GK and Current Affairs Updates

Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, a power-hitting outfielder who starred for the New York Giants in the 1950s in a career abbreviated by major league baseball's exclusion of black players, has died. He was 96.The Hall of Fame said Irvin died Monday night of natural causes at his Houston home.Irvin was 30 when he joined the Giants in 1949, two years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Irvin spent seven of his eight big league seasons with the Giants and one year with the Chicago Cubs in 1956. A native of Haleburg, Alabama, Irvin played in the Negro, Mexican and Puerto Rican leagues during his 20s.Irvin was one of the most important contributors during the Giants' amazing pennant drive in 1951 when they overtook the Brooklyn Dodgers after trailing by 13 1-2 games in mid-August.Irvin batted  312 with 24 homers and an NL leading 121 RBIs  That year Irvin teamed with Hank Thompson and Mays to form the first all-black outfield in the majors. He finished third in the NL's MVP voting.

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation has won the National Award on e-Governance 2015-16 for launching the Universal Account Number (UAN).The UAN facility enables workers to transfer their provident fund deposits while switching jobs anywhere in India easily.The EPFO won the gold award in the ‘innovative use of technology in e-governance’ category and the retirement body will get a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was on bestowed the honorary life membership of Kolkata’s famed soccer outfit Mohammedan Sporting which is celebrating its 125^th anniversary this year.Sporting president and Lok Sabha member Sultan Ahmed handed over the club's life membership to Mr. Bachchan.

Union Government has constituted a committee to fast track the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, meant for connecting two cities with bullet trains. The committee is tasked to interact with the Japanese counterpart for taking further steps in implementation of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.

Arvind Panagariya, vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog, will head the committee. It will also include Railway Board chairman, foreign secretary and secretary (industrial policy) and secretary in the department of expenditure as its member. Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor: It will be 500km long and will be connecting both trains at the cost of the project will be 98,000 crore rupees.  Japan will invest 78, 000 crore rupees making it largest foreign investment in railway sector of India.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari at Rajyostav Sthal in Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh to mark the National Youth Day, on 12 January 2016 inaugurated the 20th National Youth Festival.The five day long the Union Government in partnership with a state government on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda celebrates annual festival.For the 20^th National Youth Festival, Chhattisgarh was chosen as the partner state with the theme India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony.
  Features of 20^th National Youth Festival
         • It is an annual gathering of students being jointly organised by Chhattisgarh Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan and National Service Scheme.
         • For the first time in the youth festival, para-trooping would be displayed by the Indian Army along with weapons and explosives used during war.
         • It comprises a Youth Parliament where representatives of student unions and Universities would discuss key issues of the country particularly on the theme-India Youth for Skill, Development and Harmony.
         

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives on cooperation in the field of Health. The MoU was signed in January, 2014 for facilitating greater cooperation between both the nations and to develop human resources in healthcare. Enhanced cooperation in the field of health will also foster great friendship and relations between the two South Asian countries.
  MoU covers cooperation in 
•Development of human resources in healthcare and setting up of health care facilities. 
•Exchange and training of medical doctors, health professionals, officials and experts.
•Medical and health research development along with management of healthcare sector and public health services. 
•Procurement of essential and generic drugs and assistance in sourcing of drug supplies. 
•Health promotion and disease prevention.

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham and University of Southern   California President C. L. Max Nikias were honored for their extraordinary commitment to put children first. Under the leadership of Southern California Regional Board Chair, Ghada Irani, the black-tie gala raised over $2.5 million for UNICEF’s lifesaving programs for children.

About UNICEF:-The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund is a United Nations program headquartered in New York City that provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. It is one of the members of the United Nations Development Group and its Executive Committee.

UNICEF was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. Maurice Pate, American humanitarian and businessman, co-founded the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with Herbert Hoover in 1947.

Jacob-Farj-Rafael “JFR” Jacob (Retired Lieutenant General), a key architect in India’s victory in 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War passed away in New Delhi.  He was 92. Jacob (then a Major General) is best known for his role in India’s victory in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 and the liberation of Bangladesh.

About 1971 INDO PAK WAR
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was the direct military confrontation between India and Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to have been Operation Chengiz Khan, when Pakistan launched pre-emptive air strikes on 11 Indian airbases on 3 December 1971, leading to India's entry into the war of independence in East Pakistan on the side of Bangladeshi nationalist forces, and the commencement of hostilities with West Pakistan. Lasting just 13 days, it is considered to be one of the shortest wars in history. During the course of the war, Indian and Pakistani forces clashed on the eastern and western fronts. The war effectively came to an end after the Eastern Command of the Pakistani Armed Forces signed the Instrument of Surrender, on 16 December 1971 in Dhaka, marking the liberation of the new nation of Bangladesh. East Pakistan had officially seceded from Pakistan on 26 March 1971.

Scientists at the Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) in Hisar, Haryana have successfully produced a cloned buffalo offspring named ‘Cirb Gaurav’. CIRB scientists have achieved this feat under the project entitled- Cloning for conservation and multiplication of superior buffalo germplasm. With this achievement, CIRB becomes the India’s second and world’s third institute to produce cloned buffalo. Karnal (Haryana) based National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) was the India’s first institute to produce a cloned calf.

The colourful Kullu folk dance (Nati), which saw participation of 20,000 dancers during Kullu Dussehra festival on October 26 last year, has entered the Guinness book of world records. In the Nati, 10,000 men and women attired in traditional Kullu dress performed at Dhalpur Ground during Kullu Dussehra festival on October 26 last year. The jamboree of over 20,000 people danced to spread the message of 'Beti Hai Anmol' (Girl child is precious).