current affairs – january...
TRANSCRIPT
CURRENT AFFAIRS – January 2018
A. PERSONS
Harjinder Singh
He has been appointed as the Chief De Mission for the 23rd Winter Olympic Games;
currently Mr Singh the General Secretary in the Ice Hockey Association of India.
Indu Malhotra
The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India (CI) Dipak Misra has
unanimously recommended name of senior advocate Indu Malhotra for appointment as a
judge of the Supreme Court. With this, she becomes first woman lawyer from the country to
be directly elected for post of judge and seventh women judge of the Supreme Court.
Salil Parekh
He has been appointed the new CEO and Managing Director of Infosys. He took over from
interim CEO U.B. Pravin Rao.
A.B.Mathur
The union government has appointed A. B. Mathur as the INTERLOCUTOR on their behalf
to hold talks with United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Mr Mathur has already served
in RAW as Special Secretary.
K. Sivan
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed rocket scientist K. Sivan
as next Secretary of the Department of Space and Chairman of Space Commission and
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He will succeed A.S. Kiran Kumar and will have
term of three years.
Dr V Narayanan
Senior scientist Dr V Narayanan has assumed charge as Director of ISRO’s Liquid
Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). He succeeded S Somanath who was appointed as
Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
S Somanath
Noted scientist S Somanath took charge as Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
(VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He succeeded K Sivan, who was recently appointed
as Chairman of ISRO.
Prakash Rawat
President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Election commissioner Om Prakash Rawat (64)
as new Chief Election Commissioner. He will succeed Achal Kumar Joti who has retired
from post.
Anandiben Patel
President Ramnath Kovind has appointed former Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel as
Governor of Madhya Pradesh. She will replace Gujarat governor Om Prakash Kohli who is
holding additional charge of office of Governor of Madhya Pradesh.
Sudeep Lakhtakia
Senior IPS officer Sudeep Lakhtakia was appointed as new Director General of National
Security Guard (NSG). Lakhtakia is a 1984-batch IPS officer of Telangana cadre. He is
currently serving as special DG of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Vijay Gokhale
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has appointed senior diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale (58) as Foreign Secretary,
highest post for a diplomat in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Rajinder Khanna
The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Former Research and
Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Rajinder Khanna as Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA). In
his new role, he will assist NSA Ajit Doval.
Gurcharan Singh Kalkat
Noted agricultural scientist and pioneer of India’s Green Revolution, Gurcharan Singh
Kalkat (92), passed away in Chandigarh after a brief illness. He was known for his role in
bringing Green Revolution and several exemplary agricultural reforms in Punjab.
John Young
Legendary astronaut of NASA John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded
the first space shuttle flight passed away in Houston, US. He was NASA’s only astronaut to
go into space as part of Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle program, and the first to fly into
space six times. He was 9th man to walk on moon.
B. MAJOR EVENTS
Umesh Sinha Committee
The ECI has constituted Umesh Sinha Committee to suggest changes to section 126 of the
Representation of the People Act. It will study the impact of social media during the silence
period and suggest modifications of the election law.
Technology Mission
Three Ministeries – Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Human resource Development and
Ministry of Science & Technology have signed MOU for the Technology Mission. This
mission will conduct research and development projects in the fields of heavy haul, safety,
energy, environment and urban railways.
Essential Jute Packaging
In order to protect and promote the interests of the jute growers in West Bengal, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura, the government has made it mandatory that
90% of foodgrains and 20% of sugar must be packed in jute bags.
National Voters’ Day
The Election Commission of India (ECI) celebrated 8th National Voters’ Day across nation
for enhanced participation of citizens in electoral process. The objective of the Day is to
increase enrollment of voters, especially of newly eligible ones.
100th Satellite of ISRO
ISRO has launched 31 satellites with a combined weight of 1,323 kilograms with PSLV C-40
rocket for deploying them in earth’s lower orbit. The Indian satellites are 710 kg
CARTOSAT-2, 100 kg micro satellite and a 5 kg nano satellite.
National Year of Millets
Government has approved 2018 as National Year of Millets to boost production of the
nutrient-rich millets and the sunrise agri industry involved in it. Earlier in November 2017,
India had forwarded proposal to United Nations (UN) for declaring year 2018 as
‘International Year of Millets’.
National Youth Day
The National Youth Day is observed every year on 12 January to mark the birth anniversary
of social reformer, philosopher, thinker and youth icon of India Swami Vivekananda. This
year it is 155th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated every year on January 9 to mark the
contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. This year’s PBD
celebrated ASEAN-Indian partnership and was themed Ancient Route, New Journey:
Diaspora in the Dynamic ASEAN INDIA Partnership.
C. ECONOMY
India 6th wealthiest country
According to New World Wealth Report, India was ranked sixth in list of wealthiest
countries with total wealth of US $8,230 billion in 2017.The total wealth, refers to private
wealth held by all individuals living in each country/city.
First NIIF investment
The NIIF has made its first investment by partnering with DP World to create $3-billion
investment platform for ports, terminals, transportation and logistics businesses in India.
The platform will invest in opportunities in ports sector and beyond sea ports into areas
such as river ports and transportation, port-led special economic zones, freight corridors,
inland container terminals, and logistics infrastructure including cold storage.
Indian economy to grow at 7.4% in 2018: IMF
In the latest World Economic Outlook (January 2018 update) released by International
Monetary Fund (IMF), India is projected to grow at 7.4% of its gross domestic product
(GDP) in 2018 as against China’s 6.8%. The projection makes India fastest growing major
economy in the world.
Global Index of Talent Competitiveness
India was ranked 81st among 118 countries in 2017 Global index of talent competitiveness
(GTI) list. India has improved its position from 92nd last year. The index measures ability
of countries to compete for talent i.e. how countries grow, attract and retain talent. It is
produced by global business school INSEAD in partnership with Adecco Group and Tata
Communications.
Inclusive Development Index 2018
India was ranked at 62nd place among emerging economies on Inclusive Development
Index (IDI-2018) released by World Economic Forum (WEF). Norway again remained
world’s most inclusive advanced economy, while Lithuania again topped list of emerging
economies. India’s position is much below China (26th) and Pakistan (47th).
Mauritius: largest source of FDI in India in 2016-2017
According to Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment
Companies 2016-17 released by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Mauritius was largest source
of foreign investment (FDI) in India. It was followed by USA, UK, Singapore and Japan.
Singapore (19.7%) was major ODI destination, followed by Netherlands, Mauritius, and US.
Global Manufacturing Index
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position among 100 countries
on its Global Manufacturing Index (GMI). The index was released as part of WEF’s first
Readiness for the future of production Report which analysed development of modern
industrial strategies and urges collaborative action.
NCDEX launches India’s first agri-options trading in Guarseed
The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) unveiled India’s first
agricultural-commodity options in Guarseed designed as hedge for farmers to safeguard
against price risks.
World Bank Report projects 7.3% growth for India in 2018
The 2018 Global Economics Prospect (GEP) released by the World Bank has projected
India’s growth rate to 7.3% in 2018 and 7.5 for the next two years i.e. 2019 and 2020.
Logistics Ease Across Different States index
Gujarat has topped among 22 states in the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS)
index released by Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Punjab has acquired second
position followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
and Maharashtra.
7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds 2018
The Union Finance Ministry has launched 7.75% Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2018 scheme to
help citizens invest in a taxable instrument, without any monetary ceiling. It will enable
resident citizens/Hindu Undivided Families (HUF) to invest in a taxable bond, without any
monetary ceiling.
D. STATES
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh was officially declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) state. It is second
State from Northeast, after Sikkim and overall fifth state after Himachal Pradesh, Kerala
and Haryana to be declared ODF state. The announcement comes after three remaining
districts – Upper Subansiri, Siang and Changlang were officially declared ODF. Arunachal
Pradesh has total 21 districts and it attained this major cleanliness feat under Swach
Bharat Abhiyan much before (one year and 10 months ahead) the national deadline of
October 2, 2019.
The state has also inaugurated the World War II memorial Museum in Changlang district.
Goa
Goa will host the third edition of the Science Film Festival of India “SCI-FFI” from 16th
January 2018 with the objective of boosting the culture of the science festivals.
Madhya Pradesh
The state has hosted the annual conference of the Director Generals of the Police, 2018. The
conference was held at Tekanpur, Gwalior which was also attended by the Prime Minister.
Karnataka
The Karnataka state government has received the approval for purchase of electric vehicles
under FAME India scheme; under this the state government will purchase 40 electric buses,
500 three wheelers at 60% subsidy under the scheme.
Telangana
The state government has constituted the SC/ST Commission headed by Errolla Srinivas to
enquire into complaints pertaining to members of Scs and Sts.
Himachal Pradesh
The union government has approved for establishment of new AIIMS under Pradhan
Mantri Swasthya Yojana (PMSSY). The cost of the project is Rs 1351 crore with a capacity of
750 bedded hospital and trauma centre facilities.
ASSAM
The First draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam has listed 19 million people
out of 32.9 million applicants as legal Indian citizens; the move is aimed at identifying
illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Delhi
Delhi Common Mobility Card has been introduced by the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to make
it convenient for the commuters in Delhi metro and DTC buses.
Gujarat
The state has topped in Logistics Index Chart in the country indicating the efficiency of
logistical services necessary for promoting exports in particular and economic growth in
general.
Water ATM in West Bengal
The West Bengal Government has launched a Water ATM project to provide bacteria free
drinking water in schools with the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the
Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.
e-Raktkosh web portal, Punjab
The Punjab Government has rolled out e-Raktkosh Web Portal in all the 45 government
blood banks.
Odisha
The Government of Odisha has launched the Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Sahayta Yojana for the
welfare of the artists in the state. Under the scheme the artists will receive a monthly
assistance of Rs 1200 per month.
Maharashtra
The state government has launched the Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivni Yojana for
promoting climate resilient agriculture in the state.
The state government has also decided to give 1% reservation to the orphans.
Madhya Pradesh
MP has become the first state in the country to completely implement door-to door
garbage collection in all areas under urban bodies.
Andhra Pradesh
The state has signed sister state agreement with Canton of Zurich in a bid to strengthen the
friendly ties and promote mutual understanding.
E. AWARDS
Sangeet Natak Akademy Awards, 2016
The four Akademy ratna (Fellowship) has been conferred on Arvind parekh, Sunil Kothari,
Ram Gopal bajaj and R Vedvalli. 43 other artists will receive the Akademy Awards.
Outstanding Parliamentarian Award, 2017
Bhartuhari Mahtab, the Lok Sabha MP has been chosen outstanding Parliamentarian.
Dr Vinod Paul
NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod Paul became first Indian to be awarded prestigious
IhsanDoğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize by World Health Organisation (WHO). It
will be formally presented at World Health Assembly to be held in Geneva, Switzerland in
May 2018.
Soumitra Chatterjee
Legendary Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee (83) was awarded France’s highest civilian
award, Legion d’Honneur. He was awarded in recognition of his remarkable career and his
outstanding contribution in promoting Indian cinema in France and his long-standing
attraction for our country.
Asha Bhosle
Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle (84) was chosen for fifth edition of Yash Chopra
Memorial Award for her outstanding contribution to the Hindi film industry. She will be
presented with award in February 2018 by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao.
Mehul Garg
Indian-origin boy Mehul Garg (10) in United Kingdom became youngest applicant in
decade to achieve highest score in Mensa IQ test, beating geniuses like Albert Einstein and
Stephen Hawking.
Jyoti Prakash Nirala
President Ram Nath Kovind awarded India’s highest peacetime military decoration Ashok
Chakra (31) posthumously to Indian Air Force (IAF) Garud commando Corporal Jyoti
Prakash Nirala.
Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanichamy received UNESCO Award of Merit
awarded to the iconic Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple in Tiruchirapalli. The award of
merit was awarded by UNESCO Asia Pacific region for the reconstruction activities
undertaken in temple without in least affecting its traditional splendor and Vedic rituals.
F. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Mihir high performance computer system
Ministry of Earth Science (MoES) has inaugurated high performance computer system
(HPC) or supercomputer Mihir (meaning sun) at National Centre for Medium Range
Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Noida. The HCP will provide facility for improving
weather/climate forecasts. It is country’s largest HPC facility in terms of peak capacity and
performance.
Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) project
Himachal Pradesh Government has launched Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) project
to promote organic farming. It was launched by Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur. The project
aims to increase agriculture produce and the income of farmers by the year 2022.
Yttria-Stabilised Zirconia (YSZ)-Plasma sprayed coating technology
NASA is interested in new India-made thermal spray coating technology used for gas
turbine engine in spacecraft. It has been developed by Dr. Satish Tailor, Rajasthan-based
researcher working with Jodhpur-based Metallizing Equipment Company (MEC).
SkyRev360
SkyRev360 is fully automated and comprehensive data gathering invoicing and collection
service system. It has been developed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in collaboration
with International Air Transport Association (IATA) under the Government’s Make in India
initiative
Rotavac
Rotavac became first indigenously developed vaccine from India to be pre-qualified by
World Health Organisation (WHO). It means that vaccine can be sold internationally to
several countries in South America and Africa.
Global Centre for Cybersecurity
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched new Global Centre for Cybersecurity in a
bid to safeguard world from hackers and growing data breaches — especially from nation-
states. The centre will be headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and will become
operational from March 2018. It will function as an autonomous organization under WEF.
Chinese scientists for first time successfully clone monkeys
Chinese scientists for first time have successfully cloned two identical long-tailed macaques
(monkeys), named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua using same technique that produced Dolly
sheep two decades ago. This development makes them world’s first primates – the order of
mammals that includes monkeys, apes and humans – to be cloned from non-embryonic cell.
SARAS PT1N
SARAS PT1N, the new upgraded version of indigenous transport aircraft SARAS developed
by National Aeronautics Laboratory (NAL) successfully made its maiden flight in
Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is a 14-seater passenger aircraft designed and developed by CSIR-
NAL, a frontline aerospace research laboratory. The production version aircraft will have
19-seat capacity.
Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
India was ranked 177 among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
– 2018. This index has been developed by Yale University and Columbia University in
collaboration with the World Economic Forumand the Joint Research Centre of the
European Commission.
Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust
Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust in Odisha has won prestigious United Nations World
Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Award for Innovation in Tourism Enterprise at 14th
UNWTO Awards ceremony held in Madrid, Spain. The award was given in recognition of
Mangalajodi’s business model that is both economically viable and environmentally
sustainable based on principles of community ownership and Eco Tourism.
India’s first automatic Early Warning Dissemination System
India’s first automatic Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) will be commissioned
by March 2018 in Odisha. The project aims to establish fool-proof communication system
to address existing gaps in disseminating disaster warning up to community level.
Fraternal ties with trees
Sikkim Government has allowed people from state to forge fraternal ties with trees. It aims
to preserve trees by encouraging people to forge relationship of brotherhood or sisterhood
with trees through tradition practice locally known as Mitini or Mith/Mit.
Elcysma Ziroensis
Researchers from Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) have discovered a new species
of moth, scientifically named Elcysma Ziroensis from Talley Wildlife Sanctuary in
Arunachal Pradesh. Elcysma Ziroensis is commonly called Apatani Glory, named after a
local tribe called Apatani.
Xian smog tower
China has constructed Xian smog tower, an experimental air purifying tower touted to be
the world’s biggest at height of over 100 meters (328 feet) in an attempt to fight air
pollution. The tower is built in Xian in Shaanxi province and has brought positive effect on
chronic smog problem in China.
IPrism
The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP), in collaboration launched ‘IPrism’ for college and university students.
The one of its kind Intellectual Property (IP) Competition was launched by CIPAM-DIPP in
association with ASSOCHAM and ERICSSON India.
BeiDou-3 satellites
China has successfully launched two BeiDou-3 satellites to provide navigation and
positioning services to countries along Belt and Road initiative (BRI) by the end of 2018.
The two satellites were designated as BeiDou-3 M7 and BeiDou-3 M8 (26th and 27th
satellites) in BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).
Captive breeding of Chiru
The Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has refused to
allow captive breeding of Chiru (Tibetan antelope), whose underfur is used for making
famous shahtoosh shawls.
JioCoin
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd is planning to create its own cyptocurrency, JioCoin. The Jiocoin
project is being led by Mukesh Ambani’s elder son Akash Ambani. Under it, Reliance Jio is
planning to build a 50-member team of young professionals to work on blockchain
technology.
Zuma mission
California-based Private spaceflight Company SpaceX has launched secret Zuma Mission for
US government. It was launched on board of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US. It is a secret mission in its nature or purpose and
the agency behind it remains a mystery.
GOLD and ICON Missions
NASA will launch two missions — GOLD and ICON later this year. They will team up to
explore the ionosphere, located 96 km above Earth’s surface. The Global-scale Observations
of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission will be launched in January 2018 and Ionospheric
Connection Explorer (ICON) will be launched later this year.
Pratyush: India’s fastest supercomputer unveiled
India’s fastest and first multi-petaflops (PF) supercomputer named Pratyush was unveiled
at Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). The supercomputer has
been named as ‘Pratyush’ meaning Sun.
Flamingo festival
The three-day annual Flamingo Festival was held at Pulicat Lake and Nelapattu Bird
Sanctuary in Sullurpet mandal. Flamingo Festival is held every year to promote tourism in
Pulicat and Nellapattu.
Typbar TCV
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given its pre-qualification to Typbar Typhoid
Conjugate Vaccine (TVC) developed by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech for global use.
Typbar TCV is world’s first typhoid vaccine clinically proven to be administered to children
from six months of age to adults, and confers long-term protection
against typhoid fever.
Schistura larketensis
Scientists have discovered a new species of blind fish named Schistura larketensis inside a
cave in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. The fish has been named after Larket village,
where the cave has been found to encourage local people to take up biodiversity
conservation.
Parker Solar Probe
NASA is going to launch Parker Solar Probe in 2018 to explore the sun’s outer atmosphere.
It will be launched onboard of Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle. It will perform its scientific
investigations in a hazardous region of intense heat and solar radiation. It will trace how
energy and heat move through solar corona. Explore what accelerates solar wind as well as
solar energetic particles.
Mewa Singh’s night frog
Scientists have discovered new species of frog named Mewa Singh’s night frog
(Nyctibatrachus mewasinghi) in Kozhikode’s Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala in
Western Ghats. It was discovered in small stream running along the Peruvannamuzhi dam.
It is latest contribution to spurt in amphibian discoveries across India.
2 new ginger species discovered in northeast
Botanical Survey of India (BSI) scientists have discovered two new species of ginger named
Hedychium chingmeianum and Caulokaempferia dinabandhuensis in easternmost districts
of northeast India. Both the plants belong to the family of Zingiberaceae, to which the
commonly found ginger (Zingiber officinale) belongs.
G. DEFENCE
Charlie-435
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has commissioned Charlie-435, a state-of-the-art patrol
vessel at Karaikal in Union Territory of Puducherry. It will help to strengthen coastal
security between Chennai and Kanyakumari in the Eastern Coastal region. It will be also of
great help in rescuing fishermen who go adrift in sea due to bad weather.
INS Karanj
Indian Navy has launched Scorpene submarine INS Karanj at the Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), Mumbai, Maharashtra. It the third Scorpene class submarine built
by MDL under ambitious Project 75 of the Indian Navy.
VINBAX-2018
The India-Vietnam Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX-2018) was conducted at Jabalpur in
Madhya Pradesh. It is the first military exercise between the two countries.
Alpha Design Technologies Ltd
Alpha Design Technologies Ltd. has signed Rs. 45-crore deal with Ministry of Defence to
supply indigenous simulators for gunnery and missile firing from BMP II vehicles to Indian
Army.
OPV Vijaya
The second indigenously built offshore patrol vessel (OPV) named Vijaya built by Larsen
and Toubro (L&T) Shipyard for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) was launched at Kattupalli
Shipyard, Tamil Nadu. It is expected to be inducted into service by September 2018 after
trials on the equipment.
Agni-5 ballistic missile
Indigenously developed long-range surface-to-surface Agni-5 ballistic missile was
successfully test fired successfully from Abdul Kalam Wheeler Island, Odisha. It was overall
fifth developmental trial test of the long range missile carried out by Strategic Forces
Command of Indian Army to check its operational readiness.
Procurements of assault rifles and carbines
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Union Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman has cleared procurement proposal of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines
on fast track basis for Rs 3,547 crore.
Vajra Prahar
The Indo-US joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
(JBLM) in Seattle. The aim of the exercise is to promote military relations between two
countries by enhancing interoperability and
mutual exchange of tactics between Special Forces.
Rizhao
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy has commissioned Rizhao, a new missile frigate, in a
naval port in Dalian, China. It is China’s indigenous missile frigate named after Rizhao city
in Shandong Province of China.
Barak missiles, PGM bombs
The Defence Ministry has given its final approvals for the procurement of 131 Barak
missiles for Indian Navy and 240 precision-guided munitions (PGM) for Indian Air Force
(IAF) together estimated at Rs.1,714 crore.
H. SPORTS
Khelo India Pledge
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched Pledge for Khelo India at Khelo India
School Games Carnival in Delhi. The pledge resonates with vision of Khelo India
programme and is aimed at inspiring youngsters to build mass participation and excellence
in sports.
Roger Federer
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer (World No. 2) has retained his Men’s Singles title by
winning 2018 Australian Open. In the summit clash played at Melbourne, he defeated
Croatia’s Marin Cilic (World no. 6) in five sets 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Vidarbha
Vidarbha cricket team won 2017 Ranji Trophy tournament. It is Vidarbha’s first Ranji
Trophy title. In the final match held at Holkar stadium in Indore (Madhya Pradesh),
Vidarbha thumped 9-wicket win over Delhi.
Vidarbha cricket team won 2017 Ranji Trophy tournament. It is Vidarbha’s first Ranji
Trophy title. In the final match held at Holkar stadium in Indore (Madhya Pradesh),
Vidarbha thumped 9-wicket win over Delhi. After conceding 252-run first innings lead,
Delhi was bowled out for 280 in their second innings, setting a target of merely 29 runs for
Vidarbha. Vidarbha lost only one wicket and took only five
overs to chase down the target.
Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between teams
representing regional cricket associations. The trophy is named after England and Sussex
cricketer Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji and was first played in 1934. At present, the
championship is played between 27 teams which include 21 states (of 29 Indian states)
and Delhi (UT). The format of Ranji Trophy is Round-robin then knockout. Mumbai has
won Ranji title for record 41 times (10 of them being won with innings wins) after playing
in record 45 finals.
I. MISCELLANEOUS
Zojila Tunnel
The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has inked MoU with IL&FS
Transportation Networks Ltd for construction of the 14.150 km long, 2-lane bi-directional
Zojila Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir. It will be India’s longest road tunnel and longest bi-
directional tunnel in Asia. On completion, the tunnel will provide all weather connectivity
between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.
ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit
The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit was held in New Delhi to celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the establishment of sectoral dialogue between two sides under the theme
of “Shared Values, Common Destiny”. It issued joint statement titled Delhi Declaration after
the plenary session focusing on counter-terrorism, identity security, military cooperation,
and bilateral financial support.
Bharat Parv
Cultural extravaganza Bharat Parv was held at the Red Fort in Delhi as part of the Republic
Day celebrations. The prime objective of the event is to promote rich cultural diversity of
country, generate a patriotic mood and to ensure wider participation of general public.
India joins Australia Group
India was admitted as the 43rd member of the Australia Group, an informal bloc (group) of
countries that keeps a tight control over exports of substances used in making of chemical
weapons.
Solar Development Fund
India announced setting up of $350 million Solar Development Fund for financing solar
projects under the International Solar Alliance (ISA). It was announced at first ever ISA
outreach programmes ‘International Solar
Alliance Forum’ held in Abu Dhabi’s World Future Energy Summit (WFES) 2018.
BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement
Bangladesh, India and Nepal agreed on text of operating procedures for passenger vehicle
movement (Passenger protocol) in sub-region under Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal
(BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA).
3rd Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi
The third edition of the geo-political conference – Raisina Dialogue was held in New Delhi.
It was inaugurated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The theme of the
conference for this year is ‘Managing Disruptive
Transitions: Ideas, Institutions and Idioms’.
UN Youth Envoy’s office
India has contributed $50,000 to United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s
Office of Envoy on Youth to help with its mission of involving young people in the world
body’s goals.
Teen Murti Chowk renamed after Israeli city Haifa
The iconic Teen Murti Chowk in central New Delhi was renamed as Teen Murti-Haifa after
Israeli City Haifa in solemn ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his
Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.
First PIO Parliamentary Conference held in New Delhi
The first-ever Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference was held in the
Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra
(PBK) in New Delhi. It was organised by Ministry of External Affairs to forge stronger ties
with PIO.
Thar Link Express
India and Pakistan have extended agreement of Thar Link Express, second solitary rail
service between both countries for three more years i.e. till 2021. The Thar Express links
Jodhpur (India) and Karachi (Pakistan) via Munabao (Rajasthan)-Khokhrapar (Sindh
province) border crossing and carries only passengers.
Hicky’s Bengal Gazette
Journalists and social activists celebrated 238th anniversary of India’s first newspaper the
Hicky’s Bengal Gazette. 29 January is also celebrated Hicky’s Day to pay tributes to the
fighter-journalist James Augustus Hicky who is considered as founder of journalism in
India.
Floating market of Kolkata
Kolkata, capital of West Bengal became first metro city in India to get floating market. It is
located on lake at Patuli in South Kolkata which is 400 metres long and 60 metres wide.
The lake has been transformed into the Floating Market like the one in Thailand.
J. JHARKHAND
Best PLV Award: Basanta Gope of Chaibasa has been declared as the best para legal
volunteer in 2017.
Vimla Pradhan: She has been declared as the outstanding MLA of 2017 in Jharkhand.
New Judges of HC: Mr Justice Rakesh Kumar, Anubha Rawat Chaudhuri, Kailash Prasad Dev
U-19 World Cup Cricketer: Anukul Rai, Pankaj Yadav
Digamber Hansada: Padma Shri award winner in 2017 for his translation of Constitution in
Santhali
M. S. Dhoni he has been awarded Padma Bhushan for 2017
Yogendra Mahto the MLA from Gomia who has been convicted and sentenced to 5 years in
jail.
National Energy Conservation Award: given to Tata Motors of Jamshedpur
Ultra outfit banned Mazdoor Sangathan Samiti, a frontal organization of CPI (Maoist), was
banned recently. It is active in Bokaro, Giridih and Dhanbad.
Methanol Plant the Government of Jharkhand has proposed to establish methanol plant
near the selected coal mines of the state.
Saubhagya Scheme It was launched by the government in December 2017 to provide power
connectivity to each household.
New Gold Mines Kunderkocha and lava in Purbi Singhbhum; Pardiha and Gilgadda in
Saraikela Kharsawan; Parasi, Sonapet, Jargo, Serengdih in Ranchi.
2nd
Solar Powered Stadium JSCA stadium will become the second stadium of India after
Chinnaswami stadium of Bangalore to be solar powered by placement of
rooftop solar panels.
Nirog Bal varsha The government has declared 2018 as the Niroga Bal Varsha.
Milk Gift Yojana The government has launched Milk Gift Scheme for children between 5-
15 years with provision of supplying 200 ml milk along with MDM.
First Women University the first women university of Jharkhand is going to be established
in Jamshedpur as decided by the government.