08th & 09th January Daily Current Affairs 2023: Today GK Updates for Bank Exam

08th & 09th January Daily Current Affairs 2023 are incorporated with the important news that made the current affairs headlines for banking or other competitive exams. Daily Current Affairs is the complete bag of important news that is held all day long. One should have complete knowledge about banking terms, current affairs news, etc. So, here is the GK update for 08th & 09th January 2023 to help you prepare the Current affairs part. After reading this section, you can successfully attempt Current Affairs Quiz. 

Here is the Daily Current Affairs of the 08th & 09th January 2023 covering the following news headlines: International Kite Festival 2023, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Chetan Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Paytm Payments Bank, Kevin McCarthy. 

Top 18 Daily Current Affairs: National & International News:

Here is providing below the top 18 important Daily General Knowledge 2022 updates with national & international news.

National News

1. Prez Droupadi Murmu Laid foundation Stone of SJVN’s 1000 MW Bikaner Solar Power Project

• President Droupadi Murmu laid the foundation stone of state-owned energy firm SJVN’s 1,000 MV Bikaner Solar Power Project. The event was done virtually by the President of India in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The project is being implemented by SJVN Limited through its owned subsidiary SJVN Green Energy Limited (SGEL).
• The solar power project is being developed on 500 acres near the village of Banderwala, district Bikaner of Rajasthan. It is one of the highest solar yield areas in India.
• The development cost of the Bikaner Solar Power Project is ₹5492 crore and viability gap funding support of ₹44.72 lacks per megawatt.

2. Odisha: First-Ever Coal Gasification Based Talcher Fertilizer Plant to be Ready in 2024

• Union Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya announced that India’s first-ever coal gasification-based Talcher Fertilizer Plant in Odisha will be ready to be dedicated to the nation by October 2024.
• Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya visited the site on the second day and noted that the work in the plant in Talcher is in progress.
• Along with Union Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was also present during the occasion.
• Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, five out of four urea plants have become functional.
• The urea plants at Talcher which uses Coal Gasification Technology to produce urea will be ready by the end of this year.
• The plant when in operation, will help to reduce dependency on urea import.

International News

3. Kevin McCarthy named as new speaker of the US House of Representation

• The United States Parliament has elected Kevin McCarthy of the Republican Party as the speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 rounds of voting. He is the 55th speaker of the US House of Representatives. He was serving as the House Minority Leader in the House. He has replaced Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.
• Kevin McCarthy is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected as the House Minority Leader from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as the House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019 under Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan. McCarthy has been elected as a member of the US Parliament 9 times. He was born in Bakersfield, California.

4. Taiwan Passes its Chips Act, Offers Tax Credits to Chipmakers

• Taiwanese lawmakers have passed new rules that let local chip firms turn 25% of their annual research and development expenses into tax credits, part of efforts to keep cutting-edge semiconductor technologies at home and maintain the island’s technology leadership.
• Officials there have repeatedly said they will ensure the latest chip technologies remain in Taiwan, a point that has been reaffirmed by executives at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and other local chip giants. While Taiwan’s assisted local chipmakers in the past with infrastructure construction and other measures, the island is now stepping up its efforts.
• The USA used to dominate over 50% of the semiconductor market thanks to the advantages of the first-mover. Yet, Taiwan and Korea soon took the lead, reducing the USA’s market share to 12%.
• Through the Science and Chips Act, the US also officially competed with China. The country offers diverse incentives, along with laying the restrictions on countries that cooperate with China, while calling for setting up manufacturing plants in the US.

5. Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh sworn in as 1st female Sikh judge of USA

• Indian-origin Sikh woman, Manpreet Monica Singh became the first ever female Sikh judge in the US after she was sworn in as a Harris county judge.
• Born and brought up in Houston, after her father immigrated to the US early in the 1970s, Singh currently lives in Bellaire with her husband and two children. In her career expanding over two decades, the newly appointed judge has been involved in numerous civil rights organizations at the local, state, and national levels.

State News

6. Kerala Becomes Country’s First Fully Digital Banking State

• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared Kerala as the first state in the country to go fully digital in its banking service and said this recognition would boost the state economy. Vijayan said this achievement was possible due to social interventions through local self-government institutions along with infrastructure development and technological advances in the banking sector.
• It is a joint venture between the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd (KSITIL), Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the state, in which the two companies hold 49% each and the state the remaining 2%. A consortium led by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is executing the project and will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the 35,000-km-long network for the next seven years.
• Funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), the project is estimated to cost Rs 1,028.20 crore, which includes capital expenditure, administrative overheads and annual operational expenditure of Rs 104.4 crore.

7. Kerala Sets up Welfare Board to Provide Pension to MGNREGS Workers

• The Kerala Cabinet approved a scheme to ensure those employed under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MGNREGS) in the poll-bound state get benefits like pension and medical assistance. It has recommended that governor Arif Mohammad Khan issue an ordinance in this regard.
• With this, Kerala became the first state to have a welfare board for the beneficiaries of employment guarantee programmes in the country. At least 26.71 lakh labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee programme and 2.5 lakh workers of the Ayyankali Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme will receive the benefits of the newly formed welfare board.

 Appointments News

8. Paytm bank gets RBI nod for Surinder Chawla as new CEO

• Paytm Payments Bank has received banking regulator RBI’s nod to appoint Surinder Chawla as its Managing Director and CEO. The RBI, however, continues to bar Paytm Payments Bank from on-boarding new customers.
• Before joining PPBL, Chawla was working with RBL Bank, where he served as Head – Branch Banking and focused on expanding the CASA base, fee revenue, and cross-selling across channels. The company in its regulatory filing said that the latest appointment comes as part of PPBL’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its leadership team, enhance its technology capabilities and drive financial inclusion in the country.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

   Economy News

11. RBI to Auction Green Bonds in 2 Tranches of ₹8,000 Crore each in Jan, Feb

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will auction ₹16,000 crore of sovereign green bonds (SGrBs) in two tranches. The RBI will auction 5-year and 10-year green bonds worth ₹4,000 crore each on 25 January and on 9 February, and this would be a uniform price auction.
• The proceeds will be deployed in public sector projects, which help in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy. As announced in the Union Budget 2022-23, the central government as part of its overall market borrowings will be issuing Sovereign Green Bonds for mobilising resources for green infrastructure.

12. Forex Reserves at $562.9 bn; Fall by $70 bn in 2022

• India’s foreign exchange reserves fell by $70.1 billion in 2022, data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows. The forex reserves stood at $562.9 billion in the week ended December 30.
• The decline in the forex reserves is partly due to the RBI intervention in the currency markets to stave off volatility and partly on account of depreciation of other major currencies held by the central bank. The RBI net sold $33.42 billion till September, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. The RBI holds major currencies including pound sterling, yen and euro in its reserves, which are expressed in US dollar terms.

Defence News

13. Bharat Petroleum launches low smoke superior kerosene oil for the Indian Army

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a Maharatna and a Fortune Global 500 Company, has announced the launch of Low Smoke Superior Kerosene Oil (SKO) for the Indian Army in Jammu.
• BPCL has emerged as the first OMC to commence the supply of the new LSLA grade SKO supplies to the Army, which will go a long way in improving the serving environment and alleviate the issues related to smoke and smell in use of SKO.
• SKO supply to the Army is vital as it is consumed as fuel in the room heaters (Bukhari) at the high-altitude camps. The Army consumes about 70 TKL/A of SKO for their Northern and Eastern commands. Northern command consumes a higher quantity of about 45 TKL/A.
• The low-smoke kerosene is a big step towards providing cleaner fuel. During the product innovation process, BPCL’s Industrial and Commercial (I&C) SBU in association with the Corporate Research & Development Centre (CRDC) and Mumbai Refinery offered the upgraded SKO with tailored parameters related to smoke point and aromatic content and conducted field trials at Karu (Leh -Ladakh) and Gangtok.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Ranks and Reports News

14. Power Grid Ranked 1st in Services Sector in PE Survey 2021-22

• Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID) has been ranked 1st in Services Sectors across categories Gross Block, Value Addition, Net Profit, Net Worth, Dividend Declaration, and Contribution to the Central Exchequer and has also been ranked 3rd among the Top 10 profit-making Closes.
• The results were published in the Public Enterprises Survey 2021-2022 by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd is an Indian Central public sector under the ownership of the Ministry of Power, Government of India. It is engaged in the transmission of bulk power across different states of India. The headquarters of POWERGRID is situated in Gurugram. Power Grid accounts for about 50% of the total power transmitted in India.

    Important Days

15. Nation celebrates 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas on 9th January 2023

• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or NRI Day is formally observed on 9 January to celebrate the day when Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa to Mumbai, India. The day is celebrated to acknowledge the contribution of the non-resident Indian community in helping in the development of the country.
• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 has conducted in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, from 8–10 January, 2023. It is important to note that this is the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or NRI Day.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the official theme of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 is “Diaspora: Reliable Partners for India’s Progress in Amrit Kaal.” The theme focuses on the importance of the Indian diaspora in the development of the country. It is important to note that every year a new theme is chosen to celebrate the day.

16. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 convention inaugurated by PM Modi in Indore

• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was formally opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The Prime Minister urged Pravasi Bhartiya to support India’s distinctive global perspective and its significant position within the international system on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
• According to Prime Minister Modi, the Indian diaspora can play a significant role as the nation’s brand ambassador at a time when the world is looking to India with hope and faith on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
• They are brand ambassadors for Make in India, yoga, ayurveda, India’s cottage industries, handicrafts, and millets, according to Mr. Modi.
• Speaking about the diversification of India’s economy, PM Modi claimed that the country has the capacity to develop into a knowledge hub with a capital for skills.
• Chandrika Prasad Santokhi, president of Suriname, spoke at the event and suggested that the NRI be incorporated in Amrit Kaal’s framework for India’s 25 years of growth.
• He suggested creating institutions for the Indian diaspora that would concentrate on different topics like languages, movies, IT, etc.

Obituaries News

17. Former West Bengal Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi passes away

• Senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former West Bengal governor, Keshari Nath Tripathi passed away at 88. Born on November 10, 1934 in erstwhile Allahabad, Tripathi was also a senior advocate at the Allahabad High Court.
• He joined RSS when he was just 12 and later switched to Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He was jailed in Naini Central Jail in 1953 for participating in the ‘Kashmir Andolan’ and again in 1990 for taking part in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
• A senior advocate of Allahabad high court, Tripathi served as a member of the UP Legislative Assembly six times. He represented the Jhunsi seat between 1977-1980) and Allahabad South seat for five consecutive terms between 1989-2007). He also served as the Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly thrice between 1991 and 2004.
• On July 14, 2014, Tripathi was appointed as the governor of West Bengal. He had additional charge of Bihar as governor twice and additional charge as governor of Meghalaya and Mizoram as well.

Miscellaneous News

18. International Kite Festival 2023 begins in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

• The International Kite Festival 2023 has began on 8 January in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The festival, which is being organised after a gap of two years, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
• The previous edition was held in 2020 with 153 participants from 43 countries. The festival is being organised by Gujarat Tourism on the G20 theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. Apart from Ahmedabad, the International Kite Festival will also be organised in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo and Kevadia.
• The 68 countries participating in the event include Australia, Canada, France, Russia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Belgium, Bahrain, Iraq and Malaysia.

Important Current Affairs of 08th and 09th January 2023

Get all the International, National, Sports, Economy, latest schemes and appointments current affairs updates with Adda247 Headlines of the day. Adda247 headlines of the day brings you the best accumulation of the daily updates. Stay updated with us!