24th-25th January, 2023

1. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has conducted a two-day Smart City CEO Conference at Panaji, Goa.
2. India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Film Festival in Mumbai.
3. Central Govt will celebrate the India Energy Week 2023 in February in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
4. Ministry of Electronics and IT conducted the first-ever India Stack Developer Conference in New Delhi to increase the adoption of Indian digital products in India as well as outside.
5. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has chaired the 10th Infrastructure Committee Meet in New Delhi to address existing inter-Ministerial issues concerning the implementation of various infrastructure projects.
6. IIT-Madras is hosting a G20 University Connect lecture series titled ‘Engaging Young Minds’ to engage the youth.
7. India’s Civil 20 Engagement Group (C20), the official engagement group of the G20 representing the voices of non-profit, voluntary citizens’ groups in service to society, has been inaugurated at Amritapuri in Kerala’s Kollam district.
8. American India Foundation (AIF) inaugurated India’s first STEM Innovation and Learning Center (SILC) in Chennai under the Vaanavil Mandram initiative of the Tamil Nadu state govt.
9. Central Govt has selected the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) and the Lunglei Fire Station (LFS), Mizoram, for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for 2023 for their work in disaster management.
10. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has partnered with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), under the aegis of Ministry of Defense, for creating an apprenticeship training framework.
11. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), which was launched in July 2020, has mobilised over Rs 30,000 crore for taking up projects related to creation of post-harvest management facilities.
12. Central Govt has created the U-WIN app to digitise India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
13. Rajasthan Government will provide drones to the farmers on rent in the state to spray fertilizers and insecticides.
14. Jaipur District Administration is hosting a three-day International Summit on Crafts to promote Odisha’s crafts in Rajasthan.
15. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur launched the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) in the Union Territory.
16. Himachal Pradesh government aims to make the state as the first Green Energy State by the end of 2025 by harnessing hydro, hydrogen and solar energy and switching to green products.
17. The annual Ethnic Mamani Festival was organised at Historical Styangkung Village and Chiktan Shagaran in Ladakh by the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF) and Ladakh Tourism Department.
18. Delhi Govt has launched “100 Days to Beat Plastic” campaign to make the MCD area ”Plastic Free ” with people participation.
19. Bihar govt has collaborated with Forest Survey of India for conducting the “Tree Outside Forest” field survey to promote agro-forestry.
20. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry approved an “Apple Cluster” for Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district under the Cluster Development Programme.
21. The largest biennial Tri-Services amphibious exercise named AMPHEX 2023, was conducted off Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
22. Ministry of Defence is organizing the 14th edition of Aero-Show at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru on the theme of “The Runway to a Billion Opportunities”.
23. Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) Shaurya and Rajveer were on a six-day visit to Chattogram, Bangladesh to enhance the cooperative engagements and interoperability under the provisions of the MOU signed between Indian and Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG).
24. DRDO has signed an agreement with Naval Group to upgrade India’s Kalvari-class submarines.
25. IIT-Guwahati has signed an MOU with Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (AMTRON), and RC Hobbytech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (RCH) for expanding drone-based training, research and development, manufacturing for varied sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, wildlife conservation and health care, among others.
26. International Hockey Federation (FIH) has signed an MOU with JSP Foundation for its development programs.
27. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has announced USA’s plans to test a spacecraft engine powered with nuclear fission by 2027.
28. Uganda has one of the largest oil reserves in Africa. It has 6.5 billion barrels of oil reserves, of which 1.4 billion is recoverable.
29. Geotail Spacecraft is the first joint mission of NASA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The spacecraft retired after 30 years in orbit after data recorder failure.
30. UN has released the “Global Action Plan on Child Wasting” report.
31. FiBL and IFOAM – Organics International has released the “The World of Organic Agriculture Statistics and Emerging Trends 2022”.
32. Paytail has partnered with HDB Financial Services, a leading NBFC, to offer loans on lifestyle products such as bicycles, EVs, mobile devices, consumer durables and kitchen appliances.
33. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched LIC Jeevan Azad Plan.
34. State Bank of India (SBI) has acquired 40% stake in Commercial lndo Bank LLC (CIBL), Moscow held by Canara Bank for cash consideration of $14.67 million.
35. L&T Technology Services Limited has been selected as a strategic engineering partner to Airbus for providing Advanced Engineering Capabilities and Digital Manufacturing Services under a multi-year contract.
36. RBI has released the “What Drives Startup Fundraising in India?” paper.
37. RBI has released the “Outward Remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) for Resident Individuals” for November 2022.
38. Citibank and Paytm have ended their partnership for a co-branded credit card Paytm CITI Card, ahead of the merger of Citibank’s consumer banking business with Axis Bank.
39. Garuda Aerospace has unveiled India’s first carbon-neutral drone at the World Economic Forum 2023.
40. OPPO India and the MeitY Common service Centre (CSC) Academy have partnered to train 10,000 women in cybersecurity and cyber wellness in the country.
41. Tata Motors has partnered with ICICI Bank to offer financing solutions to its authorised passenger electric vehicle dealers.
42. India’s Housing Development Finance Corp planned to raise at least Rs 30 billion ($370.5 million) through the sale of bonds maturing in 10 years.
43. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal Private Limited (NSFTPL) have signed a USD 131 million (about ₹1,066 crore) loan agreement to upgrade the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal, Navi Mumbai, to enhance international trade in India through efficient, transparent, and state-of-the-art logistics infrastructure.
44. AU Small Finance Bank launched the first of its kind “SwipeUp” platform to allow other bank credit cardholders to upgrade their AU credit cards.
45. Appellate Authority for Advance Rulings (AAAR) has put mangrove cultivation under 18% GST tax slab.
46. CEO of EESL Vishal Kapoor took over the additional charge of CEO of Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL).
47. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Vikram Dev Dutt as the next director general in the Directorate of General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
48. January 25 – National Voters Day; Theme – Nothing Like Voting. I Vote for Sure
49. January 25 – Himachal Pradesh Statehood Day
50. “Naatu Naatu”, the hit dance track from SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster “RRR”, was nominated for the Original Song at the Oscars 2023.
51. ESAF Small Finance Bank has bagged the prestigious Inclusive Finance India Awards 2022 for its contributions in advancing the goal of financial inclusion and supporting inclusive growth.
52. GMR Goa International Airport (GGIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure, has won ‘Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport’ award under aviation sustainability and environment category at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Conference-cum-Awards for Civil Aviation 2023.
53. Brand Guardianship Index 2023 has been released by Brand Finance, which provides a list of Top 25 CEOs and Top 100 Brand Guardians.
54. India has become the 1 ODI team in ICC Rankings after 3-0 series win over New Zealand.
55. Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry has formed an Oversight Committee, chaired by MC Mary Kom (Khel Ratna Awardee and Chairperson of Athletes Commission), to enquire into the allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and financial irregularities in the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
56. Nilmani Phookan (Assamese Poet), winner of Jnanpith Award, has passed away.
57. Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the ‘India’s Knowledge Supremacy: The New Dawn’ book.
58. Former Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Harjeet Singh Arora passed away at the age of 61.

National News

1. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has conducted a two-day Smart City CEO Conference at Panaji, Goa.
   • CEOs and Municipal commissioners of more than 100 smart cities participated in the conference.
2. India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Film Festival in Mumbai.
3. Central Govt will celebrate the India Energy Week 2023 in February in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
   • During the celebration, a methanol-blended diesel-powered ship named MD15 (because it has 15% methanol blend) will be launched.
   • The methanol for this ship will be obtained from the Mahabahu Brahmaputra project being implemented in Assam.
   • Mahabahu Brahmaputra Project was launched in 2021 in Assam to produce 100 Tons Per Day (TPD) of methanol.
   • Assam Petrochemical Ltd, Namrup currently produces about 100 TPD of Methanol and is implementing a new project for the production of 500 TPD of Methanol.
4. Ministry of Electronics and IT conducted the first-ever India Stack Developer Conference in New Delhi to increase the adoption of Indian digital products in India as well as outside.
5. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has chaired the 10th Infrastructure Committee Meet in New Delhi to address existing inter-Ministerial issues concerning the implementation of various infrastructure projects.
6. IIT-Madras is hosting a G20 University Connect lecture series titled ‘Engaging Young Minds’ to engage the youth.
7. India’s Civil 20 Engagement Group (C20), the official engagement group of the G20 representing the voices of non-profit, voluntary citizens’ groups in service to society, has been inaugurated at Amritapuri in Kerala’s Kollam district.
   • Sri Mata Amritanandamayi (popularly called as Amma) is the chair of C20.

8. American India Foundation (AIF) inaugurated India’s first STEM Innovation and Learning Center (SILC) in Chennai under the Vaanavil Mandram initiative of the Tamil Nadu state govt.
   • Chief Minister MK Stalin has launched the Vaanavil Mandram initiative in the government schools in order to instill scientific rationalism in students and simplify their learning of Science and Math.
9. Central Govt has selected the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) and the Lunglei Fire Station (LFS), Mizoram, for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for 2023 for their work in disaster management.
   • Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar is an Indian National Award for disaster management those who served selfless service for the country.
   • Every individual annd organisation awarded by the Government of India on every year on January 23, the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
10. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has partnered with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), under the aegis of Ministry of Defense, for creating an apprenticeship training framework.
    • Purpose – to address the need for skilled and future-ready workforce in the Central Public Sector Undertaking and Industries
    • Under the collaboration, more than 250 apprentices have been engaged in the BDL facility in Hyderabad where ‘Astra’ missile is manufactured.
11. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), which was launched in July 2020, has mobilised over Rs 30,000 crore for taking up projects related to creation of post-harvest management facilities.
    • The AIF is a financing facility for creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farm assets.
    • Under this scheme, Rs 1 lakh crore is to be disbursed by financial year 2025-26 and the interest subvention and credit guarantee assistance will be given till the year 2032-33.
    • Within two-and-a-half years of the implementation of the AIF, the scheme has mobilised more than Rs 30,000 crore for projects in the agriculture infrastructure sector. Of which, Rs 15,000 crore has been allocated for projects.

12. Central Govt has created the U-WIN app to digitise India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).
    • The platform will be used to register and vaccinate every pregnant woman, record her delivery outcome, register every new born delivery, administer birth doses and all vaccination events thereafter.
    • The U-WIN is going to be the single source of information for immunisation services, updating vaccination status, delivery outcome, planning of RI sessions and reports like antigen-wise coverage, etc.

State News

1. Rajasthan Government will provide drones to the farmers on rent in the state to spray fertilizers and insecticides.
   • The drones will be used for spraying fertilisers and insecticides. It will be also be used to monitor nutrient deficiencies in crops, health of the crops, and irrigation requirements.
   • It will also help the farmers in controlling locusts by spraying chemicals.
2. Jaipur District Administration is hosting a three-day International Summit on Crafts to promote Odisha’s crafts in Rajasthan.
3. Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur launched the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) in the Union Territory.
   • The 14-digit ULPIN would help in the digitisation of land records and also reaching a conclusive land titling.
4. Himachal Pradesh government aims to make the state as the first Green Energy State by the end of 2025 by harnessing hydro, hydrogen and solar energy and switching to green products.
5. The annual Ethnic Mamani Festival was organised at Historical Styangkung Village and Chiktan Shagaran in Ladakh by the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF) and Ladakh Tourism Department.
6. Delhi Govt has launched “100 Days to Beat Plastic” campaign to make the MCD area ”Plastic Free ” with people participation.
   • The campaign will end on April 22 – International Earth Day. The theme of International Earth Day 2023 is “Invest in Our Planet”.
   • Mascot of the Campaign – Nivaran Dadi
7. Bihar govt has collaborated with Forest Survey of India for conducting the “Tree Outside Forest” field survey to promote agro-forestry.

Agriculture and Rural Development

1. Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry approved an “Apple Cluster” for Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district under the Cluster Development Programme.
   • This was announced during a daylong conference on ‘India Cold Chain Conclave’, organised by the Ministry in conjunction with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi.
   • The ‘Apple Cluster’ project is estimated to cost Rs 135.23 crore, of which, about Rs 37.05 crore would be provided by the Ministry as grant-in-aid.
   • The project is expected to be implemented in four years.

Defence News

1. The largest biennial Tri-Services amphibious exercise named AMPHEX 2023, was conducted off Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
   • INS Jalashwa. INS Airavat, INS Shardul, and INS Gharial are some of the amphibious ships of the Indian Navy which participated in the exercise.
2. Ministry of Defence is organizing the 14th edition of Aero-Show at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru on the theme of “The Runway to a Billion Opportunities”.
   • The show has been organized by Ministry of Defence since 1996 at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru.
3. Indian Coast Guard Ships (ICGS) Shaurya and Rajveer were on a six-day visit to Chattogram, Bangladesh to enhance the cooperative engagements and interoperability under the provisions of the MOU signed between Indian and Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG).
4. DRDO has signed an agreement with Naval Group to upgrade India’s Kalvari-class submarines.
   • The system will improve the performance and lethality of diesel-electric underwater vessels and increase their submerged endurance several-fold.

Memorandum of Understanding

1. IIT-Guwahati has signed an MOU with Assam Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (AMTRON), and RC Hobbytech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (RCH) for expanding drone-based training, research and development, manufacturing for varied sectors such as agriculture, disaster management, wildlife conservation and health care, among others.
2. International Hockey Federation (FIH) has signed an MOU with JSP Foundation for its development programs.
   • This partnership will also see the JSP Foundation coming onboard the ongoing FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela as a Global Partner.

International News

1. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has announced USA’s plans to test a spacecraft engine powered with nuclear fission by 2027.
   • NASA will partner with the US military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the nuclear thermal propulsion engine and launch it into space.
   • The project has been named the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO).
2. Uganda has one of the largest oil reserves in Africa. It has 6.5 billion barrels of oil reserves, of which 1.4 billion is recoverable.
   • China and France have invested $10 billion in Uganda’s oil drilling project at Lake Albert.
   • The oil will be extracted in four phases and the first phase of the project has been launched now.
   • TotalEnergies of France and its partner China National Offshore Oil Corporation will undertake the extraction work.
3. Geotail Spacecraft is the first joint mission of NASA and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The spacecraft retired after 30 years in orbit after data recorder failure.
   • Geotail was launched in 1992 to orbit Earth, gathering an immense dataset on the structure and dynamics of the magnetosphere.

Reports and Indices

1. UN has released the “Global Action Plan on Child Wasting” report.
   • As per the report, 15 countries, having most vulnerable children, are heavily impacted by the unprecedented food and nutrition crisis.
   • Child wasting affects more than 30 million children in the 15 worst affecting countries.
   • 40 million children (under the age of 5) are facing food scarcity and 27 million children experience extreme food insecurity.
2. FiBL and IFOAM – Organics International has released the “The World of Organic Agriculture Statistics and Emerging Trends 2022”.

Banking and Economy

1. Paytail has partnered with HDB Financial Services, a leading NBFC, to offer loans on lifestyle products such as bicycles, EVs, mobile devices, consumer durables and kitchen appliances.
   • Paytail provides instant digital finance and easy EMIs to merchants.
   • The loan amount ranges from ₹5,000 to ₹3 lakh. It offers a hassle-free EMI tenure of 24 months, depending on the borrowed amount and the product segment.
2. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched LIC Jeevan Azad Plan.
   • 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.
   • Key features of the Policy –
   • It is a non-linked non-participating premium endowment plan.
   • Minimum Basic Sum Assured – Rs 2 Lakh
   • Maximum Basic Sum Assured – Rs 5 Lakh
   • There will be no medical examination for the sum assured of up to Rs 3 lakh. For a sum assured of above Rs 3 lakh, a medical examination is required.
   • Minimum-Maximum term – 15-20 years
   • Entry age – 90 days to 50 years
   • The Premium Payment Term (PPT) is equal to the policy term minus eight years.
   • The death benefit will not be less than 105 per cent of the total premiums paid up to the date of death.
3. State Bank of India (SBI) has acquired 40% stake in Commercial lndo Bank LLC (CIBL), Moscow held by Canara Bank for cash consideration of $14.67 million.
   • Commercial Indo Bank (CIBL) provides banking services. It is a joint venture of SBI and Canara Bank in 60:40 ratio.
4. L&T Technology Services Limited has been selected as a strategic engineering partner to Airbus for providing Advanced Engineering Capabilities and Digital Manufacturing Services under a multi-year contract.
5. RBI has released the “What Drives Startup Fundraising in India?” paper.
   • Authors – Rajas Saroy, Ashish Khobragade, Rekha Misra, Sakshi Awasthy and Sarat Dhal
   • This paper has sourced Tracxn’s data on startups in India.

6. RBI has released the “Outward Remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) for Resident Individuals” for November 2022.
   • Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of RBI allows Indians to transfer money to NRIs abroad. It was launched in 2004.
   • The scheme streamlined overseas payments and was made available for all resident individuals in India.
   • LRS allows parents to transfer money to their children studying abroad. Any Indian resident can participate in it and transfer up to $250,000 abroad in a financial year.
7. Citibank and Paytm have ended their partnership for a co-branded credit card Paytm CITI Card, ahead of the merger of Citibank’s consumer banking business with Axis Bank.
8. Garuda Aerospace has unveiled India’s first carbon-neutral drone at the World Economic Forum 2023.
9. OPPO India and the MeitY Common service Centre (CSC) Academy have partnered to train 10,000 women in cybersecurity and cyber wellness in the country.
   • The initiative to empower rural and semi-urban women through the ‘Cyber Sangini’ programme, which is supported by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, aims to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to become certified ‘Cyber Sanginis’.
10. Tata Motors has partnered with ICICI Bank to offer financing solutions to its authorised passenger electric vehicle dealers.
11. India’s Housing Development Finance Corp planned to raise at least Rs 30 billion ($370.5 million) through the sale of bonds maturing in 10 years.
    • The issue will also have a greenshoe option to retain an additional Rs 20 billion.
12. Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal Private Limited (NSFTPL) have signed a USD 131 million (about ₹1,066 crore) loan agreement to upgrade the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal, Navi Mumbai, to enhance international trade in India through efficient, transparent, and state-of-the-art logistics infrastructure.
    • NSFTPL is a special purpose vehicle jointly owned by J M Baxi Ports and Logistics Limited (JMBPL) and CMA Terminals.
13. AU Small Finance Bank launched the first of its kind “SwipeUp” platform to allow other bank credit cardholders to upgrade their AU credit cards.
14. Appellate Authority for Advance Rulings (AAAR) has put mangrove cultivation under 18% GST tax slab.

Appointments

1. CEO of EESL Vishal Kapoor took over the additional charge of CEO of Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL).
2. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Vikram Dev Dutt as the next director general in the Directorate of General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Important Days

1. January 25 – National Voters Day; Theme – Nothing Like Voting. I Vote for Sure
2. January 25 – Himachal Pradesh Statehood Day
   • It was on this day in 1971 that Himachal Pradesh became the 18th state of India.

Awards

1. “Naatu Naatu”, the hit dance track from SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster “RRR”, was nominated for the Original Song at the Oscars 2023.
   • Indian documentaries “All That Breathes” and “Elephant Whisperers” walked away with nods in Documentary Feature and Documentary Short categories.
2. ESAF Small Finance Bank has bagged the prestigious Inclusive Finance India Awards 2022 for its contributions in advancing the goal of financial inclusion and supporting inclusive growth.
   • The Inclusive Finance India Awards is an initiative of ACCESS Development Services constituted in 2009 in partnership with HSBC India.
3. GMR Goa International Airport (GGIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure, has won ‘Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport’ award under aviation sustainability and environment category at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Conference-cum-Awards for Civil Aviation 2023.
4. Brand Guardianship Index 2023 has been released by Brand Finance, which provides a list of Top 25 CEOs and Top 100 Brand Guardians.

Sports

1. India has become the 1 ODI team in ICC Rankings after 3-0 series win over New Zealand.
2. Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry has formed an Oversight Committee, chaired by MC Mary Kom (Khel Ratna Awardee and Chairperson of Athletes Commission), to enquire into the allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and financial irregularities in the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
   • The others members include Khel Ratna Awardee Yogeshwar Dutt and Dhyanchand awardee Trupti Murgunde.

Miscellaneous

1. Nilmani Phookan (Assamese Poet), winner of Jnanpith Award, has passed away.
2. Union Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has launched the ‘India’s Knowledge Supremacy: The New Dawn’
   • The book was authored by Dr Ashwin Fernandes (India International expatriates).
3. Former Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Harjeet Singh Arora passed away at the age of 61.

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