TNPSC 11th JANUARY 2023 ENGLISH CURRENT AFFAIRS PDF TNPSC SHOUTERS

 

Defense Ministry approves procurement of indigenously manufactured missiles worth Rs 4,276 crore

• The Defense Procurement Council headed by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the domestic procurement of missiles worth Rs 4,276 crore for the defense forces.
• Short-Range Air Defense Missiles (VISORADS) are developed by the Army Research and Development Organization (TRDO). The Defense Procurement Council has approved the purchase of these missiles at a cost of Rs 1,920 crore.
• Visorads missiles are required for use on the Chinese border. Portable Visorats missiles can be used in rugged terrain and sea to defeat enemy threats.
• Apart from this, the Defense Procurement Council has also approved the purchase of 500 Helena missiles. Mounted on a light helicopter, these missiles are capable of destroying enemy artillery vehicles. These types of missiles will further strengthen the offensive capabilities of the Army.
• Approval has also been given to procure launchers and controls for BrahMos supersonic missiles, next-generation missiles, for use by the Navy on board Siwalik-class warships.

Chennai Metro - Contract with Japan company for Rs.163 crore

• It has signed an agreement with Japan's Mitsu for laying tracks on the Madhavaram to Cholinganallur and Madhavaram to CMPD lines at a cost of Rs 163.31 crore.
• Director of Metro Rail Company. Archunan and Japan company director Hajime Miyake signed the agreement on Wednesday. Metro Rail General Managers S. Ashokumar, Livingstone, Rekha Prakash and others participated in the event.

Golden Globe Award for RRR Film Song

• The Golden Globe Awards ceremony was held yesterday in Los Angeles. The event was hosted by Hollywood comedian Jarrod Carmichael. At the award ceremony, the country song featured in the film RRR was nominated in the category of Best Original Song. 'Nattu Nathu' became the first Indian song to be nominated for this category.
• In this case, at the Golden Globe award ceremony, director Rajamouli, Jr. NTR, Ramcharan and many others participated in the event.
• As such, RRR's Country Country Song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song this year. The award was presented on stage by RRR's music composer M.M. Keeravani received. RRR became the first Asian film to bag a Golden Globe Award specifically in this category.

India's direct tax collection is Rs.12.31 lakh crore

• The total direct tax collection up to January 10, 2023 is 24.58% higher than the collection for the same period last year. It is 14.71 lakh crore rupees. After deducting rebates, the net direct tax collection stands at Rs 12.31 lakh crore. This is 19.55% higher than the net collection for the same period last year.
• The budget estimated the net collection of direct taxes for the current financial year to be Rs 14.20 lakh crore. Currently 86.68% of the budget estimate has been collected. Also, from April 1, 2022 to January 10, 2023, refunds to the tune of Rs.2.40 lakh crore have been provided.
• This is 58.74% higher than the corresponding period of the previous financial year. In this, corporate income tax collection has increased by 19.72%. Personal Income Tax has increased by 30.46%.

Hockey World Cup started in Odisha

• The International Hockey Federation (FIH) India Hockey World Cup began in Odisha on Wednesday. While the tournament officially started on Wednesday, all the matches between 16 teams including India will start from next Friday and will be held till 29th.
• Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, International Hockey Federation President Dayab Ikram, Hockey India President Dilip Tirgi and others participated in the opening ceremony at the Cuttack ground.
• Thousands of fans gathered at the stadium to witness the event, and various artistic programs such as dance and song were also held. Speaking then, Dayab Ikram praised Odisha for hosting the Hockey World Cup for the 2nd consecutive time.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar inaugurated the 83rd Legislative Assembly Conference in Jaipur

• The 83rd All India Legislative Assembly Conference was inaugurated by the Vice President and Speaker of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankar in Jaipur. In his inaugural address, he referred to India as the home of democracy. He said that the essence of democracy lies in protecting people's judgment and their interests.
• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Speaker Mr. Harivansh and Speakers of Legislative Assemblies from various states of the country participated in this conference.

Union Cabinet approves retrospective renaming of National Center for Drinking Water, Sanitation and Quality at Joga, Kolkata as 'Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee National Institute for Water and Sanitation'

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the renaming of Joga National Center for Drinking Water, Sanitation and Quality, Kolkata as 'Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) with retrospective effect.
• The company is set up on an area of 8.72 acres at Joga Diamond Harbor Road in Kolkata, West Bengal. The Institute is a premier institute for capacity building of States/UTs in the fields of Public Health Engineering, Drinking Water, Sanitation and Sanitation through training programmes.
• Such skills would be relevant not only for frontline workers involved in the implementation of the Swachh India Movement and Jal Jeevan Movement, but also for representatives of rural and urban local bodies.
• Accordingly, appropriate infrastructure including training infrastructure, research and development campus, and residential campus has been developed. Small scale models of water purification and sanitation technologies have been installed in the institute to facilitate training.
• Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee was a leading leader and a key player in national integration. Infused with the drive for industrialization, he excelled as an excellent scholar and educator with multifaceted talents. He also served as the Junior Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University.
• Now naming the new institute after Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee will inspire his dedicated work and inspire those associated with the institute. The institute was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in December 2022.

Union Cabinet approves setting up of National Level Multi-State Organic Agriculture Co-operative Society under Multi-State Co-operative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002

• Prime Minister Mr. A Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Narendra Modi took a historic decision to approve the formation of a national level Multi-State Organic Agriculture Cooperative Society under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002.
• To this end an overall integrated approach supported by policies and programs of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of North East Regional Development will be developed.
• All efforts should be made to make agribusinesses successful based on the Prime Minister's vision of integrated progress.
• Under the MSES 2002 rules, there is a need to register national level co-operative societies. Therefore, this decision has been taken to consolidate the activities of cooperative societies and bring them under one umbrella in order to gain people's confidence in organic agricultural products.
• District, State and National level Co-operative Societies, Multi-State Co-operative Societies and Agricultural Production Organizations (FPOs) can become members in this National Level Co-operative Initiator Association. In all these co-operative societies, the representatives are elected as per the co-operative rules.
• This cooperative will undertake the work of recognizing and certifying organic produce. Also, it will help balance the gap between domestic and international demand and consumption.

Union Cabinet approves setting up of National Level Multi-State Co-operative Seed Society under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the formation of National Level Multi-State Co-operative Seed Society under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act 2002.
• The association will be the premier organization for distribution, marketing, storage, packing, labeling, processing, procurement and production of quality seeds. It will be an institute for promotion and conservation of indigenous natural seeds.
• It will work through cooperative societies across the country with the support of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Indian Agricultural Research Council, National Seed Corporation etc.
• It promotes seed conversion rate and varietal conversion rate and helps reduce yield gaps and increase productivity.

Union Cabinet approves setting up of National Level Multi-State Co-operative Export Society under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved setting up of a National Level Multi-State Co-operative Export Society under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002 with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Commerce for export of goods and services of Co-operative and allied organizations.
• This association will be a major factor in improving the exports of the cooperative sector. It will help in the smooth export of Indian Co-operative sector products in the international market.
• The Association will be helpful in availing the benefits of various export related schemes of various Ministries of the Central Government.

Union Cabinet Approves Incentive Scheme to Promote RuPay Credit Cards and Low Value BEAM-UPI Transactions (Person to Merchant)

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved an incentive scheme to promote promotion of RuPay credit cards and low-value BHIM-UPI transactions (person to merchant) for a period of one year from April.
• A scheme to promote RuPay credit cards and low-value BEAM UPI transactions has been approved at a cost of Rs 2600 crore for 2022-23.
• Under this scheme, financial incentives will be provided to banks in the current financial year to encourage them to carry out terminal business and e-commerce through rupees and low-value UPI.
• In his budget speech for the current financial year, the Finance Minister announced that the financial support to promote digital transactions will continue. Accordingly, this program is designed.
• The government announced the incentive scheme in the budget announcement for the financial year 2021-22. As a result, digital money transactions grew by 59 percent year-on-year. BEAM-UPI transactions achieved 106 percent growth.
• Various parties in the digital money system and the Reserve Bank expressed views on various aspects of digital money. The National Bank of India also requested to promote BEAM-UPI and RuPay credit card payments.
• The central government has taken various measures to promote digital payments across the country. Digital remittances have grown tremendously in the past few years across the country.
• Digital remittances have further increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the month of December 2022, a record amount of 12 lakh 82 thousand crore rupees has been transacted through UPI.
• The recently announced incentive scheme will further strengthen the digital remittance environment. In line with the objective of growth for all, inclusive growth, this scheme will help promote UPI transactions and empower digital payment solutions to all people.

National Institute of Mineral Research for mineral exploration projects and capacity building Rs. 154.84 Crore - Union Ministry of Mines approved

• The Executive Committee meeting of the National Mineral Exploration Corporation under the Union Ministry of Mines was chaired by Mr. Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary of the Ministry.
• Rs. 154.84 crore worth of mineral exploration projects and capacity building were approved in the meeting.
• The mineral exploration program to promote mineral exploration in the country includes graphite, iron, coal, zinc and allied minerals, metals like bauxite, lead, copper, silver and allied metals, manganese, lime.
• Geological Survey of India, Indian Bureau of Mines also authorized to provide financial assistance for capacity building and mineral exploration.
• These mineral exploration projects and financial assistance to exploration agencies will help the country to provide auctionable mineral blocks and achieve self-sufficiency in the mining sector.