Important Topic Wise Current Affairs - February 2023-Important Defence News

Important Topic Wise Current Affairs –February 2023- Important Defence News
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Indian Army's 'Exercise Topchi' 2023 held in Maharashtra

 The Indian Army's 'Exercise Topchi', annual firepower demonstration and training exercise of the Reg
Artillery was conducted by the School of Artillery at Devlali Field Firing Ranges in Nashik’s
Maharashtra.
 To demonstrate the coordinated use of firepower and surveillance assets, including guns,
mortars, rocket launchers, drones, and aviation assets.
 Indigenously manufactured weapon systems were the highlight of the exercise.

 The event was conducted under the stewardship of Lieutenant General S Harimohan Iyer,
AVSM, Commandant School of Artillery and Colonel Commandant Regiment of Artillery.
Aim :
 To demonstrate the coordinated use of firepower and surveillance assets, including guns, mortars, roc
launchers, drones, and aviation assets.
 Indigenously manufactured weapon systems were the highlight of the exercise.

 The event was conducted under the stewardship of Lieutenant General S Harimohan Iyer, AVSM,
Commandant School of Artillery and Colonel Commandant Regiment of Artillery.
Key Highlights :
 This year, the major focus has been on 'Atmanirbharata' (self-reliance).
 The highlight of the exercise was display and firing by indigenously manufactured Artillery equipment v
Vajra, Dhanush, Indian Field Gun (IFG) / Light Field Gun (LFG) System and Pinaka Multi Barrel Rocke
Launchers
 This edition of "Exercise Topchi" showcased the integrated employment of firepower and surveillance
 The exercise involving the SWATHI radar system has been made in India.
Indian Army organises integrated exercise Trishakti Prahar in North Bengal
 The Indian military concluded exercise Trishakti Prahar - 10-day joint training exercise in the
strategically vital Siliguri corridor, in North Bengal.
 To practise battle preparedness of using the latest weapons and equipment in a networked
environment, involving all arms and services of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and
central armed police forces (CAPF).
 The fire power exercise was reviewed by Lt Gen R P Kalita, Army Commander, Eastern Command.
About the exercise :
 As a part of the exercise, swift mobilisation and deployment practices were carried out in various
locations across north Bengal.

 To ensure efficient movement and quick mobilisation, all agencies, including the civil
administration, civil defence organisations, police and CAPFs, were coordinated.

 The exercise also witnessed participation of newly-inducted weapons and equipment made in
India as a part of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
About Indian Army :

 Headquarters : New Delhi, Delhi
 Chief of the Air Staff : Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
Govt weighs ITC stake sale:

 The Centre has revived a plan to sell part of its indirectly held stake in ITC and the transaction could
even be completed in the current financial year.
 If the transaction happens before March, the government could easily meet its revised disinvestment
target of Rs 50,000 crore for FY23, given that it has already netted Rs 31,106 crore, and a sale is
also being planned of a part of its residual stake in Vedanta-controlled Hindustan Zinc.
 The government holds a prized 7.86% in ITC via the Specified Undertaking of the Unit Trust of India
(SUUTI).
 At current market prices, this stake is worth about Rs 37,390 crore, but the proposed transaction
could be only a fraction of this.

 ITC is a holding company with a diversified presence in cigarettes, hotels, paperboards & speciality
papers, packaging, agribusiness, packaged foods & confectionery, branded apparel, greeting cards
and other FMCG products.
 In February 2017, the government sold a 2% stake from SUUTI’s holding in ITC to mobilise about Rs
6,700 crore.
 No further stake in ITC has been sold after 2017 because it was felt that a de-merger of the
conglomerate into several distinct entities could help the government realise more value.
 Currently, Life Insurance Corporation holds 15.29% of ITC, while foreign direct investment is at
29.18% (Rothmans International Enterprises, Myddleton Investment Company, and Tobacco

Manufacturers (India).
About ITC:
 ITC Limited is an Indian conglomerate company headquartered in Kolkata. ITC has a diversified
presence across industries such as FMCG, hotels, software, packaging, paperboards, specialty
papers and agribusiness.

 The company has 13 businesses in 5 segments. It exports its products in 90 countries.
 Headquarters: Kolkata
 Founded: 24 August 1910, Kolkata

RIL, Ashok Leyland unveil India's first hydrogen-powered truck
 Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) and Ashok Leyland unveiled India’s first Hydrogen
Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE) powered truck at the India Energy Week in Bengaluru.
 RIL and Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship company of the Hinduja Group and India’s leading
commercial vehicle manufacturer, were working on developing this technology over the past year.
 RIL, which contracts a fleet of nearly 45,000 trucks every year to move goods for its refining and
marketing operations, is interested in powering them with green hydrogen which it would be
producing at its Jamnagar facility in a few years.
 Green hydrogen is the cleanest form of fuel when produced through renewable sources of energy.
 According to a June 2022 report by Niti Aayog on Harnessing Green Hydrogen, increasing
consumption from steel and heavy-duty trucking sectors will be the long-term driver for hydrogen,
with the demand of almost 11 million tonnes per year by 2030 and accounting for almost 52% of total
demand by 2050.
 Shenu Agarwal as Managing Director & CEO Ashok Leyland.

About RIL:
 Headquarters: Mumbai
 Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani

 Owner: Mukesh Ambani
India ranks first in milk production in the world contributing 24% of global milk production
 According to production data of Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database
(FAOSTAT), India is the highest milk producer in the world contributing twenty-four per cent of global
milk production in the year 2021-22.

 Milk production of India has registered a fifty-one per cent increase during the last eight years- during
the year 2014-15 and 2021-22 and increased to twenty-two crore tonne in the year 2021-22.
 Due to the implementation of various schemes by the department, Milk Production in the country has
increased from 146.31 Million Tonnes in 2014-15 to 221.

 Egg production in the country has increased from 78.48 billion in 2014-15 to 129.53 billion in 2021-
22.
 Egg production in the country is growing at the rate of 8 per cent per annum.
 Further, the National Programme for Dairy Development aims at enhancing the quality of milk, milk
products and increasing the share of organised procurement, processing, value addition and
marketing.
About NPDD:
 NPDD was launched in February 2014 by merging three existing schemes- Intensive Dairy
Development Programme, Strengthening Infrastructure for Quality and Clean Milk Production and
Assistance to Cooperatives.
 In July 2021, NPDD has been restructured with the aim of enhancing the quality of milk and milk
products and increasing the share of organised procurement, processing, value addition and
marketing; for implementation from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
 National Livestock Mission, Sub-Mission on Feed and Fodder Development is a separate scheme
aiming to increase the availability of fodder and feed.

BSE to divest 2.5% stake in CDSL; net profit drops 16 %:
 Leading bourse Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) said it will offload 2.5% stake in Central Depository
Services (India) Ltd.
 The stake sale will be carried out through offer for sale (OFS) route.
 CDSL is one of the two depositories in India and the only listed one in the country, the other being
National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL).
 It facilitates holding and transacting in securities in the electronic form and facilitates settlement of
trades on stock exchanges.
About BSE:
 BSE is the oldest and India's first equity index launched in the country.
 BSE Limited, also known as the Bombay Stock Exchange, is an Indian stock exchange.
 It is located on Dalal Street in Mumbai.

 Established in 1875 by cotton merchant Premchand Roychand, a Jain businessman.
 Sundararaman Ramamurthy, MD and CEO of BSE.

TCS has secured its largest UK deal in three years with a new agreement
 Tata Consultancy Services Ltd has secured its largest UK deal in three years with a new agreement
with an insurance services provider.

 London-based Phoenix Group Holdings Plc has agreed to a contract worth more than £600 million
($723 million) to digitally transform its product offering.
 As part of the deal, Asia’s biggest outsourcer will integrate Phoenix-owned life and pensions provider
ReAssure’s heritage business on its core financial services platform.
 A TCS unit in the UK will also manage customer administration and servicing of ReAssure’s 3 million
policies.
About TCS:
 Tata Consultancy Services is an Indian multinational information technology services and consulting
company
 Its headquarters is in Mumbai.
 Rajesh Gopinathan is the CEO and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services.
Net inflows under non-resident deposits have grown to $3.6 billion:
 Net inflows under non-resident deposits have grown to $3.6 billion during April-November 2022 from
$2.6 billion a year ago.

 As per RBI governor, net inflows under non-resident deposits have been boosted by the Reserve
Bank’s July 6th measures.
 Under measures to attract NRI deposits, RBI had exempted incremental FCNR (B) deposits and
NRE term deposits mobilised by banks (with reference to base date of July 1, 2022) from
maintenance of reserves (CRR and SLR).
 The exemptions became effective from the reporting fortnight beginning July 30, 2022.
 These are valid for deposits raised till November 04, 2022.
 Banks should keep a certain percentage of deposits as cash reserves with RBI.
 This is known as Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR).
 Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) refers to reserves that the bank should have with them in liquid form
in the short term.
DGCA Imposes Rs 20 Lakh Penalty On AirAsia India

 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has imposed a Rs 20 lakh fine on Air Asia
(India) for violating applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements.
 The aviation regulator suspended Air Asia's Head of Training from his position for a period of 3
months for failing to discharge his duties.

 A penalty of Rs 3 lakh each on eight designated examiners of the airline has also been imposed,
for failing to discharge their duties.

 Earlier, a surveillance inspection of Air Asia (India) Ltd was carried out by the DGCA during
November 23 to November 25, 2022.
 According to a senior official, during the inspection, the DGCA team observed that a few
mandatory exercises of the pilots of Air Asia (India) Ltd were not done during Pilot Proficiency
Check and Instrument Rating check (which is an International Civil Aviation Organisation
requirement) as per schedule, resulting in violation of DGCA regulations.

About DGCA
 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is a statutory body of the Government of India to
regulate civil aviation in India.

 It became a statutory body under the Aircraft Act, 2020.
 Headquarters: New Delhi

 Minister responsible: Suresh Prabhu
Direct tax mop-up rises 24% to Rs 15.67 lakh crore
 Gross direct tax collections grew 24% to Rs 15.67 lakh crore so far this fiscal, the finance
ministry.
 After adjusting for refunds, the net direct tax collection stood at Rs 13 lakh crore, a growth of
18.4%.
 The net collections are about 79% of Revised Estimates of direct tax collection for current fiscal.
 The revised estimates for the current fiscal pegged direct tax revenues at Rs 16.5 lakh crore,
higher than the budget estimates of Rs 14.2 lakh crore.
 In the current fiscal, the revenues from direct tax (includes income and corporate taxes) are
projected to grow by over 17% compared to 2021-22 fiscal when the collection was Rs 14.1 lakh
crore.
 Between April to February 10, the growth rate for gross Corporate Income Tax (CIT) and gross
Personal Income Tax (PIT) collections was 19.3% and 29.6% respectively.
4th edition of India-Uzbekistan Joint Military Exercise - Dustlik begins in Uttarakhand

 The 4th edition of annual bilateral joint military exercise Exercise DUSTLIK (2023) between the
India-Uzbekistan military training is being conducted from 20 February, 2023 till 5th March, 2023
)14 days) in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

About Uzbekistan :
 President : Shavkat Mirziyoyev
 Prime Minister : Abdulla Aripov

 Capital : Tashkent
 Currency : Uzbekistani Som
INS Sumedha Visits Abu Dhabi To Participate In IDEX And NAVDEX 23

 Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sumedha has participated in NAVDEX 23 (Naval Defense Exhibition)
and IDEX 23 (International Defense Exhibition) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
 The exercise will be held from 20 to 24 February 2023.
 INS Sumedha is the 3rd ship of the indigenously built Saryu class Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel
(NOPV) and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 7 March 2014.
 It is built indigenously at Goa Shipyard Limited & is equipped with an impressive array of
weapons and sensors.
About Ministry of Defence :

 Union Minister : Rajnath Singh
 Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt
 Defence Secretary : Giridhar Aramane
Indian submarine INS Sindhukesari docks in Indonesia for the first time amid South China Sea friction
 Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sindhukesari has become the first Indian submarine to dock in Indonesia,
amid the conflict between China and Indonesia in the South China Sea.
 INS Sindhukesari is part of the Russian-made Sindhughosh-class submarines.

 It is a 3,000-tonne Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine.
 It was designed as part of Project 877 and built under a contract between Rosvooruzhenie,
Russia, and the Ministry of Defence (India).
 The submarine was first commissioned by the Indian Navy in December 1988 before being
refitted in 2018.
About Indonesia :
 President : Joko Widodo
 Capital: Jakarta
 Currency : Indonesian rupiah
IAF develops indigenous ‘Vayulink’ platform for jammer-proof communication
● The Indian Air Force (IAF) has developed an innovative indigenous platform ‘Vayulink’ that would
help pilots in dealing with bad weather and also provide jammer-proof uninterrupted
communication with the base station.

About ‘Vayulink’ :
● Vayulink is an ad-hoc data link communication system.
● It uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that is also known as NAVIC, to
send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low
● Vayulink, when installed in an aircraft, gives the position of other aircraft close by encrypted traffic
data over a secure channel.
Advantages :
● The platform helps to prevent fratricide or friendly fire, i.e., it helps us to know where the friendly
forces are present.

● It can also give the pilots data on the weather.
● It helps plan real-time basis where multiple teams can get together and go towards the target
coming from different areas.

● The Vayulink system also prevents aircraft collision and provides better combat teaming.
About IAF :
● Established: 8 October 1932
● Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India
● Chief of Defence Staff: General Anil Chauhan

● Chief of the Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
Boeing launches its first global support center in India
 United States (US) aerospace major Boeing launched its first global support center (GSC) in India
at Gurugram, Haryana.
 It also plans to invest in a new logistics center to cater to its regional customers.
 The GSC will provide customized operational efficiency and safety improvement projects for its
airline customers, civil aviation regulatory bodies, and other industry stakeholders
About GSC India :
 The GSC will conduct technical workshops and projects to support aircraft reliability, enhance
airplane performance, and encourage the adoption of Airplane Health Management (AHM)
systems.
 For operational improvements, the center will work with operators and regulators on structures
and airworthiness; the Maintenance Error Decision Aid (MEDA), a human-factors tool; Air Traffic
Management (ATM); aerospace optimization; and low visibility operation through Head-Up
Display (HUD) and Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS).

 More than 150 Boeing airplanes, including the next-generation 737, 737 MAX, 757, 777, and 787
Dreamliner, are operated by leading Indian commercial airlines

 Through its India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub program, Boeing is already
supporting local customers by creating an ecosystem of comprehensive support packages and
indigenous Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities with its partners.
 Currently, India operates a fleet of Boeing aircraft, including 11 C-17s, 22 AH-64 Apaches (with
an additional 6 on order), 15 CH-47 Chinooks, 12 P-8Is, 3 VVIP aircraft, and 2 head-of-state
aircraft.
About the new logistics center:
 In the initial phase of the operations, the India logistics center would focus on supporting airline
customers.
 In the 2nd phase, it would cater to the larger network of Boeing’s customers in the region
About Boeing India :
 Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

 President: Salil Gupte
 CEO: David L.Calhoun.
 The Boeing Company is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and
sells aeroplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles

worldwide.
4th edition of India-Japan joint military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian’ 2023 begins
● The 4th edition of the annual joint military exercise, “EX DHARMA GUARDIAN”, between India
and Japan is being conducted at Camp Imazu in Shiga province, Japan from 17 February to 02
March 2023.
Participants :
● Troops of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army and an Infantry Regiment from the
Middle Army of the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) will be participating in the
exercise.
● Exercise Dharma Guardian is an annual training event that has been conducted in India since
2018 to enhance defence cooperation between Indian Army & JGSDF.
● The 3rd edition of Exercise ‘Dharma Guardian’ was held at Foreign Training Node, Belgaum from
February 27, 2022 to March 10, 2022.
About EX DHARMA GUARDIAN :
● The training exercise will enhance the defence cooperation between India and Japan.
● It will also further deepen ties between both countries.
● Platoon-level joint training on operations in Jungle and semi-urban terrain is part of this joint
training Exercise.
Significance of the exercise :
● The training will focus primarily on a high degree of physical fitness and sharing of drills at the
tactical level.
● The joint exercise will enable the two armies to share best practices in tactics, techniques and
procedures of conducting tactical operations under a UN Mandate.
Other Exercise between India and Japan :
● Malabar Exercise
● Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX)

● Shinyuu Maitri
About MoD :
● Union Minister : Rajnath Singh
● Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt
● Defence Secretary : Giridhar Aramane

MoD signs contract worth Rs 2,585 crore with L&T for procurement of 41 indigenous modular
bridges
 The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the procurement
of 41 indigenous modular bridges worth over Rs 2,585 crore for the Indian Army's Corps of
Engineers.
Aim :
 To provide increased mobility on the western front and is in line with Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s vision for an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
Key Highlights :
 The bridges have been designed and developed by Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and shall be produced by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as a DRDO-nominated
production agency.
 7 carrier vehicles based on 8×8 Heavy Mobility Vehicles (HMV) and two launcher vehicles based
on 10×10 HMV are required for each set of modular bridges.
 Each set will be able to mechanically launch a single-span fully decked 46-metre assault bridge.
 The modular bridges will replace the manually-launched Medium Girder Bridges (MGB) that are
currently being used in the Indian Army.
 The Modular bridges shall have many advantages over the MGB such as increased span, less
time for construction and mechanical launching with retrieval capability.
About MoD :
 Union Minister : Rajnath Singh

 Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt
 Defence Secretary : Giridhar Aramane
About L&T :
 Founded : 7 February 1946
 Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
 Chairman : Anil Manibhai Naik

 MD & CEO : S. N. Subrahmanyan
Naval LCA & MiG-29K carry out maiden landing on INS Vikrant
 The Indian Navy’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) & the MiG-29K undertook their maiden landing
onboard the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant.
 As part of the aviation trials, the landing of LCA (Navy) and MiG-29K onboard INS Vikrant was
carried out by Indian Naval Test Pilots.

 It is the first ever indigenously designed and constructed aircraft carrier
About INS Vikrant :

 The ship has been designed in-house by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and
constructed by M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited.
Key features :
 Displacement: 45,000 tonnes
 Length: 262 m (860 ft)
 Wide: 62 m (203 ft)
 The carrier has a top speed of around 28 knots and a cruising speed of 18 knots with an
endurance of about 7,500 nautical miles.

 India also joined the elite group of nations – the US, Russia, France, the UK, and China who are
capable of designing and constructing aircraft carriers.

About LCA :
 LCA - LCA (Navy) is a prototype of the naval version of the locally made light combat aircraft
(LCA).
 The LCA (Navy) was indigenously designed & produced by Aeronautical Development Agency
(ADA) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

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Important Topic Wise Current Affairs –February 2023- Important Defence News

Indian Army's 'Exercise Topchi' 2023 held in Maharashtra

 Indigenously manufactured weapon systems were the highlight of the exercise.

launchers, drones, and aviation assets.

 Indigenously manufactured weapon systems were the highlight of the exercise.

locations across north Bengal.

administration, civil defence organisations, police and CAPFs, were coordinated.

About Indian Army :

Govt weighs ITC stake sale:

even be completed in the current financial year.

could be only a fraction of this.

29.18% (Rothmans International Enterprises, Myddleton Investment Company, and Tobacco

papers and agribusiness.

 Founded: 24 August 1910, Kolkata

 Shenu Agarwal as Managing Director & CEO Ashok Leyland.

 Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani

milk production in the year 2021-22.

increased from 146.31 Million Tonnes in 2014-15 to 221.

aiming to increase the availability of fodder and feed.

 It is located on Dalal Street in Mumbai.

 Sundararaman Ramamurthy, MD and CEO of BSE.

with an insurance services provider.

Net inflows under non-resident deposits have grown to $3.6 billion:

$2.6 billion a year ago.

DGCA Imposes Rs 20 Lakh Penalty On AirAsia India

months for failing to discharge his duties.

for failing to discharge their duties.

November 23 to November 25, 2022.

requirement) as per schedule, resulting in violation of DGCA regulations.

regulate civil aviation in India.

 Headquarters: New Delhi

4th edition of India-Uzbekistan Joint Military Exercise - Dustlik begins in Uttarakhand

)14 days) in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

 President : Shavkat Mirziyoyev

 Prime Minister : Abdulla Aripov

INS Sumedha Visits Abu Dhabi To Participate In IDEX And NAVDEX 23

 The exercise will be held from 20 to 24 February 2023.

About Ministry of Defence :

 INS Sindhukesari is part of the Russian-made Sindhughosh-class submarines.

IAF develops indigenous ‘Vayulink’ platform for jammer-proof communication

communication with the base station.

● Vayulink is an ad-hoc data link communication system.

forces are present.

coming from different areas.

● Established: 8 October 1932

● Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India

● Chief of Defence Staff: General Anil Chauhan

Boeing launches its first global support center in India

Display (HUD) and Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS).

Dreamliner, are operated by leading Indian commercial airlines

About the new logistics center:

About Boeing India :

 Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

sells aeroplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles

About EX DHARMA GUARDIAN :

Other Exercise between India and Japan :

● Japan-India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX)

● Union Minister : Rajnath Singh

● Minister of State : Ajay Bhatt

● Defence Secretary : Giridhar Aramane

 Union Minister : Rajnath Singh

 Headquarters : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

 Chairman : Anil Manibhai Naik