NATIONAL:
1. MV Ganga Vilas
Why in news – PM Narendra Modi flagged off the World’s Longest River Cruise-MV Ganga Vilas on Jan 13, 2023.
Key Points –
• Other inaugurations –
A. Tent City at Varanasi.
B. Multi-modal terminal in Haldia.
C. Maritime Skill Development Centre for North East at Guwahati.
D. Ship repair facility in Guwahati.
• The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland.
• Artha Ganga - Sustainable development of the Ganga by focusing on economic activities related to the river.
About MV Ganga Vilas –
• From Varanasi (UP) to Dibrugarh (AS) via Bangladesh.
• Travel around 3,200 km in 51 days.
• Sail through 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh.
• It has 3 decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists.
• It would reach Patna on the 8th day, passing through Buxar, Ram Nagar and Ghazipur.
2. UPI Payments for NRIs
Why in news – Non-resident Indians (NRIs) would soon be able to make UPI payments using their international number (No Indian mobile number required).
Key Points –
• 10 supported countries - Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.
3. 'Sur Sarita - Symphony of Ganga'
Why in news – Ministry of Culture organised 'Sur Sarita - Symphony of Ganga' in Varanasi on Jan 12, 2023.
Key Points –
• It was organized to give the audiences a taste of the different flavours of the states that the MV Ganga Vilas would be passing through.
• It was ended with Shankar Mahadevan’s rendition of ‘Kartavya Ganga’ (Promise to Ganga).
4. Paigah Tombs
Why in news – US govt extended $250,000 towards conservation of historic Paigah tombs in Hyderabad.
Key Points –
• For conservation and restoration of six of the Paigah tombs.
• They were built in the 18th and 19th centuries, located at Santosh Nagar in Hyderabad.
• Paigah tombs or Maqhbara Shams al-Umara is a necropolis belonging to the nobility of the Paigah family who served the Nizam of Hyderabad.
• Paigah is a Farsi word, which says ‘footstool’ (meaning Right-hand man in English).
• The tombs are the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture, which is a blend of both features of Asaf Jahi and Rajputana style.
5. 5G Use by Startups
Why in news - Vidisha (MP) became the first district ever in India for on-ground implementation of ground breaking 5G use cases proposed by startups.
Key Points –
• The following 5G/IoT use cases were demonstrated by startups in collaboration with C-DOT.
• Digital India Startup Hub would set up India’s first Centre of Excellence in Online Gaming at Shillong by March 2023.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Punjabi in Australian Schools
Why in news - Punjabi is all set to be the newest language to be taught in public schools of Western Australia (WA).
Key Points –
• As per 2021 census, Punjabi is the fastest-growing language in Australia.
• Earlier, Australian Sikh history was included in the Humanities and Social Sciences subjects in WA schools.
• Tamil, Hindi and Korean were added to the curriculum in 2021.
2. Sônia Guajajara
Why in news – Sonia Guajajara has been appointed as the first minister of the new Ministry of Indigenous People in Brazil.
Key Points –
• She is a member of the Amazon Guajajara, the defenders of Amazon rainforests.
• In Jan 2022, she made it to the Time Magazine’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
3. Rare Earth Elements
Why in news - Swedish mining company, LKAB, announced it has discovered more than one million tonnes of rare earth oxides in Sweden.
Key Points –
• This is the largest known deposit in Europe.
• Currently, no rare earths are mined in Europe.
• 98% of rare earths used by the European Union were sent by China.
About Rare Earth Elements –
• They are a set of 17 chemical elements in the periodic table — the 15 lanthanides, plus scandium and yttrium.
• One of the rare earths, promethium, is radioactive.
• Cerium is the most abundant rare earth element.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. UAE COP 28 Climate Talks
Why in news - Sultan al-Jaber would act as president of the COP28 UNFCCC 2023.
Key Points –
• He is the founding CEO of Abu Dhabi's renewable energy firm Masdar.
• COP28 venue – Dubai, UAE.
• UAE is the second Arab state to host the climate conference after Egypt (COP 27, 2022).
• The UAE, the first country in the region to ratify the Paris Agreement, has committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
ECONOMY:
1. Auto Expo 2023
Why in news - Auto Expo 2023, India’s largest automotive event, kicked off in Greater Noida.
Key Points –
• Pune-based automaker start-up Vayve Mobility has unveiled a prototype of what it calls the country's first solar-powered electric vehicle 'Eva'.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. 75th Army Day
Why in news - The 75th Army Day celebration would be held in Bengaluru on January 15, 2023.
Key Points –
• This is for the first time that the event is being conducted out of the National capital.
• On Jan 15, 1949, K M Cariappa took over from General Sir Francis Butcher to become the Indian Army’s first Commander-in-Chief.
• Cariappa is one of the only 2 Indian officers to hold the five-star rank of field marshal (other - Sam Manekshaw).
STATES/UTs:
1. 30% Women’s Reservation
Why in news - The bill providing 30% reservation to women in Uttarakhand has been approved by its Governor Gurmit Singh.
Key Points –
• It would provide 30% horizontal reservation to domiciled women citizens in state public services and posts.
BIHAR:
1. Multi Modal Logistics Park
Why in news - Logistics parks would be built in Bihta and Fatuha and Raxaul.
Key Points –
• The state government has prepared a logistics policy in this regard.
• Due to the connectivity of Nepal and construction of the expressway from Raxaul to Haldia, preparations are on to build a logistics park in Raxaul.
• Both Raxaul (drypot) and Haldia have ports.
POINTERS:
• According to NSO, what will be the percentage of India's GDP growth rate in the financial year 2023 - 7 percent.
• As per Central Pollution Control Board data, which was the most polluted city in India in 2022 – Delhi.
• Which fintech unicorn has recently announced that it has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Payment Aggregator – Bharat Pe.
• Who has become the second-highest scorer of all time in Ranji Trophy history - Prithvi Shaw.
• How many crores has been approved by the cabinet to promote low value BHIM-UPI transactions - Rs 2,600 crores.
• Who has recently been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 'Jaipur Film Festival’ - Aparna Sen.
• Who has been announced by the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival as its official powered-by partner for the 2023 event - Master Card.
• Which state government has recently made ’10 minutes of yoga’ daily compulsory for school students – Karnataka.
• Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared whom a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 - Arshdeep Singh Gill alias 'Arsh Dalla'.
• India's forex reserves to decline by what amount during 2022 - $70.1 billion.