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■ Singapore becomes the first country with a 'Real-time payment linkage' with India: • India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Singapore’s PayNow are now officially connected to allow for “real-time payment linkage”. • Singapore is the first country with which cross-border Person to Person (P2P) payment facilities have been launched. • The plan was first announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in September 2021 to facilitate instant low-cost, cross-border fund transfer. • It was initially decided to be made operational by July 2022. • The initiative is a part of the government’s push to the UPI-based payment ecosystem. In January 2023, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) enabled international phone numbers to be able to transact using UPI. • This will help the Indian diaspora in Singapore, especially migrant workers/students and bring the benefits of digitalisation and FINTECH to the common man through instantaneous and low-cost transfer of money from Singapore to India and vice-versa.

🗞 T.N. plans to increase the existing mangrove cover in five years: • Nearly 15 hectares of mangroves have been planted at Killai in Cuddalore district in a fishbone model by the Forest Department as part of the Green Tamil Nadu Mission. The State plans to map and restore the degraded areas in Pichavaram and increase mangrove cover by 0.6 square kilometres. • According to government estimates, the mangrove cover in Tamil Nadu is 44.94 square kilometres (sq km), out of which 7.73 sq km is in Cuddalore. • Under the Green Tamil Nadu Mission, we will add more mangroves than the total mangrove cover in the State now. About 67.8 sq km of mangroves will be cultivated in the next five years. • The fishbone model is used to allow water to reach every nook and cranny of the mangrove area by diverting water from the existing creeks and channels. • The fishbone model, also called mitochondrial model, is one way to conserve mangroves and enhance biodiversity as they are breeding grounds for shellfish. □ About Mangroves: • Mangroves are salt-tolerant plant communities found in tropical and subtropical intertidal regions. • They are important refuges of coastal biodiversity and also act as bio-shields against extreme climatic events. • With the threat of climate change and frequent tropical storms looming large, planting more mangroves is a welcome development for India which has a coastline of about 7,500 km. • India has about 4,992 sq km (0.49 million hectares) of mangroves, according to the Indian State of Forest Report (IFSR) 2021. • Mangroves in India are distributed across nine States and three Union Territories with West Bengal having the highest mangrove cover of 2,114 sq km. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tn-plans-to-increase-the-existing-mangrove-cover-in-five-years/article66524956.ece

■ Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus): • Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) or Red sandalwood, is an endemic tree species with distribution restricted to the Eastern Ghats of India. • The species is found in Andhra Pradesh and growing up to a height of 10 to 15 metres. • Red Sanders is a very slow-growing tree species that attains maturity in natural forests after 25-40 years. • It is reported to be one of India’s most exploited tree species, and is under severe pressure from illegal logging and harvesting. • Under the foreign trade policy of India, the import of Red Sanders is prohibited, while export is restricted. • It is listed under "Schedule IV" of The Wildlife Protection Act and "Endangered" as per IUCN Red List. • It is listed under Appendix II of CITES and is banned from international trade.

■ India's longest expressway (Delhi-Mumbai Expressway): • Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway the 246-kilometre Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot segment. • The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is a newly developed expressway in India that connects the capital city of Delhi to the financial capital of Mumbai. • The Delhi Mumbai Expressway, with a total length of 1386 kilometres, is the longest expressway in India. • The expressway will traverse six states, including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, connecting major cities such as Kota, Indore, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vadodara, and Surat. • It will shorten travel time from 24 to 12 hours between Delhi and Mumbai, cutting traveling distance by 12%. • The expressway will also serve 93 PM Gati Shakti Economic Nodes, 13 ports, eight major airports, and 8 multi-modal logistics parks (MMLPs), with spurs to upcoming greenfield airports like Jewar, Navi Mumbai, and JNPT port.

■ The Draft Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2022: • A draft Bill, aimed at protecting India’s geological heritage that includes fossils, sedimentary rocks, natural structures, has raised alarm in India’s geo-sciences and palaeontology community. • The draft Geo-heritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2022 vests powers entirely in the Geological Survey of India (GSI), a 170-year-old organisation that comes under the Ministry of Mines. • The Bill prohibits construction, repair or renovation of any building in the area. • Provisions of the Bill give it the power to declare sites as having ‘Geo-heritage’ value, take possession of relics (fossils, rocks) that rest in private hands, prohibit construction 100 metres around such a site, penalise — with fines up to ₹5 lakh and possibly imprisonment — vandalism, defacement, and violations of directives of a site by the Director General of the GSI. • The GSI has declared 32 geo-heritage sites/national geological monuments for protection and maintenance, including the Siwalik Fossil Park, Himachal Pradesh; Stromatolite Fossil Park, Jharmarkotra Rock Phosphate deposit, Udaipur district, Akal Fossil Wood Park, Jaisalmer, but several are in stages of disrepair. • As a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, India is required to have a law on the same, including geo-heritage.

👩🏻 National Women's Day, February 13: • The National Women’s Day is celebrated on 13th February every year to celebrate the unparalleled contribution made by Sarojini Naidu for establishing women’s rights in the patriarchal Indian society. • The day strives to encourage gender equality and commemorates achievements of women through various events and festivities organised across the country. • On the occasion of Sarojini Naidu's 135th birth anniversary, that is, on 13 February 2014, the celebration of National Women's Day was started in the country. □ About Sarojini Naidu: • Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879 in Hyderabad. • She was a popular poet, politician and administrator in India. • Sarojini Naidu's work as a poet earned her the sobriquet 'the Nightingale of India', or 'Bharat Kokila' by Mahatma Gandhi because of colour, imagery and lyrical quality of her poetry. • She started her literary career at the age of 12. She gained recognition with her play, 'Maher Muneer'. • As a young child, she wrote a 1,300 line-long poem, 'The Lady of the Lake'. • Sarojini Naidu met Mahatma Gandhi for the first time in the year 1914 in England and dedicated herself to the country. • She became the first Indian woman to preside Indian National Congress (INC) session (Kanpur, 1925). • She was an inevitable part of the Salt Satyagraha movement (1930) started by Mahatma Gandhi. • She was also part of the Quit India Movement started against British rule in India. • She was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind by the British government for her actions during the plague epidemic in India. • She also worked for women's rights such as the right to vote, the right to equality, the right to representation and rights of widows and the right to equal political positions. • She led numerous conferences such as the International Congress of Women in 1919 and the League of Nations in 1927. • She went to South Africa in 1932 as India's representative. • After the independence, Sarojini Naidu was appointed as the governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) and became the first woman Governor to hold such a position in the country. • Therefore, to celebrate her contributions and spirit, her birth anniversary is celebrated as National Women's Day as a significance and honour for women. • She died of a heart attack on March 2, 1949, while working in his office in Lucknow.

■ Lithium reserve found in Jammu and Kashmir: • The Union Government said that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). • This lithium is of the best quality. The normal grade of 220 parts per million (PPM), the lithium found in J&K is of 500 ppm-plus grading, and with a stockpile of 5.9 million tons, India will surpass China in its availability. • Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and it is a crucial mineral for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and solar panels. • Lithium is often referred to as 'White Gold' due to the increasing value of lithium batteries in manufacturing items like phones, laptops, and electric vehicles. • Chile, Australia, Argentina are top countries with Lithium reserves. • Argentina, Bolivia and Chile make up the “Lithium Triangle.” The three countries, along with Peru, contain about 67% of proven lithium reserves and produce about half of the global supply, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. • India is currently dependent on imports for lithium cells and batteries. • Lithium-ion battery costs rose last year for the first time in the EV era, according to BloombergNEF. • The central government has unveiled incentives of at least $3.4 billion to expedite its lagging adoption of EVs as Prime Minister Narendra Modi vows to reach net zero by 2070. • The idea is that manufacturing the costliest component — batteries — locally will make the end product more affordable for the mass market and set the country up as a potential exporter, tapping into surging global demand. □ Geological Survey of India (GSI): • The Geological Survey of India (GSI) was established in 1851 to find coal deposits for the Railways. • Over the years, GSI has not only grown into a repository of geo-science information required in various fields in the country but has also attained the status of a geo-scientific organisation of international repute. • Its Central Headquarters is in Kolkata. • It has six regional offices located in Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Shillong and Kolkata. • GSI is under the Union Ministry of Mines. • Its main functions relate to creating and updating of national geoscientific information and mineral resource assessment. • These objectives are achieved through ground surveys, air-borne and marine surveys, mineral prospecting and investigations, multi-disciplinary geoscientific, geo-technical, geo-environmental and natural hazards studies, glaciology, seismo-tectonic study and carrying out fundamental research. • GSI's chief role includes providing objective, impartial and up-to-date geological expertise and geoscientific information of all kinds, with a focus on policy-making decisions, and commercial and socio-economic needs.

■ Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM): • Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was launched on 25 October 2021 to strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country. • The PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission was announced in the Budget 2021-22 with an outlay of ₹64,180 crore. • The objective of PM-ABHIM is to fill the critical gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both the urban and rural areas.

■ UNESCO to declare Kolkata’s Visva Bharat University as world’s first living heritage university: • Visva-Bharati University, founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, is set to become the world's first "living heritage university". • Usually, heritage tag is given to a dead monument. For the first time in the world, a living university which is functioning is going to get the heritage tag from UNESCO. • The university is spread across 1,130 acres of land, and was named after Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore when it was founded in 1921, when the Visva-Bharati Society was registered as an organisation in May 1922, the university began to be known by the same name. • It served as a college until Independence, whereas the institution was given the status of Central University in 1951 through a central Act. • The first vice-chancellor of this institution was Rathindranath Tagore, who was the son of Rabindranath Tagore.

🤝 Operation Dost: • In collaboration with the Indian Army, the government has sent tons of relief material to both Syria and Turkey as part of Operation Dost, which is a program by the Centre to help those in need by earthquake-hit countries such as Turkey and Syria. • India has so far sent six flight under it's "Operation Dost" to help with relief efforts as Turkish authorities race against time to save people trapped under the rubble.