1) Transgenders will be covered under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY
•According to the government of India, transgenders will be brought under the ambit of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). The National Health Authority (NHA) under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide inclusive and composite health package for transgenders under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY.
2) India’s first-of-its-kind naval shooting range inaugurated at INS Karna
•A first-of-its-kind, Composite Indoor Shooting Range (CISR) was inaugurated by Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta at INS Karna. The CISR is a state-of-the-art, self-contained, 25 m, six-lane, live firing range for all primary and secondary weapons in the Navy. With advanced target systems and associated control software, this range would enable personnel to hone their firing skills, enabling them to challenge and take on adversaries in demanding scenarios.
3) Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched ‘Azadi Quest’ online games
•Union Minister Anurag Thakur has launched “Azadi Quest”, a series of online educational games based on India’s freedom struggle, developed in collaboration with Zynga India. These games are an effort to tap into the huge market of online gamers and to educate them through games. Various arms of the government of India have collected information about unsung freedom fighters from the corners of the country. “Azadi Quest” is an effort to make the learning of this knowledge engaging and interactive.
4) Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi govt to set up country’s first night safari in Lucknow
•The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath approved the proposal of the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department to start the country’s first night safari in the capital Lucknow. Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said that on the lines of Singapore’s world’s first night safari, this night safari in Lucknow will be developed on 350 acres in the Kukrail forest area spread over an area of 2027.46 hectares and a zoological park will be built in 150 acres.
5) 20th Edition of BioAsia 2023 scheduled in February 24-26
•The 20th edition of BioAsia 2023 will be hosted by the Government of Telangana, the premier event of BioAsia 2023 for the life sciences and health tech, on February 24-26, 2023. BioAsia 2023‘s logo and theme, “Advancing for ONE: Shaping the next generation of humanised healthcare,” have been unveiled by Minister for Industries and Commerce KT Rama Rao.
6) Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga elected as interim PM of Mali
•In Mali, the military has appointed Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga as interim Prime Minister after the country’s civilian PM Choguel Kokalla Maiga was admitted to hospital. Before this appointment, Colonel Maiga was working as a Government Spokesman and Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation.
•Choguel Kokalla was named premier after the military took power in August 2020. In recent months, Maiga had come under criticism from many of his former allies for following the Junta’s line. Military Junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita had himself appointed transitional president after the May 2021 coup.
7) Bangladeshi Fahmida Azim won the Pulitzer Prize 2022
•Bangladesh-born Fahmida Azim working for the Insider online magazine of the US has been selected for the Pulitzer Prize 2022. She will be awarded under the category of Illustrated Reporting and Commentary. She is among the four journalists including Anthony Del Col, Josh Adams and Walt Hickey of Insider being published from New York, selected for their work on the Chinese oppression of the Uyghurs. The work ‘I escaped a Chinese internment Camp’ has illustrations by Fahmida Azim.
•The citation for the award said that they have been selected for the prize for using graphic reportage and the comics medium to tell a powerful yet intimate story of the Chinese oppression of the Uyghurs, making the issue accessible to a wider public.
8) World’s first fleet of hydrogen passenger trains by Germany
•The world’s first fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trains was launched by Germany. The first fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger trains has replaced 15 diesel trains that were previously operated on nonelectrified tracks in Lower Saxony, Germany. The engine of the trains is powered by electricity generated using hydrogen fuel cells.
•The use of hydrogen is a clean alternative to fossil fuels as per the German government’s announcement. The state governor Stephan Weil said that Lower Saxony has invested a total of 93 million euros for the first fleet of hydrogen-powered passenger train projects. This invitation is an excellent example and effort to make the economy of Germany greener.
9) State’s Revenue Growth To Slide To 9% Despite Rise In GST collections
•States’ revenue growth will slide to 7-9 per cent in FY23 even as handsome GST collections will help in the accretion, a report said. The revenue growth had galloped 25 per cent in FY22 courtesy a lower base in the pandemic-affected FY21, the report by rating agency Crisil, which analysed 17 states accounting for 90 per cent of the aggregate GSDP(Gross State Domestic Product).
10) For The First Time, India TO Take Over The G20 Presidency By December 2022
•The Union cabinet approved the setting up of a G20 Secretariat and related structures that will implement policy decisions and be responsible for arrangements for India’s forthcoming presidency of the group in 2023. India will hold the presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, culminating with the G20 Summit in India next year. The G20 Secretariat will handle work related to knowledge, content, technical, media, security and logistical aspects of India’s presidency of the inter-governmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU).
11) RBI To Launch Digital Rupee Soon
•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will very likely introduce its digital rupee, the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), in this fiscal year itself. Talks of a digital rupee in the country have been swirling since Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced it during her Budget 2022 speech back in February. At the time, she had said that the digital rupee would be launched in 2022-2023.
12) ICRA expects Indian GDP to grow by 12-13% in Q1-FY23
•Rating agency ICRA (Investment and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited) predicted that the Indian economy will grow 12–13% in the first quarter (Q1) of the new fiscal year, i.e. FY23. ICRA gave this rating citing the second-highest reading of the business activity index in 13 months in April. However, ICRA has kept its annual GDP prediction at 7.2% for this fiscal year, citing concerns over inflation and the ensuing tightening of RBI policy.
13) M Venkaiah Naidu launched a book titled “A New India: Selected Writings 2014-19”
•Former Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu has released a book titled “A New India: Selected Writings 2014-19”, a compilation of selected articles of former Union Minister and Padma Vibhushan Arun Jaitley on his death anniversary. The event was also attended by Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who also released the book along with Naidu. The book has been published by Juggernaut.
