Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
Qin Gang is named China’s new foreign minister Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
• China has appointed Qin Gang, its ambassador to the United States and a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping, to be its
new foreign minister, as Beijing and Washington seek to stabilize rocky relations. This decision was made by the 13th
National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee. Qin, 56, replaces Wang Yi, who has been foreign minister for
the past decade. Wang, 69, was promoted to the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and is expected to play a
bigger role in Chinese foreign policy.
अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संबंध international relations
• Qin rose quickly through various positions in China’s foreign ministry, including two stints as ministry spokesman
between 2006 and 2014, and as chief protocol officer between 2014 and 2018, overseeing many of Xi’s interactions
with foreign leaders. As spokesman, he stood out among his peers for being one of the earliest Chinese diplomats to
make sharp comments in defence of China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, what later became known as “wolf
warrior” diplomacy.
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
NATIONAL
CM to open Indian Library Congress in Kannur
• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated Indian Library Congress in Kannur, Kerala. The inauguration event of
the Indian Library Congress was organized by the People’s Mission for Social Development and Library Council.
• The event was hosted by Kannur University, Kerala from 1st January to 3rd January 2023. Higher Education Minister
Dr. R. Bindu will inaugurate 100 new libraries in the district as part of the event.
• Ramachandran Gadnapally MLA, Kannur District Panchayat President PP Divya, Kasaragod District Panchayat President
Baby Balakrishnan, MV Jayaranjan, Prabir Purkayastha, TK Govindan, PK Vijayan, Dr. KV Kunhikrishnan, Pramod
Vellachal, and others were also present during the inauguration ceremony.
Chandrayaan-3 to Gaganyaan: 2023 is going to be about bigger, bolder, bra ver missions from India
• In 2022, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) reached new heights as it experimented with new tests to
confirm its human spaceflight mission, built new facilities to train its astronauts, and created a new connection with t he
private sector by putting India’s first privately made rocket to the test. The year 2023 won’t be any different. Instead,
since the roster is set, it might be a year of bigger, bolder, and braver expeditions from India to space.
• The first test of the Gaganyaan mission, the nation’s first astronaut mission that sends Indians outside the planet in an
indigenously manufactured technology, is the most audacious venture the Indian space agency has ever undertaken.
‘SMART’ programme launched for Ayurveda professionals to boost R&D in Ayurveda
• The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic
Sciences (CCRAS), the two prominent institutions under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India for regulati ng
medical education and conducting scientific research respectively, have launched ‘SMART’ (Scope for Mainstreaming
Ayurveda Research in Teaching Professionals). The program aimed to boost scientific research in priority healthcare
research areas through Ayurveda colleges and hospitals.
• The proposed initiative is conceptualised with an objective to identify, support and promote innovative research ideas
in healthcare research areas including Osteoarthritis, Iron Deficiency Anaemia, Chronic Bronchitis, Dysl ipidemia,
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Obesity, Diabetes Mellitus, Psoriasis, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Non -alcoholic fatty liver
disease (NAFLD)”.
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
J&K: CRPF celebrates ‘Jashn-e-Chillai-Kalan’
• On the occasion of Chillai Kalan in the Kashmir Valley, 44 Bn CRPF organized a function “Jashn – e – Chillai Kalan” on
26/12/2022 at HMT Complex, Zainakote, Srinagar. During this competition, 54 participants (including 12 Female
participants) from Schools/colleges & other educational institutions were present along with their guardians & teachers.
Commandant 44 Bn, CRPF inaugurated the event.
• The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a federal police organisation in India under the authority of the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. It is one among the Central Armed Police Forces. The CRPF’s primary
role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter -insurgency.
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
IMPORTANT DAYS
DRDO celebrates its 65th Foundation Day; Floral tributes paid to former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at DRDO
Headquarters in New Delhi
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Headquarters in New Delhi has marked the 65th Foundation
Day of the Organisation, which is celebrated on 1st January every year. DRD O Chairman Dr S V Kamat addressed the
DRDO fraternity on the occasion. He reaffirmed DRDO’s commitment towards R&D excellence and briefed about the
development of cutting edge technologies for self-reliance in defence.
• On the occassion of the day, a DRDO monograph ‘Infrared Signatures, Sensors and Technologies’ authored by Dr Kamal
Nain Chopra, a former DRDO Scientist, was also released by the Chairman DRDO. DRDO calendar 2023 was also
released. In addition, Secretary DD R&D and Chairman DRDO felicitated all the employees who have completed 25
years of their service in DRDO.
• It is a premier defence research and development agency under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
• It is working on several cutting-edge military technology areas, including aeronautics, armaments, combat vehicles,
electronics, instrumentation, engineering systems, missiles, materials, naval systems, advanced computing, simulation,
cyber, hypersonic technology, quantum computing and communications.
SUMMIT’S & MOU’s
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
India & Austria ink pact on migration and mobility
• Last year witnessed “exploding number of Indians” who arrived at the borders of Austria as illegal immigrants, said the
Foreign Minister of Austria Alexander Schallenberg on January 2, 2023.
• The Minister made the comment soon after the Indian and the Austrian teams signed a Comprehensive Migration and
Mobility Partnership Agreement that Mr Schallenberg described as “most important”. He called for dialogue to resolve
the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and described India as a voice of “peace” and “reason”.
BREAKING BARRIERS: THE STORY OF A DALIT CHIEF SECRETARY
• Former IAS officer Kaki Madhava Rao has authored a new book titled “Breaking Barriers: the Story of a Dalit Chief
Secretary” which addresses the details about the dynamics of civil services at the ground level and also fills the gap in
the knowledge about micro policies and governance. The book is published by Emesco Books Private Limited. K
Madhava Rao is a 1962 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who retired as Chief Secretary of Andhra
Pradesh (AP). He was born in Pedamaddali village of Krishna district, AP in 1939. He also served in the Reserve Bank of
India(RBI) as a Director and as a member of a sub-committee, the Board for Financial Supervision.
• Chapters 2,3,4, and 5 are full of details on his exposure to the national stage, a different world from rural Andhra
Pradesh. The account here is of how a provincial young man matures into an adult in the world at large.
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
BANKING AND ECONOMY
UPI Transactions Rise Over 7.82 Billion in December 2022. Here’s How UPI Has Grown Over The Years
• India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed a record 7.82 billion transactions in December, worth a total of INR
12.82tn ($174.6bn). This represents an increase of 7.12% in volume and 7.73% in value compared to November. On a
year-on-year basis, volume and value increased by 71% and 55% respectively.
• In 2022, UPI processed over 74 billion transactions worth INR 125.94tn. In 2021, it processed 38 bi llion transactions
worth INR 71.54tn.
• This represents a YoY increase of 90% in volume and 76% in value.
• UPI reached 1 billion transactions in October 2019, 2 billion in October 2020, and 3 billion in January 2021.
SBI, ICICI, HDFC Bank remain systemically important banks: RBI
• The Reserve Bank of India said SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank remain domestic systemically important banks (D -SIBs). D-
SIBs are those interconnected entities whose failure can impact the whole of the financial system and create instability.
In addition to the usual capital conservation buffer, D-SIBs will need to maintain additional Common Equity Tier 1
(CET1). As per the RBI’s latest press release, SBI will have to maintain an additional 0.6 per cent CET1 as a percentage
of its risk-weighted assets. Similarly, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank need to maintain additional 0.2 per cent each.
• The additional CET1 required for D-SIBs was phased-in from April 1, 2016 and became fully effective from April 1,
2019. The additional CET1 requirement will be in addition to the capital conservation buffer.
• The Reserve Bank had issued the framework for dealing with D-SIBs on July 22, 2014. The D-SIB framework requires
the Reserve Bank to disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs starting from 2015 and place these banks in
appropriate buckets depending upon their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs). Based on the bucket in which a D -SIB is
placed, an additional common equity requirement has to be applied to it.
संविधान Constitution
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
Coffee exports up nearly 2% to 4 lakh tonne in 2022
• Coffee shipments from India, Asia’s third-largest producer and exporter, rose 1.66 per cent to 4 lakh tonne in 2022 on
rise in instant coffee exports and re-exports. Exports stood at 3.93 lakh tonne in 2021. In value terms, coffee export
was higher at Rs 8,762.47 crore in 2022 as against Rs 6,984.67 crore in the previous year. India ships both Robusta and
Arabica varieties, besides instant coffee.
• According to the Board’s latest data, shipment of Robusta coffee declined marginally to 2,20,974 to nne in 2022 from
2,20,997 tonne in the previous year.
• Similarly, export of Arabica fell 11.43 per cent to 44,542 tonne from 50,292 tonne. However, export of instant coffee
increased 16.73 per cent to 35,810 tonne in 2022 from 29,819 tonne in the previous y ear. About 99,513 tonne of
coffee was re-exported in 2022, higher than 92,235 tonne in the previous year.
Today’s Current Affairs 4th January 2023
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
NATIONAL
Second Phase of Sari Festival “VIRAASAT”- Celebrating 75 handwoven Saris of India begins
• The second phase of the Sari Festival “VIRAASAT”-Celebrating 75 handwoven Saris of India will begin from 3rd to 17th
January 2023 at Handloom Haat, Janpath, New Delhi. The Sari Festival VIRAASAT is organized by the Ministry of
Textile. In the second stage phase, there are 90 participants from different parts of the country.
• There are several Handcrafted varieties of Saris to be displayed in the festival including Tie and Dye, Chikan
embroidered Saris, Hand Block Saris, Kalamkari printed Saris, Ajrakh, Kantha, and Phulkari. There is an addition to the
exclusive handloom Saris of Jamdani, Ikat, Pochampally, Banaras Brocade, Tussar Silk (Champa), Baluchari, Bhagalpuri
Sik, Tangail, Chanderi, Lalitpur, Patola, Paithani, etc.
Prime Minister Virtually Inaugurates Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation in Kolkata
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation
(SPM-NIWAS) at Joka in Kolkata via video conferencing. SPM-NIWAS has been set up with a budget of Rs 100 crore, on
8.72 acres of land at Joka, Diamond Harbour Road, Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) aims to bridge the knowledge and capacity -building gap in
the field of public health engineering, sanitation & hygiene, through short, medium, and long -term courses which are
not just related to engineering but also cover aspects of management, health, accounting, law, and public policies.
• The conference was chaired by the Union Minister for Kal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
• The Union Minister reiterated the Prime Minister’s vision of cooperative federalism and states that under Swachh
Bharat Mission, Namami Gange, and Jal Jeevan Mission, the combined efforts are bein g recognized around the globe.
Capt Shiva Chouhan becomes first woman officer to be deployed at Siachen, world’s highest battlefield
• Captain Shiva Chauhan from the Corps of Engineers has been posted at a frontline post in Siachen Glacier, in first such
operational deployment of an woman Army officer at the world’s highest battlefield. The officer was posted at the
Kumar post, located at an altitude of around 15,600 feet in Siachen, on Monday for a three -month stint after she
underwent rigorous training. The training included endurance training, ice wall climbing, avalanche and crevasse rescue
and survival drills.
• Capt Shiva Chouhan, who hails from Rajasthan, is a Bengal Sapper Officer. Chouhan lost her father at the age of 11 and
her mother, a housewife, took care of her studies. She did her schooling from Udaipur and graduated from NJR Institute
of Technology, Udaipur, in civil engineering. Covering a distance of 508 kms, Capt Chouhan successfully led the Sura
Soi Cycling Expedition from Siachen War Memorial to Kargil War Memorial conducted on the occasion of Kargil Vijay
Diwas in July 2022. She then took up the challenge of leading the men of Sura Soi Engineer Regiment at Siachen and,
based on her performance, was selected to undergo training at the Siachen Battle School.
Government starts process to buy 100 more K9-Vajras self-propelled howitzers
• The Defence Ministry has started the process for the procurement of 100 more K9-Vajra tracked self-propelled
howitzers which are built in India by Larsen & Toubro ( L&T) using technology transferred from South Korean defence
major Hanwha Defence. At the height of tensions in eastern Ladakh in 2020, the Army deployed one regiment of K -9
Vajra tracked self-propelled howitzers there to augment its long-range fire power in the backdrop of a massive build-up
of forces by China across the Line of Actual Control. Buoyed by their performance, the Army is looking at eventually
procuring 200 additional guns. The induction of Dhanush, K-9 Vajra and M777 Ultra Light Howitzers has enhanced the
reach of artillery firepower on the northern borders.
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
• The K9 Vajra is a 155 mm, 52-calibre tracked self-propelled howitzer built by L&T with technology transferred from
South Korean defence major Hanwha Defense based on its K9 Thunder.
• The K9 Vajra was mainly bought for use in deserts, but the standoff prompted them to be deployed in the mountains as
well, officials had stated earlier.
Himachal Pradesh: CM donates first salary to Chief Minister Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh
• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced to set up of Rs 101 crore CM’s Sukhashraya
Sahayata Kosh for the destitute in the state. Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh informed that 40 Congress MLAs
agreed to contribute Rs one lakh each from their first salary for the fund and also requested the MLAs from BJP and
other parties to contribute.
• The collected fund will be spent on the higher education of destitute children to encourage them to pursue courses
such as engineering, medicine, management, and other streams from reputed institutions like IIT, IIM, AIIMS, and NIT.
• CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that there are 6,000 destitute children in Himachal Pradesh.
• The CM’s Sukhashraya Sahayata Kosh with an expenditure of Rs 101 crore would provide the facility of higher
education to needy children.
• Through the CM’s Sukhashraya Sahayata Kosh other than bearing the educational expenses, the government would also
provide Rs 4000 monthly pocket money to the destitute children and women pursuing higher education.
Uttarakhand govt abolishes system of revenue police
गोल्डन ग्लोब अवॉर्ड्स
• The Uttarakhand government has decided to abolish the revenue policing system in the state. The Pushkar Singh Dhami
government has also announced that revenue villages will be brought under the regular policing system. Law and order
in 1,800 revenue villages of Uttarakhand will now be handled by the state police, according to a statement by the Chief
Minister’s Office.
• The demand to replace the revenue police system in Uttarakhand gained traction during the investigation into the
Ankita Bhandari murder case in September 2022. Ankita, a 19-year-old who worked as a receptionist at a resort run by
Pulkit Arya, the son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, was found dead in the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24
after going missing for six days. The area was under the jurisdiction of the revenue police. Allegations were raised
against the revenue police for not registering a complaint on time and even siding with the accused.
World Braille Day 2023: 4th January
• World Braille Day, marked on January 4, emphasises the significance of Braille as a form of communication for the
partially sighted and blind. The United Nations has been commemorating the day since 2019. World Braille Day also
commemorates the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, who was born on Januar y 4, 1809. After losing his sight during
childhood, the French educator devised the Braille technique.
• The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the braille language, which attempts to bridge the gap among normal
and differently-abled individuals. Coupvray, France, gave birth to the creator of an extensively adopted touch device
enabling blind persons to read and write. Braille created a system of writing that employed, paradoxically, an awl -like
instrument to punch symbols on a sheet that can be sensed and read by blind people after himself being irreparably
blinded at the age of three in his father’s saddle-making factory.
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
BANKING AND ECONOMY
Election Commission’s ‘Mission-929’ to take voter turnout in Tripura to over 90%
• The Election Commission (EC) is focusing on 929 polling booths across Tripura, setting a target of 92 per cent voter
turnout in the assembly elections due early this year. These booths recorded a voter turnout of less than 89 per cent,A
which was the average across 3,328 booths in the 2018 assembly polls. The EC is also working on ‘Mission Zero Poll
Violence’ to make the assembly elections peaceful.
• According to the ECI, these booths recorded a voter turnout of less than 89 percent in the 2018 assembly polls. Except
for these booths almost all the booths in the state recorded a voter turnout of 91 % or more .The voter turnout was
89.5% in the 2018 Tripura assembly election.
• The Election commission plans to launch an awareness campaign, poll officials will visit senior citizens and pers ons with
disability, and appeal to them to cast their votes.
• The ECI will make requisite arrangements such as ramps, wheelchairs and separate queues will be arranged at every
polling station to felicitate senior citizens and persons with disability. This will also ensure that voters can cast their
votes peacefully in the assembly election to be held in 2023.
India’s unemployment rate rises to 8.30% in December, highest in 16 months: Report
• Unemployment rate in India rose to 8.30 per cent in December 2022, t he highest in 16 months, according to data from
Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). It was 8 per cent in the month of November. While urban unemployment
rose to 10.09 per cent in December, from 8.96 per cent in November, rural unemployment moved t o 7.44% from 7.55%,
the data revealed.
• The urban unemployment rate rose to 10.09% in December from 8.96% in the previous month, while the rural
unemployment rate slipped to 7.44% from 7.55%.
• The rise was “not as bad as it may seem,” as there was a simultaneous increase in the labour participation rate, which
rose to 40.48 per cent in December, the highest in 12 months.
• Most importantly, the employment rate has increased in December to 37.1%, which again is the highest since January
2022.
•
Today’s Current Affairs January 2023
The unemployment rate had declined to 7.2% in the July-September quarter compared to 7.6% in the previous quarter,
according to separate quarterly data compiled by state run National Statistical Office (NSO) and released in November.
Overseas financial assets of Indian residents declined by USD 43.9 bn during Jul-Sep 2022: RBI
• India’s international financial assets declined by $56.5 billion during July -September 2022 with valuation losses
accounting for a major part. Reserve assets remained the dominant component (62.9% share) of India’s international
financial assets. The net claims of non-residents on India increased by $34.3 billion during Q2 of FY23 and stood at
$389.6 billion in September.
• The fall in India’s foreign liabilities during Q2 was attributed primarily to direct investment (net) outflows.
• Portfolio and other investments also recorded marginal decline on a net basis, barring trade credit which increased by
$5.1 billion.
• Variation in the exchange rate of rupee vis-a-vis other currencies also impacted the change in liabilities, when valued in
U.S. dollar terms.
• Debt and non-debt liabilities continued to have equal share in total external liabilities. The ratio of international assets
to international liabilities moderated to 68.5% in September from 71.5% a quarter ago. RELETED ARTICALS –