20th-22nd January, 2024

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released commemorative postage stamps on the Ram temple in Ayodhya and a book of stamps issued on Lord Ram around the world.
2. Central government has set up a high-level committee to examine the administrative steps that can be taken to safeguard the interests of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities like the Madigas and their sub-categorisation in the SC reservation.
3. Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has inaugurated two significant initiatives in Kerala.
4. 9th edition of the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival, a state festival of Arunachal Pradesh, has been celebrated at Seijosa in the Pakke Kessang district from January 18-20, 2024.
5. Goa has become the 1st state in the country to launch a model for “regenerative tourism”.
6. World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde) as a malaria-free country.
7. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has introduced ICICI Pru Guaranteed Pension Plan Flexi with ‘benefit enhancer’.
8. National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has emerged as the largest derivative exchange of world in 2023 by the number of contracts traded based on statistics published by Futures Industry Association (FIA), a derivatives trade body.
9. Unity Small Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank) has collaborated with Uncia Technologies Private Limited for its advance Supply Chain Finance (SCF) platform ‘Uncia Chain‘.
10. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has invested ₹486 Crore in Sustainable Energy Infra Trust (SEIT) for project ‘India: Project Meridian‘ of AIlB.
11. Jio has retained its position as the strongest Indian brand according to the latest report ‘Global-500 2024‘ published by Brand Finance.
12. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) to the International Space Station (ISS).
13. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed a 2nd generation ‘Distress Alert Transmitter (DAT)’, incorporating advanced satellite communication and navigation capabilities.
14. January 15- 150th Year of its establishment of India Meteorological Department (IMD)
15. January 19– 19th National Disaster Response Force
16. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced TATA Group as the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2024 to 2028.
17. Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the National Farmers’ Welfare Programme Implementation Society, IndiaAI under Digital India Corporation, and Wadhwani Foundation.
18. Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) under the Ministry of Defence and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
19. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for co-lending and loan syndication for a diverse spectrum of Renewable Energy projects across the nation.

National News

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released commemorative postage stamps on the Ram temple in Ayodhya and a book of stamps issued on Lord Ram around the world.
   • Key points-
     • The six stamps are on the Ram temple, Lord Ganesh, Lord Hanuman, Jatayu, Kevatraj and Ma Shabri.
     • Stamp book is an attempt to showcase the international appeal of Lord Ram and the 48-page book covers stamps issued by more than of 20 countries, including the US, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Cambodia, and organisations like the UN.
       Source: Indian Express

2. Central government has set up a high-level committee to examine the administrative steps that can be taken to safeguard the interests of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities like the Madigas and their sub-categorisation in the SC reservation.
   • Committee will be headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
     Source: asianage
   
   
3. Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has inaugurated two significant initiatives in Kerala.
   • Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Intelligent Internet of Things (IIoT) Sensors-
     • It is a unique facility established at Makers Village Kochi by MeitY, GoI and Govt. of Kerala.
     • Its main purpose is to facilitate the growth of smart IoT systems by advancing diverse applications of intelligent sensors across networks, devices, and sensor systems.

   • Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG)-
     • Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the first Graphene Centre, IICG, at Makers Village in Kochi.
     • Its main purpose is to encourage research and development, promoting product innovation, and enhance expertise in the field of Graphene and 2D material systems.
       Source: PIB

State News

1. 9th edition of the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival, a state festival of Arunachal Pradesh, has been celebrated at Seijosa in the Pakke Kessang district from January 18-20, 2024.
   • Objective-
     • To recognise the role played by the Nyishi tribe in conserving hornbills in Pakke Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh.

   • Key points-
     • Festival focuses on wildlife conservation, with a particular emphasis on hornbills.
     • Theme of festival for 2024- Domutoh Domutoh, Paga hum Domutoh (Let Our Hornbills Remain)
     • Four species of the birds are found in the Pakke Tiger Reserve-
       • Wreathed hornbill
       • Great Indian hornbill
       • Oriental Pied hornbill
       • Rufous-necked hornbill
     • Nyishi tribe had formerly hunted hornbills and used their bills to craft traditional headgear, but later they had turned hornbill conservationists.
       Source: DTE
     
     
     
     

2. Goa has become the 1st state in the country to launch a model for “regenerative tourism”.
   • Objective-
     • To redefine tourism by promoting environmental restoration, cultural preservation, and community empowerment.

   • What is regenerative tourism?
     • It is an approach of travel and tourism that aims to not only minimize the negative impacts of tourism but also actively contribute to the restoration and enhancement of the natural and cultural resources of destination.
       Source: Financial Express
     
     

   
   

International News

1. World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde) as a malaria-free country.
   • Key points-
     • It became the 3rd country to acquire the status in the African region.
     • It has now joined Mauritius and Algeria, who were certified in 1973 and 2019, respectively.
     • Africa has the highest malaria burden and accounted for roughly 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of related deaths in 2021.

Source: DTE

Banking and Economy

1. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has introduced ICICI Pru Guaranteed Pension Plan Flexi with ‘benefit enhancer’.
   • More about Guaranteed Pension Plan Flexi-
     • Annuity plan offers customers the flexibility to receive a full premium refund at any point from the date of purchase.
     • It offers a variety of annuity options such as-
       • Customers can opt for a single life option, ensuring income for their lifetime
       • They can also choose a joint life option, in which after one annuitant passes away, the income is extended to the spouse, child, parent, or sibling, referred to as the secondary annuitant.

2. National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has emerged as the largest derivative exchange of world in 2023 by the number of contracts traded based on statistics published by Futures Industry Association (FIA), a derivatives trade body.
   • Key points-
     • It has been ranked 3rd in the world in the equity segment by number of trades (electronic order book).
     • Market capitalization of listed companies on NSE has surpassed USD 4 trillion in 2023.
     • The number of unique registered investors on the exchange has also crossed the 8.5 crore mark by the end of 2023

   
   

3. Unity Small Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank) has collaborated with Uncia Technologies Private Limited for its advance Supply Chain Finance (SCF) platform ‘Uncia Chain‘.
   • Objective-
     • To facilitate efficient processing and accurate daily lending transactions.

   • More about Uncia Chain-
     • Uncia Chain platform unites buyer, seller and lender under one umbrella.
     • It offers a complete product suite for the physical supply chain industry, addressing all business aspects, especially financing needs.

4. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has invested ₹486 Crore in Sustainable Energy Infra Trust (SEIT) for project ‘India: Project Meridian‘ of AIlB.
   • Objective-
     • To support the development of InvITs as an infrastructure asset class in India.

   • key points-
     • InvIT (Sustainable Energy Infra Trust or SEIT), has eight operating solar power generation assets of 1.54 gigawatt-peak total capacity located nationwide in India.
     • It is co-sponsored by Mahindra Susten Private Limited and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

Source: AIIB

Reports and Indices

1. Jio has retained its position as the strongest Indian brand according to the latest report ‘Global-500 2024‘ published by Brand Finance.
   • Key points-
     • Jio has been placed at the 17th position among the strongest brands of the world with a Brand Strength Index of 88.9 in the list.
     • LIC has been placed at the 23rd place on the list, followed by SBI at 24th rank.
       Source: Business Standard
     
     

   
   

Science and Tech

1. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) to the International Space Station (ISS).
   • Key points-
     • It has been launched from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
     • Ax-3 is carrying Axiom Space’s first all-European crew, which includes first astronaut of Turkey.
       Source: space.com
     
     

2. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed a 2nd generation ‘Distress Alert Transmitter (DAT), incorporating advanced satellite communication and navigation capabilities.
   • Objectives-
     • To allow fishermen at sea to send emergency messages from fishing boats and get acknowledgement in real time.
     • To send advance alert messages whenever there are events of bad weather, cyclone, tsunami or any other emergencies.

   • More about Distress Alert Transmitter-
     • It has been operational since 2010 and more than 20,000 of them are currently in use.
     • It is used for sending messages through a communication satellite and received at a central control station where the alert signals are decoded for the identity and location of the fishing boat.
       Source: ET
     
     

Important Days

1. January 15- 150th Year of its establishment of India Meteorological Department (IMD)
   Source: PIB
2. January 19– 19th National Disaster Response Force
   Source: PIB

Sports

1. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced TATA Group as the title sponsor for the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2024 to 2028.
   • Key points-
     • This deal has extended their partnership for a 5-year term.
     • Amount of sponsorship right is ₹2500 crore, making it highest-ever sponsorship amount in IPL history.

Source: espn

Memorandum of Understanding

1. Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the National Farmers’ Welfare Programme Implementation Society, IndiaAI under Digital India Corporation, and Wadhwani Foundation.
   • Objective-
     • To use cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies for the benefit of farmers and to increase overall productivity.
   • Key points-
     • ‘Kisan e-Mitra,’ an AI-powered chatbot addressing farmers’ queries about the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
     • It is championing the India Digital Ecosystem Architecture (InDEA) 2.0’s network approach, designed by the Ministry of Electronics & IT
       Source: PIB
2. Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) under the Ministry of Defence and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
   • Objectives-
     • To collaborate on mutual interests, involving joint research and academic initiatives to address diverse scientific and technological challenges.
     • To explore possibilities of faculty exchange program.
       Source: PIB
     
     
3. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for co-lending and loan syndication for a diverse spectrum of Renewable Energy projects across the nation.
   • Key points-
     • It includes provisions for co-lending and co-origination support for all Renewable Energy projects.
     • Partnership aims to streamline loan syndication and underwriting processes, management of Trust and Retention Account (TRA) for IREDA borrowers, and
     • To work towards fixed interest rates over a 3–4-year period for IREDA borrowings.
       Source: PIB
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   

Start Quiz of 20th-22nd January 2024 on Mobile

Start Quiz of 20th-22nd January 2024 on Desktop