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Vikram Dev Dutt named as next DGCA director general.

Directorate of General of Civil Aviation
The appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Vikram Dev Dutt as the next director general in the Directorate of General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He will take over as the head of the aviation regulator on February 28, 2023. He will be succeeding the incumbent DGCA chief Arun Kumar. Earlier, Dutt had also served as the CMD of Air India. He had taken charge in January last year.

In 2022, Dutt was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India Ltd as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. Dutt is a 1993-batch IAS officer of AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre. Kumar, a 1989-batch IAS officer, was leading the DGCA as its director general since July 2019.

Indian Navy conducts “AMPHEX 2023” mega exercise in Andhra.

Exercise AMPHEX 2023
Indian Navy has carried out a six-day-long mega military exercise along with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. The “largest” biennial tri-services amphibious exercise AMPHEX 2023 was conducted from January 17 to 22. The exercise is to review the preparedness of the Indian Navy and the Army during the war, national calamities and coastal security enforcement. The exercise is being conducted near the Naval Enclave at Suryaraopeta village in Kakinada rural Mandal off Kakinada coast.

Brazil and Argentina to Begin Preparations for Common Currency.

Brazil and Argentina aim for greater economic integration, including the development of a common currency, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine leader Alberto Fernandez said in a joint article they penned. They also decided to advance discussions on a common South American currency that can be used for both financial and commercial flows, reducing costs of operations and external vulnerability. The plan, set to be discussed at a summit in Buenos Aires, will focus on how a new currency which Brazil suggests calling the “sur” (south) could boost regional trade and reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar.

Parakram Diwas 2023 celebrates as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birth Anniversary.

Parakram Diwas 2023:
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti or Netaji Jayanti is a national event celebrated in India as Parakram Diwas on January 23 to mark the birth of prominent Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. This year nation celebrates 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. For the first time, Netaji Jayanti was celebrated as Parakram Divas in 2021 on the occasion of his 124th birthday. In West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Assam, it is a recognized holiday. On this day, the Indian government honours Netaji.

NTA Released Admit Card for JEE Main 2023 Session 1 & Revised Exam Dates

On January 21, 2023, NTA released the admit card at the official website jeemain.nta.nic.in. 
National Testing Agency has recently changed the JEE Mains exam dates. As per the new notice, JEE Main will be conducted in two shifts on January 24, 25, 29, 30, and 31 and February 1. Apart from this, the exam for Paper 2 will only be held on January 28 in the second shift. 
Both the shifts of January 27 and the first shift of January 28 have been removed from the new timetable. 

IOA sets up Seven-member Committee to Probe Allegations against WFI chief.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formed a seven-member committee, including M C Mary Kom and Yogeshwar Dutt, to probe the allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by top grapplers. This comes after the agitating wrestlers had earlier in the day reached out to the IOA, demanding formation of an enquiry committee to probe the allegations against Singh, a day after threatening to lodge multiple FIRs against the WFI chief.

Jio is India’s Strongest Brand, Ranked Ninth Globally.

Reliance Jio has been ranked as the strongest brand in India and placed ninth among the world’s strongest brands, according to the latest report ‘Global 500 – 2023’ published by Brand Finance. ‘Jio’ was placed ninth among the world’s strongest brands ahead of brands like EY, Coca Cola, Accenture and Porsche, and behind the likes of Google, YouTube, Deloitte and Instagram. With a Brand Strength Index of 90.2, Jio is the only brand of India among the world’s strongest 25 brands, according to the Brand Finance listing.

IIT-incubated firm develops BharOS The Indigenous Operating System.

BharOS
An IIT Madras-incubated firm has developed an indigenous mobile operating system called BharOS which is being provided to organizations that have stringent privacy and security requirements and where users handle sensitive information. Such users require access to private cloud services through private 5G networks.

Wayanad becomes first district in country to provide basic documents to all tribal.

Kerala‘s Wayanad becomes the first district in the country to provide basic documents and facilities such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, birth/death certificates, election ID cards, bank accounts and health insurance to all tribespeople. Apart from the basic documents, other services such as income certificates, ownership certificates, age certificates, and applications for new pensions are also provided at the camps.

Chris Hipkins will replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister of New Zealand.

Prime Minister of New Zealand
New Zealand’s former COVID-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins will replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister. The 44-year-old senior politician must be formally backed by Labour members of parliament to take over as the country’s 41st prime minister, following Ardern’s shock resignation. As the leader of the governing party, Hipkins will also become prime minister when Ardern steps down.

Application Date Extended for MP Patwari Recruitment

MP Vyapam has extended the last date of application for Patwari Recruitment 2023 to 23 January. January 19 was the last day of the application process for the recruitment of, 9073 vacant posts of MP Patwari and Group-2 Sub Group-4. Candidates who have not been able to apply for this recruitment now have a chance. They can apply online by visiting the website of MP Vyapam.

Why these dates are extended?

Many candidates could not apply for this recruitment due to technical issues in the server. After this, they were pleading to extend the last date of the application. Information about the extension of the application form date has been given by Madhya Pradesh Staff Selection Board on its official page. There are 6755 vacancies of Patwari in this recruitment being done by MP Vyapam. The examination for this recruitment will start from 15 March 2023.

Important Dates 

Starting date of application: 5 January 2023

Last Date of Application: 19 January to 23 January 2023

Last date for correction in the form: January 21 to January 30, 2023

MP Patwari Exam Date: 15 March 2023

How to Apply?

There are two ways to apply for MP Vyapam Patwari Recruitment. The first is by visiting the cafe kiosk and the second is by going to MP Online at mponline.gov.in itself. If you are filling out the form from the kiosk, then take the computerized application form cum receipt from the kiosk.

Cognizant Appoints Ravi Kumar S as Chief Executive Officer.

IT giant Cognizant has announced Ravi Kumar as its new Chief Executive Officer, replacing the outgoing Brian Humphries, effective immediately. He was the president and COO of Infosys until October 2022, before leaving the company to join Cognizant the following week as President of Cognizant Americas. Mr. Humphries had resigned from the post that he held for four years, a move that has been linked to Cognizant’s recent underperformance, including revenue decline in the third quarter of 2022.

Rohit Sharma shattered MS Dhoni’s record of most sixes in ODIs in India.

Rohit Sharma shattered MS Dhoni’s record 
Indian captain Rohit Sharma has shattered a long-standing record held by MS Dhoni to become India’s most prolific six-hitter in the history of ODI cricket. At the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad, Rohit achieved this remarkable feat during the first ODI between India and New Zealand. The Indian captain’s knock included two maximums, breaking MS Dhoni’s long-standing record. Rohit is now India’s leading six-getter in the history of ODI cricket, with a total of 125 sixes to his name.

Most sixes in ODI in India:
Rohit – 125 Sixes
Dhoni – 123 Sixes
Yuvraj – 71 Sixes.

NASA’s Geotail Mission Operations sign off After 30 Years.

NASA-JAXA Geotail spacecraft
After 30 years in orbit mission, NASA–JAXA Geotail spacecraft have signed off, after the failure of the spacecraft’s remaining data recorder. Since its launch on July 24, 1992, Geotail orbited Earth, gathering an immense dataset on the structure and dynamics of the magnetosphere, Earth’s protective magnetic bubble. The spacecraft was originally slated for a four-year run, but the mission was extended several times due to its high-quality data return, which contributed to over a thousand scientific publications.

Hockey World Cup 2023, Netherlands records biggest win in Hockey World Cup history.

Netherlands records biggest win in Hockey World Cup history
The three-time champion Netherlands defeated Chile’s debutants by a score of a record-breaking 14-0 to qualify as the first team to the quarterfinals of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup. The Netherlands finished at the top of Pool C with a maximum of nine points after racking up three victories in as many games.

Goa Manohar International Airport wins best sustainable greenfield airport award.

New Goa Manohar International Airport
The New Goa Manohar International Airport (MIA), built by the GMR Goa International Airport Ltd (GGIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited, won the prestigious “Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport” award under Aviation Sustainability and Environment at ASSOCHAM 14th International Conference-cum-Awards for Civil Aviation 2023 at New Delhi. The award was presented for “excellent initiatives” taken by GGIAL in implementing sustainability as one of the core concepts. During the conference, the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia presented the award to the senior officials from GGIAL in the presence of industry dignitaries and participants.

TCS, Infosys among top three global IT brands as per Brand Finance.

Brand Finance Report for the year 2023
Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys grew their brand value to retain their positions as the second and third most valuable IT services brands, according to the ‘IT Services 25’ list prepared by UK-based consultancy Brand Finance for the year 2023.

About Brand Finance:-
Brand Finance is the world’s leading independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy. Headquartered in the City of London, we are present in over 20 countries. Founded in 1996 with the aim of ‘bridging the gap between marketing and finance’, for more than 20 years we have helped companies and organizations of all types to connect their brands to the bottom line.

Global Fire Power Index, No Change In Top 4 Military Rankings.

The Global Firepower Index ranks the countries based on their potential military strength. India is ranked fourth in the index. The Global Firepower Index ranked 145 countries. The countries were evaluated based on prolonged offensive and defensive military campaigns.

1    United States    0.0712
2    Russia    0.0714
3    China    0.0722
4    India    0.1025
5    United Kingdom    0.1435
6    South Korea    0.1505
7    Pakistan    0.1694
8    Japan    0.1711
9    France    0.1848
10    Italy    0.1973
 

18th National Disaster Response Force Day celebrates on 19th January 2023.

18th National Disaster Response Force day
18th National Disaster Response Force day is celebrated on January 19, 2023, by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The day has been celebrated on this day since 2006 when the rescue force was officially formed. The specialized, multi-skilled rescue force is made up of battalions from the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Assam Rifles. The NDRF is the primary agency responsible for conducting rescue operations during disasters like drowning, building collapses, landslides, devastating floods, earthquakes, and cyclones.

India announced the donation 12,500 doses of pentavalent vaccines to Cuba.

India has announced donation of 12,500 doses of pentavalent vaccines to Cuba. Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi announced this during her official visit to Cuba. This was her first visit to Cuba. During her visit, Meenakshi Lekhi held a meeting with Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel and discussed matters of bilateral importance and political and economic cooperation, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The pentavalent vaccine protects a child from 5 life-threatening diseases – Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Hib.

Cuba Capital: Havana;
Cuba Currency: Cuban Peso;
Cuba President: Miguel Díaz-Canel;
Cuba Continent: North America.

NCERT Launched India’s First National Assessment Regulator “PARAKH”.

The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has released India’s first national assessment regulator, PARAKH, which will work on setting norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognized school boards in the country.

The PARAKH regulator aims to set up assessment guidelines for all boards to help remove disparities in the scores of students enrolled with different state boards. PARAKH stands for The Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development. It is established within the education survey division of the NCERT.

Income Tax Recruitment 2023

Income Tax Department has issued a notification for recruitment to the post of Income Tax Inspector, Tax Assistant, and Multi-Tasking Staff. The vacancies are available in the Income Tax Department of Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry region. A meritorious sportsperson can apply online on the official website at tnincometax.gov.in. The last date for submitting an application is 06 February 2023.

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ISRO ‘Shukrayaan I’ mission to planet Venus reportedly shifted to 2031.

Indian Space Research Organisation-
P. Sreekumar, the Satish Dhawan Professor at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and advisor to its space science programme, stated that the organization has not yet received approval from the Indian government for the Venus mission and that, as a result, the mission may be delayed until 2031. Shukrayaan I, the ISRO Venus mission, was scheduled to launch in December 2024. The concept was conceived in 2012; five years later, after the Department of Space got a 23% increase in the 2017–2018 budget, ISRO started preliminary investigations. In April 2017, the organization requested payload proposals from research institutions.

Retired DG of BSF Pankaj Kumar Singh appointed Deputy NSA.

Deputy National Security Adviser
Retired director general of the Border Security Force (BSF), Pankaj Kumar Singh was appointed as the Deputy National Security Adviser in National Security Council Secretariat for two years. Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed on a re-employment contract. Singh retired as the BSF chief on December 31, 2022. When Singh took charge of the BSF on August 31, 2021, he had created a history of a son and a father holding the top post of a paramilitary force during their services. His father and retired IPS officer of the 1959 batch, Prakash Singh, had also headed the BSF from June 1993 to January 1994. Singh holds LLB and MPhil degrees, besides MBA from the IIM, Ahmedabad.

Writer K Venu received Federal Bank Literary Award 2023.

Federal Bank Literary Award 2022.
Noted writer K Venu was conferred with Federal Bank Literary Award 2022 for his autobiography ‘Oranweshananthinte Katha.’ Venu received the award from Balagopal Chandrasekhar, Chairman and Independent Director of Federal Bank, at a special event held as part of the Kerala Literature Festival. ‘Oranweshananthinte Katha’ was chosen by the judging panel comprising writer and literary critic KC Narayanan, Sunil P Ilayidom, and PK Rajashekharan.  Judging panel member P K Rajashekharan commented that the essence of the book brought back the memory of the most intense political timeline in the modern history of Kerala.