NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Former BSF chief Pankaj Kumar Singh
appointed as Deputy NSA: Former Director
General of the Border Security Force (BSF), Pankaj Kumar Singh was
appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser
(NSA) in National Security Council Secretariat for two years. He is a
1988-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre. He retired as the BSF
chief on December 31, 2022. Earlier, he served as Inspector General of the
CRPF in Chhattisgarh and IG (Operations) at CRPF, Delhi. He has also served in
the Rajasthan Police and CBI.
2. PM Modi inaugurates the second phase
of Saansad Khel Mahakumbh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of
Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 in Basti District of Uttar
Pradesh via video conferencing. It organizes diverse competitions in
both indoor and outdoor sports. Apart from these, competitions in essay
writing, painting, rangoli making will also be organized. This event is being
organized in two phases. Basti district is a Lok Sabha Constituency
of Harish Dwivedi.
3. Punjab government to launch ‘Schools
of Eminence’ project: The Punjab
government will launch its first major education
project, ‘Schools of Eminence’ on 21st January 2023. It will be
launched at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali. Under the project, the
state government will upgrade existing govt schools into ‘Schools of
Eminence’ for classes 9 to 12. Under phase 1, the govt plans
to upgrade nearly 110 government schools as ‘Schools of Eminence’. The
Punjab govt had set aside a fund of Rs 200 crore for this project.
4. The first G20 Health Working Group
Meeting begins in Thiruvananthapuram: The first G20 Health Working Group meeting has
started at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Bharati Pravin Pawar (MoS Health and
Family Welfare) and V. Muraleedharan (MoS External Affairs) attended it. Focus: Health
emergencies prevention, preparedness and response; strengthening cooperation in
the pharmaceutical sector; and digital health innovations to aid universal
health coverage Other locations of HWG meetings: Goa, Hyderabad, and
Gandhinagar
5. Kollam becomes first constitution
literate district in India: Kerala CM, Pinarayi Vijayan has declared Kollam district as the
first Constitution-literate district in the country. It is
achieved through 'The Citizen', a Constitution literacy campaign. The
Kollam district panchayat, the District Planning Committee, and the Kerala
Institute of Local Administration jointly launched this campaign. Aim: To
provide constitution literacy to 23 lakh citizens belonging to 7 lakh families
in the district.
6. ISRO 'Shukrayaan' mission to planet
Venus reportedly shifted to 2031: According to a report, the Shukrayaan I, the ISRO Venus mission may be
delayed until 2031 The mission was scheduled to launch in December 2024 The
concept was conceived in 2012 After five years, the Department of Space
received a 23% increase in the 2017–2018 budget and ISRO started preliminary
investigations The best time to launch from Earth to Venus is once every
19 months or thereabouts If ISRO misses 2024, then ISRO has "backup"
launch dates in 2026 and 2028
7. Maghi Mela festival being held in
Punjab: Maghi Mela festival is being celebrated
in Muktsar Sahib, Punjab. The Maghi Mela has been celebrated in the city
of Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab for centuries in memory of the 40 Sikh warriors
who died fighting the Mughals in the Battle of Khidrana in 1705. The battle
took place near a pool of water, Khidrane di Dhab, on 29th Dec 1705. The
Khidrana War began when in 1704, during the siege of Anandpur Sahib by the
Mughals, 40 Sikh soldiers deserted their posts.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Gogoro, Belrise to invest $2.5 bn on
Battery-swapping Infra in Maharashtra: The state of Maharashtra has signed a deal with Taiwan’s
Gogoro and automotive system maker Belrise Industries for an investment of $2.5
billion for eight years. Reason: To establish batteries as a leading
source for mobility and energy storage in Maharashtra Gogoro is known for
its green-hued battery swap distribution network for riders in Taiwan. India’s
Belrise Industries Ltd produces about one-third of all two-wheel and
three-wheel chassis made in the country.
2. Film ‘Toolsidas Junior’ to be
screened at SCO Film Festival 2023: National Award-winning
movie “Toolsidas Junior” will be screened at the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization Film Festival in the Children Focus Section. National Film
Development Corporation (NFDC) in association with the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization Film Festival will be hosting the screening. The festival will
take place from January 27 to January 31 in Mumbai. ‘Toolsidas Junior’ has
already won two National Awards- Best Hindi Film and Special Mention in Child
Actor Category for the leading child actor Varun Buddhadev. Marking the last
film of late veteran actor Rajiv Kapoor, ‘Toolsidas Junior’ is the first sports
film to highlight snooker and traces the story of a young boy determined to
return the glory of his father. The film was produced by Ashutosh Gowariker,
Sunita Gowariker, Bhushan Kumar, and Krishan Kumar, and directed and written by
Mridul Toolsidass.
3. China’s population drops for first
time since 1961: The biggest decline in the population of
China has been recorded after the year 1961 China had 1.41 billion
people at the end of last year, 850,000 fewer than the end of 2021, according
to data released by the National Statistics Bureau. That marks the first drop
since 1961, the final year of the Great Famine under former leader Mao Zedong. China’s
birth rate, or the number of newborns per 1,000 people, declined to 6.77 last
year, the lowest level since at least 1978. The main reason for China’s
population decline is the one-child policy implemented between 1980 and 2015. Additionally,
higher education in China is very expensive, which has prohibited many Chinese
people from having more than one child.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Viacom18 gets ‘WIPL’ media rights
for Rs 951 crore: Viacom 18 has
acquired the media rights of the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL),
which will start from March-April 2023. Viacom18 has bought the media rights of
the women’s IPL for five years from 2023 to 2027 for Rs 951 crore. Viacom
18’s bid is understood to have been almost 10 times more than the Rs. 98 crore
bid by Disney-Star, the only other broadcaster that submitted the document. The
auction for the T20 League was conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI) in Mumbai.
The WIPL is
set to feature 22 games in a five-team format for the first three years. Should
the BCCI add a sixth team, the next two editions – in 2026 and 2027 – will see
34 games being played. Their names are Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals,
Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings. All are showing
interest in investing in a team in WIPL. The detailed terms and conditions
governing the tender process including eligibility requirements etc. are
contained in the ‘Invitation to Tender’ (ITT).
2. Victor and Akane won the Malaysia
Open Badminton title 2023: Denmark badminton
player, Viktor Axelsen won the men’s singles Malaysia Open title
2023, after defeating Kodai Naraoka from Japan. While Japanese player
Akane Yamaguchi lifted the title in the women’s final, after beating South
Korea’s An Se-young.
·
Men’s doubles – Fajar Alfian and
Muhammad Rian Ardianto (Indonesia)
·
Women’s doubles – Chen Qingchen and
Jia Yifan (China)
·
Mixed doubles – Zheng Siwei and
Huang Yaqiong (China)
3. Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup
for 14th time: Barcelona has defeated Real Madrid 3-1 in Riyadh to
win their 14th Spanish Super Cup title. The cup was held in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia.
Barcelona has
won the Supercup for the first time since 2018 and for the 14th time overall.
Real Madrid has won the Supercup 12 times so far. This competition is being
played since 1982.
The Super Cup
was previously played between the winner of the Spanish league and the champion
team of the Copa del Rey. From the year 2020, now the runner-up teams of both
competitions also take part in it.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. South Indian Bank joins hands with
SAIL for financing dealers: South Indian
Bank and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) signed an
agreement to provide financial assistance to the dealers of SAIL across
the country. With the vast network of the bank, they will be able to serve the
MSME and corporate customers of SAIL located in different geographies. SAIL has
a vast network of dealers who ensure availability of quality steel in virtually
all districts of the country.
MD & CEO,
South Indian Bank: Murali Ramakrishnan
2. Protean’s arm gets RBI nod for
account aggregator licence: Protean eGov Technologies has received approval from RBI for its
wholly-owned subsidiary to operate as an account aggregator. Account aggregators: they
help individuals securely, digitally access, and share information from one
financial institution (they have an account with) to another regulated
financial entity. It has also collaborated with the govt to create digital
public infrastructure and develop innovative citizen-centric e-governance
solutions.
3. RBI issues guidelines on acquisition
in banks: The RBI has issued
Directions on “Acquisition and Holding of Shares or Voting Rights in
Banking Companies”. It allows promoters to hold 26% of the paid-up share
capital or voting rights of the bank after the completion 15 years
from the commencement of its business. The promoters of banking companies may
be allowed to hold a higher percentage of shareholding as part of the licensing
conditions.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Harish Damodaran's ‘Broke to
Breakthrough’ wins Gaja Book Prize 2022: Indian Express journalist, Harish
Damodaran was awarded the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize
2022 for his book 'Broke to Breakthrough'. This book is a detailed
and perceptive account of the rise of dairy company Hatsun Agro and
its founder R.G. Chandramogan. Gaja Capital Business Book Prize: It
was instituted in 2019. Aim: To encourage Indian entrepreneurs,
writers, and journalists to tell stories
DEFENCE
1. India, France joint naval exercise
‘Varuna 2023’ begins: The 21st edition of
the bilateral naval exercise between India and France
titled ‘Varuna’ began on the western seaboard. The bilateral exercise
between the two navies was initiated in 1993 and was named ‘VARUNA’ in 2001. The
exercise will be conducted from 16 to 20 January 2023 and will witness advanced
air defense exercises, tactical maneuvers, and surface firings. This edition of
the exercise will witness the participation of indigenous guided missile
stealth destroyer INS Chennai, guided missile frigate INS Teg, maritime patrol
aircraft P-8I and Dornier, integral helicopters and MiG29K fighter aircraft.
2. India, Egypt to hold first-ever
exercises between Special Forces: India and Egypt are set to hold
the first-ever military exercises involving the Special Forces
in Udaipur, Jaipur and Jodhpur. It is being held to celebrate the 75 years
of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
India is a major country in the Indian Ocean and the security of the Indian Ocean starts from the security of the Red Sea in the West and for Egypt on the Suez Canal. Egypt has also been invited as a guest country at the G20 summit in 2023. In April 2022, Egypt announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries.
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