Daily Current Affairs and GK | 5 and 6 February 2023

Topic: Corporates/Companies

1. Reliance Retail becomes the first retailer to accept ‘Digital Rupee’ at stores.

• Reliance Retail has partnered with Innoviti Technologies, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank to accept Digital Rupee issued by the Reserve Bank of India at its stores.
• E-Rupee will be accepted at Reliance Retail’s Freshpik stores and later this facility will be extended to all Reliance Retail stores.
• This digital solution has been built by using advanced technology that integrates into the cashier billing system.
• Customers can use the facility by just scanning the QR code on the terminal of the Digital Rupee app and entering the passcode.
• Reliance was also the first company to introduce dynamic QR-based in-store UPI payments.
• Reserve Bank of India introduced the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) on December 1, 2022 for retail markets.
• It was initially introduced in four cities- Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Bhubaneshwar and was later extended to nine other cities.
• Digital Rupee: Digital form of currency notes issued by a central bank is Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or Digital Rupee.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

2. As per a study, groundwater storage level in the Ganga basin is declining at 2.6 cm per year.

• The estimates on the groundwater storage level in the Ganga basin have been published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
• Ganga Basin is one of the largest reservoirs of groundwater in the world.
• The groundwater storage level in Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi are declining 14 cm/year, 7.5 cm/year and 7.2 cm/year, respectively.
• The average groundwater storage in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal is declining at 2 cm/year, 1 cm/year and 0.6 cm/year, respectively.
• To study long-term groundwater storage across six states, researchers from CSIRO Land and Water, the University of Bergen, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, have used three different methods.
• The study has found that the average declining groundwater level between 1996-2017 was 2.6 cm/year.
• The steep decline has been noticed in the groundwater of Delhi and Haryana.
• In the recent past, the groundwater level in Rajasthan has improved.
• Central Groundwater Board monitors groundwater levels four times a year. It has been found that the water level in 2021-22 has increased as compared to 2011-2020.
• The study has found that groundwater level reduction is more in the Brahmaputra basin as compared to the Ganga and Indus basins.

Topic: Sports

3. 2027 Asian Cup Football tournament will be hosted by Saudi Arabia.

• On 1 February, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) won the hosting of the 2027 Asian Nations Cup of Football.
• Saudi Arabia will host the Asian Cup Football for the first time in its history since its inception in 1956.
• The decision was taken during the 33rd Congress of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), organized on February 1 in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
• India and Saudi Arabia were shortlisted to host the AFC Asian Cup in 2027.
• The Kingdom's sole bid was presented at the Congress in Manama in December 2022 after India's withdrawal.
• The Kingdom won the vote of 43 countries out of 45 to host the 2027 Asian Cup.
• Qatar will host the next edition of the Asian Cup from June 26 to July 16, 2023.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. India, France and the UAE agreed for trilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, defense and economy.

• India, France and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to establish a formal three-tier cooperation initiative to enhance cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.
• On 4 February, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan had a telephonic conversation in this regard to adopt a roadmap for the implementation of this initiative.
• During this, the three sides agreed on a three-tier platform for cooperation in the field of energy, the challenge of climate change and conservation of biodiversity in the Indian Ocean region.
• The three countries will explore the possibility of creating a project on clean energy, environment and biodiversity together with the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
• The system also involves increasing cooperation between development agencies related to projects of sustainable development of the three countries.
• These three countries will ensure harmony between economic, technological and social policies in line with the Paris Agreement.
• In line with this system, a series of trilateral events will take place this year during the G-20 under the presidency of India and the COP-28 hosted by the United Arab Emirates in 2023.
• The three sides also underlined their willingness to cooperate in the field of circular economy under the Mission LiFE.

(Source: News on Air)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Music composer Ricky Kej won Grammy Award 2023.

• Ricky Kej is among the winners at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. The award ceremony was held in Las Vegas on February 5, 2023.
• Bengaluru-based musician Ricky Kej has won his third Grammy Award for the album 'Divine Tides'.
• The US-born musician shared the award with Stewart Copeland, drummer of the iconic British rock band The Police, who collaborated with Kej on the album.
• The duo earned the gramophone trophy in the best immersive audio album winner category.
• Kej had won his second Grammy Award for the album "Divine Tides" in the Best New Age Album category. Kej had won his first Grammy for "Winds of Samsara" in 2015.
• 'Divine Tides' is a nine-song album.
• Ricky is the youngest person from India to win a Grammy Award, and only the fourth Indian.
• The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959.
• It is an award presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievement in the music industry.
• The winners of the 65th Grammy Awards are as follows:

Topic: Personality in News

6. South's famous singer Vani Jayaram died at the age of 78.

• The singer was found dead at her Chennai residence on 4 February.
• She was called as the ‘KUYIL’ for her melodious singing.
• The government had announced the Padma Bhushan award for the late singer this year.
• Vani Jairam's name is included in the list of famous playback singers of the South.
• Vani Jayaram was born in 1945 in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
• The singer had sung songs in many languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Tulu, Oriya during her entire career.
• She won the National Film Award three times and was also honored with the Life Time Achievement Award by Filmfare.
• She also won state government awards of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

7. PM Modi dedicated to the nation Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s helicopter manufacturing factory in Tumakuru, Karnataka.

• The Greenfield Helicopter factory is spread across 615 acres. It will manufacture Light Utility Helicopters.
• It has Heli-runway, flight hangar, final assembly hangar, structure assembly hangar, air traffic control and support services.
• HAL’s factory is to become India’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility offering one-stop solutions for helicopter repair and maintenance.
• The Light Utility helicopter designed in India is a single-engine, three-ton class, multipurpose utility helicopter.
• Initially, the factory will manufacture 30 helicopters per annum. This will be enhanced to 60 helicopters and 90 helicopters in a phased manner.
• PM Modi laid the foundation stone for this factory in 2016.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

8. Former Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, passed away at the age of 79.

• Pervez Musharraf was a Pakistani army general. He was born in 1943 in Delhi.
• He had been declared a fugitive in the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto murder case and Red Mosque cleric killing case.
• He was suffering from amyloidosis. It is a rare disease. It causes abnormal deposition of forms of proteins in different body tissues leading to organ damage.
• He led the Kargil infiltration. This triggered a war between India and Pakistan in 1999.

Topic: National News

9. Indian Railways launched the Garvi Gujarat tour under Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat Scheme.

• Indian Railways has introduced Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train under the ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ Scheme.
• The “Garvi Gujarat” tour will start on 28th February from Safdarjung Station in Delhi.
• To showcase the heritage of Gujarat, the train tour has been designed on the lines of the “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” scheme.
• Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train with 1st AC and 2nd AC Class will be operated for eight days inclusive tour.
• Garvi Gujarat tour will cover pilgrimage and heritage sites of Gujarat including the Statue of Unity, Champaner, Somnath, Dwarka, Nageshwar, Beyt Dwarka, Ahmedabad, Modhera and Patan.
• Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat programme:
  • Its main aim is to enhance interaction & promote mutual understanding between people of different states/UTs through the concept of state/UT pairing.
  • It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31st October 2015.

Topic: India and its neighbours

10. Sri Lanka celebrated its 75th Independence Day.

• Sri Lanka celebrated 75 years of Independence under the theme Namo Namo Matha – A step towards a century.
• The main celebration of the National Independence Day Celebrations was held at Galle Face Green in Colombo.
• A special cultural arts festival Lankaralanka was held at Independence Square in Colombo.
• Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan participated in the Independence Day celebrations.
• V. Muraleedharan interacted with Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremasinghe and Sri Lankan Minster of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry.
• Sri Lanka:
  • Sri Lanka got independence from British rule in 1948.
  • It was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon.
  • Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972 and was renamed the Republic of Sri Lanka.
  • Its executive and judicial capital is Colombo, and its legislative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
  • Sri Lankan rupee is the official currency of Sri Lanka.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

11. Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur along with Lieutenant Governor, J & K, Manoj Sinha launched the 3rd Khelo India Winter Games Mascot, Theme Song, and Jersey.

• The 3rd Khelo India Winter Games will be held from 10th to 14th February at Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Around 1,500 athletes from across the country will participate in the games.
• The 3rd edition of the Khelo India Winter Games is supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• It is being organized by the J&K Sports Council as well as the Winter Games Association, J&K. There will be 9 sports events in it.
• The 1st edition of the Khelo India Winter Games was organized in 2020.
• Jammu and Kashmir have come on top in both editions of the games so far.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: National News

12. The minimum download speed for broadband connectivity has been increased from 512 kbps (kilobits per second) to 2 Mbps (megabits per second).

• In September 2021, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended to the Department of Telecommunication to update the minimum broadband speed to at least 2 Mbps.
• The Department of Telecommunication has now implemented the recommendation.
• According to the new definition, broadband is a data connection that can support interactive services including Internet access.
• Further, as per the new definition, broadband is a data connection that has the capability of the minimum download speed of 2 Mbps to an individual subscriber from the point of presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service.
• Wired broadband and wireless broadband will both be subject to the 2 Mbps limit.
• As per December 2022 data from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, the median wired broadband speed in India is more than 75 Mbps.
• As per the same index, the median speed for wireless broadband (mobile) is more than 36 Mbps.
• India’s rank is 129 among 138 nations in terms of mobile broadband speed.

Topic: Art and Culture

13. 36^th Surajkund International Craft Mela started at Faridabad, Haryana.

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar inaugurated the 36^th International Crafts Mela on 3 February 2023. It will culminate on 19 February 2023.
• This year, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is the Partner nation of Surajkund Mela. SCO includes India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• North Eastern region is the theme state of this year.
• “Apna Ghar”, a traditional Haryanvi home that showcases the ethnic and traditional vibe of the region, is one of the main attractions of the mela.
• Jammu and Kashmir was the theme state of the Surajkund Crafts Mela 2022.
• Surajkund Crafts Mela:
  • The mela is unique as it showcases the richness and diversity of the handicrafts, handlooms and cultural fabric of India.
  • It is one of the largest crafts fairs in the world.
  • It is organized by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.
  • The idea to transform the canvas of Surajkund and the seat of 10^th century Tomar chieftain, Surajpal, into a venue for handcrafts mela was implemented in 1987.
  • In 2013, the mela was upgraded to the international level.

Topic: State News/Maharashtra

14. Maharashtra topped the list in sales of Electric Vehicles under FAME Scheme.

• Maharashtra has been at the forefront in terms of sales of electric vehicles across all segments that have availed subsidies under FAME II Scheme.
• Maharashtra is followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• These five states account for 56% of the electric vehicles sold under the scheme including two wheelers, 3 wheelers, e-rickshaws, and 4 wheelers.
• Uttar Pradesh accounts for only 4.6% of overall electric vehicle sales.
• In terms of sale of electric four vehicles, Delhi topped the list followed by Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana and West Bengal.
• Under the FAME II Scheme, the government has kept Rs. 10,000 crore as a subsidy for electric vehicles.
• Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme was launched in the year 2015. The Department of Heavy Industries under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises is the Implementing agency of the scheme.
• It is part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.
• FAME-II scheme was implemented for three years from April 1, 2019. FAME II Scheme has been extended till March 2024.