NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM Modi attends All India Conference
of DGs and IGs of Police 2022 in Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended All India Conference
of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police 2022 in New Delhi. It
is a three-day conference which was inaugurated by Home Minister Amit
Shah.Conference held discussions on futuristic themes in policing and security,
Cyber Crime, Technology in Policing, Counter Terrorism challenges, Left Wing
Extremism, Capacity Building, and Prison Reforms.
2. Business20 (B20) inception meet to
be organized at Gandhinagar, Gujarat: Business20 (B20) inception meeting will be held at
Gandhinagar in Gujarat between January 22-24 as a part of India’s G 20
presidency. It will be held to formulate policy recommendations to be submitted
to G20 ahead of the leaders' summit and will be the first of 15 events that the
state is set to organize as part of India's G20 presidency. More than 150
policymakers, business executives, CEOs, and senior executives will take part
in the inaugural meeting.
3. Egypt president Abdel Fattah El Sisi
to be chief guest at Republic Day celebrations: Egypt
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will be the chief guest at Republic
Day celebrations. This is for the first time that the president of Egypt has
been invited as chief guest on our Republic Day 2023.
A 180-member strong
military contingent from the Egyptian army will also participate in
the Republic Day parade. President el-Sisi is scheduled to visit India from 24
January to 26 January, during which he will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, attend the Republic Day celebrations and interact with
the business community. The Egyptian president previously visited India in
October 2015 to participate in the third India-Africa Forum Summit, which was
followed by a state visit in September 2016. A commemorative stamp marking 75
years of diplomatic ties between India and Egypt will be released during his
visit.
4. India’s deepest metro station to be
built at Pune Civil Court: The Maharashtra
Metro Rail Corporation (MahaMetro) has announced that the Commissioner of
Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) will inspect a stretch of the Pune Metro in
February, and clearances are expected in March. This line features India’s
deepest underground station, which will be ready in a few months at the Civil
Court and measures 33.1 metres (108.59 feet) in depth. It will be used as an
interchange facility for an underground station on the
Pimpri-Chinchwad-Swargate route and one elevated route on Vanaz-Ramwadi route
and Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar line. This underground station’s ceiling is 95 feet
high and was constructed to receive direct sunshine or natural light. It is
also the largest station in the Pune Metro network, spanning 11.17 acres and
featuring various access and exit locations.
5. Odisha CM inaugurated ‘International
Craft Summit’: Odisha Chief
Minister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated an ‘International Craft
Summit’ in Jajpur, Odisha. This first-of-its-kind craft summit features
pioneering craftspeople, culture, and art enthusiasts. International delegates
from 15 countries have arrived in Jajpur to engage with local artisans and
other stakeholders.Four UN agencies and five UNESCO Creative Cities have
partnered with the District to realize this ambitious and forward-looking event
on behalf of the State Government.
6. IIT Madras developed Indigenous
Mobile Operating System ‘BharOS’: IIT
Madras incubated firm has developed an Indigenous Mobile Operating
Shystem named ‘BharOS’. The OS is claimed to be a significant contribution
towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and is said to offer a secure environment for
users. JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops) – a non-profit organization
established by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, has developed
BharOS. The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India,
under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems
(NMICPS), fund the Foundation. BharOS provides access to trusted apps from
organization-specific Private App Store Services (PASS). A PASS provides access
to a curated list of apps that have been thoroughly screened and have met
certain security and privacy standards of organizations. This means users can
be confident that the apps they are installing are safe to use and have been
checked for any potential security vulnerabilities or privacy concerns. At
present, BharOS services are being provided to organizations that have stringent
privacy and security requirements, and whose users handle sensitive information
and require access to private cloud services through private 5G networks. Director
of IIT Madras – Prof. V. Kamakoti
7. 21 January – Foundation Day of
Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura: The Statehood
Day of Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura is celebrated on January 21. This
year marks the 51st foundation year for the three states which attained
statehood under the North Eastern Areas (Reorganization) Act of 1971. Manipur
became a part of India from 15 October 1949 after the merger treaty on 21
September 1949. Manipur was made a Union Territory in 1956. Tripura was a
princely state until its merger with the Indian Union on 15 November 1949.
After the death of Bir Bikram Singh, the last Maharaja of Tripura on 17 May
1947, Maharani Kanchan Prabha (wife of Maharaja Bir Bikram) represented the
state of Tripura and merged it with India.
The rulers of the Garo
and Khasi regions acceded to the Indian Union in the year 1947. Meghalaya was
created as an autonomous state within Assam under the Assam Reorganization
(Meghalaya) Act of 1969.
8. 19 January – National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF) Day: the
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) celebrates 18th National Disaster Response
Force day on 19 January 2023. It was formed in the year 2006 under the Disaster
Management Act of 2005. It plays a crucial role in the country’s disaster
management and community awareness for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). NDRF at
present consists of 12 Battalions. These battalions are located at 16 different
locations on the basis of the vulnerability profile. The NDRF is the primary
agency responsible for conducting rescue operations during disasters like
drowning, building collapses, landslides, devastating floods, earthquakes, and
cyclones.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Ex-SC judge AK Sikri appointed
Administrator of Shooting World Cup 2023: Former Supreme Court judge Justice Arjan Kumar
Sikri has been appointed as the administrator of Shooting World Cup
2023 by Delhi High Court He has been appointed to oversee the utilization
of funds for the upcoming International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India in March. ISSF is
the governing body of Olympic shooting events in rifle, pistol, and shotgun
disciplines, and of several non-Olympic shooting sport events.
2. Mukesh Ambani ranks 2nd among top
100 CEOs globally: Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has been ranked second
on Brand Finance’s list of the world’s top CEOs. Top performer of Brand
Guardianship Index 2023: Jensen Huang (Nvidia CEO). The Index was released
annually by brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance, celebrates CEOs who
balance the needs of commercial success with long-term brand building and
personal reputation management. Satya Nadella has been slipped to 3rd place,
followed by Sundar Pichai.
3. Chris Hipkins will replace Jacinda
Ardern as prime minister of New Zealand: New Zealand’s police and education minister Chris
Hipkins (44 years) will replace Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister after emerging
as the only candidate nominated to lead the ruling Labour Party. He was first
elected to parliament for the Labour Party in 2008 and was later being
appointed minister for COVID-19 in November 2020. New Zealand is an island
country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and is the sixth-largest island
country by area. Capital: Wellington
4. G20's Environment and Climate
Sustainability Meet to be held in Feb: First Environment and Climate Sustainability
Working Group Meeting of G20 will be held from 9th to 11th
Feb in Kalkere Arboretum and Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bengaluru Aim: promotion
of the blue economy along with coastal sustainability, restoration of degraded
lands and ecosystems, enhancement of biodiversity and circular economy Conference
focused on Master Planning and Building the National Capacity for species
Management & Conservation Breeding
5. UNESCO dedicates International Day
of Education to Afghan girls and women: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
has decided to dedicate the International Day of Education, which is to be held
on 24th January, 2023 to Afghan girls and women. According to UNESCO,
currently, around 80% of school-aged Afghan girls and young women are out of
school under the Taliban rule, as they denied them access to secondary schools
and universities. UNESCO will also publish a global report, 2023 SDG4 Scorecard
6. Co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings
steps down as CEO: Netflix Inc co-founder Reed Hastings is stepping down as chief executive
officer (CEO), handing the reins of the streaming service to longtime partner
and co-CEO Ted Sarandos and the company's chief operating officer, Greg Peters.
He had co-founded Netflix as a DVD-by-mail business in 1997, saying the idea
came from his frustration at having returned a rental of Apollo 13 to the local
Blockbuster, a chain of physical stores in the US from where movies could be
rented.
7. Global Fire Power Index 2023: India
ranked 4th; topped by US: Global Firepower
Index is a rating of the military forces of all countries on the
planet. The Index ranks the countries based on their potential military
strength. India is ranked fourth in the index. The Global Firepower Index
ranked 145 countries. The most powerful country in the world is the
United States of America, followed by Russia, China, and India. Turkey has
once again emerged as the most powerful country in the Middle East and North
African region. Turkey has been placed at the 11th position in the global
ranking. Egypt is ranked 14th and Iran is ranked 17th in the global ranking.
Egypt is ranked as the most powerful Arab country in terms of its military
power. Saudi Arabia emerged as the most powerful country among the Gulf
Cooperation Council countries and Saudi Arabia has the second most powerful
military among the Arab countries. It is placed at the 22nd position in the
global ranking. Algeria is the most powerful of the North African countries,
ranking 26th on the global index. While Lebanon has been described as the
weakest country in the Middle East. Top 10 Countries on Global Power Index 2023
8. Pakistan is South Asia’s weakest
economy: World Bank report: World
Bank forecast Pakistan’s economic growth to slow further
to two percent during 2023. This will mark a drop of two percentage points
from its June 2022 estimates, according to the World Bank’s Global Economic
Prospects report. The reason behind this is unprecedented floods, depleting
forex reserves, food shortages, and poverty. It forecast Pakistan’s GDP growth
rate to improve to 3.2% in 2024, which would be lower than earlier estimate of
4.2%.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Hashim Amla announced retirement
from all forms of cricket: South Africa cricketer Hashim Amla has announced his
retirement from all forms of cricket. He last played for Surrey in the County
Championship 2022 and helped them win the title as well. The right-handed
batter had already retired from international cricket after the World Cup in
2019. Hashim Amla, South Africa’s second-highest Test run-scorer of all time. He
scored 9282 runs in 124 Tests, second only to Jacques Kallis, hit 27 ODI
hundreds, and scored a total of 18672 runs in all formats for South Africa. He
became the first and only South African batsman to score a triple century in
Test Cricket.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. SBI General Insurance collaborates
with HP Police and Doers NGO: SBI General Insurance has partnered with Doers NGO to
assist Himachal Pradesh police in reducing the number of traffic
accidents under the Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. Under
this, SBI General has donated a well-equipped ambulance which would provide
timely medical care to the road accident victims in Mandi district within the
‘Golden hour’. MD & CEO of SBI General Insurance: Kishore Kumar Poludasu.
2. LIC launched Jeevan Azad limited
premium payment plan: The Life Insurance Corporation
(LIC) of India has launched Jeevan Azad (Plan No. 868) to offer
an attractive combination of protection and savings. It is a limited-period
premium payment plan that offers financial support for the family in case of
unfortunate death of the life assured during the policy term. If the LIC
policyholder survives the maturity term, then the plan offers a guaranteed base
sum-assured amount. The minimum age of entry is 90 days completed and the
maximum age at entry is 50 years.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. Goa Manohar International Airport wins Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport Award: A subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure, GMR Goa International Airport (GGIAL) has won the ‘Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport’ award under aviation sustainability and environment at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Conference-cum-Awards for Civil Aviation 2023. The award was presented for “outstanding initiatives” taken by Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL) in implementing sustainability. The criteria of awards are contribution, innovativeness, applicability, relevance and impact potential in their respective areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Goa Manohar International Airport on 11 December 2022.
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