Crack Grade B 1

CURRENT AFFAIRS
14th to 17TH FEBRUARY

ESI & FINANCE NEWS

WHOLESALE INFLATION EASES TO

3-MONTH LOW OF 0.27%.
• WPI- 0.27% year on year in Jan
compared with 0.73% in the previous
month, helped by a deflation in the core
wholesale index and a decline in food
prices.

INDIA, 4 OTHERS VOICE CONCERN AT WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT

REFORM PROPOSAL
• India, Bangladesh, Egypt,
Indonesia and South Africa
have raised concerns at a
latest World Trade
Organization (WTO).
• Draft on dispute settlement
reform which proposes
inclusion of mediators during
consultations and the
composition and powers of
dispute settlement panels.
• On the introduction of an
element of mandatory
Alternate dispute resolution
(ADR) and arbitration.
• WTO – World trade
Organisation- 1st Jan 1995.
• HQ- Geneva, Switzerland.
• Member- 164 members (160 UN members states, European Union, Hong Kong,
Macao, and Taiwan).
• Head- Director- General- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

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Unfair to levy carbon tax on developing countries: CEA
• The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will come into effect from
January 1, 2026. But from October 1, 2023, companies from seven carbon-
intensive sectors, including steel, cement, fertilizer, and aluminum, have been
mandated to share data about carbon emissions with the EU. According to
estimates, the CBAM will result in an additional 20-35% duty on exports.

India rejects EFTA's 'data exclusivity' demand

• India has rejected the demand of the four-nation European Free Trade
Association (EFTA) for 'data exclusivity' provisions in the free trade agreement
both sides are negotiating.

EFTA's members - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland - are countries

that have opted out of the European Union.

• The demand for data exclusivity would make it difficult for the Indian pharma
industry to produce generic variants of off-patent products.
• Exclusivity provisions will bar generic drug makers from using data of
preclinical tests and clinical trials of former patent holders. If generic
medicine makers wish to introduce their version of an off-patent drug, then they
will have to either generate their own clinical data or wait for the exclusivity period
to end.
• In FY23, India's exports to EFTA countries stood at $1.92 billion, and imports
at $16.74 billion.

INDIA, NEPAL SIGN PACT FOR LINKING UPI AND NPI

• State-owned central banks of India and Nepal on Thursday signed terms of
reference for the integration of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and National
Payments Interface (NPI).
• The Reserve Bank of India and the Nepal Rastra Bank signed the terms of
reference. Formal launch will be done later.

RBI directs card network to stop B2B payments

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) directed a card network to cease using an
unauthorized route for business-to-business payments.
• The RBI did not disclose the name of the card network involved.
• The unauthorized route allowed businesses to make card payments through
intermediaries to entities that do not accept card payments.
• Certain commercial payments were routed through third-party intermediaries,
violating the RBI's payment and customer identification rules.
• The card network has been instructed to suspend all such arrangements until
further notice.

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• The arrangement involved intermediaries accepting card payments from
corporates for commercial payments and then transferring funds through
IMPS/RTGS/NEFT to non-card accepting recipients.
• This arrangement was deemed a payment system and required authorization
under the Payment and Settlement Systems (PSS) Act, 2007, which it lacked.
• Commercial payments routed through a third party raised concerns about large
amounts of funds being pooled into intermediary accounts and transactions being
processed without adequate beneficiary information.
• Visa acknowledged receiving communication from the RBI regarding the matter
and stated that it has been directed to hold all transactions involving business
payment solution providers (BPSPs) in abeyance.

Growth in bank credit likely to moderate in FY25: Report

• Difficulties in mobilizing deposits to meet the loan demand may hinder the growth
in bank credit in India in the next financial year, S&P Global Ratings said in a
report on Thursday.
• The rating agency expects the system-level credit growth to moderate to 14% in
FY25, from around 16% in the first three quarters of the current fiscal year,
with margins also set to fall.
• "Credit demand is strong. The economic backdrop is highly conducive to growth.
Asset quality is improving, buoyed by a confluence of supportive structural and
cyclical factors," the rating agency said. "All that banks are missing is a boom in
deposits."

ESIC added 1.88 million new members in December 2023: Govt

• ESIC added 1.88 million new members in December 2023, according to
provisional payroll data released on Thursday.
• Around 23,347 new establishments were registered and brought under the social
security umbrella of ESIC in December, ensuring more coverage, the labor
ministry said in a statement.

Bulk of ’24 wealth gains by super rich comes from AI

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LPG Imports Surge 60% in 5 Yrs
• India's imports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) surged by 60% over five years due
to rapid demand growth and stagnant domestic supplies.
• Imports increased from 11.4 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2017-18 to 18.3
MMT in 2022-23.
• Domestic LPG production grew by only 4% during the same period, while
consumption expanded by 22%.
• Government schemes providing free cooking gas connections to poor households
boosted domestic consumption, doubling the number of cooking gas consumers
to 320 million in a decade.
• LPG imports cost India $13.3 billion in 2022-23, up from $5.8 billion five
years earlier, driven by a 46% increase in international prices to $711.50 per
metric tonne.
• The UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait supply over 95% of India's LPG
imports, with the UAE being the top supplier in 2023, accounting for nearly a
third of total imports.
• Household consumption constitutes nearly 90% of LPG usage, with Uttar
Pradesh being the largest consumer followed by Maharashtra.

India Improves on 85 SDG Parameters: UNESCAP Report

• India has shown improvement on 85 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
parameters but has stagnated on 27 and worsened on 36, according to a report
by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific.
• The SDGs aim to tackle global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate
change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice by 2030.
• Data from the 'Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report: Showcasing
Transformative Actions 2024' reveals that India still faces issues with data
availability for some indicators.
• India's performance compares favorably with its peers in the Asia Pacific region,
with sufficient data available for 68% of the 231 indicators under 17 SDGs.
• The report highlights that most countries in the region are likely to miss the
SDG targets for 2030, with the gap between reaching the target now
extending to 32 years, meaning the region may only fulfill its SDG agenda by
2062.
• Overall average progress towards achieving all 17 SDGs in Asia and the Pacific
has increased slowly from 4.4% in 2017 to 17.0% in 2023, according to the
report.

Paytm Bank Customers Can Use Basic Services till Mar 15

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Friday extended the deadline to stop ordinary banking
services for Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) customers to March 15. However, it didn't

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ease any of the earlier announced curbs that are set to be deployed on March 1 on the
entity part-owned by One 97 Communications.

Govt Plans to Designate Rare Earth, Pharma & IT as Critical Sectors

• The IPEF Supply Chain Resilience Agreement is set to come into force on
February 24.
• Fourteen IPEF members need to identify sectors for supply chain security upto
120 days after the date of the entry into force.
• India is considering pharmaceuticals, electronics, and critical minerals for
inclusion.
• Talks are ongoing with industry, worker organizations, and civil society.
• To facilitate cooperation among the members, the IPEF Supply Chain Agreement
contemplates the establishment of three new IPEF supply chain bodies:
1. The Supply Chain Council,
2. The Supply Chain Crisis Response Network, and
3. The IPEF labour rights advisory board.

About IPEF

• It seeks to strengthen economic engagement among partner countries with the

goal of advancing growth, peace and prosperity in the region.
• The framework is structured around four pillars relating to Trade (Pillar I);
Supply Chains (Pillar II); Clean Economy (Pillar III); and Fair Economy (Pillar
IV).
• India had joined Pillars II to IV of IPEF while it has an observer status in Pillar-I.

At WTO, India Proposes Lower Cost of Cross-border Payments

• India has proposed a work program at the World Trade Organization (WTO) aimed
at reducing the cost of cross-border remittances to promote international
trade.
• The proposal emphasizes promoting interoperability and interlinkages of digital
payment infrastructures, including fast payment systems, to achieve cheaper,
faster, more transparent, and accessible cross-border payments.
• Lower transaction costs are crucial for reducing inequality within and among
countries, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of
lowering transaction costs of remittances to less than 3% by 2030.
• The global average cost for digital remittances is 4.84%, significantly lower
than non-digital remittances.
• Out of the total remittances of $860 billion in 2023, around 78% or $669 billion
went to low- and middle-income countries.
• The Philippines and South Africa support the idea of such a work program.

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India Likely to Grow More Than 6% Between FY23-28: Goldman Sachs
• The Indian economy is likely to average more than 6% growth annually between
2023 and 2028, with the number of affluent consumers rising to 100 million by
2027 from 60 million in 2023, noted a Goldman Sachs research Friday.
• "We extrapolated the growth rate between 2019 and 2023, which is around 12-
13%, into the next four years, expecting a cohort of 100 million by 2027. And if the
wealth effect is strong, it could be even more," said Arnab Mitra, an analyst at
Goldman Sachs.

TWO OF EVERY FIVE

INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYEES
NOW CONTRACT WORKERS:
ASI DATA
• Two of every five workers
employed in industrial
establishments were
contractual hires in 2021-22.
• Increase trend of contractualization of the labour force in the country.
• Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) released by Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation. (MOSPI).
• The ASI data shows that in FY22 a total of 13.6 million workers were employed by
249, 987 factories across India.
• Of them, 5.4 million workers (or 40.2 percent) were contract workers- the
highest ever-compared to only 39.4% per cent in the preceding year.
• Among the remaining directly employed workers in these factories in these
factories, the share of women workers rose slightly to 18.42 per cent in FY22,
compared to 18.1 percent in the preceding year.
• The total amount of wages and salaries paid to workers in FY22 stood at 629
trillion, of which only Rs 0.68 trillion was paid by employers. [10.87%
contribution]
• The data further shows that the share of contract workers among the total workers
in FY22 exceeded the national average in I0 out of the 21 major states and Union
Territories (UTs).
• States like Goa and the Northern states, except Assam, have not been taken
into consideration.
• Prominently, the share of contract workers is highest in Bihar (686 percent)
and Telangana (649 per cent) followed by Odisha (58.4 per cent), Jharkhand
(545 per cent) and Uttarakhand (54 per cent).
• Kerala (21.4 percent] the lowest share of contract workers in the workforce.
followed by Tamil Nadu (23.1 percent), Punjab (30.5 per cent), Karnataka (31.8 per
cent and Andhra Pradesh (84.5 percent).
• The state of contract worker in the UT of Delhi stands at 134 percent.
• The "total persons engaged" in an enterprise had risen by 7 per cent (Y-O-Y) to
1221 million in FY22 from 16. 08 million in FY21.

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NATIONAL AND STATE

DEFENCE MIN'S PROCUREMENT FROM GEM

CROSSES ₹1 L CR: NEW DELHI:
• The defence ministry surpassed the ₹1 lakh crore
mark in procurement of goods and services through
the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
• From procurement of general store items like eggs to
missile system and critical defence acquisitions, GeM has
helped ministry of defence execute more than 5.47
lakh orders.
• This comprised around ₹45,800 crore worth of
transactions this fiscal.
• Around 50.7% of the total orders totaling ₹60,593
crore have been awarded to micro and small enterprises
by defence ministry entities including defence.

PM SURYA GHAR MUFT BIJLI YOJANA: ROOFTOP SOLAR SCHEME:

₹75000 CR ALLOCATIONS:
• Scheme first announced on January 22 by PM Modi as Pradhan Mantri
Suryodaya Yojana.
• Renamed as PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
• Aims to light up 10 million household and enable them to have free electricity of
up to 300 units every month.
• Substantive subsidies and heavily concessionalised bank loans to be provided.
• No cost burden on people and all stakeholders will be integrated to a National
Online Portal.
BANKS TO CLUB HOME LOANS WITH FUNDING FOR
ROOFTOP SOLAR GEAR:

• Banks will also link with the National Portal for

Rooftop Solar to provide real-time data access to
consumers and stakeholders,
• Lenders are already offering loans for solar
rooftops at competitive rates as part of their
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
lending framework.

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Electoral Bonds – Unconstitutional, said Supreme Court
• The Supreme Court struck down the 2018 electoral bonds scheme of anonymous
political funding.
• Highlighting that "the information about funding to a political party is
essential fora voter to exercise their freedom to vote in an effective manner",
a five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud,
said that changes made in the laws to implement the scheme were
unconstitutional.
• Holding the scheme "violative" of the constitutional right to freedom of
speech and expression and right to information, the court did not agree with
the Centre's contention that it was meant to bring about transparency and curb
black money in political funding.

NGT DIRECTS NHAI TO PAY ₹45-CR FINE FOR VIOLATIONS

• THE NATIONAL GREEN Tribunal has imposed an environmental compensation of
₹45 crore on the NHAI for flouting several rules. A petition had claimed
environmental violations by the NHAI in land acquisition for the development
of certain corridors and routes under Bharatmala Pariyojana in Haryana.

Trade deficit narrows to 9-month low in Jan

• THE CHALLENGE TO global trade due to the disruption in key shipping routes in
the Red Sea region failed to dent the merchandise export performance. Exports
registered a 3.12% year-on-year growth in January, lifting hopes for the coming
months.
• Merchandise exports have grown for the fourth month in January in the first
10 months of FY24.
• Shipments in January stood at $36.92 billion while imports rose 3% on year to
$54.41 billion.
• The trade
deficit stood at
$ 17.49 billion
- the lowest
since April last
year. The data
confirms that
while ships
might be taking
longer routes
and charging
more, there has
been no impact
on trade
volumes.

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GOVT FORMS PANEL TO DRAFT NORMS ON PESKY CALLS
• The government on Thursday said it has formed a committee to draft guidelines to
address the issue of pesky/promotional or unsolicited calls received by
consumers as it violates their privacy.
• The decision was taken in a meeting held on February 14 under the
chairmanship of consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh to discuss the
issues related to pesky/promotional/unsolicited commercial calls.

DLF WINS BIG AT FOURTH PROPERTYGURU AWARDS:

• DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd. emerged as the biggest winner at the fourth
Property-Guru Asia Property Awards (India)
o Winning the award for the 'Best Sustainable Developer' along with
special recognitions in the ESG and sustainable design and construction
categories.
• Latest edition of the awards was held recently at The Athene Hotel in Bangkok.

AI IN E-JAGRITI TO HELP REDUCE PENDING CASES:

• Integration of Artificial intelligence in ‘e-Jagriti’ portal will help reduce the
number of pending cases in consumer courts.
• Portal provides simple, fast and more cost-effective consumer dispute redressal
software solution at all levels.

FIRST- GREEN HYDROGEN PLANT AT AIRPORT.

• Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL) said it would build and operate a 1,000-
kilowatt green hydrogen plant inside Cochin International Airport, which will
contribute land, water and green energy resources.
• BPCL plans to invest $ 18.16 billion over next five years.
• Green Hydrogen Plant will contribute to achieve:
o Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2070.
o To grow its oil business and expand its Renewable energy portfolio as it
aims for a 2040.

GENTARI BAGS FORTUM INDIA SOLAR PROJECTS

• Gentari Sdn Bhd, a unit of Malaysia’s state-run oil and gas company-
Petronas, has emerged as the winning bidder for the Indian solar projects of
Finland's For-tum Oyj, totalling 185MW.
• Gentari has been given exclusivity-for documentation of the sales process run by
Kotak Investment Banking-for the deal at an enterprise value of around $200
million.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY (IEA): INDIA BEGINS PROCESS TO

JOIN IT.
• International Energy Agency (IEA) member countries have agreed to discuss
India's request to become a full member.
• The announcement came after the IEA's 2024 Ministerial Meeting and 50th
Anniversary events held in Paris from February 13-14.
• India formally requested full membership in October 2023.
• India has been an association country with the IEA since 2017.
• IEA has projected India's oil demand to grow by 1.2 million barrels a day
between 2023 and 2030. This will account for more than a third of the projected
global demand.
• International Energy Agency (IEA)- Paris based autonomous intergovernmental
organisation established in 1974.
• HQ- Paris, France.
• Members- 31.
• Head- Faith Birol.

Japan enters into Recession

• JAPAN UNEXPECTEDLY SLIPPED into a recession at the end of last year, losing
its title as the world's third-biggest economy to Germany and raising doubts about
when the central bank would begin to exit its decade-long ultra-loose monetary
policy.
• Some analysts are warning of another contraction in the current quarter as weak
demand in China, sluggish consumption and production halts at a unit of Toyota
Motor all point to a challenging path to an economic recovery.

Two consecutive quarters of contraction are considered recession

UK Economy slumps into Recession

• Britain's economy entered a recession in the second half of 2023.
• Gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 0.3% in the three months to
December.
• This follows a 0.1% shrinkage between July and September, according to official
data.
• The fourth-quarter contraction exceeded economists' expectations, with all
estimates in a Reuters poll pointing to a 0.1% decline.

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German economy likely to contract for a second year
• Germany's DIHK chambers of industry and commerce warned on Thursday that
Europe's biggest economy will shrink by 0.5 percent this year, marking a
second consecutive year of recession and its worst downturn in two decades.
• A DIHK poll of more than 27,000 companies showed that 35 percent of those
surveyed expect business to deteriorate in the next 12 months, with only 14
percent expecting an improvement. High energy prices, bureaucracy, a skilled
worker shortage, and weak domestic demand are weighing on economic output.
• "The bad mood among companies is becoming more entrenched," said the DIHK in
Berlin on Thursday, adding that it would be only the second time in Germany's
post-war history where the economy contracted for two years in a row.

IRAN FIRES FIRST SHIP-BASED LONG-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILES:

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched long-range
ballistic missiles from a warship for the first time.
• Launch from Shahid Mahadavi.
• Ballistic missiles capable of striking targets up to 1, 700 Km away.
• Iran Capital- Tehran.
• Iran Currency- Rial

EU SANCTIONS ON INDIAN COMPANY ALONG WITH CHINEESE

COMPANIEES.
• India is studying a report which implies that the EU may sanction an Indian firm
along with three Chinese firms for doing business with Russia.
• China Capital: Beijing.
• China currency: Renminbi.
• Russian Capital: Moscow.
• Russian Currency: Rubble.

PRABOWO SUBIANTO WINS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN INDONESIA

• Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto claimed victory in the first round
of the archipelagos presidential.
• Indonesian Capital- Nusantara.
• Currency- Rupiah.

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MEMORUNDAM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU),

AGREEMENT, AND CONFERENCES.

SPECIALTY STEEL PLI ATTRACTS ₹12,900 CRORE ON INVESTMENT:

• About ₹12,900 crore has already invested in the domestic steel sector under
the PLI scheme for especially steel.
• In March 2023, 57 Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) were signed for
generating an investment of about 29, 500 crores in the sector by FY 28.

ZEPTH, BOSTON DYNAMICS TO DEPLOY AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS:

• Four-legged dog robot spot to use Indian Saas firm’s analytics tech.
• This four-legged autonomous robot can do a recce, create 3D models and flag risks
at construction sites.
• Zepth, a Gurugram- based Software provider for construction management,
partnered with Boston Dynamics to deploy the US company’s dog robot,
“spot”.

Tata Power Gets Lol to Acquire Jalpura Transmission Unit

• Tata Power announced on Friday that it has received a letter of intent (LoI) from
REC Power Development and Consultancy to acquire the Jalpura Khurja Power
Transmission project for an estimated cost of ₹838 crore.

Steel, Cement, EVs: JSW Goes Big on Odisha

• The JSW Group, led by Sajjan Jindal, is investing approximately ₹2 lakh crore in
Odisha across various sectors including steel, cement, and electric vehicles,
aiming to establish one of India's largest industrial complexes by leveraging the
state's abundant natural resources such as iron ore.

Mahindra Inks Pact to Buy EV Parts from Volkswagen Group

• Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has signed an agreement to source components for
its electric vehicles (EVs) from the Volkswagen Group. The two auto
manufacturers issued a joint statement on Friday, stating that M&M will source
parts and components for its purpose-built electric platform 'Inglo' from
Volkswagen Group's EV platform MEB.

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INDIA, GREECE TO JOIN HANDS FOR DEFENCE, SHIPPING.
• India and Greece are looking to deepen cooperation in defence and shipping,
according to persons aware of the matter.
• The two sides are discussing defence sales by India to Greece, in line with New
Delhi's goal of tripling defence exports to $5 billion over the next few years.
• Both leaders reiterated the need for further broadening and deepening bilateral
engagements, in the field of defence, shipping, science and technology,
cyberspace, education, culture, tourism and agriculture.
• Greece Capital: Athens.
• Currency: Euro

SCIENCE / DEFENCE NEWS

Recce aircraft to anti-tank mines: Green light to big-ticket purchases
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Friday cleared a series of big-ticket
procurements worth Rs 84,560 crore for the armed forces. These include 15 maritime
reconnaissance and multi-mission maritime aircraft for the Navy and the Coast Guard,
six flight refueller aircraft for the IAF, and new generation anti-tank mines for the Army.
The DAC, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, is among the top bodies for
clearing major capital acquisitions for defence.

ISRO's 'naughty boy' rocket to launch India's latest weather satellite

today
• The GSLV-F14 is set to launch at 5:35 pm on Saturday, carrying the
meteorological satellite INSAT-3DS.
• This mission is important for the GSLV rocket, which has had a mixed track
record in the past and is nicknamed "naughty boy".
• The launch will occur from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota,
according to ISRO.
• It will be the 16th mission for the GSLV rocket and its 10th flight using the
domestically developed cryogenic engine.
• The success of this mission is crucial as the GSLV is scheduled to carry the Earth
observation satellite NISAR later this year.
• NISAR, a joint project between NASA and ISRO, aims to map the entire globe in 12
days and provide consistent data for understanding changes in Earth's
ecosystems, ice mass, sea level rise, and natural hazards like earthquakes and
tsunamis.

SpiceJet MD Ajay Singh, UAE-based firm submit bids for bankrupt Go

First

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INDIA TO DEVELOP ENGINE FOR NEW ARJUN TANKS
• Turning challenge into an opportunity India is going ahead with an indigenous
engine for its new set of Arjun Main Battle Tanks, after a German firm selected
for the project expressed its inability to deliver the power plants in time.
• The Army has placed an order for 118 Arjun MkIA tank worth ₹7523 cr.
o Engines are not available on time and had a long timeline for almost 4
years.
• DRDO has now started work on an indigenous option which is likely to ready for
production within 3 years.
• DARTAN 1500 engine- being developed for the futuristic Main Battle Tank
programme- modified to be fitted onto the new Arjun Tanks.
• New engine is being rated to deliver 1500 hp and was first tested for the future
tank program last year.
• The Arjun Mk1A is a new variant of Arjun Tank with enhanced fire power,
mobility and survivability.
o 72 additional features over the original Arjun tanks and has multi-layered
protection provided and the capacity to fight in all weather conditions.

SPORTS NEWS

BADMINTON ASIA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024:

• The 17-year-old, Anmol Kharb seals historic title for India women.
• Anmol Kharb won the decider to help India clinch the final against Thailand 3-2.
• PV Sindhu also won her singles match and clinched Gold.
• Location- Shah Alam, Malaysia from February 13 to 18.
• India's first-ever gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships.
o The Indian men's team had previously won two bronze - in 2016 and
2020 - but this was the first time the women made the podium.

World Team Table Tennis Championships being held in Busan

• Indian paddlers Ayhika Mukherjee and Sreeja Akula achieved an incredible feat at
the ITTF Championships in Busan.
• They defeated the world's top two players, No. 1 Sun Yingsha and No. 2 Wang Yidi,
in their respective singles matches against China.
• Kamlesh Mehta, General Secretary of the TTFI, describes it as the greatest day for
Indian table tennis, emphasizing the stunning achievement of beating the Chinese
top players.
• Despite their remarkable victories, the strong Chinese team managed to rally back
and win the overall match.

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• Manika Batra lost both her matches to World No. 4 Wang Manyu and Sun
Yingsha, while Ayhika couldn't secure another upset against Wang Manyu in the
deciding match.

INDIA HANDS OVER CHESS OLYMPIAD TORCH TO HUNGARY:

• In Symbolic gesture, the Chess Olympiad torch was handed off by India to the
2024 host Hungary at the National Stadium.
• Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur passes the Chess Olympiad torch to
Strongest women Chess player of all time: Judit Polgar (Hungary) in the
presence of Vishwanathan Ananda (5 times world Championship) and FIDE
President Arkady Dvorkovich.
• Budapest will host this Olympiad from Sep 10 to 23.
• India hosted the Olympiad in 2022 in Mammallapuram and grand
arrangements were hailed by one and all.
• Hungary Capital: Budapest.
• Hungary Currency: Forints.

AWARDS & RANKINGS & APPOINTMENT

INDIRA GANDHI, NARGIS DUTT NATIONAL FILM AWARDS RENAMED

• Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of Director- Best Debut Film of
Director- cash price upto ₹3 lakh.
• Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration- Best Feature
Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values.
• Both are incorporated in the 70th National Film Awards (2022) Regulations.

OBITUARIES

Udaan actor Kavita Chaudhary, India's beloved 'Lalitaji', dies at 67

Imtiaz Qureshi, known for reviving 'dum pukht' style of cooking, dies
at 93

FORMER INDIA SKIPPER DATTAJIRAO GAEKWAD PASSES AWAY:

• India's oldest Test cricketer and former captain Dattaji- Rao Gaekwad passed
away in Vadodara due to age-related ailments.

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 Crack Grade B 16
• Dattajirao, father of former India opener and National coach Aunshuman
Gaekwad, was 95.
• He played 11 Tests for India between 1952 and 1961, captaining the national team
in 1959 when it toured England.

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