1. Pangong Tso lake marathon registered as world's highest Frozen Lake Marathon in the Guinness Book
Tags: National National News
The Frozen Lake Marathon at Pangong Tso Lake in the Union Territory of Ladakh has been officially included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Highest Frozen Lake Marathon for the first time.
An overview of the news
It was organised on 20 February at the world-famous Pangong Lake, situated at an altitude of 4,350 metres above sea level.
The Frozen Lake Marathon is being organised for the first time in the country and is considered to be one of the toughest because of the high altitude and cold.
The theme of this marathon is 'The Last Run' and it is organised with the aim of creating awareness about climate change in Ladakh and promoting border tourism.
It was organised under the Vibrant Village Program to accelerate the pace of development in border villages.
The 21 km long marathon that started at Luking village was organised by the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councilin association with the Adventure Sports Foundation of Ladakh.
Pangong Tso lake
It is a long narrow, deep landlocked lake situated at an altitude of over 14,000 feet in the Himalayas.
The western end is located 54 km to the south-east of Leh.
This salt water lake freezes in winter.
It is about 135 km long, of which more than two-thirds is under Chinese control.
The Line of Actual Control passes through the middle of this lake.
2. India and Singapore launch joint digital payment mechanism
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
India and Singapore on 21 February launched a joint digital payment mechanism to enable residents of both countries to make easier and faster cross-border transactions.
An overview of the news
The facility was jointly launched by Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Ravi Menon, Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore's PayNow have entered into an agreement in this regard to facilitate these transactions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong participated in the virtual launch of Real Time Payment Linkage.
This will add a new chapter in fintech connectivity. Now people can make cost effective and fast money transfers from their mobile phones.
This real-time payment system will help the Indian diaspora in Singapore, especially migrant workers and students.
3. Union Minister of Food Processing Industry inaugurates India Pavillion at Dubai
Tags: International News
India Pavilion’ at Gulfood, Dubai was inaugurated by Pashupati Kumar Paras, Minister of Food Processing Industries, Government of India in the presence of Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE on 20 February.
An overview of the news
The 'India Pavilion' is the largest pavilion at Gulfood 2023.
The 'India Pavilion' has 306 companies, including leading SMEs and startups, participating on one platform.
Indian companies are exhibiting in all sectors of Gulffood including beverages, pulses, cereals, food, meat and poultry, dairy, fats and oils etc.
Major Indian companies participating include Amul, MDH, Parle, Rasna, Bikanerwala, Bikaji, Everest Foods, Markfed, Safal and Red Fort.
In the 'India Pavilion', special promotion and branding of millets superfoods will be done as the United Nations celebrates the International Year of Millets 2023.
APEDA will sign an MoU with Lulu Group International for in-store promotion of millets in its supermarkets in the UAE.
Food Processing Industry of India
India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, rice, fish and tea.
India ranks first in terms of production of milk, millets, spices, pulses.
India has agricultural exports of US$ 46.1 billion and 23 operational mega food parks and 12 agro-processing clusters.
India has shown renewed interest in millets because of their nutritional value and sustainability.
4. India to host Permanent Mission Roundtables at UN Head Quarter as Chair of G- 20
Tags: National National News
India as the Chair of the G-20 will host the Permanent Mission Roundtable at the UN Headquarters ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit to be held in New York this year.
An overview of the news
A series of round table conferences have been lined up for the next few months.
A roundtable titled ‘Gandhian Trusteeship: A panel discussion on Sustainable Lifestyles and Enduring Pace’ will be held.
This will be followed on March 9 by a roundtable on 'The world we women and girls want: Technology-driven social and economic advancement'.
On March 16, a roundtable on ‘Grassroots leadership and transformation: Charting the path of empowerment through technology and skill development’ will take place.
A special program has been planned to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar on 14th April.
During the event, the focus will be on India's growth story and achievements.
The 2023 SDG Summit will be held in September 2023 under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly.
5. Eknath Shinde-led Sena faction gets ‘bow and arrow’ symbol
Tags: National News
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The Election Commission of India on 17 February ordered the Eknath Shinde faction to be renamed the Shiv Sena, the commission also said that the arrow and bow would be retained as election symbols by Eknath Shinde's party.
An overview of the news
Both the Shiv Sena factions (Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray) are fighting for the party's bow and arrow symbol after Shinde (the current chief minister of Maharashtra) rebelled against Thackeray last year.
The Election Commission, in its 78-page order, said the current constitution of Shiv Sena is "undemocratic".
Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister of Maharashtra before Shinde rebelled and took over in June 2022.
Both the factions are fighting to keep the original name and symbol of the party to represent the "real" Shiv Sena.
Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray said the Election Commission's order recognizing the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena was "dangerous for democracy", and he would challenge it in the Supreme Court.
How does EC decide who gets the symbol?
The question of a split in a political party outside the legislature is decided by para 15 of the Emblems Order, 1968.
Accordingly, the Election Commission of India (ECI) may take into account all available facts and circumstances and conduct a majority test.
The decision of the Election Commission shall be binding on all such rival sections or groups that have emerged after partition.
This applies to disputes between recognized national and state parties.
For splits in registered but unrecognised parties, the Election Commission usually advises the two factions to resolve their differences internally or approach the court.
Election Commission of India
It is a permanent and independent body established by the Constitution of India to ensure free and fair elections in India.
It was established as per the Constitution on 25 January 1950.
It administers the elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Assemblies, State Legislative Councils and the President and Vice President of the country.
It has nothing to do with elections to panchayats and municipalities in the states. For this the Constitution of India provides for a separate State Election Commission.
Basically there is only one Chief Election Commissioner in the Election Commission.
Currently it consists of two Election Commissioners.
The President appoints Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.
They have a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years.
6. India, Uzbekistan hold 4th Joint Military Exercise- ‘Dustlik’
Tags: Defence National News
As part of the military-to-military exchange program between the Indian Army and the Uzbekistan Army, the fourth edition of the training exercise Dastlik (2023) began on 20 February.
An overview of the news
The exercise will be held at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand till March 5, 2023.
45-45 soldiers from both countries will participate in the exercise.
The Indian contingent in this bilateral exercise will be represented by the 14th Battalion The Garhwal Rifles, which is part of the Western Command.
The Uzbekistan Army will be represented by troops from the North Western Military District of the Uzbekistan Army.
Its purpose is to give impetus to the ever-growing military and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
This exercise shows the strong resolve of both the countries to combat terrorism.
Previous Exercises- ‘Dustlik’
The first edition of this exercise was conducted in November 2019 in Uzbekistan.
The second edition was held in India in 2021 from 10 to 19 March at Chaubatia, Ranikhet.
The third edition of the exercise was conducted from March 22 to 29 in 2022 in Yangiyarik district of Uzbekistan.
Significance
Keeping in mind the Belt and Road Initiative of China, this exercise is very important.
Both the armies share counter-terrorist operations in mountain/rural/urban scenarios under the UN mandate.
Military diplomacy to connect with Central Asia.
7. 18th World Security Congress
Tags: Summits National News
The 18th World Security Congress is being organised by the International Union of Railways (UIC) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) from 21 to 23 February in Jaipur.
An overview of the news
The 18th edition of this Congress is focused on the theme of "Railway Safety Strategy: Responses and Vision for the Future".
It will be attended by concerned officials from UIC, partner international organisations, Indian Railways, RPF and senior police officers from India besides security heads from railway organisations across the globe.
The Congress is divided into 4 sessions, which include the topics "Safety of critical assets and goods", "Human safety approaches", "Best railway safety equipment and practices around the world" and "Vision 2030".
Earlier, in 2006 and 2015, RPF India successfully organized and hosted the International UIC World Security Congress in New Delhi.
RPF Director General Sanjay Chander IPS has taken over as the Chairman of the International UIC Security Forum from July 2022 to July 2024.
About International Union of Railways (UIC)
The Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer (UIC) or International Union of Railways (UIC) is headquartered in Paris, France.
It is a professional association which has been in existence since 1922.
It represents the railway sector and promotes rail transport around the world.
UIC serves on the mission of promoting interoperability and standardisation of rail transport, increasing cooperation and sharing of best practices, supporting members in new business and new areas of activities and proposing improved technical and environmental performance of rail transport.
About Railway Protection Force of India
This is a prime security and Law Enforcement Agency in the field of Railway Security in India.
It was formed in 1957 for better protection of railway property.
It has proven itself with the additional roles of passenger safety and passenger convenience and protection of railway property.
Director General of RPF - Sanjay Chander
8. India’s lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 achieves another milestone
Tags: Science and Technology National News
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 19 February said that the 'Chandrayaan-3' lander has "successfully" underwent the Electro-Magnetic Interference/Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMI/EMC) test at the U R Rao Satellite Centre.
An overview of the news
The EMI-EMC test is conducted for satellite missions to ensure functionality of the satellite subsystems in space and their compatibility with the expected electromagnetic levels.
The purpose of this test is to ensure that the satellite's systems work properly in conjunction with the expected electromagnetic levels in space.
This is an important step in preparing the test satellites.
The test was conducted between January 31 and February 2 at the UR RAW Satellite Center in Bengaluru.
During this test several points related to the post-landing phase of Chandrayaan's mission were checked.
These include a number of tests including launch capability, polarisation of antenna for radio frequency systems and compatibility of lander and rover.
All the systems performed satisfactorily during the test.
The complexity of this operation relates to the establishment of radio frequency communication links between these modules.
9. UAE and India launch the UAE Chapter of the Business Council
Tags: International News
The UAE and India launched the UAE India Business Council - UAE Chapter (UIBCUC) on 18 February to strengthen economic ties and enhance bilateral trade and investment.
An overview of the news
It was launched by Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade in Dubai.
One year of signing of the India-UAE comprehensive free trade agreement, completed.
The UIBCUC aims to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion and attract investments of $75 billion from the UAE to India.
The council will bring together key partners and stakeholders from both countries and encourage innovative collaboration between Emirati and Indian businesses.
The Council will play a key role in supporting the two governments in their joint mission to promote bilateral trade and investment.
It will operate under the supervision of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
It is registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce as a legal and financial entity.
UIBC-UC will have its office in Dubai.
Faizal Kottikollon of Kef Holdings has been appointed as the Chairman of UIBC-UC.
Major General (Retd.) Sharafuddin Sharaf, the Chairman of the UIBC (India Chapter), will serve as the Vice Chairman.
Key partners and stakeholders
Sovereign Wealth Funds from the UAE and large conglomerates from India such as - TATA group, Reliance, and Adani, as well as tech innovators like OLA, Zerodha, and EaseMyTrip.
The founding members of the UIBC-UC from the UAE side
Mubadala - Sovereign Wealth Fund of the UAE, Wizz Financial, DP World, EMAAR, Emirates Airlines, Emirates NBD Bank.
The founding members of the UIBC-UC from Indian side
TATA, Reliance, and Adani, OLA, Zerodha, Udaan, and EaseMyTrip.
Prominent Indian entrepreneur-led corporations based in the UAE such as KEF Holdings, Buimark Corporation, Apparel Group, EFS and Lulu Financial.
10. Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurates SemiconIndia Conference of Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain Ecosystem in New Delhi
Tags: Summits National News
The Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the ‘SemiconIndia Conference of Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain Ecosystem’, on 18 February in New Delhi.
An overview of the news
He highlighted the success achieved in telecom manufacturing and the Vande Bharat development supported by the government.
He highlighted 'Your success, our success and the success of the global semiconductor industry'.
He highlighted that 'Electronics manufacturing is not sustainable in India without the development of semiconductor ecosystem which plays a major role in driving the overall economic growth in automotive, power, telecom, electronics etc.
Conference is being organised by the Institute of Supply Management (ISM).
Prominent sessions
Panel discussion on the existing semiconductor ecosystem in India.
Presentation on facilitating the development of the semiconductor ecosystem.
Panel discussion regarding the fab construction and availability of requisite chemicals, gasses.
Presentation on vision for skilled workforce generation.
Panel discussion regarding the industry readiness, challenges for materials and equipment with panellists.
Panel Discussion regarding Policies and readiness of State Governments for semiconductor ecosystem.
Panel discussion regarding the concerns of the industry.
India’s Semiconductor Mission
On 29 December 2022, the Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched the India Semiconductor Mission.
Under the policy, the government will provide Rs 76000 crore incentives for companies setting up manufacturing facilities in India.
This was done by the government to encourage companies to set up chip manufacturing plants in India.
What is semiconductor?
Semiconductors are materials which have a conductivity between conductors and insulators.
They can be pure elements, silicon or germanium or compounds; gallium, arsenide or cadmium selenide.
They are the basic building blocks that serve as the heart and brain of all modern electronics and information and communications technology products.
These chips are now an integral part of contemporary automobiles, household gadgets and essential medical devices such as ECG machines.
