Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that XBB.1.5 has more than doubled its share of the Covid-19 figures each week.
In the Northeast region of the country, XBB.1.5 is causing 75% of new cases. The XBB.1.5 strain is a relative of the Omicron XBB variant, which is a recombinant of the Omicron BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 subvariants.

Notes:
Croatia switched to the euro and entered Europe’s borderless zone as Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic called a historic moment for his country.
The Balkan nation bid farewell to its kuna currency and became the 20th member of the Eurozone. It is now the 27th nation in the passport-free Schengen zone. It is the world’s largest zone which enables more than 400 million people to move freely around its members. The country of 3.9 million people joined the European Union in 2013.

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:
The Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with a total initial outlay of Rs 19,744 crore.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘National Hydrogen Mission’ on Independence Day in 2021. If the electricity used for the process of generating hydrogen comes from a renewable source then the hydrogen is referred to as green hydrogen.

Notes:
Supreme Court ruled that a citizen can seek enforcement of the fundamental rights to freedom of speech not just against the state.
With this the Supreme Court has extended the ground for seeking these rights against other private citizens. The court ruled that the right of free speech and expression guaranteed under the Article 19(1)(a) cannot be curbed by any additional grounds other than those already laid down in Article 19(2).

Notes:
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is organising ‘Startup India Innovation Week 2023’ from January 10-16.
It aims to celebrate the Indian startup ecosystem. On the National Startup Day on January 16, DPIIT will felicitate the winners of National Startup Awards.

Notes:
At present, the government and state-owned Life Insurance Corporation hold a little over 94 per cent in IDBI Bank and are classified as its co-promoters. The central government is looking to sell nearly 61 per cent stake in IDBI Bank.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) accepted the central government’s request to reclassify its shareholding in the Bank after its disinvestment as ‘public holding’.

Notes:
The 16th edition of Auto Expo 2023- Components Show is scheduled from January 12 to 15, in New Delhi and over 800 companies from 15 countries will participate in the Auto Expo.
India’s Component industry witnessed a growth of nearly 35% to Rs 2.65 lakh crore in first-half of the year, due to domestic demand from the passenger vehicles segment. It is jointly organised by Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Notes:
The ruling Taliban has signed a deal with a Chinese company to extract oil from northern Afghanistan’s Amu Darya basin.
The agreement is the first major international energy extraction deal the Taliban signed since taking control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Notes:
The Industries department of the Kerala government has launched a facility for entrepreneurs to submit their complaints or seek redressals using the WhatsApp platform.
Under this facility, the complaint message will be attended to in 10 minutes and the complaints are expected to be settled within seven days. This is a temporary set-up until the statutory grievance settlement mechanism comes into effect.