Current Affairs

23rd February 2023.

Top 20 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News:

Here is the Current Affairs 23rd February 2023 covering the following news headlines: India Pavillion Gulfood 2023, Kerala HC, Maharashtra Chief Minister, US to ban caste discrimination, India, Seychelles sign pact.

National News

1. Pashupati Kumar Paras Inaugurated India Pavillion Gulfood 2023 in Dubai

·        Agricultural and Process Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) is participating in the 28th edition of Gulfood 2023 which will be held in UAE.

·        India has been participating in GULFOOD which is a platform that connects food and beverage sectors around the globe, providing ample opportunities to Indian exporters.

·        APEDA is organizing promotions, tasting campaigns, sampling of millet products & biriyani, arranging B2B interactions between start-ups, and exporters with identified Supermarkets, and awareness cum capacity-building programs.

International News

2. Seattle created history becomes first city in US to ban caste discrimination

·        The Seattle City Council passed an ordinance adding caste to the list of protected classes in the city’s municipal code, along with groups like race, religion, and gender identity.

·        Seattle created history by becoming the first US city to pass an explicit ban on caste-based discrimination.

·        Caste-oppressed people in the city are permitted to file complaints of discrimination under the law, which forbids caste discrimination in employment, housing, public facilities, and other settings.

·        Caste prejudice and discrimination could spread more widely in the US as a result of South Asians being one of the immigrant groups with the fastest rate of growth in the country.

State News

3. Kerala HC publish judgment in regional language, becomes 1st in country to do so

·        On February 21, also known as International Mother Language Day, the Kerala High Court published two of its most recent decisions in Malayalam, making it the first high court in the nation to do so.

·        On the court’s website, the Malayalam decisions were posted right underneath the English version. On the website, two decisions made by the division bench, which included Chief Justice S. Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly.

·        The news comes a day after the Supreme Court began testing a live transcription service to record its hearings and then translate them into text using artificial intelligence (AI) and NLP-based technology.

·        The facility was used in Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud‘s courtroom, when he presided over a Constitution bench hearing the Maharashtra constitutional crisis.

4. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde named Shiv Sena chief

·        Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, was elected as the Shiv Sena’s supreme leader during the party’s national executive meeting.

·        The Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised his faction as the true Shiv Sena and gave him the “bow and arrow” insignia during the first national executive meeting following that recognition.

·        The MLAs, MPs, and other Sena leaders who had joined Shinde after he split from the group headed by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray were present at the meeting.

Defence News

5. India, Seychelles sign pact on information sharing in maritime security

India and Seychelles signed six agreements in key areas, including maritime security, and on sharing of white shipping information that would enable the two countries to exchange data regarding identity and movement of non-military commercial vessels.

According to the MoU, the countries will work together and improve maritime safety in the Indian Ocean Region.

The safety provisions will be based on the SAGAR initiative – Security and Growth for All in the Region. With this, they will be able to correlate better and can share information in a more compressed way.

6. Navy Chief Awarded On-The-Spot Unit Citation INS Nireekshak for Salvage Operation

·        The Chief of the Naval Staff Adm R Harikumar visited INS Nireekshak at Kochi where he interacted with the diving team of the ship involved in the salvage operations at a depth of 219 meters in the Arabian Sea.

·        He commended the ship on the safe and successful conduct of the operations under the most challenging circumstances. This is the deepest salvage carried out in the country’s waters.

·        During his address to the ship’s crew, the CNS complimented the dedicated effort of the ship in conducting the deep diving operations. He appreciated the undaunted spirit of the ‘Men Behind the Machine’.

Economy News

7. UK surpasses India as the world’s sixth-biggest equity market

·        The UK has surpassed India as the sixth-largest equity market in the world for the first time since May 2022 as a weaker pound increases the attraction of exporters and concerns over the Adani-Hindenburg controversy are being felt throughout Indian markets.

·        This hasn’t happened since May 29, 2022, when the combined market capitalization of primary listings in the UK, excluding ETFs and ADRs, reached about $3.11 trillion on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg.

·        This is $5.1 billion more than their Indian counterparts.

·        The UK’s FTSE 350 Index, which consists of firms in the domestically oriented FTSE 250 and FTSE 100, has increased 5.9% so far this year. Nifty 50 has decreased 3.5% thus far in 2023.

Banking News

8. Kotak Mahindra Bank takes corporate digital banking portal ‘Kotak fyn’ live

·        Private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank went live with ‘Kotak fyn’, an integrated portal developed to offer comprehensive digital banking and value-added services to its business banking and corporate clients.

·        The portal will offer services across all products, including trade & services, account services, payments, and collections and make banking seamless for the bank’s clients.

·        It is expected to reduce complexity and friction for customers.

Agreements News

9. University of Auckland, Tata Memorial Hospital sign MoU for cancer care

·        Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai, the largest and the most renowned cancer care hospital and research centre in India, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to engage in long-term cooperation in cancer care.

·        The MoU aims to explore ways to enhance cancer care using digital health. The two countries have a long history of cooperation in healthcare and this partnership builds on an already strong relationship.

·        The University of Auckland is strongly committed to finding solutions to some of the most pressing global health issues in partnership with leading institutions.

10. Abu Dhabi defence firm inked MOU with India’s HAL at UAE’s defence expo

·        Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), an aerospace company in India, and EDGE, the top defence company in the UAE, inked a Memorandum of Understanding at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX).

·        The Memorandum of Understanding is signed to examine potential areas of collaboration, such as collaborative development of missile systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

·        Both businesses will also investigate the use of HAL’s tiny gas turbine engines on EDGE’s guided weapons, the use of EDGE’s GPS jamming and spoofing gear on HAL’s platforms, and chances for additional knowledge exchange.

·        At EDGE and HAL’s top-notch facilities in the UAE and India, the two businesses will also look at cooperating on mission computers, training programmes, and the use of additive manufacturing of metallic parts.

Schemes News

11. Dharmendra Pradhan introduces “Jaadui Pitara,” Learning and Teaching Material

·        At least 1,200 central government-run schools will be required to use “Jaadui Pitara,” a play-based learning resource for kids aged three to eight, starting in the upcoming academic session, according to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

·        According to Pradhan, it is a cutting-edge, child-centered learning philosophy that would equip early children for a lifetime of learning and carry out one of the most important objectives of the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

·        The government introduced a national curriculum framework (NCF) for foundation or early childhood care in October of last year in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advises against using textbooks with children between the ages of three and six.

Appointments News

12. Rajeev Raghuvanshi Appointed as New Drug Controller General of India

·        Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi has been appointed as the new Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).

·        Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi is a former Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission secretary-cum-scientific director.

·        Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi will supersede Dr. PBN Prasad who is holding the position till 28th February 2023. The order which was released stated that Raghuvanshi will continue to be the DGCI till February 28, 2025.

Science and Technology News

13. India’s First Hybrid Rocket launched in Chengalpattu

·        India’s first hybrid sounding rocket by private players was successfully launched from Pattipulam village in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu.

·        Martin Foundation, in association with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Space Zone India, launched the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission- 2023.

·        The organisations mentioned that 5,000 students were involved in the project.

·        The selected students designed and constructed a student satellite launch vehicle (rocket) and 150 PICO satellite research experiment cubes that contained different payloads.

·        The reusable rocket was made by the selected top 100 students, while the rest made the satellites.

·        The rocket can be used for research in weather, atmospheric conditions and radiation.

14. Telefónica Germany Selects TCS as Transformation Partner to Build Future-Ready Operations Support

·        India’s largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced that it has won a deal to digitally transform Telefonica Germany’s specific operations.

·        The latter is a leading German telecom company. The Indian IT services exporter announced that the partnership would entail building service assurance applications and processes within the Operations Support Systems (OSS) landscape of the German telecom company.

·        According to the statement, this will enable Telefónica Germany to implement zero-touch cloud-based operations and provide consumers with a more resilient network service.

·        The reimagined service assurance processes will result in faster turnaround times and a transformed customer experience, the statement said.

Awards News

15. Sansad Ratna award 2023

·        13 members of Parliament (MP) have been nominated for the Sansad Ratna Awards 2023.

·        The Jury Committee of eminent Parliamentarians and civil society, chaired by Arjun Ram Meghwal (State Minister of Parliamentary Affairs) and Co-Chaired by T S Krishnamurthy (Former Chief Election Commissioner of India) has nominated eight MPs from Lok Sabha and five from Rajya Sabha for the Sansad Ratna Awards 2023.

·        These nominations are based on cumulative performance in questions, private members’ bills and members’ debates from the beginning of the 17th Lok Sabha till the end of the Winter Session 2022.

16. Dr. Mahendra Mishra awarded the International Mother Language Award in Dhaka

·        Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra, an Indian educator and social worker for the advancement of indigenous languages in Odisha, received the World Mother Language Award from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

·        Dr. Mishra has worked over three decades on the language, culture and education of the marginalised languages of Odisha.

·        Inaugurating a four-day programme of the International Mother Language Institute and conferring the award, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed the need ‘for research to preserve, revitalise and develop the mother languages of the world as many languages are being lost’.

Sports News

17. Tilottama Sen Won Bronze Medal in women’s 10m Air Rifle at ISSF World Cup

·        Indian teen Tilottama Sen won the bronze medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle at ISSF World Cup 2023 in Cairo in Egypt.

·        The 14-year-old Tilottama Sen won the second bronze for India, fifth overall after ending the top eight ranking round with a score of 262.

·        She missed out on the gold medal match by a narrow possible margin of 0.1. Great Britain’s Seonaid Mcintosh won gold and Switzerland’s Olympic Champion Nina Christen came second to win silver.

·        The third day of the event was yet another profitable day for India with Rudrankksh Patil earlier winning gold in the men’s Air Rifle.

Books and Authors News

18. JP Nadda launched book ‘Modi: Shaping a Global order in flux’

·        BJP national president J.P. Nadda has launched a book “Modi: Shaping a Global Order in Flux” in Chanakyapuri.

·        Book is forewarded by Union External Affair Minister S. Jaishankar. Editors are Sujan Chinoy, Vijay Chauthaiwala, and Uttam Kumar Sinha.

·        This book is going to open a debate on how PM Modi has taken a decision which has changed India’s image worldwide. It’s necessary to understand what was the image of India before Modi ji came to power.

·        The publisher of the book is Wisdom Tree.

Obituaries News

19. Ex-Income Tax Chief Commissioner TCA Ramanujam passes away

TCA Ramanujam, a retired chief commissioner of income taxes, lawyer, expert in Sanskrit, and BusinessLine columnist, passed away.

He was 88. As Chief Commissioner of Income Tax until his retirement in 1992, Mr. Ramanujam also spent a year as a member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

In 2002, he began his advocacy career again and served as a senior standing counsel for the Income Tax division.

Miscellaneous News

20. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Set to Launch Virtual Shopping App

·        Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will soon launch India’s first virtual shopping app called Momentum 2.0 for metro commuters to purchase products, book services and collect orders at the destination stations.

·        The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has revealed that the app will also provide features such as instant recharge of metro smart cards and smart payment options for other utility services.

·        Momentum 2.0 will provide users direct access to custom-made services such as last-mile connectivity options, e-shopping, and digital lockers for quick and safe deliveries.

·        The DMRC is in the process of installing digital lockers called smart boxes at select stations to deposit goods ordered through e-shopping..