Current Affairs Quiz 23rd January 2023 Quiz

Exp. Wayanad becomes first district to provide basic documents to tribals

Kerala’s Wayanad has become the first district in India to provide basic documents to all tribal people.

It will provide facilities such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, birth/death certificates, and health insurance.

Wayanad district administration has achieved this feat by providing 1,42,563 services to 64,670 tribal beneficiaries as part of Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitization (ABCD) campaign.

The campaign was launched in November 2021 with the objective of ensuring basic documents for all citizens of Scheduled Tribe communities from Thondarandu Gram Panchayat.

About Kerala

• Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister – Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor – Arif Mohammad Khan

Exp. Tourism Ministry participates in world’s largest Travel Exhibition

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is participating in FITUR, the world’s largest international travel exhibition in Madrid, Spain.

India’s participation at FITUR is significant to step up the recovery of inbound tourism to pre-pandemic levels

The Ministry of Tourism has taken up 253 square metres of space, with over 30 participants exhibiting along with the India Pavilion, to participate in the exhibition.

The India Pavilion was inaugurated by Dinesh K Patnaik, Indian Ambassador to Spain.

The first Global Tourism Investors Summit will be organized in New Delhi from 10-12 April 2023.

The first Global Tourism Investors Summit will be organized by the Ministry of Tourism in New Delhi from 10 to 12 April.

About Spain

• Capital- Madrid
• Currency – Euro
• Prime Minister – Pedro Sánchez

Official language– Spanish

Exp. 18th Annual Meeting of Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) held

Union Minister for Tourism, Culture G Kishan Reddy and Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan co-chaired the 18th Annual General Meeting of the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati.

During the meeting, a holistic approach of the government for skill development in the North Eastern region was suggested.

Both the Ministers also co-chaired a review meeting on the preparations for several activities under ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’.

Students from North East will be selected to visit different tourist spots in the rest of India to enable closer cultural and emotional ties.

At least 20,000 students from 100 universities will be selected to tour different parts of India to gain an opportunity for experiential learning.

Exp. J&K government to host its maiden SARAS Fair 2023

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is going to host its maiden SARAS Fair 2023 from 4 to 14 Feb 23.

In this fair, artisans and women self-help groups from across the country will showcase their crafts, handcrafts, handloom, and foods.

The fair would be organized at Bagh-e-Bahu, Jammu.

The fair is expected to witness the participation of women Self Help Groups from around 15 States and UTs across the country to sell their self-made products.

Popular Festivals of Jammu and Kashmir

• Ladakh Screenwriters Fair
• Har Navami Festival
• Bahu Mela
• Dosmoche Festival
• Hemis Festival
• Kanchoth festival
• Tulip Festival
• Spituk Gustor Festival
• Herath Festival
• Lavendar Festival

Exp. ‘Vigyanika – Science Literature Festival’ event to be held in IISF, Bhopal

A Science Literature Festival ‘Vigyanika’ has been organized at the Indian International Science Festival (IISF), Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

“Science Literature Festival” is being organized as part of the 8th IISF.

In 2023, IISF is being coordinated and organized by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Science & Technology, and Vijnana Bharati.

About 300 science writers, communicators, artists, journalists, young and budding authors, researchers, college students, children, science enthusiasts, science policymakers and citizens has participated in Vigyanika event.

About Madhya Pradesh

• Capital – Bhopal
• Chief Minister – Shivraj Singh Chauhan
• Governor – Mangubhai C. Patel

Exp. India to become $26 trillion economy by 2047: EY report

According to an EY report, the Indian Economy is very likely to hit the $26 trillion mark by the year 2047, which will also be the 100th year of India’s independence.

The report also showed that the country’s per capita income would exceed $15,000, placing it among the top developed economies.

It also noted that despite maintaining a stable yet modest growth rate of 6% per annum, India would still be able to become a $26 trillion economy (in nominal terms) by 2047-48, with the per capita income at six times the current levels.

According to EY’s report, few factor have contributed in positioning India for higher and sustainable growth. These include the recent accelerated pace of economic reforms in important areas like social inclusion, financial inclusion, improving and transforming fiscal, physical, and digital infrastructure, etc.

A decade ago Indian GDP was the eleventh largest globally. And recently India’s economy had overtaken that of the United Kingdom to become the fifth biggest in the world (in terms of size), according to figures from the International Monetary Fund.

Exp. SBI General Insurance partnered with HP Police and Doers NGO

SBI General Insurance has partnered with Doers NGO to assist Himachal Pradesh police in reducing the number of traffic accidents under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

SBI General has donated a well-equipped ambulance which would provide timely medical care to the road accident victims in the Mandi district within the ‘Golden hour’.

Objective – To provide timely treatment and facilitate lifesaving medical resources for road accident victims.

According to a report by the Ministry of Road Transports and Highways Transport (MoRTH) Research Wing, road accidents in India kills almost 1.5 lakh people annually. India accounts for almost 11 percent of the accident-related deaths in the World.

MD & CEO of SBI General Insurance – Kishore Kumar Poludasu

About Himachal Pradesh

• Capital – Shimla (Summer), Dharamshala (Winter)
• Chief Minister – Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu
• Deputy Chief Minister – Mukesh Agnihotri
• Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar

Recent MoUs Signed in Banking Sector

• South Indian Bank partnered with SAIL to provide financial assistance to the dealers of SAIL
• Axis Bank signed MoU with IISc Bengaluru to set up Centre for Mathematics and Computing
• Hockey Wali Sarpanch signed an agreement with NABARD to strengthen farmers*
• Axis Bank partnered with OPEN to launch a fully digital current account
• Niva Bupa and Sundaram Finance signed corporate agency agreement

Exp.  Jio is India’s strongest brand, ranked 9th globally: Brand Finance Report

Reliance Jio has been ranked as the strongest brand in India and placed 9th among the world’s strongest brands, according to the report ‘Global 500 – 2023’ published by Brand Finance.

Jio was placed ninth among the world’s strongest brands ahead of brands like EY, Coca-Cola, Accenture and Porsche, and behind the likes of Google, YouTube, Deloitte, and Instagram.

With a Brand Strength Index of 90.2, Jio is the only brand among the world’s strongest 25 brands, according to the Brand Finance listing.

The report titled ‘Global 500 – 2023’ is published annually and ranks the world’s most valuable and strongest brands.

Exp. Chris Hipkins elected as new prime minister of New Zealand

New Zealand’s ruling Labor Party has elected Chris Hipkins as its leader and the country’s 41st prime minister, replacing Ms. Jacinda Ardern.

Hipkins was the only nomination for the job and his confirmation in a party meeting known as the Labour caucus was largely a formality.

Hipkins named Carmel Sepuloni as Deputy Prime Minister.

First elected to Parliament in 2008, he became a household name fronting the Government’s response to the pandemic.

He was appointed Health Minister in July 2020 before becoming the COVID Response Minister at the end of the year.

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• Prime Minister of Nepal – Pushpa Kamal Dahal
• Prime Minister of Ireland – Indian-origin Leo Varadkar (2^nd term)
• First female President of Peru – Dina Boluarte
• Prime Minister of Malaysia – Anwar Ibrahim
• President of Kazakhstan – Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (2^nd term)
• First female president of Slovenia – Natasa Pirc Musar
• New Prime Minister of Israel – Benjamin Netanyahu
• President of Brazil – Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
• Prime Minister of Sweden – Ulf Kristersson
• President of Iraq – Abdul Latif Rashid

Exp. Co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings steps down as CEO

Netflix Inc co-founder Reed Hastings is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), handing the reins of the streaming service to longtime partner and co-CEO Ted Sarandos and the company’s chief operating officer, Greg Peters.

Netflix has been under pressure after losing customers in the first half of 2022.

He had co-founded Netflix as a DVD-by-mail business in 1997, saying the idea came from his frustration at having returned a rental of Apollo 13 to the local Blockbuster, a chain of physical stores in the US from where movies could be rented.

Exp. RV Prassad awarded the most distinguished scientist of the year 2022

R Vishnu Prassad has been awarded “the most distinguished scientist of the year 2022” at the Indian Achievers Award at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

The award recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions in various fields, including culture, science, sports, and innovation.

R Vishnu Prassad, a scientist with 69 patents has been honored with the Indian Achievers Award as the most distinguished scientist of the year by Anurag Thakur.

Recent Awards

• Golden Kailasha award at 8th Ajanta-Ellora FF – Naanera (Rajasthani film)

• Banker’s Bank of the Year Award 2022 for the India segment – Canara Bank
• Best Small Bank Award 2022 – Tamilnad Mercantile Bank
• Federal Bank Literary Award 2023 – Writer K Venu for Oranweshananthinte Katha’.
• 71st annual Miss Universe pageant – R’Bonney Gabriel (USA)
• Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award – Thiru Kumar Nadesan

Exp. Nepalese ophthalmologist Dr. Sanduk Ruit won Bahrain’s ISA Award

Himalayan Cataract Project Co-Founder and noted Nepali ophthalmologist Dr. Sanduk Ruit has won the ISA Award 2021-22 for Service to Humanity, a top civilian award of Bahrain.

He is fondly called as “God of Sight” to have saved 1,20,000 eyesight who would have otherwise gone blind in absence of treatment.

The award carries a cash prize of US$1 million, a certificate of merit, and a gold medallion.

He is a recipient of the Padma Shri award, the National Order of Merit of Bhutan, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

In 2016, he was awarded the ‘Asian Game Changer Award.’

Recent Awards

• Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2022 – Harish Damodaran

• Patangrao Kadam award – Adar Poonawalla
• Lifetime Achievement Award at 15^th Jaipur Film Festival – Aparna Sen
• Assam highest civilian award ‘AssamBaibhav’ – Dr. Tapan Saikia
• ‘Best Police Unit’ award for 2021 – Jalna and Nagpur Police (Maharastra)

Exp. India & Egypt Joint Training Exercise Cyclone – I begin in Rajasthan

Indian Army and Egyptian Army have commenced Exercise Cyclone-I, the first-ever joint exercise between their special forces.

The 14-day-long joint exercise is in progress at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.

The first of its kind joint Exercise Cyclone-I, being held in the deserts of Rajasthan, is seeing the Special Forces contingents of India and Egypt engage in various activities to enhance their skills.

The activities include Sniping, Combat Free Fall, Reconnaissance, Surveillance & Target Designation, and sharing of information on weapons, equipment, innovations, tactics, techniques & procedures.

The goal of Exercise Cyclone-I is to improve defence cooperation between the two countries.

The Exercise will concentrate on professional skill sharing and Special Forces interoperability in desert terrain while conducting counterterrorism, reconnaissance, raids, and other special operations

Recent Exercise

• The 21st edition of the bilateral naval exercise between India and France titled ‘Varuna’ began on the western seaboard.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) will conduct their first Air exercise “Veer Guardian 23” from January 16 to 26 at Hyakuri air base and Iruma air base in Japan.
• 16th edition of India & Nepal Joint Training Excercise Surya Kiran begins in Saljhandi, Nepal
• India & Kazakhstan joint military exercise KAZIND 2022 begins in Umroi, Meghalaya
• 7th edition of US-India Naval Exercise Sangam held in Goa

Exp. UNESCO to dedicate International Day of Education to Afghan Girls

UNESCO has decided to dedicate the International Day of Education on the 24th of January 2023 to Afghan girls and women.

It said that no country in the world should bar women and girls from receiving an education and it is a universal human right that must be respected.

The international community has the responsibility to ensure that the rights of Afghan girls and women are restored without delay.

According to UNESCO, currently, around 80 percent of school-aged Afghan girls and young women are out of school under Taliban rule, as they denied them access to secondary schools and universities.

Exp. 23 January 2023 – 126th Birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

The birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose on 23 January is celebrated every year as Parakram Diwas to inspire the people of the country, especially the youth.

He was born on January 23, 1897, at Cuttack in Odisha and his birthday is being celebrated as ‘Parakram Divas’ (day of valor) since 2022.

In 1923, he was elected the President of the All India Youth Congress and was elected President of the Haripura Congress Session in 1938.