Current Affairs

21th January 2023

Top 18 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News:

Here is the Current Affairs 21th January 2023 covering the following news headlines: Seven-member Committee, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Navy’s Republic Day tableau, Chris Hipkins, Kalvari Class Submarine “Vagir”.

National News

1. IOA sets up Seven-member Committee to Probe Allegations against WFI chief

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a seven-member committee, including M C Mary Kom and Yogeshwar Dutt, to probe the allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by top grapplers.

Besides legendary boxer Mary Kom and wrestler Yogeshwar, the panel also includes archer Dola Banerjee and Indian Weightlifting Federation of India (IWLF) president Sahdev Yadav.

The decision was taken during IOA’s emergency Executive Council meeting which was attended by the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Yogeshwar along with IOA president PT Usha and joint secretary Kalyan Chaubey.

2. PM Modi Launched Development Programs in Karnataka and Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated several development programs in Karnataka and Maharashtra ahead of the elections.

PM Modi visited the Yadgiri and Kalaburagi districts of Karnataka and laid the foundation stone and inaugurated various developmental projects related to irrigation, drinking water, and a National Highway development project at Kodeka in the Yadgir district.

PM Modi will also inaugurate Narayanpur Left Bank Canal- Extension Renovation and Moderation Project (NLBC-ERM).

The Prime Minister will also distribute title deeds (Hakku Patra) to the eligible benefit of the newly declared revenue Village in Kalaburagi district.

During the program, he will also lay the foundation stone of the 71 km section of NH-150C.

The six-lane Greenfield road project is also a part of the Surat-Chennai Expressway.

Surat-Chennai Expressway will pass through six states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

3. Navy’s Republic Day tableau to reflect Nari Shakti

·        “Nari Shakti” (women power) will be driving the theme of this year’s Republic Day tableau of Navy.

·        Not just the front of the tableau will feature a woman aircrew of a Dornier aircraft flying overhead, but Lt. Commander Disha Amrith has been tasked with commanding its parade contingent.

·        The theme of the naval tableau would be ‘Indian Navy — Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Proof’.

·        The Tableau is designed with an aim to showcase the multi-dimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy as well as highlight key indigenously designed and built platforms.

·        The tableau would endeavour to highlight its sustained focus on ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ initiatives towards being a “future proof and maintaining combat readiness in service of the nation.”

International News

4. Chris Hipkins will replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister of New Zealand

New Zealand’s former COVID-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins will replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister.

The 44-year-old senior politician must be formally backed by Labour members of parliament to take over as the country’s 41st prime minister, following Ardern’s shock resignation.

Besides holding the education portfolio, Hipkins is also minister for police and the public service, and leader of the House.

States News

5. Wayanad becomes first district in country to provide basic documents to all tribal

Kerala’s Wayanad becomes the first district in the country to provide basic documents and facilities such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, birth/death certificates, election ID cards, bank accounts and health insurance to all tribespeople.

Apart from the basic documents, other services such as income certificates, ownership certificates, age certificates, and applications for new pensions are also provided at the camps.

The Wayanad district administration has attained the meritorious achievement by providing 1,42,563 services to as many as 64,670 tribal beneficiaries as part of the Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitisation (ABCD) campaign.

Defence News

6. Fifth Kalvari Class Submarine “Vagir” to be Commissioned into Indian Navy

·        Indian Navy is set to commission the fifth Kalvari class submarine Vagir on 23 Jan 2023. The Chief of the Naval Staff Adm R Hari Kumar will be the Chief Guest for the ceremony.

·        These submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France. Four of the Kalvari class of submarines have already been commissioned into the Indian Navy.

·        The Sand Shark represents ‘Stealth and Fearlessness’, two qualities that are synonymous with the ethos of a submariner.

Appointment News

7. Vedanta’s Cairn Oil & Gas Appointed Nick Walker as Chief Executive Officer

·        Nick Walker has been announced as the Chief Executive Officer of Cairn Oil & Gas, A unit of Vedanta Ltd.

·        The appointment is effective from 5th January 2023. Nick Walker has previously served as the President and CEO at Lundin Energy, a large European independent E&P company. He has also worked with BP, Talisman Energy, and Africa Oil and has an international experience of 30 years in technical, commercial, and executive leadership roles.

·        Nick Walker will lead all the aspects of Cairn’s strategy including the development of strategic alliances with global partners to fast-track business delivery.

·        He will also drive the adoption and deployment of best-in-class oil and gas technologies and processes with a focus on innovation and digitalization.

Banking News

8. RBI new rules for ‘Loan Loss Provision’ by Banks

·        The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a new set of rules governing loan loss provisioning by banks as it looks to enhance the resilience of the banking system.

·        The RBI defines a loan loss provision as an expense that banks set aside for defaulted loans.

·        The incurred loss approach requires banks to provide for losses that have already occurred or been incurred.

·        The banking regulator has proposed that each bank will be permitted to design and implement its own models for measuring expected credit losses for the purpose of estimating loss provisions.

·        The forward-looking expected credit losses approach will further enhance the resilience of the banking system in line with globally accepted norms. It is likely to result in excess provisions as compared to shortfall in provisions as seen in the incurred loss approach.

9. Canara Bank Transfers Entire 40% Shareholding in Russian JV to SBI

·        Canara Bank said it plans to sell its stake in Russian Joint Venture(JV) Commercial Indo Bank LLC (CIBL) to the other venture partner State Bank of India (SBI) for about Rs 114 crore. CIBL, incorporated in 2003, is a joint venture in Russia between SBI (60 per cent) and Canara Bank (40 per cent). 

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

·        Canara Bank Headquarters: Bengaluru;

·        Canara Bank Founder: Ammembal Subba Rao Pai;

·        Canara Bank Was Founded On: 1 July 1906.

10. SBI General Insurance to promote road safety as part of its CSR

·        SBI General Insurance, a leading general insurance company in India, has partnered with Doers NGO to support the Himachal Pradesh police in reducing the number of road accidents.

·        As part of its CSR program, SBI General has provided a well-equipped ambulance for immediate medical care for road accident victims in the Mandi district within the crucial “Golden Hour”.

·        The partnership between SBI General, Doers NGO, the Himachal Pradesh Police, and the Civil Hospital in Sundarnagar aims to provide timely treatment and access to lifesaving medical resources for road accident victims.

·        In addition to this, SBI General has also collaborated with the Himachal Pradesh Police to provide road signages to increase awareness and caution in accident-prone areas on the highway, with the goal of preventing road accidents.

Business News

11. LIC unveils Jeevan Azad limited premium payment plan

·        The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched LIC Jeevan Azad Plan. It is a limited period premium payment plan that offers financial support for the family in case of unfortunate death of the life assured during the policy term. If the LIC policyholder survives the maturity term, then the plan offers a guaranteed base sum-assured amount.

·        LIC Jeevan Azad is a limited-period payment endowment plan that provides financial support for the family in case of unfortunate death of the life assured during the policy term. The plan also takes care of the liquidity need through a loan facility. It also provides a guaranteed lump sum amount to the surviving life assured on the date of maturity.

Ranks And Reports News

12. Jio is India’s Strongest Brand, Ranked Ninth Globally

·        Reliance Jio has been ranked as the strongest brand in India and placed ninth among the world’s strongest brands, according to the latest report ‘Global 500 – 2023’ published by Brand Finance. ‘

·        Jio’ was placed ninth among the world’s strongest brands ahead of brands like EY, Coca Cola, Accenture and Porsche, and behind the likes of Google, YouTube, Deloitte and Instagram.

·        With a Brand Strength Index of 90.2, Jio is the only brand of India among the world’s strongest 25 brands, according to the Brand Finance listing.

·        Brand Finance is headquartered in London.

·        Brand Finance defines a ‘Brand Strength Index‘ as essentially a modified Balanced Scorecard split between the three core pillars of the ‘Brand Value Chain’ viz. Brand Inputs, Brand Equity and Brand Performance.

Agreements News

13. IPA and RIS Signed an Agreement to Set Up Centre for Maritime Economy and Connectivity

·        The Indian Ports Association (IPA) and Research & Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) signed a Memorandum of Agreement for setting up a Centre for Maritime Economy and Connectivity in the presence of the Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal.

·        The proposed project of the Transhipment Port at Galathea bay at Greater Nicobar in Andaman & Nicobar Islands will be the future which will be advantageous for the BIMSTEC Nations.

Sports News

14. Laxman Rawat Won National Sports Club of India Snooker Open Crown 2023

·        Laxman Rawat of PSPB overcame fellow PSPB challenger Aditya Mehta 9-6 in a best-of-17-frame final. Laxman Rawat of PSPB emerged victorious in the ‘Baulkline’ NSCI All India Snooker Open.

·        Laxman Rawat of the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) won the NSCI Snooker Open 2023 against Aditya Mehta.

·        Laxman Rawat received Rs 3 lakh cash prize while Aditya Mehta received Rs 1.5 lakh.

·        The summit clash contested between the accomplished Indian Oil Cueists Rawat and Mehta witnessed top-quality positive play as both were aggressive and went for their shots.

15. International Cricket Council loses $2.5 million in online scam, Report

·        The global governing body of cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), reportedly lost nearly $2.5 million in online scam last year. The incident of phishing, which originated in the US, took place last year.

·        .As per reports, the ICC was repeatedly cheated by the scamster not once, not twice, but four times. Surprisingly, the authorities at the ICC’s Dubai office did not have a clue that they were being cheated.

  Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

·        ICC Founded: 15 June 1909;

·        ICC Chairman: Greg Barclay;

·        ICC CEO: Geoff Allardice;

·        ICC Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Awards News

16. ESAF Bank bags Inclusive Finance India Awards 2022

·        ESAF Small Finance Bank has bagged the prestigious Inclusive Finance India Awards 2022 for its contributions in advancing the goal of financial inclusion and supporting inclusive growth.

·        This award is a recognition of ESAF’s unique spectrum of Financial Inclusion projects ESAF Dhansree, ESAF Udyog Jyothi, LSEDP (Local Sustainable Economic Development Project), ESAF Balajyothi, ESAF Vayojyothi, and ESAF Garshom. 

·        ThomasThe Inclusive Finance India Awards initiative aims to celebrate and encourage deserving institutions to continue to enhance outreach to the poor by way of motivating management and staff through recognition of their painstaking efforts and enhancing the credibility of the institution, thereby making it more attractive for funding.

Important Takeaway For All Exam:-

·        ESAF Headquarters : Thrissur

·        ESAF Founded : 10 March 2017

·        ESAF Chairperson :- P. R. Ravi Mohan

·        ESAF MD & CEO :- K. Paul Thomas

Books And Authors

17. A book title ‘COACHING BEYOND: My Days with the Indian Cricket Team’ by R. Kaushik, R. Sridhar

·        A book titled ‘COACHING BEYOND: My Days with the Indian Cricket Team’ authored by R. Kaushik & R. Sridhar.

·        The book reflects primarily on R. Sridhar’s seven-year coaching tenure with the Indian cricket team as its fielding coach.

·        R. Sridhar, a left-arm spinner who played for Hyderabad in the late 1990s, discovered his love for coaching when still an active player.

·        Armed with the requisite knowledge and degrees, he took the National Cricket Academy route to the senior Indian team, where he served as fielding coach for seven eventful years, from 2014 to 2021, and formed an integral back-room coaching troika alongside head coach Ravi Shastri and assistant coach Bharat Arun. Sridhar is now co-founder of Coaching Beyond, an institute that intends to produce not just high-quality players but also coaches.

Miscellaneous News

18. NACO forms Largest Human Red Ribbon Chain in Kalinga Stadium, Odisha

·        Odisha State AIDS Control Society organised an awareness program on HIV AIDS in coordination with the Department of Sports and Youth Services and Hockey India under the leadership of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), on 19th January 2023.

·        The spectators in the gallery included 4,800 students from various schools, Red Ribbon Club members from colleges, people from community, and participants from the Mission Shakti Department. The event created the ‘Largest Human Red Ribbon Chain‘ at the East Gallery of the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

·        Odisha continues to have a low HIV prevalence in the state with an adult prevalence of 0.14% and an estimated 52,108 people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: 

·        National AIDS Control Organization Director General: V Hekali Zhimomi;

·        National AIDS Control Organization Headquarters:New Delhi

·        National AIDS Control Organization Founded: 1992