• For the fifth straight year, the Japanese passport is the most powerful among all passports in the world, as it allows visa-free access to as many as 193 countries, according to Henley Passport Index 2023. India, on the other hand, improved its position by 2 spots from last year, and is currently ranked 85th on the index.

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• January 11 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day 2023. On this day awareness is raised about the plight of victims of human trafficking.
• Human trafficking is the use of deception, force or coercion to obtain labour or commercial sex acts. Human trafficking involves deception a person and holding them in slave like conditions in several jobs.In 2011 President Barack Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation, designating each January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The anniversary of this proclamation became known as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

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• Neeru Yadav, fondly known as 'Hockey Wali Sarpanch' has taken a new initiative to strengthen farmers of Lambi Ahir Village. Yadav has inked a pact with NABARD to start the Farmers Producers Organisation (FPO)with the assistance of SIIRD (Society of Indian Institute of Rural Development).
• FPO is a legal entity formed by primary producers. Producers such as farmers, milk producers, fishermen, weavers, rural artisans, craftsmen etc, can form a company basis equity share.

• Delhi was the most polluted city in India in 2022 with PM2.5 levels more than double the safe limit and the third highest average PM10 concentration, according to an analysis of Central Pollution Control Board data.
• PM2.5 pollution in the national capital has reduced by over 7 per cent in four years, from 108 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019 to 99.71 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the list of six credit rating agencies that banks can use for the purpose of risk weighting banks’ claims for capital adequacy purposes.
• The six credit rating agencies are Acuite Ratings & Research Limited, Credit Analysis and Research Limited (CARE), CRISIL Ratings Limited, ICRA Limited, India Ratings and Research Private Limited (India Ratings)\ and INFOMERICS Valuation and Rating Pvt Ltd. Banks have to get ratings from these agencies to comply with Basel-III capital regulations.

• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has  signed an MoU with Axis Bank to establish a centre for mathematics and computing.
• Spread over 1.6-lakh-square feet, the Centre will have state-of-the-art labs and programmes that will benefit faculty and students from more than twenty departments of IISc. It will host the new IISc BTech programme in mathematics & computing and the ongoing interdisciplinary PhD programme in mathematical sciences.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Kumar’s appointment to the post till the date of his retirement i.e 31.01.2026. Accordingly, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appoints several top posts within the Government of India.
• Electronics Corporation of India Limited is a Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy. The aim of the establishment was to create a strong indigenous base in electronics. ECIL is a multi-product, multi disciplinary organisation with a focus on indigenous Nuclear energy, space and Defence sectors.

• External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar signed an MoU to enhance cooperation in the training of diplomats during his bilateral meeting with Panamanian Foreign Minister Janaina Tevane Mencomo in Indore.
• The agreement was signed during the visit of the Foreign Minister of Panama to participate in the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Conference.The visit of the Panamanian Foreign Minister to India comes more than a month after the two sides held the 2nd Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) in Panama City on November 23, 2022.

• National Council of Science Museums in association with Nehru Memorial Museum and Library organised Astro Tourism – A Sky Gazing event at Delhi’s India Gate. The event was inaugurated by Minister of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal. The Astro Tourism event includes various activities like Astro Talks by expert Astronomers, an Exhibition on Astronomy, Storytelling related to celestial objects, an Experience of using the telescope to see the craters of the Moon, Astronomy Activities, a Photographic Panel Exhibition, and Astro-Photography.

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• Suryakumar Yadav has become the fastest player to reach 1,500 runs in T20 International cricket in terms of balls faced. He took only 843 balls to reach this landmark. However, he is the third-fastest batter to reach the 1,500-run mark in terms of innings.
• The fastest batters to reach this landmark are Indian batter Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Australian veteran Aaron Finch and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, who all took 39 innings to score 1,500 runs in T20 International cricket. Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Rizwan reached the milestone in 42 innings and Suryakumar did so in 43 innings.

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Download Daily GK PDF of 11 January 2023