Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the Vande Bharat express connecting Howrah and New Jalpaiguri. It is a railway station in Siliguri, West Bengal and is considered as the gateway to the northeast.
The Vande Bharat Express covers a distance of 564 km in 7.45 hours, will save three hours of travel time. The Vande Bharat express will be preferred by tea industry executives and tourists travelling to the Himalayas in North Bengal and Sikkim.

Notes:
35-year-old Indian Chess player and former World rapid champion Koneru Humpy won Silver medal at World Blitz Chess Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Savitha Shri, a 15-year-old girl from Tamil Nadu won bronze at the World rapid and blitz chess championship.

Notes:
India and Saudi Arabia are in talks to sign a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to obtain formal assistance from each other in investigations related to criminal cases.
Saudi Arabia is only among 12 other countries that does not have either an MLAT or any other bilateral agreement with India to facilitate such investigations. India has so far signed MLATs with 45 countries. India is also in talks to finalise MLATs with Italy and Germany.

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:
Ahead of the ICC Men’s World Cup that takes place in India in October, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has instructed that Yo-Yo and Dexa Tests will be a part of the team selection criteria.
Dexa test or DXA test is Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, which measures bone density using low dose X-rays. The Yo-Yo test is an aerobic endurance fitness test, involving running between markers at increasing speeds.

Notes:
Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is working on a new industrial policy.
The draft ‘Statement on Industrial Policy 2022-Make in India for the world’ has been circulated to different ministries for their views and comments. It proposes to increase financing sources for industry and a scheme for promoting Made in India brand.

Notes:
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachand inaugurated the country’s third international airport in Pokhara built with Chinese assistance.
The Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), a flagship project of Nepal-China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, was constructed with Chinese loan assistance. Besides the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Gautam Buddha International Airport was upgraded as international airport in May 2022.

Notes:
The 108th session of Indian Science Congress (ISC) has been launched in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the Indian Science Congress 2023.
The five-day event is being hosted by the Nagpur University with the focal theme of ‘Science and Technology for Sustainable Development with Women Empowerment’.

Notes:
A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has upheld by a 4-1 majority the Centre’s 2016 decision to withdraw from circulation currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations.
The majority, comprising Justices S Abdul Nazeer, B R Gavai, A S Bopanna, V Ramasubramanian, held that the Centre’s notification was valid and satisfied the test of proportionality. Justice BV Nagarathna in her dissenting view held that though demonetisation was well-intentioned and well thought of, it has to be declared unlawful on legal grounds.

Notes:
Japan has planned to boost financial support to households to move away from the capital city Tokyo.
This move aims to combat depopulation in other areas of the country. Eligible families in the Tokyo metropolitan area will receive 1 million yen (USD 7,700) per child starting in the fiscal year 2023 if they move to a disadvantaged local area. The increased support for children comes on top of a 1 million yen scheme.