Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 23 February 2023, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.
So, here is the Top News of the Day for 23 February 2023 to help you prepare the Latest Current Affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz.
Current Affairs for Competitive Exam – 23 February 2023
Sansad Ratna award 2023: Check the list of nominated MP’s
Sansad Ratna award 2023: The names of 13 members of Parliament (MPs) who have been nominated for the Sansad Ratna Award have been released. The Jury Committee of eminent Parliamentarians and civil society, chaired by Arjun Ram Meghwal (State Minister of Parliamentary Affairs) and Co-Chaired by T S Krishnamurthy (Former Chief Election Commissioner of India) has nominated eight MPs from Lok Sabha and five from Rajya Sabha for the Sansad Ratna Awards 2023. These nominations are based on cumulative performance in questions, private member’s bills, and member debates from the start of the 17th Lok Sabha through the end of the Winter Session in 2022.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Notably: The 13th Sansad Ratna Awards 2023 will be presented on March 25 in the national Capital.
Sansad Ratna Awards 2023 nominated from Lok Sabha
- Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (INC, West Bengal),
- Gopal Chinayya Shetty (BJP, Maharashtra),
- Sudhir Gupta (BJP, Madhya Pradesh) and
- Dr. Amol Ramsing Kolhe (NCP, Maharashtra)
- Bidyut Baran Mahato (BJP, Jharkhand),
- Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (BJP, West Bengal),
- Kuldeep Rai Sharma (INC, Andaman Nicobar Islands),
- Dr Heena Vijayakumar Gavit (BJP, Maharashtra),
Sansad Ratna Awards 2023 from Rajya Sabha
- Smt Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan (NCP, Maharashtra)
- Dr. John Brittas (CPI-M, Kerala),
- Dr. Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD, Bihar),
- Vishambhar Prasad Nishad (Samajwadi Party, UP) and
- Smt Chhaya Verma (INC, Chhattisgarh)
Two Parliamentary Committees of Lok Sabha nominated for Sansad Ratna Award 2023
- Vijay Sai Reddy, chairman of the Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Tourism, Transport, and Culture
- Lok Sabha’s Parliamentary Committee on Finance, chaired by Jayant Sinha
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Lifetime Achievement Award: T K Rangarajan, (Former Rajya Sabha MP for two terms and a Senior CPIM Leader).
Some facts about Sansad Ratna Awards:
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam proposed the Sansad Ratna Awards to honor top performing Parliamentarians. He himself inaugurated the first edition of the award ceremony in 2010 in Chennai. So far, 90 top performing parliamentarians have been honoured and all of them have received the award individually. K. Srinivasan is the Founder Chairman of the Sansad Ratna Award Committee and Ms. Priyadarshini Rahul is the Chairman.
India, Seychelles sign pact on information sharing in maritime security
India, Seychelles sign pact on information sharing in maritime security: Six agreements were struck between India and Seychelles in key areas, including maritime security and the sharing of white shipping information, which would allow the two countries to exchange data on the identity and movement of non-military commercial vessels.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
More About the Maritime Security MoU:
The countries will collaborate to promote maritime safety in the Indian Ocean region, according to the MoU. The safety provisions will be based on the SAGAR initiative – Security and Growth for All in the Region. With this, they will be able to correlate better and can share information in a more compressed way.
More About The Agreements:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cyber security cooperation was signed by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Seychelles Department of Information Communications Technology.
Significance of These Agreements:
It is essential for India to sign this agreement with Seychelles to learn about the maritime safety measures being implemented in this region. The Western Indian Ocean is governed by the “Maritime Security architecture”.
The Indian Ocean Commission is in charge of implementing this architecture. The IOC is supported by Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre, RCOC, and other countries like Djibouti, Comoros, Kenya, Mauritius, France, Seychelles, and Madagascar. India has no maritime agreements related to this part of the Indian Ocean with these countries except Seychelles. Even if it does, those agreements do not talk about sharing information! Thus, it is essential to sign the MoU with the country.
About Indian Ocean Commission:
The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) is an intergovernmental body created in 1984 to protect the interests of the Western Indian Ocean islands. It consists of Madagascar, Comoros, La Réunion (French overseas territory), Mauritius and Seychelles. The Commission has five observers — India, China, European Union (EU), Malta and International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
Note: India is only an observer at the Indian Ocean Commission; not a full member.
India’s First Hybrid Rocket launched in Chengalpattu
India’s First Hybrid Rocket launched in Chengalpattu: Private players successfully launched India’s first hybrid sounding rocket from Pattipulam village in Tamil Nadu’s Chengalpattu district. Martin Foundation, in association with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Space Zone India, launched the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission- 2023.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Key Information About This Hybrid Rocket Launch:
- According to the organisations, the project involved 5,000 students.
- The selected students designed and constructed a student satellite launch vehicle (rocket) and 150 PICO satellite research experiment cubes that contained different payloads.
- The reusable rocket was built by the top 100 students, while the remaining students built the satellites.
- The rocket can be used for research in weather, atmospheric conditions and radiation.
What are sounding rockets:
Sounding rockets are one- or two-stage solid-propellant rockets that are used for investigating the upper atmosphere and doing space research. They also serve as easily affordable platforms to test or prove prototypes of new components or subsystems intended for use in launch vehicles and satellites.
A hybrid-propellant rocket is a rocket with a rocket motor that uses rocket propellants in two different phases: one solid and the other either gas or liquid. The establishment of the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in 1963 at Thumba, near the magnetic equator, marked a jump in the scope of aeronautics and atmospheric sciences in India. The launch of the first sounding rocket from Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 21 November 1963, marked the beginning of the Indian Space Programme
Dr. Mahendra Mishra awarded the International Mother Language Award in Dhaka
International Mother Language Award: Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra, an Indian educator and social worker for the growth of indigenous languages in Odisha, was presented with the International Mother Language Prize in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Dr. Mishra has spent three decades working on the language, culture, and education of Odisha’s marginalised languages. Inaugurating a 4 day programme of the International Mother Language Institute and conferring the award, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasised the importance of’research to maintain, revive, and develop the world’s mother languages, as many are being lost.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
In Dhaka, four recipients received the two national prizes and the two international awards from Prime Minister Hasina. Habibur Rahman and Ranjit Singha of Bangladesh got national honours, while Mahendra Kumar Mishra and Mother Language Lovers of Global Society, Vancouver received honourable mentions. The prize was established by UNESCO in 2021 and is granted to those who have made exceptional contributions to the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of mother tongues.
History of the Day:
The United Nations recognised February 21st to be International Mother Language Day in 2000. According to UNESCO, the purpose of this day is to celebrate the various ways of expressing the world, to pledge to the preservation of language diversity as a common heritage, and to work for quality education in mother tongues for everyone. Bangladesh proposed and received approval for International Mother Language Day at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference.
WHO To Set Up mRNA Vaccine Hub in Hyderabad
WHO To Set Up mRNA Vaccine Hub in Hyderabad: Telangana’s Minister for Information Technology and Industry, KT Rama Rao, said that the World Health Organization will establish an mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine centre. mRNA is becoming a promising technology to address a growing number of infectious diseases.
Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao informed about various steps being taken by the state government to promote the life sciences sector the government has a target of making the industry worth USD 100 billion from USD 50 billion in 2021 and the workforce from the existing four lacks to eight lacks in the next five years.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
WHO To Set Up mRNA Vaccine Hub in Hyderabad – Key Points
The Minister stated that WHO is keen on setting up a hub in Hyderabad, which she hopes would happen soon. Rama Rao also noted that more than USD 3 billion worth of investments and trade took place during the past 19 editions of BioAsia, a flagship annual life sciences convention, and the 20th edition is set to be held from February 24 to 26.
Throughout the last 19 editions, trade and investment worth USD 3 billion have been declared, and over 250 letters of intent, bilateral cooperation agreements, and MoUs have been signed. According to Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao, BioAsia hosted delegates from over 100 countries during the event in Hyderabad which helped in showcasing the ecosystem and policies to the global leaders, while over 20,000 partnering meetings have also been held.
Uber Signed MoU with Tata Motors for 25000 EVs
Uber Signed MoU with Tata Motors for 25000 EVs: Uber and Tata Motors, India’s largest automaker, have agreed to introduce 25,000 electric vehicles on the platform. The agreement between Uber and Tata Motors is the largest EV commitment yet between an automaker and a ridesharing platform in India.
Tata Motors will begin deliveries of XPRES-T EVs to Uber fleet partners in a phased manner starting this month. The collaboration would help to electrify Uber services in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Uber Signed MoU with Tata Motors for 25000 EVs- Key Points
- As Uber continues to move towards its zero-emissions goal, the partnership with Tata Motors will lay the groundwork for the meaningful expansion of four-wheeler electric vehicles (EVs) on a mobility platform in India.
- By 2040, Uber intends to have 100% of its rides in zero-emission vehicles, public transportation, or micro-mobility. Uber is focused on finding new, innovative, and affordable ways to help drivers and fleets go electric and will lean in on industry partnerships across EV manufacturers, Fleets, and EV infra partners among others to advance EV transition.
- Shailesh Chandra, MD, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility informed that working towards the aim of growing India’s e-mobility market, they are delighted to announce their partnership with Uber, India’s leading ridesharing app, for their expansion of sustainable mobility options.
Power Minister launches SADUN to modernise power distribution utilities in South Asia
Power Minister launches SADUN to modernise power distribution utilities in South Asia: Power Minister RK Singh launched South Asia Distribution Utility Network (SADUN) which aims to modernise distribution of utilities in South Asia via knowledge sharing among discoms.
About SADUN:
SADUN is a collaboration between the Ministry of Power, USAID, and PFC. Singh stated that the network’s synergy, exchange of experiences, and sharing of vision would benefit all member nations.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
More About SADUN:
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had conceptualised SADUN in January 2020 based on a consensus among the participants over a need for an initiative which focused on distribution network in the region. Apart from enabling knowledge sharing among discoms and enhancing focus on distribution issues at the regional-level, the network aims to enable utility-to-utility (U2U) connect to reap the benefits of aggregation. USAID has already shared a white paper on SADUN with member nations to “get their concurrence on the blueprint of the network” and move ahead in “the process of implementation.”
Who All Were Present At The Forum:
Delegates from Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka’s power industries welcomed the initiative and discussed the forum’s opportunities, challenges, and expectations. Union power secretary Alok Kumar and USAID’s mission director Veena Reddy were also present at the event. The delegates at the event included Sonam Tobjey, CEO of Bhutan Power Corporation; Bikash Dewan, MD of DPDC in Bangladesh; Ajwad Mustafa from Maldives’ Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Technology and MPDUK Mapa Pathirana, Secretary at the Ministry of Power & Energy of Sri Lanka.
Minister of Power, RK Singh inaugurates 15th edition of ELECRAMA 2023
Minister of Power, RK Singh inaugurates 15th edition of ELECRAMA 2023 : The Union Minister of Power, RK Singh has officially inaugurated the Power Pavilion, ELECRAMA 2023 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida. The event was attended by Vivek Kumar Dewangan (Chairman & Managing Director, REC Limited) and other officials from REC.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Theme 2023: Re-imagining the Future: Metamorphosis of the Power Sector in India.
Vision: To showcase innovation in the power sector such as Smart Meters, Smart Feeder Management Systems, Methanol production etc.
Karthik Subramaniam wins National Geographic ‘Pictures Of The Year’
Karthik Subramaniam wins National Geographic ‘Pictures Of The Year’ : An Indian-origin, Karthik Subramaniam has won the prestigious National Geographic ‘Pictures of The Year’ award with his photograph titled “Dance of the Eagles”.
The award-winning photograph captured a bald eagle intimidating its peers to claim a prime log while salmon hunting in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Alaska.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
He titled the picture ‘Dance of the Eagles’ as a homage to the fictional dragon war in George R.R. Martin’s novel ‘A Dance with Dragons’.
Key Points
- A little under three years later, he captured bald eagles competing for a tree branch in Alaska’s Chilkat Bald Eagle Sanctuary, which helped him win over 5,000 entries in four categories (Nature, People, Places, and Animals) and claim the coveted top spot.
- Every fall, over 3,000 bald eagles migrate to Alaska, congregating in the area of Haines, where Subramaniam camped out on the final day of his seven-day shooting excursion to observe the raptors swoop in to eat on fish.
- The photographer witnessed a bald eagle bump intimidating another predatory bird into giving up its vantage point for a clear view on the fish being chased by their peers shortly after setting up his camera on a wood near the shore.
- The picture will be displayed in the May issue of National Geographic
Tata Group becomes the title sponsor for WPL
Tata Group becomes the title sponsor for WPL: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that Tata Group has secured the title rights to the Women’s Premier League (WPL).
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Tata has signed a five-year deal as WPL title sponsor from 2023 until 2027. It is also the title sponsor of the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL), stepping into the position after Chinese mobile phone maker Vivo pulled out in 2021. The first match of WPL 2023 will begin between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians on March 4 at the DY Patil Stadium.
In its first season, the WPL will stage a total of 20 league matches and two Playoff games that will be played.
Five teams: Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore & UP Warriorz.
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi released two books
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi released two books : Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi released two books — Pt. Deendayal Udadhyaya: Dispersions of Thought and Pt. Deendayal Udpadhyaya: Integral Humanism in Chennai.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
According to a Raj Bhavan release, addressing at the event, Governor said four prominent western ideologies — Theology, Darwinian theory, Karl Marx theory and Rousseau’s social contract theory — caused “damage to our national growth”.
The book was authored by Professor B. Dharmalingam. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was an Indian politician and a proponent of integral humanism ideology. He also started the monthly publication Rashtra Dharma (National Duty). He also served as the 10th President of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1967 – 1968).
Central Bank of India, Moneywise Financial Services tie up for MSME loans
Central Bank of India, Moneywise Financial Services tie up for MSME loans : Central Bank of India and Moneywise Financial Services Pvt Ltd (MFSPL) signed a co-lending agreement for lending to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This partnership will help to expand the portfolio for both entities. The said loans would be subject to compliance with the applicable laws and guidelines issued by RBI.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Under the pact, Moneywise Financial Services will process MSME loan proposals as per jointly formulated credit parameters and eligibility criteria. While CBoI will take into its books 80 per cent of the MSME loans under mutually agreed terms. Moneywise Financial Services will service the loan account throughout its lifecycle. As at December-end 2022, Moneywise Financial Services’ ‘asset under management’ stood at about Rs 800 crore.
MFSPL is an RBI-regulated non-banking financial company (NBFC) focused on MSME Lending.
Central Bank of India CEO: M. V. Rao
Politician Upendra Kushwaha launches new political party
Politician Upendra Kushwaha launches new political party : In a huge setback for Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar ahead of the 2024 general elections, Upendra Kushwaha on Monday quit Janata Dal (United) and resigned from all party positions and launched a new political party ‘Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal’.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
This development in Bihar politics comes when Kushwaha has been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
He has also resigned from the post of MLC. He was a key political aide of Nitish Kumar. He quit the JD(U) in 2013 to float Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP). He allied with the NDA and won the Lok Sabha polls a year later. In 2021, Kushwaha merged his RLSP with the JD(U).
Former Gujarat governor O P Kohli passes away
Former Gujarat governor O P Kohli passes away : Former Gujarat Governor and Rajya Sabha MP, Om Prakash Kohli passed away at 87 in Noida.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
He joined the political arena in January 1991. He was the 19th Governor of Gujarat between 2014 and 2019 during the term of chief ministers Anandiben Patel and Vijay Rupani. He also held the additional charge as Governor of Madhya Pradesh from 2016 to 2018 and Goa governor for three weeks in 2014. He was a lecturer at Hansraj College and Deshbandhu College in Delhi.
