1. Mahashivratri celebrations across the country, President attends celebrations at Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore
The festival of Mahashivratri was celebrated across the country on 18th February with great enthusiasm and fervour. Devotees worship Lord Shiva, the destroyer of evil, on this occasion . The President attended the Shivaratri celebrations at Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore . She also went to visit the historic Meenakshi Amma temple. The President is on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu.
2. 12 cheetahs from South Africa reached Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh
12 cheetahs from South Africa reached Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh . Of these 12 cheetahs, seven are male and five are female. With the inclusion of these cheetahs, the total number of cheetahs in Kuno National Park has increased to 20. Eight cheetahs from Namibia in September last year were brought to India. Cheetahs in India are being reintroduced under the Cheetah Reintroduction Project on the basis of a memorandum of understanding signed by the Government of South Africa and India. The MoU facilitates cooperation between the two countries to share and exchange expertise to promote conservation and ensure that India develops a safe and sustainable population of cheetahs. In addition, cheetah conservation will be promoted through capacity building, including human-wildlife conflict resolution, wildlife capture, translocation, and community participation in both countries.
3. Mumbai overtakes Delhi as the second most polluted city in the world
Delhi has now left behind Mumbai in terms of pollution . The financial capital, which came second in the list of India’s most polluted cities, has now reached the first position. Swiss Air Tracking Index (IQAir) According to the World Health Organization, between 29 January and 8 February, Mumbai was the second most polluted city in the world. Lahore (Pakistan) was the most polluted city in the world. On 29 January, Mumbai was ranked number 10 in the IQAir ranking. Although Delhi has been out of the top-10 list. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the number of ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ days in Mumbai this year was more than double that of the last three winters. According to research, construction dust accounts for more than 71% of the particulate matter load in Mumbai’s air. Whereas, other sources include factories, power plants etc. IQAir is a Swiss air tracking index and a real-time worldwide air quality monitor that works closely with UNEP and Greenpeace. It measures air quality in India using data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
4. Selection of four pilgrimage centers in Karnataka under PRASHAD scheme
The Ministry of Tourism has identified four pilgrimage centers for development under its schemes of ‘ Swadesh Darshan ‘ and ‘ Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) ‘. They provide financial assistance to the State Governments/UT Administrations etc. for the development of tourism infrastructure in the country. The Ministry of Tourism has revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations. Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysore, Sri Madhava Vana at Kunjaragiri in Udupi district, Papanash Temple in Bidar district and Sri Renuka Yallamma Temple at Saundatti in Belagavi district have been selected under the scheme. The heritage sites of Hampi and Mysuru have already been selected under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
5. Goods and Services Tax Council approves Group of Ministers’ suggestion to set up Appellate Tribunal for dispute settlement
Goods and Services Tax- The GST Council has decided to make full payment of pending GST compensation to all states . Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, after presiding over the 49th meeting of the GST Council in New Delhi, said that pending GST compensation of Rs 16,982 crore for June 2022 would be paid. He said that at present this amount is not available in the Compensation Fund, so the Central Government has decided to release this amount from its own resources. He said that this amount would be met from the cess collection in future. Smt. Sitharaman said that along with this, the Central Government will pay admissible compensation for five years. The Finance Minister said that the GST Appellate Tribunal of the Group of Ministers The recommendation to install has been accepted. In this regard, the notification format will be distributed in the next five to six days.
6. Mahashivratri festival celebrated in Jammu, popularly known as Hearth in Kashmir
Like other parts of the country, the festival of Mahashivaratri is being celebrated with religious fervor and enthusiasm in the entire Jammu region . Thousands of devotees offered prayers to Lord Shiva at Pir Kho based Jamwant Cave Shrine in Jammu. The temple premises at Aap Shambhu, Uttar Vahni in Reasi district and Purmandal in Sambha district are decorated to give it a festive look. Mahashivaratri , known as Herath in Kashmir , is an annual festival and a huge day for those who believe in the faith. It is a big day for Kashmiri Pandits and bigger than all other festivals, Diwali.
7. Shri CP Radhakrishnan sworn in as the Governor of Jharkhand
Shri CP Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the new Governor of Jharkhand . Acting Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court Apresh Kumar Singh administered the oath of office to the newly appointed Governor in a simple ceremony at Raj Bhavan.
8. Third phase of Sagar Parikrama begins in Gujarat to address fishermen’s issues
The third phase of Sagar Parikrama is starting in Gujarat . Fisheries Department Minister Purushottam Rupala will inaugurate the parikrama at Hazira port in Surat . Sagar Parikrama is being organized by the Fisheries Department under the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence. It aims to solve the issues of fishermen and other concerned parties and make them aware about the schemes of the government for the fisheries sector and their economic upliftment. The third phase of Parikrama will cover the coastal areas of North Maharashtra – Satpati, Vasai, Versova, Sasson Dock and other areas of Mumbai. It will end on 21 February.
9. 260th Raising Day of Nepal Army
The 260th Raising Day of Nepal Army was celebrated on 18th February . Speaking on the occasion, Nepal’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari lauded the role of the army in efficiently discharging its constitutional responsibilities in the country and contributing to world peace. President Bhandari is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Nepal Army.
10. Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare to organize countrywide Pension Adalat next month
The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare will organize a countrywide Pension Adalat through video conference on 17th of next month . The objective of this Adalat is to redress the grievances of the pensioners within the framework of the extant policy guidelines. The Department has laid emphasis on prompt resolution of pending pension cases and subsequent grievances, mainly pension cases of senior citizens aged 80 years and above and family pension cases.
11. The Central Government will set up the first nuclear plant of North India in Haryana
The Central Government is going to set up North India’s first nuclear plant in Fatehabad district of Haryana . The plant will be set up in Gorakhpur village, which is about 150 km north of the national capital. This information was given by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of Atomic Energy and Space in New Delhi. He said that earlier such plants were mostly confined to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Shri Jitendra Singh said that the Union Government has approved the setting up of 10 nuclear plants.
12. Qatar lifts ban on frozen seafood from India
Qatar has lifted the temporary ban on import of frozen seafood from India . This has paved the way for increasing exports to the West Asian country and establishing better bilateral relations with them. Earlier, this ban was imposed by Qatar just before the FIFA World Cup i.e. in November, 2022 after Vibrio cholerae was allegedly detected in some consignments from India. Qatar officials informed India that the ban was temporary and imposed due to lack of adequate testing laboratories in their country for the football event.
13. Inauguration of ‘Krishi Darshan Expo 2023’ in Hisar
Shri J.J. _ _ _ _ Done by P. Dalal, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Fisheries and Law & Legislative, Government of Haryana. If we talk about the main attractions of the agricultural fair, then it includes more yield in less water, increasing the quality of soil, problems of agriculture and their solutions, facility of loan related to agriculture, purchase of agricultural machinery, advanced seeds, pesticides and fertilizers, modern and new technology. Apart from technical agricultural equipments, information about irrigation, green house, pump and solar technology is also included.
14. Aero India 2023
Aero India 2023 is scheduled to be held from February 13 to February 17, 2023 at the Air Force Station , Yelahanka, Bengaluru . According to the Defense Ministry, it was the biggest ever event and has seen participation from 98 countries. This year’s theme is ‘The Runway to a Billion Opportunities’ and the main objective is to showcase India’s growth in aerospace and defense capabilities. Events included Defense Ministers’ Conclave, CEO Round Table, Manthan Start-up event, and Bandhan ceremony (to forge and renew partnerships between business entities), Air Show (open to the public), with aerial displays being the main attraction . Gopalan Aerospace India Private Limited and the Czech Republic to manufacture and assemble the first passenger aircraft by a private company in India Includes MoU between Omnipol of
15. Compared to the year 1987, the number of Japanese archipelago is now double:
The Japanese archipelago , located off the coast of Eurasia, now has 14,125 islands , double the official 1987 figure of 6,852 . The survey used the definition of ‘island’ as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It states that an island is “a naturally formed area of land, which is surrounded by water and which remains above water even at high tide”.The survey selected only those islands whose perimeter is 100 meters or more. The reason behind the increase in the number of islands could be tectonic plate movement, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake in Japan (in which some small islands were removed or added) or small pieces of land just above the waterline could appear as islands , when one takes an electronic picture from a satellite. With sea level rise, many islands will disappear in the future. Japan is the fourth largest island nation in the world. However, Japan’s population is concentrated on four islands known as the ‘Home Islands’ – Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku.
16. Income and profits of BBC not commensurate with scale of operations in India, according to Income Tax Department survey
The income tax department survey on BBC has revealed that the income and profits shown by the entities linked to it are not commensurate with the scale of operations in India. Earlier, the department had conducted a survey campaign in the premises of BBC in Delhi and Mumbai. Section 133A of the Income Tax Act, 1961, which allows officers authorized to collect secret information to survey any business, profession, or charitable activities within their jurisdiction, is being used by the Income Tax Department to conduct surveys at BBC offices. This provision was added to the Act through an amendment in the year 1964. During the course of the survey, the department collected several pieces of evidence relating to the operations of BBC which indicated that taxes were not paid on the money remitted out of the country. The survey collected important evidence through statements of employees, digital evidence and documents which will be further examined.
17. Senior artistes demand ban on obscene performances in the name of Lavani
Recently, several senior Lavani artists have demanded a ban on obscene performances in the name of Lavani . Lavani is a traditional folk-art form of Maharashtra in which female dancers dressed in bright colours, make-up and ghungroos perform on a stage in front of a live audience to the beat of dholak, dressed in a nine-yard long sari. The word Lavani comes from ‘lavanya’ or beauty. This folk art gained popularity during the Peshwa period of the 18th century. Traditionally, this folk-art was performed in front of kings or feudal lords and to entertain tired soldiers during ceasefires.
18. ICICI Bank inks deal with BNP Paribas
ICICI Bank and BNP Paribas have signed an initial agreement to meet the banking needs of European companies operating in India and Indian companies in the European Union.Private sector ICICI Bank said in a statement that the agreement between the two entities The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishes a framework for partnership between the two banks for providing financial services to corporate customers operating in India, Europe.
19. Indian PSU refiners to set up 137,000 tonnes per annum green hydrogen facility by 2030
Public sector oil refineries in India are projected to create a green hydrogen capacity of 137,000 (1.37 lakh) tonnes per annum (tpa) by 2030. The above information was disclosed by Dr. SSV Ramkumar, Director, Research & Development, Indian Oil Corporation, while speaking at the India Energy Week in Bengaluru. He said that Indian Oil would first set up a 7,000 TPA electrolysis plant at its Panipat refinery. Dr. Ramkumar said that biomass gasification is a better way to produce green hydrogen in India.
20. RBI gives in-principle approval to 32 entities for payment aggregator licenses
According to a press statement issued by the central bank , RBI has given a total of 32 in-principle authorizations to existing payment aggregators to operate as online payment aggregators . The RBI also granted a total of 19 new online PA authorizations to firms including Grow Pay Services, Juspe Technologies, MSWIP Technologies, Tata Payments and Zoho Payment Tech.
21. HAL gets DGCA nod for indigenously developed ‘black box’
In Aero India , Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has received the Indian Technical Standards Order (ITSO) authorization from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its indigenously developed Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) . CVR and FDR are known as ‘Black Box’. However, after a plane crash these recorders are painted orange to aid their recovery. CVR and FDR are used to record critical flight parameters and audio environment in crash proof memory which is later used for aircraft incident or accident investigation.
22. Defense Minister launches ‘Idex Investor Hub’, commits investment of over Rs 200 crore
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the ‘ idex Investor Hub ‘ (IIH) under which Indian investors have announced investments of over Rs 200 crore . Rajnath Singh also launched the ninth edition of ‘Defence India Startup Challenges (Disc 9)’ on ‘Cyber Security’ during ‘Manthan’, an annual defense innovation event organized under Aero India 2023, here. ‘Innovation for Defense Excellence’ (iDEX) is an ambitious scheme of the Department of Defense Production to encourage start-ups and other such units involved in defense innovation.
23. Indian team won bronze medal in Asia Mixed Team Badminton Championship in Dubai
In Badminton , India’s campaign at the Asia Mixed Team Championships has come to an end. PV The Sindhu- led team lost 2-3 against China in the semi-finals and had to settle for a bronze medal . World No. 9 H.S. Prannoy and Sindhu lost their singles matches. Men’s doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Chirag Shetty won the event to keep India in the competition. Trisa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also won the women’s doubles title. However, in the mixed doubles, the pair of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto suffered a straight game defeat.
