Today's Current Affairs 14th January 2023

NATIONAL

Music of the soul at Mongeet in Assam at Majuli

• Mongeet is a festival of music, poetry, art, craft, food, culinary techniques, indigenous herbs, and culture celebrated in Majuli, Assam. The Mongeet festival started in the year 2020 as a movement of arts and music and it aims to nurture the upcoming musical talents of Assam. It was started by actor Adil Hussain and Kaushik Nath, an actor-director-turned-entrepreneur.
• Mongeet festival will be held on 15th, 16th, and 17th January at Dekasang, Majuli and on 19th and 20th January at Dekasang, Sadiya.
• This edition of the Mongeet festival will witness Montulika, a creative painting workshop, and Monmritikka, a special workshop on the rich art and sculpture of Assam.
• In the Mongeet festival, renowned Assamese Chef Atul Lahkar will host a masterclass, Aharor Aakholi (food and traditional kitchen) to talk about food conservation, identification of ingredients, modern cooking methods about indigenous techniques, and ways to promote regional cuisine.

West Bengal: ICG ship ‘Kamla Devi’, last vessel of FPV series, commissioned

• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship ‘Kamla Devi’ the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) which is designed, built, and delivered by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd to Indian Coast Guard was commissioned in Kolkata, West Bengal. Indian Coast Guard ship Kamla Devi is officially the fifth and last vessel of the series of FPVs designed and built by GRSE as per the specifications of the Indian Coast Guard.
• Indian Coast Guard ship (ICGS) Kamla Devi is 48.8 meters long and 7.5 meters wide with a displacement of 308 tonnes. There are three engines and water jets in ICGS Kamla Devi.
• She is capable of a top speed of 34 knots and an endurance of over 1,500 nautical miles. She has an Integrated Bridge System and is fitted with 40/60 guns as the main armament.
• The ICGS Kamla Devi has advanced habitability features with fully air-conditioned accommodations for 35 personnel.

Tripura State Government launches "Saharsh" special education program

• The ‘Saharsh’ was launched in 40 schools of the state on a pilot basis in August last year. This year, it will be extended to all government and aided schools in Tripura from the second week of January.
• A similar program, which was found to be effective in social and economic development in research studies of Harvard and Columbia Universities is being contextualized with local realities of India before being implemented in Tripura.
• On the inauguration of the 49th state-level science, mathematics, and environment exhibition, Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath informed that the state government has been working to make Tripura self-reliant and prosperous.
• The school education department has introduced 36 reforms in the last five years and the higher education department has 19 reforms.

Vidisha becomes the 1st Indian district to implement cutting-edge 5G use cases proposed by startups

• A joint initiative by the Vidisha District Administration and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the direction of Additional Secretary (Telecom) & Administrator USOF, made Vidisha, a district of Madhya Pradesh, the first district ever in India for on-ground implementation of groundbreaking 5G use cases proposed by startups.
• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has been fostering partnerships of Digital Communication Tech – startups & SMEs to potential user communities, viz. State governments, Smart cities, Aspirational districts, vertical industries, etc., through the Telecom Startups & MSMEs Mission (TSuM) & 5G Vertical Engagement Partnership Program (VEPP). This is accomplished to accelerate Digital Transformation across socio-economic verticals.
• To implement 5G/4G/IoT innovative approaches of Startups & SMEs at Vidisha (Aspirational district), Madhya Pradesh with a primary focus on Health, Agriculture, Diary, Education & Skill Development, benefiting the Vidisha community as a whole, the “5G use case promotional pilot” is being spearheaded by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), DoT, which is a trailblazer in emerging Digital communication Technologies.

 SPORTS

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurates FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 in Cuttack

• Men’s Hockey World Cup, 2023 has began with a spectacular opening ceremony at the picturesque Barabati Stadium in Cuttack that was witnessed by thousands of hockey lovers in attendance from across the country and abroad. Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Ikram and Hockey India chairman Dilip Tirkey were present at the glittering ceremony. 16 teams are participating in the global tournament.
• The matches will be held at two venues, Birsa Mundra Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, from January 13 to January 29.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

Army Day to be celebrated on January 15 in Bengaluru

• Indian army day 2023 is celebrated on 15th January 2023 and it mark the 75th anniversary of the Indian army day. Every year on January 15, India celebrates its Army Day. It is the day on which Field Marshal Kodandera M. Cariappa (then a Lieutenant General) took over as the first Commander­in­Chief of the Indian Army from the last British Commander­in­Chief of India, General Fransis Bucher in the year 1949. Parades, medal presenting and other ceremonies are organized to celebrate the Army Day. With “Service before self” as its motto, the Indian Army is the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces.
• Originally, the Indian army was formed under the British rule on April 1, 1895 and was called as British Indian Army. After India got its independence in the year 1947, it was only on January 15, 1949, when the country got its first Indian chief. Lt Gen K M Carriappa took over as commander­inchief of the Indian Army in 1949 from General Francis Butcher, the last British commander­in­chief ofIndia.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh to preside over 7th Armed Forces Veterans Day Celebrations at Dehradun

• The Armed Forces Veterans Day is celebrated on 14th January since 1953, the First Indian Commander in Chief (C-in-C) of Indian Army- Field Marshal KM Cariappa, who led Indian Forces to Victory in the 1947 war, had formally retired from the Services. The Day is celebrated as Armed Forces Veterans Day and dedicated to our esteemed Veterans. The First Armed Forces Veterans Day was celebrated on January, 14, 2016 and it was decided to commemorate this day every year by hosting such interactive events in the honor of our Armed Forces Veterans and their families.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh preside over 7th Armed Forces Veterans Day Celebrations by addressing an Armed Forces Veterans Rally at Jaswant Ground in Dehradun Cantonment. He also launch the ‘Soul of Steel Alpine Challenge’, a joint adventure sport initiative of the Indian Army and CLAW Global, by flagging off a car expedition from Dehradun to Ghamshali located in the Niti Valley.

 SUMMITS AND MOU’S

UAE names its oil company chief to lead U.N. climate talks

• The United Arab Emirates has named a veteran technocrat who both leads Abu Dhabi’s state-run oil company and oversees its renewable energy efforts to preside over the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai. Emirati authorities nominated Sultan al-Jaber, a confidant of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who serves as CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.
• The announcement prompted fierce criticism from environmental activists. Al-Jaber’s firm pumps some 4 million barrels of crude a day and hopes to expand to 5 million daily, generating more of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide the UN annual climate negotiations aim to limit. The Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency made the announcement, noting al-Jaber’s years also serving as a climate envoy.
• In its announcement about al-Jaber, more than $50bn in renewable energy projects across 70 countries, with plans to invest a minimum of $50bn over the next decade.
• Al-Jaber also led green initiatives including a $22bn “carbon-neutral” city on Abu Dhabi’s outskirts. The project was halted after the global financial crisis that struck the Emirates hard beginning in 2008.

 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Indian peacekeepers deployed with UNMISS honoured with UN medal for exemplary service

• Over 1,000 Indian peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have been honoured with the prestigious UN medals at an award ceremony where the parade was led for the first time by a woman officer of the Indian Army.
• At a special award ceremony in Upper Nile, 1,171 peacekeepers from India deployed with the UN mission in South Sudan were honoured with UN medals for their exemplary service. for the first time, a female officer of the Indian Army, Major Jasmine Chattha, led the parade of the large Indian contingent, comprising infantry, engineers and medical officials, at the award ceremony in Upper Nile.
• Last week, India deployed the largest platoon of women peacekeepers to the United Nations Interim Security Force, Abyei (UNISFA), heralding New Delhi’s intent of increasing significantly the number of women in peacekeeping contingents.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

PVR-INOX Merger Scheme Gets NCLT Approval

• In a major boost to the film and entertainment industry, PVR-Inox merger has been approved by the National Company Law Tribunal. The NCLT judge has approved the scheme of merger in a verbal order. A written order is likely to be passed in the next 15-20 days. On March 27, PVR and Inox Leisure announced their merger, which has already been approved by their respective shareholders, creditors as well as leading bourses NSE and BSE.
• The merger of PVR-INOX has been much talked about since 2022. It must be noted that being the country’s top multiplexes, both INOX and PVR were also front-running competitors. The two companies’ boards — the country’s largest multiplex chain operators — approved an all-stock merger to create a film exhibition entity with a network of more than 1,500 screens. The share-swap ratio in the merger stands at three shares of PVR for 10 shares of Inox — which means investors will get three shares of PVR for every 10 INOX shares held.