Current Affairs in English – January 25,26 – 2023

January 25-26, 2022

National Events:

Sangeethabhushan Awards:

• The Sangeethabhushan Awards instituted in memory of well-known Carnatic musician Vellinezhi Subramanya Bhagavathar for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, were given away in January 2023.
• The 2023 year’s award was won by mridangam maestro Thiruvananthapuram V. Surendran. Vocalist V. Ramachandran won the award for 2021, and violin maestro VV. Subramaniam won it for 2022.

Tata Trusts:

• Tata Trusts on 24 January 2023, appointed Siddharth Sharma as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trusts and Aparna Uppaluri as the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
• Siddharth Sharma, the chief sustainability officer at Tata Sons, will succeed N Srinath. Aparna Uppaluri is currently the programme director for India, Nepal and Sri Lanka at the Ford Foundation.

Nitin Gadkari:

• Nitin Gadkari chairs 10th meeting of Group of Infrastructure Committee. The meeting was held on 24 Jan’23, in New Delhi. During the meeting, the committee discussed upon issues related to pending environmental clearances, land approvals, fund releases, etc.
• The Infrastructure Committee was formed in 2009. The main objective of the committee formation is to speed up the government’s decision on infrastructure projects.

Shamalbhai B Patel:

• Shamalbhai B Patel appointed as chairman of Amul. Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which markets milk and dairy products under the Amul brand announced appointment of Shamalbhai B Patel as its chairman and Valamjibhai Humbal as vice chairman.
• Shamalbhai B Patel is chairman of Sabarkantha District Cooperative Milk Producers Union and Sabar dairy. Announcement was made after an election conducted by deputy collector, Anand.

Floating solar power project:

• North India’s largest floating solar power project inaugurated. The project was inaugurated in Chandigarh by it’s Administrator Banwari Lal Purohit. Plant’s capacity is 2000kWp and has been commissioned at a cost of Rs 11.70 crore.
• He also Inaugurated 500kWp floating solar power plant installed over the Dhanas lake in Chandigarh. Projects have been designed by CREST (Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science and Technology Promotion Society).

AU Small Finance Bank:

• AU Small Finance Bank, India’s largest Small Finance Bank, has launched SwipeUp platform. The platform will provide an opportunity to other bank credit cardholders to upgrade their card to one of AU credit cards.
• Bank has provided a platform to compare existing Credit Cards of customers within 2-3 seconds. Thereafter, within minutes they can upgrade credit limit, cashback, reward point etc.

U-WIN:

• Government launches U-WIN to digitize Universal immunisation programme. After the success of the Co-WIN platform, government has now replicated it to set up an electronic registry for routine vaccinations.
• It has been launched in a pilot mode in 2 districts of each state and Union Territory. The platform will register and vaccinate every pregnant woman and every newborn. It is going to be the single source of information for immunisation services.

IFOAM data:

• India among top 3 nations in expanding organic farming- IFOAM data. India has emerged as one of the top 3 countries in the world where the area under organic agriculture expanded the maximum in 2020.
• Argentina was first and Uruguay was second. Of the world’s total 74.9 mh under organic farming, Australia has the highest at 35.7 mh. Whereas India has 2.8 mh. In contrast, out of total 34 lakh organic producers in the world, 16 lakh farmers are in India.

IIM-A:

• Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has announced the appointment of Bharat Bhasker as IIM-A director. He is appointed for 5 years with effect from 1 March 2023. Bhasker is currently a professor at IIM-Lucknow.
• IIM-A’s Incumbent director Errol D’souza’s term will end on 31 January 2023. In the interim, professor Arindam Banerjee will work as director in-charge from 1 to 28 Feb 2023.

3rd edition of annual Orange festival:

• Nagaland celebrated 3rd edition of annual Orange festival 2023 on 24-25 January 2023, at Rusoma village, under Kohima district. Festival is being organised by department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City.
• Festival is conceptualised to recognise the hard work of orange growers while facilitating them the market linkages to sell their produce.

Himachal Pradesh Statehood Day:

• Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its 53rd Statehood Day with full enthusiasm across the state on January 25. It was on this day in 1971 that Himachal became the 18th state of India. It became a part C state on 26th January, 1950.
• It became Union Territory on 1st November, 1956. In 1970 State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and new state came into being on 25 Jan, 1971.

 National Voters’ Day:

• On January 25, National Voters’ Day 2023 is observed to commemorate the founding day of the Election Commission of India. Since 2011, National Voters’ Day has been celebrated on January 25 every year.
• The theme for National Voters’ Day 2023 is ‘Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure.’ The Election Commission of India was founded on 25th January 1950.

‘All That Breathes’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’:

• Indian documentaries ‘All That Breathes’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ have been nominated for Oscars 2023. Indian climate change documentary ‘All That Breathes’ got an Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary Feature Film segment.
• The Elephant Whisperers has also been nominated in the category of Best Documentary Short Film. It is directed by Kartiki Gonsalves and produced by Guneet Monga.

SII:

• The Serum Institute of India (SII) launched CERVAVAC, India’s first indigenously developed quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine, on January 24, 2023. January is also Cervical Cancer Awareness month.
• CERVAVAC is a vaccine against cervical cancer. In India, cervical cancer is the second most prevalent disease in women between the age of 15 and 44.

BSF:

• In a first, women personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) camel contingent ‘Mahila Praharis’ will participate in the Republic Day 2023. The BSF is the only force in the country to deploy camels for both operational and ceremonial duties.
• An all-women daredevil motorcycle team of BSF named Seema Bhawani from the Corps of Signals co-led by a woman officer will also be part of the parade.

NABH and HSSC:

• NABH and HSSC signed an MoU in January 2023, for the recognition and skilling initiatives of healthcare professionals across the country.
• It was signed to accredit HSSC certification for NABH accreditation and develop training programs for essential skilling, and upskilling of healthcare professionals. It will help in achieving the goal of enhancing the quality of healthcare in India.

Chikkarasinakere village:

• Karnataka’s Chikkarasinakere village in Mandya District has been declared a tobacco-free village. The village was declared tobacco-free at the coordination committee meeting of the district-level tobacco control cell on January 23, 2023.
• While Naguvinahalli and Chagashettihalli villages in Srirangapatna and Pandavapura taluks have already been declared tobacco-free in the district.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan:

• Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on 23 January 2023, that the excerpts from Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other religious books will be taught in the government schools of the state in order to inculcate moral values in the students.
• In March 2022, the Gujarat government has also announced that Bhagavad Gita would be part of the school syllabus for classes 6-12.

Covid-19- INCOVACC:

• India launched first made in India nasal vaccine against Covid-19- INCOVACC. The vaccine has been made by Bharat Biotech.
• INCOVACC is a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery through nasal drops.

Bharat Parv:

• The 6-day mega event Bharat Parv is being organised at Red Fort in Delhi from 26 January 2023 as part of the Republic Day Celebrations. During the event, some of the best Republic Day Parade tableaux will be showcased.
• Cultural performances by the Zonal Cultural Centres as well as cultural troupes from States and Union Territories will be part of the celebration.

Naresh Lalwani:

• Naresh Lalwani has taken over as new General Manager (GM) of Central Railway. He is a senior officer of the Indian Railway Engineering Service of 1985 batch.
• Before taking over as GM, he was working as Senior Deputy GM and Chief Vigilance Officer of Western Railway. He succeeds Ashok Kumar Misra, GM Western Railway who was holding the additional charge of Central Railway as well.

Norovirus cases:

• Norovirus cases detected in Kerala. Kerala Health Department confirmed 2 cases of norovirus. Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhoea.
• The virus is capable of surviving low temperatures, and outbreaks tend to be more common during the winter and in colder countries – that is why it is sometimes referred to as “winter vomiting disease”.

Indian Republic Day:

• Republic Day marks the adoption of India’s constitution and the country’s transition to a republic on January 26, 1950. This replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India.
• On 26 January 2023, the 74th Republic Day will be celebrated in India. On 26 Jan in 1930, the Declaration of Indian Independence was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress.

CBIC:

• 29 officers and staff of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) to get the Presidential Awards on 26 January 2023.
• They will be awarded the Presidential Award of Appreciation Certificates and Medals for “Exceptionally Meritorious Service rendered at the Risk of Life” & for “Specially Distinguished Record of Service” on their achieving excellence in the discharge of their duties.

Veer Gatha 2.0:

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh felicitated the 25 winners of Veer Gatha 2.0 at an event organised in New Delhi on 25 January 2023.Veer Gatha 2.0 was jointly initiated by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The contest aimed to inspire school children, by making them aware with stories of war heroes and brave hearts.

President Droupadi Murmu:

• President Droupadi Murmu approves Tatrakshak Medals to six Indian Coast Guard personnel on 25 January 2023. These awards are given on the occasion of Republic Day and Independence Day every year, since January 26, 1990.
• IG Anand Prakash Badola is given for Tatrakshak Medal (Gallantry) ComdtDurgesh Chandra Tiwari & Mohit Kumar Yadav are given Tatrakshak Medal (Meritorious Service).

Padma Awards 2023 Winners List Announced:

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced the Padma Awards on 25 January 2023.Government announced six names for Padma Vibhushan, nine for Padma Bhushan, and 91 for Padma Shri Awards. Dilip Mahalanabis (Medicine), Samajwadi Party founder and former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav (Public Affairs), and architect Balakrishna Doshi have been picked to be awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
• Among the nine people to be awarded Padma Bhushan are S L Bhyrappa in Literature; Kumar Mangalam Birla in Trade & Industry; Deepak Dhar in Science & Engineering; Vani Jairam in Art; Swami Chinna Jeeyar in Others – Spiritualism. Ninety-one other people, who have selected for Padma Shri, are physician Ratan Chandra Kar (Medicine), Hirabai Lobi (Social Work), Tula Ram Upreti (Agriculture) etc.

G20:

• G20 group to hold Startup20 Engagement meet in Hyderabad in Jan 2023. The G20 Startup20 Engagement Group will hold its inception meeting in Hyderabad from January 28-29, 2023.
• The group will discuss productive development of policy recommendations on entrepreneurship and innovation priorities of and across G20 countries for the years ahead. The group will also bridge the knowledge gap between the startup ecosystems of G20 member countries.

FAO’s:

• India has been elected as Vice-Chair in the 12th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO’s) Intergovernmental Technical Working Group (ITWG) on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, held in Rome from 18-20 January 2023.
• Dr B N Tripathi, the National Coordinator from India was elected as Vice-Chair and also as Rapporteur of the 12th Session of ITWG.

Jal Shakti Ministry:

• The Jal Shakti Ministry on 25 January 2023 announced that the government had provided 11 crore rural households with a tap water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission. As per the data released by Ministry, 56% of the targeted 19.3 crore households had been covered.
• Jal Jeevan Mission was announced by the PM Modi on 15 August 2019 to provide every rural household with tap water connection by 2024.

‘Green Railway Station Certificate’:

• Visakhapatnam Railway Station under East Coast Railway has been awarded, in January 2023, the ‘Green Railway Station Certificate’ with the highest Platinum rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for adopting green concepts.
• The Green Railway Station Rating System has been developed by the Environment Directorate of Indian Railways in collaboration with IGBC.

StockEdge:

• StockEdge launched India’s first Al-powered screening mechanism to automatically identify chart patterns in different stocks with StockEdge Pro on 25 January 2023.
• If a user has a watchlist, then he can take a quick glance at a chart pattern across his selection of stocks. StockEdge is an equity markets and mutual fund research platform, primarily based on NSE and BSE data.

Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy:

• Andhra Pradesh CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy flagged off 165 veterinary ambulance units as part of the second batch of ‘Dr YSR Sanchara Pasu Aarogya Seva’ with state-of-the-art facilities, on 25 January 2023.
• Each ambulance will have one doctor and a qualified Assistant. It is designed to perform minor surgery on bovine animals. The government is providing two ambulances per constituency.

Newest butterfly species:

• India’s newest butterfly species found in Arunachal Pradesh. A swallowtail butterfly disappearing from its previously known ranges from Myanmar and southern China to Vietnam has been recorded for the first time in India.
• Three butterfly enthusiasts, Atanu Bose, Loren Sonowal, and Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi recorded the “extremely rare” Noble’s Helen (Papilio noblei) in the Namdapha National Park of Arunachal Pradesh between September 2019 and September 2021.

Kerala’s Swadesabhimani Kesari award:

• R. Sakthidharan awarded Kerala’s Swadesabhimani Kesari award. Senior journalist S.R. Sakthidharan has been selected for the Kerala government’s Swadesabhimani Kesari award 2023 for his contributions to the media sector.
• The award comprises a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a sculpture designed by Kanayi Kunhiraman Nair. He was chairman of the Kerala Media Academy and was president of the Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur press clubs.

International Events:

Uganda:

• Uganda, on 24 Jan’23, commissioned the first of its four planned oil drilling rig and started drilling the first production well. Uganda has one of the largest oil reserves in the Saharan desert.
• Oil was discovered in Uganda 20 years back. But production was delayed due to a lack of funds. With the assistance of China, Uganda has now launched its first oil field in Lake Albert.

India & Egypt:

• India and Egypt have signed an MoU to facilitate content exchange, capacity building, and co-productions between public broadcasters. It was signed between Prasar Bharati and National Media Authority of Egypt.
• Both will exchange their programs of different genres. It was signed by Minister of Information Anurag Thakur and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Egypt Sameh Hassan Shoukry.

International Customs Day:

• World Customs Organisation (WCO) marks International Customs Day on 26th January every year. The occasion commemorates the WCO’s maiden session held in 1953 in Brussels, Belgium.
• Theme for 2023 is ‘Nurturing the next generation: Promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs. It is dedicated to the Customs authorities and their contribution to the world trade.

India and Egypt:

• India and Egypt on 26 Jan’23 decided to elevate their ties to the level of strategic partnership. Both decided to take the volume of bilateral trade to USD 12 billion in the next five years from around USD 7 billion at present.
• Both decided to broadbase the relations in a time-bound manner in areas of defence and security, trade, counter-terror cooperation and culture.

Sports Events:

ICC:

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) and NIUM, announced the launch of “Next In”, a global hackathon in January 2023.
• The hackathon invites and challenges tech-savvy fans to create solutions that improve and enhance the digital cricket fan experience.
• A shortlist of teams will be invited to build and present their concepts to a panel of judges at an event in March 2023 in Bangalore.

AIFF:

• The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced Kerala as the host for the Super Cup 2023, which will take place from April 8-25, 2023. The matches will be held in two of the three cities of Kochi, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram.
• All 11 teams of the Indian Super League and the winner of the 2022-23 I-League will get direct entry into the group stage.

Ben Stokes:

• England captain Ben Stokes has been named the International Cricket Council Test Player of the Year for 2022.
• Since taking over as England captain, Stokes has led the team to 9 wins from 10 Tests.

Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav:

• Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav has been selected as the ICC T20 Cricketer of the Year for the year 2022 for his stellar performance. Suryakumar Yadav scored 1164 runs in 31 T20 matches played in 2022.
• India’s Renuka Singh become the recipient of ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year Award. Australia’s Tahlia McGrath has been awarded ‘ICC T20 Women’s Cricketer of the Year award.’