NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Sarbananda Sonowal chair first Inland Waterways
Development Council Meeting in Kolkata: Union
Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal has chaired the first Inland Waterways Development Council Meeting in Kolkata. During
the meeting, Mr Sonowal unveiled groundbreaking initiatives, including Harit
Nauka – Guidelines for Green Transition of Inland Vessels and the River Cruise
Tourism Roadmap 2047. The Ministry has set a target to elevate the modal share
of Inland Water Transportation from the current two percent to five percent,
aligning with the goals outlined in the Maritime India Vision 2030.
2. Amit Shah chairs ‘National PACS Mega Conclave’ in New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of
Cooperation, Amit Shah has
chaired the ‘National PACS Mega
Conclave’ on ‘Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) as Pradhan Mantri
Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendra’ at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Mega
Conclave is being organized by the Ministry of Cooperation in collaboration
with the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). Pradhan Mantri
Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) provide quality generic medicines to the
general public, which cost 50-90 percent less than the branded medicines
available in the open market.
3. Ashwani Gupta appointed as CEO
of Adani Ports: Ashwani
Gupta has been appointed as CEO
of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. He was the former global Chief
Operating Officer at Nissan Motors. This appointment is part of Adani Port’s
internal restructuring that also elevated Karan Adani to the role of Managing
Director and Gautam Adani has been re-designated as ‘Executive Chairman’ of
APSEZ. Gupta, an automotive market veteran was appointed Nissan COO in December
2019 and has a notable track record in fostering key partnerships worldwide,
and brings nearly three decades of experience across the automotive, retail and
manufacturing sectors. He has played key role in the Renault Nissan Alliance as
well.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Cabinet Approves India-USAID MoU For Railways’
Net-Zero Emission Goal: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing
of MoU between India and the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID/India) to support
Indian Railways in achieving ‘net zero carbon emission’ by 2030. The MoU
provides a platform for Indian Railways to interact and share the latest
developments and knowledge in the railway sector. The MoU facilitates utility
modernization, advanced energy solutions and systems, regional energy and
market integration and private sector participation and engagement, training
and seminars/workshops focusing on specific technology areas like Renewable
Energy, energy efficiency and other interactions for knowledge sharing.
2. Ayodhya Airport Renamed As ‘Maharishi Valmiki
International Airport’: The Union Cabinet recently
gave its approval to declare
Ayodhya Airport as an international airport. The airport will be named “Maharishi Valmiki International Airport,
Ayodhyadham,” reflecting the historical and cultural significance
of the region. The airport is paramount for realizing Ayodhya’s economic
potential and its significance as a global pilgrimage site, opening doors to
foreign pilgrims and tourists. The first phase of the airport is developed at a
cost of more than Rs 1,450 crore. The airport’s terminal building will have an
area of 6500 sqm, equipped to serve about 10 lakh passengers annually.
3. Suchetha Satish sets new world record for singing in
most languages during single concert in Dubai: In a historic and awe-inspiring event,
Suchetha Satish (from Kerala) has etched her name in the annals of music
history by setting a new world record for singing in the most languages during
a single concert in the UAE. The Guinness Book of World Records officially
attested to this feat earlier this week. Suchetha’s groundbreaking performance
was part of a Concert for Climate, a unique initiative aimed at raising
awareness about the critical issue of climate change. The talented artist
delivered an astounding rendition of songs in an unprecedented 140 languages,
captivating the audience with her musical prowess and a powerful message.
4. Indra Mani Pandey assumes charge of BIMSTEC Secretary
General: Ambassador
Indra Mani Pandey, a senior diplomat of India, assumed the
position of Secretary General (SG)
of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in Dhaka. Pandey, who succeeded Tenzin Lekphell of
Bhutan, is the 4th SG of BIMSTEC and will remain in office for a period of
three years. The new SG reiterated his commitment to work earnestly and with a
new vigour to translate into reality the grand vision of BIMSTEC member states.
A career diplomat, Ambassador Pandey joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1990.
Prior to taking over as SG, he served as the Permanent Representative of India
to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva.
5. 8 January – Earth’s Rotation Day: Earth’s Rotation
Day is celebrated every year on January 8.
It’s a
day dedicated to recognizing the pivotal discovery of Earth’s rotation on its
axis. In 470 BC, the Greeks claimed that the earth rotated on its own back. In
1851, French Physicist Leon Foucault showed the world’s rotation with the
assistance of a pendulum. This was additionally used to exhibit the experimentation
and was subsequently shown at the Pantheon in Greece and the Paris Observatory.
Earth’s Rotation Day is celebrated to mark the experiment by Leon Foucault to
demonstrate the rotation of earth, and this is given importance over other
different experiments that were conducted to prove the earth’s rotation around
its axis.
6. 8 January – South African Native National Congress
(SANNC) Day: African
National Congress (ANC) was formed on 8 January 1912. Its primary goal
was to unite African people and defend their rights and freedoms. South
Africa’s governing party is the African National Congress and has been in power
since the transition to democracy in April 1994. Initially, the organization
was founded as the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) on 8 January
1912 in Bloemfontein. It aimed to fight for the rights of black South Africans,
to bring all Africans together as one people, and to defend their rights and
freedoms.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Amit Shah inaugurates 58th DGsP/IGsP conference 2023
in Jaipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has inaugurated the 58th DGsP/IGsP Conference 2023 at Rajasthan International Centre, Jaipur.
The three-day Conference was held in hybrid mode with DGsP/IGsP and Chiefs of
Central Police Organizations attending physically from Jaipur and over 500
Police officers of various ranks participating through video conferencing from
across the country. The Union Home Minister distributed Police Medals for
Meritorious Service to IB officers and awarded trophies for the three best
Police Stations.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Google DeepMind Introduces Mobile ALOHA Humanoid
Technology: Researchers at
Google DeepMind and Stanford University has
introduced Mobile ALOHA, a
low-cost open-source hardware system for bimanual teleoperation. It is a
humanoid robot that can be remote operated by a user and perform autonomously
by imitation learning. ALOHA can autonomously cook and serve shrimps, call and
take the elevator, and store a 3lbs pot in a cabinet – tasks it learned through
imitation of 50 demos. Further, through user-controlled teleoperations, it can
do laundry, self-charge, use a vacuum cleaner, water plants, load and unload a
dishwasher, use a coffee machine and much more.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Indian economy to grow at 7.3 percent in current
financial year; NSO: According to the
National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation, the Indian
economy will grow by a robust 7.3 percent in the Financial Year 2023-24 over
and above the provisional growth rate of 7.2 percent during the last financial
year. NSO in its report based on First Advance Estimates (FAE) of National
Income for the financial year 2023-24, said that the construction sector has
been estimated to have double-digit growth of 10.7 percent. It highlighted that
all the economic sectors have fared well by witnessing more than six percent,
except for the Agriculture and Allied sectors, for which the estimated growth
is 1.8 percent.
2. Vikas Sheel appointed as ED of Asian Development Bank: India has appointed seven
accomplished civil servants to crucial positions abroad, showcasing the
country’s global engagement. Senior
bureaucrat Vikas Sheel has been appointed as Executive Director of Asian Development Bank
(ADB). Sheel, a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer
of Chhattisgarh cadre, is currently Additional Secretary and Mission Director,
Jal Jeevan Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. He has been appointed as
ED, Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a period of three years from the date of
assumption of the charge.
3. Rajiv Shah named as ‘Class C’ director on Board of Directors of Federal Reserve Bank of New York: In the US, Dr. Rajiv Shah, current president of ‘the Rockefeller Foundation’ and former head of USAID, has been named as a ‘Class C’ director on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He has been appointed by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a three-year term ending the 31st of December, 2026. Shah has been leading the prominent philanthropic organization ‘the Rockefeller Foundation’ since 2017.
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