January current affairs Flashcards
Which country is the world’s top producer of ‘Rare earth material’?
[A] India
[B] Japan
[C] China
[D] USA
China is the world’s top producer of rare earth material. Recently, the country has 3 state-owned rare earth mining companies to form a new entity named ‘China Rare Earths Group’.
China has been strengthening its supply chain of rare earth materials. Rare earth is a combination of 17 minerals used as vital ingredients in the production of consumer electronics as well as military equipment.
Who has been appointed as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board?
[A] Shobith Thripathi
[B] Vinay Kumar Tripathi
[C] Rajesh Arora
[D] Kumar Verma
The Appointments Committee of Union Cabinet has approved the appointment of Vinay Kumar Tripathi as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Railway Board.
Presently, he is serving as the General Manager, North Eastern Railway. He is an 1983 batch Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE).
Where is the headquarters of the ‘Conference on Disarmament’ located?
[A] Geneva
[B] Paris
[C] Rome
[D] New York
The Conference on Disarmament is a multilateral disarmament forum, to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements. It is based at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
India’s senior diplomat Anupam Ray has been appointed as India’s next permanent representative to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The Indian Foreign Service officer is currently serving as a joint secretary in the MEA.
‘Aquamation’, which was seen in the news, is related to ……….
[A] Cultivation of sea animals
[B] Sewage Water Treatment
[C] Water Cremation
[D] Bio-Toilets
Aquamation, or alkaline hydrolysis, is an environmentally friendly way of Cremation. It is also called as water cremation, green cremation or chemical cremation.
It is a process in body of the deceased is immersed in a mixture of water and alkali in a pressurized metal cylinder and heated to around 150 degree centigrade. The Nobel Peace Prize winning anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu was cremated using ‘Aquamation’.
Which country has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first six months of 2023?
[A] Finland
[B] Sweden
[C] Italy
[D] Germany
Sweden has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first six months of the year, on January 1, 2023,
It followed Czech Republic, which headed the Council in the second half of 2022. This is the third time that Sweden has taken over the Presidency of the Council. The EU Council Presidency rotates every six months between the Member States of the EU.
The New Integrated food security Scheme subsumes two current schemes of which Ministry?
[A] Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
[B] Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] Ministry of Rural Development
The new integrated food security Scheme was rolled out with effect from 1 January 2023. It would provide free food grains to 81.35 crore beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The new scheme will subsume two current food subsidy schemes of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution namely the Food Subsidy to FCI for NFSA, and Food Subsidy for decentralized procurement states.
Which country has handed over the chairmanship of Wassenaar Arrangement to India in 2023?
[A] France
[B] Germany
[C] Ireland
[D] USA
India assumed the chairmanship of the plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement for one year on January 2023.
The 42-member Wassenaar Arrangement is a voluntary export control regime that monitors transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods. Ireland’s ambassador handed over the chairmanship to India’s ambassador last year. India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement in December 2017 as its 42nd participating state.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who is a recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, is the President of which country?
[A] Israel
[B] Guyana
[C] Ukraine
[D] UAE
President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the ninth President of Guyana, is one among the 21 recipients of the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA).
He will also be the Chief Guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention will be held this time in Indore. US-based businessman Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, and DSB Group CEO Piyush Gupta are among 21 recipients.
The ‘Brahma Kumaris’ spiritual movement that originated in which state?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Gujarat
[D] West Bengal
The ‘Brahma Kumaris’ is a spiritual movement that originated in Hyderabad, Sindh, during 1930s. The movement was founded by Lekhraj Kripalani.
President of India, Droupadi Murmu attended the launch of the National Campaign on ‘RISE-Rising India through Spiritual Empowerment’, organized by Brahma Kumaris at Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
Siyom bridge’ has been inaugurated in which state/UT?
[A] Assam
[B] Jammu and Kashmir
[C] Arunachal Pradesh
[D] Punjab
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Siyom Bridge in Arunachal Pradesh, constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
It is one among the 28 projects, mostly along the border with China. They include 12 in Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, five in Arunachal Pradesh, three each in Sikkim, Punjab and Uttarakhand, and two in Rajasthan.
Where is the headquarters of ‘Asian Pacific Postal Union’?
[A] Mumbai
[B] Bangkok
[C] Colombo
[D] Dhaka
Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) is an intergovernmental organisation of 32 member countries of the Asia-Pacific region. It is the only restricted union of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a UN specialised agency.
India will take over the leadership of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) from this month, as per the Ministry of Communications.
Vaidehi Chaudhari, who won her maiden singles title recently, plays which sports?
[A] Table Tennis
[B] Tennis
[C] Badminton
[D] Squash
22-year-old Vaidehi Chaudhari has clinched the USD 15,000 ITF women’s tournament singles in Gwalior after beating top seed Ksenia Laskutova.
It was Vaidehi’s maiden singles title in the professional circuit. She had won her maiden doubles title earlier with Laskutova as her partner. Vaidehi is also the reigning National Tennis champion.
‘Bailey Suspension Bridge’ has been inaugurated in which state/UT?
[A] Jammu and Kashmir
[B] Arunachal Pradesh
[C] Assam
[D] Karnataka
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated the Bailey Suspension Bridge over river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.
The 240 feet high Bailey Suspension Bridge has been completed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a month before the deadline. The launching of the new bailey suspension reinforced bridge was initiated in October.
Which Union Ministry launched the ‘Draft Online Gaming Policy’?
[A] Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
[B] Ministry of Science and Technology
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
The draft rules for online gaming in India was released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY)
The ‘Draft Amendments to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021’, propose a ban on betting and wagering in online games. The rules propose setting up a self-regulatory body for grievance redressal and mandating know-your-customer (KYC) rules for gamers and online gaming intermediaries.
Which start-up built the ‘AzaadiSAT’ satellite, which is made by 750 school girls?
[A] Dhruv Aerospace
[B] Pixxel
[C] Space Kidz India
[D] Astra
Space Kidz India, a Chennai-based space tech start-up is set to launch their satellite made by 750 girls from government schools aboard an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launch vehicle.
A targeted launch date of January 16 has been set for the satellite named AzaadiSAT. Space Kidz India selected 10 girl students from 75 government schools across the country for this mission. The project is also supported by Niti Aayog.
Which Indian state has launched a 100-day Global City Campaign?
[A] Gujarat
[B] West Bengal
[C] Assam
[D] Uttar Pradesh
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a statewide 100-day ‘UP Global City’ campaign, ahead of the upcoming Global Investors Summit and G20 summit.
The campaign will focus on urban facilities, improving air quality, better cleanliness, and proper disposal of garbage among others.
Which organisation publishes the Food Price Index (FFPI)?
[A] UNICEF
[B] FAO
[C] IMF
[D] World Bank
The UN agency, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has published its latest Food Price Index (FFPI) which tracks the monthly international prices of cereals, vegetable oil, dairy, meat and sugar.
The FFPI averaged to 132.4 points in December, which is one per cent lower than the previous December. The FFPI was notably higher in 2022 than in 2021.
