Daily GK Update- 11th Feb, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates AMRPTEX 2023: Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw has inaugurated AMRPTEX 2023 - National Philatelic Exhibition at Pragati Maidan, Delhi. It is a 5-day Mahakumbh of Stamps, which is to be held from 11th to 15th February, 2023. It displays more than 20,000 exhibits under 13 competitive categories and invitees and is the national platform to highlight and display the 5000 years old rich history and culture of this great nation.

 

2. President of India inaugurates the 2nd Indian Rice Congress at Cuttack: President of India, Droupadi Murmu has inaugurated the 2nd Indian Rice Congress at ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack on February 11, 2023. ICAR-NRRI has developed India’s first high protein rice, called CR Dhan 310 and NRRI has also released a high-zinc rice variety, called CR Dhan 315. Rice is the basic food crop, is mainly grown in rain-fed areas that receive heavy annual rainfall, and is a kharif crop in India.

 

3. GSI to take up 111 Public-health & Public Good Geoscience Activities: Geological Survey of India (GSI) will be taking up 111 public health and public good geoscience activities during 2023-24. A total of 966 standard programmes have been finalized by GSI across 5 Missions for 2023-24. This session’s focus is on baseline data generation and mineral exploration programmes with special emphasis on strategic-critical and fertilizer minerals exploration. Besides this, GSI will be taking up 115 courses for training and capacity building.

 

4. Bhagat Singh Koshyari inaugurates Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2023: Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari has inaugurated the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav- 2023 (RSM) at Azad Maidan, Churchgate in Mumbai. ashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav conveys the enduring message of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, which signifies that despite numerous diversities in language and cultural expressions, India is united and one. This 9-day event is organized by the Ministry every year in different states of India and will go on till 19th February.

 

5. First National Lok Adalat of 2023 held in J&K: Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority has organized first National Lok Adalat of 2023 throughout the Union Territory. During the day-long National Lok Adalat, out of a total 88,723 cases taken up by 142 Benches at various courts across the UT, 75,250 Cases were disposed off and an amount of Rs. 45,05,14,697/- was awarded as compensation/settlement amount in Motor Accident Claims, civil, criminal, labour disputes, Electricity and Water Bills cases, etc.

 

6. ‘Operation Dost’ launched by India to help Turkey and Syria: Operation Dost is a rescue operation initiated by the Government of India to aid Syria and Turkey, after an earthquake hit both countries. Under the operation, India has deployed a field hospital, supplies, and rescue personnel to the earthquake-stricken countries of Turkey and Syria. Operation Dost is a symbol of the fact that India is a friend of Turkey, that is, both should strengthen their relations more. The C17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force has also been deployed in the operation. On February 6, 2023, an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale affected Turkey and Syria, causing massive devastation along with loss of life and damage to infrastructure in both countries.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. First International Conference on Digital Skilling: Secretary of MeitY, Alkesh Kumar Sharma has inaugurated 1st International Conference on Communication, Electronics and Digital Technologies – NICE-DT 2023 and Digital Skilling, which is the lead event of G20. National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) NIELIT organized it: It is an autonomous Scientific Society of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and is engaged in Capacity Building and Skill Development

 

2. 12th World Hindi Conference to be held in Fiji from 15th February: The 12th World Hindi Conference will be held in Fiji from the 15th of February 2023. It is a 3-day long event and is being organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Government of Fiji. Main theme of the conference: "Hindi - Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence". Representatives will attend the conference from 50 countries. The 11th World Hindi Conference was held in Mauritius.

 

3. 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.

 

4. 11th India-Mongolia Joint Working Group Meeting Held in New Delhi: The 11th meeting of the India-Mongolia Joint Working Group was held in New Delhi. Both sides reviewed the progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and identified means to further enhance the existing areas of cooperation and articulated steps in this direction. During the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction at the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries despite the limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. India established diplomatic relations with Mongolia in 1955. The Indian Resident Mission in Ulaanbaatar was opened in 1971. This relationship was upgraded to “strategic partnership” in 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mongolia and declared it as an essential component of ‘Act East Policy’.

 

5. Quad countries launch ‘Quad Cyber Challenge’: Quad countries India, Australia, America, and Japan have launched Quad Cyber Challenge to strengthen cyber security. Objective – To strengthen the cyber security system in the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad has invited internet users across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to become part of the challenge and practice safe and responsible cyber habits.

 

6. 10 February – World Pulses Day: World Pulses Day is marked on February 10 every year around the world. The United Nations General Assembly designated this as a yearly global event in 2019. Objective – To raise awareness about the importance of pulses as a crop. It also highlights the nutritional value, food security, and environmental benefits of pulses. Theme 2023- Pulses for a sustainable future

 

7. 11 February – World Unani Day: World Unani Day is observed every year on 11 February. Objective – To spreading public awareness about health care through Unani medicines. The day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan, a social reformer and great Indian Unani physician. The Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, celebrated Theme 2023 – Unani Medicine for Public Health The first World Unani Day in 2017 at the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM), Hyderabad.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Jean-Eric Vergne wins action-packed Formula E in Hyderabad: Jean Eric Vergne of DS Penske has won an action-packed Formula E in Hyderabad, that marked a successful return of a high-profile motorsport event in India, defeating Nick Cassidy. This is Eric Vergne’s first win of the season. Antonio Felix Da Costa of Porsche secured the final third spot on the podium. Hyderabad ePrix is the single-seater, electrically powered Formula E race, and will be the first Formula E race to be held in the country.

 

2. Third edition of Khelo India Winter Games begins in Kashmir: Third edition of the Khelo India National Winter Games has begun at famous tourist destination Gulmarg in Kashmir Gulmarg is a Centre of Excellence for Winter Sports and sports budget of Jammu and Kashmir is enormous as compared to other states and union territories of the country. This edition will continue for next four days wherein more than 1500 athletes from across the country are taking part in eleven different sports categories.

 

3. Kamran Akmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket: Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket. He made his Test match debut against Zimbabwe in November 2002 and he also made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in November 2002. Akmal made his debut for Pakistan back in 2002 and went on to play until 2017. In 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is, the right-handed batter scored 2648, 3236 and 987 runs respectively, with the help of 11 hundreds and 27 fifties. Akmal also remains second in the list of leading run-scorers in the history of the PSL.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Direct Tax Collections for F.Y. 2022-23 stood at ₹15.67 lakh crore: The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to 10th February 2023 continue to register steady growth with gross collections are at Rs. 15.67 lakh crore which is 24.09% higher than the gross collections for the corresponding period of last year. Direct Tax collection, net of refunds, stands at Rs. 12.98 lakh crore which is 18.40% higher than the net collections for 2022. It is 91.39% of the total Budget Estimates of Direct Taxes for F.Y. 2022-23.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Appasaheb Dharmadhikari honoured with Maharashtra Bhushan award: Social worker and reformer ‘Nirupankar’ Dattatreya Narayan Dharmadhikari, popularly known as Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, has honoured with the Maharashtra Bhushan Award for the year 2022. His father Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari has also conferred the same award in 2008 by then-chief minister Ashok Chavan. Appasaheb was honored with Padma Shri in 2017. The award comprising a medal, citation and Rs 25 lakh will be conferred on Appasaheb Dharmadhikari.

Daily GK Update- 10th Feb, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Government appoints two new judges of the Supreme Court of India: The Government has cleared the appointment of two new judges of the Supreme Court - Justices Rajesh Bindal and Aravind Kumar. With this, the Supreme Court has regained its full strength of 34 judges. Rajesh Bindal: He was the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court. Aravind Kumar: He was Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court. Earlier, the government also appointed five judges - Justices Pankaj Mithal, Sanjay Karol, PV Sanjay Kumar, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and Manoj Misra

 

2. Geological Survey of India finds Lithium and Gold Deposits: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has found Lithium inferred resources (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir. The ministry has handed over the 51 mineral blocks, including Lithium and Gold to the state governments. Out of these 51 mineral blocks, 5 blocks pertain to gold, and other blocks pertain to commodities like potash, molybdenum, base metals, etc. Lithium is a Non-ferrous metal.

 

3. PM Modi inaugurate Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023: PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the three-day-long Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 in Lucknow on 10th February 2023. He has also inaugurated Global Trade Show and launched Invest UP 2.0. It is the flagship investment summit of the Uttar Pradesh Government. Aim: To bring together policymakers, industry leaders, academia, think tanks, and leaders from across the world to collectively explore business opportunities and forge partnerships

 

4. J&K Govt launches project to promote sustainable agriculture: The Jammu and Kashmir government initiated a program to support their farmers and promote sustainable agriculture in the Union Territory. Reason: Growing concern for health and increasing demand for organic food The 'alternate agriculture system for sustainability' project is a part of the government's efforts to create a sustainable environment for agriculture. Aim: To create six to seven organic clusters per district, covering a total of 2000 hectares of land.

 

5. India Health Link signs MoU with UP govt to set up health ATMs: India Health Link has signed an MoU with the Uttar Pradesh government under their InvestUP program to set up a health ATM. It provides screening of various health parameters at more than 4,600 community and primary health care centers. It is a self-service, walk-in Health ATM. Individuals can get their screening done for 20+ vital health parameters including BP, weight, pulse, temperature, and ECG within 10 minutes followed by an instant report.

 

6. UP Government launched ‘Family ID’ portal: The Uttar Pradesh government has launched an online portal “Family ID – One Family One Identity” to make access to government schemes easier for the families of the state. Objective – To provide free or subsidized ration to those families who do not have ration cards and are not eligible for the National Food Security Scheme. Through the portal, families can create their ID and can avail the benefits of the schemes. For those who already have an ID, the family ID will be the same as the ration card ID.

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. The ration card number of these families will serve as ‘family ID’.

 

7. PM Modi inaugurated Arabic Academy in Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Arabic Academy in Mumbai. The academy belongs to the Dawoodi Bohra community. The Bohras account for 10 percent of the total Muslim population in India. The community, which hails from South Asia, has ancestral ties to Gujarat. PM Modi also shared the stage with His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the present leader of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohra community.

 

8. Defence ministry partnered with Larsen & Toubro for modular bridges: The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the procurement of 41 sets of Modular Bridges at an estimated cost of Rs 2,585 crore for the Corps of Engineers, Indian Army.

Each set of Modular Bridge shall consist of seven carrier vehicles based on 8×8 Heavy Mobility Vehicles and two launcher vehicles based on 10×10 Heavy Mobility Vehicles. Each set shall be capable of mechanically launching a single-span fully decked 46-meter assault bridge. The bridge can be employed over various types of obstacles like canals & ditches with quick launching and retrieval capabilities. These modular bridges will replace the manually-­launched Medium Girder Bridges (MGB) that are currently being used in the Indian Army. The new modular bridges will have additional advantages like increased span, less time for construction, and mechanical launching with retrieval capability.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Gender Balance Forum and Women in Govt Forum to be held in Dubai: The Gender Balance Forum and the Women in Government Forum will be organized at the World Government Summit in Dubai from 13-15 February 2023. Theme: Women in Government Forum: Ready for Leadership: Shaping the Agenda for the Future World Government Summit 2023: Shaping Future Governments Aim: To bring together thoughts of leaders from around the region and the world. The leaders will also discuss new ways to advance gender equality and women's participation.

 

2. India's accreditation system ranked 5th globally: According to the recent Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021, the national accreditation system of India under the Quality Council of India (QCI) has been ranked 5th in the world. The GQII ranks the 184 economies in the world on the basis of quality infrastructure (QI). India’s overall QI system ranking continues to be in the Top 10 at the 10th position (the standardization system (under BIS) at 9th and the metrology system (under NPL-CSIR) at 21st).

 

3. World Pulses Day 2023: 10th February: World Pulses Day is observed every year on February 10 to spread awareness about the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production.

Theme 2023: Pulses for a Sustainable Future

·       The UN General Assembly recognized the value of pulses in 2013.

·       The UN has also adopted the year 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP).

·       The UNGA dedicated February 10 as World Pulses Day in 2019.

 

4. 68th India International Garment Fair inaugurated in Greater Noida: Minister of State for Textiles, Darshana Jardosh has inaugurated the 68th India International Garment Fair at India Export Mart of Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. India’s annual textile and apparel export stood at 44.4 billion US dollars in the financial year 2022 with an increase of 41% compared to 2021.

India is the second largest textile and clothing exporter in the world.

 

5. Google introduced AI chatbot ‘Bard’: Google has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered chatbot named “Google Bard” to compete with ChatGPT. Bard is built on Google’s existing language model LaMDA, the language model for the firm’s Dialog Application System.

Bard has been developed to compete with the currently fastest growing user application, ChatGPT, which has overtaken platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram. Through Bard, users can access complex information in simple language as before, not only that, but also get fresh, high-quality and accurate information from Google’s chatbot.

 

6. Indian-American student named as ‘World’s Brightest’ student: An Indian-American girl, Natasha Perianayagam has been named in the world’s brightest students list by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Perianayagam has been named in the world’s brightest students list for the second consecutive year. She is 13 years old and is studying at Florence M Gaudineer Middle School, in New Jersey, the United States. The list was curated on the basis of the results of the above-grade-level tests of over 15,000 students across 76 countries. Natasha Perianayagam has also taken the Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth (CTY) test in Spring 2021, when she was a Grade 5 student.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

             

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Bajaj Finance launches Insurance Mall: Bajaj Finance has launched an 'Insurance Mall' portal for its customers to ensure an Easy-buy experience. This new portal offers a plethora of policies, plans in the core insurance segment, and Pocket Insurance and Subscription.

Benefits:

·       100% digital process

·       An extensive product list

·       Budget-friendly premiums

·       Exclusively designed plans

·       Bajaj Finance also partnered with some of India's leading insurers to provide the best products to customers.

 

2. RBI expands scope of TReDS platform: The RBI decided to expand the scope of the Trade Receivable Discounting System (TReDS) platform allowing the use of insurance facilities. The RBI has permitted the eligible entities to undertake factoring businesses to participate as financiers on TReDS and allow secondary market operations on the platform. Aim: To boost trade of receivables increasing cash flows to MSMEs TReDS is an electronic platform to facilitate the financing of trade receivables of MSMEs.

 

3. Ujjivan SFB launched app for digitally challenged: Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has launched Hello Ujjivan, a mobile banking application with 3 Vs — voice, visual, and vernacular-enabled features — to provide banking access to individuals with limited reading and writing skills. It aims to instill banking habits in its micro-banking and rural customers through the app.

The app is accessible by voice in eight regional languages: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Assamese Users can speak to the app to perform banking transactions and access services such as paying loan EMIs, opening FD and RD accounts, transferring funds and more. The app was co-created with Navana AI.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Dr. ABK Prasad selected for PCI’s excellence in journalism award 2020: Veteran journalist Dr. Anne Bhavani Koteswara Prasad has been selected for the prestigious PCI's Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award 2020. Reason: For his outstanding contribution to the field of journalism. The Chairperson of the Press Council of India (PCI), Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai conferred the award. ABK Prasad worked as the editor of mainstream journals in the State He was the Chairman of the Official Language Commission (2004 - 2009) in Andhra Pradesh.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 

1. ISRO successfully launches second developmental flight of SSLV-D2: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the second developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) with three satellites on February 10, 2023, from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Three satellites: EOS-07, Janus-1, and AzaadiSAT-2 The first developmental flight of the SSLV was launched from SDSC on August 7, 2022, but it failed. Reason: Due to vibration disturbance for a short duration on the equipment bay deck

 

2. IISc and Samsung Semiconductor India Research join hands: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Samsung Semiconductor India Research (SSIR) have joined hands to promote research and development in the field of on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. This partnership seeks to build cutting-edge ESD device solutions to protect ultra-high-speed serial interfaces in advanced integrated circuits and system-on-chip products. Solutions arising from this research will be used in Samsung’s advanced process nodes.

 

3. Skye Air launched India’s first traffic management system for drones: A Gurugram-based drone solutions provider, Skye Airon has launched the first traffic management system for drones in India. The software will allow drone operators to plan routes, make flight plans and assess risks before running drone-based operations in the country. The solution, called Skye UTM, is a first-of-its-kind for India. The Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari unveiled it. Unmanned traffic management systems will play a key role in how airspace will be managed, allowing multiple beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operations to be run by different firms at the same time. Globally, several companies, such as US-based AirMap and Netherlands-based Airbus, offer such solutions.

Daily GK Update- 9th Feb, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Defence ministry, Larsen & Toubro sign contract for modular bridges: The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the procurement of 41 sets of Modular Bridges at an estimated cost of ₹2,585 crore for the Corps of Engineers, Indian Army.

Designed and developed: DRDO It shall be produced by L&T as a DRDO-nominated production agency. Each set of bridges shall consist of seven carrier vehicles based on 8x8 heavy mobility vehicles and two launcher vehicles based on 10x10 heavy mobility vehicles.

 

2. Skye Air launches India’s first traffic management system for drones: Skye Air launched a drone-based traffic management system named 'Skye UTM' in India. It was unveiled by the Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari. Skye UTM is a Cloud-based aerial traffic management system. It integrated unmanned air traffic with manned aviation airspace. The software will allow drone operators to plan routes, make flight plans and assess risks before running drone-based operations in the country. 

 

3. Jio-bp introduces E20 blended petrol: Jio-bp has launched E20 petrol and became one of the first fuel retailers in India to make E20 blended petrol available. E20 petrol: 20% blend of ethanol and 80% of fossil-based fuel E20 blending in petrol is being introduced in the country by the government of India. Aim: To reduce the country's oil import cost, energy security, lower carbon emission, and better air quality, among others. The government had advanced the target of E20 fuel from 2030 to 2025.

 

4. NCAER Report on Farm Machinery Industry in India: The National Council of Applied Economic Research’s (NCAER) report on “Making India a Global Power House on Farm Machinery Industry” was released. It was released by the Union MoS for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje This study was sponsored by Mahendra & Mahendra. Purpose: To analyze the non-tractor farm machinery industry from both demand and supply side perspectives.

India’s farm power availability is at 2.49 Kw/ha in 2018-19.

 

5. Karnataka CM launched 108 Namma Clinics in Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has launched 108 Namma Clinics within the municipal limits of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Objective – To integrate promotive, preventive and curative healthcare services under one roof and provide quality primary care to people in their neighbourhood. Along with the treatments for common ailments like cough and fever, there will also be examination and testing of blood pressure and diabetes at the clinics. Even the medicines will be provided free of cost. Around 438 clinics are being set up in the urban areas across the state

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Visva-Bharati to be world’s first Living Heritage University: Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal is set to become the world’s first “Living Heritage University”. The university is expected to receive the heritage tag from UNESCO in April or May 2023. Visva-Bharati University was founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921. It is one of India’s major Central Government funded autonomous universities. The institution was given the status of a Central University in 1951 through a central Act. The President of India appoints the Vice-chancellor of the University.

 

2. India ranks first with 24 percent contribution to global milk production: According to production data from the Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistics Database (FAOSTAT), India is the world’s largest milk producer, contributing 24 percent to global milk production in the year 2021-22 India’s milk production has registered a growth of 51 percent during the last eight years – 2014-15 and 2021-22 and has increased to 220 million tonnes in the year 2021-22. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying runs various schemes to benefit the economically weaker farmers in the dairy sector. Further, the National Programme for Dairy Development aims at enhancing the quality of milk, milk products and increasing the share of organized procurement, processing, value addition and marketing

 

3. World’s first ‘Super’ magnets for testing in nuclear plant developed: World’s first ‘Super’ magnets for testing in nuclear fusion plant developed by UK’s Tokamak Energy. Tokamak Energy announced that the Demo4 magnet has a magnetic field strength that is nearly a million times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field, making it capable of confining and controlling the extremely hot plasma created during the nuclear fusion process. Nuclear fusion has been hailed as the “holy grail” of clean energy, with scientists working on the technology since the 1950s. Tokamak Energy is aiming to be the first private company to produce commercial fusion energy, with the goal of demonstrating grid-ready fusion in the early 2030s.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. LeBron James becomes NBA's all-time leading scorer: LeBron James becomes the all-time leading scorer in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has surpassed a record held by the great Kareem Abdul Jabbar since 1984. He pushed his career total to 38,388 points. He has won four NBA titles and competed in 10 NBA finals. He has a career average of 27.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. Abdul-Jabbar took 1,560 games to record his total, and James set his record in just over 1,400 appearances.

 

2. Women’s Premier League to be held in Mumbai: The inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 will be held in Mumbai (Maharashtra) from 4 to 26 March 2023 in Mumbai. The Brabourne Stadium and the DY Patil Stadium will host all the matches with the tournament opener expected to be played between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians-owned franchise. The auction of WPL players will take place on February 13 in Mumbai. With the five teams fetching Rs 4669.99 crore and the BCCI selling the media rights for Rs 951 crore, the WPL is the second biggest T20 League in the world behind the Indian Premier League. Apart from three IPL team owners — Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals — Capri Global Holdings (Lucknow) and the Adani Sportsline have bought the five franchises. Around 1500 players have registered for the league. IPL chairman: Arun Dhumal

 

3. Aditi Ashok won Kenya Ladies Open title 2023: Indian golf player, Aditi Ashok has clinched her fourth Ladies European Tour (LET) title at the Kenya Ladies Open 2023 golf tournament held at Vipingo Ridge, Kenya. Aditi last won a Ladies European Tour golf tournament in 2017. She carded a 12-under to win ahead of Alice Hewson (England) and April Angurasaranee (Thailand), who finished with identical final scores of 3-under. Meanwhile, India’s Avani Prashanth finished tied-ninth and Amandeep Drall came tied-52nd.

 

4. Kamran Akmal announced retirement from all forms of cricket: Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket. He is currently serving as a batting consultant for Peshawar Zalmi. He made his Test match debut against Zimbabwe in November 2002 and he also made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in November 2002. He featured in 53 Tests, 157 ODIs, and 58 T20 Internationals for Pakistan.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. MobiKwik becomes India's first app to support credit cards on UPI: India’s leading fintech, MobiKwik has become the first fintech application to support RuPay Credit Cards on UPI. The RuPay Credit Cards are now linked directly to UPI IDs. MobiKwik’s customers can easily make payments to merchants by scanning the UPI QR code and using UPI PIN for payment authentication. Aim: To make financial services accessible and lead the way to financial inclusion The integration of RuPay Credit Cards with UPI is in line with the NPCI.

 

2. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launches app for 'digitally challenged': Ujjivan SFB launched a mobile banking application named 'Hello Ujjivan' with three Vs (voice, visual, and vernacular). Aim: To provide banking access to individuals who have limited reading and writing skills This application was co-created with Navana.AI. It is accessible by voice in eight languages (Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Odia, and Assamese). Customers can perform banking transactions, and access services in their native language.

 

3. RBI to launch QR code-based coin vending machines: The Reserve Bank of India will launch QR Code-based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM) in collaboration with a few leading banks. Aim: To improve the distribution of coins This pilot project will be launched in 19 locations in 12 cities across the country. QCVM is a cashless coin dispensation machine. It will dispense coins against debit to the customer’s bank account using UPI. It would eliminate the need for physical tendering of banknotes and their authentication.

 

4. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launches ‘Digital Payments Utsav’: Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology and Communications, Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the ‘Digital Payments Utsav’ in New Delhi on February 9, 2023. Aim: To promote Digital Payments across the nation This campaign particularly focuses on G-20 Digital Economy Working Group event cities - Lucknow, Hyderabad, Pune, and Bengaluru. It also witnesses the flagging off of the Digital Payment Sandesh Yatra.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. MRF Chairman K.M. Mammen receives the ATMA Lifetime Achievement Award: Chairman and MD of MRF, K.M. Mammen was honoured with the ATMA Lifetime Achievement Award at the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA) Annual Conclave 2023 in New Delhi. Reason: For his leadership qualities, an invaluable contribution to the Indian tyre industry Maruti Suzuki India MD & CEO Hisashi Takeuchi presented the award. He also leads the industry from the front for over 20 years. ATMA Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

2. Rakhi Kapoor awarded Golden Book Awards 2023 for ‘NowYou Breathe’: Author Rakhi Kapoor has been awarded the Golden Book Awards 2023 for her book ‘Now You Breathe – Overcoming Toxic Relationships and Abuse in the category Powerful Relationship Guide’. The Golden Book Awards is one of Asia’s prestigious award programs which celebrates the best works on literature. Now You Breathe is author Rakhi Kapoor’s twenty-fifth book. Rakhi was awarded the author of the year at the National Achievers Award in December 2022 at the Constitution Club of India. She has also won the prestigious Writeinfluence award and Author of the year nonfiction in the Ukiyoto Literary Awards.

 

3. VP Nandakumar, Manappuram Finance gets Hurun India award 2023: MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd, VP Nandakumar has bagged the Hurun India’s award for his remarkable achievements in the world of business. He received The Hurun Industry Achievement Award 2022 from top Hurun India officials at a function held in Mumbai. While V.K. Mathews, founder, and executive chairman, of IBS Software, has been conferred the Hurun Industry Achievement Award 2022. K. Mathews was nominated on the basis of the research made by the Hurun global team.

 

OBITUARIES

 

Popular artist B.K.S. Verma passed away: Veteran Indian painter, BKS Varma passed away at the age of 74. The subject of his paintings was mainly environmental and social issues presented in a surreal form. He was honoured with the Karnataka Rajya Puruskar (2001), Rajyothsava award (2001), and Honorary Doctorate by Bangalore University (2011). The legendary art teacher A.N. Subbarao at the art and culture institution trained Verma in art.