NATIONAL:
1. "Saptarishi" (7 priorities)
Why in news - Ms. Sitharaman revealed the seven priorities of the Union Budget 2023-24.
Key Points –
• 7 priorities are –
A. Inclusive development
B. Reaching the last mile
C. Infrastructure and investment
D. Unleashing potential
E. Green growth
F. Youth Power
G. Financial Sector
• Amrit Kaal - 25-year period culminating in the centenary of India's independence.
• As per Economic Survey, India's GDP is expected to grow in the range of 6 - 6.8% in financial year 2023-24.
2. Passive Euthanasia
Why in news – Supreme Court has relaxed the guidelines for ‘advance medical directive’ that it issued in its 2018 judgment.
Key Points –
• Common Cause vs. Union of India & Anr (2018) - SC had legalized passive euthanasia under certain circumstances. It laid down guidelines for ‘living wills’.
• Aruna Ramchandra Shanbaug case (2011) - The SC allowed passive euthanasia for Aruna Shanbaug; a nurse who had been sexually assaulted in Mumbai in 1973.
• Euthanasia - Practice of an individual deliberately ending their life, to get relief from an incurable condition.
• Active euthanasia - Active intervention to end a person’s life with external force, e.g., lethal injection.
• Passive euthanasia - Withdrawing life support essential to keep a terminally ill person alive.
3. Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)
Why in news - The Opposition has demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the allegations of fraud against the Adani Group.
Key Points –
• There have been six JPCs set up so far.
• Since 2014, no JPC has been set up.
About JPC –
• It is set up by the Parliament for a special purpose, like for the detailed scrutiny of a subject.
• It has members from both the Houses and from both the ruling parties and the opposition.
• It is dissolved after its term ends or its task has been completed.
• Members of the JPC are decided by the Parliament.
• The number of members can vary. (No fixed number).
• Recommendations of a JPC are not binding on the government.
4. Pen Monument
Why in news - A planned offshore memorial to the late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was opposed by some environmental groups.
Key Points –
• Proposed name - ‘Muthamizh Arignar Dr Kalaignar Pen Monument’.
• Location - off Marina beach (360 m from the coast in the Bay of Bengal).
• It pays tribute to Karunanidhi (5-time Tamil Nadu CM).
• Sikku Kolam - A traditional drawing made by Tamil women. A geometric shape is created using dots and circles.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Madrid International Book Fair 2025
Why in news - India would be invited as the focal country at the Madrid International Book Fair in 2025.
Key Points –
• Spain is the theme country at the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES:
1. National Mission on Edible Oil – Oil Palm (NMEO-OP)
Why in news - Patanjali Group signed an MoU with the Nagaland government for oil palm production under NMEO-OP.
Key Points –
• The state has covered 5,423 hectares of area under oil palm cultivation under NMEO-OP.
• India imports palm oil from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
• Soyabean oil comes from Argentina and Brazil.
• Sunflower oil comes from Ukraine and Russia.
About NMEO-OP (2021)–
• Aim - To raise the domestic production of palm oil by 3 times to 11.20 lakh tonnes by 2025-26
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES:
1. Sustainable Financial Working Group
Why in news - Assam hosted its first G20 meeting on the Sustainable Financial Working Group meeting on Feb 2 and 3.
Key Points –
• Assam has been chosen to host 5 G20 events.
• G20 theme - 'One Earth. One Family. One Future' (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam).
RANKS & INDICES:
1. MBA Rankings 2023
Why in news - The Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) has released the top business and management schools of 2023.
Key Points –
• B-Schools in India
Government |
Private |
Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Ahmedabad |
Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur |
Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Bengaluru |
Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon |
Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Kolkata |
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune |
Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Lucknow |
S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai |
Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi |
Symbiosis Centre For Management & Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune |
• IIRF is prepared and published by Education Post, India’s most authentic nongovernment ranking framework.
SCIENCE – TECH:
1. Liquid Windows
Why in news - Engineers at the University of Toronto created a prototype for "liquid windows".
Key Points –
• They can shift the wavelength, intensity, and distribution of light transmitted through those windows, thereby saving energy costs.
PERSON IN NEWS:
1. Shanti Bhushan
Why in news - Former Union Law Minister and veteran lawyer Shanti Bhushan died at 97.
Key Points –
• In 1977, Bhushan was appointed Law Minister when Janata Party came to power.
• Bhushan founded the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reform.
STATES/UTs:
1. Vision for All School Eye Health Program
Why in news - Goa has launched the Vision for All School Eye Health program.
Key Points –
• Focus - Training 2000 teachers on basic visual acuity tests for the children in their respective school.
BIHAR:
1. National Children's Science Congress (NCSC)
Why in news – Pranav Suman from Bihar has been selected among a total of 16 child scientists across the country in NCSC
Key Points –
• He has prepared a project on making pits for growing paddy seeds.
• Pit is made from coconut, onion, and almond peel. It improves seed germination.
• The 5-Day NCSC concluded at the Science City in Ahmedabad.
POINTERS:
• Which British Indian has been honoured with the 'Freedom of the City of London' award - Manish Tiwari.
• Which state police has launched the 'Cyber Congress initiative' – Telangana.
• Which company has launched the second phase of Girls4Tech STEM initiative in India – Mastercard.
• Recently, which state government has launched the first survey of Migrants – Jharkhand.
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has increased the exemption limit for private taxpayers from Rs 5 lakh to how much – Rs 7 lakh.
• Reliance Retail has tied up with which country's biscuit maker Maliban - Sri Lanka.
• In the budget of 2023-24, how many rupees have been allocated for the defence sector of India - Rs 5.94 lakh crores.
• Which state/UT "Har Gaon Hariyali" initiative has created a record of planting 90 lakh saplings - Jammu and Kashmir.
• Which scheme has been announced to be launched for the farmers in the budget 2023-24 - "Shri Anna Yojana".
• Who has been appointed as the first CEO of Gujarat Maritime Cluster - Madhavendra Singh.