Indian & Japan Coast Guards Conducts Joint ‘Exercise Sahyog Kaijin’ off Chennai CoastThe Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Japan Coast Guard (JCG) conducted a 5-day annual joint exercise, ‘Sahyog Kaijin,’ off the coast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu from 8–12 January 2024. This marks the 20th edition joint exercise between the Japanese and Indian Coast Guards since its institution in 2000.

• The exercise was held as per the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between India and Japan in 2006, promoting interactions between the 2 Coast Guard organisations.
• The MoC also includes high-level visits, annual joint exercises, training exchanges, and participation in workshops and seminars.

Note: The 19th Sahyog-Kaijin joint exercise was conducted off the Chennai coast on January 2020.
Participating Units:
ICG: Shaunak, Shaurya, Sujay, Rani Abbakka, Annie Besant, C-440, Sagar Anveshika, Matsya Drishti, Chetak helicopters.
JCG: Yahsima and Samudra Paheredar with an integral helicopter.
Points to note:
i.The 5-day training and exercise covers important aspects of chemical pollution at sea, and safety equipment including hands-on practical training on the response equipment.
ii.The joint training particularly focused on chemical pollution response training on hazardous and narcotics substances to combat maritime pollution at sea.
iii.This Joint Exercise was coordinated by Headquarters, Coast Guard Region (East), under the leadership of Inspector General Donny Michael, TM.
Objectives of the Exercise:

• Strengthening bilateral ties and mutual understanding.
• Enhancing interoperability in communication.
• Strengthening Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Sharing best practices for mutual benefit.

Practical Scenarios:
Conducted off the coast of Chennai, the exercise simulated joint response actions against a situation of collision between 2 vessels, resulting in a man overboard and an oil spill from a tanker.

MNRE launches Rs 515-cr Solar Scheme for Electrification of Houses in PVTG AreasThe Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched the ‘New Solar Power Scheme’ with an outlay of Rs 515 crore for electrification in habitations and villages of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG).

• The scheme was launched under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) programme.
• The scheme launched for the tenure expanding from Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24) to Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26).

New Solar Power Scheme:
i.The scheme aims to provide solar power in one lakh un-electrified households identified by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) in 18 states across India and the Union Territories (UT) of Andaman & Nicobar.

• The 18 states are –  Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal.

ii.The scheme has made provisions for 0.3 kiloWatt off-grid solar systems in places where power supply is not techno-economically feasible through the grid.
iii.The scheme also provides solar lighting in 1,500 Multi-Purpose Centres (MPCs) at the cost of 15 crore in PVTG areas where electricity through the grid is not possible.
iv.The fund for the implementation of the scheme will be provided by the MNRE’s Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes (DAPST).
Fund Distribution:
Out of the allocated fund, 20 crore will be allocated in FY24, Rs.255 crore in FY25, and Rs 240 crore in FY26.
PM-JANMAN:
i.The scheme was launched in November 2023 with MoTA as the nodal agency.
ii.Through the scheme, the government aims to reach tribal groups and primitive tribes.
iii.The scheme will focus on 11 important areas/critical interventions across nine ministries(including MNRE).
Additional Info:
i.For the electrification of houses, the government provides Rs 50,000 crore per household or the actual cost.
ii.For solar lighting, the government will provide Rs 1 lakh per MPC.

Denmark in partnership with India launched Green Fuels Alliance India Denmark has launched “Green Fuels Alliance India” (GFAI), an initiative to boost collaborative efforts between India and Denmark in the sustainable energy solutions sector, at the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet (GIM) 2024, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
i.This will also support both nations in advancing the joint global goal towards carbon neutrality.
ii.The initiative is led by the Danish Embassy and Consulate General of Denmark in India.
About GFAI:
i.The initiative will play a pivotal role in advancing the green fuels sector which includes green hydrogen by fostering innovation, collaboration, and partnerships between Danish industries and their counterparts in India.
ii.India has set the target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070.
iii.Denmark has topped the global Climate Performance Index (2024) and is on the path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Key Points:
i.The initiative aims to promote sustainable growth in India by fostering collaboration among businesses, government entities, research institutions and financial stakeholders from both the Indian and Danish sectors.
ii.Nine prominent organisations in Denmark have pledged to support the GFAI initiative as founding members.

• The 9 organisations are Maersk, Haldor Topsoe, Umwelt Energy, Mash Makes, European Sustainable Solutions, Novozymes, Danfoss, Brdr. Christensen and Hydrogen Denmark.

Advisory Group of GFAI: 
Members of the advisory board of GFAI include the India Hydrogen Alliance, the Energy Consortium at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, Madras), The Danish Energy Agency and the State of Green.
Background:
i.GFAI was developed under the Green Strategic Partnership (GSP) signed in 2020 between the Prime of India and Denmark.
ii.GSP mainly focus on green hydrogen, renewable energy and wastewater management.

• Green Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy sources like wind, and solar power. It does not emit any greenhouse gases.

Additional info: Maersk has set a target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 across the entire business and has also set an ambitious short-term target for 2030 to ensure progress in green hydrogen.
About Denmark:
Prime Minister– Mette Frederiksen
Capital– Copenhagen
Currency– Danish Krone

IEA’s Renewables 2023 report: The world added 50%  more renewable energy but needed moreInternational Energy Agency (IEA) released the report titled “Renewables 2023”. It highlighted the important finding of the report that the world added 50% more renewable energy capacity in 2023 compared to 2022 but it also mentioned that still world need to adopt more robust efforts to counter climate change.
Key Highlights:
i.The increase in renewable energy saw the fastest growth in the last 20 years and consecutively for 22 years. It also mentioned that renewable energy capacity reached around 510 GigaWatts (GWs) in last year.
ii.Top Countries which contributed maximum in rise of renewable energy at global level:
China (which is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases) led the overall maximum increase in renewable energy followed by Europe, United States of America (U.S.A) and Brazil.
iii.It emphasized on the deployment of solar and wind power to reduce dependence on fossil fuels usage in order to achieve the goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius from pre-industrial levels.
iv.As per the report global renewable energy capacity is expected to increase 2.5 times from 2022 levels by the end of the decade.
v.The report highlighted that world efforts are not sufficient to achieve the goal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Note: During UN COP28 Climate Summit which was held in Dubai, United Arabs of Emirates (UAE) in December, 2023. Nearly 200 countries pledged the target to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.
vi.The report projected global renewable power capacity is expected to increase by 7300GW over 2023-2028 periods.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Wind Energy:
As per the report Solar Photovoltaic and wind energy will emerged as the largest source of global electricity by early 2025. Solar PV and wind power will contribute 95% of the total growth in renewable energy.
Key points:
i.Solar Photovoltaic (PV) contributed nearly three-quarter of additional renewable energy worldwide.
ii.China commissioned an amount of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in 2023 as much as whole world in 2022 and China’s wind power increased by 66% year-on-year.
iii.Prices for solar PV devices decreased by 50% in 2023 compared to 2022 and they are further expected to decrease as global manufacturing capacity is predicted to exceed demand by the end of 2024.
iv.Challenges for wind energy: It will face more hurdles due to disruption in supply chain, higher costs and long permitting timelines.
Renewable Energy Progress Tracker: It was launched by IEA and allows users to explore historical data and predictions at regional and country level. It will also help to keep track on the progress of goal to triple renewable energy.
About International Energy Agency (IEA):
It is an autonomous intergovernmental organization which provides policy recommendations, analysis and data on entire global energy sector.
Established: 1974
Executive Director: Fatih Birol
Headquarter: Paris, France
Member nations: 31(India joined IEA as association member nation in 2017)

WHO Launched ICD-11 Traditional Medicine Module 2; Integrates Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani SystemsOn January 10, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), Traditional Medicine (TM) Chapter Module 2 at the event held in India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, Delhi.
i.ICD 11 TM module 2 includes data and terminology related to diseases based on Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani(ASU) Systems.
ii.With this, the terms defining diseases in these traditional systems are indexed as morbidity codes and included in the WHO Disease Classification Series ICD-11.
Key Points:
i.The final draft of the module comprises a total of 529 codes distributed across 18 chapters.
ii.The module features 2 distinct types of terminologies or top-level blocks, namely Traditional Medicine Disorder and Traditional Medicine Pattern.
iii.This will ensure global uniformity in ASU medicine as a code of vocabulary defining diseases.
iv.Traditional medicinal diseases, including infectious diseases like Malaria and lifestyle diseases like chronic insomnia, are included in this classification.
Collaboration Between Ministry of AYUSH & WHO:
i.The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in collaboration with WHO has prepared a classification of diseases used in ASU systems under the TM-2 module of the ICD-11 series.
ii.A Donor Agreement has also been signed between WHO and the Ministry of AYUSH for this classification initiative.
iii.This collaboration aims to strengthen India’s healthcare system, research, Ayush insurance coverage, research & development, and policymaking.
iv.The Ministry of Ayush has already developed the Code for ASU Medicine through the National Ayush Morbidity and Standardized Electronic Portal (NAMSTE).

• In addition, these codes can also be used in the formulation of future strategies to control various diseases in society.

About ICD-11:
ICD 11 is the 11th revision of the ICD which replaced ICD 10 as the global standard for recording health information and causes of death. It is annually updated by the WHO.
ICD-11 was adopted by the 72nd World Health Assembly in 2019 and came into effect on 1st January 2022.
Additional info: Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW), serves as the WHO Collaboration Centre for ICD-related activities. CBHI facilitates data collection and dissemination for diseases and mortality.

ICICI Bank Canada Launches “Money2India (Canada)”, a Mobile Banking AppICICI Bank Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ICICI Bank Limited, launched its mobile banking application, “Money2India (Canada)”.

• The app enables customers of any bank to instantly transfer money to any bank in India without opening an account with ICICI Bank Canada.
• With this launch, ICICI Bank Canada enters into the remittance market of Canada.

About Money2India (Canada):
i.Users can complete their identity verification digitally from anywhere in Canada.
ii.Users can add beneficiaries immediately and transfer their money instantly.
iii.Customers can use Visa or MasterCard debit cards to send money via the app.
iv.The app offers security standards prescribed for digital channels along with two-factor authentication including a one-time password (OTP). 
v.This also offers regular updates on transactions through text messages or email.
Points to note: 
i.User can transfer up to CAD (Canadian Dollar) 30,000 in a single transaction with a confirmed exchange rate.
ii.Users can also execute future dated and recurring transfers to beneficiaries in India at a defined frequency.
iii.Users can also execute future dated and recurring transfers to beneficiaries in India at a defined frequency.
About ICICI Bank Canada: 
President & CEO– Vikash Sharma
Established in December 2003
Headquarters– Toronto, Canada

Reserve Bank of India imposes Rs.2.49 crore Monetary Penalty on 3 BanksThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalties of about Rs.2.49 crore on three banks namely Dhanlaxmi Bank Limited, Punjab & Sind Bank and ESAF Small Finance Bank Limited for contravention of regulatory norms.
Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd – Rs.1.20 crores (or Rs.120.74 lakhs):
Reason: Non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on

• Loans and Advances – Statutory and Other Restrictions
• RBI (Know Your Customer (KYC) Directions, 2016
• RBI (Interest Rate on Deposits) Directions, 2016’

ESAF Small Finance Bank Limited – Rs.29.55 Lakh:
Reason: Non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on ‘Customer Service in Banks’.
Note- This penalty for the above two banks was imposed under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Punjab & Sind Bank – Rs.1 crore:
i.Reason: Non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Loans and Advances – Statutory and Other Restrictions’
ii.This penalty has been imposed under the provisions of Section 47 A (1) (c) read with Sections 46 (4) (i) and 51(1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
RBI Imposes Monetary Penalty on Five Co-Operative Banks
RBI has imposed monetary penalties on five cooperative banks for deficiencies in regulatory compliance. All these penalties was imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Gujarat-based Navsarjan Industrial Co-operative Bank Limited – 7 lakh:
Reason: Non-compliance with the directions on placement of deposits with other banks by primary (urban) co-operative banks, non-compliance with RBI (KYC) Directions, 2016 and contravention of certain norms of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Gujarat-based Mehsana Jilla Panchayat Karmachari Co-operative Bank Limited – 3 lakh:
Reason: Non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on ‘placement of deposits with other banks by primary (urban) co-operative banks’ and contravention of certain provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Gujarat-based Halol Urban Co-operative Bank Limited – 2 lakh:
Reason: Non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on ‘loans and advances to directors, relatives and firms/concerns in which they are interested’ and ‘placement of deposits with other banks by primary (urban) co-operative banks’.
Telangana-based Stambhadri Co-operative Urban Bank Limited – Rs.50,000
Reason: Non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on ‘loans and advances to directors, their relatives, and firms/concerns in which they are interested
Tamil Nadu-based Subramanianagar Co-operative Urban Bank Limited – Rs.25,000
Reason: Non-compliance with the directions issued by the RBI on ‘loans and advances to directors, their relatives, and firms/concerns in which they are interested’. 

Indian Economy will Grow at 6.2% in FY25: UBS Securities
Mumbai(Maharashtra) based UBS Securities India Private Limited has reduced the growth of the Indian economy for the financial year 2024-25 (FY25) to 6.2% from 6.3%.

• India’s Gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to reach USD 3.9 trillion in FY25, up from USD 3.57 trillion in FY24.
• Consumption growth is anticipated to stabilize at 4.7% in FY25, compared to 4.5% in FY24.
• The growth is stimulated by neutral policy settings, positive credit momentum, and manageable macros amid a 15-year high household debt levels.

Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023: Indore & Surat Adjudged as ‘Cleanest Cities’ in India Droupadi Murmu, President of India, presented the Swachh Survekshan(Cleanliness Survey) Awards 2023 at the ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, Delhi.
i.Surat (Gujarat) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh/MP) were jointly recognised as the cleanest city in India under category of cities with a population more than 1 lakh.
ii.Indore has ranked No 1 in All India Clean city for the 6th Consecutive time.
iii.President Murmu also launched the Swachh Survekshan(SS) 2023 dashboard during the event.
About the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs:
Union Minister– Hardeep Singh Puri(Rajya Sabha- Uttar Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Kaushal Kishore(Constituency- Mohanlalganj, Uttar Pradesh)

ACC Approved the Reappointment of MD Patra as Deputy Governor of RBI
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has approved the reappointment of Michael Debabrata Patra as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for the second time.

• His tenure was extended by one year with effect from 15th January 2024 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

About Michael Debabrata Patra:
i.Patra was initially appointed as RBI Deputy Governor in 2020 for a tenure of three years (till 2023) by replacing Viral Acharya.
ii.In 2023, his tenure was extended for one year which expired on 14th January 2024.

MoHUA Appointed Maheshwar Rao as MD of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited
The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has appointed Maheshwar Rao IAS as the new Full-time Managing Director (MD) of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

• Maheshwar Rao is a 1995 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of the Karnataka cadre.
• He will replace Anjum Parwez (1994 batch IAS officer) who has been serving the post since 2021.
• MoHUA holds a 50 percent equity stake in BMRCL.

Note: BMRCL also known as Namma Metro is the fourth-longest operational metro network in India.

CAS Launches ‘Einstein Probe’ Satellite to Observe Violent Cosmic Phenomena The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) launched the lotus-shaped astronomical satellite Einstein Probe (EP) to observe violent cosmic phenomena on a Chang Zheng (Long March) 2C carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest Sichuan Province of China, on 9th January 2024.
About Einstein Probe satellite:
i.Einstein Probe is a collaboration led by CAS with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), Germany.
ii.The lotus-shaped satellite features twelve petals and two stamens, where the twelve petals are twelve modules consisting of wide-field X-ray telescope (WXT), and the two “stamens” consist of two modules of Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT).

• The satellite weighs 1.45 tonnes and the design of WXT’s optics is inspired by the eyes of lobster.

iii.The wide-field X-ray telescopes(12 modules) can keep an eye on one-tenth of the entire sky at one glance.
iv.FXT features high sensitivity for rapid follow-up observation and is also able to independently discover explosive and transient sources.
v.The satellite will help in the following ways:

• To capture the first light stemming from supernova explosions.
• To search for and pinpoint X-ray signals accompanying gravitational wave events.
• To discover dormant black holes and other faint, transient, and variable celestial objects at the far reaches of the universe.

vi.Neutron stars, white dwarfs, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts are also observation targets for this mission.
Working:
i.When WXT receives X-ray signals from a transient source, the onboard computer will process the data in real time and turn the spacecraft to target the celestial body with FXT for high-precision follow-up observation.
ii.ESA’s ground stations will be used to download the data from the spacecraft for the entire mission.
Naming Reason:
The satellite is named after Albert Einstein Since black holes and gravitational waves are predictions made by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

SAMBHAV: Indian Army’s Indigenously Developed End-to-end Secure Mobile Ecosystem  The Indian Army has indigenously developed an end-to-end secure mobile ecosystem called SAMBHAV (Secure Army Mobile Bharat Version) to enhance national defense capabilities.

• SAMBHAV operates on state-of-the-art contemporary 5G technology and aims to provide secure communication with instant connectivity, even on the move.
• It was developed in collaboration with the National Centres of Excellence from academia and industry.

Points to note:
i.SAMBHAV addresses the vulnerability of mobile networks to eavesdropping, thereby minimizing the risk of compromising information security on mobile devices.
ii.This initiative aligns with the Government of India’s (GoI) efforts towards “dual-use infrastructure and demonstrates the concept of “civil-military fusion” in the field of emerging technology.
Phased implementation:
i.The ecosystem is designed to provide a secure communication platform and is set to configure 35,000 sets in two phases.
ii.The initial phase aims to configure 2,500 sets (by 15 January 2024), with the remaining 32,500 sets scheduled to be completed by May 31, 2024.
Features:
i.SAMBHAV will be having a multi-layered encryption system, with the Pan India Secure ecosystem.
ii.The ecosystem features indigenously developed secure applications and an operating system.
iii.It operates on a commercial network with built-in security measures.
Command Cyber Operations Support Wings (CCOSWs):
i.CCOSWs are being established, which are “special sub-units” to enhance cyber capability.
ii.Cyber capability is being enhanced and integrated at all levels with defense cyber agencies at a strategic level, while CCOSWs will be functional at “operational and tactical levels.

• For each command, 6 CCOSWs are being set up, and personnel will undergo specialist training and validation exercises.

About Indian Army:
Chief of Army Staff (CoAS)- General Manoj Pande
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Formed on– 1 April 1895

Researchers from Mizoram University Discover New Coral Snake Species ‘Sinomicrurus Gorei’The Indian Researchers from Mizoram University have discovered a new species of coral snake called ‘Sinomicrurus Gorei’ in Mizoram.

• The discovery was published in the British science journal, Systematics & Biodiversity (Taylor & Francis Group) with the title ‘Reappraisal of the systematics of two sympatric coral snakes (Reptilia: Elapidae)’.

About Sinomicrurus Gorei:
i.The newly discovered Sinomicrurus Gorei is one of the nine Sinomicrurus coral snake species found across the world.
ii.This species is often confused with another species called ‘Sinomicrurus Macclellandi’ found in North East India belonging to the same genus.

• Sinomicrurus Gorei with its unique patterns, scales, Deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA), and skull characteristics differ from Macclellandi.

iii.It belongs to the family ‘Elapidae’ which contains venomous snakes.
iv.The species is named after British Indian doctor ‘Gore’.
v.The species resembles a Mizo traditional amber necklace called ‘Ṭhi Hna’ thereby locally called ‘Rul Thi Hna’.
vi.Sinomicrurus gorei is found in both low-lying and hilly areas in Mizoram.