Two Australian government universities, Deakin University and University of Wollongong, will be the first foreign education institutions to set up campuses in GIFT City, Gujarat.

• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan made the announcement in the presence of Australia’s Minister for Education Jason Clare, and former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist.
• The Australian Minister for Education is on a visit to India from February 28 to March 4 to foster India-Australia relations in the field of education. 

India’s manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace in four months in February but remained relatively strong amid buoyant domestic demand, despite higher inflationary pressures, a private survey showed on Wednesday.

India's economic growth slowed further in the December quarter as pent up demand eased and weakness in the manufacturing sector continued.

• Asia's third largest economy recorded year-on-year growth of 4.4% in October-December, down from 6.3% in July-September, data released by the government on Tuesday showed.
• The growth rate for the third quarter of India's 2022/23 financial year was below a Reuters forecast of 4.6%.

The annual celebration of World Seagrass Day on March 1 aims to increase awareness of seagrass and its vital role in the marine ecosystem.

• The United Nations General Assembly declared it on May 22, 2022, after Sri Lanka passed a resolution emphasising the conservation of seagrass in marine environments.
• Seagrass is a flowering marine plant widespread along the world’s coastlines, serving as an essential food source for marine life and helping to maintain water quality.
• The seagrasses have been declining since the 1930s. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes nearly 21% of the world’s seagrasses as near threatened or vulnerable or endangered. Pollution, coastal development activities, and land-based run-offs are degrading the seagrasses.

World Civil Defence Day is observed every year on March 1st to raise public awareness about the importance of civil protection measures and to commemorate the establishment of the International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO) in 1931.

• The ICDO is an intergovernmental organization that works to promote civil protection and disaster risk reduction at the national and international levels.
• World Civil Defence Day provides an opportunity to promote civil protection measures and to educate the public about the risks of disasters and emergencies.
• It also aims to recognize the efforts of civil defence organizations, volunteers, and other stakeholders who work to protect communities and save lives during emergencies.

Shri Rajesh Malhotra has assumed charge as Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau (PIB). Shri Malhotra takes over after the superannuation of Shri Satyendra Prakash yesterday.

• Previously, Shri Rajesh Malhotra, an Indian Information Service (IIS) Officer of the 1989 batch, had been working in Ministry of Finance since January 2018.
• During the critical COVID-19 Pandemic, he effectively steered the media and communication policy in the Ministry of Finance in sync with the various AatmaNirbhar Bharat Packages announced by the Government of India over time to give relief to people and maintain economic balance.

Government of India notified the National Geospatial Policy 2022 in December last year as a replacement for the National Map Policy, 2005. The objective of the 2022 policy is to strengthen the location-centric industry to assist with the information economy.

• The policy provides a framework for the development of a geospatial ecosystem that will facilitate the growth of the industry.
• One of the most significant aspects of the National Geospatial Policy 2022 is the government’s aim to geo-reference all the land areas by March 2024.
• This is a massive undertaking, as only 36% of the land has been geo-referenced so far. India is only the third country to undertake the geo-referencing of land parcels, following the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Union Home Ministry has written a letter to chief secretaries/DGPs of all states and Union Territories asking them to nominate three candidates – one each from the military, police and civilian domains – for the Senior Mission Leaders’ (SML) course to be held in Tokyo, Japan from June 19-30 this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the eighth edition of the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi today. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will join the inaugural session as the Chief Guest.

The three-day Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-strategy. It is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with Observer Research Foundation.

• The theme of the 2023 Edition is "Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest.”
• The Raisina Dialogue 2023 will witness the participation of representatives from over 100 countries including Ministers, Military Commanders, Captains of the Industry, Technology Leaders, Scholars on Strategic Affairs, and Experts from leading Think Tanks and Youth.
• This year’s edition assumes special significance coming against the backdrop of India’s G20 Presidency. 

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stumbled upon a 1,300-year-old stupa right in the middle of a mining site in Odisha’s Jajpur district from where Khondalite stones were supplied for the beautification project around the 12 th Century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.

• Dibishada Brajasundar Garnayak, Superintending Archaeologist of ASI’s Puri circle said the stupa could be 4.5-metre tall and initial assessment showed it may belong to the 7 th or 8 th century.
• The stupa was discovered in the Prabhadi site of Odisha. The prabhadi site is located near Lalitagiri, a major Buddhist complex. Lalitagiri has many stupas, Buddha images, and monasteries.

In a bid to empower millions of Indian social media users, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, on Tuesday launched the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) that will look into their concerns regarding content and other issues.

• The digital platform, Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC), is a powerful tool for ensuring accountability of platforms to their users, Chandrasekhar, who is the minister of state for IT, told reporters.
• IT rules had been strengthened in October to pave the way for formation of the Centre-appointed panels to settle often-ignored user grievances against the way social media platforms addressed their complaints regarding content and other matters.