NATIONAL NEWS

TN Government Unveils New Electric Vehicle Policy

• The Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) M K Stalin released the ‘Tamil Nadu Electric Vehicles (EV) Policy 2023’.

• The objective is to attract Rs 50,000 crore worth of investment in EV manufacturing during the policy period and gen­er­ate 1.50 lakh jobs.

• The new policy shall be valid for a period of 5 years.

• Cities like Chennai, Coimbatore Tiruchirappalli Madurai, Salem and Tirunelveli are to be pilot cities for implementing e-mobility solutions.
• Accord­ing to the policy, TN has signed memor­andum of understandings (MoUs) with com­pan­ies com­mit­ting invest­ments of nearly ₹ 24,000 crore and employ­ment poten­tial of 48,000 jobs in the EV value chain.

KAVACH-2023

• A national level hackathon KAVACH-2023 was launched on 16 February to identify innovative ideas and technological solutions to address India's 21st century cyber security and cybercrime challenges.
• KAVACH-2023 is a one-of-a-kind national hackathon jointly developed by AICTE, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
• It identifies innovative ideas and technological solutions to address 21st century cyber security and cybercrime challenges faced by law enforcement agencies and common citizens.

49th Meeting of GST Council

• The 49th meeting of the GST Council will be held in New Delhi.
• Chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the meeting is likely to discuss setting up appellate tribunals and mechanisms to curb tax evasion in pan masala and gutkha business.
• These tribunals will have one judicial and one technical member from either the Centre or the states to ensure equity in membership.

Economic Times Global Business Summit

• Addressing the Economic Times Global Business Summit in New Delhi, Mr. Modi announced that the government has re-imagined how to improve the delivery of services to the poor and the implementation of welfare schemes.

• The government is focusing on the empowerment of the poor so that they can contribute to national development.

• The government has transferred 28 lakh crore rupees under the Direct Benefit Transfer, with zero leakage.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India, US and Brazil to Establish a Global Biofuel Alliance

• India, Brazil and the US will work together to establish a global biofuel alliance along with other interested countries.
• The aim of the global biofuel alliance will be to facilitate cooperation and intensify the use sustainable biofuels.
• The global biofuel alliance will emphasize on strengthening markets, facilitating global biofuels trade, and provision of technical support for national biofuels programs worldwide.
• The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) said that the alliance will complement the relevant regional and international agencies, and initiatives in the bioenergy, bio-economy and energy transition fields.
• The global biofuel alliance was announced by Oil Minister H S Puri during the India Energy Week 2023 in Bengaluru.

AWARDS & PRIZES

2nd Annual Anthem Awards

• The ‘Don’t Choose Extinction’ campaign, launched by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to raise awareness about the climate emergency, has won Gold and Silver in two different categories at the 2nd Annual Anthem Awards.
• This was announced by The International Academy of Digital Arts & Science (IADAS), which was launched by the Webby Awards in 2021.
• The Awards are intended to celebrate mission-driven work and the social impact of individuals, corporations and organizations.
•  Its goal is to define a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities.
• The Don’t Choose Exinction campaign won Gold in the Category: Sustainability, Environment & Climate – Non-Profit Campaign and Silver in the Category: Sustainability, Environment & Climate – Global Awareness Campaign.
• Anthem Winners were selected from 2,000 submissions from over 43 countries around the world.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

CEO of YouTube

• An Indian-American Neal Mohan will be the next Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube.
• He will replace Susan Wojcicki.
• Neal Mohan is currently the Chief Product Officer of YouTube. Before joining YouTube, Mohan was the Senior Vice President, Display and Video Ads at Google.

Vice Chief of Army

• Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar has been named as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff, while incumbent Lt Gen B S Raju will take charge as South Western Army Commander.
• Lt Gen Kumar has been promoted as Army Commander and appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.
• He is serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) in the Army Headquarters.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

UIDAI Launched New AI Chatbot Aadhaar Mitra

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched a chatbot to help people get an answer to their queries related to the Aadhaar card named ‘Aadhaar Mitra’.
• The Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) based chatbot can answer queries related to Aadhaar enrolment number, PVC Card order status and complaint status, among other things.
• It is available in both English and Hindi languages.
• Aadhaar Chatbot is well-trained to answer queries on Aadhaar-related topics, provide information about Locate Aadhaar Center, Check Aadhaar Enrolment/ Update status.

DEFENCE

IAF Develops ‘Vayulink’ Platform

• The Indian Air Force has developed an innovative solution ‘Vayulink’ that would aid pilots in dealing with bad weather and also provide jammer-proof uninterrupted communication with the base station.
• The data link communication uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that is also known as NAVIC, to send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low.
• When the planes are flying close to any friendly forces on grounds during a combat situation, the aircraft display gives the position of such forces on the ground including tanks and troops beneath.
• The IAF has put up a gallery on Vayulink to provide information about its platform at the India Pavilion in the ongoing Aero India 2023.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Global Tourism Resilience Day

• The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution from Jamaica to declare the first-ever Global Tourism Resilience Day on 17 February 2023, in an effort to future-proof the sustainability of tourism.
• The move to mark the day annually was supported by more than 90 countries.
• The UNGA invites everyone to observe February 17 as a day to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable tourism, in accordance with local, regional and national priorities and through education, activities and events.
• The first Global Tourism Resilience Conference will be held in Jamaica on 15February, culminating on Global Tourism Resilience Day.

OBITUTARY

Yakshagana Bhagavat Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha

• Famous Yakshagana singer and screenwriter Balipa Narayan Bhagwat passed away in Karnataka.
• He had mastered a unique style of singing, due to which fans have given it the name of 'Balipa Style'.
• Rich in voice, Bhagwat has written more than 30 Yakshagana 'Prasanga' (scripts).
• He was well versed in over 100 Yakshagana episodes, which he composed by heart.
• He had served in the field of Yakshagana for about 60 years.
• He was honoured with several other awards including the 'Karnataka Sri' award in 2002 for All India Kannada literature.

Indian Football Legend Tulsidas Balaram

• Tulsidas Balaram, one of the country’s finest footballers and a member of the golden era of Indian football (1951-1962), passed away. He was at the age of 86.
• Balaram made his mark playing football for the East Bengal of Kolkata, and captained the team in 1961–62.
• He was one of the best players of the golden age of Indian football of the 1950s and 1960s.
• His playing position was as a center forward or as a left winger.
•  In 1962, he received Arjuna Award from the Government of India.
• The Government of West Bengal awarded him ‘Banga Vibhushan’ in 2013.