The Indian Army on Thursday installed a 100-foot-tall national flag in the hilly Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir with a senior officer terming the endeavor a befitting tribute to the countless soldiers who laid down their lives for the nation.

The Digital India Bill is the proposed successor to the Information Technology Act of 2000, which currently regulates entities on the internet in India. The Ministry of Electronics and IT will hold a public consultation in Bengaluru to present the basic guiding principles and architecture of this proposed legislation. The Digital India Bill aims to ensure that the internet in India is open, free from user harm and criminality and that there is an institutional mechanism of accountability.

The world’s first 200-meter-long Bamboo Crash Barrier, named “Bahu Balli,” has been installed on the Vani-Warora Highway in Vidarbha, Maharashtra. It has also been accredited by the Indian Road Congress and provides an eco-friendly alternative to steel barriers with higher recycling value. The ‘Bambusa Balcoa’ bamboo is treated with creosote oil and coated with recycled High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE).

India has proposed the creation of a new global alliance called the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) to protect seven major big cats, including tigers, lions, and cheetahs. The IBCA will be open to 97 countries and organizations interested in protecting these animals. India has committed to providing funding of 100 million USD over 5 years to support the IBCA. The IBCA will share information about protecting these animals. Its governance structure includes a General Assembly and a council.

The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world and is native to the Indian subcontinent. The species is critically endangered due to habitat loss, hunting, and other human activities. The Draft Central Electricity Authority (Construction of Electric Lines in Great Indian Bustard Area) Regulations, 2023 was issued to bring all-electric lines of 33 kV and below passing via the Great Indian Bustard Area underground while those above 33 kV will be overhead lines with bird flight diverts.

According to the recently released Women, Business and the Law Index by the World Bank, although most countries have implemented laws to ensure gender equality, there is still a significant gap between men and women in terms of legal rights and provisions. India’s score in the index on the life cycle of a working woman is 74.4 out of a possible 100. As per the report, the laws affecting the Indian working woman’s pay and pension do not provide for equality with Indian men.

The recently released annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report for 2021-22 shows that the farm sector employs a significant proportion of the labor force in India, at 45.5%. Structural transformation in economics is the shift in the labor force from agriculture to high-productivity sectors like manufacturing and modern services. It is expected to result in increased productivity and higher incomes.

Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number is a unique 6-digit alphanumeric code consisting of numbers and letters. It is stamped manually on a piece of jewellery to ensure the purity and fitness of gold via third-party assurance to the customers. The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution announced that the sale of gold jewellery and gold artefacts without the HUID number is prohibited in India from April 1, 2023.

The Indian Army has proposed the acquisition of an indigenous Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS) to fill critical capability gaps in high-altitude regions. The ATAGS has been designed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to replace the current 155 mm artillery system in service, the Bofors towed guns.

Iran has claimed to have discovered a lithium deposit in the western province of Hamedan. It is found to contain around 8.5 million metric tons of lithium ore. Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal belonging to the alkali metal group of elements. It is highly reactive and flammable, and it is stored in mineral oil or other liquids to prevent it from reacting with moisture or air. It is commonly used in rechargeable batteries for electronic devices and EVs.

The world’s first 200-meter-long bamboo crash barrier has been installed on a highway connecting Chandrapur and Yavatmal districts in Maharashtra.

Vinod Kumar Shukla has won the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature for lifetime achievement in literature, one of the most coveted literary prizes worldwide, after decades of composing acclaimed novels like Naukar Ki Kameez (1979) and poetry collections like Sab Kuch Hona Bacha Rahega (1992).

Union Minister Anurag Thakur launches Yuva Utsav across the nation, from IIT Ropar, Punjab.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday launched the ‘Laadli Behna’ scheme wherein eligible women will get ₹1,000 monthly assistance.

India ranks 108th in the Electoral Democracy Index of the V-dem Democracy report 2023

The International Day of Human Fraternity was established by the United Nations General Assembly

NASA partners with IBM to build AI foundation models to advance climate science

Nagaland Government Signed MoU with Patanjali Foods for Palm Oil Cultivation

G Kishan Reddy launched Visit India Year 2023 initiative.

As per a recommendation made by the Department of Commerce, IIT Madras will be provided a grant of Rs 242 Crore over a period of five years to undertake research on Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD). In the Union Budget 2023, Union Finance Minister said that Lab grown Diamonds (LGD) is a technology and innovation-driven emerging sector with high employment potential.

Reliance Consumer Products Limited, the FMCG arm of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, has announced a strategic partnership with Sri Lanka’s Maliban Biscuit Manufactories.

Uttar Pradesh government has launched a campaign, ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’ to make daughters of the underprivileged classes capable and self-reliant

According to the Futures Industry Association (FIA), the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has emerged as the world’s largest derivatives exchange in 2022, in terms of the number of contracts traded.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is celebrating its 47th Raising Day on 1st February 2023. From a modest beginning with just seven surface platforms in 1978, the ICG today has 158 ships and 78 aircraft and is likely to achieve the targeted force levels of 200 surface platforms and 80 aircraft by 2025.

Delhi State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has organized a 5-day ‘Jeevan Vidya Shivir’ for the teachers of Delhi govt schools at Thyagaraja stadium in New Delhi.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is going to start the country’s first virtual shopping app soon for its passengers so that passengers can shop during their journey and can also provide a delivery facility for goods ordered at destination stations.

The ‘International Bio-resource Conclave & Ethno-pharmacology Congress 2023’ commences in Imphal. Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the International Biotech Conclave. For the first time since Independence, North East Region is organizing an International Conference on Biotechnology. Over 700 International and National delegates representing over 35 countries participated in the conference.

W20 (Women 20) is an official engagement group under the G20 which was  established during the Turkish presidency in 2015. Aurangabad hosted the W20 Inception Meeting and this will be followed by two other W20 International meets at Jaipur, Rajasthan in April and at the W20 Summit in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu in June.

National Stock Exchange (NSE) launched India’s first municipal bond index, the India Municipal Bond Index (IBMX). The Nifty India Municipal Bond Index was launched at a SEBI workshop on Municipal Debt Securities in Bengaluru. It tracks the performance of municipal bonds issued by Indian municipal corporations across maturities and has investment-grade credit ratings.

Paytm Payments Bank has become the first platform to launch UPI LITE payments, to enable quick and seamless transactions of up to Rs 200 without having to enter a PIN to make a payment. UPI LITE is enabled by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and it aids users to carry out multiple small-value UPI transactions without using a PIN.