NATIONAL NEWS

India’s First Model G-20 Summit

• India’s G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on 30 January inaugurated India’s first Model G-20 Summit organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini’s Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership.
• The two-day model G-20 summit has been organised at the Uttan campus of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini near Mumbai to celebrate India's chairmanship and to take the idea of G-20 to the youth.
• Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership (IIDL) organises Model International Leaders Meet (MILM) every year to orient students towards international relations.
• A total of 150 youth from across the country will participate in the program and will play the role of delegates representing G-20 countries.
• The best two delegates will be awarded cash prizes of Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000.

Khelo India Youth Games Begins in Madhya Pradesh

• The fifth edition of Khelo India Youth Games 2022 began on January 30 in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Games will be hosted in Madhya Pradesh from 31 January 2023 to 11 February 2023.
• For the first time water sports namely Kayaking Canoeing, Canoe Salaam and Fencing will be part of this edition of Khelo India Games.
• It will be organised in eight different cities of the state.
• The eight host cities designated are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Mandla and Balaghat.

75 Successful Years of NCC

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a special day cover and a commemorative specially minted coin of Rs 75 denomination on the occasion of 75 successful years of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).
• NCC rally was organised on the occasion of 75 years commemoration at Cariappa Maidan, Delhi on 28th January.
• 196 officers and cadets from 19 foreign countries participated in the rally.
• At the event, PM Modi released a specially minted coin of Rs 75 denomination to commemorate 75 successful years of NCC.

Orange Festival 2023

• The third edition of annual Orange Festival 2023 has been organised at Rasoma village in Kohima district of Nagaland.
• The festival is jointly organised by the Department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City.
• The festival is celebrated to highlight the hard work of orange growers and to facilitate them to connect with the market to sell their produce.
• Presently Rusoma village has about 35,000 orange trees and this enables the two-day Orange Festival of the village to host handicrafts, organic vegetables and fruits, food items, sale of orange saplings, workshops on orange and coffee plantation.

BANKING

NPCI’s UPI 123PAY-HDFC Life

• HDFC Life has collaborated with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to enable policyholders to pay their premiums through a unique voice-based Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service, called UPI 123PAY.
• UPI 123PAY is a payment facility through a predefined IVR (Interactive Voice Response).
• This platform will enable customers to make financial transactions with or without an internet connection.
• A customer has to initiate a secure call from their phone using the UPI number 080 4516 3571 and complete the UPI onboarding formalities.

SPORTS

ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022

• Swashbuckling India middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav, who had an outstanding run in the shortest format in the year 2022, was named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year by the sport’s global governing body.
• Having already recorded a ton earlier in the year, Suryakumar continued his brilliant year after the multi-nation tournament, making his second hundred in T20Is in the year in the bilateral series in New Zealand.
• Yadav also became the top-ranked MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, achieving a career-high 890 rating points.

Women's U -19 T20 World Cup

• In the first edition of the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup, India defeated England by seven wickets to win the tournament.
• England had set a target of 69 runs in front of India and Team India achieved it by losing three wickets.
• For the first time the Indian women's team has been successful in winning any ICC tournament.
• Indian player Shweta Sehrawat scored the most runs in the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup 2023. She scored 292 runs in 6 matches.
• Maggie Clarke was the top wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 wickets in 5 matches.

Hockey World Cup

• Germany has won the Men's Hockey World Title 2023.
• Germany defeated defending champions Belgium 5-4 in a shootout in the final played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
• With this, Germany has won the World Cup three times, first in 2002 and second in 2006.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Top Global Cities for Women Entrepreneurs

• Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai are among the top 50 cities providing a beneficial business environment for women entrepreneurs, according to the findings of Dell Technologies’ 2023 Women Entrepreneur Cities (WE Cities) Index.
• According to the report, Delhi has demonstrated significant improvement over its score in 2017 by offering a skilled workforce and cost benefits, making it a preferred city for women-led businesses.
• Mumbai is a new entrant to this list and Bengaluru is one of the top 10 cities in the world which provides accessibility and inclusive policies.
• The report ranked 55 global cities based on their ability to attract and foster high-potential women entrepreneurs (HPWE) who want to start and scale a business.
• This year’s index had 90 indicators across two categories and 5 pillars including an equality sub-pillar.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Vice-chair of the 12th Session of FAO’s ITWG

• During the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Technical Working Group (ITWG) on Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) in Rome, Italy, India was elected as Vice-Chair and represented the Asia and Pacific region.

• The ITWG established by the Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO’s) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), functions to review technical issues, advise and make recommendations to the Commission and further implement the Commission’s program related to AnGR at the global level.

• In the 12th session of ITWG, implementation of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, monitoring of AnGR diversity, and preparing the 3rd Country Report were reviewed.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Leprosy Day

• World Leprosy Day 2023 is observed every year on 30 January.
• The disease is also called Hansen’s disease, named after the Norwegian doctor Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen, who is known for identifying the bacteria that causes Leprosy.
• In order to honor Mahatma Gandhi’s unwavering compassion for those suffering from the disease, the day is marked in India on January 30, the anniversary of his passing.
• People who are infected are frequently subjected to prejudice and exclusion, which prevents them from receiving the proper medical attention, treatment and even basic human rights.