Daily Current Affairs 18th and 19th February 2023 Daily GK Update
Daily current affairs are extremely important for competitive exams because they help candidates stay updated on the latest events and developments in the world. This knowledge is essential for answering questions in the general awareness or current affairs section of the exam, which is often included in many competitive exams such as UPSC, SSC, Bank Exams, etc. Additionally, having a good understanding of current affairs can also help candidates in other sections of the exam, such as reasoning, English, and quantitative aptitude. In short, staying updated on current affairs is crucial for performing well in competitive exams and increasing the chances of success.
National News
Twelve cheetahs brought from South Africa to Kuno National Park
- Twelve cheetahs from South Africa were brought to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
- Of the 12 cheetahs, seven are male and five are female.
- These cheetahs were released into the Park by Union Ministers Bhupendra Yadav and Narendra Singh Tomar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
- The cheetahs are being brought to India as part of the Cheetah Reintroduction Project on the basis of the MoU signed between the South African and the Indian governments.
- Thus, the number of cheetahs in Kuno National Park has increased now from 8 to 20.
About Madhya Pradesh
- Capital – Bhopal
- Chief Minister – Shivraj Singh Chauhan
- Governor – Mangubhai C. Patel
India’s first waste-to-hydrogen plant to be set up in Pune
- The Government of India is to set up the first waste-to-hydrogen plant at a cost of Rs 430 crores in Pune.
- The plant will be built by a private company Green Billion Limited.
- The company has signed an agreement with the Pune Municipal Corporation for 30 years.
- The objective of the plant is to treat 350 tonnes of solid waste daily. From this, it will produce ten tonnes of Hydrogen every day.
- The plant is to be built in Hadapsar Industrial Estate in Pune. The plant is the first of its kind in the country.
PM virtually inaugurated Jal Jan Abhiyan in Rajasthan
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually inaugurated the Jal Jan Abhiyan in Abu Road in Sirohi district of Rajasthan.
- The main objective of this campaign is to plant trees along with water harvesting and motivate people for water conservation.
- This campaign has been started by the Brahma Kumar is organization and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
- The 21st-century world is realizing the gravity of the limited water resources on earth and water security is a big question because of India’s huge population.
PM Modi in News
- PM Modi inaugurated national 15th edition of Aadi Mahotsa in New Delhi
- PM Modi inaugurated the 14th edition of the Aero India show in Bengaluru, Karnataka
- PM Modi inaugurated the first phase of the 1,400 kilometres long Delhi-Mumbai expressway in Rajasthan’s Dausa.
- PM Modi inaugurated first phase of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
- PM Modi inaugurated Dayanand Saraswati’s 200th birth anniversary event in New Delhi.
Divya Kala Mela 2023 is being organized in Mumbai
- Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry will organize Divya Kala Mela in Mumbai from 16 to 25 February.
- The fair will showcase the products and craftsmanship of Divyang entrepreneurs and artisans from across the country.
- Around two hundred Divyang artists and entrepreneurs from about 24 States and Union Territories will be showcasing their products and skills.
- The event will present an enthralling experience to the visitors as vibrant products from various parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir and North Eastern states will be seen together.
- It is an unique exhibition cum sale of products made by divyang entrepreneurs and artisans.
AICTE and BPRD Jointly Launch KAVACH-2023
- A national-level hackathon KAVACH-2023 has launched to identify innovative ideas and technological solutions to address India’s 21st-century cyber security and cybercrime challenges.
- KAVACH-2023 is a one-of-a-kind national hackathon jointly developed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
- It identifies innovative ideas and technological solutions to address 21st century cyber security and cybercrime challenges faced by law enforcement agencies and common citizens.
Gujarat CM launched sixth phase of Sujalam-Sufalam Jal Abhiyan
- Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has launched the 6th phase of Sujalam-Sufalam Jal Abhiyan at Khoraj in Gandhinagar.
- The campaign aims to raise the groundwater level and maximize the use of rainwater will be held for 104 days till 31st May.
- Various developmental works for the deepening of lakes, delisting works of check dams, and reservoirs, construction of new check dams, forest ponds, and farm ponds, and cleaning of canals and banks will be carried out across the state.
About Gujarat
- Capital- Gandhinagar
- Chief Minister- Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel
- Governor- Acharya Devvrat
International News
Bengaluru ranks as the 2nd slowest city to drive in the world
- Bengaluru has ranked high among the slowest cities in the world when it comes to moving in traffic.
- The Silicon Valley of India is the second slowest city in the world to drive in as one can cover just 10 km in 29 minutes and 10 seconds in the city.
- The findings were shared by a report by TomTom, a Dutch multinational developer of location tech.
- Four other Indian cities made it to the list with Pune also securing a rank in top 10 at 6.
- Delhi is ranked at 34 with the average time needed to travel 10 km in the city at 22 minutes and 10 seconds. Mumbai came in at 47 and the average travel time for 10 km is 21 minutes and 10 seconds – a minute less than Delhi.
- The top rank went to London with 36 minutes and 20 seconds – an increase of 1 min 50 seconds as compared to 2021. Dublin came in third behind Bengaluru while Sapporo in Japan was fourth.
- Milan, Pune, Bucharest, Lima, Manila and Bogota came in at 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 respectively.
EU formally bans gas, diesel car sales from 2035
- The European Union recently planned to ban the sale of gas and diesel cars. The ban will come into effect in 2035.
- The decision was made to increase the use of Electric Vehicles. The main objective is to achieve zero emissions.
- To execute the plan successfully, the European Commission will prepare a report on the progress every two years starting from 2025.
- Manufacturers welcome the move. Automakers like Volkswagen have already started producing EVs only.
Banking and Financial
49th meeting of GST Council held in New Delhi
- The 49th meeting of the GST Council held in New Delhi.
- The meeting has chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
- The meeting discussed setting up appellate tribunals and mechanisms to prevent tax evasion in the pan masala and gutkha business.
- The last meeting of the GST Council was held in December 2022 in which it recommended decriminalizing three different types of offences, including preventing any officers in the discharge of his duties and deliberate tampering with material evidence.
Appointment and Resignation
Neil Mohan appointed as new CEO of YouTube
- Indian-American executive Neil Mohan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube.
- He will replace Susan Wojcicki, who has announced her decision to step down after nine years in the position.
- He is working as YouTube’s Chief Product Officer and Senior Vice President.
- She was previously senior vice president for ad products at Google and became the CEO of YouTube in 2014.
- Mohan joined Google in 2008 and is the chief product officer at YouTube, where he has been focusing on building YouTube Shorts and Music.
Recent Appointment
- President of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) – Aniket Sunil Talati
- World’s Brightest’ student – Indian-American student Natasha Perianayagam
- Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) – Dr. Rajeev Singh
- First CEO of Gujarat Maritime Cluster – Madhvendra Singh
- New head of Morgan Stanley (India) – Arun Kohli
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar sworn in as Bihar Governor
- Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar was sworn in as the 41st Governor of Bihar.
- He was administered the oath by Patna High Court Acting Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh at a function at Raj Bhawan.
- Arlekar succeeded Phagu Chauhan who is now the Governor of Meghalaya.
About Bihar
- Capital – Patna
- Chief Minister – Nitish Kumar
- Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Recent Appointment
- Governor of Meghalaya – Phagu Chauhan
- Governor of Arunachal Pradesh – Lt Gen Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik (20th)
- Governor of Ladakh – Dr. B D Mishra
- Governor of Jharkhand – C.P. Radhakrishnan (11th)
- Governor of Maharashtra – Ramesh Bais (22nd)
Lt Gen KT Parnaik takes oath as 20th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh
- Lieutenant General (Retd) Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik took oath as the 20th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
- He was administered the oath of office by the Judge of Gauhati High Court, Justice Nani Tagia in a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in Itanagar.
- Lt Gen Parnaik replaced Brig (Retd) Dr. B D Mishra, who has been posted as Lt Governor of the union territory of Ladakh.
About Arunachal Pradesh
- Capital – Itanagar
- Chief Minister – Pema Khandu
- Governor – LG (Retd) Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik
Recent Appointment
- Governor of Himachal Pradesh – Shiv Pratap Shukla
- Governor of Andhra Pradesh – S. Abdul Nazeer
- Governor of Assam – Gulab Chand Kataria-
- Governor of Chhattisgarh -Justice (Retd) Biswa Bhusan Harichandan
- Governor of Manipur – Anusuiya Uikye
MV Suchindra Kumar to be new Vice Chief of Army
- Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.
- He is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) in the Army Headquarters.
- Lt Gen Kumar will succeed Lt Gen B S Raju who has been appointed as the Jaipur- headquartered South Western Army Commander.
- Lt Gen NSR Subramani, at present serving as the Chief of Staff at the headquarters of the Northern Command in Udhampur, has been appointed as the next Central Army Commander in Lucknow.
Important day
19 February – World Whale Day
- World Whale Day is observed every year 19 February.
- Objective – To increase public knowledge of these amazing creatures, their beauty, and the ecological importance of what they contribute to the earth.
- The aquatic mammals belonging to the order Cetacea. The term ‘whale’ can be used in reference to any cetacean, including porpoises and dolphins, but in general it is applied to those more than 3 metres (10 feet) long.
- World Whale Day was founded in Maui, Hawaii, in 1980 to honor humpback whales, which swim off the coast of this tropical island.
- This day was started as an idea by Greg Kauffman, founder of the Pacific Whale Foundation, to raise awareness about the threat of extinction faced by humpback whales.
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