NATIONAL NEWS

Ellora -Ajanta International Festival 2023

• The three-day Ellora-Ajanta International Festival began on February 25 at the historic Sonari Palace in Maharashtra, located on the campus of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.

• Soneri Mahal is decorated with attractive replicas of Ellora and Ajanta. It reflects the rich tradition of Aurangabad.

• The program started with Kathak dance by Mayur Vaidya and Mrinmoyee Deshpande.

• Ellora Ajanta Festival An annual festival, where singers and dancers from across the country gather to showcase their talents.

• The festival showcases the rich history of India and its cultural traditions to the world in the best possible way.

First State to Use Robotics Technology for Manhole Cleaning

• The Kerala government launched robotic scavenger, Bandicoot to clean sewages in temple town of Guruvayur, becoming the first state in the country to use robotic technology to clean all its commissioned manholes.

• Water Resources Minister Roshi Augustine launched Bandicoot under Guruvayur sewerage project in Thrissur district by Kerala Water Authority.

• Now Kerala has become the first state in the country to have robotic scavengers to clean manholes.

• The robotic TRON unit, a key component of the Bandicoot, enters the manhole and removes sewage using robotic hands that resemble human limbs.

• The machine has waterproof, HD vision cameras and sensors that can detect harmful gases inside.
• Bandicoot, developed by Kerala-based Genrobotics, recently won the 'Kerala Pride' award at the Huddle Global 2022 Conclave organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).

Churchgate Railway Station to be Renamed

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has passed a resolution to rename the Churchgate railway station in Mumbai after CD Deshmukh, the first governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• The name of the station will be 'Chintamanrao Deshmukh Station'.

• As the Union Finance Minister from 1950 to 1956, CD Deshmukh contributed to the economic development of the country.

• One of Deshmukh's notable achievements as governor was the establishment of the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) in 1948.
• He was knighted by the British government in 1944 and awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1959.

BANKING

RBI Imposed Restrictions on 5 Co-Operative Banks

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed restrictions on five cooperative banks due to their deteriorating financial condition.

• RBI has announced that the restrictions imposed on these co-operative banks will remain in effect for six months.

• Eligible depositors of all five co-operative banks will receive deposit insurance claim amount of up to ₹5 lakh from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.

• The move by the RBI is aimed at protecting the interests of depositors and ensuring the stability of the financial system.

• Due to the current liquidity position of the following banks, customers will not be able to withdraw funds from their accounts which includes HCBL Co-operative Bank, Adarsh Mahila Nagari Sahakari Bank Maryadit and Shimsha Sahakara Bank Niyamitha.

• Customers from following banks can withdraw up to ₹5,000 from accounts of Uravakonda Co-operative Town Bank and Shankarrao Mohite Patil Sahakari Bank.

SPORTS

Sergio Ramos Announces Retirement

• Spain legend Sergio Ramos announced his retirement from international football, revealing that he is not part of head coach Luis de la Fuente's plans.

• Ramos has played 180 international matches, a football career that spanned almost 18 years.

• Ramos made his debut for the Spanish national team in 2005.
• Ramos was part of the Spain squad that won the 2010 World Cup and the Euro Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Argentina Open Title

• Carlos Alcaraz recently produced a stellar performance to win the Argentina Open by defeating second seed Cameron Norrie in the final in Buenos Aires.

• Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) won his seventh ATP Tour title by defeating last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) 6-3, 7-5.

• In addition, 19-year-old tennis player Alcaraz became the first Spaniard since Rafael Nadal in 2015 to win the Buenos Aires trophy.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

International IP Index

• India has been ranked 42 out of 55 countries in the latest International IP Index report by the US Chamber of Commerce.

• The United States ranked first in the 2023 index, followed by the UK and France.

• According to the report, India's size and economic influence is growing on the world stage.

• India is poised to become a leader for emerging markets seeking to transform their economies through IP-driven innovation.

• India has taken steps to improve enforcement against copyright-infringement and provides a best-in-class framework to promote better understanding and use of IP assets.

AWARDS & PRIZES

2023 Marconi Prize

• Computer scientist Hari Balakrishnan has been awarded the 2023 Marconi Prize.

• Dr. Balakrishnan is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

• The award is given in recognition of the broad impact on society of his fundamental discoveries in wired and wireless networking, mobile sensing and distributed systems.

• The award is given annually to innovators who have made a significant contribution to enhancing digital inclusion through the advancement of information and communication technology.
• The award is recommended by an independent selection committee of Marconi Prize recipients and approved by the Marconi Society Board.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Director General in Quality Assurance

• Lt Gen RS Reen took over as Director General Quality Assurance.

• The Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA) is an Inter-Service Organisation functioning under the Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence.

• It is responsible for second party quality assurance of defence stores and equipment, both imported and indigenous.

• Lt Gen Reen, a 1986 batch officer, is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

• He has served as a senior faculty at Defense Institute of Quality Assurance, Bengaluru.

• He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.

External Auditor of ILO in Geneva

• Comptroller and Auditor General, Girish Chandra Murmu has been selected as the External Auditor of the International Labor Organization in Geneva for a period of four years from 2024 to 2027.

• Girish Chandra Murmu will take over from the current External Auditor of the ILO, the Supreme Audit Institution of the Philippines.

• His appointment enhances its high standards, global audit experience and strong national credibility with the international community.
• Its main objective is to assist the ILO in meeting its strategic goals while maintaining the independence and oversight important in performing the external auditor's functions.
• ILO is an agency of the United Nations, which brings together the governments, employers and workers of 187 member countries.

President of World Bank

• The Biden administration named Ajay Banga, former chief executive officer of Mastercard, as the next president of the World Bank.
• Banga is an Indian-American and currently serves as the Vice Chairman at equity firm General Atlantic.
• He was previously the Chief Executive Officer at Mastercard.
• Banga has significant experience in mobilising public-private resources to address the challenges of climate change.

DEFENCE

Exercise Desert Flag VIII

• An Indian Air Force contingent of 110 Air Warriors reached Al Dahfra airbase of United Arab Emirates for participating in Exercise 'Desert Flag VIII'.

• Tejas, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) made in India, will make its first appearance at a multinational exercise in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

• It is a multilateral air exercise in which air forces from the United Arab Emirates, France, Kuwait, Australia, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, Republic of Korea and the United States will also participate.
• This exercise will run from 27 February to 17 March.
• The objective of the exercise is to participate in multiple combat events and learn from best practices of air forces of different countries.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Russian Space Agency Launches Soyuz Spacecraft

• Recently the Russian space agency, Roscosmos has successfully launched the Soyuz spacecraft to bring back three astronauts stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) following a leak in the cooling system in their Soyuz capsule.

• Two Russian and one American astronaut will board the empty Soyuz spacecraft to return to Earth.

• The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan and placed in orbit.

• According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, all three Soyuz will return to Earth on the MS-23 vehicle in September.
• The leak on the MS-22 spacecraft was caused by a small piece of a micrometeoroid hitting the capsule.

IMPORTANT DAYS

Central Excise Day

• Central Excise Day is celebrated every year on 24 February.

• The day is being celebrated to honor the service of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to the country.

• The Central Excise Department was one of the oldest departments in India which was established in the year 1855, under the British Raj.

• “The Central Excise Act” or “The Central Excise and Salt Act” was regulated in the year 1944, in which year for the first time Central Excise Day was celebrated but later in the year 1996 these acts got some changes.