Current Affairs January 20th 2023| Current Affairs News

Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Read Current Affairs Today here and stay updated with current news. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this and try the Current Affairs Quiz to test your knowledge level.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

Hyderabad to host India’s first Fourth Industrial Revolution center on healthcare, life sciences:

• Hyderabad will host a World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), the first thematic center in India to focus on life sciences and healthcare
• The center will be an autonomous, non-profit organization focusing on policy and governance for healthcare and life sciences.
• The announcement was made after the state government and the international organization signed a collaboration agreement during the annual meeting.
• C4IR Telangana–with the support of the Forum’s global network of Fourth Industrial Revolution Centres and the backing of the state and central governments in India–will be a key player in driving stakeholder engagement, building bridges between the public sector and SMEs and supporting job creation in the healthcare sector
• C4IR Telangana is the 18th center to join the Forum’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Network, which spans four continents.
• The collaboration agreement was signed by Jeremy Jurgens, managing director of the Forum, and Shakthi Nagappan, chief executive officer of the government’s Telangana Life Sciences Foundation, in the presence of Rao and Brende.
• Jayesh Ranjan, IT principal secretary, and Shyam Bishen, head of healthcare at the Forum, were also present.
• C4IR Telangana is the only such center in India with a thematic focus on healthcare and life sciences.
• The state accounts for one-third of global vaccine output and is regarded as a leading life sciences hotspot in Asia.
• Also, the state contributes about 35 percent of India’s pharmaceutical production.

PM inaugurates second phase of Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 in Basti District:

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 via video conferencing.
• Saansad Khel Mahakumbh has been organized in Basti district by Shri Harish Dwivedi, Member of Parliament from Basti since 2021.
• The Khel Mahakumbh organizes various competitions in both indoor and outdoor sports like wrestling, kabaddi, kho kho, basketball, football, hockey, volleyball, handball, chess, carrom, badminton, table tennis, etc.
• Apart from these, competitions in essay writing, painting, rangoli making, etc are also organized during the Khel Mahakumbh.
• Observing that the year 2023 has been declared the International Year of Millets, the Prime Minister noted the huge role that millets can play in the nutrition of the players.
• Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath, and Member of Parliament, Shri Harish Dwivedi were present on the occasion among others.
• The first phase of the Khel Mahakumbh was organized from 10th to 16th December 2022 and the second phase of the Khel Mahakumbh is scheduled from 18th to 28th January 2023.
• The Khel Mahakumbh organizes various competitions in both indoor and outdoor sports like wrestling, kabaddi, kho kho, basketball, football, hockey, volleyball, handball, chess, carrom, badminton, table tennis, etc.
• Apart from these, competitions in essay writing, painting, rangoli making, etc are also organized during the Khel Mahakumbh.
• The Khel Mahakumbh is a novel initiative that provides an opportunity and a platform for the youth of District Basti and neighboring areas to showcase their sporting talent, and motivates them to take sport as a career option.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India and UAE Sign Agreement on Green Hydrogen Development and Undersea Cable Connectivity

• India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached an agreement to collaborate on green hydrogen development and the laying of an undersea cable connecting India to the UAE under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “One Sun, One World, One Grid” initiative.
• The Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy Shri RK Singh and UAE’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei signed the agreement during a meeting to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the field of power and renewable energy.

Key Highlights : 

• India has undertaken the goal of becoming net zero by 2070 and is working on its way to fulfilling other commitments underlined under the Paris Climate Agreement.
• India is also moving towards the Mission announced by Prime Minister Modi and the UN Secretary-General in October 2022 called Mission LiFE – Lifestyle for Environment.
• RK Singh will be in charge of the 13th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 
• A 168-nation international organization devoted to renewable energy is called IRENA.
• In November 2021, India, which had committed to generating around 40% of its total electricity from non-fossil sources by 2030, achieved this goal 9 years earlier than expected.

About UAE : 

• President: Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• Prime Minister: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Capital: Abu Dhabi
• Currency: UAE dirham

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

NTPC REL signs MoU with the Government of Tripura for collaboration in Renewable Energy Development

• The NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Tripura for the Development of Floating and Ground Mounted based Renewable Energy Projects in Tripura.
• The MoU was signed by Shri Rajiv Gupta, Chief General Manager, NTPC REL, and Shri Mahananda Debbarma, Director General and CEO, of Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) in New Delhi.
• This MoU embarks upon the journey towards the development of large-sized Renewable Energy Projects in the State of Tripura and shall help Govt of Tripura in meeting its Clean Energy Commitments and obligations.

About NTPC REL : 

• Founded: 2020
• CEO: Mohit Bhargava

About Tripura : 

• Governor : Satyadev Narayan Arya
• Chief Minister : Manik Saha
• Capital : Agartala

Govt declares J&K as ‘Free Area’ for purposes of Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009

• Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Government has declared the whole Union Territory (UT) as a “Free Area” for purposes of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.
• The declaration has been made in the exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (5) of section 6 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals (PCICDA) Act, 2009, after the Government on being satisfied that no cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) have been reported from any district of Union Territory of J&K.

About Lumpy Skin Disease Outbreak in India : 

• Lumpy Skin disease is a contagious viral disease that spreads among cattle through mosquitoes, flies, lice, and wasps by direct contact.
• The Lumpy Skin Disease Outbreak in India started in Gujarat and Rajasthan and in 3 months cattle in 15 states across India were affected.
• The Lumpy virus mostly affected cows, buffaloes, and

About J&K :

• Lieutenant Governor: Manoj Sinha
• Capital: Srinagar, Jammu
• National Park: Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, Kazinag National Park, Dachigam National Park
• Wildlife Sanctuaries: Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

SIDBI partners with VFS to extend MSME loans up to Rs 5 lakh at 13% pa

• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has entered into a partnership with VFS Capital to extend loans to the Micro Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.
• VFS Capital will extend MSME loans up to Rs 5 lakh at a 13% interest rate per annum.

Key Highlights : 

• Under the scheme, VFS Capital expects to disburse Rs 30-40 crore in this financial year.
• The loan book of the MFI during 2022-23 is expected to be around Rs 1,100-1,200 crore from Rs 805 crore in the last financial year.
• VFS Capital is planning to expand its footprint in the north-western part by launching operations in Rajasthan by the end of January.
• At present, it operates in 13 states including West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura
• VFS Capital also plans to add 35 new branches this financial year, bringing the number of units nationwide to 270.

Note : 

• MD and CEO of VFS Capital: Kuldip Maity

About SIDBI : 

• Established: 2 April 1990
• Headquarters: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
• Chairman & MD : Sivasubramanian Ramann
• SIDBI is the apex regulatory body for the overall licensing and regulation of micro, small and medium enterprise finance companies in
• It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

Amazon is back as the world’s most valued brand, and Apple is down to No 2:

• Amazon has reclaimed the top spot as the world’s most valuable brand despite its brand value falling 15 percent this year from $350.3 billion to $299.3 billion.
• According to brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance’s report, “Global 500 2023”, while Amazon is back at No 1, its brand value has fallen by over $50 billion this year, with its rating slipping from AAA+ to AAA.
• This is because consumers evaluate it more harshly in the post-pandemic world.
• Apple (brand value down 16 percent to $297.5 billion from $355.1 billion) has slipped to the second slot to be ranked the world’s second most valuable brand.
• This year’s fall in brand value relates to a fall in forecast revenue with supply chain disruptions and a constrained labour market expected to limit the supply of its marquee hardware products.
• Instagram (brand value up 42 percent to $47.4 billion) and LinkedIn (up 49 percent to $15.5 billion) have grown in the tech sector, largely due to a well-executed strategy to commercialize their services.
• Some of the other big gainers include electric car manufacturers Tesla (brand value up 44 percent to $66.2 billion) and BYD (up 57 percent to $10.1 billion) as demand grows for electric cars as part of a broader transition to a low-carbon economy.
• In addition to the Global 500 2023 ranking of the world’s most valuable and strongest brands, Brand Finance is also launching the Brand Finance Sustainability Perceptions Index with the International Advertising Association at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
• In all 48 tech brands featured in the ranking, two down from the 50 rated in 2022.
• This is after Snapchat and Twitter dropped out.
• The other tech-focused brands to lose value include Samsung Group (brand value down 7 percent to $99.7 billion), Alibaba.com (down 56 percent to $10.0 billion), Facebook (down 42 percent to $59.0 billion), and WeChat (down 19 percent to $50.2 billion).

The India story:

• From India, Tata Group’s brand value ranking went up to 69 from 78 last year.
• However, reasons for the ranking going up were not available.
• Among Indian IT services players, Infosys jumped to the 150th slot from 158 last year.
• Infosys has seen an 84 percent increase in its brand value since 2020.

Adani Enterprises to deploy hydrogen-powered trucks:

• Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) signed an agreement to launch a pilot project to develop a hydrogen fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for mining logistics and transportation with Ashok Leyland, India, and Ballard Power, Canada.
• The FCET is scheduled to be launched in India in 2023.
• This collaboration marks Asia’s first planned hydrogen-powered mining truck.
• The demonstration project will be led by AEL, a company focused on both mining operations and developing green hydrogen projects for sourcing, transporting, and building out hydrogen refueling infrastructure
• Ballard, an industry-leading PEM fuel cell engine manufacturer, will supply the FCmoveTM fuel cell engine for the hydrogen truck and Ashok Leyland, one of the largest manufacturers of buses in the world, will provide the vehicle platform and technical support.
• The hydrogen-powered mining truck will weigh 55 tons, have three hydrogen tanks, a 200-km working range, and be powered by Ballard’s 120 kW PEM fuel cell technology.
• The Adani Group previously announced it plans to invest more than $50 billion over the next ten years in green hydrogen and associated ecosystems corresponding to a capacity of up to 3 million tons of green hydrogen annually.

Bharti Airtel to invest Rs 2,000 crore to set up hyperscale data center in Hyderabad:

• Bharti Airtel Group has announced that it will be investing Rs 2,000 crore for setting up a large hyper-scale data center.
• The announcement was made at the Telangana Lounge in Davos, Switzerland in the presence of Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao, Principal Secretary for Industries Jayesh Ranjan, and the Group’s founder-chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal.
• The Bharti Airtel Group, through its data center arm, Nxtra Data Centers, will invest the amount as capital investment for the infrastructure which will further attract investments from their customers.
• The facility will be a hyper-scale data center with a capacity of 60 megawatts (MW) of IT load for the first phase.
• It will incorporate the latest technologies in cooling and security.

WEF launches initiative to unlock $3 trillion a year for climate and nature:

• The World Economic Forum launched the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA) to help unlock the USD 3 trillion of financing needed each year to reach net-zero, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity by 2050.
• The global initiative to fund and grow new and existing public, private, and philanthropic partnerships (PPPPs) is supported by more than 45 partners, including HCL Technologies through its chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra.
• With the energy and cost of living crises, the ambition of steering the planet towards a 1.5-degree Celsius warming pathway hangs in the balance,
• Meanwhile, the recent agreement at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP15) in Montreal to conserve 30 percent of all Earth and sea looks bold but fragile in the face of a rising biodiversity crisis.
• Individuals, academic institutions, companies, and public sector organizations supporting the initiative include Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and HCLTech through their chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra.
• Philanthropic financing for climate mitigation has risen in recent years, but still represents less than 2 percent of total philanthropic giving, estimated at USD 810 billion in 2021.

About GAEA:

• GAEA’s growing body of philanthropic partners includes Active Philanthropy, the African Climate Foundation, Andre Hoffmann Family Office, the Arab Foundations Forum, Bezos Earth Fund, BMW Foundation, and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
• It also includes the Clean Air Fund, Climate Leadership Initiative, ClimateWorks Foundation, Eleven Eleven Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Growald Climate Fund, IKEA Foundation, Laudes Foundation, Noa’s Ark Foundation, United Nations Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, WINGS and Workday Foundation.

About WEF:

• The World Economic Forum is an international non-governmental and lobbying organization based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland
• President: Børge Brende
• Chairperson: Børge Brende
• Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland
• Founder: Klaus Schwab
• Founded: January 1971

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh sworn in as the first female Sikh judge of the United States

• Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris county judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the United States (US).
• Indian American Judge Ravi Sandill, the state’s first South Asian judge of Texas, presided over the ceremony, which took place in a packed courtroom.
• Judges and Justices serve no fixed term – they serve until their death, retirement, or conviction by the Senate.

About Manpreet Monica Singh : 

• Manpreet Monica Singh was born and brought up in Houston.
• Her father immigrated to the US in the early 1970s.
• She has been a trial lawyer for 20 years.
• She was involved with many civil rights organizations at various levels.
• In the USA, members of the Judicial Branch are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
• She is on the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Texas, the Texas Lyceum, and the Sikh Coalition (also serving as Trustee).
• She is also a Chapter Representative for the exclusive American Board of Trial Advocates and an ongoing lecturer for the Texas Bar CLE classes.

Awards & Honors : 

• She was runner-up for Houston Young Lawyers Association Most Outstanding Attorney in 2010 and the South Asian Bar Association Distinguished Member Award Winner in

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CMPDIL Invents New Dust Control Technology

• Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi (a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited) has invented a “System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust” and obtained a patent for the same in December 2022 (Patent No. 416055).

Aim : 

• To minimize and control the fugitive dust in mining areas.

Key Highlights : 

• The system can be used in mines, thermal power plants, railway sidings, ports, and construction sites wherein coal or other minerals/fugitive materials are stored under the open sky.
• Apart from reducing dust generation from open sources, it will also provide noise attenuation.
• The invention relates to the synchronized application of windbreak (WB) and vertical greenery system (VGS) for reducing the generation and dispersion of fugitive dust.
• The WB and VGS are erected in the upwind and downwind direction to the fugitive dust source(s) respectively.
• The WB reduces the speed of the wind approaching the source and hence, it reduces the intensity of the ambient air to pick up dust while blowing over the source.
• The VGS acts as a filter and reduces the quantity of the residual dust moving along with the wind toward the receptors in the down-wind direction.

About CMPDIL : 

• Founded: 1 November 1975
• Headquarters: Ranchi, Jharkhand
• Chairman & Managing Director: Shri Manoj Kumar
• The CMPDI is a subsidiary of Coal India Limited which is under the ownership of the Ministry of Coal of the Government of India (GoI).

About the Ministry of Coal : 

• Cabinet Minister: Pralhad Josh
• Secretary: Amrit Lal Meena

RailTel bags ₹170 cr Work order for Puducherry smart city project

• RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a Mini Ratna Public Sector Unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways has received a work order from the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Puducherry for design, develop, supply, install, test, commission and Operations and Maintenance (O & M) for 5 years of Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) and other associated activities for Puducherry Smart City.
• The estimated total value of the work order is Rs 170.11 crore (including goods and services tax), and the project will be completed in 10 months.

Key Highlights : 

• RailTel has been selected through competitive bidding and it is the first smart city project awarded by the Puducherry Government.
• The project includes Data Center Disaster Recovery (DC-DR), On Street Parking Management, an Intelligent Traffic Management System, the Creation of online/mobile based platform to facilitate tourists and visitors, City level application and Smart Dashboard, Smart Kiosks, Smart Poles with CCTV, Wi-Fi, Air Quality Monitoring, Digital Billboard, etc
• The Intelligent Transit Management System has helped cities to improve their operational efficiency by reducing their operational cost while improving services.
• Smart City Centres are also providing technical support in ensuring better safety of women on the streets, environment sensitivity of people, faster response, and better preparedness for emergencies and disasters.

About RailTel : 

• Founded: September 26, 2000
• Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
• Chairman & Managing Director: Sanjai Kumar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

Rwanda’s Geovanis Uwase suspended for illegal bowling action:

• Geovanis Uwase, the Rwanda fast bowler, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after her action was found illegal at Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
• The decision was taken by the Event Panel, which comprises members of the ICC Panel of Human Movement Specialists.
• Uwase was reported by the match officials during Rwanda’s match against Pakistan, with footage captured during their match against Zimbabwe on January 17 shared with the Event Panel for review.
• In two games in the tournament so far, Uwase has one wicket from six overs at an economy rate of 3.
• According to the ICC regulations, a bowling action is deemed illegal if a bowler’s elbow extension exceeds 15 degrees, measured from the point at which the bowling arm reaches the horizontal until the point at which the ball is released.
• Any elbow hyperextension is discounted to determine an illegal bowling action.
• Uwase’s suspension will remain in place until Uwase undergoes a reassessment that confirms her elbow extension is within the permissible limit.
• Rwanda is currently second in their group with one win and one loss from two games and is well-placed to qualify for Super Sixes.
• In their last match of the first round, they will face table-toppers England in Potchefstroom.

All-time great Hashim Amla ends long cricket career:

• Hashim Amla, who ended a 22-year playing career, will be regarded as one of South Africa´s all-time cricketing greats.
• English county Surrey announced that they had been informed by Amla, 39, that he would not be returning as a player this year after helping the side to win the English county championship in 2022.
• Amla was a key member of one of South Africa´s most powerful teams when they clinched the Test championship mace with a series win in England in 2012.
• He retired from international cricket after the 2019 Cricket World Cup and did not play in South African domestic cricket after the 2018/19 season.
• But he continued to be a prolific run-scorer for Surrey, scoring 1,712 runs at an average of 48.91 in his last two seasons.
• Amla is currently a batting consultant with the MI Cape Town franchise in the SA20 league.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

The last Nizam of Hyderabad Mukarram Jah Bahadur passed away

• The titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mukarram Jah Bahadur passed away in Turkey at the age of 89.
• He was the successor and grandson of the last Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur.

About Mukarram Jah Bahadur : 

• Mukarram Jah also known as Nawab Mir Barket Ali Khan Walashan Mukarram Jah Bahadur.
• He was born on Oct 06, 193 in Nice, France.
• His mother Durrushehvar was the only daughter of Abdul Majid, the last Caliph of Islam who was sent into exile by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who abolished the Caliphate.
• His father was Azam Jah, the eldest son of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, whose kingdom was merged with India on September 18, 1948.
• He was the titular Nizam of Hyderabad between 1967 and 1971
• He was coronated as Asaf Jah the Eighth on April 6, 1967, after the passing away of Mir Osman Ali Khan in February 1967
• He was linked to two of the most well-known dynasties in the Muslim world.
• Jah chaired the E.H. The Nizam’s Charitable Trust and Mukarram Jah Trust for Education & Learning (MJTEL)
• He was the head of the House of Asaf Jah until he died in

Veteran linguist & specialist in Dravidian languages Ronald E Asher Passed away

• Renowned British linguist Ronald E Asher (RE Asher) who specialized in Dravidian languages passed away at the age of 96 in Edinburg, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK).

About Ronald E Asher : 

• Asher was born on June 23, 1926, in Nottinghamshire, England, UK.
• He is a multi-lingual scholar had reached India in 1953 to learn Tamil
• He translated major works of Malayalam legend Vaikom Muhammed Basheer and other Malayalam writers into English.
• He served as the President of the International Association for Tamil Research from 1983 to 1990.
• In 1971, Asher wrote his first book on Tamil, A Tamil Prose Reader with R. Radhakrishnan.

Awards & Honors : 

• In 1983, he was awarded the Gold Medal by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi for “distinguished services” in Malayalam
• In 2007, the Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, elected Asher as an Honorary fellow.
• In 2018, Asher was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Edinburgh in recognition of his contributions to linguistics.

Daily CA on January 20:

• Hyderabad will host a World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), the first thematic center in India to focus on life sciences and healthcare
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of Saansad Khel Mahakumbh 2022-23 via video conferencing.
• Amazon has reclaimed the top spot as the world’s most valuable brand despite its brand value falling 15 percent this year from $350.3 billion to $299.3 billion.
• Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL) signed an agreement to launch a pilot project to develop a hydrogen fuel cell electric truck (FCET) for mining logistics and transportation with Ashok Leyland, India, and Ballard Power, Canada.
• Bharti Airtel Group has announced that it will be investing Rs 2,000 crore for setting up a large hyper-scale data center.
• The World Economic Forum launched the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA) to help unlock the USD 3 trillion of financing needed each year to reach net-zero, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity by 2050.
• Geovanis Uwase, the Rwanda fast bowler, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after her action was found illegal at Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
• Hashim Amla, who ended a 22-year playing career, will be regarded as one of South Africa´s all-time cricketing greats.
• India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reached an agreement to collaborate on green hydrogen development and the laying of an undersea cable connecting India to the UAE under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s “One Sun, One World, One Grid” initiative.
• The NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd (NTPC REL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Tripura for the Development of Floating and Ground Mounted based Renewable Energy Projects in Tripura.
• Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Government has declared the whole Union Territory (UT) as a “Free Area” for purposes of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has entered into a partnership with VFS Capital to extend loans to the Micro Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.
• Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris county judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the United States (US).
• Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi (a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited) has invented a “System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust” and obtained a patent for the same in December 2022 (Patent No. 416055).
• RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a Mini Ratna Public Sector Unit (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways has received a work order from the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Puducherry for design, develop, supply, install, test, commission and Operations and Maintenance (O & M) for 5 years of Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) and other associated activities for Puducherry Smart City.
• The titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mukarram Jah Bahadur passed away in Turkey at the age of 89.
• Renowned British linguist Ronald E Asher (RE Asher) who specialized in Dravidian languages passed away at the age of 96 in Edinburg, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK).