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 Current Affairs Weekly PDF – January 2023 – 2nd Week
(8 - 16)
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
“Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity”:
India’s First Festival of Inclusion held in
Goa
Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity’ (Purple Fest
2023), India’s 1st of its kind inclusive festival
commenced at the Entertainment Society of Goa in
Panaji, Goa.
✓ Purple Fest aims to showcase how to come
together to create a welcoming and
inclusive world for everyone.
✓ Goa has organised a unique purple
celebration that will significantly advance
the goals and establish a milestone in
Divyangjan’s empowerment.
✓ Divyangjan- The word Viklang was
replaced with Divyaang (divine body) to
refer to persons with disabilities in 2016.
Y20 Summit India Curtain Raiser Event:
Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur
launches the Themes of the Y20 Summit
Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Youth
Affairs and Sports, launched the themes of Youth 20
(Y20) Summit, logo, and website in the Curtain
raiser event of Y20 Summit India at Akashwani
Rang Bhawan New Delhi, Delhi.
✓ India is hosting the Y20 Summit for the 1st
time. The Youth20 Group’s inception
meeting will take place in Guwahati, Assam,
from 6th to 8th February 2023.
✓ The Y20 is the official youth engagement
group for the G20 (Group of 20), the forum
for the world’s largest and most advanced
economies.
MoS for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal
inaugurates Astro Tourism – A Sky
Gazing Event
Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State (MoS) for
Culture, inaugurated Astro Tourism – A Sky
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Gazing event which was jointly organised by the
National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) and
Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), under
the banner of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, at
India Gate Lawns, Kartavya Path, New Delhi, Delhi.
IMD: 2022 Fifth Warmest Year for India
Since 1901
The India Meteorological Department
(IMD)’s Statement on Climate of India during
2022 stated that the year 2022 was the fifth
warmest for India since 1901. The annual mean
land surface air temperature was 0.51 degrees
Celsius above the long-term average, which is the
mean temperature for the 1981-2010 period.
✓ This was lower than the highest warming
observed in India in 2016 (anomaly of +0.71
degrees Celsius) and higher than the
previous year 2021 (anomaly of +0.44
degrees Celsius).
✓ During the 2022 winter season, the all-India
mean temperatures were normal with an
anomaly of -0.04 degrees Celsius.
Vande Metro Trains: Indian Railways to
introduce India's First Hydrogen Power
Trains on Heritage Lines
Indian Railways is set to introduce India’s 1st
hydrogen-powered trains - "Vande Metro trains" on
its narrow gauge heritage lines to transform Indian
locomotive mobility by December 2023.
✓ A prototype hydrogen-fueled train is now
being developed by the Northern railway
workshop which will be tested on the
Haryana section between Sonipat and Jind.
✓ In 2022, Germany became the first nation in
the world to operate hydrogen-powered
trains. It was followed by China, which
debuted the world's second and Asia's first
hydrogen-powered train.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 4
Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated
& laid the foundation stone of
21 development projects at Moirang,
Manipur
Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA), inaugurated and laid the foundation stone
of 21 development projects worth Rs 1,311 crore in
Moirang, Manipur.
✓ He unveiled the 165-feet tall tricolor at the
historic ‘Azad Hind Fauj’ Headquarters at
Moirang, which is the tallest national flag in
the entire North East region.
✓ Union Minister Amit Shah also inaugurated
5 different development works worth Rs 52
crore in Nagaland. Click here to read more.
NHA Introduces New System to Evaluate
and Grade Hospitals Empanelled under
AB PM-JAY Scheme
The National Health Authority (NHA) is
establishing a new system to measure and grade
hospital performance as part of the
flagship scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan
Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).
✓ The new initiative will establish the concept
of “value-based care,” in which payment
will be based on outcomes and providers
will be rewarded based on the quality of
treatment provided.
Kerala Becomes India’s 1st State With
Full Digital Banking Service
Kerala has become the first state in India to go fully
digital in its banking service. It was declared by the
Chief Minister (CM) of
Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan during an event.
✓ Kerala also received three ‘Digital India’
awards for the advancement in the digital
sector viz. silver medal for Ksheerashree
portal, platinum award for Digital
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Workforce Management System, and gold
medal for District Administration of
Kottayam.
✓ It should be noted that Kerala is the only
State in India that has declared ‘the right to
Internet’ as a basic right of its citizens.
India’s 1st Coal Gasification-Based
Talcher Fertilizer Plant to be Ready
in Odisha by 2024
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health
and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers,
announced that India’s largest and 1st coal
gasification-based Talcher Fertiliser Project in
Odisha will be ready to be dedicated to India by
October 2024. Dr Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed
the progress of work at the plant site of Talcher
Fertilizers Limited (TFL) at Angul, Odisha.
GoI Gets Extension to Frame CAA Rules
for 7th Consecutive Time
The Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate
Legislation in the Rajya Sabha has accepted the
Ministry of Home Affairs’s (MHA) request for the
extension of six more months till 30th June 2023,
to frame rules under the Citizenship Amendment
Act (CAA), 2019 for the 7th time. The decision of
the Lok Sabha committee is yet to be made.
International Kite Festival 2023 Begins
In Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat inaugurated
the International Kite Festival 2023 at Sabarmati
Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The festival is
organised by Gujarat Tourism on the G20 theme
of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. Apart
from Ahmedabad, the International Kite festival
will also be organised in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot,
Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo, and Kevadia.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 5
India, Panama signs agreement
on Cooperation in Training
of Diplomats during 17th PDB
Convention 2023
On January 9, 2023, during the
17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention
2023 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh (MP), an
agreement was signed between India and Panama
on the cooperation in the training of diplomats.
✓ The PBD convention was held on January 8-
10, 2023 on the theme ‘Diaspora: Reliable
Partners for India’s Progress in Amrit Kaal’.
✓ India and the United Kingdom (UK) also
signed and exchanged letters of ‘UK-India
Young Professionals Scheme’ which will
allow 3,000 young Indians and Britons aged
18 to 30 to live, study and work in each
other’s countries without needing to have a
job in hand. Click here to read more.
ReNew Power Installs India’s First 3x
Platform WTGs in Karnataka
ReNew Power (“ReNew”), one of India’s largest
independent power producers (IPPs) for renewable
energy, has announced the installation of India’s
first 3x-platform wind turbine generators (WTGs)
at Gadag, Karnataka.
✓ The new WTGs will be a component of
India’s first “Round the Clock” renewable
energy project, which combines wind, solar,
and a Battery Energy Storage System
(BESS).
✓ The WTGs are 128–140 m tall and have a
nameplate capacity of 3.3–3.465 MW
(megawatts).
Union Minister Jitendra Singh releases
the Theme of National Science Day 2023
Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State
(Independent Charge) Science & Technology,
released the theme for the National Science Day
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2023 titled “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”
at National Media Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.
✓ National Science Day (NSD) is annually
observed across India on February 28 to
commemorate the discovery of the “Raman
Effect”.
GoI Allocates Rs 1037.90 Crore to New
India Literacy Programme for A 5-Year
Period (FY23-FY27)
The Government of India (GoI) has allotted Rs.
1037.90 crore for the New India Literacy
Programme (NILP), a centrally sponsored
programme (CSS), for a 5-year period, from fiscal
years 2022-23 (FY23) to 2026-27 (FY27).
✓ The GoI will contribute Rs. 700 crore out
of the total financial outlay of Rs. 1037.90
crore, while the state will contribute Rs.
337.90 crore.
✓ The NILP was approved by the Ministry of
Education (MoE) in 2022 to cover all
aspects of adult education in accordance
with the new National Education Policy
2020 (NEP 2020) for the next five years,
from FY23 to FY27.
Defence Acquisition Council approves
AoN of 3 acquisition proposals of IA & IN
worth Rs 4,276cr
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved
Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for three capital
acquisition – two of the Indian Army (IA) and one of
the Indian Navy (IN) – proposals worth Rs 4,276
crore during a meeting under the chairmanship of
Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence
(MoD) in New Delhi, Delhi.
✓ The three proposals, two of the IA and one
of the IN, are under the Buy {Indian-IDDM
(Indigenously Designed, Developed and
Manufactured)} category.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 6
Cabinet Approvals on Jan 11, 2023
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi, has approved the following
proposals:
✓ Setting up of three national-level multi-state
cooperative societies for three different
sectors – export, seeds and organic
products – under the Multi-State
Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002.
✓ Rs. 2,600 crore scheme to promote Rupay
debit cards, low-value UPI transactions.
✓ Renaming of National Centre for Drinking
Water, Sanitation & Quality at Joka, Kolkata
as ‘Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee National
Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-
NIWAS)’. Click here to read more.
Indian High Commission signs MoU to
establish Hindi Chair at Sabaragamuwa
University of Sri Lanka
MoU b/w: Indian High Commission with
Sabaragamuwa University
Purpose: To establish a Hindi Chair at the
Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.
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MP’s Vidisha Becomes India’s 1st
District for on-Ground Deployment of 5G
Use Cases Offered by Startups
Vidisha, an aspirational district of Madhya
Pradesh(MP) becomes India’s first district for on-
ground deployment of 5G(fifth-generation) use
cases offered by startups.
✓ This is a joint initiative by Vidisha District
Administration and Centre for
Development of Telematics (C-DOT),
Department of Telecommunications (DoT),
Ministry of Communications, under the
guidance of V.L Kantha Rao, Additional
Secretary (Telecom) & Administrator of
Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
FSSAI notifies first-ever Regulatory
Standards for Basmati Rice
For the first time in India, the Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has
formulated identity standards for basmati rice
(including brown basmati, milled basmati,
parboiled brown basmati, and milled parboiled
basmati) through Food Safety and Standards
(Food Products Standards and Food Additives)
First Amendment Regulations, 2023.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 7
These standards will be implemented from August
1, 2023.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
New Members Join United Nations
Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
officially welcomed Ecuador, Japan, Malta,
Mozambique, and Switzerland, who now hold the
two-year seats that they won without opposition in
June, in charge of preserving international peace
and security.
✓ Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and
Switzerland are the 5 countries replacing
India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway,
whose terms ended on 31st December
2022.
✓ Mozambique and Switzerland marked their
1st-ever terms on the UN’s most powerful
body.
✓ Malta joined for a 2nd time, Ecuador a 4th
and Japan a record 12th. China, France,
Russia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the
United States (US) are permanent UN
members.
Nikkei Asia Report: India Surpasses
Japan to Become the World’s 3rd Largest
Auto Market
According to the Nikkei Asia report, India
surpassed Japan as the world’s third-largest auto
market in 2022. According to preliminary results,
India’s new vehicle sales were at 4.25 million units,
surpassing Japan’s 4.2 million units.
✓ China remained the global leader in
automobile sales in 2021, with 26.27
million units, followed by the United States
(US) in second place with 15.4 million
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India & US Establish New Trade Group to
Build Sustainable Supply Chains
India and the United States of America(USA)
have established a new working group to build
sustainable supply chains and boost bilateral trade.
This working group will initially focus on trade
facilitation, digitization of customs procedures,
issues related to sustainable finance and the scaling
up of innovative clean technologies.
vehicles and Japan in third place with 4.44
million units.
Henley Passport Index 2023: Indian
Passport Ranks 85th; Gives Visa-Free
Entry to 59 Destinations Worldwide
According to the ‘Henley Passport Index
2023’ released by Henley & Partners, a London-
based global citizenship and residence advisory
firm, the Indian passport ranks 85th in the Henley
Passport Index 2023, the world’s most powerful
passport index, and gives visa-free entry to 59
destinations worldwide.
✓ Previously, India was ranked 82nd, 84th,
85th, and 83rd in 2019, 2020, 2021, and
2022, respectively.
✓ Indian passport holders can travel visa-free
to 59 countries, including Bhutan,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Macao, the Maldives,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Kenya,
Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Uganda,
Iran, and Qatar.
✓ However, visa-on-arrival will be needed for
some countries. Click here to read more.
WEF Global Risks Report 2023: Cost of
Living Crisis and Digital Inequality
Among India’s Risks
World Economic Forum (WEF) has
published ‘The Global Risks Report 2023’ (18th
Edition), which lists the biggest risks for India over
the short and medium terms. The Global Risks
Report 2023 summarises the findings of the
latest Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS).
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 8
 ✓ Globally, the greatest risks over the next 2
years [2023–2025] include: cost-of-living
crisis, natural disasters and extreme
weather conditions, geoeconomic
confrontations, failure to control climate
change, and occurrences causing significant
environmental damage.
✓ The biggest risks over the long term (10
years) [2023-2033] are failures to adapt to
and mitigate climate change, loss of
biodiversity, massive involuntary migration,
and natural resource crises, among others.
✓ WEF: MD – Saadia Zahidi; Established –
1971; HQ – Cologny, GenevaCanton,
Switzerland. Click here to read more.
UNU-INWEH: 3,700 Indian Dams Will
Lose 26% Storage Capacity By 2050;
World to Lose 26% Storage By 2050 To
Trapped Sediment
According to a new study by the United Nations
University Institute for Water, Environment, and
Health (UNU-INWEH), around 3,700 large dams
in India could lose on average 26% of their initial
total storage by 2050 owing to sediment
deposition, which might affect future water
security, irrigation, and power generation.
✓ The findings were originally published in
the journal ‘Sustainability’ in an article
titled “Present and Future Losses of
Storage in Large Reservoirs Due to
Sedimentation: A Country-Wise Global
Assessment” by the UNU-INWEH. Click
here to access the report
✓ UNU-INWEH: Director – Vladimir
Smakhtin; Established – 1996. Click here to
read more.
OAG’s Punctuality League 2023: IndiGo
Airlines & Coimbatore International
Airport are Among World’s 20 Most
Punctual Airlines & Airports
According to The Official Airline Guide (OAG)’s
Punctuality League 2023 report, released on
11th January 2022, India’s largest
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airline IndiGo and Airports Authority of
India (AAI)-owned Coimbatore International
Airport, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, are among the
20 most punctual airlines and airports globally in
terms of On-Time Performance (OTP) in 2022.
✓ Indigo and Coimbatore International
Airport are the only indian airline and
airport featured on the OAG’s Punctuality
League 2023 report
People aged 65+ worldwide to more
than double from 761 mn in 2021 to 1.6
bn in 2050: UN
The United Nations (UN) in its World Social
Report 2023 projected that the number of people
aged 65 years or older worldwide will more than
double from 761 million in 2021 to 1.6 billion in
2050. It is published by the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
✓ Northern Africa, Western Asia and sub-
Saharan Africa are expected to experience
the fastest growth in the number of older
people over the next three decades.
✓ Currently, Europe and Northern America
have the highest share of older persons.
UN Reports: 5 Million Children Died
Before Their Fifth Birthday in 2021; 1.9
Million Stillborn in 2021 Globally
According to the recent data published in
the "Levels & Trends in Child Mortality" report
by the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child
Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), an estimated 5
million children died before turning five, with
nearly half (47%) dying during their first month.
✓ UN IGME is led by UNICEF and includes the
World Health Organization (WHO), the
World Bank Group and the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
Population Division. It was formed in 2004.
According to a separate report titled "Never
Forgotten" by the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF), 1.9 million babies were stillborn in 2021,
with more than three-quarters (77%) occurring in
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 9
 BANKING & FINANCE
RBI to Issue Its Maiden Green Bonds for
Rs. 16,000 Crore in Two Tranches of Rs.
8,000 Crore Each
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced
that the maiden Sovereign Green Bonds
(SGrBs) for an aggregate sum of Rs.
16,000 crores will be issued in two tranches of Rs.
8,000 crores each in January and February 2023,
with the intention of mobilizing resources for green
infrastructure.
✓ The proceeds would be used to fund public-
sector projects that will help India reduce
its carbon emissions.
✓ Green bonds are financial instruments used
by the government to raise funds from
potential investors for
programmes/schemes that promote
environmental sustainability and climate
adaptation. Click here to read more.
NABARD Raises around Rs 5,000 crore
via 3-year Bonds
Under its first issue of ‘fund raising through bonds
in 2023’, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) has raised around Rs
5,000 crore via 3-year bonds.
✓ The coupon for the 3-year bond was 7.63
per cent. (The yield on 3-year government
bonds was above 7.16 per cent).
✓ The issue by NABARD had a base size of Rs
2,000 crore plus a green-shoe option of Rs
3,000 crore.
✓ A coupon bond is a bond with coupons that
pays periodic interest payments at its
lifetime and par value at maturity.
RBI notifies revised List of Accredited
Credit Rating Agencies
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the revised
list of accredited Credit Rating agencies (CRAs) for
the purpose of assigning risk weight to assets for
capital adequacy purposes by the banks. The six
credit rating agencies are as follows:
✓ Acuite Ratings & Research Limited (Acuite)
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✓ Credit Analysis and Research Limited
(CARE)
✓ CRISIL Ratings Limited
✓ ICRA Limited
✓ India Ratings and Research Private Limited
(India Ratings)
✓ INFOMERICS Valuation and Rating Pvt Ltd
Axis Bank & IISc Signs MoU to Set up
Centre for Mathematics and Computing
MoU b/w: Axis Bank with the Indian Institute of
Science (IISc), Bengaluru, Karnataka
Purpose: to establish a Centre for Mathematics and
Computing at IISc.
✓ It will also host the new IISc BTech
programme in Mathematics and Computing
and the ongoing Interdisciplinary PhD
programme in Mathematical Sciences.
✓ Axis Bank: MD & CEO – Amitabh Chaudhry;
HQ – Mumbai, Maharashtra; Establishment
– 1994; Tagline – Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi
ICRA Report: Bank Bond Issuances
Reach a Record of Rs. 91,500 Crore in
Debt Capital in FY23 (April –December)
According to the report released by credit rating
agency ICRA Limited (formerly Investment
Information and Credit Rating Agency of India
Limited), Gross bond issuances by Indian banks
reached a record of Rs. 91,500 crores in the first 9
months (April-December) of financial year 2022-23
(FY23). Click here to read more about ICRA’s
analysis.
✓ Bank gross bond issuances are likely to
reach Rs. 1.3-1.4 lakh crore by the end of
FY23, as the banking system’s credit-to-
deposit (CD) ratio continues to firm up.
Click here to read more.
“PayRup”: India’s Fastest Payment App
Has Been Launched
PayRup, India’s fastest payment app, has been
launched. PayRup is built on cutting-edge Web 3.0
technology and offers an enhanced digital payment
experience with an exceptional user experience.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 10
 ✓ PayRup: Established – 2017; HQ –
Bengaluru, Karnataka
SEBI Extends Trading Hours for Stock
Exchange Outage
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for
handling Stock Exchange outages and extension of
trading hours in case of an outage.
✓ Stock Exchange Outage is a stoppage of
continuous trading, either suo moto by
exchange or beyond the control of the stock
exchange.
South Indian Bank Launches MSME
Online Portal
The South Indian Bank(SIB), headquartered in
Thrissur, Kerala, has launched a Micro Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSME) online portal that
provides instant online ‘In Principle’ approval of up
to Rs. 1 crore.
HDFC Capital Achieves USD 376-mn
Initial Close for Scheme 2 of H-CARE 3
HDFC Capital, a subsidiary of HDFC Limited has
successfully achieved the initial close of USD 376
million for Scheme 2 of HDFC Capital Affordable
Real Estate Fund – 3 (H-CARE 3) to provide long
term, flexible funding across affordable and mid-
income housing projects including early-stage
funding.
✓ The primary investor in H-CARE 3 Schemes
1 & 2 is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
Kotak General Insurance Ties Up
with Clootrack to Boost Customer
Experience
Tie-up b/w: Kotak Mahindra General Insurance
Company Limited (“Kotak General Insurance”)
with Clootrack, an artificial intelligence (AI)-
powered, real-time customer experience platform.
Purpose: To provide Kotak General Insurance with
actionable insights about its non-life insurance
products based on customer feedback, as well as
assist it in understanding market gaps in order to
improve its customer experience.
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Hitachi Payment Services gets RBI’s in-
principle nod for Payment
Aggregator Licence
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) provided its in-
principle authorization to Hitachi Payment Services
to act as a payment aggregator (PA). Hitachi
Payment Services is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Hitachi Ltd.
✓ PAs are entities that facilitate e-commerce
sites and merchants to accept various
payment instruments from customers to
complete payments.
RBI also awarded its in-principle approval
to Resilient Payments Private Ltd, a 100% owned
subsidiary of Resilient Innovations Private Ltd
(BharatPe), to operate as an online PA.
SEBI Allows Futures Contract On
Corporate Bond Index
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
allowed stock exchanges to launch future contracts
on corporate bond indices of corporate debt
securities rated AA+ and above to enhance liquidity
in the bond market and to provide an opportunity
to the investors to hedge their positions.
✓ SEBI also allowed portfolio managers under
co-investment Portfolio Management
Services (PMS) to terminate their services
as per the provisions of the agreement
signed with the client for early termination.
PwC India Report: Startup Funding in
India Drops 33% to USD 24 Billion in
2022
In accordance with the “Startup Tracker-
CY22” report published by PwC India, funding for
Indian startups fell by 33% to USD 24 billion in
calendar year 2022 (CY22) as compared to CY21
but was still more than twice as much as the
amount raised in CY20 and CY19 combined
together.
✓ Startups received a total of USD 13.2 billion
in funding in 2019, USD 10.9 billion in CY20,
and USD 35.2 billion in CY21. Click here to
read more.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 11
NPCI allows UPI transactions for Non-
Resident Accounts linked to
International Numbers
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
has allowed UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
transactions for non-resident bank accounts like
Non-Residential External (NRE) and Non- Resident
Ordinary (NRO) linked to international mobile
numbers.
✓ Initially, the transactions from mobile
numbers of 10 countries – Singapore,
Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar,
United States of America(USA), Saudi
Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the
United Kingdom (UK) – will be enabled
✓ This means Non-resident Indians (NRIs)
from these countries can transact through
UPI.
✓ NPCI has mandated all UPI members,
including banks and payments platforms, to
comply with the norms by 30th April 2023.
Bajaj Allianz Life, Punjab & Sind Bank
enter into strategic partnership
Corporate Agreement b/w: Punjab & Sind Bank, a
Public Sector Bank (PSB) & Pune (Maharashtra)
based Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company
(BALIC).
✓ This will allow PSB’s new and existing
customers to avail a variety of retail life
insurance products from BALIC including
term, savings, retirement and investment
options.
✓ Punjab & Sind Bank: MD & CEO– Swarup
Kumar Saha; HQ– New Delhi (Delhi);
Tagline– Where service is a way of life
RBI Grants In-principle Approval for
Payment Aggregator Licence to EnKash
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has provided in-
principle approval for the Fintech startup EnKash,
for payment aggregator’s licence. This will enable
EnKash to broaden its product offerings to millions
of businesses for digital transactions.
✓ EnKash is established in 2018.
✓ Hitachi Payment Services an end-to-end
payment service provider and BharatPe, a
fintech unicorn have also received in-
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principle approval from RBI for a payment
aggregator licence.
Exim Bank Raises USD 1 billion through
10-year Sustainability Bond Issue
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has
raised USD 1 billion via a 10-year Sustainability
Bond issue in the 144A/Reg-S format under its
Environmental Social Governance (ESG)
Framework.
✓ India Exim Bank becomes the first Indian
issuer to open the markets for dollar and
sustainability bond issuances in 2023, by
issuing at a coupon rate of CT10 (US 10-
year Treasury Bond) +190 basis points.
SEBI allows AIFs to participate in CDS
transactions; allows MFs to switch from
Active to Passive ELSS schemes
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
has amended the SEBI (Alternative Investment
Funds-AIF) Regulations, 2012 to allow Alternative
Investment Funds (AIFs) to participate in the Credit
Default Swaps (CDS) market as protection buyers
and sellers.
✓ Regulations 16(1) (aa),17(da),
18(ab)and 20(11) of AIF Regulations
enable AIFs to participate in CDS.
✓ CDS is a specific kind of counter-party
agreement which allows the transfer of
third party credit risk from one party to
another. Click Here for Official Circular
SEBI also allowed Mutual Funds (MFs) with active
Equity-Linked Savings Schemes (ELSS) to launch
passively managed open-ended ELSS schemes. This
will provide a cost-effective and tax-saving
alternative to individual investors.
✓ SEBI: Chairperson– Madhabi Puri Buch;
HQ– Mumbai, Maharashtra;
Establishment– 1992. Click here to read
more.
UBI Sanctions 150 Agri Drone Loans for
Garuda Kisan Drones under AIF
Partnership b/w: Chennai-based Drone Startup,
Garuda Aerospace Pvt Ltd with the Union Bank of
India (UBI).
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 12
 ✓ Under this partnership, 150 Garuda
Agri Kisan drones have received sanction
for Loan under the Union Kisan Pushpak
Scheme. This partnership is for the
Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
scheme and capital subsidy under sub-
mission on Agriculture Mechanization
(SMAM).
✓ UBI: MD & CEO - A. Manimekhalai; HQ -
Mumbai, Maharashtra; Establishment –
1919; Tagline - Good People To Bank With
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
First Advance Estimates of National
Income, 2022-23: India’s GDP Likely to
Grow at 7% in FY23
The National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of
Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI),
has released its First Advance Estimates (FAE) of
National Income for the financial year 2022–
2023 (FY23) at both constant (2011–12) and
current prices.
✓ According to the NSO’s first FAE, the Indian
economy will grow at a rate of 7% in FY23,
up from 8.7% in FY22.
✓ The FAE of Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
launched in 2016-17 to serve as essential
inputs to the budget exercise, is based on
limited data and prepared using
the Benchmark-Indicator Method. Click
here to read more.
ODP Corporation Selects HCL Tech as
Primary IT Partner
ODP Corporation has selected HCL Tech as
its primary IT partner for end-to-end Information
technology (IT) operations and enterprise-wide
digital transformation to support ODP’s business
strategy in its Office Depot, ODP Business Solutions
and Veyer business units.
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SBI Launches E-Bank Guarantee (E-BG)
Facility
State Bank of India (SBI) has launched an e-Bank
Guarantee (e-BG) facility in association with
National e-Governance Services Limited (NeSL) to
enhance transparency and reduce turnaround time
from days to minutes.
✓ NeSL’s Digital Document Execution (DDE)
platform, which provides e-Stamp and e-
Sign functions, will facilitate the e-Bank
Guarantee process and also the
beneficiaries will instantly receive an e-
Bank Guarantee on NeSL’s platform without
further verification.
Garuda Aerospace Signs MoU with Rallis
India to Boost Agriculture
MoU b/w: Garuda Aerospace, the Chennai-based
drone manufacturing company with Rallis India
Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Chemicals.
Purpose: to work for the betterment of the farmers
by leveraging technology in their agricultural
operations.
World Bank Report: Indian Economy to
Grow at A Robust 6.6% In FY24
According to the latest Global Economic
Prospects (January 2023) report released by the
World Bank (WB), the Indian economy is projected
to grow at a robust 6.6% in fiscal year 2023-24
(FY24), down from an estimated 6.9% in FY23 and
8.7% in FY22.
✓ India, Asia’s third-largest economy, is
projected to be the fastest-growing among
the seven largest Emerging-Market and
Developing Economies (EMDEs): Brazil,
China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Russian
Federation, and Turkey.
IN-SPACe signs MoU with Nascent Info
Technologies for GIS Applications
MoU b/w: Indian National Space Promotion and
Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) with Nascent Info
Technologies Private Limited
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 13
Purpose: for technical collaboration for the
development of various Geographic Information
System (GIS) applications.
✓ IN-SPACe: Chairman- Pawan Kumar
Goenka; HQ- Ahmedabad, Gujarat;
Establishment- 2020
RITES Signs MoU with IIT-Kanpur to
Explore Opportunities in Sustainability
Sector
MoU b/w: Rail India Technical and Economic
Service (RITES) Limited with Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT)-Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Purpose: for exploring opportunities in the areas
of sustainability and carbon-related works
including carbon neutrality, particularly in sectors
such as steel and power.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
President Droupadi Murmu Presents
Digital India Awards – 2022 (7th
edition)
The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, presented
the Digital India Awards 2022, the 7th edition of
the Digital India Awards (DIA), in New Delhi, Delhi,
on January 7, 2023.
✓ The DIA awards are administered by
the National Portal of India, which
provides a single-window access to
information and services offered by
government institutions at all levels (centre,
state, and local bodies). Click here to see
the list of winners in each category.
Indian Actress-Director Aparna Sen
Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at
15th JIFF
Veteran Indian actress-director Aparna Sen was
honoured with the Lifetime Achievement
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Retail Inflation Eases to One-Year Low of
5.72% In December 2022
According to data provided by the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI),
Retail Inflation as measured by the Consumer
Price Index (CPI) decreased to a one-year low of
5.72% in December 2022.
✓ This decrease was primarily caused by a
sharp deflation (-15.08%) in vegetable
prices and an easing of price pressures in
the broader "food and beverages" category.
L&T Partners with H2Carrier to Develop
Floating Green Hydrogen Projects
Partnership b/w: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) with the
Norway-based H2Carrier (H2C)
Purpose: To develop floating green ammonia
projects for industrial-scale applications.
✓ Under the MoU, L&T and H2C will become a
partner for Engineering, Procurement,
Construction, Installation and
Commissioning (EPCIC) of the topsides for
H2C’s floating process plants.
Award at the opening ceremony of the 15th edition
of the Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF
2023) in Jaipur, Rajasthan, being held between
6th and 10th January 2023. Grammy award-winner
Ricky Kej, scriptwriter Kamlesh Pandey, and
screenplay writer-film producer Haider Hale were
present at the opening ceremony.
✓ She made her acting debut in Satyajit Ray’s
Teen Kanya (1961)
✓ She was honoured with Padma Shri for
Arts in 1987.
Overview of 80th Annual Golden Globe®
Awards 2023: RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” wins
Best Original Song Award
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association® (HFPA)
announced the winners of the 80th Annual Golden
Globe® Awards 2023, at an event held in The
Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills Los Angeles,
California, United States of America (USA).
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 14
 ✓ The Golden Globe awards have been
annually presented by HFPA since 1943.
Jerrod Carmichael hosted the 2023 award
ceremony.
✓ “Naatu Naatu” Song from SS Rajamouli’s
Telugu film “RRR” won the Best Original
Song- Motion Picture. The award was
shared among M M Keeravani, composer of
the track, and Chandrabose, lyricist of the
song.
✓ Keeravani received the trophy during the
award ceremony. Click here to read more.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
RBI Approves Appointment of Surinder
Chawla as New CEO of Paytm Payments
Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the
appointment of Surinder Chawla as the new Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of Paytm Payments Bank
Limited (PPBL), for a period of 3 years.
✓ Surinder Chawla is currently serving as
Head of Branch Banking at RBL Bank
(formerly known as Ratnakar Bank).
✓ Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL):
Chairman- Vijay Shekhar Sharma;
HQ- Noida, Uttar Pradesh;
Establishment- 2017
Chetan Sharma retained as Chairman of
the Senior Men’s Selection Committee of
BCCI
Cricket Advisory Committee
(CAC) of the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) has
retained Chetan Sharma as the
Chairman of the 5 members
Senior Men’s Selection
Committee of Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Other Members of the committee: Shiv Sundar
Das (Central Zone), Subroto Banerjee (East Zone),
Salil Ankola (West Zone) and Sridharan Sharath
(South Zone) as the other members of the selection
committee.
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Clayfin & Bandhan Bank Wins Best
Digital Channel/Platform Award from
IBS Intelligence
Clayfin Technologies, a leading provider of Digital
Customer Experience solutions for Banks and
Financial institutions, and Bandhan Bank have
been awarded ‘Best Digital Channel/Platform
Implementation: Best Project Implementation’ at
International Banking Systems Intelligence (IBSi)
Global FinTech Innovation Awards 2022.
RS Sodhi steps down as GCMMF
MD; Jayen Mehta given Interim Charge
The Managing Director (MD) of Gujarat Cooperative
Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), RS Sodhi, has
stepped down from his post. GCMMF is the owner
of India’s biggest dairy brand Amul (Anand Milk
Union Limited).
✓ He will be succeeded by the Chief operating
officer (COO) of GCMMF, Jayen Mehta who
has been given immediate charge as MD.
✓ GCMMF: Chairman– Shamalbhai B Patel;
HQ– Anand, Gujarat; Establishment– 1973
Michael Patra reappointed as RBI’s
Deputy Governor for One Year
The Appointments Committee
of the Cabinet (ACC), headed by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
has approved the
reappointment of Michael
Debabrata Patra as the
Deputy Governor of the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a further period of
one year with effect from the 15th January 2023.
✓ Michael Debabrata Patra was 1st appointed
to a 3-year tenure as deputy governor of the
Reserve Bank of India on 15th January
2020, which comes to an end on 14th
January 2023.
✓ He authored a book titled “The Global
Economic Crisis through an Indian looking
glass” which vividly captures the experience
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 15
 of the global financial crisis and the great
recession of 2008-2009.
Gabon Appoints Ossouka Raponda as
Vice President & Alain-Claude Bilie as
Prime Minister
Ali Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon,
appointed Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda as
the first-ever female Vice President of Gabon.
Prior to this appointment, she has been serving as
the Prime Minister of Gabon since July 2022.
✓ Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze (56 years old),
former Minister, was appointed as the new
Prime Minister of Gabon to replace Rose
Christiane Ossouka Raponda.
✓ Gabon: President- Ali Bongo Ondimba;
Capital- Libreville; Currency- Central
African CFA franc
Herbalife signs up cricketer Smriti
Mandhana as Brand Ambassador
Herbalife International India private limited
(Herbalife Nutrition) signed up an Indian woman
cricketer Smriti Mandhana as its Brand
Ambassador. She is the 5th Indian athlete and the
2nd cricketer to be Herbalife’s nutrition sponsor.
✓ Virat Kohli, Mary Kom, Lakshya Sen, and
Manika Batra are the other athletes
associated with the brand.
Indian-American A.C. Charania
Appointed as NASA’s new Chief
Technologist
An Indian-American aerospace industry expert A.C
Charania has been appointed as National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s
new chief technologist. He will serve as the
principal advisor to Administrator Bill Nelson on
technology policy and programmes at NASA’s
headquarters.
✓ He replaced Indian-American scientist
Bhavya Lal who has been serving as acting
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chief technologist, prior to Charania’s
appointment.
Cognizant appoints Ravi Kumar S as
CEO; succeeds Brian Humphries
Cognizant, an Information
technology (IT) company,
announced the appointment
of Ravi Kumar S as its Chief
Executive officer (CEO) with
immediate effect. He was also
named as a member of the
Board of Directors of Cognizant.
✓ Ravi Kumar S succeeds Brian Humphries,
who resigned from the post of CEO due to
Cognizant's recent underperformance on
9th January 2023.
Stephen J. Rohleder, a member of Cognizant's
Board since March 2022, has been elected Chair of
the Board.
✓ Former Chair Michael Patsalos-Fox will
remain on the Board as an independent
director.
Cognizant: CEO- Ravi Kumar S; HQ- Teaneck, New
Jersey, United States; Establishment- 1994
UAE Names Oil Chief Sultan Ahmed Al
Jaber as COP28 Climate President
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has named Sultan
Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and
Advanced Technology of UAE and Group Managing
Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Abu
Dhabi National Oil Company(ADNOC), as President
of the COP28 climate summit.
✓ The 28th session of the Conference of the
Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) will be held in Dubai, UAE, from
30th November to 12th December 2023.
✓ UAE: Prime Minister- Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum; President- Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Capital-
Abu Dhabi; Currency- United Arab
Emirates Dirham
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 16
 ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Axis Bank enters into Revised Pact with
Max Fin Serv to Acquire Additional 7%
Stake in Max Life
Pact b/w: Axis Bank Limited with Max Financial
Services Limited
Purpose: To acquire an additional 7% stake in Max
Life Insurance Company Limited at fair market
value using discounted cash flow method.
✓ The agreement has been revised by the
guidance issued by the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority
(IRDAI) in October 2022.
Alibaba Sells 3.1% Stake in Paytm for
USD 125 million via Block Deal
China's Alibaba Group sold a 3.1% stake in Indian
digital payments firm Paytm for USD 125 million
through a block deal. Alibaba, which owned a
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
BIS Launches Portal for Mapping of
Industrial Units & Laboratories; SNAP;
NBC and Electric Code
On the occasion of the 76th Foundation Day of the
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) – 6th January
2023, Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce
and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public
Distribution launched a “Portal for mapping of
Industrial Units and Laboratories” during an event
organised in New Delhi, Delhi.
✓ He also launched Standards National Action
Plan (SNAP) 2022- 27; Revision Exercise of
National Building Code of India (NBC 2016);
Revised National Electrical Code of India
2023 and Training Courses on National
Building Code of India 2016 and National
Electrical Code of India.
✓ BIS: President – Piyush Goyal (Union
Minister for Consumer affairs, Food &
Public Distribution); Director-General
– Pramod Kumar Tiwari; HQ – New Delhi,
Delhi
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6.26% stake in Paytm as of September 2022, sold
its stake at Rs 536.95 apiece.
✓ Paytm's parent company, One97
Communications, got listed on the Indian
stock exchanges on 18 November 2021
after an Initial Public Offering(IPO). Paytm
raised USD 2.5 billion in India's largest IPO.
Apax Partners Sells its Entire Stake in
Shriram Finance
Private equity player Apax Partners’ subsidiary
Dynasty Acquisition is likely to sell its entire
stake, up to 1.73 crore shares or 4.63 percent
stake, in Shriram Finance through a block deal.
✓ Apax will offer up to a 6 percent discount on
deals. The deal size is Rs 2,250 crore
including the green shoe option. Kotak
Securities is likely to be the broker for the
deal.
China launches Asia’s 1st Semi-High-
Speed Hydrogen Train with a Range of
600 Km
China’s CRRC Corporation Limited has unveiled
Asia’s 1st hydrogen-powered trains for the Urban
Railways, which have a top speed of 160 kmph
(kilometre per hour) and a range of 600 km on a
single tank. It was developed in collaboration with
Chengdu Rail Transit and CRRC Changchun Railway
Co.
✓ This is the second such train in the world.
Germany introduced green trains in 2022.
Adar Poonawalla received 1st Dr
Patangrao Kadam Memorial Award
Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
the Serum Institute of India (SII), was conferred
with the 1st Dr Patangrao Kadam Memorial
Award for the contribution to the fight against
COVID-19 at the inauguration of the Bharati Super
Specialty Hospital at Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune,
Maharashtra.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 17
DRDO Develops UAV for Operations in
Himalayan Frontier
The Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) has developed an untethered
multi-copter payload, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV), that aims to carry out logistic operations in
the Himalayan frontier.
✓ The UAV is capable of flying with a 5 kg to
25 Kg payload and is also used to drop
bombs in enemy territories and medicines
for soldiers who are deployed at high
altitudes or war zones.
Virgin Orbit: UK’s First-Ever Rocket
Mission Suffers Anomaly & Ends in
Failure
The United Kingdom (UK)’s first-ever space
mission failed after the rocket suffered an anomaly
during the flight. Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747
dubbed “Cosmic Girl” carrying LauncherOne, the
first rocket to launch into space from the UK took
off from Cornwall.
✓ This is also the first time that satellites have
been launched from Europe.
India Carries Out Successful Test Launch
of Prithvi-II from Chandipur, Odisha
India successfully test launched nuclear capable
tactical ballistic missile Prithvi-II from the
Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the
coast of Odisha.
✓ Prithvi-II, a short-range, surface-to-surface
ballistic missile, is the first missile to have
been developed by the Defence Research
and Development Organisation (DRDO)
under the Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP).
NASA’s TESS mission discovers 2nd
Earth-sized planet in “Habitable Zone”
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
(TESS) mission has made a discovery, identifying a
2nd Earth-sized, called ‘TOI 700 e’, a rocky planet
within the habitable zone of a star.
✓ TOI 700 e takes 28 days to orbit its star
called TOI 700, a small red dwarf star
located around 100 light-years from Earth.
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The three planets in the same system were
previously found by NASA:
✓ TOI 700 b (90% Earth’s size)- orbits the star
every 10 days.
✓ TOI 700 c (2.5 times bigger than Earth)-
completes an orbit every 16 days.
✓ TOI 700 d (near-Earth-sized)- a 37-day
orbit
OneWeb Launches 40 Satellites from
SpaceX’s Florida Space Centre
OneWeb, a United Kingdom-based satellite
broadband connectivity company backed by the
Bharti group, has launched another 40 satellites
from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
in Florida, United States of America to achieve over
80% deployment of its planned in-orbit low-earth
orbit (LEO) constellation.
✓ This marks OneWeb’s 16th launch and 2
more launches will complete OneWeb’s 1st -
generation constellation enabling global
connectivity in 2023.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
discovers its 1st Earth-Like Exoplanet
The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s (NASA) James Webb Space
Telescope (JWST) discovered its first exoplanet, a
planet that orbits another star, formally classified
as LHS 475 b, which is reportedly almost the exact
size of Earth, clocking in at 99% of Earth’s
diameter.
✓ The planet is rocky and almost precisely the
same size as Earth, but whips around its
star in only two days.
✓ LHS 475 b, located in the constellation
Octans, is only 41 light-years away.
‘ICGS Kamla Devi’: Last Vessel of FPV
Series Commissioned in Kolkata, West
Bengal
The Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) "Kamla
Devi," the fifth and last vessel in the series of fast-
patrol vessels (FPVs), was commissioned in
Kolkata, West Bengal.
✓ The vessel was built indigenously by
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers
Ltd. (GRSE), Kolkata, in a public-private
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 18
 partnership (PPP) with Titagarh Wagons
Limited (TWL) to the specifications of
Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
✓ The ICGS Kamladevi is named after ‘Kamla
Devi Chattopadhyay’, a social reformer
and freedom activist who advocated for the
advancement of artisans and craftsmen
across India as well as the promotion of the
performing arts.

ENVIRONMENT
---------------

SPORTS

Indian tennis player Sania Mirza ✓ Mascots: Asha (Female Cheetah) and
Announced Retirement from Mowgli; Torch: Amarkantak

Professional Tennis
Indian Tennis Player Sania Mirza (36-year-old), the
Novak Djokovic
former doubles World No. 1, has confirmed her wins 2023 Adelaide International 1
retirement from professional Tennis. title; Aryna Sabalenka won Women’s
✓ She announced that the Dubai Tennis Singles
Championships, a Women’s Tennis Serbian Tennis Player Novak Djokovic won the
Association (WTA) 1000 event in Dubai Men's Single in the 2023 Adelaide International 1
in February 2023 will be her last match. by defeating Sebastian Korda of America with 6-7
✓ Prior to her last appearance, she is going to (8), 7-6 (3), 6-4. This was the 92nd career singles
play in women’s doubles at the Australian title.
Open in 16 to 29 January 2023 alongside ✓ This was also his second Adelaide title after
Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina. 16 years after his first; he won the
✓ Mirza became the first Indian to win a WTA tournament in 2007, aged 19.
singles title in 2005.
Category Winner Runner Up
✓ She was ranked India’s No 1 in Singles from
Sebastian Korda
2003 till her retirement from Singles in
Men’s Novak Djokovic (United States of
2013.
singles (Serbia) America)

5th Khelo India Youth Games 2022: Women’s Aryna Sabalenka Linda Noskova
singles (Belarus) (Czech Republic)
Mascots, Smart Torch, Theme Song
Lloyd Glasspool
Unveiled
(United
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP) Shivraj
Kingdom)/Harri Jamie Murray
Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State (MoS)
Men’s Heliövaara (UK)/Michael Venus
Nisith Pramanik, Ministry for Youth Affairs and
doubles (Finland) (New Zealand)
Sports (MoYAS) unveiled the Mascots, Smart Torch,
Theme Song of the 5th edition of Khelo India Youth Asia Muhammad
Games (KIYG) 2022 during an event in Bhopal, MP. (United Storm Hunter
✓ KIYG 2022 will be hosted by MP from States)/Taylor (Australia)/Kateřina
January 30 to February 11, 2023, in MP’s Women’s Townsend(United Siniaková (Czech
Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, doubles States) Republic)
Mandla, Balaghat and Khargone
(Maheshwar).

Report Errors in the PDF - ebooks@affairscloud.com Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 19

Report Errors in the PDF - ebooks@affairscloud.com Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 20
Tennis: Dutch star Tallon Griekspoor
wins Singles title at Tata Open
Maharashtra 2023; marks his first ATP
tour title
Dutch (Netherlands) Tennis player Tallon
Griekspoor (World No.95) won the men’s singles
title at the Tata Open Maharashtra 2023
defeating Benjamin Bonzi (World No. 60) of
France at the finals held in Balewadi Stadium in
Pune, Maharashtra. This also marks
his 1st Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)
Tour title.
✓ India’s N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan
Nedunchezhiyan from Tamil Nadu, settled
for runner-up at the Tata Open
Maharashtra 2023 in Men's Double
championship. They lost the finals against
the Belgian pair of Sander Gille and Joran
Vliegen at Balewadi Stadium in Pune,
Maharashtra.
✓ Belgians Joran Vliegen and Sander
Gille won the Men's doubles championship
title at Tata Open Maharashtra 2023.
South African cricketer Dwaine
Pretorius retires from International
cricket
South African cricketer and all-rounder, Dwaine
Pretorius (33-year-old) has retired from
International cricket with an immediate effect to
focus on franchise cricket and shorter formats of
the game.
✓ Dwaine Pretorius has played for South
Africa in 30 T20I, 27 One-Day Internationals
OBITUARY
Former West Bengal Governor Keshari
Nath Tripathi Passes Away
Keshari Nath Tripathi, former governor of West
Bengal (July 2014 – July 2019) and 3-time Uttar
Pradesh (UP) Assembly Speaker passes away at the
age of 88 years in Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar
Pradesh(UP). He was born on 10th November 1934,
in Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh(UP).
He briefly served as governor of these states at
various times.
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(ODI), and 3 Tests (took 77 wickets across
formats) since making his international
debut in 2016.
Hockey India launched Hockeyverse,
becomes 1st National Sports Federation
to Enter Metaverse
Hockey India launched the ‘Hockeyverse’ on their
social media platforms ahead of FIH Odisha Hockey
Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela.
✓ With this launch Hockey India became
the first National Sports Federation to enter
the world of metaverse.
✓ The Hockeyverse will provide a new
virtual experience which has unique
attractions such as a replica of the newly
built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium.
Sony Sports Ropes in Hyundai Ioniq 5,
Samsonite & Panasonic as Sponsors for
Australian Open 2023
Broadcaster Sony Sports Network, which will air
the Australian Open 2023 across its channels and
OTT (Over-The-Top) app SonyLiv has roped in
sponsors including Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Samsonite
as co-presenting sponsors and Panasonic as an
associate sponsor for the upcoming Australia Open.
✓ Sony Sports also launched its ‘Slam Of The
Greats’ campaign, which pays homage to
the ‘Greats of Tennis in this Era’, that
includes Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic,
Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Ashleigh
Barty and highlights the rise of new young
tennis stars.
✓ Governor of Bihar – November 2014-
August 2015 & June 2017 to October 2017.
✓ Governor of Meghalaya – January 2015 to
May 2015.
✓ Governor of Mizoram – April 2015 – May
2015.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 21
Padma Awardee Dr Tehemton E
Udwadia “Father of laparoscopic
surgery” Passed Away
Padma Awardee Dr Tehemton Erach Udwadia, an
Indian Surgeon and Gastroenterologist, who was
known as the ‘father of laparoscopic surgery in
India’ passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra, at the
age of 88. He was born on 15th July 1934 in the
Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai,
Maharashtra, India).
✓ He was honoured with the Padma Shri,
India’s 4th highest civilian award, in 2006
and Padma Bhushan, India’s 3rd-highest
civilian award, in 2017, for Medicine.
Renowned Poet & Kashmir’s 1st
Jnanpith Awardee Abdur Rehman “Rahi”
Passed Away
Kashmir’s 1st Jnanpith awardee Professor Abdur
Rehman Rahi, a renowned Kashmiri poet,
translator, and critic, passed away at Srinagar,
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). He was born in Srinagar
in 1925.
✓ In 2000, he was honoured with the 4th-
highest civilian award in India, Padma
Shri Award for Literature and Education.
✓ Some of his literary collections: Sana-Wani
Saaz (poems), Kashir Naghmati Shayiri,
Kahwat (literary criticism), Sukhok Soda
(poems), and Kalam-e-Rahi (poems).
BOOKS & AUTHORS
New Book Title: “Mukhyamantri Diary
1”
Author: Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister (CM)
of Assam.
Released by: Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament
(MP) and former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan
Gogoi
The book chronicles the daily activities of the
Himanta Biswa Sarma, during the 1st year of his
tenure as CM.
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Greece’s Last King & 1960 Olympic Gold
Medalist Constantine II Passed Away
On 10th January 2023, Constantine II, the former
and last King of Greece who ruled Greece before
the country became a republic in 1974 passed away
in Athens, Greece, at 82. He was born on 2nd June
1940 in Psikhikó near Athens, Greece.
✓ Constantine II, the 2nd cousin of Britain’s
King Charles III, is the only son of King Paul
and Queen Frederica of Greece, he ascended
to the throne in 1964 at the age of 23 after
the demise of his father.
Former Union Minister Sharad Yadav
Passed Away
On 12th January 2023, Sharad Yadav, former Union
minister and one of India’s most prominent
socialist leaders, passed away in Gurugram,
Haryana.
He was born on 1st July 1947 in Babai,
Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh.
✓ Sharad Yadav is a prominent Indian
politician and founder-member of Bihar's
ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) Sharad
Yadav.
✓ He was a 7-time former Lok Sabha Member
of Parliament and had been elected thrice to
Rajya Sabha (1986, 2004, and 2014).
New Book Title: ‘Njaan Sakshi’ (me as
the witness)
Author: Techno-educationalist, Professor K.K.
Abdul Gaffar
Released by: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Former Indian
cricket captain
✓ The book is an autobiography of Professor
K.K. Abdul Gaffar.
New Book Title: “Spare”, Memoir of
Prince Harry
Assistant Author: American novelist J. R.
Moehringer
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 22
Released by: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, a
member of the British royal family
Published by: Transworld Publishers Ltd, a
division of Penguin Random House
✓ The book reveals the details of Harry’s
relationship with his father, King Charles,
his elder brother, Prince William, and other
members of the royal family.
IMPORTANT DAYS
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas – 9th January
2023
Annually celebrated across India on January 09.
Purpose: to highlight the importance of the
contribution of the Overseas Indian community to
the development of India.
✓ Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) is also
known as the “Non-Resident Indian (NRI)
Day”.
✓ The tradition of celebrating Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on 9th January
started in 2003.
✓ The day, 9th January, commemorates the
return of Mahatma Gandhi from South
Africa to India in 1915.
✓ The Indian diaspora includes Non-Resident
Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin
(PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).
Click here to read more.
World Hindi Day 2023 – January 10
Annually observed across the globe on January
10.
Purpose: to celebrate and promote the rich cultural
and linguistic heritage of the Hindi language and its
speakers across the globe.
✓ January 10 marks the anniversary of the
first time that Hindi was spoken in the
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in
1949.
✓ The day also marks the anniversary of the
1st World Hindi Conference held from 10th
to 12th January 1975 in Nagpur,
Maharashtra.
✓ The 12th World Hindi Conference (2023)
will be held in the Republic of Fiji in
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New Book Title: “Braving A Viral Storm”
Co-authors: Aashish Chandorkar and Suraj
Sudhir
Published by: Rupa Publications India
Launched by: Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister
of Health and Family Welfare.
The book is a transcription of India’s success story
and will be New India’s history. It depicts India’s
strength and capability.
February 2023, with the theme “Hindi –
Traditional Knowledge to Artificial
Intelligence”. Click here to read more.
National Road Safety Week from 11th to
17th January 2023
Annually observed across India from 11th to 17th
January
Purpose: to create awareness about the
importance of road safety and to highlight the
importance of road safety measures to prevent
accidents.
✓ The observance of the week is led by the
Ministry of Road Transport &
Highways(MoRTH).
✓ 2023 marks the observance of the 34th
Road Safety Week.
✓ Road Safety Week 2023 is observed
under “Swachhata Pakhwada 2023” to
propagate the cause of safer roads for all.
The United Nations (UN)’s Global Road Safety Week
is a biennial event observed across the globe from
the 13th to 17th May to spread awareness on the
importance of road safety.
National Youth Day 2023- January 12
Annually celebrated across India on January 12.
Purpose: to mark the birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda, a Hindu spiritual leader, Philosopher
and reformer in India, whose contributions to
India’s freedom movement and revival of
nationalism were enormous.
✓ 12th January 2023 marks the 160th birth
anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
✓ On National Youth Day 2023, Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 23
 the 26th National Youth Festival (from
12th to 16th January 2023) in Hubbali,
Karnataka.
✓ Theme of National Youth Festival 2023 is
“Viksit Yuva-Viksit Bharat”.
STATE NEWS
BSE signs MoU with Goa Government to
Promote Development of SMEs
MoU b/w: BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange
Ltd.) with the Government of Goa
Purpose: for the development of Small Medium
Enterprises (SME) in Goa.
✓ BSE: MD & CEO- Sundararaman
Ramamurthy; HQ- Mumbai, Maharashtra;
Establishment- 1875
Chhattisgarh CM Celebrates Traditional
‘Cherchera’ Festival in Raipur
Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister (CM) of
Chhattisgarh, celebrated the traditional Cherchera
festival, an important harvest festival of
Chhattisgarh which is popularly known as the “Rice
bowl of India”, at Dudhadhari Math in Raipur,
Chhattisgarh.
✓ The festival is celebrated on the full
moon night of ‘Paush’ Hindu calendar
month in the happiness of taking the crops
to their homes after cultivation. The festival
usually falls in the month of January.
UP govt launched UP Global City
campaign to make urban bodies on par
with global standards
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Government launched a
statewide 100-day ‘UP Global City’ campaign to
transform the lifestyles of urban bodies of UP on
par with global standards. The 100-day ‘UP Global
City’ campaign has been launched in all 762 urban
bodies of UP.
✓ The UP Global City campaign was launched
ahead of the Global Investor Summit (GIS)
which will begin on 10th February 2023
and conclude on 12th February 2023 in
Lucknow, UP.
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✓ United Nations International Youth Day is
annually observed across the globe on
August 1. Click here to read more.
Osmanabad District Court Becomes First
Court in Maharashtra to Introduce E-
system of Functioning
✓ The Osmanabad District Court became the
first court in Maharashtra to introduce an e-
system of functioning, under which, all the
court-related work including filing,
payment and other court services can be
done through the mobile app or through
online mode.
TN CM M.K. Stalin launches a platform
for Global Tamil investors to fund the
State’s Start-Ups
M K Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (TN),
launched the Global Tamil Angels
platform www.tamilangels.fund of StartupTN for
investors from the global Tamil diaspora to make
investments in Tamil Nadu-based startups.
✓ The platform was launched during the
Global Tamil Startup Investors Summit,
jointly organised by the Tamil Nadu Startup
and Innovation Mission and FeTNA
International Tamil Entrepreneur Network
in Chennai, TN.
WB CM Mamata Launches Vehicle
Location Control Centre & App to Boost
Security For Women
West Bengal (WB) Chief Minister (CM) Mamata
Banerjee inaugurated a new vehicle location
control centre and mobile app, as a part of efforts
to enhance security for women in WB.
Justice N Kotiswar Singh Appointed as
Acting Chief Justice of Gauhati HC
Justice Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh has been
appointed as the acting Chief Justice of the
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 24
Gauhati High Court (HC), Assam and will take
charge from 12th January 2023 after the retirement
of incumbent Chief Justice Rashmin Manharbhai
Chhaya on 11th January 2023.
✓ HC Judges retire at the age of 62 years,
while the Supreme Court (SC) judges retire
at the age of 65 years.
Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma launches
Shared School Bus System & Agriculture
Response Vehicle Scheme
Conrad K Sangma, Chief Minister (CM) of
Meghalaya, flagged off 30 Shared School Bus
systems and unveiled Prime Tourist Vehicles and
an agriculture response vehicle scheme at a
function held at U Soso Tham Auditorium, Shillong,
Meghalaya.
✓ The buses are part of the Sustainable
Transport & Efficient Mobility Society
(STEMS) programme, which focuses on
mobility and overall transportation to
decongest Shillong, Meghalaya.
OTPC & APDCL signed MoU to Develop
250 MW Battery Energy Storage in
Assam
MoU b/w: ONGC Tripura Power Company Limited
(OTPC) and Assam Power Distribution Company
Limited (APDCL).
Purpose: to develop a battery energy storage
system project in Assam at an investment of Rs
2000 crore.
✓ The 250 megawatts (MW) / 500 MW-hour
system will be developed in a phased
manner by incorporating a joint venture
company.
✓ OTPC is a joint venture of Oil and Natural
Gas Corporation (ONGC), gas utility GAIL
❖ List of Current Governors in India – AUGUST 2022
❖ List of Current Chief Ministers in India – August 2022
❖ List of Less Important News – Click Here
❖ Click Here View – AC Excluded News
❖ Affairscloud’s Self Analysis for General Awareness Section
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(India) Ltd, Government of Tripura and
India Infrastructure Fund-II.
✓ OTPC: MD- Sanil C. Namboodiripad;
HQ- Tripura; Establishment- 2004
IAS officer A Santhi Kumari Appointed as
1st Woman Chief Secretary of Telangana
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao
appointed Senior Indian Administrative Officer
(IAS) officer A Santhi Kumari (1989 batch) as the
first woman Chief Secretary of Telangana for a
tenure until April 2025.
✓ She will succeed the incumbent Somesh
Kumar.
UP Attracts Investments Worth Rs
76,867 Crore Ahead of UPGIS 2023
The Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has received
investment offers worth Rs. 76,867 crore from
across India and signed 79 Memorandums of
Understanding (MoUs) ahead of the Uttar Pradesh
Global Investors Summit (UPGIS) 2023.
✓ UPGIS 2023 is the flagship investment
summit of the Government of Uttar Pradesh
and it is set to take place in Lucknow (UP)
from February 10 to 12, 2023.
REC Limited (formerly Rural Electrification
Corporation Limited), a Maharatna Central Public
Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of
Power, signed strategic MoUs in the backdrop of the
“Invest Madhya Pradesh Global Investors Summit
2023.”
✓ Madhya Pradesh (MP) hosted the Invest
Madhya Pradesh—Global Investors
Summit 2023 (7th edition) in Indore, MP,
on January 11-12, 2023. Click here to read
more.
Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 25
Report Errors in the PDF - ebooks@affairscloud.com Copyright 2014-2023 @ AffairsCloud.com 26