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Current Affairs of January 2023

National Current Affairs

In a historic achievement, the Indian district of Kollam has become the country’s first constitution-literate district.
The National Remote Sensing Center (NSRC) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has released satellite images of the city of Joshimath, Uttarakhand, which reveal a preliminary land subsidence analysis that indicates that the entire city is in danger of completely sinking.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has recently moved a resolution in the state assembly 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.
The Ministry of Culture in India recently 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 National Health Authority (NHA) in India is introducing a new system to measure and grade hospital performance under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme, with the goal of shifting the focus of hospital performance measurement from the volume of services provided to the value of healthcare services.
The Government of India has sponsored the proposal for the International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023, which has been accepted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This has given the Indian Government the opportunity to celebrate the IYM and position India as the global hub for millets.
The United Kingdom used the Beating Retreat Ceremony to call their patrolling units to the castle. India uses this ceremony to end its republic day celebrations. In India, Beating Retreat Ceremony is held on January 29^th. All three wings of the Indian Military participate in the ceremony.
Bharat Biotech recently launched an intranasal vaccine to treat COVID-19. It is called iNCOVACC. Intra-nasal means the vaccine is administered through nose.

A vaccine to cure cervical cancer was recently launched by the Serum Institute of India. The name of the vaccine is CERVAVAC. This is the first time India is producing a vaccine for cervical cancer.
Startup firm IG Drones has developed a 5G-enabled drone that is capable of vertical take-off and landing. The drone, named Skyhawk, can be used in defence and medical applications, among other sectors.
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 Egyptian President Sisi is the Chief Guest of the 2023 Republic Day celebrations of India. With the trade between the countries touching 12 billion USD in the last five years, the countries have now entered into Strategic Partnership.
India Ranks 85th on the Henley Passport Index. Japan tops the list.
The main objective of the MISTHI Scheme which was launched in Union Budget 2023 is to “preserve Mangrove forests”.

The Indian government has recently announced plans to set up the country’s first Centre of Excellence in Online Gaming in Shillong, Meghalaya by March 2023.
The President of India Droupadi Murmu inaugurated Samvidhan Udyan, Mayur Stambh, National Flag Post, Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, and Maharana Pratap at Raj Bhavan, Jaipur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to launch the world’s longest river cruise, “Ganga Vilas” from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh, Assam on 13th January 2023.
The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has released India’s first national assessment regulator, PARAKH.
Uttarakhand tableau which showcased the state’s wildlife and religious sites at the 74th Republic Day parade has won the top prize.

State Current Affairs

The Rajasthan Government is to provide drones to the farmers in the state to spray fertilizers and insecticides. The drones are to be provided to low-income group farmers and on rent.
Assam Government has recently launched a massive drive against child marriages in the state. The Gram Panchayat Secretary was appointed as the Child Marriage Prevention Officer. The drive will encourage the public to lodge complaints at the nearby police stations.
India’s first School of Logistics, Waterways, and Communication was launched in Agartala.
Rajasthan has become the first state in India to implement a policy for blindness control with the objective of ensuring the “right to sight” for its citizens.
Chhattisgarh recently celebrated the Cherchera festival at the Dudhadhari Math in Raipur. The festival, which takes place on the full moon night of the Paush Hindu calendar month, is a celebration of the happiness and joy brought about by the cultivation and harvesting of crops.

Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh has approved a bill providing 30% horizontal reservation for domiciled women citizens of the state in public services and posts.
The Kerala government’s ‘Year of Enterprises’ project has been selected as a best practices model in the thrust on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) session during the recent Chief Secretaries National Conference held in the national capital. The project, which began in the current fiscal, aimed at creating one lakh enterprises in one year.
According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Gujarat has surpassed all other Indian states in attracting new investments from both domestic and foreign corporations.
Kerala has become the first state in India to enable digital banking in all eligible accounts.
The International Kite Festival 2023 officially started on January 7th in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with a theme centered around the G20 countries.

Recently, a 122-foot-tall statue of a polo player astride a Manipur Pony was unveiled in Imphal.
The recently opened Palm Leaf Manuscript Museum in Thiruvananthapuram has added to the cultural and intellectual life of the state of Kerala. The museum, which is the world’s first of its kind, contains 187 manuscripts and other artefacts related to the former Travancore kingdom from 650 AD until the end of the 19th century.
Nagaland is celebrating the Orange Festival for two days. Nagaland Fruit Festival is being organized in the state to praise the hard work of orange growers.
Recently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the world’s largest dedicated hockey stadium (Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium) in Rourkela, Odisha.
The Gaan Ngai festival is a major event in the state of Manipur, celebrated by the Zeliarong community every year after the harvest season.

The Kerala Government recently introduced menstrual leave for girl students above the age of 18 years. The decision is a part of the gender-sensitive education reforms of the Kerala Government.
Tripura government has launched a special education programme called ‘Saharsh’ in an effort to encourage social and emotional learning. The programme is aimed at empowering children to learn with happiness and contribute to empathetic development.
Odisha has been recognized by the United Nations-Habitat (UN-Habitat) for its efforts to empower the lives of slum dwellers and create a slum-free state in India through its 5T initiative, Jaga Mission.
India’s first-of-its-kind inclusivity festival, “Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity,” kicked off with a grand ceremony on January 6, 2023 in Goa. The festival aims to bring people together and create a welcoming and inclusive world for all.
Indian Railways’ Varanasi Cantt Railway Station has been awarded a 5-star “Eat Right Station” certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers. Other stations with this distinction include:
- Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station (Delhi)
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Mumbai)
- Mumbai Central Railway Station (Mumbai)
- Vadodara Railway Station
- Chandigarh Railway Station
- Bhopal Railway Station

International Current Affairs

The European Union is to launch the JUICE Spacecraft in April 2023. The spacecraft is to explore the moons of Jupiter. Specifically, the mission is to study the three major moons of Jupiter namely Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto.
Scientists from South Korea have developed a new water purification system that can effectively remove microplastics from water in just 10 seconds. The system uses a polymer that is relatively inexpensive and has excellent adsorption performance and good photothermal properties.
To increase the use of Artificial Intelligence in health care, agriculture, emergency response, electric grid, and weather forecasting, the United States and the European Union signed an agreement. The agreement will aid the government increase the use of Artificial Intelligence in their projects and collaborations.
India Stack is the collection of Application Peripheral Interfaces launched by the Government of India. This includes BHIM, Digilocker, UPI, and several other applications. According to a recent report from the IT Ministry around seven countries are to join India Stack.
The Inter-Governmental Technical Working Group reviews the technical issues at the Food and Agriculture Organization and also advises the organizations on key decisions. India will hold the position of Vice Chairperson at the 12th session of the group.

The Shanghai Cooperation Meet is to be held in August 2023 under India’s chairmanship.
NASA and Israel will soon sign an agreement on a space mission. Under the agreement, the United States will help Israel in its upcoming Astrophysics Mission called ULTRASAT. The mission is currently being developed by Israel Space Agency and Germany. ULTRASAT will operate in Geo Stationary orbit. It is to carry a UV telescope.
Recently, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) welcomed the deployment of the single largest all-women platoon of peacekeepers from India.
Europe’s largest deposit of rare earths has been found in Sweden.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will enforce a blanket ban on single-use plastic shopping bags starting January 1, 2024.
The governments of India and the UK marked Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 9, 2023 by launching the Young Professionals Scheme, which allows up to 3,000 degree-holding citizens aged between 18 and 30 to live and work in each other’s countries for a period of two years.
The Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), a voluntary export control regime that monitors the transfer of conventional weapons and dual-use goods, has announced that India will assume the chairmanship of its plenary for the next year.
The START is a bilateral treaty signed between the US and the Soviet Union in 1991. It came into force in 1994. The treaty expired in 2009. THE NEW START Treaty was signed in 2010. This new treaty applies till 2026. Russia has now withdrawn from the treaty. Russia-Ukraine war tension is one of the main reasons. Countering US actions, Russia is suspending the START Treaty.
US has approved the first-ever vaccine for honey bees which will confer protection from the American foulbrood disease.

Aruna Miller has scripted history by becoming the first Indian-American politician to be sworn in as the Lieutenant Governor in the state of Maryland.

Economy Current Affairs

The International Monetary Forum recently released the World Economic Outlook. According to the report, the Inflation in India is to reduce to 6.8% in March 2023. Further by the end of 2023, the inflation will reduce to 5%. In 2024, Indian Inflation will be 4%.
In 2022, the daily average turnover of the exchange reached Rs 470 crores. With this NSE has become the largest derivatives exchange in the world. This is the fourth consecutive time, NSE is holding this position. Apart from the derivatives, the exchange was ranked third in equities.
The National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) allows Indians abroad to use the fast payments network Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as long as their domestic bank accounts are linked to their foreign mobile numbers.
In 2022, Bengaluru, the technology capital of India, topped the startup funding chart with a whopping $10.8 billion.
The Indian government has announced that public sector entities will be exempt from the Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norm. The MPS norm mandates that listed companies must have at least 25% of their shares held by the public.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has named the top three lenders in India – State Bank of India (SBI), ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank – as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs), or banks that are too big to fail.
Issues related to ATM/debit cards and mobile/electronic banking were the top grounds of complaints received at the Office of Banking Ombudsman (OBO), said an RBI report.
India has surpassed Japan in terms of auto sales last year to become the third-largest auto market globally for the first time.

PIN (Person in NEWS) Current Affairs

Chris Hipkins of New Zealand is to succeed Jacinda Ardern as PM. He belongs to the Labour Party of NZ.
India’s Pranesh M Becomes Youngest Grandmaster at 16.
Folk singer Maithili Thakur was appointed the state icon for Bihar by the Election Commission.
Vikram Dev Dutt was appointed as the next director general in the Directorate of General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Praveen Sharma has been selected for appointment as Director in the National Health Authority (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has recommended the name of Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi as the new Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Sports Current Affairs

Current Affairs 2023
FIH 2023 — Germany Hockey Captain Martin Haner

Germany won FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India.
Laxman Rawat won the National Sports Club of India Snooker Open Crown 2023.
Hyderabad to host first-ever Formula E World Championship Race.
Pranesh M became India’s 79th Grandmaster.
Australian Open 2023
- Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic
- Women’s Singles: Aryna Sabalenka

Awards Current Affairs

Dr. Prabha Atre was conferred with the the Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Lifetime Achievement Award.
R Vishnu Prassad was awarded “The most distinguished scientist of the year 2022” at Vigyan bhawan.
The New Goa Manohar International Airport (MIA) won the prestigious “Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport” award.
Actress Aparna Sen was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the opening ceremony of the 15th Edition of the Jaipur International Film Festival.
Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession has announced Chief Justice of India Dr. DY Chandrachud as the 2022 recipient of its “Award for Global Leadership”.
Uttarakhand tableau which showcased the state’s wildlife and religious sites at the 74th Republic Day parade has won the top prize.

For the year 2023, the President has approved the conferment of 106 Padma Awards (6 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 91 Padma Shri Awards).

Padma Vibhushan (6)

Name	Field	State/Country
Shri Balkrishna Doshi (Posthumous)	Others – Architecture	Gujarat
Shri Zakir Hussain	Art	Maharashtra
Shri S M Krishna	Public Affairs	Karnataka
Shri Dilip Mahalanabis (Posthumous)	Medicine	West Bengal
Shri Srinivas Varadhan	Science & Engineering	United States of America
Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav (Posthumous)	Public Affairs	Uttar Pradesh

Padma Bhushan(9)

Name	Field	State/Country
Shri S L Bhyrappa	Literature & Education	Karnataka
Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla	Trade & Industry	Maharashtra
Shri Deepak Dhar	Science & Engineering	Maharashtra
Ms. Vani Jairam	Art	Tamil Nadu
Swami Chinna Jeeyar	Others – Spiritualism	Telangana
Ms. Suman Kalyanpur	Art	Maharashtra
Shri Kapil Kapoor	Literature & Education	Delhi
Ms. Sudha Murty	Social Work	Karnataka
Shri Kamlesh D Patel	Others – Spiritualism	Telangana

ICC awards winners for 2022

Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy: Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Nat Sciver (England)
Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year: Ben Stokes (England)
Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Babar Azam
Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Nat Sciver
Men’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Suryakumar Yadav (India)
Women’s T20 International Cricketer of the Year: Tahlia McGrath (Australia)
Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Marco Jansen (South Africa)
Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Renuka Singh (India)
Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia)
Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Esha Oza (India)
David Shepherd Trophy: Richard Illingworth (England)
Spirit of Cricket Award: Aasif Sheikh (Nepal)

Important Days

January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day
January 25, National Voters’ Day
January 25, National Tourism Day
January 23, Parakram Diwas
January 24, National Girl Child Day
January 15, Indian Army Day
January 12, National Youth Day
January 10, World Hindi Day

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