Prime Minister Modi on Monday released the 13th instalment of over Rs 16,000 crore under PM-KISAN scheme in Karnataka's Belagavi.

• Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme launched by the Centre in 2019, all landholding farmer families in the country are provided income support of Rs 6,000 in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each, every four month
• Over Rs 2.2 lakh crore was already disbursed to more than 11 crore landholder farmer families across the country since the launch of PM-Kisan in February 2019.
• The 11th and 12th instalment of funds during the current financial year were released in in May and October last year.

Global rating firm Moody’s Investors Services on Wednesday raised India’s growth projection to 5.5 per cent in 2023, up from the earlier projection of 4.8 per cent in November 2022, and to 6.5 per cent in 2024.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that Delhi will get India's first e-waste eco-park. He also announced the framing of Delhi Film Policy 2022 to make the city a brand for shooting locations and promoting tourism.

• Two important decisions have been taken in the cabinet meeting. The first decision pertains to e-waste park. As the use of electronic gazettes and technology is increasing, e-waste is also increasing. At present, Delhi produces 2 lakh tonnes of e-waste every year. The Delhi government will set up the country’s first e-waste eco-park, where recycling and re-manufacturing work will be done in a safe and scientific manner.
• Second, the Delhi Cabinet also approved Delhi Film Policy 2022. Terming it as progressive, he said that the policy also covers hospitality, hotels, artists and transport sectors for growth.

Rare Disease Day is observed every year on 28 February (or 29 in leap years)—the rarest day of the year.

• Rare Disease Day is the globally-coordinated movement on rare diseases, working towards equity in social opportunity, healthcare, and access to diagnosis and therapies for people living with a rare disease.
• Since its creation in 2008, Rare Disease Day has played a critical part in building an international rare disease community that is multi-disease, global, and diverse– but united in purpose.
• Rare Disease Day was set up and is coordinated by EURORDIS and 65+ national alliance patient organisation partners. Rare Disease Day provides an energy and focal point that enables rare diseases advocacy work to progress on the local, national and international levels.

Japanese hotel chain Hotel Management International (HMI) Company Limited has inked an MoU with the Uttar Pradesh government to develop 30 new hotels in different cities of the state.

• As per the MoU, inked on Saturday, the HMI Group has pledged an investment of ?7,200 crore in the state.
• The development took place during the second day of the ongoing three-day-long Global Investors’ Summit.
• The announcement regarding the MoU was made during a session titled -- “Implementation of Special Strategic and Global Partnership between Japan and India in U.P”. Currently, the HMI Group operates more than 60 hotels in major cities of Japan.

The India Today Tourism Survey has chosen Jammu & Kashmir Tourism for best adventure tourism award.

• The awards were given away at New Delhi by Union Minister of State for Culture & Parliamentary Affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal yesterday.
• The award has been given to the J&K Tourism Department in recognition of its efforts in promoting 'Gulmarg' as an adventure destination of international order.

 The GSM Association (GSMA) has conferred Government Leadership Award 2023 to India for implementing best practices in telecom policy and regulation.

• GSMA Awards represent global recognition of the telecom reforms in any country. 
• In India RoW permissions which used to take more than 230 days, now get approval within 8 days. More than 85% mobile tower clearances are now instantaneous.
• With nearly 1 Lakh sites in 387 districts, India’s 5G roll-out is one of the fastest in the world. Indian telecom sector has emerged as a sunrise sector and the whole world has taken note of this rise.”
• GSMA, which represents more than 750 mobile operators and 400 companies in the telecom ecosystem, recognizes one country every year.
• India was declared the winner in the ceremony held at Mobile World Congress Barcelona on 27 Feb, 2023

Industry chamber Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) on Monday announced the appointment of former bureaucrat Shailesh Pathak as its secretary general from 1 March.

• The industry body said that in a career spanning 37 years, Pathak has worked with the government as an IAS officer as well as helmed large companies in the private sector.
• Pathak has an MBA degree from IIM Calcutta in 1986 after graduation. He has completed an LLB and a Diploma in Ornithology. He has scaled a 6831 metre peak in the Himalayas and has trekked extensively.

The United States welcomed the announcement by India that it will join the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate, according to the press statement from the US Department of State.

• US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose W Fernandez who was in Abu Dhabi for the I2U2 Business Forum welcomed the Secretary (Economic Relations) Dammu Ravi in the Ministry of External Affairs signing a letter expressing the Indian Government's intention to join the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C).
• The US and the United Arab Emirates launched AIM4C in November 2021. AIM4C seeks to increase investment in and support innovation in climate-smart agriculture and food systems. The AIM4C initiative has successfully increased these investments to more than 8 billion US dollars globally.

India celebrates National Science Day on February 28 every year to mark the contributions of scientists towards the development of the country.

• On this day, in 1928, Indian Physicists Sir CV Raman made an important discovery in the field of spectroscopy, which was later named after him - the Raman Effect.
• For this discovery, he was also awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930.
• The theme of National Science Day 2023 is 'Global Science for Global Wellbeing'.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday attended as chief guest at the foundation stone laying ceremony of North East India’s first-ever compressed biogas plant project at Domora Pathar in Sonapur under Kamrup (Metropolitan) district.

• It is set up by entrepreneurs Pankaj Gogoi and Rakesh Doley under the banner of Redlemon Technologies Private Limited.
• The plant proposed to be operational from November 2023, will have a production capacity of five tonne-per-day of compressed biogas that would be produced from raw materials such as cattle-dung, municipal solid wastes, etc.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is visiting India to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting and to mark a new scheme allowing young Britons and Indians to live and work in each other’s country for up to two years.

• This scheme was announced by the Home Secretary earlier this week.

Axis Bank has completed the acquisition of Citibank India’s consumer banking business for ?11,603 crore marginally lower than what was announced in March 2022.

• This is due to the attrition seen among Citibank customers during the transfer of operations and jobs to Axis Bank.
• The transaction comprises the sale of credit cards vertical, retail banking, wealth management and consumer loans. With this, Axis Bank’s market share in the credit cards business will jump to 16.2% from 11.4%, with an addition of 1.8 million credit cards.