Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

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.

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:
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his French counterpart Emmanuel Bonne held discussions on defence and security cooperation.
In addition to being the diplomatic advisor to the French president, Emmanuel Bonne is also France’s G7-G20 sherpa.

Notes:
The government has approved Rs 28.11 crore to extend the interest-free loan to tobacco farmers Andhra Pradesh.
This measure will help the Flue Cured Virginia tobacco farmers overcome the damage caused by Mandous Cyclonic rains, as per the Commerce Ministry. The interest-free loan to the eligible farmers will be administered by the Tobacco Board.

Notes:
Space Kidz India, a Chennai-based space tech start-up is set to launch their satellite made by 750 girls from government schools aboard an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launch vehicle.
A targeted launch date of January 16 has been set for the satellite named AzaadiSAT. Space Kidz India selected 10 girl students from 75 government schools across the country for this mission. The project is also supported by Niti Aayog.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the government’s Aspirational Block Programme (ABP), to  improve performance of blocks lagging on development parameters.
The Aspirational Blocks Programme is on the lines of the Aspirational District Programme that was launched in 2018, covering 112 districts across the country. The new programme will cover 500 districts across 31 states and Union Territories initially.

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:
Manchester City has announced a new regional partnership with Jio Platforms. With this, the country’s leading digital services brand becomes the Club’s Official Mobile Communications Network Partner in India.
The partnership was supported by RISE Worldwide, a Reliance initiative. As part of the new agreement, Man City’s OTT platform CITY+ will be integrated into the JioTV platform providing fans in India further access to exclusive club content.

Notes:
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the growth of space-tech startups in India.
The MoU seeks to empower space tech startups across the country with technology tools and platforms, market support and mentorship. The space-tech startups identified by ISRO will be onboarded onto the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub platform.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a statewide 100-day ‘UP Global City’ campaign, ahead of the upcoming Global Investors Summit and G20 summit.
The campaign will focus on urban facilities, improving air quality, better cleanliness, and proper disposal of garbage among others.