Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

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:
Indian Government signed USD 1.2 billion loan agreements for infrastructure projects with Asian Development Bank.
A loan agreement was signed worth USD 350 million to improve connectivity in Maharashtra, and a loan agreement worth USD 300 million to upgrade highways and major roads in Assam. Other agreements are to improve power sector in Tripura and metro rail system in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

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:
International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) has developed a platform to provide Aadhaar-like digital identities for nine countries.
The Modular Open-Source Identity Platform (MOSIP) is a digital identity platform. Citizens of Philippines, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Ethiopia, Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Togolese Republic will enrol on the platform.

Notes:
A team made up of international scientists have recently discovered 20 new frog species in Madagascar.
The team placed the frogs within the genus Mantidactylus and subgenus Brygoomantis. Before now, the group had just 14 members, but now has received 20 new members, and as per the researchers a lot of them sound like a creaking door or a gurgling stomach.

Notes:
Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance commenced a three-week long organ donation initiative. As part of the initiative, a relay marathon called Zindagi Express is organised to tour nearly 5,500 km across the country to raise awareness about organ donation.
For the fourth year in a row, it joined hands with Mohan Foundation, an NGO working in the organ donation landscape.

Notes:
Odisha Government recently inaugurated the ‘Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium’ in Rourkela. The state government claims that it is the world’s largest facility in terms of seating capacity and certified by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The Rourkela facility will host the Men’s World Cup Hockey, organised by the FIH, along with Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from January 13 to 29, 2023.

Notes:
British author Fay Weldon known for the famous book ‘The Life and Loves of a She-Devil’, passed away recently.
The author has written over 30 novels, seven non-fiction books, several short stories and various television and radio programmes.

Notes:
As per a recent study by real estate consulting firm CBRE South Asia, Bengaluru led the rank in office space absorption.
Office space absorption in the city stood at 1.7 million square feet during the October-December 2022 period. Technology sector accounted for 43 per cent, while engineering and manufacturing was at 17 per cent.