Daily Current Affairs

Current Affairs Today 28th January 2020| Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 28th January 2020

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust

  • International Holocaust Remembrance Day is held on 27 January to commemorate the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War due to the genocide that resulted in the deaths of 6 million Jews and 11 million others, by the Nazi regime and its collaborators
  • The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (the largest Nazi concentration and death camp), the ending of the Second World War, and the ending of the Holocaust.
  • Theme 2020: “75 years after Auschwitz – Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Govt invites bids to sell 100 % stake in Air India

  • Government has invited bids to sell its 100 per cent stake in Air India. Issuing the preliminary bid document for the strategic disinvestment , government set the March 17, as the deadline for submitting expression of interest.
  • As part of the strategic disinvestment, Air India would also sell 100 per cent stake in low-cost airline Air India Express and 50 per cent shareholding in joint venture AISATS. Management control of the airline would also be transferred to the successful bidder.
  • Briefing media in New Delhi, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that Air India along with Air India Express is a great asset and the successful bidder will continue to use Air India brand.

About Air India :

  • CEO: Pradeep Singh Kharola
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

Amit Shah to chair Central Zonal Council meeting in Chhattisgarh

  • Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the 22nd meeting of the Central Zonal Council at Raipur, in Chhattisgarh. There are five Zonal Councils in the country which were set up in the year 1957.
  • Central Zonal Council comprises of four states- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chief Ministers of the member states along with Chief Secretaries and senior officers will attend the meeting. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will preside over the meeting.
  • Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh is the Vice Chairman of the meeting.The Zonal Council is an effective platform for the resolution of inter-state disputes as well as irritants between Centre and member-States. Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these five councils.
  • The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh is the Vice Chairman and host of this meeting. The Chief Ministers of the member states along with Chief Secretaries and senior officers will attend the meeting.

PM Modi to attend NCC rally in New Delhi

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the National Cadet Corps, NCC rally at the Cariappa Parade ground in New Delhi. At the event, Prime Minister will inspect the Guard of Honour and review the March Past by the various NCC contingents.
  • Along with a cultural performance, NCC cadets will present before the Prime Minister their capabilities in fields such as adventure sports, music and performance arts.
  • Mr Modi will also distribute awards for the meritorious NCC cadets and will later address the gathering.
  • Every year, hundreds of NCC cadets come to New Delhi for the Republic Day Camp. Last year, Prime Minister while addressing the NCC rally had applauded their efforts in the relief and rescue operations during natural disasters as well as the efforts for promotion of initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Indian Railways to run 100% on electricity by 2024: Piyush Goyal

  • Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on stated that the Indian Railways is expected to switch entirely to electricity by 2024, as it is already shunting diesel locomotives gradually out of service.
  • “By the year 2024, we expect the entire Indian Railways to be run 100 per cent on electricity. It will be the first railway network in the world to be run fully on electricity. We are very conscious of our responsibility to the environment. We are embarking on rapid electrification of our rail network,” stated by Goyal at India-Brazil Business Forum.
  • India is also planning to make the entire railways network a “net-zero emission network” by 2030.
  • By 2030, we plan to make the entire railways network a net-zero emission network. We will have no emission from the railways, it will run on clean energy and clean power he futher stated.

About Indian Railways:

  • Founded :16 April 1853
  • Headquarters New Delhi, India
  • Piyush Goyal (Minister of Railways)
  • Suresh Angadi (Minister of State for Railways)
  • Vinod Kumar Yadav (Chairman, Railway Board)

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

WHO increases global risk degree of novel coronavirus from moderate to high

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has increased the global risk degree of the novel corona virus strain 2019-nCoV from moderate to high, citing an error in its previous report. According to the report, the total number of 2019-nCoV confirmed cases globally till reached 2,014, including 1,985 in China.
  • Indian Embassy is considering all options which includes evacuation of Indians in Wuhan. It has been urging the Indians in Wuhan to provide all their details so that all the formalities with Chinese authorities may be completed.
  • Hubei has suspended the services for the application of ordinary passports and exit-entry permits for Chinese persons. However, Special channels will be opened for individuals who have to leave the mainland for urgent reasons. China govt says it is considering requests from the countries in this regard
  • Chinese officials say that Wuhan residents have sufficient daily necessities supply including meat, eggs, vegetables and local govt has allocated 6,000 taxis and car-hailing services to make sure each community has in average 3 vehicles for urgent trips.

About WHO:

  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Head: Tedros Adhanom
  • Founded: 7 April 1948

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

NABARD pegs credit potential at Rs 90,000 crore for Odisha

  • The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) projected a credit potential of Rs 90,395.69 crore for Odisha under priority sector for 2020-21 fiscal. The projection was made in the State Focus Paper released by Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari at the annual State Credit Seminar organised by NABARD for 2018-19 here.
  • Inaugurating the seminar, Pujari emphasised the need for increasing agriculture term loan finance in other allied sector activities such as animal husbandry, poultry and fisheries leading to asset formation and diversification of farmers’ income.
  • Pujari advised regional banking heads to increase their outreach in un-banked areas of the State to help in effective implementation of various developmental programmes while increasing the scope of digital banking and financial inclusion across the State. The Finance Minister also highlighted the need for a coordinated support from all the stakeholders to make Odisha a leading State in Indian economy.

About NABARD:

  • National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is an Apex Development Financial Institution in India. The Bank has been entrusted with “matters concerning Policy Planning and Operations in the field of credit for Agriculture and other Economic activities in Rural areas in India”.
  • Founded: 12 July 1982
  • Headquarters: Mumbai
  • Agency executive: Harsh Kumar Bhanwala(Chairperson)
  • Purpose: Development assistance; Poverty Reduction

UCBs report frauds worth Rs. 220 cr in last five fiscals: RBI

  • Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) have reported nearly 1,000 cases of fraud that amount to more than Rs. 220 crore in the last five fiscals, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • The central bank stated a total of 181 fraud cases, involving ₹7 crore, were noticed during 2018-19.
  • A total of 99 and 27 such cases, involving ₹9 crore and ₹9.3 crore, were reported during 2017-18 and 2016-17, respectively.
  • As many as 187 cases of fraud, involving ₹3 crore, were reported in 2015-16, against 478 such cases involving ₹19.8 crore during 2014-15

About cooperative banking :

  • Cooperative banking is retail and commercial banking organized on a cooperative Cooperative banking institutions take deposits and lend money in most parts of the world.
  • Cooperative banking, includes retail banking carried out by credit unions, mutual savings banks, building societies and cooperatives, as well as commercial banking services provided by mutual organizations (such as cooperative federations) to cooperative businesses.

BSE signs licensing agreement with ICE Futures Europe

  • The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has signed a licensing agreement with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Futures Europe, an operator of global exchanges and clearing houses.
  • India is one of the largest consumers and importers of crude oil in the world, and Brent crude is highly co-related with the Indian crude oil market.
  • This agreement will serve the needs and interests to the Indian energy commodities space and market participants to access Rupee-dominated Brent benchmark prices.
  • It will also help Indian commodity markets by providing convenient and cost-effective onshore hedging products and enable the price discovery of Brent crude prices in the Indian time zone.

About Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE):

  • Headquarters- Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Founded- 9 July 1875.
  • Chairman- Vikramajit Sen.
  • Managing Director(MD) & Chief Executive Officer(CEO)- Shri Ashishkumar Chauhan.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS AND FINANCE

Paytm Payments Bank to help identify rogue apps that could trigger fraud transactions

  • Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) stated it has added a new feature that analyses “rogue” apps on user devices that may trigger fraudulent transactions and advises users to uninstall such apps.
  • It is also leveraging artificial intelligence to immediately identify and block suspicious activities, and is undertaking periodic awareness drives throughout the country to educate users about fraud calls and
  • “PPBL is taking major countermeasures to safeguard user accounts. The bank using the latest cybersecurity tools has introduced a host of important updates. The brand new feature analyses ‘rogue’ apps on user devices which might trigger fraudulent transactions and advises users to uninstall them,
  • The AI has been specifically designed keeping in mind the patterns of the various scams being run by fraudsters and is, therefore, able to combat most attacks on user accounts in real-time.
  • The statement stated the bank has a dedicated team of over 200 cybersecurity experts to ensure round the clock security of every user transaction.
  • The teams closely work with all state and central police forces and cyber-cells as well as telecom companies to detect, prevent and report fraudulent transactions for immediate action.

TCS BaNCS powers operations of merged Tamil Nadu Grama Banks

  • Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has successfully integrated operations of Tamil Nadu’s two rural banks — Pandyan Grama Bank and Pallavan Grama Bank, which were merged to form Tamil Nadu Grama Bank — onto TCS BaNCS Core Banking Solution within six months of the formation of the merged bank.
  • The merged entity, sponsored by Indian Bank, is headquartered in Salem, has 650 branches and 800 business correspondent outlets, covering all districts of Tamil Nadu, except Chennai. This is expected to give a significant boost to financial inclusion and access to credit in the rural areas.
  • TCS has played a long-standing role in the technology-led transformation of RRBs in India, with the operations of over 40 per cent of all the RRBs currently supported by TCS BaNCS.
  • The successful merger of these two banks is the latest milestone, furthering the Government’s mandate for consolidation of RRBs to strengthen the capital base, build scale and leverage technology for greater efficiency and to offer differentiated products that better meet rural credit needs.

OPPO signs pact with IIT Hyderabad for R&D

  • OPPO, Chinese smartphone brand, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad to promote research in the field of science and technology.
  • The MoU will facilitate joint research and development for multiple projects over a period of two years.
  • The focus of the research work will be on the development of technologies in areas specific to camera and image processing, battery, networks (5G), system performance, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other areas.
  • The MoU will help both OPPO and IIT Hyderabad to conduct research in core areas of software, hardware and internet services to ensure integrated user experience for the Indian audience.

About Oppo

  • Head quarters: Dongguan, Guangdong, China
  • MD & CEO: Chen Mingyong

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATES

India’s First Super Fab Lab That Can Produce ‘Almost Any Machinery’ Inaugurated In Kochi

  • India’s first Super Fab Lab was inaugurated in Kochi, Kerala.
  • The lab is built in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) and is spread across an area of 10,000 sq ft.
  • The Super Fab Lab will have state-of-the-art machines worth more than ₹7 crore, enabling researchers, innovators and developers to go beyond the scope of existing fab labs in the state.
  • Fab Labs are fabrication laboratories that offer digital fabrication and computation. At present, Kerala has two electronic Fab Labs – one at Thiruvananthapuram and the other at Kochi. The Super Fab Lab inaugurated at the Integrated Startup Complex(ISC) of the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) is the only such facility outside of the US.

About Kerala

  • Capital- Thiruvananthapuram
  • Governor- Arif Mohammad Khan
  • Chief Minister- Shri Pinarayi Vijayan

Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra govt launches its much-awaited ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme

  • The Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government launched its much-awaited ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme, which is aimed at providing a meal to the poor for just 10 rupees, on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day.
  • Under the scheme, which has been launched on a pilot basis, thalis or lunch plates would be available to people at designated centres/ canteens during a stipulated time in all the districts.
  • Launching of the scheme was one of the poll promises made by the Shiv Sena, which shares power with the NCP and Congress in a coalition government.
  • In Mumbai, district Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh inaugurated the “Shiv Bhojan Thali” canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital.
  • A similar centre was unveiled by Tourism Minister and Mumbai suburban district Guardian Minister Aaditya Thackeray at the Collector’s office in
  • Under the pilot scheme, at least one ‘Shiv Bhojan’ canteen has been started at district headquarters.

Recent news related to Maharashtra:

  • Country’s first ‘walk-through’ aviary at Mumbai
  • Madhya Pradesh follows Maharashtra, Preamble to be read in Government Schools
  • Maharashtra Dominates 3rd Edition of Khelo India Youth Games
  • Maharashtra topped in LEED-Certified Space in GBCI Report
  • Maharashtra Government Sets Up Committee for Tourism in Forest Reserves of the State
  • The 5th edition of the Asia Pacific Drosophila Research Conference (APDRC5) is being held in Pune, Maharashtra, which is organized by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), from 6th January to 10th January 2020.

Andhra Pradesh assembly unanimously passes resolution to abolish State Legislative Council

  • The Andhra Pradesh Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution to abolish the State Legislative Council. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy moved the one-line resolution in the assembly to abolish the council.
  • Speaker , Tammineni Seetharam announced that the statutory resolution was adopted with 133 members voting in favour of it. The Assembly passed the resolution on dissolution of the Council after a wide range of discussions. Later, the Speaker adjourned the House indefinitely.
  • The resolution will now be sent to the Centre for necessary follow-up action.The move came after the YSRC government failed to get two crucial bills on its plans to have three capitals cleared by the opposition TDP-dominated Upper House.

About Andhra pradesh

  • Governor: Biswabhusan Harichandan
  • Chief minister:  S. Jaganmohan Reddy
  • Capitals: Amaravati, Hyderabad
  • National parks : Sri Venkateswara National Park, koudinya wildlife sanctuary, mrugavani wildlife sanctuary, coringa wildlife sanctuary,  nagarjuna sagar- srisilam national park.

National Handloom Expo 2020 kicks off at Bhubaneswar

  • The 17th National Handloom Expo 2020 has kicked off at Exhibition Ground here to provide an opportunity to weavers to sell handloom products of different places under one umbrella.
  • The expo, organised by the Odisha State Handloom Weavers Co-op Society Limited (Boyanika), was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
  • Apart from Odisha, many States including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajsthan and West Bengal are participating in the expo.
  • All ranges of handwovens from different parts of the country are available in this fair. Cultural programme will be organised at the venue every evening.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Election Commission award for The Hindu Tamil

  • The Hindu Tamil has won the Election Commission of India’s award for its voter awareness and education campaign in 2019 as part of the poll panel’s national awards given on the occasion of the 10th National Voters Day.
  • President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the awards for best electoral practices to officers in conducting elections as well as civil society organisations and media groups for spreading awareness.
  • The Hindu Tamil received the award in the print media category for “extensive coverage and targeted campaign towards informed and ethical voting during Lok Sabha 2019” and encouraging “masses to exercise their franchise and vote on merit of candidates”.
  • Among the winners were Anantnag District Election Officer (DEO) Khalid Jahangir and Jagitial (Telangana) DEO Adavathu Sarat (for election management), Imphal DEO Rangitabali Waikhom (inclusive and participative elections), Alwar DEO Indrajeet Singh (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation programme activities) and Hisar DEO Ashok Kumar Meena (IT initiatives).
  • The awards for excellence for States went to Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with Chief Electoral Officers Sirra Karuna Raju, Gopal Krishna Dwivedi and Surendra Kumar respectively receiving the awards.
  • Gen. (Rtd.) Anil Verma of the Association for Democratic Reforms and Bhushan Punani of the Blind People’s Association were also recognised for their work.

Sneha Pamneja wins Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize for ”Tiffin”

  • Graphic designer Sneha Pamneja was awarded this year’s Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival for designing the cover of “Tiffin: Authentic Recipes Celebrating India’s Regional Cuisine“.
  • The book is written by Sonal Ved and published by Roli books.
  • The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize is dedicated to understanding, appreciating and showcasing the aesthetics of visual values and design in publishing. It has been a privilege to be associated with this important award and to have observed it grow from strength to strength.
  • These included designers Samya Arif and Amit Malhotra for “Hijabistan” (HarperCollins), Saurav Das for “Hicky’s Bengal Gazette” (Westland), and Gaurav Saini for “Line on Fire: Ceasefire violations and India-Pakistan escalation dynamics”

Andy Serkis to receive Bafta for outstanding contribution to cinema

  • Actor and filmmaker Andy Serkis is to receive the outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the 2020 Bafta film awards.
  • Serkis is best known for his pioneering performance capture work, portraying Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit films as well as the lead role of Caesar in the Planet of the Apes
  • But he has more recently moved into directing withMowgli: Legend of the Jungleand Breathe. He is currently directing Venom 2, starring Tom Hardy.
  • The outstanding British contribution to cinema award is presented annually in honour of Michael Balcon, the UK film producer known for his work with Ealing Studios.
  • The Baftas will be held in London, February 2.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Anil Khanna nominated as Life President of ATF

  • Anil Khanna was unanimously nominated as the Life President of Asian Tennis Federation (ATF).
  • The ATF’s Board of Directors also appointed Khanna as the Chairman of the Finance Committee as well as Co-Chairman of the ATF foundation.
  • CS Sunder Raj was voted as the Senior Vice President of the federation, representing South Asia. Anil Dhupar was elected as the member of the Senior Committee while VK Batra was voted as a member of the Constitution Committee of the ATF.

Senior bureaucrat B Anand appointed secretary of National Commission for Minorities

  • Senior bureaucrat B Anand was appointed as the secretary of National Commission for Minorities.
  • Anand, a 1987-batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, is at present additional secretary and financial advisor, the department of science and technology.
  • He is also holding additional charge of financial advisor, department of biotechnology and ministry of earth sciences.
  • His batchmate from Madhya Pradesh cadre, Sanjay Kumar Singh, has been appointed as additional secretary, department of agricultural research & education and secretary, Indian Council of Agricultural Research
  • Singh is currently additional secretary, the ministry of panchayati raj.
  • Neelam Shammi Rao will be director general (training), the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship.
  • Rao, a 1992-batch IAS officer, is working in her cadre state Madhya Pradesh.

Sunil Mehta takes over as Chief Executive of Indian Banks’ Association

  • Sunil Mehta has taken over as Chief Executive of Indian Banks’ Association .
  • He succeeds VG Kannan, who demitted office as Chief Executive on December 31, 2019, after being at the helm for three years.
  • Mehta retired as Managing Director and CEO of Punjab National Bank.

About Indian Banks’ Association (IBA):

  • Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), formed on 26 September 1946 as a representative body of management of banking in India operating in India – an association of Indian banks and financial institutions based in Mumbai.IBA currently represents 237 banking companies operating in India.
  • Formation– 26 September 1946
  • Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra

Sachin Bansal steps down as director of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank

  • Sachin Bansal has resigned as independent director of Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a role he took up in May 2019. In a letter to the board members, posted on the exchanges.
  • Bansal stated he was stepping down in the interest of propriety and to prevent conflict of interest arising out of the fact that his wholly-owned firm Navi Technologies has applied for a banking license.
  • Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, which went public in December 2019, had roped in the Flipkart co-founder to advice on technology as it embarked on aggressive expansion. Since exiting Flipkart in May 2018, Bansal has been gaining experience in financial services and a stop-over at Ujjivan was part of the larger plan.
  • Bansal, who racked up a $1 billion from selling his shares in Flipkart to Walmart, is creating a full-service digital bank. Through his technology company Navi Technologies, he has bought financial services assets like micro-finance firm Chaitanya Chaitanya India Fin Credit, DHFL General Insurance and Essel Mutual Funds.
  • Navi Technologies is also the applicant for a universal bank license, which is currently pending approval from the Reserve Bank of India.

About Ujjivan Small Finance bank:

  • Founded 1 February 2017
  • Founder Samit Ghosh
  • Headquarters Bangalore, Karnataka, India
  • Non-Exe Chairman : Sunil Patel
  • (MD & CEO): Nitin chugh

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

Prime Minister to Address the 3rd Global Potato Conclave, Gandhinagar, Gujarat

  • Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi shall be addressing the 3rd Global Potato Conclave at Gandhinagar, Gujarat through remote video conferencing.
  • The present conclave is the third in the series. In a gap of every ten years it is necessary to work out the achievements in potato sector and set a roadmap for forthcoming decade. In this direction, during last two decades two Global Potato Conferences were organized during 1999, and 2008.
  • The Conclave will provide an opportunity to bring all stakeholders at one common platform so that all the issues are discussed and future plans are made involving everyone related to the potato sector. This will be a unique event to expose different stakeholders of the country to the frontiers of knowledge and innovations in potato research.
  • Gujarat is one of the leading producers of Potato in the country. In the last eleven years alone, while the area under potato in India, has increased by 19%, it has increased by about 170% in Gujarat (49.7 thousand ha in 2006-07 to 133 thousand ha in 2017-18). With a productivity of more than 30t/ha, Gujarat is holding the No. 1 position in India for last one decade. The State uses modern methods of agriculture like sprinkler and drip irrigation for cultivation.
  • The State also has the best of the cold storage facilities and linkages and is a hub for major potato processing industries in the country.
  • In addition most of the potato exporters are also based in Gujarat. These have led to emergence of the state as a major potato hub in the country.
  • In the light of this the 3rd Global Conclave is being held in Gujarat.
  • The Conclave is being organized by Indian Potato Association (IPA) in collaboration with Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, and ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla and International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Peru.
  • This mega event has three major components; (i) The Potato Conference, (ii) The Agri Expo and (iii) Potato Field Day.
  • The Potato Conference will be held for 3 days during 28-30 January, 2020. It will have 10 themes out of which 8 themes are based on basic and applied research. The remaining two themes will have special emphasis on potato trade, value chain management and policy issues.
  • AgriExpo will be organized during 28 to 30 January, 2020, to showcase the status of potato-based industries and trade, processing, seed potato production, biotechnology, public-private partnership in technology transfer and farmers related products etc.
  • Potato Field Day will be organized on January 31, 2020. This will include demonstration of advancements in potato mechanization, potato varieties and latest technologies.
  • Major issues that are to crop up are Shortage of Planting Material, Supply Chains, Post-Harvest Losses, needs for enhanced processing, export and diversified utilisation and necessary policy support – viz for production and use of certified seed, for long distance transport and export promotion.

France will be guest of honour at New Delhi World Book Fair 2022

  • France will be the guest of honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair in January 2022, announced France Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain as part of a reciprocal invitation as New Delhi is the guest of honour this year at Livre Paris (Paris Book Fair).
  • Lenanin along with Leila Slimani, novelist and French President Emmanuel Macron’s Envoy for Francophone Affairs, conferred 2020 Romain Rolland Book Prize at Jaipur BookMark in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
  • The Romain Rolland Book prize is given annually to the best translation of a french title into any Indian language inclusive of english.
  • The prize this year went to the first three albums of the Asterix series, Asterix and the Golden Sickle, Asterix and the Goths, and Asterix the Gladiator, translated into Hindi by Dipa Chaudhuri and Puneet Gupta, and published by Om Books.

About France

  • Capital- Paris
  • Currency- Euro
  • President- Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron
  • Prime Minister- Édouard Charles Philippe

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

GRSE set to deliver anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy soon

  • Defence PSU Garden Reach Shibuilders and Engineers (GRSE) is set to deliver anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Navy soon.
  • ‘Kavaratti’ is the last of the four Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes built by the GRSE for the Indian Navy under Project P28.
  • Kavaratti’ will be the 104th ship to be constructed and delivered by the GRSE.
  • Under Project P28, ASW stealth Corvettes delivered to Indian Navy are ‘INS Kamorta’ in July 2014, ‘INS Kadmatt’ in November 2015 and ‘INS Kiltan’ in October 2017.All these four corvettes are named after islands of Lakshadweep and Arabian Sea.
  • Five warships have been delivered to Indian Navy by Defence PSU between March 2019 to December 2019

About Indian Navy

  • Chief of Navy Staff (CNS)- Karambir Singh

The ‘Rao’ power of ‘Mission Shakti’

  • For the first time, scientist leads DRDO contingent at RD parade
  • A defence scientist – Y Sreenivasa Rao – led the DRDO contingent displaying the indigenous Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASAT) from ‘Mission Shakti’ at the 71st Republic Day parade.
  • In a special address to the nation Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on March 27, 2019, announced the success of Mission Shakti, through which India exhibited capabilities to destroy a satellite using its missile power.
  • India became only the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to have the capability. During the RD Parade, it’s customary for the serving officers of the armed forces to lead the DRDO contingent too.
  • This year, a departure has been made. However, the second tableau exhibiting the Air Defence Tactical Radar was led by a defence officer.
  • Rao has been associated with the Air Defence project of the DRDO for long. It is the precursor to Mission Shakti in a way. A B.Tech from JNTU, Hyderabad, Rao joined the DRDO in 2000’
  • He is also the Secretary, Aeronautical Society of India, Hyderabad Chapter, which is active in organising technical symposia and events.

About DRDO:

  • Headquarters location: New Delhi
  • Founded: 1958
  • Motto:  “Strength’s Origin is in Science”
  • Minister responsible: Rajnath Singh, Minister of Defence
  • Chairman : satheesh reddy

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Sahityacharya Dr Golok Chandra Goswami passes away

  • Eminent scholar, linguist and litterateur Sahityacharya Dr Golok Chandra Goswami passed away.
  • Dr Goswami attended a number of national and international seminars on linguistics, representing Assam and India. He was the founder president of Assam Bhasha Bigyan Samiti.
  • Goswami pursued his master’s degree in Assamese  language in Gauhati University, Assam. In 1985 he retired from Gauhati University as head of the Assamese department. In 2018, he was awarded with Hemchandra Barua Bhasha Sahitya Sadhana award by Satin-Pratidin group.

Former Karnataka minister K Amarnath Shetty passes away

  • Former minister and senior JDS leader K Amarnath Shetty passed away. He was 80.
  • Shetty who entered electoral politics in 1965, became the MLA in 1983 from Moodbidri-Mulky constituency. In 1984, he was made minister for tourism and religious endowment under Ramakrishna Hegde’s government.
  • He was a three-time MLA from Moodbidri constituency, from where he won last time in 1994.

Noted artist, sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passes away

  • Noted artist and sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passed away after a brief illness.
  • He won various national and international awards for photography and painting, including the Gold Medal in Painting from Queens College, Lucknow and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Award.

 DAILY CA – 26th and 27th JAN

  • National Tourism Day-25th January
  • International Customs Day-26th January
  • 79th Foundation Day of ‘Income Tax Appellate Tribunal’ (ITAT)
  • ‘Bharat Parv 2020’ begins at Red Fort to celebrate spirit of India
  • Corona Virus: Government launches 24X7 call centre
  • PhonePe extends to insurance, MF, ATM
  • com offers loans in 15 minutes
  • Union govt working on Delhi-Mumbai electric highway, says Nitin Gadkari
  • India and Brazil exchange 15 agreements widening areas of cooperation
  • India, Bangladesh sign agreement to upgrade Ashuganj-Akhaura road into 4-lane highway
  • Nepal wants India to take back demonetised notes worth Rs 7 crore from its Central Bank
  • FPIs infuse Rs 1,624 crore in Indian markets in January
  • India and World Bank sign loan agreement of 210mn for Rural Transformation Project
  • Airtel Joins Hands with Western Union to Accelerate Real-time Global Payments
  • SBI’s new one-use ‘Virtual Cards’ reduce risk of fraud in net banking
  • Arunachal CM dedicates Padi Yubbe stadium to people
  • Archaea organism discovered in Sambhar lake
  • Chhattisgarh government launches ‘Malaria-free Bastar’ campaign
  • DRDO to showcase indigenously-developed military systems, technologies at DefExpo 2020
  • French agency CNES to aid ISRO’s space station project
  • India’s Federation Cup games moved from virus-hit China to Kazakhstan
  • Adhiban, Narayanan register impressive wins in Gibraltar chess
  • Cabinet Minister Naqvi’s Hindi Novel “Balwa
  • Former NBA star Kobe Bryant passes away

DAILY CA – 28th JAN

  • International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust-27TH January
  • Govt invites bids to sell 100 % stake in Air India
  • Amit Shah to chair Central Zonal Council meeting in Chhattisgarh
  • PM Modi to attend NCC rally in New Delhi.
  • Indian Railways to run 100% on electricity by 2024: Piyush Goyal
  • WHO increases global risk degree of novel coronavirus from moderate to high
  • NABARD pegs credit potential at Rs 90,000 crore for Odisha
  • UCBs report frauds worth Rs. 220 cr in last five fiscals: RBI
  • BSE signs licensing agreement with ICE Futures Europe
  • Paytm Payments Bank to help identify rogue apps that could trigger fraud transactions
  • TCS BaNCS powers operations of merged Tamil Nadu Grama Banks
  • OPPO signs pact with IIT Hyderabad for R&D
  • India’s First Super Fab Lab That Can Produce ‘Almost Any Machinery’ Inaugurated In Kochi
  • Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra govt launches its much-awaited ‘Shiv Bhojan’ scheme
  • Andhra Pradesh assembly unanimously passes resolution to abolish State Legislative Council
  • National Handloom Expo 2020 kicks off at Bhubaneswar
  • Election Commission award for The Hindu Tamil
  • Sneha Pamneja wins Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize for ”Tiffin”
  • Andy Serkis to receive Bafta for outstanding contribution to cinema
  • Anil Khanna nominated as Life President of ATF
  • Senior bureaucrat B Anand appointed secretary of National Commission for Minorities
  • Sunil Mehta takes over as Chief Executive of Indian Banks’ Association
  • Prime Minister to Address the 3rd Global Potato Conclave, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
  • France will be guest of honour at New Delhi World Book Fair 2022
  • GRSE set to deliver anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti to Navy soon
  • The Rao’ power of ‘Mission Shakti’
  • Sahityacharya Dr Golok Chandra Goswami passes away
  • Former Karnataka minister K Amarnath Shetty passes away
  • Noted artist, sculptor Sher Singh Kukkal passes away

This post was last modified on September 30, 2020 11:33 am