Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
K Venu, a noted writer, was awarded the Federal Bank Literary Award 2022 for his autobiography ‘Oranweshananthinte Katha’.
The award was presented by Balagopal Chandrasekhar, Chairman and Independent Director of Federal Bank, as a part of the Kerala Literature Festival.

Notes:
According to an analysis by (NASA), the Earth’s average surface temperature in 2022 tied with 2015 as the fifth warmest on record.
Scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) say that global temperatures in 2022 were 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0.89 degrees Celsius, above the average for NASA’s baseline period 1951-1980.

Notes:
The Centre is set to launch a five-year National Urban Technology Mission which will introduce technological innovations in municipal services and infrastructure of 4,500 urban local bodies in the country.
The mission is to be carried by the Ministry of housing and urban affairs. The mission will identify six basic common citizen services which every urban local body will have to offer online.

Notes:
The Chhattisgarh government has begun with road construction work in Pudaang village. The road will connect it with rest of the state for the first time since India’s Independence.
The Pudang village is surrounded by forests and valleys. Its remote location has been a challenging task for road construction. Residents of the village travelled to Chhattisgarh through Jharkhand border.

Notes:
The Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced that India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) of online gaming will be set up in Shillong, Meghalaya by March 2023.
The CoE will be set up under Digital India Startup Hub through the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI). The STPI is an autonomous society in the field of Science and Technology under the MeitY.

Notes:
The first G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) meeting under G20 India Presidency will take place in Pune, Maharashtra.
The meeting will be joined by the IWG member countries, guest countries and international organizations. The Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India will host the two-day IWG meetings, along with Australia and Brazil as the co-chairs.

Notes:
India defeated Sri Lanka by the largest ever margin of 317 runs in the last ODI and clinched the series by 3-0.
Indian team broke the record for largest victory (by runs) in ODIs at the final match of the series in Thiruvananthapuram. India broke New Zealand’s record of 290 runs. India posted a score of 390 in fifty overs and the Sri Lanka run could only reach 73.

Notes:
The Government proposed a set of changes to the existing Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) aiming to enhance the efficiency of the bankruptcy process and expanding the scope of the framework.
According to the release from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Fast-Track Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (FIRP) is proposed to allow financial creditors to drive the insolvency resolution process for a corporate debtor outside of the judicial process.

Notes:
Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune recently discovered a rare low-altitude basalt plateau in Manjare village, Thane district. This is the fourth type of plateau to be identified in the region.
The plateau houses 76 species of plants and shrubs from 24 different families discovered in Thane region in the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats is one of four global biodiversity hotspots in India.

Notes:
Nepalese ophthalmologist Dr Sanduk Ruit has won Bahrain’s ISA Award for Service to Humanity, a top civilian award of Bahrain.
The award carries a cash prize of USD 1 million, a certificate of merit and a gold medal. He is the recipient of the Padma Shri Award by the Indian Government, the National Order of Merit of Bhutan as well as the Ramon Magsaysay Award.