Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Examinations: January 24, 2023
General Awareness Section can be the easiest and most qualifying section in most competitive exams with the right focus. To bag a good score in these sections one must follow the current affairs for at least a few minutes on a daily basis. Current affairs are vastly diversified with topics from politics, finance, sports, etc. and getting lost in this vast data might be confusing sometimes.
Whether you are preparing for a written test or an interview for any competitive exam, you have come to the right place to enhance your GK knowledge.
Motivation++
“Life loses half its interest if there is no struggle – if there are no risks to be taken”
“India is calling. Blood is calling to blood. Get up, we have no time to lose. Take up your arms! we shall carve our way through the enemy’s ranks, or if God wills, we shall die a martyr’s death. And in our last sleep, we shall kiss the road that will bring our Army to Delhi”
Today 23 January 2023, marks Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s 126th birth anniversary.
Owing to the legendarydom fighter’s extraordinary grit and insurmountable contribution to the Indiandom struggle, Netaji’s birthday is also observed as Parakram Diwas.
He was born on 23 January 1897 in Cuttack, Odisha.
23 January 2023 is the occasion of the 126th birth anniversary of Netaji. This day is also referred to as the Parakram Diwas and is celebrated to honour the life of Subhas Chandra Bose.
About Subhas Chandra Bose:
In 1921, Bose joined the nationalist movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress.
He followed Jawaharlal Nehru to leadership in a group within the Congress which was less keen on constitutional reform and more open to socialism.
Bose became the Congress president in 1938.
Bose had founded the Azad Hind Fauj, also called the Indian National Army (INA), which attacked the Britishers from the eastern side of then-undivided India.
What Is Parakram Diwas?
This day is celebrated on 23 January every year.
It is celebrated on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Netaji was one of the prominent heroes and leaders of India’s Independence struggle.
He fought for independence throughout his life.
It is celebrated to commemorate the legendarydom fighter’s extraordinary contribution to the Indiandom struggle.
Netaji’s Birthday was designated as Parakram Diwas in 2021.
It is celebrated to develop a sense of patriotism in the hearts of Indian citizens.
It is also celebrated to encourage youngsters to act with courage when faced with any challenges.
Question:
Parakram Diwas is celebrated every year on 23rd January to mark whose birth anniversary?
A. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
B. Bhagat Singh
C. Chandra Shekhar Azad
D. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Defence
IAF to Conduct Annual Command-Level Exercise in the Eastern Sector after 2 years
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to conduct an annual command-level exercise in the eastern sector in the first week of February.
Exercise Poorvi Akash—the annual command-level exercise of the IAF’s Eastern Air Command—is being conducted after a gap of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
About Exercise Poorvi Akash:
The exercise will involve the activation of the Command’s fighters, helicopters and transport assets towards a routine practice of aerial drills, including joint exercises.
The exercise planned to be held in the next few days also comes at a time when the Indian Air Force has deployed and activated the S-400 air defence squadron in the area, which can take on any enemy aircraft or missile from a distance of up to 400 km.
The exercise would see major combat assets of the Air Force, including the Rafale and Su-30 fighter jets, activated along with the transport and other aircraft.
The IAF recently moved a squadron of drones from other bases to the northeast to augment its capabilities of monitoring adversary activities along the Sikkim and the Siliguri Corridor sector.
Eastern Air Command:
Headquartered in Shillong, the Eastern Air Command is one of the five operational commands of the Indian Air Force and controls air operations in the eastern sector.
Its area of responsibility includes a 6300 km-long international boundary with China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Question:
What is the name of the annual command-level exercise of the IAF’s Eastern Air Command that will be conducted in February 2023 after a gap of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic?
A. Exercise Poorvottar
B. Exercise Poorvi Akash
C. Exercise Arun Akash
D. Exercise Eastern Air
Answer: B
Check out the Highlights of the Economic Survey 2022-23 by clicking on the link given below: Economic Survey 2022-23
Current Affairs: Awards and Recognitions
Hindustani Vocalist Prabha Atre Conferred with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Lifetime Achievement Award
Hindustani vocalist Padma Vibhushan Dr Prabha Atre was recently conferred with the Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Lifetime Achievement Award at the hands of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde felicitated Dr Atre at a function at Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan in Thane.
Mr Shinde presented Dr Atre with a citation and ₹1 lakh at the programme, during which a symphony of 90 flautists was performed to mark her 90th birthday.
About Dr Prabha Atre:
Prabha Atre was born on 13 September 1932.
She is an Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana Gharana.
She has been awarded all three of the Padma Awards by the Government of India.
Who Was Hariprasad Chaurasia?
Hariprasad Chaurasia was born on 1 July 1938. He is an Indian music director and classical flautist who plays the bansuri in the Hindustani classical tradition. He has received the highest recognition of Padma Bhushan (1992) and Padma Vibhushan (2000).
Question:
Who among the following Hindustani vocalists was recently conferred with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Lifetime Achievement Award?
A. Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan
B. Dr Prabha Atre
C. Dr Shobha Abhyankar
D. Zohrabai Ambalewali
Answer: B
Current Affairs: National
Pune to Have India’s Deepest Metro Station
The Pune Metro is all set to complete work on the country’s deepest underground metro station in the city by next month and make it operational by the end of March.
Details:
The Civil Court Interchange station is 33.1 metres deep (108.59 feet) and will be the deepest metro station in the country.
The station also has the speciality of having its roof at a height of 95 feet and the natural light of the sun falling on the floor of the underground station.
Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Maha-Metro) is implementing the Pune Metro rail project.
The design of the station will adhere to the green norms and the Indian Green Building Council rankings. Once the routes and stations are ready, people from PCMC can travel 22 km to Vanaz within 31 minutes.
Question:
As per the latest reports, which is the deepest metro station in India, which will be operational soon?
A. Mumbai Metro Station
B. Nagpur Metro Station
C. Jaipur Metro Station
D. Pune Metro station
Answer: D
Current Affairs: Defence
The First Indo-Egypt Joint Military Exercise Begins in Rajasthan
The first joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian and the Egyptian Army, ‘Exercise Cyclone–I’, started recently at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
Aim:
‘Cyclone–I’ is the first exercise of its kind, bringing the special forces of both nations on a common platform.
The exercise aims to bolster defence cooperation between the two countries and focus on sharing professional skills and interoperability of special forces in desert terrain while undertaking counter-terrorism, reconnaissance, raids and other special operations.
About Exercise:
The participants will also undertake joint planning and drills for Special Forces operations in mechanised warfare settings and surgical strikes on terrorist camps/hideouts including sniping of High-Value Targets.
The 14-day-long exercise, carried out in the deserts of Rajasthan, engages both the contingents to advance special forces skills such as Sniping, Combat Fall, Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Designation, sharing of information on weapons, equipment, innovations, tactics, techniques and procedures.
India-Egypt Relations:
India and Egypt, two of the world’s oldest civilisations, have enjoyed a history of close contact from ancient times.
Egypt has traditionally been one of India’s most important trading partners in the African continent.
The India-Egypt Bilateral Trade Agreement has been in operation since March 1978 and is based on the Most Favoured Nation clause.
Question:
What is the name of the first joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian and Egyptian armies that started recently at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan?
A. Typhoon IE
B. Cyclone–I
C. Exercise Desert Storm
D. Exercise El-Egypt
Answer: B
Current Affairs: Defence
Women Get into Command Roles in the Indian Army
The Army has begun the process for the selection of women officers for command postings in the rank of Colonel, which has so far been the domain of male officers.
As many as 108 women officers in the Army have recently been cleared for the rank of Colonel (selection grade) by a special selection board, making them eligible to command units and troops in their respective arms and services for the first time.
In the recent move, the Army has decided that Women officers in many streams of the Army, including the Army Air Defence, Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and Intelligence Corps, are selected for command postings.
What Exactly Does Commanding a Unit Mean?
Once promoted to a Colonel, an officer is eligible to command troops directly in the Army, which is an acknowledgement of the leadership qualities of the officer.
It is considered a coveted appointment because in no other rank, including higher ranks like Brigadier or Major General, does an officer interact directly with troops on the ground.
Women’s Inclusion in the Indian Army:
Women were inducted into the Army as early as 1992.
Women officers who were inducted into the Army were inducted as Short Service Commission (SSC) officers in 1992 and did not have the choice to opt for a permanent commission.
JAG and Army Education Corps were exceptions; in 2008, a permanent commission was opened for them.
For other arms and services, women could not become permanent cadres and had to retire much before completing the mandatory service period to become a Colonel.
With the landmark Supreme Court judgement of February 2020, the permanent commission was granted to women officers with retrospective effect.
This opened the doors for their further growth and promotions in the Army, which has been, of late, opening leadership and higher management courses for women.
Challenges for Women being in a Combat Role:
Military readiness
Tradition
Physical Ability
Efficiency
Morale and Cohesion
Abuse by Enemy
Which other Armies Allow Women to Serve or Command Units?
All major countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, and Israel, allow women in command positions of their national armed forces.
Question:
Which of the following countries’ armies did not allow women to serve or command units?
A. India
B. Pakistan
C. Israel
D. Russia
Answer: B
Check out the Highlights of Union Budget 2023 by clicking on the link given below: Union Budget 2023-24
Current Affairs: National
Centre to Set Up a Floating Jetty on the Northern Bank of Brahmaputra
The Centre will set up a modern floating jetty on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra river in Assam’s Sonitpur district to facilitate the movement of cargo and passengers via waterways, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal recently announced.
The union government has prepared a plan to build such a facility at the historic Biswanath ghat
The aim of this plan is to ease the movement of cargo and passengers via waterways.
Details:
The new jetty will help to boost the local economy. The facility will help farmers and traders to transport and export their produce via waterways.
Accordingly, the Centre’s ‘Act East’ policy has done wonders for the economic revival of the region in the global trade map.
The main aim is to re-energise India’s traditional routes of trade via the Brahmaputra river.
Once the floating jetty is built, it will facilitate the docking of three ships simultaneously.
Fact Book 23-01-23
Ex-SC judge AK Sikri appointed Administrator of Shooting World Cup 2023
The Delhi High Court has appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri as an administrator to oversee the utilisation of funds for the upcoming International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup scheduled to be held in India in March in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
ASMI Machine Pistol
The Indian Army has recently raised a tender to indigenously source 5,000 numbers 9×19 mm machine pistols as an ‘Emergency Procurement’ via the Fast Track Procedure (FTP) of the Defence Acquisition Procedure, 2020 (DAP 2020).
ASMI (meaning pride/ self-respect) is India’s first indigenous 9mm machine pistol.
Developed jointly by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and Indian Army.
It weighs under 2kg and can fire at a range of 100 metres.
It has an 8-inch barrel and 33 rounds of high-capacity magazine load.
It would cost around Rs 50,000 per unit.
The 3D printing process was used to design and prototype the pistol’s various parts, including its trigger components.
It is set to replace the 9mm pistols in the Indian defence forces.
Kunlavut, An Seyoung emerge champions at India Open
Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Korea’s An Seyoung emerged champions at the India Open after stunning wins over two-time world champions Viktor Axelsen and Akane Yamaguchi in their men’s and women’s singles finals recently.
The India Open is an annual badminton event which has been held in India since 2008 and is a BWF World Tour Super 750 international badminton tournament.
Its first three editions were designated as Grand Prix Gold events. In 2011, it was upgraded to the BWF Superseries tournament.
Location: New Delhi, India
Venue: K. D. Jadhav Indoor Hall (2023)
Prize money: US$850,000 (2023)
Founded: 1973; 50 years ago
Most titles (female): 3; Liliyana Natsir
Most titles (male): 3; Tontowi Ahmad
Praveen Sharma was Appointed the Director of the National Health Authority
Praveen Sharma (IDSE) has recently been appointed as Director of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s National Health Authority (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission).
Praveen is an officer of the Indian Defence Service of Engineers from the 2005 batch.
He has been appointed to the post under the Central Staffing Scheme for a period of five years.
Mukesh Ambani Ranked Number Two Globally on Brand Guardianship Index 2023
On the Brand Guardianship Index 2023, billionaire Mukesh Ambani rated first among Indians and second internationally, surpassing Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, topped the global list.
The Brand Guardianship Index, developed by Brand Finance, a leading worldwide independent brand consultant, is a global acknowledgement of CEOs who are creating long-term company value by balancing the requirements of all stakeholders – employees, investors, and society.
13th Amendment (13A) to Sri Lanka’s Constitution
The Indian Minister of External Affairs reiterated that full implementation of the 13A is “critical” for achieving reconciliation with the minority Tamil community.
13A, brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987, provides for the devolution of power to the Tamil community.
Sri Lanka has a long history of failed negotiations to end the Tamil claim of discrimination by allowing some form of political autonomy.
13A will facilitate unity among all the communities in Sri Lanka so that they can live as one.
Kerala’s Wayanad becomes the first district in the country to provide basic documents to all tribal people
Kerala’s Wayanad becomes the first district in the country to provide basic documents to all tribal people.
The Akshaya Big Campaign for Document Digitisation (ABCD) campaign provided Aadhaar cards, ration cards, birth/death certificates, etc.
These documents are digitised and saved in DigiLocker accounts. Digitalising the documents through DigiLocker will help the beneficiaries easily retrieve the documents if in case they are lost or damaged.
India-supported resolution ‘Education for Democracy’ at UNGA
India-supported resolution ‘Education for Democracy’ was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) recently; the Assembly adopted the resolution with unanimous consent and without a vote.
The resolution encouraged member states to integrate education for democracy into their education standards and curriculum. It also asked member states to close digital divides.
Education for democracy focuses primarily on democratic rights and responsibilities and education for active participation in relation to the civic, political, social, economic, legal and cultural spheres of society.
Recently, the district of Kollam (Kerala) has become the country’s first constitution-literate district.
Hakku Patra or Title Deeds
Recently, the Prime Minister of India symbolically distributed Hakku Patra (land title deeds) to five families of the Banjara (Lambani) community, a nomadic Scheduled Caste group, at an event organised by the state Revenue Department in Karnataka.
A title deed is a property ownership document, and the bearer of the document owns the land.
The title deeds enable owners to avail of bank loans with the documentation.
The government will also grant them the right to buy or sell land on which the title deed has been granted.
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