Daily Current Affairs and GK | 21 January 2023

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

1. Annual conference of DGPs and IGPs begun in New Delhi on 20 January.

• Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the three-day All India Conference of Director Generals Inspector Generals of Police 2022.
• Many issues related to Cyber Crime, Technology in Policing, Counter Terrorism challenges, Left Wing Extremism, capacity building, and Prison Reforms will be discussed during the conference.
• States and UTs will present Best practices under different themes. It will help others states to learn from each other.
• DGP of States and UTs and Heads of Central Armed Police Forces and Central Police Organizations will attend the Conference physically.
• On the first day of the conference, security challenges along the Land Borders with Nepal and Myanmar, strategies to identify overstaying foreigners in India and targeting of Maoist strongholds issued will be discussed.
• On the occasion, Union Home Minister presented Police Medal for meritorious service and gave away trophies for the top three police stations of the country.
• Aska police station of Odisha’s Ganjam district has been selected as the best police stations.
• The other two police stations are- the Arwal Women Police Station of Bihar and Banbasa police station in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand.
• Before 2014, the annual conference of DGPs and IGPs was focused on national security only. Later, these conferences focused on national security as well as core policing issues.

Topic: National News

2. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has notified the Major Ports Adjudicatory Board Rules 2023.

• The rules have been framed under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021.
• Section 54 of this Act envisages the constitution of an Adjudicatory Board.
• Adjudicatory Board is to perform the functions stipulated under section 58 of the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021.
• The Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 came into force on November 3, 2021.
• Adjudicatory Board shall consist of a Presiding Officer and two members.  
• A retired Judge of the Supreme Court or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court shall be the Presiding Officer.
• Two members of the Adjudicatory Board shall either be a retired Chief Secretary of a State Government or equivalent or a retired secretary of the Government of India or equivalent.
• The Presiding Officer and Members of the Adjudicatory Board will be appointed on the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
• The Selection Committee shall consist of the following.
  • Chief Justice of India or his nominee
  • Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training
  • Secretary of Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways
• Once the Adjudicatory Board will be constituted the Tariff Authority for Major Ports will cease to exist.
• Tariff Authority for Major Ports:
  • It was constituted in April 1997. It consists of a Chairman and two Members.
  • It was constituted to provide for an independent Authority to regulate all tariffs, both vessel-related and cargo related.

Topic: State News/ Telangana

3. World Economic Forum (WEF) has selected Hyderabad, Telangana to set up a Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR).

• It will be the first thematic centre in India to focus on life sciences and healthcare.
• Telangana government and World Economic Forum (WEF) entered into a collaboration agreement at the Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
• WEF managing director and Telangana Life Sciences Foundation CEO Shakthi Nagappan signed the agreement in the presence of Telangana Industries and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao.
• The centre will be an autonomous, non-profit organisation. It will focus on policy and governance for healthcare and life sciences.
• C4IR Telangana is the 18th centre to join the World Economic Forum’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Network.   
• C4IR Telangana is the only such centre in India with a thematic focus on healthcare and life sciences.
• Telangana accounts for one-third of global vaccine output. It is considered a leading life sciences hotspot in Asia.
• Telangana contributes about 35% of India’s pharmaceutical production.
• Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, India:
  • It was announced on January 23, 2018. It was officially launched in India on October 11, 2018.
  • It is located in Mumbai. It serves as a platform for technology governance in the Indian context.

Topic: State News/ Kerala

4. Wayanad district in Kerala has become the first district in India to provide basic documents to all tribal people.

• Wayanad district administration has provided 1,42,563 services to as many as 64,670 tribal beneficiaries under the Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitisation (ABCD).
• The services include ration cards, Aadhar cards, birth certificates, voters’ identity cards and digital locker facilities.
• The campaign was introduced in November 2021 at Thondarnadu grama panchayat.
• A. Geetha, Wayanad District Collector said the aim of the campaign is to ensure basic documents to all citizens belonging to the Scheduled Tribes communities.
• A. Geetha said these basic documents are digitalised and saved in DigiLocker accounts opened for them.
• In addition to the basic documents, other services such as income certificates, ownership certificates, age certificates, and applications for new pensions are also provided.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. Ministry of Tourism participated in the Feria Internacional de Turismo (FITUR) from January 18 to 22 in Madrid.

• The Feria Internacional de Turismo is one of the largest international travel shows in the world.
• India's participation in FITUR is critical for enhancing the recovery of inland tourism to pre-pandemic levels.
• The Ministry of Tourism has taken up 253 square meters of space, with more than 30 participants co-exhibiting with the Indian Pavilion to participate in the exhibition.
• The Indian Pavilion was graced by the presence of the King and Queen of Spain.
• The pavilion was formally inaugurated by the Indian Ambassador to Spain Mr. Dinesh K. Patnaik.
• Shri Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism led the Indian delegation.
• Mr Verma participated in key business meetings with senior leadership from Melia Hotels International, Palladium Hotel Group, Expedia Group, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Cushman & Wakefield, and the Indo-Spanish Chambers of Commerce.
• The leadership from these organizations has been also formally invited to participate in the 1st Global Tourism Investors’ Summit.
• The Summit is being organized by the Ministry of Tourism between 10th to 12th April, 2023 in New Delhi on lines of India’s G20 Presidency.

Topic: Reports and Indices/Rankings

6. Mukesh Ambani has been placed first in India and second in the world in the Brand Guardianship Index 2023.

• He has also left behind Microsoft CEO Bharatvanshi Satya Nadella and Google's Indian-origin CEO Sundar Pichai.
• Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani got a BGI score of 81.7 in the Brand Finance Index, just below American tech giant Nvidia's Jensen Huang, who scored 83.
• With this score, Huang is number one in the world. Microsoft's Satya Nadella ranked third place in index.
• The Brand Guardianship Index and Brand Guardianship Rankings have been prepared on the basis of a survey conducted by over 1,000 market analysts.
• This index is prepared by Brand Finance. The Brand Guardianship Index is a global ranking of CEOs.
• The Brand Guardianship Index includes
  • 'Equity' factors- reflect current perceptions
  • 'Performance' factors- reflect the tangible results of these perceptions
  • 'Investment' factors - support future performance
• Most of the names in the top-10 are of Indian origin.
• Adobe's Shantanu Narayen is fourth, Google's Sundar Pichai is fifth, Delay's Puneet Rajan is sixth, and Tata Group chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran is eighth.
• Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra Group, is ranked 23rd in the index. 

Topic: Defence

7. Indian Army and Egyptian Army started Exercise Cyclone-I on January 14, 2023.

• Exercise Cyclone-I is the first-ever joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army.
• It is a 14-day-long joint exercise. It is in progress at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
• The aim of the exercise is to boost defence cooperation between the two nations.
• It also aims to focus on sharing professional skills and interoperability of Special Forces in desert terrain.
• It is the first exercise of its kind bringing the special forces of both nations on a common platform.

Topic: National News

8. India International Science Festival (IISF)-2022 started in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on 21 January 2023.

• The festival will continue till 24th January 2023. It is being organised at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the India International Science Festival.
• Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh will be present as a special guest.
• Over 8,000 delegates from different regions of the country will take part in the festival.
• India International Science Festival is being held for the first time in Bhopal.
• The theme of the festival is ‘Moving towards Amritkal with science, technology and innovation’.
• 15 activities will be organized in the festival this year.
• The festival is being organised under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, CSIR, Department of Space, Atomic Energy and Vigyan Bharati.
• Seventh edition of the India International Science Festival, IISF 2021, was held at Panaji, Goa in December 2021.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Punjab

9. Punjab government will launch ‘Schools of Eminence’ project on 21 January.

• The ‘Schools of Eminence’ project will be launched at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali by chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
• Under this project, the Punjab government will upgrade existing government schools into ‘Schools of Eminence’ for classes 9 to 12.
• In phase-I, the government will upgrade nearly 110 government schools as the ‘Schools of Eminence’.
• The state government has allocated Rs 200 crore for ‘Schools of Eminence’.
• This project is on the lines of Delhi’s ‘Schools of Specialized Excellence’ initiative.
• An exhibition of innovative methods of teaching being used in government schools will be organised for students.
• Other activities will be also organized including a live sketch counter by a student artist of a government school, a selfie point, puzzles and games.
• The education department will give a presentation on the special features of these schools.

Topic: Defence

10. Tata Boeing Aerospace delivered the first fuselage for six AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.

• Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) provided the first fuselage for six AH-64 Apache helicopters from its modern facility in Hyderabad.
• The fuselage produced at the Hyderabad facility plant will be supplied to Boeing's Apache final assembly plant in Mesa, Arizona for further integration.
• TBAL’s 14,000-sq-m facility also produced complex aero-structures for Boeing 737 and 777 models.
• According to TABL, more than 90 per cent of the part used in these aerostructures' assemblies are manufactured in India.
• It uses the latest robotics, automation and advanced aerospace concepts in its manufacturing processes.
• In 2020, 22 AH-64E Apache helicopters have been delivered by Boeing to the Indian Air Force.
• Tata Boeing Aerospace limited is a joint venture of Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL).
• Indian Army operates four classes of aircraft from Boeing, which are as follows:
  • C-17 Globemaster III transporter,
  • P8I Poseidon multi-role maritime mission aircraft,
  • Chinook helicopter
  • Apache attack helicopters
• Recently, Tata Group won the ‘Supplier of the year’ award 2022 from Boeing among 11000 suppliers.

Topic: National Appointments

11. IDSE officer Praveen Sharma appointed as director of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission by the Government.

• Sharma's appointment was cleared after the Defense Ministry recommended the name for central deputation.
• Sharma's appointment has been approved by the central government for a period of five years under the "Central Staffing Scheme".
• Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission:
  • It was launched by PM Shri Narendra Modi on 27 September 2021.
  • It was launched for developing an integrated digital health infrastructure in the country.
  • The National Health Authority (NHA) will be the implementing agency of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
  • It was earlier called the 'National Digital Health Mission'.

Topic: India and its Neighbourhood

12. India became first creditor country to give assurance to Sri Lanka for debt restructuring.

• External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar has said that India has stood by Sri Lanka in difficult times.
• External Affairs Minister was on an official visit to Sri Lanka from 19 to 20 January.
• Sri Lanka is trying to get a $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• Sri Lanka was in talks to obtain financial assurances from its major creditors - China, Japan and India - which is essential for Colombo to receive the bailout package.
• Jaishankar has said that India has taken proactive steps and given financial assurance to International Monetary Fund without waiting for any lender.
• With this announcement, India has become the first creditor country to give assurance to the International Monetary Fund for debt restructuring.
• The External Affairs Minister stated that India would encourage more investment in the key sectors of energy, tourism and infrastructure.
• Last year, India also gave a credit of $3.9 billion to Sri Lanka.

Topic: New Developments

13. IIT Madras incubated firm made BharOS, indigenously developed mobile operating system.

• The BharOS was developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops) incubated by IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation.
• India’s indigenously developed Mobile operation system “BharOS” can be installed on commercial off-the-shelf handsets (commercially ready-made and available for sale).
• It is expected to benefit India’s 100 crore mobile phone users.
• BharOS provides access to trusted apps from organisation specific PASS. Private App Store Services (PASS) provides access to an organised list of apps that have been tested thoroughly and meets various security and privacy standards of organisation.
• BharOS comes with No Default Apps (NDA) which means users have a choice to use apps with which they are familiar or trust them. This approach also helps users to have more control over the apps permissions.
• BharOS offers Native over the Air (NOTA) updates which can help keep the devices secure. These updates get automatically downloaded and installed on the device without any need for manual initiation of the process.
• IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation is funded by Department of Science and Technology under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NMICPS).

Topic: Awards and Prizes

14. New Goa Manohar International Airport gets “Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport” award.

• The newly inaugurated Goa’s airport won the award under aviation sustainability and environment at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Conference-cum-Awards for Civil Aviation 2023.
• GMR Goa International Airport (GGIAL) was given this award for excellent initiatives taken by it to implement sustainability as one of core concepts.
• The criteria for award includes contribution, innovativeness, applicability, relevance and impact potential in their respective areas.
• New Goa Manohar International Airport has been designed to be a zero-carbon footprint airport.