Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

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:
The government kept the interest rate unchanged at 7.1 per cent for the subscribers of the General Provident Fund and other similar funds.
In the previous quarter ended December 31, the GPF interest was at the same 7.1 per cent. The rate is valid from January 1, 2023, to March 31, 2023, as per the finance ministry said in a notification.

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:
NTPC Ltd commissioned India’s first green hydrogen blending project in the piped natural gas (PNG) network of NTPC Kawas Township, Surat.
The project is a joint effort of NTPC and Gujarat Gas Limited (GGL). Green hydrogen in Kawas is made by electrolysis of water using power from already installed 1 MW floating solar project. This feat has been achieved only by few countries like UK, Germany, and Australia.

Notes:
Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) is an intergovernmental organisation of 32 member countries of the Asia-Pacific region. It is the only restricted union of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a UN specialised agency.
India will take over the leadership of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) from this month, as per the Ministry of Communications.

Notes:
The Telangana government has decided to join the free rice scheme of the Centre under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The Central scheme aims to supply five kgs of rice per head per month in a family to 54.44 lakh NFSA cardholders in the State. The State government will extend the scheme to an additional 35.52 lakh cardholders at its own cost.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has given ex-post facto approval for naming of Greenfield International Airport at Goa’s Mopa as Manohar International Airport.
It was named after former Defence Minister and Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. He served as Chief Minister of Goa from 2017 until his death.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
The luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 kilometers across 27 river systems in five States in India and Bangladesh. The MV Ganga Vilas vessel has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with pollution-free mechanisms and noise control technologies.

Notes:
Divya Deshmukh holds the record of being the youngest to retain the National women’s chess champion title.
Before ten months Divya Deshmukh became the youngest National women’s chess champion. The 17-year-old player defeated the 2016 Asian champion Bhakti Kulkarni with 9.5 points. Mary Ann Gomes (9) finished second while the top seed Vantika Agarwal (8.5) ended up third.

Notes:
India has handed 75 passenger buses to Sri Lanka, as part of its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. This is a part of its assistance towards strengthening public transport infrastructure in the cash-strapped country.
Sri Lankan government in May last year declared a debt default on over $51 billion in the foreign loan – a first in the country’s history.