Daily Current Affairs January 17

Dear Champions, as you all know that a lot of competitive exams have been notified consequently. Candidates have to prepare themselves according to the level of competition and expectation of the Recruitment board. Regarding that one of the most important topic is Daily Current Affairs January 17. Current Affairs in the form of contemporary events of national & international play a crucial role in almost every competitive exams like Banking, Insurance, SSC, UPSC, TNPSC, Railway etc.

Current affairs are the most dynamic yet scoring among all sections and need to be prepared from the right source. Here, we cafunsta team, providing  Daily GK Updates, Current Affairs Questions, and Monthly  current affairs pdf.

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January 17 | Daily Current Affairs 2024

Sports – Daily Current Affairs January 17

1. Who did Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeat in the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands?
A) Magnus Carlsen
B) Viswanathan Anand
C) Hikaru Nakamura
D) Fabiano Caruana
E) Ding Liren
Answer: E) Ding Liren

• India Chess Wizard Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated World Chess Champion Ding Liren in the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, in the Netherlands.
• As a result of this victory, Praggnanandhaa became only the second Indian after Vishwanathan Anand to defeat a reigning champion.
• He also overtook Anand to become India’s new number one Chess player in terms of live ratings.

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Ranking – Daily Current Affairs January 17

2. Which country currently holds the top position in Global Firepower’s Military Strength Rankings for 2024?
A) Russia
B) China
C) United States
D) India
E) Germany
Answer: C) United States

• The United States has the most powerful military globally, followed by Russia and China in second and third place, respectively as reported by Global Firepower, a website that keeps track of global defence information.
• India holds the fourth position
• Global Firepower’s Military Strength Rankings for 2024 assess 145 countries, taking into account more than 60 factors such as the number of troops, military equipment, financial stability, geographic location, and available resources.
• These factors together determine a PowerIndex score, where lower scores indicate stronger military capabilities.

Top 10 countries with the most powerful militaries in the world:

• United States
• Russia
• China
• India
• South Korea
• United Kingdom
• Japan
• Turkiye
• Pakistan
• Italy

Top 10 countries with the least powerful militaries in the world:

• Bhutan
• Moldova
• Suriname
• Somalia
• Benin
• Liberia
• Belize
• Sierra Leone
• Central African Republic
• Iceland

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Business and Economy – Daily Current Affairs January 17

3. What is the current market capitalization of LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India)?
A) Rs 5.2 Lakh Crore
B) Rs 5.5 Lakh Crore
C) Rs 5.8 Lakh Crore
D) Rs 6.1 Lakh Crore
E) Rs 6.5 Lakh Crore
Answer: C) Rs 5.8 Lakh Crore

• LIC’s market capitalisation crossed the Rs 5.8 Lakh Crore mark.
• LIC market cap thereby surpassed market cap State Bank Of India (SBI).
• As far s first half FY24 financial performance is concerned LIC had reported a net profit of Rs 17,469 crore in H1FY24 as compared to a net profit of Rs 16,635 crore in the same period a year ago.
• Its new business premium (individual) for H1FY24 jumped 2.65% to Rs 25,184 crore from Rs 24,535 in H1FY23.
• New business premium is the premium due in the first policy year of a life insurance contract.

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4. What is the cumulative value of orders received by BEL in the current financial year?
A) Rs 25,000 crore
B) Rs 27,000 crore
C) Rs 27,647.31 crore
D) Rs 30,000 crore
E) Rs 32,500 crore
Answer: C) Rs 27,647.31 crore

• Navratna PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has received an order of Rs 695 crore from Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd for the supply of spares related to missile systems.
• The PSU has also received additional orders worth Rs 339.31 crore since the last disclosure on December 26, 2023, and these orders pertain to the Combat Management System, Composite Communication System, Transmit and Receive Modules, Mobile Autonomous Stabilization System, and other spares and services.
• With the latest order, BEL has received cumulative orders of Rs 27,647.31 crore in the current financial year.

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Awards – Daily Current Affairs January 17

5. Who won the 2024 FIFA Best Men’s Player Award at the FIFA Football Awards?
A) Cristiano Ronaldo
B) Neymar Jr.
C) Lionel Messi
D) Kylian Mbappé
E) Mohamed Salah
Answer: C) Lionel Messi

• The greatest football talents were honored in the 2024 FIFA Football Awards.
• The top players were Lionel Messi and Aitana Bonmati, with a number of others taking home important awards.
• Players, coaches, and teams were honored for their accomplishments in the 2023 season at the London celebration.
• Lionel Messi clinched 2024 FIFA Best Men’s Player Award.
• Aitana Bonmati clinched 2024 FIFA Best Women Player Award.

FIFA Best Awards List:

• Men’s Player of the Year: Lionel Messi
• Women’s Player of the Year: Aitana Bonmati
• Men’s Coach of the Year: Pep Guardiola
• Women’s Coach of the Year: Sarina Wiegman
• Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year: Ederson and Mary Earps
• FIFA Puskas Award: Guilherme Madruga
• FIFA Special Award: Marta, a legend in Brazilian football
• FIFA Fair Play Award: The men’s national team of Brazil

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National Affairs – Daily Current Affairs January 16

6. Where did the ninth edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) take place?
A) New Delhi
B) Mumbai
C) Bengaluru
D) Faridabad, Haryana
E) Chennai
Answer: D) Faridabad, Haryana

• Union minister of science and technology Jitendra Singh inaugurated the ninth edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) in Faridabad, Haryana.
• The IISF four-day-long festival kickstarted at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI)-Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) joint campus in Faridabad.
• It will celebrate the achievements of various Indian scientific institutions around the theme – ‘science and technology public outreach in Amrit Kaal’.
• The government has made some revolutionary decisions over the last few years– the space reforms through the public-private partnerships, National Quantum Mission, Anusandhan-National Research Foundation (NRF), National Geospatial Policy, and National Education Policy (NEP).

Keypersons in this event:

• Haryana cabinet minister Moolchand Sharma
• Principal scientific advisor Ajay Sood
• Secretary, department of science and technology, Abhay Karandikar
• Secretary, department of biotechnology, Rajesh Gokhale
• Secretary, ministry of earth sciences, M Ravichandran
• Secretary, department of scientific and industrial research and director general council of scientific and industrial research, N Kalaiselvi.

Note:

• The 8th edition of the India International Science Festival (IISF) was inaugurated at the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal, on January 21, 2023.
• The theme of the four-day festival is Marching towards Amrit Kaal with Science, Technology, and Innovation.

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7. Where was the design of Sanatan Clothing prepared?
A) Khadi Bhawan, New Delhi
B) National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
C) Khadi Center of Excellence (COEK) at NIFT
D) Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) headquarters
E) Indian Institute of Crafts and Design
Answer: C) Khadi Center of Excellence (COEK) at NIFT

• Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has launched a new range of ‘Sanatan Khadi Vastra’ with 20% discount.
• Shri Manoj Kumar, Chairman, KVIC launched ‘Sanatan Vastra’ made from Khadi clothes at the flagship Khadi Bhawan in Connaught Place, Delhi.
• The design of Sanatan Clothing has been prepared at the Khadi Center of Excellence (COEK) located at NIFT.
• Khadi Bhawan, New Delhi is going to offer special discount of up to 20% on Sanatan Vastra and 10% to 60% on Khadi and village industry products from 17 to 25 January 2024.
• With the launch of Sanatan Vastra, KVIC wants to connect the youth with Swadeshi as the expansion of Khadi is part of improving the lives of millions of artisans in rural India.
• In the last 9 years, the business of Khadi and village industry products has crossed the figure of Rs 1.34 lakh crore.
• The production of Khadi textiles has increased from Rs 880 crore to Rs 3000 crore and the sale of Khadi products has increased from Rs 1170 crore to Rs 6000 crore.
• Not only this, during the Khadi Mahotsav, sales of Rs 1.5 crore were made in a day in the showroom of Connaught Place in Delhi and Rs 25 crore were sold in a month in Khadi Bhandar.
• The biggest thing is that Khadi worth Rs 15 crore was sold in Delhi’s IITF in 14 days, which is a record in itself.

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8. Along with the Government of India and the Government of Kerala, which organization is involved in establishing India’s first Graphene Centre (IICG)?
A) Tata Motors
B) Tata Steel Limited
C) Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
D) Tata Power
E) Tata Chemicals
Answer: B) Tata Steel Limited

• S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, launched two flagship programs – “Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Intelligent Internet of Things (IIoT) Sensors” and India’s first Graphene Centre “India Innovation Centre for Graphene (IICG)”.
• The CoE in IIoT Sensors is a unique facility established at Makers Village Kochi by MeitY, GoI and Govt. of Kerala to catalyze the development of sensors within the realm of Intelligent IoT systems covering a broad spectrum of applications of intelligent sensors in networks, devices and sensor systems.
• The India’s first Graphene Centre IICG also has been established at Makers Village Kochi by MeitY, GoI and Govt. of Kerala alongwith Tata Steel Limited with the aim to foster R&D, product innovation and capacity building in the area of Graphene and 2D material systems.
• Digital University Kerala (DUK) (formerly IIITMK) and Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (CMET)-Thrissur are the technical partner for setting up these centers at Makers Village Kochi.
• The complete full-fledged facility for R&D, incubation, innovation, skilling, capacity building, testing & certification shall be established at these centers by the experts of these agencies.
• He has also launched the Hardtech 2024, Maker Village’s annual flagship programme, which shall bring together leaders from Industries, Startups, Investors, Academia, R&D organizations in the field of electronics hardware design and manufacturing.

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9. Which institution collaborated with the development of the CO2 based Air Conditioning plant at INS Shivaji?
A) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi
B) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
C) Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore
D) Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL)
E) National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)
Answer: C) Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore

• Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, inaugurated the unique CO2 based Air Conditioning plant at INS Shivaji.
• The AC Plant is first of its kind and is set to replace HFC (Hydro Fluro Carbons) and HCFC( Hydro Chloro Fluro Carbons) based air conditioning systems onboard ships.
• This step is in line with India’s commitment towards Kigali Agreement of 2016 to phase down HFC and HCFC based synthetic refrigerants from 2028 onwards and Transcritical CO2 based air conditioning plant is the first step towards it.
• This technology aligns with the global efforts to combat climate change and supports Indian Navy’s initiative towards sustainable green alternatives.
• The system has been developed in collaboration with IISc, Bangalore, a testimony of channelising the Defence-Academia synergy towards induction of a futuristic technology in the Armed Forces.

Kigali Agreement 2016:

• The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is an international agreement to gradually reduce the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
• The Montreal Protocol was originally created to preserve and restore the ozone layer.
• Participating countries agreed to phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), gases that had been causing ozone depletion.
• HFCs do not contain chlorine, so they do not cause ozone depletion, and therefore have been replacing CFCs under the Protocol.
• However, HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change,so this amendment adds HFCs to the list of chemicals that countries promise to phase down.
• As of October 3, 2023, 155 states, including the European Union, have ratified the Kigali Amendment.

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10. Which institute has partnered with the US-based Altair to launch an eMobility Simulation Lab?
A) Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
B) Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
C) Indian Institute of Technology Madras
D) Indian Institute of Science Bangalore
E) Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Answer: C) Indian Institute of Technology Madras

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has partnered with the US-based Altair, a global technology company providing solutions in simulation, high-performance computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to launch an eMobility Simulation Lab.
• The company has provided a financial support of $1 million to the institute.
• The lab will have products and tools along with financial support from Altair.
• This will be followed with other labs and facilities to deliver research and training in the eMobility Domain.

eMobility lab:

• The lab will host Altair’s modelling and simulation tools that will support the academic activities that IIT Madras will carry out in the other eMobility labs for Batteries, Charging, Power Electronics, Motors and Controllers and Vehicle Engineering, among other related areas.

Keypersons:

• Vishwanath Rao, Managing Director, Altair

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11. What type of cell manufacturing facility is HyderabadGODI India Private Limited planning to set up in Telangana?
A) Zinc-Ion and Aluminum-Ion
B) Lithium and Sodium Ion
C) Nickel and Cobalt Ion
D) Lead-Acid and Nickel-Cadmium
E) Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Answer: B) Lithium and Sodium Ion

• Hyderabad GODI India Private Limited will be setting up up of a 12.5 GWh cell manufacturing unit in Telangana with an investment outlay of Rs 8000 crore.
• The investment plan was announced by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy along with Mahesh Godi, Founder & CEO, GODI India Private Limited, at the on-going annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
• The investment will be for setting up of a Lithium and Sodium Ion and related technologies R&D and Giga scale cell manufacturing facility in Telangana, over a period of five years.
• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Government of Telangana and GODI India on January 17at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
• The proposed project is aligned with the State’s vision of promoting adoption of electric vehicles.
• The proposed project has employment generation potential of 6,000 in Phase 1.
• It aims to have a 2.5 Gwh cell assembly line in the first phase with planned expansion to ten Gwh in the second phase.

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12. How much investment has the Adani Group committed to set up hyperscale data centre infrastructure in Maharashtra over 10 years?
A) Rs 20,000 crore
B) Rs 30,000 crore
C) Rs 40,000 crore
D) Rs 50,000 crore
E) Rs 60,000 crore
Answer: D) Rs 50,000 crore

• The Adani Group has signed an MoU with the government of Maharashtra to invest Rs 50,000 crore over 10 years to set up 1 GW capacity of hyperscale data centre infrastructure.
• The agreement was signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
• The data centers will come up in Pune and Mumbai or Navi Mumbai, and will be powered by renewable energy.
• It will provide employment to 20,000 people directly or indirectly.
• The Maharashtra government recently formulated a data center policy as it is one of the States attracting a lot of investments in the sector, especially Mumbai.
• Some of the companies that have set up data centers include CapitaLand, AdaniConnex, CtrlS, NTT Data, STT, Equinix and Web Werks.

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13. What are the three infrastructure projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kochi, Kerala?
A) Airport expansion, Metro rail, and Smart city development
B) Road bridge construction, Dam rehabilitation, and Wind energy project
C) New Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) of CSL, and Indian Oil Corp Ltd’s LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvypeen, Kochi
D) Railway station modernization, Solar power plant, and Desalination plant
E) Sports complex, Highway construction, and Seaport expansion
Answer: C) New Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) of CSL, and Indian Oil Corp Ltd’s LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvypeen, Kochi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three significant infrastructure projects in Kochi, Kerala, valued at over Rs 4,000 crore.
• These projects — the New Dry Dock (NDD) at Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), the International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) of CSL, and the Indian Oil Corp Ltd’s LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvypeen, Kochi are pivotal in advancing the government’s aim to revolutionize India’s ports, shipping, and waterways sector by enhancing capacity and self-reliance.
• The New Dry Dock at CSL, costing around Rs 1,800 crore can accommodate future aircraft carriers and large commercial vessels.
• The ISRF, built at a cost of about Rs 970 crore, will modernize CSL’s ship repair capabilities and help transform Kochi into a major ship repair hub.
• Indian Oil’s LPG Import Terminal, constructed for about Rs 1,236 crore, will ensure a consistent LPG supply in the region, enhancing India’s energy accessibility.

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14. What book was released during the inauguration of the CRCS office in New Delhi?
A) ‘Building the Future: Indian Infrastructure Development’
B) ‘Digital India: Transforming the Nation’
C) ‘Sustainable Agriculture: A Vision for Tomorrow’
D) ‘Collective Prosperity: The Legacy of Indian Cooperatives’
E) ‘Empowering Women: Success Stories from Rural India’
Answer: D) ‘Collective Prosperity: The Legacy of Indian Cooperatives’

• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated the office building of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) in New Delhi.
• The office of the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies will strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’.
• This CRCS office has been built on an area of approximately 1550 square meters at a cost of around Rs. 175 crore.
• The book named ‘Collective Prosperity: The Legacy of Indian Cooperatives’ has also been released.

Note:

• The government has fixed the target of registering 2 lakh new PACSs in the country, out of which more than 12000 have been registered and it will register 2 lakh multidisciplinary PACS before time.
• 10 Multi State Cooperative Societies were registered in 2020 and 102 new Multi State Cooperative Societies have been registered in 2023, there is a 10-fold increase in registration

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15. Who chaired the National Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture Insurance in hybrid mode at PUSA, New Delhi?
A) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
B) Shri Parashottam Rupala
C) Nirmala Sitharaman
D) Amit Shah
E) Smriti Irani
Answer: B) Shri Parashottam Rupala

• Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Parashottam Rupala chaired the National Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture Insurance in hybrid mode at PUSA, New Delhi.
• Union Minister also distributed Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS) cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the identified beneficiaries.
• Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS) is the oldest and most successful scheme under ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana’ (PMMSY).

The conference engaged in discussions regarding the following key interventions:

• Risk mitigation through Insurance in fisheries
• Gaps/challenges and prospects of aquaculture & vessel Insurance in India
• Various insurance products and their features that can be implemented in fisheries sector.
• Indemnity based, and Index based Insurance opportunity in crop Insurance for fisheries.
• Role of reinsurance in fisheries
• Role of microinsurance in fisheries sector
• Best practices for prompt claim settlement process in minimal hassle

Note:

• India is the 3rd largest fish-producing country with around 8% share in global fish production.
• To enhance sustainable and responsible development in this sector, the Government of India introduced the ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana’ (PMMSY) in May 2020.
• This initiative aims to catalyse a Blue Revolution by addressing critical gaps in fish production, postharvest infrastructure, traceability, and fishers’ welfare.
• The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) has been designated as the nodal agency for PMMSY implementation, including insurance schemes.

Group Accident Insurance Scheme:

• The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) includes the Group Accident Insurance Scheme (GAIS) to provide insurance coverage for all of the nation’s fishermen.
• Through M/s Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL), the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) is putting the plan into action

Beneficiaries:

• Fish laborers, fish farmers, and any other group of people who are directly engaged in fishing and related activities are considered fishermen.
• Fishermen between the ages of 18 and 71will be eligible for insurance coverage.

Benefits:

• Rs. 5.00 lakh against total permanent disability or death
• Rs. 2.50 lakh for a partial lifetime impairment
• Rs. 25,000 for unintentional hospital admission
• According to the PMMSY’s funding schedule, the Center and the State will split the whole premium amount.
• Therefore, there is no planned beneficiary contribution.

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16. How much investment has IndoSpace committed to make in Tamil Nadu, as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)?
A) Rs 1,000 crore
B) Rs 1,500 crore
C) Rs 2,000 crore
D) Rs 2,500 crore
E) Rs 3,000 crore
Answer: C) Rs 2,000 crore

• IndoSpace, India’s leading developer and owner of Grade A industrial real estate, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Tamil Nadu to invest over Rs 2,000 crore in the state.
• This investment by IndoSpace is expected to generate 15,000 new jobs.
• With an expansive presence of 14 Grade A industrial and logistics parks strategically located around the main industrial hubs, IndoSpace has developed and leased around 13 million sq ft with a total investment of Rs 4,000 crore in the state.

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