Highlights of Wings India 2024: Asia’s Largest Event on Civil Aviation held in Hyderabad, TelanganaUnion Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M Scindia inaugurated Asia’s Largest Aviation Expo-Wings India 2024 at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, Telangana from 18th to 21st January 2024.

• The theme for the show was “Connecting India to the World in Amrit Kaal: Setting the Stage for India Civil Aviation @2047.”

i.Major announcements at Wings India 2024:

• Release of the joint knowledge paper on civil aviation by FICCI and KPMG
• Launch of UDAN 5.3
• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) announced its 4th edition of “Wings India Awards” in the Civil Aviation Sector
• India’s First Indigenously Designed and Manufactured Aircraft Seat Launched at Wings India 2024

About Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA)
Union Minister: Jyotiraditya Scindia (Rajya Sabha- Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State: Vijay Kumar Singh (Constituency – Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh)

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Projects worth over Rs 19,100 crore in Bulandshahr, UPOn January 25, 2024, the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi launched development projects worth more than Rs 19,100 crore in Bulandshahr district in western Uttar Pradesh (UP) for several important sectors like rail, road, oil and gas and urban development & Housing.
Rail Projects:
i.173-km-long double-line electrified section between New Khurja and New Rewari on the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) was inaugurated by flagging off goods trains from the two stations through video conference.

• It features a one-kilometer double-line rail tunnel with high-rise electrification, a first of its kind in the world, to facilitate seamless operation of double-stack container trains, contributing to improved passenger train operations by diverting goods trains to the DFC track.

ii.A rail line connecting the Mathura-Palwal section and the Chipiyana Buzurg-Dadri section is inaugurated which will improve rail connectivity of the national capital to southern-western and eastern India.
Road Projects:
PM Modi dedicated multiple road development projects, developed at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 5000 crore, to improve connectivity. These projects include:
i.Aligarh to Bhadwas four-laning work Package-1 (part of Aligarh-Kanpur Section of National Highway(NH)-34)
ii.Widening of Meerut to Karnal border via Shamli (NH-709A)
iii.Four laning of Shamli-Muzaffarnagar section of NH-709 AD Package-II.
Integrated Industrial Township at Greater Noida:
i.The ‘Integrated Industrial Township at Greater Noida’ (IITGN), developed under Pradhan Mantri (PM) Gati Shakti – National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connvectivity, was inaugurated.
ii.The township, built at a cost of Rs. 1,714 crore on 747 acres, strategically lies at the junction of Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors, with the Eastern Peripheral Expressway to the south and the Delhi-Howrah railway line to the east.
Others:
i.PM Modi also inaugurated the Indian Oil Corporation Limited(Indian Oil)’s 255-km-long Tundla-Gawaria pipeline built at a cost of about Rs 700 Crore.

• This will assist in transportation of petroleum products from Tundla to Gawaria T-Point of Barauni-Kanpur Pipeline with pumping facilities at Mathura and Tundla and delivery facilities at Tundla, Lucknow and Kanpur.

ii.The renovated Mathura sewerage scheme including the construction of a sewage treatment plant at a cost of about Rs 460 crore was inaugurated. This work includes construction of 30 Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) STP at Masani, rehabilitation of existing 30 MLD at Trans Yamuna and 6.8  MLD STP at Masani & construction of 20 MLD TTRO plant (Tertiary Treatment and Reverse Osmosis Plant).

• The PM also inaugurated Moradabad (Ramganga) sewerage system & STP works (Phase I). Built at a cost of about Rs 330 crore, it consists of 58 MLD STP, about 264 km sewerage network and nine sewage pumping stations for pollution abatement of Ramganga River at Moradabad.

MoRD & Lady Irwin College, Delhi Renews 5-Year MoU for ROSHNI-CWCSA On 23rd January 2024, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY–NRLM), the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), and Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi in New Delhi, Delhi renewed a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for ROSHNI – Centre of Women Collectives led Social Action (CWCSA).
The partnership aims to strengthen nutrition, gender equity, and livelihoods for women.
About the MoU:
i.During the 5-year term of this MoU, MoRD will collaborate with ROSHNI-CWCSA to enhance the results of Food, Nutrition, Health, and WASH (FNHW) for rural communities.
ii.The partnership also aims to enhance the capacity building of Community Resource Persons (CRP) for FNHW and gender interventions.
Note:

• WASH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.
• DAY-NRLM, launched in 2011, is a flagship poverty alleviation program implemented by the MoRD.

ROSHNI-CWCSA:
i.It is technically and financially supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) India.
ii.Housed at the Department of Development Communication and Extension at Lady Irwin College, ROSHNI-CWCSA serves as a technical and knowledge management support unit at the national level to DAY-NRLM.
iii.ROSHNI assists DAY-NRLM to improve FNHW outcomes for 9.96 crores Self Help Group (SHG) members and their households across India.

• Its mission is to break the cycle of malnutrition, illness, and out-of-pocket expenditure associated with poverty.

iv.Integration of FNHW interventions is carried out by over 1.2 lakh trained community resource persons in SHGs and their federations.
About Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD):
Union Minister– Giriraj Singh (Constituency: Begusarai, Bihar)
Ministers of State(MoS)– Faggan Singh Kulaste (Constituency: Mandla, Madhya Pradesh); Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti (Constituency: Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh)

Davos 2024: 54th Annual Meeting of WEF Held in Davos, SwitzerlandThe 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum(WEF), also known as “Davos Summit 2024” was held at Swiss Alpine School, Davos in Switzerland from 15th to 19th January 2024.
The theme of 2024 summit is “Rebuilding Trust.
Points to note:
i.India in partnership with WEF launched the “Global Good Alliance for Gender Equity and Equality”  to bring together world’s best practices, knowledge sharing and investments in the identified areas of women’s health, education and enterprise.
ii.Union Minister Smriti Irani announced the establishment of the Business 20 (B20) Global Institute.
iii.During the discussion titled ‘Preparing for Disease X’ at WEF 2024, health industry leaders discussed the importance of preplanning for the outbreak of a hypothetical “Disease X”
About World Economic Forum(WEF):
Founder and Executive Chairman– Prof. Klaus Schwab
Managing Director(MD)– Saadia Zahidi
Headquarter– Cologny, Geneva Canton, Switzerland
Established in 1971

Canara HSBC Life Insurance Launches iSelect Guaranteed Future PlusCanara HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited has launched ‘iSelect Guaranteed Future Plus’, a Non-Linked, Non-Participating, Individual Savings Life Insurance Plan.
About the plan:
The policy offers four different plans namely Endowment Option, Regular Income Option, Early Income Option and Long Term Income with Return of Premium Option.
Eligibility:
i.Minimum Entry Age- NIL
ii.Maximum Entry Age- 65 years
iii.Minimum Maturity Age – 18 years
iv.Maximum Maturity Age – 99 years
Endowment Option:
i.The plan offers life insurance to policyholders along with a Guaranteed Maturity Benefit.

• Additional Guarantees will also be offered during the last five years of the policy term

ii.The plan also offers Flexible Premium Payment Term(PPT)/ Policy Term(PT).
iii.The policyholder can choose one of the optional benefits – Payor Premium Protection Cover or Accidental Death Benefit(ADB).
Regular Income Option:
i.The plan offers life insurance services along with Guaranteed Income and Maturity Benefits.
ii.The plan offers Guaranteed Income payouts after PPT.
iii.The policyholder can choose either Payor Premium Protection Cover or ADB.
iv.The plan also offers Flexible PPT/ PT.
Early Income Option:
i.The plan provides Life insurance coverage in addition to guaranteed income from 2nd Policy year.
ii.ADB comes with the plan by default.
iii.The policyholders are allowed to choose their Income period and PPT.
Long-Term Income with Return of Premium Option:
i.The plan offers Life insurance along with Guaranteed Income (after the consolidation period) with an inbuild ADB facility.
ii.100% of Total Premiums Paid will be returned when the policy matures.
iii.The policy offers the freedom to choose the income period and income commencement period.
 All these plans offer tax benefits under the provision of the Income Tax Act, 1961 as amended from time to time.
About Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited:
Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture (JV) promoted by Canara Bank (51%) and HSBC Insurance (Asia Pacific) Holdings Limited (26%).
Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO) – Anuj Mathur
Headquarters –  Gurugram, Haryana
Established in – 2008

SEBI extends Deadlines for listed entities to Verify Market RumoursOn January 25, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has extended the timeline for market rumor verification for the 2nd time. The deadlines were extended to June 1, 2024 from February 1, 2024 for the top 100 companies and to December 31, 2024 from August 1, 2024 for the top 250 companies.

• The market rumor verification is under the provision to regulation 30(11) of the LODR Regulations.

Note:
This Circular by SEBI is  issued  in  exercise  of  the  powers  conferred  under  Section  11  of  the SEBI Act, 1992 read with Regulation 101 of the LODR(Listing  Obligations and  Disclosure Requirements) Regulations.
Details of extension:
i.Initially it was supposed to be effective from 1st October 2023 for top 100 firms and from 1st April 2024 for Top 250 firms. This was extended to February 1, 2024, and August 1, 2024 respectively.
ii.This extension will provide listed entities the necessary time to adapt to impending changes, ensuring a smoother transition and effective compliance with the regulatory framework.
Key Points:
i.As per SEBI, Top 100 and Top 250 listed entities by market capitalization must promptly confirm, deny, or clarify any specific material event reported in the media within 24 hours of the information being disclosed.
ii.These regulations by SEBI aims to avoid false market sentiment or impact on the securities of any listed entity.
Click Here for Official Notification
About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
Chairperson– Madhabi Puri Buch
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment– 12 April 1992

Zomato Payments Gets Nod from RBI to Operate as Online Payment Aggregator
New Delhi(Delhi) based Zomato Payments Private Limited (ZPPL) has been granted a certificate of authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an ‘Online Payment Aggregator(PA)’ with effect from 24th January 2024.

• The authorization allows ZPPL to facilitate e-commerce transactions through its platform, thereby expanding its role beyond food delivery and restaurant discovery.
• ZPPL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Online food delivery platform Zomato Limited (formerly known as Zomato Private Limited and Zomato Media Private Limited) which was incorporated in 2021.

Note: California, United States of America(USA) based international financial infrastructure provider Stripe, Inc. also received approval from RBI to act as a online PA with effect from 15th January 2024.

Indian lawyer Ajit Mishra honoured with “Freedom of the City of London” AwardThe City of London Corporation honoured Ajit Mishra, an India-born Lawyer in the United Kingdom(UK) with the “Freedom of the City of London” Award for his contribution to strengthening the business partnership between the City of London and India.

• He received the honours at the Chamberlain’s Court at Guildhall, London, UK.

Note: He was nominated to the award by Chris Hayword, Policy Chairman of London Corporation and Shravan Joshi, Deputy Chair of the civil affairs committee.
About Ajit Mishra: 
i.Ajit Mishra, founder and Chair of UK-India Legal Partnership (UKILP), is a dual-qualified lawyer. He is qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales and also an Advocate in India.

• UKILP is a networking platform that acts as a hub for senior lawyers fostering connections between the legal communities of India and the UK.

ii.Ajit Mishra is also the Special Economic Advisor to the City of Magdeburg (Germany) and Chairman of the Indian CEO’s Forum.
iii.He is also the Chair of the India Chapter of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS), Queen Mary University of London.
About Freedom of the City of London: 
i.The origin of Freedom of the City of London dates back to the 13th century(1237). It is one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies still in existence.
ii.Before 1996, Freedom was only open to British or Commonwealth Citizens. Later it was extended globally to admit persons of any nationality.
iii.The recipient of the honour is invited to read the ‘Declaration of a Freeman’ and to sign the Freeman’s Declaration Book.
iv.Previous Notable recipients of this award include the first Prime Minister(PM) of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru, the First President of South Africa Nelson Mandela, former PMs of the United Kingdom- Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, among others.

Indian Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja Appointed as Brand Ambassador of VARNI
VARNI, the premium electronic product brand, has appointed Indian cricketer Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja (Ravindra Jadeja) as its brand ambassador.

• VARNI was founded in 2009 by Kishan Mali who is also Managing Director of the company.
• It sells a wide range of products including speakers, smart watches, Headphones, cables, power banks, and chargers.

About Ravindra Jadeja:

• All-rounder made his international debut in 2009 (Colombo, Sri Lanka) in a One Day International (ODI) match against Sri Lanka.
• As of 27th January, He represented the Indian national cricket team in 69 test matches(scored 2891 runs), 197 ODI matches(2756 runs), and 66 (480 runs) Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. He has also taken 551 wickets in international matches across all formats so far.

Indian Navy Tests Extended Range Version Of BrahMos MissileIndian Navy (IN), in collaboration with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), test-fired an extended-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile (BrahMos ER) on 24th January 2024.

• The test-firing was conducted from combat and mission-ready ships.
• The test fire was in line with the ‘AatmaNirbharta’ initiative of the Government of India(GoI).

About BrahMos ER:
i.The BrahMos ER is developed by BAPL.

• BAPL is a joint venture (JV) between Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPO Mash) and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

ii.BrahMos ER is an improved variant of the basic BrahMos missile, with a range of around 450 to 500 kilometres, compared to 290 kilometres for the baseline version.
iii.The two-stage missile operates on the self-guided “fire-and-forget” principle.
iv.The missile is guided by an advanced ‘Made-in-India’ active radar seeker.
Additional Info:
i.The baseline BrahMos missile was first tested in 2001.
ii.It is based on the Russian P-800 Onyx missile.
iii.The missile is also available in air-launched version (BrahMos-A) and lighter & faster variant (BrahMos-Next Generation).
About Indian Navy:
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Established in – 1950

Brisbane Heat Cricket team wins Australia’s Big Bash League 2023-24 title 
Brisbane Heat cricket team won Australia’s Big Bash League(BBL) 2023-24 title by defeating Sydney Sixers in the finals held at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney(Australia).

• This victory marks Brisbane Heat’s second BBL title including their win in 2012-13 and 2023-24 seasons.
• Spencer Johnson(Brisbane Heat) was named man of the match(Finals).
• The Big Bash League is Australia’s premier domestic Twenty20 cricket competition which has been held since 2011.
• The 13th edition of the BBL witnessed the participation of eight teams, held from 7th December 2023 – 24th January 2024.

Italy’s Top Goalscorer Luigi ‘Gigi’ Riva Passed Away Italian national football team’s all-time leading goalscorer Luigi ‘Gigi’ Riva passed away at the age of 79 in Cagliari, Sardinia(Italy).

• He earned the nickname of Rombo di Tuono (Roar of Thunder) for his physical strength, heading ability, and powerful left-footed shot.

About Luigi ‘Gigi’ Riva:
i.He played for the Italian national football team in 42 international matches and scored 35 goals between 1965 and 1974.

• His 35 goals for Italy is the highest number of goals scored by an Italian player in international matches so far.

ii.He was part of the Italian national team that was a runner-up in the Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA)World Cup in 1970 (Host – Mexico) (winner- Brazil).
iii.He was also part of the Italy team that won the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Championship in 1968 (Rome).
iv.He played for Cagliari Calcio Football Club(an Italian football league(Serie A) team), having scored 164 league goals in 315 matches.

• He was part of Cagliari Calcio that won the Italian league title for the only time in their history in 1970.

v.He retired from football in 1976 and he worked with the Italian national team in various roles from 1988 to 2013 in which Italy won the FIFA world cup in 2006 (Germany).

Amit Shah launches a Book Titled ‘A Promised Nation Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi- the Maker of New India’ in Braille Script
Union Minister of Home Affairs and Union Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah launched a book titled, ‘A Promised Nation Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi- the Maker of New India’ in New Delhi, Delhi.

• The book is written in Braille script to help people with visual impairment to know about the life journey of Narendra Modi, the 14th Prime Minister(PM) of India.
• The book also speaks about the works made by Narendra Modi in the last 10 years (2014-24) as the PM.
• The book is published by VRL Logistics Limited (formerly Vijayanand Roadlines Limited).

International Customs Day 2024 – January 26 International Customs Day (ICD) is annually observed across the globe on 26 January to recognise the role of customs officials and agencies in maintaining border security and the flow of goods across borders.

• This day commemorates the day of the inaugural session of the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) (now World Customs Organization (WCO)) held in Brussels, Belgium in 1953.

26 January 2024 marks the 71st anniversary of WCO, t intergovernmental body dedicated to enhancing customs administrations worldwide.

• The theme of ICD 2024 is ‘Customs Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose.’

Background:
i.The CCC established International Customs Day in 1983 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its inaugural session.

• In 1994 the CCC became a global organisation and was renamed the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

ii.The 1st ever ICD was observed on 26 January 1983 in Brussels, Belgium with only 17 member nations participating.
About World Customs Organization (WCO):
WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters. It represents 185 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.
Secretary-General– Mr. Ian Saunders (United States of America)
Headquarters– Brussels, Belgium
Established in– 1952