21st February, 2023

1. India has finalised its list of activities to be considered for trading of carbon credits in the international carbon market under the mechanism of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
2. A B20 Conference for the delegates from G20 countries and other invited countries was held in Imphal, Manipur.
3. Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in the Consulate General of India, Dubai, and Dubai Chambers organised a Special Business Event in Dubai to commemorate the successful year of signing of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
4. Department of Fisheries launched Sagar Parikrama in 2022, to be undertaken by the Indian Coast Guard, under the 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
5. All India Council for Technical Education has launched curriculum for two new programs designed for design and manufacturing in
6. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a heatwave alert for the Konkan and Kutch regions, making it the season’s first alert.
7. First G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the G20 Indian Presidency is scheduled during 24th-25th February 2023 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
8. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has conducted a trial of delivering TB medicines in a drone (named Vertiplane X3) in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
9. North India’s first nuclear plant will be installed in Haryana’s Gorakhpur in Fatehabad district.
10. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will launch India’s first virtual shopping app, ‘Momentum 2.0’ for the Delhi metro commuters.
11. Karnataka has released the state budget 2023-24.
12. Himachal Pradesh has launched the Mukhyamantri Sukha-Shray scheme to cover orphans, specially abled children, destitute women and senior citizen.
13. Central Government has given in-principle approval to nine more ethanol projects under its ethanol interest subvention scheme.
14. Teja variety of red chilli from Telangana is famous in many countries.
15. India-Uzbekistan biennial military training Exercise DUSTLIK 2023 was held in Uttarakhand.
16. Indian Air Force has launched ‘Vayulink’, the data link communication that uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that is also known as NAVIC, to send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low.
17. Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited and Israel Aerospace Industries have concluded a Memorandum of Agreement to form a joint venture at the Aero India 2023 at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
18. Tata Steel and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), a constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have signed an MoU to collaborate on research, academic growth, and sustainable solutions in mining.
19. Qatar has lifted its temporary ban on the import of frozen seafood from India.
20. South Africa, Russia and China are conducting the Mosi II naval exercises in the Indian Ocean, off the South African coast.
21. North Korea had tested a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile. Hwasong-15 was first tested in 2017.
22. White Shield (a policy advisory firm) has released the Global Labour Resilience Index 2023 during the World Government Summit.
23. NASSCOM, in association with Salesforce and Draup, has released the “State of Data Science and AI Skills in India: Data and the Art of Smart Intelligence” report.
24. Saudi Arabia is developing its NEOM project at a cost of USD 500 billion.
25. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the 49^th meeting of GST Council in New Delhi.
26. Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority of India (PFRDA) has reduced the timeline for processing partial withdrawal requests in National Pension System to T+2 across all Central Record Keeping Agencies (CRAs).
27. Velocity, a financial technology firm, has launched Lexi, a ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot.
28. Tata Steel successfully completed the first multi-modal shipment of 960 tonnes of TMT bars from West Bengal’s Haldia Port to Tripura’s Agartala.
29. Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI), the life insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), has announced the launch of ‘ABSLI Anmol Suraksha Kawach’, to address the short-term protection needs of the policyholders.
30. HDFC Bank has become the first private sector lender to offer its customers the option to use their Rupay credit cards on the unified payments interface (UPI).
31. State Bank of India (SBI) has launched Amrit Kalash – a new retail term deposit scheme with a specific duration and benefits like a higher interest rate.
32. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has partnered with HDFC Life, one of India’s leading life insurers, under the Skill India Mission, for inducting trained life insurance advisors and strengthening the last mile reach.
33. RBI has introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 related transaction code in NEFT and RTGS Systems.
34. Former Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that India is likely to clock 6% growth rate next fiscal.
35. Morgan Stanley has forecasted India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 6.2% in FY24.
36. February 18 – World Pangolin Day
37. February 19 – Nepal’s Democracy Day
38. World Day of Social Justice; Theme – Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice
39. According to the Guinness World Records report, a team of mountaineers and scientists has installed the world’s highest weather station at an altitude of 8,810 metres (28,904 ft); just 39 metres (128 ft) below Everest’s summit.
40. India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur overtook Rohit Sharma to become the most capped player in Twenty20 Internationals.
41. Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy title by defeating Bengal by 9 wickets.

National News

1. India has finalised its list of activities to be considered for trading of carbon credits in the international carbon market under the mechanism of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
   • Under the mechanism, high emitting industries/entities can buy credits from those who earned it through adopting those listed activities.
   • It means any entity can earn and accumulate credit through these selected cleaner activities and those credits can be traded on a global platform.

2. A B20 Conference for the delegates from G20 countries and other invited countries was held in Imphal, Manipur.
   • Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is acting as the secretariate of B20 India’s Presidency.
3. Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in the Consulate General of India, Dubai, and Dubai Chambers organised a Special Business Event in Dubai to commemorate the successful year of signing of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
   • India-UAE CEPA is the first bilateral trade agreement concluded by UAE and India’s first bilateral trade agreement in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region.
   • It is expected to increase the bilateral trade in goods to $100 billion within five years and trade in services to $15 billion.
   • UAE India Business Council – UAE Chapter (UIBC-UC) was launched.

4. Department of Fisheries launched Sagar Parikrama in 2022, to be undertaken by the Indian Coast Guard, under the 75th Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
   • Purpose – the welfare of fisherfolk by providing information about the government schemes for fishing community and resolving their problems for their overall upliftment
   • Now, the Phase-III of ‘Sagar Parikrama’ has been launched at Surat, Hazira Port, Gujarat towards the coastal belt of Maharashtra.
   • Maharashtra has 720 Km of coastline covering 5 coastal districts Thane, Raigad, Greater Mumbai, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg.
   • The Phase III has been launched in collaboration with the National Fisheries Development Board. along with Gujarat government, Commissioner of Fisheries, Maharashtra government, Indian Coast Guard, Fishery Survey of India, and Gujarat Maritime Board.
   • Phase I of Sagar Parikrama – theme is “KRANTI se SHANTI”; Locations – Mandvi, Gujarat- Okha-Dwarka- Porbandar
   • Phase II of Sagar Parikrama locations – Mangrol, Veraval, Diu, Jafrabad, Surat, Daman & Valsad

5. All India Council for Technical Education has launched curriculum for two new programs designed for design and manufacturing in
   • India launched the SemiconIndia- India Semiconductor Mission on 1st Jan 2022. One of the key elements was that India will develop 85,000 semiconductor professionals over 10 years.
   • The first course is a BTech program in semiconductors and second is a diploma program in semiconductors.

6. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a heatwave alert for the Konkan and Kutch regions, making it the season’s first alert.
7. First G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the G20 Indian Presidency is scheduled during 24th-25th February 2023 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
8. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has conducted a trial of delivering TB medicines in a drone (named Vertiplane X3) in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
   • The government is planning on using drone technology to deliver medicines and, also sputum samples to laboratories and eliminate TB by 2025.
9. North India’s first nuclear plant will be installed in Haryana’s Gorakhpur in Fatehabad district.
   • Till date, an amount of ₹4,906 Crore has been spent out of total allocated funds Rs 20,594 Crores.

State News

1. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will launch India’s first virtual shopping app, ‘Momentum 2.0’ for the Delhi metro commuters.
   • The passengers will be able to get customised services like last-mile connectivity options, e-shopping choices, digital lockers at the metro stations via this app.
2. Karnataka has released the state budget 2023-24.
   • The budget aims at introducing AI traffic signals.
   • “She Toilets” will be constructed in Bengaluru.
3. Himachal Pradesh has launched the Mukhyamantri Sukha-Shray scheme to cover orphans, specially abled children, destitute women and senior citizen.

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. Central Government has given in-principle approval to nine more ethanol projects under its ethanol interest subvention scheme.
   • These projects are expected to add to the additional capacity of about 35 crore litres.
   • 299 projects with an expected capacity of about 1,481 crore litres have been granted in-principle approvals under the ethanol interest subvention scheme since April 22, 2022.
   • The government is extending financial assistance in the form of interest subvention at 6% per annum or 50% of the rate of interest charged by banks, whichever is lower, on the loans to be extended by banks for five years, including a one-year moratorium.
2. Teja variety of red chilli from Telangana is famous in many countries.
   • Khammam Agriculture market is one of the biggest chilli markets in Telangana.

Defence News

1. India-Uzbekistan biennial military training Exercise DUSTLIK 2023 was held in Uttarakhand.
   • The Indian contingent will be represented by the 14th Battalion, The GARHWAL RIFLES, part of Western Command in this bilateral exercise.
2. Indian Air Force has launched ‘Vayulink’, the data link communication that uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that is also known as NAVIC, to send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low.
   • Purpose – come out with an innovative solution that would help pilots to deal with bad weather and, also provide them jammer-proof uninterrupted communication with the base station
3. Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited and Israel Aerospace Industries have concluded a Memorandum of Agreement to form a joint venture at the Aero India 2023 at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
   • This aims at a single point of contact for extending long-term product support services for the defence forces of India.
   • The new joint venture between both companies is being established for the production of Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSTAM) air defence systems for India’s Armed Forces.
   • Its headquarters is in New Delhi and support and maintenance for the Indian Armed Forces.

Memorandum Of Understanding

1. Tata Steel and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), a constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have signed an MoU to collaborate on research, academic growth, and sustainable solutions in mining.
   • Under the agreement, CBRI will provide scientific inputs to Tata Steel on slope stability analysis and control measures in mining areas and affordable and sustainable green housing technologies for the rehabilitation and resettlement of families in mining areas.

International News

1. Qatar has lifted its temporary ban on the import of frozen seafood from India.

2. South Africa, Russia and China are conducting the Mosi II naval exercises in the Indian Ocean, off the South African coast.
3. North Korea had tested a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile. Hwasong-15 was first tested in 2017.

Reports and Indices

1. White Shield (a policy advisory firm) has released the Global Labour Resilience Index 2023 during the World Government Summit.
   • Total – 136 countries
   • Top – Denmark, followed by Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, and Sweden
   • India’s rank – 65^th
   • Parameters – technological disruptions, pandemics, green economy transition, etc.
   • More than one-third of the countries (49 countries out of 136) score less than 50 out of 100 on labour market resilience.
2. NASSCOM, in association with Salesforce and Draup, has released the “State of Data Science and AI Skills in India: Data and the Art of Smart Intelligence”
   • According to the report, India ranked first in terms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) skill penetration and AI talent concentration and 5th in AI scientific publications.
   • Artificial Intelligence has become the foundational technology for the world’s digital transformation.
   • AI-led disruption in India’s core sectors alone has a potential impact of $500 billion on India’s economy in GVA (gross value added) terms by 2026.
   • India’s AI Skills Penetration Factor has been reported to be 3.09, the highest among all G20 and OECD countries.
3. Saudi Arabia is developing its NEOM project at a cost of USD 500 billion.
   • NEOM project aims at developing futuristic cities, that will be powered entirely by clean energy, will be free of cars and will have no streets or zero carbon emissions.
   • NEOM- the name is a combination of the Greek word NEO (new) and M both the first letter of the Arab word Mustakbal (the Future) and of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Banking and Economy

1. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the 49th meeting of GST Council in New Delhi.
   • In the meeting, the pending balance of the GST compensation to the tune of Rs 16,982 crores for June 2022 will be cleared.
   • The Group of Ministers on Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunals (GSTATs) was set up in July 2022 under the chairmanship of Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala.
   • The GST Council has adopted the report of the Group of Ministers on GST Appellate Tribunal with certain modifications, and the final draft amendments will be circulated in the next 5 to 6 days to State Finance Ministers for their comments.
   • The panel has suggested that the tribunals should consist of two judicial members, and one technical member each from the Centre and States, besides a retired Supreme Court Judge as president.
   • Also, Finance Minister has announced to lower the GST rates on Raab or liquid jaggery from 18% to nil if it is loose and in case it is pre-packaged and labelled then it will attract a GST of 5%.
   • GST rate on Pencil Sharpener has been reduced to 12% from the existing 18% while on tags tracking devices or data loggers which are affixed on durable containers, it has been reduced from 18% to nil, subject to some conditions.
2. Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority of India (PFRDA) has reduced the timeline for processing partial withdrawal requests in National Pension System to T+2 across all Central Record Keeping Agencies (CRAs).
   • India’s pension assets (NPS and APY) continue to show frenetic growth and the assets under management touched about ₹8.75-lakh crore till February 11 this year.
   • The AUM has been growing at 28-30% despite headwinds such as rising inflation and increase in interest rates in the country.
3. Velocity, a financial technology firm, has launched Lexi, a ChatGPT-powered AI chatbot.
   • It is India’s first AI chatbot powered by ChatGPT.
4. Tata Steel successfully completed the first multi-modal shipment of 960 tonnes of TMT bars from West Bengal’s Haldia Port to Tripura’s Agartala.
5. Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI), the life insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), has announced the launch of ‘ABSLI Anmol Suraksha Kawach’, to address the short-term protection needs of the policyholders.
   • It is a non-linked, non-participating individual, life, pure risk premium, term insurance solution for policyholders’ short-term protection needs offering a life cover for up to 5 years.
   • Policyholders can choose from varied sum assured options (From 50L to 2cr in steps of 25 Lakhs).
6. HDFC Bank has become the first private sector lender to offer its customers the option to use their Rupay credit cards on the unified payments interface (UPI).
   • HDFC bank has raised ₹25,000 crore in non-convertible debentures carrying a coupon of 97%.
7. State Bank of India (SBI) has launched Amrit Kalash – a new retail term deposit scheme with a specific duration and benefits like a higher interest rate.
   • This new deposit scheme is valid from February 15, 2023, to March 31, 2023.
   • Interest rate offered on this tenure is 10% for regular citizens and 7.60% for senior citizens. The period of the deposit is 400 days.
8. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has partnered with HDFC Life, one of India’s leading life insurers, under the Skill India Mission, for inducting trained life insurance advisors and strengthening the last mile reach.
   • The partnership will provide training to candidates undergoing the IC38 examination conducted by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and drive skill enhancement.
9. RBI has introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 related transaction code in NEFT and RTGS Systems.
   • RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) Limit – Rs 2 Lakhs; 24/7 availability
   • NEFT (National Electronics Funds Transfer) Limit – No limit; 24/7 availability

GDP Forecasts

1. Former Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that India is likely to clock 6% growth rate next fiscal.
2. Morgan Stanley has forecasted India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 2% in FY24.
   • The Union Budget for FY24 had projected nominal GDP growth at 10.5%, as the centre increased the capital investment outlay steeply for the third year in a row by 33% to Rs 10 trillion.
   • The Economic Survey for 2022-23 projected that India would witness a growth between 6-6.8% in FY24.

Important Days

1. February 18 – World Pangolin Day
2. February 19 – Nepal’s Democracy Day
3. February 20 –
   • World Day of Social Justice; Theme – Overcoming Barriers and Unleashing Opportunities for Social Justice
   • 37th Statehood Day of Arunachal Pradesh

Awards

1. According to the Guinness World Records report, a team of mountaineers and scientists has installed the world’s highest weather station at an altitude of 8,810 metres (28,904 ft); just 39 metres (128 ft) below Everest’s summit.
   • Right now, the weather station has been rebuilt.

Sports

1. India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur overtook Rohit Sharma to become the most capped player in Twenty20 Internationals.
2. Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy title by defeating Bengal by 9 wickets.

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