World Day of War Orphans 2024

• World Day of War Orphans is annually observed on 6th January.
• Its aim is to raise awareness about the hardships faced by children who have lost their parents due to war.
• The theme of 2024 is Orphan Lives Matter and Standing Up for War-Affected Children.
• The day was first recognized by French organization, SOS Enfants en Detresses.

Indian Railways and CII Signed MoU for Green Initiatives

• Indian Railways and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to minimize energy and water usage lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
• The railway network has set a target of achieving Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2030.
• Under this MoU, CII will provide support in obtaining ISO 50001 certification for workshops and production units, contribute to the development of Net-Zero Energy.
• CII will establish an information dashboard which aims to showcase the progress in green initiatives undertaken by Indian Railways and CII throughout the year.
• This marks the third consecutive term of renewal for the MoU between Indian Railways and CII.

Sanjiv Aggarwal Appointed CEO And MD Of NIIFL

• Sanjiv Aggarwal has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL).
• Previously, he served as a partner at the UK-based private equity firm Actis.
• He has experience in infrastructure and energy sectors.
• His appointment will be effective in February 2024, and he succeeds Rajiv Dhar.

Ayodhya Airport Renamed as Maharishi Valmiki International Airport

• The Union Cabinet renamed Ayodhya Airport as Maharishi Valmiki International Airport.
• The airport’s name, "Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham," pays homage to Maharishi Valmiki.
• The airport is designed to accommodate 600 peak-hour passengers and can handle 10 lakh passengers annually.

Raghuram Iyer Appointed as CEO Of Indian Olympic Association

• The Indian Olympic Association appointed Raghuram Iyer as the Chief Executive Officer.
• He is the former CEO of Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiants.
• He has made contributions to ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League and served as the CEO of RPSG Mavericks, a table tennis team.

Google DeepMind Launched Mobile ALOHA Humanoid Technology

• Google DeepMind in collaboration with Stanford University launched Mobile ALOHA.
• This is an affordable open-source hardware system designed for bimanual teleoperation.
• It is a lightweight humanoid robot capable of remote operation by a user and autonomous performance through imitation learning.
• It can walk at a human speed of 1.42 metre a second and can carry up to 100-kilogramme weight.