Current Affairs in English – January 2 2023

January 2, 2023

Naional Events:

Koregaon Bhima:

• 205th anniversary of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima celebrated. The battle of Bhima Koregaon was fought on January, 1818, between Peshwa Bajirao Il and British army commanded by Captain F F Staunton of the East India Company.
• The battle was a part of the Third Anglo-Maratha War. The British army was largely dominated by Mahars-the most populous of the Dalit sub-castes in Maharashtra. The Dalit – dominated British Army had defeated the Peshwa army.

Ajay Kumar Srivastava:

• Ajay Kumar Srivastava has been elevated as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Overseas Bank with effect from January 1, 2023 from his current posting as executive director. He started his banking career as a probationary officer in 1991 with Allahabad Bank.
• After the successful completion of about 27 years in Allahabad Bank he was elevated as Executive Director of IOB in October 2017.

Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan:

• Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan assumes command of the IAF Western Command on 1 January 2023. He is a graduate of National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot in June 1985.
• He is an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He is recipient of ‘Vishist Seva Medal’ and ‘Ati Vishist Seva Medal’. Sinha succeeds Air Marshal S Prabhakaran.

Indian national Science Congress:

• The 108th Indian national Science Congress will be organised by the Indian Science Congress Association from 3-7 January 2023 at the Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. 107th Indian Science Congress 2022 was held in Bangalore.
• The theme of the 108th Indian Science Congress 2023: Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment.

Underwater metro:

• India’s first underwater metro will begin operation in Kolkata. India’s first underwater metro service, the East-West Metro Corridor project is expected to be completed by December 2023.
• The metro line will connect Salt Lake to Howrah via Kolkata with a stretch below the Hooghly River.
• The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation is implementing project. The first metro rail system in India was also started in Kolkata from Dum Dum to Tollygunge in 1984.

Utkarsh 2.0:

• RBI on 30 December 2022 launched the 2nd phase of the RBI’s medium – term strategy for strengthening regulatory and supervisory mechanisms called Utkarsh 2.0. The 1st strategy framework (Utkarsh 2022) covering the period 2019-2022 was launched in 2019.
• Utkarsh has 6 Vision statements as well as Core Purpose, Values & Mission statements. Collectively, they create a strategic guiding path.

Kalasa-Banduri project:

• Centre approves Kalasa-Banduri project in Karnataka. It is a dam designed to divert water from the Mhadei basin to the Mala-Prabha river basin. The project is aimed at facilitating drinking water for 13 towns in drought-hit northern Karnataka.
• These areas include Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Gadag. These regions together form the second driest region in the country after Rajasthan. Project is facing opposition from Goa and Maharashtra.

Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen:

• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen took the additional charge as Director General Border Security Force (BSF) in December 2022. The incumbent BSF DG Pankaj Kumar Singh retired on 31 December 2022.
• Sujoy Lal Thaosen is a 1988 batch officer of MP cadre. He will hold the ‘additional charge’ of BSF DG till the appointment of a regular DG of BSF or until further orders.

CDTI:

• The foundation stone of the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) was laid at Devanahalli, Karnataka on 31 December 2022. This will be 6th CDTI of the Bureau of Police Research & Development under the Home Ministry.
• The 1st CDTI was set up in Calcutta in 1958. The objective of the CDIT is to provide training to the police personnel up to Deputy SSP(senior superintendent of police) rank.

Wassenaar Arrangement:

• India assumes chairmanship of Wassenaar Arrangement from 1 January. India will assume the chairmanship for one year. The 42- member Wassenaar Arrangement is a voluntary export control regime that monitors transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods.
• Ireland handed over the chairmanship to India. India joined the Arrangement in December 2017 as its 42nd participating state.

New integrated Food Security Scheme:

• Centre rolls out new integrated Food Security Scheme from 1 January 2023. The new Scheme will provide free food grains to over 81 crore beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2023.
• The Scheme will also ensure effective and uniform implementation of the Act. Under the scheme, the Central Government will provide free foodgrains to all NFSA beneficiaries including Antyodaya Ann Yojana households and Priority Household persons.

Shri Anil Kumar Lahodi:

• Shri Anil Kumar Lahodi assumed charge as the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board (Ministry of Railways).
• Prior to this, Shri Anil Kumar Lahodi served as Member (Infrastructure), Railway Board1984 batch Indian Railway Engineer Mr. Lahodi, in his 36 years of experience, has held various positions in Central, North, Central North, Western and Midwestern Railways and Railway Boards.

Rushikonda beach and RK Beach:

• Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO), National Centre for Earth Sciences (NCES), and the Andhra University (AU) have researched and concluded that constant rip current zones at blue flag-certified Rushikonda beach and RK Beach have become a danger to the beach visitors.
• Between 2012 to 2022, over 200 people drowned in the sea at various beaches in and around Visakhapatnam and 60 percent of deaths occurred in RK Beach.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Nakshatra Festival:

• An astronomy program called Nakshatra Festival will be held for three days from 7th to 9th January 2023 under the auspices of the Tamil Nadu Astronomy and Science Corporation.
• On January 7, 1610 AD, the astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered our solar system’s planet Jupiter through his telescope and was the first to discover its four moons. To commemorate this, the star festival will be celebrated for the first time.

International Events:

Croatia:

• Croatia adopted the European Union’s (EU) common currency, the euro, and joined the Schengen Area, Europe’s visa-free travel area, on January 1, 2023. With this, Croatia became the fully integrated member of EU.
• The country had joined the EU in 2013. Schengen Area signifies a zone where 27 European countries, abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people.

Lula da Silva:

• Lula da Silva sworn in as the President of Brazil for the 3rd time. He was sworn in as the President for the third time on 1 January 2023 for a 4 year term. He defeated the incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro.
• Lula is a trade unionist. Geraldo Alckmin was sworn in as the Vice President of Brazil. Lula had previously led the country from 2003 to 2010.

International Year of Millets:

• International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 kick starts on 1 Jan 2023. Government of India sponsored the proposal for International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 which was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• The PM of India has also shared his vision to make IYM 2023 a ‘People’s Movement’ alongside positioning India as the ‘Global Hub for Millets’. Millets were among the first crops to be domesticated in India.

54 Starlink v2.0:

• SpaceX Launched First 54 Starlink v2.0 satellites Into Space. It was launched by SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Satellites were launched into low Earth Orbit. The SpaceX Falcon 9 was launched on 28th December 2022.
• It took place from the SLC-40 launch pad of the US Air Force Base at Cape Canaveral. Starlink satellites aims to provide internet in various parts of the world.

World Introversion Day:

• World Introversion Day is observed worldwide on January 2 every year. The first World Introversion Day was observed on January 2, 2011.The day was created by psychologist and author Felicitas Hene.
• World Introvert Day on January 2 serves as an opportunity for people around the world to better understand and appreciate introverts.

Sports Events:

Grand Master:

• Under the International Chess Federation, a Grand Master is awarded only if there are 3 consecutive wins with 3 players who have passed 2,500 points and won the title of Grand Master.
• In that way, 19-year-old chess player Gaustav Chatterjee from Kolkata has become the 78th Grandmaster of India. In the 59th National Senior Chess Championship, he reached the final qualification for grandmaster by fighting to a draw against Mitrapa.

Khelo India Youth Games 2022:

• In Hockey, Madhya Pradesh defeated Odisha 6-5 to clinch Khelo India Youth Games 2022 Men’s Under-18 Qualifiers title in Bhubaneswar. Amandeep and Roshan scored the goals for Haryana.
• With this, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana and Jharkhand have qualified for the Khelo India Youth Games to be held in Madhya Pradesh next year.