Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has inaugurated the 83rd  All India Presiding Officers in Jaipur.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Speakers and Deputy Speakers of various Legislative Assemblies including the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman also present in the conference. This 83rd Conference of All India Presiding Officers is being held in Rajasthan after eleven years.

Notes:
Odisha government’s State-level steering committee for CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) has approved an annual plan of ₹1,086 crore for 2023-24 fiscal with focus on reducing man-animal conflict.
Chief Secretary, who chaired the meeting, also raised the issue relating to wildlife management activities which are being extensively being carried out through CAMPA funds.

Notes:
Thousands of flights, within, into or out of the United States were delayed or cancelled due to a technical glitch.
The US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system, which alerts pilots and other flight personnel about hazards or changes to airport facility services, was not processing updated information.

Notes:
The French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has announced that it would increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030.
The government defended the reform as a way to fiscally balance the country’s pension system. Full French pension age will be raised by three months every year, starting from 2023.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host this year’s annual climate change conference (COP 28 in November 2023).
The country has named Sultan Al Jaber, Minister for Industry and Advanced Technology, as the president of the conference. The decision has invited criticism from climate activists because Al Jaber is also the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the world’s 12th largest oil company by production.

Notes:
The Supreme Court recently struck down a provision of Income Tax which denied exemption to Sikkimese women who have married non-Sikkimese.
Section 10 (26AAA) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 excluded Sikkimese women who have married a non-Sikkimese after 1 April, 2008, from getting exemption under the Act. The Top Court observed that the section is totally discriminatory and violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

Notes:
Essel Mining and Industries Limited (EMIL), a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla group, has been trying operationalise a big diamond project in Madhya Pradesh. There are protests over human displacement, environmental damage, loss of livelihood
The mine is inside a forest in Buxwaha, located 200 kms from Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh accounts for about 90% of the total diamond resource of the country. Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are the other states that produce diamonds.

Notes:
India’s Men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty recently stormed into the semifinals of the Malaysia Open Men’s doubles Badminton event.
However, they lost in the semifinals to Chinese pair of LIANG Wei Keng and Wang Chang. Indian ace shuttler H.S Prannoy bowed out of the men’s singles after losing in the quarterfinal while PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Malaysia Open in the first round.

Notes:
The AK-203 Kalashnikov is a modern assault rifle that is being manufactured at the Korwa ordnance factory in UP’s Amethi district.
The AK-203 project is carried out through a joint venture called Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Ltd. The project seeks to manufacture over six lakh rifles over a 10-year period for a cost of Rs 5,124 crore. The first lot of 5,000 rifles will be delivered to the Indian army by March.

Notes:
Rajasthan government has implemented a policy for blindness control with the objective of ‘Right to Sight’.
The state Department of Medical and Health released the policy document for prevention of blindness. Under the policy, the Rajasthan government will mandatorily run Keratoplasty Centres and Eye Banks at all the government medical colleges.