CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 16th JANUARY, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF  16^th JANUARY, 2023

1. Indian Railways is set to introduce India’s first hydrogen-powered trains-‘Vande Metro trains’ on its narrow gauge heritage lines to transform Indian locomotive mobility by December 2023. 
2. The new Integrated Food Security Scheme for providing free foodgrains to Antyodaya Ann Yojana (AAY) and Primary Household (PHH) beneficiaries, has been named as Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) by the Central Government.
3. Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship ‘Kamla Devi’, the Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) which is designed, built and delivered by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd to Indian Coast Guard was commissioned in Kolkata, West Bengal.
4. Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupendra Yadav inaugurated the Regional Office of Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) at Alwar, Rajasthan. 
5. Captain Surbhi Jakhmola of the Indian Army’s 117 Engineer Regiment will be the first woman officer to be posted on a foreign assignment at the Border Roads Organisation.
6. The West Bengal Government received a Platinum Award for its ‘Duare Sarkar’ (government at doorstep) scheme at Digital India Award by the Central Government’s Ministry of Electronics & IT. 
7. Mr. Prasanna Kumar Motupalli was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the state-run NLC India Ltd (NLCIL), a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Coal till the date of his superannuation is 30 June, 2026.
8. Parliamentarian and author, Shashi Tharoor’s latest book ‘Ambedkar: A Life’ was launched at the Kitaab Kolkata event.
9. Vidisha, an aspirational district of Madhya Pradesh became the first-ever district in India for on-ground deployment of innovative 5G use cases offered by startups. 
10. Australia’s all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner and England’s Harry Brook have won the ICC Women’s and Men’s Players of the Month Awards for December following their sparkling show at the international level.
11. The first G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) meeting under G20 India Presidency took place in Pune, Maharashtra from 16 -17 January, 2023.
12. NASA’S James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovered its first exoplanet, a planet that orbits another star, formally classified as LHS 475 b, the planet is almost exactly the same size as our own, clocking in at 99% of Earth's diameter. 
13. The Australian Government announced adopting Punjabi as the newest language for its school students in the school curriculum. 
14. Neeru Yadav, a.k.a. ‘Hockey Wali Sarpanch’, has launched a new initiative to support the farmers of Lambi Ahir Village. 
15. The Ministry of Culture has organized a grand curtain raiser cultural program ‘Sur Sarita-Symphony of Ganga’ on the launch event of the world’s longest river cruise at Varanasi. 
16. On 13 January 2023, Dr A D Damodaran, a renowned scientist and former Director of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.