The Scheme was launched by the Madhya Pradesh Government. Under the scheme, the senior citizens will be taken on a spiritual tour free of cost.

• They will be taken to pilgrimage sites that are located outside the state. One or two pilgrimage sites will be visited by them. The scheme is funded by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
• Mukhyamantri Teerth-Darshan Yojna. The State Government will extend one-time assistance in a lifetime to senior citizens above 60 years of age to visit a prescribed pilgrimage outside the state.
• Firstly, pilgrims will be sent under IRCTC (railway) package. The scheme got underway on September 3, 2012, with a journey to Rameshwaram.

Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat met the women of salt pan on February 06 and announced funds of 50 million dollars for climate change.

• Hillary Clinton also interacted with the women salt pan workers. Roughly 70 per cent of the total production of salt in the country comes from the salt pans of Gujarat, majorly spread across Little Rann of Kutch in Surendranagar district.
• Former US Secy of State Hillary Clinton in Ahmedabad “I’m proud to announce that Clinton Global Initiative will work closely with SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association) and with other organisations, to launch a USD 50 million Global Climate Resilience Fund for women.”

Jupiter has become a planet with 92 moons. 12 new moons were discovered around Jupiter, which makes it the planet with the most moons. 

• Jupiter is already the biggest planet in our solar system. It used to be known as the planet with the second-most moons with 80, trailing only Saturn with 83. 
• Astronomers using telescopes in Hawaii and Chile in 2021 and 2022 were able to spot the moons and report them to the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center.
• Astronomers then followed up the observations to make sure the moons orbit the planet, and that was recently confirmed.

North Korea stole more cryptocurrency assets in 2022 than in any other year and targeted the networks of foreign aerospace and defense companies, according to a currently confidential United Nations report .

• (North Korea) used increasingly sophisticated cyber techniques both to gain access to digital networks involved in cyber finance, and to steal information of potential value.
• The monitors have previously accused North Korea of using cyber attacks to help fund its nuclear and missile programs.

The Govt. set up a special committee to examine the need for a separate competition law for digital companies. With digital technologies blooming exponentially, the need for regulating e-commerce and other digital competitions becomes vital. 

• According to an order by corporate affairs ministery, the 16 member committee will be headed by the secretary and include the chairperson of the competition of India (CCI).
• The Competition Commission of India is to examine the rules and regulations required for digital competitions in the country. It will decide upon legislating Digital Competition Law.

Titas Sadhu, a member of the Indian team that clinched the maiden U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, won the ‘Emerging Hero’ award at the Sportstar East Sports Conclave 2023 in Kolkata.

• The Conclave was held in association with Hero We Care - a Hero Motocorp CSR Initiative, Indian Oil, Shiv-Naresh, Rau’s IAS Study Circle, Pinnacle Infotech, Maithan Alloys Ltd, Merlin Group, SRMB, Techno India Group’s Sister Nivedita University, Indian Bank and Meghbela Broadband. 

• Sadhu’s moment of glory came only when she rattled England’s top order by finishing with a match-winning figure of 4-0-6-2. India bundled out England for 68 on its way to winning the inaugural ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

This year Safer Internet Day will be celebrated on 7 February (Tuesday) to promote a safer Internet for all users, mainly children, and young people. The day is observed to raise awareness about the dire need of staying safe online. MAin objective od this day is to spread awareness about emerging online issues and current concerns.

• This year's theme for Safer Internet Day is "Together for a better internet". It focuses on all stakeholders joining together to make the internet a safer and better place for all, mainly for children and young people.
• The day started as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004. It was taken up by the Insafe network as one of its earliest actions in 2005.

Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao presented a tax-free budget of Rs. 2,90,396 crore for the financial year 2023-24 in the state Legislative Assembly.

• The budget allotted is Rs. 34,000 crore more than the Rs.2.56 lakh crore outlay proposed in the previous budget.
• Rao proposed a revenue expenditure of Rs. 2,11,685 crore and a capital expenditure of Rs. 37,525 crore.
• Major chunk was allocated to farming sector. While Rs.26,885 crore was allocated for irrigation, Rs.26,831 crore was allocated for agriculture.
• Continuing its focus on farming, the state government allocated Rs. 6,385 crore towards a crop loan waiver scheme of up to Rs.1 lakh to each farmer, Rs.15,075 crore towards Rythu Bandhu (payment of Rs.10,000 per acre to each of around 64 lakh farmers every year) and Rs.1,589 crore towards Rythu Bima (paying Rs.5 lakh each to the families of farmers who die in distress).
   

A group of 108 Buddhist monks from South Korea will walk over 1,100 kilometres in the next 43 days — from February 9 to March 23 — tracing the Buddha’s footsteps and life journey in India.

• The walking pilgrimage will begin from Sarnath in Varanasi and culminate at Shravasti after traversing through Nepal.

Apsara Iyer, a second year Indian-American student at Harvard Law School has been elected president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review, becoming the first woman from the community to be named to the position in the prestigious publication’s 136-year history.

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik were among five athletes nominated for the BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year award.

• Others who made the cut were Tokyo Olympics silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, ace shuttler PV Sindhu and boxer Nikhat Zareen.
• The athletes were short-listed after a panel of jury, consisting of sports journalists and writers, voted for their preferred players, based on their achievements.
• The winner will be chosen by a public vote that began on Monday and will continue till February 20 midnight. The winner will be announced on March 5.

The first Youth20 (Y20) Inception Meeting 2023 under G20 kick began in Guwahati. Briefing the media ahead of the meeting  Smt. Meeta Rajivlochan, Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs informed that Youth20 deliberations hope to reach out to youth and consult with them for their ideas for a better tomorrow.

Smt. Rajivlochan highlighted the Five themes of Y20  that is to be discussed in the three day event, which are

• Future of Work: Industry 4.0,
• Innovation and 21st century;
• Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability as a Way of Life;
• Peace Building and Reconciliation: Ushering in an Era of No War;
• Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance; Health, Wellbeing & Sports: Agenda for Youth.

Each theme resonates with people in different parts of the country and each region has their own visions on these themes and that is the reason for spreading out the consultation across the country, she said.

Within 6 days of presentation of Union Budget, Finance Ministry has issued order to implement “Vivad se Vishwas-I” scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The scheme envisages relief by returning the forfeited amount for not fulfilling contractual obligation during Covid.

• Ministries have been asked to refund performance security/ bid security and liquidated damages forfeited/ deducted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• As per the latest estimates, share of gross value added (GVA) of MSME sector in all India GDP during 2020-21 was 26.8 per cent while the share of MSME manufacturing output in all India manufacturing output during 2020-21 was around 36 per cent. MSME sector is accounted for in growth rate figures.
• The estimates of national accounts of the country are based on data of organised as well as unorganised sector.