Current Affairs Weekly Roundup January 3rd Week

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Current Affairs Weekly Roundup January 3rd Week

APPOINTMENTS
  • Rajeev Singh, the member (finance) in Prasar Bharati Board, will become the new interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Prasar Bharti after S C Panda retires on February 2017.
  • Mexico appointed Geronimo Gutierrez, head of the North American Development Bank, as the new ambassador to the US.
  • Antonio Tajani, an Italian politician, has been elected president of the European Parliament. He succeeded Germany’s Martin Schulz and will head the parliament for the next two-and-a-half years.
  • Alok Kumar Verma, a 1979-batch IPS officer, has been selected as the new chief of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the 3-member committee headed by PM Narendra Modi.
  • Praful Patel, the President of All India Football Federation (AIFF), has been appointed as a new member of FIFA’s Finance Committee for the period of 2017-2021.
  • Sushmita Sen, the former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress, will be on the judging panel at the 65th edition of Miss Universe pageant-2017 pageant.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
  • Kapil Dev, the Cricket icon and former Indian skipper, has been inducted into Legends Club ‘Hall of Fame’ at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • Kiran Doshi, a retired diplomat and educationist from Gujarat, has won the prestigious award “The Hindu Prize 2016” for his Partition-themed political novel “Jinnah Often Came to Our House”.
  • An Indian film actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha has bagged the 62nd Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award -2016, presented at the NSCI Dome, Mumbai (Maharastra).
  • Twenty-five children (13-girls) have been selected for the national bravery awards 2016. The coveted Bharat award has been conferred on 8-year-old LateKumari Tarh Peju (Arunachal Pradesh), who sacrificed her life while saving two of her friends from drowning.
  • British Poet "Jacob Polley" has won the 2016 T.S. Eliot prize for his collection "Jackself". The award ceremony was organized at the Wallace Collection Gallery in London (UK).
  • Jacob Polley has won the 2016 TS Eliot Prize for poetry and won the coveted £20,000 award for his collection “Jackself” at the Wallace Collection Gallery in London, United Kingdom (UK).
  • Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has been conferred the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism, the highest honour given to an NGO for shaping global tourism through sustainable innovative initiatives.
BANKING AWARENESS
  • The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to lower broker fees by 25% to 15 rupees per transaction of one crore rupees as part of calibration of various other fees collected by the regulator from different market intermediaries.
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given in-principle approval for listing five government-owned General Insurance Companies (New India Assurance, United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance, National Insurance and General Insurance) in stock exchanges.
  • YES Bank has launched a first of its kind unique Customizable Savings Account to enable the customers to design an account as per their convenience.
  • YES Bank has launched YES FINTECH, an exclusive accelerator programme for fintech start-ups. The bank has called for applications for the 15-week maiden programme.
  • The World Bank has sanctioned Rs 1,376 crore for complete upgradation and improvement of the power system network in Tripura. The total project cost sanctioned by World Bank is Rs 1,376 crore and the project is divided into five phases.
  • State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) will provide technology platform for pilot launch of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB).
  • INS Vikramaditya, the largest warship and latest aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, has become the India’s first-ever warship to have ATM on board. The ATM on the ship docked at the naval base at Karwar will be operated by the State Bank of India (SBI) and will cater to over 1,500 personnel and officers deployed on the ship.
  • “FI@School” a novel programme has been launched by Kerala Gramin Bank to propagate financial literacy among school children.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AWARENESS
  • Bharat Sanchar Nigam has partnered with Tata Communications to deliver a high-quality mobile experience and accelerate how its subscribers use Wi-Fi internationally.
  • India and Sri Lanka signed an MoU to construct 3000 rain water harvesting systems at a cost of 30 crore Sri Lankan Rupees in northern Jaffna District. The project envisages construction of rainwater harvesting systems for 3000 households in selected divisions of Tamil majority Jaffna District.
  • A wholesale inflation has broken a three-month declining trend and rose to 3.39% in December 2016. The increase was mainly due to a rise in prices of manufactured items.
  • A financing agreement for IDA credit of US$ 48 million (equivalent) for the ‘Nagaland Health Project’ was signed with the World Bank.
  • All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi has signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with NBCC (India) Limited, HSCC (India) Limited and HITES HLL Life Care Ltd to expand infrastructure and other facilities in the AIIMS. The three MoUs have a cumulative net worth of Rs 7670 crore.
  • The Indian government has recently signed a financing agreement with World Bank (WB) for $48 million for Nagaland Health Project. The heath project will directly benefit about 600,000 people.
  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded India’s GDP growth forecast for FY 17 to 6.6% against its earlier estimate of 7.6% currencies in its updated flagship publication “World Economic Outlook (WEO)” due to Indian government’s move to demonetize high-value currencies.
  • As per latest report of United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2017, India’s GDP growth forecast for FY 17 has been projected to 7.7% and 7.6% for FY 18 (2017-18).
  • The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into a Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreement with Indian subsidiary of a Japanese trading company.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
  • The book “The Karachi Deception” has been authored by Shatrujeet Nath. The novel is about an audacious plot Project Abhimanyu, hatched by RAW and Indian army intelligence to assassinate Mumbai’s underworld don, Irshad Dilawar.
  • The novel “The Book Thief” has been authored by Australian author Markus Zusak. The book is the story of a young German girl, who with the help of her father learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing attacks as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her cellar before he is marched to Dachau.
  • The book “Kalkatta” has been authored by Kunal Basu. The novel explores the world of the dispossessed and alienated. In simple words, it’s an overly populated novel that tries to cram in different shades of misery and exploitation.
  • The book “60 Indian Poets” has been authored by Jeet Thayil, which is pure pleasure put together with a poet’s love of his craft and its masters.
DEATHS
  • Surjit Singh Barnala (91), the former chief minister of Punjab, has recently passed away in Chandigarh. He was the first Governor of Uttarakhand from its creation in 2000.
  • William Peter Blatty, the author of the novel 'The Exorcist' and writer of its Oscar-winning big-screen adaptation, has died. He was 89.
  • Freedom fighter Mohan Singh Josan (92) has recently passed away in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan. He had taken part in Quit India Movement (or August Kranti).
  • Gita Sen (86), the renowned actress and wife of film maker Mrinal Sen, has recently passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal.
  • Deepak Roy (67), who was known for his movie “Limit to Freedom” which won a National award in 1996 under the category of best investigative film, has recently passed away in New Delhi.
DEFENCE AWARENESS
  • Operation Sard Hawa launched by the Border Security Force (BSF) to maintain strict vigil at the international border of Rajasthan. The aim of the operation is to keep a hawks eye on the international border, where vigil has been beefed-up and officers have also been asked to be part of operation to motivate jawans.
IMPORTANT DAYS OBSERVED
  • Army Day is celebrated on 15 January every year in India for recognition of Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from on this day in 1949.
  • Urging his countrymen to stand against religious intolerance, US President Barack Obama has proclaimed January 16 as Religious Freedom Day in accordance with a yearly tradition.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
  • The International conference for peace talks between Israel and Palestinians will be held in Paris, France. The delegates from 70 nations are expected to re-affirm support for a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict.
  • The first-ever Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) International Dance festival was held at Shilpa Kala Vedika Terracotta Auditorium and Convention Centre in Hyderabad on January 15, 2017 with the support of Telengana State Government.
  • India became an Associate Member State of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) after the Union Government completed its internal approval procedures for the membership.
  • India has been ranked 92nd out of 118 nations in the 2017 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI). The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Singapore, United Kingdom (UK), United States, Sweden and Australia.
  • India has officially become an associate member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) after the Indian government completed internal approval procedures on the agreement it signed in November 2016.
  • India has been ranked 60th out of 79 developing economies in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Inclusive Development Index (IDI) for the year 2017. The list is topped by Lithuania, followed by Azerbaijan and Hungary.
  • The Indian passport has been ranked 78th with a visa-free score of 46 in a list of the world’s strongest passports. In the list of 157 countries, the index is topped by Germany, followed by Singapore and Sweden.
  • 30 more countries have expressed interest in joining the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). An announcement in this regard was made by Foreign Ministry spokesperson of China Hua Chunying on 17 January 2017.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
  • The third National conference “Jal Manthan-III” was inaugurated by Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti in New Delhi.
  • BSNL has launched 'Sanchar Aadhar' for Aadhar based eKYC and digital customer engagement.
  • The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recently launched a mobile app “SEZ India” which provides detailed information related to special economic zones.
  • Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated a month-long awareness drive on fuel conservation "Saksham 2017" in New Delhi. The drive aimed to create awareness amongst masses towards judicious utilization and conservation of petroleum products along with the use of energy efficient appliances.
  • The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore has inaugurated the Indian Panorama Film Festival at Siri Fort auditorium in New Delhi.
  • The union Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will launch a post-graduate course in Urdu journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) in New Delhi.
  • The Madhya Pradesh government has recently launched “Digital Dakiya or Digital Postman” scheme in Indore district to encourage cashless transactions.
  • The world’s biggest cricket stadium will come up at Motera area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat with a seating capacity of 1.10 lakh people. The stadium is designed by world renowned architect firm M/s. Populous and the construction award has been given to Larsen and Turbo (L&T).
  • The 58th edition of India International Garment Fair (IIGF) will be held in New Delhi from January 18 – 20, 2017. It will be organized by Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) India.
  • The Tamil Nadu tourism department has recently launched a mobile app “Pinakin” to provide information on major tourist destinations in Tamil Nadu in a phased manner. The app will cover world heritage tourist sites like Mamallapuram, Thanjavur Big Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram and Darasuram.
  • Mawlynnong village, which is termed as Asia’s cleanest village, is located at the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya. Mawlynnong was awarded the prestigious tag of ‘Cleanest Village in Asia’ in 2003 by Discover India Magazine.
  • Manipur’s Karang has become the India’s first cashless island, which is recently announced by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under its Digital India programme.
  • President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the 28th edition of Dantan Gramin Mela in West Midnapore district in West Bengal in a few hours time on January 19, 2017. The fair will display the rural handicraft skills of the people of the region.
  • Madhya Pradesh has become the India’s first state where Aanandam programme has been launched to help the needy persons. The places have been fixed in each district where the economically sound citizens can donate items for the needy persons under the programme.
  • The 2nd edition of Ministry of External Affairs’ annual conference “Raisina Dialogue” has been held at Taj Palace in New Delhi from 17-19 January, 2017 with the theme “The New Normal: Multilateralism in a multipolar world”.
  • The Union Minister of Railway, Suresh Prabhu has recently launched “Mission 41K” to save Rs. 41,000 crore on the Indian Railways’ expenditure on energy consumption over the next 10 years. This target will be achieved by taking a slew of measures which include moving 90% of traffic to electric traction over diesel.
  • The Union HRD Minister, Prakash Javadekar has recently launched a dedicated web portal “ShaGun” for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) at New Delhi. The purpose of the portal is to capture and showcase innovations and progress in Elementary Education sector of India by continuous monitoring of the flagship scheme “SSA”.
  • The Bihar government has recently launched a Nasha Mukti campaign to make the state addiction-free with formation of over 11,000 km long human chain across the state.
  • The India Innovation Index (III) will be developed by the World Economic Forum (WEF), NITI Aayog, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and Cornell University to measure innovation performance of Indian states.
  • The 2017 Combined Commanders Conference (CCC) has been held at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand to focus on the surgical strikes across the Line of Control, the prevailing situation on the LoC, terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the emerging security situation.
RECENT COMMITTEES
  • The committee under the chairmanship of professor Timothy Gonsalves has recently recommended reservation for girl students in IITs to address the issue of slump in the number of female students entering the prestigious institutes.
  • An Expert Group Committee under the Chairmanship of former Finance Secretary Shri Sumit Bose presented its report on the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) to the Minister of Rural Development, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar for better planning and identification of beneficiaries and for generating priority list of beneficiaries under its programmes.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
  • The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is an international non-profit i.e. devoted to developing and introducing new and improved vaccine to protect the people, especially children, against deadly infectious diseases. The headquarters of IVI is located in Seoul, South Korea.
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has approved a mission to explore 16 Psyche, an iron-rich asteroid. As part of the mission, NASA craft will be launched in 2023, and will arrive at Psyche in 2030.
  • Scientists from Tohoku University in Japan have claimed that Silicon (Si) is the ‘missing element’ in the Earth’s core. This discovery could help us to better understand how our world formed.
  • Scientists in January 2017 named three relatively-known diseases that can be the next global health emergency in near future. These three diseases are Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV), Lassa fever and Nipah virus.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
  • The Gujarat cricket team has won their first-ever Ranji Trophy title in the 2016–17 season after defeating Mumbai by 5 wickets in the final at the Holkar stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
  • Indian Women Boxers Shine At Nations Cup In Serbia - Win Six Medals. India finished 3rd just after Kazakhstan and Russia in the elite category wherein the tournament also featured School Girl, Junior and Youth Division competition.
  • The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Mr. Vijay Goel has announced to launch "diploma course" for sports training in SAI center of Rohtak on the pattern of Patiala.
  • The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Vijay Goel has recently inaugurated the Khelo India National-level competitions for various sports for Under-14 and Under-17 children at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Pool Complex at Talkatora in New Delhi.
  • Chennai Smashers have won the 2017 Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL) tournament by defeating Mumbai Rockets in the final by 4-3 at the Siri Fort Complex in New Delhi.
  • Top seeded Grandmaster Farrukh Amonatov has won the 15th edition of the Delhi International Chess tournament.