Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC - 1st January 2024

National News 

1.4G services will be provided at 1,117 border outposts in six years: Center 

• The Union government has approved 4G mobile services for more than 1,100 border outposts along India's international borders, including the border with China, at a cost of 1,545.66 crore, the Home Ministry said in its year-end review, 
• The Ministry said it had signed a tripartite agreement with the Department of Telecommunications and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to execute the project over the next six-and-a-half years. 
• The project will cover 1,117 border outposts and intelligence posts of the armed forces and the Intelligence Bureau. 
• This year, however, out of the 379 villages and hamlets approved under the 4G saturation project for the Union Territory of Ladakh, mobile phone towers have been established at only nine sites, with the foundation work completed at 34 sites. 
• Since 2020, India and China have been engaged in a stand-off at multiple locations along the unde marcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. 
• The Ministry said that this year, 48.03 kilometers of roads had been constructed along the China border, while four border outposts and three helipads had been added. 
• After the June 2020 incident at Galwan in Ladakh, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in violent clashes with Chinese forces, the Union government sanctioned 32 roads along the China border, according to a report tabled in the Parliament in 2022. 
• The report said that 32 helipads were being constructed and upgraded along the China border.
• The first phase of the India-China border road project (ICBR) was initiated in 2005 when it was decided that the Home Ministry would construct 27 priority roads with a total length of 608 km along the border with China. The second phase of the ICBR project was approved on September 21, 2020. 
• The Ministry added that 184.39 km of roads had been constructed along the Bangladesh border, and 120.06 km along the Nepal border. 
• In all, 88 border out- posts were constructed in 2023. 
• The Ministry said that 2.4 km of the border with Myanmar and 18 km of the border with Pakistan had been fenced. 

2.Lemongrass, mint spread scent of change in Odisha 

• Lodisha's tribal communities, finding it difficult to make a living from rain fed agriculture and scarce natural resources, have new hope. High-value aromatic crops and floriculture have recently emerged as a means to supplement their livelihood 
• After the fairly successful introduction of aromatic plants in Nabarangpur district, where tribal farmers showed a keen interest in diversifying from the traditional maize crop, neighboring Koraput in southern Odisha has followed suit (with the help of the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) in Lucknow, the district has recently introduced different aromatic plants such as menthol mint (the CIM-Unnati va- riety), rosemary (Hariyali variety), patchouli (CIM- Samarth), damask roses (Ranisahiba), chamomile, and geraniums (CIM-Bha rallies) 
• The favorable climate and availability of vast stretches of land offer exciting opportunities for farmers to foray into aromatic plantation, though it is an unfamiliar domain. 
• The district administration is confident that tribal farmers can adapt to newer high value crops, given that strawberry, which had never been grown in the region till a few years ago, is now approaching commercial production within years of field trials. 
• The CIMAP, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research laboratory, started an experimental lemongrass plantation in NabaRangpur a couple of years ago. Crops and varieties were selected considering their tolerance to high levels of water stress. At present, lemongrass is grown across 300 acres of land 
• Attracted by the high returns, Techchand Naik who hails from the Gond tribe in the Raigarh area of Nabarangpur-left his job in a leading bank, where he earned more than 1 lakh each month, and took a plunge into lemongrass farming and distillation. Currently, he has planted lemongrass on 35 acres of land and expects a guaranteed return of 1 lakh
• A tribal woman prepares lemongrass before sending them for oil distillation, in the Raighararea JN POUT. 
• There is huge demand for aromatic plants in the market. Aromatic plants do not face regulatory challenges (that) medicinal plantations face. With little effort, farmers can surely get good returns from aromatic plantation. The district administration is facilitating setting up of distillation units for adding value to the crop, said Prashanta Route, principal scientist with CIMAP At the end of 20723, the CSR-Aroma Mission has touched 26 out of 30 districts of Odisha, through 46 clusters. Across the State, nearly 850 hectares have been planted with aromatic crops, while 22 distillation units have been installed, and have produced 25 to 30 tonnes of aromatic oil. 
• Much of the credit for Introducing aromatic plants goes to Ajit Kumar Shasany, the director of the 
• National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, another CSIR laboratory. In 2014-15, Mr. Shasany started creating an aromat le cluster near Rairakhol on just 15 acres of land. The oil distilled from lemon grass grown there was sold out immediately in the open market. 
• The NBRI Director said that farmers should now explore livelihood opportunities in floriculture, which has a huge potential. The floriculture mission in Odisha is in a nascent stage as it has reached only 13 districts, with 22 clusters covering an area of 94 hectares. 

3.PM Modi will inaugurate BAPS Hindu Temple built in Abu Dhabi 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Abu Dhabi, UAE for the inauguration ceremony of the BAPS Hindu Temple on 14 February 2024, a few weeks after the Ayodhya temple consecration ceremony on 22 January 2024. 
• BAPS stands for Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. According to the BAPS website, Swami Ishwarcharandas and Swami Brahmaviharidas invited the PM for the inauguration ceremony. 
• According to the organization's website, it is "a socio-spiritual Hindu faith rooted in the Vedas" and was founded by Bhagavan Swaminarayan (1781–1830) in the late 18th century and Shastriji Maharaj (1865–1951) in 1907. BAPS claims to run more than 3,850 centers worldwide, including places such as New Jersey and Los Angeles. Akshardham temples in Delhi and Gujarat are also run by BAPS. 
• Among the practices followed by members of this tradition is to "begin the day with worship and meditation". Its five lifelong vows include "no alcohol, no addiction, no adultery, no meat, no impurity of body and mind". 

Abu Dhabi BAPS Hindu Temple 

• In fact, as part of his two-day visit to the Gulf country in 2015, the UAE decided to allocate land for the construction of a temple in Abu Dhabi. 
• The visit was diplomatically significant as Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister since Indira Gandhi to visit this strategic Gulf country in 34 years. 
• In February 2018, the PM inaugurated the temple project. According to the UN International Migration 2020 report, the UAE has the highest Indian expatriate population (3.5 million), followed by the United States (2.7 million) and Saudi Arabia (2.5 million). 

Other temple openings abroad 

• In September 2019, Modi inaugurated the Sri Siddhivinayak Temple and a Center in Houston, Texas and in June 2020, he launched a $4.2 million redevelopment project of the 200-year-old Lord Sri Krishna Temple in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. 
• In October 2023, after 12 years of construction, BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey, the largest Hindu temple outside India in the modern era, opened to the public. 

4.UAE initiates process of investing $2 billion in food parks in India 

• The UAE has initiated the process of channelising its long-promised $2-billion investments into food parks in India, starting with Gujarat, after the two countries sorted out concerns on curbs imposed by the Essential Commodities Act. 
• The investments are being made as part of the four-nation I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) initiative to develop a series of integrated food parks across India to enhance food security in the Middle East and South Asia. 
• The first food park is likely to be set up on land near Kandla where the investors would get into contract farming arrangements with locals. 
• The UAE had first promised in 2018 to invest in food parks in India which later got dovetailed into the I2U2 initiative announced at the Leaders’ Summit in July 2022. 
• It was virtually attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister (former) Yair Lapid, and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 
• These food parks would incorporate state-of-the-art climate-smart technologies to reduce food waste and spoilage, conserve fresh water, and employ renewable energy sources, per the joint statement signed by the leaders at the Summit. 

About United Arab Emirates (UAE) 

• Capital – Abu Dhabi 
• Currency – Dirham 
• President – Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan 
• Prime Minister – Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum 
• Official language -Arabic 

5.Hardeep Puri inaugurates India’s first ‘Zero Waste Street Food Festival’ in Delhi 

• Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, has inaugurated the National Street Food Festival 2023 in New Delhi. 
• This street food festival was organized by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. 
• This festival is the first ‘Zero Waste Street Food Festival’ in India. 
• The Minister appreciated NASVI for providing training to 1,50,000 street vendors in food safety and hygiene. He also noted the establishment of two Regional Street Food Vendors Training Institutes (SVTI) which will be launched by NASVI in 2024 in Delhi and Patna. 

6.India and Russia signed Protocol on Consultations for next four years 

• India and Russia have signed a Protocol on Consultations for the period of next four years (2024-28) to make progress in economic cooperation, energy trade, connectivity, military-technical cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. 
• Jaishankar said the relations between India and Russia have been strong and steady, living up to the responsibility of a special and privileged strategic partnership. 
• India and Russia also signed two important agreements to take forward the further implementation of Kudankulam nuclear power projects in India. 

About Russia 

• Capital – Moscow 
• Currency – Rubel 
• President – Vladimir Putin 

International News 

7.China's drilling ship 'Mengxiang' will investigate the Earth's mantle 

• China has unveiled its first ocean drilling ship, the Mengxiang, designed to delve deep into the Earth's crust and explore the mysteries of the mantle. Its goal is to reach where humanity has never gone before. 
• Developed by the China Geological Survey in collaboration with 150 research institutes and companies, the ship has been named “Dream” in Chinese. 
• Mengxiang wants to break the Mohorovicic discontinuity, or Moho, which is the final frontier of human exploration in the mantle. Traditionally, human activities and scientific exploration have been limited to the surface layer of the crust, which has an average depth of 15,000 metres.
• Beneath the crust lies the mantle, a critical layer connecting the surface to the core. The boundary between the mantle and the crust is known as the Mohorovicic Discontinuity, or Moho. 
• Since the early 1960s, American scientists have tried to access the mantle through the Moho, but the goal has not yet been achieved. 

‘Mengxiang’ ship 

• With the ability to reach depths of up to 11,000 meters below the sea surface, the ship's drilling capabilities are unmatched. Weighing 33,000 tons and spanning 179 meters (590 ft), the Mengxiang is a massive ship with extraordinary capabilities. 
• It has a range of 15,000 nautical miles and can operate for up to 120 days per port call. Engineered to withstand powerful tropical cyclones. 

8.Françoise Bettencott Meyers of France becomes the first woman in the world with a net worth of 100 billion dollars

• In December 2023, France's François Bettencott Meyers (70) became the first woman in the world with a net worth of $100 billion. According to Bloomberg data, the net worth of François Bettencutt Meyers reached $100.1 billion. 
• François Meyers is the chairman of Tithis, the holding company of L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetic company. Meyers is also Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of L'Oréal Group. 
• François Meyers has inherited the world's most famous and largest cosmetic brand L'Oreal from his mother. François Meyers's mother, Bettencott Meyers, also held the crown of the world's richest woman until her death in 2017. L'Oréal was founded in 1909 by Eugene Schueller, Bettencott Meyers's grandfather. 
• Actually, Eugene Schueller invented 'Hair Dye' and founded the L'Oreal company keeping in mind its manufacturing and marketing. 
• Meyers is the second richest person of France in this list. 

Bernard 

• Arnault holds the title of the richest person in France. Arnault is the chairman of luxury goods company LVMH. 
• Mayers maintains his position as the 12th richest person in the world, ahead of notable personalities such as Mukesh Ambani, Amancio Ortega and Gautam Adani. 

Savitri Jindal 

• India's richest woman Savitri Jindal has registered a huge increase of $9.6 billion in the year 2023 i.e. her net worth has seen the highest increase in a calendar year, which is more than even Ambani and Birla. 
• With her net worth estimated at $25.3 billion at last count, Om Prakash Jindal's 73-year-old widow is the fifth richest Indian and the richest woman on the subcontinent 

Defence News 

9.India, UAE to conduct joint military exercise ‘Desert Cyclone’ in Rajasthan 

• The Inaugural edition of Joint Military Exercise Desert Cyclone, between India & UAE, will be conducted from 02 Jan to 15 Jan 2024 in Rajasthan. 
• The joint manoeuvres during ‘Desert Cyclone 2024’ aim to boost interoperability through the exchange of knowledge and best practices in urban operations. 
• The exercise aims to enhance interoperability by learning & sharing best practices in Urban Operations. 

Recent Exercise 

• 4th edition of Military Exercise VINBAX-2023 between India & Vietnam – Hanoi, Vietnam 
• 14th edition of Exercise Vajra Prahar2023 between India & USA – Umroi, Meghalaya 
• 9th edition of Mitra Shakti 2023 between India and Sri Lanka – Aundh, Pune 
• 7th edition of ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’ between India and Kazakhstan – Otar, Kazakhstan 
• Coastal Security Exercise Sagar Kavach – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry 

10.‘Sandes App’ developed for official communication and document sharing of paramilitary forces 

• The paramilitary forces are set to launch ‘SANDES App’ in the new year to share all official communications and documents with an aim to strengthen data security and prioritize indigenous technology. 
• From the first week of January, it will be available to all paramilitary forces including Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). 
• The mobile application developed by National Informatics Center (NIC) was launched in March 2021. It has since received significant updates, making the platform secure. The app is available on Android and iOS and also has a desktop version. ‘Sandes’ application is an open source-based indigenous instant messaging platform designed to meet the stringent security requirements of government organizations. 
• It supports end-to-end encrypted messaging, encrypted backup, and encrypted OTP service. Its privacy and data policy is governed by the rules and regulations of the Government of India. Sandes can be integrated with other government communications systems to send encrypted messages at no cost. 
• Currently, Sandes is integrated with NIC Email, DigiLocker and eOffice. Currently, the full features of the Sandes app are available only to government verified users. 

11.Navy deploys frigates, destroyers to assist commercial vessels 

• Against the backdrop of the increasing attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy said on Sunday that it had substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in the central and north Arabian Sea and "augmented force levels' '. 
• "Task Groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and render assistance to merchant vessels in case of any incident. Aerial surveillance by long range maritime patrol aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) has been enhanced to have a complete maritime domain awareness," the Navy said in a statement. 
• Towards effective surveillance of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of India, the Navy is operating in close coordination with the Coast Guard, it said. 
• The hijacking of m.v. Ruen approximately 700 nautical miles off the In- dian coast and the drone attack on mm.. Chem Pluto approximately 220 nautical miles southwest of Por bandar indicated a "shift" in maritime incidents closer to the Indian EEZ, the Navy said. 
• A multi-agency investigation is underway into the drone attack on m.. Chom Pluto on December 23. Another vessel, the Gabon-flagged m.v. Sai Baba with an Indian crew, was hit by a drone in the South Red Sea on the same day. 
• Speaking at an event in Mumbai last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India's growing power had filled "some forces with jealousy and hatred" and that the perpetrators of the attacks on Chem Pluto and Sai Baba would be brought to justice soon. 

12.US. Navy sinks three Houthi vessels 

• U.S. Navy helicopters sank three vessels operated by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels that had attacked a container ship in the Red Sea, the military said on Sunday. 
• Maersk Hangzhou, a singapore-flagged and Denmark owned and operated container ship, came under attack for a second time in 24 hours while transiting the Red Sea. The U.S. Navy's actions came in response to a request for assistance from the ship. Maersk suspended the passage of vessels through the wab al Mandab Strait in the Red Sea for 48 hours, While transiting the strait, the vessel was targeted with two anti-ship ballistic missiles that were shot down by the U.S. military. After the Houthis fired on U.S. helt copters, they "returned fue in self-defense", the US. Central Command said. 

Economy News 

13.Proposals sought for final supplementary demands for grants 

• The Finance Ministry has sought expenditure proposals for the second and final batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants from various Ministries and departments ahead of the Budget Session that is likely to commence in the last week of January. 
• This would be the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha before the general elections and the government would seek expenditure approvals of Parliament for four months till July 2024 through a vote on account. 
• The second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2023-24 is proposed to be placed before Parliament in the ensuing Budget session, the Finance Ministry said in an office memorandum. 
• The cases that would be eligible to be incorporated under such demands include those where advances from the Contingency Fund have been granted. 
• Besides, payments against court decree would be included as well as cases where the Finance Ministry has specifically advised moving the supplementary demand in the winter session, it said. 
• According to the memorandum, the ministries are required to submit their proposals by January 8. 
• The interim Budget 2024-25 is likely to be presented on February 1. 

Appointment News

14.Arvind Panagariya appointed as 16th Finance Commission Chairman 

• The government has appointed former NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya as the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission. 
• Joint Secretary in the finance ministry Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey will be the secretary to the commission. 
• The commission will submit its report for the five-year period (2026-27 to 2030-31) to the President by October 31, 2025. 
• The Finance Commission is a constitutional body that gives suggestions on center-state financial relations. 
• The erstwhile 15th Finance Commission under NK Singh had recommended that states be given 41 percent of the divisible tax pool of the Centre during the five-year period 2021 22 to 2025 26, which is at the same level as was recommended by the 14th Finance Commission.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Chief Risk Officer of LIC – S Sunder Krishnan (replace Pratap Chandra Paikray) 
• Part-time Chairman of Kotak Mahindra Bank – CS Rajan (replace Prakash Apte) 
• Interim MD & CEO of North East SFB – Satish Kumar Kalra 
• Chairman of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) – Pramod Agrawal (replace SS Mundra). 
• Executive Director (ED) of ICICI Bank – Sandeep Batra 

15.Andrew Saberton appointed as the Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA 

• United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Andrew Paul Saberton of the United Kingdom as Assistant Secretary-General to serve as Deputy Executive Director (Management) of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 
• Saberton succeeds Ib Petersen of Denmark, to whom the Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UNFPA are grateful for his dedicated service. 
• Saberton has served as the Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director (Management) ad interim since November 2023 and as UNFPA Comptroller and Director for the Division of Management Services since September 2016. 
• Previously, he was the Chief of the Finance Branch (2011-2016) and Chief of the Accounts Section (2009-2011) at UNFPA, and a Senior Finance Officer at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (2001-2009). 

Recent Appointment

• CMD of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd – Uday A Kaole 
• Director (Works) of National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) – Pramod Sharma 
• DG of Prisons and Correctional Services – Maheshwar Dayal 
• CEO and MD of Stellantis India – Aditya Jairaj (replace Roland Bouchara) effect from 1 Jan 24 
• President of FICCI – Anish Shah (replace Subhrakant Panda) 

Banking News 

16.Sukanya Samriddhi Schemes’ interest rates hiked up to 20 bps for Q4FY24 

• The Centre hiked the interest rates of some of the small savings schemes, such as Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme, and 3-year Time Deposit, for the January-March 2024 quarter. 
• As per the latest revised list, the interest rate of Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme will be 8.2%, while for 3-year TD it would be 7.1% for the last quarter of the current fiscal. 
• Earlier, the interest rates for the Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme and 3-year TD were 8.0%, and 7.1%, respectively. 
• The PPF rates were kept unchanged for more than 3 years. It was last tweaked in April-June 2020, when it was slashed to 7.1 percent from 7.9 percent. 
• Before the revision, the interest rates on small savings schemes ranged between 4 percent (post office savings deposits) and 8.2 percent (Senior Citizens Savings Scheme). 

Interest rates for Jan-March 2024 

• Savings Deposit- 4 per cent 
• 1-Year Post Office Time Deposits- 6.9 percent 
• 2-Year Post Office Time Deposits- 7.0 percent 
• 3-Year Post Office Time Deposits- 7.1 percent 
• 5-Year Post Office Time Deposits- 7.5 percent 
• 5-Year Recurring Deposits- 6.7 percent (6.5 percent earlier) 
• National Saving Certificates (NSC)- 7.7 percent
• Kisan Vikas Patra- 7.5 percent (will mature in 115 months) 
• Public Provident Fund- 7.1 per cent 
• Sukanya Samriddhi Account- 8.2 per cent 
• Senior Citizens Savings Scheme- 8.2 percent 
• Monthly Income Account- 7.4 percent 

Important Day News 

17.Maharashtra govt to observe 15 January as state sports day 

• The Maharashtra government will observe January 15 every year as the state sports day to celebrate the birth anniversary of wrestler Khashaba Jadhav, the first Indian to win an independent medal in the Olympics in 1952. 
• Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had announced in Pune about having a day devoted to sports on the birthday of Jadhav, who was born in Maharashtra. 
• Jadhav had won a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics held at Helsinki in Finland. A government resolution was issued directing schools and colleges to organize sporting events on this day. 
• Students can interact with sports personalities on online platforms. International and national sportspersons will be felicitated by the government on the state sports day. 

18.1 January – Global Family Day 

• Global Family Day is celebrated every year on January 1. 
• The day aims at commencing the new year with peace, unity and brotherhood among people and across nations and cultures. 
• The idea to mark the day was first initiated in November 1997 after people were inspired by a book named, One Day In Peace – January 1, 2000. 
• The book was released by the United Nations. Around the same time, the United Nations General Assembly launched the International Decade for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World. 
• Later, in 1999, UN members received a formal invitation to officially mark January 1 as – Global Family Day. 

Science and technology 

19.According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, mushrooms have the ability to deal with the challenges of Covid19 and other influenza

• According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the elements of mushroom, an easily obtained food, have the potential to deal with the challenges of Covid-19 and other influenza. 
• In the review article, scientists assessed the roles and mechanisms of 13 different mushroom-derived bioactive compounds in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection and its infection-associated pathophysiology, such as lung infection, inflammation, cytokine storm, and thrombotic and cardiovascular. 
• Natural anti-infectious, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating, and antithrombotic products derived from a wide range of bioactive polysaccharides and compound molecules of the mushroom have potential to fight COVID. 
• The research group led by Professor Ashish K Mukherjee, Director, IASST, comprising Dr Aparup Patra, Dr M R Khan, Dr Sagar R Barge and Mr Paran Barua of IASST, Guwahati, analyzed the current treatments against COVID. Mushrooms.
• A mushroom is the fleshy, sporebearing fruiting body of a fungus, which grows above ground in soil or in its food source. 

Sports News 

20.Australian batter David Warner announces his retirement from ODI 

• Australian batter David Warner has announced his retirement from One Day Internationals (ODIs). 
• The 2-time ODI World Cup Winner had previously announced that he would be ending his Test career after Australia’s upcoming Test against Pakistan in Sydney. 
• However, the opener has said that he will keep himself available for selection in the Champions Trophy in 2025. 
• Warner is Australia’s sixth-highest run scorer in the ODI format and is only second to former captain Ricky Ponting’s tally for most Centuries for Australia in ODIs. 

Recently Retired Players 

• Dean Elgar – International cricket – South Africa 
• Asad Shafiq – All forms of cricket – Pakistan 
• Gurkeerat Singh Mann – International Cricket – India 
• Meg Lanning – International Cricket – Australia 
• Sunil Narine – International cricket – West Indies 
• David Willey – International Cricket – England