Important Current Affairs 27th January 2020

National 

GeM Signs MoU with Uttar Pradesh to Set Up Project Management Unit
•    The Uttar Pradesh government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government eMarketplace (GeM), under the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry,to set up a GeM Organizational Transformation Team (GOTT) Project Management Unit (PMU) in the state.
•    Uttar Pradesh government is the second state after Punjab to establish a GOTT-PMU for inclusive, efficient and transparent procurement system.

Government of India to sell 100% stake in Air India
•    The government of India announced a sale of 100% stake in debt-laden Air India. As part of the strategic disinvestment and has set March 17, as the deadline for submitting an expression of interest (EoI). 
•    Air India would also sell 100% stake in low-cost airline Air India Express and 50 per cent shareholding in joint venture AISATS.
•    The financial position of Air India is very fragile and the Government has limited resources. Air India is under a debt trap and the private sector can bring required capital to the Airline. 
•    Air India staff will be offered three per cent of the airline’s total shares in the government’s disinvestment process.

Indian Railway’s First Waste-To-Energy Plant Commissioned In Bhubaneswar
•    The first waste-to-energy plant of the Indian Railways, has been commissioned at Carriage Repair Workshop, Mancheswar, in Bhubaneswar by the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone.
•    The plant is the first Government of India initiative in waste to energy plant and fourth such plant in the country.
•    It has been built at a cost of Rs 1.79 crore and has the capacity to dispose 500 kg waste, including plastic and e-waste.
•    This waste-to-energy plant uses a patented technology called ‘Polycrack’, which is world’s first patented heterogeneous catalytic process to convert multiple feed stocks into hydrocarbon liquid fuels, gas, carbon and water.
•    This process will produce energy in the form of light diesel oil which is used to light furnaces.

Kerala Partners MIT To Unveil India’s First ‘Super Fab Lab’ in Kochi
•    Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated India’s first Super Fab Lab at the Integrated Startup Complex of the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) in Kochi on 25 January 2020, that will give India’s hardware industry a huge leap.

•    Fab Labs are fabrication laboratories offering digital fabrication and computation.A Fab Lab lets you make almost anything; make the products you can consume.

•    A Super Lab lets you make a Fab Lab. It is an amazing facility that has the tools not just to make anything, but make the tools that make things.

Govt signs ‘Historic’ Bodo Accord 2020

•    The central government on January 27, 2020 signed the historic Bodo Accord 2020 with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and All Bodo Students Union (ABSU). The NDFB is one of the dangerous militant groups of Assam and the ABSU is the influential student union of Assam. 
•    The peace agreement provides political as well as economic benefits to the tribal areas of Assam without a separate Bodoland.

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet passes resolution to abolish State Legislative Council

•    The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on January 27, 2020 passed a resolution to abolish the Legislative Council. The ruling Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress in the state has a minority representation in the Legislative Council. Out of total 58 members, the YSR Congress has only 9 members.

International

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
•    Theme 2020: “75 years after Auschwitz – Holocaust Education and Remembrance for Global Justice”

Awards

Padma Awards 2020: Arun Jaitley, Kangana Ranaut among 118 Padma Awardees

•    Padma Awards — one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.
•    ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
•    This year the President has approved conferment of 141 Padma Awards including 4 duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one) as per list below. The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri Awards.
•    33 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 18 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 12 Posthumous awardees.

Grammy 2020 winners: List of Winners

The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards announced on January 26, 2020. The Awards ceremony was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was hosted by Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019.
Here is the complete list of winners of Grammy Awards 2020: 

Obituary

NBA legend Kobe Bryant passes away
•    Veteran American professional basketball player Kobe Bean Bryant, has passed away in a helicopter crash on 26 January 2020. He was 41.
•    The National Basketball Association (NBA) legend died when a helicopter he was riding in crashed and burst into flames in thick fog, killing all nine people on board including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
•    Bryant was a five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist

Appointment

Sunil Mehta Sworn in as IBA Chief Executive
•    Former MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank, Sunil Mehta, has taken charge as the chief executive of the Indian Bank’s Association (IBA) from 27 January 2020.
•    He succeeds VG Kannan, who demitted office as chief executive of IBA on December 31, 2019.