Current Affairs in English – February 9 2023

February 9, 2022

National Events:

G20:

• A two-day Urban-20 City Sherpas’ meet began on 9 February 2023, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The meeting aims to focus on promoting solidarity among cities to find common solutions that are in sync with the overall objectives of the G20.
• Over 30 international cities are participating in the two-day event to discuss the sustainable development of cities.

Ministry of Defence & Larsen and Toubro:

• The Ministry of Defence on 8 February 2023, signed a contract with Larsen and Toubro for the procurement of 41 indigenous Modular Bridges for the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army.
• These bridges have been designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and will be produced by Larsen and Toubro L&T company as a DRDO-nominated production agency.

ATF:

• Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar dedicated to the nation 25 Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATF) under Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in New Delhi on 9 Feb 2023.
• The scheme aims to bridge the gap between drug abuse victims and the treatment facility dedicated to them.
• The department of social justice and empowerment launched the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in August 2020.

MAS:

• Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh inaugurated the Mission Antyodaya Survey (MAS) 2022-23 in New Delhi on 9 February 2023.
• The ministry has been conducting the survey across all Gram Panchayats in the country since 2017-18.
• The purpose of this survey is to transform lives and livelihoods of people to measurable outcomes through convergence of various schemes.

SEBI:

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in February 2023, proposed an institutional mechanism that will require stock brokers to put in place systems for the detection and prevention of market abuse.
• The mechanism will monitor and control unauthorized trading and will stop firms from facilitating mule accounts. It will also focus on ending spoofing and disproportionate trading.

“Vivad se Vishwas-I”:

• Finance Ministry has issued an order to implement the “Vivad se Vishwas-I” scheme for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in February 2023.
• It envisages relief by returning the forfeited amount for not fulfilling contractual obligation during Covid.
• Central Ministries have been asked to refund performance security/bid security and liquidated damages forfeited/ deducted during the pandemic.

RBI:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a pilot program to introduce coin vending machines that use a QR code to improve accessibility to coins.
• The pilot project is planned to be rolled out at 19 locations in 12 cities across the country. The QR Code-Based Vending Machine will do away with the necessity for actual tendering of banknotes and their authentication.

‘Digital Payments Utsav’:

• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav launched the ‘Digital Payments Utsav’ in New Delhi on 9 February, 2023. It will focus on G-20 Digital Economy Working Group event cities, namely Lucknow, Hyderabad, Pune and Bengaluru.
• G-20 co-branded QR codes and a coffee table book showcasing India’s journey to global leadership in digital payments and digital inclusion were released at the event.

MSME:

• The Punjab government in February 2023, approved a new policy for industries and electric vehicles for a period of five years.
• The new Industrial policy will focus on MSME, infrastructure, and power. Under the new policy, the government will develop 15 industrial parks of various industrial sectors and 20 rural clusters across the state.

K Satyanarayana Raju:

• The Union government on 7 February 2023 appointed K Satyanarayana Raju as the managing director and CEO of Canara bank. He will replace LV Prabhakar, who resigned from his post on December 31, 2022.
• He has also served Canara bank as executive director since 10th March 2021. He joined erstwhile Vijaya Bank in 1988 and served as chief general manager in Bank of Baroda.

‘ATD Best Awards 2023’:

• NTPC Limited( National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) has been conferred with ‘ATD Best Awards 2023’ by Association for Talent Development (ATD), USA in February 2023.
• NTPC Limited has won this award for the sixth consecutive year for showcasing enterprise success in the area of talent development.
• The ATD Best Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate talent development across the enterprise.

India International Garment Fair:

• Minister of State for Textiles, Darshana Jardosh inaugurated the 68th India International Garment Fair in February 2023 at India Export Mart of Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
• India’s annual textile and apparel export stood at 44.4 billion US dollars in the financial year 2022 with an increase of 41% compared to 2021. India is the second largest textile and clothing exporter in the world.

‘Himachal Niketan’:

• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on 8 February 2023 laid the foundation stone of ‘Himachal Niketan’ in New Delhi. It is being established to provide accommodation facilities to the students and residents of Himachal Pradesh visiting Delhi.
• The building will have 81 rooms and It will also have a facility to park around 53 vehicles and 87 two-wheelers in the basement.

Tamil Nadu Events:

‘Pudumai Penn’:

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched phase 2 of the ‘Pudumai Penn’ scholarship scheme in Chennai on 8 February 2023.
• The scheme involves the distribution of a scholarship amount of 1,000 per month to girl students pursuing their higher studies after completing their schooling at a government school. The 1st phase of the scheme was launched by Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin in 2022.

International Events:

Governments of Russia and Myanmar:

• The governments of Russia and Myanmar on 7 February 2023 signed an agreement for developing cooperation in the field of using nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes.
• The pact was signed at the Nuclear Technology Information Centre in Yangon, Myanmar, a joint project between Myanmar’s Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Russian Nuclear Power Company.

FIR:

• India received foreign inward remittances of USD 89,127 million in 2021-22, which was the highest ever received in a single year.
• The highest share of 5 major countries in inward remittances to India through Authorised Dealer (ADs) banks are from the United States (23.4%), followed by United Arab Emirates (18%), United Kingdom (6.8%), Singapore (5.7%) and Saudi Arabia (5.1%).

43-day walking tour:

• A 43-day walking tour of sacred Buddhist sites in India and Nepal is being organized by the Sangwol Society of the Republic of Korea from February 9 to March 23, 2023.
• 108 Buddhist pilgrims will travel over 1,100 kilometres in 43 days as part of the pilgrimage on foot. The aim of the pilgrimage is to enhance friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Natasha Periyanayagam:

• Indian-American student Natasha Periyanayagam in February 2023, was named in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth’s list of “world’s most talented” students for the second year in a row.
• She is studying at Florence M Gaudiner Middle School in New Jersey, United States. The list is compiled based on the results of upper-grade-level tests of more than 15,000 students from 76 countries.

Peru:

• Peru announced that nearly 600 sea lions and 55,000 wild birds have died of the H5N1 bird flu virus in February 2023. Dead birds include pelicans, different types of gulls and penguins.
• Peru has announced the Biological Vigilance Protocol. Bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease that affects species of food-producing bird as well as domesticated birds and wild animals.

NISAR:

• An Earth-observation satellite NISAR jointly developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be sent to India in February 2023 for a possible launch in September 2023.
• The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite will provide important information on the Earth’s crust, ice sheets, and ecosystems.