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Current Affairs January 2023

Daily Current Affairs: 13 January 2023 | Gkseries

January 13, 2023
DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why; many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 13 January 2023, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.

Current Affairs for Competitive Exam – 13 January 2022

Harry Brook & Ashleigh Gardner named ICC Players of the Month for December

Harry Brook & Ashleigh Gardner named ICC Players of the Month for December

ICC Players of the December Month: After a scorching run of runs that helped England win a historic World Test Championship (WTC) series in Pakistan, Harry Brook was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month. On the other hand, Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner bagged the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for her contributions with bat and ball in the T20I series against India.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

Harry Brook’s performance

In three games of the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan, 23-year-old Brook scored 468 runs. England won the series 3–0 in which Brook made his important contribution.

Ashley Gardner’s performance

Gardner won the award after his impressive individual performance in the series against India in December 2022. He received this award leaving behind Charlie Dean of England and Suzie Bates of New Zealand.

ICC Men’s Player of the Previous Month:

ICC Women’s Player of the Previous Month:

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

    ICC Founded: 15 June 1909;

    ICC Chairman: Greg Barclay;

    ICC CEO: Geoff Allardice;

    ICC Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates School of Logistics, Waterways and Communication in Agartala

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates School of Logistics, Waterways and Communication in Agartala

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates School of Logistics, Waterways and Communication in Agartala: The School of Logistics, Waterways and Communication in Agartala was opened by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha. This new institution aims to provide world-class education and training to the region’s talented individuals, allowing them to excel in the transportation and logistics industry. The school’s mission is to tap into the economic potential of the Northeast by harnessing the human resources of the region’s waterways and transportation sector, as outlined by Minister Sonowal.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

School of Logistics, Waterways and Communication:

The Centre for Logistics, Communication and Waterways conducts research, training, workshops, and seminars for a variety of stakeholders, including businesses, exporters/importers, Chambers of Commerce and Industries, local entrepreneurs, and tour operators, with the goal of enhancing the logistics and transportation sector. The centre is established under the State Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (SIPARD), an autonomous body funded by both the Government of Tripura and the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.

National Waterways And Other Initiatives:

The investment has now been increased to Rs 148 crores until 2024–2025 in order to fully build NW 16 (Barak) and the IBP Route nos. 5 & 6 and 9 & 10 for efficient connectivity within and from the region. Under the PM Gati Shakti initiative, multi-modal connectivity, Tripura is to be connected through IBP route 9 & 10 with Kolkata/Haldia Port and then on to Chittagong Port in Bangladesh & Sittwe Port in Myanmar. The Government of India is providing financial assistance under the Central Sector Scheme for development of Inland Waterway in the Northeast including Tripura. 

India-Bangladesh Cooperation:

In order to revamp the international trade between the Northeast India and Bangladesh, the waterways play a crucial role, said Sonowal. The two countries have renewed and strengthened the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade that outlines new measures to facilitate the inland water trade, develop infrastructure and improve cross-country transport and logistics facilities. In addition to the existing 6 ports of call, five additional ports of call and two extended ports of call on each side has been agreed along with a longer period of 5 years (against the 2 year validity earlier) for protocol renewal.

A book titled “Braving A Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story” by Aashish Chandorkar

A book titled “Braving A Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story” by Aashish Chandorkar

Braving A Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story:  In New Delhi, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya gave the book “Braving A Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story” its official launch. The book is co-authored by Aashish Chandorkar and Suraj Sudhir. The book launch comes ahead of India’s second anniversary of starting its COVID-19 vaccination drive in January 2021.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

The essence of the book:

In this book, the inside story of India’s fight against Corona and the challenges of making a vaccine in difficult circumstances is told. The whole story from India’s preparation to making it in the vaccine race has been told through words in this book. India had established a Covid management model towards an exemplary vaccination with public participation. In Braving a Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story, Aashish Chandorkar and Suraj Sudhir recall this saga of India’s fortitude and collective resolve. They use extensive data to follow the story, starting right from global perspectives on the unlikeliness of a pandemic, the development of the vaccine both in scientific and political terms and the series of triumphs over political, financial and geographical hurdles that followed. The book details how our self-belief played a key role in bouncing back from the pandemic and put the nation on the path of Aatmanirbharta, or self-dependence.

Inflation cools to one-year low of 5.7% in December

Inflation cools to one-year low of 5.7% in December

Inflation cools to one-year low of 5.7% in December: In December 2022, retail inflation declined to a one-year low of 5.72 percent, primarily as a result of falling food costs. According to information made public by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), it was also comfortably inside the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) comfort range of 2 percent to 6 percent for a second month. The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation rate eased to 5.72 per cent in December. It was 5.88 per cent in November, and 6.77 per cent in October 2022.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

Breached RBI’s Tolerance Limit:

After remaining above the Reserve Bank of India’s upper tolerance threshold of 6 per cent since January 2022, retail inflation declined in November to 5.88 per cent and further in December to 5.72 per cent — its lowest level in one year.

Inflation Rate for Foods:

The marginal dip in inflation was driven by lower food prices, especially vegetables. It should be mentioned that the rate of food inflation for December was 4.1% as opposed to 4.67% in November. The inflation rate for vegetables saw the biggest contraction at 15.08 per cent. Inflation rate for fuel and light, however, increased mildly to 10.97 per cent against 10.62 per cent in November.

Other items which also recorded a decrease in prices include meat and fish, oil and fats, fruits, and sugar and confectionery. However, high cereal prices and an elevated core inflation (non- food, non-oil) remain a cause of worry.

Former cricketer MS Dhoni, Garuda Aerospace launch surveillance drone named Droni

Former cricketer MS Dhoni, Garuda Aerospace launch surveillance drone named Droni

Garuda Aerospace: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a former captain of the Indian cricket team, and the drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace have introduced the “Droni” surveillance drone. Dhoni is an ambassador-cum-investor in the low-cost drone manufacturer. Dhoni had unveiled the camera drone called Droni at The Global Drone Expo in Chennai last year. Droni is a battery-operated quadcopter surveillance drone.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

At the launch, MS Dhoni has said that he got interested about drones during the COVID-19 lockdown and learned about the important role drones can play for farmers and agriculturalists. Garuda Aerospace recently became the first-ever drone company in India to get dual DGCA approvals for both drone manufacturing type certificate and RTPO. Recently, MS Dhoni and Garuda released a short film called “Kheton Ke Kaptan” with the goal of encouraging young people and farmers to take charge of their respective farms. The film was conceptualized by Garuda Aerospace and jointly produced with Dhoni Entertainment. The film ‘Kheton Ke Kaptan’ illustrates the need of farmers in their daily lives and how Garuda drones can help farmers with pesticide spraying, surveillance, and mapping while saving water and time.

Petrol blended with 20% ethanol from April 1, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Petrol blended with 20% ethanol from April 1, says Hardeep Singh Puri

Petrol blended with 20% ethanol from April 1, says Hardeep Singh Puri: The phased roll-out of E20 (20 per cent ethanol blending in gasoline) will begin on April 1, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. The fuel will be available at select outlets and will not require changes to car engines. The proposed roll-out will give further impetus to the government’s plans of achieving the level of 20 per cent ethanol blending in the overall petrol supply in the country by ethanol supply year 2025-2026.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

The Target Area:

E20’s initial launch date was April 1, 2023, but the government has moved it up to include 11 states/UTs: Delhi, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Daman Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. Under phase 1, 15 cities will be covered, the minister said.

A Massive Increase In Ethanol Blending:

From 1.53 percent in 2013–14 to 10.17 percent in 2022, ethanol is now blended into petrol in India. To achieve 20 per cent blending by 2025, the country needs 10.2-11 billion litres of ethanol. This would require a production capacity of around 14.5 billion litres because some production has to be kept aside for starch and chemical industry. Of this, around 7.6 billion litres of ethanol will have to be produced from sugarcane while another 7.2 billion litres will have to come from grain- and non-grain-based sources such as rice stubble and so on.

According to the minister, this has translated into forex savings of over 41,500 crore, a 27 lakh tonne reduction in GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, and benefits farmers by allowing for prompt payment of over 40,600 crore to them over the past eight years.

Whats More Is In Line:

Oil-marketing companies are targeting the installation of alternative fuel stations, such as electric vehicle charging, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas, and compressed biogas (CBG) at 22,000 retail outlets by May 2024.

The Centre has increased the rate for CBG plants under the SATAT scheme from Rs 46 per kg to Rs 54 per kg.

The government is also investing Rs 19,744 crore into the National Green Hydrogen Mission for developing green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (million metric tonnes) per annum.

Centre Clears Rs 2,600 cr Scheme to Promote RuPay, BHIM-UPI

Centre Clears Rs 2,600 cr Scheme to Promote RuPay, BHIM-UPI

Centre Clears Rs 2,600 cr Scheme to Promote RuPay, BHIM-UPI: The Union Cabinet has approved the incentive scheme for the promotion of RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (person-to-merchant) for the current financial year. A cash allocation of Rs 2,600 crore has been allocated for the incentive programme for the development of RuPay Debit Cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (P2M) in FY 2022–23.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

Significance of This Scheme:

Under the said 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 FY 2022-23.

Govt Impetus To digital transactions:

In the financial year 2021-22, the government had approved an incentive scheme in compliance with the budget announcement of FY22 to give a further boost to digital transactions.

In her budget speech last year, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced government’s intent to continue the financial support for digital payments. The scheme has been formulated in compliance with the aforesaid budget announcement.

As a result, the overall volume of digital payment transactions has increased annually by 59%, from 5,554 crore in FY2020–21 to 8,840 crore in FY202–21. BHIM-UPI transactions have registered a year-on-year growth of 106 per cent, rising from 2,233 crore in FY21 to 4,597 crore in FY22.

SEBI allows futures contract on corporate bond index

SEBI allows futures contract on corporate bond index

SEBI allows futures contract on corporate bond index: The Securities and Exchange Board of India has allowed exchanges to introduce future contracts on Corporate Bond Indices.

The index should be composed of corporate debt securities, constituents of the index should have adequate liquidity and diversification at the issuer level and the constituents of the index should be periodically reviewed.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

The constituents of the index should be periodically reviewed. SEBI has stated that there should be a minimum of eight issuers in the index and a single issuer should not have more than 15 percent weight in the index.

Also, the index should not have more than 25 percent weight in a particular group of issuers. However,  securities issued by public sector undertakings, public financial institutions, and public sector banks would be excluded from this provision. The circular stated that the value of the Cash Settled Corporate Bond Index Futures (CBIF) contracts shall not be less than Rs 2 lakh at the time of introduction.

Stock exchanges need to set an initial price band at 5 percent of the previous closing price or base price for every CBIF,  preventing acceptance of orders for execution that are placed beyond the set band. SEBI has fixed the trading hours between 9 AM and 5 PM on all working days from Monday to Friday.

Stock exchanges will have to submit a detailed proposal to the regulator for approval, giving details of the underlying corporate bond index, the index methodology, contract specifications, applicable trading, clearing and settlement mechanism, risk management framework, the safeguards to ensure market integrity, investor protection, and surveillance systems.

EnKash received RBI’s in-principle nod as online payment aggregator

EnKash received RBI's in-principle nod as online payment aggregator

EnKash received RBI’s in-principle nod as online payment aggregator: Business spend management platform EnKash has received RBI’s in-principle approval for payments aggregator (PA) licence, which will enable the company to broaden its product offerings to businesses for digital transactions.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

Founded in 2018, EnKash has helped over 100,000 businesses digitise and decentralise their corporate payments, and has issued more than 8 lakh corporate cards. The licence will help Enkash streamline cash flow process for businesses by consolidating payables and receivables and making necessary actions around payments, the company said in a release.

Payment aggregators: They facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept payment instruments from customers.

They help to connect merchants with acquirers. BharatPe and Hitachi Payment Services have also received in-principle authorization to operate as payment aggregators.

PM Modi inaugurates 26th National Youth Festival at Hubbali in Karnataka

PM Modi inaugurates 26th National Youth Festival at Hubbali in Karnataka

PM Modi inaugurates 26th National Youth Festival at Hubbali in Karnataka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 26th National Youth Festival, organized in Hubballi, Karnataka from 12th -16th January 2023. The programme is being held on National Youth Day, which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, to honour and cherish his ideals, teachings and contributions. The theme of the festival is ‘Viksit Yuva – Viksit Bharat’ and it brings diverse cultures from all parts of the country on a common platform and unites the participants in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.

January 2023 Current Affairs Quiz

This festival is held every year to provide exposure to our talented youth at the national level. It is being held on National Youth Day (12th January), which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Theme of this event: “Viksit Yuva – Viksit Bharat”

The event also included folk dances and songs.

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