Daily Current Affairs : January 14 – 18, 2020

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Daily Current Affairs (January 14, 15, 16 , 17 & 18, 2020) like many other sections is inevitable and this also helps to score in the Banking awareness, Static GK and Financial Awareness sections. Remember, Banking Awareness and Static Awareness Questions are asked from the General Awareness section. This will also help you to ride your preparations for the forthcoming exams.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Statue of Unity finds place in ‘8 Wonders of SCO’

  • The 182-meter tall Statue of Unity in Gujarat has been included in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s ‘8 Wonders of SCO’ list, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced. 
  • The ‘Statue of Unity’, the world’s tallest statue, is a monumental tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India’s first home minister as well as deputy prime minister. The statue was inaugurated in October 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Patel’s 143rd birth anniversary.

Venkaiah Naidu to inaugurate classical Telugu centre in Andhra’s Nellore

  • Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu is scheduled to inaugurate a new Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Telugu in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.
  • “The establishment of this Centre at Nellore would facilitate to focus its activities for the development of this rich classical Telugu through Research, seminars, debates and various activities,” said an official statement.
  • Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhrial ‘Nishank’ is also set to attend the event.
  • Andhra Pradesh governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and other dignitaries have also been invited.

Captain Tania Shergil, the 1st woman Republic Day parade adjutant

  • Captain Tania Shergill, an officer with Army’s Corps of Signals, will be the first woman parade adjutant for the Republic Day parade.
  • A parade adjutant is responsible for the parade. 
  • In 2019 during the Republic Day parade, Captain Bhavna Kasturi was the first woman officer to lead an all-men contingent.

‘Parshuram Mela’ begins at Parshuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh on the eve on Makar Sankranti

  • The famous Parshuram Kund Mela began in Arunachal Pradesh on the eve of Makar Sankranti.
  • Devotees from across the country and Nepal visit the sacred place to take a holy dip in the Kund on the occasion of Makar Sankranti every year.
  • The Arunachal government has made many facilities for the pilgrims like tourist lodges, guest houses, transit hospital, and a Mela office to help the devotees.
  • A police outpost and other facilities have been made by the district administration.

Exhibition ‘India Heritage in Digital Space’ inaugurated

  • Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launched an exhibition titled “Indian Heritage in Digital Space” at National Museum, New Delhi.
  • This exhibition is first of its kind in the country. The exhibition will stay online until February 15, 2020.
  • The exhibition also consists of a special installation called “VIRAASAT”. Viraasat in Hindi means heritage.
  • It provides mixed reality experience to visitors through 3D printing.

Om Birla inaugurates 7th Conference of CPA India Region in Lucknow

  • The 7th conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, India region will be held in State capital Lucknow from 15th to 19th January 2020.
  • The conference will be inaugurated by Lok sabha speaker Om Birla, chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association along with State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
  • The Association facilitates discussion on the Parliamentary problems and their solutions through annual conferences as well as various programs conducted both at the international and regional levels.
  • This association also helps in identifying Parliamentary systems, norms of efficient governance and in implementing the permanent values of the Commonwealth.

Fuel conservation mega campaign of PCRA Saksham 2020 launched

  • ‘Saksham‘, an annual one-month long fuel conservation mega campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, was launched today by Dr. M.M Kutty, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum& Natural Gas in a function held in Delhi.
  • On this occasion, the secretary also flagged-off the publicity vans of PCRA which shall visit different states covering the rural side as well, spreading messages about fuel conservation awareness through interactive audio, video creatives, and print displays

5th Raisina Dialogue Begins in New Delhi

  • The 5th edition of the prestigious Raisina Dialogue kicked-off in New Delhi on 14 January 2020.
  • The three-day conference will continue till 16 January 2020.
  • The Dialogue has been jointly organized by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Observer Research Foundation. 
  • Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship global Conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, and also one of the largest gathering of its kind. The inaugural session on 14 January will be attended by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi along with Seven former Heads of State/Government, to share their views on important challenges facing the world.

Amit Shah chairs 6th meeting of the Island Development Agency

  • The 6th meeting of the Island Development Agency (IDA) was chaired by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
  • NITI Aayog has been given the onus of steering the process of “Holistic Development of Islands”.
  • During the meet, initiatives of sustainable development in the identified Islands were taken under Island Development Agency. 
  • The initiative aims to create jobs for the island population by promoting tourism as well as boosting the seafood and coconut-based products export from the Island.
  • The above initiative will be implemented in 5 islands of Lakshadweep as well as 4 islands of Andaman & Nicobar.
  • To strengthen the infrastructure on Islands, projects would be set up to improving air, sea and digital connectivity.
  • By June 2020, Port Blair including 7 other islands in Andaman & Nicobar would be digitally connected via submarine optical fibre cable which would also increase the number of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Islands.

India, Bangladesh sign MoU for content exchange programe between All India Radio and Bangladesh Betar

  • India today signed an MOU with Bangladesh for content exchange programme between All India Radio and Bangladesh Betar.
  • An MoU between National Film Development Corporation, India and Film Development Corporation, Bangladesh, was also signed.
  • The MoUs were signed in the presence of Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and Bangladesh Information Minister Muhammad H Mahmud in New Delhi.  
  • During the meeting, two Ministers also discussed about the jointly produced film on the life and works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Fifth Science Film festival kick-starts in Goa

  • The fifth edition of Science Film Festival of India, SCI-FFI 2020, was kick-started on Wednesday in Goa’s capital city Panaji.
  • The four-day-long festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister, Dr. Paramod Sawant.
  • A special workshop titled ‘Million SoUL‘ will also be conducted by IIT Bombay on training about making solar lamps.
  • The workshop is aimed at empowering people from backward communities.
  • The workshop will also aim at teaching participants about the health, educational and environmental benefits of solar energy.

Ladakh hosts first ever Food Processing Summit to attract investors

  • Union Territory Ladakh is hosting the first ever Food Processing Summit to attract investors to the region. With the help of Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the UT Administration of Ladakh is organizing the Summit.
  • Ladakh region has vast scope for investment in food Processing Industries in horticulture products like Apricot, SeabuckThorn, Apple and agricultural produce like buckwheat and barley.

Postal Ballot facility made available for Super Senior Citizens and Person with Disabilities

  • Postal Ballot facility has been made available for the Super Senior Citizens (over 80 years of age) and PwDs in the Delhi Assembly Election.
  • Earlier it was only available to armed forces and those assigned in poll duties.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Robert Abela elected new PM of Malta

  • Malta’s governing party has elected a new leader and prime minister to replace Joseph Muscat, who resigned over the murder of a journalist.
  • Robert Abela won the Labour Party leadership contest with 57.9% of the vote, reports say.
  • His predecessor Mr Muscat said he would quit last month over the scandal surrounding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

APPOINTMENTS

Anand Prakash Maheshwari takes over as the new DG of CRPF

  • IPS officer Anand Prakash Maheshwari today took over as the new director general of the CRPF.
  • CRPF  spokesperson said the new DG stated it was a homecoming for him as he has served in the force for nine years, including as the Inspector General (operations), and also as its IG in Kashmir.
  • New DG said, it is quite an opportunity to serve the country, its people and of course the members of the force itself. CRPF is the world’s largest paramilitary force with about 3.25 lakh personnel.

Scientist Bipul Behari Saha elected as IUPAC bureau member

  • Bipul Behari Saha, a noted chemist has been elected as a bureau member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) for the period 2020-23.
  • Founded 100 years ago, IUPAC is the largest global organization of Chemistry professionals.
  • Saha is only the second Indian after CNR Rao, former Director of the Indian Institute of Science and Bharat Ratna, to be elected (in 1979) for this prestigious position in over a century.

Govt appoints Michael Patra as RBI Deputy Governor

  • Michael Patra will serve as the deputy governor for three years from the time of his appointment.
  • The appointment of Patra, who is currently an executive director at the central bank, comes nearly six months after former deputy governor Viral Acharya’s pre-mature resignation.
  • The Reserve Bank currently has three deputy governors–NS Vishwanathan, BP Kanungo and MK Jain. Patra will be the fourth among the deputy governors.
  • Shakti Kanta Das is the governor of RBI.

IMPORTANT DAYS

14th January celebrated as Armed Forces Veterans Day

  • Armed Forces Veterans Day was celebrated at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi Cantt and several other locations across the country.
  • Since 2017, Armed Forces Veterans Day is observed each year on 14 January as a mark of respect and recognition of the services rendered by Field Marshal KM Cariappa OBE – fondly known as Kipper – The first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces who retired on 14 January 1953.
  • Commemoration of Armed Forces Veterans Day acknowledges and honors the selfless devotion and sacrifice of our veterans in the service of the nation.

15 January celebrated as Indian Army Day

  • Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year.
  • This year, the Indian Army will celebrate its 72nd Army Day.
  • The Army Day is celebrated every year at all Army Command headquarters to honour our country’s soldiers who set the greatest example of selfless service and brotherhood, and above all, love for the country.
  • The Indian Army is one of the most powerful militaries of the world, competing with superpowers like the US, Russia and China.

IMD celebrated its 145th Foundation Day on 15 January

  • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) celebrated its 145th Foundation Day on 15 January 2020. The day was celebrated by the Ministry of Earth Science.
  • Indian Meteorological Department was established in 1875 with its headquarters at Calcutta. But Later it was shifted to Shimla in 1905, to Pune in 1928 and then to Delhi in 1944.

FINANCIAL NEWS/BUSINESS NEWS

SEBI extends deadline to Apr 2022 to split CMD post

  • Markets regulator SEBI has deferred by two years to April 2022 its directive for listed companies to split the roles of chairman and managing director in view of demand from corporates, and to keep compliance burden lower in wake of the current economic scenario. 
  • Under the Sebi norms, the top 500 listed entities by market capitalisation were mandated to comply with the requirement of separation of the roles of chairperson and managing director (MD) or chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from April 1, 2020.

Amazon to invest $1 billion to digitise small and medium businesses in India

  • E-commerce giant Amazon will invest USD one billion in India over the next five years to help digitise small and medium businesses in the country, its Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced on Wednesday.
  • Mr. Bezos, who is in India this week, added that the new investments will also help the company enable cumulative exports of USD 10 billion worth “make in India” goods by 2025 via its platform.

“The Global Risks Report 2020” has been released by World Economic Forum

  • “The Global Risks Report 2020” has been released by World Economic Forum.
  • It is the 15th edition of the report.
  • The report has been prepared by WEF in partnership with Marsh & McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group.
  • The report defines the major risks, the world is going to face in the coming years.
  • The data used to make the report was collected by Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) through survey conducted from 5 September to 22 October 2019.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES

ISRO’s GSAT-30 Communication Satellite Launched Aboard Ariane Rocket

  • India’s “high power” communication satellite GSAT-30, aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services, was successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in the early hours of Friday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
  • Blasting off from the Ariane Launch Complex in Kourou, a French territory located in northeastern coast of South America at 2:35 am, European space consortium Arianespace’s Ariane 5 vehicle injected GSAT-30 into the orbit in a flawless flight lasting about 38 minutes.

AWARDS

M S Swaminathan honoured with ‘Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award’

  • Famous Agricultural Scientist Dr M S Swaminathan was honoured as the first recipients ‘Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence’ for his distinguished contribution to the field of agriculture.
  • The Award instituted by the Muppavarapu Foundation was announced recently during its 10th-anniversary celebrations in Hyderabad.
  • This award carries a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs and a citation.
  • Along with Dr Swaminathan, Dr Gutta Muniratnam also was chosen for ‘Muppavarapu National Award for Social Service”. Gutta has been awarded for his contributions in improving the quality of life of people through social service.

British Indian yoga boy Ishwar Sharma wins ‘Global Child Prodigy Award’

  • A 10-year-old British Indian yoga boy Ishwar Sharma wins Global Child Prodigy Award. 
  • He was chosen from the UK for the awards which honour child prodigies from across 45 countries and 30 different categories such as palaeontology, biking, choreography, fitness and martial arts etc.
  • Ishwar Sharma also has the skill to chant up to 50 shlokas from the Vedas and ‘Bhagavad Gita’ and practices yoga.
  • Sharma, originally from Mysore, has participated in over 100 yoga events across the UK and worldwide.

Puri, Odisha recieves Swachhata Darpan Awards 2019

  • Puri, Odisha has been awarded for its initiatives for plastic waste management with the Swachhata Darpan Awards 2019.
  • The award ceremony was held during the Open Defecation Free Sustainability Workshop held in New Delhi.
  • The Swachhata Darpan Award 2019 was presented by Indian Bollywood actor Aamir Khan to Puri Municipality Additional Executive Officer Saroj Kumar Swain.

ICC Awards 2019 – Complete List of All Winners

The International Cricket Council came up with a list of ICC awards on 15 January. 

ICC also released the Test XI and ODI Team of the year. Indian captain Virat Kohli leads both the teams of the year.

Here are all the ICC Awards of 2019:

  • The Indian opener Rohit Sharma who had a stellar year in 2019 was awarded the ODI player of the year by the ICC.
  • Pat Cummins who was the leading wicket-getter with 59 wickets in 23 innings gets the Test player of the year.
  • Marnus Labuschagne who top-scored in the Test fold in 2019 receives the Emerging player of the year award.
  • Virat Kohli was awarded the Spirit of the game award as he had stopped the crowd from booing Steven Smith in the league match of the ICC World Cup 2019.
  • Umpire of the year: Richard Illingworth (England)
  • T20I Performance of the Year: Deepak Chahar’s 6/7 against Bangladesh. Chahar also scalped a hat-trick in the same match.
  • Associate Cricketer of the Year: Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)
  • ICC ODI XI of 2019: Rohit Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Virat Kohli (c), Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ross Taylor, Ben Stokes, Mustafizur Rahman, Rashid Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
  • ICC Test XI of 2019: Mayank Agarwal, Tom Latham, Marnus Labuschagne, Virat Kohli (c), Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, BJ Watling, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Neil Wagner, Nathan Lyon

SPORTS NEWS

Japan’s Kento Momota easily wins Malaysia Masters

  • World number one Kento Momota won the Malaysia Masters after easily defeating Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen 24-22, 21-11.
  • The victory in Malaysia lends credence to Momota’s drive to win the gold in July’s Tokyo Olympics.
  • The reigning world champion told reporters that he eyes more success in 2020.
  • Momota currently the best player on the planet, won a record 11 titles last year.

OBITUARIES

Noted Odia film director Manmohan Mahaptra passes away

  • National awardwinning film director from Odisha Manmohan Mahapatra passed away Monday at the age of 69 in Bhubaneswar.
  • Known as the father of Odia new wave Cinema Mahapatra won eight consecutive national film awards for his films Nishita Swapna, Majhi Pahacha, Klanta Aparanha, Neeraba Jhada, Seeta Raati and Bhinna Samaya.
  • Mahapatra’s first film ‘Seeta Raati’ (1976) was the first Odia film to be screened at international film festival in 1982.
  • Recently Manmohan Mohapatra was adjudged best director for his directed Odia film ‘Bhija Matira Swarga’ in the State Films Awards. The film bagged awards in six categories, including best film.

National News

Mega campaign on fuel conservation ‘Saksham’ inaugurated in New Delhi

  • Petroleum and Natural Gas MM Kutty has called for putting earnest efforts for petroleum conservation to bring down the huge import burden for energy requirements.
  • Mr Kutty inaugurated fuel conservation mega campaign – Saksham of Petroleum Conservation Research Association, PCRA in New Delhi.
  • India’s share of primary energy demand is set to double to 11 per cent by 2040 and to address this huge demand, not only petroleum conservation but creation of sustainable development model will be a pivotal step.

Rajnath Singh dedicates 51st K9 Vajra-T guns to nation

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dedicated to the nation the 51st K9 Vajra self-propelled Howitzer gun made by L&T at Hazira in Gujarat.
  • The gun weighs 50 tonnes and can fire 47-kilogram bombs at targets up to a distance of 43 kilometres. It can also turn around at zero radius.

Om Birla inaugurates 7th Conference of CPA India Region in Lucknow        

  • Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the belief in the democracy has increased and so is the responsibility of the representatives.
  • The theme of the conference is “ROLE OF LEGISLATORS”.
  • He was speaking after inaugurating the 7th Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association India Region in the legislative assembly building in Lucknow.

DV Sadananda Gowda launches APNA UREA – SonaUgle” brand of HURL

  • DV Sadanand Gowda Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda today launched the APNA UREA – SonaUgle brand of Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (HURL) at a function in New Delhi.
  • HURL is Joint Venture Company promoted by the three Maha Ratna Companies – Coal India Limited, NTPC Limited and Indian Oil Corporation Limited.
  • The commissioning of these five units, the total production of Urea will increase by over 63 Lakh Metric Tonne per annum. He said the revival of five Urea plants will reduce dependence on imports.

PM Modi describes Raisina Dialogue as vibrant forum for discussing important global issues

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Raisina Dialogue has emerged as a vibrant forum for discussing important global and strategic issues over the years.
  • After attending the annual event in New Delhi.
  • India’s flagship global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, Raisina Dialogue got underway in New Delhi.
  • The fifth edition of the prestigious event is being jointly organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation.
  • The three-day conference will see participation of 12 Foreign Ministers, including from Russia, Iran, Australia, Maldives, South Africa, Denmark, Uzbekistan and the EU.

Vice President addresses gathering at Dr B R Ambedkar Auditorium at Port Blair

  • Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that Andaman Nicobar Islands is the place of pilgrims and every Indian should visit Cellular Jail once in their life.
  • He was addressing a gathering at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Auditorium at Port Blair.

State of Art Tejas express train between Mumbai-Ahmedabad flagged off

  • The state of art- new Tejas Express train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai Central has been flagged off by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at Ahmedabad Railway Station.
  • The fully air-conditioned Tejas has several modern features such as sliding doors, personalized reading lights, mobile charging points, attendant call buttons, bio-toilets, automatic entry and exit doors, CCTV cameras, reclining facility, comfortable seats, etc.,

International News

Economies face huge risks from biodiversity loss and climate change

  • World Economic Forum report has warned of huge risks to the economy from the biodiversity loss and climate change as businesses are more than dependent on nature.
  • Releasing the Nature Risk Rising Report ahead of its 50th Annual Meeting, the World Economic Forum said about 25 per cent of earth’s assessed plant and animal species are threatened by human actions, with a million species facing extinction.

Ukraine PM Oleksiy Honcharuk resigns

  • Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk tendered his resignation to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after less than six months in the role.
  • An alleged recording emerged earlier this week where Honcharuk questioned Zelenskiy’s ability to manage the economy and the Prime Minister felt this would undermine his position.

EAM Jaishankar holds bilateral talks with EU High Representative, South African Foreign Minister

  • External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor.
  • In his meeting with Borrell, Jaishankar discussed global and regional issues, multilateralism, connectivity and counterterrorism.
  • Mr Jaishankar and South Africa Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor co-chaired the Joint Ministerial Commission.

Hong Kong Chief Executive says ‘one country, two systems’ can continue beyond 2047

  • Hong Kong, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that the ‘one country, two systems’ framework under which the city enjoys freedoms unknown in China could continue after a 2047 deadline if loyalty to Beijing is upheld.
  • Ms Lam’s comments at the Legislative Council appeared to be an appeal to those in Hong Kong who see Beijing as tightening its control over the semi-autonomous territory’s civic, economic and political life.

Sri Lankan President decides estate workers’ daily wage to be Rs.1,000 from March 1

  • Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided that the minimum daily wage of estate workers will be 1000 rupees with effect from 1st March. The decision came on eve of Thai Pongal as most of the estate workers are Tamils of Indian origin. 
  • The workers have been demanding the 1000-rupee wage since past few years and held several protests during previous government. Gotabaya has promised the hike in his election manifesto.

Nepal celebrates ‘Maghe Sankranti’ with gaiety & religious fervor

  • The festival of Maghe Sankranti is being celebrated with gaiety and religious fervor in Nepal. It is known as Maghi Sankranti in Tarai region. The day is also being celebrated as Maghi festival by Tharu community to mark the beginning of its new year.
  • Maghe Sankranti is celebrated on the first day of Magh month of Vikram Samvat. It marks transition of Sun into Hindu zodiac sign Makara (Capricorn) and seen as a celebration of end of the winter.

World Bank predicts Sri Lanka’s economic growth at 3.3 percentage for 2020

  • The World Bank has forecast Sri Lanka’s economic growth at 3.3 per cent for 2020 saying the growth is likely to remain below four per cent in next three years.
  • The bank said, in its latest report of World Bank’s January 2020 Global Economic Prospects, that for 2021 and 2022, it maintains the same forecast of 3.7 per cent of economic growth in Sri Lanka.

Science and Technology

India successfully launches high power communication satellite GSAT-30

  • India’s high-power communication satellite GSAT-30 was successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French. 
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said the GSAT-30 is  aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services.
  • The 3,357-kg GSAT-30 derives its heritage from ISRO’s earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series and is equipped with 12 C and 12 Ku band transponders.
  • GSAT-30 will serve as replacement to the aging INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage.

Harish Salve appointed Queen’s Counsel for courts of England & Wales

  • Senior Advocate Harish Salve has been appointed the Queen’s Counsel for the courts of England and Wales. This was announced by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice Department.
  • Advocate Salve served as a Solicitor General for India until 2002. He is known for representing India before the International Court of Justice in the Kulbhushan Jadhav extradition case.

Alok Kansal takes over as General Manager of Western Railway

  • Alok Kansal, a senior officer of the 1983 batch of Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) took over the charge as General Manager of Western Railway on 14th January 2020.
  • Prior to his posting as General Manager of W. Rly, Alok Kansal served as Principal Executive Director/Civil Engineering (Planning) at Railway Board.

Anand Prakash Maheshwari takes over as the new DG of CRPF

  • IPS officer Anand Prakash Maheshwari took over as the new director general of the CRPF.
  • CRPF spokesperson said the new DG stated it was homecoming for him as he has served in the force for nine years, including as the Inspector General (operations), and also as its IG in Kashmir.
  • CRPF is the world’s largest paramilitary force with about 3.25 lakh personnel.

State News

Arunachal Pradesh signs an MoU with IUCN

  • Arunachal Pradesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) to red listing of orchids. 
  • Arunachal Pradesh has become the 1st state in the country to initiate the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) ‘red listing’ at the state level.

3rd edition of North Zone Conference’ of Media Units of I&B Ministry held in Jammu

  • The third edition of North Zone Conference’ of Media Units of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, is being held in Jammu.
  • Joint Secretary Vikram Sahay asked the IIS officers to work in coordination and effectively promote programs and policies of the Union Government.
  • Director-General, Bureau of Outreach and Communication, Satyendra Prakash made a detailed presentation on Zero Budget Publicity and People-Centric Publicity.

Prakash Javadekar inaugurates ELECRAMA 2020, a flagship showcases of electrical industry in Greater Noida.

  • Mr. Javadekar was inaugurating ELECRAMA 2020, the flagship showcases of the Indian electrical industry, in Greater Noida. He said, the electrical industry is a platform to facilitate the world to connect with India in technology and innovation.  
  • The annual growth of energy should be ten percent even if the country’s economy grows at the rate of six percent annually.  He further said, the power industry must aim at benefiting society.

Kiren Rijiju and Pramod Sawant flag off ‘Fit India Cyclothon’ in Panaji

  • The Fit India Mission under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Goa, organized the inaugural event of ‘Fit India Cyclothon’ event in Panaji. 
  • The Cyclothon was flagged off by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant from the Campal Parade Ground in the city.

Awards and Recognition

Iranian Film ‘Castle of Dreams’ gets Best Film Award at Dhaka International Film Festival

  • The Iranian film ‘Castle of Dreams’ directed by Reza Mirakarimi won the Best Film Award in Asian Competition section of the 18th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) which concluded. The film also won the Best Director Award.
  • Information Minister of Bangladesh Hasan Mahmud gave away the award carrying prize money of Tk 1 lakh, a citation and crest in the closing ceremony held in Dhaka.
  • In the Asian Competition segment, Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage’s film ‘Children of the Sun’ won Special Jury Award.
  • In Bangladesh Panorama Section, ‘No Dorai’ directed by Taneem Rahman Angshu bagged the Best Film Award.
  • Indian film ‘Finally Love’ directed by Anjan Dutt bagged Best Audience Award in Cinema of the World Category.

Government awards over Rs 2000 crore for completing Z Morh tunnel

  • A Concession Agreement for completing the 6.5-kilometre long Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir was signed in New Delhi.
  • Under the agreement, the two-lane bi-directional tunnel with parallel escape tunnel will be completed in 3.5 years at a cost of 2379 Crore rupees.
  • The pact between NHIDCL and APCO Amarnathji Tunnelway was signed in the presence of Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, MoS Road Transport and Highways Gen (Retd) V K Singh and Secretary Road Transport and Highways Sanjiv Ranjan.

Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi to be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman

  • Eminent Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi will be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman. He has been selected for this prestigious literary award for his short stories collection- Chequebook. This short story collection talks about the agonies and sufferings of marginalized sections of the society.
  • Saraswati Samman carries a cash award of 15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque. Mr Mohi has authored 25 books of poetry, stories and translations. He has also received Sahitya Akademi Award.

Sports News

Sania Mirza wins WTA doubles title in Hobart

  • Sania Mirza (India) and Nadiia Kichenok (Ukraine) have won the women’s doubles title of the WTA International trophy at Hobart, Australia.
  • They beat Shuai Peng and Shuai Zhang from China 6-4,6-4.

Former India cricketer Bapu Nadkarni passed away

  • Former India all-rounder Bapu Nadkarni, who built an extraordinary career with his parsimonious left-arm spin, has died at the age of 86 in Mumbai.
  • He had been suffering from age-related illness.

ICC U-19 World Cup Cricket begins in South Africa

  • The ICC Under-19 World Cup Cricket 2020 begins in South Africa. 
  • India is the defending champions in U19 World Cup 2018.
  • Total 16 teams are participating in the tournament, split into four groups of four.

Can you score 15/ 15 in Today’s Current Affairs Quiz? Attempt the Current Affairs Quiz of January 12 – 21, 2019 now from the link given below. (It took topper to score 15/15 in 6 minutes 18 seconds, beat that if you can). 

Daily Current Affairs Quiz – January  12 – 21, 2020

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