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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Kerala initiated “Sampoorna Arogya Keralam” project
Kerala has decided to implement the “Sampoorna Arogya Keralam” which is aimed at to bring all major government health services under one umbrella. At least 42 lakh families are expected to benefit under this scheme.
- After its implementation, people of Kerala will not be required to visit multiple offices or agencies for medical care.
- People can go to enlisted public and private hospitals and get the services through a smart health card.
- The Chief Minister will head the Sampoorna Arogya Kerala Trust, which will monitor and implement the project.
Project oultay – ₹20 crore
Eligibility for project – Families with annual income below ₹3 lakh
QCI to make Report Card of Swachh Bharat Mission
To make a report on the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Urban Development has commissioned Quality Council of India (QCI) which will rank 75 cities on sanitation and cleanliness after an extensive survey.
- The survey conducted by QCI dubbed “Swachh Survekshan” will cover all state capitals and another 53 cities with a population above one million.
- A base-year pre survey was conducted in 2015 before the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
- Swachh Survekshan is being conducted between January 5 and January 20. The results are expected to be announced on January 25, 2016.
President promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016
President has promulgated Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016 to make amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968.
Aim: To ensure that the enemy properties that have been vested in the Custodian remain so and they do not revert back to the enemy subject or enemy firm.
Amendments
- Once an enemy property is entrusted in the Custodian, it shall continue to be entrusted in him as enemy property.
- Law of succession does not apply to enemy property.
- No transfer of any property vested in the Custodian by an enemy and that the Custodian shall preserve the enemy property till it is disposed of.
Earlier Facts: The Enemy Property Act was enacted in the year 1968 by the Government of India.
- In Indo-Pak war 1965 and 1971, there was migration of people from India to Pakistan. So, the GOI took over the properties and companies of such persons who had taken Pakistani nationality.
Operation Green Hunt to hunt Maoists
Communist Party of India (Maoist) took the responsibility for killing 14 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Sukma district of south Chhattisgarh.
- Reason behind Attack: According to them the attack was people’s reply to the expansionist policies of the Narendra Modi Government(Centre) and Raman Singh(State). It was an answer to the Operation Green Hunt.
- To stop attacks on the people of Danda Karanya by CRPF and STF( Special Task Force) personnel, rebels in association with the PLGA (People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army) fighters attacked on the CRPF.
Operation Green Hunt was the name used by the Indian media to describe the all-out offensive by government of India’s paramilitary forces and the state’s forces against the Naxalites.
- CRPF Director General: Prakash Mishra
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Saudi Arabia is Third Happiest Country
Saudi Arabia became third country for the world’s happiest countries in which almost no European. It has only been cracked to top position by Fiji(beautiful islands) and Colombia(suffers from drug-related wars and corruption).
- Saudi Arabia, the country arrests and imprisons critics, executes the Shia religious minority, and does not adequately protect women in law from discrimination and sexual violence as per Amnesty report.
- Research: By WIN/Gallup International
Other Countires’ Ranks
- Eighth: Mexico-despite the number of deaths in the country outpacing that of Afghanistan and Iraq combined between 2007 and 2014 because of gang violence.
- Ninth: Iceland and China
- Tenth: France and Italy
- Greece is the third most unhappy country
BANKING & FINANCE
SBT to sponsor NeFMS under MGNREGA
Union cabinet has instigated an electronic fund management system for direct and faster release of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREGA) scheme.
- Centre has introduced this scheme in the country for the first time and picked up Kerala for the pilot project.
- Thiruvananthapuram headquartered State Bank of Travancore (SBT) is the sponsor bank for this scheme.
Subscribers of New Pension System can now make payments online
Pension fund regulator PFRDA launched a platform for subscribers of New Pension System. With this they can now make their payments online through net banking, credit or debit cards.
Directions:
- A potential subscriber can register for NPS
- Contribute to his/her Permanent Retirement Account
- Subscribers who already have an NPS account can make contributions through eNPS directly.
Online platform: www.Npstrust.Org.In
Chairman PFRDA: Hemant G Contractor
HDFC targets fund size of Rs. 5000 crore for HCARE-1
HDFC Capital Advisors has been appointed as an investment manager for the HDFC Capital Affordable Real Estate Fund-1 (HCARE-1).
- HCARE-1: SEBI registered Alternative Investment Fund (AIF).
- Objective: To primarily make medium to long term investments towards development of mass housing where the residential units would be priced in a manner so as to cater to the residential demand of the urban middle-income households.
- Targeted fund size: Approximately Rs. 5,000 crore and the first close will be Rs. 2,700 crore.
- Tenure: 12Years
Points to remember: HDFC
- CEO: Aditya Puri
- HQ: Mumbai
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Central Banker of the Year Award 2016 bestowed upon Raghuram Rajan
The mastermind that stabilizes the Indian economy, Raghuram Rajan (Reserve Bank of India Governor) has been conferred with the Central Banker of the Year Award (Global and Asia Pacific) for 2016 by “The Banker”, a monthly publication of the Financial Times Group focusing on banking.
- In 2015, Indian GDP grew at 7.5% which was considered as the strongest among large economies.
- The rupee was one of the few stable emerging market currencies in 2015.
- This award recognizes the officials and bankers who have best managed to stimulate growth and stabilise their country’s economy.
Ananth Kumar presented India Pharma Awards 2016
The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Ananth Kumar gave away the 1st India Pharma awards during India Medical Expo 2016 in Bengaluru motivate Indian Pharma and medical devices industries.
- India Medical Expo 2016 was jointly organized by the Department of Pharmaceuticals and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry from 7th-9th January, 2016 at Bangalore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Bangalore.
Azim Premji the ‘most generous Indian’ in Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015
Azim Premji has come out as the ‘most generous Indian’ in the Hurun India Philanthropy List 2015 in a ranking of the most generous individuals from India.
- Premji donated Rs 27,514 crore for education through The Azim Premji foundation, works in 8 states and has more than 350,000 schools.
About Azim Premji:
Azim Hashim Premji is an Indian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist and is known as the Czar of the Indian IT Industry. He is born in Mumbai and is the chairman of Wipro Limited
Achievements:
- 2010: 20 most powerful men in the world by Asiaweek.
- Listed among the 100 most influential people by TIME Magazine
- 2005: Padma Bhushan for work in trade and commerce
- 2011: Padma Vibhushan
- 2015: University of Mysore conferred the honorary doctorate to Azim Premji
Author Balkrishna Garg awarded H K Devsare Baalsahitya award
Balkrishna Garg was awarded with the second Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015
- For collection of poems for children, titled ‘BaalGeet’
- Cash Prize: Rs.75000
- A shawl and a citation
Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and National Book Trust Chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharma conferred the award.
About Harikrishna Devsare: He is one of the leading writers of Hindi children’s literature and devoted his entire life in creating meaningful children’s literature in Hindi.
Awards and honours:
- Bal Sahityakar Samman
- Bal Sahitya Samman of Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan
- Kriti Samman (2001)
- Sahityakar Samman (2004) of Hindi Akademi, Delhi
Hem Bhatnagar and Yogendra Kumar were also felicitated for their contributions to children’s literature.
APPOINTMENTS
Achyuta Samanta appointed as General President of 105th ISC
Dr. Achyuta Samanta has been elected as the general president for the 105th Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) scheduled for 2017-18.
- Samanta becomes the second person from Odisha to be elected as President of the ISC after Prof Prana Krushna Parija (47th Session of ISC in 1960)
- He is also currently serving as member of Executive Council of Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).
About Achyuta Samanta
He is a well-known educationist for setting up renowned institutions like KIIT University and KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences).
- He was the only person from Odisha to be the member of both UGC and AICTE.
Pavan Kapoor to chair as India’s new ambassador to Israel
Pavan Kapoor, presently High Commissioner of lndia in Maputo, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to lsrael.
- He will replace Jaideep Sarkar.
About Pavan Kapoor:
Apart from serving in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office during his diplomatic career, he has also served in different capacities in the Indian Missions in Moscow, Kyiv, London and Geneva.
- He has an MBA from the IIMA and a Masters in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics.
- He has also done a stint at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London as Political Adviser for Asia and Europe.
Keys:
Capital – Jerusalem
Currency – Israeli new shekel
PM – Benjamin Netanyahu
President – Reuven Rivlin
Gurbir Grewal designated as the top prosecutor in US County
A Sikh-American attorney Gurbir Grewal (42) has been appointed as the top prosecutor in New Jersey, becoming the first South Asian to occupy the post in the state.
- He was sworn in as acting Bergen County prosecutor by succeeding John Molinelli.
- Grewal was also sworn in as an assistant attorney general in Trenton by acting state Attorney General John Hoffman.
About Gurbir Grewal:
Grewal, a former federal prosecutor has fought major white-collar crimes for the US Attorney’s Office. He was nominated for the post by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in 2013,.
- Grewal completed his Doctor of Law degree (J.D.) from The College of William and Mary – Marshall Wythe Law School, and his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.
- Recently served as chief of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
CCI appointed DK Sikri as its new Chairman
Devender Kumar Sikri (62), a former Gujarat cadre IAS officer, has been appointed chairman of the fair-trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI).
- He will succeed Ashok Chawla.
- Sikri will have tenure of about two-and-a-half years till he attains the age of 65 years.
About DK Sikri:
Sikri has held various positions in the Centre and Gujarat. He superannuated as secretary, department of justice on July 31, 2013.
- The former IAS officer had been secretary in the ministry of women and child development, registrar-general of census and collector of Rajkot and Jamnagar.
About Competition Commission of India:
CCI is a body of the Government of India responsible for enforcing The Competition Act, 2002 and to prevent activities that have an adverse effect on competition in India.
- Establishment – 2003
- Headquarters – New Delhi
Gajendra Chauhan appointed Chairman of FTII
Actor-filmmaker Gajendra Chauhan designated as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) after vehemently opposed by enrolled students.
- He will chair the FTII society’s meeting in which members of Governing Council will be selected.
- While the 14-member Governing Council is responsible for governance, the 24-member FTII society is considered as the apex body of the 50-year-old institute.
Gajendra Singh Chauhan is best known for his portrayal of Yudhishthira in the mythological television series, Mahabharat (1988–90).
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
China’s country code domain “.cn” becomes world’s largest
According to the data released by the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC), China’s country code domain “.cn” has become world’s most commonly used in the internet with 16.36 million users, surpassing Germany’s ‘.de’ domain.
- The “.cn” domain is also world leading in domain resolution service, security and the ratio of benign uses.
- The domain is not only widely used by Chinese institutions and companies but also by overseas institutions, commercial banks and multinationals including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Citibank.
China began to require real name registration in 2009, the “.cn” domain is able to protect user’s interests and reduce online theft, phishing and fraud. It is managed through a branch of the Ministry of Industry and Information.
Keys:
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi
Premier – Li Keqiang
President – Xi Jinping
Microsoft has launched the Surface Pro 4 in India
Microsoft has launched the Surface Pro 4 in India in three variants starting at Rs 89,990.
- The Surface Pro 4 powered by Core i5 coupled with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD is priced at Rs 89,990, Surface Pro 4 with Core i5, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD at Rs 1,20,990 and the higher-end variant with Core i7, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD at Rs 1,44,990.
Surface Pro 4 is easily one of the lightest hybrid devices of 786 grams with high-end specifications. The tablet comes with a 12.30-inch display with a resolution of 2736 pixels by 1824 pixels at a PPI of 267 pixels per inch.
SPORTS
Wayne Rooney named 2015 England Player of the Year
Professional footballer Wayne Rooney has been named England Player of the Year (POTY) for 2015, retaining the title for the second successive year.
- The England captain became the Three Lion’s all-time top goal scorer with 37% of the votes to claim the England POTY for a fourth time.
- The Manchester United striker scored five goals in his eight England appearances during 2015, including his record-breaking penalty against Switzerland which took his overall international tally to 50 to surpass Bobby Charlton’s record.
Tabuena wins Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Month
Miguel Tabuena(21) from Philippines won the Hilton Asian Tour Golfer of Month for December. Tabuena became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008.
- First: Miguel Tabuena
- Second: Phachara Khongwatmai(Thailand)
- Third: Himmat Rai(India)
Major winners:
Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson to finish sixth at the Thailand Golf Championship and also earned a place as one of the four qualifiers for next year’s Open Championship.
Sania, Martina start off 2016 with Brisbane title
Sania Mirza(India) and Martina Hingis(Swiss) won their sixth title in line by lifting the WTA Brisbane trophy defeating German wildcards Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic 7-5 6-1 in mere 69 minutes.
Here are some striking factors about Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
- World number one team
- Have now sewed up a 26-match winning streak together
- Won six titles in a row at the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing, WT A Finals and now WTA Brisbane trophy.
- As Compared to longest winning streak since Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci’s 25 in a row in 2012. Both had won five titles in a row, at Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, the French Open and Hertogenbosch.
