Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25 February 2023

Topic: Agriculture and allied sectors

1. By March end, 101 more APMC mandis will be connected with e-NAM.

• The government has approved the integration of 101 more agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) mandis into the electronic platform e-NAM.
• The total number of mandis will reach to 1361 across the country by March 31.
• The joining of more mandis will increase turnover of e-NAM, which was ₹51,000 crore in 2021-22.
• In the current fiscal year, 260 mandis have joined the e-NAM platform.
• 2,40,500 traders and 1,08,237 commission agents have registered themselves on the electronic platform.
• The e-NAM platform allows online trading in 203 agricultural and horticultural products.
• Since the launch of e-NAM, total trade of 69 million tonnes worth ₹2.42 lakh crore has been recorded.
• The government is also planning to enrol private mandis who are interested in joining the e-NAM platform.
• e-NAM:
  • e-NAM was launched on 14 April 2016.
  • National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal that provides an integrated national network for Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMCs).
  • The integration of the mandis facilitates pan-India trade of agriculture commodities with better prices to farmers.
  • It is being implemented by the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Topic: Art and Culture

2. PM Modi inaugurated ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’ cultural festival.

• On 25th February, PM Modi inaugurated the ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’ cultural festival at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi.
• ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’ cultural festival has been organized to celebrate Karnataka’s culture, traditions and history.
• This festival has been organized under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• It gives an opportunity for artists to showcase the culture of Karnataka through dance, music, drama, and poetry.
• Important Dances of Karnataka are given below:

Topic: Sports

3. Carlos Alcaraz won the Argentina Open title.

• World number 2 Carlos Alcaraz won the Argentina Open in a spectacular performance, defeating Cameron Norrie in the final.
• The 19-year-old Spain's Carlos has won his seventh ATP Tour title.
• Alcaraz is the first Spanish player since Rafael Nadal in 2015 to win the title in Buenos Aires.
• In 2022, he also became the youngest US Open champion since Pete Sampras in 1990.
• Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini won the doubles tennis title at the 2023 Argentina Open, defeating Nicolás Barrientos and Ariel Behar in the final.
• Argentina Open:
  • The ATP Buenos Aires, originally known as the Argentina International Championships, was established in 1927.
  • It is an annual tennis event for male tennis players held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • It is played on outdoor clay courts.
  • This year, 26th edition of the ATP Buenos Aires event took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 13 to 19 February 2023.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

4. Jammu and Kashmir got the Best Adventure Tourism Destination Award.

• Jammu and Kashmir tourism has been selected for the Best Adventure Tourism Award by India Today Tourism Survey.
• On 23 February, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs, has presented the awards in New Delhi.
• The Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department has been conferred with the award for its efforts in promoting 'Gulmarg' as an adventure destination of international order.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Gujarat

5. Gujarat Assembly has passed bill to stop paper leak in recruitment exams.

• Gujarat Assembly has unanimously passed a bill that provides for jail term of up to 10 years for malpractices in recruitment exams.
• Its aim is to curb paper leaks in government recruitment examinations.
• The bill was introduced a few days after the question paper of the Panchayat Junior Clerk exam was leaked. This exam was postponed on 29 January.
• As per the provisions of the Bill, the accused will also have to pay a fine of at least Rs 10 lakh, which may extend up to Rs 1 crore.
• On 23 February, the Gujarat Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2023, introduced by Minister of State for Home Harsh Shanghvi, has been given its nod by members of the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
• The Bill aims to curb "unfair means", which includes leaking or attempting to leak question papers, obtaining question papers through unauthorized means and solving such papers through unauthorized means.
• Unfair means also include the act of assisting the examinee during the examination for monetary gain.
• Any examinee (candidate taking an exam) who engages in unfair means faces imprisonment for up to three years as well as a fine at least Rs 1 lakh.
• If any person obstructs or threatens any member of the inspection team or a person appointed by the examination authority for performing duty, he shall be punished with imprisonment of up to three years, and a fine at least Rs 1 lakh.
• As per bill, if any person in an organised crime in conspiracy with the examination authority indulges in unfair means, he shall be punished with seven years of imprisonment, which may extend to 10 years with a fine of Rs 1 crore.
• A court can also order the seizure of assets of convicted persons involved in "organized crime".
• A person found guilty under this act shall be debarred from any public examination for two years.
• If any person associated with any institution is found guilty under this Act, such a business entity or institution shall be "liable to pay all costs and expenses relating to the public examination and shall be banned forever".
• The Bill states that any offense committed under the Act shall be investigated by a police officer not below the rank of Inspector of Police.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. Sajjan Jindal has won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2022.

• On 23 February, Sajjan Jindal, Chairman and Managing Director, JSW Group, has been awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022.
• He will now represent India at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year Award (WEOY) in Monte Carlo in June 2023.
• The 7-member jury led by K V Kamath, former Chairman of ICICI Bank, selected Jindal as the EOY 2022 winner.
• He has been selected for his ‘exceptional entrepreneurial’ journey in scaling the global conglomerate.
• Sajjan Jindal, who earned the moniker "Man of Steel," was the first Indian to hold the position of chairman of the World Steel Association.
• KP Singh, Chairman Emeritus of DLF Group, has been awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Awards were also announced for other categories, with winners representing both startups to mature industries and young entrepreneurs.    
• Here is the list of winners:

Topic: State News/Maharashtra

7. Churchgate railway station in Mumbai will be renamed after CD Deshmukh, the first Indian RBI governor.

• In the first national executive meeting of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, a resolution was passed to rename the Churchgate railway station after the name of former RBI governor and Union Finance Minister CD Deshmukh.
• It will be called Chintamanrao Deshmukh station. Chintaman Dwarkanath Deshmukh was the first Indian Governor of RBI.
• He joined RBI in 1939. He was appointed as Governor of the RBI in August 1943.
• He was one of the eight Deputy Governors of the Bank who have become its Governor.
• He was also an economist and a civil servant. He also served as secretary to the Secretary-General at the Second Round Table Conference of 1931.
• During his tenure, RBI began a Research and Statistics department.
• RBI’s role as the central banks of Burma and State Bank of Pakistan also ceased during his tenure.
• He was one of five members of the Planning Commission when it was constituted in 1950 by a cabinet resolution.
• In 1950, he was appointed as the Union Finance Minister. He used deficit financing as a key tool in bringing about planned investment.
• In first budget, he proposed an increase in taxes in 1951-52. He presented an interim budget for 1952-53 and a full-fledged budget in India’s first elected Parliament.
• He also worked as chairman of the University Grants Commission from 1956-1961.

Topic: International News

8. Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has suspended Russia’s membership.

• It has suspended Russia’s membership for its “illegal, unprovoked and unjustified” full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
• It said Russia’s actions were unacceptably run counter to FATF’s core principles.
• FATF reiterates its deepest sympathies for the people of Ukraine, said the statement issued after the FATF plenary held in Paris.
• As per the statement, the Russian Federation will remain a member of the Global Network as an active member of the Eurasian Group on Money Laundering (EAG) and retain its rights as an EAG member.
• The statement said the Russian Federation must continue to meet its financial obligations.
• FATF said that it will monitor the situation and consider at each of its plenary meetings whether there are sufficient reasons to remove or modify these restrictions.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

9. 22^nd International Bio-resource Conclave & 10th Ethno-pharmacology Congress 2023 begin in Imphal.

• A three days long International Bio-resource Conclave & Ethno-pharmacology Congress 2023 kicked off in Imphal.
• It is being jointly organized by the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal and the Society for Ethnopharmacology from 24-26 February at City Convention Centre, Imphal.
• ISE-SFEC 2023 theme is “Reimagine Ethnopharmacology - Globalization of Traditional Medicine”.
• The main focus of the congress is on several crucial and contemporary issues related to the scientific study of traditional medicine based on Ethnopharmacology and medicinal plants by renowned scientists.
• It is an ideal platform for participants to present their research work and disseminate their ideas among distinguished professionals and eminent scientists.
• This event is being organized in both physical and online modes.
• Indian medicine of traditional system has six recognized systems of medicine. Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga, Naturopathy and Homoeopathy are part of the Indian traditional system of medicine.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices/Ranking

10. Dr Bibek Debroy released the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report.

• Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairman (EAC-PM), released the second edition of the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report at the India Dialogue Conference.
• India Dialogue Conference has been organized by Institute for Competitiveness and US-Asia Technology Management Center, Stanford University.
• The report captures the role of language in education and focuses on improving the learning outcomes using appropriate assessments and medium of instruction.
• It also highlights the fundamental concepts which children have to acquire to become skilled readers.
• A section of the report explicitly focuses on the numerous initiatives currently implemented at the national and state level in collaboration with public-private organizations, demonstrating their efforts in achieving foundational learning goals as outlined in NIPUN.
• The report’s findings cover the role of nutrition, access to digital technology and language-focused instructional approach.
• The report is a benchmark for states and union territories to track their performance in achieving universal basic education by 2026-27.
• A special section of the report looks at the case of States/UTs to evaluate the learning outcomes of children as outlined in the National Availability Survey (NAS) and the Foundational Learning Study (FLS) 2022.
• The report has been prepared by Amit Kapoor, Natalia Chakma, Researcher, and Sheen Zutshi.
• Institute for Competitiveness is an international initiative centred in India. The institute studies competition and its implications for company strategy.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

11. India has joined the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate.

• With an aim to accelerate investment and support for climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation, the US and the UAE have launched this global platform.
• India has joined the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C), which was launched by the two nations in November 2021.
• At I2U2 business forum, a letter was signed by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Dumu Ravi, in which the Indian intention was expressed to join the AIM4C.
• On 22 February, the inaugural I2U2 (Israel, India, United States and United Arab Emirates) business forum was held in Abu Dhabi.
• The AIM4C climate-smart wants to increase investment and support for innovation of agriculture and food systems.
• The AIM4C initiative has successfully increased these investments to more than USD8 billion globally
• With this announcement, India has joined more than 275 partners including 42 governments, who are working to collectively pursue the AIM4C mission by supporting investment.

Topic: National Appointments

12. Aramane Giridhar will continue at the post of Defense Secretary.

• On 23 February, Defense Secretary Aramane Giridhar has been given an extension in the service until October 2024.
• Mr. Giridhar took over as the Defense Secretary on 1 November 2022.
• He was to retire in June after completing 60 years.
• The appointment committee of the cabinet has approved the expansion of his service.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Gujarat

13. Gujarat government presented a Budget of Rs 3.01 lakh crore for 2023-24 fiscal.

• Gujarat Finance Minister Kanu Desai presented a budget of Rs 3.01 lakh crore in the state Assembly, 23% increase over the last year.
• The government aims to increase the state's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) beyond Rs 42 lakh crore in the next five years.
• Of the total outlay, Rs 1.91 lakh crore has been allocated for “development expenditure” while Rs 1.04 lakh crore will be spent as “non-developmental expenditure”.
• The state government would spend Rs 5 lakh crore over the next five years for the development of infrastructural facilities.
• The government allocated Rs 905 crore for metro projects in Ahmedabad and Surat.
• Gujarat govt will double the insurance coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya-MA (PMJAY-MA) scheme to Rs 10 lakh from the existing Rs 5 lakh.
• The state government will provide two cooking gas cylinders free of cost every year to each of the 39 lakh families under the Ujjwala Yojana.
• No new tax has been proposed in the Budget.
• Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the construction of iconic bridges in various municipal corporations.
• Finance Minister Kanu Desai said that the state would focus on the development of ports and water bodies.
• The government has allocated Rs 1415 crore for building the Bhadbhut reservoir on the Narmada river and Rs 150 crore for developing the Sabarmati riverfront near GIFT City.
• New medical colleges will be built in Aravali, Chotta Udepur, Mahisagar and Dang districts.
• The Gujarat government has allocated Rs 75 crore to provide bicycles to 2 lakh students from the scheduled and developing castes.
• Five State highways will be developed as high-speed corridors at ₹1,500 crore investment.

Topic: Sports

14. All-India Taekwondo Championship begins in New Delhi.

• Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi inaugurated the three-day All-India Taekwondo Championship in New Delhi.
• All-India Taekwondo Championship is being organized to mark the 50th year of diplomatic ties between South Korea and India.
• The Sports Authority of India is co-hosting the event with Korean Cultural Centre India and Korea National Sports University.
• It is being held at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
• The event has been divided into two parts- Poomsae and Sparring.
• Taekwondo players registered in 79 regional centers and regional training centers of Sports Authority of India are participating in this Championship.

(Source: News on AIR)