• In Nagaland, the third edition of the annual Orange festival 2023 got underway at Rusoma village,under Kohima district . The two day festival is being organised in collaboration with the department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City.
• The Orange festival in Rusoma Village of Kohima district is conceptualised to recognise and celebrate the hard work of the orange growers while facilitating them the market linkages to sell their produce at one hub.

• India is likely to peg its nominal gross domestic product (GDP) growth at around 11% during the budget session, marking a slowdown from its estimate for the current fiscal year due to the prospect of weak exports.
• The government expects nominal growth of 15.4% for the current fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2023.India’s gross tax collection growth rate will likely go up to around 8% with a nominal GDP of 10.6%-11%, compared with 14.5% in the current year, due to the base effect.The current year’s fiscal deficit target is pegged at 6.4%.

• India has become the first creditor nation to extend assurance towards restructuring the debt of Sri Lanka with financial assistance worth $4 billion as the island nation makes efforts to unlock a bridge financing package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).India will encourage greater investment in core areas of energy, tourism, and infrastructure.

• On the occasion of the 74th Republic Day  (Jan 26, 2023), Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (CM) Shri Bhupesh Baghel announced a monthly unemployment allowance for unemployed persons in Chhattisgarh from the next financial year (2023-24).It was one of the key promises made by Congress during the 2018 Assembly polls.
• In addition to this, he announced the formulation of a rural industry policy in the state to boost the cottage industry-based rural economy. He also announced a housing assistance scheme for laborers, a scheme for women entrepreneurs, etc.

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rajasthan to set up a 1 gigawatt (GW) renewable energy (RE) plant in Rajasthan as the nation’s second-largest state oil refiner pivots, toward a net zero emission target by 2040.The power plant will be built with an investment of INR 5,000 crore.
• The MoU was signed between Rajasthan’s Energy Department Secretary Bhaskar A Sawant and BPCL head Renewable Energy Shelly Abraham at a ceremony organized by the Bureau of Investment Promotion, Government of Rajasthan.

• On the Occasion of 74th Republic Day celebrations, Bank of Baroda’s (BoB) subsidiary BOB Financial Solutions Limited (BFSL) has launched Vikram Credit Card, the contactless RuPay credit card dedicated to Indian defense, paramilitary, and police personnel.
• Mr. Vikramaditya Singh Khichi, former Executive Director of Bank of Baroda, launched the Vikram Credit Card.

• Standard Chartered Bank has appointed Sarabjit Anand as the chief technology and operations officer (CTOO) for India and South Asia.Mr. SV Shivshanker has been appointed by the United Kingdom (UK)-based bank as Head of Human Resources for India and South Asia.
• Mr. Sarabjit joined Standard Chartered Bank in 1991 in India.Recently, he was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Singapore and Asean markets.

• The 2023 edition of the Indian Navy’s major maritime exercise Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX), is currently underway in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• TROPEX 23 is being conducted over 3 months from Jan – Mar 23, 2023.To “validate and refine” the Navy’s “concept of operations” as well as test overall combat capabilities
• The operational level exercise is conducted biennially and witnesses participation not only by all Indian Navy units but also of Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) assets.

• Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has been named the captain of the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the year for 2022 which also includes her teammates, opener Smriti Mandhana, and fast bowler Renuka Singh, the International Cricket Council.
• Other players in the ICC Women’s T20I team of the year 2022 are – Alyssa Healy (Australia), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Nat Sciver (England), Beth Mooney (Australia), Amelia Kerr (New Zealand), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Ayabonga Khaka (South Africa), Shabnim Ismail (South Africa).

• Veteran Telugu film actress and former parliamentarian J Jamuna passed away at the age of 86 in Hyderabad.Jamuna was born on 30 August 1936 in Hampi, Karnataka.
• She was an Indian actress, director, and politician who appeared mainly in Telugu films.Her filmography also included Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films.She was a Member of Parliament in the 9th Lok Sabha (1989–1991) representing the Rajahmundry constituency.

Download Daily GK PDF of 28 January 2023