Daily Current Affairs February 05 & 06 2023

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

Reliance Retail becomes the first Indian retailer to accept the Digital Rupee    

• Reliance Retail has become the first Indian retailer to introduce Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), also known as the digital rupee (e₹-R) at its stores.
• The launch of this facility was in collaboration with Innoviti Technologies, ICICI Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank.
• At the launch event, V Subramaniam, Director of Reliance Retail Ltd, stated that just like the use of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the digital currency will also become a part of India’s payment ecosystem.
• The firm has piloted the use of the Digital Rupee in one store in Mumbai and plans to make this facility available in all its stores in Mumbai within the next 3 to 4 months, by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms.
• Reliance was also the first to introduce dynamic QR-based in-store UPI payments.

Key Highlights : 

• Reliance Retail has 17,000 stores spread across 7,000 cities in India.
• Subramaniam noted that around 70% of transactions at the company’s stores are digital, with over 30% of these being through UPI and 30% through credit cards.

About e₹-R : 

• The Reserve Bank of India first introduced the CBDC on December 1, 2022, for retail markets across cities in a pilot mode.
• It was initially rolled out in 4 cities, including Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Bhubaneswar, and was later extended to 9 other cities.
• 8 banks, including ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank, have been identified for phase-wise participation in this pilot.
• Customers of these banks can transact with e₹ through a digital wallet offered by their bank.
• Digital Rupee Retail offers key features like convenience and security while person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions.

About Reliance Retail : 

• Founded: 2006
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
• Reliance Retail is an Indian retail company and a subsidiary of Reliance Industries.

UPI transactions rise 8.03 billion in January                     

• According to the data by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based transactions hit 8.03 billion in January 2023 a substantial increase from the 7.82 billion transactions recorded in December 2022.
• The value of transactions hit nearly Rs 13 trillion in Jan 2023.
• The rise in UPI transactions coincides with the growth in digital lending.

Key Highlights : 

• In 2022, Digital payments show an increase of 76% in transactions and 91% in value.
• The Economic Survey 2023 also highlighted the economic growth of the country led by digital infrastructure and how digital enablements are nurturing India’s vision of a $1 trillion digital economy by 2025.

About UPI : 

• UPI is an instant real-time payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• The interface facilitates inter-bank peer-to-peer (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions

GST council to meet on February 18 2023 chaired by FM Nirmala Sitharaman                             

• The 49th meeting of the Goods & Service Tax (GST) Council is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on February 18, 2023.
• The GST Council meeting will be chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• The council is likely to take up issues relating to taxation on ‘pan masala’ and ‘gutka’ companies, setting up of appellate tribunals, and GST levy on online gaming, casino, and horse racing.
• The 48th Meeting of the GST Council was held on December 17, 2022, through video conference, under the chairpersonship of the Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

About GST Council : 

• Chairperson :  Union Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman)
• On Sep 12, 2006, the Union Cabinet Chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the establishment of the GST Council.
• As per Article 279A (1) of the amended Constitution, the president should approve to constitute within 60 days of the commencement of Article 279A.

NABARD estimates a credit potential of Rs 34082 Cr under the priority sector for J&K                        

• The National Bank for Agriculture and rural development (NABARD) has estimated a credit potential of Rs 34082 crore under the priority sector for the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the year 2023-24.
• The focus paper was launched in the Credit Seminar of NABARD.
• During the seminar, as per paper credit estimates for various sub-sectors of the priority sector were presented, which included Rs 18,732 crore for agriculture (Rs 17,312 crore in farm credit, Rs 467 crore for agriculture infrastructure, Rs 676 crore for food and agro-processing) and Rs 11,167 crore for MSME segment 2023-24.

About NABARD : 

• Founded: 12 July 1982
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Chairman: Shri Shaji K V
• NABARD is an apex regulatory body for the overall regulation of regional rural banks and apex cooperative banks in India.
• It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI).
• It was established on the recommendations of the B. Sivaraman Committee (by Act 61, 1981 of Parliament)

RBI imposes monetary penalty on North East Small Finance Bank Limited

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹39.50 lahks on North East Small Finance Bank Limited.

Reason : 

• For non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on ‘Prudential Norms on Income Recognition, Asset Classification, and Provisioning about Advances – Divergence in NPA Accounts’ and ‘Prudential Guidelines on Capital Adequacy and Market Discipline-New Capital Adequacy Framework (NCAF)’.
• This penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

About North East Small Finance Bank Limited : 

• Founded: 2016
• Headquarters: Guwahati, Assam
• Managing Director & CEO. Ms. Kalita.

RBI imposes monetary penalty on the Bank of Baroda    

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹30.00 lakh on the Bank of Baroda (BoB) for non-compliance with certain provisions of the ‘Reserve Bank of India – (Know Your Customer (KYC)) Direction, 2016’ and Reserve Bank of India (Interest Rate on Deposits) Directions, 2016.
• This penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of section 47 A (1) (c) read with section 46 (4) (i) and Section 51(1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.

About BoB : 

• Founded: 20 July 1908
• Headquarters: Vadodara, Gujarat
• CEO: Sanjiv Chadha.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Govt revises broadband connectivity, raises minimum download speed to 2 Mbps

• The government has revised the definition of broadband connectivity.
• The Cente has specified a higher minimum download speed of 2 Mbps (megabits per second).
• Earlier, the definition notified by the Telecom Department in July 2013 had benchmarked it to 512 kbps (kilobits per second) as the minimum download speed.
• In supersession of the definition of broadband issued vide notification dated July 18, 2013, and after consideration of the recommendation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Central Government hereby revises the definition of broadband as follows
• As of November 30, 2022, India had about 825.4 million broadband subscribers, of which 793.5 million were wireless broadband users and the rest were wireline.
• The top five service providers constituted 98.4% market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of November 2022.
• India’s top-5 service providers are- Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (430.18 million), Bharti Airtel (230.56 million), Vodafone Idea (123.48 million), BSNL (25.85 million) and Atria Convergence (2.14 million).
• As per Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index for December 2022, India recorded 25.29 Mbps median mobile download speeds, bettering 18.26 Mbps in November 2022.

About TRAI:

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is a regulatory body set up by the Government of India under section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
• It is the regulator of the telecommunications sector in India.
• Founded: 20 February 1997
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Agency executive: Ram Sewak Sharma (Chairperson), Sunil K. Gupta (Secretary)

Govt eases rules to help disabled register vehicles:

• The road transport ministry has asked states to register vehicles owned by people with disabilities under the ownership category of “Divyangjan” and extend necessary tax benefits, instead of insisting on only new and adapted vehicles for extending these benefits to them.
• Persons with disabilities who own a vehicle and hire a driver can’t be deprived of getting vehicle registration under the “Divyangjan” category.
• This means now it is the ownership of the vehicle and not the type of vehicle that will be the deciding factor for registration under the “Divyangjan” category.
• The ministry issued the circular after receiving several complaints citing how the state registering authorities were not recording ownership type as “Divyangjan” in the registration certificate of vehicles owned by such persons.
• This deprives them of availing GST and road tax benefits, and exemptions such as paying tolls on highways

PM to unveil solar cooking system at India Energy Week

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a solar cooking system and garments made of recycled plastic bottles, both developed by the Indian Oil Corporation’s research lab, at the India Energy Week on February 6 in Bengaluru.
• Modi will also launch the E20 fuel, or petrol blended with 20% ethanol, at 84 retail outlets of oil marketing companies in 11 states and union territories, the petroleum and natural gas ministry.
• Ethanol blending in the country increased to more than 10% in 2022 from 1.53% in 2014.
• Along with the launch of E20, the Green Mobility Rally shall be part of the IEW-23 to create public awareness for the green fuels in the country such as E20, flex fuels, hydrogen fuels, CNG, etc..,
• Indian Oil Corporation’s research and development center at Faridabad in Haryana has developed an “innovative and patented Indoor solar cooking system after extensive lab and field testing.
• Modi will unveil the twin-cooktop model of the solar cooking system during India Energy Week and flag off the commercial roll-out of the product.
• The indoor solar cooking system has been found to cook a variety of Indian foods involving operations like boiling, frying, baking, etc..,
• If this cooking system reaches 30 million households by 2025-26, then in seven years, it would lead to savings in LPG cost by more than ₹1 lakh crore, forex savings of ₹50,000 crores, CO2 emissions reduction by 50 million tonnes and marketable carbon credits worth about ₹4,000 crores.

Ecotourism spot opens at Asola Bhatti’s Neeli Jheel:

• Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai opened the Neeli Jheel ecotourism site in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary to the public.
• The 40-hectare site will feature artificial waterfalls, selfie points, trails and facilities such as a cafeteria, and golf carts and electric cycles will be added soon.
• Delhiites can come with families and enjoy the natural beauty of this place.
• Neeli Jheel has been developed as an eco-tourism site.
• Eco-friendly material has been used in all the facilities.
• All four artificial waterfalls are operated by solar systems.
• Orders have also been issued to the officers of the department to make arrangements for golf carts and electric cycles for tourists and to construct an eco-friendly cafeteria near Neeli Jheel.

Centre working on implementing new Foreign Trade Policy from April 1

• Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) on April 1, 2023, with officials giving the draft a final go-through, but a decision on its duration is yet to be taken, a source close to the development said.
• As decided earlier, there would be no big bang announcement on incentives as export sops are not compatible with WTO rules.
• The policy, however, will have a vision statement for future growth and various facilitating provisions in areas such as automation, IT enablement, trade facilitation, cost reduction, support for MSMEs, promotion of e-commerce, R&D, and district export hubs

 Focus on policy:

• Earlier, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also indicated that the new FTP could be announced soon and said officers were now focused on it.
• The new FTP, which was initially scheduled to be announced in 2020, has been postponed several times for various time durations, mainly to tide over the uncertainties created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The government had been extending the previous FTP (2015–20) on a piecemeal basis.
• The last extension was on October 1, 2022, until March 31, 2023.

About FTP:

• Foreign Trade Policy is a set of guidelines and instructions established by the DGFT in matters related to the import and export of goods in India.
• The Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry announces Export Import Policy every five years.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

DCPCR launches WhatsApp chatbot – Bal Mitra                        

• Delhi Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Manish Sisodia launched the WhatsApp chatbot named Bal Mitra.
• The Chatbot was developed by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) which is an effort to enable two-way communication between people and the child rights panel.

Aim : 

• To provide accurate information about children and their rights while maintaining the confidentiality of information reported to it

About Bal Mitra : 

Features : 

• Complaint registration, searching information and tracking complaint status, and seeking information on admissions.
• The chatbot will provide authentic information on various issues related to children and their rights, while also ensuring the confidentiality of the cases reported through it.
• It will help citizens and the commission interact more effectively & it is an important initiative to make governance citizen-friendly.
• Earlier, in March 2022, the commission introduced the ‘Early Warning System’, which has helped the education department bring back over 50,000 students to schools and reduce the dropout rate.

About DCPCR : 

• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• Chairperson : Anurag Kundu
• The DCPCR is a statutory body established under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.

About Delhi :

• Lt. Governor: Vinai Kumar Saxena
• Chief Minister : Arvind Kejriwal
• Capital: New Delhi
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, National Chambal Sanctuary

‘Desert Festival’ of Rajasthan set to take off in Jaisalmer in February                               

• The 4-day Jaisalmer ‘Desert Festival’, locally called Maru Mahotsav’, is celebrated in Rajasthan during February every year.
• The festival is being organized by the Rajasthan Tourism Department in collaboration with Jaisalmer District Administration.
• Along the way, groups of artists performed folk dances like Kalbelia, Horse, Kachhi Ghodi, Gair, etc.

About Rajasthan : 

• Governor: Kalraj Mishra
• Chief Minister : Ashok Gehlot
• Capital: Jaipur
• National Park: Keoladeo National Park, Ranthambore National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Sajjangarh WL Sanctuary, Jaisamand WL Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Hindujas set to raise stake in IndusInd Bank to 26%

• IndusInd International Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of the Hinduja Group has received a go-ahead from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase its stake in IndusInd Bank Limited to 26% from the current 15.16%.
• Hinduja Group will contribute more than Rs 10,000 crore to IndusInd Bank.
• With this, IndusInd Bank has become the first bank to have its promoter increase its shareholding to 26%.
• The go-ahead given by the regulator is in-line with newly introduced Reserve Bank of India (Acquisition and Holding of Shares or Voting Rights in Banking Companies) Directions, 2023,
• As of December 2022, Hinduja Group owned a 16.51% stake, and 15.16% voting shares in IndusInd Bank via IndusInd International Holdings Limited (IIHL), Mauritius.

About IndusInd Bank Limited : 

• Founded: April 1994
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• CEO: Sumant Kathpalia.
• Tagline: We Make You Feel Richer

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

US emerges as India’s top destination for goods exports during April-Dec 2022:

• The US has emerged as India’s top destination for merchandise exports during April-December this fiscal at USD 59.7 billion.
• In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the government has taken a series of measures to promote the country’s exports.
• The steps include an extension of existing foreign trade policy till March 31; an extension of interest equalization (subsidy) scheme on pre and post-shipment rupee export credit till March 31 next year; and a roll-out of Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme.
• According to the data, the US was followed by UAE (USD 23.31 billion); Netherlands (USD 14.1 billion); China (USD 11 billion); Singapore, and Bangladesh (about USD 9 billion each).

Maharashtra Leads Charts In EV Sales Under FAME-II Scheme 

• Maharashtra has so far seen the highest number of electric vehicle (EV) sales in the country under the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme.
• Karnataka took the second spot, followed by Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Together, these six states accounted for more than 60% of the total sales, so far, under the EV promotion scheme.
• Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh accounted for more than 60% of the total sales under the Centre’s FAME-II scheme
• In total, more than 8.59 Lakh EVs have so far been sold across the country under the scheme
• The data comes in the backdrop of reports that the government had stopped disbursing incentives to multiple OEMs for flouting guidelines
• In total, more than 8.59 Lakh EVs have so far been sold under the scheme. Of these, a majority, around 7.7 Lakh, were two-wheelers, while 79,583 were three-wheeler EVs.
• As per available data, 1.45 Lakh EVs, including 1.4 Lakh two-wheelers and 746 four-wheelers, have so far been sold in Maharashtra which has claimed subsidies under the scheme.
• Karnataka, the home to some of the biggest EV players in the country, clinched the second spot on the list, selling more than 1.2 Lakh EVs.
• Of these, around 1.13 Lakh two-wheeler EVs availed subsidies under FAME-II, while 1,360 four-wheeler EVs benefited from the scheme.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IIT Patna Partners with Drone Destination to open Bihar’s 1st govt-approved UAV training center                      

• One of India’s leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training and manufacturing groups, Delhi-based Drone Destination (DD) Private Limited, has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna to open Bihar’s first government-approved drone training hub.
• DD is the state-run Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy (IGRUA)’s partner for drone training and has several centers across India.
• IIT Patna has been at the forefront of being a technology-first institution and plans to develop a large Drone Centre of Excellence to propel the UAV ecosystem.
• Drone Destination became the first Drone Training Organisation to certify over 1,200 DGCA-certified Drone Pilots in the country along with our training partners IGRUA and Sanskardham.
• It became National Skill Development Corporation’s (NSDC’s) first Drone Training Partner and plans to jointly open 10 new drone hubs as well as offer first-of-its-kind skill loans to make training affordable and a lucrative career choice for our aspiring drone enthusiasts.

About Drone Destination : 

• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• CEO: Chirag Sharma.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES 

Padma Shri awardee & Veteran director K Viswanath passed away

• Veteran film director and Dadasaheb Phalke award winner Kasinathuni Vishwanath passed away at the age of 92 in Hyderabad, Telangana.

About Kasinathuni Vishwanath : 

• Kasinadhuni Viswanath was born on 19 February 1930 in Repalle of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• He was fondly called “Kalatapasvi” (a sage of arts).
• He was a screenwriter and actor and gained popularity in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films.
• He directed 50 movies since 1965, starting with “Aatma Gowravam” which starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao and won the Nandi Award for the best feature film.
• He directed award-winning films such as “Sankarabharanam,” “Sagara Sangamam,” “Swati Mutyam,” “Saptapadi,” “Kaamchor,” “Sanjog,” and “Jaag Utha Insaan.“
• His last film was Shubapradam in 2010.

Awards & Honors : 

• In 1992 he received the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award – Lifetime achievement for outstanding contributions to Telugu cinema.
• In 1992, he was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India.
• In 2016, he received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema, as the 48th recipient of the award.
• He received 5 National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (given by the Andhra Pradesh government), and 10 Filmfare trophies.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation: 6th February 

• International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation 2023 is observed on the 6th of February 2023.
• The Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting was initiated by UNFPA and UNICEF in 2007 to accelerate the abandonment of the practice.
• In 2008, WHO and 9 other United Nations partners released a declaration titled “Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement” regarding the abolition of FGM.
• WHO 2010 published a “Global strategy to stop health care providers from performing female genital mutilation” in collaboration with other key UN agencies and international organizations.
• The UN General Assembly in 2012 adopted a resolution A/RES/67/14 on the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

About UNFPA:

• The United Nations Population Fund, formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide.
• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Founded: 1969
• Head: Natalia Kanem

About UNICEF:

• UNICEF originally called the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children’s Fund is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.
• Headquarters: New York, United States
• Founded: 11 December 1946
• Founders: United Nations General Assembly, Ludwik Rajchman
• Head: Catherine M. Russell

Daily CA on Feb 05 & 06 :

• Reliance Retail has become the first Indian retailer to introduce Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), also known as the digital rupee (e₹-R) at its stores.
• According to the data by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based transactions hit 8.03 billion in January 2023 a substantial increase from the 7.82 billion transactions recorded in December 2022.
• The 49th meeting of the Goods & Service Tax (GST) Council is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on February 18, 2023.
• The National Bank for Agriculture and rural development (NABARD) has estimated a credit potential of Rs 34082 crore under the priority sector for the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for the year 2023-24.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹39.50 lahks on North East Small Finance Bank Limited.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹30.00 lakh on the Bank of Baroda (BoB) for non-compliance with certain provisions of the ‘Reserve Bank of India – (Know Your Customer (KYC)) Direction, 2016’ and Reserve Bank of India (Interest Rate on Deposits) Directions, 2016.
• Delhi Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Manish Sisodia launched the WhatsApp chatbot named Bal Mitra developed by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).
• The 4-day Jaisalmer ‘Desert Festival’, locally called Maru Mahotsav’, is celebrated in Rajasthan during February every year.
• IndusInd International Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of the Hinduja Group has received a go-ahead from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase its stake in IndusInd Bank Limited to 26% from the current 15.16%.
• One of India’s leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training and manufacturing groups, Delhi-based Drone Destination (DD) Private Limited, has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna to open Bihar’s first government-approved drone training hub.
• Veteran film director and Dadasaheb Phalke award winner Kasinathuni Vishwanath passed away at the age of 92 in Hyderabad, Telangana.

• The Cente has specified a higher minimum download speed of 2 Mbps (megabits per second).
• The road transport ministry has asked states to register vehicles owned by people with disabilities under the ownership category of “Divyangjan” and extend necessary tax benefits, instead of insisting on only new and adapted vehicles for extending these benefits to them.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a solar cooking system and garments made of recycled plastic bottles, both developed by the Indian Oil Corporation’s research lab, at the India Energy Week on February 6 in Bengaluru.
• Delhi Environment minister Gopal Rai opened the Neeli Jheel ecotourism site in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary to the public
• The Commerce and Industry Ministry is working on implementing the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) on April 1, 2023, with officials giving the draft a final go-through, but a decision on its duration is yet to be taken
• The US has emerged as India’s top destination for merchandise exports during April-December this fiscal at USD 59.7 billion.
• Maharashtra has so far seen the highest number of electric vehicle (EV) sales in the country under the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme.
• International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation 2023 is observed on the 6th of February 2023