Kapil Kathpal

NSE Indices launches India’s 1st Municipal Bond Index

• India’s first ever municipal bond index namely ‘Nifty India
Municipal Bond Index’ has been launched by NSE Indices Limited

• It has a base date of January 1, 2021, and a base value of 1,000.

• It was launched at a Securities and Exchange Board of India

workshop on Municipal Debt Securities in Bengaluru NSE Indices Limited:
• CEO– Mukesh Agarwal
• Headquarters– Mumbai
• This index will track the performance of municipal bonds issued by
Indian municipal corporations across maturities and having Recent News:
investment grade credit rating. • NSE got nod to launch the
Social Stock Exchange from
• Presently, the index has 28 municipal bonds having credit rating in SEBI.
• Indore Municipal Green
the AA category.
Bonds listed on NSE.
• NSE entered into data
• It will be reviewed quarterly. licensing agreement with
derivatives marketplace CME
group for WTI crude oil &
natural gas contracts.
Union Government Approved Renaming of Kapil Kathpal

Aurangabad & Osmanabad in Maharashtra

• Chief Minister Eknath Shinde confirmed that Recent:
Aurangabad city will be renamed Chhatrapati • Home Affairs Min. recently
Sambhajinagar, and Osmanabad city will be called approved name change in 2
Dharashiv. places of UP:
• Mundera Baazar to
Chauri Chaura
• After a year the proposal to rename Aurangabad and • Telia Afghan to Telia
Osmanabad has been approved by the Ministry of Shukla
Home Affairs.
About Maharashtra:
CM : Eknath Shinde
Governor : Ramesh Bais
 Kapil Kathpal
Ellora Ajanta International Festival 2023
• The Ajanta Ellora International Festival 2023 was held
in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

• The Ajanta Ellora International Festival 2023 festival is

a celebration of the cultural heritage and diversity of the
region and promises to be a feast for the senses.

• The festival was organized by the Maharashtra Tourism

Development Corporation and supported by the state
government.

• It was first launched in 1985.

 Kapil Kathpal
New Delhi World Book Fair 2023
Returned After Three Years Gap
• The 31st edition of the World Book Fair began in New Delhi where
books from all genres from children to students to adults are
showcased for everyone.

• It is organized by National Book Trust and India Trade Promotion

Organisation.

• In the World Book Fair, there is the participation of over 30

countries and nearly 1,000 publishers and exhibitors, the New
Delhi World Book Fair is returning to its full physical form after a
Recent Book Fair:
gap of three years.
• 46th International Kolkata
• France is the guest of Honour, total 16 French authors along with Book Fair held.
nobel prize winner Annie Ernaux.

• The World Book Fair in New Delhi held from 25th February to 5th
March 2023 at Pragati Maidan. Theme : Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
 Kapil Kathpal
Kerala Temple introduces mechanical elephant
• For the first time in Indian history, the Shree Krishna temple in Kerala
introduced a mechanical elephant, called as Irinjadappilly Raman.

• The mechanical elephant will perform temple rituals here. It was

presented by PETA India. The name of the elephant was Raman. It is
10.5 feet tall, weighed 800 kg in weight and can carry 4 people.

• The parts of the elephant, that is, the eyes, ears, and mouth worked on
electricity.

• In the last 15 years, more than 526 people died in the state of Kerala due
to the man-elephant conflict. PETA India designed the robotic elephant to
reduce this.

PETA India:

• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It is a Mumbai-based NGO

working to end the abusive treatment of animals. It was launched in 2000.
PETA mostly works in the areas where the animals suffer the most like
laboratories, entertainment businesses, etc.
 Kapil Kathpal
DGCA approves Hindustan 228 aircraft of HAL
• The Director General of Civil Aviation recently granted permission
to HAL to build Hindustan 228 variant aircraft.

• So far these planes were used only in the military. Also, the
venture was exported to Indian Ocean countries like Mauritius and
Seychelles. Widely, the planes were used for surveying purposes,
monitoring purposes, guard duties, and saving people during
disasters.
Recent DGCA:
• HAL added some advanced features to the Dornier 228. In 2016,
• India now at 55th place in
HAL decided to create a civilian version of the product and so
ICAO’s aviation safety ranking.
launched Hindustan 228. • Vikram Dev Dutt is DGCA’s
new Director General.
• It is a civilian version of the Dornier 228. Dornier is a German- • DGCA approved HAL’s
based company. The civilian version was produced by the Aircraft indigenously developed
division in Kanpur. “Black Boxes”.

• The variant is being brought in to support the UDAN scheme and

increase local connectivity.
 Kapil Kathpal
IOC to set up green hydrogen plants at all refineries
• India’s top oil firm IOC will set up green hydrogen
plants at all its refineries as it pivots a Rs 2-lakh crore
green transition plan to achieve net-zero emissions
from its operations by 2046

• Indian Oil Corporation is re-modelling business with an

increased focus on petrochemicals to hedge volatility in
the fuel business, while at the same time turning petrol
pumps into energy outlets that offer EV charging points
and battery swapping options About IOCL:
Chairman : Shrikant Madhav Vaidya
Headquarters : New Delhi
Founded : 30 June 1959
 Kapil Kathpal
Ola Electric to set up World’s largest EV hub in Tamil Nadu

• Ola Electric Mobility Private Limited has signed a

Memorandum of Understanding with the Tamil Nadu
committing investments worth Rs 7,614 crore

• The investments include setting up of world’s largest

Electric Vehicle hub with an integrated two-wheeler,
electric car and lithium-cell Gigafactories with a
capacity of 20 GW in SIPCOT Bargur, Krishnagiri
district of Tamil Nadu About OLA Electric:
Founder : Bhavish Aggarwal
Est. : 2017
• Ola will invest Rs 5,114 crore for making lithium cells Headquarters : Bengaluru
and Rs 2,500 crore for the car plant.
Kerala signs pact with UN Women Kapil Kathpal

to empower women in tourism

• The Kerala government and UN Women entered into
an agreement, in order to promote activities that are
welcoming to women in the State’s tourist industry.

• Kerala Tourism and UN Women India committed to

promoting gender-inclusive tourist destinations
throughout the State through the signing of a
memorandum of understanding

About UN Women:
Head : Sima Sami Bahous
Headquarters : New York, USA
Formed on : 2 July 2010
 Kapil Kathpal
Youth 20 India Summit Hosted by
Maharaja Sayajirao University Gujarat
• The Youth 20 India Summit will be held at the Maharaja
Sayajirao University Vadodara in Gujarat which will be
attended by more than 600 delegates from 62
countries.

• The Youth 20 India Summit is organized by the Ministry

Recent Y20 Summit:
of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to
mark the celebration of India’s G20 Presidency, the * First Y20 Summit was held in
focus would be on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Guwahati, for 3 days, major
focus was on 5 themes.
Reduction: Making sustainability a Way of Life’.
 Kapil Kathpal
Om Birla inaugurate the 19th
Annual CPA conference in Sikkim
• The 19th annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Association India
Zone-3 conference inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
at Gangtok, Sikkim.

• Till now, 18 Zonal Conferences have been held in the North

Eastern States that include the Events of North East Region of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (NERCPA) and CPA
Zone-III.

• The CPA Zone-III comprises of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh,

Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

• As CPA Zone-III, two Conferences have been held, i.e. Guwahati,

Assam on 8 October 2018 and Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh on 12
and 13 May 2022.
 Kapil Kathpal

• The executive committee of the CPA India Region consists of the

CPA India Regional Chairperson and six members. Lok Sabha
speaker Om Birla is its current Regional Chairperson.

• Administratively, the CPA India Region is divided into 4 zones–

• Zone -1: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Orissa, Uttar

Pradesh Uttaranchal, West Bengal (8 Branches),

• Zone -2: Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,

Puducherry (UT), Tamil Nadu, Telangana (8 Branches),

• Zone- 3: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya,

Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura (8 Branches) and

• Zone- 4: Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and

Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan (7 Branches).
 Kapil Kathpal
Computer scientist Hari Balakrishnan
wins 2023 Marconi Prize
• Computer scientist Hari Balakrishnan has been awarded the 2023
Marconi Prize.

• Dr. Balakrishnan has been cited “for fundamental contributions to

wired and wireless networking, mobile sensing, and distributed
systems”. The Marconi Prize is a top honour for computer
scientists and is awarded by the U.S.-based Marconi Foundation.

• It is given to those “who have made a significant contribution to Recent awards:

increasing digital inclusivity through advanced information and • SS Rajamouli’s RRR film got Best
communications technology.” International Film Award at HCA
• 13 Sansad Ratna awards were
• Hari Balakrishnan is the Fujitsu Professor of Computer Science presented to 5 RS & 8 LS
and Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Electrical Members.
Engineering and Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of • Sajjan Jindal got Entrepreneur of
the Year title.
Technology (MIT).
 Kapil Kathpal
PM-KISAN Scheme: PM Modi released Rs 16800 crores

• The Government of India launched the PM-KISAN

scheme in 2019 to provide financial support to the
farmers in the country. Under the plan, Rs 6,000 is
provided annually. Recently, PM Modi released Rs
16,800 crores under the scheme.

• The Prime Minister released the funds from Bellavi,

Karnataka.

• The scheme was launched on February 24, 2019.

Since then, the union government released 12
installments. This is the 13th. So far, Rs 2.24 lakh cores
have been disbursed. Scheme is funded by the central
government entirely. State Governments have no role.
 Kapil Kathpal
Desert Flag exercise VIII
• The exercise Desert Flag VIII was held in the UAE air
base Al Dhafra.

• Indian Air Force participated in the exercise first time in

2021. The other countries that participated were the
USA, Korea, Spain, Morocco, Bahrain, the UK, Recent Defense Exercises:
Australia, Kuwait, France, and UAE. Exercise Held Location
Name Between
• For the first time, LCA Tejas of India is participating in a DUSTLIK India - Pithoragarh,
military exercise that was held outside the country. 2023 Uzbekistan Uttarakhand

• Aim of exercise is to participate in diverse fighter Dharma India - Japan

engagements. Guardian Japan
Indian India Line of
Airforce Actual
Pralay Control
 Kapil Kathpal
Cobra Warrior exercise
• The Cobra Warrior Exercise is to be held at Waddington Air Force
Base in the UK in March 2023.

• It is a multinational exercise. Countries like Singapore, Finland, the

USA, South Africa, and Sweden will participate in the exercise.

• Indian Air Force is also participating in the exercise with 145

personnels from Jamnagar Airforce Station along with Mirage
2000 fighters, C-17 Globemaster – III and IL-78 mid air refueller
aircraft.

• The Cobalt Warrior is one of the largest Royal Air Force exercises.
During the exercise, the Royal Air Force provides special training
to pilots from different countries.
 Kapil Kathpal
Lt Gen RS Reen takes charges as
Director General Quality Assurance
• Lt Gen RS Reen took over as Director General Quality
Assurance.

• The DGQA is an inter-service organisation functioning

under the Department of Defence Production in the Recent Appointments:
Ministry of Defence. Rajesh Rai CMD of ITI Ltd.

BVR CEO of NITI

• It is responsible for second party quality assurance of Subrahmanyam Aayog
all defence stores and equipment, both imported as VP Rajan Amba MD of Jaguar
well as indigenous, for the Indian Army, Indian Navy Land Rover
India
(excluding Naval Armaments) and common user items
Shailesh Pathak Secretary Gen.
for the Indian Air Force procured from private sector
of FICCI
and public sector undertakings.
CAG GC Murmu External auditor
of ILO
Neel Mohan CEO of You Tube
 Kapil Kathpal
Govindaraj Kempareddy becomes 1st Indian
to be Nominated as President of FIBA Asia

• Govindaraj Kempareddy, President of the Basketball Federation of

India was unanimously nominated as the President of FIBA Asia

• He becomes the 1st Indian to be elected as FIBA Asia President.

• K Govindaraj will replace Qatar’s Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani

• Indian National Congress activist K Govindaraj is currently serving

as a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council and Vice-
President of the Indian Olympic Association.
About FIBA Asia:
• Govindaraj Kempareddy started his career as National Basketball President : Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani
Player (Current)
Chairman : Yao Ming
• Presently, Govindaraj Kempareddy serves as the Director of the Headquater : Beirut, Lebanon
Indian Cost Accountants Institute Established : 1960
 Kapil Kathpal
NOKIA changes its logo
• The smartphone giant NOKIA recently changed its brand identity for the
first time in 60 years. The telecom equipment maker is now focusing on
growth.

• The iconic blue colour of NOKIA was dropped. And a new logo has been
adopted. The new logo has five different shapes.

• According to NOKIA, the world is of the assumption that the company

produces only smartphones. But it is not so. NOKIA is into the technology
About Nokia:
business and not the Smartphone business. To deliver this to the
CEO : Pekka Lundmark
international market, NOKIA changed its logo.
Headquarters : Espoo, Finland
Founded : 12May 1865
• It is a Finnish company. It is in the business of information technology,
multinational telecommunication, consumer electronics, etc.

• Nokia signed a contract with NASA to build a 4G mobile network on the

moon

• Flipkart-NOKIA collaboration to sell NOKIA products in India

 Kapil Kathpal
Trade resumes as Pakistan,
Afghanistan reopen Torkham crossing
• The normal trade and movement of people between
Pakistan and Afghanistan fully resumed after the two
sides reopened a key border crossing that was shut
nearly a week ago by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers,
stranding people and thousands of trucks
carrying food and essential items.
 Kapil Kathpal
Bangladesh Govt & ISA Inks Agreement to
Enhance Usage of Solar Power in Bangladesh
• The International Solar Alliance and Bangladesh have
signed an agreement to enhance the use of solar
energy in Bangladesh.

• The agreement is scheduled to take effect in December

2026, between Bangladesh Power Division Secretary
Md. Habibur Rahman and ISA DG Ajay Mathur.

• By 2030, it intends to generate 4000 MW of solar

energy and by 2041, the Bangladesh government
intends to have 40% of its energy generated from About ISA:
renewable sources. DG : Ajay Mathur
HQ : Gurugram , Haryana
Member nations : 123
 US’s International IPR Index 2023 Kapil Kathpal

• According to the International Intellectual Property Rights Index

2023 (11th edition) released by the United States Chamber of
Commerce, India ranks 42nd among 55 major global economies
across 50 unique indicators. Last year India was 43rd.

• The index was launched by the Global Innovation Policy Centre of

the US Chamber of Commerce and is closely monitored by the
Indian government. Recent Indexes & India’s
Rankings:
• The index found that several domestic and international measures
threatened to weaken IPR. GEM NECI 2022-23 4th
Global Labour Resilience 65th
• It addresses issues ranging from patent and copyright laws to the Index
ability to monetize IP assets and the ratification of international OECD Services Trade 47th
treaties Restrictiveness - STRI
Global Employability 13th
University Ranking &
Survey
Passport Index 87th
 Kapil Kathpal
Senior women’s national hockey championship

• Hockey Madhya Pradesh was named the winner of the 13th Hockey India
Senior Women National Championship in 2023 after defeating Hockey
Maharashtra in the championship game in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.

• In the meantime, Hockey Jharkhand finished third after winning the third-
place game against Hockey Haryana.

• Individual Prizes for the 2023 13th Hockey India Senior Women’s National
Championship are:

• Sonal Minj is the best goalkeeper (Hockey Jharkhand)

• Pratibha Arya is the best defender (Hockey Madhya Pradesh)

• Manashri Narendra Shedage is the best midfielder (Hockey Maharashtra)

• Albela Rani Toppo is the best forward (Hockey Jharkhand)

 Kapil Kathpal
Carabao Cup 2023: Manchester United wins
• The Carabao cup is also called the EFL cup. It is a
major football trophy played in England. More than 92
clubs participate in the knockout competition.

• Liverpool is the most successful club in the

competition. The team has won more than nine
championships. Carabao is an energy drink in
Thailand.

• The final battle was fought between Manchester United

and Newcastle. Manchester United is winning the
trophy after six years.
 Kapil Kathpal
Devisingh Ransingh Shekhawat, Former
President Pratibha Patil’s husband Passed Away
• Renowned educationist Devisingh Ransingh
Shekhawat, husband of the former President of India
Pratibha Patil and former First Gentleman of India
(2007-2012), passed away

• Devisingh Shekhawat was an Indian agriculturist and

politician He also served as the first gentleman of
Rajasthan (2004 -2007) and also as mayor of Amravati
(1991–1992). He was a member of the Indian National
Congress.

• He served in the Legislative Assembly for the years

1985 to 1990, having been elected from the Amravati
constituency to the Maharashtra state assembly.
 Kapil Kathpal
Recent Obituaries
Name Profession
Kanak Rele Classical Dancer
O P Kohli Politician (Former Gujarat
Governor )
Subi Suresh Malayalam Actor - Anchor
Nandamuri Taraka Ratna Telugu Actor & Politician
Shahnawaz Pradhan Actor
Balipa Narayana Bhagwat Yakshagana Singer
Tulsidas Balaram Indian Footballer
Shoichiro Toyoda Toyota Motor Corp.
Honorary Chairman
 Kapil Kathpal
Marathi Bhasa Gaurav Din 2023
• Every year on February 27th, Maharashtra states in
India mark Marathi Language Day.

• The occasion marks the birthday of renowned Marathi

poet Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, often known as
“Kusumagraj.”

• Kusumagraj has significantly influenced Maharashtra’s

cultural landscape, and he has worked tirelessly to
promote Marathi as a scientific language.

• After Kusumagraj passed away in 1999, the

government began commemorating “Marathi
Rajbhasha Gaurav Din.”
 Kapil Kathpal
World NGO Day 2023 - 27th February
• The World NGO Day is an annual international
observance on February 27 to recognize the
contributions of non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).

• The day was first celebrated in 2010 and has since

become an annual event that highlights the work of
NGOs around the world.
 Recent : Important February Days Kapil Kathpal

2nd February World Wetlands Day

2nd February Rheumatoid Arthiritis Awareness Day
4th February World Cancer Day
6th February International Day for Zero Tolerance for
Female Genital Mutilation
10th February World Pulses Day
11th February International Day of Women and Girls In
Science
24th February Central Excise Day
27th February World NGO Day
28th February National Science Day