Current affairs FEB 2023

 Asia's biggest air show Aero India 2023 in

Bengaluru

 Mohammad Shahabuddin elected President of

Bangladesh

 Draupadi Murmu appoints new governors in 13

states

 India's first drone-air traffic management system

 Quad countries launch 'Quad Cyber Challenge'

 World Radio Day

 PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Asia's biggest air show Aero
India 2023 in Bengaluru
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 14th edition
of Aero India show in Bengaluru on 13 February.

• The 14th edition of Aero India 2023 is being organised by

the Indian Department of Defense Production from February
13 to 17 at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru,
Karnataka.
• The theme of the five-day event is ‘The Runway to a Bllion Opportunities’

• 98 countries are participating in the event and MoUs worth Rs 75,000

crore are expected to be signed during the event.

• In the India Pavilion section, 115 Indian companies will display 227
products made in India.

• LCA Tejas Mark 1 is the main attraction of these products.

• Made in India Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv Mark III
and IV, Light Combat Helicopter Prachanda participating in HAL's HTT 40 Trainer Air
Show.

Significance of Aero India 2023

• The event will promote the export of indigenous air platforms - Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA)-Tejas, HTT-40, Dornier Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter
(LCH) and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).
• The event will help integrate domestic MSMEs and start-ups into the global supply chain.
• It will attract foreign investment including partnership for co-development and co-
production.
• This event will make a significant contribution to the development of the aerospace and
aviation sector.
 Mohammad Shahabuddin elected President of Bangladesh

• According to the notification issued by the Election Commission

of Bangladesh on 13th February Mohammad Shahabuddin will
be the next President of Bangladesh.
• He will be the 22nd President of Bangladesh.
• He was the only candidate to file his nomination after the time
for nomination and withdrawal was over.
• Retired judge, Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner and
freedom fighter Mohammad Shahabuddin was nominated for the
post by the ruling Awami League.
• The term of current President Abdul Hamid ends on April 23.
• He served as the President of Bangladesh for two consecutive terms.
• The Constitution of Bangladesh does not allow any person to hold the presidency
for more than two terms.

About Mohammad Shahabuddin

• He was born in 1949 in Pabna. He took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh
in 1971.
• After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August
1975 along with most of his family members, he was imprisoned for several years.
• He is a member of the Awami League Advisory Council.
• People’s Republic of Bangladesh
• Capital: Dhaka
• Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Wazed
• President: Mohammad Shahabuddin
• Currency: Taka
 Khelo India Youth Games- 2022: Maharashtra finishes in first
position, host Madhya Pradesh 3rd
• The fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games culminated
on February 11.
• Maharashtra topped the medal tally by winning 161 medals
including 56 gold. While Haryana stood second with 128
medals including 41 gold.
• Host Madhya Pradesh finished third with 96 medals including
39 gold.
• The participation of girls in these games was about 40
percent.
Khelo India Youth Games
• The Games were hosted in Madhya Pradesh from 30 January
2023 to 11 February 2023.
• For the first time water sports namely Kayaking Canoeing,
Canoe Salam and Fencing were part of this edition of Khelo India
Games.
• It was organized in eight different cities of the state.
• These eight host cities are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior,
Ujjain, Maheshwar, Mandla and Balaghat.
• The 4th Khelo India Youth Games was held at Tau Devi Lal
Stadium in Panchkula (Haryana) from June 4 to 13, 2022, while
some matches were also played in Chandigarh.
 Nikos Christodoulides elected as the new president of Cyprus

• Former Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides was elected President of

Cyprus on 13 February after a second and final round of voting.

• Christodoulides, 49, won 51.9% of the vote, while his opponent Andreas
Mavroyanis, 66, took 48.1%.

• More than 72.4 percent of people voted in Cyprus this time, which is
higher than before.
• He was appointed Government Spokesperson in 2014 and Foreign
Minister in 2018.
• Christodoulides is supported by the Democratic Party, the
Movement for Social Democracy and the Democratic Alignment.

Republic of Cyprus
• It is an island European country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
• It gained its Independence from Britain in 1960.
• Capital: Nicosia
• Currency: Euro
• President: Nikos Christodoulides
 President Draupadi Murmu appoints new governors in 13
states

• President Droupadi Murmu appointed 13 new Governors

while accepting the resignations of Bhagat Singh Koshyari as
Governor of Maharashtra and of Radha Krishnan Mathur as
Lt. Governor of Ladakh on 12 February.
The fresh appointments

• Lt. General Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik, (Retired) Governor of Arunachal

Pradesh

• Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Governor of Sikkim

• C P Radhakrishnan, Governor of Jharkhand

• Shiv Pratap Shukla, Governor of Himachal Pradesh

• S. Abdul Nazeer, Governor of Andhra Pradesh

• Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor of Assam

Change of states of some current governors
• Justice (Retd) Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh
appointed as Governor of Chhattisgarh.
• Anusuiya Uikye, Governor of Chhattisgarh appointed as Governor of
Manipur.
• La. Ganesan, Governor of Manipur appointed as Governor of Nagaland.
• Phagu Chauhan, Governor of Bihar appointed as Governor of Meghalaya.
• Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Governor of Himachal Pradesh appointed as
Governor of Bihar.
• Ramesh Bais, Governor of Jharkhand appointed as Governor of Maharashtra.
• Brig (Dr) B D Mishra (Retd), Governor of Arunachal Pradesh appointed as Lt.
Governor of Ladakh.
Constitutional Articles
• Article 153- Governors of states
• Article 154- Executive power of state
• Article 155- Appointment of Governor
• Article 156- Term of office of Governor
• Article 157- Qualifications for appointment as Governor
• Article 158- Conditions of Governor’s office
• Article 159- Oath or affirmation by the Governor
• Article 160- Discharge of the functions of the Governor in certain contingencies
• Article 161- Power of the Governor to grant pardons and others
• Article 162- Extent of executive power of state
• Article 163- Council of ministers to aid and advise the Governor
 Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2023 begins in Mumbai

• Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on 11 February

inaugurated the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav- 2023 (RSM) at
Azad Maidan, Churchgate in Mumbai.

• The festival has been organised by the Ministry of Culture,

Government of India from 11 to 19 February to promote
national unity and integrity through cultural exchange.
 Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates
AMRIPTEX 2023
• The Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and
Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated AMRITPEX 2023 - National Philatelic
Exhibition on 11 February in New Delhi.
• This five day Mahakumbh of Stamps (11th to 15th February, 2023) in Hall 5,
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, is being organized as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit
Mahotsav Celebrations.
• The themes of the exhibition include Amrit Mahotsav of Independence and New
India, women power, youth power, nature and wildlife, and culture and history
of India.
• This stamp has been prepared from the best entries of the National
Comprehensive Design Competition in which more than 4 lakh students
participated.
India Post
• India Post is the central postal system of India and was
established on 1 April 1854.
• It works under the Ministry of Communications, Government
of India.
• India's postal system is one of the most widely distributed
networks in the world.
 India's first drone-air traffic management system

• The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin

Gadkari unveiled the country's first drone-air traffic
management system "Sky UTM".

• It is developed by "Sky Air".

• Sky UTM is a cloud-based air traffic management system that

integrates unmanned air traffic with manned aviation
airspace.
• The system is capable of handling 4,000 flights per hour and 96,000 flights per
day.

• Sky UTM is designed to provide situational awareness, autonomous

navigation, risk assessment and traffic management to all drone/other aerial
moving operators in the airspace.

• Sky UTM captures over 255 parameters of UAV movement and stores them in
its 'Blackbox' which is a published systematic description of the entire flight.

• Sky UTM has operated over 300 successful BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight)
drone flights to date.
 US introduces bill to promote peaceful resolution of conflict
between China and Dalai Lama
• US lawmakers have introduced a bill in the House of
Representatives and the Senate that outlines US policy for
open dialogue between China and Tibetan spiritual leader the
Dalai Lama.

• The Bill calls for the independence of the Tibetan people and
the peaceful resolution of their differences regarding Tibet.
 Quad countries launch 'Quad Cyber Challenge'

• Quad countries India, Australia, America and Japan have

recently launched Quad Cyber Challenge to strengthen cyber
security.

• Its main objective is to strengthen the cyber security system

in the Indo-Pacific region.

• With the help of the 'Quad Cyber Challenge', the four

countries will jointly make efforts to improve cyber security.
'Quad Cyber Challenge:'
• The National Cyber Coordination Office along with the National Security
Council Secretariat is coordinating the Quad Cyber Challenge on behalf of
India.
• The Quad countries have invited internet users from the Indo-Pacific and
surrounding regions to participate in this cyber challenge.

Quad Security Dialog:

• Quad or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a group of four countries:
America, Japan, Australia and India.
• The concept of Quad was given by the former Prime Minister of Japan
Shinzo Abe in the year 2007.
• The group is now seen primarily as a group countering Chinese influence in
the region.
• The 2022 Quad summit was held in Japan and the next one will be held in
Australia in 2023.
Lithium reserves found for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir

• For the first time in the country, reserves of 59 lakh

tonnes of lithium have been found in the Reasi district of
Jammu division.

• The Geological Survey of India has discovered lithium

deposits in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district in Jammu
and Kashmir.
• Currently India is dependent on imports for Lithium, Nickel
and Cobalt. This discovery will reduce India's dependence on
lithium from other countries.
• A report on 51 mineral blocks including Lithium and Gold was
submitted to the State Governments during the 62nd Central
Geological Programming Board (CGPB) meeting.

• Out of these 51 mineral blocks, 5 blocks are related to gold and other
blocks are related to potash, molybdenum, base metals.

• These minerals have been found in different districts of 11 states

which include Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan,
Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
Lithium:
• It is a chemical element with the symbol (Li).
• It is the lightest metal and the lightest solid element at standard
conditions.
• It is alkaline and a rare metal.
• Lithium has an atomic number of 3 and an atomic mass of
6.941u.
• Lithium is one of the key components of rechargeable batteries
for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles.
• It is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like
heart pacemakers, toys, and watches.
• Countries with the largest reserves: Chile > Australia > Argentina
 ISRO launches its smallest rocket SSLV - D2

• Indian Space Research Organization has launched its

smallest rocket SSLV-D2 into space from Satish Dhawan
Space Center (Sriharikota).
• An overview of the news:
• ISRO's SSLV-D2 flew into space carrying three satellites with
it.
• These include ISRO's satellite EOS-07, Chennai-based space
startup Spacekidz's satellite Azad SAT-2 and American
company Antaris's satellite JANUS -1.
• All these three satellites will be placed in circular orbit 450
km apart.
• ISRO's smallest new rocket SSLV-D2 works on the technology
of launch on demand.
• It has the capability to cater to the launch of 500 kg satellites
into low earth orbits.
• SSLV-D2 is 34 metres in length while 2 metres in width. It can
fly with a load of about 120 tonnes.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO):

• It was established on 15 August 1969.

• It is the national space agency of India. It launches its space

rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota,
Andhra Pradesh.

• Headquarters: Bengaluru

• Chairman: S Somnath
 South Africa declares 'State of Disaster' over electricity crisis

• Recently South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a

"state of disaster" due to the country's power crisis during his
annual State of the Nation address in Cape Town.
• This follows just 10 months after the Covid-induced "State of
Disaster" was lifted.
• South Africa is currently facing several crises, including issues
such as power crisis, unemployment, increase in crime and
violence.
• The President announced that a Minister of Power would be
appointed to deal with the matter more effectively and promptly.
South Africa

• President: Cyril Ramaphosa

• Capitals: Cape Town (Legislative), Pretoria (Executive),

Bloemfontein (Judicial)

• Currency : Rand
 Digital economy working group meeting of G20 to be held in
Lucknow
• India's G20 chairmanship, the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology (MeitY) will organise the first Digital
Economy Working Group meeting in Lucknow from February
13-15.

Global Digital Economy

• The global digital economy is currently estimated at US$11
trillion and is expected to reach US$23 trillion by 2025.
• Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) plays a critical role in
shaping the global policy discourse in the digital space.
 World Radio Day

• World Radio Day is celebrated every year on 13 February

across the world.

• The day is observed every year to raise awareness among the

public and media about the importance of radio and to
encourage access to information through radio.
• The theme for this 12th edition of World Radio Day - 'Radio
and Peace'.
• The sub-theme of the World Radio day - ‘Radio in Conflict
Prevention and Peacebuilding’ and ‘Support to Independent
Radio’.

• United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO)

• On 3 November 2011, UNESCO declared 13 February as

World Radio Day as United Nations Radio was first
established on this day in 1946.
 World Unani Day
• Every year 11 February is celebrated as World Unani Day with the aim
of spreading public awareness about health care through Unani
medicines.

• The theme for World Unani Day 2023 is “Unani Medicine for Public
Health”.

• The day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan, a

social reformer and great Indian Unani physician.

• It originated in ancient Greece.

 International day for women and girls in science

• International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed every

year on 11 February.

• It was announced by the United Nations General Assembly to

celebrate this day on 22 December 2015 to ensure the strong role of
women in the field of science and technology as well as to increase
gender empowerment.
• This day is celebrated jointly by UNESCO and the United Nations
Women's Association (UN Women).
• Efforts of the Government of India to increase the role of women
and girls in the field of science
 World Pulses Day

• Every year February 10 is celebrated as World Pulses Day.

• 'International Pulses Day' was celebrated for the first time in

the year 2016.
• Later, the United Nations General Assembly passed a
resolution to observe 10 February 2019 as World Pulses Day.
Since then, World Pulses Day is celebrated on 10 February.
• Theme: "Pulses for a sustainable future".

• India is the largest producer of pulses.

• Rajasthan ranks first in India in the production of pulses.
• Indian Institute of Pulses Research - Kanpur