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NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Department of Heavy Industries sanctioned 2636 EV charging stations across the country
On January 3, 2020 the Department of Heavy Industries had sanctioned 2636 EV (Electric Vehicles) charging stations in 62 cities across 24 State/UTs under FAME India (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) scheme phase II to clean the mobility in Road Transport Sector. It aims to increase the electric vehicle users and also encourage Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM) to launch new electric models.
About EV charging stations:
i.A total of 317 EV charging stations have been allotted in Maharashtra which is highest among 24 states.
ii.Under FAME India scheme, the Department of Heavy Industries invited the “Expressions of Interest (EoI) “from various cities across the country and received 106 proposals for 7000 EV charging station. Out of which 2636 EV charging stations were selected with the help of Project Implementation and Sanctioning Committee (PISC)….Click here to Read More
KVIC’s 1st Silk Processing Plant opens in Gujarat to boost Patola Saree production
On January 3, 2020 Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) opened its first Silk Processing Plant in Surendranagar district of Gujarat to increase the production of Gujarat Patola Sarees. The Plant was set up at a cost of Rs 75 lakh by Khadi institution where RS 60 lakh was contributed by KVIC. Patola Sarees are the trademark of Gujarat.
Key Points:
i.The Plant helps in reducing the production cost of silk yarn this helps in increasing the availability of raw materials for Gujarat Patola sarees.
ii.90 local women were employed in the plant.
iii.Patola sarees are costly because raw materials of silk yarn were purchased from Karnataka and West Bengal.
iv.According to KVIC, cocoons will be brought from Karnataka and West Bengal to the plant and silk yarn will be processed, this helps in reducing the cost of Patola Sarees.
About KVIC:
Chairman- V K Saxena
Headquarters- Mumbai
About Gujarat:
Chief Minister- Vijay Rupani
Governor- Acharya Devvrat
State Animal- Asiatic lion
State Bird- Greater flamingo
State Tree- Banyan
State Flower- Marigold
NEST division is formed by Ministry of External Affairs
On January 1, 2020 The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies (NEST) division which helps to deal with new and emerging technologies. NEST helps to partner with 5G and artificial intelligence areas of other countries.
About NEST:
i.Under NEST, central government allows data sharing of various network makers in which Huawei shares its customer details with Chinese government under 5G trails.
ii.This division acts as the intermediate agency within the Ministry for issues pertaining to new and emerging technologies.
iii.It Create’s HR capacity within MEA for technology diplomacy.
iv.NEST also negotiates “technology governance rules, standards and architecture” in multilateral frameworks.
v.India’s national security goal and developmental priorities will also be aligned with this policy.
About MEA:
External Affairs Minister of India- Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (Constituency- Gujarat)
House- Rajya Sabha
Overview of PM Modi’s 2-day visit to Karnataka
The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi paid a 2 day visit to the state of Karnataka from January 2-3, 2019 to attend events in Tumakuru and Bengaluru cities of the state. He arrived at the Yelahanka air base, Bengaluru. The visit in detail are as follows:
- PM Shri Modi released the 3rd installment of PM Kisan scheme i.e., Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana of Rs.2000 for the December2019- March 2020 period.
- PM Modi inaugurated 5 new scientific DRDO (Defence Research Development Organisation) laboratories in Bengaluru. In this laboratory only scientists under the age of 35 years will be deployed.
- Prime Minister was inaugurating the 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC) at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Bengaluru. The theme of ISC for the year 2020 was “Science and Technology: Rural Development”.
- Prime Minister also launched the Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) Portal during ISC….Click here to Read More
1st of-its kind turtle rehab centre comes up in Bihar
A 1st of its kind rehabilitation centre for freshwater turtles is to be inaugurated in January 2020 in the Bhagalpur forest division of Bihar. This centre spread over half a hectare will be able to shelter 500 turtles at a time. The centre will also treat turtles that are sick, severely injured or smuggled, and then be returned safely into its natural habitat.
Key Points:
i.The turtles will be properly monitored before being released back.
ii.NMCG & WII report: According to a report by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) , the turtle species are under threat due to loss through dams and barrages, pollution, illegal poaching, accidental drowning through fishing nets and threats to their nesting habitats etc.
iii.Traffic India study: According to a recent study conducted by Traffic India, nearly 11,000 turtles are being smuggled in India annually which makes 1,10,000 turtles in the past 10 years.
About Bihar:
Capital- Patna.
Chief Minister- Nitish Kumar.
Governor- Phagu Chauhan.
National parks- Valmiki National park.
India and Pakistan exchanged list of Nuclear Installations in their countries
On January 01, 2020, India and Pakistan exchanged lists of nuclear installations. The 2 countries have agreed to not be targeted incase of hostilities in continuation of the 3 decade old tradition. The exchanges were shared through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad (Pakistan).The other events in brief are as follows:
- Nuclear installation list Pact: The nuclear installation exchange was done under the terms of the under the agreement on prohibition of attack against nuclear installations between India and Pakistan that came into force on January 27, 1991.
- Both country nationals in prison shared under pact: India and Pakistan have also shared lists of their nationals held in prisons in other country. The information is exchanged under the Agreement on Consular Access pact signed in May 2008….Click here to Read More
BANKING & FINANCE
Exim Bank grants $75 mn line of credit to Cuba for solar parks
On January 3, 2020, Export-Import (Exim)Bank, the premier export finance institution of India has given a $75 million (over Rs 500 crore) line of credit (LoC, a soft loan/loan with low-interest rate) to Cuba for financing 75 MW (megawatt) Photovoltaic Solar Parks.
Key Points:
i.The Agreement in this regard between Exim Bank & Banco Exterior De Cuba, a nominated agency of the Government of Cuba, signed on July 16,2019 & is effective from December 12,2019.
ii.Out of the total assistance by Exim Bank under the agreement,financing of eligible goods, works and services of the value of at least 75 % of the contract price shall be supplied by the seller from India and the remaining 25 % of goods and services may be procured by the seller for the purpose of eligible contract from outside India. It will be subject to the eligibility for export under the Foreign Trade Policy of India.
iii.As per the agreement,the terminal utilisation time is 60 months period after the scheduled completion date of the project.
About Exim Bank:
Founded– 1 January 1982
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Managing Director- David Rasquinha
About Cuba:
Capital– Havana
Currency– Peso (CUP)
President– Miguel Díaz-Canel
Prime Minister- Manuel Marrero Cruz
RevFin partners with PNB MetLife to provide life insurance to its customers
On January 03, 2020, India’s leading Digital lending startup, RevFin Services Private Limited has joined hands with PNB MetLife India Insurance Company to offer protection to the RevFin’s customers by bundling life insurance cover on their loans. This insurance covers loans up to Rs 3 lakh for a period of 3 years.
Key Points:
i.In addition to this, RevFin customers who have taken a loan to buy an electric three-wheeler vehicle, can take benefit of this partnership, and cover their remaining loan amount during the loan period.
ii.PNB MetLife’s suite of products will be provided digitally through RevFin’s (iOS- iPhone Operating System and Android) app, so that there is no additional paperwork needed.
iii.The collaboration will help PNB MetLife to reach out to unbanked areas & drive greater financial inclusion in the country by securing the families of the borrowers against loan repayment in case of unfortunate death of the borrower.
About RevFin:
Formation– 16 March 2018
Headquarters– NewDelhi
CEO– Sameer Aggarwal
About PNB MetLife India Insurance Company:
Founded– 2001
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD& CEO– Ashish Kumar Srivastava
It has as its shareholders MetLife International Holdings LLC (MIHL), Punjab National Bank Limited (PNB), Jammu & Kashmir Bank Limited (JKB), M. Pallonji and other private investors.
CSC signed pact with Paytm Payments Bank for sale of FASTags
On January 04, 2020, CSC e-Governance services India ltd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Paytm Payments Bank ltd (PPBL) for selling FASTags. Through this MoU, FASTags will be sold through the last mile network of 3.6 lakh CSCs (Common Service Centres). This will help in enhancing govt’s vision of cashless and smoot transit at toll plazas in the country. CSC will integrate its platform with PPBL to carry out the transactions. Village level entrepreneurs will be trained on conducting online sales which are cashless and paperless.
- CSCs have been providing FASTag services since 2 years. It initially partnered with Equitas bank in September 2017 and later with State Bank of India (SBI) and HDFC (Housing Development Finance Corporation) bank.
- Since March 2019, CSCs tied up with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) also for selling FASTags.
- Fastags have been mandatory in the country at toll gates on national highways (NH). It allows toll payments directly from prepaid or savings account linked to it. The FASTags work on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology….Click here to Read More
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
India’s foreign exchange reserve touches a record level of $457.46 bn: RBI
On January 03, 2020, According to the “Bulletin Weekly Statistical Supplement – Extract” released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves rose by $ 2.520 billion to a record $ 457.468 billion during the week ended 27 December 2019.
Key Points:
i.The main reason for increase in foreign exchange reserves is the increase in foreign exchange assets, which is the main component of forex.
ii.Foreign Currency Assets (FCA): Foreign currency assets rose by $ 2.203 billion to $ 424.936 billion during the week.
FCA’s include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and the yen held in the forex reserves.
iii.Gold Reserve: The country’s gold reserves also increased by $ 260 million to reach $ 27.392 billion during the week.
iv.SDR:The country’s special drawing rights (SDR) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declined by $ 2 million to $ 1.441 billion.
v.Reserve Position in the IMF: India’s reserve position with the IMF Fund increased by $ 58 million to $ 3.7 billion.
Note: Total Reserves = Foreign Currency Assets +Gold + SDRs + Reserve Position in the IMF
Foreign exchange reserves:
These are assets held on reserve by RBI in foreign currencies. These reserves are used to back liabilities and influence monetary policy. It includes any foreign money held by a central bank, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Dubai-based Indian singer, Sucheta Satish wins Global child prodigy award 2020
On January 3, 2020, A Dubai-based Indian girl, Sucheta Satish (13), who sings in 120 languages, has won the ‘100 Global Child Prodigy Award 2020′ in the category of singing. The award ceremony was held in Ashok Hotel, Delhi. She was awarded by Puducherry ieutenant (Lt) Governor Kiran Bedi.
Key Points:
i.Suchetha, a student in Dubai Indian High School, was awarded along with 99 other child prodigies at the awards, which was attended by chief guest Nobel Peace Prize (2014) winner Shri Kailash Satyarthi.
ii.She made her double world record in January 2018 in Dubai at the Indian Consulate Auditorium, as a 12-year-old when she sings in 102 different languages over 6 hours and 15 minutes. She can currently sing in 120 languages and recently released her second album ‘Ya Habibi’ in Arabic.
About 100 Global Child Prodigy Award:
This award is a platform to showcase the talent of children in dance, music, art, writing, acting, modeling, science, sports etc. The award is supported by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Oscar Award-winning music producer AR Rahman among others.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATION
North Macedonia PM Zoran Zaev submitted his resignation
On January 3, 2020 North Macedonia Prime Minister (PM) Zoran Zaev submitted his resignation which paves a way to form a new caretaker government under the country’s former interior minister Oliver Spasovski until April 12, 2020 election.
About Zoran Zaev:
i.He was born on 8 October 1974 in Strumica, North Macedonia.
ii.Zaev was a member of North Macedonia’s parliament between 2003 and 2005 and mayor of Strumica between 2005 and 2016.
iii.He belongs to Social Democratic Union of Macedonia party.
About North Macedonia:
Capital- Skopje
Currency- Macedonian denar
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ISRO sets its fourth RAC-S in Karnataka
On January 3, 2020 Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) sets its fourth Regional Academic Centre for Space (RAC-S) at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NIT-K) at Surathkal in Mangaluru taluk.
Key Points:
i.The center helps for advanced research in the areas of relevance to the future technological and programmatic needs of the Indian Space program.
ii.It also helps in the promotion of space technology in southern regions like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Pondicherry, and Lakshadweep.
iii.RAC-S encourages institutions to take part in advanced research technologies related to space technology,
iv.Joint Policy Management committee (JPMC) in RAC-S consists of experts from ISRO and NITK. These members will conduct activities in institutions on advanced space research technology.
v.ISRO has set its first RAC-S in Jaipur, second at Guwahati and third at Kurukshetra.
vi.ISRO will provide Rs 2 Crore annually per year for the conduct of research and development projects.
About ISRO:
Chairman- K Sivan
Headquarters- Bengaluru
ISRO CPBO director- Dr P V Venkitakrishnan
ENVIRONMENT
Paddlefish of China’s Yangtze River, declared as extinct
On January 03, 2020, China has declared that the country’s giant paddlefish often called as ‘Panda of the Yangtze river’ or ‘Chinese swordfish’ has become extinct. The extinction was reported due to decades of overfishing. As per scientists of the Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute (YRFRI) the paddlefish with scientific name Psephurus gladius which can grow upto 22 feet (7 meters) in length became extinct between 2005 and 2010.
Key points:
i.The fish can grow at around 10 feet long on average was a native to Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia. The team conducted basin-wide survey between 2017 and 2018. Out of the 332 species that was found, not even single liven specimen of the paddlefish was found.The last confirmed sighting of the paddlefish was in the year 2003.
ii.The conclusion regarding the extiction was based on an evaluation by a panel of experts arranged by the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) of Nature in Shanghai.The announcement was made through a research paper published in Science of the Total Environment.
SPORTS
India’s Manav Thakkar, jumped 9 spots to No.1 in U-21 table tennis category
Manav Thakar (19), an Indian table tennis player from Uttar Pradesh jumped nine places and become the world’s No.1 player U-21 (Under-21) Men’s single category rankings released by the IITF (International Table Tennis Federation). Thakar won the U-21 men’s singles title at the ITTF Challenge Plus Benemax-Virgo North American Open in Markham, Canada by defeating Argentina’s player Martin Bentancor, in December 2019.
Achievements:
i.He is the fourth Indian to win U-21 title, after Harmeet Desai, G Sathiyan and Soumyajit Ghosh.
ii.Thakar also achieved in World’s No1 U-18 ranking.
Key Points:
i.Among other Indians, Sathiyam has retained his 30th spot in the senior category, while Achanta Sharath Kamal ranked at 33rd position.
ii.Among women, India’s Manika Batra was static at the 61st position.
About ITTF:
Headquarters- Lausanne, Switzerland.
President- Thomas Weikert.
OBITUARY
NBA mastermind David Joel Stern of New York, US dead at 77
On January 1,2020 David Joel Stern born in New York, United States (US), the former commissioner of the NBA (National Basketball Association), passed away due to brain haemorrhage at the age of 77 in New York.
Key Points:
i.He took the NBA’s growth into a global sports powerhouse.
ii.He served as commissioner of the NBA for 30 (1984-2014) years.
iii.In 1978 he joined NBA as general counsel and became executive vice president of the NBA in 1980.
Tamra Patra awardee Centenarian Freedom fighter Bhim Chandra Jana dies at 107
On January 4 2020, Centenarian Freedom fighter Bhim Chandra Jana, who spied on British police, has died of old-age related ailments in West Bengal’s Howrah District at the age of 107.
Key Points:
i.Bhim Chandra Jana was also known as ‘Nanu’ to other freedom fighters of Bengal.
ii.Jana was awarded by the Government of India after Independence. In 1972, he was awarded the Tamra Patra (a copper plaque given to freedom fighters by the Centre) when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India.
About West Bengal:
Capital- Kolkata.
Chief Minister- Mamata Banerjee.
Governor- Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Districts- 23.
State Bird- White-throated Kingfisher.
State Animal- Fishing cat.
State Tree- Chatim tree.
State Flower- Night-flowering jasmine.
Former Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker, P.H. Pandian passes away at the age of 74
On January 04, 2020, Paul Hector (PH) Pandian, an Indian politician of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party & former Speaker of Tamil Nadu (TN) Assembly passed away at a private hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu after prolonged illness. He was 74.
i.Born on 29 March 1945 in Cheranmahadevi town in Tirunelveli district of TN, Pandian joined AIADMK in 1972. He was the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from February 27, 1985 – February 5, 1989.
ii.A lawyer by profession, Pandian was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from his native Cheranmahadevi assembly seat in 1977, 1980 and 1984 & he went on to be elected as Member of Parliament (MP) in 1999, from Tirunelveli constituency.
iii.He also served as former Chief Minister (CM) J Jayalalithaa’s legal advisor from 1996 – 1999.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Braille Day 2020 is observed on January 4
World Braille Day is being observed on January 4 every year across the world to mark the remembrance of Louis Braille who invented Braille script which helps the visually disable persons to read as well as to write. The day is celebrated by the United Nations (UN) and other organizations.
Keypoints:
i.Aim: The aim is to spread awareness among society about the plight and cause of people with visual abilities.
ii.Louis Braille was born on 4th January 1809 in the town of Coupvray in Northern France. iii.He lost his eyes just at the age of 3. This led to the invention of language with 6 dots- Braille script.
iv.UN Observed First Official World Braille Day on 4th January 2019 through United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) proclamation in November 2018.
v.Many organizations like banks, hospitals, and restaurants fail to print their material in Braille script which creates difficulties for visually impaired persons and hence to spread awareness among people.
STATE NEWS
CM Jagan Mohan reddy inaugurates YSR Aarogyasri scheme at Eluru, Andhra pradesh
On January 3, 2020,In a bid to provide free medical treatment to the poor, The Chief Minister (CM) of Andhra Pradesh (AP),Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy has inaugurated “YSR Aarogyasri scheme” at Eluru in West Godavari district of AP.
The scheme will be extended to each district of the state from the month April 2020.
i.Eligibility & Treatment amount: The revamped healthcare scheme is aimed at providing free medical treatment to people having an annual income of up to Rs 5 lakh & those eligible people will also be given Aarogyasri cards. For this, the state government will distribute 1.42 crores cards with QR (Quick Response) codes across the state. Free treatment will be provided to the person whose treatment cost is more than Rs 1,000.
ii.Coverage: The flagship scheme will cover 2,059 medical ailments, up from the previous 1059 diseases….Click here to Read More
AC BYTES
India welcomes highest number of New born babies on first day of 2020, Surpasses China: UNICEF
As per UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), India has recorded the highest number of births of 67,385 children on the first day of 2020 in the world. A Total of 3,92,078 babies were born around the world.
******Current Affairs 4 January 2020 Headlines******
- Department of Heavy Industries sanctioned 2636 EV charging stations across the country
- KVIC’s 1st Silk Processing Plant opens in Gujarat to boost Patola Saree production
- NEST division is formed by Ministry of External Affairs
- Overview of PM Modi’s 2-day visit to Karnataka
- 1st of-its kind turtle rehab centre comes up in Bihar
- India and Pakistan exchanged list of Nuclear Installations in their countries
- Exim Bank grants $75 mn line of credit to Cuba for solar parks
- RevFin partners with PNB MetLife to provide life insurance to its customers
- CSC signed pact with Paytm Payments Bank for sale of FASTags
- India’s foreign exchange reserve touches a record level of $457.46 bn: RBI
- Dubai-based Indian singer, Sucheta satish wins Global child prodigy award 2020
- North Macedonia PM Zoran Zaev submitted his resignation
- ISRO sets its fourth RAC-S in Karnataka
- Paddlefish of China’s Yangtze River, declared as extinct
- India’s Manav Thakkar, Uttar Pradesh jumped 9 spots to No.1 in U-21 table tennis category
- NBA mastermind David Joel Stern New york,United States dead at 77
- Centenarian Freedom fighter Bhim Chandra Jana dies at 107
- Former Tamil Nadu Assembly speaker, P.H. Pandian passes away at the age of 74
- World Braille Day 2020 is observed on January 4
- CM Jagan mohan reddy inaugurates YSR Aarogyasri scheme at Eluru, Andhra Pradesh
- India welcomes highest number of New born babies on first day of 2020,Surpasses China: UNICEF
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