In Jammu and Kashmir, a Popular Festival known as 'Gole Mela' was organized at Jagannath temple in Udhampur today. A large number of devotees assembled and paid obeisance at Jagannath temple.

• Various of stalls were established at the  venue of  the festival. The devotees from Udhampur district as well as from outside of Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed the festival along with their families.
• Gole Mela is organized twice every year. Devotees believe that from today the night time starts decreasing and day time starts increasing day by day. Moreover, two ancient temples are dedicated to Lord Jagannatha across India.
• One is situated in Puri, Orissa and other in Udhampur District of Jammu and Kashmir. 

The 9th edition of the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF) commenced here in Pakke-Kessang district in  Arunachal Pradesh, showcasing the dedicated efforts towards conservation of nature and wildlife.

• The festival, to be held from 18 to 20 January, was inaugurated by Tourism Minister Nakap Nalo.
• Addressing the gathering, Nalo hailed the PPHF as a “one-of-a-kind festival” in the state, emphasising the crucial role played by the forest department and the local communities in providing a sanctuary for the endangered hornbill birds. 
• Acknowledging the cultural significance of the hornbill, he called for “collective effort from all sectors of society to safeguard these exotic and critically endangered birds.”

Coinciding with the inauguration of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, India is organising a year-long festival on “connecting the world through Ramayan”.

• The festival will begin from Delhi’s historic Purana Qila (Old Fort) and then will be taken to various cities like Lucknow, Ayodhya and Varanasi.
• Cultural activities will also be organised with the help of State Governments at iconic places of ‘Ramayan’ significance, like Madhya Pradesh’s Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, Bihar’s Sitamarhi, Karnataka’s Hampi and Tamil Nadu’s Kanniyakumari, besides cities like Bhopal and Jaipur. 
• The year-long programme will also see the participation of seven neighbouring countries including Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The Jallikattu competition, a bull taming sport, began today i.e. on 15 January in Avaniyapuram village in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district amid much cheering from the crowd.

• Jallikattu is a popular bull-embracing sport traditionally played in Tamil Nadu during the Pongal harvest festival in the second week of January. The event will be held for three days. 
• On the first-day, Jallikattu will be held in Avaniyapuram, on second day in Palamedu and on the third day in Alanganallur.
• Madurai District Collectorate had earlier informed that a total of 2,400 bulls and 1,318 tamers have been registered for Avaniapuram Jallikattu while 3,677 bulls and 1,412 tamers for Palamedu Jallikattu and 6,099 bulls and 1,784 tamers for the Alanganallur event.

Pongal is widely celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Sri Lanka. The festival derives its name from the Tamil word meaning ‘spilling over.’ This year, the Pongal celebrations will begin on January 15 and conclude on January 18. 

• In India, harvest festivals in the month of January mark the beginning of festivities every year.
• The onset of harvest season is observed across the country under various names based on the region where it is celebrated.
• The festival is widely celebrated in the Indian Subcontinent and by Hindus all over the world.
• The festivities begin with boiling the season's first rice with milk and jaggery.
• Bhogi Pongal marks the beginning to 4-day long festivities. It is followed by Surya Pongal and Mattu Pongal on the third day. Kannum marks the conclusion to these festivities.

REC Wins ICAI Award: New Delhi, January 18, 2024, Public sector lender REC Limited has been conferred the ‘Plaque’ under the Financial Services category at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Awards 2022-23 for Excellence in Financial Reporting.  

• The Maharatna company received the award from Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai at a ceremony held in Raipur on January 17. ICAI President Aniket Sunil Talati and other dignitaries were also present.
• REC Recognized for Accounting Practices, Disclosure Standards  
• The ICAI award recognizes REC’s accounting practices, financial disclosures, presentation quality, and compliance with Indian Accounting Standards during FY22-23.  

The Reserve bank of India (RBI) on January 16 approved the appointment of Praveen Achuthan Kutty as the managing director and chief executive officer of DCB bank.

Life Insurance Corporation of India share price gained more than 2% in morning trades on Wednesday helping its market capitalisation  cross the ?5.8 Lakh Crore mark as it touched 52 week highs of Rs. 919.45 a piece.

• LIC market cap thereby surpassed market cap State Bank Of India (SBI) . SBI share price was  down 1% on the BSE while its market cap stood at around Rs. 5.62 Lakh Crore.
• Post-listing, the share price of LIC, experienced significant downward pressure until March 2023, reaching an all-time low of Rs. 530.
• However, a notable turnaround occurred in the subsequent months, with a particularly robust upward momentum observed in November, marking a gain of 12.83%.

IndusInd Bank announced the launch of the ‘EazyDiner IndusInd Bank Platinum Credit Card’, in collaboration with EazyDiner. This credit card is poised to transform the dining landscape for cardholders with a taste for diverse restaurant experiences.

• This card provides additional discount of Rs. 500 while paying through the EazyDiner App via PayEazy for both dining as well as for take-away at select restaurants.
• This co-branded card comes with a complimentary EazyDiner Prime membership for 3 months, that provides guaranteed discounts from 25% up to 50%, at over 2000 premium restaurants, without any joining or annual fees.
• Furthermore, cardholders can enjoy renewal of Prime membership upon spending INR 30,000 every 90 days.

Indian Bank has launched an ‘Indian Bank One co-branded credit card’ with FPL Technologies.

Leveraging the Visa and RuPay platforms, these cards will be issued by Indian Bank and managed by FPL Technologies.

The Indian Bank One co-branded credit card boasts of international validity with a 1% forex fee and aims to offer a range of features tailored to the diverse needs of digitally savvy Indian consumers, according to a statement. 

State Bank of India (SBI), country’s largest lender on Friday, January 12, launched the SBI Green Rupee Term Deposit (SGRTD).

• This is aimed at mobilising funds to support environment friendly initiatives and projects, thereby fostering the growth of a green finance ecosystem in India, SBI said. 
• This deposit scheme is open to resident individuals, non-individuals, and non-resident Indian (NRI) customers.
• GRTD offers investors the flexibility to choose from three tenors: 1,111 days, 1777 days, and 2222 days.

Understanding green deposit

Wings India 2024 is the Asia’s largest event on Civil Aviation Commercial, General and Business Aviation is back. Its next edition, a four day event will kick off on 18th and will go on till 21st, January, 2024.

• It will be held at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad. The theme for the show will be ‘Advanced Air Mobility’.
• Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Government of India, Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are organizing the next edition of 'WINGS INDIA 2024', a flagship event on Civil Aviation sector in this part of the world.
• The event is scheduled from 18th to 21st, January 2024, at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, India.

Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty took over as Commandant, Indian Naval Academy, on 15 Jan 2024. The Flag Officer was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jul 1989 and is a graduate of Defence Service Staff College, Wellington (2005) and National Defence College, New Delhi (2017).

• A specialist in ‘Gunnery and Missiles’, he served as the commissioning crew of INS Delhi and did all his specialist tenures onboard the frontline Guided Missile Destroyer.
• He has served as the Executive officer of a Seaward Defence Patrol Vessel, Guided Missile Vessel and Landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa.
• He has commanded Anti-Submarine Patrol Vessel INS Ajay, Guided Missile Corvette INS Khanjar and Guided Missile Frigate INS Shivalik.

The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) conducted a maiden bilateral exercise, named ‘Ex-Ayutthaya’, which symbolises the significance of ‘Ayodhya’ in India and Ayutthaya in Thailand, which holds historic legacies and has rich cultural ties.

• The exercise between the two navies was conducted from December 20 to 23 last year.
• The Indian Naval ships Kulish and IN LCU 56 participated in the inaugural edition of the exercise.
• The Royal Thai Navy side was represented by His Thai Majesty’s Ship (HTMS) Prachuap Khiri Khan, according to the statement.
• The 36th edition of the India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was also conducted along with the maiden bilateral exercise.

The Army is launching Operation Sarvashakti involving security forces from both sides of the Pir Panjal range in Jammu and Kashmir to flush out terrorists who have been involved in a series of ambushes on Indian troops carried out in areas of Rajouri and Poonch.

• Troops of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps and the Nagrota-based 16 Corps will be operating in tandem, along with other agencies and paramilitary forces, as part of the operation to wipe off terrorists sponsored by Pakistan. 
• According to sources, intelligence inputs at all levels are being collated and acted upon. Additional troops from the reserve formations have been moved into the Rajouri-Poonch area.

The Indian Army has declared 2024 as the “Year of Technology Absorption.”

• The Indian Army, emphasizing its commitment to using technology as a catalyst for transformative change, intends to use in-house expertise to develop solutions for operational and logistical needs.
• The emphasis will be on working with the domestic defence industry to shape these projects and technological advancements.
• As part of this initiative, the Indian Army has commenced a mission to enhance its cyberspace capability. Personnel are undergoing training to effectively leverage technology and exploit the cyber domain through institutionalized, procedural, and technological measures.

The Indian Army has declared 2024 as the “Year of Technology Absorption.”

• The Indian Army, emphasizing its commitment to using technology as a catalyst for transformative change, intends to use in-house expertise to develop solutions for operational and logistical needs.
• The emphasis will be on working with the domestic defence industry to shape these projects and technological advancements.
• As part of this initiative, the Indian Army has commenced a mission to enhance its cyberspace capability. Personnel are undergoing training to effectively leverage technology and exploit the cyber domain through institutionalized, procedural, and technological measures.

India's Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, has approved a proposal to provide insurance cover to casual workers employed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to build infrastructure in remote areas.

• The scheme will provide INR 10 lakh ($13,500) to the families of casual paid labourers in the event of death.
• The move aims to provide social security and welfare to these workers and their families, highlighting the risky roles they fill in hazardous terrains. BRO employs up to one lakh casual workers for infrastructure projects in border areas.
• Defence minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal to provide insurance cover to tens of thousands of casual workers employed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to build infrastructure in the country’s farthest frontiers.

The Army has rolled out fresh measures to reach out to the locals in Pir Panjal valley, which has turned into a new battleground in Jammu and Kashmir, and started its initiative by adopting Topa Pir village, where three civilians allegedly died due to torture in custody recently, as a model village.

• The Army has adopted Topa Pir village in Poonch district as a model village under the Sadbhavana scheme, an Army spokesman said.
• The village hit the headlines after a video of alleged torture of civilians went viral in December last year, in the wake of four soldiers being killed in an ambush by militants in Dera Ki Gali area on December 21. 
• Three civilians were found dead after they were taken into custody for questioning by the Army.

The Indian government has imposed a 50% export duty on molasses, a key ingredient in ethanol production, to ensure enough supply to achieve its ambitious ethanol blending target. 

• This move comes amidst concerns about lower sugar production due to a weak monsoon and the need to prioritize domestic consumption of sugar.  
• The new duty discourages molasses exports while encouraging its use in ethanol production, helping to meet the 20% blending target.
• The government hopes to reach its E20 (20% ethanol blended gasoline) target by 2025-26, up from the current 12%. 

The government may double the ceiling on its flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) from the current Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh in the interim budget on 1 February.

• Union budget for FY24 had allocated Rs. 7,200 crore for Ayushman Bharat, a number that may more than double to around Rs. 15,000 crore in FY25.
• The health ministry has requested the finance ministry for Rs. 1.1 trillion for FY25, up 23% from Rs. 89,155 crore in FY24, said one of the two officials cited above, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.
• The FY23 budget had set aside Rs. 86,200 crore for the health ministry sent to spokespersons of the health and finance ministries remained unanswered till press time schemes have helped the Bharatiya Janata Party win four of the five states that went to polls recently.
• The success of state-led health schemes and their popularity are now proposed to be replicated at the Centre with enhanced insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat, the officials cited above said in 2018, Ayushman Bharat offers insurance for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization across empanelled public and private hospitals

With the initiative of TMP, TWF & YTF 46th KOKBOROK DAY celebration programme has been conducted here in Ampinagar community hall in Gomati Tripura .

• On this auspicious occasion TMP leaders convened all Tiprasa people and organized a road rally on Teliamura-Amarpur road at Ampi.
• Aiming to promote and protect this KOKBOROK language as a main identity of Tiprasa people of Tripura many indigenous man, woman and youths of from different tribes have assembled in the programme venue and took participation in this event with enthusiasm.
• This heritage based motivational programme has created genuine sense of indigenous culture, costume and language amidst the present participants.
• Addressing the gathering Sanjay Jamatia, social activist said, “Our language is our identity and we have fundamental right and responsibility to promote and protect this KOKBOROK language for our next generation.” Ampi MLA Pathanlal Jamatia said, “KOKBOROK language is our herital property.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Startup India initiative on January 16, 2016, with the aim of creating a robust environment to foster innovation, support startups, and stimulate investments in the country’s startup sector.

• PM Modi had officially designated January 16 as National Startup Day in 2022.  
• 2024 marks the eighth anniversary of the Startup India programme, having expanded from around 400 startups in 2016 to over 1.18 lakh startups so far. 
• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry have marked an entire week as National Startup Week from January 10 to 16.
• In 2024, Startup India recognised 10-18 January as Innovation Week 2024 with the theme, "Celebrating 8 Years of Innovation."

Indian Army is celebrated on 15 January every year to recognize the recognition of Kodandera M.Cariappa, when he took over as the first commander-in-chief of the Indian Army from General Francis Bucher on 15 January 1949. 

• Indian Army Day 2024 marks 76th anniversary of the Indian Army and it will be celebrated on January 15.
• The theme of this year is “In service of the nation”.
• Parades, medal presenting and other ceremonies are organized to celebrate the Army Day.

India's economy is likely to surpass USD 4 trillion in 2024-25 and further escalate to USD 5 trillion by 2026-27, according to a PHDCCI report released. The industry chamber also expects the RBI to cut the repo rate by 100 basis points in a calibrated manner by the end of 2024.

• Observing that despite global challenges, India's economy remains resilient, the report said the country is poised to attain the status of a developed economy by 2047 under the initiative of 'Viksit Bharat'.
• Elaborating upon the various steps to accelerate economic growth further, Deputy Secretary General at PHDCCI SP Sharma said the government should focus more on the informal sector because sometimes the reforms are not percolated at the ground level.
• He further said the banking system needs to become more robust to help small businesses so that they are able to expand their capacities according to the demand trajectory.

• India's goods exports growth crawled back into positive terrain in December, rising 1% to $38.5 billion, which was the highest monthly reading since March, while a fall in imports helped narrow the trade deficit to a five-month low.
• Latest data released by the commerce department estimated that goods imports declined 4.7% to 58.3 billion, while the trade deficit narrowed to $19.8 billion .
• Higher interest rates, following high inflation, have led to consumers cutting down discretionary spending in western countries and a fall in commodity prices has resulted in lower value of crude and refined products such as petrol and diesel.

• At 0.73 percent, it is the second month in a row that wholesale inflation has printed in above zero. However, for 2023-24 as a whole, average WPI inflation remains in the deflationary zone at -1.1 percent.
• The latest WPI data comes days after the statistics ministry said headline retail inflation rose to a four-month high of 5.69 percent in December, up 14 basis points from November.
• One basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.

The Union Cabinet approved the creation of three posts at the level of joint secretary for assisting the 16th Finance Commission, chaired by Arvind Panagariya.

• Out of three officer-level posts, two are joint secretaries and the other one is economic adviser.
• The newly created posts are required to assist the commission in carrying out its functions. All other posts in the panel have already been created as per the delegated powers.
• The finance commission is a constitutional body, which gives suggestions on the centre-state financial relations.
• This prior announcement comes after the Cabinet’s appointment of former vice chairman of Niti Aayog Arvind Panagariya as the chairman of the commission on December 31, while Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey was named as the secretary to the commission.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched Yuva Nidhi the scheme that offers financial assistance to unemployed graduates and diploma holders for a period of two years, in Shivamogga, on Swamy Vivekananada’s birth anniversary.

• Mr. Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and other cabinet Ministers marked the launch of the scheme by distributing symbolic cheques to the beneficiaries on the occasion.
• The amount was credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. A few beneficiaries from Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Davangere, Hassan, Haveri, and other districts received symbolic cheques from the Chief Minister.
• The Department of Skill Development, the scheme’s implementing agency, launched the registration for the scheme on December 26.
• Nearly 70,000 graduates and diploma holders have registered for the scheme. While graduates get Rs. 3,000 a month, diploma holders get Rs.1,500 a month, so far.

Engineers India Limited (EIL) has been conferred with the prestigious SCOPE Eminence Award in the category of Women Empowerment for the period 2019-20.

The award has been presented to EIL by the Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar and received by EIL's Director (Finance) Sanjay Jindal and Director (Commercial) Atul Gupta on January 18, during an award ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The award recognises EIL’s exemplary commitment to fostering an inclusive & diverse work environment and celebrates the outstanding achievement of its women workforce.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) 16 January said that its construction arm has bagged a 'mega order' to construct 508 km route of high-speed electrification system for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

• The company added that the order has been bagged from an authorised Japanese agency. 
• Upon completion, this electrification system will enable trains to travel at speed of up to 320 kilometre per hour.
• The company added that this project is being funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is being implemented by an authorised Japanese agency acting for and on behalf of National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global technology provider, has been rated as the second most valuable IT services brand, according to the 2024 Global 500 IT Services Ranking by Brand Finance.

• The evaluation saw the company's value surge to $19.2 billion, witnessing an impressive 11.5% year-on-year growth.
• This notable surge was driven by TCS's global leadership in AI-readiness and sustainability.
• Consequently, TCS managed to achieve a $2 billion incremental growth, the highest growth recorded among the top 25 leading IT firms worldwide.

Adani Group will invest Rs 50,000 crore over the next 10 years in setting up a 1 GW data centre in Maharashtra, the apples-to-airport conglomerate said .

• Adani Enterprises Ltd, the flagship company of the group, and the Maharashtra government, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up the 1 GW (gigawatt) hyperscale data infrastructure. 
• The MoU was signed in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani at the World Economic Forum 2024 in Davos, it said in a statement. 
• The Maharashtra government is interested in promoting information technology-related infrastructure and services and considers the proposed hyperscale project to be economically and socially beneficial to the state.

Tata Technologies Limited (TTL) , a part of the Tata Group, has announced that the company will invest around ?1,500 crore in Telangana.

TTL plans to set up 50 advanced skilling centres in 50 government ITIs as part of the investment plans.

• The company will deploy master trainers for hand-holding of the new courses.
• Tata Technologies will partner with the State government to upgrade and transform government ITIs as Advanced Technology Centres to impart long-term and short-term courses in industry 4.0 trades and bridge the skill gap.
• The decision was taken at a meeting between Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekharan during the World Economic Forum 2024 meeting in Davos.

Tata Consumer Products Ltd announced two mega deals to augment its product portfolio. Tata Consumer announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire 100% equity shares of Mumbai-based Capital Foods, owner of the brands ‘Ching’s Secret’ and ‘Smith & Jones’, in a phased manner for Rs 5,100 crore.

• It has also announced that announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire Fabindia-backed Organic India, which is in the business of packaged organic teas, herbal products and health supplements, for Rs 1,900 crore.
• 75% of the equity shareholding will be acquired upfront and the balance 25% shareholding will be acquired within the next three years, said Tata Consumer about Capital Foods' acquisition.

The Union Cabinet on January 18 approved separate memorandum with the Netherlands, Dominican Republic and Ecuador on cooperation in the field of medical products regulation,” an official statement said.

• The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was apprised of the three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) which were signed between the Health Ministry's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the respective regulatory authorities of the three countries.
• The MoU between the CDSCO and the Directorate General for Medicine, Foods and Sanitary Products Organisations of Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistant of Dominican Republic was signed on October 4 last year.
• The Memorandum of Intent (MoI) between the CDSCO and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands was signed on November 7, 2023.
• The MoU between the CDSCO and the Agencia Nacional de Regulaction, Control Y Vigilancia Sanitria 'ARCSA, Doctor Leopoldo Izquieta Perez of Ecuador, was signed on November 7 last year.

China's population declined for a second consecutive year in 2023, dropping by about 2.08 million to 1.409 billion people, the country's National Bureau of Statistics announced.

• About 9.02 million babies were born in 2023, compared to 9.56 million the year before.
• Deaths were also on the rise. China saw 11.1 million people die in 2023, up from 10.41 million in 2022.
• Chinese authorities see the declining population as an existential threat to its economic future.

India raised concerns with Iran about the increasing number of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by Tehran-backed Yemen's Houthi rebels.

• This is a matter of grave concern to the international community. Obviously, it also has a direct bearing on India's energy and economic interests.
• This situation is not to the benefit of any party, and this must be clearly recognised," said external affairs minister S Jaishankar, who is currently in Iran as part of ongoing high-level exchanges between the two countries.
• To ensure maritime security in critical sea lanes, including the north and central Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy has increased the deployment of frontline ships and surveillance aircraft.

Bernardo Arevalo was sworn in as Guatemala’s president minutes after midnight despite months of efforts to derail his inauguration, including foot-dragging and rising tensions right up until the transfer of power.

• Arévalo arrives in the presidency after winning August’s elections by a comfortable margin.
• But nothing has been straightforward since, with Attorney General Consuelo Porras and the establishment forces observers say she represents throwing one legal challenge after another at Arévalo and his party.
• Despite hundreds of Arévalo’s supporters pressuring lawmakers to follow the constitution, even clashing with riot police outside the congress building Sunday, the inauguration process dragged for hours into the night before he took the oath of office just past midnight.

Denmark’s prime minister proclaimed Frederik X as king after his mother Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication, with massive crowds turning out to rejoice in the throne passing from a beloved monarch to her popular son.

• Margrethe, 83, is the first Danish monarch to voluntarily relinquish the throne in nearly 900 years.
• Many thousands of people gathered outside the palace where the royal succession took place, the mood jubilant as the Nordic nation experienced its first royal succession in more than a half-century, and one not caused by the death of a monarch.
• Denmark’s monarchy traces its origins to 10th-century Viking king Gorm the Old, making it the oldest in Europe and one of the oldest in the world. 

The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has introduced Jeevan Dhara II, a new individual, savings, deferred annuity plan.

• Under the plan, available for sale from January 22, annuity is guaranteed from inception and as many as 11 annuity options will be available.
• There is higher annuity rates at higher ages and life cover will be available during the deferment period, LIC said on Friday following launch of the plan by Chairperson Siddhartha Mohanty.
• The minimum age at entry should be 20 years (last birthday) and maximum 80, 70, 65 years minus the deferment period depending upon the annuity option chosen.
• There is flexibility to choose from, including regular and single premium; single life and joint life annuity; and available deferment period. 

Snacks and beverage major PepsiCo India announced the appointment of Jagrut Kotecha as CEO for PepsiCo India. 

• He will succeed Ahmed El Sheikh, who will take over as CEO for the Middle East Business Unit, in March, after a seven-year stint in India. 
• Kotecha is currently Chief Commercial Officer for PepsiCo in Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (AMESA).
• The snacks and beverage major said this leadership change has been meticulously planned and was communicated to the India office employees on Thursday as part of a series of leadership changes across the AMESA region. 

• Rana has also been given the additional charge of the MP Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) as its chairperson.
• Rana was serving as acting CS after the retirement of incumbent Iqbal S Bains. IAS officer Nirmala Buch was the first woman CS of Madhya Pradesh and she served in the top post in the early 1990s.
• The government also appointed Sanjay Bandopadhyay (IAS: 1988: MP), who was recently repatriated to the cadre, as chairman of the MP Employees Selection Board which was earlier known as Vyapam.

Singapore’s oldest Olympian and former national hockey player of Indian-origin, Ajit Singh Gill, passed away at the age of 95 after battling end-stage renal failure, according to a media report.

Ajit Singh Gill, who competed in the 1956 Melbourne Games, is survived by his 92-year-old wife Surjit Kaur, five children, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

His family and friends in the sports community remember him as a sport-loving man whose kind and indefatigable spirit inspired many.

• He was suffering from throat cancer for a long time.
• Munawwar Rana's daughter Sumaiya Rana told PTI that her father died at the hospital late on Sunday night and will be laid to rest on Monday.
• The poet is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son.

Renowned classical singer Dr Prabha Atre passed away following a cardiac arrest at her residence in Pune at the age of 92 early on January 13.

Experian, a leading global information services company, has appointed Manish Jain as its new Country Managing Director for Experian in India.

• He will lead the company’s strategic initiatives, drive business growth, and cultivate strong partnerships with clients and stakeholders.
• Manish Jain has more than two and a half decades of experience in financial services and technology.
• Before joining Experian, Manish led transformative initiatives in global organisations, ensuring sustainable business expansion. 
• He served as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Excelrate, and in this role, he advised organisations on their growth strategies and implemented large-scale plans in the banking industry for the faster realisation of their revenue goals.

The Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Maharashtra has been marked as India's first Dark Sky Park and the fifth such park in Asia for protecting the night sky and preventing light pollution, making the facility ideal for astronomy enthusiasts.

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) emphasises on the recognition of the intrinsic value of the night sky as a natural, cultural, and historical resource. 
• The IUCN also highlights the need to preserve natural darkness for the sake of nature conservation, ecological integrity in protected areas, and the well-being of communities in healthy cities, said Prabhu Nath Shukla, deputy director of PTR Maharashtra.
• The escalating global threat of light pollution poses a substantial risk to this invaluable resource, he stated in a release.

Global 500 Rankings: Indian brands are pushing the bar with Tata, Infosys, LIC, HDFC, Reliance Group, Airtel, HCL Tech, SBI, Wipro, Mahindra Group, Jio, L&T, Indian Oil, Crédit Agricole, and Bajaj Group were the companies among Indian companies making their place in the Brand Finance Global 500 2024 report.

• Leading the charge are Jio and SBI, claiming the titles of 17th and 24th strongest brands globally, respectively.
• WeChat, YouTube, Google, Deloitte, Coca-Cola and Netflix have topped the list.

India was ranked at 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity — an improvement of eight places from last year, according to the annual Gender Gap Report, 2023 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

• India was ranked 135 in the report’s 2022 edition. The country had improved by 1.4 percentage points and eight positions since the last edition, marking a partial recovery towards its 2020 parity level, the report stated.
• The country had attained parity in enrolment across all levels of education, it said.
• India had closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap, the report said. However, it underlined that India had reached only 36.7 % parity on economic participation and opportunity.

NITI Aayog, which is the policy think tank for the government of India, recently came out with its report on the country's multi-dimensional poverty.

• The research shows that nearly 25 crore people in our country have managed to escape poverty in the last nine years.
• As per its discussion paper, as many as 24.82 crore people in India have moved out of multidimensional poverty in the last nine financial years, i.e., from 2013–14 to 2022–23. 
• Multidimensional poverty in India declined from 29.17% in 2013–14 to 11.28% in 2022–23, the think tank’s report mentioned. 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 12 January imposed monetary penalties, of varying degrees, against ESAF Small Finance Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, and Punjab and Sind Bank over various non-compliances. 

According to the official statement, a fine of Rs. 29.55 lakh, Rs. 6 lakh, and Rs. 1 crore, respectively, has been slapped against these three banks.

A penalty of Rs. 1.20 crore has been slapped on Dhanlaxmi Bank for non-compliance with certain directions on 'Loans and Advances – Statutory and Other Restrictions', KYC, and certain norms related to the interest rate on deposits, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said

The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) is collaborating with the Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) and Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) to establish a Global Hydrogen Trading Mechanism at GIFT City in Gujarat.

• A key aspect of this collaboration is the subsequent launch of the Global Hydrogen Price Index, a benchmark that will play a pivotal role in price discovery and market information on the burgeoning green hydrogen market in India.
• This mechanism is expected to enhance transparency, boost investor confidence and facilitate the growth of the green hydrogen market on a global scale, stated an official release here.
• GSPC jointly with Indian Gas Exchange will develop mechanism to create index for Hydrogen and attract global institutions to trade in GIFT IFSC. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard in the just concluded Vibrant Gujarat summit, the release added.

Japan's Smart Lander Snipper for Investigating Moon (Slim) spacecraft successfully touched down on the lunar surface on Friday(19-01-2024), making Japan the fifth nation to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has confirmed the landing of the spacecraft equipped with a variety of instruments, including a camera, a laser altimeter, and a magnetometer, which will be used to study the Moon's geology, environment, and resources.

However, Slim’s solar panel had failed to generate power, which could shorten its activity on the moon, the Japanese space agency said.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have inaugurated five new solar power plants at some of Egypt’s most prominent heritage sites, namely the Giza Pyramids Visitors Centre, Mohamed Ali Palace in Al Manial, Sharm el-Sheikh Museum, as well as Alexandria’s National Museum and Royal Jewelry Museum.

These solar power plants are part of a plan to increase the integration of solar energy in all heritage sites and museums across Egypt, transforming them into green sites to help reach Egypt's sustainable development strategy by 2030.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed an indigenous technological solution namely Distress Alert Transmitter (DAT) for the fishermen at sea to send emergency messages from fishing boats. 

• The messages are sent through a communication satellite and received at a central control station (INMCC: Indian Mission Control Centre) where the alert signals are decoded for the identity and location of the fishing boat.
• The extracted information is forwarded to Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) under Indian Coast Guard (ICG). Using this information the MRCC co-ordinates to undertake Search and Rescue operations to save the fishermen at distress.
• The DAT is operational since 2010 and till now more than 20000 DATs are being used.
• The central control centre (INMCC) has a web based network management system called “SAGARMITRA” which maintain a database of registered DAT-SGs and helps MRCCs to access the information about boat, coordinate the boat at distress in real time.
• This helps Indian Coast Guard to undertake Search & Rescue operations at the time of distresses, without any time delay.

Google India Digital Services and NPCI International Payments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand UPI to countries beyond India.

• The MoU has three key objectives
• To broaden the use of UPI payments for travelers outside of India, enabling them to conveniently make transactions abroad.
• To assist in establishing UPI-like digital payment systems in other countries, and to focus on easing the process of remittances between countries by utilizing the UPI infrastructure, thereby simplifying cross-border financial exchanges.

Union minister of science and technology Jitendra Singh inaugurated the ninth edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) in Faridabad, Haryana. 

• The IISF four-day-long festival kickstarted at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)-Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) joint campus in Faridabad.
• The ninth edition of the festival will celebrate the achievements of various Indian scientific institutions around the theme – ‘science and technology public outreach in Amrit Kaal.’

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) launched an H-IIA rocket carrying the Japanese government's Information-Gathering Satellite "Optical-8", the company said in a post on social media X .

• It was the 48th launch of Japan's flagship launch vehicle since 2001, bringing the success rate of the rocket, developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to 97.92%.
• Japan plans to retire H-IIA after two more launches and replace it with H3, but has been struggling with the transition after JAXA's first test launch failed in March last year.
• The H3's second test launch is slated for Feb. 15.

India will get its first domestically made memory chip from Gujarat by the end of the year, with the state government having signed a lucrative deal with South Korea's Simmtech, said union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw .

• The company, which that manufactures high-layer printed circuit boards for semiconductors, will set up operations to support Micron's semiconductor plant in Gujarat, Vaishnaw added during a press conference on the second day of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024.
• Under the MoU, Simmtech will invest more than Rs. 1,250 crore to set up operations in the state and support Micron's semiconductor plant. Work on setting up the plant will start in March, Vaishnaw added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday( 19-01-2023) declared the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

• The opening ceremony of the national sports event took place in a grand fashion with several cultural programmes exhibiting the traditional and cultural practices of Tamil Nadu.
• The event, which is being held for the first time in a south Indian state, will feature over 5,600 athletes.
• The games will be played across four cities of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Madurai, Trichy, and Coimbatore, from January 19 to January 31.
• The games will feature 26 sporting disciplines with a mix of conventional sports and traditional ones.

India’s Yogesh Singh won gold medal in the 25m centre fire pistol event at the Asian Shooting Championships 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

• The Indian shooter topped a 10-man field in the non-Olympic discipline with a score of 573 - 288 in the precision stage and 285 in the rapid stage. 
• Among other Indians in the fray, Pankaj Yadav narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth with 567 - the same score as Yulianto. The Indian, however, hit 10 Xs compared to the 15 the Indonesian pistol shooter managed.
• The Indian trio of Yogesh Singh, Pankaj Yadav and Akshay Jain also managed pole position in the men’s 25m centre fire pistol team standings with 1704-35x.

India Chess Wizard Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated World Chess Champion Ding Liren in the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, in the Netherlands.

• As a result of this victory, Praggnanandhaa became only the second Indian after Vishwanathan Anand to defeat a reigning champion.
• He also overtook Anand to become India's new number one Chess player in terms of live ratings. 
• Praggnanandhaa entered the fourth round of the prestigious tournament with a sensational win.
• He is only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to beat a reigning world champion in classical chess.

Australian captain Pat Cummins and Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma have been bestowed with the prestigious ICC Men's Player of the Month and ICC Women's Player of the Month awards for December 2023 respectively.

• Pat Cummins, instrumental in Australia's successful year across formats, secured the ICC Men's Player of the Month honor for his stellar display in the victorious Test series against Pakistan. 
• Deepti Sharma, the rising star of Indian women's cricket, clinched the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for her outstanding all-round contributions against England and Australia. 
• Her notable performances with both bat and ball played a pivotal role in India's victories against formidable opponents. Deepti Sharma expressed her gratitude for being chosen for the award and thanked fans worldwide for their support.

Argentine Lionel Messi retained the Fifa men's player of the year trophy, beating Manchester City's treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland and France's Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to the award.

• Spain's 2023 World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati was voted the best women's player of the year.
• Messi, who also secured the men's award in 2022 after guiding Argentina to World Cup victory, clinched the Ligue 1 title with PSG alongside Mbappe following that success, before moving to Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
• The 36-year-old, voted the best player by national teams coaches, captains, journalists and fans, helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup -- a competition between MLS and Mexico's Liga MX sides -- scoring 10 goals. Messi was not present to collect the trophy.

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Sunday, January 14 became the first player in the history of cricket to play 150 T20 internationals when he featured in the second T20 match against Afghanistan at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.  

Rohit has so far played the most number of T20Is among all players and Paul Stirling of Ireland is at the second position in the list of most matches played in T20is by all players.

• The Irish skipper has played 134 matches. Following him is yet another Irish George Dockrell, who has featured in 128 matches. 
• Among the Indians, Virat Kohli is in the second position with 116 T20Is to his name. He is followed by MS Dhoni, who played 98 matches for the Indian team. 
• Rohit joined the elite list of players to become the first to play 150 matches in each format. While Australia’s Allan Border became the first player to play 150 Tests, Border was also the first to play 150 ODIs. 

Shaun Marsh has announced his retirement from professional cricket with Melbourne Renegades' final game of the BBL season against Sydney Thunder to be the last of his career.

• Marsh, 40, follows his Renegades' team-mate Aaron Finch in bring down the curtain on his playing days.
• He finished in first-class cricket at the end of last season with Western Australia.
• Before joining the Renegades in the 2019-20 season, Marsh enjoyed a prolonged and prosperous tenure with the Perth Scorchers from 2011 to 2019. He also expressed gratitude and paid tribute to his former team.

In the first ever Beach Games held in Diu, Madhya Pradesh emerged as the overall champion with impressive performance winning 18 medals including 7 gold.

• Maharashtra won 14 medals including 3 gold, while Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and hosts Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Diu & Daman secured 12 medals each. 
• The first multi-sports beach games in India were organized at the pristine blue flag-certified Ghoghla Beach in Diu from the 4th to the 11th of this month.
• Assam won 8 medals, out of which 5 were Gold. Lakshadweep secured the gold medal in Beach Soccer, marking a historic achievement for the pristine island territory.
• Over 1400 athletes, all under the age of 21, from 28 states and Union Territories participated in games like Tug of War, Sea Swimming, Pencak Silat, Mallakhamb, Beach Volleyball, Beach Kabaddi, and Beach Soccer.

Vijayveer Sidhu won the Olympic quota in rapid fire pistol with a silver medal in the Asian shooting championship in Jakarta on Saturday (13 January 2024)

In a groundbreaking move aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, Himachal Pradesh has unveiled the ‘My School-My Pride’ campaign under the ‘Apna Vidyalay’ programme, marking a significant step towards revolutionizing the quality of education in government schools.

• The initiative seeks to foster active participation from individuals and organizations, urging them to adopt schools and contribute to various aspects of students’ growth.
• Aligned with the NEP-2020, the campaign is a strategic effort to bring about a positive transformation in the state’s public education system, which caters to over 55% of students.
• Under the ‘Apna Vidyalay’ programme, stakeholders are encouraged to actively engage in the betterment of schools by providing career counseling, offering remedial teaching, coaching students for examinations, and participating in community support services.
• The scope of involvement also extends to monetary contributions for infrastructure development, event sponsorship, scholarships, and support for the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) programme.

To mark the 62nd anniversary of the Liberation of Goa, the state's tourism department unveiled a groundbreaking model for regenerative tourism.

• This innovative approach seeks to revolutionise the Indian tourism industry by advocating environmental restoration, cultural preservation, and community empowerment through four key pillars: spirituality, indigeneity, civilizational and cultural nationalism, and conscious tourism.
• In alignment with the principles outlined in the Manila Declaration of World Tourism in 1980 and the recent G20 tourism ministers' working group meeting in Goa.
• The meeting formulated the Goa roadmap for tourism as a catalyst for achieving sustainable development goals, the Department of Tourism in Goa is committed to metamorphosing the state into regenerative tourism in India.

Former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan Gogoi will receive the highest civilian award in Assam, the ‘Assam Baibhav’.

• State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made this announcement.
• The news agency ANI said Sarma has noted that the awards will be given on February 10. 
• This is the third year on which the awards will be given. “In the first year, we gave the Assam Baibhav award to Ratan Tata and last year we gave the award to Tapan Saikia.
• This time, the Assam government has selected former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ranjan Gogoi for the Assam Baibhav award,” Sarma told reporters.

Karnataka signed business and technology contracts worth Rs. 22,000 core with seven companies on day two of the World Economic Forum 2024 being held currently at Davos.

• According to a statement released by the State government, data centre solutions provider Web Werks signed an MoU with Karnataka for setting up a data centre park at an outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore.
• The company also expressed its intention to establish a cutting-edge connectivity hub to featuring hyper-scaler data centres capabilities in the city.
• Hitachi signed an MoU on economic development through work in the rural sector, healthcare, education, and panchayat e-governance to create opportunities for people in the State.
• The company is planning to start M-Star Telemedicine Deployment through Hitachi MGRM Net, as per the statement.
• Tech major Microsoft also signed an MoU with the government on working towards skilling and governance initiatives. 

The government of Jharkhand has established a ‘Vulture Restaurant’ in Koderma district to conserve the declining population of vultures in the state. The aim of the initiative of the state government is to raise awareness among people about the harmful effects of livestock drugs, particularly diclofenac, on vultures.

• The restaurant, situated in Gumo under Tilaiya Nagar Parishad, spread over an area of one hectare, is specifically designed as the feeding center for the avian species.
• The government is also looking forward to expanding operations to Chandwara Block.
• At present, the government is waiting for the completion of protocols for diclofenac-free carcasses from goshalas and municipalities.

The Kerala Drug Control Department launched tests in the first week of January 2024 called Operation Amrith (AMRITH - Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention For Total Health) to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in the state. Pharmacies must keep accurate records of antibiotic sales as per this initiative.

• Additionally, a poster mentioning ‘antibiotics not sold without doctor’s prescription’ should be displayed in the establishment.
• If not complied, strict action would be taken against pharmacies and medical stores that supply antibiotics without doctor’s prescription.
• The public can also participate in this initiative by reporting any pharmacies selling antibiotics without a prescription to the Drug Control Department.
• Operation Amrith is aimed at conducting surprise raids in retail medical shops for detecting OTC sale of antibiotics and also a Toll Free Number is provided (Toll Free No 18004253182) for lodging complaints against medical shops, according to the department.
• Once a complaint is received, it will be transferred to the corresponding zonal office for verification and immediate departmental actions will be taken, if violation is detected.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared glimpses of the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, which commenced here. The foreign minister can be seen meeting various foreign dignitaries participating in the tow-day summit.

• The 19th NAM Summit under Uganda's leadership is being held under the theme 'Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence' and brings together more than 120 developing countries on a platform of crucial historic significance.
• The NAM is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. 
• India wholeheartedly supports Uganda's theme for NAM and looks forward to engaging with NAM countries. As one of the leading and founding members of NAM, India remains committed to the principles and values of the movement, as per a stament by the Ministry of External Affairs.
• On the sidelines of the NAM Summit, EAM Jaishankar held a meeting with counterparts from Egypt and Belarus. 

Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the Women Leadership or WeLead Lounge on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos in Switzerland. 

• The 54th edition of the annual meeting began on 16-01-2024 amid growing concerns over global conflicts, climate change and deepfake.
• India has sent a 100-member delegation led by Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Ashwini Vaishnaw. 
• The theme of the conference is Rebuilding Trust, emphasizing the focus on exploring the opportunities enabled by the new technologies and their implications on decision-making and global partnership.

Union Minister for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Parshottam Rupala inaugurated the artificial reef project through videoconference.

• The minister said it will boost sustainable fishing, enhance the marine landscape and foster better livelihood for the fishing community.
• The deployment of artificial reefs off the coast of 42 fishing villages in Thiruvananthapuram district . 
• The project is meant to boost fish resources and promote sustainable management. In all, 6,300 artificial reef units - 150 for each of the villages - will be deployed under this initiative.conference, said it will boost sustainable fishing, enhance the marine landscape and foster better livelihood for the fishing community.
• The Rs. 13.02 crore project is being implemented under the Central Government’s Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The Department of Fisheries, Government of India, has proposed artificial reefs in 3,477 fishing villages across the coastline of the country, according to Mr. Rupala.
• Under PMMSY, the Centre has cleared Rs. 302 crore for artificial reef installation and promotion of sustainable fisheries and livelihood in Kerala.

As part of their ‘Strengthening Integrated Sustainable Land Management’ project in Enga Province, UNDP and the European Union awarded small grants to 20 new community-based organizations working on sustainable land management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and biodiversity conservation in the province this week.

• The total value of the grants amounts to over US$420,000 (approximately 1.6 million PGK) and they will be used by the recipients to conduct initiatives to combat deforestation, improve food and nutrition security, and adapt to the impacts of climate change across six districts in Enga Province.
• The handover of all grants was officially completed during a workshop held at the Takeanda Museum in Wabag, Enga Province on 17 January 2024.  
• In addition to receiving the grants, the participants received guidance on monitoring and reporting the results of their initiatives, as well as effectively implementing their different project activities.