Daily Current Affairs: 2 February 2023 | Gkseries
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 2 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.
Current Affairs for Competitive Exam – 2 February 2022
World Wetlands Day observed on 2nd February
World Wetlands Day 2023: On February 2nd every year, World Wetlands Day is observed. The purpose of the day is to educate people about the value of wetlands and various strategies for reversing their rapid degradation and loss. The day is aimed at highlighting the vital role wetlands play in maintaining biodiversity and supporting human well-being.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Water purification, flood control, habitat for a variety of plant and animal species, support for local residents’ livelihoods, and other crucial ecosystem services are all provided by wetland areas. Wetlands are essential ecosystems. Wetland degradation and loss reduce their ability to support biodiversity. By celebrating World Wetlands Day, people are reminded of the importance of these ecosystems and the need to protect them from degradation and loss. The day also provides an opportunity for governments, organisations, and individuals to take action to conserve and restore wetlands, as well as to raise public awareness about their value.
World Wetlands Day 2023: Theme
It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration is the theme for this year’s World Wetlands Day. The theme highlights how crucial it is to give wetland restoration first priority.
World Wetlands Day: History
On 2 February 1971, Convention on Wetlands was accepted as an International Treaty in Ramsar, Iran. On 30 August 2021, UN General Assembly adopted resolution 75/317 for World Wetlands Day.
The World Wetlands Day started in 1997 when the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands started educating general public about the significance of protecting the wetlands. Posters, factsheets, documents, and other outreach materials were distributed among people about the conservation of Wetlands.
Former PM Manmohan Singh conferred Lifetime Achievement Honour by UK
Lifetime Achievement Honour by the India-UK Achievers: The India-UK Achievers Honours in London recently presented the former prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh with a Lifetime Achievement Honour for his contributions to economic and political life. The India-UK Achievers Honours by NISAU UK, in partnership with the British Council in India and the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), celebrate the achievements of Indian students who studied at British universities and the Lifetime Achievement Honour is a nod to Dr Singh’s academic achievements at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
The first-ever India UK Achievers Honours honoured 75 high achievers and several significant Outstanding Achievers who promote the India-UK diaspora living bridge in honour of India’s 75th anniversary of independence.
Other India UK Achievers
- Lord Karan Bilimoria, a British Indian peer, got the Living Legend Award at the ceremony on January 25.
- Opposition Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma, another a patron of NISAU UK, was also conferred the Living Legend Honour.
- Among the Outstanding Achievers honoured included Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Raghav Chadha, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla and Indian women’s football team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan
RBI’s Digital Payments Index Jumps to 377.46 in Sept from 349.30 in March
RBI’s Digital Payments Index Jumps to 377.46 in Sept from 349.30 in March: According to the RBI’s Digital Payments Index, which gauges the uptake of online transactions, digital payments worldwide saw growth of 24.13% in the year through September 2022.The newly-constituted RBI’s Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) stood at 377.46 in September 2022 against 349.30 in March 2022 and 304.06 in September 2021. Starting in March 2021, the index will be released twice a year, or semi-annually, with a four-month lag.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
More About The RBI’s Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI):
The RBI-DPI Index has increased across all parameters driven by significant growth in payment infrastructure and payment performance across the country over the period, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said.
What is RBI’s Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI):
- The Reserve Bank had announced construction of a composite RBI-DPI with March 2018 as base to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country.
- The RBI-DPI index has demonstrated significant growth representing the rapid adoption and deepening of digital payments across the country in recent years.
- As of January 19, 2022, the index for September 2021 was 304.06; the index for March 2022 is 349.30.
- Among the digital modes of payments, the number of transactions using Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) increased by 30.5 percent during 2021-22.
- Payment transactions carried out through credit cards increased by 27 per cent and 54.3 per cent in terms of volume and value, respectively and transactions through debit cards decreased by 1.9 per cent in terms of volume, though in terms of value, it increased by 10.4 per cent.
- Volume and value terms for Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) increased by 32.3 percent and 48.5 percent, respectively.
Parameters of Digital Payment Index(DPI):
The RBI-DPI comprises 5 broad parameters that enable measurement of deepening and penetration of digital payments in the country over different time periods. These parameters are-
- Payment Enablers (weight 25%).
- Payment Infrastructure – Demand-side factors.
- Payment Infrastructure – Supply-side factors (15%).
- Payment Performance (45%).
- Consumer Centricity (5%).
Reliance Announces partnership with Sri Lanka’s Maliban
Reliance Announces partnership with Sri Lanka’s Maliban: Reliance Consumer Products Limited, an FMCG company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, recently established a strategic alliance with Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Limited, a company having its headquarters in Sri Lanka.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Maliban, a biscuit manufacturer, has been well-known for the last 70 years for its range of quality products including biscuits, crackers, cookies, and wafers. According to the partnership, the company has expanded its product’s reach to global markets and exports to over 35 countries across five continents.
Reliance Announces partnership with Sri Lanka’s Maliban – Key Points
- Maliban has a deep-rooted heritage and credibility. With the strategic partnership between RCPL and Maliban, the company will not only be strengthening the FMCG portfolio through a great brand but will also be able to offer an excellent value proposition through quality products to our Indian consumers.
- Maliban has spent the last 70 years building excellent consumer equity and reach, and Reliance is in a great position to continue doing so.
- The vision of Reliance’s FMCG arm is to bring Indian consumers a bouquet of domestic and globally recognized consumer brands and product choices that offer superior value propositions with exceptional quality.
- It launched its packaged consumer products brand, ‘Independence’ in December 2022 and is creating a distinct and dedicated retail distribution network for its fast-expanding FMCG portfolio.
- RRVL operates more than 16,500 of its own stores and collaborates with over 2 million retailers in the grocery, electronics, apparel, pharmacy, lingerie, home and furnishing, beauty, and personal care industries through its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Genus Power Bagged Orders Worth Over Rs 2,850 Crore
Genus Power Bagged Orders Worth Over Rs 2,850 Crore: The letter of award (LOA) for Rs 2,855.96 crore has been obtained by Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd. and its 100% subsidiary business Hi-Print Metering Solutions Private Limited for the appointment as Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Provider (AMISP).
It includes the design of the AMI system with supply, installation, and commissioning of 29.49 Lakh Smart Prepaid Meters, DT Metering, HT & Feeder Metering Level energy accounting, and FMS of these 29.49 Lakh smart meters.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Genus Power Bagged Orders Worth Over Rs 2,850 Crore – Key Points
- The company informed that many State Electricity Boards (SEBs) have issued requests and solicited bids for the installation of smart meters, indicating that the ‘Reforms-Based, Result-Linked Power Distribution Sector Scheme‘ is having a tangible effect.
- The company expects strong revenue growth in the coming quarters due to robust order inflow and a normalization of the supply chain.
- Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd.’s joint managing director, Jitendra Kumar Agarwal, stated that these order wins provide a great deal of visibility into the revenues for the upcoming years.
- It also signals a solid start to order inflow for the industry. They anticipate a sharp revenue rebound in the coming quarters because of the full order book, healthy order inflow, and restoration of normalcy in the supply chain.
- The implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), the company anticipates that the entire landscape of the Indian metering industry will undergo a radical transformation, resulting in a projected multifold increase in annual industry size.
G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group in Chandigarh
G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group in Chandigarh: The first G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group Meeting where participants will discuss ways to enhance stability and cohesion of the global financial architecture and how to make it fit to address the global financial architecture and how to make it fit to address the global challenges of the 21st century.
The meeting will also focus on exploring ways to provide maximum support to poor and vulnerable countries.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group in Chandigarh- Key Points
- The two-day gathering will feature about 100 delegates from G20 countries, invitee countries, and international organisations.
- The meeting will be officially opened by Ministers of Food Processing Industries Pashupati Kumar Paras and Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar.
- The discussions during the meeting will be jointly steered by the ministry of finance and the Reserve Bank of India along with France and Korea who are the co-chair of the International Financial Architecture Working Group.
- A G30 side event titled ‘Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC): Opportunities and Challenges will also be held.
- The event is aimed at sharing countries’ experiences and developing a deeper understanding of the macro-prudential implications of CBCDs.
- India assumed the G20 Presidency for one year on 1 December 2022.
- The G20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies.
India’s solar module manufacturing capacity to reach 95 GW by 2025: Report
India’s solar module manufacturing capacity to reach 95 GW by 2025: Report- According to the research firm, Mercom Capital, the solar module manufacturing capacity of India would reach approximately 95 GW by the end of 2025.
According to the report, “State of Solar PV Manufacturing In India”: India’s capacity for solar module manufacturing was announced at 39 GW at September 2022. It is expected that it will reach 95 GW by the end the calendar year (CY 2025).
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Report title: State of Solar PV Manufacturing in India.
According to the report, Indian photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers are strategically poised for growth and adoption of new technologies over the next few years thanks to government incentives programmes.
It said that states are encouraging domestic solar manufacturing by offering fiscal and non-fiscal incentives as part of their industrial, electronics and solar policies.
The Cabinet approved in September 2022 a Rs 19,500 crore production linked incentive (PLI), scheme for ‘national programme on high efficiency solar PV module’. This was to attract investments of Rs 94,000 crore. The US-based Mercom Capital Group is a clean energy research firm.
RBI: Number of micro ATMs increases in 2022
RBI: Number of micro ATMs increases in 2022- According to data, released by the RBI, as of December 2022, the total number of micro ATMs across the country has reached 14.19 lakh.
But, there has been no significant surge in the value of money withdrawn through these devices since June 2022. There were just about 3.56 lakh micro ATMs in India in 2020. The cash withdrawal in Dec 2021 was ₹25.2-lakh crore.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
Micro ATMs, as the name suggests, are small ATMs or card-swipe machines that are portable and handheld. They also facilitate cardless money disbursal, using the Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AePS) at remote locations. According to the RBI, “The micro platform will enable function through low-cost devices (micro ATMs) that will be connected to banks across the country. This would enable a person to instantly deposit or withdraw funds regardless of the bank associated with a particular business correspondent (BC). This device will be based on a mobile phone connection and would be made available at every BC. Customers would just have to get their identity authenticated and withdraw or put money into their bank accounts.”
Meanwhile, cash withdrawals worth ₹19.67-lakh crore were done in December 2020. In December 2021, it was ₹25.2-lakh crore, and grew to only about ₹25.5-lakh crore by November 2022, when the number of micro ATMs stood at 13.3 lakh. This also means that the value of transactions per micro ATM per month is also going down. The cash withdrawal numbers for December are yet to be released.
UK to be the country partner for BioAsia 2023
UK to be the country partner for BioAsia 2023: The global business firm, BioAsia has selected the United Kingdom (UK) as its country partner for the 20th edition of the largest event in the biotechnological industry of Asia.
Theme 2023: Advancing for ONE: Shaping the next generation of humanized healthcare.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
- ‘O’ in ONE stands for One Health
- ‘N’ in ONE stands for Next Generation Health
- ‘E’ in ONE stands for Equity
BioAsia 2023 will be organized from February 24 to 26 in Hyderabad, Telangana.
What is Bio Asia?
It is a forum that connects biotech industry stakeholders. The forum is an opportunistic platform for biotech leaders to learn about the latest technological advancements in the field. Different biotech companies participate in the forum and exhibit their research and innovations in the field. Experts and researchers attend the forum and present their research findings.
In short Bio Asia is the Life Science and Health care Forum.
GST collection at Rs 1.55 Lakh Crore in January 2023
GST collection at Rs 1.55 Lakh Crore in January 2023: The GST collection in January surged to over ₹ 1.55 lakh crore, the second highest-ever mop-up, the finance ministry said on Tuesday.
“The gross GST revenue collected in the month of January 2023 till 5:00 PM on 31.01.2023 is ₹ 1,55,922 crore of which CGST is ₹ 28,963 crore, SGST is ₹ 36,730 crore, IGST is ₹ 79,599 crore (including ₹ 37,118 crore collected on import of goods) and cess is ₹ 10,630 crore (including ₹ 768 crore collected on import of goods),” the ministry said in a statement.
February 2023 Current Affairs Quiz
The GST collection in January 2023 is the second highest, after the Rs 1.68 lakh crore gross mop-up reported in April 2022. The revenues in the current financial year up to January 2023 are 24% higher than the GST revenues in January 2022.
GST Day: 1st July