03rd-04th January, 2023

1. IIT-Madras is operating a Research Centre dedicated to defence technologies jointly with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop advanced technologies for national defence and security needs of the nation.
2. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) has launched the Prajjwala Challenge to invite ideas, solutions and actions that can transform rural economy.
3. India’s first human space mission – Gaganyaan – will be launched in 2024.
4. Chief Justice of India Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud announced the launch of the electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) project.
5. India Accelerator, a seed-stage accelerator program, has launched the i3 Launchpad, a program created to nurture and co-innovate with the startup ecosystem in India.
6. National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the two institutions under the Ministry of AYUSH, have launched ‘SMART’ (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research in Teaching Professionals).
7. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a high-powered committee, headed by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, to “ensure protection of land and employment” for the people of Ladakh.
8. India and Austria have signed ‘Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement’ (MMPA) for migration and mobility of Indian students and professionals.
9. 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will be held at Indore in Madhya Pradesh during January 8-10.
10. 108th Indian Science Congress will be held at R.T.M. Nagpur University, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India from January 3 -7, 2023.
11. Ministry of Railway is working on a plan to convert all heritage trains into eco-friendly Green Hydrogen-powered trains.
12. National Campaign on ‘RISE- Rising India Through Spiritual Empowerment’ was organized by Brahma Kumaris at Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
13. Defence minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the Siyom bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, along with 27 other infrastructure projects completed by the Border Roads Organisation.
14. Assam has recorded zero poaching of endangered rhinos for the first time in 2022.
15. The High Court Justice Tashi Rabstan of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has launched the Legal Aid Defence Counsel System (LADCS) in ten districts of the Union Territory.
16. Gaan Ngai festival is celebrated by the Zeliarong community in Manipur after the harvest season every year.
17. President Droupadi Murmu virtually laid the foundation stone for the 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
18. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala, witnessed the signing of an MOU for developing the Goat Pox vaccine and “Lumpi-ProVac” vaccine indigenously.
19. Croatia has joined the Schengen area – a term used for countries in Europe which have abolished visas across their borders; allowing their residents to move freely.
20. Scientists from South Korea have developed a new water purification system that can effectively remove microplastics from water in just 10 seconds.
21. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $220 million loan to improve energy security, quality of supply, efficiency, and resilience of power sector in Tripura.
22. The Chennai-headquartered Indian Bank has unveiled QR code bill payment system for Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Ltd (CESC) making it as the first power distribution company to offer such an initiative to customers in Mysuru.
23. The interest rates on the small saving schemes have been revised for the January-March 2023 quarter.
24. Bandhan Bank has launched its ‘Jahaan Bandhan, Wahaan Trust’ marketing campaign featuring cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador.
25. Niva Bupa Health Insurance (formerly known as Max Bupa Health Insurance) has signed a corporate agency agreement with Sundaram Finance Limited to offer Niva Bupa’s select range of indemnity plans to its growing range of existing and past customers.
26. HDFC Bank and Yes Bank have partnered with Microsoft for utilising the Azure cloud platform and for developing a next-generation mobile application, respectively.
27. According to RBI, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank continue to be the Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs).
28. NTPC Limited and Gujarat Gas Limited (GGL) have commissioned India’s first green hydrogen blending project in the piped natural gas (PNG) network of NTPC Kawas township, Surat.
29. Indian government has announced that public sector entities will be exempt from the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norm that requires listed companies to maintain a 25% public shareholding.
30. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $350 million loan to improve the connectivity of key economic areas in Maharashtra.
31. Maithili Thakur (a folk singer) has been appointed as the State Icon of Bihar by the Election Commission of India.
32. Ajay Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as the MD and CEO of the Indian Overseas Bank.
33. Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva has been elected as the President of Brazil.
34. Sundararaman Ramamurthy has been appointed as the MD and CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
35. Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland have officially begun their two-year term as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
36. January 3 – Birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule (India’s first female teacher; born in 1831)
37. January 3 – Birth anniversary of Rani Velu Nachiyar
38. January 4 – World Braille Day
39. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Player of the Year Awards for 2022 in all formats.
40. Koustav Chatterjee from Kolkata has become India’s 78th Grandmaster during the MPL 59th National Senior Chess Championship in New Delhi.
41. World Boxing Council (based in Mexico) will introduce a transgender category in Boxing from 2023 onwards.
42. Rajasthan will host the 18th National Scout and Guide Jamboree at Rohat in the Pali district.
43. “Breaking Barriers” book has been authored by Kaki Madhava Rao (former IAS officer).
44. Grammy-award winning American singer Anita Pointer has passed away.
45. “Ambedkar: A Life” book has been authored by Shashi Tharoor.

National News

1. IIT-Madras is operating a Research Centre dedicated to defence technologies jointly with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop advanced technologies for national defence and security needs of the nation.
   • This centre is known as the ‘DRDO Industry Academia- Ramanujan Centre of Excellence’ (DIA-RCoE).
   • The Centre aims to bring academia, industry and DRDO together for boosting research.
2. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) has launched the Prajjwala Challenge to invite ideas, solutions and actions that can transform rural economy.
   • The innovative solutions are invited in the following categories:
   • Focus on Women and Marginalized section of community
   • Localised Models
   • Sustainability
   • Cost Effective solutions
   • Multi sectoral ideas and solutions etc
   • Shortlisted ideas will be acknowledged by the Mission and will be provided mentorship support from an expert panel and incubation support to scale up.
   • The top 5 ideas will be rewarded with 2 Lakh each.
   • Website – prajjwalachallenge.com
   • The Prajjwala Challenge will also be shared in the Manthan portal by the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor and in the BIMTECH- Atal Innovation Mission Portal for reaching out to larger number of applicants.

3. India’s first human space mission – Gaganyaan – will be launched in 2024.
   • The mission will have three launches. The first mission will be unmanned, the second one will have a robot, and in the third launch, the humans will be sent in space.
4. Chief Justice of India Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud announced the launch of the electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) project.
   • The e-SCR Project is an initiative to provide the digital version of the Supreme Court’s judgments in the manner as they are reported in the official law report – ‘Supreme Court Reports’.
5. India Accelerator, a seed-stage accelerator program, has launched the i3 Launchpad, a program created to nurture and co-innovate with the startup ecosystem in India.
   • This has been developed in collaboration with ICICI Bank and Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned product subsidiary of Infosys.
   • i3 Launchpad will support a community of entrepreneurs who are on a mission to create brands that can have a global impact.
   • It is designed to help start-ups accelerate their success by leveraging mentorship, resources, and opportunities from Infosys Finacle, ICICI Bank, and India Accelerator (IA).
   • The program is open to startups across all industries and will onboard two cohorts a year, with a target of 12-18 startups in each cohort. Sectors in focus for the first cohort include fintech, enterprise tech & SaaS, proptech, wealthtech, sustainability & greentech, and insurtech.
6. National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the two institutions under the Ministry of AYUSH, have launched ‘SMART’ (Scope for Mainstreaming Ayurveda Research in Teaching Professionals).
   • ‘SMART’ is aimed to boost scientific research in priority healthcare research areas through Ayurveda colleges and hospitals.
7. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a high-powered committee, headed by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, to “ensure protection of land and employment” for the people of Ladakh.
   • The committee will also include Ladakh’s LG Radha Krishna Mathur.
8. India and Austria have signed ‘Comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement’ (MMPA) for migration and mobility of Indian students and professionals.
9. 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will be held at Indore in Madhya Pradesh during January 8-10.
   • The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is conferred by the President as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on non-resident Indians (NRIs), persons of Indian origin (PIOs) or organisations established and run by NRIs or PIOs in recognition of their outstanding achievements in India and abroad.
   • A total of 27 people are chosen for this award this year.
10. 108th Indian Science Congress will be held at R.T.M. Nagpur University, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India from January 3 -7, 2023.
    • Theme – “Science Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment”
    • 2023 – International Year of Millets
11. Ministry of Railway is working on a plan to convert all heritage trains into eco-friendly Green Hydrogen-powered trains.
12. National Campaign on ‘RISE- Rising India Through Spiritual Empowerment’ was organized by Brahma Kumaris at Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
    • Additionally, the foundation stone of the Brahma Kumaris Silence Retreat Centre was laid in Secunderabad, Telangana and laid the foundation stone for the
      Brahma Kumaris Auditorium and Spiritual Art Gallery in Indore.

State News

1. Defence minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the Siyom bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, along with 27 other infrastructure projects completed by the Border Roads Organisation.
   • The Siyom bridge is a 100-meter ‘Class-70’ steel arch superstructure, which will facilitate faster induction of troops, heavy equipment like howitzers and mechanised vehicles to forward areas of the Upper Siang district, Tuting and Yinkiong regions along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) with China.

2. Assam has recorded zero poaching of endangered rhinos for the first time in 2022.
3. The High Court Justice Tashi Rabstan of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has launched the Legal Aid Defence Counsel System (LADCS) in ten districts of the Union Territory.
   • The system, which aims to provide quality legal services in criminal matters to eligible poor persons, will be extended to the remaining ten districts in the coming months.
4. Gaan Ngai festival is celebrated by the Zeliarong community in Manipur after the harvest season every year.
5. President Droupadi Murmu virtually laid the foundation stone for the 1,000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
   • Developer – SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL)
   • Date of Commissioning – March 2024

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala, witnessed the signing of an MOU for developing the Goat Pox vaccine and “Lumpi-ProVac” vaccine
   • The National Centre for Veterinary Type Culture, ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE), Hisar (Haryana), in collaboration with ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar (UP) developed a homologous live-attenuated LSD vaccine, named Lumpi-ProVac^Ind.

International News

1. Croatia has joined the Schengen area – a term used for countries in Europe which have abolished visas across their borders; allowing their residents to move freely.
   • At present, 23 of the total 27 European Union countries constitute the Schengen area. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.
   • Croatia has also changed its currency to Euro.

2. Scientists from South Korea have developed a new water purification system that can effectively remove microplastics from water in just 10 seconds.

Banking and Economy

1. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $220 million loan to improve energy security, quality of supply, efficiency, and resilience of power sector in Tripura.
2. The Chennai-headquartered Indian Bank has unveiled QR code bill payment system for Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Ltd (CESC) making it as the first power distribution company to offer such an initiative to customers in Mysuru.
   • By using the QR code linked to the UPI on printed electricity bill, customers would be able to make their payments without visiting any online portal or physically going to any payment centre.
3. The interest rates on the small saving schemes have been revised for the January-March 2023 quarter.
   • The interest rates on these schemes are revised quarterly by the Ministry of Finance.

4. Bandhan Bank has launched its ‘Jahaan Bandhan, Wahaan Trust’ marketing campaign featuring cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its brand ambassador.
5. Niva Bupa Health Insurance (formerly known as Max Bupa Health Insurance) has signed a corporate agency agreement with Sundaram Finance Limited to offer Niva Bupa’s select range of indemnity plans to its growing range of existing and past customers.
   • MD & CEO, Niva Bupa Health Insurance – Krishnan Ramachandran
6. HDFC Bank and Yes Bank have partnered with Microsoft for utilising the Azure cloud platform and for developing a next-generation mobile application, respectively.
   • HDFC Bank will use Microsoft Power’s Platform to set up an app innovation and automation factory. The app factory will enable the bank to migrate, modernise and transform its application portfolio.
   • Yes Bank will leverage Microsoft’s Azure platform to create the app which will offer customers a host of services such as online payments, shopping, rewards, offers, as well as customised dashboards, in addition to traditional banking functions.
7. According to RBI, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank continue to be the Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs).
8. NTPC Limited and Gujarat Gas Limited (GGL) have commissioned India’s first green hydrogen blending project in the piped natural gas (PNG) network of NTPC Kawas township, Surat.
   • The project aims to supply H2-NG (natural gas) to households in the Kawas township.
9. Indian government has announced that public sector entities will be exempt from the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norm that requires listed companies to maintain a 25% public shareholding.
10. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $350 million loan to improve the connectivity of key economic areas in Maharashtra.
    • ADB has also given loan of $300 million to Assam for upgrading over 300 kilometres (km) of state highways and major district roads (MDRs).
    • ADB has also given a loan of $350 Million Loan to Chennai for expansion of Metro Rail Network.

Appointments

1. Maithili Thakur (a folk singer) has been appointed as the State Icon of Bihar by the Election Commission of India.
   • Thakur has also won the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of the Sangeet Natak Akademi for her contributions to the folk music of Bihar for the year 2021.
2. Ajay Kumar Srivastava has been appointed as the MD and CEO of the Indian Overseas Bank.
3. Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva has been elected as the President of Brazil.
4. Sundararaman Ramamurthy has been appointed as the MD and CEO of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

5. Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland have officially begun their two-year term as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Important Days

1. January 3 – Birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule (India’s first female teacher; born in 1831)
2. January 3 – Birth anniversary of Rani Velu Nachiyar
   • Rani Velu Nachiyar was an 18th-century warrior queen who belonged to the Sivagangai estate in present-day Tamil Nadu. She fought against the Britishers.
3. January 4 – World Braille Day

Awards

1. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Player of the Year Awards for 2022 in all formats.

Sports

1. Koustav Chatterjee from Kolkata has become India’s 78th Grandmaster during the MPL 59th National Senior Chess Championship in New Delhi.
2. World Boxing Council (based in Mexico) will introduce a transgender category in Boxing from 2023 onwards.
   • FINA (headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland), world swimming’s governing body, is set to create an ‘open category’ and has set up a working group for it.
3. Rajasthan will host the 18th National Scout and Guide Jamboree at Rohat in the Pali district.

Miscellaneous

1. “Breaking Barriers” book has been authored by Kaki Madhava Rao (former IAS officer).
2. Grammy-award winning American singer Anita Pointer has passed away.
3. “Ambedkar: A Life” book has been authored by Shashi Tharoor.

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