Current Affairs

 11th February 2023

Top 20 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News:

Here is the Current Affairs 11th February 2023 covering the following news headlines: #DigitalSuraksha campaign, Arabic Academy in Mumbai, Lithium reserves, One Family One Identity Portal, ‘Himachal Niketan’ in Delhi.

National News

1. Meta Launches #DigitalSuraksha campaign in partnership with MeitY for the G20 campaign

·        Meta, announced its partnership with the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) for the G20 stay safe online campaign.

·        As part of the partnership, the company claims that it will create and share helpful resources in multiple Indian languages through various channels, and spread awareness on how to stay safe online.

·        Moreover, Meta has also launched its #DigitalSuraksha campaign to build on the company’s efforts to offer a safer and more inclusive internet to everyone.

·        #DigitalSuraksha campaign will include two digital literacy and three consumer awareness initiatives under the Digital literacy measures and Consumer awareness initiatives.

2. Prime Minister Modi Inaugurated Arabic Academy in Mumbai

·        Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, Arabic Academy of the Dawoodi Bohra Community in Mumbai.

·        The Prime minister was accompanied by His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq, head of the global Dawoodi Bohra community and Rector of Jamea, Eknath Sindhe, Chief Minister of Maharashtra and deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

·        Jamea is considered to be the principal educational institute of the Dawoodi Bohars and looks to impart religious as well as other branches of knowledge.

·        Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that Dawoodi Bohra has ensured that they adapted to change and technology for development and progress.

International News

3. King Charles’ coronation emblem by ex Apple chief designer revealed

·        Ahead of the scheduled coronation ceremony for Britain’s King Charles III on 6 May, 2023, the Buckingham Palace released the newly appointed king’s official coronation emblem.

·        The coronation emblem features the King’s love for nature by joining the flora that symbolize the four nations of the United Kingdom in a single image.

·        The logo, to be used for events over the coronation long weekend in May, features a rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock – emblems from across the United Kingdom.

States News

4. Lithium reserves for the first time found in Jammu & Kashmir

·        In Jammu and Kashmir, 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been discovered for the first time in India, according to the Mines Ministry’s announcement on Thursday (February, 9).

·        According to the Ministry of Mines, the Geological Survey of India has for the first time discovered 5.9 million tonnes of lithium inferred resources (G3) in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

·        It further stated that state governments received 51 mineral parcels, including lithium and gold.

·        Non-ferrous metal lithium is one of the essential elements of EV batteries.

5. UP Government launched Family ID – One Family One Identity Portal

·        The Uttar Pradesh government has launched the portal for the creation of ‘Family ID – One Family One Identity’, to identify families as a unit for implementing the ‘one job per family’ proposal.

·        According to a state government, all such families that are not eligible for the National Food Security Scheme will be able to avail of the ID, while the ration card ID of the families having it, will be considered as their family ID.

·        A unique identity will be issued to each family under the One Family One Identity scheme, thereby establishing a live comprehensive database of family units of the state.

·        The database will be helpful in better management of beneficiary schemes, timely targeting, transparent operation, giving 100 percent benefit of the scheme to eligible people, and simplification of government facilities for the general public.

·        Based on the integrated database obtained through Parivar ID, families deprived of employment can be identified, and suitable employment opportunities made available to them on priority.

·        At present, about 3.59 crore families and 14.92 crore people living in Uttar Pradesh are getting the benefit of the National Food Security Scheme.

6. Himachal Pradesh CM laid the Foundation of ‘Himachal Niketan’ in Delhi

·        Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu laid the foundation stone of ‘Himachal Niketan‘ which will provide accommodation facilities to the students and residents of Himachal Pradesh visiting New Delhi.

·        ‘Himachal Niketan’, a five-story building will be constructed in Dwarka, Delhi for Rs 57.72 crore. There are two VIP rooms and 36 general rooms exclusively for the students with all facilities besides 40 other general suites.

·        In Himachal Niketan, there will be three dormitories for the staff. It will also have a facility to park around 53 vehicles and 87 two-wheelers in the basement.

·        The Himachal Niketan will consist of 81 rooms in total.

Economy News

7. India’s forex reserves drop by $1.5 billion to $575.3 billion as on February 3

·        India’s foreign exchange reserves saw a drop after nearly three weeks, falling $1.5 billion to $575.27 billion in the week ended February 3.

·        The fall was the result of the decline in the Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, the Reserve Bank of India’s weekly statistical supplement said on February 10.

·        The FCA fell $1.32 billion to $507.69 billion for the week ending February 3. Gold reserves were down $246 million to $43.78 billion.

·        In the previous three-week reporting period, the reserves had risen over $15 billion and touched a six-month high of $576.76 billion during the week ended January 27. On February 10, the rupee ended at 82.50 against the US dollar.

8. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launch ‘Digital Payments Utsav’

·        The “Digital Payments Utsav,” a comprehensive campaign aiming at encouraging digital payments throughout India, was launched by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Communications, and Railways.

·        An exceptional campaign called “Digital Payments Utsav” will highlight India’s digital transformation path through a number of events and activities from 9 February to 9 October 2023.

·        As part of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) event, the campaign will concentrate on promoting digital payments throughout the nation, particularly in the cities of Lucknow, Pune, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.

Business News

9. Alibaba exits India’s Paytm, selling shares for $167 million

·        China’s Alibaba Group has sold its remaining stake in Indian digital payments firm Paytm for about 13.78 billion rupees ($167.14 million) through a block deal, stock exchange data showed.

·        The exit comes days after Paytm posted its first-ever quarterly operating profit as a listed firm, nine months ahead of its own target. Alibaba.com Singapore E-Commerce Pvt Ltd sold 21.4 million shares of Paytm at 642.74 rupees apiece, a 9% discount to Thursday’s close, NSE stock exchange data showed.

·        Paytm’s stock tumbled nearly 8%  to close at 650.55 rupees, but it is still up nearly 23% so far this year. It was not immediately clear why Alibaba sold the stake.

Banking News

10. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launches Hello Ujjivan- India’s first voice, visual, vernacular banking app

·        Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launched Hello Ujjivan, India’s first mobile banking application with 3 V’s – voice, visual, and vernacular-enabled features – to provide banking access to individuals who have limited reading and writing skills.

·        The app is designed to instill banking habits in MicroBanking and Rural customers who are digitally challenged.

·        Hello Ujjivan, co-created with Navana.AI, is accessible by voice in eight regional languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Assamese.

11. SBI opens 3rd specialized Startup branch in Gurugram

·        The third dedicated branch for start-ups in the nation has been established by State Bank of India (SBI) in Gurugram. Dinesh Kumar Khara, the chairman of SBI, declared during the branch’s inauguration on Thursday that it will offer start-ups comprehensive support from entity formation through the issuance of IPOs and FPOs.

·        Gurugram is home to the third-highest number of unicorns—startups valued at $100 billion or more—in India, behind Bengaluru and Mumbai.

·        SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara, who spoke at the event, stated that the main goal of this branch is to offer entrepreneurs end-to-end help at every point of their journey, from the creation of the organization till their IPOs and FPOs.

Important Days

12. National Deworming Day 2023 observed on 10th February

·        The National Deworming Day is observed on February 10 every year. It is an initiative taken by the Government of India to deworm all the children across the nation in the age group of 1 to 19.

·        Worms are parasites, which live in human intestines for food and survival. The worms consume nutrients meant for the human body and cause blood loss, poor nutrition and stunt growth.

·        National Deworming Day is a day when all children (both enrolled and unenrolled) between the ages of 1 to 19 can receive treatment for intestinal worms from teachers at all government and government-aided schools and from Anganwadi Workers annually.

13. International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2023 observed on 11 February

·        The United Nations General Assembly has designated February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to recognise the significant contribution that women make to the fields of science and technology.

·        The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 also lays out gender equality in science as an essential component of the agenda.

·        The theme for the 8th International Day of Women and Girls in Science is “Innovate. Demonstrate. Elevate. Advance (IDEA): Bringing communities Forward for sustainable and equitable development.” The focus of this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science will be on how the Sustainable Development Goals connect to the role of women and girls in science.

Summits and Conferences

14. World Government Summit 2023 Set to Begin in Dubai

·        The World Government Summit 2023 is set to begin on 13th February 2023 in Dubai. The World Government Summit will be held under the theme of “Shaping Future Governments”.

·        It will bring together global thought leaders, global experts, and decision-makers to share and contribute to the development of tools, policies, and models that will be critical in shaping future governments.

·        The World Government Summit will feature 20 presidents, including Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi; President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan; President of Senegal and Chairperson of the African Union, Macky Sall, among others.

Agreements News

15. Airbus, Boeing and Air India inks agreement for largest purchase in history

·        In an effort to rebuild itself with a fleet that can compete with regional low-cost rivals and strong Gulf airlines like Emirates, Air India Ltd. has signed deals with Airbus SE and Boeing Co. for what may end up being the largest acquisition of aircraft in commercial aviation history.

·        According to people involved with the talks, who not to be named because the conversations are private, the airline and the two planemakers have agreed on the broad strokes of the agreement and may publicly announce the contract as early as next week.

·        According to the sources, Airbus is in line to get roughly 250 orders and commitments total, made up of 210 aircraft from the A320 single-aisle family and 40 wide-body A350s.

·        With 190 737 Max aircraft and the option for 50 more, 20 787 Dreamliners and the same number as a potential top-up, coupled with 10 777x aircraft, Boeing has secured roughly 290 potential acquisitions.

16. India Jumps to 55th place in ICAO’s Aviation Safety Oversight Ranking: DGCA

·        India’s aviation safety oversight ranking has jumped to the 55th position from 112th place earlier, with a significant improvement in the country’s score under the ICAO’s coordinated validation mission, according to regulator DGCA.

·        Under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach, an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) was undertaken in India from November 9 to 16, 2022. “After the final report India’s safety oversight capability ranking has climbed from 112 to 55.

·        The Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) is based on eight critical elements (CE) of a safety oversight system, which are measured by a set of protocol questions (PQs).

Awards News

17. Raja Ram Mohan Roy 2023 presented to Journalist A.B.K. Prasad

·        In 2023, the Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award is presented to Journalist A.B.K. Prasad for his contributions towards journalism.

·        Raja Ram Mohan Roy lived in the 19th century. The reformer founded Brahmo Samaj in 1828 and played a major role in abolishing Sati. The Press Council of India presents awards in the name of the legend every year.

·        A.B.K. Prasad has devoted his 75 years of life to journalism. He has worked as an editor in major journals in AP. Also, he worked as the Chairman of the Official Language Commission between 2004 and 2009.

·        It was constituted under the constitutional provisions provided in Article 344. It looks after the progressive use of the official language in the country.

Sports News

18. Rene Zondag, PBI president inaugurates Tennis center in Pune

·        Peter Burwash International (PBI), one of the top tennis instruction programmes, has partnered with the Ileseum Club in Bavdhan, Pune, to open a second training facility there.

·        Through the leadership of its Director Cesar Morales, the first PBI centre at the Padukone-Dravid Centre in Bengaluru has been effectively teaching some of the notable players, including Sahaja Yamalapalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, and Rishi Reddy.

·        Over 200 players are present at the High performance centre.

·        Milos Milunovic will serve as the technical director of the second centre in Pune, which is slated to grow further to include locations in Mumbai, Solapur, and Chennai, among other cities.

·        Rene Zondag, president of PBI, announced the opening of the new centre, which spans 12.5 acres and offers top-notch amenities.

19. Rohit Sharma Becomes 1st Indian skipper to Record Hundreds in All 3 Formats

·        Rohit Sharma led from the front as he scored his ninth Test century to become the first Indian captain to score hundreds in all formats.

·        This was Rohit’s first three-digit score in the longest format of the game against Australia in the 1st Test of the four-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha in Nagpur.

·        Rohit is the fourth overall to have scored centuries in all three formats as captain after Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan, South Africa’s Faf du Plessis and Pakistan’s Babar Azam.

Obituaries News

20. Legendary American pop Musician Burt Bacharach Passes Away

·        Legendary American pop songwriter Burt Bacharach, whose prodigious work created a chart-topping soundtrack for the 1960s and 1970s, passed away at the age of 94.

·        He was born on May 12, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri, but moved to New York in his early years. He studied and learned music at several American universities, before serving in the US Army in the post-World War II era.

·        In 1957,he met songwriter Hal David, with whom they formed one of the most successful duos in music history.