2023 February Current Affairs

Ladakh Protests

• Ladakhi people are demanding the application of a sixth schedule in the union territory.
• Ladakh has been given the status of a union territory since the removal of Article 370 from the constitution, which gave the then state of Jammu and Kashmir, of which Ladakh was a part, special status.
• Jammu and Kashmir were bifurcated to form two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
• Prior to that, Ladakh had two district councils, Kargil district council and Leh district council as per the Ladakh 
• It is stripped of the district councils with the removal of Article 370. This leaves the administration in the hands of the MP and union territory bureaucracy.
• Ladakh has a fragile trans-Himalayan ecosystem and the culture of Ladakh is woven around it.
• Application of the sixth schedule will enable the formation of district councils which can make laws in accordance with the customs of the tribal population.
• Ladakhi people demand it for the protection of the environment.
• Leaders like Sonam Wangchuk have supported the demand.

Mishti scheme

• The government has launched the Mangroves Initiative for Shoreline Habitat and Tangible Incomes Scheme.
• This year’s budget gave a push to the mangroves.
• Mangroves are extremely important for the Shoreline ecosystem. It is an important breeding ground for fish. Mangroves also act as important carbon stores.
• Mangroves are under threat due to loss of habitat, and encroachment.
• The government intends to plant mangroves along the shore and in salt pans.
• Mangroves Alliance for Climate launched at the Conference of Parties COP 27 with India as a partner.
• Mishti scheme to be brought in line with MGNREGA and other schemes.

Millets

Budgetary push for millets

• India’s budgetary push to millets.
• Youth affairs ministry to hold conferences with athletes, dieticians and nutritionists in fit India app.
• Ministry of Food Processing Industries to organize millet fairs across the nation.
• Millet canteens in hospitals.
• FSSAI to create guidelines for the inclusion of millets on the menu of hospitals, schools and government canteens.

Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness

• India under its G20 presidency plans to propose Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness MIIRA.
• It will coordinate Millet research programs at the international level
• India will contribute seed funds and other governments are expected to follow and contribute to the budget of MIIRA.
• The UN has declared 2023 as the international year of millets.

Lithium deposits in Jammu and Kashmir

• A geographical survey of India has announced that lithium-inferred resources of 5.9 million tonnes have been found in the Salal – Haimana area of the Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Lithium is essential for the production of lithium-ion batteries, which form an essential part of electric vehicles.
• India imports its lithium from Australia and plans to import it from Bolivia. 
• China dominates the trade of lithium-ion batteries, and India imports most of its lithium-ion batteries from China. 
• Government plans to utilize the resources.
• However, environmental issues are being raised against lithium mining and purification around the world.
• It is essential for the government to balance the utilisation of resources for the economy and the conservation of the economy at the same time.

Menstrual leave

• The Supreme Court rejected a plea for menstrual leave for students and at work, calling it a policy matter.
• Menstrual leave is the leave for students and employees when they’re going through a menstruation period.
• Kerala and Bihar are the only states with the concept of menstrual leave.
• Zomato introduced 10-day menstrual leave for employees in 2020, Byjus and Swiggy followed.
• Menstrual leave is granted in many countries.

Judicial Majoritarianism

• It is the requirement of the majority of judges of a bench to deliver judgment as per constitutional article 145(5).
• It is important for cases of constitutional importance. Benches for such cases usually consist of five, seven, nine, eleven or even thirteen judges.
• The recent judgement of the Supreme Court in regards to demonetisation has initiated deba
• In the above case, the majority judgement has been criticized and the minority judgement by Justice Nagaratna is viewed as appropriate.
• Cases with meritorious Minority judgement included A.D.M. Jabalpur vs. Shivkant Shukla and Kharak Singh vs the state of UP. The minority judgement in the latter regarding the right to privacy was upheld in 2016 by  KS Puttaswamy’s judgement.

Turkey Earthquake 

• Turkey and Syria had an earthquake on February 6.
• It had a huge impact on Turkey’s infrastructure.
• Turkey lies on the confluence of three tectonic plates, The Eurasian plate, the Anatolian plate and the Arabian plate. A huge 190 km faultline runs along the area.
• Earthquake is a tectonic activity which releases energy generated through the movement of tectonic plates in the form of waves which reach the surface of Earth, causing the ground to shake and have a huge impact.
• The Indian Himalayas too lie on the confluence of the Indian and Eurasian plate.

Vostro accounts

• 20 Russian banks open special rupee Vostro accounts with partner banks in India.
• Vostro accounts are the accounts which one bank holds for another bank.
• It facilitates trade between both countries. 
• It enables the domestic bank to have a foreign presence and for the foreign Bank to act as an agent of the domestic bank. 
• The special rupee Vostro accounts arrangement is an arrangement which facilitates the establishment of a complementary system using freely convertible currencies. It.will help to popularize the Indian rupee INR.

Stone Age Carvings found in Badshahpur, Aravali mountains

• Stone Age Carvings were found in the Badshahpur area in Sohna, Haryana near Gurugram.
• It includes petroglyphs’ feet and handprints of animals and humans on quartzite rocks and graffiti.
• Found by Sunil Harsana.
• Tools used for the carvings have also been found in the area.
• The carvings date back to the Paleolithic era, that is 25 lakh years to 10000 years before the present.

Renaming of cities

• • Cities of Aurangabad and Osmanabad in Maharashtra have been renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively.
  • There is no constitutional provision regarding the renaming of cities.

• Mumbai – Bombay

Pune – Poona

Bengaluru – Bangalore

Thiruvananthapuram – Trivandrum

Prayagraj – Allahabad

are some of the prime examples. 

• The cities can be renamed by a resolution in the state legislature requiring a simple majority. The resolution is then sent to the central government Home Ministry for approval. The central government Home ministry consults the railway ministry, intelligence agencies and others and gives assent. The state government then changes the name and issues a notification in the gazette.
• Many proposals are being made to rename places in the country.

Alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers in Delhi

• Some female wrestlers sat in a protest in Delhi, there is an allegation of sexual harassment against them.
• A committee headed by a female Olympic medal holder has been formed to look into the matter
• This shows the lack of awareness among wrestlers regarding the internal complaint committee.
• Vishakha guidelines which were promulgated by the supreme court in 1997 require the formation of a complaints committee headed by and constituted with a majority of women for time-bound and effective redressal of sexual harassment complaints. Involvement of a third party like a Ngo is required too.
• The Vishakha guidelines were superseded by the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, which is much wider in application and mandates the establishment of an Internal Complaints Committee in establishments with 10 or more employees by an order given in writing by the employer. It is important to spread awareness among female employees regarding the act to enable the female workforce of the nation can work without the fear of any sexual misconduct. 

 Uttarakhand anti-cheating law

• Uttarakhand government has come up with the Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Measures for control and prevention of unfair means in recruitment) ordinance.
• This was an answer to the protests on 11 Feb against unfair means in the examinations.
• The law has provisions for fines up to Rs 10 crore and life imprisonment for the guilty who have engaged in the offences under the law.
• It covers the public examinations for recruitment to posts under the state government, government-run institutions, corporations and institutions receiving government aid etc.
• The offence is recognised as cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable.

Keeladi’s findings report submitted by the ASI

• Keeladi is an archaeological site situated 12 km southeast of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vaigai river.
• Keeladi is one of the most important archaeological sites in South India.
• It is also linked to the Sangam era. Sangam era is a period of literary development in south India between 300 BCE and 300 CE. It represents the first known literary development in south India with three sangams and the rise of three dynasties, Chola, Pandya and Chera.
• Objects, inscriptions and artefacts dating to the Sangam era and 580 BCE have been found.
• Keeladi can also prove to be a link between IVC and Vaigai river valley civilisation.

Other 

• Victory City, a novel by Salman Rushdie on the Vijayanagara Empire
• UNFCCC COP 27
• Important days in February

Important Days:

1 February – Indian Coast Guard Day

February 2 – World Wetlands Day, Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day

February 4 – World Cancer Day,  Sri Lanka National Day

February 4 to February 20 – Surajkund Crafts Mela by Haryana tourism department

February 5 to February 13 – Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai

February 6 – International day of zero tolerance for female genital mutilation.           Imp since the problem exists within a few sects of Islam in India like some people from the Dawoodi Bohra community still follow it.               

February 6, 2023, to February 20 2023 – International Development Week. Roles and career paths in the development sector.

February 8 – Safer Internet Day

February 9 – Baba Amte

February 10 – National Deworming Day

Ministry of Health and Family welfare initiative to make every child worm free in the country, 

World Pulses Day

February 11 – World Day of the Sick, International Day of Women and Girls in Science

February 12 – Darwin Day, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, National productivity day celebrated by the National Productivity Council for the promotion of the culture of productivity in India.

February 13 – World Radio Day, Sarojini Naidu’s Birth Aniversary

February 14:- World Epilepsy Day

18 to 27 February – Taj Mahotsav

February 20 – Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram’s foundation day, both states were formed in 1987. World Day of Social Justice

February 21 – International Mother Language Day

February 22 – World Thinking Day

February 24 – Central Excise Day

February 27 – World NGO Day

February 28 – Rare Disease Day, National Science Day