Current Affairs 21st February

National Affairs

1. The 14th edition of Aero India 2023 will be held in Bengaluru, Karnataka, from February 13 to 17, 2023.

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi launched the 14th edition of Asia’s largest aero show, “Aero India 2023,” a biennial event highlighting India’s indigenous defense capabilities. On the occasion, a commemorative stamp was also released.

 

From February 13 to February 17, 2023, the event lasted five days at Air Force Station Yehlanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

 

The subject of the occasion was “The runway to a billion open doors.”

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s Department of Defence Production in Bengaluru was in charge of putting on the event.

 

Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industry, BrahMos Aerospace, Army Aviation, HC Robotics, SAAB, Safran, Rolls Royce, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Forge Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), and BEML Limited are the major exhibitors at Aero India 2023 (14th Edition).

 

Aim: to encourage the export of indigenous aircraft like the Dornier Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), as well as the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas and HTT-40.

 

At the “Startup Manthan” at Aero India 2023, Union Minister Rajnath Singh, MoD, announced the launch of the 9th edition of the Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC 9) on “Cybersecurity.”

2. 12 South African cheetahs were released into Kuno National Park enclosures.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP), released 12 cheetahs into the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur, MP, on February 18, 2023. Seven males and five females from South Africa (SA) make up the cheetahs.

 

While eight cheetahs were housed in separate quarantine enclosures, four more were housed in pairs in two bomas.

 

The total number of Cheetahs in KNP now stands at twenty.

KNP covers more than 700 square kilometres and is on the northern side of the Vidhyachal Mountains.

 

The Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, is the fastest animal on the planet. Cheetahs from South Africa typically live between 8 and 10 years.

 

Key Points:

 

This move comes five months after the first batch of eight cheetahs arrived in KNP from Namibia on September 17, 2022.

Before being fully released into the wild, the Namibian cheetahs—five females and three males—are currently residing in hunting enclosures at the park.

 

The oldest of the 12 cheetahs to be housed in the KNP is an eight-years-and-three months-old male, while the most youthful is a female which has finished two years and

four months,

 

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav from the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) was with the CM; Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW), Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar; and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), headed by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

 

Background:

 

On January 26, 2023, the governments of India and South Africa agreed to relocate more than 100 cheetahs to India over the course of the next decade. Every five years, the MoU’s terms will be looked over to make sure they still apply.

 

In 1947, the last Indian cheetah was killed in the Koria district of what is now Chhattisgarh. In 1952, the species was declared extinct.

 

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) are coordinating this international multidisciplinary program alongside the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) in South Africa, the South African National Parks (SANParks), the Cheetah Metapopulation Initiative, the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria, the MoEF&CC, the High Commission of India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife

3. GHAVP: Haryana will host the first nuclear power plant in North India.

Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science, Technology, Atomic Energy, and Space, mentioned the upcoming installation of the first nuclear power plant in North India, known as the “Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana” (GHAVP), near the Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad, Haryana.

 

The indigenous design of GHAVP’s two 700 MWe Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) units is currently being put into operation.

 

There has been a total expenditure of Rs 4,906 crore out of the total allocated funds. As a result, the financial progress as of this date is 23.8%.

 

Background:

 

Jitendra Singh spoke about the centre’s approval for the installation of ten nuclear reactors.

 

Ten indigenously developed Pressurized Heavy-Water Reactors (PHWRs) with a combined capacity of 700 MegaWatts (MW) and a cost of Rs 1.05 Lakh crore were approved for construction in June 2017.

 

Construction was planned for the Kaiga Atomic Power Plant in Karnataka, the Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Praiyonjan, the Chutka Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project, and the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project.

 

The department of atomic energy has been given permission to form joint ventures with Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) for resources to open atomic energy plants in order to meet India’s entire energy needs.

 

Working on it: The Fire Water Pump House (FWPH), Safety Related Pump House (SRPH), Fuel Oil Storage Area-1&2 (FOSA-1&2), Ventilation Stack, Overhead Tank (OHT), Switchyard Control Building, Safety Related and Non-Safety Related Tunnel and Trenches, Retaining Walls, and Garland Drain are among the Main Plant buildings and structures that are currently under construction.

4. World’s Most elevated Weather conditions Station Remade on Mount Everest

The National Geographic Society (NatGeo), which built the World’s Highest Weather Station, rebuilt it on Mount Everest after it was destroyed by hurricane-force winds.

 

It has been repositioned atop Mt. Everest by a team of scientists and Sherpas once more.

Tenzing Gyalzen Sherpa, a 31-year-old electrician and mountain guide, has been in charge of the group.

 

The construction of the highest weather station in the world:

 

The NatGeo team of mountaineers and scientists installed a record-breaking weather station in 2022 at an elevation of 8,810 meters (28,904 feet), as documented in the Guinness World Records report; just 39 meters (128 feet) below the summit of Everest.

It was installed to measure various meteorological phenomena automatically.

 

NatGeo will operate the station completely until 2025, after which the technology will be transferred to the Nepali government in 2026.

 

Key Points:

 

In May 2022, the crew of the “Return to Everest Expedition” sponsored by Rolex and National Geographic got to work reinstalling the highest meteorological station in the world.

 

Tenzing, Matthews, and Perry were assisted in rebuilding the weather station on the world’s highest mountain by twelve additional Sherpas.

 

On Everest’s “Balcony,” the previous weather station was about 400 meters lower than the current one.

It was notable because it was the first weather station on earth to be above 8,000 meters.

 

The data it was collecting could have an impact on the lives of 1.6 billion people who rely on the region’s freshwater supply, so the highest weather station had to be rebuilt.

 

In May 2022, the team began assembling an updated version of the damaged weather station on the balcony.

 

The team arrived at Bishop Rock with a number of weather station components on May 9, 2022, during the chilly winter at -40°C (-40°F).

5. From the Hazira Port in Gujarat, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala launches Sagar Parikrama Phase-III.

The Sagar Parikrama Phase-III was launched by the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy, Parshottam Rupala, from Hazira Port in Gujarat. The journey begins at Satpati, Vasai, and Versova along the coast of Maharashtra, and the Parikrama will conclude at Sasson Dock in Mumbai.

 

Sagar Parikrama’s primary goals are to demonstrate solidarity with all fishermen and concerned stakeholders, save marine ecosystems, promote responsible fishing, and disseminate information about the various fisheries-related government schemes and programs.

 

Finding a sustainable balance between supporting coastal fishing communities’ livelihoods and ensuring India’s food security through the use of marine fisheries resources is the primary focus of the third phase.

 

Additionally, it aims to protect maritime ecosystems and close gaps between fishing communities.

Banking and Finance

1. In terms of loan growth, the Bank of Maharashtra ranks highest among PSBs.

According to an investigation of the most recent monetary aftereffects of Public Area Banks (PSBs), Pune

(Maharashtra) based Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) tops the rundown of PSBs as far as

credit development rate for the second from last quarter of FY23 (Q3 FY23).

Gross advances increased by 21.67% year-over-year (y-o-y) in Q3FY23.

Union Bank outpaces BoM with a growth rate of 19.80 percent in advances.

Highlights:

1. During Q3FY23, PSBs saw a strong 65 percent increase in profit to Rs 29,175 crore, with BoM emerging as the company with the highest percentage growth in profit. At Rs 775 crore, it made a profit that was up 139%.

UCO Bank came in second, with a profit of Rs 653 crore that was 110% higher than its earnings in Q3FY22.

16. With a YoY growth rate of 16.91 percent in lending platforms, the State Bank of India (SBI) occupied the fourth position. SBI’s total loan book, on the other hand, is Rs 26,47,205 crore in value, which is more than 17 times higher than BOM’s lending book, which is Rs 1,56,962 crore.

 

Key Points:

 

Despite COVID-19 pressures, BoM has consistently held the top spot in terms of credit growth in percentage terms for the past ten quarters.

 

BoM had the highest annual growth rate for Retail-Agriculture-MSME (RAM) loans at 19.18 per cent, followed by Punjab & Sind Bank at 19.07 per cent and Bank of Baroda (BoB) at 18.85 per cent.

 

BoM and SBI were in the lowest quartile regarding asset quality. net nonperforming assets and NPAs.

 

BoM’s and SBI’s gross NPAs stood at 2.94 per cent and 3.14 per cent, respectively, as of December 31, 2022. They had net NPAs of 0.47 per cent and 0.77%.

 

With a growth rate of 14.50%, BoB topped the PSB charts for deposit growth. Union Bank of India came in second, with a rise of 13.48% year-over-year. In terms of deposit growth, BoM occupied position three.

 

During the third quarter of FY23, Union Bank of India saw the greatest overall growth, at 16.07 per cent. BoM saw an increase of 15.77 per cent, and BoB saw an increase of 15.23 per cent.

 

As of December 31, 2022, BoM had the highest Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) among PSBs, with 17.53 per cent, followed by Canara Bank, which had 16.72 per cent, and Indian Bank, which had 15.74 per cent.

Economy and Business

1. The UAE chapter of the India-UAE Business Council was established to increase bilateral trade and investment.

In honour of the first anniversary of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the UAE-India Business Council-UAE Chapter (UIBC-UC) was established on February 18, 2023, to boost bilateral trade and investment between India and the UAE. This was done in order to strengthen economic ties and make it simpler to achieve the shared objective of enhancing bilateral trade and investment.

 

Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, gave the UIBC-UC its official start in the presence of Sunjay Sudhir, India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Aman Puri, India’s Consul General in Dubai, and the founding members of the UBIC-UC.

 

India and the United Arab Emirates want to boost their bilateral trade to USD 75 billion and attract USD 75 billion in investment.

 

Leadership:

 

Faizal Edavalath Kottikollon, Chairman of UIBC-UC and KEF Holdings ii. Rizwan Soomar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) (India Subcontinent) at DP World, serves as Co-Chairman of the UIBC-UC.

 

General Major (Ret.) The Vice Chairman of UIBC-UC will be Sharafuddin Sharaf, Chairman of the UIBC India Chapter.

Science and Technology

1. The ISRO Chandrayaan-3 passes the EMI/EMC test with flying colours.

According to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the “Chandrayaan-3” lander passed the ElectroMagnetic Interference/Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) test at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, Karnataka, from January 31 to February 2, 2023.

 

Launcher compatibility, antenna polarization compatibility, stand-alone auto compatibility tests for the orbital and powered descent phases of the mission, and compatibility tests for the post-landing phase of the mission were all guaranteed during the EMI/EMC test. The systems performed in a satisfactory manner.

 

What is the EMI/EMC test?

 

It is done for satellite missions to make sure that the satellite subsystems work in space and are compatible with the expected levels of electromagnetic radiation.

 

Regarding Chandrayaan 3:

 

The three primary modules of the Chandrayaan-3 interplanetary mission are as follows:

The complexity of the Propulsion module, the Lander module, and the Rover Mission necessitates the establishment of radio-frequency (RF) communication links among the modules.

 

It is India’s third mission to the moon and a follow-up to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate complete capability for safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.

 

It is anticipated that it will be launched in June 2023 by GSLV MkIII from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

 

The impetus module has a Spectro-polarimetry of Livable Planet Earth

(SHAPE) payload to study the ghostly and polarimetric estimations of Earth from

the lunar circle.

 

The thermal conductivity and temperature can be measured using Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) in the Lander payload.

 

A LaserInduced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and an Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) are included in the Rover payloads for the purpose of determining the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.

2. Mission of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Space Launch Vehicle in 2023: The first student-built hybrid-sounding rocket in India was launched.

In the presence of Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana, and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, India’s first hybrid sounding rocket was launched on February 19, 2023, from Pattipulam Village in Chengalpattu, Tamilnadu, by school students from various states as part of the “Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission 2023.”

 

Key Points:

 

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam founded the project “Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission 2023.” Together with the Space Zone India, Chennai, and Martin Charitable Trust, the APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation has established the House of Kalam in Rameswaram.

 

The project involved approximately 5,000 students from grades VI to XII in colleges and schools across the nation. There were 200 fishermen from Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu, 100 tribal students from India, and 60 students from Tamil Nadu on the team.

 

The project gave the top 100 students the opportunity to design and build 150 research experiment cubes known as PICO satellites that carried various payloads. These 150 PICO satellites were launched from Pattipulam village using a sounding rocket.

Weather, atmospheric conditions, and radiation research can all be carried out with the rocket.

 

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) was covered in greater detail for a select group of students.

 

100 satellites from Femto:

 

The current project is a continuation of the “Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Space Research Payload Cubes Challenge 2021” project, which involved 1347 school students and provided virtual and hands-on training for the design and development of 100 Femto satellites.

 

On February 7, 2021, a single high-altitude scientific balloon launched those 100 Femto satellites from Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.

3. For naval marine propulsors, Rolls-Royce Marine North America entered into an agreement with KSSL.

To indigenously develop niche naval propulsion technologies and products for the Indian Navy, Rolls-Royce Marine North America Inc., a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce North America Inc., has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kalyani Strategic Systems (KSSL), a 100% subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited.

Rolls Royce’s defence ecosystem in India will be strengthened by this partnership with KSSL.

 

Note: Rolls-Royce North America Inc. is a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce plc, a global corporation.

 

Specifics of the MoU:

 

The MoU expects to empower the making of a neighbourhood production network environment in India for

controllable pitch propellers and screwing.

 

The KSSL will investigate the possibility of becoming an in-country provider for propulsor sales in the Indian market as part of this MoU.

 

This also includes development and design; manufacturing under license; support before and after the sale; testing, installation, and commissioning; and support and services for the aftermarket.