12th-13th January, 2023

1. Union Cabinet has approved setting up a National Level multistate cooperative export society under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002.
2. Union Cabinet, chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved a historic decision to set up and promote a national level multi-state seed cooperative society under Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002.
3. Union cabinet approved the formation of a national-level multi-state co-operative organic society to assist farmers in transitioning away from chemical-based agriculture.
4. Union Cabinet has approved incentive scheme for promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (P2M) in FY2022-23 with a financial outlay of ₹2,600 crore.
5. Union Cabinet has given ex post facto approval for renaming of National Centre for Drinking Water, Sanitation and Quality at Joka, Kolkata as ‘Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS)’.
6. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), at least 15% of protein powders sold in India are of poor quality in Financial Year 2021-2022.
7. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the School of Logistics, Waterways and Communication in Tripura, along with Manik Saha, Chief Minister, Tripura.
8. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has listed Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including it on the list of protected plants.
9. Astro tourism in India is set to take off with the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) in association with Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) organizing a sky gazing event at India Gate Lawns, Kartavya Path, Delhi.
10. Ministry of Culture has organized a grand curtain raiser program called ‘Sur Sarita – Symphony of Ganga’ at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, on the eve of the launch of the world’s longest river cruise.
11. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma launched the shared school bus system, prime tourism vehicles and agriculture response vehicle scheme.
12. Odisha government’s state-level steering committee for the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) has approved an annual plan of Rs 1,086 crore for the 2023-24 for reducing man-animal conflicts.
13. Tamil Nadu govt is seeking the revival of the Sethusamudram Project, a proposed shipping canal project in India that would connect the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
14. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has signed an MOU with Nascent Info Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for technical collaboration for development of various Geographic Information System applications.
15. ONGC Tripura Power Company Ltd (OTPC) has signed an MOU with Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) to develop battery energy storage project in Assam at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
16. RITES has signed an MoU with the IIT-Kanpur for mutual assistance and cooperation to strengthen and develop a sustainable future by Transforming to Green.
17. Indian High Commission has signed an MOU to establish a Hindi Chair at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.
18. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has identified an Earth-size world, called TOI 700 e. The planet is 95% Earth’s size and likely rocky.
19. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified a first-Earth like exoplanet named LHS 475 b for the first time.
20. UK and Japan will allow military forces to be deployed to one another’s territory by virtue of a bilateral agreement.
21. United Arab Emirates (UAE) will enforce a blanket ban on single-use plastic shopping bags starting January 1, 2024.
22. World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Uganda had successfully declared the end of the Ebola disease outbreak caused by Sudan ebolavirus.
23. As per a new study by United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, around 3,700 large dams across India could lose up to 26% of their original storage capacity due to sedimentation build-ups by 2050.
24. World Economic Forum has released 18th edition of Global Risk Report 2023.
25. Axis Bank has announced to acquire an additional 7% stake in Max Life Insurance Company from Max Fin Serv.
26. Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has allowed stock exchanges to introduce futures contracts on corporate bond indices.
27. Hitachi Payment Services, an end-to-end payment solutions provider, and Enkash have received an in-principle approval from the RBI to act as a “Payments Aggregator”.
28. Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB), a public sector bank, and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company (BALIC) have entered into a Corporate Agency Partnership.
29. Non-resident Indians (NRIs), who are holding bank accounts in India and are living abroad, will soon be able to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platforms with their international mobile numbers.
30. According to the “Startup Tracker- CY22″ report released by PwC India, the funding for Indian startups has fallen by 33% to USD 24 billion in 2022.
31. Meta has partnered with the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) to digitally enable thousands of automobile dealers across the country to reach consumers digitally.
32. SEBI allowed stock exchanges to launch multiple contracts in the same commodity in a bid to encourage broader participation of investors in commodity derivatives market.
33. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) will come out with a list of “identified goods” that will be subject to stricter scrutiny for their true value.
34. AC Charania has joined NASA as the chief technologist, replacing fellow Indian-American scientist Bhavya Lal.
35. A Santhi Kumari has been appointed as the First Female Chief Secretary of Telangana till 2025.
36. Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of UAE, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has been named as UNFCCC COP-28 President.
37. January 12 – National Youth Day; Theme – Viksit Yuva-Viksit Bharat
38. Clayfin Technologies, a leading provider of Digital Customer Experience solutions for Banks and Financial institutions, and Bandhan Bank have been awarded ‘Best Digital Channel/Platform Implementation: Best Project Implementation’ at IBSi Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2022.
39. Hockey India becomes the first National Sports Federation to enter the world of metaverse by launching its Hockeyverse before the 15th FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023.
40. Sony Sports is the official broadcaster of Australia Open 2023.
41. Swastika Ghosh became the fourth Indian to qualify for the Doha–World Table Tennis Championship 2023 from the Asian Continental Stage.
42. “Spare” is the memoir of Prince Harry, the Duke of Sessex.
43. Constantine II of Greece (former king of Greece) has passed away.
44. Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has launched the book titled “Braving A Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story” in New Delhi.

National News

1. Union Cabinet has approved setting up a National Level multistate cooperative export society under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002.
   • Purpose – to promote exports from cooperative sector by acting as an umbrella organisation for carrying out and promoting exports
   • This will also help in achieving the goal of “Sahakar-se-Samriddhi” through the inclusive growth model of cooperatives where the members would benefit both by realization of better prices through export of their goods and services and also by dividend distributed out of the surplus generated by the society.
2. Union Cabinet, chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved a historic decision to set up and promote a national level multi-state seed cooperative society under Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002.
   • It will act as an apex organization for production, procurement, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds; strategic research & development.
   • It aims to develop a system for preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds; in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and National Seed Corporation (NSC) through their schemes.
   • It will help to increase the seed replacement rate, varietal replacement rate, ensuring the role of farmers in quality seed cultivation and seed variety trials, production and distribution of certified seeds with a single brand name, by utilizing the network of all levels of cooperatives.

3. Union cabinet approved the formation of a national-level multi-state co-operative organic society to assist farmers in transitioning away from chemical-based agriculture.
   • Any primary agricultural credit societies, district, state and national level federations, multi-state co-operative societies and Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) can join this national-level co-operative society.
   • The society aims to support organic products from the co-operative sector.
   • The proposed society aims to provide an enabling ecosystem, assisting farmers in learning to grow organic food through technical assistance and capacity building. It also intends to assist farmers in transitioning in a sustainable manner while ensuring market access.
4. Union Cabinet has approved incentive scheme for promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (P2M) in FY2022-23 with a financial outlay of ₹2,600 crore.
   • Under the scheme, acquiring banks will be provided financial incentive, for promoting Point-of-Sale (PoS) and e-commerce transactions using RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (P2M) for the current financial year FY23.
5. Union Cabinet has given ex post facto approval for renaming of National Centre for Drinking Water, Sanitation and Quality at Joka, Kolkata as ‘Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS)’.
   • The Institute is envisaged as a premier institute to develop capacities in states/UTs in the field of public health engineering, drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene through training programmes.

6. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), at least 15% of protein powders sold in India are of poor quality in Financial Year 2021-2022.
   • Health experts have expressed concern about the unsupervised consumption of dietary supplements, warning poor-quality products can affect cardiovascular health and kidneys.

7. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the School of Logistics, Waterways and Communication in Tripura, along with Manik Saha, Chief Minister, Tripura.
   • The school will enable the rich pool of talent of the region to become world class experts in the transportation and logistics sector.
   • It has been set up under State Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (SIPARD).
   • SIPARD is an autonomous body funded by the Government of Tripura and partially by the Ministry of Rural Development.
8. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has listed Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including it on the list of protected plants.
   • Those who uproot or destroy the plant will invite a fine of ₹25,000- and three-years’ imprisonment.

9. Astro tourism in India is set to take off with the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) in association with Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) organizing a sky gazing event at India Gate Lawns, Kartavya Path, Delhi.
10. Ministry of Culture has organized a grand curtain raiser program called ‘Sur Sarita – Symphony of Ganga’ at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi, on the eve of the launch of the world’s longest river cruise.
    • The program was led by renowned singer Shankar Mahadevan, and was attended by dignitaries and tourists who were set to embark on the Ganga Vilas Cruise.

State News

1. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma launched the shared school bus system, prime tourism vehicles and agriculture response vehicle scheme.
   • The buses are part of Sustainable Transport and Efficient Mobility Society (STEMS) programme focussed on mobility and overall transportation to decongest the city.
2. Odisha government’s state-level steering committee for the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) has approved an annual plan of Rs 1,086 crore for the 2023-24 for reducing man-animal conflicts.

3. Tamil Nadu govt is seeking the revival of the Sethusamudram Project, a proposed shipping canal project in India that would connect the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has signed an MOU with Nascent Info Technologies Pvt. Ltd. for technical collaboration for development of various Geographic Information System applications.

2. ONGC Tripura Power Company Ltd (OTPC) has signed an MOU with Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) to develop battery energy storage project in Assam at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
3. RITES has signed an MoU with the IIT-Kanpur for mutual assistance and cooperation to strengthen and develop a sustainable future by Transforming to Green.
   • RITES Limited, a Miniratna (Category-I) and Schedule ‘A’ Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Railways.
   • RITES is a leading player in the transport consultancy and engineering sector in India.
4. Indian High Commission has signed an MOU to establish a Hindi Chair at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.
   • The Hindi chair will help in familiarizing students with India, its history, and culture as well as pave way for popularising Hindi by deputing Indian faculties.

International News

1. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has identified an Earth-size world, called TOI 700 e. The planet is 95% Earth’s size and likely rocky.
   • The planet was orbiting within the habitable zone of its star – the range of distances where liquid water could occur on a planet’s surface.
   • The discovery was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
2. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified a first-Earth like exoplanet named LHS 475 b for the first time.
3. UK and Japan will allow military forces to be deployed to one another’s territory by virtue of a bilateral agreement.
   • The agreement simplifies the procedures required for port visits and joint exercises, allowing for more active military exchanges.
4. United Arab Emirates (UAE) will enforce a blanket ban on single-use plastic shopping bags starting January 1, 2024.
5. World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Uganda had successfully declared the end of the Ebola disease outbreak caused by Sudan ebolavirus.

Reports and Indices

1. As per a new study by United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, around 3,700 large dams across India could lose up to 26% of their original storage capacity due to sedimentation build-ups by 2050.
   • In 2022, the Asia-Pacific region is estimated to have lost 13% of its initial dam storage capacity and will lose 23% by mid-century.
   • Globally, the storage capacity of dams across the world could be lost by 25%.

2. World Economic Forum has released 18th edition of Global Risk Report 2023.
   • The risks are classified in two terms – short (2 years) and long (10 years).

Banking and Economy

1. Axis Bank has announced to acquire an additional 7% stake in Max Life Insurance Company from Max Fin Serv.
2. Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has allowed stock exchanges to introduce futures contracts on corporate bond indices.
   • Purpose – to enhance liquidity in the bond market and also to provide an opportunity to investors to hedge their positions
   • This decision was based on the recommendation of the Secondary Market Advisory Committee (SMAC) of SEBI.
   • The index should have at least 8 issuers, in which a single issuer should not have more than 15% weight.
   • Further, the index should not have more than 25% weight in a particular group of issuers in the index or from a particular sector (excluding securities issued by PSUs, Public Financial Institutions (PFIs) and Public Sector Banks (PSBs).
3. Hitachi Payment Services, an end-to-end payment solutions provider, and Enkash have received an in-principle approval from the RBI to act as a “Payments Aggregator”
   • Payment aggregators facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept various payment instruments from customers, and help merchants connect with acquirers.
4. Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB), a public sector bank, and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company (BALIC) have entered into a Corporate Agency Partnership.
5. Non-resident Indians (NRIs), who are holding bank accounts in India and are living abroad, will soon be able to use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platforms with their international mobile numbers.
   • The NPCI has allowed UPI platforms to onboard non-resident accountholders (NRE/NRO accounts) from ten countries with international mobile numbers with certain conditions.

6. According to the “Startup Tracker- CY22″ report released by PwC India, the funding for Indian startups has fallen by 33% to USD 24 billion in 2022.
7. Meta has partnered with the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) to digitally enable thousands of automobile dealers across the country to reach consumers digitally.
   • It was announced at the Auto Expo 2023 in Noida.
   • Meta also launched ‘Move with Meta’, a skilling and enablement program in partnership with FADA to upskill more than 3000 auto dealers across the country to build a social presence and digitise using Meta Platforms.
8. SEBI allowed stock exchanges to launch multiple contracts in the same commodity in a bid to encourage broader participation of investors in commodity derivatives market.
   • SEBI observed that due to the requirement of a single contract on a particular commodity, except for gold, silver and precious metals, the participation of investors, especially in metal contracts, is limited.

9. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) will come out with a list of “identified goods” that will be subject to stricter scrutiny for their true value.
   • The CBIC has notified the Customs (Assistance in Value Declaration of Identified Imported Goods) Rules, 2023, aimed at addressing the undervaluation of specified imported goods.
   • The rules will be effective from February 11, 2023.

Appointments

1. AC Charania has joined NASA as the chief technologist, replacing fellow Indian-American scientist Bhavya Lal.
   • Charania’s position falls within NASA’s Office for Technology, Policy, and Strategy.
2. A Santhi Kumari has been appointed as the First Female Chief Secretary of Telangana till 2025.
3. Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of UAE, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has been named as UNFCCC COP-28 President.
   • The COP 27 is hosted by Egypt.

Important Days

1. January 12 – National Youth Day; Theme – Viksit Yuva-Viksit Bharat
   • Prime Minister Modi inaugurated this year’s National Youth Festival at Hubballi, Karnataka on 12th January on the occasion of birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Awards

1. Clayfin Technologies, a leading provider of Digital Customer Experience solutions for Banks and Financial institutions, and Bandhan Bank have been awarded ‘Best Digital Channel/Platform Implementation: Best Project Implementation’ at IBSi Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2022.
   • Established in 1991, UK-headquartered International Banking Systems (IBS) Intelligence (IBSi) is the world’s only pure-play Financial Technology (traditional and new-age) research, advisory, and media firm, with global coverage, and a 360° portfolio of intelligence offerings.

Sports

1. Hockey India becomes the first National Sports Federation to enter the world of metaverse by launching its Hockeyverse before the 15th FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023.
   • ‘Hockeyverse’ will provide a new virtual experience to global hockey fans who enjoy the Hockey World Cup from the comfort of their homes.
   • The opening ceremony of the world cup will be held at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, Odisha.
2. Sony Sports is the official broadcaster of Australia Open 2023.
3. Swastika Ghosh became the fourth Indian to qualify for the Doha–World Table Tennis Championship 2023 from the Asian Continental Stage.

Miscellaneous

1. “Spare” is the memoir of Prince Harry, the Duke of Sessex.
   • The memoir was written in collaboration with JR Moehringer (an American singer).

2. Constantine II of Greece (former king of Greece) has passed away.
   • He was an Olympic Gold medallist of 1960.
3. Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has launched the book titled “Braving A Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story” in New Delhi.
   • The book is co-authored by Aashish Chandorkar and Suraj Sudhir.

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