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Click here to try Current Affairs Quiz : January 5 2017
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Mega Festival on 350th Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti Organized in Patna
i. The 350th Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti was celebrated across the world on January 5, 2017.Marking the occasion, a huge festival known as Prakash Utsav also known as Prakash Parv has been organized in Patna, Bihar– the birth place of the Guru.
ii. The festival which is celebrated every year in Patna is attended by nearly 5 lakh devotees each year. The festival has been organized at the city’s iconic, sprawling Gandhi Maidan.
iii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Prakash Utsav, which marks the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. He reached Patna on January 5 where he was received by Governor Ramnath Kovind and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. PM Modi offered prayers and served “langar” at the 61-acre area, covered with glittering tents.
iv. Prime Minister Modi released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the occasion of 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.
Two-day Assam Biotech Conclave 2017 Begins in Guwahati
i. The two-day Assam Biotech Conclave 2017 began in Guwahati, Assam on January 5, 2017 at a city hotel. The Conclave will have the closing ceremony on January 6, 2017.
ii. Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal was the chief guest who inaugurated the Conclave in the presence of various guests of honours including State Science and Technology Minister Keshab Mahanta among others.
iii. The Conclave has been organized by the Guwahati Biotech Park (GBP), in association with Federation of Industry & Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER), as an Industry partner.
iv. The main objective of the conclave is to bring together the policy makers, industry professionals, investment bankers, Angel Investors and academicians to deliberate the latest trends in this sector which will create business and partnering opportunities for its stakeholders and to showcase the facilities and opportunities offered by Guwahati Biotech Park.
v. This conclave will revolve around a various sessions including technical, business tea research & biotechnology, sericulture biotechnology, entrepreneurship development, innovation & incubation, an MoU signing ceremony with various organizations, unveiling of draft state biotechnology policy for Assam and unveiling of master plan for Guwahati Biotech Park.
vi. Guwahati Biotech Park is also organizing a contest entitled ‘Talent Search Contest on Innovative Biotechnology Entrepreneurial Ideas’. The shortlisted participants will present their proposals and the best proposals will be awarded.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry Launches IPR Enforcement Toolkit for Police and IPR Awareness Campaign for school Children
The Union Commerce & Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launched an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement Toolkit for Police along with an IPR Awareness Campaign for School Children on January 4, 2017 in New Delhi.
♦ The IPR Enforcement Toolkit has been jointly prepared by Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
i. Features of the Toolkit
♦ This toolkit will enable the police officials across the country in dealing with IP crimes, 
specifically Trade Marks counterfeiting and Copyrights piracy. The device would include details of offences under various laws along with checklists for registering a complaint and conducting search and seizures.
♦ It also lays down general guidelines for search and seizure in case of IP crimes. This toolkit will be provided to all state police departments across the nation to assist them in dealing with the cases relating to Trademarks and Copyrights infringements.
ii. IPR Awareness Campaign
♦ CIPAM is also launching an IPR Awareness campaign for schoolchildren, in collaboration with the International Trademark Association (INTA) to spread the message of IPRs in a creative and engaging manner among the children to inculcate respect for IPRs amongst them from an early age, so that they become responsible users of IPRs in the future.
♦ For this, CIPAM will make use of presentations and creatively illustrated posters and pamphlets to cover the basics on IPRs and the need to protect IPRs.
iii. Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM)
♦ The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is working to ensure effective implementation of the National IPR Policy 2016. Two MoU on IPRs were recently signed with UK and Singapore.
♦ CIPAM is looking forward to work with various stakeholders in its journey of making Creative India; Innovative India.
Three Days International Conference on “Yoga for Diabetes” Organised in New Delhi
i. The Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge), Shri Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated the International Conference on “Yoga for Diabetes” which began in New Delhi on January 4, 2017.
ii. The three days conference aims to generate discussions on the role of Yoga in the prevention and management of Diabetes and draw up a roadmap to be adopted for the control of Diabetes through Yoga.
iii. The Conference consists of main and parallel sessions on different aspects of Yoga & Diabetes including research, policy making and panel discussion. It provides a common platform for the Allopathy and AYUSH practitioners, Researchers, Academicians, Policy makers and students to come together in the fight against diabetes
iv. Approximately 400 delegates and 50 eminent experts from India and abroad are expected to participate in the Conference. The conference would conclude on January 6, 2017.
BANKING & FINANCE
Karnataka Bank launches group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme named KBL Suraksha
i. Karnataka Bank has launched has launched a group Personal Accident Insurance Scheme for all its Saving Bank(SB) Account holders. The insurance scheme is named “KBL Suraksha” and provides insurance cover for accidental death.
ii. All the SB Account holders within the age group of 18-70 years can register themselves for the insurance scheme. The KBL Suraskha Scheme comes in two variants.
iii. Plan A– provides an accidental insurance of Rs 5 lakh on payment of Annual premium of Rs 50(plus service charge). Plan B – provides an accidental insurance of Rs 10 lakh on payment of Annual premium of Rs 100(plus service charge). The maximum renewal age for the policy will be 75 years.
iv. Karnataka Bank has launched the insurance scheme in association with Universal Sompo General Insurance. The bank has launched a month-long campaign to promote its “KBL Suraksha” scheme.
About Karnataka Bank
♦ Headquarter : Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
♦ MD and CEO : Shri P.Jayarama Bhat
♦ Tagline : Your Family Bank. Across India.
SIDBI ties up with LIC for capital support to enterprises
i. Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has tied up with Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to give a boost to the venture capital ecosystem for MSMEs.
ii. LIC and SIDBI signed Contribution Agreements with 7 Venture Capital Funds (VCFs) with an aggregate commitment of Rs 99.50 crore from LIC on January 03 in New Delhi. This is over and above commitment of Rs 162.75 crore already given to these funds by SIDBI.
iii. Commitments made by SIDBI in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 were Rs 314.40 (11 funds) and Rs 606.75 crore (19 funds), respectively.
iv. SIDBI constituted a Venture Capital Investment Committee (VCIC) in 2015 to outlook this process. The panel comprises experts such as H K Mittal (head, National Science & Tech Entrepreneurship Development Board), Kiran Karnik (former Nasscom chief), Sanjeev Bikhchandani (founder, naukri.Com), Saurabh Srivastava (co-founder Nasscom and Indian Angel Network), Prof R Vaidyanathan (from IIM, Bangalore) and T V Mohandas Pai (former CFO, Infosys).
LIC :
♦ Headquarters: Mumbai
♦ Founder: Government of India
♦ Founded: September 1, 1956
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Capgemini Appoints Anil Jalali of IBM as HR head for India Operation
i. French Consulting Corporation, Capgemini has appointed Anil Jalali as Chief Human Resources Officer for its India operation, effective January 1, 2017.
ii. Jalali takes over from BL Narayan who is joining Capgemini’s Business Services Strategic Business unit as head of solutions and sales support.
iii. Jalali joined Capgemini India from IBM India where he was the executive director of human resource.
iv. Capgemini is a French multinational management consulting corporation headquartered in Paris, France. It is one of the world’s largest consulting, technology and outsourcing companies with 180,000 employees in over 40 countries
IBM India Appoints Karan Bajwa as Managing Director
i. Technology giant IBM has appointed Karan Bajwa as the Managing Director of its India operations on January 4, 2017
ii. He succeeds Vanitha Narayana, who has been elevated as Chairman of IBM India.
iii. Bajwa will be responsible for all strategic and operational matters related to IBM’s sales, marketing, services and delivery operations in the India/South Asia region, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
iv. Bajwa joined IBM in 2016 as Executive for Strategy and Transformation in the Asia—Pacific region. . He was associated with IBM’s networking business and was based in Singapore in 2001—05. Previously, he was Microsoft India’s Managing Director
v .International Business Machines Corporation is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States, with operations in over 170 countries.
S Padmanabhan Appointed as Chairman of Tata Power
i. Tata Sons has nominated S Padmanabhan as the Chairman of Tata Power Co Ltd with immediate effect, in place of Cyrus Mistry who resigned in December 2016.
ii. S Padmanabhan was the executive director of operations at the company until 2014. He has been brought back as an additional director on the board in December 2016.
iii. He is also the executive chairman of the Tata Business Excellence Group and has recently been appointed as Tata Sons’ group head for human resources. Padmanabhan has been with the Tata Group for 34 years, of which 26 were with Tata Consultancy Services.
Sir Tim Barrow has been appointed as the Britain’s ambassador to the EU
i. Sir Tim Barrow has been appointed as the Britain’s ambassador to the European Union(EU) by after Sir Ivan Rogers resigned from the post on 3 January 2017.
ii. Sir Tim Barrow was earlier the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Moscow.
iii. The resignation of Sir Ivan Roger came after an internal memo written by him was leaked which stated that the UK and the European Union might not be reached for 10 years. This was against the view of government on the BREXIT referendum mandate.
iv. The replacement of Sir Ivan Roger was needed quickly as there was need to prepare for the Brexit talks. Also the appointment of Sir Tim Barrow is bit surprising as he is not a wholehearted supporter of Brexit.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Scientists discover a new human organ, Mesentery, in digestive system
i. Scientists in Ireland have discovered a brand new organ named Mesentery, inside the digestive system which was not known till date.
ii. As per the research published in the journal, The Lancet Gastroenterology and 
Hepatology, J Calvin Coffey, Professor of Surgery at University of Limerick in Ireland described mesentery as an organ which was for past 100 years being considered as a fragmented structure made up of multiple separate parts.
iii. Mesentery is a fold of the peritoneum which attaches the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, spleen, and other organs to the posterior wall of the abdomen.
iv. Researchers hope that the discovery will aid better understanding and treatment of abdominal and digestive diseases with less invasive surgeries, fewer complications, faster patient recovery and lower overall costs.
SPORTS
India Surpasses Bangladesh to Clinch SAFF Women’s Championship 2016
i. Indian Women Football Team won their fourth consecutive (South Asian Football Federation) SAFF Women’s Championship title defeating Bangladesh 3-1 in the finals at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri, West Bengal on January 4, 2017.
ii .Indian Team, coached by Sajid Dar, beat Nepal 3-1 in the semi-finals to enter the final against Bangladesh.
iii. This was the first time India had hosted the SAFF Women’s Championship. Earlier the Indian team won the Championship in the year 2010, 2012 and 2014.
MS Dhoni Quits from India’s ODI and T20 Captaincy
i. Indian Cricketer, Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as the captain of the Indian team in limited over formats on January 4, 2017, just ahead of the ODI series to be 
against England in January 2017. However, he will still be available for selection as a wicketkeeper-batsman for the One Day and T20I series series.
ii .The 35-year-old had given up the Test captaincy in December 2014, when he retired from the format after the Melbourne Test. However, he stayed on as ODI and T20 international captain.
iii. Jharkhand hailing Dhoni has been India’s most successful captain. Under his leadership India have won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011, ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and also reached the top of the Test rankings in 2009.
iv. He made 6633 ODI runs as captain at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 86. As captain in T20Is, Dhoni scored 1112 runs at a strike rate of 122.60. In Test cricket, he made 3454 runs at an average of 40.63. He has played 90 Tests, 283 ODIs, and 73 T20Is so far
v. Test skipper Virat Kohli is the front-runner to replace the Ranchi wicketkeeper-batsman.
105 year old man made history by cycling 14 miles in 1 hour
i. Robert Marchand a 105 year old man has made a record by cycling 22.547km (14 miles) in 1 hour. In 2012 he had already set a record of cycling 26.927km in 1 hour.
ii. Robert Marchand if from France and he completed his 14 miles race by completing 92 laps round the velodrome(cycling arena) at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Paris.
iii. As per Mr Manchand he did not see the sign warning that said that only 10 minutes were remaining, else he would have posted a better time.
iv. Born on 26 November 1911 Mr Marchand depends on good diet which includes fruits and vegetables for his fitness. He has been a prisoner during the World War II and has worked as lorry driver and sugarcane planter in Venezuela, and a lumberjack in Canada
OBITUARY
Sitar Player Abdul Halim Jaffer dies at 88
i. Renowned Sitar maestro Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan died at his Bandra residence in 
Mumbai on January 4, 2017 due to cardiac arrest. He was 88.
ii. Khan was the last survivor of the Sitar Trinity that comprised Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan. He has been credited for innovating the unique music style of “Jafferkhani Baaj“.
iii. The musician was the recipient of the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi awards.
Gangumei Kabui, Former Manipur Minister, Historian Passes Away
i. The renowedhistorian Gangmumei Kabui passed away in Imphal, Manipur. He was 77
ii. Kabui was the founder & president of the Federal Party of Manipur . He had served as a Cabinet minister twice from Nungba constituency.
iii. He joined BJP in 2013 and established several social bodies related with history and performing arts.
iv. He has written more than 15 books related with the history of Manipur and the various ethnic groups settled in the state.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Book on Dr. Kalam titled “The People’s President: Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam” released
i. A book on the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was released on January 4, 2017 in New Delhi by the Vice President, Shri M. Hamid Ansari in the presence of the Union 
Minister for Finance and Corporate, Arun Jaitley.
ii. The book titled, ‘The People’s President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’ has been written by Shri S.M. Khan who served as the Press Secretary to President Kalam.
iii. Through this book, the author has made an attempt to make people aware about the lesser known facts and stories responsible to make Dr. Kalam as the People’s President.
iv. The book also mentions the various National and International tours made by the great President during his tenure, with the first one being to Gujarat in 2002 where he was received by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi.
