The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recently shared a list of sites which include the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat and the Gomti River in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.

• Excavations are to be performed in 31 sites in total. Several state government sites are 16 in number and universities are also mentioned on the list. It comprises excavation projects in Pratima Garh and surrounding areas and Vembakottai in Tamil Nadu. 
• This is going to be undertaken by the respective state governments. One of the regions selected for the mission is Harwan in Srinagar, J&K. This area is an important part of Buddhist history as it is believed that the 4th Buddhist council was held here in the 1st or 2nd century CE.

The Tribal Ministry is conducting the Aadi Mahotsav festival to promote tribal products. TRIFED organizes the festival on behalf of the ministry.

• The main objective of conducting Aadi Mahotav is to prevent the middlemen from exploiting the tribals. Profits of the tribal are swept away by the middlemen and their hard work goes in vain.
• To put an end to the system and provide direct access to markets, TRIFED is organizing the National Tribal Festival called the Aadi Mahotsav. The festival was conducted in New Delhi.

The iconic Jaffna Cultural Centre (JCC), which was built with the grant assistance of the Government of India, was dedicated to the people.

• Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremasinghe and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan participated in the event among others.
• The foundation stone for JCC was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2015 during the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Jaffna.
• Following the construction of JCC, the iconic facility was virtually inaugurated during the visit of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Colombo in March 2022.

The award is presented by Sangeet Natak Akademi to artists in the field of dance, music, and drama. It is presented annually to artists below the age of 40.

• Every year, more than 33 artists are presented with the award. The winners receive 25,000 rupees of the cash price. The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is being presented since 2006.
• The awards were presented by the Union Minister of Culture and Tourism. 
• 19 artists from North East India won the award. The awards were presented for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021. 102 awardees were selected.
• The lists were finalised in 2022. However, are being presented now. Categories include Sitar, Flute, Mridangam, etc.

The Reserve Bank on has announced its second global hackathon called 'Harbinger 2023 - Innovation for Transformation' with the theme of 'Inclusive Digital Services'. 

• The statutory body has invited fintechs from all over the world to develop solutions that have the potential to make digital financial services accessible to the differently-abled, facilitate efficient compliance, extend the reach of Central Bank Digital Currencies and enhance the scalability of blockchains.
• Being part of HARBINGER 2023 gives an opportunity to the participants to get mentored by industry experts and exhibit their innovative solutions before an eminent jury and win exciting prizes in each category.
• Registration for the hackathon starts from February 22, 2023.

Air India will purchase 220 planes from Boeing for USD 34 billion, with an option to buy 70 more aircraft that could take the total transaction value to USD 45.9 billion.

• US President Joe Biden described this deal as a "historic agreement".
• While announcing the Boeing-Air India deal, Biden also asserted that together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he was looking forward to deepen the ties between India and the US. 

Students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, India, won AED 1 million by winning the gold medal at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday.

• Niyati Totala and Neel Kalpeshkumar Parikh of The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, were awarded the prestigious medal by Egyptian President Abel Fattah Al-Sisi.
• These students were the creators of the ‘Blockbill’ app.Blockbill is a blockchain-based receipt generation app that generates digital receipts for all of its users’ transactions.
• This app solves multiple problems, which aids the transition away from the production of thermal papers for printing receipts. Thermal papers which are ubiquitous and found in most retail locations cannot be recycled because of the chemicals that are used to create it. Blockbill is conceptualised to solve this issue.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Unesco Peace Prize, during a ceremony in the Ivorian capital Yamoussoukro, rewarding in particular her action in the massive reception of refugees by Germany in 2015.

• Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years, had welcomed more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers at the peak of the migrant crisis fueled in particular by the war in Syria, In 2015 and 2016.
• Some 2,000 people were invited to the awarding of this prize created in 1989 and which has rewarded in the past Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, Lula and François Hollande.
• Former Ivorian presidents Henri Konan Bédié and Laurent Gbagbo, now in opposition, were also present alongside the current head of state.

The winners of the 2023 Wolf Prize were announced this week. The eight recipients who were named 2023 Laureates of the Wolf Prize for Science and Art come from five different countries. Three of the laureates are from the United States. 

• Israel's Wolf Prize has been awarded since 1978 and is considered one of the world’s most prestigious wards for scientific and artistic achievements.
• The winners will be recognized at an award ceremony in June held at the Knesset. The prize in each field carries a monetary award of $100,000.
• The awards are presented in six fields namely arts, physics, agriculture, mathematics, chemistry, and medicine. The Arts Wolf Prize rotates between music, painting, architecture, and sculpture.

The Wolf Prize in Medicine for 2023 is awarded to:

Prof. Daniel Drucker, University of Toronto, Canada

“For his pioneering work in elucidating the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of enteroendocrine hormones.”

The Wolf Prize in Agriculture for 2023 is awarded to:

Prof. Martinus Th. “Rien” van Genuchten, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“For his groundbreaking work in understanding water flow and predicting contaminant transport in soils.”

The Wolf Prize in Chemistry for 2023 is awarded Jointly to:

Professors He, Kelly, and Suga received the Wolf prize “for pioneering discoveries that illuminate the functions and pathological dysfunctions of RNA and proteins and for creating strategies to harness the capabilities of these biopolymers in new ways to ameliorate human diseases”.

Chuan He, The University of Chicago, USA

“For discovering reversible RNA methylation and its role in the regulation of gene expression.”

Hiroaki Suga, The University of Tokyo, Japan

“For developing RNA-based catalysts that revolutionized the discovery of bioactive peptides”.

Jeffery W. Kelly, Scripps Research Institute, USA

“For developing a clinical strategy to ameliorate pathological protein aggregation”.

The Wolf Prize in Mathematics for 2023 is awarded to:

Ingrid Daubechies, Duke University, USA

“For her work in wavelet theory and applied harmonic analysis.”

The Wolf Prize in the Arts for 2023 is awarded Jointly to:

Fujiko Nakaya, Japan

Richard Long, England

“For redefining the possibilities of art-making and transforming the parameters of visual art”.

The government has approved Namami Gange Mission-II with a budgetary outlay of Rs.22,500 crore till 2026, including projects for existing liabilities of Rs.11,225 crore and new projects/interventions of ?11,275 crore, minister of state for Jal Shakti, Bishweswar Tudu said on Monday.

• Namami Gange Programme was launched in June 2014 for a period up to 31 March, 2021 to rejuvenate River Ganga and its tributaries with a budgetary outlay of Rs.20,000 crore.
• A total of Rs.14,084.72 crore is released by the Centre to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), from FY 2014-15 till 31 January 2023.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the ‘iDEX Investor Hub’ (iIH), under which more than Rs 200 crores had already been pledged by leading Indian investors.

• During the annual Manthan defence innovation event, which is a component of Aero India 2023, he also unveiled the "Cybersecurity" theme for the ninth edition of the "Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC 9)".
• The Department of Defence Production's flagship programme, Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), aims to support start-ups and other organisations that work in the field of defence innovation.

An ongoing Indo-US joint exercise, named TARKASH, has for the first time included “Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terror response” in its drill, The Indian Express reported on February 11.

An ongoing Indo-US joint exercise, named TARKASH, has for the first time included “Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) terror response” in its drill, The Indian Express reported on February 11.

The Indian Army is the first major armed force in the world to operationalize these high-density SWARM drones according to NewSpace Research, a Bengaluru-based start-up.

• This delivery may possibly be the world’s first operational high density swarming UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) induction for military applications, especially given that most swarm drone research is yet to be operationalised across the world.
• The 100 drone swarm is capable of striking targets up to 50 kilometres within enemy territory.
• Swarm drones are the solution for a closely contested airspace where individual drones can be taken down. The IAF will also induct operational swarming UAS in the near future.

The 14th edition of Asia’s largest aero show –Aero India 2023– was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bengaluru on Monday.

• During his inaugural address, Prime Minister Modi showcased India as an attractive destination for investment in the defence manufacturing sector, and said it will move towards becoming one of the leading exporters of military hardware globally.
• During the ceremony, a plethora of aircraft of the Indian Air Force displayed their aerial prowess in an air show at the event. 
• The theme of Aero India is “The runway to a billion opportunities” and is aimed at projecting India’s growth and capabilities in the defence and aerospace sector

India stood at 47th position in Services Trade Restrictiveness Index(STRI) conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the year 2022.

• However, there was an improvement from last year's ranking by one position.
• Due to Russia-Ukraine war, Russia slipped to 48th position in the index.
• The report highlighted the privatisation of Air India, elimination of pricing guidelines for transfers of shares between residents and non residents, and restriction of foreign participation in certain services sectors.

Financial Literacy Week is celebrated between February 13 and February 17.

• The celebrations are organized by the Reserve Bank of India. RBI will conduct a mass media campaign to spread financial awareness during the week.
• The week is celebrated by the central bank since 2016. The main objective of the week is financial education. 
• Theme of Financial Literacy Week 2023 is - Good Financial Behaviour – Your Saviour

International Childhood Cancer Day is celebrated across the world every year on 15th February.

• Its purpose is to increase community participation and international support for childhood cancer awareness.
• Childhood Cancer International (CCI) observes 15th February as International Childhood Cancer Day to deliberate on the cancers that affect millions of infants, children, and young adults.
• In 2023, International Childhood Cancer Day’s theme is #throughtheirhands is dedicated to the families and caregivers of children with cancer and their positive impact. 

World Radio Day is observed on 13 February every year to remember the special power of Radio which brings people together and provides vital information.

• It touches the lives of people across the world. Read the article below to find out the theme for World Radio Day 2023.
• The theme for World Radio Day 2023 is “Radio and Peace” which aims to focus on the importance of independent radio to foster peace and prevent conflict.
• The United Nations General Assembly formally endorsed UNESCO's proclamation of World Radio Day on 14 January 2013. In the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, a resolution was adopted for proclaiming 13 February as World Radio Day.

Indian National Women’s Day 2023: Each year on February 13, India commemorates Sarojini Naidu’s birth as National Women’s Day, which is observed across the country.

• She was born on the 13th of February, 1879. Because of her poetry, she was given the moniker “Nightingale of India” or “Bharat Kokila” and became well-known.
• She has produced a number of poems on many subjects, including romance, patriotism, and tragedy.
• Sarojini Naidu is well-known across the globe for her contributions to literature. 
• The National Women’s Day of February 13 is celebrated in remembrance of Sarojini Naidu’s achievements. Sarojini Naidu’s birth anniversary is celebrated this year on her 142nd birthday.

International Epilepsy Day is an annual event organized by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) to raise awareness about epilepsy and its impact on individuals, families and communities around the world.

• The international Epilepsy Day is observed every on seond Monday of February. 
• This year this day will be observed on 13th February 2023.
• This year’s International Epilepsy Day campaign seeks to dispel these myths. By sharing facts about epilepsy, we will challenge public misconceptions about epilepsy.

The National Productivity Day is celebrated on 12 February throughout the country to create awareness about the role of productivity in the economic development of our country.

• The National Productivity Day is organised as a part of the celebration for the National Productivity Week observed in India from February 12 to 18.
• The main aim of this day is to generate awareness of people towards enhancing quality, efficiency and competitiveness in their daily productivity levels to make the Indian economy strong and competitive in the world.

Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal held the first meeting with the newly constituted Textile Advisory Group at the Vanijya Bhavan, New Delhi.

• Association of Man-Made fibre industry of India (AMFIl) and Association of Synthetic Fibre Industry (ASFI) presented the overview of the sector and  major challenges such as the high degree of fragmentation in the downstream textile value chain from weaving to garmenting and need of protective measures to contain rising imports MMF raw materials (PTA, MEG) and MMF yarn and fabric (PFY, PSF, NFY).
• The high levels of unutilized production capacities of man-made fibre due to import was discussed. The stakeholders suggested various possible solutions to strengthen and revamp the MMF value chain during the meeting.
• The industry stakeholders acknowledged the need of collaborative efforts to address the issues of the MMF industry and pledged to support and handholding each other to fast-track the growth of the Indian MMF sector. 

British engineering company Rolls-Royce announced that it has received an order from Air India for 68 Trent XWB-97 engines, in addition to an option for 20 more.

The large A350 aircraft of Airbus are powered by Rolls-Royce XWB engines.

Air India on Tuesday sealed an order for procuring 250 Airbus passenger jets.

The order comprises 40 Airbus A350s and 210 Airbus A320/321 aircraft. Separately, Air India ordered 220 planes from Boeing.

Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the IFFCO Nano Urea Liquid Plants at Aonla and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh.

• Addressing the event, Dr Mandaviya stated that today is an important day because Nano urea plants have been dedicated to the nation.
• He said that Nano Urea, in the coming times will ensure the progress of the farmers, increase their income. In this way it will change the future of our farmer.
• Shri Dileep Sanghani, Chairman IFFCO, Shri Balvir Singh, Vice Chairman IFFCO, Dr Uday Shankar Awasthi MD and CEO of IFFCO, Smt. Keshari Devi MP Phulpur were among those present during the inauguration events.

Israel’s parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a law to strip Arabs convicted in nationalistic attacks of their Israeli citizenship or residency and deport them if they have accepted stipends from the Palestinian Authority.

• The decision, which could potentially affect hundreds of Palestinian citizens and residents of Israel, was condemned as racist by Arab lawmakers as well as Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank.
• The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority has long provided stipends to the families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned for attacks on Israelis.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. To mark the one-year anniversary, the European Union circulated a draft ceasefire resolution in European Union.

• The main objective of the resolution is to gather international support. It calls the UN members to refrain from the use of force against the political independence of a state.
• The issue started with Ukraine applying for EU candidacy. Other countries like Turkey applied for EU candidacy and are yet to be admitted. However, the EU accepted Ukraine’s request immediately. There are geopolitical intentions behind this.
• When USSR disintegrated in 1991, the Crimean peninsula came under the control of Ukraine. The peninsula is Russia’s major gateway to the western world and African countries. Blocking this gateway will affect Russia’s trade.

A national state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand for only the third time ever after the country was battered by Cyclone Gabrielle.

• There was flooding, power cuts, landslides and forced evacuations after intense rain overnight into Tuesday.
• The country's emergency minister called it a "significant disaster with a real threat to the lives of New Zealanders".
• Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, is covered by the alert - as are the regions of Northland, Tairawhiti, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Hawke's Bay.

Scientists from Israel have developed a sniffing robot which is equipped with a biological sensor. The robot uses the antennae of a locust to diagnose disease and improve security checks.

• Locusts smell with their antennae. The scientists will use the locust's antennae to hone the computer's scent detection abilities.
• Researchers at Tel Aviv University have managed to harness their bio-hybrid robot, making it far more sensitive than existing electronic sniffers.
• The scientists have placed the insect's antenna between two electrodes that can send signals to identify the odour on a four-wheeled robot. The robot can identify different types of scents with machine learning.

India has agreed to provide a grant to Sri Lanka to implement a ‘Unitary Digital Identity framework’, apparently modelled on the Aadhaar card.

• The Rajapaksa government will “prioritise” the implementation of the Framework as a national level programme, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet decided on Monday.
• Under the proposed Unitary Digital Identity Framework, it is expected to introduce a personal identity verification device based on biometric data, a digital tool that can represent the identities of individuals in cyberspace, and the identification of individual identities that can be accurately verified in digital and physical environments by combining the two devices.

David Robert Malpass is an economist from the USA. He has been serving as the President of the World Bank since 2019. He served as Economic Advisor to former US President Donald Trump.

• He recently announced that he is resigning. He has not completed his term yet. The term of the president of the world bank is five years.
• He has been criticized by climate activists since September. He was asked if he agreed that fossil fuel burnings are warming the planet. Malpass refused to answer.
• Being a physics graduate and an economist, he is well aware of the fact that fossil fuel burnings warm the planet. Yet he chose to stay silent! This is the criticism placed by climate activists.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council’s first-ever debate about the global implications of sea level rise.

• He further added that the impact of rising seas is already creating new sources of instability and conflict.
• Noting that some nations’ coastlines have already seen triple the average rate of sea level rise, he warned that, in the coming decades, low-lying communities – and entire countries – could disappear forever.
• Describing sea level rise as a threat multiplier, the Secretary-General said the phenomenon also jeopardizes access to water, food and healthcare.    

The Government of India has launched one mobile app namely “KhananPrahari” and one web app Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) for reporting unauthorized coal mining activities so that monitoring and taking suitable action on it can be done by concerned Law & Order enforcing authority. 

• The CMSMS has been developed to curb illegal mining and take transparent action as an e-Governance initiative of GoI on use of Space Technology.
• The objective of development and launching of this CMSMS application was to detect citizens' participation against illegal mining by receipt of citizen’s complaints through mobile app- .KhananPrahari.

The Indian Cricketer Chetan Sharma submitted his resignation letter to Jay Shah, secretary of BCCI and instantly received approval for the same.

• In February 2023, he came under severe attack after he reveals confidential information about the Indian Cricket Team.
• In a sting operation held by Zee News, he is seen questioning famous cricket personalities named Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, etc. He claimed that these cricketers take injections for fitness and talked about their interpersonal relationships.

Neal Mohan, an Indian-American business executive, will succeed long-term Alphabet, Susan Wojcicki as the new CEO (chief executive officer) of YouTube. 

• Neal Mohan will replace Susan Wojcicki as the new CEO (chief executive officer) of YouTube.
• Mohan will join the elite list of global tech heads of Indian origin, like Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
• The new YouTube CEO had previously worked under Wojcicki as the chief product officer.

The Indian Air Force has come out with an innovative solution that would help pilots to deal with bad weather and also provide them jammer-proof uninterrupted communication with the base station.

• Known as 'Vayulink', the data link communication uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) that is also known as NAVIC, to send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low, an IAF officer involved in the project said.
• The important aspect of the technological solution is that it prevents fratricide or friendly fire, he added.
• The IAF has put up a gallery on Vayulink to provide information about its platform at the India Pavilion in the ongoing Aero India 2023 here.

Eminent Indian painter and late filmmaker Guru Dutt's sister, Lalitha Lajmi died on Monday at the age of 90.

• A self-taught artist, Lalita appeared to play a cameo in the Aamir Khan-starrer 2007 film ‘Taare Zameen Par’, where the superstar played an art teacher.
• Lajmi’s earlier works drew inspiration from her personal life and observations, while her later works reflected the hidden tension between man and woman.
• Lalitha Lajmi’s works were also influenced by Indian films such as those made by her brother Guru Dutt, Satyajit Ray and Raj Kapoor.

The first-ever woman astronaut of Saudi Arabia will be going to space this year, the latest move by the kingdom to revamp its ultra-conservative image.

• Saudi woman astronaut Rayyana Barnawi will join fellow Saudi Ali Al-Qarni on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) this year.
• Barnawi and Al-Qarni will fly to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of a mission by the private space company Axiom Space.
• The Ax-2 will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Nikos Christodoulides became Cyprus' newest president after he defeated the communist-backed career diplomat Andreas Mavroyiannis in the country's presidential elections.

• With 100% of ballots counted, Christodoulides had 51.9% of the vote and his runoff rival Mavroyiannis, had 48.1%, according to official election results. 
• Mavroyiannis conceded defeat before the vote tally was complete.
• The former foreign minister campaigned as a unifying force for ethnically divided Cyprus, eschewing ideological and party divisions.

Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, a former judge and freedom fighter will be Bangladesh's new President .

• He will replace President Mohammad Abdul Hamid.
• The Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal declared Mr. Chuppu, Awami League Advisory Council member and the party's nominee, the President-elect of Bangladesh unopposed after scrutinising his nomination papers submitted on Sunday.
• He became President by default as there was no rival candidate. He will be the 22nd President of Bangladesh.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has elected Aniket Sunil Talati as its new President.

• Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal has been elected as the Vice President of the institute, a release said on Sunday.
• They have been elected by the ICAI Council for 2023-24 term.
• The institute has more than 3.60 lakh members and over 7.80 lakh students.

UN Representative Nikki Haley has publicly announced that she will be participating in the US Elections and seeking Presidential nomination for 2024

• Talking about her previous endeavours, this 51-year-old woman has served as the Governor of South Carolina and as an Ambassador to the United Nations
• She announces that it is time for a new generation to replace the old functioning of the nation. She posted a video saying that she will be running for Republican Presidency for 2024

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday accepted the resignation of Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Ramesh Bais has been appointed as the new Governor of Maharastra.

• Koshyari had faced severe criticism from the opposition parties for his controversial statements.
• They had called for his resignation in various situations. About three weeks ago, he had announced that he had conveyed his desire to discharge of his duties to PM Modi.
• About three weeks ago, he had announced that he had conveyed his desire to discharge of his duties to PM Modi.

India has been ranked fifth among 184 countries in terms of the quality of its accreditation system, according to the recently released Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021.

• The GQII ranks 184 economies on the basis of their quality infrastructure (QI). India's overall QI system ranking continues to be tenth.
• India's overall QI system ranking continues to be tenth.
• According to the index, India was ranked 21st in terms of metrology and ninth in standardisation. Germany topped the accreditation systems chart. It was followed by the US, China and Italy.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has granted ‘in-principal approval’ to thirty two existing payment aggregators to act as online payment aggregators.

• Therefore, SBI is an online payment aggregator. Recently, RBI issued licenses to 32 payment aggregators to serve as online payment aggregators.
• This includes Google, Computer Age, Amazon, NSDL, World Line, Reliance, Zomato, Innnoviti, etc. Applications of 18 more are pending. The pending applications were from Phone Pe, Bharti Pay, Unimoni, Adyen, etc.

The government is going to set up a Bima Sugam portal to address the existing protection gap across life, health and general insurance businesses in the country.

• The portal will be an insurance market infrastructure, where insurers, distribution networks and the policy holders would virtually meet across a seamless digital platform.
• The portal is expected to improve accessibility and ease of insurance purchase to policyholders.
• It will also serve as a readymade digital platform for insurers and distribution networks.

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.

A research team from Italy discovered a dark and very distant galaxy previously invisibly. The object is a young galaxy filled with dust and gas formed 2 billion years after the Big Bang. At that time, the universe was about one sixth of its current size.

• The galaxy is termed invisible because the light emitted couldn’t be seen from the earth. However, the presence of the galaxy has been discovered using the gravitational lensing technique.
• The Galaxy seen with the help of  ALMA telescope, which consists of 66 radio telescopes. 
• ALMA can see through the dust. The telescope discovered a young active galaxy forming stars at 1,000 times the speed of the Milky Way. 
• In general, galaxies like these offer insights into processes that led to our cosmos’ evolution and help us better understand the early universe. More details may one day be provided by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Beijing-controlled Tibet Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission revealed that the expansion of railway network will be expanded by 2,641 km by 2025 which will pass through the contentious Aksai Chin region close to the Line of Actual Control with India. 

• Phase one of the railway line will be completed by 2025. During this phase, China will lay a railway line between Xiagtse and Pakhutso.
• The plan is to complete the line by 2035.
• The Aksai chin railway line is a part of this plan. Under the plan, China is to increase the Railway connections of Tibet to 4000 km. Currently, it is 1400 km. And the new railway line is to pass through the India-Nepal border. Also, it will pass through G219 NH.

The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2023 was inaugurated by Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, at Azad Maidan here today. The festival is being held at Azad Maidan, Churchgate, Mumbai, from 11th to 19th February 2023.

• The Mahotsav is being organised by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India to promote National Unity and integrity through cultural exchange. 
• The Mahotsav will transmit our rich culture from one generation to other, and rekindle admiration and love towards our indigenous culture and art, among our people.

Royal Challengers Bangalore announced that Sania Mirza will be joining the team as the Mentor of RCB Women’s team for the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League.

• Sania Mirza will help shape the team’s culture empowering the team to Play Bold.
• The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for her contribution to Indian sports including the prestigious Padma Bhushan, Arjuna Award and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Sania Mirza expressed her delight at RCB’s initiative towards growing Women’s cricket in India. 
• In a storied career that spanned two decades at the highest level, Sania Mirza 6 grand slams and 43 WTA titles. 

Tajinderpal Singh Toor, India’s current national record holder in men’s outside shot put, clinched a gold medal with a personal indoor best of 19.49 m at the ongoing Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2023 held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

• Tajinderpal Singh Toor (born 13 November 1994) is an Indian shot putter who holds the outdoor Asian and national record of 21.49m.
• The Asian Games gold medallist in 2018 and the outdoor Asian champion in 2019, Toor earlier won a silver medal at the last edition of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran in 2018 with a 19.18m throw.

Maharashtra ranked first in the medal table with 90 medals including 31 gold in In the fifth Khelo India Youth Games in Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh is second with 59 medals including 25 gold medals and Haryana is third with 23 gold medals. Wrestling matches will start from today.

• In the Canoe slalom event held at Maheshwar yesterday, Madhya Pradesh made a clean sweep and won all four gold medals.
• On the other hand, girls from Arunachal Pradesh won two gold medals in weightlifting.
• Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel announced at the prize distribution ceremony that 21,000 rupees each will be given to girls of the state who won medals in Khelo India and 10,000 rupees each to all players in the girl category from the MLA fund.

Real Madrid has won the Club World Cup for a record-extending fifth time after beating Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal 5-3 in the final in Rabat, Morocco.

• Vinicius Junior scored twice and helped Karim Benzema with a third, while Federico Valverde added two more for the European champions in Saturday’s final.
• Madrid last won the tournament in 2018. It also lifted the trophy in 2014, 2016 and 2017.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is a test series played between India and Australia. The series is named after Australia's Allan Border and India's Sunil Gavaskar, who both scored over 10,000 Test runs in their career and captained their respective teams and were the world record holders for most runs scored in Test match cricket.

• India won the first test against Australia by an innings and 132 runs.
• India defeated Aussies who struggled with the bat and went all out for 91 runs in their second innings on day 3 at Nagpur. 

Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon and Republican Senator Bill Hagerty from Tennessee have jointly introduced a resolution in the house reaffirming America's recognition of 'Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India'.

• This resolution is in response to the recent clash between India and China along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector, which has been the most significant conflict in six years.
• Merkley teamed up with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) to present a bipartisan Senate resolution that comes in connection with the clash between India and China in the Eastern Sector along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has been going on for six years. 

A turnout of 81.10 per cent has been recorded as voting draws to a close in Tripura. That number is likely to go up when the final figures come in. Votes will be counted on March 2.

The President Color is the highest award presented to military units, federal forces, and state police forces. The award has an emblem. The award is presented by the President of India, the Supreme Commander of the Indian military.

• President Murmu is now on an official tour to the southern states of the country. Therefore, Home Minister Shri Amit Shah presented the President’s Colour honour. It was presented to the Haryana police.
• The award was presented to the Haryana Police for their bravery, dedication and courage in the last 25 years.
• Owing to its proximity to the National capital, the state police force is also patient in handling different issues. The Haryana police force has won the people’s confidence all these years.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently inaugurated a monthly stipend programme for junior lawyers in the state called the Junior lawyers Stipend scheme.

• Under the programme, which was introduced at an event hosted by the Bar Council of Kerala and the Advocates Welfare Trust, junior lawyers will receive a monthly salary of Rs 3,000.
• Only junior lawyers under the age of 30 are eligible for the Junior Lawyers Stipend scheme, according to a new government programme in Kerala.
• They must have less than three years of experience and an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that investment proposals worth Rs. 33.5 lakh crore were received at the Global Investors Summit 2023. He also affirmed that unlike earlier when only a few regions around National Capital Region (NCR) got benefits, this year the investment proposals have been made for all 75 districts of the state.

• PM Modi recently inaugurated the Global Investor Summit in Lucknow.
• The investments are primarily in real estate, renewable energy, education, housing, electronic vehicle manufacturing, food processing, and renewable energy.

The 2nd Indian Rice Congress-2023 was inaugurated in Cuttack today by the President Smt. Draupadi Murmu in the presence of Odisha Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Odisha Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Fisheries and Animal Resource Development, Shri Ranendra Pratap Swain.

• Speaking on the occasion, the President said that rice is the basis of food security in India and also a major factor for our economy.
• The President said that rice is the basis of our food security, so its nutritional aspects should also be considered. A large section of low-income groups depend on rice, which is often their only source of daily nutrition, so providing protein, vitamins and essential micronutrients through rice can help combat malnutrition.
• On the development of country's first high protein rice by NRRI, she said that development of such bio-fortified varieties is ideal and expressed confidence that the scientific community of the country will be able to meet the challenge.
• Books were also released on this occasion.

With food security and nutrition a top priority in agriculture during its G20 Presidency, India is planning to propose the launch of a global initiative - MIIRA, to encourage the consumption and production of millets. A draft charter of the initiative is ready and will be placed for approval at the first meeting of the Agricultural Deputies (under G20) from February 13-15 at Indore, MP.

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM), a proposal sponsored by the Government of India to promote these "nutri-cereals."
• The declaration will be helpful to the Government of India in articulating its goal of making IYM 2023 a "People's Movement" as well as presenting India as the "Global Hub for Millets," as India produces one-fifth of the world's millets.
• The year 2023 is also significant because of India’s G20 Presidency, which will also have five meetings on agriculture.

The 12th World Hindi Conference will be held in Fiji from 15 to 17 February 2023. The official language of Fiji is Hindi.

• The Government of India is taking efforts to promote Hindi and enhance its stature among the world languages.
• It is also making efforts to ensure a rightful place for Hindi at the UN and the places that hosted Indian Indentured labours in the 19th century.
• Currently UN provides all the important messages and press releases in Hindi. This facility is also available for Bangla and Urdu.
• It was highlighted that World Hindi Conference in Fiji would also provide an opportunity to highlight the links between India and the Pacific Ocean region.
• A delegation of around 270 academics, experts, and Hindi writers would participate in the upcoming conference.

The annual meeting of the members of the River Cities Alliance (RCA), is being organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in association with National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) from 13th to 14th February in Pune.

• DHARA stands for Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers.
• The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will deliver the keynote address on the inaugural day of the event while the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Kaushal Kishore will deliver the valedictory address on day two.
• DHARA 2023 will provide a platform for senior officials including Commissioners, Addl. Commissioners, Chief Engineers and Senior Planners of the 95-member river cities in India to co-learn and discuss solutions for managing local water bodies.