February

Notebook: A-HPSC
Created: 6/17/2022 3:12 PM Updated: 6/17/2022 4:56 PM
Author: nitinkhari2008@gmail.com

 => Geological Survey of India , Min of Mines has approved the setting up of India's 1st geopark at
Lamheta village on the banks of Narmada river in Jabalpur,Madhya Pradesh(MP) 
=> Spituk Gustor Festival - of Ladakh ; a celebration of peace and prosperity and is celebrated at the
Spituk Monastery in Leh and Ladakh UT. 
=> Torgya Festival begins in Arunachal Pradesh  ; celebrated by Monpa tribe
=> Chennai Super Kings becomes India's 1st Unicorn Sports Entreprise
=> Brand Finance Global 500 ,2022  list : 

Apple : Most Valuable Brand   ; India's Tata Group  is at 78th  in top 100 

=> 110th Australian Open 2022 

Men's Singles : Rafael Nadal  won (Russia's Daniil Medvedev) ; 21st slam ; 3rd oldest to win a
grand slam
Women's Singles : Ashleigh Barty (Aus) > Danielle Rose Collins (USA)
Men's Doubles : Kyrgios + partner (Aus)

=> Kiran Bedi authored a book titled 'Fearless Governance' 

=> World Leprosy Day - 30 Jan  ; theme - 'United for Dignity' ; also called Hansen's disease
=> 30 Jan : Martyrs Day also known as Shaheedi Diwas - to pay respect to the martyrs who lost their
lives during India's freedom struggle.  

Tamil Nadu govt observed 30 Jan as Anti-Untouchability Day

=> Election mascot of Punjab SLA  is Shera(Lion)

=> Russia delivers first batch of 70,000 AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles to Indian Armed Forces

AK-203 rifles will succeed  in-service INSAS(Indian Small Arms System) Rifle

=> World's largest 'canal lock' 'Zeesluis Ijmuiden' inaugurated in Ijmuiden,Netherlands

=> Dubai,UAE to launch World's first Hydrogen-powered Flying Boat named 'The Jet'
=> Karnataka's Hoysala temples nominated for UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list 2022-23
=> Mandu festival is celebrated in Madhya Pradesh
=> Global Centre of Excellence(CoE) in Affordable and Clean Energy launched in IIT Dharwad, Karnataka
 => A MoU signed btw (SBI-IGNCA-NCF) State bank of India + Indira Gandhi national Centre for the
Arts(IGNCA) + National Culture Fund(NCF) for development of Atmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design at
Red Fort, Delhi
=> India and Nepal signed MoU for construction of motorable bridge over the Mahakali
River connecting Dharchula(India) with Dharchula(Nepal) ; about 110m long ; 
=> India signs one year validity cooperation agreement with SKAO(Square Kilometer Array Observatory)
to work on the mega astronomy project; SKAO is proposed to be world's largest radio telescope , will be
estd in South Africa and Australia 
=> Beating retreat Drone Light Show - "StartUps" ; BotLab Dynamics is behind conceptualizing the light
show 
 => Indian Navy's 5th Scopene Class Submarine 'VAGIR' commences sea trials  ; it is 5th of 6 French-
designed Scorpene-class submarines(Kalvari-class) , built as part of Project
75 (Kalvari>Khanderi>Karanj>Vela>Vagir>Vagsheer(under construction))
=> IISc Bangalore has installed and commissioned 'Param Pravega' , most powerful supercomputer in
Indian academic institutions ; under National Supercomputing Mission 
** IISc Bangalore was ranked #91/ 200(1st among 4 Indian inst in list) in Times Higher
Education(THE)'s World Reputation Rankings 2021
=> Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 : Norway's Magnus Carlsen won the title 8th time (most by any)
=> Ministry of Tourism included Punaura Dham(birthplace of Sita) (in the Ramayana Circuit of Swadesh
Darshan Scheme) under PRASAD Scheme   ; scheme launched in 2014-15
=> GAIL(India) Ltd started India's First Project of Mixing Hydrogen into Natural Gas , at Indore,Madhya
Pradesh 

India's target of net-zero carbon emissions by  2070

Govt plants to increase share of natural gas in primary energy basket to 15% by 2030
NHEM(National Hydrogen Energy Mission) launched during 2021-22 budget for generating
hydrogen from green energy

=> Tata Sky rebrands itself as 'tata play'

=> Acc to report of Counterpoint Technology Market Research , Samsung(South Korea) has replaced
Intel(USA) as World's Top Semiconductor Company 2021
=> 73rd Republic Day Parade 2022 :  Uttar Pradesh selected as Best State tableau ; Maharashtra  won
Popular Choice Award ; CISF - best marching contingent  among CAPFs
** a new spider species named after Mumbai policeman Tukaram Ombale
=> International Olympic Committe(IOC) approved inclusion of  Surfing, Skateboarding & Sport
Climbing in 2028 , Los Angeles Olympics  ; All 3 sports made debut in 'Tokyo 21' ; 2024- Paris plympics

Paris - will be 2nd city to host 3 Olympic games ; London was 1st 

=> Indian Badminton player Unnati Hooda won Odisha Open , a BWF Super 100 tournament ; She is
youngest India at 14 years age to won a BWF Super 100 tournament 
=> 4 Feb - World Cancer Day :

theme for 2022 : 'Close the Care Gap- Realising the problem'
theme for World Cancer Day for 2022 to 2024 : 'Close the Care Gap'

 =>Surat to become the first station to be ready for India's 1st bullet train Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR
=> In 2022 Global Digital Skills index published by Salesforce , India tops on digital skills readiness with
a score of 63/100 among 19 countries surveyed
=> NASA plans to deorbit ISS into pacific Ocean  in 2031

ISS was launched in 1998 ; a joint project of 5 agencies :

NASA+Roscomos(Russia)+JAXA(Japan)+ESA+CSA(Canada)
In Dec 21, NASA launched James Webb Space Telescope from ESA spaceport in Kourou, French
Guiana (South America's NE coast)

 => Beijing is the 1st city in world to host both Summer and winter olympics
=> India Press Freedom Report 2021 released by Rights and Risks Analysis Group(RRAG) - acc to this
J&K topped the list of states &UTs where journalists and media houses were targeted the most in 2021
=> Kanchoth festival celebrated in J&K's Chenab valley region 
=> PM Modi unveils 'Statue of Equality', World 2nd tallest statue '216-foot tall'in Sitting Posture ,
honouring Saint Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad

statue is mounted on 54-feet high lotus built base named 'Bhadra Vedi'

made of Panchaloha , a combination of 5 metals :gold, silver, copper,brass and zinc. 
11th century Bhakti Saint 'Vishist-Adwaita' philosophy 

=> Scientists from ISRO's Ahmedabad based Space Applications Centre(SAC) and Physical Research

Laboratory(PRL) successfully demonstrated Quantum Entanglement using real time Quantum Key
Distribution(QKD)  (Hack-proof Quantum Communication)

China's quantum mechanics satellite - Micius

=> India wins 14th ICC U19 CWC 2022 title for record 5th time by defeating England

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium ,Antigua and Barbuda

=> 'Nightingale of India' Lata Mangeshkar passed away ; received Bharat Ratna in 2001 ; 2nd vocalist
after Carnatic singer M S Subbulakshmi 
=> Feb 6: Int Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation -2022

theme :'Accelerating Investment to End Female Genital Mutilation'  - jointly launched by UNFPA and
UNICEF

=> IUCN declared Aravalli Biodiversity Park in Gurugram as India's 1st OECM site (Other effective
area-based conservation measures) on the occasion of World Wetlands Day (2nd Feb 2022) 
 => Acc to MoC&I , India's Merchandise exports in Dec-21 was highest-ever monthly figure - $37.81
billion
 =>IIT Madras establish AquaMAP  , a water management and policy centre to solve India's Water crisis

IIT Madras ranked 1st in Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements(ARIIA)

=> Nitin Gadkari received late Madhavrao Limaye Award under Efficient MP category

 => Biography of Neeraj Chopra titled 'Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra' authored by Navdeep Singh Gill 

 
 
 
=> PM Modi started 50th anniversary of ICRISAT,Hyderabad ; estd in 1972
 ** China is largest Milk importing country
  => Flipkart signed MoU with IIM,Sambalpur(Odisha) to provide market access to artisans and weavers
of Odisha to sell their products online.
**Samarth initiative : it is programme of FLIPKART to sell locally made artifacts in Flipkart
 => Praveen Kumar Sobti (Hammer throw, discus throw ; actor + BSF soldier) passed away 
=> Safe Internet Day 2022 - Feb 8  ; theme - 'together for a better internet'
=> J&K becomes 1st UT to be integrated with NSWS(National Single Window System) to enable the Ease
of Doing Business. 
=> NITI Aayog launched Delta Ranking for Aspirational Districts  in improvements in the field of
Agriculture and Water Resources sector
 Malkangiri, Odisha secured first rank , as Most improved Aspirational District 

=> India's 1st Biomass based Hydrogen Plant comes up at Khandwa district , Madhya Pradesh  ; a JV of
Watomo Energies Ltd and Biezel Green Energy (both in Mirzapur,UP)
=> US Green Building Council(USGBC)  in its ranking of LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) 2021 , outside of USA , ranked India 3rd  and China at #1 
=> NABARD launched 'JIVA Programme' to promote Natural Farming  under its existing Watershed &
Wadi Programmes in 11 states
=> e-RUPI(Prepaid digital Vouchers using UPI) 

'person and purpose-specific' cashless and contactless voucher-based prepaid solution ; developed
by NPCI

 => Atal Tunnel officially recognised as 'Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 feet' by World Book of
Records

Atal Tunnel is in Himachal Pradesh connecting Manali to Lahaul-Spiti Valley  ; 9.02 km  ; Pir Panjal
Range of Himalayas

 => Feb 10 - 1st round of National Deworming Day 2022 ; 2nd is in August
=> Feb 10 - World Pulses Day  ; theme -'Pulses to empower youth in achiveing sustainable agrifood
systems'

Acc to FAO , India is largest Producer + Consumer + Importer of PULSES

=> J&K signed pact with New Zealand for Transforming Sheep Farming sector in UT
=> NARcL is set up by GoI
=> India to provide grant(money) to Sri Lanka for implementing its 'Unitary Digital Identity framework'
which is modelled on Aadhaar card 
 => Acc to Comscore report - Paytm has the highest digital payments penetration(45%) , followed by
Google Pay (43%)
=> ESPNcricinfo Winners : 

Men's test batting - Rishabh Pant (for innings in Gabba test)

 => 11 Feb - Int Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022 ; theme -'Equity,Diversity and Inclusion : Water
Unites Us'
 => MoSJE launched Welfare Scheme 'SMILE' for Transgenders & People Engaged in Begging  with an
outlay of Rs 365 cr for 5 years ;  SMILE - Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and
Entreprise 
=> The National Health Agency announced the integration of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission with
the Aarogya Setu App , allowing users to create 14-digit unique Ayushman Bharat Health Account
numbers from the app.
=> India and Australia signed MoU on Tourism cooperation ; Piyush Goyal signed from Indian side
=> FM Nirmala ji launched first colour Souvenir coin on 'Panchatantra' ; Panchatantra written by Vishnu
Sharma during 200 BC
 => One Ocean Summit 2022 organised by France in cooperation with UN & World Bank
** Durga Puja -14th entry from India in ICH of UNESCO ; at 16th session of IGC, held in Paris, France
; IGC(Intergovernmental Committee) 
=> Israel becomes 1st country to permit Drones in Civilian Airspace
=> TomTom Traffic Index 2021 : Mumbai is 5th most congested city in world ; Bengaluru-10 ; New
Delhi- 11 ; Istanbul #1 most congested
 => Maru Mahotsav(Jaisalmer Desert Festival) - Jaisalmer , Rajasthan
 => EIU(Economist Intelligence Unit)'s Democracy Index 2021 - India ranked #46/167 with score of
6.91 ; Norway #1 ; Afghanistan -least ; ranking based on 5 factors

countries categorised in 4 types : a) Full democracy b) Flawed democracy (India) c) Hybrid

democracy d) Authoritarian regimes
North America -1st ; Asia and Australasia ranked 4th

 => Dabur India Ltd becomes India's 1st 100% Plastic Waste neutral FMCG company
=> Tata Sons have appointed Ilker Ayci as MD and CEO of AIr India 
=> Sagarika Ghose authored a Biography titled 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee '
=> 13-Feb : National Women's Day 2022 : to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini
Naidu 'The Nightingale of India' or 'Bharat Kokila'
=> MoTA sanctions Rs 2.26 cr for festival of Medaram Jathara 2022 in Telangana ; Medaram Jathara is
2nd largest fair after Kumbh Mela 

celebrated by Koya tribe of Telangana

  

 => India signs MoU with UN WFP to provide Wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan
=> India to hold G20 presidency from Dec 1 2022 to 30 Nov 2023 ; After Indonesia (2022) 
=> Tunnel T-49 of the Katra-Banihal section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail
Link(USBRL) Project is connected now ; It is longest tunnel of IR of length 12.758 km
 => Navars Edutech to launch 100 student developed Satellite constellations in collaboration with
Skyroot Aerospace in next 5 years ; 

First set will be launched in Dec 2022 with Skyroot's 1st launch Vikram-1

=> MoSJE has launched the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNT/NT/SNTs(SEED)  for Welfare of
DNTs, NTs, SNTs (Semi Nomadic Tribes)
=> Min of Education has approved a new scheme 'New India Literacy Programme(NILP)' for Adult
Education  ; MoE has replaced the term 'Adult Education' with 'Education for All' to cover non-literates of
the age of 15 years and above.
=> 2nd Advance Estimates of Production of major crops for 2021-22 : by MoA&FW  - India's estimated
foodgrains production is 316.06 million tonnes. 
=> Vice Admiral(retd) G Ashok Kumar is appointed as India's 1st NMSC(National Maritime Security
Coordinator) in the National Security Council Secretariat
=> Graphic novel "Atharva -The Orgin" has portrayed M S Dhoni as the superhero
=> SpaceX's 40 satellites were destroyed in a geomagnetic storm in Feb 22
 => MoPS&W Sarbananda Sonowal , inaugurated India's 1st water taxi service in Mumbai,
Maharashtra
 => Nepal is 1st foreign country to Deploy India's UPI ; services for this will be provided by NIPL(NPCI
Int Payments Ltd) (not NPCI)
 => SIDBI launches 'Waste to Wealth Creation' Prog in West Bengals  Sunderban for women  ; This Prog
is part of SIDBI's Mission Swavalamban that aims to support the artisans to become sustainable. 
 => The book titled 'A History of Sriniketan : Rabindranath Tagore's Pioneering Work in Rural
Construction' authored by Uma Das Gupta released. 
=> Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates authored a new book 'How to Prevent The next Pandemic'
 => Under PM Fasal Bima Yojana(PMFBY) a doorstep distribution drive 'Meri Policy Mere Hath' to
deliver crop insurance policies to the farmers in all implementing States. 
=> 21st edition of The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI)'s World Sustainable Development Summit
2022 took place virtually ; theme -'Towards a Resilient Planet : Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable
Future'
=> PM Modi virtually inaugurates 'Kisan Drone Yatra' , an initiative by Garuda Aerospace Pvt Ltd and
flagged of 100 'Kisan Drones' in various cities and towns across India to spray pesticides in farms. 
=> PM Modi inaugurated the Asia's biggest Bio-CNG GOBAR-DHAN plant at the cost of Rs 150 crore  in
Indore, MP
=> India and UAE signed historic Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(CEPA) ; Ist CEPA of
UAE and India's 1st CEPA with MENA region
=> MoHFW has inaugurated India's and South Asia's first Biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) containment
mobile laboratory in Nashik, Maharashtra ; Laboratory is developed by ICMR

this is part of GoI's efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure through PM-ABHIM(Pradhan

mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission)

=> GoI signed a loan agreement of $115 million with World Bank to implement REWARD project
(Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development) in Karnataka and
Odisha with the support of the respective govts. 

REWARD Project : initiative of Dept of Land Resources, Min of Rural Development + World Bank 
In 14th session of UNCCD , India committed to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by
2030 

 => ASSOCHAM awarded Coal India Ltd with 'Most Dependable Public Sector in India 2022 Award'
 => Tanishka Kotia & Riddhika Kotia(Chess player) are appointed as 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme
Brand Ambassador for Gurugram ; scheme launched in 2015
=> Freedom Foghter and Social worker Shakuntala Choudhary passed away ; She won Padma shri in
2022 
=> Feb 21 : International Mother Language Day 2022 ;from 1999; an initiative proposed by Bangladesh
(to remember 1952 Dhaka Univ students protest for Bangla ) ; theme -'Using technology for multilingual
learning: Challenges and opportunities'
=> Assam becomes FIRST State to launch India's First Night Navigation App for ferry services on
Brahmaputra river.
=> Kerala Startup Mission  collaborated with Google to launch the Google for Startups Accelerator to
Foster Global Links during 3rd edition of 'Huddle Global 2022'
 => Hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh  becomes 1st Indian man and 2nd Indian  to win World Games
Athlete of the year 2021  ;  Rani Rampal won this in 2020 (1st Indian)
=> 19th Asian Games 2022 will be organised in Hangzhou,Zhejiang,China  ; will feature 40 sports ;
Cricket in T20 format will be back after 11 years 
 => Central Govt approved continuation of 'Border Infrastructure and management' scheme from
2021-22 to 2025-26 , at a cost of Rs 13,020 crore.
=> Bharti Airtel has announced to join 'SEA-ME-WE-6' undersea cable consortium ; SEA-ME-WE-6 will
connect Singapore to France  
=> India and Oman bilateral Air Force Exercise 'Eastern Bridge-VI' took place at Jodhpur, Rajasthan
 => JP Morgan becomes First Bank to enter the Metaverse ; It has opened a lounge 'Onyx' in blockchain
technology-based virtual world Decentraland  ; Metaverse is a virtual reality world  ; uses AR + VR 
 => Israel successfully tested 'C-Dome or Protective Dome' - Naval defence system based on Iron Dome
=> 24th edition of Beijing Winter Olympics 

FIRST city to have hosted both Summer and Winter Olympics  

Motto of Winter Olympics 2022 - 'Together for a Shared Future'
 Mascot - Bing Dwen Dwen (a PANDA)  ; emblem - 'Winter Dream' 
Medal tally : Norway (16G -37T) > Germany > China
India's participation : Arif Khan ; participated in 2 events - Giant slalom(45th) & Slalom 
Next : 25th Winter Olympics 2026 at Italy's 2 cities - Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo

 => GM R Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen at Airthings Masters ; 3rd Indian to defeat him
 => India to receive 3 MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters , developed by Lockheed Martin
=> Upper Bhadra Project of Karnataka is given National Status by Central govt.  
=> Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) approved Rs 1000 cr river clean-up project in
Pune(Mula & Mutha rivers cleaning)
=> indigenous submersible vehicle, Matsya 6000 -that is capable to take 3 human to a depth of 6000 m
will be ready by 2024 for Samudrayaan Mission ; designed by ISRO 
=> Ranji Trophy : Sakibul Gani - 1st cricketer to make TRIPLE CENTURY on First-class debut 
=> Indian Railways partnered with BHEL to set up India's FIRST Railway Solar Power Plant at Bina,MP
 => Indian Railways to set up India's Biggest World-Class Wrestling Academy at Kishanganj, Delhi
 => Astronomers have detected a new giant radio galaxy(GRG) named as Alcyoneus
=> DRDO in partnership with IIT Delhi , tested India's 1st QKD(Quantum key Distribution) technology in
2 cities of Uttar Pradesh ; btw Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in UP
=> Capital of Ukraine : Kyiv
=>Delhi to build India's first 'e-waste eco-park' 
 => Boeing  delivered 12th Maritime Patrol Aircraft Poseidon-8I(P-8I)  to Indian Navy
=> Spain's Carlos Alcaraz Garfia has won 2022 Rio Open ; Youngest to win ATP 500 tennis
tournament
 => Tamil Nadu is at FIRST place in overall installed renewable energy capacity with 15,914 MW as of 31st
Jan  ; It overtook Karnataka, which is at 2nd place now

Rajasthan is first state to cross 10,000 MW of total solar capacity 

=> MILAN 2022 : 11th edition of Indian Navy's multilateral exercise commenced at Visakhapatnam, AP  

theme : 'Camaraderie-Cohesion-Collaboration'

=> Ministry of Education launched  'Bhasha Certificate Selfie' campaign to promote Bhasha Sangam
mobile app AND to promote multilingualism + encourage cultural diversity + promote the spirit of Ek
Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
=> India to set up FIRST IIT outside India at Dubai, UAE ; At present 23 IITs , governed under Institutes of
Technology Act 1961
=> Nepal and India , agreed to form a Joint Hydro Development Committee
 => BRICS's New Development Bank will be 1st multilateral agency to open an office in GIFT city,
Gujarat ; NDB set up in 2014 , HQ- Shanghai
=> Mirabai Chanu won GOLD medal at Singapore Weightlifting Int 2022 in 55kg  weight category.
=> Chamba, Himachal Pradesh - became 100th 'Har Ghar Jal' district under jal Jeevan Mission
=>  India has recently approved a Digital Work Plan 2022 with which intergovernmental organisation?
ASEAN
=> Which state has topped India’s list in the number of MSME owned by entrepreneurs from the
Scheduled Castes? Maharashtra
=> Which country recently test fired its intermediate-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12 ?    North Korea
=> Social activists have built a temple for Mahatma Gandhi ‘Gandhi Mandiram’ and freedom fighters’
Smrithi Vanam in which state? Andhra Pradesh 
=> Total Ramsar Sites in India - 49  ; latest 2 are 
 Bakhira Sanctuary - UP 
Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary  - Gujarat

=> Who is the author of the graphic novel Atharva – The Origin, in which Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni
has been portrayed as the superhero Atharva? Ramesh Thamilmani
=> Name the Indian Railway Protection Force nationwide operation to curb human trafficking. Operation
AAHT
=> Which state/UT has launched first-of-its-kind Quick Response (QR) Code-based mechanism to certify
and label handmade carpets? J&K
=> Which state has announced to launch "Hope Express" to prevent cancer? Maharashtra
=> Who will be the head of the Apex Committee on G20 Secretariat, formed to oversee the preparations
for G20 India Summit 2023? PM