- National:
- The International Kite Festival 2024 was inaugurated in Ahmedabad by Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Shri Bhupendra Patel. He launched the festival by flying a tri-color balloon. This festival is part of the official celebration of Uttarayan, marking the beginning of spring. The festival is taking place at Sabarmati Riverfront, Vallabh Sadan in Ahmedabad from January 7th to 14th.
- The National Kala Utsav 2024 was inaugurated by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 9th January 2024 at National Bal Bhawan, New Delhi. The event, organized by the Ministry of Education and NCERT, ran until 12th January 2024. It featured performances in 10 art forms by around 700 students from across India.
- The Indian Railways Construction Manual, 2023 was unveiled by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on January 9, 2024. This manual is a significant update to the previous version, which was around 60 years old. It aims to streamline construction activities within the railway sector, including land acquisition, forest clearance, bridge design, contract management, and tunnel construction.
- On January 8, 2024, the Karnataka High Court banned all mining activities within a 20 km radius of the KRS dam due to potential threats posed by explosives. The ban will remain until a study on the threats to the dam is completed.
- Banking:
- Brookfield, a Canadian company, is set to acquire the Indian business of American Tower Corporation (ATC) for $2.5 billion. The deal was signed on January 5, 2024, and is expected to close in the second half of 2024. This will make Brookfield India’s largest tower company.
- Science & Technology:
- NASA has indeed tested a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE). This innovative propulsion system was successfully tested by engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
- NASA initiated the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and launched the Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One on Monday, January 8, 2024, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket. The Peregrine lander is carrying five NASA payloads.
- Govt. Schemes:
- The ‘Yogyasree’ scheme was indeed launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for SC/ST students in West Bengal on 8th January 2024. This comprehensive social welfare scheme aims to provide free training modules for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in West Bengal, specifically targeting entrance and competitive examinations. Fifty centres will be opened all across the state where the SC and ST students will be able to take training completely free of cost for competitive examinations.
- Defence:
- The Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), a unit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Dvipa Armour India Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based private firm, have jointly launched an indigenous assault rifle named 'Ugram’ on 8th January 2024. It’s a 7.62 x 51 mm calibre rifle.
- Reports:
- The CBRE India report titled “MSMEs Unleashing the Engines of Economic Prosperity” was published on January 8, 2024. This report was released by CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd., a leading real estate consulting firm. According to this report Maharashtra contributes the highest share of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India at 17%. It is followed by Tamil Nadu with a 10% share and Uttar Pradesh with a 9% share.
- Summits & Conferences:
- A two-day Regional Conference on the theme “e-Governance” was organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with the Government of Assam on January 9-10, 2024. The conference was graced by the Governor of Assam, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, and Union MoS Dr. Jitendra Singh. The aim of the Regional Conference on “e-Governance” was to leverage information technology and new age technologies for better delivery of good governance to citizens.
- Awards & Honours:
- Singapore’s Changi Airport has indeed been named the World’s Best Airport for 2023. This is a title that Changi has regained after losing it to Qatar’s Hamad International Airport for two years during the height of pandemic travel restrictions.
- Appointments & Resignation:
- Gabriel Attal, aged 34, became the youngest Prime Minister of France on January 9, 2024, after the resignation of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on 8th January over a new immigration law. He was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron and is the first openly gay leader of the government. Prior to this, he served as the Education Minister.
- Ms. Aruna Nayar, an Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) Officer of the 1987 Batch, has been appointed as Secretary to the Railway Board by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet on January 5, 2024. She took over charge on January 6, 2024.
- Samir Kumar Sinha, a senior IAS officer, was appointed as the Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) in the Defence Ministry on January 9, 2024. This appointment was part of a bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. Prior to this, he was working in his Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
- Rajay Kumar Sinha, the current MD and CEO of SBI Capital Markets Limited, was appointed as the member of finance and investment at the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on January 10, 2024. He will serve for a duration of three years.
- Obituaries:
- Ustad Rashid Khan was a renowned Indian classical vocalist and a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award. He passed away on January 9, 2024, after battling prostate cancer and suffering a cerebral attack.
Questions:
Q.1 Who organized the two-day Regional Conference on “e-Governance”?a. Government of Assam
b. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG)
c. Both a and b
d. None of the above
Q.2 Who inaugurated the International Kite Festival 2024?
a. Shri Narendra Modi
b. Shri Bhupendra Patel
c. Shri Amit Shah
d. Shri Vijay Rupani
