Current Affairs in English – January 13 2023

National Events:

Hockey India:

Hockey India has launched a new metaverse product ‘Hockeyverse’ for live broadcasting of the Men’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13-29, 2023. ‘Hockeyverse’ is designed to enhance the tournament experience for fans around the world.
It features replica of the newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium and The Time Machine, based on time travel elements.

28th edition of Saarang:

The 28th edition of Saarang, India’s largest student-run festival began at IIT Madras on 11th January 2023. Saarang 2023 will feature more than 100 events with participation from 500 colleges across the country.
The Saarang 2023 is one of the largest student – run festivals held completely in physical mode. The festival will be held till 15th January 2023.

CMPDIL:

Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi invented a “System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust” in January 2023.
This system can be used in mines, power plants, railway sidings, or other mineral materials stored under the open sky.
Apart from reducing dust generation from open sources, it will also provide noise attenuation.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India:

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has notified comprehensive regulatory standards for Basmati Rice for the first time in January 2023.
As per these standards, Basmati rice shall possess the natural fragrance characteristics of basmati rice and be free from artificial coloring.
Basmati rice is a premium variety of rice cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of the Indian sub-continent.

Lohri Festival: 14 January:

Lohri festival will be celebrated on 14 Jan 2023, a day before Makar Sankranti. It is observed by the people of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Jammu. It marks the end of the winter solstice and the northwards movement of the Sun.
It commemorates the harvest of the rabi crop. On this day, Sikhs hold a fair to remember the martyrdom of Chaali Muktae and perform Sikh Sardas.

Enterprises project:

The Kerala government’s year of enterprises project, under which more than one lakh enterprises were created in eight months, has been selected as one of the best practices models in Jan 2023.
Started in 2022, the project was aimed at creating one lakh enterprises in one year. Until Nov 2022, 1,01,353 enterprises were set up under the project and received around Rs 6,282 crore in investment.

6 Paigah tombs:

US government has announced to fund the conservation and restoration of 6 Paigah tombs built in the 18th-19th centuries in Hyderabad. The project will be implemented by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
The tomb is a mausoleum belonging to the nobility of the Paigah family, who served the Nizam of Hyderabad. The construction of this mausoleum was started by Nawab Tegjung Bahadur in 1787.

Virtual mega book fair:

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on 12 Jan 2023 inaugurated a virtual mega book fair for Delhi government schools.
The online platform will enable schools under the Directorate of Education to purchase books for their libraries and to ensure that library books reach the school’s doorstep. At least 340 publishers are participating in the fair and 8,000 books have been included in it.

National Youth Day:

National Youth Day is celebrated in India every year on January 12. The day is celebrated to mark the birthday of Swami Vivekananda.
It was in the year 1984 when the Government of India declared this day as National Youth Day National and the nation is observing it every year since 1985. The theme for the year 2023 is “Viksit Yuva- Viksit Bharat (Developed Youth-Developed India)”.

International Events:

Australian government:

The Australian government announced adopting Punjabi as the newest language for its school students in January 2022.
It was announced after a 2021 census showed that it was the fastest-growing language in Australia with more than 239,000 people using it at home, an increase of over 80 percent from 2016. Tamil, Hindi, and Korean languages were already added to the curriculum in 2021.

Sports Events:

Guinness:

Kerala has entered the Guinness Book of World Records by taking 4,500 penalty kicks in 12 hours.
The Department of Sports and Youth Affairs organized the event to set the Guinness record for a Dream Goal penalty shootout organized in Manjeri, Kerala.
Former Indian player U. Sharafali took the inaugural kick. Minister for Sports V. Abdurahiman took the last penalty kick of the record.