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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
9th India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX to be conducted in Umrong, Meghalaya
As part of ongoing defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh, 9th edition of the joint Indo-Bangladesh military exercise named SAMPRITI-IX will be conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya from February 03-16, 2020. Both nations will work together in a counter terrorism environment under the United Nations (UN) charter.
Key points:
i.A Command Post Exercise (CPX) and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) will be conducted during SAMPRITI-IX.
ii.The training will be concluded with a final validation exercise where both the army’s troops will perform counter terrorist operation in a controlled and simulated environment.
About Meghalaya:
Capital- Shillong.
Governor- Tathagata Roy.
Chief minister- Conrad Sangma.
National Parks(NP)- Balpakram NP, Nokrek NP.
Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India
On January 29, 2020, As per the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India, India’s youngest state Telangana has emergered as Number 1 state in the ‘Decent work and economic growth’ category with the score of 82 on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India index in 2019.
- Telangana was followed by states of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka together with a score of 72.
- This ranking is according to UNDP & NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog statistics, which was released on December 31, 2019.
- There are a total of 17 SDG listed & telangana has witnessed a dramatic improvement in many of them in just one year (8 out of 17 SDGs). However, in overall Telangana ranked 3rd after Kerala & Himachal Pradesh. Telangana also moved from the ‘Performer’ category (50 – 64 points) to ‘Front Runner’ category (65 – 99 points)….Click here to Read More
IR Undertakes RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock
On January 30, 2020 the Indian Railways(IR) undertook the Radio-frequency identification (RFID) project which aims for automatic identification & data collection of rolling stock with focus on improving the safety and reliability. Two works for the RFID project have been sanctioned by the Railway board worth Rs.112.96 Crores. The project is spearheaded by the Rolling Stock Department of IR and will be implemented fully by 2021.
- Make in India initiative: The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS, the Information Technology arm of the Indian Railways), GS1 India and the Indian Industry have come up to implement in the Indian Railways(IR) in alignment with ‘Make in India’ initiative.
- RFID tag testing: Across all locations of the country the RFID tags will be used with GIAI-202 standard designed by CRIS. this GIAI-202 encoded tags were successfully tested at a speed of 182.7 kmph.
- Implementation plans: Nearly 3,50,000 rolling stocks are expected to be tagged by 2021. So far approximately 22,000 wagons and 1200 coaches have been fitted with RFID tags….Click here to Read More
Under PMAY-G, centre aims to achieve objective of housing for all by 2022
On January 30, 2020, The Central Government has aimed to achieve objective of Housing for all by 2022 (which coincides with 75 years of Indian independence) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G) scheme.
Key Points:
i.For the past 5 years, more than one crore 50 lakh rural houses have been sanctioned & completed by the government.
ii.Under the 2nd phase of the scheme ,the eligible people will get one crore 95 lakh houses. Government has set a target of 60 lakh houses for the current financial year-FY 20.
About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)– Housing For all scheme:
It is an initiative by the Government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the urban poor with a target of building 20 million affordable houses by 31 March 2022.
It has 2 components:
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) for the urban poor. It is run by Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. and
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G or PMAY-R) for the rural poor. It is run by Ministry of Rural Development.
12th South Asia Conference held in New Delhi
Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh addressed the 12th edition of the South Asia Conference at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) in New Delhi from January 28-29, 2020. The conference deals with issues related to economic cooperation for development, changing political context in India’s neighbourhood etc.
The theme of the conference was India’s “Neighbourhood First” Policy: Regional Perceptions.
Key Points:
i.The Govt’s commitment of about $13.14 billion in credit-lines and about $4 billion in assistance to the neighbouring countries over the last decade were discussed.
ii.Participants: All members of SAARC and Myanmar participated in the conference. Members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)countries were called for cooperation to end terrorism.
iii.Members present: The IDSA Director General Ambassador Shri Sujan R Chinoy and other senior military & civil officials of the Ministry of Defence(MoD) were present on the occasion.
About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC):
Fact- The current chair of SAARC is Nepal.
Founded- 8 December 1985.
Headquarters- Kathmandu, Nepal.
SAARC members- 8 (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).
Secretary General- MR. Amjad Hussain B. Sial.
Government took over process related to IMEI from private body MSAI
On January 30, 2020, The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), a department of the Ministry of Communications, has taken over the process of issuing and managing IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), a special 15-digit serial number of mobile phones in the country, from private body MSAI (Mobile Standard Alliance of India).
Key Points:
i.The government has decided to change the system operated by MSAI and develop a new system called “Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction (ICDR)” for implementing the SOP (Standard operating procedure). It has been prepared by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). It is the Research and Development (R&D) unit of the DoT for the implementation of SOP, which was issued by DoT in May 2015 to ban the import of fake and fake IMEI numbers of mobile phones.
ii.The new ICDR has been launched as a pilot process on the web portal of the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), which is being used to block all services on stolen or lost mobile phones on any network.
iii.This system will work on all networks even if the person remove the SIM or change the IMEI number.
DOT Guideline for all mobile device manufacturers; asks them to switch to C-DoT-operated IMEI system
The DoT has issued a new guideline to all the Mobile Device manufacturers/Brand Owners , a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) ( Version 1.0).Under this it has mandated the mobile phone makers to replace the Mobile Standard Alliance of India (MSAI)-operated IMEI system with that developed in-house by a state-owned firm.
About IMEI:
The London-based industry organization GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications, originally Groupe Spécial Mobile) and its authorized organizations allot IMEI. When a mobile is lost, an IMEI number is required to locate it.The process related to IMEI is being managed by the Mobile Standards Alliance of India (MSAI).
About Department of Telecommunications:
Founded– 1985
Minister– Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State (independent charge)
Nagoba Jatara festival celebrated in Telangana
On January 24, 2020 Nagoba Jatara tribal festival was celebrated in the state of Telangana. The festival is prominently celebrated in Keslapur village, Indervelly Mandal, Adilabad district of Telangana. It is the 2nd biggest tribal carnival which is celebrated by the tribal people from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh belonging to the Mesaram clan of of Gond tribes.
Key Points:
i.The event concluded with a ceremony called ‘bheting’, which new brides entered into a family were incorporated into the clan.
ii.The serpent god Nagoba is the clan god of the Mesrams and is worshipped annually during the Nagoba Jatara festival.
iii.The Gusadi Dance performance by dancers from the Gond tribe is the main attraction during the celebration.
About Telangana:
Capital- Hyderabad.
Governor- Tamilisai Soundararajan.
Chief minister- Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao.
National Parks(NP)- Kasu Brahmananda Reddy NP, Mahaveer Harina Vanasthali NP, Mrugavani NP.
Indian Railways to offer content on demand service by 2022
On January 14, 2020, The Indian Railways has decided to provide ‘Content on Demand Service (CoD)’ on trains and railway stations from 2022. With COD, passengers will be able to enjoy uninterrupted free subscription based entertainment service such as movies, shows, educational programs during their journey. They will also be able to enjoy high-quality buffer-free streaming on personal devices. Also, the CoD platform will provide e-commerce services such as bookings for cab, bus and trains.
Key Points:
i.The project will be implemented by RailTel Corporation of India, a public sector enterprise of Government of India (GoI) focusing on providing broadband and VPN (virtual private network ) services.
ii.RailTel has selected Zee Entertainment’s subsidiary Margo Networks Private Limited as the Digital Entertainment Service Provider (DESP) to provide COD to trains and stations.
iii.CoD will be available in all premium / express / mail trains as well as suburban trains. In this, content will be made available in both free / paid forms for a contract period of 10 years, including the first two years of implementation.
About RailTel Corporation of India:
Founded– September 2000
Headquarters– Gurugram, Haryana
Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)- Puneet Chawla
About Indian Railways:
Headquarters– New Delhi
Founded– 16th April 1853
Minister of Railways– Piyush Goyal
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
9th Tomtom Traffic Index 2019: Bengaluru has world’s worst traffic; 4 Indian cities in top 10 list
On January 31, 2020 Dutch multinational developer & creator of location technology and consumer electronics Tomtom has released its 9th edition of Tomtom Traffic Index 2019. As per the index, Bengaluru (Karnataka) emerged as the worst traffic congested cities in the world. Along with Bengaluru, 3 more Indian cities were ranked in the top 10 list. The index in brief are as follows:
- Indian cities in top 10 list: The other Indian cities ranked in the top 10 places were Mumbai (Maharashtra), Pune (Maharashtra) and New Delhi in the 4th 5th and 8th places respectively.
- Top cities with worst traffic: Bengaluru was followed by Manila (Philippines) and Bogota (Colombia) in the 2nd and 3rd places respectively. Moscow (Russia), Lima (Peru), Istanbul (Turkey) and Jakarta (Indonesia) were ranked in 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th places respectively.
- Least congestion level capital: Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) was the least congested national capital, it had just 10% congestion level in 2019….Click here to Read More
Coronavirus declared as a global health emergency by WHO
On January 31, 2020 the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared novel Coronavirus(nCoV) as a global health emergency during the second meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) regarding the outbreak of novel coronavirus 2019 held in Geneva, Switzerland. The outbreak which was more prominent in China has now continued to spread to other countries too.
Key Points:
i.So far 213 people in China mostly from Hubei city have died from the virus,with almost 10,000 cases nationally. The WHO has identified 98 cases in 18 other countries other than China.
ii.CoV: Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). nCoV is a new strain of the virus.
About World Health Organisation(WHO):
Founded- 7 April 1948.
Director General- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland.
BANKING & FINANCE
ICICI Bank launches first-of-its-kind 24×7 self-service delivery facility , ‘iBox’
On January 29, 2020, ICICI (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India) Bank , an Indian financial institution, has launched first-of-its-kind 24×7 self-service delivery tool for customers called “iBox” at one of its branches in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The bank has started it in over 50 branches in 17 cities.
Key Points:
i.Under this facility, customers will now be able to take their debit, credit card, check book and return check from the branch close to their home or office. The iBox terminals are installed outside the premises of the bank’s branches, which can be used even after the bank closes.
ii.This facility will be more beneficial for people who are not present at their home to receive these deliverables. Customers can also access it from their registered phone on even Sundays & holidays.
iii.How does this feature work:
When the customer’s package arrives at the iBox terminal, an SMS notification will be sent to them, which contains the GPS(Global Positioning System) location of the iBox, an OTP(one-time password) and a QR (Quick Response) code. After this, the customer goes to the iBox and inserts his registered mobile number and OTP or QR code in it, after which the box opens and the customer can take his package.
iv.Some of the cities that currently installed iBox terminals include Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Navi Mumbai.
About ICICI bank:
Founded– 1994
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
President– Sandeep Batra
Tagline– Hum Hai Na, Khayal Apka
Indian Bank launches credit products ‘Corporate Loan’ & ‘Ind Surya Shakthi’ for textile sector
On January 30, 2020 the Indian Bank has announced the launch of two tailor made credit products i.e., Corporate Loan and Ind Surya Shakthi/ Indian Bank Solar which will be available across the country for the benefit of the textile sector. The products were launched during a meeting with high officials of the textile industry under the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
Key Points:
Corporate Loan: Under it, the loans will be offered at affordable interest rates.
Surya Shakthi: It is a term loan to set up roof-top solar power plants for captive consumption. This loan is expected to boost the renewable energy utilisation culture in the textile sector.
About Indian Bank:
Fact- Allahabad Bank will merge with Indian Bank, with effect from April 1, 2020. After the merger, Indian bank will become the 7th largest Public sector bank in India with net worth Rs.8.50 lakh crore.
Founded- 15 August 1907.
Headquarters- Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Tagline- Taking Banking Technology to the Common Man, Your own bank, Your Tech-friendly bank.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Google commits $ 1 million grant to Internews for news literacy promotion in India
On January 29, 2020, In order to curb misinformation, Google News Initiative (GNI), a cooperative effort between Google & a number of large traditional news media providers, has announced a $1 million grant for global non-profit organization ‘Internews’ that will launch a new initiative to promote news literacy among the Indian public.
Key Points:
i.The funding is part of a $ 10 million Google’s commitment worldwide to media literacy.
ii.Google News Initiative India Training Network will pick a team of 250 journalists, fact-checkers, academics and activists of non-governmental organizations for the project, who will be trained by global and Indian experts in 7 Indian languages.
iii.Then the new internet users living in non-metro cities in India will be trained by local leaders to better access the internet and get the information they find.
iv.Over the past years, the GNI in collaboration with third-party firms like DataLeads has offered in-depth verification training for over 15,000 journalists & students from more than 875 news organizations, in 10 Indian languages.
About Google:
Founded– 4 September 1998
Headquarters– California, U.S.
CEO– Sundar Pichai
About Internews:
Formation– 1982
Headquarters– California, United States(US)
President and CEO- Jeanne Bourgault
Tata AIG in collaboration with DFI to develop insurance products for drone industry
On January 30, 2020 the not-for-profit industry-led body Drone Federation of India (DFI) has announced to collaborate with Tata AIG General Insurance Company Ltd (Tata AIG) for developing as well as launching insurance products for the drone operators. The announcement was made during the recently concluded Drone Festival of India at New Delhi.
Key Points:
i.Tata AIG has obtained approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for necessary regulations. DGCA regulations make insurance mandatory for operating remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS).
About Tata AIG General Insurance Company:
AIG abbreviation- American International Group.
Chairman- Saurabh Agrawal.
Managing Director(MD) and Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Neelesh Garg.
Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Founded- 22 January 2001.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Journalist Yusuf Jameel won 2019 PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism
On January 30,2020 Senior journalist Yusuf Jameel from Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) won the 2019-20 PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism for his outstanding contribution in journalism. This was the 2nd edition of award instituted in 2018 by PEN South India and PEN Delhi in the name of editor late Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated in 2017. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and a citation. The 1st edition was given to cartoonist P Mahamood in September 2018.
Key Points:
i.Jameel was chosen for this award by a jury of scholar Chandan Gowda, editor Vinutha Mallya and poet Asiya Zahoor.
ii.Previous works:Jameel has worked with both English & Urdu journalism, in print and in radio starting from 1980.
iii.Works in publications: He has also worked with various publications like Urdu daily Aftab, The Telegraph, BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Reuters, Time and the Asian Age.
iv.Awards: Jameel was awarded the International Press Freedom award in 1996 given by the Committee to Protect Journalists(CPJ).
Padma Shri awardee Rani Rampal became 1st hockey player worldwide to win World Games Athlete of the Year 2019
On January 31, 2020 Indian Hockey women’s team captain and 2020 Padma Shri awardee Rani Rampal became the 1st ever hockey player to win the 2019 ‘World Games Athlete of the Year‘ award. The announcement was made by the world games. Hailing from Haryana, Rani has obtained 1,99,477 votes from fans worldwide.
Key Points:
i.In 2019, India won the FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey) series finals where Rani was named Player of the Tournament.
ii.About award: The award is an initiative of IWGA (International World Games Association) that recognizes and honours an athlete or a team for their outstanding performance or for their social commitment or particularly, fair behaviour. 2019 was the 6th edition of the IWA.
About FIH (Fédération Internationale de Hockey):
English abbreviation- International Hockey Federation.
Motto- FairPlay Friendship Forever.
Headquarters- Lausanne, Switzerland.
President- Narinder Batra.
Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Thierry Weil.
About International World Games Association (IWGA):
Headquarters – Lausanne, Switzerland
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) -Joachim Gossow
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS
Vinay Mohan Kwatra designated as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal
On January 30, 2020, As per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India (GoI), Shri Vinay Mohan Kwatra, a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal. He will replace Manjeev Singh Puri.
Key Points:
i.Priorly, he was serving as India’s ambassador to France.
ii.He held various positions like 3rd Secretary and 2nd Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva until 1993, Counsellor & Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, Beijing, China, Desk Officer at Headquarters dealing with the United Nations (UN), and in the Diplomatic Missions in South Africa & Uzbekistan (from 1993 – 2003)
iii.He also worked as a Joint Secretary in the office of the Prime Minister (PM)of India from October 2015 – August 2017.
About Nepal:
Capital– Kathmandu.
Currency– Nepalese rupee.
President– Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
Prime Minister– Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OPPO signs MoU with IIT Hyderabad for research on 5G, AI
Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corporation Ltd (commonly referred as OPPO),a Chinese consumer electronics and mobile communications company, has signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H), Telangana for research on new technologies such as 5G (5th Generation) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Key Points:
i.This will facilitate state-of-the-art research and exchange of ideas in emerging and advanced technologies.Several projects will be researched and developed over the next 2- years on cameras, photo processing, batteries, 5G networks and AI.
ii.The agreement was signed by Mr. Tasleem Arif, Vice President and Head (R&D), OPPO India and Dr. Sumohana S. Channappayya, Dean (Research and Development), IIT Hyderabad.
About OPPO:
Founded– 2001
Headquarters– Guangdong, China
Founder & CEO– Chen Mingyong
SPORTS
Bala Devi: 1st Indian woman to sign up for foreign football club, ‘Rangers FC’ of Scotland
On January 31,2020 Ngangom Bala Devi, 29 years old from Manipur, has become the first Indian woman footballer to get a professional contract from Scotland’s Women Premier League club Rangers (Football Club) for 18-months and to play for jersey No.10 after a successful trial in November, 2019. The formal announcement was made by Rangers FC and Bengaluru FC at Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Key Points:
i.Bala Devi is the Ranger’s first-ever Asian footballer.
ii.She is the current top-scorer for India, netting 52 times in 58 games & also the top international goal scorer in the South Asian region.
iii.Bala Devi was named as AIFF Women’s Player of the Year twice (2015 &2016) and has been top-scorer in the Indian Women’s League for 2 seasons.
About Rangers FC (Football club):
Rangers Football club is a Scottish professional football club in Govan district of Glasgow, Scotland.
Founded- March 1872.
Chairman- Dave king.
Canada’s Christine Sinclair becomes all-time top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer
On January 31,2020 Christine Margaret Sinclair, 36 years old, Canadian soccer player ,became the all-time top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer. Sinclair surpassed the record of American Abby Wambach (original name Mary Abigail Wambach) who scored 184 goals.
Key Points:
i.Sinclair scored her 185th goal against St. Kitts & Nevis national football team.She achieved this feat during 5th CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship 2020 at H-E-B Park (stadium in Edinburg), Texas, United States (US).
ii.She made her first international goal in March 2000 when she was 16 years old.
iii.CONCACAF- Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.
OBITUARY
Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passed away at 97
On January 30, 2020 Ajmal Sultanpuri, urdu poet passed away at the age of 97 in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP) due to age related illness.
He was born in 1923 in Harakhpur in Sultanpur district, UP.
Key Points:
i.Award: Ajmal Sultanpuri was awarded the “LifeTime Achievement Award” by Uttar Pradesh (UP) Urdu Academy in March 2016 for his contribution to Urdu poetry.
ii.The two popular poems of Ajmal Sultanpuri are “Kahan Hai Mera Hindustan” and “Agar Main Tera Shahjahan”.
Former India basketball captain Matthew Satya Babu passes away 79
On January 30,2020 P Matthew Satya Babu, a former Indian basketball captain passed away at the age of 79 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
Key Points:
i.Matthew Satya Babu had represented India in the Asian Basketball Championship in Seoul, South Korea in 1967, Bangkok, Thailand in 1969 and Manila, Philippines in 1970.
ii.Babu led the country in the 6th Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970 & also qualified as NIS (National Institute of Sports) basketball coach & ‘B’ panel Basketball Federation of India referee.
iii.Babu had represented National Championships for Andhra Pradesh (AP) from 1962 to 1964 & Indian Railways (IR) from 1965 to 1975 and represented 2 teams in volleyball also.
iv.He was the coach for Indian Railways (IR) (men & women) teams in the national championships and was also the head coach Tamil Nadu(TN) state team.
Assamese litterateur Sashi Sarma passed away at 89
On January 29, 2020 Famous Assamese litterateur Sashi Sarma, 89 years old passed away at his home Nalbari, Assam due to age-related ailments.
Awards: Sarma had received Soviet Nehru Award in 1968 & the Sitanath Brahma Chowdhury Award from Assam Sahitya Sabha.
Key Points:
i.Sarma was an academic, intellectual and an example of Hindu-Muslim unity in Assam and authored nearly 100 books. He was a retired professor of Nalbari college, Assam and his last book ‘Antim Jatra’ was released in 2019.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
“Calcutta Nights” translation of ‘Raater Kolkata’ done by Rajat Chaudhuri
On January 29,2020 Rajat Chaudhuri, translated the book “Calcutta nights” (originally ‘Raater Kolkata’) into English and was published by Niyogi Books. The book was first written in Bengali by Hemendra Kumar Roy, famous Bengali writer and was published in 1923.
Key Points:
i.Calcutta nights is the real life story of the enigmatic ‘Meghnad Gupta’,pen name of the famous Bengali writer Hemendra kumar Roy.
ii.The book reveals the darkest secrets of Kolkata to the readers.
iii.The book discusses about past Calcutta, the capital of British India attracted many people from different parts of the country besides europeans & other foreigners.
IMPORTANT DAYS
72nd National Martyrs’ Day/Shaheed Divas observed on Jan 30, 2020
The National Martyr’s Day is observed annually on January 30. The year 2020 marks the 72nd anniversary of the Martyr’s Day or Shaheed Divas to pay homage to the freedom fighters who lost their lives for India’s Independence from British rule. This day also marks the 72nd death anniversary of India’s Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated on Jan 30, 1948 by Nathuram Vinayak Godse.
- The secretary of the department of Science & Technology (DST), Prof. Ashutosh Sharma inaugurated Phase II of the Digital Gandhi Gyan Vigyan Exhibition in New Delhi. The exhibition was launched in collaboration with with M/s Vizara Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Delhi, a technology start-up under incubation of Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D).
- The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Minister of State(MoS) in Prime Minister’s Office(PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Department of Personnel and Training’s (DoPT) online certificate course on “Relevance of Gandhi in the Contemporary World” at a function in New Delhi.
- Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)and Minister of Shipping(MoS) and Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari launched limited edition series Kadhi wrist watches designed by Titan watches, in New Delhi….Click here to Read More
STATE NEWS
CM Palaniswamy announced Direct CTO scheme for green industries in Chennai, TN
On January 30,2020 Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami, announced a new scheme , ‘Direct Consent to operate (CTO) scheme for green industries’ to get faster clearances from government for green category industries. The scheme was announced at the 125th year celebrations of the Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII) held in Chennai, TN.
Key Points:
i.Scheme feature: Under this new scheme the green industries need to obtain permission for establishment purpose & need not wait for final approvals for starting construction work. The scheme would benefit upto 63 types of green industries.
ii.Other announcement: Mr Palaniswami also announced an initiative for land use reclassification in non-plan areas where the approval will be given within 50 days. Previously the approval was done between 6 months to 2 years.
iii.The CII’s role during global investors meeting 2019 was highlighted in which 63 new Memoranda of Understandings (MoU) worth Rs.19,000 crore were signed by the Government. Through this initiative 83,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the State.
iv.Members present: Tamil Nadu Governor Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Shobana Kamineni, past president, CII & executive vice chairman of Apollo Hospital and other officials were present on the occasion.
About TamilNadu:
Founded- November 1, 1956.
Districts- 37.
State Animal- Nilgiri Tahr.
State Dance- Bharatanatyam.
State Bird- Emerald Dove.
State Flower- Gloriosa Lily.
State Sport- Kabaddi.
State Tree- Palm tree.
CM Naveen Patnaik launches Odisha Police’s transformational projects including state’s 1st virtual police station
On January 28, 2020, The Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated the state’s 1st virtual police station at State Crime Record Bureau in Bhubaneswar, which will facilitate online registration of FIR (first information report) in unknown motor vehicle theft cases. If a case remains undetected for 21 days, the final form will be automatically reflected at the Crime and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS).
Key Points:
i.The CM also launched the Road Accident Case Documents Module and Medico-Legal Opinion System that aimed to reduce human interface with government offices.
ii.The Road accident case module can be accessed from the website www.imsop.odisha.gov.in. & Medico-Legal System will help both the police and medical professionals,where the police can submit requisitions online for medical examination of victims & doctors will upload their medical examination reports online.
iii.These initiatives were launched as a part of state’s 5T initiatives (Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and Transformation).
About Odisha:
Capital– Bhubaneswar
Governor– Ganeshi Lal
Sweet– Rasagola
Dance– Odissi
Current Affairs Headlines: 31 January 2020
- 9th India-Bangladesh joint exercise SAMPRITI-IX to be conducted in Umrong, Meghalaya
- Telangana tops in best performing state in sustainable growth: UNDP India
- IR Undertakes RFID project for Automatic Identification & Data Collection of Rolling Stock
- Under PMAY-G, centre aims to achieve objective of housing for all by 2022
- 12th South Asia Conference held in New Delhi
- Government took over process related to IMEI from private body MSAI
- Nagoba Jatra festival celebrated in Telangana
- India Railways to offer content on demand service by 2022
- 9th Tomtom Traffic Index 2019: Bengaluru has world’s worst traffic; 4 Indian cities in top 10 list
- Coronavirus declared as a global health emergency by WHO
- ICICI Bank launches first-of-its-kind 24×7 self-service delivery facility , ‘iBox’
- Indian Bank launched two-tailor made credit products for textile sector
- Google commits $ 1 million grant to Internews for news literacy promotion in India
- Tata AIG in collaboration with DFI to develop insurance products for drone industry
- Journalist Yusuf Jameel won 2019 PEN Gauri Lankesh Award for Democratic Idealism
- Padma Shri awardee Rani Rampal became 1st hockey player to win World Games Athlete of the Year
- Shri Vinay Mohan kwatra designated as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal
- OPPO signs MoU with IIT Hyderabad for research on 5G, AI
- Bala Devi the first Indian woman to sign up for a Rangers FC foreign football club
- Canada’s Christine Sinclair becomes all-time top scorer with 185 goals in international soccer
- Noted Urdu poet Ajmal Sultanpuri passed away at 97
- Former India basketball captain Matthew Satya Babu passes away 79
- Assamese litterateur Sashi Sarma passed away at 89
- “Calcutta Nights” – Book reveals Kolkata’s best kept secrets
- 72nd Martyrs’ Day observed on Jan 30, 2020
- CM Palaniswamy announced Direct CTO scheme for green industries in Chennai, TN
- CM Naveen patnaik launches odisha’s 1st virtual police station in Bhubaneswar
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