1. Captain Shiva Chauhan becomes the first women officer to be operationally deployed in Siachen
Tags: National Defence Person in news
Fire and Fury Corps officer Captain Shiva Chauhan became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at the highest battleground in Kumar Post on the Siachen glacier.
This information was tweeted by the official account of the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army.
Ms Shiva had to undergo arduous training before her posting in Kumar Post.
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen glacier lies in the Karakoram Range .It is 75 km (47 miles) long, which makes it the second longest nonpolar glacier in the world, after Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan.
Strategic Significance of Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984. The Glacier is of strategic significance for India namely;
- The Glacier guards the routes which lead to Leh, the capital of Ladakh.
- Secondly the Saltoro Ridge overlooks the area of Gilgit–Baltistan of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
- Thirdly, it overlooks and dominates the Shaksgam Valley, which was illegally ceded to China by Pakistan.
- Fourthly, it is close to the Karakoram Pass through which the Karakoram Highway passes connecting Gilgit-Baltistan to Xinjiang Province of China.
Due to its strategic significance both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 metres (20,000 feet).
More than 2,000 soldiers have died in this inhospitable terrain, mostly due to weather extremes and the natural hazards of mountain warfare.
Operation Meghdoot
Operation Meghdoot was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to take control of Siachen Glacier on the morning of April 13, 1984 before the Pakistani army did so.
At that time Siachen Glacier was in the State of Jammu and Kashmir but presently it is in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
2. Himachal Pradesh government launches CM’s Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh
Tags: Government Schemes Person in news State News
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched CM’s Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh with an outlay of Rs 101 crore on 1 January 2023.
All the Ministers and Congress MLA will contribute their first salary to the fund. The Congress party has 40 MLA in the 68 member Himachal Legislative Assembly. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government was sworn in on 11 December 2022.
Aim of the CM’s Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh
The scheme will aim to provide the facility of higher education to needy children and destitute women.
The state government will bear the expenditure on skill development education, higher education, and vocational training of such children. They will also be given financial assistance as per their requirement so that they can lead a respectable life.
There will be no requirement for any income certificate for availing these facilities.
The Chief Minister said that children living in childcare institutions, all children being benefited under foster care, destitute women living in Nari Seva Sadan, Shakti Sadan and residents of old age homes would be benefited under this scheme.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory on 1 November 1956. It became the 18th state of India on 25 January 1971.
The State is bordered by Jammu & Kashmir on North, Punjab on West and South-West, Haryana on South, Uttarakhand on South-East and China on the East.
District in State: 12
State Governor: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Capital: Shimla
State Icons
State Animal: Snow Leopard
State Bird: Western Tragopan
State Flower: Pink Rhododendron
3. Elon Musk becomes first person ever to lose $200 billion
Tags: Person in news International News
According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index Tesla Chief Elon Musk became the only person in history to lose $200 billion from their net worth.
Important facts
Musk, who recently acquired the micro-blogging platformTwitter for $44 billion, was the second person to amass over $200 billion after Jeff Bezos.
After the acquisition, Musk had a takeover of Twitter, resulting in a loss of Tesla shares.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk's wealth declined to $137 billion. Musk also sold several Tesla shares throughout the year.
Currently, Musk's stake in his Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is valued at $44.8 billion, which is higher than his roughly $44 billion position in Tesla stock (he still has options worth an estimated $27.8 billion).
Elon Musk became the richest person in the world when his wealth reached $340 billion on November 4, 2021.
He lost the title to French fashion and cosmetics magnate Bernard Arnault in early December 2022.
Who is Elon Musk?
He is the charismatic chief executive officer (CEO) of electric car maker Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX.
Musk completed the deal to buy Twitter in October 2022, becoming the owner of the social media company.
Born and raised in South Africa, Musk spent time in Canada before moving to the United States.
4. Inacio Lula da Silva sworn in as the President of Brazil for the 3rd time
Tags: Person in news International News
The veteran left wing Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as the President of Brazil for the third time on 1 January 2023 for a four year term. The oath taking ceremony was held in the Brazilian capital city of Brasilia. Geraldo Alckmin was sworn in as the Vice President of Brazil.
Lula, who belongs to the Worker Party, led the country from 2003 to 2010 ,defeated the incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro in the bitterly contested runoff Presidential election held in October 2022.
His victory has politically divided the country. The supporters of f Jair Bolsonaro have protested for over two months, alleging that the election was stolen and called for a military coup to stop Lula from returning to office in a climate of vandalism and violence.
Jair Bolsonaro has already left Brazil for the United States. He has repeatedly said he does not wish to attend the inauguration of his successor, where he would be expected to hand over the presidential sash in a sign of a stable transfer of power.
Brazil
It is the fifth largest country in the world area wise after Russia, Canada, China, and the United States.
It covers almost half of the South American Continent.
60% of the Amazon rainforest which is considered the lung of the earth lies in Brazil.
Capital: Brasilia
Currency: Brazilian Real
5. Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumes command of the IAF Western Command
Tags: Defence Person in news
Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha assumed command of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command on 01 January 2023.
The Air Marshal is a graduate of National Defence Academy, Pune and was commissioned into the IAF as a fighter pilot in June 1985. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.
Air Marshal Pankaj Mohan Sinha succeeds Air Marshal S Prabhakaran who superannuated on 31 December 2022 after putting in more than 39 years of distinguished service in the IAF.
Indian Air force and its command structure
It was set up on 8 October 1932. It comes under the Union Defence Ministry.
President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Air Force.
Every year October 8 is observed as Air Force Day.
Chief of Air Staff: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari
Command structure of the Indian Air Force
Serial No | Command | Headquarters |
1 | Western Air Command | Delhi |
2 | South-Western Air Command | Gandhinagar |
3 | Central Air Command | Prayagraj |
4 | Eastern Air Command | Shillong |
5 | Southern Air Command | Thiruvananthapuram |
6 | Training Command | Bengaluru |
7 | Maintenance Command | Nagpur |
6. Smriti Mandhana nominated for the ICC Women cricketer of the year award 2022
Tags: Sports Person in news
Smriti Mandhana is the only Indian player to be included in the 2022 ICC women’s cricketer of the year nominee list announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC). She has also been nominated for the best women player in T 20.
The International Cricket Council has announced the shortlisted cricket players for its year end awards. Four players are shortlisted in the men’s and women category for its various annual awards taking into account the performance of the players in the calendar year.
Players nominated for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022
Smriti Mandhana of India, Nat Sciver of England, Amelia Kerr of New Zealand and Beth Monney of Australia.
Players nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year 2022
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, England Test team captain Ben Stokes, Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe and the New Zealand Test team captain Tim Southee.
ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2022
England Test team captain Ben Stokes, Johnny Bairstow of England, Usman Khwaja of Australia and South African fast Bowler Kagiso Rabada.
International cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket.
Headquarters: Dubai
Chairman: Greg Barclay of New Zealand
7. Dinesh Kumar Shukla assumes the charge as the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
Tags: Science and Technology Person in news
Distinguished Scientist and former Executive Director of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) Dinesh Kumar Shukla assumed the charge as Chairman, AERB on 31st December 2022. He has been appointed to this post for a period of three years.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was constituted on November 15, 1983, by the President of India under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 to carry out certain regulatory and safety functions.
The regulatory authority of AERB is derived from the rules and notifications promulgated under the Atomic Energy Act and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
The Mission of the AERB is to ensure the use of ionizing radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause undue risk to the health of people and the environment.
Currently, the Board consists of a full-time Chairman, an ex officio Member, three part-time Members and a Secretary.
Headquarters of AERB: Mumbai
8. Ajay Kumar Srivastava to take over as the MD and CEO of the Indian Overseas Bank
Tags: Economy/Finance Person in news
Ajay Kumar Srivastava will take over as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Public sector Indian Overseas Bank from 1 January 2023. Prior to taking up the new role, Srivastava was serving as an executive director in the bank.
He will replace Partha Pratim Sengupta whose tenure ends on 31 December 2022.
Srivastava commenced his banking career as a probationary officer in Allahabad Bank in 1991. After serving over 27 years, he joined Indian Overseas Bank in October 2017.
Indian Overseas Bank
It is a public sector bank owned by the government of India
The Indian Overseas bank was founded by M. Chidambaram Chettyar in 1937.
It was nationalized by the government of India in 1969.
It has four branches and offices in Singapore, Hongkong, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Headquarters: Chennai
Tagline of the bank: Good People to Grow With
9. CRPF Chief Sujoy Lal Thaosen takes over the additional charge of Director General of the Border Security Force
Tags: Person in news
The Government of India has given the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Sujoy Lal Thaosen the additional charge as Director General Border Security Force (BSF). The incumbent BSF Director General Pankaj Kumar Singh will retire on 31 December 2022.
Sujoy Lal Thaosen is a 1988 batch officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre and he will hold the ‘additional charge’ of BSF DG till the appointment of a regular DG of BSF or until further orders.
Pankaj Kumar Singh's BSF appointment last year had created a history where for the first time a son and father held the top post of a paramilitary force in the country. His father and retired IPS officer of the 1959-batch, Prakash Singh, also headed the BSF as its DG from June, 1993 to January, 1994.
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force was raised on 1 December 1965 after the India-Pakistan war of 1965. It is a border force which is deployed along the International border with Bangladesh and Pakistan.
BSF is also known as the nation’s ’first line of defence'.
It is the world’s largest border force in the world.
It is one of the 7 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) which comes under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The other CAPF are Assam Rifles, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Force (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG) and Sashastra Seema BAL (SSB).
The BSF is the only force in the country to have the Camel Contingents and the Camel Mounted Band.
It is the only force in the world which has a female camel riding squad.
It is the only CAPF to have a full-fledged Water Wing, Air Wing and even an Artillery Regiment of its own.
- Motto of BSF : Duty Unto Death,
- Headquarters: New Delhi,
- First Director General : K F Rustamji
10. Former Pope Benedict XVI dies aged 95
Tags: Person in news International News
According to a statement released by the Vatican the former Pope Benedict XVI died on 31 December 2022 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. He was 95 years old.
The head of the Catholic Church, former Pope Benedict, was the first pope in 600 years to resign. He resigned in 2013 and was replaced by the present pope Francis.
Pope Benedict was the first German to become pope in 1000 years. He was the head of the Vatican City from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013.
He was born as Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger on April 16, 1927, in the southern German village of Marktl, close to Austria.
Pope and Vatican City
Pope is a title which is given to the Bishop of Rome who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He is also the head of the sovereign country of Vatican City.
Roman Catholics are the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. The other branches of Christianity are Protestants and orthodox (Eastern).
Vatican City is the world’s smallest country which is located within the Italian capital city of Rome.
It is also the least populated country in the world.
The Holy See is the name given to the government of the Roman Catholic Church, which is led by the pope as the bishop of Rome.
St. Peter, disciple of Jesus Christ, was the first Pope. Jesus Christ is the founder of Christianity.
