Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
As per Finance Ministry’s data, India’s net direct tax collections stood at ₹12.31 lakh crore as on January 10, at almost 87% of the target for 2022-23.
Between April 1, 2022 and January 10, 2023, the government’s gross direct tax collections stood at Rs 14.71 lakh crore. Out of that, Rs 7.2 lakh crore is corporate tax and Rs 7 lakh crore is personal income tax.

Notes:
The Cabinet has cleared India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, which aims to make the country a global green hydrogen hub.
The outlay of the mission is Rs 20,000 crore and the goal is to develop a green hydrogen production capacity of at least five million metric tonnes (mmt) and an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.

Notes:
‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign was launched by Union Tourism Minister at Konark, Odisha, in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to travel to at least 15 destinations by the year 2022, to promote domestic tourism.
Indian Railways recently launched the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train, in line with the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative.  The train runs on a route connecting pilgrimage sites of Ayodhya in India and Janakpur in Nepal.

Notes:
The Armed Forces Veterans’ Day is celebrated on 14th January every year. As on this day in 1953, the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army Field Marshal KM Cariappa, who led the Indian forces to victory in the 1947 war, retired from the Service.
The seventh Armed Forces Veterans’ Day was celebrated across the country, as a mark of respect to the selfless duty of the ex-servicemen and their sacrifices towards the Nation. The Raksha Mantri also launched the ‘Soul of Steel’ Alpine Challenge, an initiative to promote tourism in border areas.

Notes:
Thiruvalluvar is a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher, best known as the author of the Tirukkuraḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economics, and love.
Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations. On the occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day, chief minister MK Stalin launched the ‘Vallalar Palluyir Kappagangal’, a Rs 20 crore scheme announced for animal welfare.

Notes:
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has released the disaster management plan (DMP) for the power sector.
It aims to evolve an integrated approach to strengthen disaster mitigation, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery efforts. It includes investing in risk mapping globally, creating a network of universities working on disaster-related issues, leveraging social media and mobile technologies for disaster risk reduction among others.

Notes:
China’s population has declined for the first time in 61 years, statistics released by its National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The gap between the most populous country in the world and India, which is second-most populous, has narrowed to less than 40 million (4 crore) people. The country’s population earlier witnessed a decline in the 1960s under Mao Zedong’s leadership, during the Great Chinese Famine.

Notes:
The first ever joint exercise between the special forces of the Indian Army and the Egyptian Army named ‘Exercise Cyclone-I’.
The Joint Training Exercise is in progress at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. This is the first exercise of its kind bringing the special forces of both the nations on a common platform.

Notes:
Over 300 intellectuals from India and abroad released the Bhopal Declaration after discussing the G-20 agenda in the meeting of Think-20 under G20 in Bhopal.
The Bhopal Declaration made an appeal to focus more on inclusive development. It also emphasized promoting traditional medicine systems like AYUSH and encouraging value-oriented development in infrastructure development.

Notes:
India has sent financing assurances to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It thereby becomes the first of Sri Lanka’s creditors to officially back the crisis-hit island nation’s debt restructure programme.
India’s move takes Sri Lanka one step closer to a crucial USD 2.9-billion package from the IMF.