18th & 19th January 2023 Daily Current Affairs in English

1. What is the name of the world’s longest river cruise, which was flagged off by the Prime Minister?

[A] MV Ganga Vilas

[B] MV Bharat Vilas

[C] MV Gangayaan

[D] MV Uttarayaan

Answer : [A] MV Ganga Vilas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ in Varanasi. The cruise will begin its journey from Varanasi and sail around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh. The Prime Minister also inaugurated a ‘Tent City’ on the banks of the Ganga River in Varanasi via video conferencing.

2. India’s first 3x platform wind turbine generators (WTG) has been installed in which state?

[A] Rajasthan

[B] Karnataka

[C] Telangana

[D] Odisha

Answer : [B] Karnataka

ReNew Power has installed India’s first 3x platform wind turbine generators (WTGs) in Gadag, Karnataka. The new wind turbine generators will be a part of the country’s first ‘Round the Clock’ renewable energy project, combining wind, solar and a battery energy storage system (BESS). This project will produce energy to power over 1 million households in India annually.

3. After Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Punjab, which state recently restored the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees?

[A] New Delhi

[B] Telangana

[C] Kerala

[D] Himachal Pradesh

Answer : [D] Himachal Pradesh

The Himachal Pradesh government decided to restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees, who were covered under National Pension System (NPS). Prior to this, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Punjab have also rolled out the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). This decision will benefit over 1.36 lakh NPS employees of the state. A cabinet Sub Committee has been constituted for the implementation of granting Rs 1,500 to the women of 18 to 60 years.

4. The Supreme Court recently struck down a provision of Income Tax which denied exemption to women of which state?

[A] Sikkim

[B] Arunachal Pradesh

[C] Assam

[D] Jammu and Kashmir

Answer : [A] Sikkim

The Supreme Court recently struck down a provision of Income Tax which denied exemption to Sikkimese women who have married non-Sikkimese. Section 10 (26AAA) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 excluded Sikkimese women who have married a non-Sikkimese after 1 April, 2008, from getting exemption under the Act. The Top Court observed that the section is totally discriminatory and violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India.

5. Buxwaha Mine, which was seen in the news, is located in which state?

[A] Chhattisgarh

[B] Madhya Pradesh

[C] Assam

[D] Andhra Pradesh

Answer : [B] Madhya Pradesh

Essel Mining and Industries Limited (EMIL), a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla group, has been trying operationalize a big diamond project in Madhya Pradesh. There are protests over human displacement, environmental damage, loss of livelihood The mine is inside a forest in Buxwaha, located 200 kms from Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh accounts for about 90% of the total diamond resource of the country. Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are the other states that produce diamonds.

6. ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign is associated with which Union Ministry?

[A] Ministry of Railways

[B] Ministry of Tourism

[C] Ministry of Culture

[D] Ministry of Home Affairs

Answer : [B] Ministry of Tourism

‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign was launched by Union Tourism Minister at Konark, Odisha, in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to travel to at least 15 destinations by the year 2022, to promote domestic tourism. Indian Railways recently launched the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train, in line with the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative. The train runs on a route connecting pilgrimage sites of Ayodhya in India and Janakpur in Nepal.

7. Which state is the host of the ‘Think-20’ meeting held under G20?

[A] Gujarat

[B] Madhya Pradesh

[C] Jharkhand

[D] Chhattisgarh

Answer : [B] Madhya Pradesh

Several personalities from across the globe attended the ‘Think-20’ meeting, held under G20 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Various topics, including ‘Global Governance with LIFE, Values, and Wellbeing’ were discussed in the meeting. The main speaker at the inaugural session was Tetsushi Sonobe, Dean and CEO of the Assian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo.

8. Which state adopted a bill to make its language compulsory for State government jobs?

[A] Maharashtra

[B] Karnataka

[C] Tamil Nadu

[D] Kerala

Answer : [C] Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Assembly amended a legislation, to make securing a pass in Tamil language paper compulsory for recruitment to State government services. The act was amended with retrospective effect, from December 1, 2021. Previously the act said the employees should pass a ‘second class language test’ in Tamil within a period of two years from the date of their appointment, failing which they shall be discharged from service.

9. What was India’s trade deficit with China in the year 2022?

[A] USD 202 billion

[B] USD 101 billion

[C] USD 20 billion

[D] USD 10 billion

Answer : [B] USD 101 billion

The trade deficit for India stood at USD 101.02 billion, crossing the USD 100 billion mark for the first time. The trade between India and China touched an all-time high of USD 135.98 billion in 2022, according to data released by Chinese customs. The total India-China trade was 8.4 per cent higher than the USD 125 billion mark in 2021.while China’s exports to India climbed to USD 118.5 billion rising 21.7% y-o-y, Indian exports to China dipped to USD 17.48 billion.

10. What is the Retail inflation based on CPI in December 2022 in India?

[A] 5.72 %

[B] 6.72 %

[C] 7.72 %

[D] 8.72 %

Answer : [A] 5.72 %

Retail inflation based on the consumer price index (CPI), eased to a one-year low of 5.72 percent in December 2022. The inflation figure dipped from 5.88 percent recorded in the previous month. As per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data, the retail inflation slipped to lowest level since December 2021. CPI has come below Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) upper margin of 6 percent for the first time in the calendar year 2022.

11. Which country recently renamed the places that used racist slur for its Native people?

[A] USA

[B] South Africa

[C] India

[D] Germany

Answer : [A] USA

The US government has announced name changes for five places whose designations included a racist term for Native American women. Deb Haaland, who is the first Native American cabinet secretary in US history created a task force to replace derogatory names of the nation’s geographic features. The sites are in the states of California, North Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.

12. World Health Organization (WHO) recently urged South-East Asian countries to take urgent measures against which disease?

[A] Polio

[B] Measles

[C] Tuberculosis

[D] Pneumonia

Answer : [B] Measles

World Health Organization (WHO) has urged all nations in South-east Asia to take urgent and accelerated measures against measles. The disease is on the rise as nearly nine million children having missed vaccination in the past two years and 5.3 million children remain partially vaccinated. The measles vaccination coverage significantly reduced after the pandemic.

13. Europe’s largest known deposit of rare earth oxides, has been discovered in which country?

[A] Finland

[B] Denmark

[C] Sweden

[D] Germany

Answer : [C] Sweden

Swedish state-owned mining company, LKAB, announced that it has discovered more than one million tonnes of rare earth oxides in the country. This is the largest ever known deposit of rare earth oxides in Europe. Currently, no rare earths are mined Europe and the continent mostly imports them from other regions. According to a report, 98 per cent of rare earths used by the European Union were sent by China.

14. Which country recently announced plans to reduce the current strength of its military to half by 2030?

[A] Assam

[B] Sri Lanka

[C] Pakistan

[D] USA

Answer : [B] Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka announced plans to reduce the current strength of its military to half by 2030 to build a technically and tactically sound defence force. The country has been facing criticism that military expenditure was more than the allocation for health care and education in the 2023 budget. Due to forex shortage, Sri Lanka was unable to afford key imports, including fuel, fertilisers and medicines.

15. Which country has operated the Boeing 737 MAX flight for the first time since 2019?

[A] India

[B] China

[C] Japan

[D] UAE

Answer : [B] China

Chinese-operated Boeing 737 MAX took off from Guangzhou, and this is the first flight by a domestic airline since March 2019. China grounded the model after two deadly accidents involving the model in 2018 and 2019. The aircraft was cleared to fly again in the United States, followed by other countries, after modifications were made to the flight control software and pilot training.

16. FIFA opened a disciplinary case against which team for offensive player misconduct and violations of fair play at World Cup?

[A] England

[B] Morocco

[C] Argentina

[D] France

Answer : [C] Argentina

FIFA has opened a disciplinary case against Argentine Football Association for alleged offensive player misconduct and violations of fair play at World Cub final. FIFA cited its media and marketing regulations for prosecuting the case, which appears to relate to a celebration by players running through the interview zone after the game. Argentina beat France in a penalty shootout after 3-3 draw in Qatar.

17. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who were seen in the news, play which sports?

[A] Tennis

[B] Badminton

[C] Chess

[D] Hockey

Answer : [B] Badminton

India’s Men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty recently stormed into the semifinals of the Malaysia Open Men’s doubles Badminton event. However, they lost in the semifinals to Chinese pair of LIANG Wei Keng and Wang Chang. Indian ace shuttler H.S Prannoy bowed out of the men’s singles after losing in the quarterfinal while PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Malaysia Open in the first round.

18. Which union Ministry launched the ‘Soul of Steel’ challenge?

[A] Ministry of Defence

[B] Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

[C] Ministry of Home Affairs

[D] Ministry of Education

Answer : [A] Ministry of Defence

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh kick-started the ‘Soul of Steel’ alpine challenge, an initiative to promote tourism in border areas. He launched a website for volunteers to sign up for various adventure activities under the joint initiative of Indian Army and CLAW Global, a veterans’ organization. The Minister also flagged-off ‘Road to the End’, a 460-km long car rally, as part of a joint expedition by the Army and CLAW Clobal.

19. Which country is set to establish a ‘Global South Centre of Excellence’?

[A] Singapore

[B] Maldives

[C] India

[D] Bangladesh

Answer : [C] India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will establish a Global South Centre of Excellence. The Centre aims to undertake research on development solutions of any of developing countries which can be scaled up and implemented in other members of the Global South. He announced this at the concluding session of the Voice of Global South virtual summit.

20. Which state announced the ‘Chief Minister’s Village Roads Improvement Scheme’?

[A] Tamil Nadu

[B] West Bengal

[C] Odisha

[D] Bihar

Answer : [A] Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced that the government will launch the Chief Minister’s Village Roads Improvement Scheme. The scheme will be aimed at improving the quality of 10,000 km of panchayat union roads, with a budget of ₹ 4,000 crore over the next two years. The government has decided to extend the Chief Minister’s Breakfast scheme, launched for school students studying in classes I to IV, to all the school across Tamil Nadu in a phased manner.