CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• Indian Army day 2023 is observed on the 15th of January 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• The Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced that India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) of online gaming will be set up in Shillong, Meghalaya by March 2023.
• Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal will launch the MAARG platform (Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth), which would facilitate mentorship between startups and entrepreneurs across sectors, stages, and functions.
• Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated the Regional Office of Employees Provident Fund Organization in Alwar, Rajasthan.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a new ‘Aarogya Maitri’ project under which India will provide essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crisis
• The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) organized its very popular ‘Music in the Park’ series this year under the name ‘Shruti Amrut’ in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the New Delhi Municipal Council.
• The Department of Science and Technology has announced the Geospatial Hackathon to promote innovation and Start-Ups in India’s geospatial ecosystem.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shared snippets titled ‘Your Exam, Your Methods-Choose Your Style’ from Exam Warriors book and urged students to share how they prepare for exams.
• As part of India’s G-20 presidency, a Business-20 (B-20) inception meeting will be organized at Gandhinagar in Gujarat between the 22nd to 24th of January.
• The success of “Womaniya on Government eMarketplace” was commemorated in New Delhi.
• The Patna circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) unearthed two miniature votive stupas dating back 1200 years during landscaping work near the Sarai Tila mound within the grounds of "Nalanda Mahavihara," a world heritage site in the state's Nalanda district.
• The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) has discontinued the scheme of interest subsidy on education loans for overseas studies for students belonging to minority communities (Padho Pardesh).
• The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has notified India’s first national assessment regulator, PARAKH, which will work on setting norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognised school boards in the country.
• Hyderabad will host a World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), the first thematic center in India to focus on life sciences and healthcare
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 via video conferencing.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of various development projects in Mumbai & these projects, which are worth more than Rs. 38,000 crores

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• India and Panama signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation for the training of diplomats.
• India and the United Kingdom (UK) signed and exchanged letters of the UK-India Young Professional Scheme (YPS) at an event in London, UK.
• President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Mr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali offered 200 acres of land in Guyana to India for cultivation and production of millets for the private sector after the United Nations (UN) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millet (IYOM).
• India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached an agreement to collaborate on green hydrogen development and the laying of an undersea cable connecting India to the UAE under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “One Sun, One World, One Grid” initiative.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution titled 'Education for Democracy,' which reaffirms everyone's right to an education.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Meghalaya Chief Minister (CM) Shri Conrad Sangma launched the 30 shared school bus system & prime tourism vehicles and agriculture response vehicle scheme in Shillong city, Meghalaya.
• ONGC Tripura Power Company Ltd (OTPC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) to develop a battery energy storage project in Assam at an investment of Rs 2,000 crore.
• Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board and 8 countries of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) signed 8 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in Indore, MP.
• Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd) has approved a bill to grant 30% reservation for women in government jobs.
• According to an analysis of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi was the most polluted city in India in 2022 with PM 2.5 levels more than double the safe limit and the 3rd highest average PM10 concentration.
• The NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Tripura for the Development of Floating and Ground Mounted based Renewable Energy Projects in Tripura.
• Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Government has declared the whole Union Territory (UT) as a “Free Area” for purposes of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.
• The Punjab government will launch its first major education project, ‘Schools of Eminence’ on 21st January 2023 at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

• Leading public sector bank Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company (BALIC) have announced their Corporate Agency Partnership.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed alternative investment funds to participate in credit default swaps (CDS) to protect buyers and
• Fintech startup EnKash has got in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a payment aggregator's license.
• Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) has raised $1 billion via a 10-year Sustainability Bond issue in the 144A/Reg-S format under its Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Framework.
• The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has allowed Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions for non-resident bank accounts linked to International mobile numbers of 10 countries.
• According to the PwC India report, titled ‘Startup Tracker-CY 22’, the funding for India’s startups dropped by 33% to $24 billion in 2022 in contrast to the earlier year.
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed mutual funds with active Equity-Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS) to launch passive schemes, a move that will provide a cost-effective and tax-saving alternative to individual investors.
• Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Ltd. (ABHICL), the health insurance joint venture of Aditya Birla Capital Ltd. (ABCL), signed a bancassurance partnership with Punjab & Sind Bank for the distribution of health insurance products through the bank’s network of branches across India.
• Chennai’s drone startup Garuda Aerospace has partnered with the Union Bank of India (UBI) with 150 Garuda Agri Kisan drones receiving sanction for a loan under the Kisan Pushpak Scheme.
• India's retail inflation eased to72% in December 2022 primarily on the back of a decline in food prices.
• State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, has launched an e-Bank Guarantee (e-BG) facility in association with National e-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).
• India’s first premium electric intercity coach services brand, NueGo, has partnered with Paytm, India’s leading payments and financial services company and the pioneer of QR and mobile payments, launching a convenient bus ticket booking facility for its customers.
• Amazon Pay announced an association with Telangana Southern State Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) to simplify electricity bill payments for TSSPDCL customers.
• VTB - Russia's second-largest bank has launched a mechanism to receive direct payments in Rupees discarding the conventional mechanism involving Dollars and Euros, in a major boost to the India-Russia trade.
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has entered into a partnership with VFS Capital to extend loans to the Micro Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.
• The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has become India’s first public sector bank (PSB) to launch credit cards for its fixed deposit (FD) digitally for
• South Indian Bank (SIB) and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide financial assistance to the dealers of SAIL across India.
• Mastercard announced the expansion of its signature Girls4Tech, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education program in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• Axis Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) bought its 1.27% stake in SBI General Insurance Co to 2 entities of IIFL Alternative Investment Funds for about ₹350 crores.
• China's Alibaba Group has sold about a 3% stake in One97 Communications, the parent entity of leading Indian mobile payments and financial services company Paytm, for ₹1,031 crores through a block deal.
• Private equity firm Apax Partners, through its arm Dynasty Acquisition, to sell its entire 4.63% stake in Shriram Finance for a total value of up to ₹2,250 crores and a floor price of ₹1,300 per share.
• The overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has re-taken a 20% stake in the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas fields in the far east region of Russia.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• India's forex reserves dropped by USD 1.268 billion to USD 561.583 billion for the week ended January 6, the Reserve Bank.
• India’s merchandise exports contracted 12.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in December to $34.48 billion as slowing external demand amid recession fears in developed economies continued to weigh on outbound shipments, the data released by the commerce and industry ministry showed.
• India's fiscal deficit for FY23 is estimated at Rs 17.5 lakh crore, FY24 Rs 17.95 lakh crore: SBI
• Amazon has reclaimed the top spot as the world’s most valuable brand despite its brand value falling 15 percent this year from $350.3 billion to $299.3 billion.
• Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) signed an agreement to launch a pilot project to develop a hydrogen fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for mining logistics and transportation with Ashok Leyland, India, and Ballard Power, Canada.
• Bharti Airtel Group has announced that it will be investing Rs 2,000 crore for setting up a large hyper-scale data centre.
• The World Economic Forum launched the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA) to help unlock the USD 3 trillion of financing needed each year to reach net-zero, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity by 2050.
• India is likely to become a $26-trillion economy in the 100th year of its Indepe­ndence in 2047 with per capita GDP growing six times from the current level to over $15,000 during the period, EY report released at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at Davos.
• The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) 2023 monetary policy objective is to hold inflation within the mandated tolerance band and guide it towards the medium-term target of 4% by 2024.
• Air India Ltd.’s order for as many as 500 aircraft from Airbus SE and Boeing Co. is being held up by an impasse with engine makers powering the 737 Max, dragging out what stands to be one of the biggest single purchases in civil aviation history.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Facebook-parent Meta has appointed Mr. Vikas Purohit as Director of its Global Business Group in India.
• Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions has appointed Mr. Ravi Kumar S as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and a member of the Board, effective immediately & Mr. Kumar succeeds Brian Humphries in both roles.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has named Mr. Sultan al-Jaber, Cabinet Member and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the UAE, & Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC Group) as President of the COP28 climate summit.
• The government has extended the term of State Bank of India (SBI) Managing Director (MD) Challa Sreenivasulu Setty for two years with effect from January 20, 2023.
• The Board of Shriram Asset Management Company, which is part of the Shriram Group, approved the appointment of Kartik Jain as the company’s new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Financial Services for extending the term of managing director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Sanjiv Chadha for about 5 months till 30 June, 2023.
• Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris county judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the United States (US).
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) confirmed Inger Andersen of Denmark for a second term as executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• The center has appointed former director general of the Border Security Force (BSF) Pankaj Kumar Singh as the deputy National Security Advisor (Dy NSA) in the National Security Council Secretariat of India.
• Vedanta’s Cairn Oil & Gas, India’s largest private oil and gas exploration and production company, has appointed Nick Walker as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• The United Nations Medal was presented to 1,171 Indian peacekeepers deployed with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan during a special award ceremony in Upper Nile.
• Miss Universe 2021, Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu crowned her successor, Miss USA R'Bonney Gabriel at the 71st Miss Universe pageant held at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
• Google has celebrated the 97th birth anniversary of legendary Indian wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, also known as Pocket Dynamo, with a doodle.
• Noted writer K Venu was conferred with Federal Bank Literary Award 2022 for his autobiography ‘Oranweshananthinte Katha.
• Naanera, a Rajasthani film directed by Deepankar Prakash, bagged the Golden Kailasha award for the best movie at the Ajanta-Ellora film festival.
• Himalayan Cataract Project Co-Founder Dr. Sanduk Ruit has won the ISA Award for Service to Humanity, a top civilian award in Bahrain.
• GMR Goa International Airport (GGIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure, has won the 'Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport' award under aviation sustainability and environment at ASSOCHAM's 14th International Conference-cum-Awards for Civil Aviation 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship ‘Kamla Devi’, the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) designed, built, and delivered by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, Kolkata to the Indian Coast Guard was commissioned.
• The 21st edition of the bilateral naval exercise between India and France commenced on the western seaboard.
• The defence minister Shri Rajnath Singh introduced the “Soul of Steel" Alpine Challenge, to promote tourism in border areas.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s(NASA) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured its first-ever exoplanet, formally classified as LHS 475 b, the planet is almost the same size as our earth clocking in at 99% of Earth's diameter."
• The Chairperson of the South African Council for Space Affairs, Pontsho Maruping announced that the successful launch of the world’s first agri-focused satellite called AgriSAT-1 /ZA 008 is expected to generate over USD 100 million in revenue for South Africa.
• Startup firm IG Drones, which was born out of the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) campus in Odisha's Sambalpur has developed a 5G-enabled drone named Skyhawk that is capable of vertical take-off and
• According to an analysis released by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the earth's average surface temperature in 2022 tied with 2015 as the fifth warmest year on record.
• A leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, Tech Mahindra and Microsoft, have announced a strategic collaboration to enable cloud-powered 5G core network modernization for telecom operators globally.
• Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi (a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited) has invented a “System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust” and obtained a patent for the same in December 2022 (Patent No. 416055).
• RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a Mini Ratna Public Sector Unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways has received a work order from the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Puducherry for design, develop, supply, install, test, commission and Operations and Maintenance (O & M) for 5 years of Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) and other associated activities for Puducherry Smart City.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

• The richest one percent in India now own more than 40 percent of the country's total wealth, while the bottom half of the population together share just 3 percent of the wealth.
• The World Economic Forum taking place in Davos, Switzerland released the 18th edition of the Global Risk Report 2023 based on the 2022-2023 Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) that reveals the cost-of-living crisis, food supply crisis, energy supply crisis, rising inflation, and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are the major risks, the world is witnessing currently.
• As per a recent list released by the World of Statistics, Shah Rukh Khan is the third richest actor in the world with a net worth of $770 million & he is the only Indian on the list.
• Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani has been ranked second on Brand Finance’s annual report on the world’s top CEOs for the year 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• Broadcaster Sony Sports Network, which will air the Australian Open this month across its channels and OTT app SonyLiv, has roped in sponsors like Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Samsonite as co-presenting sponsors and Panasonic as an associate sponsor for the upcoming open.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ENVIRONMENT

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) has listed Neelakurinji ( Strobilanthes kunthiana) Under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, it is included in the list of protected plants.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Star Indian batter Virat Kohli became the fifth-highest run-scorer in the history of ODI cricket, overtaking Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene to enter the top five.
• Falak Mumtaz, an 11-year-old from Shopian in South Kashmir, won gold in the National Sqay Championship 2023.
• Akane Yamaguchi and Viktor Axelsen won the Malaysia Open Super 1000 women’s and men’s singles titles in Kuala Lumpur.
• Reliance-backed Viacom18 has secured the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) media rights for five years (2023-27) at an auction.
• Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup for the first time since the competition was revamped and moved to Saudi Arabia with a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid.
• Geovanis Uwase, the Rwanda fast bowler, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after her action was found illegal at Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup.
• Hashim Amla, who ended a 22-year playing career, will be regarded as one of South Africa's all-time cricketing greats.
• Indian captain Rohit Sharma gave the hosts another solid start, this time against New Zealand in the 1st ODI at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
• Netherlands went past Australia’s record of most goals scored by a team in a single FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup match

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Former Union Minister and one of the country's most prominent socialist leaders, Sharad Yadav, Passed away at the age of 75 in Gurugram, Haryana.
• Congress Member of Parliament (MP) from Jalandhar, Punjab Santokh Singh Chaudhary, Passed away at the age of 76 while taking part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
• Godfather to Prince William & Last King of Greece Constantine II Passed away at the age of 82.
• Renowned scientist and former chairman of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) -National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram Dr A D Damodaran passed away at the age of 87 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• The titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mukarram Jah Bahadur passed away in Turkey at the age of 89.
• Renowned British linguist Ronald E Asher (RE Asher) who specialized in Dravidian languages passed away at the age of 96 in Edinburg, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK).
• A social worker from the Union Territory (UT) of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu & Padma Shri awardee Prabhaben Shah passed away at the age of 92 in Daman.
• Renowned Bharatanatyam dancer and guru, writer, and research scholar Lakshmi Vishwanathan Passed away at the age of 78.
• The Vice President (VP) of the West African nation of Gambia, Badara Alieu Joof passed away in India at the age of 65.