Current Affairs 1 March 2023

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

PM Inaugurates & Lays Foundation Stone of Multiple Development Projects in Shivamogga and Belagavi, Karnataka
On February 27, 2023, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated numerous development projects totaling more than Rs. 3,600 crore at Shivamogga, Karnataka.

• He also inaugurated the Shivamogga Airport, a new airport built at a cost of around Rs. 450 crore.

i.In Shivamogga, the PM laid the foundation for two railway projects: The Shivamogga-Shikaripura-Ranebennur new railway line and the Koteganguru Railway coaching depot.
PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated several development projects worth over Rs. 2,700 crore in Belagavi, Karnataka, and also distributed the 13th instalment amount of around Rs. 16,000 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through direct benefit transfer (DBT) to over 8 crore beneficiaries.
About Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)
C-DAC is the premier Research and Development (R&D) organization of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for carrying out R&D in IT & E (Information Technologies and Electronics) and associated areas.
Established – 1988
Director General – Magesh Ethirajan
>> Read Full News

India’s 1st Container Feeder Service launched Between Chennai-Puducherry ports; Hope Seven flagged off from ChennaiOn 27th February 2023, a short-haul coastal container feeder service, first of its kind in India, was launched between Chennai – Puducherry ports. The container feeder ship, Hope Seven, with a container capacity of 106 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), was flagged off by service between Chennai and Puducherry ports flagged off by Sunil Paliwal, Chairman of Chennai Port Trust at D P World Terminal at the Chennai Port.

• The coastal feeder service is a step forward towards the ambitious Sagarmala Project of the government of India.

Background:
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding this container feeder service was signed between Chennai Port Authority (CPA) and Puducherry port on 15th March 2017.
About Coastal Container Feeder Service: 
i. Hope Seven, procured by the Chennai-based Global Logistic Solutions, the 12-hour ferry service is expected to help the trade avoid congested road traffic and take delivery of boxes through Direct Port Delivery (DPD) and Direct Port Entry (DPE) than using storage spaces like Container Freight Stations (CFS) and Inland Container Depots (ICD).
ii. The ship is equipped with a container crane-geared vessel.
Benefits of feeder service: 
The container feeder service is expected to reduce overall freight costs by nearly 25%
Key Points:
i. Under the Sagarmala programme, the government of India decided to develop Puducherry port as a satellite port to Chennai port for container cargo from and to the UT and its hinterland extending to Cuddalore and Nagapattinam in the South-East, Tiruchirappalli and Villupuram in the South, and Salem and Namakal in the West.

• This decision was made in recognition of the economic and environmental benefits of coastal shipping under the Sagarmala programme and the modal shift away from the road mode.

ii. Due to weather variations that caused siltation at the mouth of the Puducherry Port, the commercial cargo handling operations could not start immediately.
iii. The sea mouth entry at Puducherry Port was deepened in an effort to reduce the siltation issue and enhance the port.
iv. The Puducherry Port has speedy import and export clearance capabilities through Customs ICEGATE (Indian Customs Electronic Gateway), and a productive in-port warehouse with a stuffing and de-stuffing facility in Puducherry.
v. The service is expected to increase the amount of cargo from Puducherry to Chennai Port without causing traffic jams on the roads.
Sagarmala programme:
The Sagarmala programme is the Ministry of Shipping’s flagship initiative to encourage port-led development in India by using its 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways, 7,500 km of coastline, and strategic location on key international maritime trade routes.

• Sagarmala Programme was approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2015.

About Puducherry:
Chief Minister- N. Rangasamy
Governor- Tamilisai Soundararajan
Airport- Puducherry Airport
Bird Sanctuary- Oussudu Lake Bird Sanctuary
About Tamil Nadu:
Chief Minister- MK Stalin
Governor- R. N. Ravi
National Park- Mukurthi National Park; Mudumalai National Park
Wildlife Sanctuary- Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala launched 3 national flagship programmes at ICAR-CIBA, ChennaiParshotam Rupala, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying,  inaugurated and launched three national flagship programmes at Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)- Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture(CIBA)  campus, Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

• The 3 flagship programmes were, the launch of the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal Diseases(NSPAAD) Phase II and Genetic Improvement Programme of Penaeus Indicus (Indian White Shrimp) (GIPPI), and laying the foundation stone for Indian White Shrimp Breeding and Improvement Facility at ICAR-CIBA campus.
• He also launched aquaculture insurance products brought out by CIBA during the event.

Note: NSPAAD Phase II and GIPPI are important for the development and sustainability of the aquaculture sector which eventually lead to the Blue Revolution in India.
About Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying (MoFAHD):
Union Minister – Parshottam Rupala (Rajya Sabha – Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS) – Sanjeev Kumar Balyan; L. Murugan
>> Read Full News

Govt approves 2,880-MW Dibang MPP in AP with investment of $3.9 billion The 2,880-megawatt (MW) Dibang Multipurpose Project (MPP) in Arunachal Pradesh (AP), the largest ever hydropower project, has got approval from the Government of India with the investment of around Rs 31,876.39 crores ($3.9 billion) to meet the power demand.

• The project which is bordering China will be developed by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited.
• The estimated time period for building the project was 9 years.
• The cabinet committee on Economic Affairs has approved an investment of Rs 1,600 crores for “pre-investment activities” of the project.
• The project will generate 11,223 million units of energy per year. 

Key Points:
i.The Project is located in the Lower Dibang Valley District of AP, on the Dibang River.

• The key objective of the project was to protect the substantial area downstream Dibang River from flood.

ii.The project includes construction of a 278m high Concrete Gravity Dam (above the deepest foundation level), 6 Nos. horseshoe-shaped head race tunnels (length 300m to 600 m with 9 m diameter), an underground Power House, and 6 Nos. horseshoe-shaped tailrace tunnels (length 320m to 470 m with 9m diameter).

• After completion of the 278m tall dam, it will be India’s tallest.

iii.The government of AP will receive 1346.76 MU, or 12% of the project’s cost after completion of the project.
iv.The approved investment includes Rs 67.2 billion of government support for flood moderation and enabling infrastructure, such as roads and bridges connecting the construction site.
v.This project will be one of the parts of Brahmaputra Board’s master plan for flood moderation of all rivers that contribute to the Brahmaputra.
vi.Under the project, the benefit of free electricity to AP and a contribution to the Local Area Development Fund will total Rs 26785 crore.
About NHPC Limited:
Headquarters – Faridabad, Haryana
Establishment – 1975
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) [additional charge] – Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi

Government launches GAC Portal for Social Media ComplaintsOn 28th February 2023, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State(MoS),  Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeitY) launched the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) portal, a dispute resolution mechanism, to ensure accountability of social media platforms to their users.

• The portal is launched under Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules 2021).
• The GAC platform will automatically segregate the complaints made to the Grievance Appellate Committees and escalate those that require intervention by one of the three Committees constituted by the government.

Key Highlights:
i. The Grievance Appellate Committee marks a change in India’s approach to moderating social media content.
ii. The IT Rules 2021, were amended in 2022 to require social media companies to “respect all the rights accorded to the citizens under the Constitution, including in the articles 14, 19 and 21.”

• This suggests that social media platforms may now be required to permit speech that is normally legal to convey in public but is not allowed on their platforms.

iii. On 28th January 2023, the Three GAC Committees were formed to receive complaints to put the amendments into action.

• Public appeals are currently being accepted on the GACs website.

iv. The IT Rules already require platforms to have a procedure in place for receiving user complaints about content and appeals against takedowns; however, companies’ decisions regarding these appeals will now ultimately be subject to the GACs’ orders.
v. The platform is operational from 1st March 2023.
Three GAC Committees:
i. 1st Committee will be led by the Ministry of Home Affairs and deal with complaints about illegal or criminal activities.
ii. 2nd Committee will be under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and will handle misinformation or fake content.
iii. 3rd Committee will be led by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and will work on copyright issues or any other unlawful activity otherwise not covered elsewhere.
Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC):
i. The Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) is established under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 [“IT Rules”], made under the Information Technology Act, 2000.

• This enables individuals who are dissatisfied with complaints to social media companies on content takedown requests to have their cases heard by 1 to 3 Government-established Committees.

ii. The digital platform Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) is an effective tool for ensuring that platforms are accountable to their users.
iii. The GAC is working on a “Digital India Bill” to give the IT Rules and other digital lawmaking a stronger legislative foundation, though it has not published any details about this planned law.

Australia’s Deakin University set to become the 1st Foreign University to have Campus in India

Deakin University from Australia is set to become the first foreign university to set up a campus in India. The independent campus will be established in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
The International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) has received an application from Deakin University regarding setting up its campus in India.

• The university will make an announcement regarding its intentions on 8th March 2023 during the 2-day visit of Australia’s Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese to Gujarat.
• According to the QS World University Rankings, Deakin University is ranked 266 overall and  It is one of the top 50 young universities worldwide.

Deakin University has 4 campuses in Australia: Melbourne (Burwood), Geelong (Waurn Ponds and Waterfront) and Warrnambool.

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates 2-day Chintan Shivir 

On 26th February 2023, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, inaugurated a 2-day Chintan Shivir on “Drugs: Quality Regulations & Enforcement”, which was held on 26th and 27th February 2023 at  Kanha Shanti Vanam in Hyderabad, Telangana.

• Chintan Shivir was organised by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in collaboration with the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
• Chintan Shivir was observed to build trust and confidence in the calibre of medicines, cosmetics, and medical gadgets sold in local and international markets

Dr Mansukh Mandaviya stated that various agencies, including the Center, the State, and public-private partnerships, play important roles in ensuring that medications produced in India are of the highest quality and follow accepted global production protocols, which would maintain India’s reputation as the “Pharmacy of the World.”

DST & Fraunhofer ISE signs LoI on Hydrogen & Clean Energy Technologies

On 25th February 2023, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) (India) and Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for a long-term collaboration focusing on hydrogen technologies.

The LoI was signed by Dr Anita Gupta, Scientist G and Head, Energy Technologies Cell, DST and Prof. Dr Christopher Hebling, Director, Division Hydrogen Technologies, Fraunhofer ISE in the presence of Secretary, DST, Dr S. Chandrasekhar.

• India and Germany are committed to collaborating jointly and sharing the goal of decarbonizing their economies to pursue energy security and climate protection.

The LoI will trigger higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) development for the hydrogen energy clusters being set up by DST.

• It will also help to identify existing technologies and potential Fraunhofer interventions in green hydrogen, integrate them with local technologies, and deploy/calibrate them for Indian conditions.

BANKING & FINANCE

RBI Q3FY23 Statistics Report of SCBs: Bank Credit growth at 16.8%; Deposit growth at 10.3%As per the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) ‘Quarterly Statistics on Deposits and Credit of SCBs (Scheduled Commercial Banks): December 2022’ report, the year on year (y-o-y) Bank credit growth  in  Q3FY23 (October – December 2022) was about 16.8% as compared with 17.2% in Q2FY23 and 8.4% in Q2FY22.

• Growth in credit was led by bank branches in metropolitan centres, which account for nearly 60% of the total credit by SCBs and recorded 17.2 per cent rise (y-o-y) in lending.
• The aggregate deposits in December 2022 increased by 10.3% (y-o-y) led by 13.2% growth in term deposits.

Key Points:
i.Bank’s Credit Growth:

• Public sector banks’ Credit increased by 15.7% in the calendar year 2022 compared with 4.7% in 2021.
• The private sector banks’ credit increased by 19.1 % in 2022 against 13.1% in 2021.
• Credit growth of foreign banks reported a slowdown, with an increase of 9.6% in December 2022, much lower than both 13.8% as of September 2022 and 15.8% as of December 2021.

ii.The current and savings deposits recorded moderate growth of 4.6% and 7.3%, respectively.
iii.The term deposits in 2022 was about 13.2%, whereas low-cost current and savings (CASA) deposits recorded growth of 4.6% and 7.3%, respectively.
iv.Deposit mobilisation by public sector banks improved to 8.8% growth in December 2022 from 6.9% in December 2021.
v.The all-India credit-deposit (C-D) ratio increased to 75.9 % in December 2022, and it remained above 100% for Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
About the Reserve Bank of India (RBI):
Governor – Shaktikanta Das
Deputy Governors – Mahesh Kumar Jain, Michael Debabrata Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment – 1st April 1935

RBL bank tie up with India EXIM Bank for Cross Border Payments 

On 27th February 2023, RBL Bank Limited, formerly known as Ratnakar Bank, and Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) signed a Confirming Bank agreement thereby onboarding RBL bank under India Exim Bank’s Trade Assistance Programme (TAP) to support cross-border trade transactions.

Key People: The agreement was signed in the presence of Harsha Bangari, Managing Director of  India Exim Bank and R Subramaniakumar, MD & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RBL Bank in India Exim Bank headquarters, Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

Key Points:

• Under the TAP, India Exim Bank would facilitate India’s exports globally by providing credit enhancement to trade instruments which will in turn support mobilise trade finance.
• India Exim Bank will extend trade lines into the participating overseas banks/institutions in the emerging markets.
• The financing structure of TAP would enable RBL Bank to make cross-border trade transactions in locations where trade lines are constrained while lowering the risks associated with global trade.
• TAP has already supported multiple trade transactions at different sectors including agriculture, automotive and automotive parts, capital and engineering goods, food, iron & steel and textiles involving exports to geographies in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

About RBL Bank Limited:
Establishment – 1943
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – R Subramaniakumar
Tagline – apno ka bank

Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance launched a Life Insurance plan ‘ABSLI Nishchit Aayush Plan’ On 27th February 2023, Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI) Limited, the life insurance subsidiary Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL) launched a non-linked non-participating individual savings life insurance plan ‘ABSLI Nishchit Aayush Plan’ 

• The ABSLI Nishchit Aayush Plan integrates financial security and wealth building to meet policyholders immediate liquidity needs without risk.

Features of ABSLI Nishchit Aayush Plan:
i.Under the plan, policyholders could customize their plans with a choice of income benefits, multiple income variants, premium payment terms, policy terms and deferment periods.
ii.It also offers regular guaranteed income from the end of the first policy month along with a lump-sum benefit at maturity.
iii.Key Features:

• The maximum entry age is 55 years and the minimum age is 30 days (long term income option) and 30 years (whole life income).
• The minimum annualised premium is Rs 30,000.
• Premium payment term options – 6, 8, 10, and 12 years.
• The minimum sum assured under this plan is Rs.300,000.

iv.The benefits of this plan could be availed on a long-term basis (25, 30, 35, 40 years) or whole life basis (100 – Age at entry).
v.The plan also has an income variant of Level Income with Lump-sum Benefit or Level Income with Enhanced Lump-sum Benefit or Increasing Income (at 5% simple interest rate every 5 years) with Lump-sum Benefit.
About Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI) Limited:
ABSLI was incorporated on August 4, 2000 and commenced operations on January 17th, 2001.
ABSLI is a 51:49 a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group and Canadian financial firm Sun Life Financial Inc.
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer – Kamlesh Rao

Bharti AXA Life Insurance & Unity Bank Form Bancassurance PartnershipBharti AXA Life Insurance Limited has entered into a bancassurance partnership with Unity Small Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank), a new-age, digital-first bank, to distribute life insurance products through the bank’s Pan-India network of 111 branches and 206 offices.
Key Points:
i.As a result of this partnership, Unity Bank’s 15 lakh+ customers spread across 17 states will be eligible for Bharti AXA Life’s entire suite of life insurance plans, including protection, savings, investment, and retirement plans.
ii.Customers of the bank will be able to achieve important financial objectives like financing their children’s college education, generating wealth, planning for retirement, and more, as well as financially securing the future of their loved ones.
Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Limited
i.Bharti AXA Life Insurance is a joint venture (JV) between the Paris(France) -based AXA Group and Bharti Enterprises, one of India’s leading business groups with holdings in telecommunications, agriculture, and financial services.

• The JV now holds a 51% stake from Bharti Group and a 49% stake from AXA.
• Bharti Enterprises was established in 1976 by Sunil Bharti Mittal, the company’s founder and chairman.
• AXA is a French international insurance company that offers investment management, global insurance, and other financial services.

ii.Bharti AXA Life Insurance was established in the private insurance sector in 2006.

• Parag Raja is the MD & CEO of Bharti AXA Life Insurance Limited.

About Unity Small Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank):
MD & CEO – Inderjit Camotra
Commenced Operations in –  2021
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra

BoM & Experian India Collaborate to Offer Cutting-Edge Solutions & Digital SecurityBank of Maharashtra (BoM), a public sector bank (PSB), has formed a strategic partnership with Experian India to improve digital security and provide an extensive portfolio of services such as credit risk, advanced analytics, and fraud prevention.

• BoM intends to leverage Experian’s innovative solutions to enhance portfolio management, client service, and acquisition.
• With this partnership, both companies hope to harness the power of data and become a one-stop destination for the entire customer lifecycle.

Experian is a leading provider of information services on a global scale, offering data and analytical tools to consumers across the globe.
Key Points:
i.Experian is partnering with BoM to provide innovative solutions throughout the customer lifecycle, allowing the bank to onboard New to Credit (NTC) and New to Bank (NTB) consumers and efficiently service existing customers.
ii.BoM will be able to analyse consumers’ risk behaviour, better understand customer demands, and manage the credit portfolio through these high tech, creative solutions.
iii.BoM will offer the services to both retail and non-retail clients, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and corporates.
Note: Srinivasan is the Managing Director (MD) of Experian Credit Information Corporation of India (Experian India).
About Bank of Maharashtra (BoM):
For the fiscal years 2020–2021 (FY–21) and FY–22, BoM has outperformed all other PSBs in terms of business growth or year–over–year (YoY) growth in deposits and loans. In terms of loan growth, BoM outperformed other PSBs in the first half (H1) of FY23.
MD & CEO – A S Rajeev
Established – 1935
Headquarters – Pune, Maharashtra
Tagline – Ek Parivaar, Ek Bank (One Family One Bank)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS     

2022 Best FIFA Football Awards: Argentina’s Lionel Messi & Spain’s Alexia Putellas won Player of the Year awardsOn 27th February 2023, the Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA) announced the winners of the 2022 Best FIFA Football Awards at the award ceremony held in Paris, France.

• Argentina and Paris St-Germain forward Lionel Messi was named Best FIFA Men’s player 2022 and Spains midfielder Alexia Putellas was named Best FIFA Women’s player 2022 awards. 

Messi wins Best FIFA Men’s Player:
Lionel Messi won the FIFA Best Men’s player for the 2nd time and becomes the third player to receive the award twice, after Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. He previously won the award in 2019.

• He was honoured with the award for his contribution in leading Argentina to win the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. He scored 7 goals during the 2022 world cup.

Putellas wins Best FIFA Women’s player:
Alexia Putellas won the award for the 2nd successive year for her exceptional 2021/22 season in which she captained Barcelona to a domestic treble and a place in the UEFA(Union of European Football Associations) Women’s Champions League final.
About Best FIFA Football Awards: 
The Best FIFA Football Awards was voted for by national team coaches and captains as well as expert journalists and supporters across the globe.
Winners of 2022 Best FIFA Football Awards: 

Note: 
FIFA FIFPRO Men’s world XI and FIFA FIFPRO Women’s world XI were also announced during The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS     

Former Bureaucrat Shailesh Pathak appointed as FICCI Secretary General On 27th February 2023, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), India’s apex business chamber, announced the appointment of Shailesh Pathak as the new Secretary General of FICCI with effect from 1st March 2023.

• Shailesh Pathak succeeds Dilip Chenoy, who stepped down as Secretary General of FICCI in October 2021.

FICCI also announced that Arun Chawla, Director General of FICCI, will superannuate on 30th June 2023 and transition to an advisory role.
About Shailesh Pathak:
i. Shailesh Pathak has served as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in the government of India for 17 years and worked in the private sector for around 19 years.
ii. He started his career with ICICI and later in 2007 joined ICICI venture as the senior director.
iii. Later he joined firms including Bengaluru-based Bharatiya City Developers, Indonesia-based dialogue forum Business 20 (B20) and BRICS Business council among others.
iv. During his stint at Larsen & Toubro (L&T) since 2017, he served as the  Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and whole-time director of L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Limited (IDPL).
v. He then joined the Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) as Director in 2022.
vi. His extensive international experience includes an Eisenhower Fellowship in 2000 as an emerging Indian leader, an EU Visitor Program hosted by the European Commission in 2003, and a Chevening scholarship at the University of Oxford in 2011.
vii. He has more than 40 publications on public policy, finance, cities, and infrastructure. He has also scaled a 6831-meter peak in the Himalayas and has trekked extensively.
About the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI):
President- Subhrakant Panda
Director General- Arun Chawla
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Establishment- 1927

PepsiCo appoints Ranveer Singh as Brand Ambassador

PepsiCo, Inc, the beverage company, has appointed Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador and launched a new campaign with the tagline “Rise Up Baby“ aimed at younger consumers. The campaign also includes a film featuring brand ambassador Ranveer Singh.
Ranveer Singh joins Pepsi’s growing league of celebrity endorsers. The other brand ambassadors of PepsiCo include Bollywood actor Salman Khan and Kannada actor Yash.

• Other brands endorsed by Ranveer Singh are MakeMyTrip, Thums Up, Bingo, Maruti Suzuki, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Adidas Originals, Nivea, and Ferrero among others.   

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ISRO Successfully Conducts Flight Acceptance Hot Test of CE-20 Cryogenic Engine for Chandrayaan-3On 24th February 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted the flight acceptance hot test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine that will power the Cryogenic Upper Stage of the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) for the Chandrayaan-3 Mission at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu(TN).
Hot Test: 
i.As planned, the hot test was carried out for 25 seconds at the High Altitude Test Facility.
ii.During the test, all the propulsion parameters were found satisfactory and closely matched with the predictions.
iii.The cryogenic engine will be further integrated with the propellant tanks, stage structures and associated fluid lines to realise the fully integrated flight cryogenic stage.
Additional info: 
i.The Chandrayaan-3 lander successfully underwent EMI-EMC (Electro – Magnetic Interference/ Electro – Magnetic Compatibility) test at U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka from 31st January to 2nd February 2023.
ii.EMI-EMC test is conducted for satellite missions to ensure the functionality of the satellite subsystems in the space environment and their compatibility with the expected electromagnetic levels.
About Chandrayaan-3: 
i.Chandrayaan-3 is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
ii.The mission is set to be launched by LVM3 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) in June 2023.
iii.Chandrayaan-3 interplanetary mission has 3 major modules: the Propulsion module, Lander module, and Rover.
iv.The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. It also has Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.
About Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the space agency of India established in 1969 to develop an independent Indian space program.
Chairman– Dr S Somanath
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Science Day 2023 – February 28National Science Day (NSD) is annually observed across India on February 28 in commemoration of the discovery of the Raman Effect (28th February 1928) by the Indian scientist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman).

• CV Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (1930) for his work on the scattering of light and for the discovery of the effect named after him, the Raman Effect.

National Science Day 2023 is observed on 28th February 2023 under the theme “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”.

• On 10th January 2023, the theme for NSD 2023 was unveiled by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology.

Background:
i. In 1986, the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) proposed that February 28 be observed as National Science Day to the Government of India.

• The Government of India proclaimed to observe February 28 of every year as National Science Day

ii. The 1st ever National Science Day was observed on 28th February 1987.
>> Read Full News

Rare Disease Day 2023 – February 28Rare Disease Day is annually observed across the globe on the last day of February, either 28th or 29th February (in case of leap year) to create awareness about rare diseases and ensure access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases.

• The 28th February 2023 marks the observance of the 16th Rare Disease Day.

The theme of Rare Disease Day 2023 is “Share Your Colours”. This is the continuation of the 2022 theme.
Significance: 
Rare Disease Day is the global awareness-raising campaign for the 300 million people living with a rare disease worldwide
Goal: To increase equity for people living with a rare disease, improving their lives with equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, care and social opportunity.
>> Read Full News

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