Daily Current Affairs Quiz: January 12, 2024

Notes:
Jaipur’s Divyakriti Singh, aged 23, is the inaugural Indian female recipient of the Arjuna Award for equestrian sports. The sole representative from Rajasthan this year, Singh underwent three years of training in Germany at the Hof Kasselman dressage yard in Hagen. She secured an Individual Silver and two Bronze medals at the International Dressage Competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Notes:
The DPIIT, a part of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, will host the Startup India Innovation Week 2024 from January 10th to 18th. This initiative aims to bring together stakeholders, including startups, entrepreneurs, and investors, to celebrate and boost the Indian Startup Ecosystem, culminating in National Startup Day on January 16th, 2024.

Notes:
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj won the first prize in the Innovation Sandbox presentation for “Digital Transformation Initiatives in Land Governance through SVAMITVA Scheme”. The award was given at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy’s (BIPP) second annual three-day “Public Policy Dialogues” Conclave. Scheme is a reformative step towards establishment of clear ownership of property in rural inhabited (“Abadi”) areas, by mapping of land parcels using drone technology and providing ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners with issuance of legal ownership cards (Property cards/Title deeds) to the property owners.

Notes:
In a landmark development this December, India’s 43rd Antarctic expedition, spearheaded by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, saw the inclusion of scientists from Mauritius and Bangladesh, signifying a noteworthy stride in global collaboration for polar research. This collaboration evolved from the inaugural Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Oceanographers and Hydrographers conference held in 2022, which established the foundation for scientific partnerships among participating nations. The conference, focusing on oceanographic and hydrographic studies, laid the groundwork for cooperative initiatives, ultimately fostering enhanced international collaboration in polar research.

Notes:
According to the 2024 Henley Passport Index, India is ranked 80th out of 199 countries. This is a three-rank increase from 2023, when India was ranked 83rd.  The Henley Passport Index ranks countries based on the number of destinations that allow visa-free entry to their passport. India’s passport allows visa-free access to 62 destinations, including Thailand, Indonesia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.  The most powerful passports in the world in 2024 are Japanese, Singaporean, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Citizens of these countries can travel visa-free to 194 destinations.