Daily Current Affairs and GK | 8 and 9 January 2023

Topic: Art and Culture

1. International Kite Festival 2023 begins in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

• Governor Acharya Devvrat inaugurated the festival at Sabarmati Riverfront.
• It is being organized by Gujarat Tourism under the theme of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
• International Kite Festival will be also held at Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo, and Kevadia.
• Many kite flyers from across India and the world will participate in this festival.
• A special Parade by international and national kite flyers, a theme pavilion displaying the history of kites, and workshops on making and flying kites are the main attraction of this year’s Kite festival.
• This year, kite lovers from different countries will attempt to create a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of kite flyers.
• First International Kite Festival was hosted in Ahmedabad in 1989.
• Fa-Hien and Hiuen Tsang are considered to be responsible to bring Kites to India.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Awards and Prizes

2. CJI D.Y. Chandrachud will be conferred the "Award for Global Leadership" by the Harvard Law School Center.

• Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud will receive the award in an online event on 11 January.
• During the event, Professor David Wilkins of the Harvard Law School will also have a conversation with DY Chandrachud.
• He has been selected for the award for his lifetime service to the legal profession in India and to around the world.
• D.Y. Chandrachud has obtained his LLM degree and a Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD) from the Harvard Law School in the United States.
• Chandrachud became the 50th CJI on November 9, 2022. He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court in 2016.
• He was part of the many landmark SC’s verdict including the verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute, right to privacy, adultery and abortion.

Topic: Sports

3. Anahat Singh won the Under-15 British Junior Open Squash Tournament title in Birmingham.

• India's squash player Anahat Singh has won the girls' Under-15 title at the prestigious British Junior Open tournament in Birmingham.
• 14-year-old Anahat Singh defeated Egypt's Sohela Hazem 3-1 in the final.
• The British Junior Open tournament is held every year in January in the UK and is attended by the best players from around the world.
• This time the tournament was held from 4th-8th January after two years due to Covid.
• Earlier, Anahat won the Girls Under 11 title in 2019 and became the runner-up in the Girls Under 13 category in 2020.
• Anahat will now participate in the Asian Junior team championships, which will be held in Chennai in February 2023.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

4. Keshari Nath Tripathi passed away at the age of 88 years.

• On 8 January, Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi passed away at his residence in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
• Tripathi served as the Governor of West Bengal from July 2014 to July 2019.
• Prior to this, he also held the additional charge as Governor of Bihar, Meghalaya and Mizoram for short period.
• He was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for six terms.
• He was the Cabinet Minister for Institutional Finance and Sales Tax in the state from 1977 to 1979 during the Janata Party rule.

Topic: State News/ Maharashtra

5. Osmanabad District Court became Maharashtra's first e-court.

• Osmanabad District Court has become the first court in Maharashtra to introduce an e-system of functioning.
• On 8 January, the system was inaugurated by Arun Pednekar.
• All court-related work including filing, payment, and other court services, etc. can be done through the mobile app or online mode under this system.
• Along with this, the library of the court has also been converted into digital mode.
• All taluk courts in the Osmanabad district are working on the e-system and 500 lawyers in the district have already registered for the new system.
• As per the directions of the Supreme Court and the High Court, Osmanabad is the first district court to run on the computer system.
• All the courts of the district including Osmanabad will be paperless, for this, the central government has provided sufficient funds for the e-court.

Topic: Banking System

6. Green bonds will be issued by RBI in two tranches of Rs 8,000 crores each.

• On January 6, the RBI said that the first Sovereign Green Bond (SGrB) would be issued in two tranches for a total amount of Rs 16,000 crore.
• The proceeds will be used to finance public sector projects seeking to reduce carbon emissions.
• On January 25, the first auction will be held and the second on February 9.
• As announced in the Union Budget 2022-23, the central government will issue Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs) to raise resources for green infrastructure as part of its overall market borrowings.
• On September 29, 2022, it was notified that SGrBs for an aggregate amount of Rs 16,000 crore would be issued.
• On November 9, 2022, the Government of India issued the Sovereign Green Bond Framework.
• These Green Bonds will be available in tenors of 5 years and 10 years.
• The SGrBs will be issued through a uniform price auction and 5 percent of the notified amount of the sale will be reserved for retail investors.
• These papers will be treated as an eligible investment for SLR purposes.
• According to the terms and conditions outlined in the Reserve Bank Directions for Repurchase Transactions (Repo), 2018, SGrBs will be eligible for Repurchase Transactions (Repo).
• These bonds will also be eligible for trading in the secondary market.
• Green bonds are financial instruments. They generate proceeds for investment in environmentally sustainable and climate-suitable projects.
• Allocation and utilisation of Green Bonds is also under the purview of audit by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

7. PM Modi formally inaugurated the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention at Indore in Madhya Pradesh on 9 January 2023.

• The three-day Pravasi Bhartiya Divas convention started in Indore on 8 January 2023.
• President of Guyana, Dr. Mohd. Irfan Ali was the chief guest for the inaugural ceremony.
• President of Suriname Chandrikaprasad Santokhi was the special guest for the inaugural ceremony.
• "Pravasis: Reliable Partners in India's Progress in the Age of Amrit" is the theme of the conference.
• PM Modi also released a special postage stamp “Go Safe, Go Trained”.
• It highlights the importance of safe, legal, orderly and efficient migration.
• PM Modi also inaugurated the first digital exhibition focused on the theme “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav - Contribution of NRIs in Indian Freedom Struggle”.
• The conference will conclude on 10 January 2023. This is the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas convention.
• The last PBD Convention in 2021 was held virtually during the Pandemic.
• The 17th PBD Convention have five thematic Plenary sessions. These are given below.
  • First Plenary is on ‘Role of Diaspora Youth in Innovations and new Technologies’.
  • Second Plenary is on ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in promoting Indian Healthcare Eco-system in Amrit Kaal: Vision @2047’.
  • Third Plenary is on ‘Leveraging the soft power of India - Goodwill through craft, cuisine & creativity’.
  • Fourth Plenary is on ‘Enabling global mobility of Indian workforce – Role of Indian Diaspora’.
  • Fifth Plenary is on ‘Harnessing the potential of diaspora entrepreneurs towards an inclusive approach to nation building’.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

8. India will host 'Voice of Global South Summit' on 12^th & 13^th January.

• India will host the summit virtually on 12th &13th January. The theme of the Summit is Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose.
• Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that the Summit envisages bringing together countries of the Gobal South.
• It also envisages sharing their perspectives and priorities on a common platform across a range of issues.
• More than 120 countries are being invited to this Summit. 
• Foreign Secretary said the summit is India's endeavour to provide a common platform to deliberate on the concerns that affect the developing nations.
• The term Global South is often used for regions within Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.

Topic: State News/ Uttar Pradesh

9. UP government launched 100-day ‘UP Global City’ campaign.

• Ahead of the Global Investors Summit and G20 summit, Uttar Pradesh launched a statewide 100-day ‘UP Global City’ campaign.
• The main aim of the campaign is to transform the lifestyle of urban bodies on par with global standards.
• State Urban Development and Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma launched the campaign in all 762 urban bodies.
• It will focus on urban facilities, improving air quality, better cleanliness, and beautification. It also aims for the proper disposal of garbage.
• Global Investors Summit will be organized from 10-12 February in Lucknow.
• The state government will also introduce ‘Brand UP’ during the G20 summit. G-20 summits will be likely to take place in Agra, Varanasi, Greater Noida, and Lucknow.
• The ‘Swachh Virasat Abhiyan’ will be launched by the Up government from 14-24 January.
• Under this campaign, cleanliness work will be taken up in all tourist and historical places, monuments and religious places with people's participation.
• The ‘Swachh Dhaba’ campaign being run till March, 2023 will focus on the proper disposal of garbage from hotels, restaurants, dhabas etc.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

10. iDEX signed its 50th SPRINT contract with Sagar Defence for Autonomous Weaponised Boat Swarms.

• The development of this technology is one of the 75 challenges introduced by the Indian Navy under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• The Indian Navy has signed an agreement with Sagar Defence Engineering Pvt Ltd under ‘SPRINT’ initiative.
• It is the 50th contract that has been signed under the ‘SPRINT’.
• Sagar Defence has the expertise to develop India’s first weaponized Autonomous unmanned boat with swarming capabilities.
• ‘SPRINT’ is an initiative to promote the development of defence technologies by domestic companies.
• SPRINT Challenges was launched by PM Modi during Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar ‘Swavlamban’ in July 2022.
• ‘SPRINT’ stands for Supporting Pole-vaulting In R&D through Innovations for Defence Excellence (IdeX).
• After the construction of the weaponised autonomous unmanned boat, the Indian Navy can order 12 systems.

Topic: Sports

11. Mascot, torch, and anthem of Khelo India Youth Games-2022 were unveiled in a programme at Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal on 07 January 2023.

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled the mascot, torch, and anthem.
• Madhya Pradesh is hosting the fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games. 4th Khelo India Youth Games were held in June 2022.
• Khelo India Youth Games will be hosted from 30^th January 2023 to 11^th February 2023.
• In the games, 6,000 players will show their sports skills in eight different cities for 13 days.
• These eight cities will be Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat and Khargone (Maheshwar). One game (cycling) will be held in Delhi.
• Water sports i.e. kayaking-canoeing, canoeing and fencing competitions will be part of Khelo India Games for the first time in this edition.

Topic: International Appointments

12. Kevin McCarthy has been elected as the next Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

• McCarthy defeated Hakeem Sekou Jeffries in the 15th round of votes.
• McCarthy is the Republican leader. He was elected after the election process for electing the Speaker became the longest in 160 years.
• McCarthy got 216 votes and was elected as Washington’s top legislator, who presides over House business.
• He replaced Nancy Pelosi of the Democratic Party. He becomes 55th House speaker.
• US House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress. Senate is the upper chamber.

Topic: Sports

13. Sania Mirza will retire after Dubai Tennis Championships.

• India’s former doubles world no 1, Sania Mirza, has announced her retirement after Dubai Tennis Championships 2022.
• She has won six Grand slam doubles titles.
• Earlier, she had planned to retire at the end of the 2022 season but delayed due to elbow injury. She had retired from singles in 2013.
• She became the first Indian to win a WTA singles title in Hyderabad in 2005.
• She entered the top 30 by 2007 and reached her career-best ranking of world number 27.
• She along with Martina Hingis won 14 titles including Wimbledon, US and Australian Open.
• She is the only Indian to be ranked within top 100 in singles.

Topic: Indian Economy

14. India has become the third largest auto market in the world.

• For the first time, India has surpassed Japan to become the third largest auto market.
• In terms of auto sales last year, India is ahead of Japan.
• India’s total sales of new vehicles stood at around 4.25 million units compared to 4.2 million sold in Japan.
• The auto market in India is improving after the fluctuations seen between 2018-2020.
• The downfall was due to a credit crunch followed by COVID-19 pandemic that lowered the sales below 3 million unit mark.
• In 2021, due to shortage of automotive chips the sales figure got affected. In 2022, the automotive chip issue began to ease up, helping the sector to achieve normalcy.
• Last year, major automakers like Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and others began to see an increase in sales.
• China surpassed Japan to become the second largest vehicle market in 2006 and surpassed US to become the largest vehicle market in 2009.
• In 2021, China continued to lead the auto market globally.