Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
The Centre has named the new Integrated Food Security Scheme as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana, PMGKAY.
The Union Cabinet had approved new integrated food security scheme for providing free foodgrains to Antodaya Ann Yojna (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries.

Notes:
The UK Prime Minister signed a landmark defence agreement with the Japanese Prime Minister at London.
This is regarded as the most significant defence agreement between the two countries in more than a century, which allows UK forces to be deployed to Japan. The UK is the first European country to have a Reciprocal Access Agreement with Japan.

Notes:
Australia and Papua New Guinea pledged to clinch a new security treaty within four months, also to tackle the threat of climate change.
Australia’s President Anthony Albanese became the first foreign leader to address the Papua New Guinea parliament. The agreement comes amid China’s ongoing attempts to increase its influence in the Pacific region.

Notes:
India hosted a special virtual Voice of Global South Summit under the theme ‘Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose’.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry hosted the Commerce and Trade Ministers’ session. Ministers from 13 countries including Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Haiti, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Sudan, Timor Leste, and Zimbabwe, participated in the session.

Notes:
Vidisha, an aspirational district of Madhya Pradesh became the first ever district in India for on ground deployment of innovative 5G use cases offered by startups.
It is a joint initiative by Vidisha District Administration and Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Department of Telecommunications (DoT). DoT is pioneering the ‘5G use case promotional pilot’ for deploying 5G/4G/IoT innovative solutions of Startups & SMEs at Vidisha.

Notes:
Chennai’s drone startup Garuda Aerospace has partnered with the Union Bank of India as 150 Garuda Agri Kisan drones received sanction for a loan under the Kisan Pushpak Scheme.
The drone loan will help farmers to digitise land record operations for crop production, and spraying of fertilisers, chemicals and pesticides. The Agri Infrastructure Fund Scheme finances 150 drone applications that will benefit the farmer community and create 150 skilled pilots who will engage to become entrepreneurs.

Notes:
International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not downgrade its forecast for 2.7 % growth in 2023. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said 2023 would be another ‘tough year’ for the global economy.
The head of the global lender noted that feared oil price spike had failed to materialize and labour markets remained strong. She also said that she did not expect another year of successive downgrades like those seen last year.

Notes:
ReNew Power has installed India’s first 3x platform wind turbine generators (WTGs) in Gadag, Karnataka.
The new wind turbine generators will be a part of the country’s first ‘Round the Clock’ renewable energy project, combining wind, solar and a battery energy storage system (BESS). This project will produce energy to power over 1 million households in India annually.

Notes:
Retail inflation based on the consumer price index (CPI), eased to a one-year low of 5.72 percent in December 2022.
The inflation figure dipped from 5.88 percent recorded in the previous month. As per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data, the retail inflation slipped to lowest level since December 2021. CPI has come below the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) upper margin of 6 percent for the first time in the calendar year 2022.

Notes:
Chinese-operated Boeing 737 MAX took off from Guangzhou, and this is the first flight by a domestic airline since March 2019.
China grounded the model after two deadly accidents involving the model in 2018 and 2019. The aircraft was cleared to fly again in the United States, followed by other countries, after modifications were made to the flight control software and pilot training.