Table of Contents:

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurated the First Phase of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
2. India’s First Lithium Reserve Founded in Jammu and Kashmir 
3. Salman Rushdie Published his New Novel “Victory City” 
4. Six New Governors are Appointed by President Droupadi Murmu 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurated the First Phase of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway was kick started in 2018, with the foundation stone being laid on March 9, 2019. It is an 8-lane access-controlled Greenfield Expressway with scope for future expansion upto 12-lane Expressway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 246-km section of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway as in Dausa, Rajasthan, February 12, 2023. Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section is set to reduce the travel time from the national capital to Jaipur from around five hours to around three and a half hours. 

Features: 

• India’s longest and most advanced expressway once it is fully operational.  

• Total Length: 1,350 km 

• Aim: Cutting down the distance between Delhi and Mumbai by 12%, ie, from 1,424 km to 1,242 km 

• The first expressway in Asia with an animal overpasses to facilitate unrestricted movement of wildlife

• It will pass through the six states - Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and connect major cities including Kota, Indore, Jaipur, Bhopal, Vadodara and Surat

National Capital of India: New Delhi 

Financial Capital of India: Mumbai 

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister: Nitin Gadkari  

Rajasthan Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot 

India’s First Lithium Reserve Founded in Jammu and Kashmir 

India's Mines Ministry  announced that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the reports of Geological Survey of India, for the first time established Lithium inferred resources in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.Lithium is a rare mineral and key component in electronic vehicles, rechargeable batteries, gadgets such as smartphones, laptops, electric car etc.  

Features of Lithium 

• Key component in Electronic Vehicles

• Using Lithium in batteries can increase the efficiency of battery

• Certain Lithium compounds are used in Medical Field 

Geological Survey of India 

• Founded in: 1851 

• Under: Ministry of Mines 

• Aim: To conduct geological surveys and studies of India 

• Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal 

Union Minister for Ministry of Mines: Pralhad Joshi 

Salman Rushdie Published his New Novel “Victory City” 

Victory City is the new novel by Salman Rushdie published in February 2023. It is Rushdie's fifteenth novel. The book is a fictionalized telling of the story of the Vijayanagara Kingdom. The main character of the book is sorceress and poet named Pampa Kampana. The book is published by Random House.

Salman Rushdie 

• Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is an Indian-born British-American novelist 

• First Novel: Grimus 

• Latest Novel: Victory City (15th novel) 

• His second novel, Midnight's Children, won the Booker Prize in 1981 

• Other Major Works: Shame, The Satanic Verses, The Moor's Last Sigh, Quichotte, Shalimar the Clown 

Vijayanagara Empire 

• Established In: 1336 

• Established by: Harihara and Bukka 

• The kingdom was established in the South India and the city Vijayanagara is situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra 

• Four important dynasties who ruled Vijayanagara: Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva, Aravidu  

President Droupadi Murmu Appointed Six New Governors 

The President, Draupadi Murmu, on Sunday appointed six new Governors and transferred 7 governors. The newly appointed include retiered Supreme Court judge, S Abdul Nazeer who was a part of November 2019, Ayodhya Verdict. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra and R K Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh resigned from the post. 

The Newly Appointed Governors are 

1. Ramesh Bais: Maharashtra 

2. Brigader B D Mishra: Ladakh 

3. S Abdul Nazeer: Andhra Pradesh 

4. Biswa Bhushan Harichandan: Chattisgarh 

5. Lt Gen Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik: Arunachal Pradesh 

6. Lakshman Prasad Acharya: Sikkim 

7. C P Radhakrishnan: Jharkhand 

8. Shiv Pratap Shukla: Himachal Pradesh 

9. Gulab Chand Kataria: Assam 

10. Ansuiya Uikye: Manipur 

11. La Ganesan: Nagaland 

12. Phagu Chauhan: Meghalaya 

13. Rajendra Ariekar: Bihar