Current Affairs in English – January 17 2023

National Events:

WIPL:

Viacom18 Media has bagged the media rights for Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) for the period of 2023-2027. Disney+ Hotstar, Sony-Zee and Viacom18 were the frontrunners in the race.
WIPL is going to start from March-April 2023. Viacom18 gets this deal at Rs 7.09 crore per match. It is worth noting that per match value of Indian Premier League (IPL) is Rs 107.5 crore.

Mukarram Jah Bahadur:

The last Nizam of Hyderabad Mukarram Jah Bahadur passed away in Turkey on 14 January 2023. He was 8th Nizam of Hyderabad.
His father Azam Jah, was Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan’s oldest son. Hyderabad united with India on September 18, 1948.

Gross fiscal deficit:

As per an RBI report, gross fiscal deficit of states is budgeted to narrow to 3.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022-23 from 4.1% in 2020-21. Reason behind this is broad-based economic recovery and higher revenue collections.
While states’ debt is budgeted to ease to 29.5% of GDP in 2022-23 as against 31.1% in 2020-21, it is still higher than 20% recommended by FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) Review Committee.

Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act:

Jammu and Kashmir Government has declared whole Union Territory as a “Free Area” for purposes of Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act (PCICDA), 2009.
Government on being satisfied that no cases of Lumpy Skin Disease have been reported in J&K, made this decision. Declaration has been made in the exercise of powers conferred by section 6 of PCICDA Act.

Jammu and Kashmir Government:

Jammu and Kashmir Government, in a significant move, has decided to go fully digital from January 16, 2023. No service shall remain offline and applicants need not visit any of the Government offices for availing of any services.
Control rooms have been constituted in administrative departments, at the HoD level and in offices of Deputy Commissioners for providing support to the public.

“Toolsidas Junior”:

National Award-winning movie “Toolsidas Junior” will be screened at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival in January 2023. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival is being organized by The SCO Council.
At the 68th National Film Awards 2022, “Toolsidas Junior”, directed by Mridul Toolsidass, bagged the National Film Award for the best feature film in Hindi.

SPIC MACAY:

SPIC MACAY organizes the ‘Music in the Park’ series under the name “Shruti Amrut” in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture on 15 January 2023.
The concert began with a sarod performance by Aman Ali Bangash, the 7th generation musician of the Senia Bangash Gharana.
In 2011, SPIC MACAY was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award for its contribution to youth development.

WDRA:

WDRA(Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority) signed an MoU with State Bank of India to help farmers in getting low interest rate loans on January 16, 2023.
The MoU was signed with the intent of promoting awareness about the new loan product called ‘Produce Marketing Loan’ to exclusively fund against e-NWRs (electronic Negotiable Warehouse Receipt).
It will help in preventing distress sale and releasing better prices for the produce.

Kollam:

Kerala’s Kollam becomes first constitution literate district in India. This achievement is the result of a 7-month-long constitutional literacy campaign.
It was launched jointly by the Kollam Administration and Kerala Institute of Local Administration to create awareness about the laws of the country and the rights of citizens. Under this campaign, more than 7 lakh families of the district are being educated on the basic principles of the Constitution.

G20:

First G20 Health Working Group meet to be held in Kerala. The 1st Health Working Group meeting under G-20 India Presidency will be held from the 18-20 Jan 2023 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Three priorities under health for India in its G20 presidency are:

Priority I: Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness and Response.

Priority II: Strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector.

Priority III: Digital health innovation and solutions.

B20:

As part of India’s G-20 presidency, a Business-20 (B-20) inception meeting will be organized at Gandhinagar in Gujarat between the 22 to 24 January, 2023.
The meeting will be held to formulate policy recommendations to be submitted to G-20 ahead of the leaders’ Summit. This will be the first of 15 events that the State is set to organize as part of India’s G-20 presidency.

Sibi George:

Sibi George, presently Ambassador of India to Japan, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Marshall Islands on 16 January 2023.
Sibi George is a 1993-batch Indian Foreign Service Officer. In 2014, the Government of India conferred on him the S.K. Singh Award for his Excellence in Indian Foreign Service.

“Cyclone 1”:

India and Egypt have announced to hold the first-ever military exercise “Cyclone 1” involving the special forces in Udaipur in January 2023. It is being held to celebrate the 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Egypt has also been invited as a guest country at the G20 summit in 2023. In April 2022, Egypt announced the inclusion of India in the list of accredited countries.

Maghi Mela:

Maghi Mela festival is being celebrated from January 14 in Muktsar Sahib, Punjab. The day of Maghi is observed to honor the heroic fight of the Chali Mukte, or the Forty Liberated Ones, who sacrificed their own lives defending an attack by the Mughal imperial army marching in pursuit of Guru Gobind Singh.
The battle took place near a pool of water, Khidrane di Dhab, on 29th Dec 1705.

NTPC REL:

NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL) signed an MoU with the Government of Tripura on 16 January 2023 in New Delhi. It was signed for the Development of Floating and Ground Mounted based Renewable Energy Projects in Tripura.
Rajiv Gupta, Chief General Manager, NTPC REL, and Mahananda Debbarma, DG, and CEO, of Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency, signed the MOU.

International Events:

‘Exercise Varuna’:

The 21st Edition of the Bilateral Naval Exercise between India and France, ‘Exercise Varuna’ commenced in the Indian Ocean on 16 Jan 2023.The bilateral exercise between the two navies was initiated in 1993 and was named ‘VARUNA’ in 2001.
The exercise will be conducted from 16 to 20 January 2023 and will witness advanced air defense exercises, tactical maneuvers, and surface firings.

FOC:

15th India-UK Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in New Delhi. The Consultations were held on Jan16,2023 in New Delhi. India and the UK shared a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations.
They discussed issues like trade and economic cooperation, defence and security etc. Both sides agreed to maintain regular exchanges at political and senior official levels and hold the next FOC in London in 2024.

Abdul Rehman Makki:

UN declares Pakistan based Abdul Rehman Makki a global terrorist. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has listed Abdul Rehman Makki as a global terrorist.
The development comes after India in 2022 slammed China after it blocked the proposal to list Makki under the Sanctions Committee.
Makki has been involved in planning attacks in India. He has already been listed as a terrorist by India and the United States.

Sports Events:

Spanish Super Cup title:

Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1 to win their 14th Spanish Super Cup title. The cup was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Barcelona has won the Supercup for the first time since 2018 and for the 14th time overall.
Real Madrid has won the Supercup 12 times so far. Spanish Super Cup is a super cup tournament in Spanish football. This competition is being played since 1982.