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31 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. India 6th wealthiest country with total wealth of $8,230 billion: Report

India has been ranked sixth in the list of wealthiest countries with total wealth of USD 8,230 billion, while the United States topped the chart, says a report.

• According to a report by New World Wealth, the United States is the wealthiest country in the world as the total wealth held in 2017 amounted to USD 64,584 billion.
• It was followed by China at the second place with USD 24,803 billion and Japan with USD 19,522 billion at third.

2. Stree Swabhiman Initiative launched for Women Health and Hygiene

The Information Technology and Electronics Ministry of the country has announced to launch the new scheme initiative under Stree Swabhiman Drive.

• The new initiative has been introduced by the Ministry and CSC to ensure and maintain perfect health for Women and at the same time to maintain Health Hygiene.

3. Indian, Vietnamese armies hold first military exercise

 

Armies of India and Vietnam have began a six day-long military exercise in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

• It is the first military exercise between the two countries.
• The exercise named 'VINBAX' will continue for six days.
• India and Vietnam have been exploring ways to strengthen defence cooperation.

4. Prime Minister to launch Khelo India School Games in the Capital

 

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the first Khelo India School Games at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on January 31, 2018.

• The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establishing India as a great sporting nation.
• Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels by a High-Powered Committee will be provided annual financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh per annum for 8 years.
• The Khelo India School Games are being held from 31st January to 8th February, 2018 in New Delhi.
• Under-17 athletes have been invited to participate across 16 disciplines.

5. India and World Bank sign $100 Million Project for Tamil Nadu

The Government of India and the World Bank have signed a $100 million Loan Agreement that is expected to promote rural enterprises, facilitate their access to finance, and create employment opportunities for youth, particularly women, in selected blocks of Tamil Nadu across 26 districts, directly benefitting over 400,000 people.

• The Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project will create an enabling environment for producer organizations and enterprises to promote businesses across select value chains. Based on the analysis, communities will identify commodities and subsectors in the value chain for preparing business plans.
• Thirty percent of the financing for these business plans will be through a matching grant program from the project and the remaining 70 percent will be leveraged from other financial institutions.

6. India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) sign $250 Million Loan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a $250 million loan to finance the construction of 6,254 kilometers all-weather rural roads in the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Program (PMGSY).

• The First Tranche Loan is part of the $500 million Second Rural Connectivity Investment Program for India approved by the ADB Board in December 2017.
• The program is aimed at improving rural connectivity, facilitating safer and more efficient access to livelihood and socio-economic opportunities for rural communities through improvements to about 12,000 kilometers Rural Roads across the 5 States.

7. SBI inks information utility pact with NeSL

State Bank of India said it has signed an Information Utility (IU) agreement with National E-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL) to share financial and security information under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IU) regulation 2017.

• NeSL is the first IU registered with IBBI.
• The company has been set up by 17 financial institutions, including State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, ICICI Bank.

8. Venkiah Naidu confers BAI's Lifetime Achievement Award on Padukone

Vice President Venkiah Naidu conferred Badminton Association of India (BAI) Lifetime Achievement Award to 1983 World Championship medallist Prakash Padukone.

• The Mysuru-born Prakash had won gold medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the All England Championships in 1980.

9. Global Recognition for Dr Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog

Dr Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog has been awarded the prestigious IhsanDoğramacı Family Health Foundation Prize by the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

• He is the first Indian to receive this global honour, which is conferred in recognition to his services in the field of family health.
• The award, confirmed by the WHO Executive Board on 27thJanuary, will be presented to Dr Paul formally at the World Health Assembly to be held in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2018.
• He was chosen unanimously from six other shortlisted candidates from Algeria, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan.

10. Sunil Chhetri’s birthday to be celebrated as Delhi’s Football Day

Football Delhi honoured the Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri and announced his birthday to be celebrated as Delhi’s Football Day.

• The 33-year-old Sunil has appeared in 97 International matches for India and scored 56 goals for the national team since his first appearance in 2005.
• Football Delhi also decided to celebrated Coach Santosh Kashyap’s birthday ‘June 12′ as Football Delhi’s Coach Education Day.

11. Maharashtra BJP MP Chintan Wanaga dead

A senior BJP MP from Maharashtra Chintaman Wanaga died in New Delhi at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. He was 67.

• Mr. Wanaga, who was born on June 1, 1950, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Palghar in Maharashtra.
• He was a Member of the 11th and the 13th Lok Sabha as well.

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30 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Acid attack victims to get quota in central government jobs

People with autism, mental illnesses, intellectual disability and victims of acid attacks will now get quota in central government jobs.

• In case of direct recruitment, four per cent of the total number of vacancies, up from the existing three per cent, in groups A, B and C shall be reserved for people with benchmark disabilities.
• Benchmark disability means a person with not less than forty per cent of a specified disability.

2. 3-day international bird festival at Dudhwa National Park

A three-day international bird festival will be held at the Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh from February 9 with nearly 200 leading ornithologists expected to attend.

• Eminent documentary maker Mike Pandey would act as the brand ambassador of the festival.
• During the three-day event, the bird experts would visit various parts of Dudhwa to gather information about the 450 bird species existing there.

3. Over Rs 5 lakh crore allocated for Bharatmala project

President Ram Nath Kovind said that Rs 5,35,000 crore have been allocated for the Bharatmala Project aimed at boosting road connectivity in the country.

• About 53,000 km of national highways have been identified to increase efficiency of the national corridor.
• Bharatmala is an umbrella programme of the Centre that seeks to improve efficiency of road traffic movement in the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps.

4. International spice conference in Jaipur from Feb 4-7

The third edition of international spice conference will be held at Jaipur from February 4 to 7.

• Over 750 delegates from various countries, including representatives of international spice associations, policy makers, and farmers, are expected to participate in the four-day meet.
• The central theme of the 2018 conference would be 'Managing Disruptions through Transformation and Collaboration'.

5. Highlights of Economic Survey 2018

The Economic Survey, which sets the stage for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's annual budget on February 1, was by Arvind Subramanian.

• The survey was prepared by the finance ministry's Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian. 

Growth

• 2018/19 Growth seen at 7 Percent to 7.5 Percent.
• 2017/18 GDP growth seen at 6.75 Percent. 
• 2017/18 industry growth seen at 4.4 Percent.
• 2017/18 farm sector growth seen at 2.1 Percent.
• Economic management will be challenging in the coming year.
• Biggest source of upside to growth to be from exports.
• Cyclical conditions may lead to lower tax and non-tax revenues in 2017/18.
• Private investment poised to rebound.

FISCAL DEFICIT

• Target for fiscal consolidation specially in a pre-election year can carry a high risk of credibility.
• Current account deficit for 2017/18 expected to average 1.5-2 pct of GDP.

INFLATION, POLICY RATES

• Persistently high oil prices remain a key risk, to affect inflation.
• If inflation doesn't deviate from current levels policy rates can be expected to remain stable.
• Average CPI inflation seen at 3.7 pct in 2017/18.

Points to Remember

• The Department of Economic Affairs, Finance Ministry of India presents the Economic Survey in the parliament every year, just before the Union Budget.
• It is prepared under the guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser, Finance Ministry.
• It is the ministry's view on the annual economic development of the country.

6. Finland re-elects President Sauli Niinisto for 2nd term

Finland has re-elected its popular and pragmatic president Sauli Niinisto, who is credited for maintaining a balanced relationship with the nation's powerful neighbour Russia.

• Niinisto, 69, avoided the need for a second-round of voting and won outright, a first since Finland introduced a two-round presidential election by popular vote in 1994.
• Niinisto's main rival Pekka Haavisto of the Green party won just 12 percent of the votes.

Points to Remember

• Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a sovereign state in Northern Europe.
• Helsinki is its Capital and largest city. Euro is the currency of Finland.
• Juha Sipila is the prime minister of Finland.

7. Najma, Azad among 5 to be conferred outstanding Parliamentarian Awards

 

Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) has decided to confer Outstanding Parliamentary Awards to five Parliamentarians which includes senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Manipur Governor and former Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla.

• The Parliamentarians who have been chosen for the award include three MPs from Lok Sabha and two from Rajya Sabha.
• The awards are being given for the years starting from 2013 till 2017.

Here is the year wise list:

• Bhartruhari Mahatab: 2017
• Dinesh Trivedi: 2016
• Ghulam Nabi Azad: 2015
• Hukumdev Narayan Yadav: 2014
• Najma Heptulla: 2013

8. Documentary based on Kailash Satyarthi wins top honour

The documentary film Kailash, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has won the US Grand Jury Prize at the festival.

• The Derek Doneen-directed documentary is based on Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Kailash Satyarthi.
• Satyarthi's crusade against child slavery has helped rescue thousands of children.
• He also heads the organisation Bachpan Bachao Aandolan in India.

9. Asha Bhosle To Get Yash Chopra Memorial Award

Bollywood playback doyenne Asha Bhosle will be given the 'Yash Chopra Memorial Award'.

• She will be the fifth winner of the award.
• Previous recipients are Asha Bhosale's elder sister and Bollywood playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, and actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, and Shah Rukh Khan.
• Evergreen Asha Bhosle has been giving playback in Hindi films for nearly seven decades, earning her an entry into the Guinness World Records for recording over 11,000 songs in 20 different languages.

10. Chhattisgarh's first governor D N Sahay passes away

Former governor of Chhattisgarh and Tripura Dinesh Nandan Sahay has died after prolonged illness. He was 82.

• Born in 1936, Sahay began his career with the Indian Police Service and rose to the position of the DGP of Bihar.
• He became the first Governor of Chhattisgarh after the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.
• In 2003, Sahay took over as the Governor of Tripura and held the post till 2009.

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29 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. India Second Cheapest Country to Live in: Survey

India is ranked second only to South Africa as the cheapest country to live or retire, according to a recent survey of 112 countries.

• The survey by GoBankingRates ranked nations on the bases of four key affordability metrics provided by online pricing database Numbeo.
• Bermuda, Bahamas, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Ghana are the five most expensive countries in the survey respectively.

2. Government to set up apex cyber crime coordination centre

To deal with cyber crimes such as financial frauds, circulation of communal and pornographic contents, the Union Home Ministry is planning to set up an apex coordination centre and has asked states to establish a similar mechanism in every district.

• It has also released Rs 83 crore for setting up of a cyber forensic training laboratory-cum-training centre for police officials in each state.
• The funds were given under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children Scheme.
• The apex centre - Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) - would be set up in Delhi.

3. Siddheshwar Swami turns down Padma Shri

Karnataka-based seer, Siddheshwar Swami, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his unwillingness to accept the prestigious Padma Shri award.

• In the letter, he mentioned that he was grateful to the Indian government, but he has little interest in awards.
• According to media reports, he has clarified that his refusal has nothing to do with politics. He has never accepted honours in his life.
• He even refused to receive Hon. Doctorate Award announced by Karnataka University a few years back.

4. ‘Aadhaar’ is Oxford’s first Hindi word of the year

The Hindi Word of the Year for 2017 is 'AADHAAR'. This was announced by Oxford Dictionaries at the Jaipur Literature Festival.

• 'Aadhaar' also becomes the first Oxford Dictionaries Hindi Word of the Year.
• The accompanying shortlisted words include Notebandi, Swachh, Vikaas, Yoga and Bahubali.

5. First ever 'Khadi Haat' inaugurated in Delhi

Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country.

• The Khadi Haat was inaugurated on January 25 by Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place, New Delhi.
• New Delhi Lok Sabha MP Meenakshi Lekhi, KVIC Chairman V K Saxena and NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar were present on the occasion.

6. Republic Day Parade: Maharashtra wins best tableau award

The tableau from Maharashtra depicting the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Republic Day Parade at the Rajpath won the first prize.

• Among the three military services, the contingent from the Army's Punjab Regiment was awarded the best marching contingent trophy, while the Indo-Tibetan Border Police team won the best marching contingent prize among the para-military and other auxiliary forces.
• Among the ministries, the best tableau award went to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The tableau depicted 'Khelo India', the national programme for development of sports.
• Among performances by schoolchildren, South Central Zone Cultural Centre's 'Baredi Dance' (from Madhya Pradesh) was awarded the first prize.

7. Roger Federer wins sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title

Roger Federer won his sixth Australian Open and 20th Grand Slam title with a five-set victory over Marin Cilic.

• He beat Marin Cilic 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 3-6 6-1 to win.
• Federer, 36, becomes only the fourth player after Margaret Court, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf to win 20 or more major singles titles.
• Here is the list of winners this year:
• Men’s Singles: Roger Federer
• Women’s Singles: Caroline Wozniacki
• Men’s Doubles: O. Marach and M. Pavic
• Women’s Doubles: K. Mladenovic and T. Babos
• Mixed Doubles: G. Dabrowski and M. Pavic

8. Sandeep Lamichhane becomes first Nepal player to get IPL contract

Sandeep Lamichhane became the first cricketer from Nepal to land a deal an IPL contract when he was picked by Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing players auction.

• The 17-year-old, the only Nepal player in the IPL auction, was sold at his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
• The leg-spinner rose to prominence with a successful outing at the 2016 U-19 World Cup where he guided Nepal to a creditable eighth place.

9. Paes wins 25th Challenger doubles title at Newport Beach

Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes won his 25th ATP Challenger level doubles title with partner James Cerretani after beating Denis Kudla and Treat Huey in the final of the Newport Beach event.

• The second-seeded Indo-American pair defeated the American-Filipino combine 6-4 7-5 in the summit clash of the USD 150,000 hard court tournament.
• Paes, winner of 11 singles titles on the Challenger Tour, had ended the 2017 season with consecutive trophies.