Daily Current Affairs For BPSC as on 23.01.2023

NATIONAL:

1. 8th India International Science Festival (IISF)

Why in news – The 8th India International Science Festival (IISF) was held at Bhopal.

Key Points –

• It was conducted jointly by Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Science and Technology and Vigyan Bharati.

• Theme - “Moving towards Amrit Kaal with Science, Technology and Innovation”.

• Vigyanika Science literature festival 2023 was held as a part of IISF.

2. Parakram Diwas 2023

Why in news – It is celebrated on Jan 23 to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose (Netaji).

Key Points –

• The year 2023 marked 126th birth anniversary.

• PM Modi virtually inaugurated the model of Bose memorial on Ross Island (Andaman), (Renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018).

• PM Modi also participated in a ceremony to name 21 uninhabited islands in Andaman and Nicobar Islands after Param Vir Chakra awardees.

3. Deepest Metro Station

Why in news – The Pune Metro is all set to complete work on the country’s deepest underground metro station.

Key Points –

• The Civil Court Interchange station is 33.1 meters deep (108.59 feet).

• It is the only underground station that has sunlight falling on the platform of the underground station.

INTERNATIONAL:

1. Janani Ramachandran

Why in news - Indian-American lawyer Janani Ramachandran has become a member of the Auckland City Council in the state of California.

Key Points –

• She is the youngest first black lesbian woman to be elected from the Auckland City Council.

• She became the first LGBTQ and the first South Asian woman to serve on the Auckland City Council.

2. New Currency "sur"

Why in news - Brazil and Argentina would begin preliminary work on a common currency.

Key Points –

• Brazil proposed to name the new currency "sur", meaning south.

• Politicians from both countries first considered the concept in 2019.

3. USD 40 Million to Maldives

Why in news – India has extended a concessional USD 40 million Line of Credit for developing sporting infrastructure in the Maldives.

Key Points –

• Purpose - to bring “Fit India” and “Khelo India” into the ambit of the Neighbourhood First Policy.

• S. Jaishankar was on a 3-day visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

• He also inaugurated the Shaviyani Foakaidhoo Community centre developed under Indian Grant assistance in Maldives.

• Foakaidhoo is one of the inhabited islands of the Shaviyani Atoll.

REPORTS & INDICES:

1. 17th ASER 2022

Why in news - The 17th Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2022 was released by NGO Pratham.

Key Points –

• In ASER 2022, around 7 lakh candidates from 19,060 schools in 616 districts were surveyed to calculate the learning outcomes post pandemic on school children.

• The ASER, is an annual, citizen-led household survey that aims to understand whether children in rural India are enrolled in school and whether they are learning.

• ASER has been conducted every year since 2005 in all rural districts of India. It is the largest citizen-led survey in India.

• 2022 findings –

SECURITY:

1. ‘Exercise Cyclone – I

Why in news - The first joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian and the Egyptian Army, ‘Exercise Cyclone – I’ started on Jan 14, 2023.

Key Points –

• Venue - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is the chief guest to India’s Republic Day celebrations.

• This is for the first time that the president of Egypt has been invited as the chief guest

• The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause.

2. AMPHEX 2023

Why in news - The “largest” biennial tri-services amphibious exercise AMPHEX 2023 was conducted from January 17 to 22, 2023.

Key Points –

• The joint operations saw participation from Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

• Venue – Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh.

ENVIRONMENT:

1. Orange Colour Bat

Why in news - A rare orange-coloured bat has been spotted in Chhattisgarh.

Key Points –

• IUCN - "near threatened" species

• It is also known as the 'painted bat'.

• It was found in the Kanger Valley National Park (Established in 1982) located in the Bastar district.

• In India, this bat has so far been seen in the Western Ghats, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

• The national park is famous for its limestone caves.

• Kanger river flows through this National Park.

IMPORTANT DAYS:

1. 5th International Education Day

Why in news – It is annually celebrated on January 24 by UNESCO.

Key Points –

• Theme - ‘to invest in people, prioritise education’.

• UNESCO dedicated this year to girls and women in Afghanistan who have been deprived of their right to education.

• On Dec 3, 2018, UNGA adopted a resolution co-authored by Nigeria and 58 other states to celebrate International Education Day.

BOOKS & AUTHORS:

1. “COACHING BEYOND: My Days with the Indian Cricket Team”

Why in news – The book has been written by R. Kaushik & R. Sridhar.

SPORTS:

1. NSCI All India Snooker Open 2023

Why in news – Laxman Rawat of PSPB emerged victorious in the ‘Baulkline’ NSCI All India Snooker Open.

Key Points –

• He beat fellow PSPB challenger Aditya Mehta 9-6 in a best-of-17-frame final.

• Snooker Open Crown is a snooker tournament organized by the National Sports Club of India (NSCI).

2. ICC Fell Prey to Scam

Why in news - The ICC has allegedly lost close to USD 2.5 million after becoming a victim of cyber-crime.

Key Points –

• The incident of phishing, which originated in the USA, took place in 2022.

• The route used by fraudsters to commit the financial scam was Business E-mail Compromise (BEC), also known as e-mail account compromise.

• A BEC scam is a form of phishing where companies and individuals are tricked and convinced into making wire transfers.

BIHAR:

1. Chief Minister Bihar Darshan Scheme

Why in news - An amount of Rs 11 crore has been approved under Chief Minister Bihar Darshan Yojana 2022-23.

Key Points –

• Under the scheme, school students from 38 districts of the state are taken to educational tours in Bihar.

• 5500 schools of the state have been granted Rs 20000 each.

2. Prof Siddheshwar Prasad

Why in news - Former Governor of Tripura and renowned litterateur Prof. Siddheshwar Prasad is no more.

Key Points –

• He wrote a criticism on the great poetic work 'Kamayani' of great poet Jaishankar Prasad.

• He was also a Member of Parliament from Nalanda in 1962, 1967 and 1971.

• He was also MLC from 1983 to 1989.

• He was the Governor of Tripura from June 1995 to June 2000.

• He was born on 19 January 1929. He was a resident of Bind of Nalanda.

POINTERS:

• Which telecom company will invest Rs 2000 crores to set up hyperscale data centre in Hyderabad - Bharti Airtel.

• Who will deploy hydrogen fuel cell operated trucks for mining logistics and transportation as part of its decarbonisation plan - Gautam Adani.

• Who has become the 5th Indian player to score a double century in ODIs – Shubman Gill

• Who has been elected the first woman president of Table Tennis Federation of India- Meghna Ahlawat.

• Who has become the 7th Indian to be elected as a member of the International Committee for Weights and Measures - Venu Gopal Achanta.

• 'Shanti Kumari' has been appointed as the first woman Chief Secretary of which state – Telangana.

• Which country will introduce stamp with Jawaharlal Nehru's portrait on its 75th Independence Day - Sri Lanka.

• Which country announced its plan to downsize military by half by 2030 - Sri Lanka.

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla led a parliamentary delegation to visit Kenya and which other country – Tanzanian.

• Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Shaurya Sthal, a war memorial dedicated to martyred soldiers from Uttarakhand at which place - Cheer Bagh.

 

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