TODAY ON February 12, 2023
GK News Headlines and Highlights:
 

Headlines:

All institutions, including judiciary, have been subjugated to the ruling party: PDP chief Mehbooba MuftiFormer Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday that there was a time when the Emergency was seen as one of the darkest periods of Indian democracy but even then, the “judiciary had the guts to unseat the Prime Minister” of the time but “today it cannot unseat even an MLA of the ruling party”. Ms. Mufti, the chief of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said in an interview with  The Hindu that all institutions, including the media, were subjugated to the ruling party.

Net Direct Tax kitty grows by 18.4% so far this year
India’s Gross Direct Tax collections had risen 24.1% to touch ₹15.67 lakh crore by Friday, with personal Income Tax collections rising 29.6%, much faster than corporate income tax inflows which are up 19.3% so far this year. Net of refunds, total tax collections are ₹12.98 lakh crore, 18.4% higher than a year ago, and constitute 91.4% of the Budget targets for 2022-23 and 78.65% of the revised estimates.

Indian found dead under rubbles in quake-hit Turkey’s Malatya
The mortal remains of the lone Indian missing after last Monday’s earthquake in Turkey have been found, the Embassy of India in Ankara has announced. The announcement coincided with the news that both Turkey and Syria had asked for additional supply of medicines and medical equipment.

Centre drafting response to SC concerns on Adani stock meltdown, says Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 11, 2023 signalled that the government is drafting a response to the Supreme Court’s concerns about the meltdown in Adani group stocks in the wake of a research report published by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research, and stressed that India’s “experienced” regulators are already seized of the matter.

Warplane shot down object over northern Canada: PM Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. warplane shot down an unidentified object that was flying high over northern Canada, acting a day after U.S. planes took a similar action over Alaska.

India to organise World Hindi Conference in Fiji
India is set to organize World Hindi Conference between February 15-17 in Fiji. A 270-member delegation from India will visit Fiji for the event. Representatives from 50 countries will participate in the event and representatives from South and Northeast India will be presenting papers at the conference.

Adani group firms pledge additional shares for key lender
Three Adani group companies have pledged additional shares for State Bank of India (SBI) (SBI.NS), a key lender to the Indian conglomerate whose listed entities have lost more than $100 billion in market value after a scathing report by a U.S. short seller. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSE.NS), Adani Transmission Ltd (ADAI.NS), and Adani Green Energy Ltd (ADNA.NS) pledged shares to SBICAP Trustee Co, the firm said in filings to the Bombay Stock Exchange on Friday.

Meghalaya polls | Congress promises free roofing materials, power and LPG cylinders for BPL families
The Congress party, seeking to reclaim Meghalaya, has promised free roofing materials, 200 units of free power and free LPG cylinders for every family below the poverty line in the poll-bound State. It has also committed to providing free healthcare for all citizens of the State and creating a corpus fund of ₹500 crore to build infrastructure for religious gatherings.

The cuts of Central Board of Film Certification run deep
The on-screen version of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer  Pathaan introduces one of the villain’s henchmen as an ex-SBU agent. The SBU, or the Sluzhba Bespeky Ukrayiny, is the Security Service of Ukraine. However, the original, pre-screen cut of the film announced the character as ex-KGB, a former agent of the erstwhile Soviet Union’s spy agency, the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which orders cuts and modifications to films before they are released, asked the filmmakers to make this change before it could be screened publicly.

Biden, Lula focus on democracy, climate during visit
President Joe Biden welcomed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Washington on February 10 for wide-ranging talks on climate and strengthening democracies, an issue of shared importance after both leaders faced far-right mobs storming their governments’ halls of power to try to overturn their election victories.

New tax regime to benefit middle class; leave more money in their hands: FM Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 11 said the new tax regime will benefit the middle class as it will leave more money in their hands. Talking to reporters after the customary post-Budget address to the Central Board of RBI, she said it is not necessary to induce individuals to invest through government schemes but give him an opportunity to make a personal decision regarding investments. Under the revamped concessional tax regime, which will be effective from the next fiscal, no tax would be levied on income up to ₹3 lakh. Income between ₹3-6 lakh would be taxed at 5%; ₹6-9 lakh at 10%, ₹9-12 lakh at 15%, ₹12-15 lakh at 20% and income of ₹15 lakh and above will be taxed at 30%.

Ind vs Aus 1st Test | India thrash Australia by innings and 132 runs in 3 days
A wily Ravichandran Ashwin blew away a panic-stricken Australia with a fifer as India dismantled visitors’ second innings in a single session to win the opening Test by a comprehensive innings and 132 run-margin, on February 11. After taking a massive 223-run first innings lead, India decimated Australia for just 91 in 32.3 overs with the Test match finishing inside three days at VCA stadium in Jamtha. It’s rare that an Australian innings folds inside one session. After Axar Patel’s career-best 84 and Mohammed Shami’s entertaining 37 took India to a commanding first innings total of 400, Ashwin (5/37) literally mauled the Australians with the new ball, taking his 31st five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Tripura polls | ‘Old players of misgovernance joined hands’: PM Modi attacks Congress-CPI(M) alliance
Lashing out at the Congress-CPI(M) alliance in Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 11 said that old players of misgovernance have joined hands. Making a veiled reference to Tipra Motha, Mr. Modi claimed that some other parties were also helping the opposition alliance from behind but any vote for them will take Tripura several years backward. “Old players of misgovernance have joined hands, some other parties are also helping them from behind — whatever may be their name or slogan but even a single vote for them will take Tripura backward,” he said, while addressing an election rally at Ambassa in Dhalai district.

Delhi excise policy case | Enforcement Directorate arrests YSRCP MP’s son Raghava Magunta
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Raghava Magunta, son of YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, for allegedly being one of the beneficiaries of the irregular formulation and implementation of the erstwhile Delhi excise policy. This is the ninth arrest made by the agency in the money-laundering case. According to its chargehseets, Mr. Magnuta and his father were part of the “South Group” — also comprising TRS MLC K. Kavitha and Aurobindo Pharma director P. Sarath Chandra Reddy — which had paid about ₹100 crore through the then Aam Aadmi Party communication in-charge Vijay Nair as “kickbacks” in advance.

Tejashwi Yadav confirms RJD and JMM will contest 2024 Lok Sabha polls together
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on February 11 said that the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha will be fighting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together. Tejashwi Yadav made the announcement after his meeting with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his residence. “I met Chief Minister Hemant Soren today and discussed the challenges of the future and also about contesting upcoming Lok Sabha polls together,” the RJD leader said while speaking to media.

Special Investigation Team to probe Maharashtra journalist murder
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be set up to probe the alleged murder of a Marathi newspaper journalist Shashikant Warishe from Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on February 11. Mr. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home Department portfolio, said police has been directed to set up the SIT, which will be headed by a senior officer. On Monday, Warishe was mowed down by an SUV allegedly driven by a land broker, Pandharinath Amberkar, who was a supporter of Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited at Barsu, while the victim was extensively reporting on issues related to the setting up of the unit. He died of injuries in a hospital at Kolhapur on Tuesday.

Removal of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal government-appointed members from discom boards by Delhi LG illegal: Manish Sisodia
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on February 11 dubbed the removal of the Kejriwal dispensation-appointed members from discom boards by Lieutenant Governor V. K. Saxena as “unconstitutional and illegal”. “The LG has started a new trend of reversing decisions taken by the elected government of Delhi,” Mr. Sisodia said at a press conference in New Delhi. The Deputy Chief Minister also rubbished the charges that the members appointed by the Arvind Kejriwal government provided benefits to the tune of ₹8,000 crore to the private discoms. “The LG can get the alleged “scam” investigated by any Central agency,” he added.

Pakistan government approves new tax on electricity to meet IMF conditions
Pakistan is moving swiftly to pacify the IMF with the approval of a new tax on electricity users, including farmers, to raise an additional Rs 170 billion in revenue to meet the conditions of the global lender, according to a statement. The International Monetary Fund delegation held 10-day marathon talks with Pakistan officials to release the next tranche of $1.1 billion out of an already agreed loan but left on Thursday for Washington without signing a staff-level agreement.

East Germany’s last communist leader dies at 95
Hans Modrow, who served as East Germany’s last communist leader during a turbulent tenure that ended in the country’s first and only free election, has died. He was 95. Modrow died early on February 11, the Left party parliamentary group tweeted. Modrow, a reform-minded communist, took over East Germany shortly after the Berlin Wall fell and later invited opposition forces into the government, but could not slow the gathering momentum for German reunification. “The entire peaceful course of establishing German unity was precisely a special achievement of his,” the Left wrote on Twitter. “That will remain his political legacy.”

Air Asia fined ₹20 lakh after DGCA finds lapses in pilots’ training
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a financial penalty of ₹20 lakh on Air Aisa for violation of applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements, according to news agency ANI. The DGCA said that a few mandatory exercises of the pilots of the Tata Group-owned airline were not done during Pilot Proficiency Check as per schedule. A Financial Penalty of ₹3 lakh each has also been imposed on 8 designated examiners of Air Asia for failing to discharge their duties as per applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements, it said.

Formula-E | Vergne wins Hyderabad E-Prix, Mahindra earns points in home race
The seasoned Jean Eric Vergne of DS Penske won an action-packed Hyderabad E-Prix on February 11, marking a successful return of a high-profile motorsport event in India. The 33-lap electric race had thrills both on and off the track. The organisers raced against time to get the Hyderadbad Street Circuit ready for Formula E’s debut in India but in the end, they pulled off the event amid a lot of fanfare.

Highlights:

1. Production: India produces around 12 million metric tonnes of millets annually.
2. A total of 132 new trans males and 83 trans females were medically assessed at the transgender multi-speciality clinic at the GRH in one year.
3. 105 gender reassignment surgeries performed at GRH in one year
4. Lithium reserve found in J&K's Reasi is of best quality
5. Hugging with cow no longer recommended
    
6. DRDO asks private industry to join in 5th generation fighter jet development
7. 56 injured at jallikattu in Tiruchi district
8. East Germany's last communist leader dies at 95
9. Pakistan government approves new tax on electricity to meet IMF conditions
10. SC calls on SEBI to help protect investors after Adani rout
     
11. India to organise World Hindi Conference in Fiji
12. Air Asia fined ₹20 lakh after DGCA finds lapses in pilots’ training
13. Tremor of 3.8 magnitude recorded in Surat, no one hurt; epicentre in sea, says ISR
14. No ‘funky hairstyles, makeup, skirts’ by staff in Haryana’s govt. hospitals under new dress code policy
15. Uttarakhand Governor Gurmit Singh gives consent to Ordinance meant to curb use of unfair means in recruitment exams
     
16. Goa to develop four full-fledged fishing villages with Central govt funding: Chief Minister Sawant
17. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, centre, arrives at a hospital in Tokyo on February 11, 2023.
18. Japan's PM Fumio Kishida undergoes sinus surgery