January current affairs

• Indian Navy launched ‘Operation Vanilla’ to aid the cyclone-hit Madagascar.

On January 28, 2020, the Indian Navy(IN) launched ‘Operation Vanilla’. The purpose of this operation is to support and provide assistance to Tropical Cyclone Diane & flood-hit Madagascar. The Indian Navy Ship(INS) Airavat has been deployed to this mission. Indian Navy is the first responder for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

• World’s largest meditation centre opened in Hyderabad, Telangana.

On January 28, 2020 the World’s largest meditation centre was inaugurated at Kanha Shanti Vanam in Hyderabad, Telangana to mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and Heartfulness Institute. The center is dedicated to the first guide of Heartfulness Lalaji Maharaji. It can accommodate 1 lakh practitioners at a time.

• India’s first underwater metro, ‘Kolkata metro’ to be opened by March 2022.

On January 28,2020 Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) is set to complete its East-West Project, which runs partly under the Hooghly river, West Bengal, by March 2022. It will be India’s first underwater metro. The new metro rail is expected to carry about 900,000 people daily & will take less than a minute to cross a 520-meter underwater tunnel. 74% of the East-West metro project is owned by India’s Railway & remaining 26% by the nation’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

• WHO has declared the global risk of Noval Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the global risk degree of the novel coronavirus strain 2019-nCoV that cause serious illnesses ranging from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) from moderate to high .

• 1st Ganga-Volga Dialogue of civilizations 2020 between India & Russia held in New Delhi.

On 22 January 2020, The 1st edition of Ganga-Volga Dialogue of Civilizations 2020 based on the theme “Connectivity”, between India & Russia was held in New Delhi.

• BSE signed licensing agreement with ICE Futures Europe.

On January 27, 2020 the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has signed a licensing agreement with the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Futures Europe. ICE is a global exchange and clearing houses operator. Through this pact, the ICE Brent index will be used as a final settlement price for the rupee-denominated Brent future contract of BSE.

• RBI increased Investment Limits Under Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) to Rs 1.5lakh crore.

On January 24, 2020, based on the feedback received from the Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) scheme introduced by the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) in 2009, the central bank(RBI) in consultation with the govt. made certain amendments in the scheme to increase its operational flexibility.As per the amendments, the investment limit under VRR has now been increased to Rs 1,50,000 crores (1.5lakh crores) from earlier Rs.75,000 crores. She was honoured for designing the cover of the book ‘Tiffin: Authentic Recipes.

• Graphic designer Sneha pamneja wins Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2020 for ‘Tiffin’ at 13th Jaipur Literature Festival.

On January 25, 2020, Sneha Pamneja, a well known Graphic designer based in New Delhi, was awarded Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2020, a 1st of its kind award for brilliance in book design, at Jaipur BookMark of ongoing 13th edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) at Diggi Palace Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

• Dept of Biotechnology holds international summit on women in STEM in New Delhi.

On January 24, 2020, The Department of Biotechnology under the aegis of Ministry of Science & Technology has organized a 2-day long International Summit on Women in STEM–“Visualizing the Future: New Skylines” at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi with the aim to increase the participation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field for development of scientific career.

• India’s first e-waste clinic opens in Bhopal.

On January 24, 2020 India’s first e-waste clinic was opened in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The e-waste clinic was inaugurated by C K Mishra (Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate change,MoEFCC). The e-waste clinic was jointly set up by the Central Pollution Board Control -CPCB and Bhopal Municipal Corporation -BMC.

• Western Union joins hands with Airtel payments bank & Airtel Africa for money transfer service.

On January 22, 2020, Western Union Company, a leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments, has partnered with India’s largest integrated telecommunications services company, Bharti Airtel’s 2 arms– Airtel Payments Bank & Airtel Africa Plc, to enable millions of latter’s customers in India to receive international remittances in their bank accounts & and Mobile Wallets across 14 countries in Africa.

• India, Bangladesh signed agreement to upgrade Ashuganj-Akhaura road into 4-lane highway.

On January 24, 2020, India and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to upgrade the 50.58 kilometer long Ashuganj-Akhaura road into a 4-lane highway. The road runs between Ashuganj river port and the Akhaura land port in Bangladesh. The road project is part of the $2 billion second Line of Credit(LoC) extended by India to Bangladesh in 2016.

• Govt think-tank NITI Aayog releases its vision for National Data and Analytics Platform.

On January 23, 2020, NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog, a policy think tank of the Government of India (GoI), has released the vision document for the National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP), which contain the latest datasets from several government departments and will also provide tools for analytics and visualisation of data to stakeholders in a user-friendly manner.

• President Ram Nath Kovind presented the ICCW National Bravery Award 2019 to 10 girls and 12 boys.

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the ICCW National Bravery Award 2019 to 10 girls and 12 boys. He also awarded 16-year-old Muhammed Muhsin, who drowned while saving three of his friends in the rough sea in April 2019, from Kozhikode in Kerala posthumously. He was chosen for the ICCW Abhimanyu Award.

• Cabinet approves over Rs 4300 cr to establish permanent campuses for new NITs.

Union Cabinet on approved to Revised Cost Estimates for establishment of permanent campuses of new National Institutes of Technology, NITs, at a total cost of 90 crore rupees for the period till 2021-2022.

• France is to train Indian flight surgeons to enable them to monitor the health of astronauts.

France is to train Indian flight surgeons to enable them to monitor the health of astronauts selected for the human space mission Gaganyaan. The announcement was released on 21 January 2020.

• The government has announced that it is to set up a National Startup Advisory Council on 21 January 2020.

The government has announced that it is to set up a National Startup Advisory Council on 21 January 2020. The council will advise the Centre on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and start-ups in India.

• The Telangana government is planning to test voter identification through a face recognition application.

The Telangana government is planning to test voter identification through a face recognition application on a pilot basis in the municipal elections of 23 January 2020. For the first time, the face recognition software will be used to ascertain the identity of voters in the state.

• Indian shooters Apurvi Chandela and Divyansh Singh Panwar won gold.

Indian shooters Apurvi Chandela and Divyansh Singh Panwar won gold at the Meyton Cup international shooting championship in Austria. The four Indian shooters have already secured Olympic quotas for Tokyo Games 2020. Apurvi won the gold in women’s 10m air rifle. She secured a final score of 251.4.

• Andhra Pradesh government recently proposed the creation of three state capitals?

Andhra Pradesh government recently proposed the creation of three state capitals, namely, Amravati, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam. The proposal was forward in the AP State Assembly on January 20, 2020 in the form of a Bill – AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020. The Bill was earlier approved by the Andhra Pradesh cabinet.

• Delhi Police Commissioner was on January 18, 2020 granted with the detention power.

The Office of Delhi Police Commissioner was on January 18, 2020 granted with the detention power under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980 for 3 months. The move comes amid the rising protests in the National capital against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC.

• The electric vehicles are the future of the country as they are eco-friendly.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar explained that the electric vehicles are the future of the country as they are eco-friendly and helpful in the reduction of carbon footprint. The fourteenth edition of Elecrama – a conference for discussion on new trends and innovation for energy transition at Greater Noida. The Saubhagya Yojana benefitted 3.5 crore households through electrification. The Saubhagya Yojna within the period.

• Gujarat ranked the best for parameters on efficiency targets in the review of state.

Gujarat ranked the best for parameters on efficiency targets in the review of state and Central government water departments by the ministry of Jal Shakti. Rajasthan is the third-best, and Delhi is among the worst-performing states, according to the ranking for 2019 circulated to different state governments recently.

• The Kerala government invoked Article 131 to challenge the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The Kerala government invoked Article 131 to challenge the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Supreme Court of India. Kerala is the first state to raise its voice against the CAA and file a plea against it in the apex court. The CAA legislation seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minorities of the three countries – Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

• Microsoft announced that it would become carbon negative by the year 2030.

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company with headquarters in Redmond Washington.Microsoft announced that it would become carbon negative by the year 2030.

• Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi to be conferred with 29th Saraswati Samman 2019.

On January 17,2020 Sindhi (Indo-Aryan language) Writer Vasdev Mohi has been selected for the Saraswati Samman 2019, a literary recognition given annually by the KK (Krishna Kumar) Birla Foundation. The literary award is given for his short stories collection- ‘Chequebook’.

• Overview of 5th edition of Raisina Dialogue 2020 held in New Delhi.

The 5th edition of the Raisina Dialogue 2020 which is India’s annual global conference on geopolitics and geo-economics was held in New Delhi from January 14-16, 2020.

• Science Film Festival of India.

Science Film Festival of India (SCI-FFI 2020) being held at Panaji (Goa): January 15-18.

• Mikhail Mishustin becomes the new Prime Minister of Russia.

On January 16, 2020 the Russian lawmakers have approved Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposed candidate Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin (53), the head of the Federal Tax Service, as the next prime minister of the country. He replaced Dmitri Anatolyevich Medvedev who resigned from his post.

• Army Day is observed on 15 January every year.

Army Day is observed on 15 January every year. India celebrates 72nd Army Day on 15 January 2020. The special event was organized on this day in the national capital, Delhi. Army Command headquarters in the national capital, as well as in other parts of the country, celebrate the occasion by organizing military parades and other shows of strength.

• Virat Kohli has been awarded ICC Spirit of Cricket Award.

ICC Awards 2019 announced by the International Cricket Council. Virat Kohli has been awarded ICC Spirit of Cricket Award; while Rohit Sharma honoured as the ODI Cricketer of the Year 2019 for hitting record 5 centuries in ICC World Cup 2019 & 7 ODI centuries in the complete year. Ben Stokes took home Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for being adjudged as the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2019.

• Japan coast guard Ship ‘Echigo PLH08’ arrives Chennai to take part in the 19th edition of ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ exercise.

On January 13, 2019 the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Ship ‘Echigo PLH08’ has arrived Chennai on a five-day goodwill visit and it will participate in the 19th edition of Annual Joint Exercise ‘Sahyog-Kaijin’ which will be begin on January 16, 2020 with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

• Amit Shah chaired 6th IDA meeting in New Delhi; 26 islands identified to promote tourism.

On January 13, 2020 the Union Minister of Home Affairs (MoHA) Shri Amit Shah chaired the 6th meeting of Island Development Agency (IDA) in New Delhi. During the meeting progress made towards “Holistic development of islands” were reviewed. It is also for the first time in India, under the IDA’s guidance an initiative of sustainable development has been undertaken with scientific assessments.

• Amit shah launched VISWAS and Cyber Aashvast project.

The Union Home minister Amit Shah launched Video Integration and State Wide Advanced Security (VISWAS) and Cyber Aashvast projects of CCTV network command and control centre and cybersecurity at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on 11 January 2020.

• Jasprit Bumrah is selected to receive the Polly Umrigar Award.

Indian Cricketer Jasprit Bumrah is selected to receive the Polly Umrigar Award for male category for the year 2018-19. He is awarded for being the best international cricketer at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Annual Awards. It has been scheduled to be held in Mumbai.

• Petroleum minister Pradhan launched PURVODAYA mission in steel sector in Kolkata, West Bengal.

On January 11, 2020 the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel (MoPNG&S) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan launched mission PURVODAYA with the aim of driving accelerated development of eastern India through integrated steel hub in Kolkata, West Bengal.

• ‘Yashaswini scheme’ was launched by the Union Minister Smriti Irani in Goa.

On January 11, 2020 Union Minister for Women and Child Development and Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani launched Yashaswini scheme for Women entrepreneurship at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium in Taleigao town near Panaji district of Goa. Swasthya Sakhi Project and breast cancer screening initiative were also inaugurated on the occasion.

• Haitham bin Tariq Al Said appointed as the new ruler of Oman.

On January 11, 2020 Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (66) was appointed as the new ruler of the Oman after the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said who ruled the country from 1970.

• IEA launched 1st in-depth review of India 2020 energy policy review in New Delhi.

On January 10,2020 the International Energy Agency (IEA) in partnership with NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has released the first in-depth review of India’s energy policies 2020. The IEA conducts review on energy policies of its member countries. This is the 1st time the review is done for India after it became an IEA-association country in March 2017.

• RBI formulates National Strategy for Financial Inclusion for the period 2019-2024.

On January 10, 2020 the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the aegis of Financial Inclusion Advisory Committee (FIAC) has set up a 5 year plan of formulation of National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) for the period 2019-2024. This has been done keeping in view the global trend of financial inclusion which acts as a key driver of economic growth.

• 1023 Fast Track Courts under safety of women mission to be set up in 24 states.

On January 09,2020 24 states and union territories (UTs) have joined together to set up a total of 1,023 ‘fast-track special courts’ (FTSCs) to dispose of over 1.60 lakh cases of rape of children below the age of 12 years and women pending in various courts across the country. This has been done to bring out fast and time bound completion of trial of these cases for which Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 was enacted.

• Forest Committee approves Green Credit Scheme to ‘trade’ in forests.

On January 09, 2020 the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) which is an apex body that considers questions on the diversion of forest land for non-forest uses such as mining, industrial projects, townships etc and also issues granting of forest clearances has approved Green Credit Scheme that would allow forests to be traded as a commodity.

• Visakhapatnam to host naval exercise ‘MILAN’ in March 2020.

The Vishakapatnam city of Andhra Pradesh will host International naval exercise ‘MILAN’ in March 2020. The theme of the exercise for the year 2020 is ‘Synergy Across the Seas’. Milan exercise which will be hosted by Eastern Naval Command (ENC) aims to enhance professional interaction between foreign navies and also make use of the best practices in the maritime domain.

• SBI announces new ‘RBBG’ scheme; SBI & Sunteck Realty Limited signed MoU on RBBG scheme.

On January 08, 2020 the State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a new scheme named Residential Builder Finance with Buyer Guarantee (RBBG). This new scheme’s purpose is to safeguard home buyers financially by issuing guarantee for completion of projects to customers availing SBI Home Loans. The ongoing home projects of SBI customers will be financed by the bank itself.

• Highlights of 107th Indian Science Congress held in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 107th edition of the Indian Science Congress (ISC) also known as ISC 2020 at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The theme of ISC for the year 2020 was “Science and Technology: Rural Development”.

• Forbes India’s “20 people to watch in 2020” list: 7 Indians featured; Indian origin Hassan Minhaj from US tops.

On January 7, 2020, According to the Forbes India’s prestigious list of ‘20 people to watch in the 2020s’, 7 Persons from India named in the list. Two
persons from Bihar namely Prashant Kishor-12th place (Poll strategist
and JD(U) national vice-president) & Kanhaiya Kumar -16th (former
JNU Students’ Union president) were the biggest name in the list. Other
Indians in the list include Aditya Mittal -2nd place (Group CFO and CEO, ArcelorMittal Europe), the Godrej family-6th (of Adi Godrej), Dushyant Chautala -7th (deputy chief minister,Haryana) , Mahua Moitra -9th (Lok Sabha member, Trinamool Congress), and Garima Arora -14th (Chef, the first Indian woman to receive a Michelin star).

• Indian Grandmaster P. Magesh Chandran win.

Indian Grandmaster P. Magesh Chandran wins Hastings International Chess Congress tournament in England.

• RBI buys Rs 10,000 crores of long-term securities.

RBI buys Rs 10,000 crores of long-term securities, sells same amount of short-term bonds in special open market operation (OMO).

• Delhi assembly elections will be held on February 8 and the results will be declared on February 11, the Election Commission announced today.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said the notification for the polls will be issued on January 14 while the last date of withdrawal of candidature will be January 24. The election is likely to witness a three-cornered contest involving the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP and the Congress. The results will be declared on February 11.

• Sensex today nose-dived 788 points as escalating US-Iran tensions sent crude oil prices soaring.

At the closing bell, the 30-share Sensex was at 40,676.63, down 1.90 per cent or 787.98 points – the biggest single-day drop since July 8. Similarly, the 50-scrip NSE Nifty closed at 11,993.05, falling by 1.91 per cent or 233.60 points. Investors’ wealth tumbled by over Rs 3 lakh crore from Friday’s close of Rs 157 lakh crore following tensions in the Middle East.

• Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurate.

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ inaugurates the 28th edition of New Delhi World Book Fair 2020. Theme: GANDHI: WRITERS’ WRITER.

• Irfan Pathan announces retirement.

35-year old Irfan Pathan announces retirement after playing in 29 Tests (1105 runs and 100 wickets), 120 ODIs (1544 runs and 173 wickets) and 24 T20.

• India’s foreign exchange reserves rise.

India’s foreign exchange reserves rise to US$ 457.47 billion in the week ended December 27.

• Maharashtra Govt launches ‘Cyber Safe Women’ initiative.

Maharashtra Govt launches ‘Cyber Safe Women’ initiative; to organise cyber safety awareness camps in all districts.

• Home Minister Amit Shah announces launch of Subhash Chandra Bose Award.

Home Minister Amit Shah announces launch of Subhash Chandra Bose Award in the field of Disaster Management.

• PM distributes Agriculture Ministry’s Krishi Karman Awards.

PM distributes Agriculture Ministry’s Krishi Karman Awards for Progressive Farmers and Commendation Awards to the states in Tumkur, Karnataka.

• Broadband internet services were restored in 80 government hospitals and nursing homes in Kashmir, officials said today.

Medical Superintendent of Chest Disease hospital in Srinagar Dr Saleem Tak confirmed that internet started working in the facility on Thursday “which is a big relief to us as well as for patients”. An official of the Jammu and Kashmir administration said, “Broadband high-speed internet connectivity was restored at 80 government hospitals, including health centres and offices linked to the department of health, across Kashmir.”

• Brian Lara believes that Virat Kohli-led Indian side is well capable of winning all ICC tournaments they play.

The former Windies skipper also felt that Kohli, David Warner and Rohit Sharma are some of the batsmen who can break the record of his highest Test score of 400. The Kohli-led Team India will visit Australia for the T20 World Cup in October and November this year and the Men in Blue have been reaching the semi-finals and finals of the ICC tournaments consistently.

• Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan today strongly defended the move to pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

“State assemblies have its own privileges. The assemblies have its own special protection and it should not be violated,” he said. However, the BJP leaders have strongly opposed the Kerala government’s move, with Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying that the state governments have the “constitutional duty” of implementing the laws passed by Parliament.

• Two soldiers lost their lives as Army battled heavily armed terrorists, foiling an infiltration bid by along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

The infiltrators were intercepted in Khari Thrayat forest in Rajouri district of J&K, when they were trying to sneak into India from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a defence spokesman said.The deceased soldiers were identified as Naik Sawant Sandip Raghunath (29) and Rifleman Arjun Thapa Magar (25).

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