25 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. International Conference on ‘Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the Election Process’

Flagging off the 8th National Voters Day Celebrations scheduled to be held on 25th January 2018, Election Commission of India (ECI) hosted a one-day International Conference on the subject ‘Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the Election Process’ in New Delhi.

• Chief Election Commissioner of India Mr. O.P.Rawat, reiterated ECI’s resolve to uphold the sanctity of free, fair and peaceful elections in keeping with the rich democratic traditions of India. 

2. SARAS PT1N makes its maiden flight

SARAS PT1N (14 seater) designed and developed by CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), a frontline aerospace research laboratory, has successfully made its maiden flight.  

• Union Minister for Science & Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, has congratulated the scientists of CSIR-NAL and other agencies involved in the successful maiden flight. 
• The aircraft took off at about 11 a.m from HAL airport and flew for about 40 minutes at the maximum height of 8500 ft at the speed of 145 knots. 

3. Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls launched

Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Shri Rakesh Srivastava launched the Phase -1 i.e. the beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls - a web based on line monitoring for the Scheme for Adolescent Girls in New Delhi.

• This Portal has been developed in collaboration with National Informatics Centre (NIC).

4. Nitin Gadkari to lay the foundation stone for Ghazipur Intermodal Terminal

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari, will lay the foundation stone for an Intermodal Terminal at Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.

• The Rs 155 Cr terminal is being constructed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India as part of the World Bank aided Jal Marg Vikas Project on river Ganga or the NW-I, that aims to augment the navigational capacity of the river. 
• The terminal is expected to provide between 5000 direct and indirect jobs. The first phase of the terminal construction is expected to be completed by April, 2020.

5. India to host 16th International Energy Forum meet

The 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial meeting will be held in New Delhi on April 10 to 12.

• It will be hosted by Government of India in New Delhi and co-hosted by the Government of China and South Korea.
• Representatives from 92 countries will be participating in the conference, including 72 member countries of IEF and 20 guest countries.
• India had last hosted the IEF ministerial conference in 1996.

6. 7th Asia Steel International Conference from Feb 6

The 7th Asia Steel International Conference will be held in Bhubaneswar from February 6 to 9.

• Tata Steel, in association with the Indian Institute of Metals, announced it.
• The last Asia Steel conference was held in 2015 at Yokohama, Japan.
• This major conference is held every three years and provides a platform for exchange of knowledge on various aspects of the global steel industry.

7. Japan’s Development Loan Assistance to India for an amount of Yen 45 billion

The Government of Japan has committed JICA Official Development Assistance loan for an amount of Yen 45 billion (Rs.2587 crore approx.) for the project. 

• The Notes in this regard were exchanged between Mr. S. Selvakumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India on Japanese official development assistance loan for Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Project (Phase 3) (I). 
• This Project will provide residents of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) area especially in 110 villages with safe and stable water supply and sewerage services by carrying-out construction of water treatment plant and sewage treatment plants thereby improving living conditions of the residents as well as the investment environment in the concerned areas in BBMP in the State of Karnataka. 
• India and Japan have had a long and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation since 1958. In the last few years, the economic cooperation between India and Japan has steadily progressed.
• This further consolidates and strengthens the Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan.

8. Somanath takes charge as VSSC director

Noted scientist S Somanath took charge as Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

• He succeeds K Sivan, who was appointed as ISRO Chairman recently.
• Somanath took charge at a function in ISRO headquarters Bengaluru.
• He is currently the Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Valiamala, the lead centre responsible for liquid engines and stages for all launch vehicles and satellite programs of ISRO.

9. Dilip Chenoy appointed FICCI Director General

Industry Chamber FICCI said that it has appointed Dilip Chenoy as its Director General.

• He had resigned from NSDC in late 2015 amid reports that the government was unhappy with the functioning of the skills development body.
• He was appointed by the previous Congress-led UPA government.

10. Naveen Patnaik conferred 'Ideal Chief Minister' award

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was conferred the “Ideal Chief Minister” award by former President Pratibha Patil at Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad in Pune.

• He received the award in a special event organised by Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Governance.

11. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan receives First Ladies Award

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan received the prestigious First Ladies Award by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

• The Ministry of Women & Child Development has selected 112 women who have been the first to achieve a milestone in their respective fields and Aishwarya was one of them.

22 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Centre to declare 2018 as ‘national year of millets’

Nutrient-rich millets have got a boost with the Union government deciding to declare 2018 as the ‘national year of millets’.

• This decision has been taken following a request by Karnataka, which is the country’s leader in the millet sector.
• At the inauguration of the three-day international trade fair of organics and millets, Union Statistics and Programme Implementation Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said the Union Agriculture Ministry had already completed the formalities in this regard.

2. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) Crosses One Crore Mark

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his un-daunting support to the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), as the programme crossed one crore mark in antenatal check-ups.

• The Union Health Minister stated that Hon’ble Prime Minister of India had envisioned that 9th of every month, symbolizing the 9 months of pregnancy, should be dedicated to pregnant women.
• The PMSMA programme was launched in 2016 to fulfil his vision and ensure comprehensive and quality antenatal checkups to pregnant women across India. 

3. CBI registers Rs. 80-cr bank fraud case against PNB officials

The CBI has registered 22 cases against officials of Punjab National Bank relating to fraud in bank loans processed by them on the basis of forged documents causing a loss of over Rs. 80 crore to the bank.

• The cases relate to four branches of the bank in Bhopal and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
• It said the bank alleged in its complaint that the officials had fraudulently sanctioned and disbursed loans to private persons dealing in coal business from 2011 to 2016.

4. India to overtake China as fastest growing large economy in 2018: Report

India will overtake China to be the fastest growing large economy in 2018 and the country's equity market will become the fifth largest in the world, says a report.

• According to a Sanctum Wealth Management report, when the rest of the world offers low growth and insufficient structural change, India, by contrast, is seen as a reforming economy with the prospect of strong long-term growth.
• At a time when developed economies are cheering 2-3 per cent growth, India is focused on breaching 7.5 per cent, it said.

5. OP Rawat appointed New Chief Election Commissioner

Om Prakash Rawat has been appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner, the law ministry said.

• Mr Rawat, who is currently an Election Commissioner, will succeed the outgoing Achal Kumar Joti, who is retiring on January 22.
• Ashok Lavasa, a former finance secretary and an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1980 batch, has been appointed as an Election Commissioner, to fill up the vacancy left behind by Mr Rawat in the three-member poll panel.
• Sunil Arora is currently the other Election Commissioner.

6. Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust of Odisha wins prestigious UNWTO Award

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.

7. 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018: Complete list of winners

 

• Best Film: 'Hindi Medium'
• Critics' Award for Best Film: 'Newton'
• Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female): Vidya Balan for 'Tumhari Sulu'
• Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) : Irrfan Khan for 'Hindi Medium'
• Critics' Award for Best Actor (Male): Rajkummar Rao for 'Trapped'
• Critics' Award for Best Actor (Female): Zaira Wasim for 'Secret Superstar'
• Best Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari for 'Bareilly Ki Barfi'
• Best Debut Director: Konkona Sensharma for 'A Death in the Gunj'
• Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male): Rajkummar Rao for 'Bareilly Ki Barfi'
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Meher Vij for 'Secret Superstar'
• Best Original Story: Amit Newton for 'Newton'
• Best Actor (Male) in a Short Film: Jackie Shroff for 'Khujli'
• Best Actor (Female) in a Short Film: Shefali Shah for 'Juice'
• People's Choice Award for Best Short Film: 'Anahut'
• Best Short Film (Fiction) : 'Juice'
• Best Short Film (Non Fiction): 'Invisible Wings'
• Best Playback Singer (Male): Arijit Singh for 'Roke na ruke naina' - 'Badrinath Ki Dulhania'
• Best Playback Singer (Female): Meghna Mishra for 'Nachdi phira' - 'Secret Superstar'
• Best Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya for 'Ullu ka pattha' - 'Jagga Jasoos'
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Mala Sinha and Bappi Lahiri

8. Blind Cricket World Cup: India beat Pakistan to retain title

India retain Blind Cricket World Cup title after beating arch-rivals Pakistan by two wickets in a thrilling final played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE.

• Chasing a huge 308-run target in 40 overs, India romped home in the penultimate over of the match.
• Earlier, riding on Badar Munir's fine half-century, Pakistan scored 307/8 to give India big target in the final of the fifth edition of the tournament.

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18 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. 10th Global Forum for Food & Agriculture, Berlin, Germany

Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is leading the Indian delegation to 10th Global Forum for Food & Agriculture from 18-20 January, 2018 which includes the 10th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference.

• The theme of this year’s event is “Shaping the future of livestock – sustainably, responsibly, efficiently”.
• The discussions will focus on sustainable and productive animal production among other issues.

Points to Remember

• The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is an international conference that focuses on central questions concerning the future of the global agri-food industry.
• The GFFA is organised by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMEL) in cooperation with GFFA Berlin e.V., the Senate of Berlin and Messe Berlin GmbH.

2. China Opens 'World's Largest Air Purifier'

China has built a 100 metre high, nearly 328 feet tall air purifier, touted to be world's largest, to combat the deadly pollution in the country.

• The world's largest air purifier is built in Xian in Shaanxi province of northern China and the preliminary results have shown that smog levels have come down and there is some improvement in the air quality.

3. PM Modi, Israeli PM Netanyahu dedicate iCreate to the nation

Prime Minister Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu dedicated to the nation, the iCREATE facility located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

• iCreate is an independent Centre created with the objective of facilitating entrepreneurship through a blend of creativity, innovation, engineering, product design and leveraging emerging technologies to deal with major issues such as food security, water, connectivity, cybersecurity, IT and electronics, energy, bio-medical equipment and devices etc.
• iCreate aims to develop an ecosystem in India to generate quality entrepreneurs.

 4. MoS, Textiles inaugurates 60th India International Garment Fair

The 60th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF) was inaugurated by Minister of State for Textiles, Shri Ajay Tamta, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

• Recalling that business worth US $200 million was conducted in the previous edition, the Minister extended his best wishes to all participating buyers and exporters.
• A total of 294 exporters from 11 states are participating at the 60th IIGF.

5. 65th meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education held in New Delhi

 

The 65th Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) was held under the Chairmanship of Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.

• The meeting was attended by the Union Minister for Culture and MoS(Independent Charge) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Mahesh Sharma and Dr. Satya Pal Singh, Minister of State for HRD.
• The Education Ministers of the States, CABE Members actively participated in the discussions.

6. Afghans award Trump 'Medal of Bravery'

The residents of Afghanistan's Logar province have awarded United States President Donald Trump a 'Medal of Bravery' over his recent stance against Pakistan.

• The medal is made with funds collected by Afghans from the Logar province, 60 kilometers in the south of Kabul.
• The bravery award has been handed over to the US Embassy in Kabul.

7. Brazil football legend Ronaldinho retires

 

Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho has formally confirmed his retirement from football, more than two years since his last appearance as a professional.

• The 37-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona star, a key member of the Brazil side which won the World Cup in 2002, last played in 2015.
• Ronaldinho made 97 appearances, scoring 33 goals, including two in the 2002 World Cup.
• He was awarded the Ballon D'Or in 2005.

8. Veteran actress Ava Mukherjee passes away

Veteran actress Ava Mukherjee, known for playing Shah Rukh Khan's grandmother in Devdas has passed away the age of 88.

• Ava is also the mother of filmmaker Romilla Mukherjee.
• One of her final appearances on the big screen was in the film 'Darna Zaroori Hai' directed by Ram Gopal Varma. 

9. Sanjay Manjrekar launches autobiography

Dilip Vengsarkar has released Former Indian Test player Sanjay Manjrekar’s autobiography, named “Imperfect” published by Harper Collins in Mumbai.

• Sanjay, who played 37 Tests after making his debut in the Delhi Test against the West Indies under the captaincy of Dilip Vengsarkar in 1987, scored 2,043 runs with a career-best 218 against Imran Khan’s Pakistan at Lahore in 1989.

17 JANUARY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Romania's PM Mehai Tudose resigns

Romania's Prime Minister Mehai Tudose resigned after his party withdrew its support for him amid a power struggle with the party chairman.

• Social Democratic Party officials said Development Minister Paul Stanescu would serve as interim prime minister.
• Tudose is the second prime minister ousted by the Social Democrats since they won Romania's December 2016 general election.

Points to Remember

• Romania is a sovereign state located in Southeastern Europe.
• Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth-largest city in the EU.
• Klaus Lohannis is the President of Romania. Leu is the Currency of Romania.

2. India attends its first SCO military cooperation meeting

India, for the first time, took part in a meeting of the international military cooperation departments of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) since joining the bloc last year.

• An Indian delegation led by Major General Ajay Seth participated in the meeting in Beijing, which discussed issues of practical cooperation among SCO nations.
• India and Pakistan were admitted last year into the grouping in which China plays an influential role.
• The SCO comprises of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

3. Odisha CM launches Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Sahayata Yojana for the welfare of the artistes in Odisha.

• The age limit of the male artistes has been relaxed from 60 to 50 years of age, and from 50 to 40 years of age for female artists to get pension.
• Currently, 4000 artistes are getting the monthly pension. However, with the new age relaxation, around 50,000 artistes will be enlisted and reap the benefit.

4. Israeli PM Inaugurates Raisina Dialogue In Delhi

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in India for a 6-day official visit, inaugurated the 3rd annual Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

• The Raisina Dialogue is India's premiere foreign policy and geo-political conference.
• Prime Minister Netanyahu will be the first foreign head of government to speak at the Raisina Dialogue.
• The Raisina Dialogue is jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation.
• The theme of the Raisina Dialogue this year is 'Managing Disruptive Transitions: Ideas, Institutions and Idioms'.

5. Modi lays foundation stone of Rs 43,000 cr Barmer refinery project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Rs 43,129 crore refinery project in Barmer and said it will change the economic landscape of Rajasthan.

• The refinery, a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Rajasthan government, will have the capacity to refine 90 lakh crude oil annually. 
• Due to be completed by 2022, the project is expected to bring Rs 34,000 crore to the state government coffers annually.

6. Haryana to set up NBFC for efficient management of funds

The Haryana government has decided to form a non-banking financial company (NBFC) — Haryana State Financial Services Limited — to act as an in-house treasury manager for efficient management of surplus funds of State public enterprises and autonomous bodies.

• The NBFC will provide better deposit rates on overnight funds of State government entities.
• Besides, it would provide better deposit rates throughout the year to State government entities, said State Finance Minister Abhimanyu.
• The NBFC would enable quick and hassle-free lending and create financial discipline among the State government entities.

7. Bank of Baroda partners with Invoicemart as TReDS partner

Digital invoice discounting marketplace - Invoicemart has tied up with state-run lender Bank of Baroda to discount invoices for MSMEs.

• Buyers and sellers registered on the marketplace will now be able to access funding from Bank of Baroda.
• Invoicemart is a joint venture between Axis Bank Ltd and mjunction services ltd.
• TReDS is an online mechanism that helps MSMEs unlock working capital without the hassle of applying for loans.
• Recently Government of India advised all public sector banks and undertakings to get registered on TReDS platforms.

8. 24 hours sports radio channel launched

India’s first online radio channel dedicated to broadcasting sports content including live updates and chat commentaries 24×7 was launched.

• The internet radio channel, launched by Sports Flashes, will provide special sports programmes, experts comments, sports news and updates for over 400 sports events from around the world including Premier League, IPL and the FIFA World Cup.

9. Renowned cinematographer W B Rao passes away

Renowned cinematographer W B Rao passed away at a suburban hospital of Mumbai.

• Rao, known for his works in Bollywood hits like "Rangeela", "Hum" and "Khuda Gawah", breathed his last at the Bhartiya Arogya Nidhi Hospital.
• Some of his other notable films include "Dhadkan", "Judwaa", "Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega" and others.