NATIONAL NEWS

Vice President to Inaugurate 'Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Samman' Campaign

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate a year-long pan India campaign Hamara Samvidhan, Hamara Samman to commemorate the 75th Year of India as a Republic, in New Delhi.

The campaign aims to reaffirm the collective commitment to the principles enshrined in the Constitution of India and celebrate the shared values that bind the nation.

This nationwide initiative envisages instilling a sense of pride and responsibility to uphold the ideals outlined in the constitutional framework.

It will also give opportunity to every citizen to participate in various ways and empower them to contribute in a meaningful way in the democratic journey.

During the Event, Nyaya Setu will be launched which is a significant and transformative step that aims to extend and expand the reach of legal services till the last mile.

It will provide a unified legal interface for legal information, legal advice and legal assistance and thus enable a more inclusive and just society.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2024 Announced

19 children have been selected for Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) are given to children in the age group of 5 – 18 years in seven categories.

PMRBP is given in Bravery, Art and Culture, Environment, Innovation, Science & Technology, Social Service and Sports categories.

Each awardee will be presented a medal, certificate and a citation booklet.

The awards will be presented by the President of India at Vigyan Bhawan on 22nd January 2024.

The children will also participate in the Republic Day parade on 26th January 2024.

One child in the categories of Bravery, Science & Technology, and Innovation has been selected for the PMRBP.

Four children have been selected for the Social Service category while five children in the category of Sports and seven children have been selected in the category of Art and Culture.

Out of the total 19 children, 9 are boys and 10 are girls and they belong to 18 States and UTs.   

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Switzerland and India Signed FTA

After 16 years of negotiations, Switzerland and India have finally reached a consensus on a free-trade agreement, as confirmed by Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin, reported.

According to the agency, Parmelin travelled to India directly from the World Economic Forum in Davos to meet with Minister Piyush Goyal.

Parmelin is heading the delegation of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

The meeting was described as a positive step towards advancing negotiations on a free trade agreement.

The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) announced that EFTA had updated its free trade agreement with Chile.

Cabo Verde Declared A Malaria-Free Country

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde as a malaria-free country, marking a significant achievement in the global fight against the disease

Cabo Verde joins the 43 other countries and 1 territory that have received this certification, becoming the third country in the WHO African region to achieve this status, following Mauritius and Algeria.

Malaria remains an urgent health concern, especially in Africa, where approximately 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of related deaths occurred in 2021.

Cabo Verde’s success in eliminating malaria is a triumph for the nation and brings hope for the African region.

 

BANKING

Indian Bank Plans to Establish Operations Support Subsidiary

Chennai-based Indian Bank is in the process of establishing an operations support subsidiary to offer value-added services while optimizing costs, particularly for operations in non-metropolitan areas.

Two large public sector banks -State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda (BoB) have already formed such units for servicing customers in rural and semi-urban areas.

Indian Bank, after issuing a request for proposal (RFP) to empanel manpower consultants for the subsidiary, has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

In July 2022, country’s largest lender SBI set up a subsidiary State Bank Operations Support Services Pvt Ltd (SBOSS) for providing operations support services at branches in rural and semi-urban areas of the country.

SBOSS, which is headquartered in Delhi, will also work as a corporate business correspondent of the SBI.

Mumbai-based Bank of Baroda (BoB) has established Baroda Global Shared Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary, to integrate service functions into a single entity.

Unity Bank Collaborates with Uncia

Uncia Technologies has successfully launched its advanced Supply Chain Finance platform, Uncia Chain, at Unity Small Finance Bank Limited (Unity Bank), known for its digital-first banking approach.

Uncia Chain is a flagship Supply Chain Finance (SCF) platform, offering a feature-rich product suite designed to meet the financing needs of the physical Supply Chain industry.

The platform efficiently manages all aspects of a three-party financing model, bringing together the buyer, seller, and lender on a single platform.

It provides templatized variations for onboarding and transaction journeys between these parties.

Uncia Chain is highlighted for its cloud-agnostic and database-agnostic capabilities, making it adaptable to various cloud environments and database systems.

The platform demonstrates efficiency in integrating with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, contributing to its rapid deployment and configurability.

The implementation of Uncia Chain for Unity Bank was successfully accomplished in less than 100 days, showcasing its highly configurable and swift deployment framework.

 

SPORTS

ICC Announces T20I Team of the Year for 2023

The ICC announced the T20I Team of the Year for 2023.

India's Suryakumar Yadav was named captain of the ICC T20I team.

Premier batter Suryakumar recently captained the Indian team in the absence of skipper Rohit Sharma and his former deputy Hardik Pandya.

Under the leadership of Suryakumar, India played two T20I series against Australia and South Africa after the One Day International (ODI) World Cup.

Nicknamed SKY, the explosive batter retained the top spot in last year's ICC Men's T20I batting rankings.

Each year, the ICC recognises 11 outstanding individuals who earned plaudits for their remarkable performances in the shortest format.

Players who stood out throughout the 2023 season have been nominated in the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia

Saima Wajid of Bangladesh has been sworn in as the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region on 23 January 2024.

WHO's appointment of Saima Wajid as Regional Director of the South-East Asia Region was confirmed by its Executive Board in Geneva, Switzerland.

Bangladesh's Saima Wajid had won the election to become the Regional Director for South East Asia at the World Health Organisation in New Delhi on 01 November 2023.

Saima Wajid defeated Shambhu Prasad Acharya of Nepal by six votes in the election to become South East Asia Regional Director.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ICAI Collaborates with IIM Ahmedabad to Develop ‘Vision 2049’

CA Institute, which is the world’s largest accounting body, has initiated an exercise to develop a ‘Vision 2049’ document to position itself as a globally recognised leader in the accounting profession.

This vision document will be prepared in collaboration with IIM Ahmedabad.

All members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), students, and stakeholders can provide their inputs and suggestions for this exercise by February 9.

ICAI will celebrate its 100th year of existence in the year 2049.

ICAI Vision 2049 aims to empower chartered accountants as catalysts for economic progress, fostering a dynamic environment that seamlessly integrates with India’s overarching objectives.

 

DEFENCE

Exercise Desert Knight

Exercise Desert Knight was conducted over Arabian Sea by the Indian Air Force with the French Air and Space Force (FASF) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) AirForce.

The Indian Air Force contingent had Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Jaguar, AWACS, C-130-J and Air to Air Refueller aircraft.

The French Air and Space Force (FASF) included the Rafale fighter aircraft and a Multi Role Tanker Transport while the UAE Air Force fielded the F-16.

The Exercise Desert Knight exercise was mainly focussed on enhancing synergy and interoperability between the three Air Forces.

Army personnel interacting during the exercise facilitated the exchange of operational knowledge, experiences and best practices amongst the participants.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Education

International Day of Education 2024 is observed every year on the 24 January.

The International Day of Education was declared by the UN General Assembly in December 2018 as a way to honor education and to think about how crucial learning is to progress and peace.

The theme of International Education Day is 'Learning for lasting peace'.

The main objective of this theme is to highlight the importance of education in promoting peace and understanding.

Along with this, there is also a deep coordination with contemporary global issues.

The UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 has a specific objective to achieve "inclusive and equitable quality education, promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all" by 2030.

National Girl Child Day

National Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on 24 January to spread awareness about the inequalities faced by girls in Indian society.

On this occasion, awareness about the rights of girls is promoted in the country for their all-round development.

National Girl Child Day was established in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

The main reason for celebrating Girls' Day on 24th January is that on this day in 1966, Indira Gandhi took the oath as PM. She became the country's first female prime minister.

This annual event holds immense importance as it promotes gender equality and addresses the issues faced by girls in India.