Daily Current Affairs- 17th January 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 17th January 2025

INTERNATIONAL

India to Establish 60 Smart Classrooms in Sri Lanka

• India and Sri Lanka have entered into an agreement to establish 60 smart classrooms in the plantation regions of Sri Lanka. The project will be funded by a grant of 508 million Sri Lankan rupees from the Indian government. The agreement was signed by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and B.K. Prabhath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary of the Ministry of Plantation, Sri Lanka. 

PFC signs 120 bn yen loan pact with Japan's JBIC for RE project

• State-owned PFC - Power Finance Corporation has inked an agreement with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for 120 billion Japanese yen (around Rs 6,600 crore) loan facility.
• JBIC will provide funding of JPY 72 billion, and the balance will be funded by commercial banks, This long-term (up to 20 years) loan to PFC will be provided under JBIC's initiative 'Global action for Reconciling Economic growth and Environmental preservation' (GREEN). 

NATIONAL

PM to inaugurate Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 on 17th January

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, the largest mobility expo in India, on 17th January 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. 

C-DOT and IIT Bombay sign agreement for “Optical Transceiver Chipset

• The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier Telecom R&D centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay) for the development of " Optical Transceiver Chipset for High-Bandwidth 6G Wireless Links”. 

Google signs deal to buy carbon removal credits from Indian farms

• Google will buy carbon credits from an Indian initiative that turns large amounts of agricultural waste into biochar a form of charcoal that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and returns it to the soil. 

Defence Ministry signs deal with Bharat Dynamics for MRSAM supply to Indian Navy

• The Defence Ministry signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited for the supply of Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM) for the Indian Navy at a cost of over three thousand crore rupees, the MRSAM system is a standard fit, onboard multiple Indian Naval Ships and is planned to be fitted on the majority of the future platforms planned for acquisition. 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Justice (Retd) Arun Mishra appointed as BCCI Ombudsman

• Former Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Mishra has been appointed as Ombudsman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Mishra will also function as the BCCI Ethics Officer. 

PV Sindhu becomes a brand ambassador for Puma India

• Puma is stepping into India's rapidly growing badminton scene. To make their entry they signed India's badminton icon PV Sindhu as their brand ambassador. Changing their name to PVMA. It was a tribute to PV Sindhu, a clever way to announce their entry. 

Major appointment to government Bank 

• The government has appointed Ashok Chandra as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Binod Kumar as the MD and CEO of Indian Bank. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Benjamin Franklin Day

• Benjamin Franklin Day is celebrated on January 17th, the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, born on this day in 1706 to a soap and candle maker in England, Benjamin Franklin grew up to become one of the most well-known and celebrated Americans in history.