Current Affairs in English – February 15 2023

National Events:

Direct Tax collections:

Direct Tax collections for 2022-23 are at 15.67 lakh crore rupees till 11February 2023. The collections are 24.09% higher than gross collections for corresponding period of 2021-22.
Direct Tax collection, net of refunds, stands at 12.98 lakh crore rupees which is 18.40% higher than collections of 2021-22. This is 91.39% of the total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for 2022-23.

President’s Colour:

Union home minister Amit Shah on 14 February 2023, presented President’s Colour to Haryana Police in Karnal on behalf of President Droupadi Murmu in recognition of the Haryana Police’s exceptional service.
Haryana Police has become one of the 10 state police forces in the country to receive this highest honour from the President. Indian Navy was the first one to receive this honor in 1951.

IIP Index:

As per Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data, India’s Industrial Production, IIP index grew by 4.3 per cent in December 2022.
It grew by 5.4% during April to December of the current fiscal 2022-23.The manufacturing sector’s output grew by 2.6% in Dec 2022, while the mining output rose by 9.8% and electricity production increased by 10.4% during December.

Maharashtra cabinet:

Maharashtra cabinet has decided to implement Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India (PM Shri) in the state on 14 February 2023. 856 schools will be upgraded in the first phase.
1 crore 88 lakh rupees will be provided to each school for 5 years. For this, the share of Centre and State will be 60:40 for 5 years. These schools will be upgraded primarily on the 6 pillars.

Gujarat assembly:

Two-day parliamentary workshop inaugurated at Gujarat assembly. The workshop was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on 15 Feb 2023.
It is being organized to make the people representatives aware of various topics such as rights, duties, their role in parliamentary democracy, Dos and Don’ts in Assembly, parliamentary prerogatives etc. Elected MLAs, MPs, Former speakers, Former CMs, Former Deputy CMs and citizens will participate in the workshop.

Tourist Police Stations:

Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated Tourist Police Stations at 20 important religious and tourist places in various districts. The purpose of this move is to give boost to tourism security.
These security kiosks would work as additional police stations and exclusively attend to complaints from tourists. They would be run by specially trained personnel and headed by an SI or ASI.

Tata Group:

The Tata Group has signed a letter of intent with the American company, Airbus to acquire 250 aircraft, including 40 wide-body planes for Air India in February 2023.
The airline has placed an order for 210 narrow-body A320neo jets. The Tata group acquired 100% stake in Air India and a 100% stake in its arm Air India Express in January 2022. Air India currently has a fleet of 113 aircraft.

ICAI:

The Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) elected its new president and vice president in February 2023.
For the 2023-24 term, Aniket Sunil Talati will serve as the President of ICAI, while Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal will be the accounting body’s vice president. Aniket Sunil Talati also serve as the Director of the ICAI Accounting Research Foundation (ICAI ARF).

WPI:

India’s annual Wholesale Price-based Inflation (WPI) eased to 4.73 percent in January 2023. In December 2022, the WPI-based inflation was 4.95% and in November, it was 6.12 percent.
January WPI Inflation for food articles increased to 2.38%, up from 0.65 percent in December. It stood at 5.72 percent in December 2022 while the previous high of 6.77 percent was recorded in October 2022.

‘Cycle for Health’:

The Union Health Ministry on 14 February 2023, organised a cyclathon ‘Cycle for Health, at Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi.
It was organized as part of the ongoing ‘Swastha Mann, Swastha Ghar’ year-long campaign launched in November 2022 which aims to promote and enhance awareness surrounding healthy living.

‘Khanan Prahari’:

The government has launched a mobile app ‘Khanan Prahari’ and a web app Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) for reporting unauthorized coal mining activities.
It was launched to curb illegal mining and take transparent action as an e-Governance initiative of the government on the use of Space Technology. As of Jan 2023, 462 cases have been reported on the Apps.

Mizoram Assembly:

The Mizoram Assembly on 14 February 2023, unanimously adopted an official resolution opposing any move to implement the Uniform Civil Code.
Article 371(G) of the Indian constitution states that no act of Parliament in respect of religious or social practices of the Mizos, Mizo customary law and procedure shall apply to Mizoram unless the state legislature by a resolution so decides.

International Events:

International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD): 15 February:

The day is observed on February 15 every year. The day was created by Childhood Cancer International, an umbrella organisation of various child cancer support groups created by parents.
The day is dedicated to raising awareness and showing support for children and adolescents suffering from cancer. The theme for the three-year (2021-2023) campaign for ICCD is ‘Better Survival’.

Nikki Haley:

Indian-American Nikki Haley has announced that she will make a bid for the White House. She is the first Republican to challenge former President Donald Trump for the party’s nomination.
She is the former governor of South Carolina and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. If she wins she would become the state’s first female governor and the first Indian-American to lead the state.

Qquasicrystal:

US Scientists have recently discovered a new type of quasicrystal, one with 12-fold symmetry, in the Sand Hills of north central Nebraska, USA.
Quasicrystal is essentially a crystal-like substance. However, unlike a crystal, in which atoms are arranged in a repeating pattern, a quasicrystal consists of atoms that are arranged in a pattern that doesn’t repeat itself regularly.

WHO:

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the first-ever outbreak of Marburg disease in Equatorial Guinea in February 2023.
Marburg virus disease is a highly virulent disease that causes haemorrhagic fever, with a fatality ratio of up to 88%. It is in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Equatorial Guinea has reported 16 suspected cases of Marburg virus.

New Zealand government:

The New Zealand government on 14 Feb 2023, declared a national state of emergency after Cyclone Gabrielle lashed the North Island. Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread flooding, landslides, and huge ocean swells across the North Island.
This latest disaster is the third national state of emergency after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Sports Events:

Hyundai Motor India Ltd:

Hyundai Motor India Ltd has signed on two more women cricketers named Yastika Bhatia and Renuka Singh Thakur, to its roster of brand ambassadors.
Bhatia and Thakur will join Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues in the list of brand ambassadors for Hyundai. Hyundai Motor India has announced the next edition of its ‘The Drive Within’ campaign with these five women cricketers.