GK and Current Affairs Updates

Government has decided to revoke the suspension of deemed recognition of IOA with immediate effect in the light of the corrective action taken by them in reversing its earlier decision making Shri Abhay Singh Chautala and Shri Suresh Kalmadi, Life Presidents of IOA. 
●    Since IOA has admitted the faux pas committed and regretted the inconvenience and embarrassment caused to all concerned, it is expected of IOA that it will uphold the highest standard of probity and ethics in its functioning in future.
●    In the light of the above developments and keeping in view the larger interest of promotion and development of sports in the country, the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has revoked the suspension of deemed recognition of IOA, imposed on 30.12.2016, with immediate effect.
 

Lieutenant General Sarath Chand took over as Vice Chief of Army Staff and paid homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti, today. Before taking over as Vice Chief of Army Staff, the General officer was commanding South Western Command. 
●    The General Officer was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in June 1979. During career spanning over 38 years, he has served in all operational theatres and has participated in many active combat leadership roles at every stage of command. 
●    The early operational service of the General includes the command of Company in the Kargil Sector of Ladakh and in active operations during Operation PAWAN as part of the IPKF in Sri Lanka. He commanded battalion in Operation RHINO and Operation FALCON, an Infantry Brigade in the deserts and a Counter Insurgency Force deployed in the Kashmir Valley and thereafter commanded a strategically important 4 Corps. 
●    He has also held a number of important staff as well as instructional appointments during his career. The General Officer has served at the United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNOSOM-II). 
●    The General Officer in his capacity as Vice Chief will head the General Staff Branch at the Army Headquarters and will provide crucial support to the Army Chief in discharge of his duties. 
 

The Joint Armed Forces Veterans’ Day shall be commemorated tomorrow acknowledging the selfless devotion and sacrifice by Veterans of the Services. 
●    Over 1500 Veterans of the Army, Navy and Air Force are likely to attend the function which will be addressed by the Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre, who will be the Chief Guest at the function. Serving and retired Chiefs of the three Services will also grace the occasion as Guests’ of Honour.
●    The event is being organized all across the nation and military stations. In the national capital the event will be held at Harbaksh Stadium, Delhi Cantonment from 9:30 AM onwards. 
●    Exclusive counters by Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) & Ex Servicemen (ESM) Helpline, ECHS, AWPO, Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB), Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), Comptroller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA), Canteen Services Directorate and Army Welfare Education Society (AWES) will be set up to disseminate information on different facets of Ex-Servicemen welfare.
●    A medical camp will also be established to provide on-site health screening.
 

Clare Hollingworth, legendary correspondent who first broke the news of the beginning of World War II, passed away on 10 January 2017 following a brief illness. She was 105.
●    She was famously known as the doyenne of war correspondents.
●    She was the first to report the invasion of Poland by German troops that triggered the outbreak of World War Two.
●    Hollingworth's career took her to Palestine, Iraq and Iran, where she interviewed Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, who was overthrown by revolutionaries in February 1979.
●    While working as a correspondent for the Economist and the Observer, Hollingworth went to Jerusalem in July 1946 when the King David hotel, where she was staying, was bombed by Zionist paramilitaries led by future Israeli prime minister Menachim Begin.
●    She also covered the conflict in Vietnam where she scored a scoop that peace talks would shortly begin between Hanoi and Washington in 1968.
●    She also reported the defection of British spy Kim Philby, but the story was largely buried by her editors out of the fears of a libel suit. 
●    In 1972, Hollingworth became the Telegraph's first Beijing correspondent since 1949.
●    Later, she returned back to the UK as a defence correspondent and also travelled to Hong Kong to cover the colony's handover to Chinese control in 1997.
●    She was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
 

National Youth Day was observed on 12 January 2017 to mark the 154th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The day is observed with an aim to recognise the ideals and teachings of Vivekananda and project him as a role model for the Indian youth.
●    In 1984, the Union Government declared that 12 January, i.e. the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda will be observed as the National Youth Day. His birthday has been celebrated as the National Youth Day since 12 January 1985.
●    On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet said, “We offer salutations to the great Swami Vivekananda & remember his powerful thoughts & ideals that continue shaping the minds of generations’.
●    Born on 12 January 1863 in an aristocratic family in West Bengal, Vivekananda was an Indian monk and a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian spiritualist Ramakrishna. His original name was Narendra Nath Datta.
 

The Joint Armed Forces Veterans’ Day shall be commemorated tomorrow acknowledging the selfless devotion and sacrifice by Veterans of the Services. 
●    Over 1500 Veterans of the Army, Navy and Air Force are likely to attend the function which will be addressed by the Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre, who will be the Chief Guest at the function. Serving and retired Chiefs of the three Services will also grace the occasion as Guests’ of Honour.
●    The event is being organized all across the nation and military stations. In the national capital the event will be held at Harbaksh Stadium, Delhi Cantonment from 9:30 AM onwards. 
●    Exclusive counters by Directorate of Indian Army Veterans (DIAV) & Ex Servicemen (ESM) Helpline, ECHS, AWPO, Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB), Directorate General Resettlement (DGR), Comptroller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA), Canteen Services Directorate and Army Welfare Education Society (AWES) will be set up to disseminate information on different facets of Ex-Servicemen welfare.
●    A medical camp will also be established to provide on-site health screening.

Lieutenant General Sarath Chand took over as Vice Chief of Army Staff and paid homage at Amar Jawan Jyoti, today. Before taking over as Vice Chief of Army Staff, the General officer was commanding South Western Command. 
●    The General Officer was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in June 1979. During career spanning over 38 years, he has served in all operational theatres and has participated in many active combat leadership roles at every stage of command. 
●    The early operational service of the General includes the command of Company in the Kargil Sector of Ladakh and in active operations during Operation PAWAN as part of the IPKF in Sri Lanka. He commanded battalion in Operation RHINO and Operation FALCON, an Infantry Brigade in the deserts and a Counter Insurgency Force deployed in the Kashmir Valley and thereafter commanded a strategically important 4 Corps. 
●    He has also held a number of important staff as well as instructional appointments during his career. The General Officer has served at the United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNOSOM-II). 
●    The General Officer in his capacity as Vice Chief will head the General Staff Branch at the Army Headquarters and will provide crucial support to the Army Chief in discharge of his duties. 

Government has decided to revoke the suspension of deemed recognition of IOA with immediate effect in the light of the corrective action taken by them in reversing its earlier decision making Shri Abhay Singh Chautala and Shri Suresh Kalmadi, Life Presidents of IOA. 
●    Since IOA has admitted the faux pas committed and regretted the inconvenience and embarrassment caused to all concerned, it is expected of IOA that it will uphold the highest standard of probity and ethics in its functioning in future.
●    In the light of the above developments and keeping in view the larger interest of promotion and development of sports in the country, the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has revoked the suspension of deemed recognition of IOA, imposed on 30.12.2016, with immediate effect.

Shri ThaawarchandGehlot, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated the Silver Jubilee celebrations of National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC), a Govt. of India Undertaking under the aegis of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, here today. Shri RamdasAthawale, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Smt. Latha Krishna Rao, Secretary, M/o SJ&E and many dignitaries were present.
●    Shri Gehlot distributedthe performance Awards to the Channel Training partners of NBCFDC and launchedthe pilot of Loan & Employee InformationAutomation Project (LEAP) system. He released a short film “HamariKahani” based on the experiences of beneficiaries of NBCFDC and a book entitled “Safalata Ki Kahaniyan” brought out by NBCFDC on the success stories of the beneficiaries on the occasion.
●    In his address, Shri Gehlot said that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is working through channelizing agencies and banking institutions in all States for the welfare of Backward classes. He said that all Corporations under his ministry are working very effectively in the service of needy persons. 
●    M/o Social Justice and Empowerment organizes Job Fairs regularly through its Corporations for providing Jobs to the youths of these classes. He opined that Training improves the personality. He said that without “People’s participation”, such schemes can’t succeed. He called upon people to take advantage of various schemes of these corporations of Ministry of social Justice and empowerment.

Tata Sons on 12 January 2017 appointed Natarajan Chandrasekaran as its Executive Chairman. With this appointment, Chandrasekaran becomes the first non-Parsi person to head Tata group. 
●    He will take charge of the company on 21 February 2017.
●    The Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Chandrasekaran, will succeed Cyrus Mistry, who was removed as group Chairman of Tata Sons in October 2016. In absence of Cyrus Mistry, Ratan Tata was looking after the company as the interim chairman.
●    The 53-year-old old businessman is only the third non-Tata after Nowroji Saklatwala and Cyrus Mistry to be named as Tata Sons chairman.
●    The decision to appoint Chandrasekaran was as per the unanimous recommendation of the Selection Committee and was finalised at the company’s board meeting in Mumbai.
●    An official release from the company read, “This is as per the unanimous recommendation of the Selection Committee. Chandrasekaran shall take charge from February 21, 2017”.
●    The Board of Directors of Tata Sons believes that Chandrasekaran will inspire the entire Tata group worth of the 103-billion US dollar.