January Current Affairs

PAKISTAN AND INDIA EXCHANGE LISTS OF PRISONERS AND NUCLEAR ASSETS.

• Despite their bilateral relations being at an all-time low, India and Pakistan exchanged names of nuclear sites that cannot be struck in the case of hostilities, continuing a tradition that dates back to 1992.
• The two sides also exchanged lists of the inmates imprisoned in each other’s jails, and the Indian side requested the early release and return of Pakistani detainees who were civilians, missing military members, and fishermen with their boats.
• The first exchange of these lists took place on January 1, 1992, and this one was the 32nd in a row between the two nations.

THE 10TH DHAKA LITERARY FESTIVAL WILL START FROM JANUARY 5–8, 2023.

• The greatest international literary festival in Bangladesh, Dhaka Lit Fest (DLF), whose 10th edition was postponed three years in a row because of the Covid-19 epidemic, is set to take place from January 5–8, 2023. The Bangla Academy, which is located on the city’s ancient grounds, will host the occasion.
• The festival’s three directors, Sadaf Saaz, Ahsan Akbar, and Kazi Anis Ahmed, verified the information in a press release on Friday.
• Long a popular yearly event on Bangladesh’s winter calendar is the Dhaka Lit Fest. Nearly 30,000 people attended the seventh Dhaka Lit Fest, which was most recently held in 2019.

THE FIFTH VOLUME OF RESERVE BANK HISTORY IS PUBLISHED BY RBI (1997-2008)

• The Reserve Bank of India’s history is published in volume five. This book spans the eleven years from 1997 to 2008. With the publication of this book, the Reserve Bank of India’s past is now updated until 2008.
• Under the direction of an advisory committee led by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, a former member of parliament and former principal adviser and chief economist of the Reserve Bank, the Reserve Bank began the process of preparing this book in 2015.
• A group of authors under the direction of economic historian Dr. Tirthankar Roy created the volume. K. Kanagasabapathy, N. Gopalaswamy, F. R. Joseph, and S.V.S. Dixit were other team members.

GST REVENUE INCREASED BY 15% TO RS. 1.49 TRILLION IN DECEMBER.

• India’s goods and services tax receipts rose 15% year over year in December to Rs 1.49 lakh crore ($18.07 billion), according to a government release, indicating strong economic activity over the holiday season.
• Taxes on goods and services brought in a total of Rs. 1.46 lakh crore in November.
• A total of Rs 1,49,507 crore in GST income was received in December 2022; of this, Rs 26,711 crore came from CGST, Rs 33,357 crore from SGST, Rs 78,434 crore from IGST, and Rs 11,005 crore from Cess.

EQUIPMENT TO PREDICT RIP CURRENTS TO BE INSTALLED ALONG BEACHES BY ISRO AND ANDHRA UNIVERSITY

• After conducting the study, the National Center for Earth Sciences (NCES), the Andhra University (AU), and the Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) concluded that the blue flag-certified Rushikonda beach and RK Beach now pose a risk to beachgoers.
• More than 200 individuals perished in the water between 2012 and 2022 at various beaches in and near Visakhapatnam, with RK Beach accounting for 60% of the fatalities.
• To identify rip currents and alert mariners and local law enforcement, ISRO, NCES, and Andhra University have performed research and installed equipment.

IN NEW DELHI, THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHED THE PRAJWALA CHALLENGE.

• The Prajjwala Challenge has been introduced by the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM). The Prajjwala Challenge was established to elicit concepts, options, and initiatives that might revolutionize rural development.
• It will offer a forum where concepts with the potential to change the rural economy are solicited from people, social businesses, start-ups, the commercial sector, civil society, community-based groups, academic institutions, incubation centers, investors, etc.
• The Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, introduced the Prajjwala Challenge in New Delhi.

MADHYA PRADESH WON THE KHELO INDIA YOUTH GAMES U-18 CHAMPIONSHIP IN HOCKEY.

• Madhya Pradesh won the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 Men’s Under-18 Qualifiers in hockey by defeating Odisha 6-5. Jamir Mohammad was the game’s standout, scoring a hat-trick in an exciting final.
• For Odisha, however, Anmol Ekka, Paulus Lakra, Deepak Minz, and Akash Soreng each scored one goal. By defeating Jharkhand 2-0, Haryana took third place in the competition. For Haryana, goals were scored by Amandeep and Roshan.
• This has qualified Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, and Jharkhand for the Khelo India Youth Games, which will take place in Madhya Pradesh the following year.

MILLETS INTERNATIONAL YEAR 2023

• The International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 initiative was sponsored by the Indian government and approved by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
• The proclamation has been essential for the Indian government’s leadership in IYM celebrations. PM Narendra Modi has also expressed his desire for IYM 2023 to become a “People’s Movement” and for India to become the “Global Hub for Millets.
• The Government of India (GoI) has emphasized millets because of their huge potential and alignment with numerous UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO PROHIBIT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FROM PROMOTING ONLINE BETTING.

• The marketing of online betting on social media sites is currently prohibited by the Indian government.
• To regulate the Indian online gaming business, the Central government recently suggested revisions to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The advice was given to shield customers from any potential harm that skill-based games could bring about.
• Maintaining the security of the gaming sector is especially important because between 40 and 45 percent of gamers in India are female.

OPERATION OF THE HYDROGEN-BLENDED PNG PROJECT AT NTPC KAWAS, GUJARAT

• Gujarat’s NTPC Kawas is home to the nation’s first green hydrogen mixing facility in the PNG network. The project is a collaboration between Gujarat Gas and NTPC (GCL). According to the power generation firm, P Ram Prasad, the project’s head, started the first molecule of green hydrogen from the project.
• With the assistance of GCL representatives, NTPC Kawas hosted an awareness training for township people following the commencement of blending and operation. On July 30, 2022, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, set the project’s cornerstone.
• The system is ready to provide H2-NG (Natural Gas) to homes in Surat’s Kawa township.

THE CHIEF MINISTER OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, INTRODUCED SUKHASHRAYA SAHAYATA KOSH

• Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, announced plans to establish a Rs 101 crore CM’s Sukhashraya Sahayata Kosh for the state’s poor. The Himachal Pradesh chief minister said that 40 Congress MLAs had committed to donating Rs. 1 lakh from their first salaries to the fund. He also asked the MLAs from the BJP and other parties to donate.
• The money raised will be used to pay for the higher education of orphans and other vulnerable youth, enticing them to enroll in reputable schools like the IIT, IIM, AIIMS, and NIT to study engineering, medicine, management, and other fields.
• According to Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, there are 6,000 homeless children in the state.

INDIAN FINANCIAL ASSETS ABROAD FELL BY $56.5 BILLION IN THE SECOND QUARTER.

• Between July and September 2022, India’s foreign financial assets fell by $56.5 billion, with value losses being the main cause.
• The majority (62.9% share) of India’s overseas financial assets continued to be made up of reserve assets. In the second quarter of FY23, non-residents’ net claims in India climbed by $34.3 billion, reaching $389.6 billion in September.
• Direct investment (net) outflows were mostly to blame for the decline in India’s foreign liabilities during the second quarter.

IN DECEMBER 2022, INDIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WILL BE 8.30%.

• According to information from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, the unemployment rate in India increased to 8.30% in December 2022, the highest level in 16 months (CMIE). In November, it was 8%.
• According to the report, although urban unemployment increased to 10.09% in December from 8.96% in November, rural unemployment decreased to 7.44% from 7.55%.
• In December, the unemployment rate in urban areas increased to 10.09% from 8.96%, while it decreased in rural areas to 7.44% from 7.55%.

THE FIRST FEMALE OFFICER TO DEPLOY OPERATIONALLY IN SIACHEN IS CAPTAIN SHIVA CHAUHAN.

• This is the first operational deployment of a female Army officer at the highest battleground in the world, and it involves Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Corps of Engineers. She has been sent to a frontline station in Siachen Glacier.
• After undergoing extensive training, the officer was assigned to the Kumar post in Siachen, which is situated at an elevation of around 15,600 feet, for a three-month assignment. Avalanche and crevasse rescue exercises, ice wall climbing, endurance training, and survival drills were all part of the training.
• Bengal Sapper Officer Capt. Shiva Chouhan is a Rajasthan native. Chouhan’s mother, a homemaker, took care of her academics when her father passed away when she was 11 years old.

MICROSOFT AND HDFC BANK WORK TOGETHER AS PART OF THE BANK’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.

• The biggest private sector bank in India, HDFC Bank, is collaborating with Microsoft on the next stage of its digital transformation journey to unlock business value by modernizing the data landscape, altering the application portfolio, and protecting the organization with Microsoft Cloud.
• As part of its Future Ready strategy, HDFC Bank is working to co-create technical intellectual property with several businesses, including FinTechs.
• As part of its Future Ready strategy, HDFC Bank is working to co-create technical intellectual property with several businesses, including FinTechs.

BANKS REPORT STRONG CREDIT GROWTH AND A STABLE INDIAN ECONOMY.

• In comparison to China’s 2.2%, the UK’s 3.4%, and the USA’s 1.8%, the Indian economy is predicted to have grown by 9.7% in the first half of 2022–2023. The movements in India’s economy are frequently proxied by the local banking industry.
• Take the most recent results of a poll conducted by the Indian Banks’ Association and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) (IBA).
• It was conducted in the first half of 2022 among 25 Indian lenders, which together account for three-quarters of the sector’s assets.

PM MODI OPENS THE EIGHTH INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS.

• The 108th Indian Science Congress was formally opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 108th session of ISC is being held at the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University for five days.
• He emphasized the growing need for energy in the country and asked scientists to make any advancements in the field that would benefit the country.
• According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on Tuesday, the scientific community in India should work to make India an “aatma nirbhar” (self-reliant).

IN NEW DELHI, THE SECOND STAGE OF THE “VIRAASAT” SARI FESTIVAL BEGINS.

• The second edition of the “VIRAASAT” Sari Festival, which honors 75 handwoven saris from India, will start on January 3 and run through January 17 at the Handloom Haat in Janpath, New Delhi. The Ministry of Textile organizes the VIRAASAT Sari Festival. There are 90 competitors from various regions of the nation in the second stage phase.
• The first part of VIRAASAT—celebrating 75 handwoven Indian saris—began on December 16 and ended on December 30, 2022.
• On December 16, Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State Darshana Jardosh jointly launched the event.

JANUARY 4, 2023, IS DESIGNATED AS WORLD BRAILLE DAY.

• The fourth of January is designated as World Braille Day, which highlights the importance of Braille as a means of communication for the blind and partially sighted.
• Since 2019, the United Nations has observed the day. Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, which is also celebrated on World Braille Day. The French schoolteacher developed the Braille system after being blind as a kid.
• The day’s goal is to increase public knowledge of the braille writing system, which aims to close the communication gap between able-bodied and differently-abled people. The inventor of a widely used touch device that allows blind people to read and write was born in Coupvray, France.

LAUNCH OF 50 ELECTRIC BUSES IN DELHI AS PART OF THE FAME INDIA PHASE II PROGRAMME

• With assistance from the Ministry of Heavy Industries’ FAME India Phase II program, 50 electric buses were introduced in Delhi. The government granted Rs 10,000 crore for a three-year term in 2019.
• About 86 percent of the budgetary assistance total has been set aside for incentives to boost demand for electric vehicles.
• Cars that run entirely or mostly on electricity are known as electric vehicles. They consume little to no fossil fuels, therefore they are incredibly ecologically friendly and have cheap operating expenses (petrol or diesel).

PUSHPA KAMAL DAHAL PRACHANDA, LEADER OF THE CPN-MAOIST CENTER GETTING READY TO BECOME THE NEW PRIME MINISTER OF NEPAL

• Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the leader of the CPN-Maoist Centre and better known as Prachanda, secured the support of 168 lawmakers, much more than the necessary 138 in the House of Representatives, paving the way for his third term as prime minister of Nepal in the previous 14 years.
• Prachanda was named prime minister following Article 76 (2) of the constitution by President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
• The 275-member House of Representatives has 165 members that support Prachanda, including the CPN-UML with 78, the CPN-MC with 32, the RSP with 20, the RPP with 14, the JSP with 12, Janamat with 6, and the Nagarik Unmukti Party with 3.

‘BOMB CYCLONE WINTER STORM HITS US WITH LIFE-THREATING EXTREMELY COLD CLIMATE

• The “Bomb Cyclone” Winter Storm Threatens Lives in the US Bomb Cyclone in Extremely Cold Climate: The citizens of the US and Canada were stuck inside their homes due to snowfall and power outages as a result of the Bomb Cyclone’s harsh weather.
• The bomb cyclone that happened over Christmas was brought on by a chilly -40 degrees Fahrenheit. Numerous highways have been closed, and thousands of flights have been canceled. It is urged that people stay indoors since leaving their houses might be fatal.
• The US has been suffering an Artic Blast-related severe cold temperature, along with significant snowfall and ferocious wind. Due to the Bomb Cyclone, officials have issued an order prohibiting travel throughout the Christmas season.

GARUDA AEROSPACE RECEIVES TYPE CERTIFICATION AND RTPO APPROVALS FROM DGCA

• Drone maker Garuda Aerospace has gained type certification and RPTO (Remote Pilot Training Organization) certifications from the Director General of Civil Aviation for its locally developed Kisan drones.
• After a thorough testing process, the unmanned aerial vehicles are given DGCA Type certification based on a quality assessment.
• Garuda Kisan drones were qualified for Rs 10 lakh in unsecured loans from the Center’s agri-infrastructure fund since they were built for agricultural use and had gained Type Certification for the GA-AG model.

DURING THE 75TH AMRUT MAHOTSAV OF THE SHREE SWAMINARAYAN GURUKUL RAJKOT SANSTHAN, PM MODI SPOKE.

• Through video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at the 75th Amrut Mahotsav of the Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Rajkot Sansthan. Shri Dharmajivandasji Swami, a seer, founded the Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Rajkot Sansthan in Rajkot in 1948.
• It has grown and now has more than 40 branches throughout the globe, offering more than 25,000 students access to school, undergraduate, and postgraduate education facilities.
• Mega blood donation camps and free medical check-up clinics are being held as part of the Amrit Mahotsav celebrations at Sahajanand Nagar, where renowned multi-specialty physicians are offering the public free medical care as well as free medication.

THE LARGEST OPEN-AIR THEATRE PERFORMANCE IN THE WORLD, “DHANU YATRA,” STARTS IN ODISHA.

• After a two-year hiatus, the biggest open-air theatre event, “Dhanu Yatra,” debuted in Bargarh, Odisha. Odisha’s culture is known for the colorful Dhanu Yatra.
• The Festival runs from December 27 to January 6, 2023. The event will feature performances by several musicians from 130 different ethnic groups throughout the nation. The event has over 3,000 performers from 130 ethnic groups throughout the nation. Nevertheless, the Dhanu Yatra’s main draw is Kansa.
• Bargarh is located on the cultural map of India by the yearly, eleven-day spectacle known as Dhanu Yatra. It is comparable to the heritage and culture of Odisha. It is an outdoor theatre event that is more than 5 square kilometers in size and includes a town and a village in the middle.