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Some lines of current affairs 23 February 2024 news
National
Pashupati Kumar Paras opened the Indian Pavilion at Gulfood 2023 in Dubai
APEDA is joining the 28th edition of Gulfood 2023 in the UAE. This event serves as a vital connection point for the global food and beverage industries, offering significant opportunities for Indian exporters. The India Pavilion at Gulfood was opened by Pashupati Kumar Paras, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, alongside Ambassador Sunjay Sudhir, Dr. M Angamuthu, Chairman of APEDA, Shri Sanoj Kumar Jha from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Mr. Muktanand Agarwal from the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, APEDA officials, representatives from the Indian Embassy, CGI, other stakeholders from the central and state governments, and exporters.
International
Seattle made history by becoming the first city in the US to prohibit caste discrimination
The Seattle City Council recently made a landmark decision by updating the city’s laws to include caste as a protected category, joining race, religion, and gender identity. This move makes Seattle the first city in the United States to explicitly outlaw discrimination based on caste. Casteism, a form of prejudice commonly found in South Asian communities, divides people into strict social groups from birth. Those at the bottom, often referred to as Dalits, face significant discrimination and are marginalized within society.
States
Eknath Shinde, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, appointed as Shiv Sena chief
During the Shiv Sena’s national executive meeting, Eknath Shinde was chosen as the party’s top leader. The Election Commission of India acknowledged his faction as the official Shiv Sena, granting them the “bow and arrow” symbol. The meeting was attended by MLAs, MPs, and other Sena leaders who had joined Shinde after he separated from the faction led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The Kerala High Court has made history by issuing judgments in the regional language, marking the first instance of its kind in India
On February 21, International Mother Language Day, the Kerala High Court published two recent decisions in Malayalam, becoming the first high court in the country to do so. The Malayalam versions were posted alongside the English ones on the court’s website. These decisions were made by the division bench, consisting of Chief Justice S. Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly.
Appointments
Rajeev Raghuvanshi is the new Drug Controller General of India
Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, formerly the secretary-cum-scientific director of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, has been appointed as the new Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). He will succeed Dr. PBN Prasad, who currently holds the position until February 28, 2023. Raghuvanshi’s appointment extends until February 28, 2025, according to the released order.
Agreements
The University of Auckland and Tata Memorial Hospital have signed an MoU for cancer care
The University of Auckland in New Zealand and Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Mumbai, India, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on improving cancer care. This partnership aims to utilize digital health technologies to enhance cancer treatment. It builds upon a longstanding history of healthcare cooperation between the two countries. The University of Auckland is dedicated to addressing global health challenges in collaboration with top institutions.
Abu Dhabi defense company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India’s HAL at a defense expo in the UAE
HAL, an Indian aerospace company, and EDGE, a leading defense company in the UAE, signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) to explore collaboration opportunities. They aim to work together on projects like developing missile systems and drones.
Banking
Kotak Mahindra Bank launches its corporate digital banking portal called ‘Kotak fyn’
Kotak Mahindra Bank launched ‘Kotak fyn,’ a new digital banking portal for its business and corporate clients. This platform offers various services like trade, account management, payments, and collections, aiming to streamline banking for clients.’
SBI now allows instant Bhim payments with Singapore
SBI and PayNow, Singapore’s online payment system, are teaming up for cross-border payments. This comes right after India and Singapore connected their real-time payment systems using UPI. With the Bhim SBIPay app, users can transfer funds between India and Singapore using mobile numbers or UPI IDs.
Economy
The UK now ranks as the world’s sixth-largest stock market, overtaking India
Since May 2022, the UK has become the world’s sixth-largest equity market, overtaking India. A weaker pound is making UK exporters more appealing, while worries about the Adani-Hindenburg controversy are affecting Indian markets. This shift hasn’t occurred since May 29, 2022, when the combined market capitalization of primary listings in the UK, excluding ETFs and ADRs, reached approximately $3.11 trillion, according to Bloomberg.
Defence
Navy Chief Awarded Immediate Unit Citation for Salvage Operation on INS Nireekshak
Admiral R. Harikumar, the Chief of the Naval Staff, visited INS Nireekshak in Kochi. He spoke with the ship’s diving team, which was involved in salvaging operations at a depth of 219 meters in the Arabian Sea. He praised the ship for safely and successfully completing the operations despite challenging conditions. This marks the deepest salvage operation conducted in Indian waters.
India and Seychelles have agreed to share information on maritime security
India and Seychelles signed six agreements covering maritime security and sharing white shipping information. This allows them to exchange data about non-military commercial vessels’ identity and movement. The agreements aim to enhance maritime safety in the Indian Ocean Region, based on the SAGAR initiative. This partnership facilitates better correlation and more efficient information sharing.
Science and Technology
Chengalpattu saw the launch of India’s inaugural hybrid rocket
Private organizations, including the Martin Foundation, the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation, and Space Zone India, successfully launched India’s first hybrid sounding rocket from Pattipulam village in Tamil Nadu’s Chengalpattu district. This launch was part of the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission-2023. The project engaged 5,000 students, who designed and built a student satellite launch vehicle along with 150 PICO satellite research experiment cubes carrying various payloads.
Telefónica Germany picks TCS as its partner for transforming operations support to prepare for the future
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s biggest IT services firm, revealed that it secured a contract to modernize certain operations for Telefonica Germany, a major telecom company in Germany. The partnership involves developing applications and procedures to ensure smooth operations within Telefonica Germany’s support systems.
Awards
See the list of MPs nominated for the 2023 Sansad Ratna award
Thirteen Members of Parliament (MPs) have been nominated for the 2023 Sansad Ratna Awards. The Jury Committee, led by Arjun Ram Meghwal, State Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, and co-chaired by T S Krishnamurthy, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, has selected eight MPs from the Lok Sabha and five from the Rajya Sabha. These nominations are based on their collective performance in questions, private members’ bills, and debates from the start of the 17th Lok Sabha until the conclusion of the Winter Session in 2022.
Dr. Mahendra Mishra won the International Mother Language Award in Dhaka
Indian educator Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra, dedicated to promoting indigenous languages in Odisha, was honored with the World Mother Language Award by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Mishra’s three decades of work focused on the language, culture, and education of marginalized languages in Odisha. During the inauguration of a four-day program at the International Mother Language Institute, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized the importance of research in preserving, revitalizing, and developing mother languages worldwide, noting the threat of language loss.
Books and Authors
JP Nadda introduced the book “Modi: Shaping a Changing Global Order”
The BJP national president, J.P. Nadda, unveiled a book titled “Modi: Shaping a Global Order in Flux” in Chanakyapuri. The book’s foreword is written by Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Edited by Sujan Chinoy, Vijay Chauthaiwala, and Uttam Kumar Sinha, it aims to spark discussion on Prime Minister Modi’s transformative decisions that have influenced India’s global perception. It delves into India’s previous image and the changes under Modi’s leadership. The book is published by Wisdom Tree.
Sports
Tilottama Sen won a bronze medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle event at the ISSF World Cup
Indian teenager Tilottama Sen won the bronze medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle at the 2023 ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. Tilottama, who is 14 years old, secured India’s second bronze and fifth overall by finishing in the top eight ranking round with a score of 262. She narrowly missed the gold medal match by just 0.1 points. Seonaid Mcintosh from Great Britain won the gold, while Switzerland’s Olympic Champion Nina Christen took home the silver.
Obituaries
TCA Ramanujam, former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, has passed away
TCA Ramanujam, a retired chief commissioner of income taxes, lawyer, expert in Sanskrit, and BusinessLine columnist, passed away at the age of 88. He served as Chief Commissioner of Income Tax until his retirement in 1992 and spent a year as a member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. In 2002, he resumed his advocacy career and worked as a senior standing counsel for the Income Tax division.
Miscellaneous
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation plans to introduce a virtual shopping app
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is about to introduce India’s inaugural virtual shopping app, named Momentum 2.0. It will enable metro commuters to buy products, book services, and pick up orders at their destination stations. Additionally, the app will offer instant recharge for metro smart cards and convenient payment options for various other services.
