17th February, 2023

1. India and Spain have agreed to collaborate on digital infrastructure, climate action and sustainable development.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated “Aadi Mahotsav”, the mega National Tribal Festival at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi.
3. Union Cabinet has approved the construction of Shinku La Tunnel to provide all-weather connectivity in Ladakh.
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the Jal Jan Abhiyan at Shantivan of Brahmakumaris Sansthan in Abu Road in Sirohi district of Rajasthan.
5. 14th edition of the biennial Aero India event will be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka between 13th-17th February on the theme of “Aerospace and Defence Technologies – Way Forward”.
6. Central Government has nearly doubled the seafood exports target to USD 14 billion by 2025
7. The Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable will be held on February 25 in Bengaluru on the sidelines of the G-20 finance track.
8. The first-ever Sundarban Bird Festival was organised by the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) division of West Bengal Forest Department.
9. India’s first solid waste-to-hydrogen plant was set up in Pune at a cost of over Rs 430 crore.
10. Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved Centrally Sponsored Scheme- “Vibrant Villages Programme” to help in achieving inclusive growth and retaining the population in the border areas.
11. Union Cabinet has approved setting up 2 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS)/Dairy/Fishery cooperatives in next 5 years.
12. The two-day Global Tech Summit (GTS) is organized at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh’s new capital.
13. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will provide the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the operations of MQ-9B drones in India.
14. Indian Army has partnered with Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN) to co-develop niche technology and end products duly aligned to the dynamic requirements of the force.
15. Indian Army is organising “Operation Sadbhavana” in the Union Territory of Ladakh to undertake multiple welfare activities, such as running schools and infrastructure development projects.
16. European Union has planned to ban the sale of gas and diesel cars w.e.f. 2035.
17. World Meteorological Organisation has released the “Global Sea-Level Rise and Implications Key facts and figures” report.
18. Reserve Bank of India has announced its second global hackathon — ‘HARBINGER 2023 – Innovation for Transformation’ with the theme of ‘Inclusive Digital Services’.
19. According to a NASSCOM’s report, there are more than 27,000 startups in India. Of these, tech startups count to 1,300.
20. EbixCash Limited, a subsidiary of Ebix, Inc., has become the first company in India to launch the UPI-based transactions for foreign nationals visiting India.
21. US aerospace company Boeing launched India’s 1^st Global Support Centre at Gurugram, Haryana.
22. February 15 – International Childhood Cancer Day; Theme – ‘Better Survival’
23. Akshdeep Singh and Priyanka Goswami won the National Race-Walking Championships.
24. Canada, U.S., and Mexico have automatically qualified for the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup.
25. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
26. Shoichiro Toyoda (a Japanese business executive who served as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation from 1992 to 1999) has passed away.

National News

1. India and Spain have agreed to collaborate on digital infrastructure, climate action and sustainable development.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated “Aadi Mahotsav”, the mega National Tribal Festival at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi.
• Organizer – TRIFED

3. Union Cabinet has approved the construction of Shinku La Tunnel to provide all-weather connectivity in Ladakh.
   • The tunnel will be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,681 crore.
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the Jal Jan Abhiyan at Shantivan of Brahmakumaris Sansthan in Abu Road in Sirohi district of Rajasthan.
   • It is a joint initiative of Brahma Kumaris Sansthan and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
   • Under the campaign, people associated with the Brahmakumaris Sansthan and the Ministry of Jal Shakti will run a public awareness campaign for 8 months to preserve more than 5,000 water bodies across the country and to build new water bodies.
   • A target has been set to reach 10 crore people by organising 10,000 programmes through this campaign.
5. 14th edition of the biennial Aero India event will be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka between 13th-17th February on the theme of “The Runway to A Billion Opportunities”.
   • As a prelude to the Aero India 2023, the biennial Aero India International Seminar was organised by DRDO and the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) in Bengaluru on the theme of “Aerospace and Defence Technologies – Way Forward”.
   • Alongside, the Aero India event, the Defence Ministers’ Conclave was also held on the theme of ‘Shared Prosperity through Enhanced Engagements in Defence (SPEED)’.

6. Central Government has nearly doubled the seafood exports target to USD 14 billion by
   • “In 2021-22, the (seafood) exports figure was worth USD 7.76 billion, which was 17% of India’s agriculture shipments.
7. The Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable will be held on February 25 in Bengaluru on the sidelines of the G-20 finance track.
   • The Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable will be co-chaired by the IMF, the World Bank and India, which is president of G-20 countries this year.
8. The first-ever Sundarban Bird Festival was organised by the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) division of West Bengal Forest Department.
   • 145 bird species were spotted during the festival.
9. India’s first solid waste-to-hydrogen plant was set up in Pune at a cost of over Rs 430 crore.
   • The plant will be set up by sustainability solutions provider The GreenBillions Ltd (TGBL) and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
10. Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved Centrally Sponsored Scheme- “Vibrant Villages Programme” to help in achieving inclusive growth and retaining the population in the border areas.
    • Duration: FY 2022-23 to 2025-26.
    • Financial Allocation: Rs. 4800 Crore.
      • Of this amount, Rs. 2500 crore will be used for roads.
    • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs.
    • Coverage: 19 Districts and 46 Border blocks 4 states (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim) and 1 UT (Ladakh).
    • First phase: It will be taken up in 663 Villages.
    • Key focus outcomes:
      • Connectivity with all-weather road.
      • Drinking water.
      • 24×7 electricity – including Solar and wind energy.
      • Mobile and internet connectivity.
      • Tourist centres and multi-purpose centres.
      • Health and wellness centres.
    • Under it, funds will be provided for development of essential infrastructure and creation of livelihood opportunities in targeted border districts to achieve inclusive growth and retain population.
    • This will help in encouraging people to stay in their native locations in border areas and reverse the outmigration from these villages adding to improved security of the border.
11. Union Cabinet has approved setting up 2 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS)/Dairy/Fishery cooperatives in next 5 years.
    • Purpose – For strengthening cooperative movement in the country and deepening its reach up to the grassroots
    • Action plan for implementation: It will be prepared by
      • NABARD
      • National Dairy Development Board.
      • National Fishery Development Board.
    • Following schemes have been identified for convergence:
    • Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying:
      • National Programme for Dairy Development.
      • Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund.
    • Department of Fisheries:
      • Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.
      • Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development.
    • Target: 2 lakh PACS/ Dairy/ Fishery cooperatives would be established in next five years.

    NOTE: Those existing primary cooperative societies which cannot be revived will be identified for winding up, and new primary cooperative societies will be established in their area of operation.

State News

1. The two-day Global Tech Summit (GTS) is organized at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh’s new capital.
   • Nearly 1,000 delegates from more than 25 countries participated.
   • During the Summit, FICCI would hold a session on ‘Digital Bharath’ for creating a new India driven by technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship

Defence News

1. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will provide the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the operations of MQ-9B drones in India.
   • HAL will provide maintenance support services for engines of American MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, considered one of the most sophisticated armed drones globally.
2. Indian Army has partnered with Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN) to co-develop niche technology and end products duly aligned to the dynamic requirements of the force.
3. Indian Army is organising “Operation Sadbhavana” in the Union Territory of Ladakh to undertake multiple welfare activities, such as running schools and infrastructure development projects.

International News

1. European Union has planned to ban the sale of gas and diesel carse.f. 2035.

Reports and Indices

1. World Meteorological Organisation has released the “Global Sea-Level Rise and Implications Key facts and figures”
   • Global mean sea-level increased by 0.20 m between 1901 and 2018, with an average rate increase of 1.3 mm/ year between 1901 and 1971, 1.9 mm/year between 1971 and 2006, and 3.7 mm/year between 2006 and 2018.
   • Thermal expansion contributed to 50% of sea level rise during 1971-2018, while ice loss from glaciers contributed to 22%, ice-sheet loss to 20% and changes in land-water storage 8%.

Banking and Economy

1. Reserve Bank of India has announced its second global hackathon — ‘HARBINGER 2023 – Innovation for Transformation’ with the theme of ‘Inclusive Digital Services’.
   • There are four segments in which FinTech will have to innovate, which are
   • ‘Innovative, easy-to-use, digital banking services for differently abled (Divyaang);
   • RegTech solutions to facilitate more efficient compliance by Regulated Entities (REs)’;
   • Exploring use cases/solutions for CBDC-Retail transactions, including transactions in offline mode’; and
   • ‘Increasing Transactions Per Second (TPS)/ throughput and scalability of blockchains’
   • Winner of the hackathon will be given a prize of Rs 40 lakh and runner-up of Rs 20 lakh.
   • The first hackathon was announced in November 2021 and results were declared in June 2022.
2. According to a NASSCOM’s report, there are more than 27,000 startups in India. Of these, tech startups count to 1,300.
   • India is the third largest tech startup holder in the world. India also has the second-highest number of unicorns in the world. In 2022 alone, India added 23 unicorns.
   • The US is the first largest tech startup holder and China is in second place.
3. EbixCash Limited, a subsidiary of Ebix, Inc., has become the first company in India to launch the UPI-based transactions for foreign nationals visiting India.
   • The pilot will be launched in Bangalore at the G-20 summit.
4. US aerospace company Boeing launched India’s 1^st Global Support Centre at Gurugram, Haryana.
   • Boeing announced seven teams comprising university students and early-stage start-up entrepreneurs as winners of the second edition of ‘Boeing University Innovation Leadership Development’ (BUILD) program 2022-23.
   • 7 winners –
   • SpaceFields Pvt. Ltd. from the Society for Innovation and Development (SID) – IISC Bengaluru;
   • HEM Dimensions Pvt. Ltd. from SID – IISC Bengaluru;
   • Scavengex from IIT Madras Incubation Cell;
   • CeraTattva InnoTech Pvt. LTD. from IIT Madras Incubation Cell;
   • Modulo EV from the Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) – IIT Delhi;
   • SAP AEROSPACE from FIIT – IIT Delhi; and
   • Galanto Innovations Pvt Ltd. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IIEC) – IIT Gandhinagar.

Important Days

1. February 15 – International Childhood Cancer Day; Theme – ‘Better Survival’
   • A three-year campaign is being run since 2021 to spread awareness about childhood cancer on the theme of #throughourhands.
   • Gold ribbon is the ribbon for this day.

Sports

1. Akshdeep Singh and Priyanka Goswami won the National Race-Walking Championships.
   • They have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
2. Canada, S., and Mexico have automatically qualified for the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup.
3. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

Miscellaneous

1. Shoichiro Toyoda (a Japanese business executive who served as chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation from 1992 to 1999) has passed away.

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