Current Affairs in English – February 2 2023

February 2, 2022

National Events:

Quad:

• A meeting of the Quad Senior Cyber Group was held in New Delhi to strengthen cyber security cooperation in January 2023.
• During the meeting, participants discussed sharing threat information, identifying and evaluating potential risks in supply chains for digitally enabled products and services, and aligning baseline software security requirements.

GST:

• The second-highest Gross GST collection has been made in the month of January 2023, breaching earlier second-highest record in October 2022.
• Over 1,55,000 crore rupees gross GST revenue has been collected in the month of January. January’s collection includes CGST of 28,963 crores, SGST of 36,730 crores, and IGST of 79,599 crores.

MeitY:

• The Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Alkesh Kumar Sharma inaugurated the G20 Cyber Security Exercise and Drill for more than 400 domestic and international participants under India’s G20 presidency.
• The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) conducted the Cyber Security Exercise and drill in hybrid mode (Physical and Virtual).

Krishnaguru Eknaam Akhanda Kirtan:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the Krishnaguru Eknaam Akhanda Kirtan for World Peace at Barpeta in Assam on 3rd February 2023. Paramguru Krishnaguru Ishwar established the Krishnaguru Sevashram in 1974, at Nasatra village in Barpeta, Assam.
• He is the ninth descendant of Mahavaishnab Manohardeva, who was a follower of the great Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardeva.

Mukesh Ambani:

• Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani overtook industrialist Gautam Adani in February 2023 to become the richest Indian in the world, according to the Forbes Real-time Billionaires list.
• Gautam Adani also slipped to seventh place from third in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index on 1 February 2023. He also saw his fortune decline due to the Hindenburg report.

Elite Vajr Division:

• In Jammu and Kashmir, Major General Girish Kalia on 1 Feb’23 took over the charge as General Officer Commanding of the elite Vajr Division from Major General Abhijit S Pendharkar.
• He was commissioned on 14 December 1991 from Indian Military Academy, Dehradun into MADRAS Regiment.
• Prior to this at he was working at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. He received Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020.

Soliga ecarinata:

• Researchers have unearthed “Soliga ecarinata” a new genus of wasp. It was unearthed from forests of Biligiri Rangana Hills in Karnataka. It was discovered by entomologists of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment.
• It is named ‘Soliga ecarinata’ after the indigenous community that resides in BR Hills and Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar. The wasp belongs to the subfamily Metopiinae of Darwin wasps family Ichneumonidae.

Former PM Manmohan Singh:

• Former PM Manmohan Singh conferred Lifetime Achievement Honour in UK. He was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Honour by India-UK Achievers Honours in London for his contribution to economic and political life.
• The India-UK Achievers Honours by NISAU UK celebrate the achievements of Indian students who studied at British universities.
• The Lifetime Achievement Honour is a nod to Dr Singh’s academic achievements at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Union Budget 2023:

1)MISHTI Scheme for Mangrove plantations:

‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes’- MISHTI Scheme was announced in budget on 1 February 2023. The main aim of the scheme is to take up mangrove plantations along the coastline and on salt pan lands. It also aims to preserve Mangrove forests. MISHTI is to be implemented by converging CAMPA Fund, MGNREGS, and other sources.

2) PM-PRANAM Scheme:

“PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth” (PM-PRANAM) was announced in Budget 2023. Under the scheme, the government aims to incentivize States and Union Territories to promote alternative fertilizers and balanced use of chemical fertilizers. The main objective of the scheme is to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture.

3) Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD):

In budget 2023, it was announced that Customs duty on the seeds used in lab-grown diamond manufacturing will be reduced and a grant will be given to IITs to facilitate its growth. Lab-grown diamonds are diamonds that are produced using technology which mimics the geological processes that grow natural diamonds. They are environment-friendly compared to earth-mined diamonds.

4) National Digital Library for Children and Adolescent:

A National Digital Library for children and adolescents will be set-up for facilitating availability of quality books across geographies, languages, genres and levels. States will be encouraged to set up physical libraries for them at panchayat and ward levels. State will also provide infrastructure for accessing National Digital Library resources.

5) National Financial Information Registry to be setup:

A national financial information registry will be set up to serve as the central repository of financial and ancillary information. This will facilitate efficient flow of credit, promote financial inclusion, and foster financial stability. A new legislative framework will govern this credit public infrastructure, and it will be designed in consultation with the RBI.

KG to PG campus:

• First KG to PG campus inaugurated under Mana Ooru-Mana Badi initiative. It was inaugurated at Gambhiraopet of Rajanna Sircilla district of Telangana.
• Under KG to PG free education initiative, apart from govt. schools, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Model School, Government Junior College, government.
• Degree College and Post Graduate College are being set up in one campus. Campus at Gambhiraopet will be named after academician and social activist Prof Jayashankar.

Reliance Consumer Products:

• Reliance Consumer Products Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited announced a strategic partnership with Sri Lanka based Maliban Biscuit Limited.
• It was signed to bring Indian consumers a bouquet of domestic and globally recognized consumer brands and product choices that offer superior value propositions with exceptional quality.

Visit India Year 2023:

• Tourism minister launches Visit India Year 2023 initiative. Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy launched the Visit India Year-2023 initiative in New Delhi on 31 January 2023 and also unveiled its logo.
• The Tourism Minister also unveiled the logo of the campaign which is inspired by the image of ‘Namaste’. The campaign aims to encourage travel in the country that currently holds the G-20 presidency. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism.

NCC:

• The National Cadet Corps (NCC) contingent from Maharashtra won the Prime Minister’s Banner at the Republic Day Camp 2023.The NCC Maharashtra Directorate has won the RDC banner competition 19 times overall and consecutively for two years now.
• The state NCC directorate also won the awards for best directorate in the Air Wing competition and the best squadron in flying.

International Events:

Abdul Rehman Makki:

• India has listed Pakistan-based terrorist Abdul Rehman Makki as an UN-listed terrorist.
• The development came after the United Nations Security Council listed the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s deputy chief Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist under its ISIL (Daesh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee. Abdul Rehman Makki, was already listed by India and US as a terrorist under their domestic laws.

IMF:

• IMF approves $4.7 billion Bangladesh support package. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 31 January 2023 approved a total of USD 4.7 billion loan for Bangladesh.
• It includes USD 3.3 billion under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and USD 1.4 billion under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) for Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the first country in Asia to receive financing under the RSF.

World Wetlands Day: 2 February:

• Every year on 2nd February, World Wetlands Day is celebrated globally. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in Ramsar, Iran. It was first celebrated in 1997.
• The theme of World Wetlands Day 2023 is “It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration, which highlights the urgent need to prioritize wetland restoration.