Daily Current Affairs – 19 February 2023

This post contains the current affairs for 19 February 2023. These current affairs are important for banking exams, insurance exams and other competitive exams like IBPS PO and Clerk, SBI PO and Clerk, RBI Assistant and Grade B, etc. You can also attempt our Current Affairs Quiz after reading our daily current affairs.

National

India becomes 6th country to have its own ATS products as it launches 1st indigenously developed ATS system for DMRC

• On February 18, 2023, India achieved another milestone as the country launched its first-ever indigenously developed Train Control and Supervision System.
• The i-ATS  (Indigenous-Automatic Train Supervision) system has been jointly developed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
• With the launch of i-ATS, India has become the sixth country in the world to have its own ATS products after France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and China.
• The ATS (Automatic Train Supervision), is a computer-based system which manages train operations.
• This i-ATS has currently been launched by the DMRC on its first corridor i.e. Red line (from Rithala to Shaheed Sthal).
• The system shall be installed for operations on other corridors and the upcoming independent corridors of the Phase – 4 Project as well.
• This project is in line with the government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ initiatives for the Metro Rail Transit Systems.

North India’s first Nuclear Plant being set up in Haryana’s Gorakhpur

• The first Nuclear Plant of North India is set to come up in Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad district of Haryana.
• This information has been given by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space.
• The Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana’s (GHAVP) will have two units of 700 MWe capacity.
• The total allocated funds for the project is 20,594 Cr.

12 cheetahs from South Africa released at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh

• As a part of the Indian government’s ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme, 12 cheetahs, brought from South Africa, were released at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh on February 18, 2023.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister for Environment and Forests Bhupender Yadav released these these fastest land animals into the quarantine enclosures.
• From these 12 cheetahs from South Africa, seven are males and five are females.
• This is the second set of big cats brought to Madhya Pradesh. The first group of 8 Cheetahs were brought from Namibia and were released into the KNP on September 17, 2022.
• As a consequence, the total count of cheetahs at the KNP has gone up to 20.

Defence

Aero-India 2023 concludes in Bengaluru

• The Aero India 2023 airshow concluded on February 17, 2023, at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka in Bengaluru.
• The event was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2023.
• It was the 14th edition of the Asia’s largest aero show.
• Slogan of Aero India 2023 : “The Runway to a Billion Opportunities”.
• According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), it was the largest ever Aero India show, featuring participation from 98 countries, since the airshow started in Bengaluru.
• Around 809 defence companies participated in the event.
• As many as 266 partnerships, including 201 MoUs, 53 major announcements, nine product launches, and three Transfers of Technology (ToT), worth around Rs 80,000 crores were witnessed at the event.
• Some impressive products launch at the event included Vertically Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (BDL), SAL Seeker ATGM for BMP II (BDL ), and Jishnu (BDL).
• The airshow featured a range of aircraft, including the LCA-Tejas, HTT-40, Dornier Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Rafale, Sukhoi-30 Mki, B-1, DC-3, F-16, F-35, Dakota DC-3, Harvard Trainer, Surya Kiran aerobatics team and Sarang helicopter display team.
• Airbus and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru signed MoU to expand India’s access to aerospace education and research.

BEL inks MoU with Israel Aerospace Industries to Manufacture LORA Ballistic Missile For Indian Tri-Services

• Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) has signed an MoU with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for domestic manufacture and supply of its Long Range Artillery Weapon System (LORA) for the Indian Tri-services.
• The state-of-the-art strategic weapon system LORA will be manufactured by BEL, as the prime contractor, based on the workshare arrangement with IAI.

Indian Firm successfully launches world’s first cloud-built demonstration satellite JANUS-1 

• JANUS-1 is the world’s first demo satellite fully conceived, designed and manufactured using an Indian company’s end-to-end cloud platform.
• JANUS-1 was successfully launched on the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) new mini rocket SSLV-D2 and successfully reached its orbit on February 17, 2023.
• It was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of India under a commercial arrangement with New Space India Limited (NSIL). 
• JANUS-1 is a software defined 6U technology demonstration satellite designed and built using the Antaris cloud software platform and SatOSsoftware, as well as XDLinx’s modular spacecraft bus.

GDP

India’s GDP to grow at 6.2% in FY24: Morgan Stanley

• In its latest research report, Morgan Stanley has estimated India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at 6.2 percent in FY24.

International

Russia, China and South Africa to begin naval drills, Mosi II, off Indian Ocean coast

• Russia, China and South Africa will conduct a maritime naval drills, named Mosi II, off South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast.
• The 10 days of exercises will begin from February 24, and will coincide with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• The exercise is a demonstration of the three countries’ close ties amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s tense relationship with the West.
• The Mosi-I naval drills between the three nations was held in Cape Town in 2019.

Appointment

Former Union Minister Shiv Pratap Shukla takes oath as 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh

• Former Union Minister of State for Finance, Shiv Pratap Shukla has been sworn in as the 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
• Shukla was administered the oath of office and secrecy on February 18, 2023, by acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice Sabina.
• He took oath in Sanskrit.

Important Days

World Pangolin Day 2023: 18 February

• The World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the “Third Saturday of February” every year.
• In 2023, the annual World Pangolin Day is being celebrated on 18 February 2023.
• It marks the 12th edition of the event.
• The day aims to raise awareness about these unique mammals and speed up conservation efforts.
• Pangolins are one of the most heavily trafficked mammals in the illegal wildlife trade. Their numbers are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa.

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