05th-06th January, 2023

1. IIT-Guwahati’s Aeromodelling Club is encouraging students to harness creativity, technology and innovation in aeromodelling.
2. Digantara (Bengaluru-based space situational awareness start-up) has launched its 2nd satellite named Pushpa Alpha on a Falcon 9 rocket to monitor weather.
3. India has taken over the chairmanship of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) from January 2023. The announcement was made in the 13th APPU Congress in Bangkok in September.
4. Union Minister for MSME, Shri Narayan Rane, inaugurated virtually Intelligent Tray Retrieval System (ITRS) at Mopa International airport, Goa.
5. The world’s first palm leaf manuscript museum has been inaugurated at Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram.
6. Central Govt has approved an investment of Rs 2,614 crore for 382 MW Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project on the Sutlej River in Shimla and Mandi districts in Himachal Pradesh.
7. Union Government has approved a Rs 19,744 crore National Green Hydrogen mission that aims to make India a ‘global hub’ for using, producing and exporting green hydrogen.
8. Union Cabinet approved the Central Sector Scheme “Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development” (BIND) at a cost of ₹2,539.61 crore for infrastructure development of Prasar Bharatie., All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD).
9. Tamil Nadu has organized Octave 2023 – North-Eastern Cultural Festival.
10. President of India has given approval to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2021.
11. Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, have signed an MoU for technical collaboration to increase the state-owned firm’s copper ore production.
12. Ministry of Defence has signed MOU with Ministry of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship for the education and skill development of Agniveers.
13. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Microsoft have signed an MOU to fuel the growth of space-tech startups in India.
14. Minister of External Affairs has visited Cyprus and Austria.
15. SBI Mutual Fund has received RBI’s approval for acquiring 9.99% stake in Equitas Small Finance Bank.
16. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (US-based) and Bharat Forge Limited, India have partnered to manufacture main landing gear components, subassemblies, and assemblies of remotely piloted aircraft.
17. Aegon Life Insurance has launched iTerm Prime Insurance plan for the self-employed individuals with a special 10% discount on first-year premium.
18. ICICI Bank launched first of its kind ‘Digital Solutions for Exporters’ to provide finances and other facilities to exporters without any delay, to improve their operational efficiency.
19. RBI has received an application from Annapurna Finance Pvt Ltd (AFPL), formerly known as Annapurna Microfinance Pvt Ltd, under the Guidelines for ‘on tap’ Licensing of Universal Banks in the Private Sector.
20. Qatar Airways Privilege Club, British Airways Executive Club and IndusInd Bank from India have partnered to introduce the first-of-its-kind multi-branded credit card, with two leading international airlines powered by Visa.
21. Dhanlaxmi Bank has launched all new retail internet banking – DhanDelight, and retail mobile banking app – DhanSmart.
22. The Consumer Education and Protection Department (CEPD) of RBI released the Annual Report of the Ombudsman Schemes for the FY 2021-22 (April 2021-March 2022).
23. Captain Shiva Chouhan, an officer from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at Kumar Post in the Siachen Glacier, which is located at an altitude of 15,632 feet.
24. Prasanna Kumar Motupalli has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the state-run NLC India Ltd (NLCIL).
25. January 1 – Global Family Day
26. Assam govt has announced the State’s Civilian Awards 2023 in three categories – Asom Baibhav, Asom Sourav, and Asom Gourav.
27. Hyderabad will host the ‘Hyderabad ePrix’ – India’s first-ever electric Formula E race in 2023.
28. Belinda Clark has become the first woman to get a Bronze Statue at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.
29. ‘Human Anatomy’ book was released by Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mangubhai Patel.
30. Former Indian footballer Shyamal Ghosh has passed away.
31. Cyclones Mandous has hit Andhra Pradesh and affected areas in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

National News

1. IIT-Guwahati’s Aeromodelling Club is encouraging students to harness creativity, technology and innovation in aeromodelling.
   • The club has developed different types of drones including ‘Warehouse Drone’ for warehouse management, ‘Reaper Drones’ for military and law enforcement, ‘Ornithopter’ based on the design of birds which can be used for surveillance in tight spaces, for wildlife photography, and ‘RAVEN,’ an indigenously developed VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) capable fixed-winged aircraft.
2. Digantara (Bengaluru-based space situational awareness start-up) has launched its 2nd satellite named Pushpa Alpha on a Falcon 9 rocket to monitor weather.
3. India has taken over the chairmanship of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) from January 2023. The announcement was made in the 13th APPU Congress in Bangkok in September.

4. Union Minister for MSME, Shri Narayan Rane, inaugurated virtually Intelligent Tray Retrieval System (ITRS) at Mopa International airport, Goa.
   • The system has been manufactured by M/s SJK Innovations Pvt. Ltd, a MSME-Make in India Company.
   • The ITRS is an Artificial Intelligence based fully automatic machine that helps in providing enhanced passenger security with advanced screening technology.
   • The machine is equipped with image analysis software with advanced tools that makes it easy for the screener to take correct decisions against every baggage.
   • Also, the Mopa International Airport’s name has been changed to Manohar International Airport.
5. The world’s first palm leaf manuscript museum has been inaugurated at Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram.
6. Central Govt has approved an investment of Rs 2,614 crore for 382 MW Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project on the Sutlej River in Shimla and Mandi districts in Himachal Pradesh.
7. Union Government has approved a Rs 19,744 crore National Green Hydrogen mission that aims to make India a ‘global hub’ for using, producing and exporting green hydrogen.
   • Purpose – to incentivise the commercial production of green hydrogen and make India a net exporter of the green hydrogen
   • Sub-schemes –
     • Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT): It will fund the domestic manufacturing of electrolysers and produce green hydrogen.
     • Green Hydrogen Hubs: States and regions capable of supporting large scale production and/or utilization of hydrogen will be identified and developed as Green Hydrogen Hubs.
   • Implementing Ministry – Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
   • Targets –
     • Developing green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonne) per annum, alongside adding renewable energy capacity of about 125 GW in India by 2030.
     • It aims to attract over Rs 8 lakh crore of total investments and is expected to generate 6 lakh jobs.
     • Reduce the imports of fossil fuel by over Rs 1 lakh crore and reduce nearly 50 MT of annual greenhouse gas emissions.

8. Union Cabinet approved the Central Sector Scheme “Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development” (BIND) at a cost of ₹2,539.61 crore for infrastructure development of Prasar Bharatie., All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD).
   • Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
   • The scheme aims to provide financial support to Prasar Bharati for expenses related to expansion and upgradation of its broadcasting infrastructure, content development and civil work related to the organization.

State News

1. Tamil Nadu has organized Octave 2023 – North-Eastern Cultural Festival.
2. President of India has given approval to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2021.
   • The bill empowers the state govt to register criminal cases against those who have staged protests in violation of the section 144 of CrPC.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, have signed an MoU for technical collaboration to increase the state-owned firm’s copper ore production.
   • HCL is the only copper miner in India and owns all operating mining leases for copper ore in the country.
2. Ministry of Defence has signed MOU with Ministry of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship for the education and skill development of Agniveers.
3. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Microsoft have signed an MOU to fuel the growth of space-tech startups in India.
   • The MoU seeks to empower space tech startups across the country with technology tools and platforms, go-to-market support and mentoring to help them scale and become enterprise ready.
   • Through this tie-up, the space-tech startups identified by ISRO will be onboarded onto the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub platform, that supports startups at every stage of their journey-from idea to unicorn.
4. Minister of External Affairs has visited Cyprus and Austria.
   • With Cyprus, India has signed an agreement on defence and military cooperation.
   • With Austria, India has signed an agreement on migration and mobility to ensure smooth mobility of people from both countries on each other’s land.
   • Austria and India have also signed a Working Holiday agreement to allow Indians (who are in Austria for holidays) to work without working visa for 6 months.

Credits: Encyclopedia Britannica

Banking and Economy

1. SBI Mutual Fund has received RBI’s approval for acquiring 9.99% stake in Equitas Small Finance Bank.

2. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (US-based) and Bharat Forge Limited, India have partnered to manufacture main landing gear components, subassemblies, and assemblies of remotely piloted aircraft.
3. Aegon Life Insurance has launched iTerm Prime Insurance plan for the self-employed individuals with a special 10% discount on first-year premium.
   • The plan offers a minimum sum assured of ₹25 lakhs, with no upper limit on a consumer’s requirement.
   • The product also offers a ‘Special Exit Value’ option that allows the policyholder to get all premiums back when they turn 55 years old.
4. ICICI Bank launched first of its kind ‘Digital Solutions for Exporters’ to provide finances and other facilities to exporters without any delay, to improve their operational efficiency.
   • Facilities include the Insta Export Packing Credit (EPC), Trade APIs, Trade Accounts, Digital Letter of Credit facility etc.
5. RBI has received an application from Annapurna Finance Pvt Ltd (AFPL), formerly known as Annapurna Microfinance Pvt Ltd, under the Guidelines for ‘on tap’ Licensing of Universal Banks in the Private Sector.
6. Qatar Airways Privilege Club, British Airways Executive Club and IndusInd Bank from India have partnered to introduce the first-of-its-kind multi-branded credit card, with two leading international airlines powered by Visa.
7. Dhanlaxmi Bank has launched all new retail internet banking – DhanDelight, and retail mobile banking app – DhanSmart.

8. The Consumer Education and Protection Department (CEPD) of RBI released the Annual Report of the Ombudsman Schemes for the FY 2021-22 (April 2021-March 2022).
   • The Report covers activities under the following Ombudsman Schemes:
     • Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 (BOS)
     • Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies, 2018 (OSNBFC),
     • Ombudsman Scheme for Digital Transactions, 2019 (OSDT)
     • Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 (RB-IOS)

Appointments

1. Captain Shiva Chouhan, an officer from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at Kumar Post in the Siachen Glacier, which is located at an altitude of 15,632 feet.
2. Prasanna Kumar Motupalli has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the state-run NLC India Ltd (NLCIL).

Important Days

1. January 1 – Global Family Day

Awards

1. Assam govt has announced the State’s Civilian Awards 2023 in three categories – Asom Baibhav, Asom Sourav, and Asom Gourav.
   • Asom Baibhav (top-most award) – Dr Tapan Saikia (healthcare and public service)

Sports

1. Hyderabad will host the ‘Hyderabad ePrix’ – India’s first-ever electric Formula E race in 2023.
   • It will be a race of the single-seater, electrically powered Formula E race
2. Belinda Clark has become the first woman to get a Bronze Statue at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.

Miscellaneous

1. ‘Human Anatomy’ book was released by Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mangubhai Patel.
   • This book has been published by Madhya Pradesh Hindi Granth Academy.
2. Former Indian footballer Shyamal Ghosh has passed away.
3. Cyclones Mandous has hit Andhra Pradesh and affected areas in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
   • United Arab Emirates (UAE) has named this cyclone.

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