Daily Current Affairs and GK | 8 and 9 January 2023

By Priyanka Chaudhary | Last Modified: 09 Jan 2023 19:51 PM IST

BIGGEST SALE EVER get 35% Off
Use Coupon code HOLI24

six months current affairs 2023 july december Rs.199/- Read More
half yearly financial awareness july december 2023 Rs.199/- Read More
half yearly current affairs jan july 2023 in detail Rs.219/- Read More
half yearly current affairs jul dec 2023 in detail Rs.219/- Read More


Half Yearly (Jul- Dec 2023 , Detailed)
2023 e Book

Current Affairs

Available in English & Hindi(eBook)

Buy Now ( Hindi ) Preview Buy Now (English)

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.

International Kite Festival 2023

(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.

Indian squash player Anahat Singh

(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).
Monthly Current Affairs eBooks
December Monthly Current Affairs November Monthly Current Affairs
October Monthly Current Affairs September Monthly Current Affairs

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 12th & 13th 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 30th January 2023 to 11th 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.
Related Study Material
Evolution and History of the Indian Constitution Preamble of the Indian Constitution
Major sources of Indian Constitution President of India
Ramsar sites of India 2022 Classification of Rocks
Interior of the Earth Tax system in India
 
 

 

 

0
COMMENTS

Comments


Share Blog


x