NATIONAL NEWS

MEA's Annual Flagship Event Asia Economic Dialogue

• External Affairs Ministry’s annual flagship event on Geoeconomics, Asia Economic Dialogue began on 23 February in Pune, Maharashtra.

• It is being hosted in association with the Pune International Center from 23 February to 25 February 2023.

• The main theme of the dialogue is 'Asia and the Emerging World Order'.

• The dialogue will also discuss topics such as Global Growth Prospects, How the Global South Will Shape the G20 Agenda and the Metaverse.

• The Asia Economic Dialogue (AED) is the External Affairs ministry's annual event and is hosted in collaboration with the Pune International Centre.
• It is the flagship geo-economics conference.
• The dialogue focuses on the dynamics of trade and finance in Asia and its neighbouring countries.

Education Minister Launches Learning-Teaching Material

• Learning-Teaching Material called ‘Jaadui Pitara’ has been launched for Foundational Stages as envisaged under National Education Policy 2020 in New Delhi by Dharmendra Pradhan.

• This unique initiative of the government will help foundational stage students to learn easily through play-way method under the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage – 2022.

• It is launched by the Union Ministry of Education.

• It has been designed on the motto of ‘learning through play’, as envisaged in the new National Education Policy (NEP).

• ‘Jadui Pitara’ is a play-based teaching-learning material designed for children in the age group of 3-8 years.
• The ‘Jadui Pitara’ includes playbooks, activity books, flash cards, posters depicting different stories, games, puzzles, puppets and many more items.

World’s Largest and Unique Divyang Park

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the world’s largest Divyang Park — Anubhuti Inclusive Park — in Nagpur.

• The park will have adapted facilities for all 21 types of disabilities like touch and smell garden, hydrotherapy unit, water therapy, independent room for mentally challenged children, mother.

• In 2016, the Central government had passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.

• World’s first inclusive disabled park has been made from a provision of about Rs 12 crore by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to built this park in an area of 90 thousand square feet.

Odisha Launched India’s First AI-Chatbot

• Governor of Odisha Shri Ganeshi Lal launched India’s first artificial intelligence (AI) driven ChatBot for agriculture named Ama KrushAI in Bhubaneswar at the annual Krushi Odisha event 2023.
• It is to provide farmers with the best agronomic practices, government schemes and loan products from over 40 commercial and cooperative banks.
• Ama KrushAI, which will run under a pilot project with above 10,000 farmers and will be implemented in full-fledged in next 2 months.
• It is created using Bhashini, a language interpretation platform developed by Indian Institute of Technology IIT Madras.
• This initiative is a game changer in terms of providing farmers with cutting-edge agricultural technologies and innovations.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

UAE to Host First I2U2 Vice-Ministerial Meeting

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to host the first vice-ministerial meeting of the I2U2 in Abu Dhabi from 20 February to 26 February 2023.

• Senior officials from India, Israel, the United States and the UAE will attend the meeting. During the meeting, opportunities to advance regional cooperation will be discussed.

• Investment opportunities to build partnerships addressing the region’s most pressing issues, including management of the energy crisis and food insecurity will also be discussed.
• The aim is to cooperate on ‘joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.’

BANKING

India and Singapore Launch Joint Digital Payment Mechanism

• The Prime Minister (PM) of India Shri Narendra Modi and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong launched cross-border connectivity between the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and PayNow of Singapore through video conferencing.

• The linkage of UPI and PayNow will make it possible for citizens of both nations to send remittances across borders more quickly and affordably.

• A quick and inexpensive money transfer from Singapore to India will benefit the Indian community in Singapore, particularly migrant workers and students.

• This allows apps’ users to use their Indian bank accounts to pay at merchant outlets in the UAE, Singapore, Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan.

• The RBI, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the NPCI International Payments Ltd, Banking Computer Services Pte Ltd, participating banks as well as non-bank financial institutions worked together to create the linkage.

• Private transfer receipts primarily represent remittances by Indians employed overseas.

Exim Bank’s GOI-Supported LOC For USD 100 Million to GO-MDV

• Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has entered into an agreement dated October 2022 with the Government of the Republic of Maldives.

• Government of India supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 100 million is for financing new developmental projects and to meet spillover costs from developmental projects in Maldives already included under Lines of credit extended to GO-MDV by Exim Bank.

• Out of the total credit by Exim Bank under the agreement, goods, works and services of the value of at least 75% of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India and the remaining 25% of goods and services may be procured by the seller for the purpose of the eligible contract from outside India.

• Shipments under the LoC shall be declared in the Export Declaration Form/Shipping Bill as per instructions issued by the Reserve Bank from time to time.
• No agency commission is payable for export under the above LoC.

SPORTS

ISSF World Cup

• In Shooting, India's Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar claimed the gold medal in the men's individual 50m rifle 3 positions competition at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo.

• The 22-year-old Tomar, who also won gold at the Chagwon World Cup last year, won 16-6 to beat Alexander Schmirl of Austria.

• Earlier, India's Tilottama Sen had won the bronze medal in the women's 10m air rifle.

• India continues to top the medal tally with four gold.

• Hungary is second with two gold medals.

Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship in Dubai

• Indian team led by V. Sindhu won the bronze medal at Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship.

• Indian Team faced a 2-3 defeat against China in the semifinals.

• Prannoy and Sindhu lost their respective singles contest.

• Men’s doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Chirag Shetty won their contest.

• Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also won their match in Women’s Doubles.
• Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto faced defeat in the Mixed Doubles event.
• China wins the gold medal while the silver medal was won by the South Korean team.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book 'Modi: Shaping a Global Order in Flux'

• BJP national president J P Nadda launched a book ‘Modi: Shaping a Global Order in Flux’ in Chanakyapuri, Delhi.

• In this book, an attempt has been made to tell how PM Modi has taken such decisions which have changed the image of India around the world.

• It is important to understand what was the image of India before Modiji came to power.

• The book has been forwarded by Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

• The editors are Sujan Chinoy, Vijay Chauthaiwala and Uttam Kumar Sinha.