Current Affairs in English – January 4 2023

January 4, 2023

National Events:

President Droupadi Murmu:

• President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated Samvidhan Udyan, Mayur Stambh, National Flag Post, statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Maharana Pratap at Raj Bhavan, Jaipur on January 3, 2023.
• The park, built by the Jaipur Development Authority, showcases the Constitution’s journey from its making to its implementation through sculptures and pictures on panelled glass, among others.

UPI:

• UPI transactions rise over 7.82 billion in December 2022. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) closed the year 2022 on a high note as the number of transactions reached a record 7.82 billion in December and totalled Rs 12.82 trillion, also a record high.
• The volume of UPI transactions in December increased by 7.12 % when compared to November, while the value of transactions increased by 7.73 % during the same period.

Assam government:

• Assam government has acquired the historic Matiabag Hawa Mahal of the Gauripur royal family in Dhubri strict to preserve it as a heritage site.
• The royal property was handed over to the state for its restoration and preservation as a museum in memory of Goalparia folk singer Pratima Pandey Barua. The palace was built in 1914 by Prabhat Chandra Barua of the Gauripur royal family.

Akshardham Express:

• The Sampark Kranti Express train which runs between Ahmedabad and Delhi will be renamed as the Akshardham Express. The decision was taken in honour of Pramukh Swami Maharaj who is the spiritual guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.
• The announcement was made as part of the month-long Pramukh Swami centenary celebrations of the BAPS Swaminarayan sect.

Home Ministry:

• Home Ministry has constituted a committee to discuss land and employment safeguards for Ladakh.
• The committee will discuss measures to protect Ladakh’s unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and its strategic importance.
• The 17 member committee will be headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.

IT (Intermediary Guidelines & Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021:

• MeitY(Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) has released draft amendments to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines & Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 in relation to online gaming.
• The draft has been prepared to ensure that online games should be offered in conformity with Indian laws and that the users of such games be safeguarded against potential harm. The draft rules have strict provisions against betting and wagering.

Captain Shiva Chouhan:

• Captain Shiva Chouhan became the first woman officer to get operationally deployed at Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield. Before her deployment, Chouhan was put through a rigorous one month training at the Siachen Battle School alongside other officers of the Indian Army.
• The team of Sappers led by Captain Shiva will be deployed at the post for 3 months.

eSCR:

• Chief Justice of India announces launch of electronic Supreme Court Reports project. The Electronic Supreme Court Reports (eSCR) project aims to provide free access to around 34,000 judgments of the apex court to lawyers, law students, and the general public.
• These judgments will be available on the Supreme Court’s website, mobile app, and on the National Judicial Data Grid’s judgment portal. The e-SCR project is part of the Indian judiciary’s efforts towards digitization.

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards:

• Government names 27 overseas Indians for Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards. The 17th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will be held at Indore in Madhya Pradesh during January 8-10
• The recipients were chosen by a jury-cum-awards committee chaired by the vice – president. The awards will be conferred by the President.
• Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, DSB Group CEO Piyush Gupta are among 27 recipients of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.

Siyom bridge:

• Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Siyom bridge in Arunachal Pradesh. It was built by Border Roads Organisation.
• The Siyom bridge on the Along-Yinkiong Road-a 100-meter ‘Class-70’ steel arch superstructure-will facilitate faster induction of troops and heavy equipment to forward areas of the Upper Siang district, Tuting and Yinkiong regions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

NTPC:

• NTPC(National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) has started India’s first green hydrogen blending operation in the PNG (piped natural gas) network of its township in Kawas, Surat.
• The project is a joint effort of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Gujarat Gas Limited. The NTPC provides the green hydrogen produced at its 1 MW floating solar project of NTPC Kawas in the Surat for blending purposes.

Chief Minister’s Residential Land Rights Scheme:

• Madhya Pradesh government launches Chief Minister’s Residential Land Rights Scheme Government will provide plots of land free of cost to the families which do not own a house.
• The plots will be allotted in the name of both husband and wife, and no premium will be charged.
• The average size of plot under the scheme will be around 600 sq ft but it will vary a bit depending upon the availability of land. Family will be eligible to get the benefit of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna.

Revenue/Patwari policing system:

• The Uttarakhand government has abolished the revenue/Patwari policing system in the state on 3 January 2023. All the 1800 revenue villages will now be under the regular policing system. It was introduced by the British 150 years back.
• Under the system the civil officials of the Revenue department had the power to investigate and arrest the offenders like regular police.

Water Vision @2047:

• Ministry of Jal Shakti is organizing the “1st All India Annual State Ministers Conference on Water”. The theme will be “Water Vision @2047”. Water Vision @2047 is part of PM’s India @2047 plan.
• It is being organised in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 5th & 6th January, 2023. It aims to address the challenges of water security India faces. PM has also proclaimed a ‘5P’ mantra for sustainability.

ADB & Indian government:

• The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on January 2, 2023 signed loan agreements totalling $1.22 billion for developing infrastructure in various Indian states.
• The agreements would cover projects for improving the power sector and highways in Tripura and Assam, metro rail connectivity in Chennai, and improvement of key economic areas in the state of Maharashtra.

SPM-NIWAS:

• PM Modi on 30 Dec 2022 inaugurated Dr.Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) at Joka in Kolkata.
• The inauguration of SPM-NIWAS was followed by a day-long national conference on ‘Drinking Water Quality-Issues & Challenges’.
• The conference was organized by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation and supported by UNICEF, INREM Foundation, WaterAid.

Indian services sector growth:

• The Indian services sector growth touched a six-month high in December, supported by a robust intake of new work and favourable market conditions.
• The S & P Global India services purchasing managers index (PMI) rose to 58.5 in December from 56.4 in the previous month. In PMI, a print above 50 means expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction.

Unemployment rate:

• According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), India’s unemployment rate reached 8.30 % in December 2022, the highest level in 16 months. This marks an increase from 8.00 % recorded in Nov.
• Urban unemployment rate also saw a rise. Rural unemployment rate saw a slight decrease. Haryana recorded highest unemployment rate at 37.4%, while Odisha had lowest at 0.9 %.

National Scout and Guide Jamboree:

• President inaugurates 18th National Scout and Guide Jamboree. President Murmu inaugurated the Jamboree, at Rohat in the Pali district of Rajasthan on Jan 4, 2023.Rajasthan is hosting Jamboree after 66 years.
• Over 35,000 scouts and guides from all over the country will participate. A smart jamboree village has been set up with all the facilities on a 220 hectare area at Nimblee village 3500 tents have been erected at the venue.

Gaan Ngai festival:

• Manipur Celebrates Gaan Ngai festival. The Gaan Ngai festival is a major event in Manipur, celebrated by the Zeliarong community every year after the harvest season.
• On January 4, 2023, the community will come together to show their gratitude for a good harvest and pray for a prosperous year ahead.
• The festival is celebrated for a full 5 days, usually in the month of December or January. The exact date varies from year to year.

Hydrogen power trains:

• Ministry of Railways has announced a plan to introduce hydrogen power trains on its heritage lines. This plan is called “Hydrogen for Heritage”.
• The hydrogen-powered trains will be implemented on both narrow gauge and meter gauge lines. Eight heritage roots have been identified for the introduction of these trains.

International Events:

APPU:

• India will take over the leadership of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) from January 2023. Dr.Vinaya Prakash Singh, erstwhile Member (Personnel), Postal Services Board will take over the charge of Secretary General of the Union for a tenure of four years.
• This is the first time an Indian is leading an international organization in the postal sector.

Hydrogen powered urban trains:

• China has become the first country in Asia and second in the world to launch Hydrogen powered urban trains. Germany was the first country to introduce hydrogen powered trains in September 2022.
• Chinese train has a top speed of 160 KM per hour and can run without refuelling for 600 Km. The German train developed by French company Alstom has set a record 1175 Km range without refuelling.

World Braille Day:

• World Braille Day is observed every year on January 4. It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of Braille as a means of communication for visually impaired people.
• The day commemorates the birth anniversary of French educator Louis Braille, who invented the Braille language in the year 1809. Braille code is a form of written language that uses raised dots for characters.

UNSC:

• New members join United Nations Security Council (UNSC). On January 3, 2023, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland officially began their two-year term as non-permanent members of the UNSC.
• The five latest members are replacing India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway. Their terms ended on December 31, 2022. The other current two-year members are Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and United Arab Emirates.