Current affairs 11 January 2023

Govt introduces new system to measure and grade performance of hospitals.

• The National Health Authority (NHA) has introduced a new system to measure and grade hospital performance under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY).
• Aim: To shift the focus of measuring the performance of hospitals from the volume of services provided to the value of healthcare services.
• The Health Ministry announced that the new model with the reward system will consequently reduce the effects of the disease in the population in the long term.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh releases theme of National Science Day 2023.

• Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh has released the theme of National Science Day 2023.
• Theme 2023: Global Science for Global Wellbeing.
• The theme has been selected for the purpose of raising public appreciation of scientific issues in a global context which is having a bearing on global Well-being.
• National Science Day is celebrated every year on the 28th February to celebrate the discovery of the Raman Effect by Indian Physicist Sir C V Raman.

Meta appoints Vikas Purohit as Director of Global Business Group India.

• Facebook-parent Meta has appointed Vikas Purohit as Director of its Global Business Group in India.
• He will lead the strategy and delivery units under the advertising wing.
• He has served as the chief executive at Tata CLiQ till October 2022.
• He will report to Arun Srinivas, Director and Head of Ads Business for Meta in India.
• He has also worked in companies such as Amazon, Reliance Brands, Aditya Birla Group and Tommy Hilfiger.

India signs MoU with Panama to enhance cooperation in training of diplomats.

• India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Panama to enhance cooperation in the training of diplomats.
• The agreement was signed by EAM, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Panama's Foreign Minister, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo.
• Both countries have also discussed the opportunities for greater economic, health, finance and people to people linkages.
• Panamanian Minister has also joined the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore.

Kerala becomes country’s 1st fully digital banking state.

• Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan has declared Kerala as the first state in the country to go fully digital in its banking service.
• It was possible due to social interventions through local self-government institutions along with infrastructure development and technological advances in the banking sector.
• He has also announced that the ambitious Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) project of the state government will reduce the digital divide.