Current Affairs - January, 2023 - Free Time Learning

1 .

The Government eMarketplace (GeM) has organized an event to celebrate the success of "Womaniya on GeM" in which Capital on 14th Jan 2023?

A)

Bengaluru

B)

Mumbai

C)

Amaravati

D)

New Delhi

Correct Answer : New Delhi

The success of “Womaniya on Government eMarketplace” was commemorated in New Delhi on 14th Jan 2023.

There are over one lakh 44 thousand Udyam-verified women micro, small enterprises (MSE) registered at present, known as “Womaniya”.

They are registered as sellers and service providers on the GeM portal and have fulfilled over 14.76 lakh orders amounting to over 21 thousand crore rupees in Gross Merchandise Value.

The event was held by GeM in partnership with the Self-Employed Women’s Association, Bharat and attended by women entrepreneurs and participants from stakeholder organizations and associations.

The “Womaniya” initiative was launched in 2019. It has sought to encourage the participation of women entrepreneurs and self-help groups from the informal sector on the GeM portal and facilitate the sale of their products directly to various Government buyers, sans intermediaries...

Source : AIR

Published On : January 15, 2023

2 .

Who has been appointed as the next Chief Economist of the OECD, starting on 2 May 2023.

A)

John G. Roberts, Jr.

B)

Mr Damien Syed

C)

Clare Lombardelli

D)

Mr. Denis Evgenyevich Alipov

Correct Answer : Clare Lombardelli

Clare Lombardelli has been appointed as the next Chief Economist of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), starting on 2 May 2023.

Clare was selected after a highly competitive merit-based selection process. She is a highly regarded economic policy leader who joins the OECD with 20 years of experience in economic analysis and policy making in the United Kingdom, including as the Chief Economist at the UK Treasury and the Joint Head of the UK Government Economic Service over the past five years.

Having started her career as an economist at the Bank of England, working on monetary policy and financial markets, Clare joined the UK civil service in 2005.

Her roles at the UK Treasury have included Deputy Director for Labour Market Policy (2007-2010), Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (2012-2015), and Director of Strategy, Planning and Budget (2015-2018).

Clare has been a member of the Treasury’s Executive Management Board since 2015. She has also worked at 10 Downing Street and as a technical advisor for the International Monetary Fund. She is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London and a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University.

Clare will lead the OECD's economic analysis and policy advice to support Members to optimise the strength and the quality of economic development and growth.

She takes on the leadership of the economic team at the OECD at a critical time for the global economy, which continues to work through the economic and social implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the structural transformations required to secure the green and digital transitions and to respond effectively to challenges posed by population ageing across many economies.

A British national, Clare holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science and Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.

Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to preserve individual liberty and improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world...

Source : OECD

Published On : January 15, 2023

3 .

Congress MP, 'Santokh Singh Chaudhary' when did passed away?

A)

12th Jan 2023

B)

13th Jan 2023

C)

14th Jan 2023

D)

15th Jan 2023

Correct Answer : 14th Jan 2023

Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, 76, who died of heart attack in punjab on Saturday (14th Jan 2023) while taking part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra was among the senior leaders who gave Rahul Gandhi a rousing welcome as he entered Jalandhar district in the morning.

Amid loud slogans of Bharat Jodo hailing Gandhi, Chaudhary – the MP from Jalandhar – gave a speech for around four minutes and then walked with Gandhi for a couple of kilometres before rushing to the next point in a vehicle, said a Congress worker present at the spot.

While Chaudhary’s son Vikramjit Singh walked alongside Gandhi, Chaudhary hurried to the next spot where he had assembled people of all faiths to greet Gandhi. The Congress worker said that Chaudhary went ahead to ensure that everything was in order.

Around 8.30 am, the yatra reached the leprosy ashram at Phillaur, where Chaudhary had reportedly planned a meeting between Gandhi and the people of the ashram.

He was walking at a short distance from Gandhi. He asked about the well-being of Tamil Nadu MP Jyothimani, who has been with the yatra since the beginning, and suddenly collapsed. Some eyewitnesses said that he fell because of the rush...

Source : Indian Express

Published On : January 15, 2023

4 .

Who has launched Geospatial Hackathon to promote Innovation and Start-Ups in India's Geospatial ecosystem?

A)

Rajnath Singh

B)

Dr. Jitendra Singh

C)

Piyush Goyal

D)

Dharmendra Pradhan

Correct Answer : Dr. Jitendra Singh

Dr. Jitendra Singh (Union Minister for Science and Technology) has launched Geospatial Hackathon to promote Innovation and Start-Ups in India’s Geospatial ecosystem.

This hackathon also aims to promote partnerships among the public and private geospatial.

It was jointly launched by the Survey of India, the Ministry of Science and Technology, IIIT Hyderabad, and Microsoft India.

There will be two sets of challenges :

(1) Research Challenge
(2) Start-Up Challenge

Source : PIB

Published On : January 15, 2023

5 .

The first G20 Infrastructure Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency will be held on 16 January to 17 January 2023 in which city?

A)

Pune

B)

Hyderabad

C)

Lucknow

D)

Ahmedabad

Correct Answer : Pune

The first G20 Infrastructure Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency will be held on 16 January to 17 January 2023 in Pune.

The meeting will be hosted by the Department of Economic Affairs along with Australia and Brazil as the co-chairs.

The Group deliberates on various aspects of infrastructure investments, including developing infrastructure as an asset class

The outcomes of the Working Group feed into the G20 Finance Track priorities and promote infrastructure development..

Source : Mint

Published On : January 15, 2023

6 .

Who has flag off Vande Bharat train between Secunderabad-Vizag on 15th Jan 2023?

A)

K. Chandrashekar Rao

B)

Ashwini Vaishnaw

C)

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

D)

Narendra Modi

Correct Answer : Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would virtually flag off Vande Bharat train between Secunderabad and the port city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti on Sunday (15th Jan 2023).

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan would be physically present at the Secunderabad railway station during the inauguration.

* The regular services of the train would start from 16 January 2023 and the bookings commenced on Saturday (14th Jan 2023), railway sources said.

* The Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express (20833) will start at 05.45 AM and would reach Secunderabad at 2.15 PM.

* The Secunderabad–Visakhapatnam train (20834) will start from Secunderabad at 3 PM and would reach Visakhapatnam at 11.30 PM.

* In between, the train will stop at Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Khammam and Warangal in both the directions, a South Central Railway (SCR) release said.

* The train comprises 14 AC Chair Car Coaches and two Executive AC Chair Car Coaches with the capacity of 1,128 passengers.

* It will provide the fastest travelling facility between these two stations and has exclusive reserved sitting accommodation.

* The train is manufactured with indigenous technology, equipped with modern features and enhanced comfort. The train has automatic sliding doors, provided with reclining seats in all classes and rotating seats in executive class...

Source : News18

Published On : January 15, 2023

7 .

Who announced a new 'Aarogya Maitri' project on 13th Jan 2023?

A)

Narendra Modi

B)

Amit Shah

C)

Arvind Kejriwal

D)

Yogi Adityanath

Correct Answer : Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (13th Jan 2023) announced a new ‘Aarogya Maitri’ project under which India will provide essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crisis and proposed to set up a ‘centre of excellence’ to facilitate development solutions to these countries.

In his opening address at the concluding session of the Voice of Global South virtual summit, Modi also said that India will launch a ‘science and technology initiative’ to share its expertise with other developing nations.

He announced that New Delhi will institute new scholarships for students from developing countries to pursue higher education in India.

The prime minister said India will launch the Global South Science and Technology Initiative to share its expertise in areas such as space technology and nuclear energy, and establish the Global South Center of Excellence for research on development solutions that can be scaled up and implemented around the world.

PM Modi also suggested a Global South Young Diplomats Forum that will help connect youthful officers to the Foreign Ministries...

Source : India Today

Published On : January 14, 2023

8 .

India'sÂ forex reserves declined by _________ billion to USD 561.583 billion for the week ended 6 January 2023.

A)

$2.561 Billion

B)

$1.782 Billion

C)

$1.268 Billion

D)

$1.014 Billion

Correct Answer : $1.268 Billion

India’s forex reserves declined by USD 1.268 billion to USD 561.583 billion for the week ended January , the Reserve Bank said on Friday (13th Jan 2023).

The overall reserves had increased by USD 44 million to USD 562.851 billion in the previous reporting week after two consecutive weeks of the slide.

In October 2021, the country’s foreign exchange kitty reached an all-time high of USD 645 billion. The reserves had been declining as the central bank deployed the reserves to defend the rupee amid pressures caused by global developments.

Foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, dropped by USD 1.747 billion to USD 496.441 billion during the week to January 6, according to the Weekly Statistical Supplement released by the RBI.

Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.

Gold reserves increased by USD 461 million to USD 41.784 billion, it said.

The Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) were up by USD 35 million to USD 18.217 billion, the apex bank said.

The country’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was down by USD 18 million to USD 5.141 billion in the reporting week, the data showed..

Source : Tribune India

Published On : January 14, 2023

9 .

Which country King "Carl XVI Gustaf" inaugurated the EU's first mainland orbital launch complex on 13th Jan 2023?

A)

Germany

B)

Sweden

C)

Belgium

D)

Netherlands

Correct Answer : Sweden

European officials and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the EU's first mainland orbital launch complex on Friday (13th Jan 2023) during a visit to Sweden by members of the European Commission, which is the 27-nation bloc's executive arm.

The new facility at Esrange Space Center near the city of Kiruna should complement the EU’s current launching capabilities in French Guiana.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said small satellites are crucial to tracking natural disasters in real time and, in the light of Russia's war in Ukraine, to help guarantee global security.

The total number of satellites could reach 100,000 by 2040, compared with the current 5,000 operational satellites, according to the Swedish Space Corp., or SSC.

“This is a giant leap for SSC, for Sweden, for Europe and the rest of the world," SSC chief executive Stefan Gardefjord said..

Source : Hindustan Times

Published On : January 14, 2023

10 .

Who inaugurated the Regional Office of Employees provident Fund Organization (EPFO) at Alwar, Rajasthan on 13th January 2023?

A)

Dharmendra Pradhan

B)

Amit Shah

C)

Bhupendra Yadav

D)

Mansukh Mandaviya

Correct Answer : Bhupendra Yadav

Union Labour Minister Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated the Regional Office of Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) in Alwar, Rajasthan on Friday (13th Jan 2023).

* With the opening of this regional office, more than 2 lakh members and 8500 pensioners working in about 12000 establishments of Alwar and neighboring districts of Bharatpur and Dhaulpur will be benefitted.

* Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Yadav appreciated the important role played by EPFO in providing social security to the workers in the last 70 years.

* Ms. Aarti Ahuja, Union Labour and Employment Secretary said that EPFO is the custodian of hard earned money of more than 6.4 crore members and their families who benefit from this fund in times of distress and it is a big responsibility of this organization.

* Regional Office, Jaipur is divided into two Regional Offices namely Regional Office Jaipur and Regional Office Alwar in the direction of management of large offices of EPFO..

Source : AIR

Published On : January 14, 2023