Current Affairs in Short: 24 February 2022

Government informs Rs. 18,000 crores returned to banks in Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and Mehul Choksi cases

• The Government of India informed Supreme Court that Rs. 18,000 crores have been returned to the banks in Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and Mehul Choksi cases.

• Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, while representing the Government, submitted before the apex court that the total proceeds of crimes in PMLA cases pending before the court amounts to Rs. 67,000 crores.

• He added that as of date 4700 cases are being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

• The apex court was hearing a bunch of petitions, challenging the wide scope of powers available to the Enforcement Directorate for seizure, search, attachment and investigation of proceeds of crime.

Prime Minister Modi to hold a meeting today on Ukraine Crisis

• Prime Minister Modi will meet the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as well as other officials in the evening on February 24, 2022, to discuss the economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

• The officials will also discuss ways to mitigate the impact of rising crude oil prices. The Russian army has fired missiles in Ukraine after President Putin authorized a military operation in Ukraine.

• Finance Minister also said that she will be meeting Prime Minister Modi to discuss the situation arising out of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

• Markets have been rattled by recent Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The 30-share benchmark Sensex has crashed over 2,700 points amid the Ukraine invasion.

• Earlier, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had informed about the special flights arranged to pick up Indian Nationals were cancelled as Ukraine’s airspace was closed.

India wants peace to prevail: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

• The Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while talking about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis has said that India wants peace to prevail and no situation that will promote war should arise.

• He further added that the Indian Government has been taking all the measures to bring its citizens back to India.

• Amid the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had said that alternative arrangements are being made for the evacuation of the Indian citizens.

Indian Army gets new aircraft systems for surveillance

• The Indian Army said on February 23, 2022, that it has acquired mini remotely piloted aircraft systems. It will further enhance its surveillance capabilities in high-altitude areas.

• The Indian Army has been focusing on cranking up its surveillance mechanism along LAC with China as part of a broad strategy.

• Indian Army via a tweet informed that the new aircraft systems for surveillance have been acquired as part of the ongoing modernization and induction of niche & emerging technologies at the tactical level.

• Indian Army has initiated a number of measures to bolster its surveillance mechanism along the Line of Actual Control after the Eastern Ladakh standoff.