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FREE GK and Current Affairs today - January 31 2017

FREE GK and Current Affairs today - January 31 2017

Dear Readers,

We bring you the Latest (GK)General Knowledge and Current Affairs, General awareness Today  31st January 2017 Section in FREE PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news, Events headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the Latest GK and Current Affairs  asked in various competitive examinations of Banking & Government Sector like IBPS, SBI (RRB, PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW (CLAT) entrance exams, UPSC -IAS etc. and will help you score good marks in the competitive examination. We recommend all our readers to go through the Gk & Current Affairs section and boost your general awareness, Gk, Current Affairs before the examination.

FREE Current Affairs today : 29th January 2017 (PDF) - Hindi & English

FREE Current Affairs today : 30th January 2017 (PDF) - Hindi & English


NATIONAL NEWS

January 31 - 12th Raising Day Celebration of NDRF held

The 12th Raising Day celebration of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was held in the national capital on 31st Jan.
●    Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh presented the Jeevan Raksha Padak awards and Distinguished Service Medals to the NDRF personnel.
●    He also released the NDRF pictorial book and souvenir to mark the occasion.
●    The NDRF raised on January, 2006, is a specialised force capable of responding to any type of disaster in the country and abroad.
●    It is strategically deployed across the nation as per the vulnerability profile of the country.
●    Over the years, the NDRF has proved itself a vibrant force in the country which provides prompt assistance in search and rescue, mass evacuation and immediate relief to victims in case of natural or man-made disasters.
●    So far, the NDRF has responded to over one thousand operations and rescued around four lakh 73 thousand victims.

ECONOMY


RBI removes cash withdrawal limit on current accounts 


The Reserve Bank of India lifts restrictions on daily withdrawal of money from ATMs (automated teller machines) starting 1 February 2017. 
●    The announcement was made through a circular issued on 30 January 2017. According to the notice, the decision was taken after a review of the pace of demonetisation.
●    RBI has asked all banks to set their own daily limit as they did before the demonetisation of old high denomination currency notes on 8 November 2016.
●    The RBI will also be removing all limits on cash withdrawals from current accounts, cash credit accounts and overdraft accounts.
●    The weekly limit of Rs 24000 on savings bank accounts will continue to hold for now but is under consideration for withdrawal in the near future.
●    Along with this, the RBI has also urged all banks to encourage their constituents to move towards digitisation of payments and switch the mode of payment from cash mode to non-cash mode.

SPORTS

Abhinav Bindra, Pullela Gopichand part of TOP task force

The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports constituted a Task Force to prepare an action plan for 2020, 2024 and 2028 Olympic games.
●    An announcement in this regard was made by the Union Ministry of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel on 30 January 2017.
●    Pulella Gopichand-Olympian and coach
●    Abhinav Bindra-Olympic gold medalist
●    Rajesh Kalra-Chief Editor, Times Group Online
●    Om Pathak-School Sports Promotion foundation
●    Viren Rasquinha-CEO – Olympic Gold Quest
●    S. Baldev Singh (Hockey)-Coach
●    Prof GL Khanna-Professor and Dean (Exercise and Physiology), Faculty of Applied Sciences, Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad
●    Sandeep Pradhan-Director General, Sports Authority of Gujarat (Member Convenor)


SPACE SCIENCE


ISRO to launch 104 satellites in one go on Februray 15


ISRO centres here are focussed on the next commercial launch of a record 104 satellites at one go on board its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C37) from Sriharikota by Feb 15.

●    It will be followed by the launch of the South Asian satellite in March this year, which is pegged as the Prime Minister's pet project.
●    In the payload of 104 satellites, 101 will be foreign satellites including the latest addition of a nano-satellite. 
●    Remaining three will be Indian satellites including the Cartosat series-2D with remote sensing high resolution camera which finds its application in defence and strategic purposes.
●    Till now, ISRO has launched the maximum 20 satellites at one go and it was on board PSLV-C34 on June 22 last year. 
●    While, Russia has launched a record 37 satellites in a single mission in 2014 and the US space agency NASA had launched 29 satellites at one go.


APPOINTMENTS


Vikramjit Sen Appointed DDCA administrator


Delhi High Court appointed Justice (Rtd) Vikramajit Sen as the new administrator of DDCA, replacing retired Justice Mukul Mudgal who did not wish to continue in the post. 

●    They also ordered audit of the accounts of the years of 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) by an external auditor. 
●    The bench also said that Justice Sen will call for a meeting of DDCA members for reconstituting the cricketing body’s working and sports committees.
●    Thereafter, the administrator will meet the Registrar of Companies prior to holding of elections to elect the office bearers of DDCA.
●    The directions, among many others, came on DDCA’s plea against appointment of an arbitrator to oversee its functioning.
●    The bench said it is going to monitor the matter and said the administrator can file periodic reports if required.


Amulya Kumar Patnaik Appointed Delhi Police Commissioner


The Union Home Ministry on 30 January 2017 announced the appointment of Amulya Kumar Patnaik as the Delhi Police Commissioner.
●    Patnaik, a 1985 batch Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre IPS officer, is currently posted as Special Commissioner of Police (Administration).
●    The Government of India constituted the Delhi Police Commission headed by Justice G.D. Khosla in the year 1966. 
●    The Commission was constituted to go into the Problems faced by Delhi Police.
●    On the basis of the Khosla Commission Report, 4 Police districts, namely, North, Central, South and New Delhi were constituted.
●    The Commission also recommended the introduction of Police Commissioner System, which was adopted from 1 July 1978.


Supreme Court appoints four member committee to run BCCI affairs

The Supreme Court (SC) on 30 January 2017 appointed former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai as the head of four-member Committee of Administrators to run Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
●    The other three members of the Committee are noted historian Ramachandra Guha, former Indian women’s cricket team captain Diana Edulji and IDFC Limited’s Managing Director Vikram Limaye.
●    The order was given by a three-judge Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra. The other two judges were Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.
●    The Bench rejected the suggestion of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to appoint Secretary of Union Sports Ministry as one of the administrators.
●    The Bench states that its 18 July 2016 judgement had specifically debarred ministers and government servants from holding any office in the BCCI.


DISCOVERY


New Species of Songbird discovered


Researchers exploring fragmented forests of the highest ranges of the Western Ghats have designated two new endemic genera and a new species of songbird.
●    The research published in the latest issue of BMC Evolutionary Biology was undertaken by V. V. Robin; Sushma Reddy; C .K. Vishnudas; Pooja Gupta; Frank E. Rheindt; Daniel M. Hooper and Uma Ramakrishnan.
●    The species in the Montecincla genera include Montecincla jerdoni, Montecincla cachinnans, Montecincla fairbanki and Montecincla meridionalis belongs to Montecincla genus. 
●    Sholicola major and Sholicola albiventris belongs to Sholicola genus.
●    Another lucky break was the discovery of old forgotten specimens in the Trivandrum Natural History Museum. 
●    Ms. Ramakrishnan expressed the hope that the the knowledge of their distinct evolution and ecology would help to increase conservation efforts.


On This Day

On 31 January 1966, Russia launched Luna 9 towards moon. Luna 9, internal designation Ye-6 No.13, was an unmanned space mission of the Soviet Union's Luna programme. On 3 February 1966 the Luna 9 spacecraft became the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, or any planetary body other than Earth, and to transmit photographic data to Earth from the surface of another planetary body.   

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FREE GK and Current Affairs Today - January 30 2017

FREE Current Affairs 30 Jan 2017

Dear Readers,

We cover some important Latest news in Gk and Current Affairs, General Awareness Today 30th January Section, which are not covered in Daily Detailed News events updates, More General Knowledge and  Current Affairs  latest  Events coverage Which will help you to Score Good Marks in Competitive Examinations of Banking, Governments, Railways & UPSC Examination..


INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

SAARC Member States to Meet in Nepal This Week 

Senior officials of the eight member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will meet in Kathmandu this week to attend the Programming Committee.

●    This will be the first meeting of the SAARC member countries since the postponement of the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad last November, officials said on Sunday.
●    Nepal, current chair of the SAARC, had decided to postpone the SAARC Summit until further notice after four nations Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India decided to boycott the summit in Islamabad scheduled for November 9 and 10 last year.
●    SAARC is a regional body founded in 1985 in South Asia, comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.


SPORTS

Roger Federer Wins Australian Open Men's Title, Sania Mirza Loses Final 

Roger Federer on 29 January 2017 won the 2017 Australian Open Men’s Singles title.
●    The 35-year-old Swiss defeated Rafael Nadal 6-4 3-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 to claim his 18th Grand Slam and fifth Melbourne title.
●    Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player.
●    He is currently ranked world No. 10 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has held the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for 302 weeks.
●    He turned professional in 1998.
●    He has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, which is the most in history.
●    He has won five Australian Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, five US Open titles and one French Open title.
●    He has won record six ATP World Tour Finals and played in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.


NATIONAL NEWS


Delhi becomes one of the World's Busiest Airports

Delhi airport handled nearly 56 million passengers last year, joining the ranks of some of its busiest global peers such as Bangkok, Singapore and John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. 

●    All these airports have about 50 million passengers passing through annually.  
●    For Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, this was the highest traffic growth — 21 per cent, year on year — in four years. 
●    An increase in the number of domestic passengers, foreign tourist arrivals and transit passengers fuelled the growth. 
●    Indira Gandhi International Airport serves as the primary civilian aviation hub for the National Capital Region of Delhi, India. 
●    Named after Indira Gandhi, a former Prime Minister of India, it is the busiest airport in the country in terms of passenger traffic since 2009.
●    It is busiest airport in the country in terms of cargo traffic in the recent year overtaking Mumbai during late 2015.

SPORTS


Sindhu and Sameer Wins Syed Modi International Badminton Championship


Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu and National champion Sameer Verma began the new season on a resounding note by winning the women's and men's singles crowns respectively at the USD 120,000 Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament.
●    In fact, India scooped up three titles out of the five events in the tournament.
●    Top seed Sindhu, who has been in rampaging form last season, brushed aside Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska in the summit clash, while Sameer, who had reached the finals of Hong Kong Super Series, defeated compatriot B Sai Praneeth 21-19 21-16 in a 44-minute final.
●    The girl from Hyderabad led right from the start and never allowed her younger opponent to pose any threat. 
●    She entered the break at 11-5 and 11-6 in the first and second games respectively and never looked back.


NATIONAL NEWS

Government to Carry Out Comprehensive Census of Gangetic Dolphins

For the first time, the government will carry out a comprehensive census of endangered Gangetic dolphins, ghariyals and turtles across the entire Ganges river system to get their official count. 

●    The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) will carry out the exercise through Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous institution under Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, by February-end or early March.
●    All the efforts of counting the number of dolphins in the Ganga until now were carried out in bits and pieces or in particular stretches of the river.
●    The WII scientists will co-ordinate with states and NGOs for the study, he added.
●    Uttar Pradesh government had in October 2015 had conducted a census for over a period of three days in Ganga’s stretch in the state.

ENVIRONMENT


More than 3 km long fissure opens up in Arizona 


A gaping 3.2 kilometre long crack has opened up in the barren land of Arizona, possibly due to the withdrawal of groundwater for agricultural activities, say scientists who have warned that the fissure is likely continue growing.

●    A footage from an Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) in the US drone showed the extent of the huge fissure splitting the barren land.
●    The crack is so big that it dwarfs people walking along its edges in the video.
●    The northern part of the fissure, which is older and partially filled in, is shallow, while the southern portion is tens of feet deep in some spots, according to Joseph Cook, a geologist with the AZGS.
●    Cook first spotted the crack in Google Earth imagery from December 2014. After mapping the fissure using GPS, the researchers got another look using a drone, Live Science reported.
●    The crack is so big that it dwarfs people walking along its edges in the video.
●    The northern part of the fissure, which is older and partially filled in, is shallow, while the southern portion is tens of feet deep in some spots, according to Joseph Cook, a geologist with the AZGS.
●    Cook first spotted the crack in Google Earth imagery from December 2014. After mapping the fissure using GPS, the researchers got another look using a drone, Live Science reported.


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


Solid Metallic Hydrogen Successfully Created by Harvard Scientists


Squeezed between two pieces of diamond, hydrogen has been transformed into a metallic form believed to exist inside giant planets like Jupiter.


●    If some theoretical predictions turn out to be true, the new state of hydrogen could even be a solid metal that is metastable — remaining solid even after the crushing pressure is removed — and a superconductor, able to conduct electricity without resistance.
●    Editors at Science declined to discuss the paper, but in a statement, Jeremy Berg, the editor in chief, said that submissions must pass rigorous review by experts and that only about 7 percent are published.
●    Hydrogen is the lightest of elements; each atom consists only of one proton and one electron. 
●    In the ordinary conditions at Earth’s surface, where the weight of air presses at 14.7 pounds per square inch, hydrogen atoms pair up into simple molecules.

AWARDS

Miss France Crowned Miss Universe 2016


France’s Iris Mittenaere on 30 January 2017 was crowned the Miss Universe 2016. The pageant was held at the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines.

●    Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines crowned her successor Iris Mittenaere at the end of the event.
●    Miss Haiti Raquel Pélissier was announced the first runner-up while Miss Columbia Andrea Tovar was named the second runner-up in the pageant.
●    India’s Roshmitha Harimurthy could not even make it to the top 15.
●    Born on 25 January 1993, Mittenaere is a French model.
●    She is the second Miss Universe from France. France's Christiane Martel was crowned the Miss Universe in the year 1953.
●    Mittenaere had represented Nord-Pas-de-Calais at the Miss France 2016. On 19 December 2015, she was crowned Miss France 2016. 


 

On This Day

On 30 January 1948, the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu Nationalist, Nathuram Godse. Communal violence broke out in Punjab and Bengal after the Partition of India and Pakistan. Eschewing the official celebration of independence in Delhi, Gandhi visited the affected areas, attempting to provide solace. In the months following, he undertook several fasts unto death to promote religious harmony. The last of these, undertaken on 12 January 1948 when he was 78, also had the indirect goal of pressuring India to pay out some cash assets owed to Pakistan. Some Indians mistakenly thought Gandhi was too accommodating. Godse was one of them.

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Gk and Current Affairs FREE PDF today - January 29 2017

Current-Affairs-free-pdf-today-january-29-2017

Dear Readers,

We bring you the (GK)General Knowledge and Current Affairs Today  29th Jan 2017 Section in PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the GK and Current Affairs  asked in various competitive exams of Banking & Government  like IBPS, SBI (PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW (CLAT) entrance exams, UPSC -IAS etc. and will help you score good marks. We recommend all our aspirants to go through the section and boost your general awareness before.

SPORTS

Serena Williams wins Australian Open Women's title

Serena Williams wins Australian Open Women's title


Serena Williams pushed sentiments aside in an emotion-charged 6-4 6-4 defeat of sister Venus to win the Australian Open on Saturday and a record 23rd grand slam title in the professional era.


●    The American's seventh title at Melbourne Park was won with an aggressive charge to the net and a desperate defensive backhand from Venus that floated into the tramlines.
●    Williams slumped to the ground, with hands in the air and eyes wide with joyous disbelief, before congratulating her sister for inspiring her run in Melbourne.
●    The win moved her past Steffi Graf on the list of all-time slam winners and she now sits just one shy of Margaret Court's long-standing record of 24.
●    In the ultimate throwback tournament, Serena met her sister on the same Rod Laver Arena court where 14 years before she had edged her in three sets to claim her first Melbourne Park crown.
●    Eight years had passed since their last grand slam decider at Wimbledon in 2009, and their combined ages in Melbourne added up to the 'oldest' major final ever contested.

NATIONAL NEWS


India to soon flag off Antyodaya Express

India to soon flag off Antyodaya Express

Catering to the growing requirement of general passengers, Railways will introduce Antodaya superfast trains, a special service with many facilities for unreserved category, in the high demand routes.

●    Antodaya Express will be a fully unreserved service for general class passengers and run in the high density routes, a senior Railway Ministry official said.
●    Provided with bio-toilets for zero discharge of effluents, Antodaya coaches will have toilet occupation indication lights provided at each end near the doorway with better visibility from compartments.
●    Besides there will be cushioned seats, LED lights in the coach with aluminium composite panels interior for asthetic look. The official said the new Antodaya service was budget commitment.
●    Earlier Humsafar Express, a fully 3AC service, also part of the budget announcement, was launched for Gorakhpur to New Delhi. After Antodaya, Railways will launch Tejas Express, another special service in reserved class, which will be operational this year.

NATIONAL NEWS


India Post Receives payment banks licence to start services 

India Post Receives payment banks licence to start services 


India Post has received payments bank licence from the Reserve Bank of India to start rollout of banking operations commercially under the permit. 


●    India Post has received payments bank licence. The service will be launched as per schedule.
●    India Post Payments Bank is the third entity to receive payments bank permit after Bharti Airtel and Paytm.
●    Payments banks can accept deposits up to Rs 1 lakh per account from individuals and small businesses.
●    The new model of banking allows mobile firms, supermarket chains and others to cater to banking requirements of individuals and small businesses. 
●    It will be set up as a differentiated bank and will confine its activities to acceptance of demand deposits, remittance services, Internet banking and other specified services.
●    In 2015, RBI had granted ‘in-principle’ approval to 11 entities, including Department of Posts, to set up payments banks and proposed to give such licences ‘on tap’ basis in future.

NATIONAL NEWS


UID Begins on BHIM App

UID Begins on BHIM App

The government has enabled the Bharat Interface for Mobile (BHIM) app with Aadhaar seeking to accelerate the drive toward digital-money transactions in the country.    


●    Aadhaar Pay service will enable people to make and receive payments using their Aadhaar number and the biometric technology. 
●    14 banks have come on board for Aadhaar Pay and the government is in talks with other banks too, Minister for Electronics and IT. 
●    Aadhaar has already given unique numbers to 1.11 billion people in the country, and about 390 million bank accounts are linked to the 12-digit Aadhaar number. 
●    Prasad said that about 20 million people are linking their bank accounts with Aadhaar every month.

BANKING


HDFC launches first humanoid 'Ira' in Mumbai

HDFC launches first humanoid 'Ira' in Mumbai


HDFC Bank has deployed an interactive humanoid at its Kamala Mills branch in Mumbai. 

●    Intelligent Robotic Assistant is developed in partnership with Kochi-based startup Asimov Robotics.
●    IRA will be used for customer service.
●    HDFC has become the first bank in the country to deploy humanoid for customer service. 
●    Developed using robotics and artificial intelligence technology, IRA will be initially positioned near the bank’s welcome desk where it will display the services, greet customers and guide them to the counters - cash deposit, foreign exchange, loans etc. 
●    In phase-II, IRA’s capabilities will be enhanced by introducing features like voice/face recognition for customer identification, voice-guided navigation, balance enquiry and cheque deposit.


NATIONAL NEWS


ONGC to invest Rs. 78,000 crore in KG Basin 

ONGC to invest Rs. 78,000 crore in KG Basin 

Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) will invest Rs 78,000 crore in the Krishna Godavari basin for producing hydrocarbons and has signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government.

●    ONGC has been pursuing exploration in the basin and had last March announced a $5 billion (Rs34,000 crore) investment over the next three years in two of its fields.
●    The investment figure announced on Saturday is for the entire basin. 
●    ONGC sees Andhra Pradesh as a hydrocarbon rich state. 
●    ONGC is very aggressively pursuing to put the huge gas reserves it has discovered in KG basin, to production. 
●    It plans to invest about Rs10,000 crore for exploration and production activities in onland blocks and about Rs 68,000 crore in offshore assets in the KG Basin.

SPORTS

 World T20 for the Blind to begin in India from Jan 30

World T20 for the Blind to begin in India from Jan 30

The opening T20 World Cup Cricket for the blind will start from Monday with two matches slated in Delhi when India takes on Bangladesh and New Zealand with Pakistan.

●    For the first time, the World Cup matches will take place in multiple cities across India.
●    Ten teams, including hosts India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia and England, will fight it out for the title.
●    The matches will be played in twelve venues, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore and Bhubaneswar.
●    A seventeen member squad led by Ajay Kumar Reddy will represent India in the mega-event.
●    Former Indian blind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik yesterday released the Blind Anthem for T20 World Cup in New Delhi.


SPACE SCIENCE


India's first dedicated space observatory ASTROSAT catches Vampire Star at work

India's first dedicated space observatory ASTROSAT catches Vampire Star at work

India’s first dedicated space observatory, Astrosat, has captured a small, 6-billion-year-old “vampire” star “preying” on a bigger celestial body.


●    Scientists say the smaller star, also called a “blue straggler”, feeds off its companion star by sucking out its mass and energy, causing its eventual death.
●    This discovery also highlights the capabilities of the telescopes on Astrosat, a dedicated space observatory satellite launched in September 2015.
●    The study was recently published in Astrophysical Journal Letters by a team of scientists from IIA, Inter-University Centre of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
●    Scientists are now looking to understand the chemical composition of the ‘blue straggler’ using high resolution spectroscopy, which could reveal more about the evolution of these peculiar celestial objects. 

On This Day

On This Day - 29 Jan 2017


On 29 January 1886, the first successful gasoline powered car was patented by Karl Benz in Karlsruhe, Germany. Karl Friedrich Benz was a German engine designer and automobile engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical motorcar.

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Gk and Current Affairs FREE PDF Today - January 28 2017

Gk-Current-Affairs-free-pdf-today-january-28-2017

Dear Readers,

We bring you the (GK)General Knowledge and Current Affairs Today  28th Jan 2017 Section in PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the GK and Current Affairs  asked in various competitive exams of Banking & Government  like IBPS, SBI (PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW (CLAT) entrance exams, UPSC -IAS etc. and will help you score good marks. We recommend all our aspirants to go through the section and boost your general awareness before.

NATIONAL NEWS

January 28 - Lala Lajpat Rai's 151st Birth-Anniversary Observed 

January 28 - Lala Lajpat Rai's 151st Birth-Anniversary Observed 

150th birth anniversary of great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai, also known as Punjab Kesri is being celebrated 28th January 2016.

●    Rai, popularly known as Punjab Kesari was part of the ‘Lal Bal Pal’ trio.
●    He was one of the three extremist members of the Indian National Congress who gave their life for the independence of India along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal.
●    He was part of the Lal Bal Pal trio of assertive nationalists that included Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal from 1905 to 1918. 
●    Lal Bal Pal trio had advocated the Swadeshi movement involving the boycott of all imported items and the use of Indian-made goods in 1907 during the anti-Partition agitation in Bengal which began in 1905.
●    Rai was born on January 28, 1865 and died on November 17, 1928.

APPOINTMENTS

Vijay P Bhatkar Appointed Chancellor of Nalanda University

Vijay P Bhatkar Appointed Chancellor of Nalanda University


Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar, a technocrat who is considered the father of the Indian Supercomputer, has been appointed the new Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University, Rajgir, in Bihar. 

●    President Pranab Mukherjee, in his capacity as Visitor to Nalanda University, named Bhatkar for the post with effect from January 25.
●    He will hold the office for a three-year period from the date of his appointment as per the Nalanda University Act, Sec 11(3). 
●    Bhatkar, 70, replaces Gopa Sabharwal who resigned on November 24 last year, followed by the resignation of Chancellor George Yeo, after the dissolution of the Mentor Group which functioned as the governing body of the university.
●    Born on October 11, 1946 in Pune, Bhatkar was educated at IIT, Delhi, Sir Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur and MS University, Vadodara. 
●    He is known as the architect of India’s initiative in supercomputing, the Centre of Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Pune founded in 1988, leading to the development of the first indigenous supercomputer Param 8,000 in 1991, followed by Param 10,000 in 1998.

GLOBAL NEWS


Morocco to rejoin African Union After 33 Years

Morocco to rejoin African Union After 33 Years


After leaving the pan African organisation three decades ago, Morocco is set to rejoin the African Union during its 28th African summit scheduled for January 30-31 in Addis Ababa.

●    Morocco in 1984 decided to withdraw from the Organisation of African Unity, which later became the AU, in protest against the admission of Western Sahara, which seeks independence for a chunk of territory the country claims as its own.
●    Morocco has since then refused to be part of the organisation, but recently it changed its policy, making the re-admission to the AU on the top of its agenda.
●    Two months after the king's message to the African leaders, the North African kingdom in September formally submitted a request to re-join the continental body.
●    The request was submitted after it received the support of a group of 28 AU member states, representing more than the majority of the 54 African Union member states required for admission.


OBITUARY


English Actor John Hurt Passes Away

English Actor John Hurt Passes Away

Actor John Hurt, the gravelly voiced British actor who garnered Oscar nominations for his roles in "Midnight Express" and "The Elephant Man," has died at the age of 77, publicist Charles McDonald said Friday.
●    Hurt always stayed busy, working more than six decades in television, movies and voice work in England and the United States. He recently played a priest who counsels Jacqueline Kennedy in last year's biopic "Jackie," according to IMDb.
●    Hurt was born in Shirebrook, a coal mining village in Derbyshire, England, the son of an an engineer and one-time actress and an Anglican clergyman and 
mathematician, IMDb said.
●    He trained to become a painter but, after being accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, worked on the stage in the early 1960s.
●    His first film role came in the "angry young man" drama "Young and Willing" in 1962 and his first major role in "A Man for All Seasons" in 1966, IMDb said.


NATIONAL NEWS

India's Inter-Service Military Exercise TROPEX 17 Starts

India's Inter-Service Military Exercise TROPEX 17 Starts

Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya backed by nuclear submarine INS Chakra besides fighting assets of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard have come together in the country’s biggest inter-service ‘Tropex’ exercise along the western seaboard. The navy’s annual Theatre Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX) got underway on January 24.

●    The month-long exercise will have ships and aircraft of both the Western and Eastern Naval Commands, as also assets from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Coast Guard exercising together.
●    The last edition of the exercise was conducted in January 2015.
●    Tropex has grown in scale and complexity over the years and will see participation of major surface combatants and air assets of the Indian Navy including INS Vikramaditya, INS Chakra, Landing Platform Dock (LPD) Jalashwa, the recently commissioned destroyer INS Chennai, P-8I long range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft operating alongside SU-30 MKI, Jaguars, AWACS, IL-78 Flight Refuelling Aircraft of the Indian Air Force and infantry units of the Indian Army.
●    Tropex-17 assumes special significance in the backdrop of the current security scenario, a statement by the navy said.

NATIONAL NEWS

Report on National MSME Policy Submitted

Report on National MSME Policy Submitted


The committee tasked with drafting a comprehensive policy for the country's micro, small and medium enterprises today submitted its report. 

●    The one-member panel of former Cabinet Secretary Dr Prabhat Kumar submitted the report on formulation of a National MSME Policy to Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra here. 
●    The country does not have an MSME policy till date. 
●    Mishra appreciated the efforts made by Kumar in meeting various stakeholders in different parts of .. 
●    At the moment, there is no integrated approach for the development of MSMEs despite the fact that the sector accounts for 40 per cent of India's manufacturing and 45 per cent of exports. 

NATIONAL NEWS


Water Level of 91 Major Reservoirs of the Country Reduced by 2%

Water Level of 91 Major Reservoirs of the Country Reduced by 2%


According to data released by the ministry of water resources on 2 December, water storage available in 91 large reservoirs of the country for the week ending 1 December 2016 was 102.841 billion cu. metre (BCM), which is 65% of the total storage capacity of these reservoirs. 

●    This was 126% in the corresponding period last year and averaged at 98% over the last ten years.
●    States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
●    The report states that current storage is 67 per cent of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 77 per cent of storage of average of last ten years.
●    Experts attribute the depleting water levels in reservoirs to two years of poor rainfall in the country.
●    On Tuesday, Indian meteorological department announced that monsoon in 2016 was likely to be ‘above normal’, which may increase the water levels.
●    States having better storage than last year for corresponding period are Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Karnataka, among others.

NATIONAL NEWS


I&B Secretary Launches Film Condition Assessment Project 

I&B Secretary Launches Film Condition Assessment Project 

“Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is committed to safeguarding the country’s filmic and non-filmic heritage and is taking all necessary steps to preserve films and non-filmic material for posterity as per global standards,” said Shri Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry. 
●    He was speaking on the occasion of the launch of Film Condition Assessment, which is the first phase of implementation of National Film Heritage Mission, NFHM here today at Pune.
●    Elaborating further, Shri Mittal said, “This is a one-of-its-kind project in the world, wherein the Government is spending huge amount of money towards the aspect of film preservation, in order to make rich filmic heritage available for the future generations to come. 
●    The condition of about 1,32,000 film reels at NFAI would be assessed and necessary measures would be taken to prolong their life. Each film reel will be tracked and monitored through RFID tagging, during the first phase”.
●    On the sidelines of the occasion, Shri Mittal also launched NFAI’s initiative of digitization of non-filmic material. Secretary said, “this is a step in the direction of Government’s Digital India initiative, wherein non-filmic heritage of the country would be digitized, restored and made available to the people at large”. 
●    NFAI has been the custodian of a large number of film ancillary material like posters, photos, song booklets, pamphlets, press clippings, slides / transparencies, glass negatives etc, which would be digitized and restored during the process. 

On This Day

On This Day


On 28 January 1933, the name Pakistan was coined by Choudhary Rahmat Ali, a Pakistan Movement activist, who published it in his pamphlet Now or Never, using it as an acronym ("thirty million Muslim brethren who live in PAKSTAN") referring to the names of the five northern regions of the British Raj: Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh, and Baluchistan. The name Pakistan literally means "land of the pure" in Urdu and Persian.

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GK, Current Affairs Today - January 27 2017

Current Affairs 27th Jan 2017

Dear Readers,

We bring you the (GK)General Knowledge and Current Affairs Today  27th Jan 2017 Section in PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the GK and Current Affairs  asked in various competitive exams of Banking & Government  like IBPS, SBI (PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW (CLAT) entrance exams, UPSC -IASetc. and will help you score good marks. We recommend all our aspirants to go through the section and boost your general awareness before.

National News

Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan Resigns 


Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan resigned from his position on 27 January 2017. 

His resignation came following a controversy that was triggered against him, accusing him of sexual misconduct.

●    Moreover, a letter was sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the staff of the Meghalaya Governor's House, accusing the Governor of compromising with the dignity of his office.
●    Civil society groups in Meghalaya like the Civil Society Women's Organisation and a progressive political outfit of Meghalaya 'Thma U Rangli' launched a signature campaign following the reports of inappropriate behaviour by the Governor. The campaign was launched to demand Governor's resignation.
●    However, Shanmuganathan, who also holds the additional charge of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, denied such media allegations.


SPORTS

David Warner Breaks Tendulkar's Record of Scoring 150 or More 5 Times in ODIs


Sachin Tendulkar, in his illustrious career that spanned over two decades, has set many a records in cricketing history. 

●    Although many of these records are set to stand for some while, one man who has been tipped to break at least some of them is India skipper Virat Kohli.
●    However, as the swashbuckling Indian top-order batsman gears up for his first T20I as the Team India captain, it was an Aussie, who matched one of the ‘Little Master’s’ unique records.
●    Australia opener David Warner absolutely clobbered the Pakistan bowlers all around the Adelaide Oval, to help his side to a massive total of 369. 
●    While he set a record-breaking opening partnership of 284 runs with Travis Head, there was another record that brought Warner on the same level as Tendulkar.
●    Warner’s 179 runs off 128 balls was his fifth 150 plus score in one-day cricket. 
●    This brought him level with Tendulkar, who had also scored 150 or more five times in his ODI career.


DEFENCE

Improved Pinaka Rockets Test-Fired

The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on 24 January 2017 successfully test fired the Guided PINAKA from Launch Complex-III at ITR, Chandipur.

●    Guided PINAKA is the enhanced version of PINAKA Rocket Mark-II which has been equipped with navigation, guidance and control kit. 
●    The conversion from PINAKA Rocket Mark-II to Guided PINAKA facilitated the enhancement in the range and improvement in the accuracy of PINAKA. 
●    The flight of this upgraded rocket was tracked and monitored by Radars, Electro Optical and Telemetry Systems at ITR Chandipur. 
●    The guided version of Pinaka was developed jointly by Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune and Imarat and Defence Research and Development Laboratory, the Hyderabad-based Research Centre. 

SPACE SCIENCE

NASA'a New Horizons to Explore Ancient Object Beyond Pluto

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is on its way to explore a small, ancient object located about 1.6 billion kilometres beyond Pluto, nearly two years after its historic encounter with the icy dwarf planet.

●    The new target was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014 and it was dubbed 2014 MU69.
●    It took the spacecraft about 16 months to beam back all of its data from the Pluto flyby, and planetary scientists have had a ball with that data.
●    The next big stage of the mission, the flyby of 2014 MU69, will occur in January 2019. 
●    MU69 is much smaller and more representative of the trillions of other KBOs. 
●    Pluto is comparable to the size of North America at 2,370 km in diameter, while MU69 is less than 45 km across.


RANKINGS & REPORTS

India in Red Zone on Transparency List


A major international index of corruption and transparency has placed India on the watch list for its inability to curb mega corruption scandals and petty bribery. 

●    The annual index of Transparency International issued on Wednesday for 2016 placed India with Brazil and China in the 40th position. India’s condition showed growth with inequality.
●    “The impact of corruption on poverty, illiteracy and policy brutality showed that not only was the economy growing but so was inequality.
●    India’s current ranking, putting it in the high corruption zone, has drawn critical observations from transparency campaigners. 
●    Nikhil Dey of People’s Campaign for Right to Information said the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not done enough on the issue of Lokpal and whistleblower protection.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS


India to Fill Strategic Reserve Facility at Mangaluru with Oil from UAE


●    India signed a deal with the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday that allows the Gulf nation to fill half of an underground crude oil storage facility at Mangalore that is part of New Delhi's strategic reserve system. 
●    New Delhi announced a series of pacts with the UAE ranging from defence, trade, maritime cooperation to energy after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. 
●    UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Co will store about 6 million barrels of oil at Mangalore, taking up about half of the site's capacity, said Sunjay Sudhir, joint secretary for international cooperation at the Indian oil ministry. 
●    India, hedging against energy security risks as it imports most of its oil needs, is building emergency storage in underground caverns to hold 36.87 million barrels of crude, or about 10 days of its average daily oil demand in 2016. 

GLOBAL NEWS
 


Japan Successfully Launches First Military Communications Satellite

Japan on 24 January 2017 launched its first military communications satellite Kirameki-2 to boost the broadband capacity of its armed forces with an aim to reinforce its presence at the southern edge of the East China Sea.

●    The satellite was launched through Mistubishi H-IIA rocket from southern-most islands of Japan, an area in which Tokyo and Beijing have clashed over the gas-rich East China Sea.
●    Kirameki-2 is one of three planned X-band satellites that will allow communications across wider territory. It has a lifespan of 15 years. It was built by DSN Corporation for the Japanese Ministry of Defence.
●    The Kirameki-1 satellite was damaged in 2016 during transportation to the launch site and is expected to be launched in March 2018. On the other hand, Kirameki-3 is intended to be launched in 2021.
●    The country expects to send three X-band satellites into orbit over the coming years in order to quadruple the country’s broadband capacity.


INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
 


India, France Sign Pact on Maritime Info Sharing in IOR

India and France has signed White Shipping agreement to enable information sharing on maritime traffic and maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) amid China's expanding naval forays in the area where India wants to establish itself as the net security provider.

●    The agreement was signed on January 19 here when the two sides held their second dialogue on maritime cooperation for the Indian Ocean Region.
●    The White Shipping Agreement will be implemented over the next few months enabling Navies of India and France to coordinate their roles in stabilizing Indo-Pacific region, persons familiar with the developments indicated. It will enhance Indo-French maritime security cooperation in the 
region.
●    The Indo-French dialogue also emphasized on Freedom of Navigation in IOR and Pacific in the backdrop of China's territorial claims and dominance in the South China Sea region.

Awards

Padma Awards 2017 announced

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on 25 January 2017 announced the winners of the Padma Awards 2017. 

The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees.  

19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 5 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 6 posthumous awardees.

●    List of Padma Vibhushan Awardees
●    K J Yesudas
●    Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
●    Sharad Pawar
●    Murli Manohar Joshi
●    Prof. Udipi Ramachandra Rao
●    Late Sunder Lal Patwa (Posthumous)
●    Late PA Sangma (Posthumous)
●    Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian Awards of India. 

The awards are conferred in three categories namely - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.


On This Day

On 27 January 1888, the National Geographic Society was incorporated at Washington DC, USA. Gardiner Greene Hubbard became its first president and his son-in-law, Alexander Graham Bell, succeeded him in 1897. The current National Geographic Society president and CEO is Gary E. Knell. The chairman of the board of trustees is John Fahey. The editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine is Susan Goldberg. It is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history.


 

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General Knowledge, Current Affairs Today – January 26 2017

Current Affairs Today – January 26 2017

Dear Readers,

We bring you the General Knowledge and Current Affairs Today  26th Jan 2017 Section in PDF (English & Hindi), a section which outlines the latest news headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the GK and Current Affairs  asked in various competitive exams of Banking & Government  like IBPS, SBI (PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW entrance exams, UPSC etc. and will help you score good marks. We recommend all our aspirants to go through the section and boost your general awareness before.

NATIONAL NEWS


69th Republic Day Celebrated - India, UAE Soldiers March in Unison 

69th Republic Day Celebrated - India, UAE Soldiers March in Unison 

Republic Day was celebrated on 26 January 2017 across the nation. 

This was the 68th Republic Day of India. 


•    The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the Chief Guest at the 68th Republic Day parade.
●    First Republic Day was celebrated on 26 January 1950 when India became a Republic with Constitution of India coming into force.
●    This year Republic Day Parade on Rajpath witnessed tableaux from 17 States and six Ministries of the Central Government.
●    The tableaux showcased varied themes starting from country’s rich cultural heritage and socio-economic development.
●    The tableaux also showcased nation’s progress in key areas like IT, women, empowerment and environment protection.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
 

India, UAE ink 14 pacts in key areas

India, UAE ink 14 pacts in key areas


India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 25 January 2017 signed 14 agreements to boost bilateral relations. The agreements were signed after successful talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The crown prince is the chief guest of Repubilc Day celebrations on 26 January 2017.

Some of the agreements signed are –

●    Agreement on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
●    Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of defence industry
●    MoU on institutional cooperation on maritime transport
●    MoU on mutual recognition of certificates of competency
●    MoU on bilateral cooperation in the road transport and highways sector
●    MoU on cooperation in prevention and combating of human trafficking
●    MoU on agriculture and allied sectors
●    MoU for cooperation in programme exchange
●    Agreement on oil storage and management
●    MoU on cooperation in energy efficiency services
●    MoU on trade remedial measures to promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest


AWARDS
 


Hangpan Dada Receives Ashok Chakra Award Posthumously 

Hangpan Dada Receives Ashok Chakra Award Posthumously

President Pranab Mukherjee posthumously awarded Ashok Chakra to Havildar Hangpan Dada, who was killed near in Jammu and Kashmir in May last year while fighting terrorists. 

The Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield

•    Dada’s sobbing widow Chasen Lowang received from the President the highest peacetime military award given for awarded for valour, courageous action and self-sacrifice.
●    The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the guest of honour and Prime Minister 
●    Narendra Modi, watched in silence as Mukherjee saluted the courage of the dead soldier of Assam Regiment.
●    Dada was killed on the night of May 26 after he first fought three terrorists in close combat in Naugam sector.


SPACE NEWS

NASA's Opportunity Becomes First Teenage Rover to Signalize 13th Birthday on Mars

NASA's Opportunity Becomes First Teenage Rover to Signalize 13th Birthday on Mars


Who would have thought that NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity would go on functioning for over a decade after it landed on the Red Planet and on January 24, 2017 the rover entered her teenage years by spending 13 years on Mars.

●    These 13 years of constant drive, work and scientific observations started off with the launch of the spacecraft on July 7, 2003 as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover program. 
●    Opportunity’s 13 years on Mars makes it the first teenager on Mars and mission scientists are optimistic that there is much more life left in the rover and many more discoveries to be made.
●    On January 24, 2004, Opportunity rover landed on Mars’ Meridiani Plan
●    just three weeks after its twin Spirit (MER-A) touched down on the other side of the planet. NASA has an original mission timeline of just 90 sol duration of activity – slightly more than 90 earth days – but the mission continues even after 13 years.


SPACE NEWS


GSLV's Cryogenic Upper Stage Tested Successfully 

GSLV's Cryogenic Upper Stage Tested Successfully 

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s Propulsion Research Complex at Mahendragiri, about 60 km from here, successfully conducted the stage level test of GSLV MK III’s cryogenic upper stage C-25 on Wednesday night. 


●    Accompanied by his colleagues at IPRC, ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar witnessed the test that lasted about 50 seconds from 8.40 p.m. 
●    “The 50-second long test of C-25 of the country’s most powerful launch vehicle that can carry satellites weighing 4,000 kg was successful,” said sources.
●    The cryogenic upper stage of the GSLV is the large C-25, the most difficult component of the launch vehicle to be developed.
●    It will be powered by the indigenously developed CE-20 engine.


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


World's First Stable Semi-Synthetic Organism created

World's First Stable Semi-Synthetic Organism created

In a breakthrough, scientists have created the first stable semi-synthetic organism - a single-celled bacterium - that may play important roles in drug discovery and other applications. 


●    Life's genetic code has only ever contained four natural bases. These bases pair up to form two base pairs - the rungs of the DNA ladder - and they have simply been rearranged to create all life as we know it, from bacteria to humans. 
●    Building on earlier research in which they synthesised a DNA base pair, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in the US created a new bacterium that uses the four natural bases (called A, T, C and G), which every living organism possesses, but that also holds as a pair two synthetic bases called X and Y in its genetic code. 
●    Researchers have now shown that the single-celled organism can hold on to the synthetic base pair as it divides.

NATIONAL NEWS
 


India's 8-Point Climate Change Plan to add 3 more Missions

India's 8-Point Climate Change Plan to add 3 more Missions

India’s eight-point plan to fight climate change will soon become an 11-point plan with new missions to address the impact of climate change on health, coastal zones and waste-to-energy on the anvil.


●    Since 2012, the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change India has instituted a National Action Plan on Assessment, Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change, that has specified eight national missions. 
●    These include a National Water Mission, Green India Mission, National Solar Mission, National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency, National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, and a National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change.

On This Day

On This Day - 26th January 2017
On 26 January 1957, the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir came into force. The whole episode had started a long time back when Pashtun trials at the behest of the Pakistani government, invaded Kashmir in October 1947. Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir had then signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947 and was accepted by India on 27 October. India then sent its troops to Kashmir to defend from the Pashtun attacks and thus led to the Indo-Pak War of 1947. Polls were conducted in Indian administered Kashmir in August–September 1951. The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference party won and Sheikh Abdullah became the Chief Minister. In 1954 the assembly members who were present cast a unanimous vote ratifying the state's accession to India.  Constitution was drafted which came into force on 26 January 1957.
 

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Daily Current Affairs and GK Updates 25th Jan 2017 - PDF (Hindi & English)

Daily Current Affairs and General knowlwedge 25th Jan 2017

Dear Readers,

We bring you the Current Affairs Today  25th Jan 2017 Section, a section which outlines the latest news headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the GK and Current Affairs asked in various competitive exams like IBPS, SBI (PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW entrance exams, UPSC etc. and will help you score good marks. We recommend all our aspirants to go through the section and boost your general awareness before.


GLOBAL NEWS
 

US Senate Confirms Nikki Haley as US's UN Ambassador

US Senate Confirms Nikki Haley

The United States Senate on 24 January 2017 confirmed Nikki Haley as the next Ambassador to the United Nations (UN).

●        With this, she will become the first Indian-American to serve on a Cabinet rank position in any presidential administration.

●        Haley is expected to be sworn in shortly. She will replace Samantha Power at the United Nations.

●        Nikki Haley is an American politician.

●        From January 2011 to January 2017, she served as the 116th Governor of South Carolina.

●        Prior to her tenure as governor, she served a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

●        On 12 January 2016, she delivered the official Republican response to President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address.

●        On 20 January 2017, President Donald Trump sent her nomination for Ambassador to the United Nations to the Senate.

SPORTS

Indian Women's League to take off from Jan 28 to improve Women's Football

Indian Women's League to take off from Jan 28 to improve Women's Football

After the Indian Super League, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced the launch of the Indian Women’s League (IWL), which will kick off at the Capital’s Ambedkar Stadium on January 28.

●        The IWL will comprise six teams, short-listed after two stages of competitions. Twenty teams from nine states took part in the preliminary qualifiers, and nine qualified for the IWL preliminaries held in October.

●        The teams will play on a league-cum-knockout basis with the final to be held on February 14.

●        AIFF president Praful Patel said the IWL will not only encourage youngsters to take up football, but also help improve the standard of the game in the country.

●        Union sports minister, Vijay Goel, unveiled the trophy while Rio Olympics bronze medalist, Sakshi Malik, was guest of honour.

●        AIFF has nominated Sara Pilot as the chairman of the league.

●        The captains of the teams are: Sasmita Malik (Rising Students), Oinam Bembem Devi (Eastern Sporting), Sanju Yadav (Football Club Alakhpura), Sumithra Kamaraj (Jeppiaar Institute), Dalima Chibber (Pune City) and K Lalhruaizeli (Aizawal).

National News

January 25 : National Voters' Day

The 7th National Voters’ Day (NVD) was observed across the country on 25 January 2017 by the Election Commission of India.

●        The theme for the 7th National Voters’ Day is ‘Empowering Young and Future Voters.’

●        The Commission’s objective through NVD is to increase enrolment of voters, especially of the newly eligible ones.

●        The National function of the NVD was held in New Delhi and presided over by President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.

●        The National Voters’ Day is observed every year on 25 January.

●        It observed annually to mark the anniversary of Election Commission of India.

●        The National Voters’ Day is also utilised to spread awareness among voters regarding effective participation in the electoral process.

India to Ratify Amended Version of Kyoto Protocol

India to Ratify Amended Version of Kyoto Protocol

The Union Cabinet, presided by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 24 January 2017 gave its approval to ratify the Second Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol on containing the emission of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs).

●        The 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 2012. As of now, 75 countries have ratified the 2nd Commitment Period.

●        The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty.

●        It was negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.

●        The treaty was entered into force on 21 March 1994.

●        The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty, which extends the 1992 UNFCCC.

●        It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997.

●        It entered into force on 16 February 2005.

●        At present, there are 192 parties to the Protocol. Canada withdrew from the protocol effective December 2012.

Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 approved by Cabinet

Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 approved by Cabinet

The Union Cabinet, presided by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 24 January 2017 gave its post-facto approval for launching of Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 (VPBY 2017).

●        The Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana 2017 is a part of Union Government’s commitment for financial inclusion and social security.

●        The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will implement the VPBY 2017 during the current financial year.

●        The scheme aims at providing social security during old age and protecting elderly persons aged 60 years and above against a future fall in their interest income due to uncertain market conditions.

●        It will provide an assured pension based on a guaranteed rate of return of 8 per cent per annum for ten years.

●        The scheme also has an option to opt for pension on a monthly/quarterly/halfyearly and annual basis.

Awards

Pawar and Kohli among others to receive Padma Awards

Pawar and Kohli among others to receive Padma Awards

The Centre on Wednesday announced the list of Padma awardees which included names of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi, chef Sanjeev Kapoor, singers Kailash Kher and Anuradha Paudwal.

●        Cricketer Virat kohli, wrestler Sakshi Malik and gymnast Dipa Karmakar are also being felicitated with Padma awards this year.

●        The government had begun inviting nominations for the awards in May last year and received around 5,000 entries, from which 500 names were shortlisted in December.

●        Dr Mukut Minz, a Jharkhand tribal also received the honor for his achievements in the field of renal surgery.

●        Madhubani painter from Bihar Baoa Devi, Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, Odisha actor Sadhu Meher and former law secretary TK Vishwanathan have also made it to the list.

●        This year, the Padma awards will be given out to 120 distinguished personalities for their achievements in different fields.

●        These include  75-year-old Sukri Bommagowda, known as the nightingale of the Halakki Vokkaliga tribes, Birkha Bahadur Limboo Muringla from Sikkim, among others.

Appointments

Vishal Kaul appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Ola Cabs

Vishal Kaul appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Ola Cabs

Vishal Kaul, a PepsiCo veteran, was on 23 January 2017 appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the ride-hailing service Ola Cabs.

●        Kaul will head Ola’s operations, strengthen Ola’s market leadership and will work to expand its reach across the country and widen the base of Ola’s customers and driver-partner fraternity.

●        Moreover, the company also elevated current COO Pranay Jivrajika as the Founding Partner.

●        An alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, Jivrajika had earlier served as Associate Vice-President and Vice-President of Ola Operations before taking over as COO in February 2015.

●        Kaul joined the PepsiCo, a FMCG, in 1999.

●        Among many accomplishments, he won PepsiCo President's Ring of Honor and Exceptional Change Leadership awards for his performance in India.

●        He is an alumnus of Punjab Engineering College and Symbiosis Centre for Management and HRD.


PERSONS

Nita Ambani honoured by The Met in NY for her philanthropic work

Nita Ambani honoured by The Met in NY for her philanthropic work

Nita Ambani, founder and chairperson, Reliance Foundation, has become the first South Asian to be honoured by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York for her philanthropic work in the areas of education, sports, healthcare, rural transformation, urban renewal, disaster response, women's empowerment and promotion of the arts.

●        The Met, recognised as one of the most iconic museums in the world, is currently located at three celebrated sites of New York — The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters — and houses over 5,000 years of art from around the world.

●        The Met was impressed by the diversity and scale of the work carried out by Reliance Foundation, led by Nita Ambani.

●        The direction she gives the foundation has helped it to focus its work on sustainable urban and rural transformation as well as healthcare, education, grassroots development through sport, and women's empowerment.

●        The foundation supports Indian art and aims to take it across the globe. It has benefited over 10 million Indians, touching the lives of individuals across more than 10,500 urban areas and villages.


On This Day

On 25 January 1914, an Indian mass meeting in Durban in South Africa unanimously endorsed the agreement between General Smuts and Mahatma Gandhi. The Agreement was reached on January 21, 1914. 
This Agreement was called the Gandhi-Smuts Agreement where a commission ruled in favour of the Indian demands - The £3 Tax was repealed, Indian marriages were recognized, the Black Act was abolished, and the Immigration Restriction Act was lightened. In exchange, Gandhi agreed that the Satyagraha would stop. 6 months hence the Indian Relief Act was passed.


 

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Daily Current Affairs & GK Updates 24 January 2017

DAILY HK AND CURRENT AFFAIRS UPDATES

Dear Readers,

We bring you the Current Affairs Today  24th Jan 2017 Section, a section which outlines the latest news headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the GK and Current Affairs asked in various competitive exams like IBPS, SBI (PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW entrance exams, UPSC etc. and will help you score good marks. We recommend all our aspirants to go through the section and boost your general awareness before.

Sports

Venus Williams becomes oldest Grand Slam Semi-finalist in Australian Open

Venus Williams becomes oldest Grand Slam Semi-finalist in Australian Open

Venus Williams continued her astonishing late-career revival by felling Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 7-6(3) on Tuesday to reach her first Australian Open semi-final in 14 years.

The quarter-final will hardly be remembered as a classic, with both Williams and the 24th-ranked Russian surrendering serve with alarming regularity despite perfect conditions for tennis at    Rod Laver Arena.

●    In the end it was 36-year-old Williams’s experience that proved decisive when the pressure rose, and Pavlyuchenkova crumbled with a double-fault on match point to boost the American’s hopes of a maiden title at Melbourne Park.
●    A semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year, Williams last reached the last four in Melbourne in 2003 when she made a run to the final and was beaten by younger sister Serena in three sets.
●    The 13th seed will next play the winner of Coco Vandeweghe and Garbine Muguruza for a place in the final, with the mouthwatering prospect of battling Serena for the title if the world number two can get there as well.

 

Global News

Trump withdraws USA from TPP

Trump withdraws USA from TPP


President Donald Trump today formally pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as he signed an executive action to withdraw from the negotiating process of the 12-nation trade deal, one of the major international trade initiatives of his predecessor Barack Obama.

Trump had vowed during the campaign to withdraw the US from the Pacific trade deal which he argued was harmful to American workers and manufacturing.

●    Trump had said the free trade agreements were lopsided against the US and vowed to implement more protectionist trade policies as president, rallying voters to the polls with his “America First” slogan.
●    The TPP was negotiated under former President Barack Obama, but never ratified by Congress, so withdrawing from it will not have an immediate, real effect on US economic policies, although it does signal a new and very different US outlook on trade under Trump.

Israel approved building permits for 566 settler homes in East Jerusalem

Israel approved building permits for 566 settler homes in East Jerusalem

Israel on 22 January 2017 approved building permits for 566 settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem. Israel conquered the region from Palestine in 1967 and was effectively annexed by Israel in 1980.

As per the plan, the new permits are for homes in the settlement neighbourhoods of Ramot, Pisgat Zeev and Ramat Shlomo. 

Meir Turjeman, the deputy mayor for the city, sad, the plans was postponed until the US President Donald Trump took office. Turjeman also heads the planning committee that approved them.
●    Turjeman said the rules of the game have changed with Donald Trump's arrival as president because Trump has pledged strong support for Israel. During his election campaign, Trump vowed to recognise Jerusalem as the country's capital despite the city's contested status.
●    As per reports, Turjenam informed that the plan was approved by the city officials but it was postponed at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. PM Netanyahu requested to postpone the plan in the wake of a UN Security Council resolution in December against Israeli settlement building.
●    Besides, plans for some 11000 other homes were also in process in east Jerusalem. Though, the time when the plan will be moved forward was not informed.
●    The approval of the plan has drawn condemnation from Palestinian leaders. 


 

National News

Cabinet approves a New Scheme for promotion of Rural Housing in the country 

Cabinet approves a New Scheme for promotion of Rural Housing in the country 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved a new scheme for promotion of Rural Housing in the country. 

The Government would provide interest subsidy under the scheme. 

Interest subsidy would be available to every rural household who is not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (Grameen), PMAY(G).
●    The scheme would enable people in rural areas to construct new houses or add to their existing pucca houses to improve their dwelling units. 
●    The beneficiary who takes a loan under the scheme would be provided interest subsidy for loan amount upto Rs. 2 Lakhs.
●    National Housing Bank would implement the scheme. 
●    The Government would provide net present value of the interest subsidy of 3 percent to the National Housing Bank upfront which will, in turn, pass it to the Primary Lending Institutions (Scheduled Commercial Banks, NBFCs etc.). 
●    As a result the equated monthly installment (EMI) for the beneficiary would be reduced.
●    Under the scheme, the Government would also take necessary steps for proper convergence with PMAY-G including technical support to beneficiary through existing arrangements. 
●    The new scheme is expected to improve housing stock in the rural areas, as well as create employment opportunities in rural housing sector.


Uma Bharti calls for active involvement of NPCC in Namami Gange Programme, inaugurates new office complex of the company in Gurugram

Uma Bharti calls for active involvement of NPCC in Namami Gange Programme, inaugurates new office complex of the company in Gurugram

Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti has called for active involvement of NPCC into Namami Gange programme.          

Inaugurating the new office complex of National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC) in Gurugram today the Minister said that our government wants to strengthen PSUs. She said “There was a proposal for the merger of NPCC. But we were not in its favour because we believe in strengthening every PSU”.  

●    The Minister said her Ministry is committed to ensure purity and unrestricted flow of Ganga. She said under Namami Gange programme it will be ensured that waste from the cities does not flow into Ganga and sufficient number of sewage treatment plants are installed. At the same time, the Minister said that people should come forward for 
the construction of Ghats and repair of stairs at Ganga. She said saints and religious leader should also come forward for this.
●    Complimenting NPCC, Dr Amarjeet Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources said that company successfully carried out projects in such far flung areas where no one dares to enter. He said so far the quality of work of NPCC has been excellent and hoped that this will increase in the years to come.    
●    Earlier welcoming the dignitaries CMD, NPCC Shri HL Chaudhary briefly narrated the achievements of the corporation and stated that during the year 2016, the Institute of Economic Studies felicitated the corporation with Excellence Award, keeping in view the achievements gained by the corporation during last 4-5 years.  He said all this could be achieved only due to collective efforts of the employees of the Corporation, cooperation of shareholders, clients and stake holders.  
●    NPCC was established on January 09, 1957 as a premier construction company to create necessary infrastructure for economic development of the country in the core sectors of irrigation and water resources, power and heavy industries under Ministry Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. NPCC comply with quality management requirements of ISO 9001-2008 for execution of civil works for Thermal & Hydro Electric Projects’, River valley projects, Industrial structures, Project Management consultancy services for buildings, Housings, Roads, Bridges and Infrastructure projects. The corporation is making profit for the last five years and now has a positive net worth. NPCC is gearing up to achieve greater heights for “Mini Ratna” status. The corporation has also been awarded credit rating as A+ company by ICRA.
●    During the year 2015-16, company has secured new works valuing Rs.1510 crore against the target of Rs.1500 crore. During the year NPCC has achieved turnover of Rs.1002 crore. Company has earned the profit before tax of Rs. 21.10 crore as against Rs.12.89 crore in previous year and Profit after tax is Rs.10.81crore. During the year, Company has paid a dividend of Rs.11/- per equity share

‘BHARAT PARV’ being Organized at Red Fort from 26th to 31st  January 2017

BHARAT PARV’ being Organized at Red Fort from 26th to 31st  January 2017

The “Bharat Parv” event is being organized by the Government of India at the Red Fort, Delhi from 26th to 31st January 2017, as part of the Republic Day 2017Celebrations. The prime objective of organizing the event is to generate a patriotic mood, promote the rich cultural diversity of the country, to ensure wider participation of the general public and to popularise the idea of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.

●    The Ministry of Tourism has been designated as the nodal Ministry for the event, the highlights of which include display of the Republic Day Parade Tableaux, Performances by the Armed Forces Bands (static and moving), a Multi-Cuisine Food Court, Crafts Mela, Cultural Performances from different regions of the country and a Photo Exhibition by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
●    The Cultural Performances include choreographed Folk / Tribal Dances and Music from across the country arranged through the North Zonal Cultural Centre as well as 
performances by cultural troupes from the different States/ UTs of the country. The Food Court will have 50 stalls set up by the States / UTs, National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) showcasing food from different regions as well as by the Institutes of Hotel Management and ITDC. The Crafts Mela with 50 stalls will showcase the diverse handicrafts of the country, arranged by the State Governments and Ministry of Textiles through the Office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts. There will be 11 Theme State Pavilions where each State would showcase their achievements and initiatives, tourism products and destinations, etc. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting is also setting up a Photo Exhibition on the theme “Mera Desh Badal Raha Hai, Aage Badh Raha Hai”. The big attraction of the event are the Republic Day Parade Tableaux which will be stationed at the venue for the duration of the event.
●    The Bharat Parv Event will be inaugurated at 5:00 p.m. on 26th January 2017and will be open to the public from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m, on 26th January 2017 and from 12 noon to 9 p.m. from 27th to 31st January 2017. The Event is open to the public and entry is free. However, identity proof is necessary for entry.

NCPCR Organises Short Film, Photograph and Poster Competition for Promotion of Child Rights in the Country 

NCPCR Organises Short Film, Photograph and Poster Competition for Promotion of Child Rights in the Country

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is organising an All India Short Film, Still Photograph and Poster Competition for promoting child rights in the country. 

The Commission has invited entries from film makers, producers, artists and individuals who are Indian citizens of above 18 years of age.  There is no entry fee for this competition. Entries for short films can be in any language with sub-titles in Hindi or in English.


●    Detailed Terms and Conditions for the competitions are available at NCPCR website www.ncpcr.gov.in and the last date for receiving entries is February 13, 2017.
●    There are first, second and third prizes for each category of competitions. The first prize for short films is One Lakh Rupees and second & third prize are Rs. 75,000 & Rs. 50,000 respectively. The winners of all categories will be awarded at a function on the Foundation Day celebrations of the Commission in New Delhi, on 5th March, 2017.  
●    This is the first time that the Child Rights body is organizing such a competition after it came into existence in the year 2007.

National Girl Child Day 2017 observed across India

National Girl Child Day 2017 observed across India

The National Girl Child Day was observed across the country on 24 January 2017. 

On the occasion, the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development threw the light on the exemplary achievements by nation’s daughters during 2016. 

The theme of this year National Girl Child Day was Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.

●    The Ministry also applauded the performance of females at the Olympics and Paralympics. It also highlighted the historic induction of the first female fighter pilots into the Indian Air Force.
●    The event was attended by Avani Chaturvedi (Women Fighter Pilot), Arunima Sinha (First women amputee to climb Mount Everest), Deepa Malik (Silver medalist at Rio Paralympics 2016) and Shanno (Editor, Badhte Kadam). 
●    The occasion was also marked by the release of The National Plan of Action for Children 2016. The Ministry also felicitated 10 districts under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme for their exemplary performance.

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Current affairs for SSC, IBPS, SBI, UPSC, Railways & Other Bank and Govt. Exam - 24th Jan 2017

Current affairs for SSC, IBPS, SBI, UPSC, Railways & Other Bank and Govt. Exam - 24th Jan 2017


Dear Readers,

We bring you the Current Affairs Today Section, a section which outlines the latest news headlines which are hardly covered elsewhere. This will help you with the GK and Current Affairs asked in various competitive exams like IBPS, SBI (PO and Clerk), SSC, Railways, LAW entrance exams, UPSC etc. and will help you score good marks. We recommend all our aspirants to go through the section and boost your general awareness before.

Govt lays down specific 'timeline' for completing enquiry against officers and members of All India Services

Government has laid down specific timeline for completing enquiry against officers and members of All India Services (AIS) within a given deadline, in a time-bound manner. Giving details about the DoPT (Department of Personnel & Training) decision, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the AIS (D&A) Rules, 1969 have been amended to provide specific timelines at different stages of the enquiry, with a view to complete the disciplinary proceedings against the members of All India Services in a time-bound manner.

  • As per the amended rules, a time limit of six months has been fixed for completion of departmental enquiry and submission of report. In case it is not possible to complete the enquiry within six months for justifiable reasons to be recorded in writing, additional time limit not exceeding six months at one time can be granted by the Disciplinary Authority, thereby ensuring accountability for completion of enquiry. Further, 30 days’ timeline has been fixed for the delinquent officers to give his representation to the charge-sheet which can be extended to not more than 30 days by the Disciplinary Authority and, in any case, no extension will be provided beyond 90 days. Similarly, a period of 15 days has been provided to send a representation on the advice of UPSC regarding the penalty to be imposed on the delinquent officer and for such representation also, no extension will be provided beyond 45 days.

  • Dr Jitendra Singh said, this amendment in the All India Service Rules has been brought, in keeping with the spirit of the Union Government led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, to bring in more accountability and time-bound completion of every exercise in the course of governance. The new amendment in the Rules, he said, will certainly strengthen the culture of working within deadlines and timelines without showing any slackness.

  • Meanwhile, Chairperson, Uttar Pradesh State Social Welfare Board (UPSSWB), Dr (Ms) Rupal Agarwal today called on Dr Jitendra Singh and provided her assessment about the performance of the various functionaries in the Board. She also brought to the notice of the Minister acts of omission or commission by certain officials. Dr Jitendra Singh took a note of the different issues raised by Dr Rupal Agarwal. He said, the Central Government accords high priority to programmes relating to upliftment of women, children and poor sections of the society. He also assured her that the issues raised by her will be brought to the notice of the concerned quarters.

Urdu poet and lyricist Naqsh Lyallpuri passes away

Renowned Urdu poet Jaswant Rai Sharma, known to the world by his pen name Naqsh Lyallpuri, passed away on 22 January 2017 following a prolonged illness.

  • He was 89.
  • Born in Llallpur in Pakistan as Jaswant Rai, Lyallpuri came to Mumbai in the late 1940s to make a career in Hindi cinema.
  • He got his first break in 1952 in the film Jaggu with the song Agar Teri Aakhon Se Aakhein Mila Doon, while he got the real success in the 1970s.
  • He wrote the lyrics in films like Chetna, Aahista Aahista, Tumhare Liye and Gharonda among others.
  • Lyallpuri retired from Bollywood in the late 1990s and began penning songs for television.

Sushmita Sen to judge the 65th Miss Universe pageant

Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen will be on the judges panel of the upcoming 65th edition of Miss Universe pageant.

  • The news was announced in the third week of January 2017.
  • The contest will take place on 30 January 2017 in Philippines.
  • Roshmitha Harimurthy will represent India at the 65th Miss Universe pageant.
  • Born on 19 November 1975, Sushmita Sen is the first Indian to win the Miss Universe crown.
  • She had won the pageant of 1994 held in Manila, Philippines.
  • She had won the Femina Miss India in 1994.
  • After completing her reign, she started her career with the Hindi film, Dastak.
  • She received critical acclaim for her female-oriented roles in films such as Filhaal..., Zindaggi Rocks and others.

Saina Nehwal wins 2017 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold

Saina Nehwal on 22 January 2017 won the 2017 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold Women’s Singles title.

  • Nehwal defeated Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong by a score of 22-20, 22-20 in a 46-minute clash.
  • It was Nehwal’s 23rd title overall and the first after 2016 Australian Open.
  • The 2017 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold was held at the Sibu Indoor Stadium in Sarawak, Malaysia from 17 January to 22 January 2017.
  • Saina Nehwal has been maintaining her world ranking in the top ten since 2009.
  • She has clinched over twenty international titles, which include ten Superseries titles.
  • She attained the World No. 1 ranking in 2015.
  • She represented India thrice in the Olympics, winning bronze medal in her second appearance.

Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and Vietnam in the field of cyber security

The Union Cabinet in January 2017 gave its  ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Vietnam in the field of cyber security.

  • The approval was given at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
  • The MoU was signed between Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and the Cyber Security Department of Vietnam on 3 September 2016 at Hanoi in Vietnam.
  • India-Vietnam relations have been exceptionally friendly and cordial since their foundations were laid by Prime Minister Nehru and President Ho Chi Minh more than 50 years ago.
  • The traditionally close and cordial relations have their historical roots in the common struggle for liberation from foreign rule and the national struggle for independence.
  • Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the first visitors to Vietnam after its victory against the French in 1954.

PVR Pictures launched Vkaao theatre-on-demand service

Multiplex chain operator PVR Pictures in January 2017 launched its theatre-on-demand service Vkaao.

  • Vkaao is an online platform that enables consumers to watch any movie of their choice at a theatre of their choice.
  • However, the minimum requirement for a show to be confirmed would be 50 seats.
  • Vkaao is very disruptive and gives control to customers to choose what they want to watch, when and where.
  • PVR Cinemas, a group company of PVR Pictures, operates 562 screens in 122 properties in 48 cities across India.
  • The company is planning to add 30 more screens by the end of 2016-17 financial year and another 70-80 screens during the 2017-18 financial year.
  • Half of these new screens will come in the those cities where the PVR has the presence already and the other half of the screens will be in new cities.
  • In January 2017, Warburg Pincus bought 14 per cent equity in PVR for about Rs 820 crore.

Anurag Thakur elected Himachal Olympic Association president

Ousted as BCCI President following a Supreme Court order, Anurag Thakur was on Saturday unanimously elected head of the Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association (HPOA) for a four-year term.

  • Thakur, who had to step down as BCCI President owing to the Supreme Court ruling on Lodha Committee reforms, was elected at the HPOA’s Annual General Meeting on Saturday.
  • Nirwan Mukherjee was Observer from Indian Olympic Association for the polls. Other observers included NP Gulleria,
  • Hockey Coach, and Ratan Lal Thakur, Observer Himachal Pradesh Government Sports Council. Surat Singh Thakur was the Returning Officer to conduct the elections.
  • Virender Kanwar was elected Senior Vice-President, while Rajesh Bhandari, who is a Vice President in the Boxing Federation of India, was elected General Secretary.

China commissions 31st stealth warship

China has commissioned its 31st stealth warship as it got its battle group under its first aircraft carrier ready amid tensions with the U.S. and other nations over its assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.

  • The People’s Liberation Army Navy has commissioned its 31st Type—056 class corvette, marking a new addition to the world’s largest fleet of modern corvettes, official media reported.
  • With a maximum speed of 52 km/h, the ship features good manoeuvrability, a high-level of automation and stealth capability, and is capable of hitting aircraft, ships and submarines, the PLA Daily, the official organ of the Chinese military said.
  • The CNS Ezhou with a hull number of 513 was delivered to the East Sea Fleet in a naval base in East China’s Fujian province.

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