NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. 12 January – National Youth Day: National Youth Day is celebrated every year
on January 12 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda. Objective – To promote awareness of people’s rights and to provide
information about them Theme 2022 – Viksit Yuva-Viksit Bharat In 1984, the
Indian government declared Swamiji’s birth anniversary as National Youth Day
and since 1985, it has been celebrated to honor and recognize Vivekananda’s
teachings. The Pre-monastic name of Swami Vivekananda was Narendra Nath Dutta.
He was born on January 12, 1863, in Kolkata and died on July 4, 1902. He became
a disciple of Saint Ramakrishna Paramhamsa after being introduced to him by one
of his English professors in 1881 at Dakshineshwar’s Kali Temple. He introduced the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to
the Western World. Vivekananda is best known for his speech at the Parliament
of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893, when he began his speech by saying
“Sisters and brothers of America…” and introduced the culture of India, its
importance, Hinduism, etc.
2. Centre renamed Integrated Food
Security Scheme: The government of India has named the new
Integrated Food Security Scheme as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana
(PMGKAY).
Prior to this, the Union
Cabinet had approved this scheme for providing free food grains to
Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries. This scheme
came into effect on 1st January 2023. Under PMGKAY, free foodgrains will
be provided to all PHH and AAY beneficiaries, as per entitlement under
National Food Security Act.
3. Indian High Commission to establish
Hindi Chair at Sabaragamuwa University: The Indian High Commission has signed
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a Hindi Chair at Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka. The MoU was signed between Gopal Baglay
(High Commissioner) and Prof. Udaya Rathnayake (Vice Chancellor of Sabaragamuwa
University). Aim: To help in familiarizing students with India, its
history, and culture as well as pave way for popularising Hindi by deputing
Indian faculties.
4. PM Modi inaugurates 26th National
Youth Festival at Hubbali in Karnataka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated
the 26th National Youth Festival, organized in Hubballi,
Karnataka from 12th -16th January 2023. This festival is held every
year to provide exposure to our talented youth at the national level. It
is being held on National Youth Day (12th January), which is celebrated on
the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Theme of this event: “Viksit Yuva -
Viksit Bharat” The event also included folk dances and songs.
5. Petta Thullal organised with
ritualistic fervour in Kottayam: Petta Thullal, the ritualistic sacred dance by
the Ambalappuzha group, was held at Erumeli town in the Kottayam
district, Kerala. Reason: To celebrate the victory of Lord Ayyappa over
demon princess Mahishi. This event marks the beginning of the last leg of the
annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season. The devotees started the ceremonial dance
after sighting the sacred eagle (Krishna Parunthu) in the sky from Kochambalam.
6. Assam CM launched Jio 5G services in
Guwahati: Assam Chief
Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched Jio True 5G services
at Guwahati in Assam. Jio also started its True 5G-powered Wi-Fi services
at Maa Kamakhya Temple complex in Guwahati. Apart from Jio’s existing
investment of Rs 9,500 crore, the company is additionally investing over Rs 2,500
crore to deploy True 5G network in Assam. By December 2023, Jio True 5G
services will be made available in every town and taluka of Assam. Other than
the launch, Smart Healthcare Solutions like teleradiology and connected
ambulances were showcased during the event.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Japan tops the Henley Passport Index
2023: According to
the Henley Passport Index 2023, released by Henley &
Partners, Japan with 193 destinations topped the list. While, Singapore
and South Korea with 192 destinations ranked second, followed by Germany
and Spain (190 destinations); Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg (189
destinations). India has ranked 85 with 59 destinations worldwide. Bottom:
Afghanistan The list was prepared on the basis of data provided by the
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
2. Punjabi will be taught in Australian
schools: Punjabi is all set to be the newest language to
be taught in public schools of Western Australia. The Australian government is
adopting Punjabi as the newest language after a 2021 census showed that it was
the fastest-growing language in Australia with more than 239,000 people using
it at home, an increase of over 80 percent from 2016. The syllabus for
pre-primary to year 12 will be developed this year. The move to teach Punjabi
in schools was considered after the syllabus included Tamil, Hindi, and Korean
languages in 2021.
3. Indian origin A C Charania appointed
new chief technologist of NASA: An
Indian-American aerospace expert, AC Charania has been appointed
as the new chief technologist of NASA. He replaced another Indian-American
scientist Bhavya Lal, who served as acting chief technologist.
He will serve as
principal advisor to Administrator Bill Nelson on technology policy and
programmes. He has also served as vice president of product strategy at
Reliable Robotics.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. CM Shivraj Singh unveild mascot,
torch of Khelo India Youth Games 2022: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has unveiled
the mascot, torch, and anthem of Khelo India Youth Games-2022 in a
colorful program at Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh is hosting the
fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games. The mascot of Khelo India Youth
Games 2022 is ‘Asha’. While the theme song is ‘Hindustan Ka Dil
Dhadka Do…’ sung by famous singer Shaan. The torch of Khelo India Youth Games
was named Amarkantak, on which the figure of Maa Narmada is also engraved. 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. The 4th Khelo India Youth Games was held at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in
Panchkula (Haryana) from 4 to 13 June, while some matches were also played in
Chandigarh. Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nishith
Pramanik will be the guest of honour.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Govt approves incentive scheme for
promotion of RuPay Debit Cards: The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the incentive scheme for the
promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions. The scheme
has a financial outlay of 2,600 crore rupees. Aim: To help in
building a robust digital payment system. Besides, the Cabinet has also given
its approval to rename the National Centre for Drinking Water, Sanitation,
and Quality at Joka, Kolkata as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee National
Institution of Water and Sanitation.
2. Axis Bank revised pact with Max Fin
Serv: Axis Bank has entered into a revised agreement with Max Financial
to acquire the remaining 7% stake in the latter. The parties agreed that
the valuation for the right to acquire the remaining 7% stake of Max
Life will be through fair market value using discounted cash flow. Axis
Entities have earlier acquired 12.99% stake in Max Life at Rs 35 per share with
the right to purchase an additional 7% stake in the company.
3. EnKash received RBI's in-principle
nod as online payment aggregator: Spending management platform,
EnKash has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator. Payment
aggregators: They facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept
payment instruments from customers. They help to connect merchants with
acquirers. BharatPe and Hitachi Payment Services have also received
in-principle authorization to operate as payment aggregators.
4. World Bank predicts India’s economic
growth to slow to 6.9% in FY23: The World Bank has
projected that India’s economy would grow 6.9% in FY23, which is
much lower than the 8.7% growth achieved by the country in the previous
financial year (FY2021/22). Report title: Global Economic Prospects Report
The World Bank has also predicted that global growth in 2023 would slow to
1.7% from the 3%. Reason: Elevated inflation, higher interest rates,
reduced investment, and disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Harry Brook & Ashleigh Gardner
named ICC Players of the Month: England’s Harry Brook has won his maiden ICC Men’s Player of the
Month crown for December 2022. Brook helped England claim a historic
World Test Championship (WTC) series victory in Pakistan. While Australia’s
Ashleigh Gardner has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award
for December 2022 Gardner contributed with bat and ball guided her side to T20I
series victory in India, and led her to the summit of the Player Rankings for
all-rounders.
2. 80th Annual Golden Globes Awards
2023: The 80th Golden Globe Awards honored the
best in film and American television of 2022, as chosen by the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The ceremony was held on January
10, 2023, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, with it being
aired live in the United States on NBC and streamed on Peacock. Jerrod
Carmichael hosted the ceremony. Golden Globes 2023 Winners
DEFENCE
1. India successfully carries out test launch of Prithvi-II ballistic missile: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully launched Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM), Prithvi-II from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha coast. Prithvi-II missile is a well-established system. It has been an integral part of nuclear deterrence in India. During the training launch, the missile hit its target with high accuracy and successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile. Range: 350 km.
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