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INDIAN AFFAIRS
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 inducted
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 with special provisions to tackle child offenders in the age group of 16-18 years committing heinous offences, came into force.
- The act will replace Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
- The JJ Act, 2015 provides for strengthened provisions for both children in need of care and protection and children in conflict with law.
- To streamline adoption procedures for orphan, abandoned and surrendered children, the existing Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is given the status of a statutory body to enable it to perform its function more effectively.
First ‘Mahila Troop’ inducted for High-Altitude Posts of “IC Border”
The recently trained cohort of 500 women labor force has been positioned at high-altitude posts along the India-China border.
- The first “Mahila” troop was commissioned into the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Panchkula, Haryana.
Country’s first ‘water tourism’ to begin in Madhya Pradesh
The country’s first “water tourism” will begin in Madhya Pradesh on February 12 to February 21 in Hanuwantiya at Indra Sagar Dam, one of Asia’s largest man-made water reservoirs with an aim of attracting more tourists to the state.
- The mega event will be inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
- During event named as “Jal Mahotsav”, adventure sports will also be organised.
- Jal Mahotsav is also the first ever water adventure sorts carnival of central India.
Hanuwantiya, which is under Khandwa district of the state, is about 130 kms from Indore and 280 kms from Bhopal.
- Events like tug of war, treasure hunt, night camping, para-sailing and visit on bullock cart to nearby villages are going to be major attractions of the festival.
Govt sanctioned 791 crore rupees under NDRF for drought affected Telangana
The High Level Committee (HLC) of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) 791 crore rupees to the drought affected Telangana.
- The decision has been taken during HCL meeting, which was attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
The committee took the decision after the examination of the proposal based on the report of the Central Team that visited the state.
- Earlier, the Central Team visited the state as the Government of Telangana on 25 November 2015 declared 231 mandals (blocks) as drought hit.
Kamal Haasan & Gautam Ghosh included in Shyam Benegal Committee
Actor-filmmaker Kamal Hassan and director Gautam Ghosh have been inducted in the Shyam Benegal committee that has been set up by the government to holistically look into the functioning of controversy ridden Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
- Committee Members: Shyam Benegal – Chairman, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Piyush Pandey and Bhawana Somayaa.
On Jan 1, 2016 the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry set up the panel under the chairmanship of Shyam Benegal to review the provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and recommend measures for the smooth run of CBFC.
Madhya Pradesh Government signed four MoUs with Singapore
Madhya Pradesh and the Singapore government have signed four MoUs during a business seminar attended by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the third day of his visit to Singapore.
MoUs signed between both Nations:
- 1,000-megawatt wind energy plant in western part of the state has been signed by the Department of New & Renewable Energy with Singapore corporation unit, Sembcorp Green Infra Ltd.
- MoU on urban planning was signed between Madhya Pradesh’s directorate of town and country Planning and the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise.
- MoU on skill training between its department of technical education and skill development and Singapore’s ITE Education Services.
- MoU on food processing between India’s LT Food Ltd and Singapore-based DSM Nutritional Products.
Chouhan assured investors that there is no shortage of skilled manpower, power and water for industries in the state & state will continue to build infrastructure, having invested USD 14.5 bn during financial year 2009-10 to 2013-14.
PM Modi to launched ‘Startup India’ campaign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the ‘Start-up India’ in New Delhi which is aimed at celebrating the entrepreneurship spirit of country’s youth.
- It will be attended by CEOs and founders of top start-ups from across the country and abroad.
The programme is aimed at promoting financing for the start-ups and gives incentives to boost entrepreneurship.
- “Start-up India, Stand-up India” programme will connect bright minds and youth all over India who have the talent and the capability to propel India’s growth.
Dr Jitendra Singh to inaugurate Hall of Nuclear Power in New Delhi
Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh inaugurated the “Hall of Nuclear Power” in New Delhi.
- This is Northern India’s first permanent exhibition on nuclear power, built in the national capital which is going to be opened to the public at the National Science Centre (NSC).
The exhibition, titled “Hall of Nuclear Power – Atoms Serving the Nation” is spread over an area of about 700 square metres with over 60 permanent exhibits, covering various aspects of nuclear energy, with prime focus on nuclear power plant safety and applications for human welfare.
- The exhibition will also include nuclear medicine, food irradiation as well as several other day-to-day applications of nuclear energy.
BANKING & FINANCE
Bank of India acquires 49% stake from BSE in BOI Shareholding
Mumbai headquartered Bank of India (BOI) has acquired 49% stake from BSE Ltd in their joint venture BOI Shareholding Ltd for an undisclosed amount.
- BOI Shareholding Ltd was established in 1989 as an independent full-fledged clearing house of the exchange with the public lender having 51% stake.
Keys BOI:
- CEO – Vijayalakshmi R. Iyer
- Tagline – Relationships beyond Banking
RBI raises shareholding in NHB by pumping in Rs 1,000 crore
Reserve Bank has increased its shareholding in National Housing Bank by contributing Rs 1,000 crore towards the paid capital from Rs 450 crore to Rs 1,450 crore.
- The move is aimed at facilitating NHB to expand financial operations given the demand for housing in the country under the NHB Act, 1987.
Set up in 1988, NHB is an apex level institution for housing, keeping in view the non-availability of long-term finance to individual households as a major lacuna impeding progress of housing sector in the country.
GOI and WB sign agreement for Neeranchal National Watershed Project
Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Birender Singh signed a loan agreement with World Bank for the Neeranchal National Watershed Project. The Neeranchal project was approved by the cabinet in October last year with a total budget outlay of Rs.2142 crore with the Government share of Rs.1071 crore and the rest 50% by the World Bank.
- The project to be implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development over a six-year period (2016-21) will support the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana in hydrology and water management, agricultural production systems, capacity building and monitoring and evaluation.
- Shri Singh informed that 12% of the area which can be called as wasteland will be targeted through this project to make about 336 lakh hectares of land arable.
Neeranchal National Watershed Project :
The Neeranchal National Watershed Project for India seeks to support the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) through technical assistance to improve incremental conservation outcomes and agricultural yields for communities in selected sites, and adoption of more effective processes and technologies into the broader IWMP in participating project states.
Key points :
- World Bank HQ: Washington D.C, US
- World Bank President : Jim Yong Kim
China’s Xi Jinping launches Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank(AIIB) in which India and 56 countries have joined as founding members was formally opened by President Xi Jinping. The bank was formally established in Beijing on December 25, 2015.
- Chairman of the AIIB council: Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei China’s First
- AIIB president: Former Finance Minister, Jin Liqun
- Authorised capital: $100 billion
- Subscribed capital: $50 billion
In all 57 countries have joined as founding members while US and Japan stayed out. An Indian delegation headed by Dinesh Sharma, additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance attended the opening ceremony.
BUSINESS
IndusInd Bank ties up with PayU India
IndusInd Bank has tied up with online payment solution firm payU India. This will help provide customers the full suite of consumer banking products online as well as payment innovations.
- Aim: To bridging the gap between conventional banking and new online payment systems.
- The collaboration will help create co-branded digital consumer banking products that will revolutionise the way digital banking and payments have shaped up and is expected to attract new customers across demographies.
IndusInd Bank :
- HQ :Mumbai
- Founded: 1994
- CEO:Romesh Sobti
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
NaMo presented Times Now “Amazing Indians Awards” 2016
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi presented the “Times Now” Amazing Indians Awards 2016 in recognition of great achievements in the face of adversity.
Delhi-based writer Ankita Anand won the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for work on Khap panchayats
Sensitive portrayal of life for young women facing the threat of the diktat of khap panchayats in Haryana has earned Ankita Anand, a journalist-writer won the European Commission’s prestigious Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for 2015 (Asia-Pacific).
- Anand’s experience and efforts were contained in a write-up ‘No Country for the New Woman’ was published in the summer number (April-June 2015) of the quarterly magazine ‘The Equator Line’, which centred on the theme of women’s freedom in India.
About Lorenzo Natali Media Prize :
- Lorenzo Natali Media Prize instituted by the European Commission, the 2015 edition of the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize was launched under the motto ‘Today’s stories can change our tomorrow‘, according to the Brussels-based secretariat.
- Anand, a regular contributor to ‘The Equator Line‘, is one of the nine winners out of around 1,400 contestants from around the world. The award entails a trophy and a money prize of 5000 euros.
Amritsar in Guinness Book of World Records
An offbeat message against drugs delivered through ‘largest bollywood dance performance‘ of students held at Khalsa College has earned Amritsar a place in Guinness Book of World Records announced by Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat.
- 8,726 students from 40 schools danced to the popular Bollywood song “India Wale” created a new record by beating the earlier feat by 4428 students in Mumbai in the year 2012.
- The performance of students attired in the same dress, on October 3, 2015 for an anti-drugs awareness campaign has added another feather to the cap of holy city.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan awarded with Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship in Singapore on January 13 for his contribution in development and international harmony.
- Earlier, former vice-chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former union minister for investments Arun Shourie and chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh Chandra Babu Naidu had received this fellowship.Chouhan will be fourth Indian to receive this fellowship.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
M-Health Services launched to Strengthen Public Health Infrastructure
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda launched m-Health initiatives which will make services cost effective. The services have been launched on the sidelines of commitment to priorities public health and strengthen citizen-centric health services by leveraging India’s expanding mobile phone penetration.
- J P Nadda has launched 4 mobile health (mHealth) services – Kilkari, Mobile Academy, M-Cessation and TB Missed Call initiative.
NASA’s Juno became the farthest travelled solar powered spacecraft
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has declared that its spacecraft Juno has broken the previous record of travelling farthest distance set by Rosetta spacecraft of the European Space Agency.
- NASA’s Juno travelled 793 million kilometer to break this record. Before this, Rosetta spacecraft of the European Space Agency travelled till 792 million kilometers.
About Spacecraft Juno:
- Juno was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (in USA) on August 5, 2011
- The Juno mission is being managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
- Juno is carrying 9 meter long three solar arrays tying 18,698 individual solar cells. Total weight of Juno is about 4 tonne.
- Juno is a NASA’s New Frontiers mission to the planet Jupiter. It is scheduled to reach Jupiter on July 4, 2016 to find out the origin of Jupiter, its surface, its atmosphere, etc.
It is expected that Juno’s maximum distance from the sun during its 16-month science mission will be about 832 million kilometers.
Second largest’ black hole in the Milky Way discovered
A team of Japanese astronomers has discovered an enigmatic gas cloud just 200 light years away from the centre of the Milky Way that can be the possible missing link in the black hole evolution.This may be the first detection of an intermediate mass black hole (IMBH).
Key facts :
- Astronomers already know about two sizes of black holes: stellar-mass black holes, formed after the gigantic explosions of very massive stars and supermassive black holes (SMBH) often found at the centres of galaxies.
- The mass of SMBH ranges from several million to billions of times the mass of the Sun.The gas cloud named “CO-0.40-0.22” unusual is its surprisingly wide velocity dispersion.
- A recent study suggested that there are 100 million black holes in the Milky Way Galaxy but X-ray observations have only found dozens so far.
SPORTS
Marat Safin Inducted Into International Tennis Hall of Fame
Former World No.1 tennis player Marat Safin of Russia has joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Russian Tennis Federation.
- The official ceremony to induct the Russian tennis player has been scheduled for July 16, 2016.
- Safin is the older brother of former world No. 1 WTA player, Dinara Safina. They are the first and only brother – sister tandem in tennis history who has both achieved no. 1 rankings.
Mesut Ozil named 2015 German Player of the Year
Mesut Ozil has been voted Germany national team player of the year for the fourth time.The Arsenal playmaker was in outstanding form for his club during 2015 and has awarded for his performances for the national team as well. The 27-year-old played a big part in ensuring the world champions reached Euro 2016 and played in all but one international for his country.
- First: Özil received 51,000 votes (45.9%)
- Second: Thomas Müller.
- Third: FC Köln’s Jonas Hector
Previous Winners:
- 2010: Bastian Schweinsteiger
- 2011, 2012,2013: Mesut Ozil
- 2014: Toni Kroos
Sania & Hingis Win Sydney International Title 2016
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis’ are continued to lifted their second trophy of the season with the WTA Apia International title after clinching their 30th win a row in Sydney .
- Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis’ defeated Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 1-6 7-5 10-5 win in one hour and 13 minutes.
- It was the 11th title together for the Indo-Swiss pair as continuing the good show from 2015 when they won 9 titles including the year-end WTA finale.
11 WTA doubles titles together:
Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and the WTA Finals last year, and now Brisbane and Sydney this year.
OBITUARY
Rajesh Vivek, Lagan Actor passed away
Television actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay, who played the popular character of Guran in Bollywood blockbuster, Lagaan passed away following a heart attack in Hyderabad. He was 66 years old.
- Rajesh was well-known for his role of an astrologer Guran in AamirKhan-starrer Lagaan, and as a postman in Shah Rukh Khan’s Swades.
