NATIONAL NEWS

Punjab Government to Launch ‘Schools of Eminence’ Project

• The Punjab government launched its first major education project, ‘Schools of Eminence’ on 21st January 2023 at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali.
• Under the project, the Punjab government will upgrade the existing government schools into the School of Eminence for the students of classes 9 to 12.
• Under phase 1, the government plans to upgrade nearly 110 government schools as ‘Schools of Eminence’.
• The Punjab government had set aside a fund of Rs 200 crore for this project.
• This project is inspired by the Delhi model of the school of specialized excellence which conducts the admissions of Class 9 level.

Chief Guest at India's Republic Day Celebration

• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Egypt President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will be the chief guest at the 74th Republic Day celebrations.

• He will pay a state visit to India from the 24th to the 26th of this month.

• This is the first time that the President of Egypt has been invited as the chief guest on the Republic Day 2023 of India.

• A 180-member strong contingent of the Egyptian Army will also participate in the Republic Day parade.

India's Deepest Metro Station

• The city of Pune will soon hold the distinction of having the country's deepest underground metro station.

• Pune's Civil Court interchange station will be 108.59 feet deep with a ceiling of 95 feet.

• It will be used as an interchange facility for an underground station on the Pimpri-Chinchwad-Swargate route and one elevated route on Vanaz-Ramwadi route and Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar line.

• The metro will be completed in February 2023.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Education For Democracy

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution titled ‘Education for Democracy,’ which reaffirms everyone’s right to an education.
• The resolution, co-sponsored by India acknowledges that ‘education for all’ helps to strengthen democracy.
• The resolution, adopted by consensus, will recognize the importance of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• The resolution also calls on member states to work on the challenges associated with access, affordability, digital literacy and digital skills.
• Earlier in 2015, a similar resolution was passed at the Assembly encouraging all UN entities to use education to promote peace and human rights.
• The resolution aimed at encouraging member states to integrate education for democracy into their education standards.

Marathon 'Run for Life'

• With the theme of 'lifestyle for Environment', 5 km marathon 'Run for Life' was organised by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

• The Run for Life Marathon celebrates the diplomatic relations between India and Nepal as well as 75 years of India's independence.

• The marathon started from Pashupatinath temple complex and covered 5 km back to Pashupatinath in a duration of one hour.

• The Marathon winner was awarded a gold medal after completion of the marathon.
• The event was attended by Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

BANKING

Credit Cards for FDs

• The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has become India’s first public sector bank (PSB) to launch credit cards for its fixed deposit (FD) digitally.

• The customers of the bank will be able to get RuPay or VISA Credit Cards digitally against single or multiple FDs with a credit limit of 80%.

• PNB has raised the interest rate on fixed deposits across all tenures by 50 basis points to draw in more deposits.

• According to PNB, interest rates for term deposits under 2 crore held for 1 to 3 years have increased by 50 basis points to 6.75% from 6.25%

• The rate on the PNB Uttam Scheme, which does not offer a premature withdrawal option, has been increased from 6.30 to 6.80%.
• The bank will continue to provide fixed deposit terms of 666 days at an 8.1% annual interest rate.

South Indian Bank Partners with SAIL

• South Indian Bank (SIB) and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide financial assistance to the dealers of SAIL across India.

• The tie-up allows bank to offer SAIL’s dealers financial assistance for working capital, especially steel procurement.

• With a network of 928 branches, the bank will be able to serve the Micro Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) and corporate customers of SAIL located in different geographies.

• It will boost India’s steel production, which aligns with the Central Government’s infrastructure and industrial push.

SPORTS

India Open Badminton

• In the India Open Badminton Championship, Korean sensation An Seyoung wins Women's singles final at K D Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

• In the finals, An Seyoung beat World No.1 Japanese Akane Yamaguchi15-21, 21-16, 21-12.

• Axelsen has earlier won the India Open in 2017 and 2019.

NSCI India Snooker Open Crown 2023

• Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB's) Laxman Rawat'Boulkline' emerged winner at the NSCI All India Snooker Open.

• Laxman defeated PSPB challenger Aditya Mehta (9-6) in a best-of-17-frame final.

• The NSCI Snooker Open Crown is a snooker tournament organised by the National Sports Club of India (NSCI).

• The tournament is open to players from all over India and consists of a best-of-17-frames final.
• The tournament is considered a major title in Indian snooker and the champion of the tournament is awarded the NSCI Snooker Open Crown.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Sustainable Greenfield Airport Award

• GMR Goa International Airport (GGIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Infrastructure has won the ‘Best Sustainable Greenfield Airport’ award.

• It was awarded under aviation sustainability and environment at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Conference-cum-Awards for Civil Aviation 2023.

• 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.

• The forum recognizes the companies engaged in civil aviation initiatives that adopt best practices and technological advancement in their daily operations.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

CEO of Vedanta Cairn Oil and Gas

• Cairn Oil and Gas, a Vedanta group company appointed Nick Walker as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

• Prior to this appointment, Nick Walker was President and CEO of Lundin Energy, one of Europe's leading independent E&P companies.

• Walker has more than 30 years of international experience, serving as a technology, commercial and executive officer in companies such as BP, Talisman Energy and Africa Oil.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indigenous Mobile Operating System

• An IIT Madras incubated firm has developed an indigenous mobile operating system 'Bharos’ that can benefit India's 100 crore mobile phone users.

• The software, named 'Bharos', can be installed on commercial off-the-shelf handsets.

• It was developed by JandK Operations Pvt Ltd (JandKops), a company set up by the IIT Madras Innovative Technologies Foundation.

• It provides a secure environment for the users and is a significant contribution towards 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

• It provides access to trusted apps from organisation-specific Private App Store Services (PASS).
• A PASS provides access to a curated list of apps that have been thoroughly tested and have met certain security and privacy standards of organisations.