NATIONAL NEWS

Asia's Biggest Air Show Aero India 2023

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 14th edition of Aero India show in Bengaluru on 13 February.

• The 14th edition of Aero India 2023 is being organised by the Indian Department of Defense Production from 13 February to 17 February at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

• The theme of the five-day event is ‘The Runway to a Bllion Opportunities’.

• The main objective of the event is to promote indigenous production and exports of aerial platforms and attract foreign investment.

• The event will promote the export of indigenous air platforms - Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas, HTT-40, Dornier Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).
• The event will help integrate domestic MSMEs and start-ups into the global supply chain.

Digital Economy Working Group Meeting of G20

• As part of India's G20 chairmanship, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will organise the first Digital Economy Working Group meeting in Lucknow from 13 February 13 to 15 February.

• This year three defined areas will be discussed with representatives from all 20 countries.

• The first is digital public infrastructure in which India has done a lot of work in this area with schemes like UPI, UIDAI, Diksha, eSanjeevani and other apps developed in the Covid era.

• Cyber security will be another important aspect of the meeting.

• The third issue that will be discussed is digital skilling.

• The global digital economy is currently estimated at US$11 trillion and is expected to reach US$23 trillion by 2025.

• Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) plays a critical role in shaping the global policy discourse in the digital space.

Bhopal’s Historic Islam Nagar as Jagdishpur

• The Madhya Pradesh (MP) government announced that Islam Nagar village, situated in the Bhopal district, has been renamed Jagdishpur.

• The name of Islam Nagar used to be Jagdishpur 308 years ago.

• In 1719, Islam Nagar was made the capital of Bhopal and its control was held by the ruler Dost Mohammad Khan.

• The name change comes amid protests and uproar about the alleged ‘Hindufication’ allegation in changing Mughal Garden’s name in Rashtrapati Bhavan to Amrit Udyan.

BANKING

SEBI Amends Rules Governing the Mode of Payment

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has notified rules asking all market intermediaries and companies to make regulatory payments to it by way of direct credit into the bank account through digital payment systems.
• Under the rules, market intermediaries and companies are required to pay various fees to the SEBI.
• The fee can be paid to the regulator by way of direct credit into the bank account through digital payment systems NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer), RTGS (Real-Time Gross Settlement) and IMPS (Immediate Mobile Payment Service) or online payment using the SEBI Payment Gateway.
• To give these effects, the regulator has notified SEBI (Payment of Fees and Mode of Pay).
• In Jan 2023 the SEBI clarified that all payment mechanisms provided by banks and payment aggregators authorized by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be used for the settlement of trades executed on the Request for Quote or RFQ platform.

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Launches Hello Ujjivan

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) 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.

• Customers can speak to the app in their native language to perform banking transactions and access services such as paying loan Equated Monthly Instalment (EMIs), opening Fixed Deposit (FD) and Recurring Deposit (RD) accounts, transferring funds, checking account balances, and updating passbooks, among others.
• The app also provides a visual representation, along with a recorded voice guide in the user’s preferred language.

Zuno General Insurance

• Edelweiss General Insurance has rebranded as Zuno General Insurance Limited (Zuno GI), a new-age digital insurer with an aspiration to reimagine and redefine Insurance to make it easy, friendly and transparent.

• The name and identity represent the young, innovative, approachable, digital native and upbeat personality of the brand and resonates with the Millennial and GenZ audience.

• Along with the new identity, the company has launched a consumer study titled ‘Usage Based Insurance: Decoding Awareness, Perception, and Behaviour’.

• The study was done to understand Millennials and GenZ’s awareness, understanding, and consideration for UBI.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award

• The ‘Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award’ will be given to the Veteran Journalist Dr. ABK Prasad.

• He has been selected for the prestigious ‘Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award for Excellence in Journalism-2020’ for his outstanding contribution to the field of journalism.

• Annie Bhavani Koteswara Prasad’s journalistic career spans over 75 years and he has the unique honor of being the editor of all the mainstream magazines of Andhra Pradesh.

• He also served as the Chairman of the Official Language Commission in the United Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.
• On 28 February 2023, the award will be presented to him in New Delhi.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

President of Cyprus

• Former Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides was elected President of Cyprus.

• Christodoulides won 51.9% of the vote, while his opponent Andreas Mavroyanis took 48.1%.

• He was appointed Government Spokesperson in 2014 and Foreign Minister in 2018.

• Christodoulides is supported by the Democratic Party, the Movement for Social Democracy and the Democratic Alignment.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Radio Day

• World Radio Day is celebrated every year on 13 February.

• The day is observed every year to raise awareness among the public and media about the importance of radio and to encourage access to information through radio.

• The theme for the 12th edition of World Radio Day is 'Radio and Peace'.

• The theme of this year focuses on the role of radio as an independent medium of peace making.

• On 03 November 2011, UNESCO declared 13 February as World Radio Day as United Nations Radio was first established on this day in 1946.

National Productivity Day

• National Productivity Day is observed every year on 12 February.

• The theme for the year 2023 is ‘A chance to set goals.’

• On 12 February 1958, the National Productivity Council of India got Registered under Societies Registration Act XXI, 1860.

• To mark the council’s establishment, its members decided to observe National Productivity Day every year on the same day.
• Apart from encouraging people to be more productive in their work, National Productivity Day also celebrates the anniversary of the establishment of the National Productivity Council.

‘Cow Hug Day’ on February 14

• The Animal Welfare Board of India has issued a notice appealing to people to celebrate ‘Cow Hug Day’ on February 14 to spread ‘positive energy’ and encourage ‘collective happiness’.

• The notice said hugging cows will bring ‘emotional richness’ and increase ‘individual and collective happiness’.

• The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory advisory body on animal welfare laws and promotes animal welfare in the country.

• AWBI was set up in 1962 by Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
• The well-known humanitarian Rukmini Devi Arundale was the founder and chairperson of the Board.