubai (UAE), as a platform that connects food and beverage sectors across globe.
  4. Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava cultural festival held in New Delhi.
  5. 31st New Delhi World Book Fair held in New Delhi, with France as Guest of Honor country.
  6. International Engineering and Technology Fair (IETF) 2023 held in New Delhi.
  7. Asia Economic Dialogue 2023 held at Pune International Centre (Maharashtra).
  8. International Bio-resource Conclave 2023 held in Imphal (Manipur), as first International Conference on Biotechnology to be held in North East Region.
  9. Siang Unying Festival of Adi community held at Boleng (Arunachal Pradesh).
  10. Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar launched Grievance Appellate Committee, as a faceless dispute resolution mechanism that makes digital platforms accountable to users.
  11. Ministry of Culture organized 14th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav in Bikaner (Rajasthan).
  12. 19th Annual Zone III Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) held in Gangtok (Sikkim).
2. Visits to India (Feb 2023) -
  1. David Malpaas, President of World Bank Group visited India.
  2. Jan Christian Vestre, Minister of Trade and Industry of Norway visited India.
  3. Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany visited India.
  4. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark visited India.
  5. Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President of Guyana visited India.
  6. Karolis Žemaitis, Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation of Lithuania visited India.
3. Visits from India (Feb 2023) -
  1. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited USA, to launch US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), to boost co-operation.
4. National Statistical Office (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation) released -
  1. Quarterly GDP Estimates for October-December (Q3) of 2022-23 -
    1. Real GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q3 (2022-23) is estimated to be 40.19 lakh crores, as against 38.51 lakh crores in Q3 (2021-22), showing growth of 4.4 %
      1. Earlier 4 Quarter GDP Growth -
        Q2 FY 23 (2022-23) - 6.3 %
        
        Q1 FY 23 (2022-23) - 13.5 %
        
        Q4 FY 22 (2021-22) - 4.1 %
        
        Q3 FY 22 (2021-22) - 5.4 %
    2. Nominal GDP (GDP at Current Prices) in Q3 (2022-23) is estimated to grow at 11.20 %.
  2. Second Advance Estimates of National Income 2022-23 -
    1. Real GDP or GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in 2022-23 is estimated at 159.71 lakh crores, as against First Revised Estimates of GDP for 2021-22 of 149.26 lakh crore, estimating growth in real GDP during 2022-23 at 7.0 %, as compared to 9.1 % in 2021-22.
      1. Also, Nominal GDP (GDP at Current Prices) in 2022-23 is estimated to grow at 15.9 %, as compared to 18.4 % in 2021-22.
5. Feb 28 is observed as National Science Day in India. 2023 Theme is Global Science for Global Wellbeing.
  1. It commemorates discovery of ‘Raman Effect’ by Sir C.V. Raman for which he was awarded Nobel Prize in 1930. India designated 28 February as National Science Day (NSD) in 1986.
  2. On this occasion, Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched VAIBHAV Fellowship scheme for Indian Diaspora abroad, aimed at improving research ecosystem of India’s Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating collaborations between Indian Institutions and best institutions in world through mobility of faculty/researchers.
  3. Also, Last day of February every year is observed as Rare Disease Day.
Feb 27, 2023
1. Japan approved to provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) to India, including INR 1728 crores for Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Project (III) and INR 560 crores for Establishment of Mizoram State Super-Specialty Cancer and Research Centre.
2. Notable points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to Karnataka -
  1. Inaugurated Shivamogga Airport, capable of handling 300 Passengers per hour.
  2. Dedicated redeveloped Belagavi Railway Station building to the nation, with world-class amenities for passengers.
3. Feb 27 is observed as World NGO Day. Other observations on Feb 27 -
  1. Feb 27 is observed as Marathi Language Pride Day. It has been observed in 2023 for 1st time. Note that similar sounding Marathi Language day is observed on May 1.
  2. National-level public health initiative Right To Protein observes Protein Day on Feb 27, to raise awareness about health benefits of protein.
4. New Chief Justices Named in Various High Courts -
  1. Gujarat - Ashish Jitendra Desai (Acting)
  2. Manipur - M. V. Muralidaran (Acting)
  3. Rajasthan - Manindra Mohan Shrivastava (Acting)
  4. Jharkhand - Sanjaya Kumar Mishra
  5. Gauhati (Covering Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland) - Sandeep Mehta
  6. Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh - N. Kotiswar Singh
5. 2023 ICC Women's T20 Cricket World Cup (Hosted in South Africa) -
  1. Australia won the title (their 6th), defeating South Africa in Final.
  2. Australia's Ashleigh Gardner was named Player of the series.
Feb 26, 2023
1. India-Born MIT (US) Professor Hari Balakrishnan has been named winner of Marconi Prize 2023, an annual award recognizing achievements in field of communications (radio, mobile, wireless, telecommunications, data communications, networks, and Internet).
  1. This prize is awarded by Marconi Society, and includes $100,000 honorarium.
2. 2023 Qatar Open Men's Tennis -
  1. Singles - Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
    1. Notably, Russian Athletes have to participate as independent athletes, as Russia has been suspended from most sports federations due to war in Ukraine.
  2. Doubles - Rohan Bopanna (India) & Matthew Ebden (Australia).
3. Former bureaucrat Shailesh Pathak has been appointed new Secretary General of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
4. Govt approved renaming two Maharashtra cities - Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv.
Feb 25, 2023
1. JSW Group CMD Sajjan Jindal has been named winner of EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2022, to now represent India at EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2022 to be held in Monaco in June 2023.
2. 6th Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards -
  1. Indian film RRR won 4 awards - Best Action Film, Best International Film, Best Stunts, Best Original Song (Naatu Naatu)
  2. Other notable awards -
    1. Best Film - Everything Everywhere All at Once
    2. Best Director - Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (for Everything Everywhere All at Once)
    3. Best Actor - Brendan Fraser (for The Whale)
    4. Best Actress - Michelle Yeoh (for Everything Everywhere All at Once)
3. Microsoft founder Bill Gates acquired minority stake (3.8%) in Netherlands based Heineken Holding, world’s second-largest brewer, for $902 million.
4. Global money laundering and terrorism financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) suspended Russia's membership, amid its war in Ukraine.
5. Bhutan Launched its National Digital Identity (NDI) mobile wallet, as a step towards digitization. Bhutan's Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck became nation's first digital citizen by onboarding with NDI.
Feb 24, 2023
1. Feb 24 is observed in India as Central Excise Day. It commemorates legislation of Central Excise and Salt act on 24 February in 1944.
  1. In 2020, Tamil Nadu government announced to obsrve birth anniversary of former CM Jayaram Jayalalithaa on February 24 as ‘State Girl Child Protection Day’.
2. Seattle (Washington state) became first US city to pass an explicit ban on caste-based discrimination, after city council passed an ordinance adding caste to list of protected classes in city’s municipal code, along with groups like race, religion, and gender identity.
3. 2023 Argentina Open Men's Tennis -
  1. Singles - Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
  2. Doubles - Italy's Simone Bolelli & Fabio Fognini
4. Churchgate railway station (Mumbai) has been renamed as Chintamanrao Deshmukh station, named after first governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) CD Deshmukh.
5. E-commerce Firm Amazon joined Indian government’s ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) platform, beginning with integration of its Smart Commerce and logistics services with ONDC network.
  1. ONDC is set up by Commerce Ministry’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to provide small e-commerce stores and online sellers with a level playing field.
Feb 23, 2023
1. NTPC has been ranked No.1 Independent Power Producers and Energy Traders Globally in S&P Global Commodity Insights Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings 2022.
  1. NTPC contributes 24% of total electricity produced in India. By 2032, NTPC is targeting non-fossil fuel-based capacity to make up nearly 50 % of its portfolio.
2. Book Modi: Shaping a Global Order in Flux, edited by Sujan Chinoy, Vijay Chauthaiwale & Uttam Sinha has been released. It has been forewarded by External Affair Minister S. Jaishankar.
3. Delhi Metro launched Momentum 2.0 shopping app, as India's first such app, which will enable commuters to buy products / services while travelling in metro and collect their orders at destination stations.
4. NSE’s index services subsidiary NSE Indices Limited launched India’s first Municipal Bond Index, Nifty India Municipal Bond Index, which will track performance of municipal bonds issued by Indian municipal corporations across maturities and has investment-grade credit ratings.
  1. Presently, index has 28 municipal bonds issued by 10 issuers all having credit ratings in AA rating category. Index constituents are assigned weights based on their outstanding amount.
5. Stock exchange NSE received approval from capital markets regulator SEBI, to set-up a social stock exchange as a separate segment, aimed at benefitting social enterprises contributing to sustainable development goals.
  1. Any social enterprise, Non-Profit Organization (NPOs) or For-Profit Social Enterprises (FPEs), that establishes its primacy of social intent can get listed on SSE segment.
Feb 22, 2023
1. Russia suspended participation in New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), the last remaining major military agreement with USA.
  1. However, Russia did not withdraw from the treaty, and clarified that it would continue to abide by numerical limits in the treaty.
  2. New START is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between USA and Russian Federation, with formal name Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. It was signed in April 2010 and ratified in February 2011, effective for 15 years.
2. 13 Members of Parliament (MPs) have been named winners of Sansad Ratna Awards 2023, including 8 from Lok Sabha and 5 from Rajya Sabha -
  1. Lok Sabha -
    1. Buidyut Baran Mahato (Jharkhand)
    2. Sukanta Majumdar (West Bengal)
    3. Adhir Ranjan Chauidhary (West Bengal)
    4. Sudhir Gupta (Madhya Pradesh)
    5. Kuldeep Rai Sharma (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)
    6. Heena Vijayakumar Gavit (Maharashtra)
    7. Gopal Chinayya Shettty (Maharashtra)
    8. Amol Ramsingh Kolhe (Maharashtra)
  2. Rajya Sabha -
    1. John Brittas (Kerala)
    2. Manoj Kumar Jha (Bihar)
    3. Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan (Maharashtra)
    4. Vishambhar Prasad Nishad (Uttar Pradesh)
    5. Chhaya Verma (Chhattisgarh)
  3. Notably, T K Rangarajan (Former Rajya Sabha MP & CPIM Leader) has been named winner of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Lifetime Achievement Award.
3. Cabinet Approvals (Feb 22, 2023) -
  1. General -
    1. Approved signing of Air Services Agreement between India and Guyana (South American Nation), to enable air services between two countries.
    2. Approved extension of term of 22nd Law Commission of India, upto 31st August, 2024. It is chaired by Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi.
      1. Commission was constituted in 1955 and is re-constituted from time to time. Tenure of present 22nd Law Commission was due to end on 20th Feb 2023.
    3. Approved ratification of 3 Protocols relating to amendments in convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) 1944.
      1. Insert Article 3 bis - Refrain member States from resorting to use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight.
      2. Amend Article 50 (a) - Raising strength of ICAO Council from 36 to 40.
      3. Amend Article 56 - Raising strength of Air Navigation Commission from 18 to 21.
4. India submitted its draft statement supporting high ambition coalition for early conclusion of International Legally Binding Instrument - Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) under United Nation’s Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).
5. Poet V Madhusoodanan Nair has been awarded Jnanappana Prize 2023, for his contribution to Malayalam literature.
  1. This award is instituted by Guruvayur Devaswom, and carries cash prize of 50001.
6. World Health Organisation (WHO) announced to set up mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine hub in Hyderabad (Telangana).
7. Power Minister R K Singh launched South Asia Distribution Utility Network (SADUN), an initiative by Ministry of Power, PFC & USAID to modernise distribution utilities in South Asia through knowledge sharing among DISCOMS.
8. India's first chatbot dedicated to agro sector has been launched in Odisha, named Ama KrushAI. It aims to aid farmers in adopting best agronomic practices.
9. Feb 22 is observed globally as Scouts' Day or Guides' Day. It marks birthday of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement.
10. Asian Development Bank (ADB) proposed to provide $20-$25 billion to India during next 5 years, to fund India's infrastructure creation under PM Gati Shakti initiative, and social development / climate action.
11. India Business Council - UAE Chapter (UIBC-UC) has been established to boost Bilateral Trade and Investment between India and UAE, on the occasion of 1st anniversary of India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
  1. UIBC-UC is aimed at playing crucial role in increasing bilateral trade to USD 100 billion and attracting USD 75 billion investment from UAE to India.
12. Australia will host Malabar 2023 multilateral naval exercise, consisting of India, Australia, Japan and US. This will be First hosting of Malabar exercise by Australia.

Feb 21, 2023

Indian PM Narendra Modi and Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong jointly launched cross-border linkage between India and Singapore, using their respective Fast Payment Systems - Unified Payments Interface (India) and PayNow (Singapore).
1. UPI-PayNow linkage will enable users of the two fast payment systems in either country to make instant and safe cross-border funds transfers using their respective mobile apps. Funds can be transferred using UPI-id / mobile number / Virtual Payment Address (VPA).
2. To begin with, an Indian user can remit up to ₹60,000 in a day (around SGD 1000).
3. Notably, RBI also issued a facility to enable all in-bound travellers visiting India to make local payments using Unified Payments Interface (UPI), while they are in India.
Feb 21 is observed by UN as International Mother Language Day.
1. On this occasion -
  1. Indian educationist Mahendra Kumr Mishra has been conferred International Mother Language Award in Bangladesh, for his work in promotion of indigenous languages in Odisha. He is first Indian to receive this award.
    1. International Mother Language Award is a civilian award of Bangladesh, created in 2021 to recognize special contributions to mother languages worldwide, given every 2 years.
  2. Kerala High Court became first high court in Country to publish its decisions in Local Lanugage (Malayalam).
Keel laying undertaken at CSL Kochi for 2nd & 3rd warship ((BY 524, Malwan) & (BY 525, Mangrol)) of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Craft project of Indian Navy.
1. ASW-SWC anti-submarine warfare vessels are currently being built for Indian Navy by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) (8 each), conceived as a replacement to ageing Abhay-class corvettes.
2. Total 16 vessels are being built under the project, planned to have all 16 vessels in active service by 2026.
75th British Academy Film Awards 2023 (BAFTA) Winners -
1. Best Film - The Power of the Dog
2. Best Director - Jane Campion (for The Power of the Dog)
3. Best Actor - Will Smith (for King Richard)
4. Best Actress - Joanna Scanlan ( for After Love)
5. Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Troy Kotsur (for CODA)
6. Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Ariana DeBose ( for West Side Story)
7. Outstanding British Film - Belfast
8. Best Film (Other than English) - Drive My Car (Japan)
9. Facts -
  1. American Film Dune received most nominations (11) and also won most awards (5).
India-based Vedanta and Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer Foxconn will set up their joint semiconductor and display manufacturing facility in Gujarati city of Ahmedabad's Dholera Special Investment Region (Dholera SIR).
1. Earlier in Sep 2022, MoU was signed Between Gujarat government, Vedanta and Foxconn, to invest 1.5 Lakh crores to establish the facility in the state, making it largest corporate investment in independent India's history. This will also be India's first semiconductor manufacturing facility.
Serum Institute of India announced to set up Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases and Pandemic Preparedness at Indian Institute of Public Health (Hyderabad).
Govt named BVR Subrahmanyam as new CEO of NITI Aayog for 2 years, succeeding Parameswaran lyer, who has been named as Executive Director at World Bank.

Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival 2023 Awardees -

Category	Winner
Best Film	The Kashmir Files
Film Of The Year	RRR
Best Actor	Ranbir Kapoor (Brahmastra Part One: Shiva)
Best Actress	Alia Bhatt (Gangubhai Khatiawadi)
Best Director	R Balki (Chup)
Best Actor In A Supporting Role	Manish Paul (Jug jug Jeeyo)
Best Playback Singer (Male)	Sachet Tandon (Maiyya Mainu – Jersey)
Best Playback Singer (Female)	Neeti Mohan (Meri Jaan – Gangubhai Khatiawadi)
Outstanding Contribution in Film Industry	Rekha
Outstanding Contribution in Music Industry	Hariharan

Notably, Concerned Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival awards are different from Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is India's highest award in field of cinema and is presented annually at National Film Awards ceremony by Directorate of Film Festivals (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting).

Feb 20, 2023
1. Feb 20 is statehood day of northeastern states of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
  1. Arunachal Pradesh became a state on 20th February 1987.
  2. Mizoram, that was a part of Assam was formed on 20th February 1987.
2. Feb 20 is observed as World Day of Social Justice, being observed since 2009.
3. General Conferences (Feb 11-20, 2023) -
  1. 23rd India International Seafood Show (IISS) has been organized in Kolkata, Jointly by Seafood Exporters Association of India and Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).
  2. Jammu and Kashmir govt hosted their first SARAS Fair 2023, to enable artisans and women’s self-help groups from across country to showcase their crafts, Handicrafts, handloom, and food.
  3. National Aadi Mahotsav held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (New Delhi), with participation of tribal artists from across country.
  4. 2nd Indian Rice Congress 2023 held in Cuttack (Odisha).
  5. 14th World Spice Congress (WSC) held in Mumbai (Maharashtra).
  6. AMRITPEX 2023 - National Philatelic Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan (New Delhi).
  7. Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle struck North Island of New Zealand, and affected parts of Vanuatu and Australia. It was costliest tropical cyclone on record in Southern Hemisphere, with total damages over US$8 billion.
  8. 1st G20 Finance Ministers & Central Bank Governors Meet under India's 2023 G20 Presidency held in Bengaluru (Karnataka).
  9. Economic Times Global Business Summit 2023 held in Delhi, with theme Resilience. Influence. Dominance.
  10. DHARA 2023 (Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers) conference organised by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in Pune.
  11. Khajuraho Dance Festival 2023 held at Khajuraho Group of Monuments (Madhya Pradesh), a UNESCO world heritage site.
  12. Spain becmae first european nation to approve a law for granting paid medical leave to women suffering from menstrual pain.
  13. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched a play-based learning material for children in age group of 3-8 years called Jaadui Pitara, to be made mandatory in central government-run schools from upcoming academic session.
4. 4th edition of joint military exercise DUSTLIK between Indian Army and Uzbekistan Army held at Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand).
5. KAVACH 2023 national level hackathon launched by AICTE and BPRD, to identify innovative solutions for addressing cyber security and cybercrime challenges.
6. Martin Foundation, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Space Zone India jointly launched APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission 2023, from Pattipolam village of Chengalpattu district in Tamil Nadu.
  1. Under it, over 5000 students from Grades 6-12 from across country will be enabled to develop 150 PICO satellites. Also, India’s first hybrid sounding rocket was launched during the occasion, by private players.
7. Govt formed panel headed by Cabinet Secretary (Rajiv Gauba currently), to monitor implementation of Mission Karmayogi, which aims at capacity building of civil servants.
Feb 19, 2023
1. Feb 19 is Birth anniversary of Maratha Warrior King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Born 19 February 1630), who belonged to Bhonsle Maratha clan and had roots from Sisodia Dynasty of Mewar. Shivaji carved out an enclave from declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur that formed genesis of Maratha Empire.
  1. On this occasion, Home minister Amit Shah inaugurated first phase of Shiv Srishti theme park based on life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Pune.
  2. Feb 19 is also observed as Soil Health Card Day. On Feb 19 in 2015, PM Narendra Modi launched Soil Health Card Scheme at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. It aims at issuing soil health cards to farmers every two years so as to provide a basis to address nutritional deficiencies in soil.
2. Suchindra Kumar has been named new Vice Chief of Indian Army.
3. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launched chatbot Aadhaar Mitra, to help people with queries related to Aadhaar card.
4. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari laid Foundation Stone of world's largest and unique Divyang Park - Anubhuti Inclusive Park in Nagpur (Maharashtra).
5. UIC World Security Congress 2023 jointly organized by Railway Protection Force (RPF) and International Union of Railways (UIC) in Jaipur (Rajasthan), with theme Railway Security Strategy: Responses and Vision for Future.
Feb 18, 2023
1. India received 12 cheetahs from South Africa, as part of initiative to expand cheetah population in India, which was declared extinct in India in 1952.
  1. Cheetahs will be translocated to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier, Cheetahs were brought in from Nambia too, and kept in Kuno National Park.
  2. Earlier in Jan 2023, Indian and South Africa had signed MoU on Cooperation on Re-introduction of Cheetah to India.
  3. Worldwide, cheetah numbers have declined from an estimated 15000 in 1975 to current global population of under 7000.
2. Kerala Govt conferred Swaraj Trophy awards for 2021-22, honoring best performing district panchayat, block panchayat and municipalities across state. Notably, Kollam district panchayat was named best district panchayat.
3. South Africa, Russia and China held joint naval exercise called Mosi-2 (Means Smoke), in the Indian Ocean, off the South African coast.
4. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) introduced mPassport Police app, to streamline and expedite police verification during passport issuance process.
Feb 17, 2023
1. 14th Edition of biennial air show and aviation exhibition Aero India 2023 held at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru (Karnataka), organised by Defence Exhibition Organisation (Ministry of Defence). Theme of Aero India 2023 is The Runway to a Billion Opportunities. Notably -
  1. Drone startup Garuda Aerospace unveiled its solar-powered drone SURAJ, designed specifically for surveillance operations.
  2. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched iDEX Investor Hub (iIH), and 9th edition of Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC 9) on Cybersecurity.
    1. Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) is flagship initiative of Department of Defence Production, to encourage start-ups engaged in defence innovation.
  3. Indian Air Force unveiled Vayulink, as 'innovative solution to help pilots in dealing with bad weather and provide them jammer-proof uninterrupted communication with base.
  4. Navratna Defence PSU BEL signed MoU with DRDO's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
    1. HAL AMCA programme aims to develop a 5th generation stealth, multirole combat aircraft for Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, which will also include 6th generation technologies.
2. RBI Observed Financial Literacy Week 2023 between Feb 13-17, 2023. It has been observed since 2016 to propagate financial education, with 2023 theme Good Financial Behaviour, Your Saviour.
3. Sangeet Natak Akademi honored total 102 artists with Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
  1. About -
    1. Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is annually given by Sangeet Natak Akademi to outstanding artists under 40 years age, in fields of music, dance and drama.
    2. Every year up to 33 artists are selected. Award winners receive a prize of 25000.
4. Indian-American Neal Mohan has been named CEO of Alphabet-owned video Sharing platform YouTube.
5. Feb 17 is observed as UN Global Tourism Resilience Day. It has been observed for the first time in 2023.
Feb 16, 2023
1. Subhash Chandran’s novel Samudrashila has been chosen for Akbar Kakkattil Award in Kerala.
2. PM Narendra Modi launched Jal-Jan Abhiyan of Brahma Kumaris, in Sirohi district of Rajasthan, aimed at promoting water conservation.
3. Joint INDO-US counter-terrorism exercise Tarkash held between India's National Security Guard (NSG) and US Special Operations Forces (SOF), in Chennai.
4. Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways constituted a Committee under Deendayal Port Authority Chairman (S K Mehta currently), for drafting revised Guidelines for operationalization of Ro-Ro and Ro-Pax ferry services.
5. Strict Anti-Copying Law come into force in Uttarakhand, in name of Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Measures for Prevention and Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Ordinance 2023.
  1. It provisions to impose fine of 10 crores rupees along with life imprisonment or 10 years in jail for copying mafia.
Feb 15, 2023
1. Feb 15 is observed as International Childhood Cancer Day.
2. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia laid foundation stone of Rewa Airport (Madhya Pradesh), by upgrading existing Rewa Airfield. AAI will undertake revival and construction of facilities to operate 19-seater aircrafts.
3. Home Minister Amit Shah presented President's Colour Award to Haryana state police, as highest honour that can be bestowed upon any military / police unit 'in India, also known as Nishaan.
4. Inflation and Trade data (Jan 2023) -
  1. Inflation and Trade Data for January 2023 -
    1. Wholesale price Index Based (WPI) -
      1. WPI based inflation fell to 4.73 % in January 2023, which is lowest in 24 months.
      2. WPI Inflation in last 12 months -
        December 2022 - 4.95 %
        
        November 2022 - 5.85 %
        
        October 2022 - 8.39 %
        
        September 2022 - 10.07 %
        
        August 2022 - 12.41 %
        
        July 2022 - 13.93 %
        
        June 2022 - 15.18 %
        
        May 2022 - 15.88 % (30 Year High)
        
        April 2022 - 15.08 %
        
        March 2022 - 14.55 %
        
        Feb 2022 - 13.11 %
        
        Jan 2022 - 12.96 %
    2. Consumer Price Index (CPI) Based (retail inflation) -
      1. CPI-based inflation rate for January 2023 rose to 6.52 %.
      2. CPI Inflation in Last 12 Months -
        December 2022 - 5.72 %
        
        November 2022 - 5.88 %
        
        October 2022 - 6.77 %
        
        September 2022 - 7.41 %
        
        August 2022 - 7.01 %
        
        July 2022 - 6.71 %
        
        June 2022 - 7.01 %
        
        May 2022 - 7.04%
        
        April 2022 - 7.79 % (8 Year High)
        
        March 2022 - 6.95 %
        
        Feb 2022 - 6.07 %
        
        Jan 2022 - 6.01 %
    3. Trade -
      1. Overall Trade in January 2023 (Merchandise + Services) -
        Overall Imports - 66.42
        
        Overall Exports - 65.15
        
        Overall Trade Deficit - 1.27 Billion USD
        
        Compared to Last Month (December 2022)
        Overall Imports - 73.80
        
        Overall Exports - 61.82
        
        Overall Trade Deficit - 11.98 Billion USD
5. Cabinet Approvals (Feb 15, 2023) -
  1. General -
    1. Approved Centrally Sponsored Scheme Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) for FY 2022-23 to 2025-26, with financial allocation 4800 Crores.
      1. The scheme will provide funds for development of essential infrastructure and livelihood opportunities in 19 Districts and 46 Border blocks in 4 states and 1 UT along northern land border of country, to help achieve inclusive growth.
      2. In first phase 663 Villages will be taken up in the program me.
    2. Approved measures for strengthening cooperative movement in country and deepening its reach. It includes -
      1. Establishing viable Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) & dairy cooperatives in each uncovered Panchayat, Viable fishery cooperatives in coastal Panchayats / and Panchayats having large water bodies. Initially, 2 lakh PACS/ Dairy/ Fishery cooperatives would be established in 5 years.
      2. Schemes to be converged into this project are -
        Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying's National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) & Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) .
        
        Department of Fisheries's Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development (FIDF).
      3. This would provide farmers with requisite linkages to market their produce, obtain credit facilities and other services at village level itself.
  2. MOUs -
    1. Chile - cooperation in field of Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
    2. Cooperation MOU between Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW).
    3. South Africa - cooperation in Disability Sector.
Feb 14, 2023
1. 3rd Khelo India Winter Games (Held in Gulmarg, J&K) -
  1. J&K topped the medal tally with 76 Medals (including 26 Gold), followed by Maharashtra & Himachal Pradesh.
  2. Also, 40 Khelo India Centers were launched across J&K.
2. Khelo India Youth Games 2022 (5th edition, hosted by Madhya Pradesh) -
  1. Maharashtra topped the medal table, with 161 medals (56 gold, 55 silver and 50 bronze), followed by Haryana with 128 medals (41 gold, 32 silver and 55 bronze), and Madhya Pradesh (96 medals).
  2. Notably -
    1. For the first time, water sports namely Kayaking Canoeing, Canoe Salam and Fencing were part of Khelo India Games.
3. Tata Group owned Air India placed order for total 470 aircrafts with Airbus (250) and Boeing (220).
  1. Order comprises 40 Airbus A350, 210 Airbus A320/321 Neo, 20 Boeing 787, 10 Boeing 777-9 wide-body aircraft, and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. It is largest aircraft order in history of Indian aviation.
  2. Also, Air India also signed MoU with British Aero engine Manufacturer Rolls Royce for 68 Trent XWB-97 engines, as biggest order for Trent XWB-97 globally, which exclusively powers Airbus A350-1000. It will make Air India largest operator of Trent XWB-97 in world.
4. RBI announced its second global hackathon HARBINGER 2023 – Innovation for Transformation, with theme Inclusive Digital Services.
  1. Problem Statements include -
    1. Innovative, easy-to-use, digital banking services for differently abled (Divyaang).
    2. RegTech solutions to facilitate more efficient compliance by Regulated Entities (REs).
    3. Exploring use cases/solutions for CBDC-Retail transactions, including transactions in offline mode.
    4. Increasing Transactions Per Second (TPS)/ throughput and scalability of blockchains.
  2. Winner will be felicitated with an amount of 40 lakh, while Runner-up will get 20 lakh.
5. Mohammad Shahabuddin has been elected as new President of Bangladesh.
Feb 13, 2023
1. Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba sold its remaining 3.16 % stake in Indian Digital Payments Firm Paytm, for approx $167 million.
  1. Earlier In January 2023, Alibaba had sold its 3.1 % in Paytm for $125 million.
  2. With these 2 deals, Alibaba has sold its entire 6.26% stake in Paytm.
2. Feb 13 is observed as UNESCO World Radio Day, observed since 2013. The Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2011. 2023 Theme is Radio and Peace.
3. Feb 13 is observed as National Women's Day in India, marking birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu. She is known as sobriquet Nightingale of India (Bharat Kokila). She was born on February 13, 1879.
  1. After India's independence in 1947, She was appointed as governor of he United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh), making her India's first woman governor. She remained in office until her death in March 1949.
    1. Her daughter, Padmaja Naidu, is longest-serving Indian female governor with 11-year tenure in West Bengal.
    2. She also became second woman President of Indian National Congress in 1925 (First was Annie Besant).
4. Nikos Christodoulides has been named new President of Cyprus (island country in Mediterranean Sea).
5. India’s first National Metro Rail Knowledge Centre will be constructed at Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station in Delhi, on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by GA Infra Pvt Ltd.
6. 2022 FIFA Club World Cup (Hosted in Morocco) -
  1. Spanish Club Real Madrid won the title (their 5th), defeating Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in final.
  2. Notably, FIFA approved format changes for Club World Cup, which will be played every four years beginning 2025, and with 32 teams. Last edition of tournament to be played with old format (Biennial, 7 teams) will take place in Saudi Arabia in December 2023.
7. Maharashtra govt honored noted social worker and reformer Appasaheb Dharmadikari (Dattatreya) with Maharashtra Bhushan award for 2022.
  1. Maharashtra Bhushan is highest civilian award presented annually by Government of Maharashtra, carrying 25 Lakh prize money.
8. 12th World Hindi Conference Hosted by Oceania nation Fiji, with theme Hindi – Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence. It was inaugurated by visiting Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar. He also unveiled Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s bust in India House in Suva (Fiji).
Feb 12, 2023
1. Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's Visit to Rajasthan & Karnataka -
  1. Rajasthan -
    1. Launched 246 KM Long Delhi – Dausa – Lalsot section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, developed at cost 12150 crores. It will reduce travel time from Delhi to Jaipur from 5 to 3.5 hours.
      1. Delhi Mumbai Expressway will be India’s longest expressway with length 1386 km. It will reduce travel time between Delhi and Mumbai from 24 to 12 hrs, and will pass through six states - Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
  2. Karnataka -
    1. Inaugurated 14th edition of Aero India 2023 at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru. Theme of Aero India 2023 is The Runway to a Billion Opportunities.
2. Feb 12 is observed as National Productivity Day in India, with National Productivity Week observed between February 12 - 18 every year. It marks foundation day of National Productivity Council (NPC).
  1. February 12 is also observed globally as Darwin Day, to commemorate the birth anniversary of the father of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin.
3. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated year long celebrations commemorating 200th birth anniversary of noted social reformer Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, who founded Arya Samaj, a reform movement of Vedic dharma. He was born on 12th February, 1824.
4. Quad nations (Plurilateral framework comprising India, Australia, Japan, and US) announced launch of a public campaign to improve cyber security, Named Quad Cyber Challenge.
5. New Governors Appointed in Several States -
  1. Gulab Chand Kataria - Assam
  2. Biswa Bhusan Harichandan - Chhattisgarh
  3. Anusuiya Uikye - Manipur
  4. S. Abdul Nazeer - Andhra Pradesh
  5. La. Ganesan - Nagaland
  6. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar - Bihar
  7. C.P. Radhakrishnan - Jharkhand
  8. Shiv Pratap Shukla - Himachal Pradesh
  9. Phagu Chauhan - Meghalaya
  10. Ramesh Bais - Maharashtra
  11. Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik - Arunachal Pradesh
  12. Lakshman Prasad Acharya - Sikkim
  13. B.D. Mishra - Lt. Governor of Ladakh
Feb 11, 2023
1. Feb 11 is observed as UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed since 2015. 2023 Theme is Innovate. Demonstrate. Elevate. Advance. Sustain. ( I.D.E.A.S.).
  1. Feb 11 is also observed as World Unani Day, to mark birth anniversary of India's noted Unani scholar and social reformer Hakim Ajmal Khan. He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi.
2. Noted journalist A B K Prasad has been chosen for Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award for excellence in journalism.
3. As per International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), India's aviation safety oversight ranking improved to 55th position from 112th place earlier, with improvement in score under ICAO's coordinated validation mission.
4. World Government Summit 2023 held in Dubai, with theme Shaping Future Governments.
  1. During the summit, IIT Indore students won AED 1 million prize for creating Blockbill, a blockchain-based app that generates digital receipts for all users’ transactions.
5. Uttar Pradesh govt launched portal for creation of Family ID – One Family One Identity, to identify families as a unit for implementing one job per family.
  1. Families that are not eligible for National Food Security Scheme will be able to avail of the ID, while the ration card ID of the families having it, will be considered as their family ID.
Feb 10, 2023
1. As first such initiative in Country, Indore Municipal Corporation (Madhya Pradesh) launched green bonds in form of public issue, to raise up to 245 crores capital for setting up a solar power plant (60 MW).
2. ISRO successfully carried out second developmental flight of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2), carrying 3 satellites into their intended orbits - EOS-07, Janus-1 and AzaadiSAT-2 (450 km circular orbit). Launch was carried out from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota).
  1. SSLV is new small satellite launch vehicle developed by ISRO to cater launch of small satellites up to 500 kg to Low Earth Orbits.
  2. About launched satelluttes -
    1. EOS-07 - ISRO's Earth Observation Satellite.
    2. Janus-1 - World's First Cloud-Built Tech Demonstration Satellite, developed by ANTARIS.
    3. AzaadiSAT-2 - A satellite realised by Space Kidz India, by integrating various scientific payloads developed by 750 girl students across India.
3. Feb 10 is observed as World Pulses Day, by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of UN since 2019.
  1. Feb 10 is also observed annually by Indian Health Ministry as National Deworming Day, to deworm all children across nation in age group of 1 to 19.
4. Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to Uttar Pradesh & Maharashtra -
  1. Inaugurated annual flagship investment summit of Uttar Pradesh govt, Global Investors Summit 2023 in Lucknow. Also launched Invest UP 2.0, as investor centric and service oriented investment ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh.
  2. Launched Mumbai-Solapur and Mumbai-Sainagar Shirdi Vande Bharat Trains as 9th and 10th Vande Bharat Trains across country, to improve regional connectivity.
5. General News / Events (Feb 1 - 10, 2023) -
  1. Madhya Pradesh govt renamed Islam Nagar village in Bhopal district as Jagdishpur.
  2. Goa govt launched Vision for All School Eye Health program, in partnership with OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and Prasad Netralaya.
  3. Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) organized 1st edition of upnext India 2023 in Gurugram (Haryana), under Market Access Initiative (MAI) Scheme. It has been organized in association with Japan.
  4. 2nd SCO Young Scientist Conclave held in Bengaluru (Karnataka), as part of India's 2023 SCO Presidency.
  5. Annual Surajkund International Crafts Mela 2023 held at Faridabad (Haryana).
  6. Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) launched Bal Mitra WhatsApp chatbot service, designed to improve communication between kids and parents.
  7. Kala Ghoda Arts Festival held in Mumbai, as India’s biggest multicultural festival.
  8. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated new campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy in Mumbai.
  9. Yuva Sangam registration portal has been launched, to build close ties between youth of the North East Region and rest of India under spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Feb 09, 2023
1. Geological Survey of India confirmed Discovery of 5.9 million tons of inferred lithium resources in Jammu and Kashmir.
  1. This can be helpful for India as Lithium is one of key components of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, and wind turbines.
  2. This has put India among top 7 nations with largest Lithium Reserves (in Million Tonnes) -
    1. Bolivia - 21
    2. Argentina - 19
    3. US - 12
    4. Chile - 11
    5. Australia - 7.9
    6. China - 6.8
    7. India - 5.9
  3. Resources have been identified in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir, known to be seismically active area, making it a high-damage risk zone. Therefore, Environmentalists are concerned that mining in a geologically and ecologically sensitive region could lead to disastrous impacts.
2. Noted India born British-American novelist Salman Rushdie's new novel Victory City has been released.
3. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari launched Skye UTM advanced unmanned traffic management system, developed by Drone Delivery Service Skye Air. It is capable of handling 4000 flights per hour and 96000 flights per day.
  1. Skye UTM is a Cloud-based aerial traffic management system that integrates unmanned air traffic with the manned aviation airspace.
4. US Space Agency NASA announced to launch its MARS Mission Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) in late 2024, as part of NASA's SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program.
  1. To be launched onboard Jeff Bezos-led Blue Origin's New Glenn heavy-lift launch vehicle, ESCAPADE will study Martian magnetosphere and how solar wind affected MARS atmosphere.
5. As per Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021 -
  1. India has been ranked 10th globally, in overall GQII ranking.
    1. Also, In Accreditation sub-ranking, India’s national accreditation system under Quality Council of India (QCI) has been ranked 5th.
  2. Top 5 - Germany (1), China (2), US (3), UK (4), Japan (5).
Feb 08, 2023
1. RBI Announced hike in Key Monetary Policy Rates. New Rates -
  1. Repo rate - 6.50 % (Hiked by 25 basis points).
  2. Standing Deposit Facility Rate - 6.25%
  3. Marginal Standing Facility Rate - 6.75%
  4. Bank Rate - 6.75 %
  5. Reverse Repo Rate - 3.35 %
  6. CRR - 4.50 %
  7. SLR - 18.00 %
  8. History of Key rate Hikes throughout 2022 & 2023 -
    1. 6.25% to 6.50% (08 Feb 2023)
    2. 5.90% to 6.25% (21 Dec 2022)
    3. 5.40% to 5.90% (30 Sep 2022)
    4. 4.90% to 5.40% (8 Aug 2022)
    5. 4.40% to 4.90% (8 June 2022)
    6. 4.00% to 4.40% (4 May 2022)
  9. GDP Growth Rate Projections -
    1. Revised real GDP growth rate for FY 23 (2022-23) is 6.8 % (Compared to 7.0 % projected earlier), with Q3 and Q4 at 4.4 and 4.2 % respectively.
2. Astronomers discovered 12 new moons orbiting around Jupiter (Solar System's biggest planet), bringing known total of Jupiter's moons to 92. This leaves Saturn at 2nd place with 83 moons.
3. As per Fortune Most admired companies list 2023 -
  1. Top 5 - Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase
  2. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is only Indian company named in list.
4. Govt. formed committee to draft Digital Competition Act after studying anticompetitive practices, within 3 months. Panel will be headed by Manoj Govil (secretary in Ministry of Corporate Affairs).
5. Govt named K Satyanarayana Raju as MD & CEO of Canara Bank.
6. Edelweiss General Insurance rebranded itself as Zuno General Insurance, with focus on digital insurance space.
7. Airtel Payments Bank launched its BizKhata current account for small merchants, with features such as Instant activation, Zero minimum balance and others.
8. PhonePe launched new feature called UPI International, that will allow Indians traveling abroad (UAE, Singapore, Mauritius, Nepal, and Bhutan) to pay foreign businesses using Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
9. New stamps featuring image of King Charles have been revealed for first time in England, since death of Queen Elizabeth, Keeping with tradition dating back to the first Penny Black in 1840.
  1. Penny Black was world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in UK on 1 May 1840, and featured a profile of Queen Victoria.
10. Reliance Jio announced a national Digital Skill program in association with GSMA, aiming to offer need-based training to rural women and individuals from low-income groups.
11. Govt cleared Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation to appoint 7 new judges to Supreme court -
  1. Pankaj Mithal (Chief Justice Rajasthan HC)
  2. Sanjay Karol (Chief Justice Patna HC)
  3. P V Sanjay Kumar (Chief Justice Manipur HC)
  4. Rajesh Bindal (Chief Justice Allahabad HC)
  5. Aravind Kumar (Chief Justice Gujarat HC)
  6. Ahsanuddin Amanullah (Judge Patna HC)
  7. Manoj Misra (Judge Allahabad HC)
  8. With this, working strength of SC rose to 34 (Maxium sanctioned strength).
Feb 07, 2023
1. Feb 1-7 is observed globally by UN as World Interfaith Harmony Week.
  1. Also, Feb 7 is observed as Safer Internet day. On this occasion, Facebook parent Meta partnered with ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) for G20 stay safe online campaign, amid India's G20 presidency in 2023.
2. Noted Anglo Indian author Peggy Mohan received Mathrubhumi Book of the Year Award 2022, for her work Wanderers, Kings and Merchants. Award comprises Rs 2 lakh monetary prize.
3. Economist Shamika Ravi has been appointed as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM), which is chaired by Bibek Debroy.
4. India, France and United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced creation of a formal trilateral cooperation initiative for projects in solar and nuclear energy.
5. India and European Union announced establishment of 3 Working Groups under India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC).
  1. They are Working group on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity, Working Group on Green and Clean Energy Technologies and Working Group on Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains.
  2. TTC was launched during President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen's visit to India in April 2022.

Feb 06, 2023

Feb 6 is observed as International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 in Bengaluru (Karnataka).
1. Some Notable launches by PM Narendra Modi during IEW 2023 -
  1. Launched uniforms made of recycled PET bottles under Unbottled initiative of Indian Oil, along with twin-cooktop model of IndianOil’s Indoor Solar Cooking System.
  2. Launched E20 fuel at 84 retail outlets of Oil Marketing Companies in 11 States/UTs.
    1. E20 is a blend of 20% ethanol with petrol. Govt aims to achieve complete 20% blending of ethanol by 2025.
    2. Notably -
      1. India increased ethanol blending in petrol from 1.53 % in 2013-14 to 10.17 % in 2022.
      2. Further, India has pledged to become net-zero emitter by 2070 and cut down emissions by 1 billion tons by end of 2030.
  3. Flagged off Green Mobility Rally, with participation of vehicles running on green energy sources.
  4. Dedicated twin-cooktop model of IndianOil’s Indoor Solar Cooking System and flagged-off its commercial roll-out. It works on both solar and auxiliary energy sources simultaneously.
2. During IEW 2023, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) signed MoU with Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Joint Business Council (IMT-GT JBC), to promote energy efficiency and sustainabiliy in region.
Notable Points from PM Narendra Modi's visit to Karnataka -
1. Inaugurated India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 in Bengaluru (Karnataka).
2. Inaugurated HAL Helicopter Factory in Tumakuru, as a greenfield helicopter factory and Asia’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility.
  1. It will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUH), and later be expanded to manufacture other helicopters such as Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH).
3. Laid foundation of Tumakuru Industrial Township, as south india’s 1st Industrial Corridor Project, as part of National Industrial Corridor programme. It will be spread over 8500 Acres of land under Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.
Kerala won 1st National Beach Soccer Championships, organized by All India Football Federation (AIFF) at Dumas Beach (Surat).

65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony -

Grammy Awards (Earlier called Gramophone Award) are presented by US Based The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in music industry. Notable Winners in 2023 Edition -

Category	Winner
Album of the Year	Harry's House - Harry Styles
Record of the Year	About Damn Time - Lizzo
Song of The Year	Just Like That
Best New Artist	Samara Joy

Notably, Indian music composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej won his 3rd Grammy Award during 2023 edition. This time he won Best Immersive Audio Album for Divine Tides, his collaborative work with Stewart Copeland.

Feb 05, 2023
1. Yaya Tso, known as birds' paradise (located at an altitude of 4820 metres), has been proposed as Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site, under Biological Diversity Act 2002.
2. Google unveiled experimental conversation AI service called Bard, as a rival to chatbot ChatGPT, which is created by microsoft-backed firm OpenAI.
  1. Chinese search engine Baidu also launched its ChatGPT rival chatbot called Ernie (Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration).
3. Govt extended PM-KUSUM scheme till March 2026, as its implementation was significantly affected due to the p0andemic.
  1. Launched in 2019, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) aimed at adding solar capacity of 30800 MW by 2022, with central financial support of over 34000 crores.
4. Jamaica based International Seabed Authority officially designated India as a Pioneer Investor.
5. Kerala govt announced a 200 crores scheme for developing green hydrogen hubs at Trivandrum and Kochi.
  1. Notably, Kerala aims to become completely renewable energy dependent state by 2040 and a carbon neutral state by 2050.
Feb 04, 2023
1. Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted Exercise PRALAY, along LAC in northeastern sector.
2. Feb 4 is observed as World Cancer Day, being observed since 2008. Theme is Close the Care Gap (2022 - 2024).
  1. Feb 4 is also observed by UN as International Day of Human Fraternity, observed since 2021.
  2. Feb 04 also marks anniversary of Chauri Chaura incident, that took place on 4 February 1922 at Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) in British India. During this, Large group of protesters participating in Non-cooperation movement, clashed with police who opened fire.
3. Manuela Roka Botey has been named as First Female Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (Central Africa).
4. India's Adani Group acquired strategic Israeli port of Haifa for USD 1.2 billion.
5. Former PM Manmohan Singh has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by India-UK Achievers Honours in London, for his economic and political contributions.
6. As part of its three-capital plan, Andhra Pradesh Govt declared Visakhapatnam as its new capital.
  1. It involves dividing state capital into three parts - a legislative capital in Amaravati, an executive capital in Visakhapatnam, and a judicial capital in Kurnool.
Feb 03, 2023
1. 46th International Kolkata Book Fair held at Salt Lake (Kolkata), with Spain as theme country.
  1. Notably, India will be invited as focal country at Spain's 2025 Madrid International Book Fair.
2. Australia announced to remove British monarch from its banknotes, replacing late Queen Elizabeth II’s image on its $5 note with a design honoring Indigenous culture.
3. Maharashtra government announced Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha as state song, to now be played on official occasions, after national anthem.
4. Central African nation Republic of the Congo joined India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA).
  1. Notably, Other similar named nation Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has already ratified ISA Framework Agreement.
  2. International Solar Alliance (ISA) is Gurugram (Haryana, India) based international organisation with 114 Signatory countries (92 nations have ratified ISA Framework Agreement). It is First India-headquartered treaty-based international organisation.
  3. It works with governments to promote solar power as a sustainable transition to a carbon-neutral future, and aims to unlock US$ 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030.
5. Mobicule launched mCollect Repossession module for banks and NBFCs, that maps all complex processes in repossession of an asset, as a part of its debt collection and recovery product.
6. Uttar Pradesh Govt launched Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Campaign, to empower girls from the underprivileged class.
  1. SSA will work under Aarohini Initiative Training Programme for safety and security of girls in 746 Kasturba Gandhi Residential Girls Schools across state.
Feb 02, 2023
1. IIT Madras received grant of 242 crores for 5 years from department of commerce, to promote R&D on lab-grown diamonds (LGD), in line with 2023-24 Budget recommendation.
  1. LGD diamonds are environment-friendly, having optically and chemically same properties as natural diamonds, and will reduce import dependancy.
2. Misc. Sports News / Events (Feb 2023) -
  1. Saudi Arabia has been chosen as host of 2027 AFC Asian Cup Football, featuring 24 national teams.
    1. Notably, 2023 AFC Asian Cup is to be hosted by Qatar in 2024.
  2. Chess player Vignesh NR became 80th Grandmaster of India, after winning 24th NordWest Cup 2023 in Germany.
    1. Vignesh’s elder brother Visakh NR had become India’s 59th GM in 2019. Thus, Visakh and Vignesh are India’s first brothers who are Grandmasters.
  3. Sayantan Das became India’s 81st Chess Grandmaster, after winning Cannes Open.
3. Misc. Economy / Financial News (Feb 2023) -
  1. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das laid foundation stone for establishment of a Greenfield Data Centre and Enterprise Computing & Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar (Odisha), to cater to emerging requirements of RBI and financial sector.
  2. RBI barred State Bank of Mauritius (SBM)’s Indian subsidiary SBM Bank (India) from processing foreign exchange remittances under Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), amid certain supervisory concerns.
    1. Later, as a relief to customers, RBI allowed ATM/POS transactions under LRS through KYC compliant internationally active debit cards issued by bank.
    2. Under LRS scheme introduced in 2004, all resident Indian individuals are allowed to remit up to $250000 per financial year for any transaction abroad.
4. Feb 2 is observed as World Wetlands Day. 2023 Theme is Revive and restore degraded wetlands. It marks adoption of Convention on Wetlands on February 2 in 1971, when a small group of environmentalists signed an international agreement at Ramsar Convention in Iran.
  1. As of now, India has 75 Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance).
5. 30th National Child Science Congress organized in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), by Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (GUJCOST) with theme Understanding Eco System for Health & Well-being.
6. Indian Army and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) conducted a joint training exercise called Trishakri Prahar in North Bengal, to test coordination in an integrated battle.
Feb 01, 2023
1. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Presented Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament, as her 5th Union Budget and 4th Full Budget of newly elected NDA Government forming 17th Lok Sabha, led by PM Narendra Modi. Details can be seen here.
2. Feb 01 is Foundation day of Indian Coast Guard (ICG), which was established on 1 February 1977.
3. Misc. MOUs (Feb 2023) -
  1. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas's Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC) signed Statement of Intent (SoI) with International Energy Agency (IEA), to strengthen cooperation in field of data and research & enhance global energy security, stability, and sustainability.
  2. MoU signed between Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, NABARD and CSC e-Governance Services India Limited, to enable Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to provide services offered by Common Service Centers.
  3. Moscow (Russia) based Eurasian Patent Organization (EAPO) and India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) partnered for cooperation on Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) Access through a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
  4. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) signed MoU with IIT Guwahati, IIT Gandhinagar and NIT Calicut for establishment of BIS Standardization Chair Professor at these institutes, as an initiative towards securing active participation of academia in standards formulation and making teaching of Indian standards an integral part of the curriculum.
  5. Letter of Intent (LoI) has been signed between India's Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, for a long-term collaboration focusing on hydrogen technologies.
  6. CSC Academy (subsidiary of Common Service Centre e-Governance Services India Limited), and NIELIT (National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology) signed MoU to enhance digital literacy and skill development in India.
  7. University of Auckland (New Zealand) and Tata Memorial Hospital (Mumbai) signed MOU to engage in long-term cooperation in cancer care.
  8. Agriculture Ministry signed MoU with Digital Green, under public private partnership framework, to build a national level digital extension platform, to host a digital library of curated multi-format multi-lingual content, help extension workers access and deliver curated content to farmers on time.
  9. Nagaland government signed MoU with Patanjali Foods Limited, for development and area expansion under palm oil cultivation under National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).
  10. IIT Madras signed MoU with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), to develop training module for Indian Spaceflight Program using Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality / Mixed Reality.
    1. It would utilize advanced technologies created at newly-established eXperiential Technology Innovation Centre (XTIC) at IIT Madras to promote Research in domain of Extended Reality.
  11. Ministry of Jal Shakti's Central Water Commission signerd Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with IIT Roorkee for Development of International Centre of Excellence for Dams (ICED) under externally funded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement (DRIP) Project Phase 2 & 3, valid for 10 years.
  12. To enhance cooperation in maritime safety and security, Gurugram-based IFC-IOR (Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean region) signed MoU with Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC), Seychelles.
4. Misc. Science News / Events (Feb 2023) -
  1. IEEE C-DOT Certified Telecom Expert Program (ICCTEP) has been launched, as collaboration of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and C-DOT (Centre for Development of Telematics), to upgrade skills in areas of Telecom, including 5G, Cyber Security and Quantum Communication.
  2. Samsung Semiconductor India Research (SSIR) partnered with Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru (IISc) to promote research and development in field of on-chip Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Protection.
  3. IT Giant IBM partnered with US Space Agency NASA, to enable use of AI tech developed by IBM to gain new insights on Earth’s climate, using NASA's Earth observation and geospatial data.
  4. Rayyana Barnawi will become 1st Saudi Arabian woman astronaut to go in space, on a 10-day mission to International Space Station (ISS), aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
  5. New beetle species have been discovered in India, named Omorgus Khandesh. It is necrophagous and also called a keratin beetle.
  6. Chip maker Intel launched new Xeon W-3400 and Xeon W-2400 desktop workstation processors (code-named Sapphire Rapids), built for professional creators to provide high performance.
  7. Financial technology startup Velocity launched India's first AI chatbot Lexi, integrated with OpenAI's ChatGPT, to assist e-commerce owners by presenting them with business information in a simplified manner.
  8. Facebook parent Meta released its new large language model called LLaMA, to help researchers explore applications for AI such as answering questions / summarizing documents.
5. Misc. Defence News (Feb 2023) -
  1. Indian armed forces intiatiated Operation Dost, as ongoing search and rescue operation to aid Syria and Turkey after recent devastating earthquakes.
  2. Indian Navy's Annual Refit Conference 23 (ARC-23) and Annual Infrastructure & Indigenisation Conference 23 (AIIC-23) conducted Eastern Naval Command Headquarters at Visakhapatnam.
  3. Defence PSU BEL partnered with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for domestic manufacturing of its LORA Weapon System for Indian Tri-services.
  4. Biennial arms and defence technology sales exhibition International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) 2023 held in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
    1. Indian Navy's INS Sumedha Participated In IDEX And NAVDEX 23, on India's behalf.
  5. Procurements -
    1. Approved purchase of 41 indigenous modular bridges from Larsen & Toubro (L&T), for Corps of Engineers of Indian Army, valued at 2585 crores.
6. Misc. Financial / Economy News (Feb 2023) -
  1. Competition Commission of India (CCI) approvals -
    1. Approved acquisition of upto 25% shareholding in Hindustan Ports Private Limited (HPPL) by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), and proposed merger of Hindustan Infralog Private Limited (HIPL) into HPPL.
    2. Approved acquisition of 100% equity of Lanco Anpara Power Limited (LAPL) by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL).
    3. Approved acquisition of clinker, cement and power plants belonging to Jaiprakash Associates Limited and its associate, by Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited, for approx 5666 crores.
  2. IREDA announced to establish an office in Gujarat's GIFT City, to finance Renewable Energy projects in foreign currency.
  3. New India Assurance (NIA) launched Pay as You Drive policy, which offers a comprehensive motor insurance policy that charges premium based on usage of vehicle.
  4. Hyderabad-based Azad Engineering Private Limited became first Indian company to supply critical rotating parts for nuclear turbines, signing a long-term supply agreement with General Electric (GE) Steam Power for supply of nuclear turbine parts, to be assembled on nuclear turbines manufactured in Belfort (France).
  5. India's Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL), partnered with Sri Lanka-headquartered Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Ltd, to strengthen reach and enhance its FMCG portfolio.
  6. MobiKwik became first fintech firm to support RuPay Credit Cards on UPI, to enable customers to make UPI payments using RuPay Credit Cards.
  7. RBI expanded scope of Trade Receivable Discounting System (TReDS platform) by allowing use of insurance facilities, permitting entities eligible to undertake factoring business to participate as financiers on TReDS and allowing secondary market operations on the platform. It will boost trade of receivables increasing cash flows to MSMEs.
  8. RBI announced to launch pilot project including QR Code-based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM) in collaboration with few leading banks, to improve distribution of coins.
    1. QCVM will dispense coins against debit to customer’s bank account using Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Unlike cash-based traditional Coin Vending Machines. It will eliminate need for physical tendering of banknotes and their authentication.
  9. SBI Opened its 3rd dedicated branch for start-ups, in Gurugram, after first two in Bangalore & Chennai.
  10. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launched Hello Ujjivan, as India’s first banking app with voice, visual, and vernacular enabled features, to assist individuals with limited reading and writing skills.
  11. Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) emerged as top performer among state-owned banks in terms of loan growth percentage, for 10 consecutive quarters.
  12. Kotak Mahindra Bank launched fyn, as an integrated portal for its business banking and corporate clients.
  13. HDFC Bank and UAE-based financial services company Lulu Exchange partnered to strengthen cross-border payments between India and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
  14. Saraswat Bank partnered with Singapore based digital banking solutions provider Tagit, to implement omnichannel digital banking solutions for its customers.
  15. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts (Feb 2023) -
    1. Morgan Stanley - 6.2 % in FY 2024 (2023-24).
7. Misc. Appointments (Feb 2023) -
  1. RS Reen has been appointed as new Director General Quality Assurance, under Department of Defence Production (Ministry of Defence).
  2. Indian-American Ami Bera has been appointed as a member of a US House Committee handling intelligence-related matters.
  3. Gujarat Ports Infrastructure Company appointed Madhvendra Singh as first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gujarat Maritime Cluster (GMC).
    1. GMC is first of its kind Commercial Maritime Cluster in India, aimed at creating a hub for maritime services of international standards.
    2. Gujarat Maritime Board had established GMC through its subsidiary Gujarat Ports Infrastructure Company Limited.
  4. American Financial Services Giant Morgan Stanley named Arun Kohli as head of its India Operations.
  5. Aniket Sunil Talati has been named as president of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for 2023-24.
  6. Former cricketer Shiv Sundar Das has been named BCCI Interim Chief Selector of Men's Cricket team, after earlier chief selector Chetan Sharma resigned.
  7. Tata Motors named Rajan Amba as MD of its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover. Notably, Tata Motors had acquired Jaguar Land Rover businesses from Ford Motor Company in 2008, for US $2.3 billion.
  8. Govt appointed Rajesh Rai as CMD of PSU Indian Telephone Industries Limited (ITI Ltd).
  9. Indo-Canadian Afshan Khan has been named by UN as coordinator of Scaling Up Nutrition Movement, aimed at ending all types of malnutrition by 2030.
  10. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde has been named ruling party Shiv Sena’s prime leader, replacing Uddhav Thackeray.
8. Obituaries (Feb 2023) -
  1. Kasinadhuni Viswanath - Noted Telugu film director and lyricist.
  2. Vani Jairam - Noted playback singer, referred to as Meera of modern India.
  3. Balipa Narayana Bhagavataru - Noted Yakshagana playback singer (Karnataka).
  4. Om Prakash Kohli - Former Governor of Gujarat.
  5. Nandamuri Taraka Ratna - Noted Telugu Actor.
  6. K.V. Tirumalesh - Noted Kannada writer.
  7. Pervez Musharraf - Pakistan’s former president.
  8. B K S Varma - Noted Indian Artist (painter) from Karnataka, who portrayed mainly environment and social issues.
  9. Burt Bacharach - Noted American pop songwriter.
  10. Javed Khan Amrohi - Noted Hindi actor.
  11. Lalitha Lajmi - Noted Artist (Painter).
  12. Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat - Former first gentleman of India, as husband of Former President Pratibha Patil.
  13. Tulsidas Balaram - Noted Indian footballer. He played in two Olympics in 1956 and 1960, and was also part of Indian team that won gold in Asian Games 1962 in Jakarta.
  14. Kanak Rele - Noted Classical dance exponent from Kerala (Mohiniyattam Expert).
9. Indian Railways News (Feb 2023) -
  1. South Central Railway (SCR) completed Vikarabad-Parli Vaijnath electrification project, electrifying 268 km section from Vikarabad to Parli Vaijnath (including 3 states - Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka).
  2. Indian Railways and India Posts launched Rail Post Gati Shakti Express Cargo Service, Joint Parcel Product of Railways and India Post, in compliance with Budget Announcement of FY 2022-23. It has been started on 4 sectors - Delhi to Kolkata; Bangalore to Guwahati, Surat to Muzaffarpur and Hyderabad to Hazrat Nizamuddin.
10. Misc. Sports News / Events (Feb 2023) -
  1. Indian Gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been handed a 21-month ban for failing dope test conducted by International Testing Agency.
  2. France footballer Raphael Varane announcced his retirement from international football.
  3. Australian cricketer Aaron Finch announcced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.
  4. Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
  5. Gary Ballance became 2nd Cricketer ever to have scored Test centuries for two different countries, after scoring one for Zimbabwe. Earlier, he represented and scored for England.
    1. 1st player to achieve this was Kepler Wessels, who had represented South Africa & Australia.
  6. Ravichandran Ashwin became fastest Indian Bowler to pick 450 Test wickets.
  7. Indian Olympian Golfer Aditi Ashok won 2023 Magical Kenya Ladies Open Title.
  8. India's first frozen lake marathon (21 KM) held on Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh, at altitude of 13862 feet.
  9. German sporting goods Brand Adidas signed up as Indian Cricket team uniform sponsor, under 350 crore deal (for 5 years).
  10. Spanish Footballer Sergio Ramos announced retirement from international football.
11. Misc. / Industrial Awards (Feb 2023) -
  1. VP Nandakumar (Manappuram Finance MD & CEO) received Hurun Industry Achievement Award 2022 for achievements in business.
  2. PSU NTPC has been honoured with ATD Best Awards 2023 by Association for Talent Development (USA), as 6th time that NTPC Limited has won this award.
  3. Karnataka Bank has been awarded with Prathista Puraskar under ‘Digidhan Awards 2021-22 by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, for achieving target with highest percentage in BHIM-UPI transactions in private sector bank category.

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