Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
Keralotsavam is the state-level Youth Festival of Kerala. It is coordinated by Kerala State Youth Welfare Board.
Palakkad emerged the overall champions of the state-level sports competitions held as a part of Keralotsavam. Kozhikode and Kannur stood in the second and third positions. The government provides support for setting up training grounds in all village panchayats.

Notes:
Fiscal Deficit is the difference between the total revenue and total expenditures of a country in a year.
The Fiscal Deficit at the end of November touched 59 per cent of the full year budget estimate. According to data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the fiscal deficit was ₹978,154 crore in the April-November period 2022-23.

Notes:
The new integrated food security Scheme was rolled out with effect from 1 January 2023. It would provide free food grains to 81.35 crore beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The new scheme will subsume two current food subsidy schemes of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution namely the Food Subsidy to FCI for NFSA, and Food Subsidy for decentralized procurement states.

Notes:
India assumed the chairmanship of the plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement for one year on January 2023.
The 42-member Wassenaar Arrangement is a voluntary export control regime that monitors transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods. Ireland’s ambassador handed over the chairmanship to India’s ambassador last year. India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement in December 2017 as its 42nd participating state.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India’s Medium-term Strategy Framework for the period 2023-2025 named ‘Utkarsh 2.0’ was launched by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
The first strategy framework (Utkarsh 2022) covering the period 2019-2022 was launched in July 2019. Utkarsh 2.0 retains the six Vision statements as well as Core Purpose, Values, and Mission statement of the 2022 version.

Notes:
The Centre has constituted a High Powered Committee to discuss measures to protect Ladakh’s unique culture, language and employment.
A 17 member committee has been set up under the Chairmanship of Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai. Other members include Ladakh Lieutenant Governor RK Mathur, MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, and nominee officials of Home ministry among others.

Notes:
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has listed around 20 restrictive and discriminatory conditions of procuring agencies under various ministries against local suppliers.
As per DPIIT, the conditions make them non-complaint with the government’s public procurement for Make in India order. It includes additional requirement of bank guarantee for local suppliers, delayed payment terms, excessive past experience requirements etc.

Notes:
Captain Shiva Chouhan, an officer from the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at Kumar Post in the Siachen Glacier.
The post is located at an altitude of 15,632 feet. Kumar Post is named after late Colonel Narinder Kumar, who was instrumental in the Indian Army launching ‘Operation Meghdoot’ and securing the Siachen Glacier in 1984.

Notes:
India’s Commerce Department has initiated an investigation into dumping allegations on imports of certain printed circuit boards (PCBs) originating from China and Hong Kong.
The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), part of the Commerce and Industry Ministry, said the Indian Printed Circuit Association (IPCA) had alleged that domestic PCB industry has been hit by dumping.

Notes:
The ‘Brahma Kumaris’ is a spiritual movement that originated in Hyderabad, Sindh, during 1930s. The movement was founded by Lekhraj Kripalani.
President of India, Droupadi Murmu   attended the launch of the National Campaign on ‘RISE-Rising India through Spiritual Empowerment’, organized by Brahma Kumaris at Mount Abu, Rajasthan.