Daily GK Update- 31st Jan, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Puma India ropes Harmanpreet Singh as brand ambassador: Puma India (Sports brand) has appointed women’s cricket team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur as a brand ambassador. She will endorse the footwear, apparel, and accessories throughout the year. With this, Harmanpreet joins PUMA’s roster of brand ambassadors which includes Virat Kohli, Neymar Jr, Sunil Chhetri, MC Mary Kom, Harleen Deol, K L Rahul, and Avani Lekhara. Harmanpreet Kaur has the record of the fourth fastest women’s T20I hundred in the world to her name.

 

2. IIM Ahmedabad ranked top MBA colleges in India: According to the latest ranking, released by the Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF), the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad is the best college to pursue the Master of Business Administration (MBA) course in India. IIM Ahmedabad is followed by IIM Bengaluru and IIM Kolkata at second and third spots, respectively. Among private colleges, the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur has topped the rankings.

 

3. First Employment Working Group Meeting will be held in Jodhpur: The first Employment Working Group Meeting under the Sherpa track of the G20 will be held from February 2 to 4 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Sherpas and delegates from 20 countries including Australia, Italy, Japan, and China are expected to attend the meeting. The Focus areas of The Employment Working Group Meeting will target issues including addressing Global Skill Gaps, Gig and Platform Economy and Social Protection, and Sustainable Financing of Social Security. The city has been decorated with Rajasthani culture and a special theme. Dishes specially prepared with millets will be served to the Sherpas and delegates.

 

4. PM Modi released special Rs 75 coin to mark 75 successful years of NCC: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a special day cover and a commemorative specially minted coin of Rs 75 denomination on the occasion of 75 successful years of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

The NCC rally was held on the occasion of the commemoration of 75 years at the Cariappa Ground in Delhi. 196 officers and cadets from 19 foreign countries also participated in the rally.

The NCC was formed in 1948 on the recommendation of H N Kunzru Committee-1946 under National Cadet Corps Act, 1948. NCC is the largest uniformed youth organization in the world. Director General of NCC – Lt Gen Gurbirpal Singh

 

5. National Child Science Congress organized in Ahmedabad: The 30th National Child Science Congress has organized at Science City in Ahmedabad. It was inaugurated by Vijay Nahera, Secretary, Gujarat Science and Technology Department. More than 1400 delegates including child scientists, escort teachers, evaluators and government officials participated in it. More than 850 students from across the country showcased their unique projects at the Congress.

 

6. Air Marshal AP Singh appointed as new Vice Chief of Air Force: Air Marshal Amanpreet Singh has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He replaced Air Marshal Sandeep Singh. Air Marshal AP Singh is currently serving as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command, Prayagraj. Air Marshal AP Singh was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force on 21 December 1984. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot with more than 4,900 hours of service flying on a variety of fixed wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

 

7. ISRO to launch Aditya-L1 by June-July 2023: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning to launch the Aditya-L1 mission by June or July 2023. Aditya L1 is the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun from a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system. This mission with seven payloads on board to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) will provide greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather. The ISRO recently received the Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC), which is the primary payload onboard Aditya-L1, from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). VELC is the first scientific mission of India for studying the sun.

 

8. 30 January – Martyr’s Day (Shaheed Diwas): On 30 January 2023, India observed Martyrs’ Day or Shaheed Diwas to pay tribute to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the country. The day is also marked as the death anniversary of the nation’s ‘Bapu’, Mahatma Gandhi. Nathuram Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi on the evening of January 30, 1948. Every year 23 March is also celebrated as Martyr’s Day to pay homage to the three revolutionaries of India Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Morgan Stanley appoints Arun Kohli as new country head for India: Arun Kohli has been appointed as the new head of Morgan Stanley (India). He has replaced Sanjay Shah, who is set to retire. He has been associated with Morgan Stanley for the past 15 years. Currently, he is serving as the chief operating officer (COO) for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. Earlier, he was the MD for firm strategy and execution for five years, stretching from 2007 to 2012. Morgan Stanley, CEO: James P. Gorman; Headquarters: New York. USA

 

2. GRSE, Rolls Royce sign MoU for manufacturing marine engines in India: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd has signed an MoU with Rolls Royce Solutions of Germany for the manufacture of high-quality marine diesel engines at the former's plant in Ranchi. The MoU deals with the transfer of technology related to engine assembly, painting, parts sourcing, and after-sales service for these engines Both will co-operate in the license production and localization of the technologically advanced MTU S4000 governmental marine engines

 

3. UNESCO designated Ukraine’s Odesa a World Heritage in Danger site: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated Odesa as it faced danger from Russian air strikes. Odesa is a historic centre and strategic port city located on the Black Sea. In July 2022, part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesa’s Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed. Empress Catherine founded ODESA.

 

4. 30 January – World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day: World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day is annually observed across the world on 30 January. Objective – To create awareness about Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). Theme 2023 – Act Now. Act Together. Invest in Neglected Tropical Diseases The first World NTD Day was observed on 30 January 2020. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 20 diseases caused by a variety of pathogens.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Murali Vijay announces retirement from all forms of international cricket: Veteran India opener, Murali Vijay (38) announced his retirement from international cricket. He last represented India in 2018 against Australia in the Perth Test. He had played 61 Tests, 17 ODIs, and 9 T20Is for India since making his debut in November 2008 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.He scored 3,982 runs for India in the longest format that including 12 centuries and 15 fifties. In the one-day, he had 339 runs that included a half-century.

 

2. 5th Khelo India Youth Games begins in Madhya Pradesh: The fifth edition of Khelo India Youth Games 2022 began in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Singh Thakur and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have inaugurated this sports event at TT Nagar Stadium in Bhopal. Singer Shaan performed at the opening ceremony. Shaan sang the theme song of Khelo India Youth Games. Singer Neeti Mohan performed on Narmada Ashtak.

A group of 100 folk artistes along with drummer Shivamani performed on Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. The Games will be hosted in Madhya Pradesh from 31 January 2023 to 11 February 2023.For the first time water sports namely Kayaking Canoeing, Canoe Salaam and Fencing will be part of this edition of Khelo India Games. It will be organized in eight different cities of the state. The eight host cities designated are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Mandla and Balaghat. More than 8500 athletes and sportspersons are expected to participate in this sporting event. The 4th Khelo India Youth Games was held at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula (Haryana) from 4 to 13 June 2022 while some matches were also played in Chandigarh.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. IMF expects Indian economy growth to slow down to 6.1% in 2023: According to IMF’s World Economic Outlook, the economic growth of India would decline from 6.8% in 2022 to 6.1% in 2023, before picking up to 6.8% in 2024. The report has also stated that the growth in emerging and developing Asia is expected to rise in 2023 and 2024 to 5.3% and 5.2%, respectively. Reason: China’s uncertain economic conditions The IMF also expected that global growth would fall from around 3.4% in 2022 to 2.9% in 2023 and rise to 3.1% in 2024.

 

2. Infibeam Avenues brand CCAvenue to process Digital Rupee: Infibeam Avenues Ltd’s brand 'CCAvenue' has become India’s FIRST payment gateway player to process Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) or Digital Rupee transactions for online retail merchants. The RBI launched the first pilot of the digital rupee for the retail segment on December 1, 2022. The retail CBDC pilot has identified 8 banks:

·       1st Phase: SBI, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, and IDFC First Bank

·       2nd Phase: BoB, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, and Kotak Mahindra Bank

 

3. Edelweiss MF launches India’s first passive short-term index fund: Edelweiss Mutual Fund launched India's first passive short-duration fund named Edelweiss CRISIL IBX 50:50 Gilt Plus SDL Short Duration Index Fund. It will invest in a diversified portfolio of Indian government bonds and state development loans (SDL). The scheme will invest 50% in Indian government bonds and 50% in SDLs. The index will be rebalanced every quarter with an effective date as the first business day of the month. Edelweiss AMC CEO: Radhika Gupta

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Usman Khawaja wins Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year award 2023: Australia's opening batter, Usman Khawaja has claimed the inaugural Shane Warne Award as the men’s Test player of the year in 2023. He has been Australia’s top run-scorer in the five-day format since rejoining the Test team, with 1020 runs at 78.46 during the voting period.

Other winners:

 

·       Belinda Clark Award (Women's): Beth Mooney

·       Allan Border Medal (Men's): Steve Smith

·       Men's ODI Player of the Year: David Warner

·       Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Beth Mooney

 

2. Best marching contingents & tableaux of Republic Day Parade 2023: The government has announced the list of the best marching contingents and tableaux for the Republic Day Parade 2023. Results have been announced on the basis of the assessment of the panels and online poll for the popular choice.

 

·       Best three Tableaux (States/UTs): 

·       Panel-based: Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and UP

·       online poll-based: Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra

·       Best Tableau (Central Ministries/Departments):

·       Panel-based: Ministry of Tribal Affairs

·       online poll-based: CAPF

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Noted writer K.V. Tirumalesh passes away: Well-known poet and writer, KV Tirumalesh passed away at the age of 82 in Hyderabad (Telangana) due to an age-related illness. In 2016, he was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi award for his collection of poems - Akshaya Kavya - along with several other literary awards. His critical works include an essay on Da Ra Bendre's poems and existentialism in Kannada. He was also a retired professor, who taught at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.

 

2. Veteran actress and former MP Jamuna passed away: Veteran film actress, Jamuna passed away recently at the age of 86. She was born in 1936 in Hampi in Karnataka and started her career as a stage artist, debuting with Puttillu on Silver Screen. She acted in about 200 Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films. She was identified with her role in ‘Satyabhama’ and became a household name for the mythological character. She was a former Lok Sabha MP from Rajahmundry in 1989 from the Congress.

Daily GK Update- 30th Jan, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. ISRO to launch Aditya-L1 by June-July 2023: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch the Aditya-L1 mission by June or July 2023. Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space mission to observe the Sun and the solar corona. The ISRO recently received the Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC), which is the primary payload onboard Aditya-L1, from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA). VELC is the first scientific mission of India for studying the sun.

 

2. Khadi Fest-23 inaugurated in Mumbai: Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission Manoj Kumar has inaugurated the Khadi Fest- 23 at the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Headquarters in Khadi Fest- 23 will run from 27 January to 24 February 2023. The fest will showcase apparel made of Khadi, Pashmina, Kalamkari, Phulkari, Tussar silk, etc while Dry-fruits, Tea, Kahwa, Honey, Bamboo Products, Carpets, Aloe Vera Products and others will be up for sale. Events and exhibitions like Khadi Fest provide a platform to the Khadi Institutions, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme – PMEGP and the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries – SFURTI units to market the products of thousands of artisans directly to customers.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group begins in Chandigarh: The first G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group meeting under the G20 Indian Presidency is being organized in Chandigarh from 30th to 31st January 2023. Union agriculture minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, and food processing industries minister, Pashupati Kumar Paras Focus, inaugurated the meeting: On strengthening the international financial architecture. It also aims to address multiple challenges faced by vulnerable countries.

 

2. World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2023: 30th January: World Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTD) Day is annually observed across the world on 30th January to create awareness about Neglected Tropical Diseases(NTD). 2023 theme: Act Now. Act Together. Invest in Neglected Tropical Diseases Focus: On strengthening the interventions to promote equitable health services for all The first World NTD Day was observed on 30 January 2020. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 20 diseases caused by a variety of pathogens.

 

3. India & Egypt signed an MoU on Cultural Cooperation: India’s Ministry of Culture signed an MoU with the Government of Egypt to strengthen cultural ties. The Culture Minister of India, G. Kishan Reddy and the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Sameh Hassan Shoukry, signed the MoU. This MoU has been signed for a period of five years. Under the aegis of the MoU on Cultural Cooperation signed between India and Egypt, both countries will host cultural activities in the fields of music, dance, theatre, literature, libraries, organizing festivals in the respective countries, research and documentation etc.

 

4. Third Interpol Young Global Police Leaders Program begins: The third edition of the Interpol Young Global Police Leaders Program being held in New Delhi with the of theme ‘Trust’. The event which is being organized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) began on the 25 January to 2 February 2023. As many as 59 participants from 44 countries are taking part in the programme. The event brings together young police leaders holding vital assignments in their respective countries and helps them develop an international perspective and understanding.

 

5. India & South Africa signed MoU to introduce 12 African Cheetahs: India and South Africa have signed an MoU to introduce 12 African Cheetahs annually over the next eight to ten years. In terms of the agreement, an initial batch of 12 cheetahs will be flown from South Africa to India in February 2023. The cats will join eight Cheetah brought in India from Namibia last year. The initiative to reintroduce cheetah to a former range state is being carried out following the local extinction of this iconic species due to overhunting and loss of habitat in the last century.

 

6. South Africa to host 15th BRICS summit in August 2023: The 15th BRICS summit will be held in Durban, South Africa in August 2023. It was announced by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov in a joint conference with Foreign Minister of the State of Eritrea Osman Saleh in Massawa, Eritrea. The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China met for the first time on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in 2006, kicking off BRIC cooperation. Later in April 2011, South Africa participated, for the first time, in the 3rd BRICS Summit held in Sanya, China. Earlier in 2013, the fifth annual BRICS summit was held in Durban, South Africa. The head of state or heads of government of the five member states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa attended it. In June 2009, the BRIC leaders held their first meeting in Russia, upgrading BRIC cooperation to Summit level. The BRIC leaders met for the first time in Russia in June 2009, elevating BRIC cooperation to Summit status.

 

7. Petr Pavel elected as President of the Czech Republic: Retired army general, Petr Pavel was elected as President of the Czech Republic. He defeated billionaire businesswoman Andrej Babis. During the election, General Pavel got 58.2 percent of the votes while Andrzej Babis got 42.8 percent. General Powell has been Chairman of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Pavel has repeatedly expressed his support for providing military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine during Russia–Ukraine conflict.

 

 

 

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Novak Djokovic wins his 10th Australian Open title in 2023: Novak Djokovic (Serbian) defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greek tennis player) to win Men's singles 2023 Australian Open title in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the 10th Australian Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title (overall) of Novak Djokovic. While Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) won the Women's singles. Men's doubles: Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler (Australia) Women's doubles: Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková (Czech Republic)

 

2. Germany beat Belgium in the finals to lift the Hockey World Cup 2023 title: Germany lifted the title of FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India.

Germany defeated Belgium by 5-4 in the penalty shootout. With this win, Germany became the fourth team to have won three or more hockey World Cup titles, after Pakistan, Netherlands, and Australia.

List of the winners:

·       Best Player: Niklas Wellen (Germany)

·       Best Goalkeeper:Vincent Vanasch (Belgium)

·       Best Junior Player: Mustapha Cassiem

·       Fair Play Award: Belgium

 

3. Fifth Khelo India Youth Games 2022 begins in Madhya Pradesh: The fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 started at TT Nagar Stadium in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. XAnurag Singh Thakur (Union sports minister) and MP CM, Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the event.

The event will be continued till February 11 in eight cities of MP (Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Mandla, Balaghat, and Maheshwar) The Khelo India Youth Games was started in 2018 At that time the name of these games was Khelo India School Games

 

4. New Zealand to introduce Debbie H. Medal to honour women cricketers: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) introduced the Debbie Hockley Medal annual awards ceremony, to honour the outstanding female cricketer of the year. The medal will be the women's equivalent of the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal. Debbie is the only woman to have won the supreme New Zealand Cricketer of the Year Award in 1998. She was the fourth woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. She was also the first woman to be elected President of NZC.

 

5. Australian Open 2023 title: Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open title for the 10th time by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 in the first Grand Slam Australia Open 2023. With this victory, Djokovic has equaled Spain’s Rafael Nadal’s record of winning 22 Grand Slam titles.

 

6. India defeated England to win Women’s U -19 T20 World Cup: In the first edition of the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, India defeated England by seven wickets to win the tournament.

England was bowled out for 68 in 17.1 overs. In response, the Indian squad easily chased down the total by the 16th over. For the first time the Indian women’s team has been successful in winning any ICC tournament. Indian player Shweta Sehrawat scored the most runs in the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023. She scored 292 runs in 6 matches. Maggie Clarke was the top wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 wickets in 5 matches.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. RenewBuy launches customized health insurance plan: RenewBuy has launched its first line of customized health insurance products 'RenewBuy Health Wellness plan'. Focus: On the large uninsured segment beyond the tier 1 markets. It is available in three variants: Gold Plan, Silver Plan, Wellness Plan. The product has new-age health insurance benefits, ranging from coverage of ₹2-5 lakhs. Up to 70% lower premiums are offered for senior citizens, and up to 50% lower premiums for people till 59 years.

 

2. NSE becomes world's largest derivatives exchange for 4th straight year: According to the Futures Industry Association (FIA), the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) emerged as the world's largest derivatives exchange in 2022, in terms of the number of contracts traded.

This is the fourth consecutive year when the exchange earned the top spot. In addition, the exchange was ranked third in the equity segment by the number of trades (electronic order book) in 2022. NSE HQ: Mumbai

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. MoE releases All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021: The Ministry of Education (MoE) released the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-2021, covering all higher educational institutions located in Indian Territory and imparting higher education in the country. Highlights: The total enrollment of students in higher education has increased to nearly 4.14 crore in 2020-21 from 3.85 crores in 2019-20. Female enrolment has increased to 2.01 crore from 1.88 crores in 2019-20.

Daily GK Update- 29th Jan, 2023

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. NMDC appoints boxer Nikhat Zareen as brand ambassador: National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with World Boxing Champion, Nikhat Zareen to represent NMDC as its brand ambassador. She won a gold medal at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships (52 kg category). She became the fifth Indian woman to win a gold medal at the IBA World Boxing Championships.

·       CMD, NMDC: Sumit Deb

·       Headquarters: Hyderabad

 

2. Mughal Gardens renamed as Amrit Udyan: The iconic Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan has been renamed as the Amrit Udyan. It would be open to the public from 31st January to 26 March 2023. This decision is said to be part of the government of India’s ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'. The cluster of about 15 gardens will collectively be known as Amrit Udyan. Individual gardens within the sprawling Presidential Estate - Herbal Garden, Musical Garden, and Spiritual Garden - will retain their names.

 

3. Suzuki to use cow dung for its CNG cars: India’s largest car manufacturer company, Suzuki Motor Corporation announced that it will use cow dung to power its CNG cars. Suzuki signed an MoU with Asia’s largest dairy manufacturer, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Suzuki has invested in Fujisan Asagiri Biomass which generates power from biogas derived from cow dung in Japan. The biogas could be used for Suzuki’s CNG models which account for approximately 70 percent of the CNG car market in India.

 

4. Luminous to build India’s first green solar panel factory in Uttarakhand: Luminous Power Technologies has announced its plan to build the country’s first green energy-based solar panel manufacturing factory in Uttarakhand. The new manufacturing plant located in Rudrapur is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2023. This state-of-the-art facility will be equipped with the latest technology to design and produce high-quality solar panels that will be used for both residential and commercial applications. Once operational, the facility, spread across 4.5 lakh square feet/10 acres will help enable a solar production capacity of 500 MW per annum, expandable up to 1 GW, producing a range of solar panels with a power output of 40W to 600W. This solar panel facility is fully robotic and will use 100 percent energy from solar power, he noted. CEO and Managing Director of Luminous Power Technologies – Preeti Bajaj

 

5. Woxsen University launched Project Aspiration in Telangana for girls: Woxsen University has launched Project Aspiration to empower adolescent girls of standards IX-XII of Model Schools and Junior Colleges of Telangana. Under the Project, the school principal selected a few deserving students to participate in the ‘Train the Trainer’ workshop, which commenced in Dec 2022. Over 3 weeks of training sessions, the girls were exposed to different aspects of future, developing SMART goals & learnt how to work towards achieving them. Professors from different schools at Woxsen briefed the students on various avenues of higher education and career opportunities. Anubha Jain, Counsellor at Woxsen University acquainted them with important concepts of mental health and counselling. The Project Aspiration team has organized various debates and discussed crucial social issues to open up young minds.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. MeitY, Meta announced list of 120 startups for XR Startup Programme: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Meta have jointly released the list of 120 startups and innovators for the XR Startup Programme. It includes an Accelerator and a Grand Challenge. Aim: To boost the emerging Tech ecosystem Out of the startups selected in the Accelerator Programme, over 30% are from tier II or tier III cities across India. It will discover, nurture, and accelerate Extended Reality (XR) Technology startups and innovators.

 

2. Former NATO general Petr Pavel becomes new President of Czech Republic: A former chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) military committee, Petr Pavel has become the new president of the Czech Republic. He succeeded the former President of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman. In a run-off vote, he defeated billionaire Andrej Babis. He has been a vocal supporter of the European Union and NATO, seeing the Czech Republic’s future as inextricably linked to their membership.

Czech Republic Capital: Prague

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. India wins the inaugural Women’s U19 T20 World Cup title: India women's cricket team defeated England by 7 wickets in the final to win the first-ever ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, held in Potchefstroom, South Africa. BCCI secretary, Jay Shah announced a whopping cash reward of ₹5 crores for the entire India squad. England captain and stellar all-rounder, Grace Scrivens has been named Player of the Tournament.

·       Player of the Match: Titas Sadhu (India)

·       India's Captain for U-19 Women’s T20: Shafali Verma

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. India’s forex reserves rise by $1.727 bn to $573.727 bn: As per the Reserve Bank of India release, India’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $1.727 billion to $573.727 billion in the week ended January 20, 2023. As on January 13, 2023, the forex reserves of India stood at $561.583 billion. The Foreign Currency Assets (FCA) stood at $503.65 billion. FCA includes the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound, and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.

 

2. Star Health and Allied Insurance, PNB enter into bancassurance tie-up: Star Health and Allied Insurance has renewed its strategic corporate agency tie-up for bancassurance with Punjab National Bank (PNB) for a long-term period. PNB will continue to distribute Star Health’s insurance products across all their branches pan India. It is a testament to Star Health’s customer service, and track record. Bancassurance: Contract between bank and insurance company to allow the insurance company to sell its products to the bank's client base.

 

3. NPST launched UPI API engine TimePay Evok for PAPG: Network People Services Technologies Ltd (NPST) has unveiled "Timepay Evok" as a UPI API engine to articulate its mission and relationship with digital merchants. With unique API services, UPI as a payment gateway can be integrated for both websites and App driven solutions for large-scale merchants. UPI has been identified as a revolutionary product in the payment ecosystem. It was launched in 2016. Co-founder, NPST: Deepak Chand Thakur

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Veteran actress and former MP Jamuna passes away: Veteran film actress, Jamuna passed away in Hyderabad at the age of 86 due to health issues. She was born in 1936 in Hampi in Karnataka and started her career as a stage artist, debuting with Puttillu on Silver Screen. She acted in about 200 Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films. She was identified with her role in ‘Satyabhama’ and became a household name for the mythological character. She was a former Lok Sabha MP from Rajahmundry in 1989 from the Congress.